Elan Pt. 09 - Enchantress

"So do you! You're so agreeable. Although, I always knew you were, too," the elf giggled, sticking her tongue out a half-inch from her lips. Alanna giggled in reply to her playfulness.

"Go easy on him while I'm away, alright?" Alanna said somewhat mischeviously. Casiama nodded atop the enchantress's shoulder, and they remained in each other's embrace for another minute.

Alanna eventually released herself, and gripped Casiama's shoulders. The girl lost her smile. "There's one more thing you need to know... something I realized yesterday," Alanna said seriously. "He won't have the heart to end her, Cass. I can feel it."

Casiama nodded, and replied confidently. "That's fine. I will from a hundred yards, Alanna. I swear to you."

Alanna gazed into the elf's thin eyes, and nodded after a moment. "I know. And you'll come see me soon?" she asked confidently, referring to both Talos and her.

"We will," Casiama promised.

"And bring him back to me whole?"

"I will," Casiama promised.

Alanna smiled sweetly. "Good," she said, then waved Talos over. The man ambled as slowly as possible over the checkered tile, yet eventually arrived nevertheless.

"Hey," she said when he neared, getting a light nod from him. "Soo, this is going to sound crazy, Talos, but..." Alanna suddenly decided the ground was a better place to look than at him, and her cheeks reddened significantly.

"Um, never mind!" she exclaimed instead. "See you both in a couple months?"

Talos kept an eyebrow raised, and Casiama stepped away from the enchantress so she could port. "Yeah. Be safe, Alanna," he said warmly with a nod.

Alanna placed a hand over her pendant, but she did not quite invoke it just yet. Her eyes shot back to his. "I'll be fine, Talos. It's you I worry about," she replied with a half-smile. "Don't do anything too stupid, okay?" For I'll never forgive you if you do.

"Hmph," Talos huffed. "We reeeally have to talk about this whole 'I-can't-stop-you-from-reading-me' thing," he scoffed with arms outstreched. The enchantress giggled mischievously, and shrugged her shoulders.

"Let's... agree to save that for later, okay? I promise I'll explain it when next we meet," she replied sweetly. "It's nothing malicious, I assure you."

"But-"

"See you soon, Talos," Alanna promised with an enchanting smile.

"... Yeah. Sure, Alanna. Looking forward to it," he replied instead.

Alanna invoked the pendant around her neck, which shone a gentle purple light at her touch. She was soon enveloped by a bright flash of purple light, which slowly danced away from her like fire before being sucked back towards her a half-second later. With that, she was gone.

Talos gazed where Alanna had just been for several heartbeats until he shook himself to the present once more. He wrapped an arm around Casiama's shoulder, and the pair took their time returning to the city.

"So, what were you two talking about?" he asked the swaying, willowy beauty in his arm. Casiama smiled, gazing at the clearing sky above as they walked.

"We're friends now. I was only wishing her and the babe luck from the Lady," she replied coyly.

"You're lying to me Cass," he accused. The elf's grin brightened, and she rested her head on his shoulder.

"I am."

Talos cleared his throat, taken aback by her admission. "And?"

"Oh, it's no concern of yours, my love," she lied through her teeth.

"Don't make me beg, I implore you princess," he chided sarcastically. Casiama shook her head quickly with pursed lips.

"It won't matter if you do. It's a secret," she replied childishly.

He knew it had all been suspicious. Talos smirked, then just kept quiet instead of asking of it further. He knew Casiama too well; her mind would race, wondering what he could possibly be thinking of, until she gave in on her own accord.

Casiama was already glancing at him with concern after one minute of silence. Attempts at conversation were made after three minutes. After five, she gave up with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine, do you really want to know, Talos?"

"Eh, I guess," he replied nonchalantly, smirking.

"Well... Alanna and I... agreed that you're a bad lover," the elf giggled into her hand, "at least, during the day," she added.

"Whaaat," Talos exaggerated, then huffed somewhat haughtily. "That's not true. I'm at least middling."

Casiama giggled again, shaking her head. "Nope. We agreed on bad."

Huh. He could see Alanna saying it, sure. But her?

"How'd you reason that?" he asked with a thumping heart. Casiama skipped away from his grasp then, twirling in front of him so she was walking backwards. She held her hands behind her back innocently, and her face held a calming smile and just a hint of blushed cheeks.

"Well, you rarely ever compliment either of us. Girls appreciate that, Talos. Considerably."

Yeah. Seemed reasonable enough, he figured.

"Alanna told me you think of compliments all the time. But I never get to hear those, and I really wish I could. I can only imagine what wonderful things you think of me. Besides that... well, you rarely ask us for our opinions, even though we're... we're damn fine sorceresses, you know?"

Talos smirked at the last expression. Casiama was already losing herself and using human phrases adorably, which made her all the more attractive to him.

"Only you, Talos, would assume that your ideas are more just than those of two learned sorceresses. Admittedly, you are always correct, but..." Casiama trailed off, clearing her throat. She couldn't hold eye contact with him for what she thought of next.

"But worst of all, is that you treat love as if it's predestined to fail. You led me on for days back in the Borderlands, even though I had no chance to be with you, all while Alanna was forced to hear and read of everything you said or thought. She forgave me yesterday for how I responded to you, saying she couldn't blame me for your actions."

"She blames me. I know. She... told me that much," Talos said with a hint of irritation.

"But doesn't it make sense? If you were a good lover, you would have told me no, should have told me no. I even asked you that very thing, and yet you still led me on."

"That... I didn't act like that because of some disbelief in love," Talos weakly justified. "I truly loved and love you, Cass."

The elf smiled at the mention, although she was still looking away from him. Talos rarely told her those three words.

"I know. As did I and will always, Talos. And yet, after thinking about it... I realized I would have probably murdered you in your sleep had I been her."

Talos gulped audibly. "That's, uh... good to know, Cass."

"You and I got mad at her for being jealous. After... after all of that."

Talos didn't have a response worth mentioning, and kept silent. Casiama's gaze probed him after a moment, and she frowned.

"Sorry. This is too much," she said with raised brows.

"Nah," he said gruffly. "It's good. I need to learn."

Casiama shook her head quickly. "No! I swear to the Lady that you needn't, Talos. None of it matters. As ridiculous as it sounds, most of your faults are endearing to us because they're an intrinsic part of who you are. And we're both so very... absolutely in love with that. With who you are. Only the gods know why."

Casiama cleared her throat, then let her sight fall away from his again. She spoke tearfully.

"You don't need my preachings, Talos. The thing I wanted to say... is that when we reach Catriona, I'm going to give you a choice. You can either take responsibility for Alanna's miracle babe and raise him, and I mean truly raise him..."

"Or..." Casiama continued with wet eyes, "or, you can wander. But I will not wander with you. I swore to her that I would not come between you and your son, and I will stand by it. He truly is a miracle, Talos. I know you don't understand that, but for a sorceress it's... this doesn't happen. It's a true gift from the heavens."

His heart pounded in his chest. "Cass... what we have-" he said slowly, before being hushed with a finger pressed against his lips.

"What we have, Talos, will remain yours until the end of time if you stay with her. Alanna knows absolutely that you're still split between us, and instead of forcing you to choose between one side of your heart or the other... I'm... we're... going to share you."

Casiama's eyes met his again, confident now that the weight of secrecy was lifted from her. She sighed happily, smiling at him.

"Wholeheartedly," she added sincerely.

... Oh.