Heirot

Soran ate a good number of pancakes and finally took a deep breath and leaned forward on his elbows, folding his hands and resting his chin on his knuckles. His eyes shifted up to study Mizuki with an even stare. Her cheeks held a light flush that brought out the color in her eyes, though she didn't look particularly happy. He dragged a hand through his hair and stood up with just a bit more effort than it should have taken. He looked down at his bare chest, the lean muscles slightly tighter on his bones than before after his time on Mount May'em, scars uncovered for the world to see, just like he now saw them more clearly than he'd ever wished to. A sharp pulse in his head told him not to think about it. "Looks like I'll be needing another coat," he said, apparently more concerned about that than whether he had a basic shirt on. He glanced at Rai on the other side of the room, apparently resting peacefully. He took a few steps toward the door and looked back at Mizuki. "I'm going into town," he said in his solemn way, but there was a nearly undetectable invitation in his voice. It wasn't within his instincts to ask her what was wrong, but he thought getting her outside might help.

Mizuki blinked out of her thoughts and looked at Soran. "oh, wait..." Mizuki rushed to grab the plates and put them in the sink. When she emerged from the kitchen she told Soran she'd come with him but had to get dressed first.

"I'm not walking around in this." she said jokingly, jesturing to her robed form.

OOC: *hinthintwinkwink*cm'on Soran *nudgenudge* make a comment! XD

"Anything I can do to h-..." Soran started with the best of intentions before dropping off, heat squeezing his ears as he thought through what he'd been saying. Why was he so scatterbrained today?

Mizuki blushed, laughed nervously, then told him she would be back in one minute. Mizuki dashed up the stairs and into her room to change. She put on a white linen blouse and brown breeches. Before leaving the room, she quickly pocketed the ring on her nightstand, then dashed out of the room. Mizuki buckled her belt around her waist as she went down the stairs and smiled cheerfully at Soran.

First, she turned to where Rai lay, "We'll be back shortly Rai. I want you to rest here. We'll be back." She exited the house with Soran then closed and locked the door behind them.

Soran stepped out into a slightly brisk, but sunny morning. Fall was finally coming on. They attracted a bit of attention walking through town, once a few people managed to recognize Soran despite his different appearance. Their eyes went to Mizuki as well, more curious about the elegant woman who was now by his side than the rogue who'd hardly been seen for months. Several men looked like they would have approached her had it not seemed like a death wish to flirt with what might actually be Soran's woman, as strange as the concept sounded. Soran had always been so reticent toward women that had he not been far colder to men, many would have questioned his preferences.

Soran didn't appear to notice the attention they were getting. He walked straight on, silent as usual, with Mizuki until they approached the tanner's shop where he could get a coat.

Mizuki flushed under the stares but tried to keep calm like Soran. She felt like some royal or noblewoman walking through town with everyone parting just for them. She didn't breath easily until they were inside the shop, only then did she gasp as if she were holding her breath.

Rai had been laying on the couch for some time when she got to bored. She needed to do something interesting. If only she had a friend!

Well, about that time there came a gentle nock at the door. Rai groaned as she rolled off the couch and crawled to the door before she pushed herself up using the door handle to do so.

Rai opened the door and poked her head out and there was a little boy about her age with platinum blond hair and bright green eyes.

"Hello," the little boy said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hello," Rai returned, a cute little grin forming on her face.

"I live down the road... I'm all alone there most of the time and I saw people leaving from this house...."

"It was my mommy and daddy, they went shopping.

"Would you like to play a game?"

"Oh yes!!" Rai squealed, clapping her hands together happily. "Come in!"

OOC: HEHEHE,

The tanner looked at Soran knowingly the moment he walked in bare-chested. He was a skinny man wearing a fancy leather jerkin, his long brown hair tied high in a tail. "Again?" he exclaimed in careful disbelief, looking the rogue up and down. "Hang on. You look like your measurements have changed," he said with a flash in his eye, pulling out a tape measure and stalking in toward him.

"Don't forget what I told you about," Soran warned flatly, lifting his arms.

"Fine, fine, I'll keep my hands to meself," the man chortled with just a bit of disappointment as he stretched his arms around Soran's back and took his measurements. "God, you've lost weight. Really, you need to take better care of my work! Coats have feelings too, you know."

Soran raised an incredulous eyebrow at the younger man, feeling a hand brush over his side more than necessary, but letting it slide.

"They do!" he said in defense of Soran's unspoken comment, and turned to Mizuki for support.

Mizuki was still too bewildered from the walk here. She glanced at the man and then looked at Soran.

"Uh," She didn't want to get into whatever they were about to get on about, so she changed the subject by looking at a pair of black leather breeches. They were a man's size. "You make this in a woman's size?"

"Well, to be honest, I only design for men-" the tailor cut off as Soran's eyes burned a murderous warning into his skull. "Sure, I'll just have to make a few alterations," he said through gritted teeth. "Let's take your sizes then, shall we?" he said in his cheery voice again, turning the tape measure on her.

"You aren't writing mine down?" Soran said flatly.

"I memorized them. Now would you like them cut above the knee, or full length, my dear," he said to Mizuki, falling into a fit of creativity now that he'd mysteriously warmed up to the concept of women's fashion.

"Uh," The man's sudden eagarness to get the tape measure around Mizuki made her slightly uncomfortable. "They can stay the normal length." Mizuki looked to Soran as she lifted her arms up for the man to take her measurements. She remembered the ring in her pocket and as soon as the man withdrew to write her measurements down, Mizuki dug into her pocket to find the ring and pulled it out.

"Hey, Soran, you know of any good pawn shops?" she asked, showing him the ring.

"Come and rescue me prince!" Rai said loudly, jumping up and down on the couch.

"Do I have to!" the boy cried to her as he head behind on of the chairs. "That dragon sure is scary!"

"You have to save me or we can't get married!" Rai cried to him. Suddenly a thought struck her. Soran had saved Mizuki plenty of times and they weren't married yet...

Oh well, she wouldn't let her future husband know there was a way out of the it. Rai giggled sinisterly.

The boy climbed over the chair and into the seat, then jumped from the seat to the coffee table, then from the coffee table to the couch. To him it was pillars of rock, to anyone else it would have been destruction of furniture.

Soran looked down at the ring she was holding and narrowed his eyes. "Where did you get that?" he asked.

"At the bottom of the lake at our house." She told him plainly. "It was while you, Rai, Siren, and Blade had gone out..." That was so long ago now.

Soran leaned down and inspected the ring she was holding. Finally he straightened up and said "There's someone uptown who deals with this kind of thing. We can go there next if you want."