Timidly, Yoko crept down the hall outside Arshes Nei's door. Keitlan had given her a room two doors down from Gara's. It did not escape Yoko's recollection the look on the house mistress's face when she had mentioned Gara's feelings for the Thunder Empress. Keitlan was nothing, if not indiscreet in her efforts of maneuvering the people under her master's roof.
What exactly she was doing outside that ominous door, Yoko was not quite certain. Arshes Nei had certainly not seen fit to say a word to her since her arrival some days past. She had hardly come from her room, save once, two days ago when she had burst out without an explanation to anyone and practically run out into the courtyard to stare northward as if she had heard something the rest of them were unaware of. Yoko did know shy she felt the desire to talk with the half-elf, save that for a while there, while Rushie had been gone, they'd had a sort of truce. Not quite friendship, but not rivalry either. That only came with Rushie being alive. She did not want to hate Arshes Nei. Even after the blatant disregard for her feelings that the Thunder Empress must have known was happening after the battle with Larz and Angelo. Yoko was not designed to carry hatreds. It ate at her soul to harbor malfeasance's and to know they were harbored against her. It bothered her to know there was someone in pain because of her. She could just slap Rushie for haphazardly instigating the whole tangled situation. Could he be satisfied with one woman? No. He had to go and court droves of them. Moron. She muttered a few more choice curses under her breath as she paced outside Arshes's room.
It was a trait of hers and a bad one, not to be able to keep her hands strictly on her own business. She felt the need to set all the world to rights, even if she got bruised for her efforts. Perhaps it was why Keitlan liked her so much, the woman having similar idiosyncrasies herself, if not quite so good natured. She rapped on the door. A quiet little knock that she almost hoped the Thunder Empress might not hear. That would get her off the hook.
But of course half elf hearing was sharper than that. The door opened without Yoko ever hearing steps taken towards it and Arshes Nei looked down on her with wary question. She wore the under garments one might with armor. Padded pants and a thick tunic that was unbelted over her torso. Yoko wondered if she had bothered to pack anything else in her journey here.
Arshes stood there, one hand on the door, waiting for Yoko to state her business. Yoko's mouth went dry and her mind blank.
"I -- I just wanted to make certain you were comfortable. That you didn't need anything?"
"I was not aware that you had taken the position as hostess to Kall-Su's guests."
"I haven't." Yoko replied quietly. "I just wondered."
"Did you? Was that the extent of your wondering?" Arshes eyes traveled down her body, lingering on her waist line which was beginning to noticeably thicken. The dark brows drew. The amber eyes flickered away, disturbed.
"No." Yoko admitted. "I just wanted you to know I'm not angry. I don't wish us to be enemies."
"Is there anything else we can be?"
"There must be." Yoko felt the nausea rising. The bottomless pit in her stomach that opened to spew out dread for an animosity she dearly did not wish. Arshes turned her eyes back to Yoko. She was calm and precise in her stare, a warlord who had never hesitated in the slaughter of any who opposed her. What was one reticent girl, who desperately wanted peace, to her?
"I made a mistake." Arshes said. "I should not have told him. You chose not to. He would not have come back to you if it were not for the child you carry. Does that make you happy? To know it wasn't you, but your child that drew him? I'll never carry a child of his -- fates know I would have by now if it were possible -- but he'll always love me for who I am."
Who he made you to be. Yoko thought, chin trembling. But she wouldn't say it. "He hurt you so much, you say mean things." She said quietly. "I understand. He hurt me too. But you're wrong. I'm sorry I came here."
"Why did you?"
"I wanted to make things better."
"Then go away and leave him to me."
As if she could. As if he would let her if she tried. She shook her head, miserably. Hopeless in this endeavor she had taken upon herself. She walked away from the door, clutching her hands to stop the shaking.
"I do not understand you." Arshes Nei said to her back. "I do not understand the things you do."
Neither do I. She kept on down the hall.
A clatter of hooves and the sound of many voices in the courtyard announced another arrival. This one greater by far than the last and accompanied by much excitement from men at arms and yard hands. Maids were scurrying about when Yoko came down the stairs, rushing about with purpose in their step.
"What is it? Are they back?" she asked, catching the eye of one girl.
"Yes lady. Just so."
Joy and dread pushed for dominance in her heart. She ran back up stairs to her room to grab a cloak, then pelted down the steps and through the main hall towards the courtyard. Men filled the yard, both returned travelers and home guards. She perched on the steps, looking for that unmistakable form amongst all the white clad ninja. There, beyond Kall-Su, who was talking with Captain Kiro, Gara and Schneider were laughing about something. She started down the steps, weaving through the shifting bodies towards them. She was almost upon them, when something made her turn her eyes back towards the castle. Arshes Nei had come out upon the steps and stood without benefit of cloak upon the top level, staring down into the courtyard, eyes fixed upon the path Yoko was taking.
As Yoko stared, those amber eyes narrowed, then arms encircled her from behind, lifting her neatly off her feet, swinging her around into an embrace that took her breath away. He hardly gave her a chance to catch it before he kissed her. And no chaste kiss that, but one that stole the rest of her breath and made her thoughts muddled and hazy. She wrapped her arms about his neck, because it was the natural thing to do when one was cradled in another's arms and being soundly kissed to boot.
He broke it and smiled down at her, blue eyes fairly dancing with passion. "I missed you."
She blinked dazedly up at him, trying to organize thoughts that were running about in some back recess of her mind. "I missed you too." Was all that she could manage at the moment and his smile turned sultry.
"Shall we go upstairs and let you chase this miserable cold from my bones? Its fleeing fast just at the thought."
She blushed. She recalled who else was staying on that selfsame level of rooms and yanked at a lock of his hair urgently. "Rushie. Arshes Nei is here."
At which he blinked at her, smile fading. His eyes scanned the courtyard and fixed on the figure of the Thunder Empress. She had not moved from the top of the steps. Her gaze had not wavered. He let Yoko down gently and she thought he cursed under his breath. The half-elf turned then, and disappeared back inside the castle.
"How long?" He looked down to her gauging her temper on the matter. She sighed, wrapping her arms about herself under the cloak. "Almost a week. She came looking for you." She added the last unnecessary bit of information with a tremor in her voice. She bit her lip to cover it.
He put a hand on her shoulder, distracted. "Later -- I promise I'll talk with you later. Let me deal with her."
She didn't say anything. She couldn't. He strode away from her and she stood in his wake, lips still bruised from his kiss. Gara came up at her shoulder, his face pale and tense.
"Arshes." He said. Yoko nodded. He shut his eyes briefly, then shook his head as if something crawled in his ear.
"She should have stayed away." Kall said, stepping to Yoko's other side, frowning.
Gara cast him a look over Yoko's head. "What's left of her men are here. We're here. Where else could she go?"
"She'll bring trouble."
"No. She won't." Gara said, with determination in his tone. "Don't do her an injustice. She's not malicious. She's never been. She only follows his lead."
"And you would defend her regardless."
"Maybe."
He didn't have to ask anyone where the Thunder Empress had gone. He could follow the scent of her unique presence blind and deaf. He had sensed that difference in her over a hundred years ago, when she had stared up at him, abandoned and frightened, a big eyed, half-human child who would have taken any hand offered to help her. And he had offered his, because at the time, it had amused him to do so. She had intrigued him to a certain degree, with her inbred magic that she was so ignorant of possessing. A blank slate on which he could write. Which he could form to a being of his own making. And she had emerged a wonderful, spectacular butterfly from the bruised cocoon of childhood. His doing. He had made her what she was. And he loved his creation. He could not help but love the fruition of his labors. Could not help but love that which worshipped him. Narcissism was ever an integral part of Dark Schneider's personality.
But at this moment, he was uncertain if he wanted her presence. He would never abandon her, but he was treading delicate ground with Yoko and of all the things he had ever wanted, her goodwill ranked absurdly high among them. He was still angry that she had known about the baby and not told him. Or perhaps it was only that she had thrown it in his face as a weapon to use against him.
She had gone to a room on the second floor. The door was half ajar and she stood with her back to it, looking out the window.
"So she forgives you. How convenient for the both of you."
"Arshes." Warningly. "Why did you come here?"
She shuddered, and turned her head to cut a glance at him from the side of her eye. "Why do you think? Should I have just sat there staring at the ocean while you run to soothe that girl's feelings, when you have no care for mine?"
"It might have been more opportune." He muttered. "Damnit, I'm trying to right a wrong here."
"What about the wrong done me?" She whispered.
If she raged at him, he could deal with it better. But her whispered tones of hurt made him guilty. He took a breath and tried to formulate in his own mind how he might explain it to her. There had been a time when he wouldn't have bothered.
"Arshes, this is important to me. Yoko is important to me ---"
"Why? Why is she so different than all the others?"
"Because she is. Because I love her."
"You said you loved me." A stifled sob of heartfelt misery.
"I do. It doesn't change how I feel for you." He was down to pleading now. He heard it in his own voice and felt mild disgust that he had been reduced to plea bargaining with two women in the last month. He might as well start giving donations at temple. He threw out his hands and stalked across the room to her, catching her by the shoulder and forcing her to turn and look fully at him.
"Look, Arshes, deal with it. Think what ever you want -- you will anyway -- but deal with it."
"Do you want me to go?" Tiny voice. Small, hurt voice and large bruised eyes that reminded him of the child he'd found in the forest so long ago. No. He did not want her to go. He did not want her hurt and alone. He just wanted her to give him a little room to placate Yoko, who might be gentler in nature but was damned sure not as likely to overlook a second offense so quick on the footsteps of the first.
"Stay. Just be nice."
Yoko wasn't as easy to find. She was not in her room. He threw off his cloak and gloves on the end of her bed, then went downstairs to look for her there. Housemaids bobbed curtsies at him as he passed and he ignored them, not even giving them the usual lecherous leer that had them giggling behind their hands in embarrassed delight at his passing.
Sta-Veron had been a welcome gray beacon in the endless white, but now the welcome was not so warm. He'd almost rather still be out in the snowy wilderness. Almost. Even the dubious moods of two women could not reduce him to that. Down into the main hall, where the conversation was a buzz of confused chatter. Everyone had crowded in and the kitchen maids were running about with mugs of warmed ale and bowls of stew to warm men too long in the freezing weather. He did not see Kall-Su, but Gara was down by the fire, with his back against the flame and a cup of ale in his hand. Schneider stalked over to him and the master ninja's frown followed him the distance.
"Where's Yoko?" "How is Arshes?" Came out simultaneously. Schneider lifted a brow. Gara looked down into his ale.
"I think she's in the kitchen." Gara muttered.
Hiding, he thought, from confrontation with him. He walked through the kitchen door, into domain he had not stepped before and half a dozen female eyes snapped up to him. Yoko leaned against a counter next to Kall's housekeeper, an apple frozen in her hands.
"Ooooh, hello." The crone of a cook leered at him. She had at least four teeth left in her mouth, which probably attested for the tenderness of her cooking. It would have to be for her to chew.
"Yoko, I want to talk to you."
Her eyes went round and wary. "I'm helping Keitlan peel apples. Maybe later."
"No. Now." He said, patience already a thin stretched line.
"I'd really rather not." She lifted her pert little nose in the air with a edge of stubbornness flashing into her eyes.
"Damnit, I didn't plan this. This is not my fault."
"Who's fault is it?" The housekeeper sniffed without looking up from her rapidly moving paring knife.
"Stay out of this." He snapped.
"Don't talk to my friends like that. And she's right. It is your fault. It's not my fault. It's not Arshes Nei's fault."
"You're mad at me because she came here?"
"I'm not mad at you." She practically screamed at him. The kitchen girls were all madly performing their tasks, but their ears were practically twitching they listened so hard. "If I was mad at you, I wouldn't be talking to you at all. I just want you to go away so I can think for just a little while."
"Think about what? If you'd just let me explain you wouldn't have to think."
"That's the problem, you moron. I don't want you telling me what to think. I can do it on my own." She let out a frustrated little half breath, half cry. He stared at her, hurt and feeling unjustly accused. He had not been prepared to come back and face this. He hated being caught off guard.
The old cook offered him a tart fresh from the oven. He took a step back from her, then whirled and stormed out the door. Through the ninja and men at arms who were exchanging tales of the chase through the mountains and up the stairs. Kall was in his chambers, a servant collecting armor to be cleaned and polished and beaten free of dents. They both looked up at Schneider's unannounced intrusion.
"I do believe I hate women." He hissed in greeting. Kall blinked at him. The servant gathered up an armful of armor and hurried from the room.
"I -- ah -- don't recall I've ever heard that from you before." Kall was trying to be delicate. Kall had his boots off and was down to the undertunic worn under the armor padding. There was not a piece of discarded clothing on the floor. Kall was generally meticulous in his tidiness. He could be damned annoying, when Schneider wanted a little rousing disorder. Kall went to a tall armoire and found a robe. Schneider flopped down on the bed and glared at the ceiling.
"I can't understand them. Are they trying to make my life miserable?"
"I rather doubt it."
"Why would she blame me for Arshes showing up? Why would Arshes follow me out here when she knew I was trying to get Yoko to forgive me?"
"Why were you cruel to Yoko in the first place, if it means so much?"
Schneider turned a dark glare on the younger wizard. "Didn't you and I go over this?"
Kall looked away, exasperated. "Tell Arshes to go away then."
"I can't do that."
"Ah -- well then there's a problem."
"You know what would be perfect?"
Kall slanted a look at him. "If you say a threesome, I shall be very disappointed in you."
Schneider opened his mouth, then shut it before saying. "No. But, that's not a bad idea, by the way. What would be perfect is if the two of them could see things logically."
"There's logic to this situation? Did I miss something?"
"Don't be smart. If they stopped to think about it, they'd see that neither one is a threat to the other. I'm perfectly capable of satisfying them both."
Kall was staring at him with a sort of amazed expression. "You're not seriously thinking about suggesting this to them, are you?"
"What, you don't think they'd buy it?"
"If you do, please do it outside of my city. I'd prefer it undamaged."
"All right. Fine. Be that way. You're no help at all."
The door was not quite latched. Gara knocked at it hesitantly and it inched inwards. There was a sniffle from within, but no answer to his summons. He pushed it open and stood in the doorway, not knowing if he should enter or slip away. Arshes sat in the center of the bed, her knees up to her chest, arms wrapped about those, as miserable as he had ever seen her.
"Go away." She said quietly.
"Are you all right?" He felt a sick tightness in his chest at the pain in her face.
"I'm fine. Please close the door."
"You don't look fine." Stubbornly he refused to retreat.
"I look like a fool." She said, wiping the back of one hand across a moist cheek. "I shouldn't have come here."
She looked away laying her cheek on her knees. Gara stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him, pressing his back to it. He felt like a thief, intruding upon her sadness. He wished he could steal it away.
"Why did you?"
"I didn't know what else to do. I didn't know where else to go. Gara, he hurt me when he was dead and he hurts me when he's alive. And I can't stop loving him." She sobbed, hugging herself tighter. "I'm such a fool. I'm such a fool."
He went over, reached out to lay his hand hesitantly on the top of her dark head. "You're no fool, Arshes. Never a fool."
"How can you say that?"
"Loyalty and devotion do not make a fool, woman."
She looked up at him, amber eyes wide and full of tears. "Tell me what to do, Gara. Tell me what I should do."
He stared at her, and couldn't tell her what a marvelous, incredible creature she was. He could not tell her how she inspired him.
"I can't tell you what to do. Schneider can't tell you. You have to make that decision on your own and none of us make a difference when it comes right down to it. It's your life, Arshes. Not his or mine or anybody's."
"I was so happy to see him. He welcomed me with open arms. But the whole time he was thinking about her. He's never used me before to get to someone else and he did then. I feel so ashamed." She threw herself against him, looking for comfort. Awkwardly he held her, rigid and unprepared for her outpouring of emotion. She never showed this much emotion. And all for the disregard Schneider had shown her. It made his blood boil, to see her so reduced. If anger over Yoko's pain had been a question of honor, then this went beyond that. This was personal. And even if she never realized it, when Arshes hurt, Gara hurt.