If Only{{Kina/Ardell Dark Mabinogi}}You Could Have Looked Like That Sooner

"Oh I don't want to think about that...!" Kina exclaimed, though her voice only rise a small bit, "....I just can't think about that...!" She clenched her teeth, trying to stop her crying and desperately trying to grab for the emotions she had been feeling before that had drained now.

Ardell winced at the reaction to his badly chosen statement. He sat up now, fully wrapping his arms around her in a tight embrace. He didn't trust his words to comfort her.

"I'm so sorry Ardell...." Kina muttered, body shivering. "...I should'nt have taken so long...oh I took far too long...!" She clasped onto him, as if afraid if she let go, he would float away.

"No, Kina..." Ardell murmured, moving back and forth in an almost rocking motion. "..You came at just the right time."

--Timeskip--

Kieg considered himself lucky. As the groans turned into sobs, the boy quickly realized his night of mind-scarring had been brought to an abrupt halt. And he was all too grateful. Though he was still tired as the sun began to rise in the sky, the boy in the tree resting his chin on his knee and trying desperately to fight his eyelids open.
"...." Again he caught his head as it slid down, the boy jolting himself back to reality.

There was no small sound to warn the younger elf of the older one's presence. The cold air didn't much bother the older elf now, however it still had a somewhat sickening feeling to it. It had been too long since he'd felt the hot breeze of the desert on his face; of the sand flecks brushing his naturally pale cheeks. Now his skin was slightly tanner, and freckled, believe it or not- as he'd been put farther into the sulfur pits due to his rank in the Filia region of the world.

"Do you... ah... need a break?" The elf muttered, his low voice aimed up at the younger boy in the dead tree. "....I can take over for now... will you, ah, rest..." The Elfin Guard muttered, taking his black and red bow off from his back and tightening the slightly damaged quiver around his torso. ".... Go rest." Arivin muttered, stepping towards the tree and leaning against it, his scarred shoulders hidden beneath his clothing.

"--Ack-!" Kieg nearly rolled off of the tree branch and onto the harsh ground at the newcomer, the boy's eyes wide, shocked and frightened. "Wha-what??" He exclaimed, turning to look at the man with his hand clasped around a nearby tree branch. "O-oh! Mr. Arivin, sir." He greeted the man nervously, straightening up to the best of his ability. "Y-you don't have to-- I mean, you should rest..! I've got this just fine!"

"Do not make me force you from the tree to rest. I'll do it... Ah- as soon as you get down, there's a fire started in the center of the group, go warm up. You've done, ah... enough for now." The guard muttered, his steel blue eyes staring up (and only staring, not even moving his head) at the young elf. "...." The cold eyes would pierce into anyone's chest and make their heart wrench with fear.

"Eh-- eh!" Keig straightened up but was obviously shivering in fear, "But-but-but-- you're wounded! And I was hardly scratched! Really-it's no trouble- i'll just stay a bit longer!"