Votum est Mandatum Meum
2685 words
2685 words
Note About the Time
Deni/Val
Ignis/DysThe glaring light of the low morning sun pierced the mountains of Hiemis. Deni raised one arm to shelter his already tired eyes from the light. Despite its radiance, however, it didn’t seem to provide much heat to the harsh wilderness of the northern continent. The wind still contained a bitter chill which was more intense in the hours of the morning. What an unfortunate time they had picked to escape from the Arx and land in the mountains.
On the flipside, the scenery was stunning. The great body of rocky mountains gave a little shelter from the light, but not enough to lessen the breeze. Despite the cold, a short smirk lifted itself onto Deni’s face as he continued to traverse the uneven terrain. It felt like a victory walk after the night before, but the leftover adrenaline from that night was the only thing that kept him from collapsing in a heap on the side of a mountain.
The velen had worked through the night many times in his life, but he had a feeling that he would remember the events of that night for the rest of his life. He had helped accomplish the impossible. Their little band of misfits had managed to break into the Arx and leave with two notorious criminals, a feat that had never been accomplished before. It didn’t get much better than that.
Deni inhaled through his nose and then exhaled loudly. He was glad to finally have that mask off. Since they were no longer shrouded in darkness, the velen could see the enlil woman’s face. Ignis was the one who had stayed with him throughout the mission and had even decided to make her way back to Terminus with him. It remained to be seen whether that was a good idea or a bad one.
“It’s a lovely morning for a pleasant stroll through nature, don’t you think?”
The enlil hummed in agreement. “The sunrise is beautiful.” She glanced at their surroundings once more, still feeling a bit of disbelief.
But the crisp air turning her cheeks a bit red was proof that this wasn't a dream. They were really still alive after undertaking that idiotically dangerous quest. Alive and free. It was as if Aquila herself had shielded them with her wings. Ignis wasn't totally unscathed, though. Her cloak was ripped in several places, letting the chill of the morning seep through to her feathers. She yawned at least twice each hour and her head feathers were no longer bound. The violet-tinted feathers tumbled freely around her shoulders, a light coat of ash stifling their usual sheen.
At least she wasn't alone --not that having a companion kept her warm. The engineer tugged the remains of her cloak around herself in an attempt to keep the wind from stealing her body heat. “Too bad it's so cold, though.”
Amicus let out a rustling sound that sounded oddly plaintive from his spot atop Ignis’ drone.
“Oh hush, at least you don't have to walk,” Ignis grumbled.
The mons infans waved his arms and a shield like the ones he'd made in the prison appeared. The bark and vine structure turned until it was horizontal and suspended maybe a foot off the ground.
“Amicus, you're the best!” The enlil exclaimed, though she sounded even more tired than before. She hopped onto the shield. Looking to her companion, she added, “There's room for one more.”
Deni managed a laugh as the sleigh of branches materialised next to him. Even after all he had seen during the mission into the Arx, Amicus still managed to surprise him. He sure was useful. In fact, had it not been for him, Reilly would have ended up dead.
“You’re a handy little tree thing, aren’t you?” Deni said rhetorically and climbed onto the small platform. As he did so, he let loose a short, sharp grunt. His arm was mostly healed from the bullet wound he received on the roof, but the burn on his opposite shoulder still stung whenever he moved suddenly. It didn’t seem so bad when the adrenaline was flowing through him, letting bullets fly and dodging around guards, but without the sense of immediate danger, the pain seemed more prominent. It was nothing major, though, it just needed a little more time to heal.
Amicus preened at the praise he received, perking up visibly. The platform began to float forward at about the same pace the two could have achieved if they were walking briskly (and not tired).
“So, this looks like it’s going to be fun,” he commented with a mischievous grin. “As if last night wasn’t enough.”
“Last night was something else for sure,” Ignis agreed, stifling another yawn. She shivered a bit as a particularly strong breeze snuck icy air beneath her feathers. Her feathers puffed up at the cold and the engineer scooted a little closer to Deni. “I’m sure we can find a way to entertain ourselves,” she added, smiling with faux innocence.
Deni’s grin deepened for a moment, but he reeled it back quickly. He had a feeling that he was going to enjoy the game that they were about to play.
“A guy and a girl, miles away from anywhere, beneath a romantic sunrise...”
He stroked his chin as he feigned thought.
“Nope, I got no ideas,” the velen shrugged. Despite his demeanour, he couldn't hide that smile.
Ignis giggled in response, rolling her eyes a bit. Deni’s theatrics were pretty amusing once she got used to the dirty jokes. Stifling another yawn, she just so happened to lean a little closer to the velen.
Somehow, he’d managed to wrap one of his long arms around the enlil’s shoulders. The subtle change to his posture made the action seem effortless. When she didn't try to back away, he pulled her in closer. It was cold, after all.
The enlil was far too tired and cold to say no to the embrace. Deni was warm and surprisingly comfortable. She rested a head on his shoulder and turned towards him, driven by the heat-seeking tendencies of her rather indiscriminate hindbrain.
“We could keep each other warm to pass the time,” Ignis suggested, “you're warm.” She tilted her head upwards so she could see the other’s expression, her own face rather pink.
“Warm,” Deni repeated. He let out a short breath as Ignis shuffled around his arm. “I’ve been called a lot of things. Warm’s never been one of them.”
He shifted his head so he could look down and read her expression. She looked as tired as he felt. Despite everything that they’d endured the previous night, with the lack of sleep and the heat of battle, she didn’t seem unhappy. If anything she seemed... peaceful.
The pale-skinned velen found himself stroking the feathers behind her ear with one thumb. While he was likely as cold as she was, there were no goosebumps on his skin due to the nature of his heritage. The enlil seemed so fragile beside him, a completely different side of the woman compared to the night before. It seemed right that he should shelter her.
Deni twisted his body and wrapped his other arm around her. He placed his forehead against hers lightly. He stared into her brown eyes. It wasn’t until then that he realised that he was lying to himself. He wasn’t just embracing her to keep her warm.
“Warm enough?” he asked quietly, his head resting against hers.
Ignis let out a soft sigh at the contact, nuzzling her nose against his. “Mmhmm,” she hummed in reply.
Had she been more awake, the enlil would have been more flustered by how... friendly Deni was being with her, but right now the events of the night before were catching up with her. She had used a lot of energy, magical and physical, and didn’t want to think anymore. Ignis had been hyperalert in the Arx, constantly questioning whether her actions were going to get her and others hurt, jailed, or killed. The engineer had agonized over not repeating last year’s failure.
Now, she focused on how Deni felt safe and warm --compared to the atmosphere at least-- and surprisingly smooth. Her hands had come to rest on his chest at some point, she wasn’t quite sure when --she had been too busy studying the emotions in the blue depths of his gaze.
Warm, she thought, leaning in closer, tilting her head to align her mouth with his.
Deni’s mind went blank. There was no analysing body language or contemplating how his actions could affect the situation. He simply closed his eyes and pressed his lips against hers.
It was an unusual, warm feeling to the rogue, devoid of drunk fumbling and the awkwardness of strangers. In fact, despite having only met a few times, Deni felt as though he had known Ignis for years.
His thumb continued to caress the feathers behind her ear subconsciously as they kissed in his embrace. At any moment he expected her to pull away and tell him that what she was doing was a mistake. Deni didn't want that. Between the previous year and the night before, they had endured a lot together. Despite the lack of time they had spent together, they always watched out for each other. It wasn't until that moment, floating along on that platform made of leaves and branches, that the velen realised exactly why.
Ignis, for her part, wondered how she had gotten here. She vaguely noted that this was her first kiss. The enlil was a little glad it was with Deni; he was easy to like and trust. Somewhere in the Arx, risking her life with Deni had made Ignis more attached to him than she expected to be.
When exactly had that transformed into... whatever this was?
Who knew? Ignis wasn't sure it mattered. Her arms slid around Deni’s neck and pulled him closer. Maybe it only mattered that she knew she liked kissing Deni. Curiosity and desire were enough to inspire Ignis to keep exploring the velen’s mouth.
As Ignis’ arms shifted over his shoulders, Deni leaned against the enlil woman, pressing her body against the leafy base of the platform. He placed a hand either side of her head to support himself as the kiss continued. Every breath brushed against his cheek. He could feel her heartbeat as his chest pressed against hers. Then his mind suddenly kicked in.
She was enlil. He was velen. She was an introverted engineer and he was a gunslinger who went out drinking at every possible opportunity. They had next to nothing in common, and yet there they were, unable to contain themselves despite their exhaustion. It didn’t make any sense, yet there was no denying their connection.
Deni broke the kiss suddenly, lifting his torso above the short woman. He slipped his sleeveless leather jacket off, wincing as he revealed the burn on his shoulder. The bullet wound in his opposite arm had almost healed completely, at least. The velen glanced down to Ignis with a smile. He placed one hand either side of her head once again and moved his lips closer to hers.
Ignis gasped as she was pressed onto her back, feeling a bit nervous. Then enlil glanced towards Deni’s shoulder, a slight frown marring her flustered expression. “You’re hurt,” she pointed out, setting a hand near the burn on his shoulder. The enlil gave him another kiss, but it was short and sweet this time, and pushed him back with a hand pressed against his bare chest so she could sit up.
“I’m no healer, but I should be able to fix that up for you with a bit of help from Amicus.”
Amicus had floated a good ten meters or so ahead and had been desperately trying to ignore his contractor. He sighed in relief when they stopped kissing and returned. The mons infans pinched Deni’s good arm, but held up a glowing, branchy hand.
The drain on her energy was notable and Ignis’ hand slid down Deni’s chest as she folded forward. Face meeting the other’s torso, Ignis blushed hotly, remembering the position they’d been in only moments before. Another yawn escaped her lips and Ignis tried to sit up, a bit embarrassed at how little energy she had left.
Deni let loose a short laugh as the woman seemed to grow flustered in an instant. He grasped Amicus and placed him gently on the platform.
“Stop it,” he said at the end of his laugh. “It’s nothing, I’m fine.”
The mons infans tried to approach his injury again but the velen held up his arm to try and block the little thing. He turned his gaze back to Ignis, maintaining a short smile.
“Relax, okay?”
Amicus’ hand stopped glowing and he pinched Deni again before nudging Ignis.
The enlil nodded tiredly and set Amicus back on top of Cora. She covered another yawn before meeting Deni’s eyes sleepily. “Now what?”
Deni released a heavy sigh. They’d been up all night, hyperalert, getting shot at while they danced around lightning bolts. After all that they’d been through, it was natural that they both wanted something good to happen, especially Ignis after her year on the run. It just so happened that they saw that in each other.
The velen placed one arm around his tired companion’s shoulders. He briefly glanced into her brown eyes, then rested his head on top of hers. He was really starting to feel the toll that the previous night had taken on his body.
“Rest up for a bit,” he suggested. “It might take a while for us to find a way back to Terminus.”
Mm...” Ignis hummed in response, eyes starting to close. She shifted and scooted closer so she could lay against Deni’s lap, deciding to feel embarrassed about being in his lap after a few hours of rest.
Deni let loose a chuckle when he realised that he hadn't put his sleeveless coat back on.
“At least I’m feeling warm now. You made sure of that.”
He could feel Ignis nod, her face brushing against his chest in the process. She mumbled something against his chest and slipped her arms around the velen man. Before Deni could ask for clarification, if he even cared to know what the utterings of a semi-conscious enlil, a light snore followed by a deep sigh let him know that she had finally slipped away into the land of dreams.
Deni remained perfectly still as Ignis’ head became heavy against his chest. He didn’t know why he continued to stroke one thumb behind her ear when it was clear that she was already asleep. A wide grin spread across his face, though he managed to stifle the ensuing laugh.
“Yeah, now what?” he muttered beneath his breath.
The velen was always a very light sleeper. The second he closed his eyes with his head rested on the enlil’s, however, he felt himself drifting. It was for the best, before his brain could get to overthinking again.
“Amicus, my man,” he said with minimum effort. “Do me a favour and wake us up if we hit a road.”
The mons infans turned back to his contractor's new “friend” and nodded once.
As Deni felt his consciousness slip away, a few final words crossed his mind.
What a crazy night...
The velen’s body relaxed. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.
Amicus sighed and kept the platform aloft while the other two slept. He got comfy on his perch atop Cora at the front of their odd procession and began to search for the nearest signs of civilization. The sun crawled higher into the sky as time passed, but the shrublike familiar didn't bother to see if it had woken his companions; the feedback from Ignis’ dreams signified they wouldn't be up any time soon. Amicus plucked some leaves from his body and levitated them in the air between his hands to amuse himself. It was going to be a long day.
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