Ghis (closed)

[heartofcourage]

Rissa watched the both of them go before turning to talk to her cook. Now that she was back, she expected three meals a day served in the main dining area. It was to feed the workers and herself as they worked with the drakes. It was hard work and they needed hearty meals.

 

[KieranSoares]

By the time Qira came to rejoin her, he had left most of his usual gear behind in favor of a sleeveless tunic, trousers, and just two blades and some odd tools on his belt that he always carried. He got a few interested glances from the staff, curious about the great Panther, but he was used to it and focused only on what Rissa might want him to do.

"What can I do to help?" Qira asked as he came to her side.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Nothing. I won't let you." Rissa said bluntly as she looked up from the paperwork that she had taken from her office to work on while she ate a light lunch and drank her tea. "I insist that you relax, Qira. I brought you here to get some rest."

 

[KieranSoares]

All at once, Qira looked entirely at a loss. "... I do not know what to do." He was never the sort to sit around without something to do. He had come partly expecting to help with the drakes if possible.

 

[heartofcourage]

"God in heaven, panther, you don't have to do a thing that you don't wish to do." Rissa said, partly exasperated with him and partly amused. "Go and muck the stables if you want something physical to do. Go and read a book in the library if you want something to challenge your mind. You don't have to sit around and look so lost."

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira simply nodded at that, seeing he'd have to make his own way, that she really had nothing in mind for him. So, he silently slipped away and disappeared, heading outside to see the drakes and speak to the stable hands.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rissa watched him go, hoping that he found something that made him happy and relaxed. She highly doubted that he would, but she still hoped. After an afternoon of meetings with her various estate managers, she soon had a nice picture of how things were progressing.

That evening, Rissa was relaxing in her library with a book and a glass of wine. She enjoyed her little home and was completely content within the walls of the manor. She only glanced up when she saw that familiar shadow in the doorway.

"Are you going to stare at me or join me?" Rissa asked him.

 

[KieranSoares]

"I ran out of things to help with outside," he murmured as he stepped in. All but the small night watch were off home or asleep at this point along with the drakes, so he'd finished cleaning the stables and had gotten a bath himself and dried before coming to find Rissa. Now wearing a vest, tunic, and trousers (all dark as per usual), he came to take a seat near Rissa. He sat back, properly relaxing after working hard most of the day in the stables, and now feeling more comfortable knowing he'd earned his keep even if she didn't need him to.

 

[heartofcourage]

Rissa watched him as he took a seat and she shook her head, taking a sip of her wine. "Help yourself to anything you like." She said, motioning to the side board where her cook had left all manner of drinks for her to help herself to.

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira looked over, considering the selection for a moment before reaching over to pick up a small bourbon bottle and a glass, pouring a fair portion before sitting back once more to sip on it and silently contemplate his surroundings.

 

[heartofcourage]

"So, tell me, panther...what do you see that I could be doing better around here?" Rissa asked him bluntly after he had spent a day on her estate.

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira's amber eyes turned to her, visibly confused by her question, but he remained silent for a long moment, considering all he'd seen. "... I know not all of your drakes can hunt, but those who can, should more often. It keeps their minds healthy." He'd spoken to her stable hands about it, learning very few ever got the chance to hunt.

 

[heartofcourage]

"I wish I could let them hunt more. If they get off the property, the chance of them getting hurt or killed by neighboring farmers is very high. They know that they belong to me, but I don't want anyone to be put in an awkward position." Rissa answered honestly as he posed that suggestion to her.

 

[KieranSoares]

"They do not have to go alone, not around farms and people. In my village, we would send two riders with four drakes for pack hunting instead of on their own," Qira offered.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Interesting idea. Perhaps you can show them what you want them to do tomorrow." Rissa said as he posed the solution to his situation. "It sounds simple enough."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I can try." Qira spoke with a nod, taking another drink from his glass. "And maybe I can find a way to help the ones who can't hunt. Something easy, but like hunting."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Some of them are very disabled. You can try, but they might not physically be able to hunt on their own." Rissa said, thinking about her most dire cases.

One she named Horus because his golden color reminded her of the sun God. He was blind and had a decreased sense of smell. He often spent his time just basking in the sun, pestering stable hands when they were trying to hay the rest of the drakes. The one was named Maisie and she was a beautiful amethyst purple drake. She had been born missing her two front claws to the elbow. Because of that, walking was painful, but she tried her hardest to earn her keep. She was a clever drake that stuck close to the manor house more often than not.

 

[KieranSoares]

"They do not have to chase in the woods," Qira assured her. "My tribe used to put together play hunts for the ones who could not catch prey. We even had drakes trained to help, and let the weak catch them." Thinking back on his childhood, Qira offered a rare story. "We had a drake missing his right arm and left leg once. He could run and balance, but he fell often and he was angry at things he could not do. We taught him to play... What do children call it? 'Tag?' He would chase his sister and once he tagged her, we would feed him, like he had caught his own prey. He was much happier after that, and his sister always made sure he didn't struggle too much."

 

[heartofcourage]

"You are welcome to try what you think might help." Rissa said, giving him permission to experiment with the drakes if he wanted.

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira was quiet a while after that before he finally asked, "Why did you invite a stranger to your home?" He fixed her with a neutral but expectant gaze. "Especially a former assassin."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Why not?" Rissa asked with a shrug of her shoulders. "Why do I do a lot of the things that I do? Perhaps I simply like seeming like I'm a difficult person."

She took another sip of her wine and look at him for a long moment. "Why have you not tried to get into my bed yet?"

 

[KieranSoares]

Qira had been just about to finish his glass when he question nearly made him drop it. He was once again stuck in a situation he wasn't terribly familiar with. For a moment, he considered trying to pretend he didn't understand her question, but he knew that was foolish. Instead, he set the glass aside and murmured, "We don't even know each other..."

 

[heartofcourage]

"Do you really mean to tell me that not knowing someone has stopped people from getting into bed with one another?" Rissa asked him as he seemed so completely out of his element. "You're obviously interested with all of the lurking that you do. You've followed me here like a loyal dog. It hasn't taken much convincing at all."

 

[KieranSoares]

"I was... Hoping to get to know you," he murmured. Qira wasn't the sort to seek out a pretty face for a quick tumble in bed before they both went about their lives and forgot the whole thing, and it showed. Countless men had propositioned Rissa in her time, but Qira was trying to be a gentleman. While he was hesitant to look for relationships, he did find her interesting and was undoubtedly drawn in by her looks and attitude. While he was often caught off-guard by her bluntness, he quite enjoyed how confident she was.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Well, panther, I suppose I will have to wait for you to be bold about the entire situation." Rissa said as if dismissing the entire situation like it were nothing at all. "I don't need a man being indecisive about this."