Ink and Blood

By: Asnee

Chapter 3 – Midnight Runaround

AN: Yayyy chapter 3. Thanks for all the awesome reviews so far. X3 Ummm, I have chapter 4 like halfway done lol, but I'm grounded and doing this at school so it may be a good week before I can upload. Dunno though. I guess I also need to figure out exactly where I'm taking this. XD I guess I like the whole Fafnyn x Seddy x Ryxam triangle, but I could complicate things and make it sort of a Polygon of Lust.

Okay not really. And what about poor Ozi! I think Byri would smash his face in. (nodnod) I also need to figure out what the hell Ozi is. I think like a half-demon. Not evil, just not completely human. I really like Ozi, lol. He needs more partttttts. So does Fafnyn and Byri and that assassin hobag Hara I put for everyone to hate. I dunno about you, but I hate hobags. If you didn't catch what's going on, Hara is a regular assassin (just barely), and Ryxam is an assassin cross (duh. That's why he was commenting that she shouldn't even be allowed in their HQ.

Soooo yeah, enjoy! And remember to reviewwww!

Disclaimer: WTF? Gravity blows. Therefore, why the hell would I wanna own RO?

xXx

Ryxam came every other night or so after the first one, and he no longer startled Seda. Eventually, he just climbed in through her window soundlessly. She would put down her book and he would be there, regarding her through big red eyes. He was doing well under her tutelage.

"The Elder praised me for my knowledge on this subject today. I am most grateful for your help, Miss Alumani," he said one night. Even though she called him by his first name, he apparently thought it more polite to be formal with her. No matter how many times she said to call her Seddy, or at least Seda, he politely refused.

She smiled, setting down her cup of tea. "Oh, no problem," she smiled.

"I feel awkward though, in truth," he said, and her heart jumped as romantic thoughts swam in her mind, "It is I who owe you, not the other way around."

She waved it off. "I like this sort of thing, plus," she took another swig of tea, "It's good practice! I'd like to be a professor at the university here some day." She looked rather dreamy for a moment. He really did smile this time.

"That is a lovely aspiration, Miss Alumani," he took down a note, "And mayhap when you are a professor, I shall be better known than I am now."

She beamed. "My first student is famous"!

Suddenly, there was a light from down below. "Seddy, you still awake woman"?

She blanched. "Byri"!

"Seddy!"

When she had turned, there was nothing but an empty space and an open window. She quickly spread her legs out and leaned on a stack of books by the window. The sleepy knight looked skeptically from the window, to his sister. "Was there...someone here?"

"Nope! Just enjoying the breeze," she smiled as her brother crossed the small room to sit by her. Her head barely came up to his shoulder.

"Seddy...have you been talking to that assassin again?"

She sweatdropped and laughed nervously. "Ohh, of course not, way too scary!"

He raised an eyebrow. "And he had awful B.O."!

He chuckled. "Alright then sis. Get to bed soon, we're having visitors again tomorrow morning and it would probably be good if you looked decent."

She grumbled. "If it's Fafnyn the Holy Nutcase, then maybe I SHOULD scare him off."

Her brother laughed hard this time, his distinct, warm, rumble. "Yeah, really." He sighed, kissing her on the top of her head. "G'night Seddy, and clean up that sand."

She blanched as he went down the stairs. Sure enough, there were a few grains of the same sparkling sand from before. Ryxam climbed back down after a bit. "I smell? How rude."

"N-no, I was just saying that because--" She mumbled as she caught his boyish grin. "Bastard." He stood at the window in his full garb, and then a thought seemed to pass over his face as the breeze picked up his scarf. He held out a clawed hand. She reached and took it tentatively, his large hand swallowing her own to the wrist.

"Care to give me a tour of town?"

xXx

Seda enjoyed another breathless ride over the rooftops of her ancestral home, letting out tiny shrieks when something looked particularly scary. They always landed safely. Ryxam was silent as a dream, "Moving with the wind", as he put it. Just when she thought his heavy boots were going to make a noise –nothing.

The sun was coming up over the citadel, the clouds that surrounded the city parting. Birds began to sing their obnoxious wake-up songs, and Juno began to wake up, ever so slightly.

She still clung to his neck, partially asleep. Drowsy and lost in the scent of sandalwood and desert wind in his hair, she barely noticed as they touched down on her roof.

"Miss Alumani, we're back," he said softly. Seddy raised her head.

"Thank you so much, Ryxam," she smiled sheepishly into his neck, "That was the best walk around town I've ever had."

"It was no problem, and plus," he turned his head back a bit, "It helped me to. I now know Juno like the back of my hand."

She realized he hadn't let her go, and that she had several fingers laced in his silky silver hair.

"Um..."

"Oh, my apologies." He let her down gently, and then turned to face her. "Umm, so...I shall leave my book up there for now. I have a mission to go on, so there will be no time for study."

She nodded, and wondered why her heart hurt for a moment. Was it because that reminded her of her brother's imminent departure...or was she worried about him? Before she could stop herself, she had patted his hair away from where it had fallen into his face, tucking it behind a long ear. Whups, force of habit.

Trying to conceal her embarrassment, she quickly said "Well then, I hope everything goes smoothly. P-please," she flushed, "D-don't get killed."

He smiled a bit eerily. "I'm not the one dying, don't you worry."

She nodded, wondering to herself why she should worry in the first place. He wondered the same thing himself. Red met brown one last time, and before either of them had realized what had happened, he had placed an airy kiss on her cheek, and was gone into the sunset. She was in shock for a moment, before squeeing. Coming down the back of the house to loop around, she saw the world through Roses.

It wasn't until she recognized the unmistakable figure of Fafnyn St. Ludel coming over the hill to their home that her mood deflated. She waved wearily, realizing only now she really hadn't slept. He pulled up along side her, tying Francis to one of the poles on the patio. He moved towards her and squawked, and she petted him while his master got off.

"Good m-morning, Mr. St.Ludel," Seda said shakily, still a bit flustered from Ryxam's kiss.

"Call me Fafnyn. Miss Alumani, you glow even this early in the morning," he said with a hint of a purr in his voice, taking her hand and kissing it again. He let it linger slightly, and she took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Shall I wake Byri up for you?"

His blue eyes narrowed. "Not quite yet, I am a bit ahead of schedule. I was just going to read for a bit...but now I have such lovely company."

"Hahahaha," she chortled nervously, willing her cheeks to try and not go pink. Failure. "So...what book? I work in a book store," she said off-handedly, still patting Francis, who looked ready to fall asleep.

He looked slightly perplexed. "It is about the earlier crusades, the truly great ones. During the reign of-"

"King Tristam the first? Er, sorry...," she said, truly apologizing.

This only seemed to make him happier. "You know of them, then?"

"Yep, I want to be a professor...so I'm trying to know a bit about everything."

"That is a wonderful aspiration," he said smoothly, surprising her with the same line as Ryxam. "It is a hard rank to achieve...but I'm quite confident it shall happen for you."

She nodded, clasping her hands demurely in front of her. They talked for a while about this and that, from history to the habits of monsters (Whispers?), and eventually they were talking about his aspirations.

"I am very near the rank of paladin, this mission will be my last as a crusader," he said, his icy eyes shining with pride, "I wish to serve God, almost nothing more."

Seda smiled at him, wondering if it was about to get scary. Yep. "I believe by that...doing the things I do, I am helping purify this world in His great name. I want respect in this world...and the next. Not power, just respect. A seat at God's feet."

"So that's why you kill tons of people"? She had blurted out before she could stop herself. He opened his mouth, but Francis let out a squawk and, bless his soul, Ozi was coming up the walk waving sleepily.

"Heyyy! St. Ludel and Seddy! Mornin!"

She waved, thanking her lucky stars. Speaking of those, she'd have to check their alignment again. Today had been an odd day. "Ready for some hot mission lovin'?"

"Quite," Fafnyn said icily.

He looked from the crusader to the sage, and quirked an eyebrow. "Somethin' goin' on 'ere?"

"Ah, we were just discussing history and such," she said easily. He turned to her.

"I should like to continue our chat, Miss Alumani. Perhaps when I get back?"

An odd shiver passed through her body, but she nodded anyway. "S-sure."

He smiled beautifully, the wind tugging at his pale hair. "Excellent. And now...would it be a chore to ask you to wake your brother up?"

"Sure, I'll go sit on him," she chirped, happy to get away from him.

"No need, I'm up," Came a slightly sleepy voice from the doorway. Byri came out, garbed in his full gear, red cloak matching the early skies. He had circles under his eyes, and Seda felt her heart clench again. Had he, to, been up all night? But then again, he hadn't been cavorting around with an assassin either. The mental image of Ryxam romantically staggering under her brother's weight suddenly burst into her mind, and it took every inch of self control she had not to let out a snort of laughter. Failure again. He looked sarcastic. 'What're you laughing at, Shortbolt"?

She bristled at his nickname, and he knew it had worked, as he grinned widely. "You look like a loser."

"That's what knights are. Losers with a MISSION," Ozi chortled. "And various pointy objects," he added as an afterthought. Fafnyn regarded Ozi coldly, and the dark-haired man shrank.

"It is a mission, but it must be imperfect. That's why I came to God's aid as a crusader."

"Imperfect?" Byrin questioned, fastening various things onto his Peco.

"King Tristam, though noble, is a man. Certainly, man is imperfect, and therefore so is your mission."

Ozi scratched his head. "Whatever you say, sir. Well, I guess we're off."

Byri and Fafnyn mounted their pecos, stepping towards the gates. Childishly, Seda raised her arms towards her brother, who embraced her. "Honestly kid, you act like you're seven still."

"Be safe, please," Seda whispered, trying to chisel everything about him into her memory. He released her, patting her on the head one last time. "Seddy, I will be back within a week. I expect a huge-ass dinner when I get home"! He cackled, riding out of the gates. She waved at all of them, including Fafnyn, who gave her a long, eerily happy looking before he disappeared into the horizon.

Seda Alumani let her hand drop back to her waist, realizing there were tears streaming down her cheeks. Suddenly, her little house was very, very empty.

AN: Raawwwrrrr. Chapter 4 comes after reviewssssss. And after my Dad explodes, hopefully. (turns to Ryxam) Five bucks says you drop my Dad.

Ryxam: (looks shifty) (takes bill, then heads towards house)

(Mr. Burns finger twiddle thing) Excellent.

WAHAHAHAHA! REVIEWS SHALL RUN LIKE BLOOOOOOOOOOOOD! XD