Barren Lands, Enough to Make Your Heart Weep (Jening Only Please?)

Hitomi had been walking for awhile, the steady beat of her strides obliterating much other thought. Her head was bowed, and her eyelids felt heavy as they were half-closed. Occasionally, the breeze would play with strands of her now short dark hair, and pull at the fabric of her dress. Her heeled boots were actually on, the dark earth hardly even scuffing the polished black leather. She was completely oblivious to her surroundings.

*Jening stood with his hands in his grey pants that were pressed perfectly as usual. He wore a dark blue, a sapphire color, today, the shirt smooth against his skin. He dressed it with a solid black tie and gloves. The wind has tossed his hair a little bit, and it lay a bit left of how it usually stood. As messy like he just gotten out of bed. And so, he stood behind her, hands in pockets, his solid body bent to allow him to whisper in the girl's ear*

"Well you're quite the lucky one...not many people meet Jening twice."

*the whispering in her ear was soft and familiar, gentle like honey. He blinked standing upright again to put on a smile for the young lady*

Hitomi stopped, jerked out of her almost-trance. She spun around to face him, her golden eyes warming in surprise. "Jening...?" She smiled in return, overjoyed to meet up with him again. "I'd imagine I'm lucky to have met you in the first place."

*the older man laughed heartily, a michievious glint in his eye. A grin spread on his face and he cocked his head to the side*

"I wouldn't say that, bella. Some would think I'm quite the unlucky card to pull."

*his dark eyes scanned the terrain behind her and Jening began to wonder to himself what she was doing out here. Or at least what Hitomi herself planned to accomplish. His laughter faded as he furrowed his brow and looked at her worryingly, an half amusing, half nervous smile upon his face*

"What's a girl like yourself doing out here? It could be dangerous you know...Jening rather not have you hurt."

"I'm simply walking back to the Sunlit Kingdom. I joined, actually. I need to learn to fend for myself now that..." She paused, wincing a bit at the terrible memory. "Well, let us say that now I'm alone, I need to learn to defend myself." She tried to smile, but the pain still shone in her eyes. She had loved him dearly, but now that he was gone... Hitomi wouldn't let herself dwell upon the fact though, and when she blinked, the golden depths of her gaze were back to normal, expressing how glad she was to see Jening again.

"Sunlit Kingdom?"

*Jening thought to himself for a moment, smiling when her gaze seemed happier again. He clasped his hands behind his back and looked around the barren land a bit absently*

"Hm...joined a nation. Jening doesn't think he belongs in one. But...if you're happy with it, Jening is happy for you."

"I don't think that once I've learned all I can, I'll stay long. I'll wander, but it'll be nice to have somewhere to go home to, don't you think?" She sighed a bit, "And I'd be happier if you came with me.. I know I could learn a lot from you." She said it so innocently, too...
"But I do know how hard it would be for you, staying for even a little while in one place, so I know it would be unfair to ask such a thing of you. So I will myself not to ask. But I can't help what my heart wishes of me." She explained carefully. Carefully, she followed Jening's eyes. "However, as of right now, there's another question I have to ask. Is there something out here I should be afraid of?" Hitomi asked worridly, returning her gaze to him.

"Out there...? You mean with Jening?"

*he broke the his gaze to glance at his surroundings, the breeze blew through his black tie, ruffling it softly*

"Perhaps. It depends where you go...Jening is sneaky and can protect himself..."

*pausing for a moment, he smiled a bit*

"He doesn't mind protecting Hitomi though."

She smiled back, "Well I'm glad you wouldn't mind." She looked guilty, I wouldn't be able to protect myself, even if I tried... All those years of letting people protect her... That was over now, but Hitomi wished now that she had asked to learn to defend herself, or something... But, it was too late to learn from those who had fallen, she guessed.
"Well, as long as I have you by my side, I don't doubt I'd be willing to go anywhere."

*Jening stayed silent at that statement, his sculpted expression still as stone. the wind blew softly as he turned a little away from Hitomi. His eyes scanned the field quietly, looking more for something to do than to see a landscape. Behind them, he was obviously thinking, the wheels turning as he thought about the situation. It was quite the grave one, he would admit, though..Jening took a step closer*

"It wouldn't hurt if you knew how to fight on your own, Hitomi. Everyone is useful. Even someone like Jening."

*he laughed softly*

She noticed even that little step closer, but she suddenly felt very tired.. She swayed slightly, even as she responded. "No, it wouldn't. But I don't yet have a teacher.." She blinked, having to shift her stance to stay on her feet. "But at the moment... I do believe I should be returning to civilization... I'm dreadfully tired for some reason..."

*struggling to meet her sleepy eyes, Jening spoke carefully*

"Jening could try to teach you some things. Dodging and speed. Hitomi is small so she'll probably be faster than Jening."

*his voice gave out a small chuckle, but it faded. Grabbing her arm, he steadied her with sudden worry, fingers solidly linked to her arm*

" You don't seem too stable. Are you alright?"

"I... I don't know..." She blushed as he grabbed her arm, though she had to admit, she felt like she couldn't stand on her own at the moment. She felt small, and weak at the moment. Hitomi started to shake with tiredness. "I don't know what's wrong... This hasn't happened before..."

"Hold on."

*his dark eyes searched and found a single tree that was close by the barren lands, standing quite weakly, but stood nonetheless. With one sweep under her knees with his left hand, and his right cradling her back, Jening lifted her into his arms. Tilting her towards his body, she could smell a different scent upon his suit today. It smelled more like the ocean water, and near vividly, he brought her the vision of seashells and sand. Jening then sped to the tree. He was fast, and in a few blows of her hair, his tall figure bent over to set her down, her back against the trees. He was careful to lay out the length of her dress smoothly (as he himself wouldn't have liked if his pants scrunched sloppily)*

"Jening hopes you're okay.."

She curled up to his chest as she was carried, taking comfort in his scent, and the visualizations it brought forth. She appreciated how careful he was with her. "Thanks, and I'm sure I will be." Her golden eyes still shone brightly, though her face was pale as she still shook. "But this place... Just seems so dead. I've never really been anywhere like it." She thought about that for a moment, "Oh! I remember now! I was using those two enhancements, but there's no energy source out here to draw from... Nothing natural that grows..! I'm not strong enough to rely on my own strength yet... That's what one of the old sages I learned from said." She blinked, still feeling very, very tired. "Don't let me go to sleep... I might not wake up..." Her eyes were wide now. She was quite scared.

"Calm down. Don't worry, you're not in danger."

*from his bending position he gently elbowed Lady Luck on his belt to make sure she was there, then smoothed Hitomi's hair on one side to soothe her. With the same hand he placed it upon the crown of her head...and soon she would feel energy running down into her body. His hand was glowing a soft silver, that ran, a link, into her energy systems, refreshing her. Jening felt the energy transfer to the smaller girl and give a weak smile to reassure her of his actions*

"The old sages didn't know about Jening though..."

She closed her eyes as his fingers brushed her hair off her face, and when the transfer of energy started, she completely calmed. Her body stopped shaking, and every muscle relaxed. She opened her eyes to gaze at him, and an answering smile spread across her features, "Thank-you, Jening." She said, her voice ever so sincere. It wouldn't be long until her energies were completely replenished, seeing as she never had that much to work with in the first place.
Feeling refreshed, and rejuevenated, she hugged Jening tightly, enjoying his scent, "Thank-you..."

"Arg.."

*he was taken back by her actions and was stunned for a moment. He sat for a while with the girl wrapped around his torso, his hands up in surprise before patting her softly on the back and embracing her as well*

"Don't worry about it. If you need anymore, just ask, alright?"

*he pulled back to brush a strand out of her eyes, and smiled, his cat like eyes happy*

"Jening is just glad you're okay."

"Alright, I'll remember," She said softly, her eyes showing how much gratitude she felt toward Jening at the moment. She actually thought she was going to die a few moments before..
She smiled, "And I'm just glad you were here. Otherwise..." She trailed off, looking away. She folded her legs under her, and placed her hands in her lap, her posture straightening automatically, without thought, even though her head was bowed.

"Don't think about that stuff anymore. You're alive and well now, so..."

*he shifted himself to lean his back upon the tree next to her. His arm gently brushed her, a soft aura of warmth from his body. Still with a smile, he asked with enthusiasm*

"You talked about sages and enchantments! Tell Jening a little more?"

She didn't mind his touch, and she throughly enjoyed that aura of his. Her eyes lit up, glad to be able to talk about something else. Her education was something about her past that didn't hurt to talk about. "Well... I was sort of born into the royal family of where I came from. I was about two when the gold in my eyes really started to show, and I started using magic... Levitating objects and such. Everyone was afraid of me because of it... So Otousan, my word for Father, decided that anyone who knew anything of the magick of the old times should come and help me learn. Not many people knew, but there were a lot of fakes, who only wanted money. They were quickly found out though.
"There were a few sages who came, and they were very wise. They knew about Magick from the books they had read, but they couldn't perform any of it themselves... A lot of what they taught me was based on theory.. And most of that theory didn't work, because I didn't have enough energy to make some spells work..." She paused, looking up to the sky while toying with the golden necklace she wore, "But there was something they did, something forbidden... Toying with spells they shouldn't've, or something of the like, and now no one can remember their names, or even what they looked like. Even I can only remember certain features about each. Like how the most elderly had a crooked nose, and the youngest had such beady eyes..." She blinked, looking back to Jening, "I'm sorry... I've been babbling on for a while, haven't I?" Hitomi blushed a bit, ashamed.

*a naked hand waved in the air carelessly and Jening shook his dark head while still intently listening*

"Babble all you need to! Jening truly doesn't mind."

*his shoulder lifted into a shrug and his mouth into a sly smirk*

"Besides, Jening likes hearing you talk."

*he winked playfully and leaned back into the tree's thin bark to relax*

Hitomi blushed a bit, "Oh, uh, really? Hm. Ahem, well.. What else would you want to hear about? I'm sure you've been to so many places that retellings of sights I've seen in my travels would be give you nothing more then a sense of deja vu." She shifted slightly, scooting backwards a bit to be able to feel the bark against her back, her arm brushing slightly against his, the curve of the tree forcing her to sit practically behind him. That's how thin the thrunk of the tree was. She kept one hand in her lap, propped herself up with the other arm, her palm resting on the hard packed soil not far from Jening.

*his chuckle slightly shook the tree and she could feel the soft vibrations. The man leaned back a little bit more, the tree bending to the force. His shirt's smooth material lay gently against the fabric of her dress. Turning a smile to the sky, it was sly as if he shared a private joke*

'Yes. Jening has gone and done a lot of things and there is no doubt there will be some deja vu, but...he's sure Hitomi has plenty of lovely stories to tell..."

*at that he closed his eyes and gave the smallest sigh in his relaxation. Suddenly his slightly roughed, but graceful hand, was put over Hitomi's smooth one. He touched her hand gently, as if he would break her if he placed any more pressure and the light touch was enough for a feeling like a spark up her arm*

Those soft vibrations shook her slight frame, and Hitomi couldn't honestly say she didn't enjoy having him so close that any time either of them moved, the whispers cloth as their clothes brushed against one another were almost audiable. Of course, her back was to him, so she wouldn't notice that sly smile.
She listened to his words, her thoughts confirmed, and in response she sighed, "Well I wouldn't call most of my stories 'lovely'. But... I do have a few to tell."
As she felt his hand over hers, she gasped very quietly in surprise, but smiled. That electrifying feeling was one that she was coming to love. Composing herself quite quickly, and keeping her hand relaxed against his, she began to tell her tale.
"I remember once, when I couldn't have been more then 16, and I was traveling with a group of upper middle class merchants. We had gone for a trip to the sea, and it was my first time seeing such a marvelous sight... The waves crashing against the steep cliffs. The birds wheeled overhead, their cries almost deafening with the sheer number of them. I could remember the exact shade of the water, and the sights and smells of the habour that assaulted the senses.
"Unlike most of the stories you hear, this one was mostly uneventful. I shopped for things I wanted at the market, always with my escort, because there are always those who can spot a girl who had money, but not a clue as to what's really out there. I went aboard The Royal's Voyage for awhile, just to see what it would be like." She paused then, thinking back, "It was when I got back that I had got a real surprise. Waiting for me at home was a family who seemed completely changed, one that I didn't know anymore... That was the day they banished me... But from there, I simply had more adventure, wandering in the wilderness, being protected from bandits and creatures of the wild, all while trying to further my Magicks. Of course, I didn't get very far, but still."