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The shift from the warm sea breeze of Tuliyollal just after sunset, to the sharply cold air of Sharlayan at almost midnight was a shock to Lilith's system. She shivered, and had to give a quick yawn to pop her ears, before she made her way to the Baldesion Annex. Despite coming in at night, there were still a few of the Students in the lobby, and they took a moment from their spirited discussion to nod hello as she passed through, on her way to G'raha's—to their apartment.
She opened the door to their shared living space as quietly as she could, and headed for the table, gently placing her traveling pack on it, before she sat down to take her boots off. After the day she had had, everything was sore, especially her feet.
Her long, leporine ears picked up the faint patting of bare feet on carpet—then on stone—from their bedroom, and she sighed. She had tried to be quiet, so as not to wake her husband, but his feline ears were almost as good as hers. She gave a wan smile to the bedroom door as it opened, and spoke quietly, wary about waking the neighbors, "Sorry if I woke you, Raha."
"No, not at all," G'raha replied softly, smiling, "I was just catching up on some reading." She caught a glimpse of the crystal lamp illuminating a book on the bedside table, before the door shut behind him. He came over and gave her a hug, and a kiss on the temple, "As wonderful as it is to wake to see your smiling face, I'm glad I could see you."
"Yes, 'tis good to see you awake, Raha," she gave a tired smile, which widened when she heard—and felt—him chuckle. She finally finished pulling off her other boot, before returning the hug.
"Can I get you anything while you get settled?" he asked, when he finally broke the hug.
"Do we have any of the lavender tea leaves left?" Lilith asked, "I was planning on having a shower before I joined you in bed, but if you're offering…"
"I'll put the kettle on," he gave her a kiss, and went to the kitchen cutout. While he started the stove, set the kettle on it, and prepared the tea leaves in a strainer, she undid the cloth and leather ties that kept her top cinched around her waist, and let it slump and droop into a slightly disheveled mess as she slumped backwards in her chair, sighing.
"My love, you look exhausted," G'raha commented, leaving the kettle and coming over to her, "I'm assuming the tea is not to put you to sleep…" He placed a hand on her shoulder from behind, and she leaned back, her ears falling back to brush against his chest. Her eyes caught his, and despite her weary expression, she smiled, "Did something happen?" he asked, a little worry in his voice.
She reached up with a hand, and grasped her husband's, squeezing it reassuringly, "Everyone's fine," she said, and she nodded, "but yes… Valigarmanda was freed, and we had to kill it."
"Valigarmanda?!" G'raha came around to her side, hand still gripping her shoulder, she sat up to follow him with her gaze, "It existed? What do you mean 'freed?' How—" he stopped himself, and raised his hands, "Sorry, I know you'll tell me," he said, a little sheepishly.
She laughed, and some of the stress left her body. She reached over to take his chin, "Don't apologize for that. I love how curious you can be, you foolish, wonderful boy," she beamed, and leaned over to gave him a quick kiss on the nose. The flick of his ears made her smile even deeper.
He recovered quickly, and pulled a chair closer so he could sit next to her, his hand taking hers, "So Valigarmanda actually existed, and was being held somewhere?"
"It was something they refer to as a 'Tural Vidraal,'" she began, "an ancient creature, hundreds, possibly thousands of years old, that had gone mad…" she lowered her gaze away from her husband, "Krile and I noted how similar the Vidraal sounded to an Auspice of the far east that had succumbed to their Aramitama…"
G'raha squeezed Lilith's hand gently, and his thumb rubbed the back of it. She had told him of the Four Lords, and how close she had gotten to them—especially Suzaku, the one who gave her her katana. Even though it was a matter of life and death, putting down an auspice was a somber thing.
"Valigarmanda had ravaged the countryside for centuries, and eighty years ago, Gulool Ja Ja and his band—who apparently included Ketenramm," that perked G'raha's ears up again, "Fought the beast to a standstill, before tricking Valigarmanda into freezing itself in its own ice magicks, within one of the Yok Huy temples at Worlar's Echo."
"My word…" G'raha's ruby eyes unfocused, as he contemplated this, "While brilliant, that can't have been a long-term solution. Even with the strongest enchantments, the aether of the ice would eventually start to dissipate."
Lilith nodded, "They were well aware. That was intended to be one of the Yok Huy's tasks for us: help reinforce the magical ice," she looked down again, "I could feel it when I stepped into the temple. Valigarmanda's slowly burning rage, leaking from the prison. It was waking up… it was only a matter of time."
"And it just so happened to break loose while you were there."
She shook her head, and gripped his hand tightly, "There was no happenstance. I had an Echo of the guardsman who witnessed it. It was deliberately done! Bakool Ja Ja broke the ice and released him!"
G'raha looked incredulous, "Has he gone mad?"
"I don't know!" Lilith stood up quickly, and started pacing around the table, "His actions make no sense to me! He kidnaps Wuk Lamat and Alisaie, and then instead of using his lead to attempt the Feat of Proof, he went and released Valigarmanda!" she stomped her foot in frustration, "He seems wholly focused on hindering our efforts, and not on completing the feats for himself! It doesn't feel like he wants to lead, just to win! All I get from him is hate! What is he even doing?!"
"Wait, he kidnapped Wuk Lamat and Alisaie?! When did that happen?" G'raha stood quickly, his tail fluffing up in alarm.
Lilith's mouth was open to respond, when a long, drawn-out whistle drew their attention. G'raha scurried back to the stove.
Lilith took a breath to calm herself, and prayed her raised voice hadn't woken anybody else in the building. She followed him into the kitchen, as he started to steep the tea, "Alisaie and Wuk Lamat are fine," she said, to reassure herself as much as G'raha, "Bakool Ja Ja hired some bandits to capture Wuk Lamat when we were on our way to Worlar's Echo, and they happened to get Alisaie as well. Apparently, Bakool Ja Ja didn't want Alisaie, so the bandits tried to get rid of her"—G'raha's ears flared—"by drowning her in a cenote."
G'raha set the kettle down as the implications set in, and he gave a small smile, "I would wager she did not take kindly to that."
Lilith smiled as well, "Thancred said she had almost cut through the ropes by the time he got down to her. She is very eager to assist the Landsguard in clearing out that bandit camp."
The smell of lavender filled the kitchen, as the tea steamed on the counter. The aroma wound around them, soothing their nerves.
"And you were able to kill Valigarmanda? I pray before it killed anyone?" asked G'raha.
"We had to get Thancred, Urianger, Koana, and even Zoraal Ja to assist; and we were lucky Valigarmanda was starved of aether after eighty years in ice, but… yes. We did it."
G'raha stepped forward, placed his arms around her waist, and looked up into his wife's eyes, as she draped her arms over his shoulders, "I am always confident you are capable of being the wonderful hero I know you are, but it still makes me glad to know you and our loved ones are okay. I'm so proud of you. All of you."
Lilith smiled, and leaned down to kiss him. They held each other for a long moment, even after they broke the kiss and rested their foreheads against each other, gazing into each others' eyes. The smell of floral tea filled the air around them, as they swayed gently back and forth.
"I believe your tea is ready," said G'raha, not extracting himself from her arms.
She sighed, "I know…" she shifted her arms so she rested her elbows on his shoulders, but didn't break their embrace either.
"How about this?" G'raha relaxed his arms, resting his hands gently on her thighs. His voice slipped slightly into his Exarchic leadership voice, "You enjoy your tea, undo your braids, and relax. I will go draw a bath for you."
Lilith shook her head slightly, making G'raha's head shake as well, as their foreheads rolled against each other, "I was just going to rinse myself off, I don't need a whole bath…"
"Lilith…" G'raha pulled away slightly, and took her cheeks gently, "after the ordeal you went through the last few days, you deserve a little pampering. Let me do this for you."
She smiled, basking in his love, yet one mote of concern still shone in her eyes, "Raha, it must be after midnight, you need to sleep, too…"
"And I will sleep far more soundly knowing you are sleeping soundly, too."
The final point of resistance gave way, and she removed her arms from his shoulders, "Okay. Thank you."
G'raha smiled, gave her cheek a slight squeeze, and went to the linen closet, "Just imagine how relaxing it will be, lying on your belly, completely immersed in the warm water, thanking the Kojin's blessing?" he returned, and handed over a soft bath robe, and a towel, "Mayhap I could lend my own hands to assist with relaxing some of those muscles, as well," he smiled, and his ears flicked happily.
"That sounds wonderful," she took the proffered linens, and leaned over to give him a quick kiss, "I love you."
"And I love you," he replied, smiling, "Just relax, and I will take care of everything."
She picked up the teacup as he headed into the bathroom, and began to relax in earnest, sipping the hot tea slowly. Despite the chaos, stresses, and efforts, all had turned out well, and that was worth celebration. She went back to the table, and set the robe, towel, and tea next to her travel bag. The sound of running water hitting porcelain trickled into the main room, and she smiled. She felt so thankful that she had G'raha to remind her to take care of herself.
Thinking quickly, she pulled out a paper and quill to write a quick note to Ojika, explaining she had arrived home late due to Valigarmanda, and inadvertently kept G'raha awake far later than he should have been. She also apologized if she woke anyone with her shouting, and took full responsibility if G'raha were late or exhausted tomorrow. A quick jog out the door later, and the note was on Ojika's desk. She returned to their apartment at a brisk walk, undoing her braids as she went, and smiling, realizing how thankful she was that G'raha had her to remind him to take time for himself, as well.