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Alarak had finally found her stood in the middle of an out of the way, enclosed garden area around one of the large spires that gathered at the centre of the city. It had taken him most of the day, The concern he had felt at being unable to reach her through their usual lines of communication immediately gave way to an irritation. She was fine. Why had she not let him know sooner?
“Ri’kara. What exactly are you doing? I have been trying to reach you for—”
For some reason, the Tal’darim almost jumped out of her skin, whipping around to look up at his face with, frightened eyes. It was as though she had been entirely untethered from reality for a moment.
“Val’ka, I—”
Suddenly, she froze, looking around herself nervously. Her behaviour once again reminded him of a prey animal, and he was in that moment very hyper aware of how small and enclosed the space was, how easy it would be for something to happen.
“Where is Verinis? You should have your guard with you.”
“Please just go for now.”
His face fell into a deep, confused frown, his head tilting as the words sunk in. She hadn’t even acknowledged his warning. “…Why?”
Ri’kara looked nervously up at the sky, watching as the sun lazily strolled towards the west in the early afternoon. It took a few moments, and then her eyes, large and pleading, rested on him once more, her hands nervously lacing themselves together.
“Alarak. Look. I am sorry you haven’t been able to reach me, but I wasn’t expecting to be needed today. Whatever it is, I will help you after I am done with this, but please, I need you to leave now.”
It was only her panicked, almost frantic way of speaking and the anxious expression on her face that gave him pause. She hadn’t looked like that in decades. For just a moment, he wanted to protest again, but thought better of it, letting his shoulders slump slightly.
“… Fine.”
“Thank you.” Then, as though speaking for an imaginary crowd, she spoke aloud in that cold, professional way she had to. “I will be with you to assist later on.”
His compliance didn’t seem to ease her troubled demeanour, but he turned anyway, moving a few steps down the path paved with metal and gold and ducking behind one of the archways that led out of the enclosure.
Something wasn’t right. It irritated him that it put him so on edge. He hated that pleading, panicked look on her face; what could have put her in such a state?
For just a moment, he hesitated, scowling at how he was floundering back and forth on what would be the best course to take. He had no obligation to stay; she could take care of herself, after all, but that anxiety, the premonition of something happening to her, did not ease with that knowledge. Deep down, he had an inkling of why she was behaving as she was.
Finally, against his better judgement, he sighed and leant himself carefully against the wall that bordered the garden, using the plants and the deep shadow the archway cast over him as cover. He could comfortably see the garden from that vantage point and, more importantly, she couldn’t see him.
Ri’kara stared for a few moments at the pathway that he had ‘disappeared’ down, hands nervously wringing together. She seemed far off, out of it. It only made him even more concerned.
“Riri!”
The familiar voice and the ridiculous nickname made Alarak roll his eyes. Of course.
“Hey!” Ialdir made his way through the other archway along the southern wall, immediately striding over to her with a raised brow. “Hey, are you ignoring me?” His tone was almost patronising, like he were scolding a child.
That made her start, blinking quickly as she seemed to come back into herself, her arms immediately wrapping around her middle defensively.
“N-no, sorry, I was just…”
“Who was that? You had someone with you.” He put his hands on his hips and tilted his head slightly, giving her a chastising look. “We were supposed to be alone today, did you forget?” The laugh that followed was lighthearted, almost fun, despite the continued disrespectful tone that made the Tal’darim dearly want to get out of his hiding spot and gut him. “Honestly, you are so hopeless without me around to remind you constantly; aren’t you glad I’m so understanding?”
“He was just a colleague. I knew you wanted to meet me privately; I didn’t forget, Ialdir, but that doesn’t stop my work from giving me something to deal with when I least expect it too, you know this; I am sorry.” The way she spoke was so… meek, submissive. It made Alarak’s skin crawl. Even the way she was stood made her look even smaller than usual, as though she were trying to disappear.
“Oh, Riri, don’t be so nervous, don’t look so worried; I know you don’t mean to completely disregard what I ask of you, I just wish you’d be more considerate of me.”
The continued, sickly sweet delivery was driving Alarak up the wall. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to stay as calm as he could. Only interfere if absolutely necessary. Do not be rash.
Ialdir stepped closer to her, ignoring her flinch as he took her chin in one hand and raised her head so she would look at him. He put his face mere inches from hers, and gave her a soft, loving smile.
“You know… I hope he was just a colleague, Riri. I’d hate to think anyone would be taking advantage of your kindness.”
She kept perfectly still, frowning only slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean? He was just making sure I would be available for our Executor tomorrow.”
“Good, good. I didn’t mean anything by it, Riri, I just wanted to make sure I didn’t have any competition, that’s all. You know I want you all to myself someday.”
Ri’kara gently pulled her head from his grasp. It only made the Nerazim laugh and straighten back to his full height. “I’m joking, I’m joking, Riri. Come and sit with me, I wanted to spend time with you today.” With an elaborate bow, he gestured towards a small seating area in the shade, and then took her hand to lead her there.
Once again, Alarak had to fight the urge to go back in there and kill him on the spot, but this time it wasn’t the patronising tone, or the clear intimidation, it was… A small voice in the back of his head growled, irritated. How dare he touch her that way? She is not his. She is—
He cut off the thought before he could finish it. Get a hold of yourself.
They sat on one of the smooth, sweeping, golden benches that wrapped themselves around the trees covering a small section of the garden in a lush canopy. A small, intimate place to rest and enjoy the weather; intimacy certainly seemed to be Ialdir’s intention, anyway, as he got himself as close to her as possible.
It was a long while before they moved. The two talked; that is to say, Ialdir talked. Much to his irritation, Alarak found that the Nerazim barely let the little Protoss get a word in, almost completely ignoring her multiple times whenever she was able to speak. Even worse, he spent most of his time leaning over her, almost completely invading her personal space on top of how close he had been sitting next to her on the bench. There was an air of palpable, uncomfortable acceptance on her end, as though she had resigned herself to this fate.
No wonder she had been so distraught earlier—
The voice once again cut in. Or maybe she just didn’t want you to find out that she enjoys this kind of attention from him.
This clear contradiction baffled the Tal’darim. He tried to ignore the spiteful little thing that lurked as he watched them; anyone with half a brain could see that this was not something that she enjoyed, but the thought was there. The idea that she might be ‘snatched up’ as the Matriarch had teased him about a decade or so before, had taken its root.
“So, that colleague of yours; how long have you known him? I believe I’ve seen him around you a few times now.”
“A few decades. We have been working together for a while.” Then she quickly added; “Not as long as I’ve known you, of course, but a while.”
“Good.” Something about the way he said it had an air of smug joy, as though he were ticking off some sort of list in his mind. “It is obvious, but I will ask anyway; Tal’darim?”
“Yes.”
“Hm. Shame, I was hoping for better; Tal’darim are no good most of the time.”
Ri’kara looked insulted by that, narrowing her eyes suspiciously and snapping at him. There is her spine. “What do you mean you were hoping for ‘better’? What is so wrong about being Tal’darim?”
He scoffed, rolling his eyes, and putting an arm around her in a dismissive, unwanted sort of squeeze. “Oh, Riri, hush, I did not mean you; you are an exception.”
“No.” She pulled back almost violently, shuffling away from him a little on the bench and lifting both hands up in front of her. “Do not insult my people; I don’t want to be an ‘exception.’ We have all worked hard to become better as a whole, and my colleague happens to be a Protoss I am proud of and respect for the steps he has taken to improve.”
There was a short, shocked silence that followed her continued refusal to back down and her harsh tone. A flurry of expressions crossed Ialdir’s face, from a deep irritation, to anger, before finally resting on a pained, sorrowful look. He followed her, shuffling closer again on the bench, not giving her any space at all, and then took her wrists in his hands almost forcefully. It was as though he were punishing her from breaking free of his earlier grasp; his knuckles had gone almost lilac from how hard he was gripping.
“Come on, Riri, don’t talk to me like that, don’t be upset with me. I didn’t mean it; you can’t be angry with a mistake.”
His tone became sickly sweet, pathetic. He had somehow managed to shift from a self-important arrogance to practically groveling in a heartbeat. It was so obviously disingenuous. The watching Tal’darim had no idea how Ri’kara didn’t seem to realise this. Instead, she let the insulted frown fall from her face and twist into a sadder, more sympathetic expression, with just a hint of fear in her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Ialdir, I’m not mad, I know it was a mistake, I shouldn’t have got mad.” She gave him a half-hearted smile, trying to convince him that it was alright, even gently patting his cheek with one of her still trapped, slightly trembling hands. It just made Alarak scowl. The entire thing was wrong, so wrong. “Please, you’re hurting me…”
It took a moment of him staring at her, looking for any signs of another transgression, but Ialdir gently let go of her wrists. The smile crept back into his eyes almost instantly, like a switch had been pressed. “Yes, you shouldn’t have got mad. I only want to make sure you’re safe. After last time? If he were to hurt you too…”
“He wouldn’t.” She said in a small voice, as though she didn’t have the energy to protest further.
“Is that a promise, or are you lying to make me feel better?” His voice suddenly gained an edge despite the continued positive tone. Ri’kara seemed to freeze.
“I promise; I am not lying.”
“Good, or I would absolutely have to step in. Nobody hurts my little Riri.” He punctuated the sentence with a tender stroke of her cheek.
After another short period of painful silence, they fully ended their ‘conversation’ and stood from the bench. Ialdir leant close to her again, taking her face in his hand as he had previously, though he looked disappointed when she once again moved a little away from him, out of his grasp.
“No kiss goodbye then, hm?”
That made her put her arms across her middle all over again, sounding almost nervous. “Ialdir, please, I have told you many times before…”
“It was a joke, Riri, come on now.” He scoffed, frowning deeply, and shrugging with obvious irritation. “You really are stuffy today. Did I actually upset you? Were you lying to me when you said it was ok? Like always?”
She waved her hands immediately and frantically in front of her, looking very worriedly up at him. “No, no, you know I wouldn’t lie to you. I just… have a lot on my mind… I’m sorry.”
Thankfully, it seemed to placate him; even Alarak felt the obvious relief from his hiding spot as Ialdir’s switch flipped from tense and annoyed to lighthearted and happy, the smile once again in his eyes. “Fix it for next time, alright? I don’t really like it when you’re distracted by other things; you’re supposed to be focused on us and having a good time.”
Ri’kara nodded softly, lacing her fingers together. “Yes, of course; I’ll do better.”
“Alright. See you.”
The Nerazim made his way down the path, back through the archway from which he had first entered the garden. Ri’kara, however, waited in the awful, uncomfortable silence he had unknowingly left in his wake, wringing her hands together and watching until she was sure he was gone.
Then, she let out a soft, psionic sigh, shaking herself a little. “Pull yourself together, Ri’kara; you are better than this…”
It took another moment, but she nodded to herself and moved towards the archway that Alarak had ‘left’ through. He let himself relax then, rolling his shoulders and preparing to greet her again.
“That was an… interesting meeting.” He said, moving from his hiding place as she stepped over the threshold, causing her to almost jump out of her skin. She let out a short yelp and then shot him a heavy glare once she had collected herself.
“Al-Val’ka! You scared the fuck out of me!” Her eyes widened in the next moment as she realised the profanity she had let slip, her crest and face flushing a pretty purple as she lifted her shaking hands to her face. “S-sorry, I—"
“I believe I deserved that for startling you. I apologise.”
“I sometimes wonder if you’re part Nerazim; for a Protoss so large, you certainly have a knack for appearing out of nowhere…” She gave him an affectionate sort of look, and then her eyes narrowed with a sudden realisation. “Wait, you… were here this whole time?” She glared again, clenching her fists with the short burst of anger. “I asked you to leave, Alarak! Why didn’t you?! If he had seen you… by the void, if he had seen you…”
“I know better than to listen to your instructions when you looked so distressed.”
“This was important—"
He lifted a hand gently to cut her off. “If you wish for an apology, you will not receive one in this instance, Ri’kara. I stayed… to ensure your safety. Something was not right. I followed my instincts.” He scowled softly in return, waving that same hand dismissively. “And it would seem my intuition was correct; everything about that interaction was wrong.”
Het face twisted into worry all over again, both of her hands lifted in a calming motion. “It wasn’t. It was just… You have met Ialdir. There was nothing wrong.”
Alarak sighed heavily, rolling his eyes, and placing a hand against his brow. Why must she be so stubborn? “Yes; I met him very briefly only once in circumstances that would not have allowed me to see exactly what kind of Protoss he was. How was there nothing wrong? I have eyes. He treated you as nothing more than a toy.”
Tears began to well in her eyes at his harsh tone, her arms once again putting themselves around her middle. For a few moments, she couldn’t quite speak, and he felt all the annoyance leave him in an instant, replaced with a terrible, sudden swirl of guilt that he had to quickly push down in order to keep focused.
“Listen… Alarak, I don’t wish to talk about it. Please don’t push it further.”
“As though I can ignore this. You have been on-edge for months, distracted, nervous. This is not the first time this has happened, is it?”
“I have already said not to push it further. Don’t make me angrier than I already am.”
He let out a sigh that tapered into an irritated growl, though he tried his best to keep his voice even and as gentle as he could muster; he didn’t particularly want to make her crying worsen. “… Ri’kara, you will have to explain what is happening with this Nerazim at some point, or I will deal with the issue.”
“No!” Ri’kara almost yelled, stepping forward before calming herself. “… No. Listen, just listen; I can handle this myself. I don’t need you to try and step in, I don’t need anybody to deal with it, do you understand me? It is a personal matter.”
The look on her face told him he had taken it further than he should have. Her tone was firm, and she fixed an angry scowl directly at him, despite the tears burning in her eyes. Another frustration. The way forward seemed so clear from his perspective; cutting out such a tumor would be beneficial overall, and yet she was stood there practically begging him not to take the only logical course.
Then that little voice crept in, smug and almost gleeful. Getting rid of him would ensure that nobody touches her like that again except—
He paused, realising something in that moment. With a sigh, he gave in, ignoring the voice, ignoring his better, more rational judgement, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking her in the eye.
“I understand. I will not interfere directly.” Something else came to him, and before she could answer, he added; “However.”
“What?”
“Am I the only one to know?”
Her fingers laced together. She couldn’t look at him, instead focusing on the path beneath their feet. “… No. I told a friend.”
“Tch. And they have not helped you?”
“I told Anur specifically because I knew they wouldn’t try to, and you have only found out by eavesdropping.” She snapped, glaring a little.
“Thank the void I did.” Alarak let himself put an edge to his own voice, matching her glare before softening himself again. “I will not interfere directly, Ri’kara, if you tell someone that will actually help you.”
The next sigh she let out tapered off into a growl. She put the heel of her hand against her forehead and closed her eyes tightly as tears began to once again well, red vapour vanishing into the air.
He waited, letting her consider his offer, even if the passing minutes were beginning to grate on him. Surely this would be an easy offer to take.
“Can you promise me that? That you won’t interfere?”
“I give you my word.”
She shook her head. “Please, I am asking you… As a friend, here. I need you to promise.”
With a sigh of his own, he took her hand from her shoulder, reaching up and pulling the silver band from his cord. She froze as he held it out towards her, eyes widening in shock as she began to tremble all over again. Her face and crest flushed deep purple.
“You… You realise that this could be seen very differently—"
“I know. You told me as such yourself.”
The Tal’darim hesitated, hand snapping up to take a tight hold of her own decoration; a scratched, brass tube. He pushed his hand closer to her.
“My word is clearly not enough, so take it.”
Another moment of hesitation, and then she carefully threaded the tube from her own cord and nodded, resting it in his palm. Gently, she lifted his decoration and rolled it between her fingers, staring at it.
“I… I can’t refuse that, can I? I’ll… give you my word as well. I’ll tell someone else.”
Alarak nodded, watching as she slipped the silver band into the place of the old. He felt his chest tighten, a flutter that he tried to push down. Part of him was regretting the decision; he knew this meant far more than his word in this moment.
To pass off the sudden swell of emotion, he tilted his head and smirked as he slipped her decoration onto his own cord. “It suits you.”
Ri’kara was staring at him, eyes fixed on his hands. The blush seemed to worsen, but she shook herself. “Ah… It suits you too.”
He thought suddenly of what might happen if Ialdir put her in this same position. Her panic and anger at the idea that the Nerazim could have caught sight of them together suddenly brought into focus how much danger she might be in from this one exchange.
I needed her to promise; this was the only way. If it becomes worse, I will get involved. Indirectly, as I have promised. He was grateful that for once she hadn’t noticed his specific choice of words.
Finally, she shook herself, wiping her eyes and fanning her face as though it would do anything to reduce the bright colour still painted across her cheeks and crest.
“I am sorry, Val’ka. You… needed me for something?”
“Why do you feel the need to apologise; you did nothing wrong.” Impulsively, he rested his hand against her upper back, and began to gently push her down the path towards the more open courtyard ahead. “I did need you for something, but it can wait.”
Confusion passed over her features and she tilted her head, looking up at him curiously. “A-are you sure?”
“Yes. I have decided that we are instead taking a walk.”
As if to ease the tension, she let out a short, nervous chuckle, trying to be a little sarcastic. “You really need me to accompany you for that?”
He chuckled in turn, rolling his eyes. “No, I do not need you; I am not so hopeless that I need a babysitter, Ri’kara.”
“Well, I’m not so sure about that…” She laughed again, giving him a small, half-hearted smile, and playing gently with one of her cords, with his band. He couldn’t help but notice her fingers still shook as they played with it.
“Did it ever occur to you that I simply wanted your company?”
Her head snapped up, eyes widening a little at the comment. In an attempt to emphasise the truth in those words, he tilted his head slightly as he looked at her and softened his expression into as friendly a smile as he could muster.
“You can think about our duties later when you are not so… Skittish.”
“I’m honestly fine—"
Alarak scoffed, rolling his eyes and waving both hands in the air in an exasperated shrug. “Please, I can tell that you are faking it from a galaxy away; I am no fool.”
Her face and crest coloured a soft lilac again as she rolled her own eyes in turn. “Alright. I’ll… We can take a break.”
“Until I have decided you feel better; I know you.”
She made a cute, irritated little noise, crossing her arms over her chest. “Fine, when the mighty Highlord has decided that I feel better.”
In that moment, he couldn’t help but smirk, catching her eye and mirroring her own smug little quip that she always pulled out when he did something well.
“Good. You’re learning.”