Lance easily ignored the slight irritation she felt as she continued to trudge through the snow, Nolvi continuing to carve a path ahead of them through the snow. It was amazing to see what she was capable of with those dangerous eyes of hers. She'd seen Nolvi blow up Fiend skulls before with those very same peepers, imagine what she could do now that she'd been trained by Lithia? Hopefully she'd be able to pop Kazon's skull in an instant, that way they wouldn't have to worry about fighting him head on. The thought of facing the Lord of Hate in an actual battle nearly turned her legs to jelly, but she soldiered on anyway.
The ones going against that monster were monsters themselves, an entire group of Pillar-Born, not to mention old Theopalu, and Jason himself. It would be an awkward family reunion once they found them all, but Lance was more apprehensive of how the Pillar-Born would react at seeing her again. It wouldn't be good, that was for sure… Lance would be sure to offer her most sincere apology, but she doubted that would make much of a difference.
Twindil may forgive her, but the others, especially Alistair? They would hate her for certain, maybe even try to kill her on sight, depending on if they've begun to go mad. However, based on their surroundings it wasn't likely they would find them any time soon. This massive field was only broken up by the occasional tree, and thus far they'd seen no Fiends, hells, there hadn't even been tracks through the thick snow she could spot. Still, they were all heading toward the same place, if all went well they'd meet at Castle Blackgaze.
"Nolvi." Jason said.
"Muh?" The girl replied, "What is it, cousin?"
"What is an Act of Arrogance?" He asked, "I heard Alistair and Twindil discussing it back in the Pillar-Church, after he destroyed the statue of Ankoriss."
"Ah right, that was just before I left, if I'm not mistaken." Nolvi replied, continuing forward, "I see no harm in telling you, seeing that you already know what we are. An Act of Arrogance is when a Pillar-Born does something brazen or bold, usually going against all sense. For some reason, this empowers us. We get physically stronger, we can draw more Foundation, and so on. Alistair crushing the head of a Pillar-God's statue was incredibly arrogant, and thus he grew that much more powerful."
"Fascinating." Jason said, "Why do your bodies react in such a way, how can they tell when something is 'arrogant' or not, and does this exacerbate any potential symptoms you might have from being Pillar-Born?"
"I'm not sure." Nolvi admitted, "As to why it happens to us, I also don't understand how our bodies know when our actions are arrogant. As for symptoms…" Nolvi trailed off, "I think it quickens the process, as the divine blood grows stronger than the mortal blood in that instant." She explained, "It's not the only way for a Pillar-Born to gain power quickly. If we willingly proclaim ourselves before mortals, we get stronger. From what the angel who first found us said, the more mortals that hear it, the more strength we will attain. If I were to tell one person about my divine parent, I wouldn't grow much stronger at all, but if I were to announce it to a crowd of thousands- I would become exponentially more powerful."
"It must be done by an outside observer," Jason said, "Maybe these angels can affect your biology, and are actively watching you to see if you perform Acts of Arrogance or declare yourself."
Nolvi shrugged, "Maybe, I'm not sure. These things are beyond my ken. I do know that Tuji never proclaimed himself often, but he committed so many Acts of Arrogance that he'd quickly surpassed several other Pillar-Born, including us. I do think that we would have had him easily handled now, but back then? We wouldn't have stood a chance."
Lance didn't like being between the conversation like this, but what was she to do? It was helping make the time pass as well, learning about the Pillar-Born and how they strengthen themselves. If she survived this coming Godling War, she'd be sure this knowledge was passed down, assuming she survived and it didn't get destroyed of course.
"Kid'ka was Tuji's brother, do you think he'll become as strong as him?" Jason asked.
Nolvi nodded, "Absolutely, he'll develop Steel Flesh and be able to Regenerate as well, he may be able to do so right now in fact. I'm not sure."
"Halm has Steel Flesh too. He can't be a Pillar-Born though, given how old he is, so why does he have that ability?" Jason asked.
"He is blessed by Zodd himself, recognized as one of his mightiest champions I'm sure. He was in line to become the next Mouth of Zodd before he came here, so it makes sense that he received a blessing from Zodd." Nolvi said.
"Blessings?" Jason asked, "Can the Pillar-Gods give people abilities like that?"
"Yes they can." Lance chimed in, "It depends on which Pillar you follow and if you've done something to please those Gods."
"They don't just give them out casually. Blessings are given to rare, exceptional individuals." Nolvi clarified, "It's too bad that Zodd didn't bless Halm with Regeneration as well, otherwise he may have been able to bring down Kazon eventually."
Jason paused for a moment before asking, "If Kid'ka's able to regenerate, he may not be able to become a vampire, would he?" Jason asked.
Lance's face scrunched up in wonderment. Why was he even considering that? Being Pillar-Born was a curse enough as it was, stacking vampirism on top of that was just asking for trouble.
"Again, I don't know." Nolvi replied with a sigh, "Grandmother told us already that it might not work at all."
"When was this?" Lance asked, confused.
"Ah, well you were a bit distracted at the time, but Jason and I asked grandmother if vampirism could cure a Pillar-Born of divinity. Surprisingly she didn't seem to know."
Lance drew her lips to a line. By distracted she likely meant frothing with wrath, trying to get at Lithia in any way she possibly could. Had she really been so mad that she hadn't noticed them talking?
"I'm exploring potential options for averting the Godling War." Jason said, "Vampirism was one possible solution, as it would remove mortality."
"I see your logic, but across all the Ages, it had to have been tried before." Lance said, "Right? Though I suppose any vampire-Pillar-Born wouldn't exactly be inclined to come forward to speak of themselves, given their nature."
"Better to be a vampire than a Pillar-Born." Nolvi stated flatly, "I don't want that, but I'd much rather not go mad."
"Fair enough." Lance replied.
"There may be other avenues aside that we can investigate." Jason said, "It will require gathering a lot of intel though, Lance, do you know if Mangwin would have what I'm looking for?"
Lance blinked, "That old elf? Absolutely, he is our Lore-Keeper, we can stop by after we're done here. I'm sure he'd let you read whatever you wish."
"He would." Jason nodded, "He talked my ear off during the Death-Day party, he was a valuable source of intel."
"Terlin also has a healthy collection of books, some partially preserved from the previous ages, but as you know…" Lance hesitated, "He isn't exactly fond of you."
"Then I'll just steal what I need." Jason nodded, "I'll put the books back when I'm done."
Lance hesitated, "Jason, you can't just walk into Terlin's tree and steal his most treasured possessions."
"Why not?" Jason asked, genuinely curious, "With my spells he wouldn't be able to see me."
"He would be able to see that his books are gone." Lance told him.
"I would cast an illusion over whatever books I take." Jason assured her, "It will be fine."
"But what if he goes to read whatever tomes you've pilfered and sees they've been replaced with an illusion?" Lance reasoned.
"He can't do anything about it." Jason said flatly.
"You sound like a bully." Lance noted. "And even if he's not a part of the Harkhall anymore, he's still influential, he has loyal followers that would seek retribution on his behalf."
"They can't prove it was me." Jason said, "I'll just say that a dog ate his books."
Lance turned to goggle at Jason, his face hidden behind his helmet. That had to have been an attempt at a joke, Jason would never say something like that and really think that would work.
"...I'm joking." He told her after a moment, sounding uncertain.
"By the Pillars, you really think that such a plan would work?" She asked, a small smile on her lips.
"Negative.' He replied indignantly, "It was a joke."
She shook her head, "Sure it was."
A low grumbling sound could be heard from the helmet, it seemed she'd struck a nerve. Lance didn't think that her friend would be capable of such silly thoughts. Her friend… Lance turned away from Jason, her smile fading. Could she really still think about him that way after the decision she'd made? He wasn't just a mere friend now, she viewed him as potentially being her future lover.
Just the thought of it scrambled her brain into a fine slurry. When would he realize that Lance viewed him differently, she wondered? She'd thought she had made it fairly obvious when she'd chosen to cling to his arm earlier, but he hadn't made any mention of it whatsoever. It shouldn't be a shock, he was a thick-headed ox of a man who likely couldn't even comprehend romance. Her eyes widened, by the Pillars, what if it needed to be her that initiated? What if Jason never tried to pursue her, no matter what?
If they survived everything, they could live for potentially thousands of years together without a single bit of progress in their relationship… if she left it solely to him, that is. The problem was that she wasn't that much more knowledgeable on the subject then he was. She couldn't just go pick him a bunch of flowers, right? That was a gift women enjoyed, men liked swords, ale, and fighting.
Jason had liked drinking back at Muro's Death-Day, she could get him some wine as a gift, maybe that would be enough? Giving him a sword wouldn't be impressive to him and Jason gets enough fighting in as it is, not that 'fighting' could be a gift she could give. Then again, Jason had said that he found the forest beautiful, perhaps he genuinely would like flowers? The question was, would he see that as a romantic gesture, or just as a gift from a friend?
Well she'd need to figure out something. Lance wasn't going to try and seduce him with her body, like what those hussies tried to do back at the Death-Day celebration. Pearl-clutching prude she may be, but having dignity wasn't something to be ashamed of. It wasn't like seduction would work anyway, he'd already seen every nude inch of her back in those caverns and that hadn't seemed to attract his attention. Did he even find her physically attractive if he hadn't been interested in stealing a glance at anything below the neck?
No, he had to, even if he himself didn't realize it yet. He had just told it to her openly not too long ago, calling her 'gorgeous' and 'beautiful' was proof enough. If Nolvi weren't here, Lance may have tried to ask him openly if he… well, if he liked her body. The thought of it sent blood rushing to her ears again, but Lance just had to know. If she presented him the question, he'd be honest as always, but again she'd not ask this in the presence of others.
Hells, to be honest with herself, she didn't think she'd be brave enough to ask that in private yet. Well, there was nothing to worry about right now, they'd not be alone together again for quite some time. They continued their march through the snow for nearly an hour until finally, they sighted their first Fiend. It stumbled toward them slowly through the snow, barely able to lift its legs as it openly shuddered. Its purplish flesh was split open in a dozen places, its fingers black as tar.
Then it all made sense, this was why there were not many Fiends this far into the Fiendwood. The thought of eternal frostbite would be a strong deterrent, even for the less conscious Fiends. That hadn't stopped this one from coming this way though. As it neared them, Lance sent one of her blades flying with merely a flick of her wrist. The edge bit into the suffering creature's neck, severing its head from its body in one smooth slice. At least this way, the head wouldn't be able to feel the pain in its body, though she had no idea if being headless and buried in snow would be any better.
"You're becoming quite proficient with those." Jason noted, "I'm glad they chose you."
Lance smiled, "Thanks."
They continued on like that for a bit longer, a silence settling over the three of them until once more, Jason had a question.
"Nolvi." Jason said, breaking the silence, "What is The Dream?"
She hesitated, "I don't wish to talk about it."
"We already know that you're Pillar-Born." He told her, "I doubt that the Dream is more critical a secret than that."
Nolvi didn't reply for a long while until eventually, she sighed, "I suppose I will end up having to tell you anyway. Tonight I seek to re-enter the Dream so I can find out where Twindil is."
"How is that possible?" Lance asked.
"When the Goddess Afina ascended to inherit the Pillar of Tranquility, she made a place devoid of madness for Godlings to gather when at rest. It doesn't always happen, but when we Pillar-Born sleep, we sometimes go to The Dream. Other Pillar-Born are usually there as well, so if I can access it tonight, I want to see if I can find Twindil or the others, to let them know that we've escaped as well."
"This is good news." Jason told her, "If you do see them, tell Twindil that we're heading to Castle Blackgaze, and to wait for us before entering."
"Of course." Nolvi replied, "I hope Twindil doesn't scold me for telling you all this."
"I don't see why she would." Lance shrugged, "But you know her better than I."
"I may be overthinking it." Nolvi admitted, "I worry more that she may smother me once we meet again."
"You did vanish." Jason replied, "Twindil clearly loves you like family."
"Twindil is family, remember?" Nolvi pointed out, "As are you, cousin. Do not be surprised if she starts to dote on you as well."
Jason let out an audible scoff, "I will not allow that."
Nolvi giggled, a sound Lance had never heard from the girl before, "She doesn't really give us a choice in the matter."
"I cannot be doted on." Jason insisted in a tone that bordered on pleading, "It is too embarrassing to even consider. I just won't inform her about our relation." He said, steeling his resolve.
"Oh, well in that case I'll tell her instead." Nolvi said casually.
"Why?" Jason asked, sounding both perplexed and annoyed, "What would you get to gain from that?"
"I simply think it would be funny." She told him, "Watching her try to hover over you as she does us."
"Negative, she wouldn't do that." Jason said.
"You'll see…" Nolvi replied before trailing off into silence.
They moved on after that for a long while until suddenly, Jason stopped his march. Nolvi and Lance followed suit, turning to face him as he sat the barrel and bindle down in the snow, turning to face the direction they had come from. Lance's blades unsheathed themselves from her waist, floating into her hands. She peeked out from behind Hoplite, eyes widening as she saw a massive hulking figure running straight for them.
However, she felt no fear as she recognized who it was.
"Halm!?" Lance shouted at the same time Jason eased.
The gigantic Fiend waved a massive hand as he continued to run toward them, "You've gotten out!" He shouted, "I'm glad I found you at last!" He slowed to a stop a few feet before Jason, the purple spiral covered orc smirking. "Good to see you again Hoplite, and is that Nolvi?" He asked, spotting the Pillar-Born, "It is good that you found her, but where is Twindil and the others?"
"It's a long story." Jason told him, "You don't have to address me as Hoplite anymore. My real name is Jason. Besides that, we got separated from the others, but I believe them all to still be alive and heading toward Castle Blackgaze as we speak. The mission is to neutralize Kazon. Are you still wanting to accompany us?"
Halm smirked, "I wouldn't be a Tongue of Zodd if I didn't, I would love to kick Kazon's ass." He nodded, extending a hand to Jason.
Jason stared at Halm's proffered hand for a brief instant before the two shook. She had almost forgotten just how massive the Fiend truly was, towering over Jason by an entire two feet, his hand practically swallowing Jason's gauntlet. They both shook, Halm clapping his hands together excitedly after they broke the shake.
"I cannot wait to see Kid'ka again, that young man has potential to be the next Mouth of Zodd after me. I cannot wait to discuss it with him once we find them." Halm said, "It's good to see you both as well." He said, nodding to Lance and Nolvi, "I'm sure you'll tell me all about your adventures below ground as we walk, but first I need to tell you what I know about Castle Blackgaze."
"You have intel?" Jason asked, sounding interested.
Halm nodded, "I sure do, I'll tell you all about it… uh, how did you clear such a neat path by the way-" He paused, locking eyes with Nolvi, "By the Pillars!" He gasped, taking a step back, "You're a Spiral Queen now!?"
Nolvi nodded, "Among other things, but yes, I am a Spiral Queen. Worry not, I won't speak any prophecies or try to explode your eyes- nothing like that."
Halm let out a sigh of relief, "Well that's good, I wasn't sure if the transformation makes Lithia's descendents evil or not. I'm shocked you would use such powerful abilities on clearing snow though, if you wish, I could take the lead to clear the path-"
Nolvi shook her head, "It is not strenuous for me, I appreciate your offer but I will stay in the lead."
Halm shrugged, "Alright then. Well let's be off, Kazon isn't going to kill himself." He told them, rubbing his hands together eagerly.
Lance and the others turned back around, Halm staying just behind Jason as he began to talk, Nolvi continuing to clear the path ahead of them.
"During my time as Tolak's slave, I spent a good deal of time in and around Blackgaze." Halm explained, tone darkening, "It is a dreadful place of horrible suffering, filled with Kazon's strongest minions, Fiends that are just as if not more powerful than Tolak was. Not that he was a real danger to Jason here, of course." He continued, "Me and Jason can take out the majority of them on our own I'm sure, but not all of them can be bested with might, but I am getting ahead of myself. The first obstacle we will face are the glowing red crystals that surround the castle. They are known as the Crimstolys, and they all emit an intense aura of hate. Getting through them together won't be easy if we don't have Twindil, so we'd have to try to get through it separately-"
"Not at all." Lance said, "We're used to it by now. Haven't you noticed? We aren't at each other's throats and Twindil isn't even here."
"...How did that happen?" Halm asked, "It took me a long time to build up a tolerance to it, and I've been stuck here for hundreds of years."
"Well…" Lance hesitated, "Nolvi, you can tell him if you would like."
"I don't think that-"
"We encountered Lithia the Spiral Queen in the tunnels next to the dwarven city we were captured in." Jason explained, "She built up our tolerance by utilizing a more intense version of what Kazon is doing."
"Oh alright, that makes sense." Halm replied calmly, "What was she like?"
"Annoying." Jason said flatly.
"Hold on." Lance started, tone baffled, "You don't seem surprised by this whatsoever, we met the Spiral Queen herself, and you're acting as if we'd done no more than met a local celebrity."
"I heard about where she was imprisoned before, below the ground somewhere in the Fiendwood. Overheard Tolak speaking about it with the Head Fiends once. Don't misunderstand, I am surprised, but I'm not going to freeze at the mention of her." He explained, "Still though… annoying is not the word I thought would be used to describe her. I always assumed she was terrifying."
"She is." Lance nodded, "But like Jason said she's also horribly crass and irritating. She acts more like a dirty old man groping for tavern maids, rather than a mythical entity."
"Grandmother isn't so bad…" Nolvi complained beneath her breath.
"Grandmother? Oh right, I suppose that makes sense for you to call her that. You are her descendant, after all." Halm said, "But anyway, once we get past the Crimstolys, we have to scale the Black Walls. That, as you no doubt have guessed, won't be easy either."
"How many patrols and do you know their schedules?" Jason asked, "I've learned to make myself invisible, I can neutralize them before we make ingress."
"Huh?" Halm asked, "I thought you were supposed to be an Outworlder?"
"It's complicated." Jason replied, "I'm not as foreign as I thought. Nonetheless, I can cast a few spells now. So schedules?"
"Right, well I'm afraid to say that isn't something I know." Halm replied with a sigh, "They are there, and they don't sleep, but that's all I know."
"Can Kazon sense us approaching in some way?" Lance asked.
"I don't know that either." Halm said apologetically, "I wasn't held in high regard as Tolak's slave, I was looked at as little more than an animal… which at that point of my life, I essentially was."
"Once we get through the Black Walls, what comes next?" Jason asked, "What is the layout?"
"Castle Blackgaze used to be a fortress-city once, so it has everything you can imagine that would be present in any city. It's mostly in ruins, but if we can sneak through it we'll approach the seat of Kazon's power; The Spiral Palace." He explained, "That is where we'll face the most resistance, the strongest Fiends under Kazon, along with the Lord of Hate himself."
"Could you provide us with knowledge about the Fiends we will face there?" Nolvi asked.
"I've seen them all," He began, "There are twelve Head Fiends that are under Kazon, they all reside in the Spiral Palace, we have to get through them before facing off with the Lord of Hate. I only know a bit of what they can do but every bit of knowledge will be critical."
"Twelve Greater-Fiends?" Nolvi asked, "There's only nine of us, assuming we reunite with the others, I hope we're strong enough to face them."
"Nine?" Halm asked, "I thought you numbered eleven, did someone die?"
A prolonged silence stretched out for a while until finally, Jason said, "Michael and Cat are going their own way now. I'd rather not discuss the details."
"Very well my friend, I won't press you. Regardless, that will make the coming battle more difficult for us." Halm sighed, "But we'll still succeed, I'm sure of it. Now, let us discuss the Twelve…"
Halm then began to recount what he could remember about these Twelve Greater-Fiends. First were the Quintuplets, five identical Fiend humans, from what Lance could collect, they operated like a pack of wolves, individually they were dangerous, but working together they were nigh-unstoppable. Each member of the Quintuplets refer to themselves by the same name, being Frunk. Halm had seen them work before, taking down another Greater-Fiend that tried to usurp Kazon by wearing them down with a combination of binding spells and attacks meant to weaken their quarry before finishing them off.
Fighting the Frunks alone was a death sentence, Halm insisted. The next Fiends were Hrogni and his younger brother Loga, Fiends that originated from the cold wastes below the Blastlands. They were both heavy hitters, with Hrogni wielding a massive rune-inscribed black blade and Loga wielding a huge dark shield. Hrogni was a mad attacker that threw everything he had into a fight, without any regard for self-preservation, leaving his calmer brother Loga to defend him.
Then he told them about The Coven, a group of three warty hags that use illusions to wear down the minds of their enemies. They never leave the palace, constantly using illusions to make the interior nearly untraversable. Halm stressed that they should be taken out first if possible, for they can also manifest the deepest fears of whoever they target. If Jason's deepest fear was presented to him, it could paralyze him, given his Draconic nature. If it brought him to the ceiling of the fear he could feel… Lance shuddered to think about it.
Then came the last two, by far the most dangerous of the Twelve according to Halm. The ogre Derga and an elven sorceress called Belaine. Lance had heard of the latter before, she had been a member of the Harkhall, if memory served. Though that was long before Lance had even been born, Belaine was believed to have perished here in the Fiendwood, being replaced by Terlin shortly afterward. Lance chimed in to share what she knew about Belaine, including her Dok-ah.
Belaine was talented with the House of Dandenlona, but her eyes were capable of lifting objects before hurling them at horrifying speeds. That was what Lance had heard anyway, but Halm confirmed this, stating that Belaine had turned adventurer clad in full-plate armor into a bloodied sack of metal and meat, with nothing but a handful of pebbles. Lance couldn't believe that a former member of the Harkhall would align herself with Kazon, but it could be as simple as what happened to Halm. Imprisoned in a body wracked with pain, until there was no choice but to bind your will to someone else's to relieve yourself of that suffering. If that was the case, then perhaps there was a way to turn Belaine to their side?
Derga on the other hand, was not salvageable. A mad ball of blubber and muscle, the ogre had once been a Tongue of Zodd, much like Halm himself. He had retained the Blessings of Zodd after being cursed, possessing Steel Flesh, Regeneration, and unparalleled strength, much like Tuji. Halm then pleaded with them to allow him to face off with Derga, if it were possible.
"He deserves to fall to the fists of a fellow Tongue." Halm reasoned, "If I cannot, then it should be Kid'ka who does it."
"It depends on how the battle progresses.' Jason told him, "If it doesn't compromise our mission, I have no problem with you fighting Derga yourself. How are you sure he can't be convinced to our side? If he can regenerate, then he shouldn't be in any pain."
Halm let out a sigh, "Kazon uses Zodd's blessings against Derga to keep him mad. Implanted under his flesh are steel spikes. Needless to say, his flesh cannot regenerate through metal. He's been stuck in that hell for over five hundred years, even if there were a way to pull them out, he may just lay down and resume his existence as a husk… I must give him an honorable end."
"I too have a request." Lance spoke up, "Belaine, I do not think she serves Kazon willingly, I want to see if there is a way to free her from his yoke."
"It depends on if it would make our mission more difficult or not, if Belaine can't be turned then she'll need to be neutralized as well." Jason told her, "It isn't worth taking casualties on our side."
"I understand," Lance said, "But still, I want to try, she was of the Faewood herself once."
"As long as it's feasible." Jason told her firmly, "I can't let you die."
Lance smiled softly. Can't let her die, hm? That was a good sign, maybe she wouldn't need to initiate things after all? Her smile faded. Look at her, thinking of romance before diving headfirst into the most dangerous quest of her life. She should be thinking about how to bring Belaine back to righteousness. The three of them continued on like that for a long while, Jason telling Halm about the Romai until it began to grow dark. After they began to set up shelter, Halm then began going over other, less important details about Castle Blackgaze.
Once the tent was set up, Lance crawled inside, exhausted but not ready to sleep. It'd be another week or so before she'd be tired to the point of needing to sleep, but she wanted to lay down to let her body recover from the strains of the day. The cold had seeped through her boots and had frozen her feet, her toes feeling like icicles. Why was it that Halm seemed unbothered by this frigid wasteland? He wasn't even wearing shoes yet he'd been trudging through the snow with them all day.
He must have inherently high body-heat like Jason did. Lucky them, she would give anything to be warm right now. Thankfully the blankets Jason stole should do the trick. She didn't bother removing her watcher's cloak, she needed all the warmth she could get. Her chain-blades slithered away from her, Lance willing them to rest beside her on a blank side of the canvas.
Strangely, even when she slept the chains did not seem to bother her, they didn't cut off circulation or irritate her skin, but she still kept them at a distance when it was time to bed down. She couldn't quite get them off, still permanently affixed to her wrists and forearms. There had to be a way to remove them, at least for bedding down, but nothing she's tried so far has worked. It was almost as if they didn't want to let her go, like they had a will of their own. She wasn't sure if that was really the case or not, but with magical items, who was to say?
Her thoughts were interrupted by Jason carefully peeking his head in, "Halm and Nolvi have first watch." He said, stepping inside, "Halm doesn't need to sleep and Nolvi still wants to talk with him, they're building a fire right now if you want to warm up."
"I'm cold but these blankets will suit me, I just want to lay down for a while." Lance sighed, "It's been a long day."
Jason nodded, "It certainly has. I'm heading to sleep."
Then his armor hissed, the different sections appearing to loosen before he began removing the plates.
"You want that off?" Lance asked, sitting up, "Is something wrong?"
"It's not comfortable to sleep in the suit." He explained as he removed one of the pauldrons, "Not only that, but I drank water earlier, in the morning I will need to relieve myself and I cannot do that with the armor on."
Lance winced, as blunt as always. She averted her eyes as he began to remove the rest of his armor, laying back down with a groan. She heard him begin to bed down beside her, yawning as he pulled another blanket over himself. The old Jason would have insisted that they march through the night, only stopping to rest before Castle Blackgaze… now he seemed to give more care to his needs. Some time passed, Lance struggling to warm herself as the night went on.
She shivered, the cold intensifying as the sun set. With chattering teeth she sat up, ready to give up and step out to the fire Nolvi and Halm shared-
Jason, with one arm, pulled her gently into his blanket, guiding her head to lay on his wonderfully warm chest. Again the peaks of her ears burned, but she was not willing to sit up to proclaim the indecency of this gesture… he was just too cozy to pull away from right now.
"This is inappropriate." She complained even as she nuzzled into him.
"You've been shaking this whole time. This is what's logical." Jason told her flatly.
"I suppose it is." She smiled.