Surely this was all a lesson for Saskia to learn from. She could swear off flirting, but it had a temporary shield against the darkness she wanted to succumb to. She could try to abstain from now, to dedicate herself to service or training further... but even that felt against her own nature.

As she and Gruki left to make quick stops by the market, gathering things on their list and keeping an eye on the time, Saskia knew she had to be true to her word. Honour her promise and suck it up. It was one date, and the eagerness of the other party should not have been a surprise to her.

But she was not going to admit, even to herself, the real reason the flirting began to cheer her spirits.

Gruki had thought her manipulative and cruel, surely she would think Saskia's real reasoning for flirting with many would be selfish.

Perhaps it was...

"Shimmersilk..." Saskia paused by a table, hands reaching out to touch the pale and sheer fabric rolled up. This material felt like a caress of every soft thing. It was smooth enough, Saskia could already imagine the dress she would make to show off the soft movement of the shimmersilk.

"Wait a moment, Gruki!" A smile lit up her face.

"Back again, Syr!" The vendor spoke with a thick accent belonging somewhere she was not familiar with, but their Common was clear enough for Saskia to understand. "A great shipment came into Crown's Hold, if you need any thing more of what I have here, I can send for the rest from my shop in the Hold."

"How much shimmersilk a yard to fill out a modest skirt?"

Minutes later, Saskia was walking beside Gruki again, returning to the monastery. Her coin purse was indeed much lighter, but the shimmersilk would be worth it once it arrived tomorrow.

"I am going to make the prettiest dress I have ever owned. Not for a date... but perhaps the Harvest Festival or even in the Spring, I can wear it and..." The idea of a new project made her giddy. All she had to do was get through tonight, and then in the morrow, her shimmersilks would arrive. "Alright, I am no longer in my gloomy mood. Do you think Reed would show up with more fudge?"

She lifted their box of free samples, a light chuckle leaving her as some samples had been offered to Albert along with the biscuits she made. It had been a last ditch effort to bribe him, but he resisted with a grin.
 
"Not for a date... but perhaps the Harvest Festival or even in the Spring, I can wear it and..."

'Woo all and sundry who lay their eyes upon you?' Gruki was quick to smile, the small box in her arms packed with letters, parcels and carefully-wrapped leftovers, the latter placed there by Albert shortly before they departed the Bern and Barley. Gruki was half-tempted to sneak a bite on the way back, but she lacked the appendages to do so safely. An extra arm or two would have come in handy. Though, it would likely prove detrimental to her balance.

'Doubt it.' Crunching up a gravel path set between neighbouring plots, Gruki nudged open a gate with the toe of her boot. 'If I had to guess, I would say he's more likely to bring flowers rather than fudge. Peonys, perhaps. Or roses. Y'know, all romantic like.'

To impress her, or please her. Gruki knew Reed took dating most seriously. He had never shown much interest in her, which was understandable, but he was more than happy to talk about his attempts at conquest. He had been fawning over Saskia for so long now, Gruki was surprised he hadn't skipped right to asking for her hand in marriage. Don't go jinxing it, now, the she-ork chided herself, golden eyes admiring the setting sun, the air around them growing cooler as they passed beneath the shade of oak and alder.

'Can't wait to see what you make from the shimmersilk,' the orkin smiled at her friend, fond as the day they had first met. 'Cost a small fortune, mind, so I hope it's worth it.'

Gruki liked to look good, too. Achieving more with less had always been her thing though. No silk or fancy velvet, and certainly none of the shimmering variety.
 
"It did cost a small fortune, but I know exactly what I would like to make with it. I am thinking... a dress, of course." When not in her fighting leathers or her armour, when she was not needed for immediate duty, Saskia was known for primping and dressing herself to her prettiest version. In summer, she liked to wear the pretty dresses and skirts, even going as far as getting nice satin and silk to make some outfits truly stand out. She even grew her hair out long so she could painstakingly do a daily routine to keep it thick and golden.

Saskia beamed at Gruki. "We have to get everyone to go as a group to the Festival. Or even Solstice! It is always my favourite when we all get together." They tend to attract a large crowd too, and some folk from town joined in. And if Saskia and all could not have much to drink at Solstice, then her birthday the week after surely would bring them back altogether.

They cut through some trees, directing them to a more quicker route to where they needed to go. These types of shortcuts were not carved out paths, but made by many boots going to and fro on this very path. It was worn into the earth, and Saskia let out a shiver as the trees blocked most of the sun. It had not been warm enough for almost an hour now, and it felt as if she had walked into a cold waterfall.

"Gruki, did you need any help delivering any of those errands you picked up?" There was some time before she had to make herself presentable for her date tonight, and truthfully, Saskia did not want to be alone with her thoughts just yet. Gruki knew how she was feeling right now, or anticipated what was to happen soon. If she had gone to anyone else, she would have to explain her anxiety again.
 
'We? Don't y'mean you?' Gruki grinned, half-serious, half-not. 'Ever known Hector or Roki to miss a chance to celebrate? What about Lou?' The she-ork would have inquired after Arbok, too, but they both knew how sleepy their werebear friend got during the winter months. Still, she made the effort to join in more often than not. Sometimes, even a little amounted to a lot.

Glancing to her side, the orkin shrugged.

'If you'd like to help, I won't say no,' she smirked, reading Saskia like an open book. 'You can announce us! If we're really lucky, we might even get a copper or two for our trouble.' It had been known to happen in the past, though, Gruki firmly believed kindness was its own reward. Not that she'd turn the coin down. After all, the more she was given, the more she had to spend on her friends. And food.

This physique doesn't maintain itself, she mused, tossing her head back.

Rigorous training was just the beginning; breakfast, lunch and dinner, the middle and end. 'I s'pose we could stop by Pyp's dormroom first.' Gruki suggested, pawing through the box in an attempt to come up with some semblance of a plan. 'Jasper's room is right next door, then Tomlin's. They like to hang out in the afternoon, so we might catch 'em together, maybe,' she blinked, shrugging again for good measure, if nothing else.

It was then the monastery wandered into view, as if waiting for their timely return. The Sun poked its head over the angled, earthy rooftops, wishing the pair a slow good-bye as the moons crept in to take its place.
 
Saskia had always known what to do with a bad set of cards in hand. She could bluff her way to a win or she could simply go along with it. It was easier to put off getting ready and be alone with her thoughts, seeing the faces of friends and family to help ground her.

"Too bad I got no more biscuits to share around, but I daresay no one would touch it unless they were feeling brave." For how many would trust Saskia she had a rare batch of delectable baked goods? Perhaps many of them had felt the taste and burn of the last time she got on her knees and begged people to try her lemon scones. That batch had in fact broken someone's tooth.

Nonetheless, Saskia held her hands out for the first item.

"Besides, if it's extra coin you are hoping to make for going to all this trouble to help people out, then I am your shadow knight, Gruks!" Saskia grinned. She had absolutely no shame in making it known how deserving they were of being given a little coin of appreciation for their efforts.

Pyp's room was easy to navigate to. Saskia kept up with her friend's long strides, practically skipping as if she were truly a debt collector on the way to reap what she was owed. "If all three are together, then that is perfect. If one tips us, the others surely will follow as to not look cheap!"
 
'Now, let's not get ahead of ourselves, Sassy! We might not get anything yet.' Thanks were enough, most of the time. Even so, Gruki found herself hoping for something, on her friend's behalf. Not that Pyp and Jasper and the others owe me anything, she thought to herself, footsteps crinch-crunching as they meandered along a gravel path towards the dorms. No one had ordered her to pick up their packages from town. She had done it because she wanted to.

Same as Saskia, really, though in her case there had been an ulterior motive. It had tasted pretty good, too.

'If only we were so-' Gruki stopped talking as they neared the aged dormitories. Voices filtered like sunlight through the trees to left and right. Warm tones. Colourful laughter. The speakers were none too shy, and Gruki found herself grinning as she glanced down at Saskia. 'Well, well, well,' she said, 'what have we here?'

The shadowed walkway led them out into the fading light of day. Lines of fresh laundry fluttured in the breeze. Amidst the billowing linens, Pyp, Jasper and Tomlin busied themselves filling wicker baskets with clean sheets.

'Afternoon, fellahs!' Gruki smiled as she ducked into view, the air around her growing fragrant, and subtly sweet. 'How go the extra chores? Tomlin put his foot in it again?'
 
Saskia stepped out from behind Gruki, a grin on her face.

"Well, we know those sheets will not be folded neatly." Her tone was teasing, and even when they waved her off, her smile only grew wider.

"You could say that..." muttered Tomlin. Their gaze fell onto the box of fudge, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Of course, Saskia was poised to speak right away."Gruki and I took time to go into Astenvale this afternoon. Did some shopping, drank and ate at the Bern... it was a great few hours, I must say. And even then, Gruki still had the heart to think of those left being here with no time to go into town and do their errands." She casted a witsful glance up at her tall friend. "Good heart she has. Perhaps you could offer her your thanks?"Right to it, Saskia had strategy when needed, but this time she forewent any slyness.

The Shadow Knight winked, grin too wide to be innocent. It was the same grin she wore when she collected her winnings at the cards table, and all three pulling down dried sheets had seen that face before.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
'As well as a token of our gratitude, y'mean?' Jasper asked, wise to the dusker's ways. 'Don't go sayin' that!' Pyp's heightened pitch spooked the robins nesting in the nearby trees. 'She'll wield yer own words against ya,' he warned, 'an' I ain't got the coin t' go paying her tithes!' His gaze darted to Saskia, as if she were a venomous reptile coiled in the laundry basket, just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. Only, most reptiles tended to have scales and pointy fangs.

They couldn't speak a lick of the Common tongue either, though, Gruki had once tried speaking theirs, to no avail.

'You don't have to give me anything, honestly!' Gruki could feel her face burning up. She knew Saskia meant well, but sometimes it felt like she was doing it on purpose - getting everyone worked up. 'I've got your packages here. Some letters came through for you too, Tom.'

'Is there a return address?'
'Sure, uh... here.'
'Thanks, Gruks.'

'We'll spot you a round or two later,' promised Jasper. Pyp nodded in agreement, snatching the package from Gruki a bit too eagerly. He smiled sheepishly. 'Um, yeah, we'll do that for you!' There was a pause as the other two squires looked at him. 'What?'

'I thought you said y'didn't have any coin?'
'Not for Saskia, no,' he eyed the fudge box in her hands. 'She has, uh, expensive tastes.'
'Maybe,' said Tomlin, smirking evilly. 'Though, from what I hear, there's a fellah in town whose mighty keen on our friend Saskia. Maybe he'd be willin' to pay on your behalf.'

'Oh?' Gruki glanced at the Shadow Knight, innocent as the day she was born, though the grin she wore gave her away. 'And who might that be?'
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pyp's unwillingness to spare coin anywhere towards Saskia only made her grin.

"A girl can like treasures and trinkets, and all sweet things!"

But Tomlin ruined that smile with a smirk of his own. He knew. How did he already hear about Reed?!

Gruki rounded on her, her innocence overplayed and already tipping off the others that Saskia was hiding something. "No one." She scowled, defensive stance and the pouting of her own lips made Tomlin laugh.

"I thought many fancy fellahs fancied Sassy." Pyp was quick to join in the inquiries.

Even Jasper looked intrigued. "Wait! Who are we talking about? You got a suitor, Kerraelas? Then we must meet him to make sure he is worthy of our sister-knight!"

Saskia looked appalled. "Oh, no. You lot are staying here. You can have my fudge if it keeps you idiots quiet!"

"Is it Albert?"

"Nah, nah... could be a lady too. Oh, oh, is it Cara? Sioux?"

"None of your beeswax!" Saskia pouted, turning to glare up at Gruki. "Don't you say thing, Gruks."
 
'Me? Say something? Don't be absurd!' Gruki struggled to keep the grin from her face as she waved goodbye to the boys. 'See you guys later,' she called over her shoulder, linking arms with Saskia, though the Dusk Knight needed no prompting. 'Not if we see you first!' Pyp shouted back, earning himself a punch in the arm. 'Ouch! What was that for?'

Rounding the corner, Gruki rolled her eyes as the lads and washing lines disappeared from sight.

'Honestly, those three.' She didn't elaborate or explain; Saskia already knew what she was thinking. 'So. Cara and Sioux, that's new!' Gazing sidelong at her friend, the she-ork fought to keep how brow from arching. Reed was one thing, but from the sounds of it, Saskia had been casting her hook far and wide in hope of landing a tasty catch. She had been on many a date, after all. Her words.

'Have you been holdin' out on me, missy?' With the box clutched firmly to her side, Gruki thrust her hip sideways, knocking the smaller woman off stride. 'Or was Tom givin' voice to his fantasies again?' She laughed, beribboned braid swinging with every step, like some silk-soft pendulum.

'Cara's cute. Sioux, too. The straw dolls she collects are a tad creepy but I s'pose we all have our hobbies.'

Lamplight drove the shadows away as they reached the dorms. One guttered out at Saskia's passing, Gruki noticed.

With a click of her fingers, she sparked a flame, rekindling the light.
 
Saskia glared up at Gruki, but it held as much effect as a kitten trying to act tough.

Her attempts to scathe always did not land with those that knew her. Despite her shadows, Saskia was as welcoming as a sunflower, twisting towards the sun and those of good nature.

"I... cannot seem to date anyone here in the monastery. There are few people that do not see me as a sister, but then take away half of them because they are afraid to actually date me in fear of Syr Faramund for whatever reason... and then half that number again because of Syr Cathmore." That one, Saskia could believe. She had been squire the Syr Cathmore before becoming her dusker blade to her dawnling bow and arrow. "Take that number I am left with, and reduce it to all but one... because the others do not wish to date me. Except Alaric."

Salt and shadows, even saying his name after so long did not leave her with a settled feeling. But Saskia pushed past the bitterness he left in her.

"That is why my affections are taken to Astenvale town. None of them are afraid of me or anyone else... especially when Monroe was gone for a year, it seemed everyone got some courage."

Saskia made a face, coming to a stop by her dorm room. Shadows leaped ahead, turning the door knob and pushing the door open for Saskia to step into the waiting darkness of her small room. Small, and made smaller by all the wardrobes and dressers and the too large table where fabrics, threads, and beads were left in their place the last time she worked on something. Saskia dumped her goodies onto her half made bed before pushing her curtain to let out whatever light remained in the day in.

"You thought I was playing with the hearts of others, Gruki... that I did it for fun... but really... I just needed to find a way to stop feeling like I am the problem. Because I had wanted Alaric so much, our friendship turned into more... but then it was my fault he hates me. I pushed him away because I realised I could not hide behind my shadows anymore... that I would have to show him just how dark I can get..." But it was not just him. Saskia had been doing it to everyone she knew for years now... everyone except Gruki.

Saskia's blue eyes shone with unshed tears that wished to fall, but the stubborn Shadow Knight held herself tall and composed. "You're the only one that has stepped into my darkness and pulled me out into the light." She was the friend that did not listen to Saskia's fabrications.

Gruki was the friend Saskia did not know she needed until now.

"Promise me, Gruki, that you will never stop being my friend?"
 
Hate. Fear. Two emotions that did not twine with what Gruki knew of Saskia. The brethren were a mixed bunch united by a common cause, true. They did not think or feel or act in any particular way. Even so, the she-ork could not see them harbouring any such feelings towards Saskia, despite the shadows she wove around herself, like a blanket meant to protect her and keep everyone else at bay.

Gruki felt a sharp pang in her chest as Saskia's lips spilled forth names they had both known for years. It seemed to her like the dusker was projecting blame onto them, as if to spare herself some deep-rooted hurt. Faramund. Monroe. Alaric.

She did not interrupt Saskia as she continued to speak, reasoning that no one in the monastery could ever come to love her the way she wanted them to. Everyone hated her, after all. Feared her shadows. The shroud empowering her. Gruki fought to keep her expression in check, fingers toying with the rope of her braid anxiously. It was the only tell she had, really. Usually, she kept calm, stayed focused.

To see someone she loved hurting so...

Tears formed in the dusker's eyes like beads of silverite. Gruki could feel her own vision growing misty. The dam went up before the floodwaters could break. Neither could afford to start crying lest they set the other one off. Wouldn't be the first time.

'Don't do that.'

Setting the letter box aside, Gruki crossed to where Saskia stood, enveloping the dusker in her arms before the darkness could grow any deeper. 'Don't go wounding yourself like that, thinking you're the problem. You're not.' And never will be, the dawnling mused, hugging her friend close, as if to smother the bad thoughts blinding her to the truth. She had the muscle for it.

'You're beautiful... and kind, and warm as summer sunshine. Were I to win your heart, I might just believe myself to be the luckiest girl in the world.' Problems did not seek to solve themselves nor did they consider themselves such. They did not dwell on matters beyond their control, or worry about the opinions of others.

'That's the thing about shadows... They'll swallow you whole, if you let them.'
 
Oh, she had done it now.

As soon as Gruki pulled her in, Saskia felt the safety of friendship. The strength that would hold them together, and so the Shadow Knight could not hold up her shield to defend the sight of her tears. They fell freely now. Her shoulders shook, and her mouth could not keep the soft sobs at bay.

Saskia leaned into her friend, needing to let this out. Saints and shadows, she had not thought her day would have her crying twice today and being so vulnerable.

After a few minutes, Saskia began to feel like a burden. She tried to pry herself away from Gruki, but her dear friend held her close. A few moments like that, Saskia relaxed and stopped tensing her body.

"All I am is shadows, Gruki. It has been all I have ever known, since I was a girl. I guess... that perhaps there are just days I cannot stand to be in the dark. I once dreamed of a young man courting me, and that he had magic of light... but even my dark shadows devoured his weaving." She made a face. "How do I stop swallowing all of you whole with my darkness?"
 
Tears, tears, and more tears. Catharsis in its purest form. Everyone needed a good cry from time to time, to help soothe the heart and soul. Gruki likened it to a hot bath, as if by letting the tears escape, Saskia was allowing her spirit to cleanse itself of all the nastiness that had accumulated over the days and weeks and months of repression.

Gruki felt the tension ebb from Saskia's shoulders. Smiling softly, the orkin rocked her friend gently from side to side, shaking off the last of the stinky, stupid doubts besetting her, or at the very least attempted to.

'The only thing I've seen you devour as of late is fudge,' Gruki replied, her tone light and cheery. 'The more you struggle to control your magic, the harder it fights back. Trust me, I know.' Singed fingers were something of a family tradition among the Ki's. Attempts at telekinesis had led to many a bumped noggin. And rejuvination spells were wonderful until your wounds decided to open rather than close.

Light-weaving, though... She had a pretty good grasp on that.

'Don't fight yer shadows, Saskia, and don't go fearin' 'em neither. I don't.' The Shroud could be scary sometimes. Downright terrifying, even. But it could be beautiful, too. Useful in ways yet to be discovered. 'A lil' birdy told me Prince Charming has reserved a table at the Knoll tonight,' the she-ork went on, slow dancing the darkness away until she accidentally bumped the table with her hip. A ball of yarn went a-tumbling. Gruki cursed under her breath.

''Course, Reed might not be your Prince Charming, but that don't mean y'won't find him eventually, law of probability an' all that.' Slipping her arms from behind Saskia's back, the big orkin held the dusker at arms-length, so as to behold her properly.

'You're right,' she nodded, smiling all the while. 'This darkness o' yours has left you pale as t' Mirror Moon! Maybe it's time we got you a tan? I'm sure we could find the time in yer training regimen for a spot o' sunbathing? Yes, yes, I think so.'
 
Saskia scoffed, her sniffles still persisting as she mumbled to her friend. "Who in the world reserves a table at the Knoll?"

But Gruki was right. As silly as it was to put herself out there, some how she was healing that hurt that had cut her straight to the bone. She had thought she would in inconsolable, but Gruki and Lou helped her out of it. Even Arbok and Roki had helped, and many others. She had a family to lean against, to hold her up when she could not bear it any longer.

Saskia may be well acquainted with shadows, but every Dusker needed their Dawnling. Her dark had friends, and they were such a bright place in this world.

"Maybe I need to go to the sea." She sniffed, but this time she straightened and began to extract herself. "Might do me some good for a week."

She began to move about in her room, placing things onto her bed and slowly began to build an outfit for tonight. As she busied herself, trying to steady her breathing and her heart, her shadows had taken up the task of braiding her hair again. It had come loose over the day, but now her pale blonde hair was weaved with the blue ribbon she had bought some suns ago.

"Perhaps I should go with a dark blue dress?" Saskia was half absorbed into her wardrobe. One of two, in fact, for she possessed so many dresses and outfits, both wardrobes were near bursting and unable to close the doors from the volume of cloth residing inside. "Or yellow? No... too friendly. Oh, I wish he gave me more time to think about an outfit." Her grumbled could be heard, but three options came away with her, as she turned to her friend and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Well? Which one do you think? The cornflower blue, the forest green, or the cardinal red?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom