apassingafternoon

Fu re ru

Alain was having none of their shit and that was just by the mere virtue of being completely and utterly out of it. Kaine had thought it would be alright to use an extra drop or two but ... Well, it was that or his own exhaustion that kept him out of it. For as much as Kaine wanted to lie around and ignore everyone, tend to her house and hardly the people inside of it Nariko had a point. They were to rest for a week before moving on. The quicker they dealt with the out of the way errands the sooner she could sit in her room for as long as Nariko would allow before inevitably dragging her back out.

Which explained why they were on the road to The Village, or Arpagio as it was now known. The name changed was ridiculous (Aelious must have somehow gotten his way) but Kaine accepted it with a shrug. The journey was a boring one for her, she stuck to Nariko's side a bit tighter, more anxiously than usual but otherwise kept her words to a minimum. She didn't feel like talking, didn't even feel like going anywhere near town and the last thing she wanted was to even heart Cuthbert's voice, which she had already spent the morning blocking out. And yet he somehow felt well enough to come along. Fantastic.

The doors pushed open in their rhythmic fashion and her first question of the day was directed at Roland even though she didn't bother with looking over at him.

"What are we here for again?" They had barely taken two steps in and she was already quite tired of everything, and it showed in her voice, and the fold of her arms over her stomach. If her oversized sweater and skinny jeans didn't make that just as clear then nothing else would.

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It did hurt. Even knowing that her feelings for Bert had grown into what they were now, and even knowing how tightly those emotions could bind a woman to a man (after all, Nariko was living that herself, wasn't she?), it still worried her. But for as much as it remained a dull ache in the back of her mind Roland was right about this, too. And he was certainly doing his best to soften the weight of it and the gravity of such a thing wasn't at all beyond her.

"If it'll be, it'll be." Which was only another variant of what Roland was so fond of saying. "Besides, it's impractical to want to protect her the whole time. Everyone has to learn how to stand on their own two feet." Even if that idea terrified Nariko to her bones. "You're actually very good at this, Roland."

Probably only when the conditions were right and the sun(s) was in the right position, of course, but that wasn't the aspect to focus on!

Roland leant in, brushing his lips against her forehead, and shook his head. "If I am," he said, rather grimly, "it's only because I'm well-practiced in those thoughts."

But he had no mind to dwell on that, and he doubted she wanted to either. He just brushed her hair back from her face, a small but gentle gesture, and gave her a little nod, holding out his kerchief. "Wipe your face. We ought to find the others and head back before too long. I mislike leaving Alain alone too long, with all he's been through."

Why was it so like him to be unable to take a compliment? That was what she didn't need to think on too hard. But he had a good point, so she at least dealt with her stupid, watery eyes and the twin tracks left on her face. There was nothing to be done about the redness, that would have to go away with time.

"I wouldn't knowingly let anything hurt him." Even though it was said to Roland that didn't mean he was the true recipient. If anything it was what she wished she could have said to Bert without also following it up with a kick to his face. "They should be done by now, though. Matilda has to leave to take care of Aelious around this time so I doubt they've been held up." And that was a blessing. Even Nariko was ready to go back and, after being sure Alain really was fine, she would probably drop herself into bed again.

Roland nodded. "Sound enough," he agreed, taking his kerchief back and knotting it around his neck. For a moment, he let his fingers rest in her hair, and then he pulled away fully, offering his hand. A normal person might have asked if she was going to be all right, but Roland was hardly normal. Instead, he just said thoughtfully, "I'll have to go through the guns with Bert and Alain. Figure out which are good enough to be worth carrying. I'll take the rest back to Wei in the morning."

Whether she would be alright or not relied on a variety of things so while she enjoyed his concern in a sense? No one had time for useless questions. She only relished as much contact as he gave her and looked at him curiously as he mentioned giving the guns back. "Huh, alright then. Are you planning on taking those two with you?" It seemed a little odd to her but not enough to put too much thought into.

Nariko took his hand, but squeezed it a tad harder than usual. "Roland, in this show of good husbandry you've forgotten to do one important thing!" He wasn't too creative but he could come up with it, right? Started with a 'k'!

It took him a moment, and when he did grasp it he almost smiled at just how dense he was being. Lacing his fingers through hers, he turned back to look at her, leaning down to kiss her on the lips. It wasn't a particularly chaste kiss, either; it lingered a little, his teeth nipping at her lower lip, before he straightened up.

"You'll have to pardon me," he said, rather dryly. "Shows of good husbandry are new to me."

The one moment she expected it to be simple, easy, and maybe even a little bit sweet, it wasn't! Go fucking figure. Nariko wasn't complaining in the least, though, she was just a little surprised, a little caught up in that moment before they parted again. "That's true, but I think you made up for it multiple times over."

Considering that they were both a little shaky on the whole good husband/wife thing she wasn't even vaguely bothered with the fact that it didn't initially occur to him. She kept his hand as they returned to the rest of the little city and ultimately to Bert and Kaine. "... And you are a good husband, by the way. I've never said it, and maybe you think it's not worth hearing, but now you can't exactly get rid of it, so leave it at that."

There was a lot Roland had fucked up in some ways, they certainly didn't agree on everything and Nariko was far from guiltless herself. But Roland had, in fact, kept his promise. He was trying and in a lot of ways he continued to succeed. She just wanted to tell him, and in all honesty if it was the one thing he decided to take in with gratuity and leave it at that, she'd be thankful.

Roland's answer was a wordless little grunt and a little nod, but despite his stony expression, there was a certain relaxing of tension, faint and almost imperceptible, in how he held himself. He wasn't about to make a big deal out of it. Neither of them needed that, least of all right now. But it was still a relief to be told, in so many words, that he was doing all right at something just at the moment. He would never have admitted, not under threat of torture, just how much that meant to him.

He made for the library without needing her guidance. It was noticeable that he was learning to shorten his paces, so he didn't stay quite so far ahead of her, but he still moved fast. And, once there, it still only took him a moment to register the obvious: Kaine and Bert were nowhere to be seen.

Turning, he looked down at her and arched one heavy eyebrow: half-question, half-concern.

Getting an entire grasp on Roland Deschain was likely impossible and Nariko was, as a rule, far more concerned with the idea of creating wars she could win, not a series of useless battles. So maybe she couldn't read every little sign but she did trust her instincts, the ones that said that even though he sometimes had the communicative range of an overly thoughtful old man, he might have been okay with hearing all that. She didn't need anything else, and so it made her happy.

The library looked utterly normal. There were a few residents lingering here and there but even from the first floor Nariko saw the turned sign on Matilda's door. To his wordless question she could only shrug, and look over at one of the guards. Still holding his hand (and by default, somewhat leading him with her) Nariko went over to one and simply asked. Bert and Kaine were easy to spot after all, one was a known resident and the other was … Cuthbert.

"Why would they go to the Farcade Gate?" She hadn't meant to ask the guard but he shrugged anyway, his armored helmet the very definition of apathetic. "Not that it matters. They wouldn't have a reason to go to Farcade early, and Kaine wouldn't go back to whatever is left of Aerie." And there were only two paths. Nariko stifled her concern but suddenly she was walking pretty damn fast herself.

"It's the nearest." Roland didn't have to think about it for more than a moment. He didn't know Kaine, but he knew Cuthbert, and where it came to guessing at his friend's motivations, he could be almost quick. "My best guess? They wanted to be gone from town. Somewhere unseen and out of the way." He frowned a little, keeping pace with her easily. "So either they're fucking, or something else is going on here."

And there was that little tilting gesture of his free hand: comme ci, comme ça. He would find neither possibility remotely surprising, but both were worrying, in their own way.

"I guess that would make sense if Kaine's sexual history went beyond me, and if dicks didn't vaguely confuse her." That was the very polite way to put things, so if they were really choosing the middle of the day, just outside a gate? Either they were both being held mentally captive by some unsettling creature, or something else was going on. Frankly she was banking on the latter. And it was true that Kaine hadn't thrown up any red flags which might still point to that but it was just ... Right outside? Seriously? If that really was somehow the case Nariko was going to sit her down and have a very involved talk.

For now they could only make their way there and hope neither had gone too far. Aerie was a bitch to travel through from what little Nariko had seen of it, and Farcade was just annoying. "And I'm telling them both you said that." Mostly for the express joy of watching Kaine blush until she verged on fainting. Because a teenager girl who took out Spectres and other monsters with nothing but a sword and luck was prone to fainting from too much blood traveling up her own body.

Roland shrugged. He had no problem with them knowing he'd said that; Bert knew to expect that kind of thing, and Kaine was going to have to get used to it if she wasn't already. If he minded it being in the open, he wouldn't have said it.

"If they haven't fucked," he opined after a moment, "they probably should. It would do wonders for clearing the air." Not to mention that, if he was honest, he thought Bert could really use the release. Kaine he cared about less, but Bert needed something to go on. And, after everything, Roland suspected it wasn't something he could provide. Not right now.

"Right, a seventeen-year-old girl losing her virginity to Cuthbert Allgood, who is actually far more terrifying than you are when it comes to discussing just about anything, will magically clear the air. It wouldn't make anything awkward or strange, seeing as neither you nor your friend are exactly well versed in directly conversing about feelings, and the state of any kind of relationship. The air would be really clear for five seconds and then it would go right back to feeling heavy. Tania and Danielle are around if its really that bad."

That possessed the benefit of stress relief without the inevitable flurry of emotions that Kaine wouldn't be able to avoid. Boys must really process losing that aspect of themselves differently, nothing else could account for how easy it seemed to look from Roland's view. Then again, he wasn't exactly the type to consider multiple outcomes.

"It would stop those looks they keep giving each other, at least. You kennit. The ones where you can practically see them panting." Roland shrugged again, almost philosophically. That was all he had to say on the subject. He just happened to think that the sooner they fucked, the sooner they would have to talk about it, and the sooner that thick tension in the air between them could clear up. When that happened, well, they'd have to figure that part out themselves. All he had meant was that he hoped it was soon.

It was probably lucky he let the matter lie there, since it was only a moment later that the gates ratcheted open, bringing Bert and Kaine into view. Despite himself, Roland let out a little sigh of relief, raising a quizzical eyebrow at Bert.

"No," Bert replied, to a question which hadn't been spoken out loud, and rolled his eyes. "We came across something, thought it best to deal with it promptly. Catch." Digging in his jerkin, he pulled out one half of the glass and tossed it to Roland, who caught it without thinking and looked down at it.

"And this is?"

"Broken," Bert replied, with a shrug. "But it almost took Kaine with it, far as I can make out. It's magical, or was. Figured you'd know best what to do with it."

While it was always going to be better to leave the topic to itself for a little bit even Nariko had to laugh at that comment. Yes, teenage hormones could never be undermined (and there was so much irony in her thinking that) and they were both ... Well, it probably wasn't going to take much more to shove them into the inevitable. It was just that Nariko was more than a little convinced it might end up causing more problems than solutions.

But, again, it really was something they would have to figure out themselves.

As the other two returned Nariko smiled at first, grateful that they were both just fine and notably unruffled. It was a rather short lived smile since catching sight of what they had dealt with wiped it right off of her face. "It was magical. It's useless now." She looked as if she might take the piece out of Roland's hand but stopped herself, sighing halfheartedly as she did so. "I'm guessing Matilda had it?"

"She said it was what broadcasted the back end of our adventure in bullshit land." Kaine answered, but she sounded far more concerned about her friend's placid, near heartbroken reaction than her own face showed. "What is it, really?"

"Like I said, useless. Are we ready to go back?"

Roland gave her a look that said, quite clearly, that he wasn't letting her leave the subject there. But he nodded, tucking the broken hunk of glass into his coat pocket, and squeezed her hand lightly. "Let's go," he said, glancing briefly at Bert - close as they were, that was all he needed for confirmation - and turning on his heel. Over his shoulder, he added a little dryly to Bert, "I thought we'd taken the lesson, so far as breaking glasses was concerned."

"I took the lesson," Bert said, with none of his usual humour. "I also took the lesson that, seeing as you're the one with the looming ka and Al's the one with the Touch, I'm the best choice for shooting the shit out of magical things. And Kaine was none too keen on waiting."

"Why wait after all the trouble glass artifacts have caused? It really wasn't a bad idea." Then again, Nariko hadn't seen the effect it had on Kaine and that was exactly why the younger woman was keeping her mouth shut about it. She and Bert had done something good, that was the takeaway, here! Nariko also didn't take it upon herself to point out that it wasn't something that was even vaguely malicious, but bringing that up might actually tempt Roland into getting her to explain and she didn't want that.

Instead, Nariko took solace in holding hands as they headed back towards the correct gate and their subsequent, traveling yak.

"Hey, so, how about Spaghetti Tacos tonight?" Because talking about dinner appealed to Kaine far more than anything else. Today had been filled with enough bullshit, if the rest was full of the usual, more normal activities Kaine could only be thankful for it.

"I have no idea what half the words you just said even mean," Bert said cheerfully, relaxing a little and tucking his thumbs into his gunbelts. "But I'm sure they're delicious words." It would have taken someone as observant as Bert himself was to see that he was looking at Nariko out of the very corner of his eye, assessing. He had a nasty, sinking feeling in his gut that they had fucked up, and he wasn't entirely sure how badly.

Well, he told himself, rather darkly, one more fuck-up to add to the heap, then. He wasn't running at a particularly good streak, right now.

Roland, for his part, had lapsed back into his usual unreadable silence, striding on down the road with his hand in Nariko's and his eyes ahead.

"A vaguely messy adventure, that's what those words mean." Nariko answered him in part because Kaine was busy grinning, and likely organizing dinner in her head. It made her look uncharacteristically young and bright and that was the other part of it. Whether she knew she was being watched or not Nariko caught Bert's eyes and only smiled at him in a way that was hopefully as comforting as she meant it to be before Kaine piped again.

"Nari, after dinner will you play the piano again? And the song you learned today? And then I can make hot chocolate!" Of course it didn't end there, not quite, Kaine went on and on about plans for the rest of the day but there was a vague sliver of unease in her voice. Bert had enough awareness to identify the possibility of having fucked up but Kaine hadn't, not just yet. So she covered up the looming sense with words and plans even as they made it to their yak.

Nariko, for her part, answered every request as they went along, though whether she understood the source of Kaine's talkative streak was up for debate. Eventually the gate opened and Kaine put herself on the saddled yak as they left the relative safety of Arpagio to return home.

When they arrived back at the house (amid much loudly cheerful chatter from Cuthbert, who was even less willing to shut up than usual), Alain was in the front yard. He had been up for a while now, and had taken the time to wash his clothes; when they approached, he was just finishing hanging them out to dry. He had clearly managed to find the clothes Roland had been using, but what fitted Roland moderately well looked positively comical on Alain, who was far broader and shorter. He had had to roll up the jeans almost halfway, and they strained over his gut; the sleeves of his borrowed blue sweater were pushed up to the elbow, and forced his arms out at the sides.

He hurried to meet them at the gate, his eyes filled with concern, and only relaxed a little when he saw all of them there. "What happened?" he asked, looking between the four of them.

"Stuff, which is normal for going out." Kaine answered rather promptly, her usually placid blue eyes narrowed with mild concern. She had expected some confusion over them being gone whenever he woke - she had no idea if anyone thought to leave him a note, since even Nariko still treated paper like gold - but not this obvious concern.

For the first time Nariko let go of Roland's hand gently, and though she gave Alain a passing smile it seemed she was content to let them talk this out while she headed inside. Kaine noticed it, even going as far as to look away from Alain and at her friend, but stayed where she was. Nariko was likely going to check on Maggie's book, and she could handle that by herself.

"But what makes you think something happened?"

Alain hesitated for a moment, looking rather sheepish and tonguetied. But if he couldn't be honest with them, who could he be honest with? "I heard something," he said, after a moment, his eyes flicking to Roland, then back to Kaine. "It woke me. Something screaming a long way off, but not... not with sound. I figured something that loud had to be big. I was worried." He looked at Bert now, his eyes narrowing as he took in his friend's change in expression. "Something did happen. It's all over your face. What was it?"

"I'd rather like to know that, too," Roland said under his breath, raising one eyebrow, and as if that had reminded him to do it, strode off after Nariko. Bert stayed, though, shifting awkwardly from foot to foot as he dug in his pocket for the broken glass.

Kaine waited for Bert to get out his half of the supposedly useless triangle to speak. "It wasn't really all that big, I guess it just sounded that way, and so far it seems like you and I are the only ones that heard it break, Alain. Nariko knows what it is but she's not talking, and that's about the worst sign I can think of." So they had either fucked up substantially or the thing was meant to save a world or house someone's existential being.

"Matilda had it, and it worked like a big projector when Nariko and I were last here." Realizing that neither of them was likely to know what a projector was, she added, "Meaning it showed other people exactly what we were doing, presumably right as it was being done. Does that make sense?" Considering the sizable culture gaps involved it was a genuine question.

Alain nodded, catching the glass as Bert tossed it to him, and held it up to the light. Squinting at it, he said "It sounds like nothing I've ever seen, but aye, it makes sense. And it would explain why what I heard sounded so... pained." He frowned, lowering the glass and holding it back out to Bert. "It all but deafened me for half an hour or more. I can't even imagine what it would have been like to be closer. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It sort of tried to kill me, but," Here, her shoulders lifted in an easy, largely unbothered shrug. "Obviously it didn't succeed and that's what really matters." Of course it bore mentioning that there wasn't very much that could make her feel such unbelievable pain. Kaine had gone through limbs being ripped off and snapped back in place and hardly stopped to blink at it, but this thing had forced genuine tears out of her.

"Are you okay aside from hearing it break? Bert worried that the book was eating you alive while you were sleeping." And what she had given him was strong enough to keep him unconscious even if that had been its goal. "Roland, too, now that I rethink his usual quiet during that whole conversation."

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Nariko is only going first because I'm still at work and this ones shorter!

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