The Way to a Man's Heart

Kiyotan

Amidst vibrant flora and trees. (Duiran.) (25247) [-Haern-]

An enormous cherry tree hangs branches heavy with ripe fruit over the forest floor. A sigil in the shape of a small, rectangular monolith is on the ground. Prowling about the area is a feral bahkatu predator.  The sublime glow of the core casts an effulgent green light over the surrounding area.

Lin arrives from the southwest.

[spoiler]She is a dexterous Azudim, warped by an unkind hand into a monstrous form. She must be seven feet tall, if not more, shaped in the most symbolic sense like a human being. Arms and legs alike are entirely clad in a mismatching of chitin plates, bone and oily black fur - they emulate natural musculature, but exaggerate and weaponize it, turning her shoulders into curving spikes; her knuckles, her elbows and other joints jagged, like a woman as envisioned by demons. From thigh to collar to head, she resembles a human, one with dark kawhe skin. Small grooves of exposed bone run across her collar and follow the contour of her hips, and though her midsection is lithe and strong, the ribs are visible, and give her a slightly sunken look. Lin's face is cruel, her brows thin and arched, and her eyes, a deep amber color, do not shine but seem to glow dully, like the embers in a dying hearth. Black hair is pulled tightly back from her head, save for a pair of thick locks that hang and flank her jaw, a strange touch of prettiness in an alien visage. The rest is a chaotic burst, a mane that sprawls as far down as her rear, of the same glossy texture as the fur on her limbs. From that mass, a giant pair of horns curls in a tight spiral, emulating the ram, and shading her ears, which are long and reminiscent of a bat. Her balance is maintained by a thick, serpentine tail, one that clacks horribly as it moves, tipped with an off-white barb. She walks with the blessing of Haern. She walks with the blessing of Haern.[/spoiler]

Lin takes a deep bow, pointedly dramatic, cracking a faint smile. "I cannot get used to your beard."

You have emoted: Kiyotan lifts a hand to scratch at the fuzzy mass in question. "Neither can my chin," he muses, flipping through keys on the metal ring.

[spoiler]He is a powerful Yeleni, carrying his massive frame with surefooted steadiness. Thick and broad of physique, he tends to dominate as much by the force of his presence as by sheer mass, a credit to more than seven feet of defined muscle. White-silver hair, uncut and unkempt, frames his face in a long, messy mane, the fine strands quickly giving way to a mass of kinks and tangles. It blends seamlessly into his thick beard, itself so long and snarled that it obscures his jawline. A black leather eyepatch conceals the left eye of a pair, the visible right a washed-out blue. A straight nose divides his aged face, with lines that only time can draw at the corners of his mouth and eyes. A jagged scar crosses his lips at an angle, seeming to writhe when he speaks. His exposed body is an intricate latticework of scars old and new - the former appearing as thin white lines on weathered, brown skin - a trio across his throat and a pair of burns on his shoulderblades stand out as the most prominent. Broad shoulders are marginally slumped, as though the wisdom of years were a physical thing to bear. Yet he stands alert, his cumbersome musculature belying an unexpected adroitness and finesse, his every movement deliberate and concise. Forever hovering an inch from his back are coruscating weaves of living, golden fire, swirling in a constant but lazy flux to form the ethereal suggestion of avian wings. He walks with the blessing of Haern. He walks with the blessing of Haern.[/spoiler]

Lin follows you to the in.

A cozy home built into a knoll. (lost)

Lin inhales deeply once inside, squinting curiously, a faint look of disappointment shadowing her features. This sensation passes, and she lets herself in, heading toward the hearth, where she sinks into a chair. She pulls a large cooking pot into her lap, which seems to be where dinner is stashed, judging by the smell that wafts out of it.

You have emoted: For a home he supposedly never visits, the surfaces are oddly devoid of dust and cobwebs. In fact, one part of the floor is still drying, courtesy of the bucket and scrubbing-brush tucked into the opposite corner of the room. Kiyotan treads around the room at a slow, leisurely gait, hands clasped at his back. "Place needs a damned table," he mutters, finally selecting a chair. He turns it before him and sits backwards upon it, facing Lin at the hearth.

"I could make you one, you know," Lin answers, rummaging through the pot. From it she draws, with extreme care, a peppered buffalo steak with onions, wrapped in parchment paper and positively redolent with a savory aroma. Setting the pot aside, she unwraps the meal, then rises from her chair and presents it to you with great ceremony, going so far as to drop onto one knee. "I hope you like it."

You have emoted: Kiyotan's eye brightens at the sight of the steak, and his mouth waters the instant the aroma reaches his nose. Quick to swivel the chair around to its proper orientation, he reaches for the bounty like he is about to handle something delicate. "Stop that," he murmurs, lightly kicking Lin's knee as he takes his meal and sets the plate upon his lap.

Lin emits a brief huff of a laugh, quick to scurry back into her chair, crossing one leg over the other. Her anxiousness is almost embarrassing in its blatantness, hands wrung together and making click-click noises as bone slides over bone. "There is- there is dessert, too, Kite. I just thought maybe it's been too long since you had someone cook you something."

You have emoted: The restraint with which Kiyotan slowly devours the steak is evident in the slight tremble of his hands. But, judging by the sounds coming from him that one would usually reserve for the bedroom, it seems to be well worth it. "It--" he begins, then pauses to swallow a mouthful of onion. "It -has- been too long," he pants, and wipes his mouth on the back of his hand. He then returns to his methodical consumption, entirely unaware of the tears streaming from beneath his eyepatch.

You cut into your steak, popping piece after piece into your mouth, occasionally chasing a bite with a slice of grilled onion. The buffalo is seared warm on the outside, almost cool on the inside, and takes a heroic effort to chew through.

Lin's shoulders descend, her fidgeting slowing, a wash of relief making her slump in her chair in satisfaction. She rifles through the pot a little more, ushering in hollow, almost musical thumping noises until she comes up with a smaller wrapping, and sets that aside. Back to watching you, something about the display makes her nearly wince sympathetically. She hops out of her chair, setting her pot aside, preferring instead to stand nearby, resting a hand on the back of your chair. "I would ask if you like it, but you are making sounds that make my toes curl. Good?"

You have emoted: Kiyotan finishes the final bite with no shortage of relish, exhaling a contented, rumbling growl. "Mercy," he profanes, patting slight swell of his abdomen. "Maybe I'll make Eireachdus next year if that's the reward," he supposes, punctuating the thought with a burp into his fist.

Lin presses her fist loosely against her lips, eyes shutting as she savors a bit of soundless laughter.

You have emoted: Kiyotan sets aside the redwood plank, cleared entirely but for a few scraps of onion. He leans back in his head, tilting his head to observe Lin upside-down. "In my euphoria, I may have imagined the word dessert."

A moment passes with numerous crinkling noises from behing the chair. Lin leans down until she nearly comes cheek-to-cheek, baring her teeth in a grin as she passes a kawhe cake, freshly unwrapped, beneath your nose. "I have been dying to have someone try this one," she confesses, placing the cake onto a relatively clean part of your plate/plank, giving it a fond pat.

You have emoted: "Ohhhh," Kiyotan gasps, ogling the pastry. "I haven't had cake since that..food fight.." He bites on his lip with a longing expression, though whether it is over the distant memory or for the decadent-looking thing before him, none can say. But it is with less reservation that he digs into this portion.

You devour the cake bite by bite, the buttery richness crumbling in your mouth. Sugar glaze and strong kawhe flavor mingle on your tongue, and the treat goes down as sweet as a nut, leaving you with sticky fingers.

You have emoted: One bite in, and Kiyotan's shoulders slump as though boneless. "Fffffffffffuuuuu--," he moans around a mouthful of cake.

Though you wouldn't be able to see it from your angle, a vivid blush finds its way to Lin's cheeks. Her eyes make for the door sharply, another laugh - this time, embarrassed - light on her lips. "I hope no one is hearing this," she murmurs. She half-circles around the chair and, in serpentine economy, sinks into a seated position before you, smiling hopefully. "The kawhe is not too strong? I thought it might have been a little too dry..."

You have emoted: Mouth too full to make coherent words and too busy to do anything but chew and savor, Kiyotan makes a loop with his thumb and forefinger, other three fingers held up, and holds it out to Lin. The expression on his face is reminiscent of far more adult things than eating cake, and he makes it a point to clean the sugar glaze from his fingertips. And despite his best efforts, there still remains a crumb or two left over, standing out starkly in the white of his beard. "Gods above," he mumbles, gazing down at Lin from cloud nine. "Are there more of those?"

"I would have to buy supplies," Lin answers, "But it is only a trip to Delos - very simple." Tilting her head curiously, she reaches out, coming short, then lifts herself briefly onto her knees, pinching one of the crumbs from your beard, flicking it aside. She doesn't make a lot of noise, but the suggestion of constant, barely-suppressed laughter is all too clear. Her hands folded in her lap, she manages to make her cruel face look sweet.

You have emoted: "Blast, do I have it in my--" Kiyotan grunts, falling silent when Lin grooms him. "Thanks," he mutters, and passes a hand through the silver tangles to knock loose any other pastry crumbs or birds nests that may have gotten stuck in there. "Ugh. That was obscenely good," he murmurs breathily, "But you'll spoil me if I have any more."

Lin displays her empty hands, as if to say 'that's all', letting them drop back into her lap. Unbeknown to her, her tail has begun sliding across the floor back and forth, making a racket as it beats against the chair she was sitting in. Wonderingly, she says, "I did not think it was so special, but... clearly I was just waiting for the right audience." Glancing around the chamber, something about it seems to bother her heavily. "You've been cleaning... do you spend your time here? Are you alone? Cannot imagine Amila is here often, she must swing from the trees like a monkey."

You have emoted: Kiyotan spares Lin's tail a brief glance, if only to inspect the source of noise and motion. "Amila's been cleaning," he corrects. "When she needs punishing," he adds with a frown. "She learns about as quickly as her mother." The frown becomes a sort of accusing one-eyed glare directed at Lin.

Lin didn't seem to find that very funny. Her lips purse into a tight line, and a lump develops in her throat. "Would that she had a mother," she says. "Listen... just... say 'no' if you like, because maybe this is stupid, but I'd been thinking of how I missed you and Esry - even if she isn't around these days - and..." She growls softly, a frustrated noise, clenching one of her forelocks in her claws, squeezing the hair taut. "You know, I could keep visiting. It would be a shame never to eat like this again, wouldn't it?"

You have emoted: Kiyotan leans forward amid Lin's proposal, resting his forearms on his knees. "A damn shame," he agrees without hesitation, the furrow of his brow lending sobriety to his words. "Listen, Lin, I've told you," he continues, leaning on one arm while the other turns its palm up. "When you left Duiran, I was disappointed, but I wasn't the one you betrayed." He quickly reached around to lay his hand atop hers before the wrong implication of that sentence has a chance to settle. "What I mean is that -I'm- not the one with their guard up." That, however, he allows to settle with a brief pause. In a quiet, gentle voice, he adds: "You are home, Lin, and you are welcome here."

Some things never change. Lin might be a lot less expressive these days, but now her smile splits across her face, and she looks like she could burst into tears. Surging up from her seated position, she attacks you, embracing you with such force (and considerable weight) that it knocks the chair backward, sending the both of you to the floor. "Erf--" Grunting, she pushes herself off of you, snatching up the plank used for the steak, before it can stain your trousers with buffalo juices. "I, um... thank you, Kite."

You have emoted: Kiyotan probably should have expected that. Instead, he is shoved back into his seat and toppled to the floor before he can regain enough sense to close his arms and complete the embrace. But by then, Lin have already disengaged and spared his leggings (though they've seen worse stains than buffalo juice), so he drops his flailed arms to the floor, sprawled and still half-seated in the overturned chair. Lips purse in a well-that-was-interesting expression before he croaks out a half-groaned "You're welcome."

"You need a table," Lin says, beginning a lengthy list that trails off as it makes the transition from murmured rant to internal monologue. She is already on her feet, walking about the home, looking over its decor (and lack thereof). "Maybe a rug... hang some on the wall, too... I wouldn't believe if she had a good oven in here, that could be useful... and someone's going to need to clean this place better, you can tell that girl was raised by savages... oh, I could make so many things..."

You have emoted: Kiyotan nudges the chair away so that he can pick himself up without tripping over it. "Feed him and then take him out when he's drowsy," he mumbles, brushing himself off. The gesture is mechanical, though - Amila takes her punishments seriously. "And then seize his castle and raise a new flag," he adds with a bemused smirk, halting Lin's aimless traipse with a weighty hand draped atop her head. "Hey. Elorin. Start with a table, we'll worry about the rest later," he says through a smirk.

Lin turns about in place, snapping from her reverie, staring at you with a sobered, if no less excited, look. "Oh, of course. I'm sorry. I think I'm getting ahead of myself. Well... it is not going to build itself." With more care than necessary, she ducks her head out from beneath your hand, fussing with the unkempt burst of hair it displaced. "I'm... very glad you enjoyed your dinner. Cooking is not nearly as fun if you have no one to enjoy it." With this said and done, she makes for the door, hovering by the exit. "May I be let out? I've a few other errands."

You have emoted: Kiyotan moves to the door, but instead of unlocking it, he steps into Lin and wraps his arms around her, warmly if belatedly completing the embrace, ignoring the chitinous contours that impress upon his skin. "Thank you," he quietly murmurs, and brushes his lips against her cheek. After a lingering moment, his arms unravel and he unlocks and opens the knothole door. "I hope to see you again. Soon."

Lin leans into your kiss, however platonic it may be, and utters a sound that is uncannily mournful. She hastily sets a hand against your chest, as if she means to ward you away, though a push never comes. "You will, Kite. Don't... don't be silly. Lin is a part of the forest, once more."

You have emoted: The smile that provokes is equal parts sad and weary. "Blessings of Eireachdus upon you, Lin," Kiyotan bids, placing a hand upon the doorframe.

Lin rolls her eyes, snorting. She pushes herself onto the balls of her feet and returns your kindness, kissing your cheek chastely. "I'll just call you Feral Will again if you say that, and no more cakes." Her tail hopping from time to time, she follows your hand to the door, before her eyes flicker back to yours. "I hope everything is alright."

You have emoted: The sadness fades from his smile, though the weariness remains. "Better than ever," Kiyotan answers in a tone that implies that even he himself is mildly surprised by the discovery. "And still improving," he warmly concludes.

"Well... let me out, before I am tempted to stay," Lin murmurs, glancing swiftly at the floor. Her tail has only sped - you could say it was wagging. She considers the place with a final, fond glance.

You have emoted: Kiyotan oh right whoops.

Lin derp.

You unlock the out door.
You open the door to the out.

You have emoted: Kiyotan boot.

Lin leaves to the out.

You have emoted: Kiyotan THE END.

Kiyotan

Take notes. This is how pros end their RP.

Lin

It is astounding how fun it is to RP with someone who is eating food you made. Almost as satisfying as cooking for someone IRL.

Arbre

emote pretends she's part of the reason it's better than ever.

emote probably isn't.

Teani

Awesome emoting. Pro ending. Fantastic way to portray the history between the two of them. I don't know much about it, but this was a very good read.

Moirean

Very nice read. There's a great history here and you can sense a mix of emotions beneath the words they are saying. Thanks for sharing.

My only question is - is the beard black or white? Description says black, but emotes seem to say silver?

Kiyotan

Look at my avatar and/or sig? Description says that it blends with his hair, which is white. 

Moirean

Oh, tired eyes read black instead of thick! Now I'm reimagining this with Kiyo like...a kindly old Santa.

Rivas

Moirean said:

Oh, tired eyes read black instead of thick!

From what I've read on the internet, it's rarely one without the other.

Edhain

The way your sig looks at what you wrote is so apt, Rivas.

Nice log! Great characterization from both, very fun read.

Benedicto

I've never wanted a steak so much in my life! Awesome rp all round. I loved the amount of detail and thought that went into something as small as eating. Bravo.