RP:Unbargained Marriage

Quinmyutiotu ;;Seated on the outer porch-like platforms of a treehouse perched in one the gnarled trees of the dryad's jungle (the very same treehouse the dryad indicated both she and her monkey friend's location was to Ranok) was Quinmyutiotu, chewing at her bottom lip and wincing at each prod of the sharpened, inky reed point pressed into her skin of her left arm by the dryad seated beside her. The neighboring treehouses were silent, save for the occasional rustle of feathers and twigs brought by resting or watchful cockatrices nestled here and there among the trees and the jungle floor. A faint yellowish-green glow from fireflies captured in crudely fashioned lanterns provided the only light aside from the moon that just barely cut through the dense tree's branches. If one looked hard enough, they might see a tiny monkey snoozing in a hammock made from a fisherman's net in the house connected to the porch the pair of dryads were seated on. They seemed to be chatting, despite no words being spoken. Their free hands (Quin's being her right, the other dryad's being her left) would lift and move in quick gesture to one another on occasion, and a hushed laughter could be heard from one while the other made a hand gesture over her mouth to imply laughter.

Ranok walked through the dense jungles and over the lands. He'd missed the dryad friend he'd referred to as Quin. One of the few people able to make him smile without much effort, she'd taken a special place in his heart. Happiness in any form for the smith was hard to come by these days. When he'd heard of her death, he'd simply crumpled the parchment the news came on into a ball and threw it into the fire. Sadness was for those that had time to waste on it. He did not. But still. He'd kept the feather Quin gave him in his hat. Perhaps a little sentimental. When a very familiar handwritten letter came to him, he was as surprised as any. But it was unmistakable. The drawings, too. Very Quin. Referencing things that happened after her death...well, he had to go and see. The maps proved just useful enough to get him pointed in the right direction. Old naval maps dug up and referenced. A ship chartered and taken. The journey took time, and given circumstances...it wore on him. But it would hopefully be worth it. When he arrived in the jungle, he was at a bit of a loss. A hellish place to have armor in. He was forced to strip down, the very air seeking to make him drip every bit of sweat his body possessed. The shirt stayed on, though. One absolutely did not want to expose flesh to the trials of the jungle. He manages to chop his way through, though, his own armor having seemingly sprouted legs to carry on behind him. The 'Illuminated One' has learned some new tricks since Quin's half death, it seems. When he arrives at the dryad's hidden little village, covered in bug bites, sweating like a pig, and looking all sorts of annoyed, he wastes little time in making himself known. He had, after all, chopped down like half the jungle on his way through. Unavoidable. Seven feet of man didn't just waltz through the undergrowth. "Am Hy here...?"

Quinmyutiotu and the other dryad busily replacing the ink on her arm had heard the far off chirps from the night watch hidden amongst the trees that something was chopping away at the forest toward them, but weren't quite sure what to make of the coded bird calls. As the chirping grew closer and they managed to make out what exactly the calls were indicating, the pair exchanged a worried glance. Whatever was headed their way was very large, apparently. Quin's eye narrowed curiously at the birdcalls, leaning against the birch guardrail of the porch in order to peer downward in order to catch a glimpse of what may be coming while her nervous friend retreated indoors to snatch up a bow, just in case. It seemed that other dryads indoors that had been roused by the birdcalls were reacting similarly, judging by the very subtle movements of shadows playing on the inside of windows in the treehouses nearby that Quin managed to catch. Although she understood the concern of an outsider walking directly into their somewhat hidden village, she also recalled sending a letter with hopes that its receiver would come. When his shadow is a bit more visible, she can't help but smile the brightest she has in quite some time and hop right over the edge of the wooden guardrail, landing in an uneasy crouch when one of her feet catches a gnarled root of the tree below. Quin calls out a flurry of whistles to let the others know that their visitor is friendly, then makes a speedy half-hobble (thanks to the awkward landing) toward Ranok's shadow. Naturally if she could speak, she would probably have begun chatting away immediately to greet him and welcome him to her village, and go on about how much she missed him. Instead, ignoring the fact that he was sweaty and covered in bug bites, Quin practically threw herself at him in the tightest tiny-armed bear hug she could manage to give him.

Ranok didn't like the way the village was rousing. He wasn't too surprised, really. It's what he would have done. But still, it made him quite uncomfortable. Seeing a whole village full of people roused was an experience that could put anyone on edge if they valued their life. He was in no mood to fight, for several reasons. His trek through that damned jungle was exhausting. And brandishing weapons to some natives wasn't such a good way to make friends, last time he checked. Eyes dart around, seeing the forms moving. Silently as a ghost, Draeta comes up behind him. The armor had sprouted tendrils of black to serve as limbs. Arm cut off at the elbow, since Ranok kept the vambraces that the armor normally had on, and his boots, of course. So, they had to be substituted. Instead of a head, the three lights that Quin knew so well hovered over where the neck would be. They seemed a little different, now. They...pulsed, steadily. Almost like a heart, where as before they merely shone. Ranok holds a hand up to Draeta as Quin stumbles her way to him. He was sure he knew that form that was coming...and sure enough, she was doing Quiny things. Mostly a very firm hug. Ranok oomphs with the force of it, keeping his feet under him. He chuckles despite himself. Really, he did miss the girl. "Ha...Quin. Hy tought...hyu vere dead. Vat heppened? How are hyu aliff?" He peers over the dryad, looking at her new body. Most of her tattoos missing...she looked different, too. He was unaware of her seasonal changes. The last he'd seen of her was in the winter, and now there were healthy blooms and vines in her hair. His brow furrows as these changes are processed.

Quinmyutiotu didn’t let go right away. Even by Quin’s standards, the hug she gave him was a bit on the long side. When she did eventually pull away, she managed to catch a glimpse of Draeta and the armor she was so used to seeing Ranok wear. If it weren’t for the formation that the dryad knew Draeta’s lights took, she would’ve mistaken the unfamiliar pulsations for fireflies. After a moment of eyeing the lights curiously, she lifted partially inky hand to wave. It seemed that their presence and the way Quin greeted both Ranok and Draeta was beginning to attract attention; the dryad that was re-inking Quin’s body jumped down in a much more graceful fashion than she had moments before, and approached. Others quietly watched from their homes, with younger, child-like dryads peeking excitedly out from windows and chattering away in hushed whispers. The dryad that approached nudged Quin’s side. They shared a brief conversation through quick hand gestures, and several glances were shot in the man’s direction. Despite slight changes in their facial structure and the that from Quin’s left eye socket blossomed a flower instead of an eyeball that she lost, they looked related. It seemed that the other dryad wasn’t sure if it was safe for him to be there, but after a few signs from Quin, she grinned. She turned toward Ranok, and offered a warm smile. “So you’re the giant that our Quetzal has told us so much about~” Her eyes jumped to Draeta. “And you’re the lights, I’m thinking. Hmm?” With a pause, she turned toward Quin for confirmation. At the nod from the mute, she continued. “She is saying that the fire only burned the body, and not the tree, you know? She could still be doing the livings, and decided to do some regrowings.” The mute dryad nodded several times, then stepped closer to Ranok. Her arms coiled around one of his while the other dryad continued speaking. “Welcome! I’m the Canary,” she said, though that could’ve been easily deduced by the myriad of yellow feathers decorating her She wore them similarly to how Quin wore her quetzal feathers. Canary turned to head for the ladder to their treehouse. “Come in? I can translate the handsy words and things Quetzal has to be saying to you..” After a quick once over of the bug bites covering his flesh, she quickly added, “We can be fixing those up as well. Nasty creepy crawlies are never fun, you know. Just watch your head~! The roof might be a bit too low for you.” Quin immediately turned to throw her arms tightly around Ranok a second time grabbed one of his hands with both of his, and began tugging him toward the ladder to their tree house.

Ranok was overheating, and that made him a little grumpy. Quin's happiness was infectious, though, and it helped make him not quite as prickly as he'd normally be. He runs a hand through dripping hair, his hug ending long before Quin's ever did. Draeta, for its part, was stock still. The polished metal surface of the plate that its 'body' was comprised of was unmarred by its travels through the dirt and grime of the jungle. It was almost as if it automatically kept itself clean. Ranok glances uneasily at the people coming out. Children or no...it was just strange to be the focus of attention. It wasn't anything he wasn't actually used to, really. But in Rynvale, he was eyed because of his size. Or because of his titles. Not because he was just...unusual. It was a strange feeling, truly. A somber nod to Canary, "Aye. Hy vould be de Giant Vun." He pauses, "Hy'm honestly glad dat Qvin vas not killed. Hy tought her to be...lost to me. Hy suppose dryads are more fleksible den most." A glance at Quin snaking a limb around his arm. She seemed much more glad to see him then he'd ever recalled. He takes the time to look Canary over. Were all the dryads bird themed? Maybe he should pick a bird, too. Idly, he wondered what he'd be. Quin would no doubt assign him one eventually. A nod to Canary, "Dat vould be nize. Hy hef traveled a vays. Hy em a sctrong man, but even Hy hef my limits." He'd let himself be led into the hut, indeed watching his head. Sometimes being so tall was a detriment, but it wasn't anything he was unfamiliar with. Draeta moves behind Ranok, carrying his duster and hat. The armor moved with liquid grace, tendrils serving as limbs snaking out. Its movements were slightly eerie, unnatural to be sure. Likely, that would be the thing everyone wanted to stare at. To the dryad wrapping herself around him, he says, "Hy em sorry, Qvin. Hy vas onable to recover you mask. Hy do not know vere it vent. Hy vas forced to make hyu a nev vun. Hy hope it vill be passably useful, to hyu."

Quinmyutiotu ;; The inside of the tree house was fairly empty, aside from detailed etchings scratched into the wall and a pair of hammocks made from a mixture of vines and nets. There were bits of the tree the little house rested in peeking in from slightly warped floorboards and the walls that touched the trunk. While Quin led Ranok and Draeta inside, Canary lifted a bit of cloth covering a few of the makeshift firefly lanterns so the room was illuminated just a bit, then dipped out of the house to go retrieve something for Ranok's bug bites in a different house. While she was gone, Quin excitedly tried to communicate to him with her hand gestures (after about twenty-ish more quick hugs, of course) to ask him how both he and the lights have been, if he had met any more dragons lately, and so on. She poked at a little carving of a dragon in the wall that had been splattered with a mixture of gold dust and probably water, since it was flaking away, and mouthed the name Iscattiva. How had she been? And the Wraith! How could she forget him? She jabbed at another carving of a man with some sort of feline or fox ears and a tail. He had a strange eye that she seemed to emphasize. Kirien. A slightly worried frown curled her lips. She needed to write them letters too. She went on for a time, but Canary's somewhat noisy return brought her to an embarrassed, though slightly amused halt. Upon reentry while lugging a clay jug and a small bowl, the other dryad called over her shoulder in an annoyed tone to the small cluster of dryads hovering just outside the door. Despite her speech being in a different language, it would've been easy to understand that she was trying to shoo them away. They didn't get the message until both she and Quin made shooing gestures, and eventually they wandered off. While Canary approached Ranok, Draeta and Quin, she said, "They're always like that when there are strangerfolks that visit. It can be very annoying with their pokey proddy noses." Both dryads sat in a cross-legged position near him, and while Canary tipped the contents of the jug into the little bowl for Quin, she continued. "This is the bug bite good that will make your biteybites not feel so itchy and nasty." It didn't look very pleasant. She had to give the jug a good few shakes before any of the thick green goo came out. At least it didn't have a nasty smell to go with its appearance. Quin took the little bowl and started applying some of the goo on Ranok's arm. Canary watched quietly for a moment, then asked, "Will you be taking Quetzal away from us again? She had been saying things about going back to where you are from. It is like her second house, I'm thinking."

Ranok was mostly at a loss for Quin's wild gestures. He lacked the ability to read her lips, and her motions, in between hugs, were too excited for him to grasp. His mind tired, he merely lets her go, giving shrugs and enduring hugs. "Hy'm sorry, Qvin. Hy've a liddle tired. A time for schtories later, perheps, after Hy hef rested a liddle?" He looked like hell. Even ignoring the sweat, grim, and bug bites, Ranok was worn down. His back was still healing from being flayed by a dragon not even weeks before, and he was carrying several cracked ribs and heavy bruises from being thrown through a wall shortly after. He gives Quin a sort of half smile. No doubt she'd carry on and on. The shirt stayed on, and the wounds hidden, but hopefully she'd understand. Draeta automatically moved to a vantage point in the room, silently as ever. Its purpose was defense, to protect Ranok. And the silent sentinel did just that. He looks up as Canary reenters with the jar of goo. His lip twitches a bit. It looked really questionable. But, if Quin's tribe was anything like the woman...arguing was useless. His arm was obediently stuck out to be slathered in the concoction as the dryad willed. "Hy'm used to beink looked at. Chust komes vith de territory. Hy remember ven Hy vas chust a boy. Schtrangers in de town vere halvays interestink." He quirks his finger at Draeta, who silently pulls something wrapped out of the duster. "Hy em here for Quin. If she komes vith me or not iz to her. She asked dat Hy kome. Hy came." He inclines his head slightly. Not so simple as that, but it would suffice for now. "She iz missed by mehnny, Hy tell hyu. Recently, zum even vant tattoos und de like. Dere iz halvays a home for her." The armor deposits the prize near Ranok, who uses the arm not covered in goop to pass it to Quin, "For hyu, gurl. Since Hy kould not recover de odder vun." Inside was the mask. A splendor of Ranok's craftsmanship, truly. Several colors, all done in dragonscal of all species. There were some in larger supply then others, where he could manage to procure large amounts. The main attraction was the ones of blue which would touch her skull, allowing a psionic connection through the magic of the scales to touch to runes to allow her to speech. Her voice would be scratchy until Ranok tuned it up, but he needed her for that bit. Gold scales poured off to the sides, providing their protection from fire. When she wore the mask, her previous fate wasn't such an issue. As well, deep dragon scales on the interior towards the cheeks and spiraling out, for its connection to the earth. And the final touch, mercury scales, tucked in slots over the eyes. Quin could pull them down to provide goggles when she was flying on her golden cockatrice. Ranok waits as Quin unwraps it to reveal it all.

Quinmyutiotu continued applying the bug bite goo to Ranok's arm, then switched to his other arm. It seemed fairly quick to react and treat the bug bites. Once it dried a bit and was absorbed slightly through his skin, the goo flaked away. The bites would still take some time to fully heal, but at least they wouldn't feel as annoying or painful. The risk of infection would go down considerably as well. Canary had to hold back an amused smile while watching Quin try to poke some of it onto Ranok's face without interrupting his speech, which didn't work too well. "Ehee~ She used to do that when we were little. Quetzal never really learned much about the personal space and things." The thought of a second home caused the mute dryad's cheery smile to grow a bit. She would've hugged Ranok yet again, but refrained from doing so for fear of interrupting the healing process of the bug bite goo. When she felt there was enough on him, Quin picked up the jug and bowl and tucked them away just outside of the house. Once she returned and saw Draeta approach Ranok with something, the pair of dryads lofted a brow. A gift! Quin's smile just grew larger. While opening it she glanced up toward the giant man and the lights, and mouthed the words 'thank you'. Canary saw the mask just before she did as she opened it, and while she made an audible gasp, Quin's mouth sort of fell open when she peered downward toward it. Even if the dryad could speak currently, words would be difficult to come up with to describe how beautiful she thought the mask was. She was almost afraid to touch it, but began carefully running her fingers along some of the scales. Something went off in her head at around the same moment that Canary shot a glance at the pair. She scooted over toward Quin and carefully nudged at her side with her elbow, grinning mischievously. "I didn't know he was -that- kind of a friendly friend, Quetzal~" The unpainted portions of Quin's face immediately turned just about as red as her face paint. She very carefully hugged the mask to her chest, and grinned at Ranok. Canary spoke for her. "..I think that means that she accepts! You'll be making such a happy couple, I'm thinking. We should let the others know!"

Ranok was resisting the urge to scratch, really. But that goopy stuff, as weird and questionable as it was, really did work. His body relaxes a little as the itching urge fades away. Leaning back as he dodged her probing fingers at his face, he laughs just a little, "Vell, she hesn't learned much, huh? Hy suppose it's done her vell so far." Draeta returns to its corner after the mask was delivered. He watches Quin open her gift much in the ways that a father would when watching his kid open a Christmas day package. He grins a bit, flicking a finger towards the mask, "Fancy, eh? Should do hyu vell ontil hyu find you old vun?" He remembered the size of her head, his eye for measurements practiced from a lifetime of his work. A queztal had to sacrifice its head for the shape of the mask, but he wasn't gonna tell her that one. "Go on, go on. Put it on." Though, Quin's reaction and Canary's words made him furrow his brow a bit. He sits up a little straighter, glancing between the two, "Vait, vat?" He hadn't figured it out yet, the poor sap. It would click eventually, just not right now. "Accept vat? De gift?" It was a nice mask...he was just giving a good friend something useful. He wouldn't get all choked up about a knife, or a piece of armor after all.

Quinmyutiotu ;; While Canary continued to giggle at Quin, she carefully put the new mask on. She immediately liked it more than her cockatrice skull, but that one would always be important for her tribe. This one didn't feel so loose and most likely wouldn't wobble around if she moved her head. She liked that change a lot. The quetzal shape suited her as well, naturally. A slight tingling sensation on her forehead where the blue scales touched her skin caused her to jump slightly with confusion, but she relaxed once her mouth opened and she tried to speak. "H-hi? Oooh! Ooooh~" The voice created from the mask sounded slightly off from the voice the cockatrice mask created, but it was still recognizable to her. "I'm liking this, Giant One~ It is a very nice and special gift, I'm thinking~!" Her tone turned bashful while she shot a glance at Ranok. "I didn't know you were liking me in this way, but I am happy that you will be being my husband now." Canary grinned and chimed in, "We'll be like those…What are they calling them, Quetzal? Family laws?" The pair shrugged. "Sister family-laws, I'm thinking, Canary. You'll be brother and sister!" The dryads laughed, and Quin moved to hug Ranok tightly yet again.

Ranok got a bit of a blank look on his face as it all clicked. It was from amusement and a bit of pride as Quin tried on her new mask to rapid blinking. He stands fairly quickly, shedding flakes of bug bite goop from his arms and the parts of his face Quin managed to get. "Haha, hokay, dat iz very funny..." Doesn't take long for it to sink in, judging by Quin's bashfulness and the endless giggling from Canary that it wasn't a joke. He sits down slowly, and rubs his face, "Oh. Vat deed Hy chust get myself into...?" How to break it to Quin, though? The poor girl was through a lot of trauma. Couldn't just say 'no I don't want to marry you', could he? Even Ranok knew more about tact then that. "Hoookay. Uh. Quin, ve kan' get married. Hyu know, no ringks? Chust vas not meant to be. Hy em sorry." He gives a waneful smile, as if he was truly sorry. The smith was just glad no one else was here to see this. Draeta rather lacked a sense of humor, and told no stories. Thank the gods for small favors.

Quinmyutiotu blinked, then tilted her head. That wasn't exactly the reaction she expected. She glanced down at her fingers. While she did wear rings, she understood what he meant after recalling the wedding she saw before returning to her tribe. "Ahh, yesyes! We won't be needing those really, but I think it would be nice to be having them." With a pause, Quin tapped the side of the quetzal mask. "You've given the Quetzal something quetzal-like. That's all we'll be needing. We're married already, silly~!" She happily clapped her hands together. "This is one of the happiest days, I'm thinking. One of my very closest friendly ones is here and now he is my husband. It is like we're the very closest of close friends now!"

Ranok sighs. There wasn't any getting out of this. He had to figure out a way to fix this. He liked the dryad, but marriage? Oh boy. "Uh, hokay. So givink hyu de mask means...a marriage. Hokay. But, dat doesn' vork in de rest uf de vorld. Right? So ve're married here...ve hef to get married odder places too. Does dat make sense?" He glances at Canary, guessing he'd get no support from his newest sister in law. Draeta was no help, either. Traitor. Marriage laws weren't something it really understood. He scratches his head, sending more flakes everywhere, "Do hyu even know vat a man und vife do? Hy deedn' tink hyu knew vat marriage vas, Quin." He paces a little while, trying to put it all together. He guessed he had to take her back to Hollow, at least. Maybe he could convince her to give it up? What a mess. Here Ranok was, the man that played battlefields like a soccer court. Regularly took on huge monsters that could fell lesser men with a single blow. Was fearless in the face of death, and had technically died more then once...and he was worried about an accidental marriage.

Quinmyutiotu nodded. "Yes! When the elf-man gave our friend called Rabbit a baby rabbit, they were married too~ It was very nice. Our animals are very special and important things, you know?" She made a slight frown. They would have to get married again in other places too? She didn't know that it was that complicated. "We could have one of those wedding type things, with the rings? I've always been wanting one of those." Quin suggested. At his question about what married couples do, Canary snorted. Quin rolled her eye. "We can't be doing those things because I'm not..able to. Yes. It will be just fine, though! We can be doing other things like adventures and treasure hunting or something! I would like that very much, yes." She nodded eagerly. This was all going to her head a bit, clearly.

Ranok was guessing the not-Christmas analoge in Quin's tribe was pure pandemonium. Things getting real ugly, really quick. He could see how much this was meaning to her. "Hy don' know vat dryads kan und kan not do...shape shifters. Vun halways assumed..." He shakes his head. "Hef...a veddink elsevere...yah." Oh, by the Forgotten Gods, he'd done it now. It was just better to shut up. Sit down and figure out how to explain this all to Quin. Preferably when he wasn't sitting in the middle of her family's village, filled with possibly angry brothers and fathers. At least he was pretty sure dryads had those...so many things to learn. "Hy guess...Hy vill be needink a bird name." Slowly, he accepts that there wasn't anything to be done for now. For now, he goes with the flow, and undoubtably, the celebrations the village was going to hold.

Quinmyutiotu grinned, and gently patted Ranok's shoulder. "I can be teaching you things about us, now! We'll be having lots of times together now, and you'll be learning our secret things~ I remember when we met you were wanting to know about the Golden Ones, yes?" She vaguely recalled his interest in cockatrices, but couldn't remember the conversation word for word. "Yes. You will be learning about them, I'm thinking." Canary and Quin exchanged a glance. "Bird name~? Oh! Of course. You'll be needing the namings," Canary said, while giving him a once over. "It can be other animals besides birds. Bear?" Quin shook her head. "That is too obvious, I'm thinking. He is big like the bears and strong like them, but too obvious. Perhaps he'll need to be doing the waitings for his name..I caught a quetzal and a canary came to you, yes? Maybe he'll need to be doing the catchings or the findings."

Ranok remembered that conversation, too. Perhaps it wouldn't be all bad. "Hy...suppose." Animals didn't really like him. He killed dragons, but that was a bit overdone. He supposed he wouldn't worry about it. Quin would, no doubt, find some suitable name and give it to him when he wasn't paying attention. He looks to the two women, "Vell, den. Vat now?"

Quinmyutiotu ;; "Now it is sleeping times for you," Quin said, while nudging Ranok by the shoulder in order to try to get him to lay down. "You've done lots of travelings I'm guessing, Giant One~ You should be having lots of the resting time. We'll bring you some blankets and things so you'll be more comfy, yes?"

Ranok glances back at Draeta, then to his newest wife...for good or ill. A nod, then, "Hy tink dat iz de best kourse uf action." He lays down, exhaling. What a day.