Town

@Allydia Dagr regarded her with an almost twisted expression, the uneasiness of her words along with the strong force of her speech was enough to momentarily stop his heartbeat. He stared into her seemingly hostile eyes for a brief moment, forcing the question out of his mouth before she could continue her attack. “Are you calling me a liar?” He leaned in closer towards her, his warped expression matured into something far more coiled. Compared to the ice in Allydia’s eyes Dagr’s were full of fire. He tilted his head slightly to one side, not allowing her the opportunity to answer before he continued to speak.

“How long has it been since we last saw each other?” He scoffed, folding his arms across his chest. “No one gets what they deserve. Do you think I deserved what happened to me?!” He spoke vaguely about their past and refused to go into details but his voice escalated so that the people around them could hear him. “I-” His voice softened with a broken sound when he noticed the stares of concerned people surrounding them. “I have to go.” He stood up carefully but left the table without his bag of fruit.

@Dagr As he deflected her question with one of his own she knew she hit a soft spot but she hadn't known just how tender it was until he came after her in a not very subtle way. The muscles in her jaw tightened and worked as she grit her teeth, fighting down the anger that had begun to rise at his comments. Her muddled azure eyes turned almost to ice, piercing in their look as she regarded him again knowing that he had meant to get under her skin, even worse than that was that it worked and deep down it unsettled her how easy it was for him to get under her skin.

"It's not like you to leave it at that. If you left there is a reason and it's not that you aren't the best at your job because I know you are. New recruits and fresh blood be damned." She shot back, grabbing onto the subject firmly until she got a legitimate answer from him what pulled him from the job he loved. To most a promotion might seem like a good thing but she had a feeling that taking him out of the wild was like pulling a fish from the water. "Don't bull me. It's just you and I and we both deserve better than that."

@Allydia His supposed mirth boiled over at the mention of apple sauce. Dagr watched Allydia, the deep chuckle in his laughter echoed around them whilst she sat beside him. However, as soon as she asked him that question Dagr’s laughter vanished just like the beer in his hand did after a long sip. He eyed her curiously, nodding at her somewhat stubborn declaration but wondering how to answer her question. He glanced away from her and asked in a mildly bitter tone, “I could ask the same question, I hear you’re a teacher or something now?” He knew the question was derogative, aiming to steer her away from what she’d asked. Although when she didn’t respond, just merely continued to gaze in his direction, Dagr’s shell of resistance softened. Allydia had been through hell and back with him and he knew that she wouldn’t judge him or his reasoning. With a sigh he pushed his empty beer away, mindlessly itching an old war wound that stretched across his forearm.

“There are more efficient people to do that job now.” When he realised what his hands were doing Dagr slipped them underneath the table, he certainly didn’t need anyone’s pity, especially Allydia’s. He refused to be so weak in her eyes ever again. “My experience enables me to pass valuable information on to our younger recruits. Though they aren’t always appreciative.” He forced a small smile which was counterintuitive to his bold appearance. “Besides that, all free creatures must make a home. I’m not as youthful as I once was so new battles capture my attention. Does that satisfy your curiosity?” Dagr gestured at his empty beer before pushing it in Allydia’s direction.

@Dagr It almost bugged her how nonchalant he was about the whole thing, just sitting there in his chair with that damned amused look in his face and that twinkle in his impossibly blue eyes. Even then, almost smug as he viewed her, she still had to admit that she actually found herself drawn to him. Not attracted, no, she would never say that exactly. They had been through too much to whittle it down to such simple emotions and she was far too stubborn for it anyway. Allydia wasn't going to let him 'win' though. Whatever that meant. Torn tunic and all, she set her face relatively sternly and stared right back into his azure orbs in mild defiance.

"Well, I always knew you liked apple sauce. Maybe I was just making you wish come true." She replied, matching his tone though completely oblivious to his discomfort and his attempts to hide it. When it came to Dagr, she had a bit of a blind spot and all of her usual techniques for reading people seemed to fail though she didn't know why. So as he busied himself pretending to check the fruit, she took it at face value and scoffed as she shook her head st him. She knew full well that she hadn't come anywhere near the fruit and if she had, she had hoped that he would have known she would replace it but that didn't seem to be the case.

Even as he looked at her exposed flesh, a normal tell for any man, she completely ignored it. All she focused on were the words that came from his mouth and it roused her anger but she knew there was nothing she could do about it. With only the barest glance to the barmaid, Allydia roughly pulled out the chair closest to Dagr and plunged herself in it. Somehow the action still came across as graceful and she wished she had had more heft to have made the table shake or something in her annoyance. "The next one is on me." She said flatly, letting her gaze drift away from him as she made this odd unspoken attempt at an apology. "What are you doing here anyway? What happened to roaming the wilds and patrolling the border?"

@Allydia Dagr had always made a point about leaving Allydia’s thoughts to his imagination, he never once asked her why she behaved in a certain way or how her sparking temper seemed to influence a lot of her behaviour. He simply saw her as an enigma and left it at that. Besides, that spark was mildly attractive. If attractive was the right word… He questioned that thought as she toyed with her clothes, snorting in a subtle attempt to supress his laughter as she ripped her tunic. He wasn’t exactly amused by her shortcomings but even he couldn’t deny how bizarre this entire situation was. When she finally turned to face him again Dagr folded his arms across his chest, staring at her with slightly raised brows.

“Yes, that’s right. I missed you so much I can just summon you out of thin air whenever I feel like it and I so desperately wanted you to fall on the fruit I just purchased.” Dagr spoke sarcastically and moved on the spot, growing uncomfortable from her accusations. He couldn’t deny that he had missed her and that made him feel all the more pressed about her retorts. Turning away from Allydia, Dagr opened up his fruit bag to check whether the fruit were fine but he already knew that he had caught her way before she could reach them, so he was merely checking the bag to give his eyes something to do. He sat back down at his table and glanced over his shoulder at Allydia. “Do you want to join me? Or do you just want to stand there all day?” Dagr knew that he shouldn’t have looked at her again because his eyes lowered to admire the slip of soft skin Allydia had exposed across her torso. He tried to play it off by pretending that it didn’t happen and glanced down to her feet, quickly turning away soon after. He also hadn’t meant to come across so coldly, though after the morning he had Dagr was exhausted. The barmaid reappeared with his beer and before it could even reach the table he snatched it from her to take a large gulp, crudely wiping his mouth on his shirt sleeve afterwards.

@Dagr In some weird way, Allydia had actually been hoping to hit the table but when a pair of strong and capable arms caught her she knew it wasn't going to be the case. Her face scrunched up and she shut her eyes tightly to try to avoid looking at him but the innermost part of her soul couldn't resist the urge as she opened one to peek at him. Those same keen azure orbs which always seemed to see everything and gave away nothing. That same half-bemused expression it seemed he always wore around her though slightly more worn from years and weather than she remembered. Bring so close she could almost read his journey from the map that was his face but she pulled her gaze away, determined that she didn't want to know. But she did.

As she found her footing again she pointedly looked around the room, her gaze having very much the same effect as his as the occupants quickly shuffled back to their work. Allydia tugged her tunic back down in the front and in the back, doing her best to try and pay him no mind as she busied herself righting her clothes. Her leather sword belt in particular took her attention as it had moved halfway up to her waist and seemed to refuse to want to lay right again. The woman was trying to adjust it again when she heard his remark and shot him a quiet look of annoyance as she pulled the accessory down a little harder than she meant, ripping her tunic in the process. With a huff she just raised her hands in the air in front of her in surrender to the gods and bowed before their invisible and imaginary forms before she turned back to the male.

"So I guess this means you missed me then?" She asked, trying to play it off nonchalantly as she hooked her thumbs into the front of her belt. The soft, pale white skin of her midsection was clearly visible through the tear in her shirt but she pretended that didn't exist. "How else could I have appeared like this in front of you? Wow, you must have longed for me desperately." Allydia tried her best to keep a straight face at her comment but she just couldn't, the corners of her lips ticked upwards a few times before she decided to chew on the offending pink flesh. It was an old tactic, to try and put him on the defensive right away so he wouldn't see through her and she was never really sure it worked but she had to try something.

@Allydia His drink seemed to be taking a long time to arrive at his table, Dagr glanced over his shoulder though the barmaid he had ordered from was no longer in sight. With a low grunt he finished the remainder of his apple, leaning both of his elbows upon the table in front of him afterwards. He stretched his hands and neck then attempted to occupy himself by tapping his fingertips against the table’s oak surface. It was close to a tune he vaguely remembered when Dagr stopped after he felt such a strong presence that he had failed to feel for years. With a frown he scanned the tavern surrounding him, it almost felt like… her. Surely it couldn’t be? Why would she be here when she was so busy at the school? Dagr shook his head but the gesture didn’t make the feeling disappear. It was not only a tingle but a long shiver down his spine, strong unlike any other being Dagr had met in his lifetime.

He was about to get up, frustrated from the powerful feeling, from the drink which was not currently in his hand, when from out of nowhere a woman dropped down towards his table. Dagr’s natural reflexes took over and he caught her in his arms, he stood up in an attempt to balance the heavy weight of her clothes against his body. Shock was reflected in his expression as he searched the woman’s familiar face, it was Allydia and she had… just… appeared out of nowhere. He remembered her eyes which were a mixture of the brightest sky and the clearest sea, it had been near impossible for him to forget them. However, now wasn’t the time for fond recollections. Dagr rotated on his chair and clumsily lowered her to the ground feet first, unfortunately not being very gentle in his movements so she fell from his arms with a slight stumble. “Well it was nice of you to drop in on me.” He joked in his usual dry humour, dusting off his torso from the fall.

@Dagr It was as she was faced with the seemingly innocent arch shaped entrance to the tavern that she began truly hating the weather. It couldn't even have the good decency to be cold enough for a cloak that she could hide in so she was forced to make other opportunities. With her back against the wall of the building she shut her eyes tightly and tried to softly reach for his energy among the forms of life within. Pushing her consciousness through the wall and down to the floor she was able to visualize the interior of the building and sense the energies from the occupants. Most were nothing of note though details were sketchy at best, if she put forth too much of herself she knew he would feel it it and it would be a dead giveaway that something was amiss and she didn't want that. For him, she knew at most it would be like a gentle breeze and a slight tingle on his skin that could just as easily be a Filaren using their abilities to perfectly cook something in the back or an Essara manipulating the contents of their beer barrel to make the perfect brew.

She was close to pulling away when she noticed his familiar spark but the feeling was actually so pleasant that she didn't want to. It was strange the way she could feel his resonance, even then it was so tempting that it made her fingertips tremble at her side which she clenched into a fist to try and stop it. The motion, however brought the attention of a good-natured citizen who touched Allydia's shoulder to see if she was okay. That small touch brought her quickly from her state and jarred her focus so much that in the blink of an eye Allydia found herself falling.

The interruption had caused Allydia to do something she had only briefly considered in a flight of fantasy and she accidentally teleported herself inside the establishment. Given that her thoughts hadn't been fully formed and were fueled by emotion, her intstructions had scattered and she ended up high above Dagr's table when she reappeared. Shock and shame filled her mind as she struggled to try and come up with a solution to avoid making a scene but she knew it wasn't possible. 'Please don't let me break anything.' Was her only prayer as gravity quickly took its course.

@Allydia He greeted several people who recognised him with back pats and handshakes as Dagr weaved his way between busy tables, hoping to find a not so crowded place to sit. Of course, he would enjoy the socialising but for now he wanted to find a somewhat quiet space to think and reflect in. When he moved towards one table just before the tavern’s wide arch entrance which only had two people sitting there, the pair hurried to get up and move out of his way. Dagr shrugged, full well knowing the effect that he sometimes had on other people. His body was scarred from battle and he maintained a decent shape for his work which appeared intimidating. He carelessly tossed his bag of fruit onto the table beside him and gestured for a drink when the barmaid, who was scouting for empty glasses, peered his way. He smiled at her with a polite bow of his head and relaxed back against his wooden seat, he was facing the tavern so that his view was obscured by the old building rather than by the people behind him. Whilst waiting for his beer Dagr opened the bag and took out an apple, loudly taking a bite out of it.

@Dagr In one of her rare afternoons off, Allydia was finally able to tear herself away from her extracurricular work and private lessons just long enough steal away from the castle for some much needed r and r. Well, if r and r meant a little 'reconnaissance' some other r word that meant 'light stalking' then she was doing exactly that. While others might avail themselves of the town's charming views, open air market, and lively taverns, Allydia had other plans. After playfully bribing or otherwise coercing a few Sentinels for information she found the trail to her target and decided to go after it. Sort of.

Dipping between the townsfolk, her clear blue eyes scanned the crowds endlessly for potential tells of threats and other cues. She had meant for it to be just a brief walk past where she believed he was stationed, just an innocent means of keeping tabs on him, but as she caught sight of the male heading towards the tavern she felt whatever semblance of professionalism she had slipping away towards something much more childish. 'You found him, he's here, you know that now so just walk away.' She urged herself mentally but body had other plans, dipping to casually hide herself among the people as she slowly adjusted her course to follow him.

@Allydia After a busy morning filled with nothing but meetings buried in yet more meetings Dagr was so relieved to step outside. He was honoured to do his duty and protect both the people surrounding him and those up at the school. However, the meetings were quite possibly the most boring part of Dagr’s job. He could give instruction wherever needed, though there were those who also wanted to share their judgement – despite being inexperienced due to their youth. Dagr refused to scold them because he liked to nurture their ideas but listening to the same points over and over again… It would drain any man’s patience. His mind wandered briefly whilst he casually strolled through a market which the town was hosting. Pausing to look over one stall Dagr brought some ripe fruit he could enjoy later, perhaps by the river to unwind from that suffocating morning. The heat was near unbearable and Dagr wiped his dripping brow on his sleeve, naturally smiling when his eyes landed on the tavern and the groups of people drinking outside. That was exactly the kind of tonic he needed, Dagr started to move towards the tavern’s entrance.