Late Night Ruminations [Closed/Aodh]

Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock.

A plain silver pocket watch hung from a stand on his desk, the little piece of clockwork ticking quietly along second by second, as the Sternritter read through a seemingly endless pile of paper copies of the old records which had been drawn up by the former rulers of their people. Aodh had been attempting to organise moving all these pieces of information into electronic records but it was slow going and finding the people to spare was a nightmare in constantly shifting resources. Running a hand through his hair the man shook his head, he knew ruling an entire peoples was going to be a nearly impossible task considering the fractured Quincy community but he hadn't expected to be working off an already crumbling foundation. As he finished organising the pile of old tomes to his right, mostly financial records from Weylin's regime, he placed them to the side. They were now in the proper order to be added to a database which he admittedly might be forced to do alone if he couldn't afford to reassign the administrative staff under him. A sigh escaped his lips as the man squinted over at the little pocket watch and read the time. Just after midnight. Wonderful. Maybe he'd be able to grab a few hours shuteye around 3:00 or 4:00 before getting up for morning training at 7:00.

Pressing the power button on his laptop the man leant back in his chair while stretched his arms upwards, the movement being rewarded with a series of clicks and that wonderful sensation that came with stretching after being stuck in a seat for far too long. As he waited for the machine to finish booting up he stood up to glance at the other side of his desk to see Nico lying completely asleep on the floor. Smiling faintly Aodh couldn't help be pleased at the sight, when he had left for Germany the man had been forced to leave everything behind even his Alsatian who had been cared for by a friend, luckily being a Sternritter came with perks and Aodh had been more than ready to abuse his authority by forcing a pair of a Knights to take a private jet to Germany so they could collect his pet in style.

Dropping back into his seat Aodh tapped on the keyboard of his laptop to login before immediately connecting to the Quincy Castle's server. Opening up the database he had been compiling he decided to make a start on the financial records, at least if he got part of it done himself then it would be an easier job to pass on to whichever admins became available over the next week. Pausing in his work, finding the utter silence a little distracting, the man stood up and cross his office to turn on his record player which immediately started playing the Vinyl within. Fly me to the moon by Astrud Gilberto. Aodh could practically feel himself relax immediately although such songs always give him the urge to go and play a piece himself, but no he had work to do. He didn't even have any instruments here with him. Moving over to the drink cabinet the man poured himself a small glass of whiskey the Quincy immediately moved back to his desk. Throughout the entire time shuffling around the room his dog barely twitched already in a deep slumber.

Opening the oldest of the financial records the man began typing away as he added them to the record fields, humming softly to the music and giving a slight shake of his head. He wondered if Freyleif had any idea just how much money the Crown had wastefully thrown away over the years. Say what you will for Weylin's skill as a Quincy but the man was no financial wizard. It was a worrying trend. The rulers of their people, back to the time of the Council, seemed to have little care for the money they blew on their extravagance and inefficiencies. Markus had been the worst of course but from what Aodh had learnt about the man that was hardly surprising considering what he had known of the pureblood supremacist King. The best thing Weylin had ever done was rob the man of his powers, something which was obvious in hindsight but at the time the pacifistic Quincy had found deeply disturbing. His work was interrupted when his laptop began throwing up alerts: 

22 unread emails.

He sighed. He had literally just finished cleaning out his inbox a few hours ago. Clicking through his emails the man grimaced. A number of the messages were reports about uncomfortable run ins with Shinigami which had just stopped shy of all out conflict. The tensions between the growing Quincy Order and the venerable Gotei were becoming more and more strained. How long would it be before the first skirmishes? How long after that until all out war? Was it possible to stem what seemed like the inevitable fate of another Culling Order being issued by the leaders of the Soul Society? There weren't enough Quincy fighting for peace in their ranks. Aodh was perhaps the loudest voice of this side but at the end of the day, Sternritter or not, he was only one man. The Pride of the Quincy ran deep and the unreasonable and tyrannical expectations of the Shinigami. The Quincy should fall back in the face of the Shinigami, it simply made sense considering their power and how they were likely to react to opposition but at the same time the Soul Reapers had to understand that, as Quincy, they couldn't simply stop defending humanity from the Hollow predators that fed on it. The Seiretei had, long ago, proven itself incapable or unwilling of protecting the common man from Hollow attacks. Aodh preferred to believe they were simply too stretched thin to handle such a task. Quincy however, there were Quincy everywhere and they could reasonable defend humanity.

'If only they would work with us. But they're too old, too trapped in their superiority to believe mortals are worth the investment.' he thought to himself miserably. That didn't mean he'd give up though. In fact once his cousin managed to prove himself with his research, if he proved himself, Aodh planned to have the researcher investigate the possibility of Quincy learning how to purify souls...even if only via the use of some sort of artefact or piece of equipment. Even a limited showing of success in that area might pacify the Soul Reapers.

The Sternritter immediately drafted up and emails instructing all Senior Knights to, once again, order their juniors to follow the Queen's wishes in regards to interactions with the Shinigami. They were to be avoided whenever possible and all interactions with Shinigami had to be reported in detail directly to himself and Sternritter Khen. Amelia was a reasonable women and Aodh wanted all information shared with her as well.

He had just clicked send when he heard the knock on his door followed by a familiar voice. The first barely roused Nico at all, the Alsation had become used to visitors at all hours however the voice caused the dog to leap to his feet and run to the door. It appeared he recognised her too.

Smiling Aodh leant back in his chair. "Come on in."

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WC: 1232
Total WC: 1232

Hearing his voice in reply, Calendrea sighed. There was a stroke of luck for it was just as likely that Aodh might have still been out tending to some crisis rather than having retired for the evening. That he would be awake, if in his quarters, was not something she had questioned for she knew he pushed himself and barely slept much these days. That was one of her major concerns and cause of her visit. As her hand went to the door knob she could hear the faint sounds of music. This was why she didn't hear the dog rushing the door.

Full of concern and trying to figure a way to bring her concerns to light without coming off as lecturing, she was completely startled into laughter as Nico bounded up from the ground to press his paws to her shoulders and lick her face. Her hand flew from the doorknob, having just opened it and stepped through into the room before she was accosted with puppy lovins galore.

She sputtered, turning her face to the side even as she laughed and ruffled his head between her hands and scratching behind his ears. "Auk..." she choked out in near speech, "...Nico! Did they draft you into The Order too?" She squeaked as his tongue found her ear and pushed his shoulders to get him down. "Don't worry old boy" she bent over the dog once he dropped back to the floor. "I know some great woods to go running in. I will break you out of here soon."

Calendrea turned to shut the door, careful to not get entangled up with Nico as she moved. The dog ran back over to Aodh and then quickly turned and looked at her before whipping his head around to gaze up at his master as if to say "look, look, look. Do you see, do you, do you, huh huh huh!!!" All the while that tail of his was lashing back and forth to beat the band.

In a fit of madness she just opened her arms wide and stared at Aodh thinking, "And where's my hugs and kisses from you?" Of course no such shameless thing would slip from her lips, parted wide in a huge grin as they were. Instead she chuckled and let her arms fall to his sides, lightly smacking the outside of her thighs in the process. "Well he certainly makes a body feel welcomed." She gestured toward the computer, taking in the sight of his desk piled high with tomes, just as her own had been since being knighted. "You sure you can break away from your work to take a visit?"

Word Count: 447 + 725 = 1172

"Nico." he groaned with annoyance as his dog assaulted their visitor. As the dumb mutt ran back over he sighed and pet him along the side, the dog was clearly very pleased that Calendrea was here. It occurred to Aodh that they hadn't seen each other since Germany and she had both fed him as well as bringing him on walks which was pretty much instant friendship in dogland.

Aodh tilted his head slightly as the woman threw her arms open before a quiet chuckle and dropping them down to her sides. Pushing aside his confusion he nodded. "I'm sure I can spare a few minutes." he replied shutting the laptop screen.

Standing up the man crossed the room to the drinks cabinet and poured Calendrea a drink of Whiskey knowing his student...or was it former student...well he knew she liked such things. Returning he put the glass down on the other side of the table he gestured at the chair on the other side. "Please have a seat." he requested.

Relaxing back into his chair he closed his eyes for a moment drinking in the jazz before opening his eyes and focusing his gaze the young Knight.

"So what can I help you with Calendrea?" he asked curious about the visit.

When was the last time he'd actually spoken with the girl to any degree? The night of Freyleif's party? No that didn't really count plus their reunion had been soured by the actions she'd taken by breaking the sacred trust of the Order that Aodh himself had sworn to serve. Since then it had been all reports and orders, orders she'd fulfilled dutifully and efficiently to the Irishman's relief. So before that then? Japan? It must have been in Karakura Town but when exactly? Before he'd visited Germany to report to the failure of a leader Walter. It had been around the time of the KSN meeting hadn't it? Before that was the night of the party when everyone was drinking at his house. 

God...Karakura felt like another life but it had only been a few months. They had been happy then. Aodh's greatest worry had been failing Calendrea as a teacher. A sad smile touched his lips. He had loved those times. Seeing Calendrea form a bow for the first time...to see her manipulate Reishi with startling ease. The pride he had felt at such a sight. 

Now? Now he had to worry about failing his entire race. He looked up at Calendrea and the faint smile swiftly vanished. Guilt threatened to crush his heart for dragging her into this. She didn't deserve this. He should release her...help her get away from her Grandfather and just live a better life. He was powerful, he had the Order at his beck and call...he could do it...so why didn't he?

Weakness...because he was weak. The Order needed her and her vast gifts...no...it was true but it was also a lie. That's not why he kept her around, it wasn't for their people...it was for him. He was weak and he needed someone strong to lean on, someone he could trust, someone who he could use to make up for everything he lacked. That was the truth, wasn't it? At the end of the day the thought of having to continue the impossible duty of bringing the Quincy together without Calendrea was just unthinkable.

Guilt and shame. Such a wonderful mix.

Clearing his throat he forced a smile to his lips. "Is anything the matter?" he added.

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WC: 587
Total WC: 1819

She was relieved to see he would see her and when he walked over to the liquor and poured her a glass, she took time to smile over at Nico glad the dog had finally been reunited with his master. She hated thinking that the two would be parted and was sure he would be a great comfort to Aodh. He certainly had alleviated her own tensions in coming here tonight and so effortlessly. Calendrea moved to take her place in the offered seat, after he had settled back behind his desk and reached to take the glass between her hands.

"Thank you. I recall you tend to keep good liquor", she began with her usual diversionary approach to beating around the bush before getting to the point. Still, it was good manners and it wouldn't hurt to think on this as more of a social call than an intervention. No matter how many times she had gone over in her mind on what she would say, how she would broach the topic at hand, she found herself no more certain of how he would respond than ever. Raising the glass to her lips, she sipped lightly at the drink just letting the warmth permeate her body and ease her nerves a bit.

"Ah", she breathed out softly, "I didn't realize how much I needed that." She chuckled a bit, her voice in its natural soprano range, as she rested the bottom of the glass upon her left thigh. His question set her to examining him with that calculating gaze of hers. The signs of his fatigue were obvious and it hardly took a practiced people watcher like herself to see it. But there were overtones of other things exuding from the man. His smile vanished when he looked over at her, the little girl inside her trying to scream to her that it was about her. But no, this was not anything of the sort. His greeting to her had been genuine; Lord knows she had witnessed him dealing with officials that he would rather not have enough to recognize his professional face. She also was not likely to ever forget how he sounded and looked when he was angry with her either.

She couldn't be sure but she knew he was suffering deeply over something connected with her. Her eyes widened and she could have kicked herself. She had seen that look a million times upon the faces of those lined up before the confessional; guilt. Her mouth gaped open and she actually blinked as his face twisted with the crease lines, subtle though they were, of shame. What in the world did he have to feel guilty about. Leaning forward, she set her glass down upon the edge of the desk. Her features held unmistakable concern written all over it right down to the softening of the small stress lines at the corners of her eyes.

Shifting to the edge of her seat she said to him, her eyes peering into his quite openly, "I think its time for you to be answering that question Aodh." She shook her head slightly and went on before he could throw up that wall of his and feign ignorance. "Don't push me away tonight. I am being pushy and it's not like me at all but you are more important than you know and something is bothering you. It's time to talk and if it takes a whole bottle of whiskey, then so be it." Her hand curled round the glass and she smiled, "So...let me ask you Aodh", his name slipped form her lips like the sweetest of caresses, "What is troubling you tonight?"

Word Count: 615 + 1172 = 1787

Seeing her look at the dog he give a sheepish smile. "I actually sent two Knights over on a private Order jet to pick him up. I couldn't stand the thought of him being shoved into those transport kennel pens." he admitted. "It took a while to justify that expenditure."

The final justification had basically been "I'm the Sternritter Birith now leave me alone!". Oh yes he simply oozed charisma, so smooth and silver tongued. He shook his head slightly at the recollection. Luckily Aodh was the one that the majority of the financial records went to for approval so he'd been able to approve his own request and had already filed away all record of it. That being said he'd hardly been sneaky about it and would openly admit it to anyone. The Order could consider it as part of the negotiation charge for his recruitment into full time Knighthood.

As she sat down and took the drink he chuckled softly. "Another perk of the job. We get the best drink and the connections the Quincy families have with various brewers mean we get it at a bargain too." he added. Stocking the castle's "spirit library", as Aodh liked to call it, fully was actually surprisingly cheap considering.

Aodh was happy to let the the quiet fill the room as he sipped on his own drink and listened to the record playing away. It was a good night. He glanced down at the files on his table and sighed softly as he flicked one open and began glancing through it as he rested his glass on his thigh much as Calendrea herself did. Ah yes that was what he'd planned too look at next. Daily reports arriving at his desk on the various patrols which he needed to go through and sign off before sending on for archiving. He began to mentally tally how far behind he was on such things and fell into such musings so deeply that it took the cold water trickling down the side of his glass onto his trousers to reawaken him to his surroundings. When he looked up he blinked in surprise at how close Calendrea had leant forward.

"I...what?" he spluttered clearly perturbed by the sudden line of questioning. "I...you came all the way here to ask me what is wrong?" he asked sounding confused. Ah yes more guilt. He was troubling her beyond forcing the young woman into a life of military and servitude. Now he was even taking up her free time with concern about his personal well being, perhaps even his mental health it would seem.

Standing up he walked back over to the drink cabinet to refill his drink.

"That is a big question." he noted a little more composed now as he retook his seat.

"But I believe I asked first." he added with an amused smile. "So how about I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

This was, admittedly, not only his second drink of the night.

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WC: 502
Total WC: 2321

Despite her concern, she was not without a certain bit of humor, his words clearly having dual meaning. His own amused smile indicated that he was very much aware of the double entendre which caused her to snort and shake her head at him slightly. She knew an evasion tactic like no one's business. Her life had been a long series of running away from facing the truth and emotionally tense situations. It was dangerous to let people get close. People got hurt. You got hurt. But if the world had taught her anything it was that life was not for pussies. Neither one of them could have the luxury any longer of hiding from themselves or from each other.

She had leaned back as soon as he rose from the desk so as not to encroach upon his little bubble of safety, watching that erect posture of his as he refilled his drink. Her words had certainly gotten his back up, but at least he was not throwing her out and telling her to mind her own business. Progress. It was long overdue for both of them.

She sipped her drink and grinned at him as she wet her lips to clear the potent taste from her mouth. "It is a big question, Aodh. But then we are big boys and girls now, aren't we? We have to be fit for duty and can't hide behind these walls any more." She arched a delicate eyebrow at him and gestured with the glass in her left hand toward him, "You know exactly what I mean too. The whole no one can touch me thing that we both do. Stay away cause God forbid I have to feel something, pleasure or pain. Better for everyone if I walk around like some kind of numb zombie; right?" She knocked back her drink despite her brave and bold words needing a bit of a tightener to keep her from bolting from the room. Her heart pounded in her chest to that old staccato beat, 'run run run run away little girl'.

"I need a refill Aodh, it's not going to be easy you know. You are not the only one who is scared to feel anything. How about a refill?" She didn't even realize she had repeated her request for more booze. Holding the glass out she set it on the edge of the desk and hurried on with her words lest she lose her nerve.

"I didn't come here to ask how you were feeling. I came here to tell you that you need to delegate more tasks to the massive staff sitting around here so that you..." and she punched the word with a bit more volume, "...can get a descent night's sleep. How can you possibly do everything you need to if you drop dead from exhaustion?" She shook her head and shifted in her seat wishing to God she had put on her civies. This was no conversation to be having while clad in her uniform. She unbuttoned the doublet a bit, perhaps the jacket could be shed. It was getting a bit warm in the room, or was that just the whiskey?

"However..." she began to roll her shoulders out of her jacket and slip her arms from the sleeves, "...you got a lot more going on that just being overworked. And it matters Aodh. Not cause I need my commander to be strong either." She got free and slung the jacket upon the back of her chair, her white button up blouse was tucked into her pants and had short sleeves for summer; standard issue. Looking up at him she sighed and just went there, "Show you mine Aodh? I need you in my life. Not because of The Order or all the work that needs done to make the people safe. I need my friend to stop suffering. I need you to share that with me, like real people do not these....these broken things we have become."

Word Count: 671 + 1787 = 2458

Well she wasn't playing along completely but at least Calendrea was showing a sense of humour which, really, meant it was going about as well as he could have hoped. He draped himself in his chair from a mixture of tiredness and simply relaxing as his left hand hung to one side with the cross swinging back and forth while his right held his glass on the arm of his chair. As she spoke he felt an icy hand closing in on his heart. Aodh did not handle this sort of emotional digging and he wasn't used to exploring his own emotions. He much preferred to bury things, to hide things to make everything just go away. He'd done it after learning that his father died, he'd done it when he'd felt betrayed by the KSN.

Running from...

Gods but it was a whole different issue being o this end of the situation watching him pulling all the tricks she had used oh so many times over the years. It was good enough, she would not push, not yet. Small steps for he was not bolting. The last thing either of them needed was to get spooked and ruin any chance they ever had...

She wet her lips before taking the glass from him, and said, "Thank you My Lord", she quipped in keeping with his own small joke. She also realized that he found it distasteful when the staff did it, but she felt he would permit her to tease him back in return just a bit. Part of her dared not even breath saying these things to him. What if he rejected her attempt to get closer? He was like some wild thing that she had to approach with caution. Just every bit as much as she herself was in the same boat. When had she become so damned brave? She was terrified. This very thing was why she had fled into the night.

It hadn't worked one bit though. She had to hang upside down on the tree like Odin in order to find life. She had to trust that he would not revile her. She had to trust that she would not destroy him in return for the knowledge that the Fates might not be done exacting their sacrifices was ever present in her mind. Her fear of her emotional control over her power would never let her forget the dangers.

She sipped her drink seeking her courage in the bottom of the glass and yet not wishing to loose her senses completely, especially when things were going so right. Breathing out once more, she laughed nervously and rubbed a bit of sweat from her brow with the back of her free hand. Surely that was just the whiskey and not her emotions rising. "Dare I even hope", she was scared, so horribly afraid.

Before she could clasp both hands around her glass he was popping up from the table and shoving the whiskey bottle into her hands. Rising to her feet she fumbled to gain a good grip round the neck of the bottle. "Okay Aodh.", she laughed. "What is it?" He took off like a shot and she sped after him laughing. "Aodh! Wait!" Running always brought relief and she laughed tucking the bottle under her arm and sprinting after him full tilt. Oh but this running was filled with so much, happiness? She laughed again filled with curiosity as though they were about to get up to some sort of trickery.

She came to skidding halt next to him near the elevator, her eyes filled with light as she gazed up at him fumbling for his card key. Unable to even imagine where they were going, she didn't try. It was much too spontaneous and the wonder of a bit of silliness they could share seemed to release such a weight from her whole being.

Slipping into the elevator, she grinned at him like an idiot so entranced by the moment. Gods but he was wonderful when he was like this, when she was like this. How long had it been since she felt truly happy? Had she ever. "Rotten man. Push the button. I can't wait to see!"

Word Count: 568 + 2458 = 3026

Ding!

The doors slid upon to reveal an empty corridor with a much more stylish, if old fashioned, decor than the lower floors. Aodh stuck his head out the door to glance left and right before stepping out slowly. He gestured for Calendrea to follow him still wearing that stupid expression. With almost comically exaggerated slowness he snuck down the corridor.

"This is the Royal Floor." he said quietly "Freyleif's room is up here. The elevator doesn't go any further from here."

He went to turn a corner before freezing and throwing himself back to flatten himself against the wall. He turned to look down at his companion wide eyed and shook his head lifting a finger on his free hand up to his lip while the other hand held his empty glass and pinned the two bottles of whiskey under his arm. Footsteps echoed around the other side of the corner before stopping. The seconds ticked by in utter silence with only the very faint tick, tick, tick of Aodh's stupid soviet pocket watch in his breast pocked which currently threatened to give him away.

Then the footsteps started up again moving in the other direction causing the man to let out a breath he'd been holding. It felt like he was back at school misbehaving and worried that he'd get caught. Of course the trouble for coming up to the Royal Suite's floor without permission was a little more severe than detention even for a Sternritter. Indicating with a bob of his head that everything was clear he continued around the corner moving at a quicker pace than before.

Within a few minutes they were at an old oak door with another security reader which Aodh quickly swiped his card across, ah the abusing of rank. The door swung open to reveal a very, very old fashioned spiral staircase leading up what appeared to be a narrow tower. Gesturing for Calendrea to go up he closed the door behind them.

"Watch the steps, they're uneven, it's an old medieval design to give an advantage to the defenders for when attackers tried to climb during the melee so they'd lose their footing." he blabbered at a more normal volume now they were safely climbing the staircase. "Also notice the staircase goes clockwise? This is so defenders, who would be higher up, have a greater range of movements for the swords they carry in their right hands while fighting the invaders who'd be at a disadvantage."

Boring history facts! He was full of them!

Reaching the top of the staircase he swiped his car once more and pushed the door open to reveal they were standing on the top of one of the castle's towers, a rather large one to match this equally large castle. He grinned happily, there was barely any wind and the night was perfect for what he had in plan. He wandered over to the battlements which were as tall as he was and glanced through the crenels to look at the distant ground below. Setting his bottles and glass on the ground he cracked his knuckles and focused on the centre of the tower. Holding out both hands like a wizard about to cast a spell he began to gather Reishi causing his Quincy Cross to glow with light, spirit particles were torn from the air to form a two seater chair made from a metallic material. It formed in mere moments and would last for...well for ever, this wasn't some temporary Reishi construct but rather something much more real, more Reishi formed to provide a few layers of Reishi formed cloth over the metal. It wouldn't be super comfortable but it was the best he could do.

Grabbing the bottles and his glass once more the Quincy dropped into the seat and put items at his feet. Throwing his arms over the back of the chair he tilted his head back as far as he could to look up at the clear star filled sky as the night was lit up by the full moon. They were far enough outside of Berlin not to have to worry about artificial light ruining the view.

Glancing over at Calendrea he give her a faint smirk. "Worth the walk?"

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WC: 712
Total WC: 3711

The sound of the elevator reaching its destination caused her heart to skip a beat. She could have drawn on her extensive memory of the castle lay out in order to know where they were going but she blocked that from her mind in favor of not spoiling the moment. She wanted the rush of the anticipation and the excitement of the big reveal once they arrived. "Oh my", the astonishment slipped from her just as quietly as he had spoken for there was the general air of sneakiness about their invasion of the part of the castle. The whole night just exuded forbidden, taboo, do not trespass. It was deliciously juvenile and she loved seeing this side of him.

With exaggerated stealth she trailed along behind him, her eyes going wide as she too fell in line to flatten herself against the cold stone of the corridor until the coast was clear to continue. At the oak door she paused to look around in wonder at actually living like this in the age from which it had been constructed. Architecture had always fascinated her so. Slipping into the tower stair well, she waited until he shut the door and then paid careful watch to her footing as she ascended the spiral staircase.

Listening to him explain the purpose of the designs, the riser spacing and the direction of the stairs made her smile. The sound of his voice was entrancing and only served to make the wonder of the moment all the more significant to her. Whatever hesitancy or determination she yet held within was slowly being erased irrevocably. Of all the things he could have shown her he took her here and fed into her love of history.

Once they stepped out onto the top of the tower she naturally went to the edge so that she might view the moon drenched landscape. It was breathtaking from this vantage point, the lake, the Wolfensteim manor and the tiny cemetery which was hidden from view just there beyond the small copse of trees. Her hand lay upon one of the stones and turned to Aodh with one of the most relaxed and joyful expressions that had dared to cross her features in years.

And yet he was not done with his marvels, watching him make the constructs from his Reishi she was quite pleased to see the ease with which he employed his skill. His abilities had always astounded her and she didn't even bother to examine it with a critical eye watching to copy the technique for herself. Not tonight. No studying, no training, just to be in the moment was all that she desired.

Even so she could not help but chuckle as she saw him get all comfy and gaze up at the moon like that. That tremble within her was missing, her fear hardly even a memory. "Oh yes Aodh", she said, slightly nodding her head. Moving forward she would take a seat and gaze at the moon for a moment before extending her hand out, with the palm facing the sky. "Thank you for showing me, it's beautiful here."

Turning her gaze upon him she still held her hand out to him. "I need this part of you Aodh." Would he accept what she offered him? She didn't know. Probably not. "You need this too." She swallowed feeling a tightening of her throat rising as her nerves began to tighten ever so slightly. "Show me yours...show me your heart Aodh."

Word Count: 586 + 3026 = 3612

He had hoped for a few hours of carefree fun. Of not needing to think too much. However already she was trying to draw him out. Forcing the issue, making him consider.

Aodh stared at her in silence for a moment. He had already begun to withdraw from the moment, his mind shutting down and that icy wall he so loved to maintain was beginning to grow. That's what he did right? Run and keep at range, keep fleeing, don't let them get close...hell even his powers as a Quincy revolved around the ability to flee from his enemies and keep them away. He knew it, Calendrea knew it, most people who knew him probably knew it. At the end of the day he was, at his core, a coward and facing his own feelings, the turmoil of his confusing emotions was the most terrifying thing of all.

So he simply stopped. He stopped worry, he stopped fearing, he stopped...running. It wasn't as easy as that of course but it was a step in the right direction, an attempt to find peace even if only in this moment and only for this single night until the crushing pressure of his life returned in full. Since becoming Sternritter he always felt like he was on the verge of drowning but, for now, perhaps he could just enjoy himself.

Reaching out he placed his hand over the back of hers, gently he closed her fingers until only her index finger remained pointing ahead. With a smile he guided her hand upwards until she was pointing towards the stars.

"That is Sagittarius." he said seemingly pulling the topic out of nowhere. "The Archer. My Grandfather told me that it was the divine power in the heavens that solely existed to protect the Quincy, to look out for humanity's greatest archers...a foolish tale, I don't believe the O'Mongan's ever had any particular attachment to the Zodiac. There are however some records, centuries old, referring to the protective stars in the heavens which made up An Saighdeoir. It's simply the Irish derivative of Sagittarius."

He laughed softly releasing her hand. "Despite that I later came to realise it was simply my Grandfather's way to get me to try and relax. He was a good man, much better than his son.." Aodh's voice cracked slightly at the reference to his father but he soldiered on. "I was a bit of a wound up child if you can believe it." he joked with a little brittleness entering his tones "He simply wanted to help me relax."

Aodh sighed softly "That's why I come here, most nights when I can get away, to hide from the world for a few minutes. To have my sanctuary amongst the stars." he murmured raising a hand upwards much like Calendrea had done as he swept his hand across sky "It still helps me relax even if there's no deeper meaning attached to looking up towards them."

He smiled, genuinely, warmly. "My Clann was rather large but my Grandfather was one of two people I loved deeply from my family, I still love...one of four that I know loved me." he glanced at her his expression pleasant "It might sound like I'm complaining but quite the opposite. I'm lucky. I know there were, still are, people who care about me."

He chuckled softly as he reached over to lift his companion's glass and poured another round of whiskey for her which he handed over before grabbing his own glass and filling it. Sipping softly he glanced at her sideways. "Want to play a game?"

---------------------------
WC: 597
Total WC: 4308

Despite her aching needs to form a connection with him that would heal both their tortured souls, she was not quite the stupid little girl who ran away from his bedroom escaping out the window into the darkened streets of Karakura Town any longer. Oh she was still there with bell and whistles on throwing her into one self created mess after another; she suspected she would always be prone to potent emotional reactions with little thought to the consequences despite her tendency to self edit heavily. Calendrea was slowly becoming accepting of her flaws one agonizing step at a time. Aodh was to blame, that much was obvious.

Even that first night when she had made an ass out of herself in his car over the song on the radio it was his reactions to her that created an environment of safety for her. She conjured up numerous fears, little Greek tragedies in her mind of what would happen if she was real instead of this preconceived notion of what she thought was expected, who she was supposed to be rather than just plain old Calendrea. Sure that she would be scorned he dispelled her fears one after the other without even suspecting the impact he was making, how he was shaping and healing her fractured existence. He brought out so many needs within her that she was ill equipped to handle. She was amazingly adept at bungling and running away only to land herself in deeper and hotter waters than those from which she would flee.

However, she was also quite adept at reading others and was slowly coming to recognize and interpret Aodh's hidden tells as well. She knew even before she went there that he would not gush his deepest darkest secrets, that he would retreat and protect himself. For all his superior functionality in the world with career and within The Order, there were parts of him that were much more fucked up than her own. Everyone had a tale of woes; that was just life. She could see him withdrawing from her even as she held that hand out to him, and there it was again all over his face that self reproach he suffered due to his own particular fears. Wild things, feral and skittish...she would just bide her time and hope to God not to harm him further.

Unexpectedly, he did not provide the scorn she always anticipated but in his own unique style eased her fears while swallowing his own; just like always. The feel of his hand enclosing about her own was all the justification she would ever need for her word and more than she ever dared hope for. She smiled, her eyes going to his face while he directed her hand to the heavens and cast his gaze up to the constellation. "He's always teaching...", she stilled her thoughts and looked down the length of her arm as though sighting in an arrow and drew in her breath by what she saw there while he shared his words with her.

The glow of the moon cast its light upon the both of them, making star gazing a bit of a hindrance but nothing like it would have been had they been amid the light pollution of the city. The dead of winter during the new moon was the best time for such activities when those distant beacons did not have to compete to have their brilliance shine through.

While he was instructing her yet again, she was all too aware of the precious gift he was giving her. It was not overt or flashy, how could he ever be such things? That was unthinkable. This only made the gift all the more valuable, in her mind's eye and she knew that it was more than she deserved. The girl she used to be would have been jealous that she did not have such a wonderful grandfather to share the wonder of the world with and spin her tales of lore and magic to explain the world around her. Calendrea only felt joy that this elderly man had been there for Aodh to help the youth find peace and instill a sense of wonder into his heart. You just couldn't place a monetary value of the richness of such a gift.

To hear him speaking of love caused her to look from the stars to his moonlit features and she smiled nodding to indicate her understanding. She was done pushing him for one night and was more than pleased with the progress they had made. As was her practice, she mouthed the Irish words to cement them in her mind, "An Saighdeoir. May he forever guide our race and keep us safe." She grinned brightly and drew her hand, still tingling from his touch, to the glass as he refilled her drink with whiskey. "I love games. What did you have in mind?"

Word Count: 824 + 3612 = 4436

Aodh grinned at her acceptance and swiftly refilled both her glass and his own until they were practically overflowing. He leant back in the chair with a thoughtful expression on his face as if he wasn't sure what game to play. However he definitely already had something in mind. Holding his left hand between the two of them with his palm facing downwards to the empty space on the chair he gathered Reishi and let it come together until a form what appeared to be a deck of cards.

The idea he had usually needed at least three people but he didn't really care, they could still have some fun by playing the game rather poorly.

"Usually this sort of thing requires much more players but we'll make it work. The game is called fuck the dealer." he announced with a smile. "I'll draw a card first and ask you to guess a number. If you're wrong I'll tell you whether it's higher or lower. You get another guess. If you're right then I, the dealer, drink for 2 seconds. If you're wrong then you have to drink for the number of seconds equal to the difference between your guess and the value of the card, for example if your second guess is nine and the card if actually king then you drink for 4 seconds. If you are wrong...oh let's say twice in a row, then you become the dealer. All cards can only be drawn once so the longer it goes on the worst it gets for the dealer."

He tiled his head slightly thinking before holding up a finger "Whoever is the dealer when the cards run out loses. That person has to tell the other a secret, it doesn't have to be an actual secret just something they've never told another person before."

Still grinning the man said nothing for a few seconds still holding his filled glass in one hand. The secret could be anything, it didn't matter how many people knew as long as you hadn't specifically told anyone else about it. But...

"And the secret should matter. Don't be a sore loser about it and throw out something half-assed." he said with a wink.

Picking up the deck Aodh began to shuffle it in a simple overhand manner then he began to use a riffle shuffle with obvious ease that came from practice. Card games had been one of Aodh's favourite ways to waste time at university and he'd never lost the skills he'd picked up during that time.

He drew a card and grinned "So, got a guess?"

--------------------------------
WC: 436
Total WC: 4744

Calendrea burst out laughing when he told her the name of the game, causing her to just shake her head and say, "Well if you insist". It was just too preciously ridiculous and just the off the wall remark to break the tensions. "God I haven't played a drinking game in ages", she quipped hurriedly as she adjusted her posture in her seat to face him fully. "I can't even begin to imagine where you learned such a thing, but cut loose with one of my precious secrets?"

The expression upon her face was one of mock horror followed swiftly by the lowering of her eyebrows to a definite narrowing of her eyes and a speculative shake of her head, "I don't know Aodh. Those are mighty high stakes." Her left hand came up to place her drink before her and she looked into the depth of the full glass. What would she be willing to lose?

Immediately her mind came upon Murat and she felt her stomach tighten. She didn't have any other secrets left. No way in hell was she going to open that can of worms and destroy everything that she was involved with. Her mind went to scripting how Aodh would not rage at her, but just throw up his ice prison between them and not even look at her. How naturally she would have to run and leave The Order and return to her former life on the streets. The joints in her hands ached terribly cementing her resolve not to just throw away everything she had suffered to achieve. "What else then? Some secret that mattered...", she mused.

She laughed, looking up at him suddenly from her glass of alcohol and resolved she just would not lose. "It's a deal. Just remember that when you lose big time that this was your idea", she teased him even going so far as to stick out her tongue at him. Committed now, she would have time to decide on what she was wagering tonight in this drinking game. "Hmmm, I have always liked the number four", she committed herself by making her pick.

"Jesus we are going to get so trashed", she couldn't help but think. This should only be played with half a deck when there were only the two of them. For whatever reason, she was just going to go with it even though she was not such a great fan of getting drunk. It's not like they would have to wake up early in the morning and be sharp to deal with the events and details, both minor and major, that could determine the very balance of survival for their entire race or anything.

Word Count: 451 + 4436 = 4887

Twenty minutes later the Sternritter was wearing an incredibly smug smile as he swirled his mostly still full glass and glanced at Calendrea's empty cup. Unlike his playing partner Aodh hadn't needed to refill his glass once where as the younger Knight had been forced to top her own up a number of times. The deck had exchanged hands a few times but far more often than not it was Calendrea who got stuck as the dealer. Shuffling wasn't the only trick he'd picked up at University, the man had always become a rather skilled card counter. It seemed that Aodh was a rather poor winner.

With a chuckle the Irishman sipped on his drink before shaking his glass at Calendrea's face.

"Well all's fair in...uhh...cards." he said obviously noting having thought through what he was saying before. With a frown before shrugging and continuing his drink.

"Well pony up my friend." Aodh added with immeasurable self-satisfaction. "Fair is fair."

Aodh was rather eager to hear what Calendrea would give up and he had faith that even though this were a game she would abide by the rules, that was half the fun after all....being made to say out loud something you didn't really want but he had an ulterior motive. Such games often led to learning more about the other person than was usual especially in an intimate setting as this and even more so when having drunk as much as they had. The Irishman already had a number of things he could tell her without any need to think too hard, perhaps the bonus of being such a private individual.

The Irishman got out of his seat and leapt up onto the battlements, a small burst of Reishi under his feet as he did so, and landing on them with surprising grace despite how much he'd been drinking before dropping to his bottom to sit down. His legs hung down on the side facing Calendrea, his back to the drop behind him, as he looked back at his drinking companion still awaiting her answer. He fought down a sudden spell of dizziness from the sudden jump and silently chastised himself for jumping up like that in his state.

'That was stupid.' he sighed internally.

"Well I'm waiting?" he sang clearly in a joking manner.

--------------------------------------
WC: 386
Total WC: 5130

That smug smile he wore was the least of his attractive qualities, of this she had no doubt for her stomach was not going to forgive her nor would her 3 day hangover she was heading for this week. She wasn't actually what you could call a lightweight, but unlike Aodh there, God curse his genes, she was not a professional drinker either. She furrowed her brow at him as she downed the drink and set it on the table quite proud that she had managed to hit that rather large target. While she would play fair and not renege on her wager, she was not too sure that he hadn't pulled some fancy card shark trick on her. Mr. Moral Minority there, she just knew it, was a big Fat CHEATER!!

"Yesh...fair is fair", she glared at him uncurling her fingers from around the recently emptied glass and wiped at her mouth in thought. While she considered the secret to share, he jumped up and bounded to the battlements causing her to swivel a bit on her seat to keep track of him. She had to throw her arm out and catch herself on edge of the table or she would have slipped right out of her seat and onto the stones. Trying to keep her mind from just blurting out her deepest darkest secrets, his sing song taunt to hurry the hell up nearly made her blurt out the unthinkable.

Pushing away from the table, she stood and pointed her finger at him, her hip bouncing off the edge of the table to make her stumble forward just a bit. "Now don't get all cocky with me...", she began to get a fit of the giggles for she could not seem to pull off the disciplinarian with him one bit. "I'mma tell you stuff you wish you nevah knew here in a minute if you don't let me think."

She let her steps lead her to the battlements so she could lean her back against the stone, a bit of fog was rising in the nooks and crannies of the forest and it set her mind to thinking. "Did you know, Mr. O'Mongan, that I love to dance?" Her eyes watched the fog as she looked out over the lands below and she thought about that night with Moriya before she had left Karakura Town and Aodh behind. "Oh never in public though, I would be too embarrassed for that. But once not that long ago I danced across the surface of a lake with the most unlikely of partners." She grinned up at him and said, "I'll give you three guesses who, though. Cause that counts as an extra secret. If you can't guess you gotta take a drink. Is it a deal?", she laughed even as she made her big reveal. He was not the only one who could bend rules it seemed.

Word Count: 488 + 4887 = 5375

“Aww your biggest secret is dancing? Your so vanilla Calendrea.” he complained swinging his long legs back and forth. “What’s so embarrassing about dancing? I had to learn traditional dance growing up you know? You know like Ballroom, Irish etcetera, etcetera.”

Straightening up he considered her question. “Hmm…hmmm...” he pondered silently. “Who would you have danced with on a lake of all places. Who would it be strange.”

He was silent for a few minutes as he was thinking before throwing his hands in the air “I don’t know! You danced with one of the samurai ghosts!” he barked with a laugh at the idea of his lovely companion dancing with Shinigami dressed in their archaic black uniforms.

Maybe she meant Rick? Not really a super unlikely partner but there wasn’t really that many other people that Aodh and Calendrea both knew who weren’t active Knights in the Order. Rick was of course a Knight but Aodh hadn’t seen him around the castle much.

Jumping from the battlements he landed lightly on the roof, stumbling a few steps as he did so, before moving back towards the dance. Wearing a stupid grin he closed the distance by waltzing over the rooftop pretending to dance with an imaginary partner. Snickering to himself he collapsed back down onto the bench next to Calendrea, falling sides so that he ended up bumping her lightly as he attempted to regain his balance.

“Sorry.” he said with smile.

Picking up his glass, which was still mostly full, he began to gulp down the whiskey. The night was still young and he had no intention of sobering up anytime soon.

“Don’t stop now Miss Klein.” he warned her raising an eyebrow in mock seriousness before chuckling softly to himself. Tilting his head slightly he considered the young woman before continuing. “Regardless…what game do you want to do next?”

----------------------
WC: 314
Total WC: 5444

"Vanilla?", she repeated the word a bit questioningly. Arching her right brow at him, she tilted her head in thought. Leaning there with her back against the battlements, she crossed her arms over her chest considering. She really was, now that she thought of it, save for that one time with her ghostly lover who had a knack for showing up at the right place at the right time. She looked to the Sternritter shaking her head and thought, "if he only knew. No way that is going to happen, right?” She just laughed, a bit ruefully and said, "Perhaps I am, though I prefer the phrase delicately flavored and refined, don't cha know."

Her words took on a curious accent, not quite German and certainly not quite Irish, but rather an odd pairing of the two, her consonants clipped and distinct with her vowels elongating while the meter of her words took on a jaunty pace. She extended her left hand toward his accusingly, however, and said, "But ya didn't say it had to be my biggest secret so stop changin' the rools, ya big cheat." Still, he had guesses correctly and she had to drink now.

It was quite comical to behold, her wandering back over to the table while he danced about, the two managing not to collide in the process. Clearly An Saighdeoir was on duty tonight. "Anyway, you guessed correctly, so time to 'pony up' once again", she conceded though she was certain he was not playing fair. Reaching for the decanter, she poured her penalty shot and sat upon the bench just in time for Aodh to drop down beside her. With both hands full, she raised the glass to him and took a pull from the decanter.

"Ah", she sighed enjoying the warmth of the whiskey as it spread through her torso. Leaning forward to set the decanter on the table, she sat back keeping a tight hold upon the glass. "Dancing is just something I do alone. I never did go to parties and the like..", her words ceased suddenly as she looked up to him, delayed hearing finally registering that he had asked her a question. "Oh? Hmmm", she was clearly stumped as to what they might play next. "Well, cards are out of the question. You are too lucky by far. How about we", she stretched out the last word hoping she could come up with something quick that would not guarantee she have to drink three times as much as himself, the big ass hat that he was.

"Sing?" She laughed and waved her glass slightly before him. "But not together, back and forth like in a conversation. Only, you can just use lyrics from songs. One of us opens up with a phrase but stops on a particular word. The next person had to continue with a different song, but they have to start on the word the last person used." She grinned adding the next part, "If you can't think up anything, you have to drink." Calendrea figured she could best him at this and said, "I'll start us off."

Clasping the glass in both hands, she sang in her soprano tones,



She stopped just then, grinning at him, having used a bit of Bob Segar's, 'Roll Me Away' to start off with. "Now you go, but you have to start with the word, 'singin'". Quickly she added, “And don’t take forever. It’s a quick paced thing.”

Word Count: 629 + 5375 = 6004