I love me some gen threads, especially funny or drama-filled ones, but I am also shamelessly here for shipping AUs. The general Liem-shipping vibe is "I want more than this, but I shouldn't & they can't possibly want me back," so if you're into that, I've got what you need. His default setting is very D&D-like high fantasy, but I'm comfortable playing him in modern fantasy settings as well. Pretty much any prompt can also accommodate Liem being a full vampire instead of a dhampir, if that's your thing.
Prompts for inspiration:
• Arranged Marriage: Liem's shady vampire family has arranged his marriage to you, but he seems a rather reluctant fiance.
• Bodyguard Shipping: It's Liem's duty to keep you safe and out of trouble, possibly despite your best efforts.
• Companion to Royalty: Reclusive vampire king Liem and YOU! Are you a gift from a local power? Sacrifice from the townsfolk? Or did you just stumble up the road to his castle during a storm?
• Enemies to Lovers: Maybe Liem is a foreign agent trying to sabotage your country or organization. Or maybe you're rebelling against the current regime and he's trying to take you in.
• Fake Dating/Fake Married: A relationship is your cover story while you're travelling for some secret reason. Gotta keep up appearances.
• Hunter & Hunted: Are you a hunter trying to track Liem down? Or a snack that proved more than he bargained for?
• Hurt (Comfort Optional): Whether he's hurt, sick, drugged, or just upset, two things remain constant: Liem needs help, and he doesn't want to accept it. But maybe you don't want to fix him anyway; maybe you want to make him worse.
• Living a Lie: Whether you're undercover on a mission, or you lied to cover something up and now you have to commit, you're stuck playing a role until you accomplish some secret objective — or until you can shake off your nosy company.
• Loss of Control: For whatever reason, one of you is struggling not to go berserk — or perhaps has already failed. If it's Liem, can you help him come back to himself, or are you the one pushing him over the edge?
• Out of the Frying Pan: The classic "tried to help someone in trouble, ended up with a new and possibly worse problem" situation. But at least you're in it together!
• Priest/Celibacy: Default here is that Liem is the priest, but it could go the other way. Smutty, or just laden with UST? You decide.
• Texting: Stupid TFLN-style text threads, my beloved...
• Random Scenario: For if none of the above tickle your fancy.
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no subject
For now, she has traded danger for their potential safety, and the cost had apparently been… making a spectacle of them. A third of the patrons seem to think them unnatural or downright repulsive, another third is curious and perhaps far too interested in the personal details of others’ love lives, and the rest, well… fighting or fucking, they just want to see some of it.
The reluctance on her face is for something far more complex than worrying about her contract with him, or even for her boss’ reputation… but she can’t show it anymore, let alone to the stallions in this bar. So by the time he’s said he’s fine and he’s walking she’s banished it in favor of just trying to keep him safe, one step at a time as she tries to escort him to the exit… and she keeps it from returning when Liem pulls the small knife in its hand-carved sheathe from his pocket. The same sort (but with varying carvings) an observant eye might notice on the harnesses and took belts of a few other patrons in this place, though not the two confronting them. Trying to put on a similar disdainful look, her body language is still puffed up with indignation even in the face of much larger opponents.]
It was freely given, and freely taken, and any else who should try and own it would taste the blade, not grip the sheathe!
[The words sound like a decided announcement… or more like vows, parts of the centaur equivalent of “do you take this woman to have and to hold, in sickness and in health”. Words that forced certain respects and hospitalities… enough to convince part of the bar, if their murmured commentary was any indication. (“They really are married?” “Look, you idiot, he’s got her ebou dari… What woman would give that up for just some contract job?”)
People seem even more convinced when Konoha stiffens up and grabs a hold of Liem’s clothing from behind, right around his lower back. He may recall that Konoha had blushed, once, when two centaurs staying in a roadside shelter with them in a sudden rain had gotten a bit handsy in a way that likely seemed innocent to outsiders, just curling fingers and running them through each other’s vestigial mane. He doesn’t… have one of those, but- ! Any hopes that she’d had that this ruse might be enough are suddenly dashed by the larger of the two of Liem’s confronters, who leans down to sneer suspiciously.
So what did you give her, tent husband?
Konoha’s hand in his clothes tightens up in alarm. She’d proven it from her own culture’s standpoint, but Liem’s—
How do you prove to the humans and their ilk you’ve been taken by a centaur?
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Under the scrutiny, Liem draws further into the shelter of Konoha's arm, as though unused to being the subject of such aggressive attention. He is, after all, just a simple priest. But even the intimidating stare of a plains stallion can't crack Abadar's steadying mantle.]
Respectfully, [he says, in a dry tone that implies nothing of the sort,] our community already knows we are wedded. We… promised to each other in front of them, under Abadar's roof. I gave her my name, and one of His clerks recorded our joining. It is written in the church's records.
[The legal documents proclaiming their union would be all the proof that a couple wedded by Abadaran tradition would need; their lives would be joined according to the local laws and the duties itemized in the church's scripture, and a great deal of paperwork would be done to make it so. He doubts that the nomadic centaurs of the plains care much for the traditions of the God of Walls and Ditches, even if His worship is well-established among this continent's other peoples, though he could hardly say anything else, given his obvious affiliation.
But perhaps there is something he can offer that would satisfy the centaur's curiosity.]
We wrote our names to promise in writing. But to show the people who were there…
[Turning slightly, he beckons Konoha closer with a small gesture, leaning up as though to murmur something to her. But when she leans down, instead of tilting his face to her ear, he gently cups her jaw with his fingers and kisses her square on the mouth.]
no subject
Thankfully, Liem steps up, and all she has to do is trade roles with him and stand next to him looking indignant, red-faced with what she hopes seems like embarrassment over having to air her personal business in such a manner and anger that it would be questioned. Later, once she's calmed down some and reflects back on this, she will have to admire how amazingly effective that dry respectfully was, but for now she just tries to shut out the gossiping of the other bar patrons, tighten her hold on Liem's "mane"...
- Oh, that's right. If they were married, she'd have a "family name", not the looser herd name she used to identify herself after starting her work with Sha Gozen, not the name assigned by a feudal lord to the human parents who raised her after she'd been orphaned too young even to remember, humble indentured farmers a mere step or two above slaves. She'd be... like how the Taldans said it, "Missus Talbott"... ?
She's so distracted by that realization that when the priest gestures for her to bend down closer to his height, she actually has no idea what he might be about to do. Did he need to borrow her ear for something? Even when his fingers alight on her face, she somehow doesn't begin to expect-
A kiss. (Her first real kiss.)
She can't help the initial reaction, the shock that suffuses her face and the beet red that follows, her back legs stiffening up and her tail rising abruptly. Somewhere behind her there's a somewhat scandalized gasp, someone crudely urges for more, another lets out a woop... and what seems like an eternity later (but is actually just a few seconds) sense comes flooding back in from where the touch of lips had temporarily banished it. Of course, this- This would prove it, it made sense, he's just a much smarter actor than she imagined- !
Afraid that her shock had been too obvious, that it could be taken as inexperience unbefitting of a woman claiming to be a wife, let alone one who'd claimed to be the more dominant one as far as centaur culture was concerned... Konoha suddenly surges into him with a muffled little sound, desperate to show enough enthusiasm to be convincing. Her hand releases the back of his jacket to clutch the front of his robes instead, tugging as if to try and minimize the difference in their heights, pressing her lips to his in a kiss that is... at its core, sweet, if not clumsy, warm and soft but accidentally a little bit toothy with an accidental brush of sharp canines against-
Oh, his lips were... cool. A little cool. His fingers, too, gentle along her jaw to guide her to him.
Unsure if she'd forgotten how to breathe at some point or if she'd just had all of her air stolen, Konoha finally pulls back from her "husband" with both hearts pounding like wardrums, a stuttered, useless attempt at a word slipping out of her tight throat before she gathers herself up to her full height again, taking advantage of the shock on the faces of the two centaurs before it can fade and they become less able to be cowed by a mare and a pilgrim.]
Are you satisfied now? I had no idea the men of your herd were so perverse! I'll be sure to tell Sha Gozen so that she can bring it up with your boss next time they meet!
[One of them has the grace to almost look a bit uncomfortable over what's happened, so quick, ahead of his more angry looking companion regaining his fire or other patrons of the bar getting more time to add their reactions or demands to the situation-]
If you'll excuse us... My husband and I have business to attend to! Good day!
[Konoha pulls Liem to her side with a tight clutch on his hand, and shoulders her way past the troublemakers to make it out to the street. Afraid to stop or break character in case they were followed, she doesn't let go even if it attracts a few odd looks in the short distance between the bar and the inn she'd picked out earlier in the day, dragging her charge silently through the market streets at a quick march only barely slow enough for someone bipedal to match. Even though she'd planned to take two rooms, one for him up the stairs in the smaller accommodations for traveling two-legged races and one for herself on the ground floor more outfitted for her kind, she demands only the latter, bulldozing past the raise of eyebrow the innkeep can't hide and slamming down money until they have a key in hand, the door to the room is shut tight and locked-
And only then does she half-collapse as her nerves reach their limit, slumping against the wall in a heap of hoof, red-faced embarrassment, and jittery worry that suddenly comes crashing down.
- Had she just handed over her marriage knife and kissed a man in front of an entire frontier bar, or had she just hallucinated the last fifteen minutes?]
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Fortunately, he doesn't have to. He allows Konoha's indignity to speak for the both of them, and follows her at a trot as she marches them out the door and through town towards the inn. He spends the entire time skittering his gaze between her and the overly-interested onlookers, noting the raised eyebrows, the dark flush on her own face. He's not sure if he's outed himself or simply embarrassed her, but it doesn't matter. Even if she only has attention to spare for her affronted honour at the moment, it's only a matter of time before she wonders at the temperature of his pallid skin, and perhaps then in relation to his other idiosyncrasies. He can't afford to foster ill will with the guide who's meant to be taking him safely across the country.
He maintains his silence until they're safely sequestered inside her (their?) ground-floor room, the door locked securely behind them. Liem stands in the middle of the space, toying anxiously with the wooden key hanging from his neck, his face carved into a deep frown as he regards her slump against the wall. He doesn't even find a place to drop his haversack before speaking.]
I'm sorry for kissing you. I wouldn't normally take such liberties, to say nothing of the public location.
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But those things did not usually involve kissing. It could be argued that technically she had kept a cool enough head, they'd managed to extricate themselves from the situation in the end, after all, but-]
Li-
[No, wait, she had... She wasn't supposed to call him by his first name, she was just his guide, she'd only done it in the bar because she'd landed on that ridiculous claim as a last resort and no woman would call her own husband by his family name.]
Mr. Talbott, I told you-
[She is... cross. Not even quite about the kiss, not yet, there's something she has to say first before she even gets there, while she still has professionalism left in her and before her slump turns into a collapse as the nervous adrenaline wears off.]
I told you not to wander off by yourself without me, especially before I checked what the tensions were like in this territory, what were you thinking- ?
[He'd been such an obedient and sensible charge up until that point, she cannot imagine he could have just... decided to investigate a nice smelling bushel of fruits in the market without paying attention to her moving forward and gathering supplies for the next leg of their journey?]
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I wasn't intending to stray far.
[His thumb traces restlessly over the carven details of his holy symbol; the wood feels unfamiliar compared to the silver key tucked safely into one of his pouches, but the display of wealth would only earn him trouble on the road. His only current concession to appearances is the humble, polished quartz studs at his ears.]
I just wanted to get out of the sun for a spell.
[Since he arrived in Tian Xia, he's been playing the part of the cloistered holy man. It's helped to explain his wan appearance and poor stamina, both of which grow starkly apparent beneath the sun's light… And in some cases, it also serves to explain his "ignorance" of certain worldly realities, like the willingness of tavern ruffians to accost a humble travelling priest.
But he does seem penitent in the face of her displeasure.]
I apologize. It wasn't my intent to make your job more difficult.
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Mr. Talbott, please… It’s my job to keep you safe, you have to tell me if you’re feeling ill…
[Now she’s worried about something else on top of the rest, and though her voice still retains some of that chiding tone, it’s softened by genuine concern- not just for a client, but for a fellow person, who surely wasn’t her friend but… was her companion for this long journey, someone she (thinks she) has started to get to know along the way.]
Even if it takes a year to get you to Goka, I’ll make it happen… You just have to be in one piece when we get there.
[Had she pushed him too hard on the journey? Sha Gozen had said the man requested a certain route, one that eschewed some of the safer but more time-consuming legs of the journey, so she’d made the logical assumption he was in some kind of hurry, but… What did time matter if you were kidnapped and turned into a hostage in plains centaur turf wars, or even worse- ?
The blush is still hot and heavy on her cheeks, though, as her thoughts return to the bar and what had happened there, her more commanding posture curling back in with embarrassment, fingers lacing and unlacing as she tries to think… Could she have come up with a better lie? Had that really been the best thing to say to defuse the situation… ? It may have actually inflamed something entirely different, and yet…]
You don’t… You don’t have to apologize for kissing me. I’m the one who should apologize, I came up with that story about us being married when my usual methods didn’t work…
[And though she’d hoped to continue on this journey without awkwardness between them, or without, perhaps, finding out what his stance was on certain personal things…]
I’m sure… In Taldor you don’t have, ah, couples like that, right?
[So it’s understandable, perhaps, not at all strange… If he thought such things distasteful, in top of what he must think as a holy man.]
It’s rare, but it… sometimes happens, here, so I just… I just had to hope it would work…
[And thankfully it seems to have, for now, but… Oh, gods, she hasn’t even explained some of those concepts to him… Tent spouses and marriage knives and where she’d gotten her idea from…]
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It's nothing serious, I assure you… but you're right. I'll keep you better apprised from now on. [He aims a small, apologetic smile her way.] You have enough to be thinking about without having to fret over my condition as well.
[Liem finally releases the wooden key hanging against his chest, clasping his hands in front of him in the way that he's learned makes him look pious and contemplative, but which mostly serves to occupy his hands so he can't fuss with them while he's talking. He levels a thoughtful look up at Konoha's flushed, brown face.]
I haven't spent enough time in the east to know, [he says honestly.] But I've not heard of such a thing before. Nor have I heard anything about tent spouses.
[He's certainly never seen any of the centaurs frequenting Taldor's eastern border advertising a relationship with a human, at least on any of his travels. And besides, he's not meant to be especially worldly as far as she knows. His ignorance could just as easily be due to personal unfamiliarity as to cultural differences.
But for now, he takes a step closer to Konoha where she's leaning against the wall, withdrawing the carven knife from his pocket.]
Here. You can have this back now.
no subject
Sha Gozen told me things might have deteriorated since her last agent came through here, but I didn’t think it would have gotten this bad… I’ll have to leave word for the next courier…
[It’s half muttered, more a note for herself she was making sure to memorize by saying aloud, but… It at least benefits him by turning her attention from his lack of stamina in the sun to the logistics of her work, how to deal with the problem now facing them going forward.
This town was still on the fringes, from now they’d be moving even further into the heart of congested territory, so if the local centaur clans were restless…
Her marriage dagger is offered back to her, and Konoha can’t help herself from taking it rather quickly, holding it carefully in both hands and running a thumb over the carefully carved patterns in the sheath. Flowers that bloomed in her home village. The crest of the lord her parents borrowed land from. Trees for her first job, and the meaning of her name.]
Ah, I didn’t explain that yet, did I… ?
[Tent spouses. She clears her throat somewhat awkwardly, the blush on her skin… definitely not fading.]
It’s… I thought it was better to say that’s what you were, because it’s dishonorable to hurt someone like that. Even if you’re warring… killing an enemy is one thing, but tent family are supposed to be off limits. So a “tent husband” is… Well, it’s usually a “tent wife”, but… a- would you call it a “house wife”?
[People in Oppara lived in stone houses, didn’t they? Sha Gozen had told her tales of Taldor on more than one occasion.]
It’s… they cook and they clean and mind the home and the children, they’re not combatants at all…
[Never mind that she’d also handed him a knife??? Was this confusing? Konoha’s tail swishes awkwardly behind her, stuttering a bit as she realizes-]
It- It was definitely something I just said because only “husband” would mean you might still be fair game… I didn’t mean anything about your character or, um- what type of spouse you’d be!
[Abadar’s priests could marry, right? The one who’d lived closest to their village had a family… !]
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I'm sure you didn't, [he agrees.
Her explanation makes perfect sense given their earlier situation, even if the idea of a house husband does seem a rather strange and foreign one, at least in a heterosexual marriage. Considering Taldor's own male-leaning culture, it's a given that in any marriage involving both a man and a woman, the man would be the head of the household. But then, perhaps between a human and a centaur things would intrinsically be more muddied.]
I appreciate you coming to my defense. I was able to walk away without ending up in any real trouble, because of you.
[Even though they had still ended up making a scene. Nonetheless, an awkward scene is still preferable to a robbery or a beating. Things could have ended up considerably worse.
A frown crosses his face as the thought settles over the forefront of his awareness. They've only just started crossing the plains centaurs' territory. If things are going to be this difficult for the entire way, that could prove more of a problem than he'd anticipated.]
Is this the kind of reception I can continue to expect as we travel…?
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So she’d just gambled that anyone here who didn’t understand the concept would just make the assumption that oh… Even though she was a woman, she was obviously the stronger up against a two leg, of course she would be the dominant one.
But Liem brings up the same point that has kept her unease from fully fading. If things were already tense this far south… what guarantee did they have they wouldn’t get worse the further in they went? No, odds said they probably would if this was the situation here, so…
He might recognize the look on her face, then, as her gaze drops once more to the knife held tightly in her hands. The same sort of reluctant look from the bar of a woman contemplating handing over something incredibly precious to her… Before she offers the blade back to him.]
… Here.
[She hasn’t lost a client yet, and she’s not about to now.]
If it’s like this or even worse where we go from now… It might be better if you just have this on you. As long as you’re not opposed…
[He is a servant of Abadar, after all, and she’s essentially asking him to live a lie, potentially a discomforting one, for most of their journey… Still-]
Ebou dari are… we exchange them, at weddings. They’re carved by our parents, or our clans… and you only have the one. No one… Probably no one would believe a woman would give it away just for an act or a job, so… If you wear it, it might prevent you from being hassled.
[In exchange, he might be a subject of curiosity or untoward gossip, but… That was better than kidnapped or dead. … Wasn’t it?]
If you have something I could wear in exchange… It might just work.
[This proposal… of there having been a proposal.]
no subject
When she offers her knife back to him, surprise lifts his brows above the dark circles of his lenses. Her reluctance to part with it shows plainly in the lingering look she aims at it; he doubts any man not related to her by blood has ever held the knife before today.
He's extremely conscious of the itch prickling at his hand that urges him to reach out and accept it. He needs every advantage he can get, and in this instance, that means the independence to stick on his quarry's trail without letting his guide be privy to his every inquiry. Nonetheless, he hesitates to actually accept the marriage knife, given all that it represents.]
You would pose as the wife of an itinerant priest, simply to safely fulfill a contact?
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But she did still wish for it-- Falling in love, getting married, for having children. Even if the closest thing she has now is this, ironically enough...]
I promised I would get you to Goka... and you already gave my boss half the money...
[He asks if she will do it "simply" to fulfill her contract, but that's not simple at all... But even if it was... Konoha smiles somewhat wryly, her thumb running along the handcarved sheath of her dagger.]
I guess I should be asking you the same... Would you pose as the husband of a centaur guide, just to do a pilgrimage?
[Trying to project a stronger sense of confidence, not wanting him to feel awkward or guilty over something she'd proposed so suddenly and just hoped would work... She lets out a tiny laugh, only slightly nervous.]
We could, ah, compare which makes the more difficult lifestyle for a spouse, after a while... ?
[An itinerant priest or a local guide? That might be a close one...]
I don't think we should have to do much... Plains centaurs aren't that affectionate in public outside breeding season, so as long as we just exchange the right items and stay in the same room... Once I coach you on some of the customs, it should be believable enough...
[So... Konoha offers him the dagger again, a bit closer and easier to take.]
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I would do whatever my journey required of me. And I will, [is what he says. And he reaches out again, accepting the knife carefully, like a holy and irreplaceable relic. He spends a moment appreciating the details carved into its sheath and handle, then secures it to his belt alongside the small, ivory-handled knife that is currently the only other blade visible on his person.
He wasn't lying when he implied that there was no item that a Taldan wife would be expected to wear to signify her marriage to him—he's no titled aristocrat, to bestow rank upon his spouse that would need to be displayed in some way. But the ruse will be more convincing if he provides her with a visible token of some kind to show her connection to him. His hand moves to a small, disused pouch hanging at his side, speaks a word that is neither Tien nor Taldane, and flicks it open to withdraw a heavy gold ring bearing the image of a two-headed eagle.]
See if this will fit you.
[He rolls it into his palm and extends his hand in offer, looking mildly apologetic.]
And then… we can see about the rest.
no subject
But- It was fine! Sha Gozen had married a human, and so Konoha knows her job isn't in any danger. That was the most important thing. And she... Once he leaves, she could maybe pretend that he had gone on another pilgrimage far away to anyone who might inquire, or she could follow custom and blacken the grip of her marriage dagger to mark herself as a widow once again available. There were options. ... And all of them were preferable to a man getting kidnapped or dying. She doesn't want to make him feel guilty for that, when she's been the one to propose it in the first place.
So she surrenders her knife. Her fingers do linger just a touch overlong, but she releases it into his care anyway, and is reassured by how delicately he handles it. Her hands curl empty without it as she watches him work some little spell on the pouch at his side, and then she has something to hold again. It's heavier than she thought it would be... and so fancy seeming? Maybe it was his emergency funds... The eagle was... Abadar, she thinks? That made sense...]
... Does this look right?
[She's never worn a ring before. But it slipped not too loose and not too tight down the middle finger of her left hand, where she guesses it might be less likely to get damaged or interfere with her movements. From there, she holds out her hand as if to display it, turning her wrist over to show off both sides.]
no subject
Hmm, it fits you quite well.
[He repeats the word from before, almost absently, then reaches out to take her hand gently in his. Callused fingertips brush over the heavy gold band, probing to see if it's liable to slip. The thought of its sliding off and getting lost makes him feel uneasy, but the ring seems unlikely to go anywhere in its present location.]
It looks good on you. I hope it's not too ostentatious.
[He's opted to stow his other rings for now—even the magical ones, which he feels a bit naked without. This one is one of the more exquisitely made rings in his collection, but none of them are exactly humble-looking; thus their current home in one of his pouches, out of sight.]
I thought the two-headed eagle would best signify a connection, since it's Abadar's creature. How does it feel?
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- There's that word again? She almost asks, but.
Oh. His hands were... She mistook it for smoothness, almost, but no. It's a faint chill, like his lips had felt. She really... His circulation must be so poor, she'd have to try and make sure they stayed places along the way that were warmer.]
I think this ring would look good on anyone... It's very handsome.
[Those might not quite be the right adjectives, but Taldane wasn't the easiest language to learn. Obediently, she surrenders her hand and the fit of the jewelry to his inspection, wanting it inspected to make sure everything was fine when... by the looks of it, the ring was likely worth more than she made in months. Maybe even a year. Or two. Cautiously, she flexes her fingers in the cup of his hand, alternating between a slow fist and a splay of her digits, noting how... incongruous it looked, such a fine thing on the calloused, slightly scarred hand of a woman who obviously made her living in manual labor and harsh environments. But maybe that was fine... Just like with her dagger, it made it more believable, in a weird way. What man would entrust such a fine thing to a centaur guide just for a ruse?]
I'm not used to this sort of thing, but I don't think it will get in the way... and I'll- I'll be much careful with it, I promise.
[If she expected such for her dagger, the least she cold do is treat his false gift the same... And, just because she doubts she'll ever see something this fine again, certainly not on her... Konoha does accidentally take a moment just to look at it, admiring the glint on the metal and how detailed the eagle looked. The craftsmen who made it must be so skilled...]
... Oppara must be such a shiny place...
[She's just heard stories.]
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Not to mention, the less contact she ends up having with his skin, the better.]
Ah… You've probably heard it called the Gilded City, yes?
[Liem's business-like expression brightens slightly at the mention of his home city. It's a constant in speaking with him that the topic seems to consistently put him in a pleasant mood.]
It's been a very long time since the buildings were actually gilded, but the city is still quite beautiful. And there's still certainly plenty of glitter to be found.
[On artworks, in shining marble and glass, adorning Oppara's aristocracy. He didn't really appreciate the full extent of the city's beauty until he began travelling, but Liem hasn't yet seen it's equal, even since leaving Taldor's borders. Although some of the things he's spied in Tian Xia have come close.]
This knife you've lent me is also quite beautiful. I promise to take proper care of it while you're letting me keep it.
no subject
Mmm...
[So she nods. Gilded... glitter... A last look at the shining gold now adorning her finger that looked to her like a pretty convincing troth. Curling her fingers back inwards, she lowers her hands, unable to stop them from fussing just a little at the hem of her waist sash as she smiles again.]
Please do... I have the best marriage knife in my province, pretty sure... My father is a woodworker, but he's getting on in years, I don't know if he could make another one as good if something happened to it...
[Maybe a lot of women think that about their own knives and make similar brags... But Konoha sounds pretty confident, even if it was just to cover her doubts, hoping that this plan she's come up would work. It would work. They could make it work. And if they were lucky, they wouldn't have to fall back on it much at all... It would be just in case.]
Father-
[No, she should... She should practice calling him as a wife would, or she might mix things up by accident and ruin something.]
... Liem. You rest here for today. I wasn't finished shopping for supplies, so I'll go get those and bring back some dinner with me, alright? I'll get a blanket and sleep on the floor or sleep standing, you take the bed.
[He's the paying customer, to start with... and she's the one who'd started this whole marriage ruse. Admittedly, this was a room for centaurs, so the bed is more of a thickly stuffed pallet than a proper framed bed, but. It was decently comfortable despite how it might look to someone used to finer things in life.]
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[Liem agrees willingly with her assessment of the knife's artistry, despite his own lack of practical knowledge about craft work. He's no more than a man who appreciates beautiful things, but Konoha's pride in her father's work is enough for him. In any case, the value inherent in an object like this one is mostly cultural. The artistry involved in the piece makes no difference to his intention to take care with it regardless.
In contrast, he frowns when she speaks next, objections crowding visibly into his expression. He dislikes relegating Konoha to the floor so he can take a bed he'll hardly even benefit from; it isn't as though he ever sleeps the night through, even in comfortable circumstances.
He also isn't inclined to hide indoors when he still hasn't learned the answers to any of his questions. The trouble is, he already said that he'd ducked into that tavern to rest in the shade. It would only be suspicious to insist on going back out, and probably foolhardy in the extreme if he slipped out by himself after she left.
He masters his frown with an effort, giving her a small nod.]
Very well. I'll stay out of sight here.
[Her job will be easier without a foreign man to tow around, in any case.]
Take whatever time you need.
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She's observed him enough, so far on their journey... to have asked for no sauce and spice on his. She ate the rest of her two stomachs' fill while she was out, so he wouldn't feel any pressure, and after arranging some things for the next mornings' departure... she bids him goodnight, and backs herself into a corner of the room, locking up her knees and crossing her arms beneath her breasts, letting her chin dip down and her eyes close to fall into the light sleep of a creature able to rest standing.
Their first hurdle as "husband" and "wife"... comes quite early, when they leave the inn the next day only to find that one of the two centaurs who had accosted them the previous day was hanging around in wait. ... And not to take revenge. It becomes quite awkward quite quickly, when it seems that the stallion had a vested interest in knowing if a relationship like there's was actually possible, something unrequited and suppressed in his own desires. Thankfully... they fake their way through it, and Konoha can't help, in the end, wishing their former "enemy" luck in his pursuits.
They have luck themselves, along the road. It isn't high season, and there is not so much traffic to contend with just yet. They make good time at first, with hired cart part of the way, a ferry crossing, and then back to foot travel, slow and steady, camping under the stars in tents along the way. In fact, Konoha even starts to think they might make it to the next inn without incident beyond a few odd looks... until, having to take a detour in the wake of a flash flood having washed a road out, the rockier terrain ends with a bit of a twist and a sharp stone lodged in her hoof. A hoofpick and a bit of help from Liem dislodges it, but...
It's aching a little more than she'd like by the time they made it to the city, and then to their lodging. She doesn't try to hide it, but she also doesn't complain, still evaluating... But, perhaps she won't sleep standing tonight. The floor would be kinder on her fetlocks. Setting down her supplies, she gives a long, self-indulgent stretch, both arms arching above her head and rump twitching as she cracks her neck left and right, letting out a low sigh.]
We still made decent time with all that... So far so good!
[They'd even managed to avoid most conversations about their relationships, not too many lies needed with knife and ring on open display, and thanks to her updated map they'd avoided more openly hostile tribes (as of yet)...]
Do you mind if I use the bath after you, Liem... ? I'll just soak my legs.
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He is bothered, though, by essentially robbing Konoha of the chance to sleep in an actual bed on the rare occasion that they reach an inn to spend the night in. They have to share a room, of course; it would be tremendously suspicious not to. But trying to suggest that she let him sleep on the floor instead of her is a non-starter. The long days under the sun and his inconsistent sleeping habits leave him looking permanently tired, no matter how peaceful their nights are. He looks like a man who needs to be tucked into bed for a proper rest for a change, instead of making do with a bedroll on a clear patch of ground.]
Not at all. I'm sure they must need it.
[Hanging up his hat and cloak, Liem glances down at her leg, wondering how badly her hoof is paining her. Walking on it for hours on end surely hasn't done her any favours. He's already not in the habit of taking long, leisurely baths, but he makes a private note to be extra brisk today.]
I'll be quick.
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Aha, yeah...
[Until she's determined exactly how bad it might be, she just gives a little laugh and agrees. Her legs might need it.]
But there's no need to rush, or anything... I need to rearrange some supplies, anyway! You should soak...
[After the maid is summoned to start the tidy little fire and re-heat the water in the large but simple jinba-sized tub in the corner of the room, she arranges herself in the way that would best offer modesty for him, putting her back to the bath and trying to focus on supplies instead of how easy it was for her keen senses to pick up things like rustling clothing and lapping water.
Her tail swishes gently across the floor as she keeps her hands busy, stuffing heavy packs that she carried on her back with new supplies from this outpost, taking longer than needed to pack everything as tightly and efficiently as possible. But silence is... Well, she was comfortable enough with it, but she ends up not being able to help herself...]
Is the water nice... ?
[The inn had changed hands since she last came through this route, so- It was... worth asking...]
I heard that Goka has whole bathhouses that use water that springs from the earth hot... and some of them have healing properties, even!
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The tub is large enough that he's very nearly swimming in it, only his head and shoulders rising above the water's surface although his posture is as straight as ever. Though he expects she isn't looking his way, Liem sits with his back to her, his glasses resting nearby to be put back on once he's ready to get out. He hasn't allowed her so much as a glimpse of his eyes since they started travelling together; when asked about the habit, he'd said it was a personal preference, and left it at that.]
Does it?
[Of the things Liem has gone out of his way to learn about Goka, the quality of its bathhouses has not been a feature.]
That sounds enjoyable. I've heard of such places, but never been.
The water's still quite nice, though you may want the maid to heat it again before you get in, if you want a proper soak.
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That's what I heard, anyway!
[She chirps back a cheery answer as she folds a rain cape into the smallest shape possible. If someone asked her why her "husband" wore shaded glasses all the time, what should she say... ?]
There are springs near my home village, actually, but you have to worry about snakes and leeches... I'd definitely go to a nice clean inside bathhouse if there was one...
[It occurs to her to ask something else, then, and without thinking she just turns her head to do so, because obviously you just looked at the people you were asking things, but-]
They don't have them in...
[His back is to her, and the tub meant for jinba is so large that it's not like she sees anything untoward, but Konoha is actually shocked by what she sees anyway. He'd described his work only vaguely, yes, but with his weakness in the sun and how he always seemed so tired, she had just assumed it was something sedentary and scribe-like, nothing that would... require a lean, muscular back much more like that of an archer or lancer.
Oh. Liem is... fit?
And Konoha forgets to finish her sentence or respond about the maid until it's been far too obviously long.]
... Oppara?
[Maid, right, she should... grope for the cord near the door that calls the maid...]
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