[ORP] Firestorm Manor

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Texas_Knight
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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TK nodded at Iris in approval as she sat the plate down. "Looks delicious, Iris. Thank you."

TK took a glass of water and downed it in one helping, then did the same with the brandy and gave a mischievous grin to Nikola. He cut into the first slab of meat and put the piece in his mouth. It was flavored just right and cooked perfectly, at least to him. "Cook is an expert at this type of cooking. I wish I'd have know of him before you. I would have stolen him away for my own service." He continued to eat the remainder of the first meat and put a second on his plate.

As he continued to eat and drink both water and brandy he realized that he would not need sleep as his energy was replenished, at least for now. He began to explain the why and everything that had gone into his decision to pursue this form. "My dear" he said as he took another drink of brandy and then water "I knew that if the time were to come that I would have to meet your Sidhe family, I knew they would never accept me in my orcish form and wouldn't even let me in their lands in my lycan form. The history between both forms and the elvish kindred is ... long and colored. Mostly red colored, as in blood, on both sides." he takes another drink of brandy and water as he continues to eat.

"I have been researching old texts that I had found in my old village. Made a few trips back there over the months and sought out other books from places of my ancestors. While my parents took the form of orcs as their alter form they could only choose one form and chose that one many, many centuries ago. But, as I have explained in the past, I am different than my parents were. While being natural born lycans, they were not hybrids. It's a rare gene that appears only in full lycans, and if present, grants the lycan special abilities. One of those abilities I came to know was the ability to take more than one form in addition to the lycan form. I can take any form I choose, be it anything humanoid." He took another bite of meat and a good amount of the brandy, forgetting the water.

"This is very good." he smiled and took another bite finishing the second slab of meat. He did not grab another as he decided to let that already eaten settle and see where he was after that registered with his mind and body. As they sat and talked he continued to explain the reasoning behind his change. "The form requires much practice, and much more practice to be able to take that form without feeling like one is ripping their bones out and crushing them into a thousand tiny splinters. That's the only way I know how to explain the pain that it gave me when I attempted this form the first time. I don't know if you've heard things in the night or not up here, but in town I've heard that others have heard strange, inhumane noises coming from the woods around my place. Although none have said as such directly to me, I believe many suspected I was torturing some poor soul up there the past few months." he takes another drink of brandy and pauses long enough for that to settle on her mind. "Truth is, I was. Myself. It was me making those noises that others heard and assumed were coming from the woods. Although they were actually coming from deep down in the cellars. Remember that room that had the cells in it? There's one less cell there today because of the practice. When I first started practicing I would have Ethan lock me inside the innermost cell in case something went bad and I became uncontrollable. Within the first dozen attempts I managed to mangle that cell and it's now nothing more than a heap of twisted metal and klah. I had all the cells lined in klah. Everything from top to bottom, side to side, front to back. And in the beginning it wasn't enough to keep me from .... well, it wasn't enough to keep me from attempting to hurt others. But, as you can see, I managed to perfect the art." He decided to leave out the more graphic details as they didn't matter now. He took another long drink of water and then brandy as he watched her reactions.

TK sighed as he saw the question on her mind still, the 'why' of it all. "I shall tell you the 'why' of the matter directly. I was easier for me to change to this form, than for you to change to the lycan form. I don't mean just the physical transformation, I mean the complete book of easier. While your Sidhe folk may be able to sense something in me while I'm in this form, it will be easier for them to stomach me in this form and may not risk you being disowned by them. Perrhaps in this form they will get to know me for me, instead of judging me for a beast intent on killing any and all that cross my path. Perhaps, they will see that I have nothing but your well-being in my mind will accept that, while we may have different blood in our veins, our hearts beat as one. I did this for your spirit. I know that it may break that spirit if you were disowned by the Sidhe family, and I would not risk that chance being increased by staying in the Orc or Lycan form when another was available. I would not have you risk your life by going through the changing process. For I could not see myself living with myself if I caused your death. In short, I took the risks to diminish the risk for you."

There it was. He hoped she understood why he made the change, and hoped she better understood the reason he first gave her by the water. Love. As ferocious as he was in lycan form, his love beat in his heart for her. He took a very long drink of the brandy and as he emptied his glass, he would see the moon getting lower in the early morning or late night sky through a window. The night had been long, but he was refreshed having told her and bared his soul open to her.
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Nikola
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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She watched him eat and drink, noting how much he required of both to replenish his strength and energy. He did not seem to have any trouble maintaining this form but getting to it had certainly drained him. She listened as he began to speak, his words stunning her into silence. She was at once grateful, horrified and heartbroken over what he had put himself through for her. He had done it for her. To save her from the risks of changing. He had done it for her. So that Vaelen and his kin might accept him as her mate. He had done it for her. All the pain, the uncertainty of the results, all of it had been for her. No one had ever done so much, put themselves through so much, just to spare her. To be with her. To garner the acceptance of her family.

She sat in stunned silence as he finished speaking, unable to express the whirlwind of emotions dancing among the echoes of his words in her mind. If ever she had questioned his love for her or whether the bond growing between them was true, she did no more. Words failed her. She seemed to have forgotten how to even put together a meaningful sentence, or which words would even begin to describe what was going on inside her mind and heart.

She rose from her seat and walked around the table to where he was seated and slipped onto his lap without saying a word. Encircling his neck with her arms she pressed her lips to his and proceeded to pour every ounce of love and gratitude she felt into the kiss. She was in no hurry to end the physical connection but at last she did and pulled back just enough to be able to gaze into his eyes. She hoped he could see her heart in hers.
“I love you, too,” she finally whispered, surprised that she had found her voice again. She gave him a little smile and ran her fingers through his hair, looking him over with new eyes. “I will treasure this form as I treasure you, because it has cost you so much to make it.”
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Texas_Knight
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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TK returns the affection and relaxes a bit more as he downs another glass of brandy. After a few moments he speaks "I'd like to completely drop the Orc form and use this one instead. I find it much more relaxing and easier to communicate with others and maybe it won't scare so many new creatures off from the tavern." he gives a wink "Besides, if needed I can still eat them in the blink of an eye."

They talked for a while and then decided it was time for bed.

When they awoke the next morning after having slept in a few hours longer than normal they had breakfast as they talked about what they might do today..

"I need to fix that stall today where Oblivion got out last night. That shouldn't take too long though." TK thought a moment and then continued "Have you been to your new place yet? I haven't been to mine, and to be quite honest, I'm not sure exactly where it's located other than somewhere north of Wyvernston. If you haven't anything pressing, once I finish with the stall, maybe you'd like to take a trip just to see the places."
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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She was surprised when he said he wanted to stop using his Orc form and use this human form instead. TK had been Orc for as long as she had known him, or even known of him. His explanation made sense, but it would take some time to get used to seeing him like this. Not that there was anything amiss with this form. She had always thought him to be a handsome Orc and a magnificent Lycan and thought no less of this form. Indeed, the more she spent time with him in this form, the more she liked it. But it was the creature inside the form that she was in love with, not the form itself. His wink followed by the quip about eating creatures in the blink of an eye regardless of his form made her laugh, which broke up the tension of the moment.

She relaxed and traded his lap for the chair next to him. It was easier to carry on a conversation that way, and she wanted to remain close. They joked about whether Idunno would still toss him out on his ear in the tavern and wondered aloud how the other creatures would react when they first saw him in this new form. As they spoke, she kept studying his face, memorizing the different facial expressions he had in this form that were somewhat different than his Orc form, which is the one she knew so well.

After some time, she recognized the signs of exhaustion and remembered that he had been through so much already today. The food had certainly renewed his energy, but he needed sleep to complete that renewal. She suggested that it was time for bed and walked him to the chamber that had been set aside for him for when he stayed at Firestorm Manor. They kissed goodnight at the door and parted so that he could get some sleep, he in his room and her next door in her own chamber.

She prepared for bed, but kept looking at the door wistfully. His chamber was next to hers and she could hear him still stirring so knew he had not yet fallen asleep. She considered what she wanted to do, reconsidered as she wondered how he might react, then finally gave in to her need to be with him. Leaving her rooms and closing the door behind her, she walked the few steps to his chamber next door and knocked softly on his door. The room on the other side grew quiet and she spoke his name in a quiet voice.
“TK? It’s me. Can…” she bit her lower lip and pushed on despite the color rising in her cheeks and the breathless fear that he might turn her away. “Would you mind if I came in?”

As it turned out, he did not mind at all but his eyes told of the exhaustion that was claiming his energy. “I know you are tired and need sleep, and I don’t want to keep you from your rest, but…well, I don’t want to be parted from you tonight. Would you mind if I stayed here? With you?”

As it happened, he did not mind at all. Getting settled into bed was a little awkward at first, but then they laughed at the awkwardness and that helped them to relax. She cuddled next to him as he held her until they both drifted off to sleep. The moon rose higher in the sky and watched over them as they slept, stirred to enjoy each other intimately and slept again. It was a night Nikola would not soon forget and she had a sense that TK felt the same. At least she hoped so.

At breakfast late the next morning, he brought up the stall needing repairs from Oblivion’s escape and then suggested that they visit both of their new estates. She washed down the last of her meal with a mug of klahua and nodded.
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” she agreed. “I will have Cook put together a couple of meals for us to take with us and get things ready for the trip. If we want to explore the estates, it will take more than today to do so properly. Should we plan to drop by Wyvernston and pick up a change of clothes for you?”

She had not stopped smiling since she had awakened in his arms and she was not yet ready to be parted from him. She had lain beside him before in his Orc form, but this felt different, somehow. He had created the form with her in mind, and that made everything they did seem even more special. She hoped for more nights like the last one in their near future and this trip just might provide opportunities for such.
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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TK was indeed more than happy to cuddle up with Nikola. He felt closer to her and more intimate than he'd ever felt with anyone before. He was late rising the next morning.

After breakfast he fixed the stall. Turns out it was just two boards that needed fixed and it didn't take long at all. Once that was done they readied themselves to visit their other estates. "I do need to grab a few things from Wyvernston. I've got a little something I want to take to the new place as well. It'll be interesting to see what kind of shape the estates are in considering how long they've been vacant." He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in for a long kiss. "I love you." he said as they broke the kiss.

About noon the wagon was ready and they headed off for Wyvernston. The ride was uneventful and as they approached the entrance he saw his guard snap to attention. TK was still in human form and his guard had not seen him in this form. He decided he'd have a little test for the man. "Stay hidden for a bit dear. I'm going to test this guard." They came to a stop in front of the entrance and TK dismounted the wagon. The guard met him as soon as he touched the ground.

"What do you seek?" asked the guard
"I wish to enter the land beyond that gate." TK answered
"I am not authorized to let any enter that have no permission."
TK smiled to himself and took the next test to the guard.. "I shall enter those lands."
The guard getting a bit irritated "You need to leave."
"I demand to be allowed to enter!" TK raised his voice
"You have no permission! Now leave!" The guard drawing his sword seeing that he was not going to get rid of this "trespasser" easily.
TK draws his sword and smiles "I shall enter and you will either let me pass without losing your life, or I shall walk over your dead corpse." TK said very calmly.
The other guard comes into view at this point with his crossbow cocked and loaded "Sir. You need to leave"
TK recognized this guard as the Lieutenant of his guard. This man would not hesitate to shoot him and would have no patience for foolery. TK smiled. 'This is going to hurt" he thought to himself for just a fraction of a second before he sprang at the lieutenant. As soon as he moved toward the man the bolt hit his arm. TK stopped, clutched the bolt, and pulled it out. He turned in a flash to the Lycan that the lieutenant was very familiar with. It was almost hilarious how the blood drained from the two guards faces when they came to realize that the man they were dealing with was indeed TK. TK did not attack, instead he held the bolt out to the guard as his arm healed almost instantly. Once his arm was healed he formed to his Orc form. He turned to the wagon to show Nikola that he was alright so she wouldn't panic. And then he turned to the guards.

"That was an excellent response" he said to the first one. "I will double your pay and you will get a promotion to Sargeant." Looking at the Lieutenant TK said "Never give a warning shot to those starting a fight. Shoot to kill. Other than that, good job LT.. Now if you would be so kind as to open the gate." TK smiled and returned to the wagon, retakes his seat and kisses Nikola before they go through the gates.
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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Iris helped Nikola pack for the trip and made sure she had several maps of the area they would be traveling to and within. Ben had gotten Starr ready for her and tied her to the wagon they would be using to get to Wyvernston. It was not a far drive, but would still take several hours in a wagon, but Nikola did not mind. That just meant more time with TK and she could not find fault with that.

As they approached the entrance to his barony, TK instructed her to hide for a bit. It was a bit late for that, she thought, but they were far enough away that the guards likely would not recognize her right away, especially traveling with a man they may not have seen before. So, she lifted her shawl from her shoulders and draped it over her head, wrapping it across her face as if she was cold. The weather was nice, but there was still a chill in the air, so this was not uncomfortable and allowed her to remain seated in the wagon while TK dismounted and began to interact with the guards.

It became quickly clear that the guard did not know him in his human form and was determined to stand his ground when TK challenged him. She watched in amusement interrupted by a moment of alarm as his lieutenant shot a bolt into his arm. She recognized the moment he decided to change forms and so was watching the guards reactions as they recognized him and realized that they had just nearly killed their own boss, or possibly had just escaped being killed by him. She nodded in approval as he praised them for standing their ground and even rewarded the first guard with double pay and a promotion. He eventually changed to the familiar orc form and turned to face her, probably to let her know he was unscathed and healed from the earlier bolt wound. As he returned to the wagon, she unwrapped the shawl and returned it to her shoulders while he climbed back up beside her and begin to guide the team through the gates. After he kissed her, she commented quietly so that only he would hear,
“Show off,” and grinned at him with a wink to let him know she was teasing him.

Once through the gate, she soaked in the wildness of the land that encompassed Wynvernston. She always enjoyed being here as there was a natural wildness to the land that seemed to mirror TK’s own natural temperament.
“Will we stay here tonight and get a fresh start in the morning? Or do you want to press on and get to our first stop tonight?” she asked.

They had passed through the edge of Fenshire County on their way to Wyvernston which was located either within or adjacent to TK’s Viscounty of Northwood, she was not entirely sure which it was. They would be exploring his lands first, then hers once they began the journey back to Firestorm Manor.
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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TK chuckled at the "showoff" comment and smiled "A man has to have a little fun" . They rode up to the estate.. Wyvernston Manor.......
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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The invitations had gone out and TK was coming to pick her up to escort her to the festivities at the castle. Neither of them enjoyed parties but felt an obligation to put in an appearance. She was the kingdom's Finance Minister, and he was a member of the Royal Guard, so certain appearances must be maintained. She did, however, enjoy a chance to dress up more than was usual, so decided to make the most of it. She had selected a gown in a shade of blue she had been told was teal, trimmed in black lace. She chose to wear her hair pulled back from her face and left hanging loosely down her back. Iris helped her put the finishing touches on her look and then nodded in approval. "He'll find ye beautiful, no doubt," she commented with a wink to which Nikola chuckled. "I think I could show up in nothing but a flour sack and he would say I was beautiful," she replied and then sighed happily. "It is nice to be loved and treasured," she added as she took one last appraising look in the mirror. "I think I would like a cup of klahua while we wait for TK to come. With a bit of brandy mixed in, please," she suggested as she and Iris prepared to head downstairs.
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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TK had prepared all day for this event. As the evening drew close he made himself ready. He did not wish to arrive early and be the only ones there, but not too late either. As the sun was waning in the west TK arrived with the carriage carriage at Firestorm Manor for the Lady Nikola. As he stepped out he could see that his love was a little anxious about being late. As she reached the carriage he held out his arms and pulled her in for a deep kiss. "Relax my love, we will be fashionably late. Not enough to cause a scene, but enough to let others see how beautiful you look." He kissed her cheek and offered her a hand up into the carriage. What he chose to wear was something he'd worn only once before and it had colors of red and looked festive enough to him. TK hoped the attire was fitting and complimented his love's beauty.
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Re: [ORP] Firestorm Manor

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Nikola had finished her spiked klahua and had checked and rechecked her appearance as she waited for TK to arrive. She wondered which form he would take for the festivities. She cared not which, for it was his spirit that she loved, and she adored all his forms. At last Iris announced the arrival of a carriage and Nikola quickly threw her cloak around her shoulders, red side out, and hurried to the door. She stopped herself from all but running to the carriage at the last minute, a bright smile on her lips as she reached her beloved. She melted into his human arms as he pulled her in for a deep kiss, returning the kiss with a spark of passion that made her heart skip a beat. It had not been that long since she had last held TK in her arms, but it felt like forever ago and she treasured the moment for as long as she could.

She chuckled at his comment about arriving fashionably late and let him hand her up into the carriage. Once they were settled, she looked him over with pleasure.
“You look handsome as ever, my love,” she assured him and slipped her hand into his as the carriage lurched forward.
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