"O-Ow!" Kaenniar whined as his feet barely kept up with Erazen's studious gait, forced into a bent position as his superior kept a stern hold on his collar, as though bringing back a belligerent goat or other wild animal.

Erazen didn't apologize, simply replying quietly enough, "We've got to make it believable."

"Then make it less believ- OW!"

Erazen yanked him into his waist to keep him quiet, catching the appearance of their Commander, Ithnis Greatsun, as the two men rounded past one of the exterior buildings of the Plainstrider Retreat. The superior slowed himself to avoid suspicion, retaining his usual speed while also making sure Kaenniar remained diligently at his side, taking a preparatory breath as Ithnis' eyes wandered in their direction, the patriarchal man's age reflective quite well in his normally stern cadence and expectations.

"Don't argue, don't get smart," Erazen reminded, "Just take your punishment and be done with it. I can only protect you from so much; he's my superior as well."

Kaenniar struggled for a breath as Erazen's grip worked his collar so tight that he was begging to worry to what lengths his lover was willing to go to feign this sort of authoritative righteousness. His steps slowed as his breaths became more and more sparse, for the most part having to be dragged at Erazen's side, finally finding relief as he was dropped onto the ground, the subtle, snorting breaths of Ithnis making him knows as Kaenniar reached up to grasp his throat to soothe his aching neck.

"Evenforge!" Ithnis barked impatiently, turning from his line of Eversong soldiers to, his piercing stare turning up toward his lieutenant, "What, did you try to run off again?!"

Erazen shook his head, "Such a belligerent young man this one is. Figured I'd drag his ass down and have his wrestle some plaistriders, see if the beasts could knock, or in this case, scratch, some sense into him for you, Commander."

Ithnis' face coiled in indecisive contortions, shooting off from the mouth as such, "Trueguard, my command should be under my watch at all times, understood?!"

Shrugging, Erazen grit his teeth, "The only thing I understand, sir, is that when you promoted me, it was my own view that such issues that could be resolved without your attention or worry should be done so."

"I appreciate the sentiment, lieutenant, but next time," Ithnis spat out, throwing an open finger toward Kaenniar, "This unit is under my command, and I-"

The Commander's eyes flickered curiously, forcing a nervous tremble to work it's way down Erazen's spine. Ithnis' silence even worked a wary breath from Kaenniar as he tried to weakly push himself to his feet, though in a split second, a hand wrangled his hair, yanking the young man back down as Ithnis spewed his speech in suspicion.

"These are not the marks of a plainstrider, Trueguard! These slashes are far too deep. What sort of fool're you trying to make me into?!"

"I told you already, sir," Erazen confirmed, rather relieved to finally understood his superior's apprehension, "I wished to work some obedience into him. That's why we were so late; I took him down to wrestle the southernmost 'striders; they're far more fierce, and far more suitable for belligerent soldiers. Examine his shallow breaths for all the evidence you need; he's been dealt with swiftly."

Ithnis gave a wary glance toward Kaenniar, the blood elf still on all fours in exasperated resignation, his hair still pulled tight in his Commander's clutch, Erazen's voice breaking through the air as he continued, "I figured if you were still in danger of reprimand for sending, yet, another one of you soldiers to the Ghostlands, I would do my best to ensure this one's behavior didn't lead to such a thing."

Scoffing at such an insinuation, Ithnis gave Kaenniar'a hair another massive tug, sending a painful whine past the elf's lips as his hand flew up to grasp his Commander's wrist, a pitiful effort to keep from another strike, though Ithnis seemed satisfied with relieving his soldier if only because Erazen's assertion of his being reprimanded was certainly true. The crotchety old Commander scoffed as he took a step back, spinning back toward the rest of his unit before slowly to a stop.

"C'mon, Paleray. You're doing drills with two buckets again; get a move on!"

Kaenniar trembled at the slur, a reminder of how little of a blood elf he truly was in comparison to the rest. 'Paleray'; blood elves unable to retain magic within themselves the same way as most blood elves. That defining characteristic, missing within Kaenniar's very body, that would forever keep him from being a true Sindorei. His open palm squeezed into a fist atop the dirt road beneath him, squeezing the fistful of dirt and pebbles as tight as he could, his face straining like a vice as he viciously held back tears.

A sudden gasp left him as Erazen's hand took his collar once again, this time pulling him up to his feet, the younger man turning toward his lieutenant with glassy eyes, surprised by such a gesture, though Erazen merely brushed off his chest plate as any officer would, leaving Kaenniar with that unmistakable tug of distance from the man he so dearly loved treating him as any other.

Ithnis waved for his unit to follow along, moving north, and paying no attention to Kaenniar, the lone straggler, who remained at Erazen's side, his head falling low with regret.

"Get moving," Erazen muttered softly, now that the others were out of earshot, "Just get your buckets and-"

Kaenniar whipped his head up toward him with teary eyes, "Erazen, I can't-!"

"Lieutenant."

"Erazen!" Kaenniar disobediently repeated for emphasis, "I can't do this any long-!"

"Then tough it out!" Erazen commanded, his fierce, authoritative face softening into one of sadness, "Kaen! Words cannot express how much it hurts for me to do that shit to you. You can't keep being diso-"

"Says the man content with leaving me in bed past roll call!" Kaenniar challenged defiantly, earning him a frustrated glance from his lieutenant, the younger of the two scoffing in disgust as he adjusted his pauldrons, readying himself to move out, "A Paleray like me shouldn't be surprised that-"

Erazen swiftly threw his hand up, grappling Kaenniar's collar and throwing his own weight backward, spinning Kaenniar past him and slamming his back into the back of the building beside them, closing the gap between them as Erazan's face took on a wildly upset expression. His lips curled angrily, sending Kaenniar's eyes wide in shock.

"Don't you ever use that word," Erazen commanded with a deepened voice, his grip tightening around his subordinate's collar, "Tell me you understand."

Still exhausted, and partially downtrodden, Kaenniar refused to budge, forcing Erazen to push him back into the wall for a massive bout of insistence, "Kaenniar. Tell me."

A moment passed before Kaenniar frowned, relinquishing his resistance at the uttering of his full name, "I understand."

"Good," Erazen confirmed as he pulled away, rubbing the wrinkles from underneath his subordinate's armor, "You don't need to be speaking those words. Just because Ithnis does, that doesn't mean you have to believe him, or feel as though he's truly describing you."

Kaenniar scoffed, "If not him, it would be-"

Erazen cut him off, grabbing his arm and pulling him in close, head drawn low as his eyes peered upward to meet Kaenniar's eyes, a predatory look about him as though he were about to strike again should his lover continue on with such nonsense, simply relieving Kaenniar of his troubles as he managed a quick peck upon his lips, still showing his most serious face as the two men watched each other, both unsurely.

"If your inability to retain magic leaves you so pale, how is it that you've become more magnificent to me than the sun itself?" Erazen asked rhetorically, not expecting a reply anyway after such a kiss out in the open, "Besides, I quite like the idea of you being addicted to me, rather than magic itself."

Kaenniar frowned at such words that played with his heart, his voice wandering low as his eyes shifted away in embarrassment, "Now you're the cute one…"

"I'm treading upon six hundred; I'll accept cute, unlike you," Erazen smirked, releasing his subordinate before backing off, turning to stare down the road for anybody who might have been sent back to check on Kaenniar, despite knowing Ithnis wouldn't have afforded such privilege to the man, "I'm serious now. Get a move on."

Kaenniar refused to budge, his shoulders slumping forward while his eyes locked onto the man with whom he often shared a bed with, "Another one."

"By the gods, Kaen," Erazen groaned, running an open hand over his face.

"I can't help it," Kaenniar shrugged, "I'm addicted to you."

Erazen frowned, his own words used against him as though they were now a lasso to constrict him, to bind him to this man. Such a thought wasn't without its heartfelt admirations, yet at such a moment, in such an open, yet wooden, setting… He bit his lip unflinchingly, turning for one last look up the road before stepping back into Kaenniar's space, leaning his head in close, just above his shoulder, allowing his lips to settle just above his lengthy ear, proof of his elfishness despite his pale nature.

"We can't be doing this," Erazen muttered, burying his face against Kaenniar's ear as he gently gave whatever skin his lips found a tender tug.

An instinctive twinge yanking Kaenniar's shoulder up as his head flinched into his lover's kiss, he grinned mischievously as though he'd knowingly spun this man into his trap without him knowing, "We could be. Every day."

A subtle bite quieted Kaenniar's thoughts as he chewed on his lip, Erazen pulling his head away so that their eyes could meet once again, "There was your kiss. Get a move on."

Kaenniar frowned as though hoping to win further affections from Erazen, yet this time, the superior of the two spun away, stepping forward with his usual rigorous gait, that of a life-long soldier, leaving the younger of the two sighing with rejection; that, and the sudden realization that he was in for a long day of drills at the command on Ithnis. Knowing no further adoration was in store, Kaenniar simply readied himself, shaking his head deftly before trudging off behind Erazen, watching his sturdy stance as he watched, wondering just how ingrained that soul of a soldier truly was.

Even if he could somehow lull this man away from this life, without his first love, would a life with some Paleray be a life worth living anyway?