Blood & Carrots - Memoirs Ep. 06

"So uh... yeah, if I focus my healing, I can keep from hurting you when we touch, and uh... I can even heal the wounds I caused or other ones. This is how Lorelai and I were able to uh... do things." He offered me a small grin before removing his hand to settle back, sitting on his knees so we were at eye level.

I gave a small nod and then smiled as I rubbed my own arm. "I knew this confession might hurt me, but I wasn't expecting that kind of pain from it." I laughed at myself as if that was the only thing I could think to do in this moment.

"Heh... that's a good one. I'm really sorry for hurting you, Jennifer, I hope you're not upset about it." He frowned and rested his hands on his knees.

"N-No, it was an accident, and you healed it, no big deal!" I clenched my teeth, feeling myself growing nervous again. On top of that, he was right here, right on me, and he smelled so good, better than I remembered.

"So... talk to me?" He smiled and tilted his head, again looking cuter than he had any right to be. The only thing that would make it worse is if-

I glanced around his side to see that silky-looking black tail wagging about. Of course, his tail was wagging... I rubbed my face and shivered before cracking a finger to look out at him, my eyes no doubt red now as my heart was pounding. "Uh... why are you so cute right now?! I can't think straight!"

Ryder lifted his ears at that and laughed. "Oh uh... sorry about that, here hang on!" He ruffled his hair up to make it look more sloppy, then looked at me with half his lip bit and one eye cocked wider than the other that was squinted. "Hoews thisss?" He hissed out through his half-open mouth.

My eyes widened at the absolutely ridiculous-looking sight of this divine knight making such a silly face and couldn't help but squeak out in a fit of giggles. I turned away and then looked back to see him just still there holding the face, snorting out another laugh as my tail coiled.

"Heh..." He quickly raked his fingers through his hair to bring it back to some sort of semblance and I peaked over at him with a small grin, seeing he was looking normal again and it was safe to turn around, might heart lighter feeling but still pounding at the sight of him.

"Okay... okay, I-" He quickly made the face again as I tried to get serious and I just snorted through my nose again before busting out in another laugh. "A-Asshole! Stop it! Ha ha!" I grinned and shoved at his shoulder, the angel giving me a playful smile, having no doubt seen me moving in and using his prayers.

"Alright, Alright, sorry Jen, I'll behave, so what's up?" He chuckled out and my ears perked at him just calling me, 'Jen'. I hated that, Jeremy knew he'd get punched in the face if he called me that while we were fighting, but for some reason, it didn't make me angry when he did it.

"Ah... heh... Yeah, I mean what can I say? I think I fell in love with you that time you saved us. Not just saved us but avenged my friend. Then you saw us safely on our way to our Lady. I knew in that moment, I had found someone that had a part of my heart that only my brother shared." I just laid it out there, blinking into his blue eyes, the fox just nodding.

"You know, us celestials, we have a problem, Jen. A well-documented problem I might add, not some outlying issue." I tilted my head curiously as he spoke and I realized my hands were still on his shoulders.

"Yeah? What's that?" I frowned as he drew just a little closer, biting my lower lip at his proximity.

"We sense emotions, we even harmonize with them if we match up with how the other being feels." He cut his eyes to me and offered a playful grin. "If you fall in love with a celestial and earnestly express it, we may start to reciprocate it. That's what they say anyway."

I squeaked out and blushed harder, feeling my nails dig into his shoulders as my heart pounded. "Ah... ah... S-so you're saying, you're not mad at my confession? You're not going to uh... reject me?"

A surprisingly deep growl bubbled up in his throat as his eyes grew sharper. "Reject you? Jennifer, I'm resisting the urge to kiss you right now..."

My eyes widened as I shuddered a little before moving my hand to his cheek, blinking into his blue eyes. "Y-You want to kiss me, Ryder?"

"Of course I do, how can I not after what you've said?" He growled again, his nose moving to touch my own as we were nearly there already.

"I- I..." My teeth showed in a snarl as I shook my head and just threw my arms around him, shoving my mouth to his own as he gave me a cute yip at the sudden kiss. His lips were so soft and then I felt his tongue come forth, my own happy to meet it. I couldn't help but groan as I finally got to taste my knight in shining armor, both my hands moving up into his hair, rubbing those large dark ears.

He broke away from my lips with a soft gasp and bit his lower lip, both our eyes meeting as I panted in his face, still rubbing at those large vulpine ears. "Erm... they're a bit sensitive, so careful with them, Jen..."

I nodded and bit my own lip as I kept rubbing them, then moved in, kissing along his jaw and throat, huffing against it as my tongue dragged up it, feeling the heavy thrum of his pulse. Of course, my mind went right there, even though I just wanted to kiss and smell him. Then I squeaked out as he tilted his head, offering his throat to me. "You may, if you desire it, my mouse."

My heart slammed into my throat as he called me his mouse, then my sharp teeth showed as my fingers dug into his hair and jerked him closer, snarling savagely. "Gods fucking yes I desire it!" I squeaked out and then drove forward, but I hesitated at the last moment, my sharp canines just pressing at his soft flesh as if my heart didn't want this to be a factor right now.

"Why do you hesitate? Isn't it something you want?" He leaned back and tilted his head as I bit my lower lip and shook my head.

"I... of course, I want that Ryder, it's what I am, it's what I crave but uh..." I hissed through my teeth as I rubbed my arm. "Come on... you know how that works... I start feeding, lose myself, then it's the hunger having all the time with you, not ... me?" I sighed and shook my head. "I've thought about you many many times, but never to feed upon."

"Ah, sorry for making it awkward for you, Jennifer." He straightened up and smiled at me again as I bit my lower lip, then he offered me a small smile. "So what sorts of things have you thought about with me?"

I couldn't help but squeak out and brush my fingers over my own lips, still tasting him there before I gave him a fussy glare. "Ryder... you're being kind of mean to me right now, you know this yes?"

"I'm just being playful, Jen. You'll have to get used to that if you want to spend time with me. I can't always be some stoic guardian." He offered me a childish grin, then my ears and tail sprang up as I frowned, seeing him stand up. Had I squandered my chance now, was he leaving?

"Ah... are you, going already, Ryder?" I whispered out, feeling like I may have missed the pace of the situation, maybe he really did just want things to go carnal and passionate, but I was worried he'd think less of me for just-

"I'm just worrying about that sunrise and you, Jen." He spoke out earnestly as I looked into the distance, the sky growing more orange and less blue by the second. He was right, I couldn't stay out here much longer, but I also didn't want to end our time together.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Ryder. Uhm..." I rubbed my arm and frowned. I didn't want to go back to the house, I wanted to spend time with him, and not have to hide in the shadows to do it, but what other options did I have?

"Hey... you wanna go on like... a little date with me?" He called out with a small grin.

"A... date? You want to go on... a date? With... me?" I pointed to myself, feeling a little silly at the questions.

"Yeah! I uh... hmm..." He folded his arms and thought about it for a moment, then perked his ears. "Hey! Silverpaw has a gate nearby, would you like to visit the Citadel? We could even say hi to a few of the angels you fought beside during that whole thing over helping me."

I blinked a few times and put a hand to my hip as I smiled. "You're wanting to take me to heaven, Ryder?"

"It's not like... Heaven per se, Jennifer. It's just like a city where all the celestials hang out, it's like our headquarters."

I nodded and looked at the horizon with a sigh, then looked back at him. "I've been told the whole place is bathed in light, wouldn't I just get killed upon entry?"

"Oh no, it's not that kind of light, you might get dizzy for a moment before I could get you some protection setup, but nothing super harmful, I promise... You... wanna go?" He showed me a grin, his wings spreading a little, and offered me his hand.

"Sure, Ryder... take me to Heaven for a date then." I scoffed back with a grin and put my palm in his, then gave a loud squeak as he drew me right against his chest. I cried out in utter shock, clinging to him hard as he just took off into the sky just like that.

"Crap crap crap! Don't fly too high or you're gonna make the sun come over the..." I gasped as we seemed to just slip into a gate, then I groaned, feeling dizzy as if I had a weight on my shoulders. We were on solid ground again and my eyes hurt, the whole area very bright as I took a knee, feeling like I was ready to throw up.

"Here here, take this, Jen. I had to be here at the Citadel to summon it." Ryder quickly thrust the handle of a small black parasol into my hand. The instant I touched it, I felt the nausea and crushing weight pass. I blinked up at him on my knees, seeing him bathed in sunlight for the first time.

As I composed myself I could see clearly his large wings shimmered in the light, flecks of gold in the feathers along with his dark hair. I'd noticed them before, but never realized how shiny they were. I gave a little labored grunt as I found my boots once more, slinging the parasol over my shoulder. "So... this isn't the real sun?"

"No, the citadel is bathed in light at all times, but it's the divine light similar to what we can summon." He explained and I frowned, having been on the receiving end of it a few times. Lorelai and company weren't the only ones that had their tribulations they had gone through, and me and brother had faced a few high-powered celestials ourselves over the years.

"Ah yes, well... this parasol will keep me safe then?" I cut my red eyes up to it, then back to the angel.

"Yes, you need not be under its shade, just holding it is sufficient. You could even fold it closed and tie it to your belt if you wish, just having it nearby will suffice." I nodded at his words and did just that, folding it and using the small loop at the end to feed it through my belt. I glanced up as I saw him intently watching me unbuckle my belt, then rehook it after feeding the folded parasol through it.

"Well well, I thought I sensed your presence return to the Citadel, brother," A deep boisterous voice filled the air as a moment later a very large angel landed beside us. I'd of course seen him before, he was there at the pivotal battle I participated in, Ezekiel.

"Oh, we have company?" He snarled and looked down upon me, easily twice my height, his eyes shifting to red as if trying to place me. I wasn't surprised, he had met many of our kind and that was a frantic time, to say the least.

After a moment he perked his ears and flicked his tail a few times. "Ah yes, Lady Silverpaw, uh... Jennifer wasn't it? Welcome to the Citadel, my sister."

I showed him a small grin, tucking some of my brown-blonde hair behind my ear to look up at him. "Thank you, brother, I trust you are well with your other family these days?" I shifted into my council voice, a part of me happy to have a fellow family member before me, even if he was adopted as it were.

"I am. I try to split my time between here and with my Bloodstone family, but being an Archangel, Citadel business keeps me close at hand usually." He chuckled and then rubbed his chin as he looked at me, then at Ryder, then back to me. "So, what brings you here?"

Ryder frowned as if he hadn't processed the ramifications of my meeting others before looking over at me. I simply gave him a nod to do as he pleased. He offered the lion a grin and shrugged. "Well, Ezzy... uh... Jennifer and I are on a date, and I wanted to show her around the Citadel, seeing as the sun was rising at her home."

The lion scoffed at the fox and grinned. "Ry... what am I gonna do with you, man?" He laughed and then met my eyes as he smirked. "I won't assume you don't already know this guy's track record, but if he disrespects you, sister, let me know and I'll pop him one." Ezekiel clenched his massive fist and winked at me as I grinned.

"Alright, brother, I'll be sure to remember that!" I squeaked out playfully as he turned from us.

"Hey, go check out Rajam's mead hall, better stuff than you'll ever find in the mundane world." He called out casually before just stepping into a gate and was gone.

I grinned and shook my head. "He forgets alcohol does nothing for my kind, eh?"

Ryder smiled and shook his head, "Doesn't do anything for him either now, but he still has a glass of mead every night."

"So... where to?" I looked up at him and showed my sharp teeth.

"Good question, it's not like the citadel is a tourist destination, I just was making an excuse to spend time with you!" Ryder barked out a laugh and I blushed at that, biting my lower lip.

"You... were making reasons to stay with me?" I stepped closer and gripped his hand, the fox quickly reacting and focusing his prayers no doubt.

"Yeah, I mean... you confessed how you felt, and I didn't want the sun to ruin things, but I also wanted to spend some time with you, so..." His fingers squeezed my own and I felt my heart thrum back into motion as he pulled me along. "Shall we just walk around and I'll show you some of the sites?"

"I'd like that, but uh... will anyone be upset with a vampire walking around out here?" I tilted my head.

"Alice and Lorelai constantly come to visit, and our people are enjoying a stronger peace than we've ever had. I'm sure a few holdouts might fuss, but they'd never openly accost you about it, Jen." He poked his nose up as he walked with me, and I couldn't help but blush, it felt like he was showing me off.

He spent the next hour or so casually walking the Citadel with me, showing me the historical buildings, some of the taverns, and even parts of the military compound. It was a very lovely place and seeing things bathed in sunlight, even if artificial, was still wondrous after having gone centuries without seeing things in such a way. Still, the most beautiful sight was seeing him in that light, his eyes just sparkled when he looked at me and my heart just stayed in motion the whole while.

"And now we're back at the courtyard where we began. It wasn't a long tour, but I hope you enjoyed it." He showed me a small grin as I offered my own.

"It was lovely, and I thank you for taking the time to show me, to... be with me." I had to avert my eyes from his at that, feeling my heart flutter again.

"Of course, I wanted to show you a nice time, Jen!" He barked out and then his ears perked as he snapped his jaws together and I watched his tail fluff out slightly. I frowned at his posture, seeing he suddenly was on edge.

"What troubles you, Ryder?" I asked, but had my answer right away as I felt the sudden presence of another angel behind me. My ears perked as I realized it was none other than Rachel, his lover.

"Ryder, I thought I sensed your presence, I didn't expect you back until-" The vixen perked her brown ears and looked down to see me standing there, I blinked up at her and then quickly composed myself, shifting into my council mentality.

"Lady Rachel, it's a pleasure to see you again." I put a hand on my hip, nodding at her.

"Ah... Lady Silverpaw, what brings you to the citadel? Are your brother and family well?" She also seemed to shift into a professional mentality before me.

"They are well, thank you for asking." I shifted my eyes to Ryder who looked surprisingly nervous about this particular exchange, then again I'd heard the stories about him and Rachel. I shifted a hand to my hip, my other brushing a lock of hair out of my eyes as I looked up at the Vixen. "As to why I'm here... may I shoot straight with you, Rachel?"

She tilted her head and I watched her eyes shift to gold before she nodded, "That'd be best, please."

I offered her a smile, I had heard about the whole 'seer' thing, and I knew there wouldn't be any beating around the bush with this. "Ryder saved me and my brother centuries ago, so you're most likely aware of, well..." I met her eyes, my own red as I huffed out, "I confessed my love for him, so now we are here, on a date as it were, seeing as the sun was rudely interrupting our time."

Rachel nodded her head and huffed out, "Ah, I see I see... Well, we are celestial and we do have that effect. You were... mundane at the time, correct?"

"I was, yes." I gave a nod.

"And you are how old if I may ask?" Rachel tilted her head, her eyes slowly returning to blue.

My tongue clicked in thought. "Uh... around six centuries give or take."

"My, such a long time to hold that flame to your heart. You must love Ryder very much, Jennifer." Rachel frowned and pushed a hand to her chest, clasping her rosary.

I couldn't help but bite my lip and frown at that. "Does it... upset you, Lady Rachel?"

The vixen lifted her ears and then shook her head with a smile. "Jennifer, my fox has another that loves him very much, why would this be cause for me to be angry? Life is so much better with love as my sister Gloria likes to say. No, my sister, I do not harbor any negative feelings over this."

My tension eased as I nodded slowly. "T-Thank you for that... One of the reasons I was afraid to say anything, was I didn't want to disrupt what he already had, you know?"

"No worries, Jennifer. So long as Ryder does not neglect me, or put our own time on hold for his other lovers, I am content." Rachel shifted her gaze to the other fox, folding her arms as her wings flapped a few times.

"Rachel... you know I'd never do that to you in a million years!" Ryder quickly barked out and stepped over to the other angel, I bit my lip as they pushed right into a kiss there before me, the vixen even clearly parting her lips to allow her tongue and his to tease for a few moments before pulling away.

"My apologies for the display, Jennifer, that was not a statement, just me eager for the fox whom I love." Rachel gave a small bow and smiled at me as nodded.

"It's... it's okay, Rachel. I understand and took no offense, Thank you for being so understanding about this!" I squeaked out quickly and offered a small bow to her, knowing keenly were she to put her foot down, this would all be over before it began.

"Well, love... enjoy your time with your cute little mouse." Rachel growled and then looked down at me. "Jennifer, come to call sometime, we will have tea and get to know one another." She frowned at her offer then nodded, "Ah, I will have a proper drink ready for you instead of tea actually, but the offer is extended all the same."

"Thank you, Rachel! I'll happily come to spend time with you, I need to get out of my house more often anyway." I eagerly returned the sentiment as the angel gave me a brilliant smile that made my heart thump once more, seeing the celestials just had that effect sometimes.

Ryder gave a small sigh of relief as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really sorry about that, I uh... wasn't sure how she'd handle it..."

"Yet you brought me here, knowing full well she was here? Ryder, were Rachel to have opposed this, I would have respected her wishes, you must understand I do not want to destabilize your life or be a source of theatrics."