Mixed Emotions: Honor and Loyalty

[Sage]

Rinald relaxed his grip, turning his body over once as he did so to land on his feet. He inhaled slowly, and allowed his mass to return to normal size. He had not exerted nearly as much force today as he had when he'd swelled in the laboratory, and was well in control of himself. It was tiring to support even the small amount of extra muscle he had put on to attempt outrunning, but nothing he would need time to recover from.

He followed her through the woods, slowly...carefully. He drew his hands through the leaves and brush, enjoying a day where he was not responsible for the lives of an entire species. He stopped abruptly upon noticing the final shred of Nova's clothing. Never had he seen her purposefully undress in their short time together, it had always been a side effect of her transformations. He furrowed his brow as he considered her. He had feelings for Blythe, but she intrigued him as well. She was warm, and soft, and voluptuous. Blythe was cool, lithe, and tall. They each held his respect, and he considered carefully the consequences of getting involved with either of them, not to mention both.

Kraven could get away with it, because of who he was. There was only one man to question Kraven and Anabel's union, and that was Bartholomew. That being said, the Old Man seemed hardly even interested at their obvious relationship, but it was different for Rinald. His station made what he was doing inappropriate lawfully, but was it, morally? Had he not been told his entire life that he existed to serve...he was not allowed to be happy, to be whole.

Rinald pulled away the final trappings of the forest as he came upon Nova's destination, and smiled despite himself, taking in her form gliding effortlessly through the water.

" You run faster than me, you swim better than me, any other activity you'd like to humiliate me at today? "

[Jen]

She laughed as she washed her body in the shallows. She was comfortable around this human and she could see why the Vampires were as well. He was an unassuming man that thought for himself and made his own decisions within the parameters that were set for him, and sometimes beyond.

“Rinald. You are stronger than I am for all but one night out of the year. You run slowly because of your girth and size.” She burst into gales of laughter that echoed in the clearing, shaking the birds from their nests and causing them to chirp crazily. Her ice blue eyes found Rinald’s own eyes and she smiled.

“Tonight is the full moon.” It was all that she needed to say, and all that had to be said. “Please don’t do anything stupid while I am otherwise incapable of helping. I’m rather fond of you, if you hadn’t noticed.”

Nova wasn’t a stunning woman, she was pretty – sure. She was built to last and to endure while the vampires were built for longevity. She was warm and lived as long as they did, but under harder and stricter circumstances. She could be normal every day except the full moon. During the full moon she became something fierce, something so incredible that most humans denied its existence on principle.

Nova became something so deadly, so beautiful, that even the Vampires were a little nervous – simply because she was unpredictable.

“Rinald…” Nova washed her body and stood in the shallows. Sure she was naked, but it wasn’t anything Rinald hadn’t seen on any other woman at some point. Granted…by his actions he might never had seen a woman like this before – but Nova didn’t take that into account. “Want to take a swim with me?”

Coded sexual reference? Probably. However, Nova was so comfortable with Rinald that she didn’t even think about it.

[Sage]

Talk of the full moon was a solemn subject, but Rinald's bemused expression did not disappear until she posed her question too him, too delighted in her praise to care about such things that could not be helped. Secretly, Rinald feared the water, though it was a completely rational thing and not a phobia induced by some lesser emotional trickery. Rinald could not swim, and he could have easily drowned in the time it would take him to swim even the short distance to her. His anatomy gave him the upper hand in most situations, but his supercompressed muscle density, and all the weight it added to him sapped away his buoyancy. Rinald sank like a bucket of rocks in the water.

" Yes, I would very much like that. Unfortunately, I can not. "

It was not that Rinald could not swim. If he invoked incredible strength and remained constantly in motion he could propel himself through the water, though there was risk involved even in the shallowest of liquid if the bottom was not solid. And he meant to make good on his promise to not do anything irrationally dangerous, which was good enough reason to not have acknowledged her comment about that night. Rinald trudged forward a few feet onto the sediment at the shore of the body of water. The consistency was like sand, though it was oddly discolored and fine. He fell back onto it, pulling his arms around his knees and watching her carefully as he sulked.

" It seems that you surpass me here as well because of...girth and size, you called it? It's a wonder either of them have any benefit at all. I certainly can not think of many, can you, dear Nova? "

His smile was sly, though he was normally too serious a man to ever resort to innuendo. She had an effect on him that was not unlike restored adolescence. It was highly likely that this was due to him never having had much of a childhood or teenage years to speak of, being rigorously trained and instilled with a sense of duty after his recruitment. He allowed himself to feel better by mentally poking fun at Kraven, a person who was equally if not moreso afraid of the water for different reasons. Not even Nova's best try would get that secret out of him, however, for it was a matter of loyalty to not disclose any information that would paint Kraven in a negative light to anyone, especially if it was a weakness. The strain of keeping it to himself would show, however, with no doubt.

[Jen]

Nova tilted her head not unlike a young pup and swished her way through the shallows to sit next to Rinald. She stretched her legs out and leaned back on her elbows to soak in the mild warmth filtering through the clouds. It was a muted light this morning, but it was enough to make the water on her body sparkle as it dried.

“Well, we’ll eventually find something that you’re better at than I am.” Nova said simply before she looked at Rinald and smiled. Her eyes were beautiful in an almost exact replica of blue ice during winter. Her hair was plastered down her back and down around her breasts in a wild pattern. She looked as wild as her race was made out to be, and yet she seemed simply…well…civil.

“Can you climb…no…we already saw I was better at that…” Nova pursed her lips in thought as she relaxed her head back between her shoulders. She was enjoying the coolness of the water with the warmth of the coming spring. The water around her hips was dark enough that Rinald wouldn’t have to worry about seeing anything, but her breasts were there and they were enough to pause and look at.

Nova didn’t consider herself to be exceptionally beautiful. She found that she was rather plain in all things considered. She had curves in all the right places and all the right parts, but her life had been about keeping men away. She hadn’t wanted to mate. Though, under her thick black eyelashes, Nova sneaked a peek at Rinald. He wouldn’t be such a bad mate.

In fact, the more she thought about it she began to blush. Before long, her cheeks were a rosy pink and she looked away into the sky and avoided looking at him altogether.

“It’ll be rough weather come early morning. Mostly on the coast though.” Nova said as she inhaled, smelling the condensation on the air. Kalmarden was due for a little wet weather this time of year anyway.

“Oops. I suppose weather barometer wasn’t in your list of abilities either…” Nova laughed and splashed water at Rinald with a smirk. She really was becoming fond of the man that had saved her life.

[Sage]

Rinald's brow furrowed as he attempted to think of something he might be able to seriously challenge her to without resorting to martial forms. A glimmering object caught his eyes, and a devilish grin spread slowly across his gaunt facial features. He plucked the water-shaped stone from just inside Nova's right knee and stood up, water pouring from his thick leather suit of scouting armor. He reeled back, and took special care that she saw he took no advantage of his ability to augment his strength and flung the thing across the water, sending it skidding across the surface a number of times before bouncing out onto the shore of the other side, and colliding with a tree, issuing a loud 'thock'.

Rinald turned his grin on her once more before plodding closer to her and collapsing into the shallow water, immediately sinking almost a foot. He ignored the appropriately humorous event and pushed his shoulder into hers, while nodding his head in the direction of the throw.

" I bet I do that better than you. "

[Jen]

Nova laughed and nodded.

“That you do. You’re a good deal stronger than I am on a day like this. I’ve not had any sleep for a day and a half and I’ve used a lot of power over the course of the day and night. Although, I’d wager that you are a good sight better at skipping stones than I am.”

Nova laughed again and gathered up her long blonde hair, wringing the water out of it and letting it dangle over her shoulder as she gathered her knees into her arms. It was a good way for her to hide her nakedness and she smiled up at Rinald.

“Good job, you one upped a werewolf!” She smirked and bounced her shoulder into Rinald. He wouldn’t budge, and she realized he’d sunk a bit into the dirt. She laughed again and wrinkled her nose at him.

“You’re a funny man, Rinald. I’d wager you were made of lead the way your body sinks into the mud.” She winked at him, a brazen move on her part, but she was interested. She couldn’t help but feel like a frail woman in his presence. That was incredibly rare for a woman like her who was in a den of Werewolves who were strong – but she could best at least half of them.

Nova didn’t look overpowering, but she was quick and used her momentum to her advantage.

“Oh. You know, I don’t know where I left my clothes.” Nova frowned a little and then laughed as if it mattered now that Rinald had seen her naked. “I can’t return to Kraven’s house without clothes though, so maybe I should look for them. It was nice to wash off while I had the chance.”

[Sage]

Rinald frowned, an animatedly sour look overtaking his face. No one in The Guard were able to sleep much, especially those capable of staying up for long periods of time like the Solaris'. The schedule involved with tending to the whims of vampires was a caustic one when it came to one's health and well-being. Rinald had learned to overcome the deep pain that came when one had been awake for days on end, and the body screamed for rest. Eventually, however, even he could shut down and long before Kraven would for unknown reasons.

" ...you're just jealous. "

Rinald's frowned deepened, even if it was fueled by sarcasm. He dug a hand beneath him, at his side, remembering how she had flung water on him previously. Sediment and mud filled the space he created in his hand, and he sprung it on her as quickly as possible so as to attempt and defeat her senses and reflexes. She was an animal, keen and hard to surprise, but her guard was down and Rinald could invoke some unholy velocity when called upon to do so. She would be all but helpless to take the full smattering of the sticky substance.

" I thought you hadn't intended to return to Kraven's? It's boring there anyway. "

[Jen]

Nova let out a small gasp of surprise as the pond muck splattered across her back and shoulder and she quickly returned the favor, lobbing more mud and scum at Rinald than he had tossed at her.

“It is boring. My master is there though and I am obligated to Kraven for as long as I desire to help. If you’re not going to go back though then I won’t. I can’t even fathom running into Rakhaev, even in passing. He makes my skin crawl.”

Nova shivered involuntarily and wrinkled her nose before leaning against Rinald.

“Thanks again for helping me. Not many humans, especially those that run with Vampires, would ever consider helping a Werewolf.

Nova set to washing the mud off of her body and laughed as she flicked some more of the scum and muck onto Rinald.

“Whatever we do we need to find my clothes. Until we do that…” Nova closed her eyes and relaxed a little into the mud. In the blink of an eye there would be a blonde wolf sitting next to Rinald. She barked at Rinald and whined softly showing her row of canine teeth.

She picked herself up, turned, and promptly shook the water out of her fur. Not only would Rinald have pond muck on him – but he’d also smell faintly of lavender and dog.

[Sage]

Rinald sighed, hoping this subject could be spared for at least the afternoon, but it was not to be so. Rakhaev was a bad man, and he made a bad decision, allowing Rinald to step in and challenge his authority in a very direct manner.

" If things had been different...if it had been Kraven, or someone. You overestimate me, my pretty Lycan friend. "

He grimaced a bit at the texture as he drew a hand across his face to remove the mud and sediment, leaving large thick streaks of grey-brown behind. He grumbled as he surveyed the dangling clump of ebony hair in his sight. His hair was completely ruined, and he would have to make a special trip to Kraven's after all, to get it clean. He did not have the luxury of washing his face or hair in the river as some did, not without running the risk of drowning. And he had become spoiled washing up in a basin with clean water and exotic fragrances from his home.

" You know, it is quite rude to assault someone with muck who cannot assume a bestial form and hide the damage. You should be flogged! "

Rinald carefully extracted himself from his near-tomb, having sunk almost two feet already. He surveyed his intricate black leather and moaned. It would be completely ruined in places.

" Great. And now I have to visit Donovan. Do you know what I have to do to get him to do work outside of Kraven's specific work queue? "

[Jen]

Nova snorted and flicked her tail back as she watched Rinald. The intelligence in her eyes was enough to make her stand out in the animal kingdom. Sure, some animals were smart – but Nova responded to what Rinald was saying with understanding.

She whined a little and sat on the bank watching Rinald struggle with the mud. Part of her muzzle was lifted in what looked like a crude example of a smile. For a wolf, Nova looked extraordinary. She was white and blonde with brilliant blue eyes and relatively pristine fur. Granted her paws were muddy and her muzzle was splattered with a little mud.

Nova didn’t have the vocal cords to respond to Rinald as she would when she was in her Werewolf form. She was incapable of forming words without the lips her human form had, and her physiology just wasn’t built to speak “human”. So she picked herself up and sauntered with a little hip sway into the tree cover, her tail flicking about playfully.

Before Rinald would make it to the treeline, but at a point where Nova judged he was sufficiently far enough away from any water spots, she would charge him like a large lap dog. She’d put her paws on his chest and lick his face before bounding off into the woods again, partially scouting the area for any threats to Rinald, and partially curious as to where the rest of her clothing was.

[Sage]

His leather scouting armor was nearly beyond salvaging now. He had ripped it across it's front, and it was soaked with damaging mud, sediment, and now pawprints. He groaned as he stripped the black leather off his trunk, and came out of a pair of riding pants, tossing them and a few selective pieces of pads and straps into the water. He was left in a pair of wide-legged cloth pants, and nothing but a single strap crossing his chest from the right shoulder to the left of his waist, which supported several bits of ranged weaponry as well as attaching to his swordbelt, and holding up a series of small pouches which held necessary supplies for overnight travel.

Their metal Guard armor was supplied, but Kraven's men were paid and expected to purchase any additional clothes and such by their lone. Rinald took special care to appear inconvenienced as he washed himself off in the shallows, or as much of him as he could manage without trudging in too deep. As he came back out of the water for a second time, he slipped out of a pair of worn boots which were filled with a mixture of sand, soil, and water which created a goo most unpleasant to step in. Rinald was a man not afraid of work, and his body was hardened from said labor. He would have nearly as little difficulty walking barefoot through the forest as Nova would.

" You probably did me a favor there. I needed to replace those old stompers sorely. I still think I like you better as a moderately dangerous nude female than a mischievous mongrel. "

Rinald smiled wide as he blinked twice quickly and scanned the treeline from various angles before spotting his quarry. He doubted seriously she expected to be able to slip the omnipresence his magical sight allowed, but one never knew with her. He called after her, absent-mindedly amplifying his voice in the direction he knew her to be, forgetting that she could probably hear his whispers.

" You know, I'd ask you to pay for that if I didn't feel vaguely responsible for your loss of garments, as well! "

[Jen]

Rinald would hear a soft bark and a rustling in the trees as Nova stumbled out wearing her shirt. It covered her nakedness well enough but she looked mildly at a loss.

“I’m not sure where my pants have run off to. Do you think you can find them?” She said, ignoring his mention of paying for clothes. He was mildly responsible for the loss of hers and she smirked lightly.

“They were not valuable to me, but I do not think that we should go see this Donovan of yours without my having pants.” Nova wasn’t self conscious or blushing. Rinald had seen her body and knew her scars and she walked over to him, scanning the treeline. Her blonde hair fell in damp ringlets down her back. She was such an unassuming, small thing next to most men.

Rinald was not a huge man, most of the time. Rakhaev had been taller than he was. However, Nova was almost a head shorter than Rinald. She was small, lithe, and curvy. She didn’t hold any of the typical Canine features that her kind sometimes adopted – granted she looked like a fairly plain young woman with an assortment of scars riddling her body.

“If it is the same Donovan that I am thinking of, he shouldn’t mind. He owes me a favor for getting rid of some unfavorable creatures near his source of materials.” Nova spoke in an offhand sort of way, as if anyone might know this information. However, Donovan happened to be one of the foremost crafters on the Island of Kalmarden and catered to both Anabel and Bartholomew. He knew where his money and talents were best put to use after all.

[Sage]

Nova wouldn't be the only one to have done favors for the old man, either. He was by no means ancient like the two supernatural families, in fact he was completely human. But by human standards, he was old enough, and he had lost a lot of the tact and normal reactions one might expect. He was long past the fear of death, after ninety years of service, and was not to be intimidated by any man or monster.

He knew just as well as anyone else that he was the best smith in a few thousand miles, and that allowed him a few freedoms in his attitude. It would take Rinald a moment to regain his bearings, a blank expression on his face as he stared at the treeline. She would undoubtedly have a better sense of their location than him, and his magical eyes could not reach far enough to find any roads or trails, but he wouldn't dare ask for directions.

" Alright, then. The sea is that way...I think. "