The Righteous and Free (Riprose Prt. 3 or something)

(Previously...)

Taly gave a raised eyebrow to the pair in front of her. She didn't understand the words that the woman was saying exactly, but from the way she mimed and waved her arms in a confused fashion, Taly decided that she wanted her help lifting the man. With a sigh, she walked over to him, positioning herself at his shoulders. Grasping under his armpits, Taly lifted, and as she did, the man's hair fell away from his face. She was puzzled by what she saw. Here was the face of one of her northern bretheren, the rune elves, but dotted about his cheeks, and under his eyes, bright crimson shined, giving a glow to his angular handsome face. She set him down a minute as the girl positioned herself at his feet. Reaching out gently, she brushed her hand acrossed his face, and nearly cut herself on the sharp edge of his draconic scales. She let out a small yelp, and quickly picked Finthick up, taking the lead, and moving out of the room. With Effie's help, they quickly moved to Taly's room down the hall, slipping into it without anyone spotting them. they dropped Finthick down onto her bed, and Taly quickly tucked him into bed with deft hands, used to moving quickly in routine.

After she made sure he would wake up comfortably, she turned to Effie. She studied the dimnuitive woman with a calculating eye. She was pretty, that was for sure, if a bit lacking in curvature. She was obviously human, and carried herself with a pomp and dignity that most humans possessed, but her's was more pronounced and practiced, marking her as one of the nobility. Effie tried to think back to her lessons on Common, the language the humans invented to try and get a shared language between the races. She knew a little, though how to get rid of her accent alluded her still. Choosing her words carefully, she asked, "Who are you? Where do you home? Parents?"

She stopped now, not sure if that was the right word. Thinking back, she spoke again, "Lineage? Right phrase?" She stopped now, frowning even further as the language eluded her. She tapped her fingers on a nearby desk, a pout slipping onto her beautiful face. She tucked a few strands of auburn hair behind her ear, slipping to a nearby bookshelf and scanning it for something that might help, but not quite sure what to look for, either. continuing to pout, she turned to the man on her bed, motioning with her hands and asking, "Who is he? What is he?"



Effie grunted as the weight of Finthick was balanced between her and Taly, but was placed back again. Her eyes settled carefully on the other woman's hand, touching Finthick's face with a tenderness that the rogue princess hadn't seen, especially directed towards her partner. She found the sight off-putting, but she couldn't name why. Was it the way the elven lady cut herself so carelessly on his scales? Was it the fact she seemed all too quick to show kindness despite their abrupt appearance?

Or was she just feeling slightly jealous?

She shook her head. No, not jealousy. How would she be jealous of someone she knew? Yet, eating away at the back of her mind was the echo of Finthick's voice murmuring Taly's name with such a soft, delicate tone she'd never heard him use before. It was so unlike him. What was their history that made him act in such a way?

They took Finthick to a bedroom, where the mysterious woman made haste to settle him into the bed. Effie could only lean against the wall with her arms crossed over her shoulder, golden-brown eyes following Taly's every movement with guarded suspicion. Taly turned to look back at her when she was finished which was a little unnerving, but Effie knew they were both studying each other, sizing them up. Trying to understand each other as much as they could without the use of words.

Taly cut through the thick silence with her sharply accented voice. "Who are you? Where do you home? Parents?"

Effie remained silent, still like a statue with only the faint rise and fall of her chest giving her away. Taly tried with some more words, furrowing her brow with concentration. She struggled, and the human woman let her continue to do so. "Lineage? Right phrase?"

"Who is he? What is he?"

Effie glanced over at her partner with her eyes, not moving her head. He seemed so peaceful, as if he was still thinking about the woman named Talmeria. It was then that it occurred to her that he may have been in love, but it seemed so unlikely since it was... well, Finthick. A being with such a thick head and cool nature that was spiky and hard to get close to. But did he actually fall in love with such a lovely woman? And did she feel the same? Thinking about it made her chest oddly tighten.

Her eyes shot back to Taly. "Euphemia Rede, princess of the Eastern Territory. I'm traveling with this man. He's... Finthick. Half dragon, half elf. Or something like that."