Cari smiled. "You like?" She didn't really care if he did or not. She turned around and a third tattoo was visible, one few men ... or women ... got to see The purple heart was only visible when she decided to remove all her clothes.

 

Cari moved to her bags and pulled out a new set of clothes. "It's really ashame the man is no where close, another would be more than welcome." Cari shivered at the memories and then the later seduction of Mykal after the third tatto. She smiled at him.

 

Cari carfully laid her clean clothes over the back of a chair and then stood before Demus and turned her back to him, lifting her hair. Bare flesh before a man, but he'd expressed interest in the artwork and a closer look might tempt him to touch. "I have no idea what the lower one means, Mykal assured me it meant something, but it had lost it's meaning generations ago."

 

OOC: btw, I forgot to mention before, another noticable feature on her back... a large scar running diagonally between the two scars from the just under the opposite shoulder blade to just above where a belt would be on her waist.

 

Cari

"You like?" She asked as she started pulling clothes out of a bag. "It's really ashame the man is no where close, another would be more than welcome." She turned her back on him then and lifted her hair out of the way. "I have no idea what the lower one means, Mykal assured me it meant something, but it had lost it's meaning generations ago."

 

A closer look at the tattos was obviosly offered, but something else caught Demus' eye. A scar. From the size and position, if must have been a painful one too. He wondered where she got such a thing and without realizing it he reached a hand out to trace the path of the scar. Injuries were always a concern in his line of work but he wondered what she had been up to to get something that bad. He wasn't about to ask. He wasn't that stupid. But he wondered all the same.

 

"I think I could stare at your back all day and get lost in the art of it." He said quietly from behind her.

Cari shivered as Demus ran his finger down the scar she'd received many years ago. He didn't comment, and Cari gave the man credit for tact. He said something about the art of her back and she wondered if he meant that or was just being poliete. Most people asked about the scar. She'd placed the tattoos on purpose it made a nice divider.

 

"That's what happens when you hesitate to kill a friend." She would leave it at that and let him respond to the off the wall comment. It was the truth though. She had lost control of her darkest monster and it had tried to kill her friend, and the Master at Arms of the Yards. But she'd had enough control to stop the script before it happened and in that very instant Reikan let lose and in the end almost killed her. She still didn't know what had stopped him from doing so, probably the same thing that had stopped her. But she'd never ask Sam to explain, and she hoped he would never ask what had happened. That event had triggered Cari's new life, and she was glad for the change even if it meant that Alex was no longer with her, and that she'd never see Fawne again, more than likely anyway.

 

After moments in thought Cari replied to Demus' comment. "You can do more than stare." It was an open invatation and it surprised Cari to say it herself. There was nothing to gain from sleeping with him, and she had plenty of other men in her life she trusted more than Demus.

 

But he didn't get a chance to do anything, a knock came. "Cari, is that you? It's me Rachel."

 

Cari blinked and wondered what the girl was doing away from Arad Doman. "Come in."

 

Rachel opened the unlocked door and nearly stopped in her tracks before quickly closing it. "You have company. I will come back later."

 

"No, it's alright." Cari smiled and beckoned the girl to come. Rachel fell into Cari's embrace and they kissed as lovers would have. Cari smiled to herself and wondered how Demus would like the show. "What are you doing here?"

 

Rachel replied, "I'm getting married. I met him at home while he was on a trading trip. He's a trader. And he wanted to get married in Cairhein. Even Gretchen will be here."

 

"It's a shame I must leave in the morning. When is the wedding?"

 

"In a few weeks. His parents have lots of planning to do." Rachel hesitated and looked from Cari to Demus. "So, I'm still a free woman..." Rachel moved behind Demus and wrapped her arms around his waist and tipped toed to speak in his ear. "She really is a good lover."

 

Rachel has as much tact as she did when it came to lovers. Cari blushed at the comment but decided this was enough, Rachel had turned the game on her and that ruined the fun. "Rachel..."

 

"Awww." She put on a fake pout and stepped over to Cari. "Will I see you before you go?" Cari nodded. "Alone?" Cari smiled and nodded again. Rachel put on a smile and kissed Cari again, a bit more vigorously than before, her hands finding Cari's skin. "A small taste of later." And then she was swiftly out the door.

 

Cari turned to Demus and looked at him hoping he'd react in one way or another.

 

Cari

"That's what happens when you hesitate to kill a friend."

 

The words seemed cold, but Demus suspected there was a story behind those words that would be interesting to hear. It wasn't something he was about to ask though. Perhaps in time they'd grow to know one another and she would share the information, but he doubted it. He was solitary by choice and his lifestyle wasn't kind on those who felt the need to share their adventures with others.

 

"You can do more than stare." Demus was more than surprised by her words. It had been a game so far, something to see how far they would take it. The invitation, though inviting, made bells ring in the back of his head. He was saved from an answer when a knock came at the door.

 

A girl behind it named herself Rachel, and within moments was cozing up with Cari in a fashion far more intimate than he had expected. It was an eye opener, to be sure, to see the two women kissing. Not unpleasant, but the pessimist in him instantly wondered if she was trying to throw him off balance. The two women talked for a moment before Rachel decided to wrap her arms around his waist and spoke in his ear.

 

"She really is a good lover."

 

"Rachel..." There was a warning in the voice and the girl understood that. After another small display Rachel was gone and Demus was left alone with Cari again. She looked at him without speaking.

 

He wasn't sure what to say to her now. "You seem to make friends everywhere." He said with a smile.

Cari smiled and grabed her dress from the chair she'd laid it on. "It's best to make friends rather than enemies." Cari slid the dress on over her head and down over her body.

 

"Speaking of which I have business to attend of a boring nature." Staking out a victim was always boring, but this case was ever more so as he'd not been seen in months. Hard to kill a target when you can't find him. Her only lead was his house, and that wasn't far from the inn. Sitting alone in the shadows is always boring.

 

Cari strapped on the twin daggers to each of her wrists and pulled the sleeves down to hide them easily enough. She checked the daggers in the slots in her boots before sliding them on. And then slipped her feet into them. "You can join me, but the nights are chilly and the task is boring."

 

Cari

"It's best to make friends rather than enemies. Speaking of which I have business to attend of a boring nature. You can join me, but the nights are chilly and the task is boring."

 

Cari talked as she dressed and he watched in silence as she checked her daggers. She was working on this trip and though a part of him was interested in how she worked, part of him thought better of getting involved in this. And the rest of him wished the interruption had never happened. His hands itched to do more than touch but he was as much a professional as she was and the work always came before pleasure.

 

He smiled at the offer and shook his head. "Unless you need a second set of eyes, I think I should attend to some of my own things tonight." He said quietly. He did owe her something after all. She had shown up at a moment that could have turned out rather bad. She might have saved his life, though the moment hadn't unfolded yet. Even more than that though, she had taken him in and was taking him to a place that seemed like sanctuary.

OOC: I'm setting up another RP while I'm in Cairhein hehe

 

Cari nodded. "I should be back before the twillight hour. If your still awake perhaps we can begin again where we got interrupted." Cari winked and stopped and kissed him on the cheek before seductivaly walking out the door. She walked that way unknowing of whether Demus watched. It didn't matter whether he took the offer but company in bed would at least be warming after sitting in the chilly air for hours.

 

After she'd left the inn her walked returned to normal. The graceful walk of a wolf stalking it's prey. It was very hard not to walk like the former Warder she was. The only thing missing was the sword at her side. But it lay in a bundle under her bed. She didn't leave the house with out it, but she rarely carried it with her.

 

Cari walked in the shadows to the spot she knew the occupants of the house couldn't see her but she them. And sat in the darkest shadow to watch carefully.

 

Hours passed and Cari watched. Nothing of note happened and her target never showed, though the activity was greater than usual. It appeared they were preparing for something. Cari would have to return later and see what it was. The twilight hour drew near and Cari retreated to the inn. Her mark was still unfound, but she had an idea of how to find the information she needed, but not this trip.

 

Cari walked into the inn and ordered a hot cup of tea and sat down at a table near the fire to warm before she went to her bed ... or Demus'. Cari thought on whether to distrub him for warmth, she would decide after her tea.

 

Cari

Demus had let Cari go on alone but the thought of her stayed in his mind, unwilling to leave as easily. It wasn't as a lover that he thought of her, though truth told he was reasonably sure things would turn that way. Nor was it as a darkfriend, though he knew that as truth. It was as a fellow artist in the ways of death. He wondered about her form and the way her brush stroked death on the canvas of life. He wondered if she was a teacher, if she willingly shared her knowledge and experience as freely as she seemed to share her body.

 

He ran a few errands after she had departed but as he sank into his bed to relax, her image continued to float in his head. So many things in the world to do and to learn, and he had been given so little. He wanted very much to advance and to be the best at what he did. Perhaps such a giving creature as Cari would understand that, perhaps she would...

 

He wasn't even sure what he wanted. Instead of sitting in bed trying to push her out of his head, he decided to go down to the kitchen. A mug of tea would help settle his body without clogging his head. As he got his mug and turned to head back to his room, he noticed her. Cari, sitting by the fire, apparently lost in thought. He watched her for a few minutes, then made his decision. "Mind if I join you?" he asked.

Cari stared at the fire, so close to home and yet the warmth of the fire wasn't nearly as warm as the embrace of her children. Cari missed Aiden and Kate, and Sam. How things changed, since Sam had come in to her life. Reikan Souvan was the Master at Arms, a friend and occassional lover, her first to be exact. He didn't hold her heart strings, but he was dear to her, and the mere thought of having a secret so dark he'd kill her over scared Cari to death. That was the only man she feared who could not channel. He was the only one who she knew could defeat her in an all out battle. The only thing she wondered about is if he had any dark inclinations. To turn the father of her children, as she'd turned Vanair. Cari mulled the thoughts over as Demus came to join her.

 

She looked up and smiled. "You don't have to ask to join me." When he sat down she poked him. "Its a free world after all." Here was an attractive Darkfriend, who knew her secrets, but his youth compromised any relationship Cari wanted. Cari Namere was a homemaker and ranch worker, she wanted a real family. A man to supposedly look after her and the children, to be her lover and friend. Matalina, it was not so easy thinking of herself as her former name, too many years as Cari, but it wasn't Cari who would kill for the pleasure of it or for the profit of it. It was that deep dark secret that let the blood flow, at one time it had been hers she would willingly spill, now she waited patiently in the shadows for Nathan to send her on a job. Cari closed her eyes at the thoughts of blood shed and the taste of the copper red liquid.

 

Demus placed a hand on her arm. "Are you alright?"

 

Cari joggled out of her thoughts looked at him, and in no hesitation leaned in and kissed Demus. She hoped he'd forget what he saw, she was never sure what her face portrayed outside of the void. Cari placed her hand on his leg and then moved to sit in his lap. Cari whispered, "Care to finish what we started earlier? No games this time." Cari pulled back and looked him in the eyes. "I'm not looking for more than this one encounter, no strings attached, just a good time." Then she kissed him feircely on the lips.

 

Cari

 

OOC: you can fade to black here hehe. Move on to the morning if ya like.

"Care to finish what we started earlier? No games this time. I'm not looking for more than this one encounter, no strings attached, just a good time."

 

It was more of an invitation that Demus thought he'd get and more than he was willing to pass up. When morning came he woke in a room not his own and with a woman in his arms. It wasn't the first time it had happened, but the circumstances surrounding this one still puzzled him. Something had been bothering Cari last night, something she hadn't wanted to talk about and he hadn't asked. She had asked for solace of the body and he had been able to give that. He didn't think he could give anything else nor would she ask for it.

 

Still, it left him in a strange position and he hoped that Cari had been sincere about the no strings part. He was on his way to a new life and he didn't think she was the sort of woman to want him hanging about while he did so. A friend was one thing, but a lover was something else entirely. He hoped that they would be friends after this.

 

He opened his eyes and stretched lightly. He didn't know if Cari was a sound sleeper or not, though in their line of business it probably wasn't a healthy idea. Still, it was best to get things cleared up here in private than for him to trek back to his room and have an uncomfortable scene in public. He looked at Cari's sleeping form and decided to wait it out one way or another.

Cari had been awake for hours, but she let Demus sleep. There was no need to get an early start they would be in Fairhaven soon enough and Cari was eagerly awaiting a hug from her children.

 

Demus rolled over and Cari knew he was watching her supposedly sleep. She let him for several miniutes before whispering, "Good morning sleepy-head." Cari smiled and opened her eyes. He was a doll and Cari ruffled his hair and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Breakfast than the road? The Twins and Sam will be expecting me around dinner time, we shouldn't keep them waiting."

 

Cari rolled out of bed and reached under her bed for for the roll of blankets. She carefully unrolled the package and checked it's contents. The soft ring of a blade being pulled from the scarab rang though the small room. Cari shivered at the sound, she heard it so infrequendly these days. Cari stood and flawlessly moved the sword about her naked body. The soft ring of cutting air made Cari smile. But it was safe and Cari put the sword that matched her daggers impecibly away again.

 

Cari strapped her daggers on and pulled a ridding dress over her bare skin. She was eager to get home. "Breakfast in ten?"

 

Cari

"Good morning sleepy-head."

 

So, she wasn't asleep after all. It made Demus feel a little better to know that she was better than that. Cari smiled at him then.

 

"Breakfast than the road? The Twins and Sam will be expecting me around dinner time, we shouldn't keep them waiting."

 

She was up then and moving. The ring of steel made him tense for a moment but Cari out it away after a moment and Demus realized she had simply been checking after it. She dressed quickly then and Demus realized he was still naked in bed, watching her move.

"Breakfast in ten?" She asked.

 

He nodded then. "breakfast in ten sounds good." He got up then and dressed quickly, getting back to his own room. He cleaned up quickly and had his things packed again with a moment to sit on the edge of the bed a relax a minute. At least there had been no akwardness with Cari this morning. He had feared it first thing, but her attitude was almost big sister-ly. He wasn't sure he liked that but it was better than hostility. It would make the remains of their trip better and hopefully get him settled into the Ranch well.

 

He made his was down the stairs then to the common room of the Inn. He asked the Innkeeper for breakfast then looked around for Cari. He found her at a table waiting for her own food. "So a quick trip today and we're home?" He asked as he took a seat next to her.

 

Cari nodded. "Yeah, it's a days ride, but if we push a little it will be less." Cari smiled at the fact he called it home. It was her home, and she hoped Demus would enjoy the place, but it was work to stay there, Nathan was fair but he expected hard work.

 

Cari ate the breakfast she'd been given leaving the sausage on the plate. She couldn't muster up the desire to eat the greasy peice of meat, it was a waste of money but it wasn't something she really cared about right now.

 

When Demus was finished with his meal they headed for the stables, and as she had figured Tain Cor was being obnoxious as usual, and biting at the stable boys. Cari tossed the lad a coin and finished preparations for the stubborn horse. He gave the boy an unfriendly knicker then nuzzled Cari.

 

They headed for the north gate of Cairhein in silence, no need to let passerbyers hear their conversations. Once out of the gate Cari asked, "Is there anything you need to ask before we get there?"

 

Cari

Demus had grown used to riding in silence with Cari and found it companionable again as they rode out of the city. A day's ride and he would be at the Ranch. A haven for Darkfriends. He had met darkfriends before, had worked with them when he had to, but Demus had always been the type of person to keep to himself. Living with a group of Darkfriends? Living in a small closed community at all bothered him somewhat. He'd never been able to stay in one place for too long, not since his mother's death when he'd been turned out into the world by a man that should have continued to shelter him. The world was what it was though and no amount of deliberation changed that.

 

Cari brought him out of his thoughts though. "Is there anything you need to ask before we get there?"

 

He sighed as he looked over at her. She'd saved his neck and he had followed her because he knew he needed something different, something to change where his life was going. He had it in him to do great things, he knew, but he was stuck doing petty work because he didn't know the right avenues to get to more. He thought perhaps Cari and her friends would be able to help him. They certainly couldn't make it any worse really. "I guess the only thing I'm really concerned about yet is the sort of reception i'm likely to get when we get there. I know it's a working Ranch and I'm supposed to do my share of the work and that doesn't bother me, but i've never been in a community of darkfriends before and I don't know what to expect really." He answered honestly.

 

Cari nodded. "You will be treated like any other. Nathan is always looking for extra hands. Your other profession will be welcomed as well." Cari smiled.

 

The rest of the ride was done with silence dashed with idle chit chat. Cari was eager to see her children and Sam and she probably bored him to tears with as much talk as she did about the twins. Aiden and Kate were her life, they were the one thing that kept the darkness at bay for any length of time.

 

They stopped for a quick meal on the side of the road before moving on. Tain Cor lapped up the water from near by stream as they ate. He knew he was close to the green pastures of the Rashad Ranch and was hurrying just as much as Cari was.

 

Fairhaven came into view as the sun was beginning to set. It wasn't a magnificant sight but it was for Cari, it was the last step to home. Cari waved as she passed Sierra playing outside of her father's house. The girl was almost a part of her family, and Kate's best friend. Together they could fend off Taylor and Aiden and all their little friends.

 

Cari turned west and headed for the Ranch. The ride was short compared to where they'd come from. 5 miles was little more than a heartbeat. The Ranch came into view and Cari headed for the Tain's barn. Demus could store his horse there as well and hopefully Nathan would be tending the horses for the night.

 

And her hopes came true as she pulled up next to the doors of the bar. Nathan came striding out with a smile. Cari reached for a bag and tossed it down to Nathan.

 

"Very good Cari. And the other?"

 

Cari smiled, "Dealt with cleanly."

 

Nathan looked up, "Another stray?"

 

Cari laughed, "This is Demus' he's looking for a job, he's a Friend."

 

Nathan nodded. "Stow your gear and clean up this stallion, you've got people eager to see you." Nathan turned to Demus' "So boy, what kind of work can you do for me?"

 

Cari

Demus watched the exchanged in silence. He hadn't been sure what he would see when he got here, but it looked like any other ranch he'd seen. Of course, he didn't know the real workings of a farm and it might differ there, but from appearances so far, it seemed the same. Cari seemed excited to be home and he coudn't blame her. When he'd had a home he had enjoyed his time there. It had been a sanctuary for him and without it he had wandered from place to place, unstable and unsure of what to do next. He had some hopes that Cari and her friends would be able to help him with that.

 

"So boy, what kind of work can you do for me?"

 

Is this wasn't Nathan he'd eat his hat. The way the man carried himself and the wasy Cari reported to him made him certain of it. Now, what to say?

 

"Cari said you could always use another hand on the farm. I'm not afraid of hard work and in a previous life I knew something about caring for animals."

 

When his father had been alive, he'd learned a lot about horses, hanging around the stables and picket lines when he could. It brought up bad memories though and he shook the thought away.

 

He left the rest of his work alone, letting the man bring that up however he would.

 

Nathan could care less about friends who could work the ranch, he was more concerned with their other talents. Nathan turned to Cari in the stables. "You brought me a friend with no other skills? Is he a friend like Sam?" He gave Cari a weary eye, he had been the man who'd ordered her former lover's death. Cari looked at Demus and smiled evilly.

 

"No. He has other talents, even thought he might get into a bind or two here and there." Cari winked at Nathan. "You'll enjoy his talents, Nathan. It'll give Nona, Glen and I a bit of a break in our jobs." With out saying what he did Cari had informed Nathan he was an assassin.

 

Nathan nodded. "If Cari vouches for you then I will put you to work. Hope you don't mind taking cues from that female there." Nathan indicated Cari. "Cari will instruct you on your housing situation, the pay and any other questions you have. I have to be getting back to work." As Nathan walked away he spoke. "The Ranch doesn't run itself."

 

Cari had finished tending to Tain Cor and showed Demus where he could store his gear and stable his horse. "Your horses room and board will come out of your wages. As will your room and board. You'll make enough to live on in addition to that." Cari smiled. "And he pays well for other jobs done outside the ranch hand tasks. You've a choice of where to stay. There are a few rooms located in the main house, and a few out buildings that you can stay in." Cari pointed to the direction of the out buildings. "Sam, Nona, Aki and I currently live in 4 of the 6 outbuildings. Glen, Franc, Vik and Nalia live in the main house with the rest of the Rashad Family. The choice is yours. But there are a few things, dinner is served promptly at 6pm and everyone must attendend unless you've told Miss Nona or Mistress Sara befor hand. We get off the last day of the week after the weekly festivities in town."

 

Cari started towards her house. "Come with me and tell me where you want to stay and we'll get you settled in, work starts before dawn." Aiden and Kate were playing outside. They ran and hugged Cari and she knelt down to hug them tightly as she waited for Demus to make his decisions.

 

Cari

"You brought me a friend with no other skills? Is he a friend like Sam?"

 

A friend like Sam? Did that mean that Sam wasn't a dark friend? Interesting. So the Ranch wasn't entirely safe. Still, it was better than he had been, or he hoped it was.

 

He knew he had taken a chance in coming here, but he had been in a bad place and Cari had helped him. He had to trust in something and that act of kindness had been most welcome. He believed he could have got out of it if it had come to it, but not without having to stay away from the city until memory of his face had disappeared.

 

Cari started speaking before he could think up a proper response. He didn't know Nathan and he wanted to make sure he didn't say anything that would offend. He listened to Cari's response and smiled at her as he ticking off names in his mind of who in the Ranch worked as he did.

 

Before he could really respond Nathan agreed to have him and then was off, leaving him once again in Cari's hands. She explained the workings of the Ranch and he had little to say about it. All in all, it seemed a fair deal and hopefully a way into more steady work.

 

As he walked with Cari he thought of the housing options but that was quick enough to decide. He didn't like being under anyones roof. He was about to tell her so when a couple of kids came running at Cari. He smiled as he watched her kneeling down and hugging her children. Demus knew the look of love and it made him feel good to see it.

 

He knew people had an idea that Darkfriend meant evil with no attachments and no love. True, love was complicated for his kind, but Demus had never looked at being a Darkfriend as losing love. In fact it had been love that had set him upon the road to become a dark friend really.

 

When Cari looked up at him, a smile lingering from her children's embrace he smiled back at her. "I think one of those outbuildings you were talking about would be good. A fresh start, so to speak." He hesitated then added with a bigger smile. "Beautiful children. No wonder you wanted to get home so quickly."

 

Cari smiled. "Thank you." She turned towards Aiden and Kate, "Aiden, Kate, this is Demus, he's come to work on the ranch." The she turned to Demus. "Demus these are my children Aiden and Kate. Their father is Sam, he lives in that house." Cari turned and pointed to his. "Aki lives there. And Nona lives there." She indicated each house as she pointed it out. "And I live here."

 

(OOC Note: About the Ranch Send me a link to your bio and tell me which house you'd like and a layout of it, in words or drawn and I'll get it uploaded)

 

Cari continued, "The other houses are free. Which one would you like?"

 

Demus pointed to a house and Cari nodded. She took him over to the house he'd chosen and reached above the door in a small little nock. "Here's your key. Move on in, if things are a bit sparse for your tastes, we can head in to town and pick up a few essentials before dinner. But the choice is yours."

 

OOC: We can end this whenever you want or keep going, sup to you hehe.

 

Mat

Demus waved Cari off on another trip so soon after just arriving. He doubted she wanted to leave her kids again so soon and there was nothing he had to have that he hadn't brought with him. Comfort could be accomidated later, if he thought he would last here.

 

"If I need something, I'll see about going into town soon, but I think for now i'd like to unpack and get settled in. Thank you for the offer though. And thank you for everything."

 

As she left him alone, he took his bags in and set them on a chair in the living room. The place was a little dusty from being empty, but it was in good shape. A little cleaning would work wonders and it seemed like it had probably been cleaned not that long ago. Or everything sealed pretty tight.

 

He walked into the rooms checking them out. A bathroon and bedroom off the living room and a small store room. He thought maybe another table in there with some shelves, not a real kitchen but someplace to eat in a hurry and keep stores.

 

He didn't head downstairs yet, but he'd been shown the way down. It was hidden and that suited Demus just fine. Instead he unpacked a couple things, leaving most of his clothes in his bag in case of emergency. It was an old habit and one he doubt he'd give up anytime soon. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took a deep breath.

 

Home. This was someplace to call home. Cari did anyway and it felt right somehow. And unless there was something hidden, Nathan treated his people good and took care of them well. The house Demus was sitting in was more room to himself than he'd ever had before.

 

He laid back then, relaxing in the feel of the soft mattress under him and the thought of home in his mind.