Long Travel Home

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "I never said anything about my father." Kayne stated calmly. The whole time the two had been interacting, Kayne had only called the man his mentor. Not once did he ever say the word 'father' or anything relating to it. It was bold of the girl to assume, so the young warrior was going to make sure to stop that train of thought before it really started. 

    The boy took the bag from Myra calmly, picking out one of the red ones and popping it into his mouth. This one tasted a bit more sour than the others. He liked that, it was different. "And while I  appreciate the thought behind what you think she wanted, there wasn't any other me. If she wanted to get to know anything, it would be remaking me in the image she wanted for me. No different than the way I was raised." 

    "From the day I could hold a blade, my training started." Kayne popped another candy in. Green this time. It wasn't overly sweet, but it wasn't sour either. It had more of a mellow taste. It was still good, but he didn't prefer it as much as the others. Being raised from birth to fight, there was only one real him. "Besides, there wasn't even anything the girl didn't know about me. She knew me like the back of her hand already. Nothing for her to get to know." 

    The warrior turned his gaze slightly towards the other bag. The one Myra said the pastries were in. There was a curiosity in his eyes, shimmering ever so slightly. Perhaps those would be better than the first batch of sweets? 

    Well, ok, he doubted they would be bad. 
    
    "Alright then. The same can be said for you. If you wish to talk more, don't hesitate to do so." What was he saying? He wasn't exactly the best at talking, so why was he openly inviting her to do so? He supposed it was the polite thing to do, but at the same time it felt weird to hear those words come out of his mouth. Especially since this conversation had been an obvious trainwreck already. Kayne doubted she'd really want to partake in more of that. It'd already been said, however, he couldn't just take it back. He just had to deal with it. 

[Myra]

"Oh you didn't? I-I guess you didn't. I apologize.", she said, ears flicking back. He was still human, even slight cracks in his facade of being stonefaced made it clear that he could still feel feelings. "The pastries are filled with custard. A personal favourite, and I hope you like it too! If you do, we can stop by the bakery tomorrow and get more." She opened the door and turned to face Kayne. "I don't know her or the situation. But I do have a feeling that there is a you that even you don't know.", Myra mumbled as she closed the door. 

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Bold of her to assume. Though, she wasn't far off. In fact, she had hit the nail right on the head. But he would never tell her that. No, there was obviously a certain level of privacy he wanted regarding his past. However, if the girl was able to figure it out that easily... perhaps he shouldn't talk all that much about his youth. 

    Lest more secrets escape. 

    Kayne stood up from the table and went to the pastries, taking one out to try. After placing it on a plate, he would give it a tentative bite... and find himself thoroughly amazed. The young man's dull blue eyes would be sparkling like crystals as he looked down towards the custard filled treat. 

    While the candies had certainly been sweet and delightful, the way the flavors worked on the pastry... it felt softer, yet more pronounced. The young warrior didn't even know how to describe it. It was just... good. Really good. Probably one of the best things he'd ever ate. It took almost every ounce of self control he had to keep himself from wolfing it down like some sort of animal. Though, it was obvious from the way he, well, finished it all off that he was entirely appreciative of this new experience. 

    Once that high faded, however, Kayne was left feeling embarrassed over it all. A very slight pink tinge would grace his cheeks as he realized Myra hadn't exactly left yet. The boy's eyes would quickly dart away, too embarrassed to look at her directly. "Thank you for the sweets..." 

[Myra]

Myra let out a simple smile, well it would at least appear simple to Kayne. But for Myra, it was a smile that she knew she was right and that the look on his face was precious and priceless. "No problem! We'll stop by the bakery in the morning to see what they have in store.", she said before fully closing the door.

In the hall she took a couple steps, stopping to just letting out a tiny little squee and quickly tap her hooves on the floor. GODS that face! What a cutiepie! She regained most of her composure and walked back to her room, smiling all the way through. Kayne was learning to live and be alive, and that was good. She knew that this wasn't going to be easy work though, but it was a start.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Kayne watched her go, sighing and cleaning up after the meal. Was it a mistake to travel with her? He can't see her relenting when it came to how he acted. Perhaps he should air more on the side of caution around her... lest he revealed something too close to his heart. 

    She was... a sweet girl. But it was completely wasted on him. Kayne simply just couldn't reciprocate. Not only that, but the young warrior didn't exactly do anything to deserve such treatment from her. They'd only known one another for a few days. Barely that. It was going to be a bit rough traveling with Myra.

    The young man didn't do much else for the rest of the night, mostly taking up reading or tending to his weapons, before turning in. As always though, he was up right as the sun began to rise, going through the same motions he always had. 

    Just as he'd committed to memory. 

    The young warrior was quiet as he left for a morning walk, careful not to wake Myra or any of the other patrons as he went to get some fresh air. The town was peaceful. Quiet. Calm. Still, his mind felt restless. Kayne was committed to taking some time to attempt to relax, but he still yearned to be out in the wilds. Chasing a bounty or a hunt. Moving. Fighting. Doing something. Anything to outrun his own thoughts. 

    Instead, he was stuck here. Perhaps, though, it wouldn't be so bad if he ended his little vacation early? As though to remind himself, a slight ache plagued his left arm. A subtle call back to what had happened when he'd unwittingly stumbled upon a being that could have ended him before he had a chance to understand what had happened. 

    No. He needed this time away. To recoup. To try and recover and plan out his next steps. On his way back to the inn, the young man would find a bakery pulling fresh bread and pastries from the oven. Many of the ones on display were still warm. Perhaps Myra would enjoy some of them? As a thank-you for buying me those sweets when she didn't have to. Or perhaps even he wanted to try some of the more... sugary baked goods. Regardless, the boy would find himself returning back with a full bag. 

    Perhaps his self control needed a bit of a touch-up as well...?

[Myra]

By the time Kayne had returned to the inn, he'd find Myra stretching outside. She looked like she was getting warmed up for something, even bringing her bow along. Or perhaps that was just something she did regularly. Whatever though. When she saw Kayne, the faunus would stop and wave. "Morning Kayne! Rest well?" Well, at least she seemed to. Myra was pretty chipper even though the day's just started.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    Kayne seemed a bit surprised to see Myra out and about already. Or, at least heading him off like this. Whatever the case, he approached her silently, placing the bag of wonderful smelling pastries down next to her. "I slept fine. Thank you." 

    The young warrior sat down and watched her curiously. He had a feeling he knew what she was doing, but he still was watching to see if he was correct. I doubt she's just stretching. Kayne noted. Otherwise I don't think she would bring her bow along with... so the logical assumption is that she's either going out on a hunting trip, or she's training to keep her skills sharp. Either case, I suppose I can respect that. Keeping on the move. 

    The boy continued to watch the faunus, waiting for something. Though, it wasn't hard to guess what. Honestly, it was pretty obvious what Kayne was waiting for. 
    
    He was just waiting for her to finish up and dig into the stuff he bought.

    Aside from the fact that Kayne wanted to use the pastries as a "thank you" for the sweets she bought him, he... also didn't want to be the first one to dig into the bag. Obviously that would have been rude, but he didn't want to accidentally take something she wanted as well... he... also didn't want to look too affected by the introduction to sweets. 

    He had a reputation to uphold. Though... really that was probably already in jeopardy, given everything that happened the day prior. Kayne stifled a sigh, not wanting to let that thought bother him too much. 

[Myra]

After the last stretch, Myra tapped a hoof onto the ground twice before turning around. Whether this was habit or testing the ground was unknown. "What are you up to?", she asked him. The faunus trotted over, settling next to Kayne, attention shifting to the bag slightly and then back to him. The scent was atypical for his tastes, it smelled of fresh, sweet breads. A soft smile appeared on her features. "Went shopping?"

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Consider it as my thanks." He stated calmly. The young man very carefully shifted the bag closer to her. "You seem to hold sweet things in high regards. It felt like an adequate way to repay you."

    Casting aside the fact that he felt he didn't deserve the compassion she showed, Kayne felt he owed some sort of debt to her. She refused to let him pay for her stay, and only continued to rack up more through buying things for him. It was... difficult to keep up with someone like her. It was hard to repay something when a person either refused or kept going along faster than Kayne could respond to. And the boy hardly believed she wasn't seeking any sort of repayment for what she was doing for him. 

    It'd simply be a waste if she wasn't, for both time and money. 
    
    Regardless, Kayne would wait for Myra to dig into the goods he had bought. Certainly some of the pastries were on the pricier side, but he didn't want her to know that, lest she try to refuse. There was a good variety, some plain breads, others glazed with sugar or filled with cinnamon. Honestly, Kayne just picked haphazardly. 

    The boy didn't know much about pastries, so he just looked at what a girl like Myra might prefer... which... also was a challenge. It took a lot of mulling about on the habits he'd seen of her, and a lot more guess work than the young man was used to. At some point Kayne just said "fuck it" and grabbed anything that looked good, regardless of price.  
    
    Definitely broke a few good habits in doing so.   
    
    Kayne tried not to make his... interest apparent, keeping his expression placid while he waited for her to pick the first treat. Hoping he'd picked things she'd like, and that this attempted 'thank you' gift hadn't just wound up a waste of gold. Gods, he hoped not. 

[Myra]

"Pff, listen to yourself. You sound like a robot." She rolled her eyes and picked up the bag. "Kayne, I got those for sharing with you. It's just one of the delicacies of life, sharing good things with people." She wasn't going to eat all those pastries herself. Nah, she'd rather share them with Kayne again anyways. She felt his gaze stuck on her. "I uh.. Did eat a little bit before coming outside. I was going to go and use the archery field from the guards' training grounds a bit to keep my senses sharp. But maybe later we can snack on these. Sound good?", she said, trying her best to keep the awkward tone out of her voice from the boy's stare.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    "Hm. Right." To be fair, a robot would likely show more emotion at this point. But that didn't really invalidate her joke. But, regardless, Kayne would shrug and lift the bag of treats. If she didn't want any right now, then she didn't want any. The affect was... minimal. Well, if you could even say there was one. 
   
    The young warrior noted the tonal shift in her voice, and for a brief moment, a curious flicker passed his gaze. It quickly subsided as the level of importance went from a one straight back to a zero. Maybe she was still tired, maybe she was coming down with something, maybe it was something she ate. Did it make a difference? No. None at all. So, instead, Kayne would head back into the inn, and leave the girl to her own devices. 

    Though... once in his room, Kayne was given a conundrum. Where to store the treats? There was a strange mix of them, and he certainly didn't want them to get stale or cold, but he also didn't want to leave them for the bugs. Perhaps if he... rolled the... yes, rolled the bag just... carefully, maybe a little tighter? Eh... it... it would probably be good enough. It wasn't too concerning. 

    For now, the boy decided to just go about his day like usual. Tending to his weaponry and exercising his body to keep himself in proper shape. And then just... sitting and doing nothing. Once it was all said and done, it really sunk in how little Kayne did when he wasn't in the field. Maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea to cut the little "vacation" short? Or maybe he should just get a book. "Hm." 

[Myra]

If the window in Kayne's room was open, he'd hear the noise outside. It was muted, thanks to the distance and walls of the inn toning noise down. Children ran around, laughing and maybe screaming while playing a game. Conversations passed by in brief moments. Swords of wood clacked against each other. There was even a soft thocking noise as arrows hit wooden targets.

Myra's stance showed she had experience with archery, but she'd shift because she knew things we situational. As long as she could knock an arrow and shoot it with a good enough aim towards the center, she would be happy with her work. 

It was only a few hours later that she took a break, sitting down off to the side and chatting with the locals, some talking to her about archery and others being children awestruck. She seemed to be having fun having children holding her bow and trying their best to pull the string or even knock an arrow. It was hilariously large comapred to them.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    After finishing with his weapons, Kayne... found himself drawn to the window where all the noise was coming from. Down below Myra was showing off great skill. It was impressive, and the by found himself appreciating her skill with a bow. The movements were practiced. Clean. But... more than that, when she was finished and sat down to relax... she seemed like she was having fun. Just talking to the locals, enjoying their presence, and finding amusement out of the antics of the children. 

    For a moment, the young warrior struggled to understand why it was funny to her how they couldn't even hold a bow. The young man's father would have been ashamed, angry, even. Put the boy through the ringer until he could not only draw it back but shoot it accurately. And yet, Myra was just happy to watch them fool around. 

    Kayne almost felt jealous. No, he did feel jealous. 

    Being able to laugh like that. Be at peace. At ease. Why couldn't he be like that? Why couldn't he enjoy himself in such a way? "It's because you're just a weapon. Weapons don't feel happiness." Came the bitter thought. Kayne shook his head and stepped back away from the window. Always there. Always pushing through his mind. Invading it when he wasn't prepared. Even in death the old man's voice still... drove itself deep in  and tormented Kayne. Was this really the boy's curse? Never being allowed to be happy? To feel happy? Did the young warrior even want it anymore? He thought he had accepted he was a weapon, and yet here  he was trying to be human and fighting it at the same time. 

    What did Kayne even want?

    When he snapped out of it, the boy found himself outside again, standing behind Myra. When did I walk down here? More importantly... why? Kayne shook his head out and, quietly approached Myra. The children seemed to be too focused and amused with the girl's bow to pay Kayne any mind. It was like a game to them, playing around with the weapon like a toy. When just a day or two ago that weapon had taken the lives of many men. 
        
    Don't think about that. Not here. Not now. Kayne cleared his throat, trying to relax himself to look as casual as possible, despite the fact that he felt increasingly awkward about being here now. Especially since he didn't even know why he returned back there anyways. Just talk, it'll help you calm down. The silver eyed boy motioned to the children, speaking calmly. "They seem to be enjoying themselves." 

    This was weird for him to be out here, wasn't it? Yes, don't mind the big bad killing machine, just casually strolling outside and trying to make conversation. Totally normal everyone! Yes, this is the absolute most normal thing ever in Kayne's life, just... trying to make conversation. It's totally not like some sort of demon snatched his body and took control of his mind. God, Myra's going to be so confused. 

[Myra]

Myra's ear flicked back and then her head turned to follow, seeing Kayne. He seemed bothered, but she wouldn't press on it. Maybe ask, but not pry. The boy's already shown himself to be a bit closed up. "Well, most kids do have fun while they can. They have dreams and aspirations that come out of it too. Like that one over there, they want to be a guardsman for this village.", she said, gesturing at a boy that was holding up the bow as high as he could before losing his balance and toppling over. She gestured at a girl that was laughing at the boy amongst the other kids. "And that one is the butcher's kid. She wants to go on hunts and learn the cuts to keep the family business going. So what's up?"

Myra seemed pretty content watching the kids. They were full of life and hope and playing around with the bow seemed to inspire some of them. Well, even managing to barely lift the bow was followed up with cheers and laughter. A kid ran over, doing their best to keep the bow from dragging on the ground, asking her if she could hold the bow so they could try to pull the string. She picked up the bow and held it horizontally, but in a way that a child could pop in between her and the bow and try to pull the bowstring. They all argued over who was going first, but eventually figured it out amongst themselves who would go and try to pull the string next.

[Sparky]

[Refs]

    If Kayne looked dumbfounded... it was probably because he was. Myra had gotten to know them so quickly. Not only did the faunus remember their names, but the girl also remembered all of their goals, pretty much to heart. She really is a far better person than I. Though, I guess I can't complain, it's not like that's much of a high bar to set. What did he want to be when he was younger? Before the training got more rigorous. Before things got bad.
    
    Kayne genuinely couldn't say if he ever knew anything besides upholding the family lineage.

    No. Actually, that was wrong. There was one thing he dreamed of being. "Oddly enough, when I was a child I just wanted to be like my older brother. I don't really remember knowing much more than the obvious... but my brother was my hero, in a sense. Brave, confident. Far more skilled than I could ever have hoped to be. He was the one my mentor always favored, and honestly- it wasn't hard to see why. Ren was just... something else and I always wanted to be exactly like him. Caring, empathetic, smart, you know- everything I wasn't."

    It was a cruel irony, Kayne was everything Rencalt wasn't and the boy hated it. Especially the part where the young warrior was alive, and his brother wasn't. The warrior glanced towards Myra, dull blue eyes studying her. 

    "Honestly, you two were fairly similar. Not completely... but..." Kayne turned and looked towards the children running about. "...You two probably would have gotten along really well. Definitely a lot better than you'd get along with me." 

    The young man rubbed his chin, musing over it. Honestly, the faunus would probably have loved Rencalt, and Rencalt would have enjoyed having her as a friend. Honestly, Kayne could imagine the grand adventures their group would have had. While he was off in fantasy land, one of the kids ran face first into his leg, falling back and snapping the swordsman out of his thoughts. When he looked down, the kid looked almost terrified. But Kayne, apparently, was just curious. 

    The child seemed to only get a little more scared when Kayne crouched down and started digging around into one of his pockets. What was he grabbing? A knife? A GUN!? Oh my gods, Kayne's gonna whip out a gat and straight ghost this poor child, someone stop this man- he's pulling it out, it's- it's! A crystal pendant...

    Huh...

    Even the child seemed surprised as the thing that Kayne revealed was just a simple, innocent little trinket. The green/blue crystal glowed softly, as though it had captured a piece of starlight. Wordlessly, he lifted the kid's hand and dropped the pendant into the boy's palm. Then, effortlessly, the young warrior lifted the boy off his rear end and set him back onto his own two feet, dusted him off, and sent him back to rejoin his friends.

    "I found that in an abandoned fortress ages ago. I always thought of selling it off but decided against it every single time." The swordsman stated towards Myra. "I feel as though he'll get more use out of it than I ever will. Give him something to brag about to his friends, perhaps. Or maybe it'll just be a unique set of jewelry, like a keepsake or something to  hold onto?"

    Kayne shrugged. "I don't really know. You're the one who's mastered the art of getting along with kids, you tell me."