⠀ ⠀ 𝑓𝑙𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑏𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑒. 𝕾𝐓𝐄𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝕺𝐅 𝕾𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐒… ⠀ ⠀

It's... To be cliche, it's complicated. Lending an ear may ease the burden, but it won't do anything to change what is in place. It's an inevitability. Either that, or it's something that is out of the dragon's control. Either way, it's almost certainly best to keep him alone. +

"We don't think much of ants, 'til they're the size of houses and burnin' down the forests. The desert is our home... and we're losin' that, too."

Everyone. He's a ticking bomb, and the further away he is from civilization, the better.

It's safer this way.

Probably for the best. The dragonborn is similarly thinking of other things, burning the time away in the nearby woods.

A solitary walk to the nearest town, to top up on supplies and essentials. Then it'll be back to the wilds, to stay away...

A long, cold night in the woods.

"This flower is for you! I hope it makes you happy!" #WutheringWavesRP #WuWaRP #MVRP

"Stick by my side and I know we can make it through anything." #OCRP / #MVRP An original character written by SUNDER.

Not me. And I didn't take it.

...That sounds a lot like stereotyping. Typical coming from them.

A new village, a fresh set of clothes, and a mug of something strong to quiet his anxieties. Perhaps he'll pick up a quest or two, begin the quiet cycle of atoning once more.

A sharp gasp. Eyes open once again. Pink scale covered in smoldering tattered clothes, aching back on the firm ground. It happened again. Months of time lost, a body not his own moving with string pulled by another. It had been years, almost a decade since the last time, and not nearly as long. +

Udo had helped with the breakfast a bit, but ended up breaking down the tent in record time instead. He felt better, having energy to spend, and was eager to get back on the road with his friend. He was taking a breather when Inrin handed him breakfast. +

"Hm. No wonder I could smell dirt on you." Udo grinned, a soft chuckle on his lips. As they stepped out of the tent, he began to pile some wood into the fire pit, waiting until Inrin had pulled out the cookware. Before he lit the fire, his hand moved to rest on her shoulder. Firm, but gentle. +

Another moment to compose himself, before gently slipping from her embrace to stand. "Sounds good to me." Udo replied, some life returning to his voice. "I think we both deserve some relaxing in a river or something. We must reek by now." he chuckled. +

Time for a lazy day. The dragon found a spot at the beach, just floating along on the waves to cool off and enjoy himself. Head empty. #OpenRP

Her touch comforted him, more than he realized. It was something to ground him, to know that he found someone who could relate. "...I feel a little better. Thank you." he muttered. "I'd like to help... Gives me something to do."

It was words he needed to hear, words he had to know were true. And although he couldn't fully accept that fact in the moment, a part of it had begun to erode away. Decades of holding it in, ever so slowly beginning to crumble. Udorakas tried to focus as he cried, to compose himself. +

Another tight embrace, another wave of tears. He had told himself things like this before, tried to move past it by himself. But just hearing someone tell him it wasn't his fault, that he was not that monster that took the lives of those closest to him... Udorakas broke down. +

Udo found his arms wrapping around Inrin, his head gently buried in her neck. She felt wetness on her skin, the cracks within him getting deeper as he cried in his friend's arms. ...He did the best he could. A sharp inhale, a shaky exhale. +

Inrin grabbing his hand made the scaled man tremble, only for his grip to tighten in kind. Her words struck him, deeper than he realized, and Udo blinked away the wetness that began to shine in the dawning sun. It wasn't hard to see the conflict behind those eyes now. +

His own gaze stayed on the blooming light outside, as if replaying the dream and seeing it in front of him. "I've been on quite a lot." he affirmed, hands in his lap. "But most of them are for quests, bounties, fixing things. For one reason or another, I end up parting ways." +

Thankfully they had picked a decent spot to camp, they could enjoy the sunrise through the open flaps without much issue, except the dragon needing to scooch a bit closer to Inrin. Totally just to see the sunrise. "Mhm." he replied, eyes fixed on the horizon ahead of them. +

"Morning." As she turned away, there was an unmistakable grin on the dragon's lips, as well as his own gentle blush. Stretching his body, he opted to stay laying on the blankets for a little while longer. "Slept well enough, had an interesting dream of two." +

She could take all the time she wanted. The morning, the days to come. They had survived so far, that was a hard-fought gift. No shame indulging in a moment. Or two. However long they lay there, however long she held his arm, this was her moment to cherish. At least, until she realized. +

◇ DAME AYLIN ◇ N I G H T S O N G » Feel my voice rattle your bones as I proclaim our victory! «

A reaction, the slightest shiver from her touch... Before shuffling ever so slightly closer to her. His breathing was rhythmic, a deep rise and fall of his chest. Practiced, ever in control, even while his mind was far away from the tent.

The only indication that the dragon noticed was a sound, the softest sigh, still lost in whatever dream he had. As the light trickled into the tent, she would see those scars and features she couldn't the night before. Like how his left horn was ever so slightly chipped at the point. +

Udo had fallen asleep within minutes, the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest like a metronome. The hours passed, the embers outside dying to leave the only heat source slumbering near Inrin. As she scooched closer to him, she would feel a gentle warmth around him, coming from his chest. +

"Hmph, you and me both." Udo replied, to both questions. His eyes took note of the scar he'd seen a bit of before, but now saw even more of it while she was in a tank top. A part of him wanted to ask about it, as all scars told stories. +

"Let's turn in early and get some rest, then." Udo agreed, moving to quench some of the fire outside until it was ember and charcoal. Enough to still give a bit of warmth and a touch of light, but not to be a beacon to anything around them. +

"Loads better than bumping up against crates and sacks of food, right?" Udo stepped inside as well, his darkvision making it easy to see in the dim light coming from the campfire. He began to fasten the tarp down, and Inrin would see that the tent was quite spacious. +

With two people, setting up the poles took no time at all. Hell, Udo didn't even have to show Inrin how to put stakes in, other than to make sure they were as close to the ground as possible but to leave a little bit to grab onto for the breakdown in the morning. +

"Yup, all ready to go." Udo rolled his arms and stretched his torso, eager to both show Inrin how to expertly set up a tent and how comfy one is afterwards. "First we start with the poles. Gotta basically make the skeleton of it first. Then the tarp goes over, and we fasten it down with stakes." +

The poke only made the pink dragonborn redder, but he waved it off as best he could. They definitely had a long day tomorrow, and the next. They probably still had a week or two to get to Kor' Garum, but they had made decent time so far. "For sure. I'll ready all the tools." +

"We both made mistakes." Udo replied, his own grip on Inrin tightening in response. "Just have to live and learn. We'll get the hang of this." The flame dragon held his friend for as long as she wanted, in companionable silence. He wanted them to keep talking when things happened. +

"Tch, figured you'd wanna mess with me." he mused, in better spirits after dinner and their talk. As I Rin apologized though, Udorakas stood and gazed at the woman. Slowly, if she allowed it, his arms gently moved to wrap her in a warm embrace. Arms around her sides, chest rising and falling. +

Well, that was out of the question. Unless there was some loophole regarding death and a resurrection spell, but that wasn't something feasible on the table. As Inrin slipped her hand away, Udorakas shook his head. "No need to apologize... You've been through a lot today." +

A ritual... Udorakas' brow furrowed deeply, sapphires revealing turmoil. He had been gazing at Inrin, but as she talked, it seemed like he was looking through her. Lost in thought. Digesting the crumbs she gave him. Out of all of this, he didn't show hatred. But, she may have seen one feeling. +

He gazed at those scars as she talked, wondering just how much pain this woman has been through in her lives. So much trauma, torment, cracks in the soul... At least she was in good company, but she probably had him beat. Probably. +

As her hand slid into hers, Udo instinctively reached his other hand over, trying to sandwich her cold digits between them to give her some warmth. The thought of not having heat run through your veins was foreign to him, especially for someone human. +

The curse. Something they had talked a bit about, but Udo couldn't really grasp it. As far as he remembered, Inrin had said something about another world, another life. The book, talking about what it may have been, and a potential lover. And then, darkness. Was that where the curse came from? +

"Dunno about that. Sharing that bed in the inn that one time..." Udo's cheeks rose a bit in color, but it was hard to tell. "Your palms were pretty cold." A light snicker, his body relaxing as they continued to talk. +

"Oh, ample room for the two of us." he replied nonchalantly. "I know we've slept in the wagon most nights, but you'll appreciate a good tent once we set it up." Maybe Udorakas didn't understand why she was asking that question, or if he did, he played it off like he didn't. +

"Yeesh... Gotta be careful with cast iron." Udo took his bowl, thankful for something warm as he began to eat. The flavors, the heat, especially after a day like today... He really needed it. He'd take a moment just to savor the evening, thankful that they were alive to do so. +

The smell of the food, the sounds of wildlife helped Udo to calm himself some. Today was an anomaly, and they'd both be prepared for threats in the future. They'd be stronger, more vigilant, more under contr- His eyes flashed over towards Inrin as she cursed, a look of worry on his face. +

Udo wasn't really tired. If anything, the potion and the nap helped a lot, and he wanted to help. "...All right." With the slightest hint of disappointment, the dragonborn moved to a spot by the fire, idly fiddling with the contents of his satchel. +