Paint the Sky with Stars

[Sunny]

((This follows Where His Demons Hide.))
Dakson Torellion

A woman named Aeslyn sat in a shaded courtyard in eastern Baerlon. She had a board propped over her blue-skirted legs, and across the board stretched a man’s bare arm, sun-kissed gold and brawny from years of fighting. The man in question had his hand curled tightly around a small bag filled with sand; his fingers twitched occasionally, but otherwise he made no move or sound. Aeslyn had had many customers, but few who had so little reaction to her craft. It perplexed her a little, but then- the man was a warrior. Perhaps they experienced the world a little differently.

The slender Tairen pressed an odd looking contraption that ended in a short line of tiny needles against her customer’s skin with one hand, and held a small silver hammer in the other. A soft tink sound filled the air at a rhythm a little faster than the human heart as she smacked the hammer against the device, moved it, and smacked it again. She paused occasionally to put the needle down and reach instead for the ink pot and brush that sat on the shelf near her. She stained a small portion of his unblemished skin with the ink, then returned to tapping the needle into his flesh.

----

The sun was low in the sky by the time Aeslyn finally put her instruments of torture away. Dax stood immediately, and watched her warily as he flexed his hands, the ko’di swirling in his mind as he fought to control the throbbing fire that raced up his arms and ate at his ability to think. The dark-haired woman gave him an inquisitive look, then flapped her hand impatiently. “Sit down before you faint, Master Torellion.”

Master Torellion? The name sounded odd, hanging in the air like that. Dax cocked his head uncertainly, but finally settled back onto the bench, staring at his arms in bemused wonder. Somehow he, a wharf rat from Tear, had beaten a Blademaster, and the proof of his victory had now been imprinted in his skin forever in the image of stylized herons. The bruises from the fight would fade before the tattoos healed, or so Renne had told him

“You must wash your arms with soap and water twice a day; more, if you are doing something dirty.” Aeslyn said in a businesslike tone of voice. “Keep the injured area slathered in this for at least the first two weeks.” She dropped a jar of balm into Dax’s hand peremptorily. “You can wrap them in cloth if you need to, but open air is best. They will start to peel after a time; do not pick at them!” She continued her lecture even as she gathered her payment, then helped him to his feet and escorted him out with a murmured blessing.

Renne had long since departed, leaving Dax alone with the symbols of his new status emblazoned on his arms for all to see. He glanced either way, then leaned against a wall and carefully pulled his sleeves down, wincing as the rough linen grazed across tender skin. He tucked the salve into his belt pouch, then shook himself. He could not afford to allow cobwebs to overtake his mind. He had...other business to attend to.

With a smile on his face that had absolutely nothing to do with anything in his immediate surroundings, the Blademaster turned his feet towards the section of town where merchants plied their trade.

----

Dusk had fallen by the time he returned to the inn. He found Katrie sprawled on her belly on their bed, chin propped up on her palms and papers strewn around her. She looked up when he entered, and golden light crept through the bond, wrapping him in tendrils of warmth and love as she rolled to her side. Their shared feelings were always strong; he had grown used to it in the months they had shared each other’s head, both before and after their summary separation. This time, the knowledge of what he had done earlier gave that golden glow a little extra power. He saw the look she gave him, and smiled.

“It’s…real now,” he said carefully, settling onto the bed next to her and holding his arms out for her to see. “We can go off again any time you like.” He couldn’t hide his discomfort with being in the town, so he didn’t even try.

((Education Along the Razor's Edge is next, followed by The Treekiller: Matchsticks and Tinder))

[Jenn]

Katrie

Her fingertips felt slick, but she didn't mind. The salve had soothed the raw places where the stylized herons stood out against her Warder's skin in bold black lines. She felt a fresh burst of pride all over again; Dax was a Blademaster now!

It was a simple matter to pack up their belongings, Katrie familiar with the ins and outs of how to fold and arrange their clothing and other assorted items in the quickest, most efficient way possible. Perfection through repetition, she thought to herself, amused by her word choice as she shoved everything into their bags.

She felt Dax's curiosity through the bond, and she turned to find that he was entirely focused on her. "I was just thinking," she said with a smile, answering his unasked question, "about how I can do this now without your help. It reminded me of this phrase 'perfection through repetition' and I was trying to remember where I had heard it."

"Repetition is only a good thing if you are not incompetent." The Tairen's arched eyebrow was eloquent and as she laughed, he grinned at her.

Her nose wrinkled and she made an absent gesture with her hand. "One of my tutors probably said it. It just sounds like something a Cairhienin would say."

The bond was all warmth and caring, gold flaring behind her eyes as the Gaidin's mind stretched out and wrapped around hers. "You're Cairhienin." It was said teasingly.

"Ah," Katrie held up a finger, her head tilting to the side ever-so-slightly as she intoned solemnly, brown eyes dancing as she saw the way his lips twitched. "But I'm only half. My other half is Domani."

Dax's rumble of satisfaction echoed around them and through their shared awareness, crimson appeared abruptly to intertwine with the gold. Heat spiked between them and he bit down on his bottom lip, slowly pulling it against his teeth. "I love all of you but I am quite partial to that other half."

She grinned, looking up at him beneath the glorious fringe of luscious, curling lashes. "And it is very enamoured of you as well. Actually so is the other half." She glanced around the small little room and when her attention returned to her Warder, the crimson became fire as she handed him two of the three bags. "The quicker we find somewhere safe..." her voice trailed off suggestively.

A flash of teeth answered her, and soon the inn was nothing but a distant speck of light behind them.

----

Katrie's attention was riveted upwards, her lips parted, the tall Cairhienin completely lost in what she saw. Winking, sparkling jewels against a perfectly black backdrop, endless and eternal. Her fingers curled against the trunk of the tree she had stretched out to touch, the rough texture barely registering beneath her skin. The sense of awe that radiated out from her was palpable, her face soft with delight and wonder.

Since leaving the Tower behind, the nights had been dreary, cold, damp... dark grey over inky dullness. Not tonight. Tonight was different and... she had never seen the sky so clear or so pretty. She... couldn't remember a time when she had stood outdoors without some kind of barrier between her and the world. Her breath came out in a long plume of vapour. It wasn't warm, by any means, but the sight of the stars, arcing from horizon to horizon, made up for any amount of arm rubbing and shivering.

She hummed softly as she felt Dax's arms come around her waist, her lover pulling her down gently to settle into his lap, her back pressed against his front as he propped himself up with the tree she had been leaning on. She felt his arms twinge and shifted until his discomfort lessened. "What's on your mind, kitten?"

A small smile came to her lips. "I... it's the first night that's been clear since we left the Tower," she told him softly, resting the back of her head against the curve of his shoulder. "I was looking up at the stars and I realized something." She arched her body upwards, tilting her face all the way up so she could look up into his eyes. "I've never been outside before without somehow being locked away from it. Behind a wall, a fence, a window, a carriage... something to keep me apart. Until now. Until you."

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax looked up from tending the small campfire as awe and appreciation surged through the part of his mind that belonged to his bondmate. He could just see her, standing with one hand up to touch a tree, head tilted back to look at the sky. Still that feeling….his own head tilted back, and he saw the sky as Katrie must see it: dark velvet spotted with glittering light, stretching endlessly, broken only by the outlines of trees.

The Tairen stood, brushing his ash-stained fingers on his breeches as he walked toward her. He had left the Tower to enjoy the world with her, and he would burn before allowing camp chores to interfere with enjoying that moment. So caught up in her wonder was she that she didn’t even notice him approaching, though she did hum as he pulled her close, settling into his lap with care for his still-healing arms. “What’s on your mind, kitten?” He asked after a moment of silence.

She settled against him as she explained about the stars, then arched herself up to look at him. "I've never been outside before without somehow being locked away from it. Behind a wall, a fence, a window, a carriage... something to keep me apart. Until now. Until you.” Dax’s heart lurched painfully as he processed her words, their eyes locked together in the light of the stars. Until me?

“I am glad I could- could help you escape,” he said quietly. “There is nowhere else I would rather be, love.” She collapsed against him with a soft sigh, twisting her body to curl against his chest. The former mercenary settled against the tree, cradling the slender woman against him. His hands played with long brown hair as his thoughts drifted, his contentment and her continued amazement mixing in perfect harmony beneath the open sky. He could not remember a time in his life before he met the Accepted that compared to how he felt sitting there with Katrie in his arms.

A memory slid across his mind, detached and oddly vivid. He sat at a table in a tavern, stubbled, filthy, and stinking of old beer. He stared into thin air and contemplated the relative merits of life and death. Misery prompted him to wish to simply be done with the pain and the mediocrity and the struggles he had faced in his life thus far. Perhaps it is time to acknowledge that nothing worthwhile will ever happen to me, he thought, burying his face in his hands. Perhaps death would not be so terrible.

How wrong he had been. How infinitely, ridiculously wrong he had been! The Tairen had not known it at the time, or for many months after, but he had learned how good life could be with Katrie in it, and he cherished every moment, whether glorious or painful. Katrie had not only given him love, but also purpose, respect…..something worth living for.

Sensitive skin twinged, but Dax ignored the brief pain as he pulled his lover closer to him with one arm, bowing his head to press light kisses along her shoulder. With the other, he reached into his pocket and fished about for a moment before settling around her waist. Rough fingers of his opposite hand slipped beneath a delicate chin as he tilted her face up, his lips claiming hers in a brief, but loving, kiss.

“I...had an idea,” he said hesitantly as he pulled away. He knew she could feel his uncertainty and the fear that wormed through his mind; there was nothing he could do about that save to move forward, now he had begun. “The Tower’s Eyes and Ears are looking for a Riatin woman traveling alone,” he said gruffly, meeting her eyes steadily, though it felt like her sable gaze might pierce through his soul. “But the name Torellion is….not associated with Hama Valon at all, out here.” His hand cupped her face, and he felt an odd feeling through the bond. Almost like….excitement...but muted, as if she dared not truly feel it.

“You told me marriage was terrible not long after we met, and I laughed and agreed wholeheartedly. However…” He struggled for words, his cheeks stained dark with embarrassment. “I love you Katrie. I can’t- I don’t want to- I won’t be happy or whole with anyone else.” His heart pounded in his chest, and his head felt oddly light, as if he had forgotten how to think. Am I really doing this? Yes. Just as he had with the bond, the decision had already been made.

“Would you consider, even for a second, being my wife?” He finally managed to say, their foreheads touching and his eyes lost in hers, the love he held for her abruptly devouring every other emotion he felt.

[Jenn]

Katrie

"I...had an idea." Katrie's head tilted to the side ever-so-slightly as Dax hesitated, his gaze traveling uncertainly over her face for a moment. He felt... nervous, anxious, unsure... so completely unlike him. His voice was quiet, rough and uneven with emotion. "The Tower’s Eyes and Ears are looking for a Riatin woman traveling alone, but the name Torellion is….not associated with Hama Valon at all, out here."

She felt herself stiffen as he pressed his callused palm against the side of her face. A million tiny airborne wings launched up into her stomach, fluttering and flapping about in excited abandon. What... is he saying...? An odd thrill of exhilaration and wild hope flared to life before she could squash it down, her lips parting slightly as she let herself drown in the perfect blue of his gaze.

"You told me marriage was terrible not long after we met, and I laughed and agreed wholeheartedly. However…" She jerked slightly against him, her fingers curling against his body. He flushed and his chin dropped, his eyes darting away to the side for a long moment. "I love you Katrie." And then he gaze was locked on to hers again. "I can’t- I don’t want to- I won’t be happy or whole with anyone else."

The pretty Cairhienin inhaled sharply as he unfurled from the corner of her mind, stretching out to wrap around her, filling their shared awareness with brilliant light. Dax leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers and abruptly everything, everywhere, shone with golden warmth and glory. "Would you consider, even for a second, being my wife?"

Katrie tensed as the words, the question, registered, her eyes going perfectly round. She stared at him in utter shock, tentative and searching. He... wants me...? She pulled away slightly as the breath left her body in one shaky sigh. "You're real... right?" she whispered. Her brow furrowed in confusion, fear and desperation twinging together for a moment until it dawned on her that... the golden light and warmth had only grown brighter, fierce reassurance pulsing through in light of her sudden self-doubt. Tears blurred her vision. He... does want me! Her heart thudded once in her chest before it skipped a beat and began hammering against her ribcage. I want him too.

"Yes. Dax, yes!"

She gave him her widest, most dazzling smile, white teeth leaping out from flushed coppery skin. She couldn't say what noise it was that she made, only that it broke the silence between them in an abrupt release of tension. Her legs kicked up in her excitement as her heels drummed against the hard cold ground beneath them. The surge of elation and giddy delight that crashed over her wiped out anything else she felt, the bond answering with a rush of relief and a sense of exultant triumph. Her hands went up to grasp either side of his head. She felt... overwhelmed... humbled... and so very alive. Light, but this... she didn't even know where to start or begin or end or stop. No... she didn't want it to end or to stop.

"You asked," she said breathlessly, her fingers stroking over his jawline and cheeks. "You asked! I didn't even know I wanted you to ask until you did. I..." She stopped, shaking her head at herself before she pulled his face to hers. "I love you. You are everything to me." She paused for a moment, awed by what she felt, amazed at the depth and the strength of it. "I will happily be your wife."

Katrie blushed as she spoke, but pressed her lips against his, kissing him soundly. Her body tingled from the very tips of her toes to the roots of her hair, and she felt as if she would simply shoot up into the sky and simply burst with sheer joy if her lover - husband! - let go of her.

[Sunny]

Dax

Somewhere east of Baerlon, the wind that wanders the world and witnesses all events slowed to a gentle breeze. It crept over grass stained silver with light from the moon that hung like a fat pearl in the endless depths of the night sky, it eddied about trees and stones that paid it no mind at all, and it leapt cheerfully across small streams. At last it found its way to a campsite where a small fire had been banked long since and gave no cheerful glow of acknowledgement. The wind moved on until it came upon two figures sitting against a tree. The pair seemed quite occupied with one another, so although the wind lifted unruly curls and brushed across cheeks damp with inexplicable tears, it did not linger.

Yes. Dax, Yes!

Katrie’s delighted exclamation filled Dax’s mind. He could hear it in his ears and feel it in his very soul. The uneven cadence of his heart pounded in time with the words. He had heard everything else Katrie had said after, of coures, could feel her exhilaration as clearly as his own, and yet….somehow that initial exclamation rang high and clear above the rest. Their shared emotions fed into each other over the bond, a whirling torrent of feeling magnified by the touch of their lips, the soft affirmations they murmured to each other between kisses, the feeling of their bodies fitting together exactly as they had since the beginning.

Dax started to slide his hands up his lover’s body, but stopped when he felt the small pouch he had retrieved from his pocket earlier catch on her clothes. He drew back and Katrie followed suit, giving him a puzzled look. “I got something in Baerlon...in case you said yes,” the Tairen told her, his eyes never leaving hers as he fished into the small bag, and retrieved something that glinted in the moonlight.

He took her hand in his. “I believe it is traditional in many places for a bride to wear a ring,” he said softly, holding a simple gold band up between his finger and thumb. “So...if it fits you, this- this is yours.” She did not protest as he slipped the ring onto her finger, and he released a breath he had not known he held as it slid over her knuckle. It had taken some finagling with a ribbon to determine what size of ring to get while she slept that first night in Baerlon, and he had had no way to double check.

“Dax.”

There was a note in her voice he had never heard before. It echoed and resonated from ears to bond to heart, and he found himself smiling, blue eyes intent on brown. “I swear I will love you from this breath to my last,” he whispered, his hands sliding up to cup her face. “I am yours, Katrie.” He pressed his lips against hers once more, his fingers dropping to entwine with hers between them, and the world exploded in fiery light.

[Jenn]

Katrie

I love you Dax. No matter what happens, I love you. I will always love you. A grimace passed over the pretty face. He asked me to marry him... he gave me a ring and that's all I said in reply? I don't even have anything to give him!

Katrie lay awake in the circle of her Warder's arms, fretting quietly, her gaze tracing over the shape of his face. He was asleep and she was not; it was a rare enough occurrence that it dulled some of the frantic thoughts that spun around her skull but it did not stop them. She had to be careful... Dax was always aware of her, on some level, even while asleep - a benefit to the bond they shared - and if she felt too strongly, it would pull him out of slumber.

The thumb of her left hand went to brush against the band of gold that hugged her ring finger, the unfamiliar weight of the precious metal warmed by the heat from her skin. Wife, he had called her, after their exultant passion was spent. In spite of herself, she felt a small smile lift the corners of her mouth.

Warm brown eyes were soft as she studied her lover. He... looked younger... with his features relaxed and unguarded. She shifted slightly against him, bringing the hand up with the ring on it. Katrie couldn't make it out very well in the weak ambient light from the moon and stars, and was suddenly overcome with the need to see that simple band of gold that meant more to her than anything else she had been given. Against her better judgment, she opened herself up to saidar. Her senses jumped, her sight most importantly, and she stared at it with unabashed wonder.

She had to think of something to give Dax in return. Her brow furrowed and she bit down on her bottom lip. What... not a ring. He fought with his hands. A ring seemed like a decidedly bad idea. In all the time she had known him, he had never once worn any kind of jewelry. He was from Tear. The pretty Cairhienin frowned, twisting saidar absently in her grasp, idly pulling on Spirit and Air. They came so easily to her, it was difficult not to touch those two elements.

The Gaidin didn't speak much of where he came from, though she could hardly blame him. She didn't enjoy speaking of Cairhien and House Riatin either. Tear was renowned for its olive trees... wasn't it? Somehow she didn't quite think getting him oil would work. Would he... even want to be reminded of Tear? Probably not. He had left it behind at a young age. Something else then. Tear was also by the ocean. Had he ever been on a ship? Not that she could get him an actual ship... Katrie twisted at the threads she held, dismay at her lack of creativity sharp and unpleasant in her mind. Dax stirred against her. She had to think of something else to get him... The threads twisted again.

Without warning, a Gateway snapped open inches away from her feet, a deluge of ice cold water pouring over them. She let out a startled shriek, the shock of it forcefully removing saidar from her grasp. The Gateway winked out as if it had never existed. From the corner of her mind she felt Dax surge awake, cursing loudly, confusion blaring across the bond. Katrie spluttered tasting... salt... the water that pooled around them decidedly unlike anything she had ever encountered before. It had a... smell... a... tang of something...

Blue eyes stared at her, a strange look passing over the Gaidin's face. "Kitten..." It was said with no small amount of wariness.

She had the grace to look abashed. "I... think I... kind of may have... brought the ocean?"

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax lay with his arms wrapped around Katrie, his head pillowed by his rolled up shirt, and their bodies covered by his fancloak. He knew in some distant part of his mind that they should get up, return to the fire and the bedding that waited for them there. The morning promised to be a cold, stiff affair if they did not. And yet….he did not want to move. He could feel Katrie’s love over the bond, and it lulled him into silent stillness as well. My wife. The thought brought a smile to the former mercenary’s lips, and he drew her closer.

His eyes slid closed, and he bowed his head forward. There was an odd edge to feelings in his head that were not his own, but before he could really examine what it was he sensed, sleep crept through his mind like a gray fog.

Shock and fear snapped through his mind, followed swiftly by cold, and the realization that he could not breath. Choking and cursing, Dax flew upright, arms swinging to either side, blindly searching for whatever had beset them as they slept. Everything was wet, and the smell of the sea was so strong it nearly turned his stomach. It took only a moment for him to realize that he and Katrie still sat alone. “Kitten….”

In the moonlight, he saw her face shift, eyes dropping. "I... think I... kind of may have... brought the ocean?"

“Why...?” he asked after a long moment, pushing sopping black hair from his face with one hand, and struggling to keep his dismay under control. Silence stretched for a long moment, and Katrie looked down again. The Tairen tilted his head, looking at her more intently as he felt along the bond, searching for an answer. There was something there, but he didn’t quite know what to call it. She had Traveled, obviously...but why? “Katrie,” he started, but she interrupted him.

“I- I wanted something special for you,” she admitted, and abruptly he realized what he had been feeling: inadequacy. Perplexed, he tilted his head. Why-? “You gave me a ring, and I...I….” she waved her hand helplessly, and looked away.

Shock rocked Dax back harder than the cold water had. He sat quietly for several breaths before he reached for her hands, cupping them between his and gently tugging on them to draw her attention to his face. “I don’t need a pretty bauble to know you love me,” he told her quietly, blue eyes meeting brown in the moonlight. “I can feel it...see it, hear it…” his fingers brushed her cheek as he fumbled for words.

The Gaidin felt her crumble within his mind, and had already reached for her when she bowed forward, hugging herself as tears rolled down her face. Ignoring the wet and cold, Dax pulled his love -wife!- against his chest and cradling her there, his lips warm on hers. Silence reigned as they kissed, but with the bond they shared he had found that sometimes words were unnecessary. Such seemed the case then. Gradually the mire of feelings in her head began to fade until only love and -to his amusement- curiosity remained, flowing between them like a living creature.

When at last the Accepted seemed to have regained her equilibrium, he dared voice his next question. “Do you think you could….put it back?” Had she opened a Gateway into the ocean itself, or simply into a breaking wave? Could she force the water back through the hole in the air now that it lay still? Blood and bloody ashes. Not for the first or last time, Dax was grateful he could not channel.

[Jenn]

Katrie

Her husband's confusion and concern soon overrode everything else he was feeling, but not before his dismay filtered through the bond. He was upset. She had upset him. Katrie felt herself flinch away, her shoulders hunching down as she physically withdrew into herself. Nothing could erase the unsettled sensation that crept through her mind from the place where Dax inhabited, the feeling permeating through the layers of gold.

Her voice was halting as she tried to explain what had happened... why it had happened, a helpless little gesture accompanying her words. The tall Cairhienin had to look away. Something more forceful than surprise pushed through their shared awareness and it gradually dawned on her that her hands were pressed between callused palms. She blinked as Dax pulled on her fingers gently, Katrie glancing up uncertainly into the perfect blue of his eyes. Warmth flooded through her.

"I don’t need a pretty bauble to know you love me. I can feel it...see it, hear it…” His voice was so quiet, his expression so serious.

Oh... She swallowed hard against the sudden tremble of of her bottom lip. Her hands fell away from his as her arms wrapped around herself. Katrie did not resist as her Warder's arms came around her, the Tairen somehow maneuvering her against his chest while tilting her face up so that their lips met beneath the moonlight. She fairly melted against him, her tears eventually subsiding in wake of the unwavering love and reassurance she felt from him.

It was also becoming impossible to ignore the fact that Gaidin and Accepted were both cold and wet and that her toes were slowly sinking into the ground. And that smell... Was it the ocean? If so... why did it smell so funny? Was it supposed to smell like this? Dax would know. She could ask him... later. When they pulled apart, she gave him a tentative smile.

"Do you think you could….put it back?" he asked carefully, pushing sopping wet hair away from his forehead.

Katrie blinked, her expression turning thoughtful as she glanced down, not really knowing why she did so as all she saw was inky blackness over pitch blackness, flirts of silvery light reflecting off the tiny ripples their movements caused every now and again. She gave a little huff of irritation. That was utterly unhelpful. She knew by feel alone, that they stood ankle deep in ocean water. She... wasn't entirely sure how she had brought the ocean in the first place, but she had been thinking of Tear and ships and about finding something to give to Dax. Putting the water back couldn't be all that different?

Finally the pretty Accepted shook her head ruefully. "I don't know. I can try though." Her look turned apologetic. "I can dry us afterwards too," she added.

"That would be greatly appreciated love. And just so you aren't surprised, the salt does uncomfortable things to clothes and hair," teeth flashed as the Tairen chuckled, "so we should find a bath and soon."

She made a noise of acknowledgement before steadying herself. She embraced, saidar bringing the world into blistering clarity and focus. The wet cold was like a slap to the face and she hissed through her teeth at the magnified sensation. Spirit and Air twisted together as she wove the necessary flows to create a horizontal Gateway beneath the pool of water they stood in. Tear. The ocean. She wanted the ocean so she could send the water back. She wanted to send it back. The Gateway slowly began to rotate open. She wanted to -

A massive plume of water erupted upwards, fountaining over a dozen feet into the air. Brown eyes went perfectly round and all she could do was stare at it for a long moment, a soft gasp sounding. Light!

"That is not putting the ocean back, Katrie," Dax said as mildly as possible. "I am fairly certain that the geyser you just summoned is, in fact, the exact opposite."

She sought out blue of his gaze through the spray that misted their faces and drenched them anew. She picked at the hair clinging to her face, trying to keep the soaked stubborn locks from adhering to her skin. "So the answer as to whether I can put the ocean water back into the ocean is: not quite."

The Gaidin made a contemplative noise, nodding. "Yes, I can see that."

Katrie's lips twitched and she released her hold on the Power, the geyser abruptly stuttering to a stop, a literal sheet of water collapsing down in a giant splash that doused the already sodden pair again. Her husband wiped a wet hand over his wet face, his expression one of such resigned amusement that she couldn't help herself. The tall Cairhienin began to laugh. Oh Light. It pealed out around them both, gales of it shaking her slender body.

"I'm sorry!" she gasped out, doubling over to clutch at her suddenly aching belly, fairly howling with laughter. "Oh Light, I really am!"

She sensed rather than saw Dax shake his head. "Oh, kitten." It was said fondly, if a touch exasperatedly.

It took several minutes before she was able to bring herself under control, slender coppery fingers wiping at her streaming eyes. Katrie made to straighten, when a... pale white blob of translucent white floated to the surface of the pool that somehow lapped against her shins, made visible by the moonlight that filtered through the surface of the salt water. Her head tilted to the side as she watched it undulate aimlessly around for a moment, what looked to be... ribbon like streamers trailing behind the flapping white cap.

"Dax, look!" she exclaimed, pointing to it, excited despite the fact that she was cold and soaked to the bone. She took a step towards it. "It's a - a... it's a thing!"

[Sunny]

Dax

Dax's eyes swung upward, following the fountain of water as it burst from the Gateway Katrie had created. It towered easily twice his height before it came crashing down again, flooding the field around them all over again. It continued unabated, the pool of dark water growing rapidly, ripples glinting in the moonlight. He looked back at Katrie, and found his wife staring at the fountain in open-mouthed shock. "That is not putting the ocean back, Katrie," he commented, his tone as bland as he could make it. "I am fairly certain that the geyser you just summoned is, in fact, the exact opposite." It certainly did not seem to be losing force. Did she open it under the surface?

She stared at him, trying in vain to push her hair out of her face. "So the answer as to whether I can put the ocean water back into the ocean is: not quite." She was outwardly just as composed as he, but the bond trembled with combined laughter and rueful embarrassment.

He gave her a sidelong look, weighing his possible responses. "Yes, I can see that," he said as his gaze turned to the fountain. Did she have the ability to close the Gateway, or would the force of the water keep it open? How do we explain this to the farmer who owns this field? The question proved moot as the water abruptly cut off, the last of it splashing to the ground. The Tairen carefully pushed his hair out of his face, and felt a distinct bubble of mirth over the bond. With water dripping down his body and his hair sticking to his clammy skin, he supposed he must look a sight.

Katrie began to laugh, babbling her apologies between bursts of amusement; after a moment he felt his own reserve break, and he joined her, laughing heartily, the unexpected shock rapidly fading as the humor of their situation overtook them both. He splashed around in the water, feeling for his cloak. The flood had pushed it a few paces away, he discovered; he had just pulled it from the water when he heard Katrie exclaim “Dax, look!” He turned back to her and found her crouched down, peering at the water. “It’s a- a….it’s a thing!”

“What kind of treasure have you found, love?” he asked, smiling as he walked back toward her. The moon caught on the pool, illuminating a milk-pale mass floating beneath the surface, ghostlike ribbons rippling. Such creatures did not come close to shore unless they had already died; Katrie truly had opened that Gateway in the heart of the sea. He stared at it, fascinated, until he realized that his wife was reaching for it. “Do not touch that thing!” he snapped, surging forward to snatch her hand away.

She turned reproachful brown eyes on him. “Why?” He did not answer, but rather drew her carefully backward, watching with wary eyes as the amorphous form floated away.

“That is a jellyfish, love,” he told her, as they made their careful way out of the pool and up into dry grass. Once there he put his cloak about her shoulders -wet or not, it would be warmer than the shift she wore- and rolled the rest of their equally wet clothing into a bundle that he swung over his shoulder. “If you’re very lucky, it would numb your arm from finger to shoulder for a few days. If you aren’t as lucky, your arm might rot off, or the venom in its sting might stop your heart.”

“That thing can do that?” She twisted to look behind them and nearly tripped on a protruding root before she turned her attention back to their path.

“The sea is a harsh and unpredictable mistress,” Dax responded, lips turned up in a half smile. “Many of the famous poisons of the world are made from the creatures that grow in her inhospitable depths.” In his mind he could feel the spray as the Sea of Storms dashed itself upon the towering cliffs of the Tairen coast, feel the sand between his toes as he went searching for shells on the beach west of the delta after a hurricane. “For all her danger, she is truly a beautiful sight.” For some reason his throat felt tight. He squeezed his fingers around Katrie’s, and turned his attention back to finding safe footing on their way back to their camp.

[Jenn]

Katrie

"For all her danger, she is truly a beautiful sight." The abrupt surge of longing was gone as quickly as it had come, Katrie's head tilting to the side even as her husband's fingers intertwined with hers. He gave her hand a quick squeeze and fell silent, his attention shifting away. Had she imagined it? She didn't think so.

She chewed on the inside of her cheek as she followed where Dax led, his wet cloak dragging down at her shoulders as she followed him with careful steps. She stiffened a little as understanding dawned on her. He misses it. The ocean. She twisted her head back to look at the large pool of seawater she had left behind, sparkles of silver thrown off as the rippling surface reflected the moonlight. I want to see it, she thought wistfully. Actually see it. See the ocean. What she had brought to her with the Power... didn't really count.

The slender Accepted mulled over that, warm brown eyes alternating between watching where she put her feet and the back of her Warder's head. Katrie didn't speak until they neared their bedroll and the banked fire, the barely there glow of warm red embers pulsing with mild heat. She tugged back on Dax's hand. "Wait."

"I remember." That was said with a smile. "I don't fancy sleeping in a sopping wet bedroll anymore than I enjoy drowning."

She wrinkled her nose at him, sticking her tongue out childishly at his teasing tone as she embraced saidar. "You barely even drowned at all, Dakson Torellion."

"You shouldn't tease a man so, kitten. I can think of much better uses for that tongue of yours." Crimson flashed across the bond and he lowered his head, an eyebrow lifting suggestively as he ran one finger over his bottom lip.

Katrie snapped her teeth together at him in response, her mock huff of indignation ruined by the swell of delight and unabashed glee that he no doubt picked up on through their shared awareness. Warm golden light flowed between them, Dax answering her with a wide unapologetic grin.

Fine strands of Air and Fire twined together, the Accepted able to split her flows so that she could dry them off simultaneously. Soon the damp chill was nothing more than a memory and she was able to focus exclusively on the man that she loved. She couldn't stop the way her mouth curved up, white teeth catching against the swell of her bottom lip. The threads became as thin and as delicate as gossamer, feather-light, and she let her weaves linger against Dax. She watched him from beneath half lowered lashes, deliberately rolling her 'touch' over him for several indulgent heartbeats.

"Katrie!" The strangled gasp accompanied by the spike of heat and desire pleasing her immensely.

Dark orbs were perfectly guileless as she tilted her up towards him, the slender woman wide-eyed and demure, the very model of perfect innocence. "Yes?" She still held the Power, and as she watched him begin to squirm a little, she flashed him a smile.

"Insatiable minx," came the groan, blue eyes rolling up into his head.

"You started it," she replied in a smooth voice as placid as milk. She teased him for a little longer before finally relenting, releasing her hold on saidar. As he caught his breath, she clasped her hands behind her back, bouncing up onto her toes. "I want to see it, Dax."

That grin was back. "Well, alright kitten, but you'll have to help me with my laces again -"

"I meant the ocean!" He blinked at her. "I want to see the ocean," she clarified, tangled curls flying over her shoulder as she tossed her head.

The Tairen threw back his head and started laughing, closing the distance between them in half a stride. His arms went around her, pulling her flush against him and though the blue-eyed gaze smoldered, the molten gold that poured through the bond was fierce and unabating. "We can do that, my love." His mouth was warm and lingering as he pressed kiss after kiss onto her lips. "We can go see anything, anywhere you wish."