Illric Nightspear was not the most contemplative of his people; he knew and accepted it, reveled in it even. He was a Ranger after all, not some Farseer that acted like their shit smelled of night lilies. Illric was decisive, at times impulsive, a man of action who only rarely gave deep and searching thought towards his next movements rather than giving himself over to instinct. It had served him well in his long life, even more so now that the Oath protected him from She Who Thirsts. Better to act in the moment then be paralyzed by indecision.

However that wasn't to say he couldn't stop and think through a plan of action, to consider the lay of the land. He simply didn't bother to make the effort with unimportant things, saving his time for when the matter was vital and required the utmost care. Thus it said a lot that he was in his new quarters in the area set aside for the Valhallan 609th Regiment in the Inquisitorial Battleship Mercy of the Emperor deep in thought and contemplation. He sat upon his simple yet comfortable bed, legs folded in what a human might have identified as a lotus position, eyes closed as he sought answers within. This was no trivial matter to be treated only as it came. This deserved all his attention, all his energy, all of his wit and planning.

For Illric was on the hunt, the most important hunt he'd partaken in for many centuries; the hunt for the heart of Regina Kasteen.

While he could not say that he fell in love with her at first sight (he wasn't Ciaphas after all, a literal entity of Warp energy powered and guided by both emotion and a human soul), she had immediately caught his attention from the moment he first laid eyes on her. Her soul blazed, a flame as bright as her stunning hair, yet it was a tempered and controlled fire patiently waiting to be let off it's leash. The combination of her physical looks and the glimpses he got of her spirit through the Sea of Souls was compelling, making him want to pursue a human romantically for the first time since Sebby had gone to be with his (theirs now he supposed) Emperor. Idly, he made a mental note to ask Ciaphas to ask the Emperor how Sebby was doing in His realm; he missed his old lover and wanted him to be doing well. Not that it would keep him from pursuing a new potential relationship; he was pretty sure that five thousand years was a sufficient mourning period, right?

Regina, for all her attractive qualities, was relatively young even by human standards and was in a position of significant authority. Thus, she did not have a great abundance of suitors. As such Illric had taken his time in his hunt, teasing her, being around her, but never quite committing to the pursuit. It had been fun, but that now had to end. There was a potential rival to Regina's attention now, even if Illric was the only one who saw it that way; a certain hitchhiker they'd picked up on Isstvan III.

Rylanor was… impressive, to say the least. Normally, Space Marines were somewhat grotesque, men swollen to unnatural size and muscle. But there were exceptions, with some lineages of Astartes having a handsome or even beautiful appearance depending upon their genelines. And before their Primarch had fallen to She Who Thirsts, from what he understood the Emperor's Children had been of particular beauty. And the Ancient of Rites was an exemplar of that; by Lileath's Maiden teats, even Illric was tempted by what he'd seen hidden by those robes, and he normally appreciated a far more lithe frame. And from what he'd heard gossiped about, Regina had been exposed to him in his fully restored and unveiled glory. Certainly he'd overheard some of the women from the squad accompanying Ciaphas and the others crying out Rylanor's name during… alone time, perhaps using the memory of what they'd seen as 'motivation'. And Regina had been sending quick glances at the Astartes before looking away with a light blush; they were such little things that only someone paying as much attention to Kasteen as he was would have noticed.

So, the Astartes had caught her attention, something he'd been working on for long weeks to accomplish. Even then, he still normally wouldn't be concerned as he knew Ynnead (or The Emperor as their human allies called Him) had designed the process of becoming a Space Marine in such a way as to remove most mortal desires from the recipient. But Rylanor had been fully and exhaustively restored to mortal flesh by Ciaphas Cain, someone he called friend and the source of both many headaches and the salvation of the Aeldari. Ciaphas, who was a Daemon Prince of She Who Thirsts, the Dark Goddess of PLEASURE and SENSATION amongst other things. He was sure that Ciaphas didn't know what he'd done, and he doubted that anyone else including Rylanor himself knew. But as an experienced Psyker who now had the full range of his talents, Illric had been able to feel the virility pulsing within the Astartes. How Rylanor's attention would be caught by the various, particularly attractive members of the 609th and Karamazov's crew. Cain had created a Space Marine with a sex drive. One that had caught the eye of the young Colonel, and could return those affections if he wished.

Illric's pursuit of Regina Kasteen, once seen as an almost certainty that he could take his leisure with, was in jeopardy. As such, he'd have to apply himself further to bring this hunt to a swift conclusion.

He couldn't lie to himself, the challenge was exciting.

His first shot was… mediocre. He'd joined the 609th for their morning PT, as he occasionally did. But this time he wore tight shorts and a Munitorum-issue tank top, showing off his lithe yet muscled physique that he'd developed over thousands of years of healthy living. Surely, a display of his physical prowess would draw in his quarry, further peaking her interest. Unfortunately that backfired horribly when Rylanor also made use of the same vast exercise room, seeking to get acquainted with his new body. The Astartes hadn't even bothered with a top, just a sheet that some of the ship's menials had stitched into a kilt for him! Needless to say the sight of the towering man whose form looked carved from finest marble slowly building a sweat by benching one of the 609th's Sentinel frames had drawn all eyes to him, including Regina's. Cursing his luck, Illric began devising his next move.

The second attempt likewise didn't quite hit the mark. This time he tried to display to Kasteen his tender, emotional side. Women seemed to love that sort of thing in his long experience. And the Path of the Ranger wasn't the ONLY Path he'd ever walked, having dabbled in several. Amongst those, the Path of the Musician.

So he arranged for a small concert, ostensibly to entertain and offer relaxation to the 609th while they continued to make their way through the Warp towards their destination. He carried with him on his travels a simple Wraithbone flute, nothing like what a Bonesinger would use but still elegant and well made. The hall was packed with not only the 609th but also off-duty crew, the Inquisitors and their retinues, Ciaphas, and his unknowing rival. All were curious to hear the music of the Aeldari. And Illric didn't disappoint.

The notes from his flute were echoing and haunting, filling the audience with joy and sorrow both. Illric concealed a smirk when he saw Regina getting misty eyed as he played 'Lament for Lileath', a classic Aeldari song of mourning for innocence lost. Some such as Sulla were openly weeping, an uncomfortable Divas gently patting her back as she sobbed into his shoulder. When he finished with his last set, the room was silent with awe and he basked in it.

Then frakking Amberley Vail had to frak it up by standing and coming up to the stage, offering to further extend this little concert! He was about to object, but saw Cain staring at him, silently daring him to stand in the way of Amberley's singing. So he reluctantly stepped aside, yielding the stage and the audience's attention to the youngest of the ship's Inquisitors.

….He had to admit, he could see what Ciaphas saw in her. Her singing was almost the equal of one of his own people. While his own performance had won silent awe, hers won a standing ovation, one he grudgingly joined in as acknowledgement of Inquisitor Vail's talents.

OF COURSE, then the floor had been opened to other comers, and OF COURSE, frakking Rylanor just happened to dabble in music as well! Thrice-cursed Emperor's Children, with their art and their sophistication! The Ancient Astartes soon produced a lyre and was strumming the strings while a deep and resonant voice sang husky ballads of yore. BY KHAINE'S BLOODY RIGHT HAND, SOME OF THEM WERE EVEN LOVE SONGS! No one felt like going up after Rylanor, but it didn't matter as he'd outshone both himself and Amberley. His heartfelt performance, voice filled with longing for better days, transported the audience. Rather than being the focus of attention, including Regina's, Illric had instead been relegated to an opening act for the Inquisitor and Astartes.

He needed another approach.

Illric… may have miscalculated on how well being able to forage edibles from the wild and cook freshly hunted meat over a campfire translated to using a human kitchen to make a surprise romantic dinner for Regina. Based upon Lord Inquisitor Karamazov's unamused expression as he stared at the Eldar's soot stained face, he agreed that Illric cooking was an unwise decision.

"Twelve kitchen menials mildly injured. A week's worth of food supplies for your entire regiment, wasted. The sub-kitchen on deck sixteen rendered unusable, with the repair crews estimating at least several days of work needed to bring it back into operation. An entire deck needing to be evacuated due to noxious fumes. And that's not bringing up how the Master of Arms wants to know how you accidentally made a flour bomb. Anything to say for yourself?"

"...I thought Colonel Kasteen would enjoy some chocolate chip cookies?"

Karamazov sighed loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose. "And because of that, we had some blue furred Slaaneshi daemon trying to break through Ciaphas' barrier into the ship. Kyrus will have nightmares about the words 'om nom nom' for days. Needless to say, you are banned from any kitchen on The Mercy by Inquisitorial Decree."

Illric grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his singed hair. "Yeah, that's fair."

Well at least he'd found one Path he wasn't meant to walk it seemed. Still, even if cooking it himself didn't pan out, a meal with Regina might remain a valid approach. But first, he needed to wash the smell of burnt sugar off of his skin.

The Ranger's position was meticulously chosen, casually propped up against the wall in the officer's mess with an excellent view of the entrance. He was taking great care to appear aloof yet approachable, body language subtly inviting the right someone to come and offer to share a table. He'd arrived here hours ago to pick out the perfect spot and assume the ideal pose; the mess hall staff had been startled to see him when they arrived to set the room up for the officer's breakfast, but had shrugged it off and gone about their duties. When Regina came to break her own fast, he'd be here, and when she approached he'd graciously offer to share a meal with her. The perfect trap for his so-far elusive quarry.

Discipline alone kept him from frowning, as the hall was beginning to fill with no sign of the 609th's Colonel. She was late. He knew from the time he'd spent observing her since their first meeting that Regina enjoyed being the first one to the officer's mess, to get a few minutes of peace with her meal before the other officers came in. Yet it was now nearly twenty minutes since the room had been opened up for service, and she was nowhere to be seen. Idly he listened in to Divas and Sulla sharing a table, the two of them gushing over their shared admiration of Ciaphas and other topics they seemed to both take an interest in. Still his eyes were razor focused for Regina's entrance, all while acting uninterested and cool to those observing him.

His ears perked up slightly when the door swished open, before drooping when he saw it was just Broklaw. The second in command of the regiment (not counting Ciaphas of course whose leadership over the 609th was rather unofficial) noticed Illric right away, and strode over with a knowing expression. Seeing no need to be impolite, the patiently waiting hunter nodded a greeting while keeping his senses tuned for his 'prey'. "Major Broklaw. Good morning."

Broklaw just stared at him for a moment before gaining a tiny smirk. "Good morning Illric. Seems as though you're waiting on someone."

Illric waved it off with bored disinterest, even if the other man had hit the Grot right between the eyes. "No, I simply felt like being here today, observing you all as you break your fast."

The smirk just got wider. "I see. Well I'll leave you to it, there's a cup of tanna and hotcakes waiting for me." As he ambled away, Broklaw casually called out over his shoulder. "Oh by the way, Colonel Kasteen got called into a breakfast meeting with the Inquisitors and the Commissar this morning. I think Ancient Rylanor was also attending. So sadly you won't get to observe her along with the rest of us."

…Eldar do not freeze up and slowly slide sideways along the wall until they finally fall over. They are far too graceful and controlled for such behavior. And anyone in that room who claimed otherwise was a dirty liar that he'd soon wreak vengeance upon.

The Eldar Ranger was beginning to wonder if perhaps it had been so long, that he was out of touch with romance. On second thought, no, it was the childish younger races that were wrong.

….Maybe he needed to work more on getting that Aeldari arrogance out of himself after all, and focus more on the Path of Humility.

But that was for later, because this was it, the final shot left in the chamber. Illric had poured everything he was into it. He'd wheedled, begged, and cajoled Ciaphas until the Daemon Prince had given in and used his powers to accelerate the growth of some seeds that Illric had until they grew into beautiful blooms. It would be well worth the month's pay and extra latrine duty the Commissar had demanded as concessions, so long as it worked.

Carefully he arranged the purple-white flowers into a bouquet, tying them with a fine silk ribbon of Aeldari craftsmanship that would double as a hair tie; the shining green of the material would go well with Regina's fiery mane. In fine calligraphy, the sort that he used to use when writing love poetry for Sebby, he inscribed on a piece of parchment 'To the most beautiful flower within the 609th. Your admirer.' That should flatter the Colonel, and everyone knew that he was the one who admired her most. It was foolproof.

Confident, Illric placed the flowers in a vase he'd beaten out of a used shell casing for the mortars, smoothing the edges and shining it until the brass glimmered like gold. He then positioned it right before the door to the Colonel's office when he knew her to be in there, making certain it would be easily seen. Then he pressed the entry chime and darted around the corner, making his exit down the corridor. This way was more romantic, leaving her to admire the gift in peace without putting pressure upon her from his presence. The bait was of excellent quality, and she would willingly step right into his snare.

It was only hours later, when he saw SULLA enter the officer's lounge wearing the hair ribbon and clutching the flowers, that it occurred to him that he'd miscalculated AGAIN and not accounted for someone else being in the office with Kasteen. Someone who could have mistaken the gift as being meant for her. Illric was so dejected, he couldn't even enjoy Divas' confusion as the blonde haired woman walked right up to him and placed a searing kiss right on his lips. Normally he would have delighted in the comedy of errors, chuckling at Divas' plight, but he was just too depressed, too angry with himself.

His last, best shot, and he'd missed.

Illric had never made use of his ale rations in all the time he'd been assigned to the 609th, deigning not to engage in drinking for the sake of getting drunk. He was currently rectifying that, using all of his saved ration vouchers and drowning his sorrows in an out of the way corner of the regiment's primary mess hall. There was no way he was going to let the officers, especially Kasteen, see him like this so let the common soldiers gawk and whisper. Right now, he didn't care what they thought of him, but he still had enough pride to not embarrass himself in front of the object of his failed pursuit. The aura of irritation surrounding him was enough to convince most of the troopers to leave him be.

Most, but not all.

"Mister Illric, are you alright?"

The Eldar raised his head from where it was resting on the cool metal table, bleary eyes focusing on the two humans standing in front of where he was sprawled out. It took him a moment, but he recognized them as the other two survivors from Ciaphas' jaunt through the undercity of Mayoh. Troopers Holenbi and Velade as he recalled. Ironically, Illric hadn't accompanied Ciaphas then because he'd been acting as a scout and bodyguard for Regina. Remembering that time reminded him of his failures over the last week to regain her attention, bringing his mood plummeting back down. Holenbi and Velade seemed to sense his emotional state, as the two glanced at each other before taking a seat across from him. Holenbi, the first to have spoken to him, piped up again. "Is there anything that Griselda and I can do to help you, sir?"

The Ranger was about to angrily snap that they could help by leaving him alone, before his thoughts caught up to him and he looked at the two appraisingly. Holenbi and Velade's names hadn't come up within the regimental chatter just because they'd gone on that mission with the Commissar or been cured of Genestealer infection by Cain, but also because they were amongst the first of the 609th to pair up as a romantic couple which hadn't existed prior to the amalgamation of units which had given birth to the regiment. They had been from two different regiments that had previously hated and resented each other, yet they had swiftly become lovers even with their imprisonment after the riot. Frak, there were even bets going about that the two of them would be the next to ask permission of the officers and Cain to get married. Illric was out of ideas and desperate, so in a moment of vulnerability he reached out.

"How do you make your romantic intent known to a human woman?"

Again the couple looked to each other, words passing between them without needing to actually speak. Looking at them, Illric felt a yearning, one that surprised him as he realized that he wanted what they had. That connection, that bond, he wanted to experience it once more. After the two humans nodded to each other, they turned back to him and this time Velade spoke, her message short and blunt. "Talk to her."

Illric blinked, uncomprehending. "Excuse me?"

Holenbi reached out, taking Velade's hand in his. "Talk to her. That's how Griselda and I got started; we began talking. Isn't that what everyone really wants? Someone to talk to, to be with, to belong with? Someone that fills that piece of themselves that they didn't even know was missing?"

The Eldar's mouth went dry and his heart clenched. They were right, that really was what we wanted, wasn't it? He'd been complicating things, turning what should have been a conversation into a hunt. Out of fear, fear of rejection, when the bravest choice was to be forthright in his desires and intentions. Standing, he bowed respectfully to the human couple. "You have my thanks, friends. If you'll excuse me, I have a much overdue conversation to get to."

As he departed the mess hall, Tomas Holenbi and Griselda Velade smiled and silently wished him luck.

Regina Kasteen opened her door in response to the entry chime, surprised to see her regiment's Eldar advisor at the entrance to her chambers. Before she could question him, Illric spoke.

"Regina, I've been trying to get your attention to woo you all week, trying to get you to come to me. I've failed miserably."

She blinked, then comprehension dawned in her stunning eyes. "Those flowers. They were meant for me, weren't they? Not Sulla. No wonder Divas was so bewildered."

Illric nodded, face pinched. "It seemed petty and childish to correct the miscommunication. And of course there was the kitchen incident…" They both winced at the mention of that particular moment; it had taken days for the stench of burnt cooking oils to be filtered out of their level of the ship. "Going to physical training to show off my physique, the concert, a dozen minor schemes and gambits to try and get your attention. So here I am, openly and honestly broaching my intentions towards you."

The redhead snorted, a flicker of a smile going across her lips before turning down into a frown. "You've made your intentions clear since Gravalax, Illric. I'm flattered, but have no intention of being a notch in somebody's bedpost."

As soon as she finished speaking she felt bad as Illric looked like she'd struck him before rapidly shaking his head in negation. "No! That was never my intention! I… I may flirt and tease, but I don't enter into relationships easily." He swallowed, wetting his throat before speaking softly. "You know about Sebby, right? In the five thousand years since he passed, there have been perhaps three people that have caught my interest, with none of them coming to anything. But then I met you, and something within me reawakened. And for the first time in my life, I haven't had to guard my thoughts and feelings. I can give myself fully to you, in heart, mind, and soul."

Kasteen quirked an eyebrow, not visibly showing any signs of being impressed as she crossed her arms. "So what? You're saying you love me or something?"

There was a long moment of silence, Illric obviously gathering himself before speaking, words soft and honest. "I can't say that I love you, Regina. Not yet. Love is not an emotion, it is a commitment, a connection forged through time and shared experience. I loved Sebby, and for five thousand years I've mourned him. Those others I mentioned? Not one of them was a human, because I wasn't willing to open myself up to that pain again."

Illric spread his arms out, showing his openness and willing vulnerability. "But now I'm here, willing and wishing to try again. To try and forge those bonds, that connection. And I want to try with you, because you are one of the most beautiful souls I have ever met, both inside and out. I want to learn about you and teach you about me, to be there for you to talk to, a shoulder to cry upon. I want to keep your secrets and give mine in turn. I want to see where we could go, because while I might not love you now, I truly believe that with time and effort, that I could. I could easily see myself loving you as deeply as I do Sebby. So here I stand, Regina Kasteen, heart in hand and at your mercy, asking for a chance. That's all, a chance to see if we can make each other happy."

He was surprised when she surged forward, planting a chaste yet tender kiss to his cheek before withdrawing with a smile that set his heart pounding. By Isha, she was radiant. Regina's voice was quietly teasing, eyes sparkling with mirth and emotion as she beamed at him. "Took you long enough. Typical man, doing everything you can to avoid being emotionally vulnerable. Come in. I've got a pot of tanna on; we can talk."

In a daze, Illric followed Regina's invitation, tentatively entering into her private quarters. He'd never cared for the Valhallan tea before, finding it far too strong and bitter. But that night, it tasted like a sweet possibility, like potential victory.

It was rather growing on him.