The Written Tapestry

Convictus bowed his head. "Right then, goodnight. Good luck with your...itch." He shook his head and rolled his eyes as he headed off to his quarters. He opened the door slowly, entering as quietly as possible. He smiled as he saw Raina laying there, sleeping soundly. His heart immediately leapt into his throat. He placed his staff against the wall, moving to her bedside and leaning down. He gently rested his lips against her cheek, trying carefully to not wake her. Before he pulled away he whispered in her ear softly. "I'm home, dear. I love you..." He moved to his own side of the bed and gently snuggled up next to her. It wasn't too long before he had fallen asleep himself, finding comfort in her warmth.

A rhythmic thumping fills the guild courtyard, punctuated by the occasional sharp crack of wood breaking. As anyone approached, they would begin to hear laboured breathing, as the warrior came into view. His chest heaved as he sucked in deep breaths, his torso bared to the light of the sun. Sweat glistened as it ran in rivulets down his body, coursing through the valleys of his muscles, bulging and flexing with each swing of the great, two-handed maces. Strong hands gripped one apiece, a feat few could manage. Something seemed... different. His face, far from its normal calm, was contorted in a strange rage, his gaze fixated on the hanging wooden targets he was pummeling. Bare-chested as he was, the expanse of thick scars on his back were clear, most old, some seemingly just healed.

The thumping within the courtyard drown out the decidedly less noisey sound of thick boot soles crushing the grass in their wake. The sun beat down upon bared skin as she made her way into view of the warrior, her gaze settling on him as she found herself a seat on the grass. An ear piercing whistle was let out as she watched him unleash an odd amount of rage upon the training dummy, two drams of something that smelled distinctly of glorious amounts of alcohol were raised into the air, one offered out to the man. "Why don't you take a break from that and come join me for a drink, Captain?" The corners of her lips quirked into a small smirk as she waited with the drams still raised, tiny droplets of dew forming into small beads along her mostly bared torso and arms.

He whirls around at the whistle, weapons brandished as he drops into a slight croutch, as if ready to charge into battle at that moment. It takes a couple of very tense seconds before he seems to come to his senses, recognizing her and giving his head a small shake, as if to clear it. His black hair is damp from his exercise, and he drops the maces carelessly on the ground, the heavy head of each sinking into the hardpacked dirt, giving further testament to their weight. "I think I could use that now more than ever," he says in an oddly light tone. Almost in an instant, his rage is in check, locked away as he crosses the clearing towards her. His gaze locks for a moment on the offered drink, before admiring the graceful strength of her arm, and the bared flesh behind it.

Both extended brows raised when the warrior brandished his weapons in her direction. She waited through those tense moments for his senses to be found, seemingly not at all tensed by his actions. When finally the maces were dropped to the ground, she chuckled and shook her head, more than happily handing the dram of liquid over to him. "So careless with your things, Mykali. You should really take better care of them." She pushed herself up from the grass then, tipping the dram back to down the liquid in one quick go. Her nose wrinkled at the taste in the back of her throat as she moved to brush passed him, heading toward his weapons. "How are you faring?"

Taking the drink with a sly grin, he glances over his shoulder at the maces, offering a slight shrug. "They've withstood smashing in the faces of some things with armor a liiiiiiittle harder than the ground, I'm sure they're fine." As she began to move towards them, he raised the drink to his lips, downing it just as quickly. Whatever that was, it sure as fel wasn't weak, he thought to himself, watching the sway of her hips as she walked, with more than just admiration. "I've been fine too, strangely enough."

Paused mid-stride when he pointed out a rather obvious point, shrugging her shoulders. Bending low to take hold of the handles of his maces, she hefted them with a grunt up onto her shoulders and turned to return to his side in the grass, setting them a tad more carefully down next to them. "That may be, but I'm sure you don't leave the blood caked to them either. Why soil them with dirt?" She seemed to have missed him watching her hips sway as she'd walked, for she made no mention of it, simply falling back against the dew covered blades with a sigh. "Good to hear you're doing well. Strange or not. Have you any plans today aside from training?"

As she went to retrieve the maces, he couldn't help but be a little impressed. "Most people have trouble lifting one of those, let alone both. You continue to surprise me." As she returns, he spins to the nearby table, picking up the rough towel he had left for himself, beginning to towel off the remnants of sweat from his recent exercise. "Well, I had planned on washing up -after- the training, but beyond that I didn't really think too hard." He glances down at her, head cocked quizically. "I don't normally see you out here, what brought you today?"

She chuckled softly, raising one arm to flex in his general direction. "You've got to have some muscle on you to draw the bow I use. But then, I don't spend ALL of my free time practicing my archery." She waved the topic off then, letting her arm come back to rest across her bare stomach. A single brow perks as he begins to towel himself off, her eyes following where it slid. "A bath does sound nice." Bringing her gaze back up to his eyes, she grinned. "It's relaxing, and there's a lot of strong...able bodied men to gawk at while enjoying a drink and some practice. What didn't bring me out here today?"

Laughing as well, he gives his head a small shake. "Ahh, I forgot that. Figures you'd be here for the scenery." With a small smirk, he tosses the towel back on the table, bending and twisting his torso to start a cooldown stretch. "Problem with my plan is, I don't know where to get a hot bath on short notice." He pulls his arms behind his back, clasping them together and pulling downwards, stretching out the thick muscles in his shoulders and arms, his eyes drifting over her lounging form almost lazily. "It feels good just to have worked out some of that... rage, though."

Grinned cheekily. "Not often we get to sit back and enjoy the scenery these days. Might as well take advantage of the opportunity when it arises." Sliding in next to him, she begins to stretch along with him, less to cool down and more to warm up. "I know the perfect spot for a hot bath. I'll take you there, you just finish your stretches." A mischievous glint showed in her eyes as she bent to press her chest flat against her leg, hand wrapping around her foot. "You ever have too much rage built up, come talk to me. I'm more than happy to spar. No need to worry about injuries with such a...pleasant healer as Neatherlynn around." Sarcasm dripped from that last sentence, and she couldn't help but laugh again.

He blinks at her statement about the priestess, cocking his head to the side. As she begins to stretch beside him, he can't help but glance over at her, his tongue sliding out over his lower lip absently. "I've never had any problems working with her in the past..." Offering a slight shrug again, he bends nearly in half, wrapping his hands around his calves, before straightening slowly. "That feels better at least... Now, where's this hot bath of yours?" He seems to be purposely ignoring her invitation to spar. As he awaits her reply, his hands move to the buckles on his plate leggings, beginning to strip the heavy steel off of his lower half - not stripping naked, merely down to the leathers beneath.

She sighs softly, tilting her head from side to side as she raises back up. A few loud cracks, and the sigh becomes one of contentedness. "You must not speak much in her presence then. I've seen her swing a mean skillet and a couple of crocheting needles at some of our members." Her eyes narrow ever so slightly as he bends nearly in half. Pushing herself up from the grass, she clears her throat and dusts the back of her trousers. "Follow me." She waits until he's finished with his things before turning to lead the way off through the dwarven district and seemingly toward the druid's hut.

Still half naked, and now clad only in the tight fitting underlay of leather, he strides after her, unconcerned with the stares of the citizens of Stormwind. "I wouldn't have noticed even if she had swung a mallet at me - I used to get hit in the head as a profession, remember?" He laughs lightly, shaking his head. "I kind of miss it every now and then, but it was time to take the fight to them for a change." Eyes sparkling mischeviously, he glances back at the training area for a moment. "Besides, those maces would be lonely if they didn't have me."

Still clad only in her trousers and breast binds (hurr hurr), she strides on passed the board covered in help wanted ads, gesturing him down the stairs after her. "Aha, I had forgotten how hard a head you have." She laughed along with him as she wandered down toward the cold lake, that hint of mischief still gleaming in her own eyes. "I do miss the days of you getting bashed over the head, I have to say. It made for less healing energy being used up on my pets." She grinned at him, pausing at the water's edge. "And those maces will always have you. They'd not be right in anyone else's hands. All that aside, are you ready for your hot bath?"

He hadn't missed the amount of skin she was showing off - far from. It seemed fair though, considering how much of his own was on display. "I'm glad someone had appreciation for my skills. I think it was starting to get to me though, it was getting harder and harder to concentrate on keeping track of them all." Shrugging with a lack of concern, he glances to the lake. "That lake doesn't seem like it would be very warm..." he trails off, curious as to where she was going with it. His hands flex as it sides, as if itching to be doing something, anything but be idle.

Was almost instantly kicking off her boots and setting them aside, reaching down to unbuckle her trousers and slide them down to her ankles. Stepping out of them in a rather nonchalant manner, she shrugged at him. "Hard not to appreciate skills when you find someone who actually has them. You've always been good at what you do, Mykali. No matter what path you choose, you dedicate yourself to it. It's admirable, and I respect you for it." As he glances to the lake, she shakes her head. "Not warm in the least. I'm half surprised it hasn't frozen over yet with winter near full swing." Hands moving to her hips, a smirk replaces the former grin. "You're in luck, however. Being in the presence of a living breathing heat source IS considered good fortune, right?"

"Well, thankfully, winters in Stormwind are usually mild..." He trails off as she strips before him, taking a moment to do a little sight-seeing of his own, before following suit with the leather leggings. They, however, WERE his undergarments, so, coupled with his lack of footwear from practice, this left him nude. "I'm not -entirely- sure I'm on the same page as you are... on the subject of paths, my mind has wandered down its own now." Chuckling softly, he steps closer to the lake, standing almost directly beside her, peering out over the water.

Took in a deep breath as she watched him strip what was left of his clothing. Not even pretending to look elsewhere, she took her time looking him over. "I suppose that is a blessing, else you might be treading across ice rather than bathing." Another shrug was given at his mention of paths as she turned back toward the lake. "Before, you got your head bashed in for the greater good. Now, you bash heads in for the greater good. Whether you stick with it or not is your decision. But I know while you're doing it, you'll likely be the best if not one of the best at it." A brow perked as she looked back over at him, grin back in place. "Hows about that hot bath?"

Laughing lightly at the misunderstanding, he grins at her. "I meant I wasn't sure about your heat-source comment... and when I meant my mind was wandering down a different path, I was referring to... well, something else entirely." He draws his arms over his head, his back arching as he stretches a final time, perhaps more unashamed than even her. "Let's just say I've been enjoying the sights today as well." Glancing back at the lake almost apprehensively, he shivers despite himself. "Right, bath..."