Kieran was silent, watching the man warily. He wondered what exactly this man meant, by asking if they should be worried about Elara. He said nothing, though. Possibly the man was asking because of what Kieran was. Thari. The Thari were seen as…well, nothing good, for the most part. He sighed softly, remaining silent. No good ever came of him asking unwanted questions.
“I told ya, everythin’s fine. His majesty’s jus’ gettin’ all worked up ‘bout nothin’.” Elara assured the man, shoving her hands into her pockets again. “‘Sides, Johnson. I didn’ come here for ya t’ worry ‘bout me.”
“You say so.” Johnson shook his head, stepping aside to pull the door open more, an obvious welcoming gesture. “She’s missed ya. Wants t’ ask if you’ve fallen in love with a prince yet. Keep the mask on, kid.” This was directed at Kieran, though it was slightly odd that he didn’t tell Elara to put one in as she gladly entered the house.
Kieran nodded, following Elara silently. He wondered who she was visiting, but said nothing as he followed her through the house. He knocked his left horn against a wall by mistake, and hissed between his teeth, putting a hand up and touching the horn gently to try and soothe the pain flickering through his head from it.
“Careful. House is old and ain’t built well.” Elara said, leading the way through the living room and down a hallway. She stopped at a partially ajar door, knocking on the doorframe before pushing the door open.
The room was obviously a child’s room, just as cluttered as the rest of the house was and lit with a few candles. The sickly looking seven year old girl sitting on the floor looked up, her entire face lighting up when Elara waved. “Ellie!”
"I noticed." Kieran said, quiet as he followed her. He hoped that the little girl wouldn't be scared of him; young humans sometimes were. It was the horns, and the tall, broad-shouldered form. He didn't look human, and that sometimes scared children. He waited in the doorway, quiet, and trying not to draw attention to himself.
“Hey, Mack. How’s holdin’ down the fort?” Elara asked, stepping into the room and plopping down across from the girl. She was smiling, not the wicked or mischievous looks she favored, but an actual happy smile.
“Great! Dad got me a new doll after mine got stuck under one of his anchors, and Marla stopped by with cookies! Dad says you don’t wanna fall in love with a prince though, because you’re ‘busy’. What’re you busy doing?” Mack rambled happily, her cheeriness a contrast to the pale color of her skin and her frail ness. Her eyes landed on Kieran, widening slightly. “Is he your prince? I like his horns!”
Kieran gave a soft chuckle at the question of if he was "her prince". He glanced down at the floor, adjusting his sleeves again, then turned his attention back to Elara and the little girl, Mack. "No, I am not her prince." he told the little girl. "I am her bodyguard." he couldn't even fathom the idea of being…anything with Elara. Not that she wasn't pretty, she was just…too different. Plus, he was pretty sure that she didn't like him at all.
"Oh! Does that mean you know karate? Have you ever used your sword? My dad says I can't get a sword, but Ellie gave me a knife and said that even princesses have to defend themselves. It has a little crystal on it!"
"Stop givin' my daughter knives, kiddo!" Johnson's shout carried from whatever room he was in, though it sounded more like he was laughing than upset, and Elara's grin and wink thrown at Mack showed she wasn't too concerned.
"With you around, does she not have to fight now?" Rapid paced questions were, apparently, Mack's thing. "She's good at fighting, but I know it hurts. That's how she hurt her leg."
That made Elara cough, and the Princess pointedly avoided looking at Kieran. Something told her he wouldn't be entirely happy to know she'd been fighting on an injured ankle. Mack's question and Kieran's answer flickered into her mind, and the two thoughts blended, leaving her wondering for a moment what it would be like to have someone worry about her, without any strings attached. Nothing for them to gain.
Kieran raised his eyebrows, looking at Elara. "You fought me injured?" he said. "No wonder you were imbalanced! Why would you purposely fight like that? You will make the damage worse!" he couldn't fathom purposefully fighting wounded. Why? He himself fought enough already beaten before the fight began, but to fight…he swallowed slightly, watching her to gauge her response.
(btw it's your turn on "A dreamer, a king, and a wolf", too)
(oh nvm sorry about that)
((Sksksk I was on mobile up until like maybe ten minutes ago, and we were doing a lot of longer responses while I was watching a movie, so I was sticking to just this rp until I could steal a computer from my siblings.))
"It wa'nt that big'a deal." Elara muttered, looking at one of the candles lining a shelf on the wall instead of at her Guard. "Jus' a minor inconvenience." She could almost hear her mother's voice, lecturing her about starting a fight while injured, and it took a moment to remind herself that her mother wasn't there. She's gone, remember? You can make stupid decisions all you want now. "I've fought with worse before, so it ain' like I didn' know what I was doin'. Just' didn' expect ya t' be better'n me."
(ohhh okay XD just wanted to make sure you hadn't forgotten or missed it. I do things like that sorry)
Kieran snorted. "Wasn't that big a deal?? Your highness…" he shook his head. "I warned you beforehand that I would beat you, so saying that you didn't expect it is stupid. No offense." he added the last two words after a moment. Oh god why was he arguing with her?? Most of his other masters, if he even talked back had… -locked in a dark room for days without food- -beaten and left in the dirt- -whipped- he took a deep breath, releasing it after a moment.
((Nah, it's totally cool! Though, while on the subject, in a couple of days I'll be leaving for camping with my family, and we'll have no wifi whatsoever for a week, just a heads up))
Elara snickered, shaking her head. "Ya think you're the first guy t' tell me he'd beat me in a fight? Y'ain't even the first guard t' do that." She said, finally looking to him. She didn't look mad, or even annoyed, just amused. And maybe a tiny bit…embarrassed?
"You beat her? Did she use her big knife? 'Cause I've never seen her lose while using the big knife." Mack stated, looking at Kieran in slight awe, before turning to Elara. "Can I hold it?" Elara unsheathed her mother's dagger, handing it over to Mack and keep an eye on the girl as she happily gazed at it.
(okay! That's fine, have fun! And I won't be on from tomorrow evening through Friday. If I am at all, it'll be inconsistent)
"True, perhaps, but I am most likely the first Thari, and the first slave." He said. He looked at the little girl. "Yes, I did, and yes, she was." He told Mack, then his orange eyes traveled back to Elara, emotionless.
((Gotcha! And hopefully it will be fun, if I don't sprain my ankle on the first day like I did last year))
"Wow! You must be super strong then!" Mack said happily, smiling up at Kieran. She seemed entirely unconcerned about his appearance, or usual lack of emotion.
"True. The first one's definitely a first for me." Elara said, something flickering across her features for a moment, before she went back to watching Mack. It was obvious how fond of the little girl she was, strange, considering she tended to generally be an asshole to most adults. For her own sake, of course, but people never seemed to realize that.
(oof yeah. Good luck!)
Kieran shrugged. "Yes, I am." He told Mack. He looked at Elara, and nodded. "I see." He went silent. He didn't usually talk so much, and he wasn't sure why he had. He folded his hands behind his back, unaware that the sleeves had come up, showing the scars ringing his wrists from manacles and chains.
Elara's eyes flickered to the movement, catching on the sight of his scars. Her brows furrowed, but she didn't say anything, instead reaching for her bag and digging around in it. "Ya mind runnin' this out t' Johnson?" She asked, pulling out a smaller bag that jingled when she lifted it.
Kieran nodded. "Don't run off. I don't want to have to track you down." He warned, taking the bag and slipping out of the room to find Johnson. He was careful not to bump into anything as he walked.
Kieran left before Elara could even argue with that, leaving her to huff and go back to talking to Mack. She was pretty quickly roped into playing a game the seven year old called 'dolls and dinosaurs', which was pretty self-explanatory.
Johnson was in the backyard, hauling firewood into a pile and apparently attempting to clean up the yard, which was cluttered with fishing nets and an anchor or two, and various other items that were mostly things one would find on a boat.
Kieran found Johnson, and held out the bag. "The princess said to give this to you." He said calmly. He looked oddly out of place in the cluttered yard, like something that had been plucked from one spot and dropped in another where it didn't belong. His orange eyes were empty of emotion. He looked, for all the world, like a statue or the like.
Johnson looked up as he set down a bundle of fire wood, wiping his hands off on his pants as he looked from the Thari to the bag. "God dammit. I told 'er not-" He shook his head, grumbling to himself as he stepped over to take the bag. "Thanks. Say, what's yer name, kid?"
Kieran nodded. "I'm Kieran." He replied, dropping his arms back down to his sides. He wondered why, exactly, the princess was visiting here, and why this man and the little girl had asked if he was "her prince". He didn't quite understand. He was no prince. He technically belonged to Elara for now, that was true, so maybe he was hers, but not her prince.
"Nice t' meetcha, Kieran. Call me Johnson." Johnson said, nodding instead of offering a hand to shake, like most people would. He unzipped the bag, taking a look inside, and shook his head. Despite acting annoyed, gratefulness flickered over his features, along with a slightly sad mix of emotions. "Surprised ya managed t' keep next t' her. That Roman is the only one she's brought along before."
"Well. She would have a difficult time losing me if she tried to run off." Kieran said with a slight shrug. "Plus she knows why I'm here. That might have something to do with it." In truth, he had no idea. But humans, and anyone with emotions, had empathy. Sympathy? That sometimes made them act strangely. Maybe that was it.
"Maybe. Never know her t' give up runnin' though." Johnson mused, closing the bag once more. "Her mother was the same way. Forces o' nature, those two. Good luck." He laughed, shaking his head. "So, yer new, tha's for sure. When didja start?"
"Mm. This morning." Kieran replied. "She wasn't too happy." He guessed so, anyway. He wasn't good at reading emotions. Especially not in humans.
"I can imagine. Makes her feel controlled." Johnson looked over at the house, crossing his arms over his chest. The most noticeable tattoo he had was a large anchor on his right shoulder, with seaweed and a rusted chain trailing from where they were tangled around it, down his arm, to wrap around his wrist like a bracelet. "If there's one thing Ellie likes, it's her freedom, for sure. That and hot chocolate."
Kieran's mouth twitched slightly. Two things i don't have. He thought. "I see. Well. Some of us don't have any freedom, so. I don't exactly sympathize." He said emotionlessly. He wondered if this man had yet clued in to what he was. But it didn't matter if he did or not.
(Will be afk starting now, most likely won't answer again)
((Gotcha!))
"Ain' that why you're here? T' gain it?" Johnson asked, raising an eyebrow slightly. "I've known your kind before, an' none of 'em have been free. Guessin' yer workin' here now, an' I can tell ya one thing, Elara ain' happy abou' that. She don' got somethin' against your kind as a whole, jus' why yer here." Smarter than he let on, but not quite smart enough to keep from giving up info he saw as inconsequential about Elara to anyone. "But if ya had your freedom, wouldn' ya not want people t' take it again? Tha's how she thinks, always has been. Keepin' in control is important t' her."
(just kidding. Starting now tho. I may reply, but I probably won't)
Kieran shrugged. "Yes, but I am not taking her freedom." He pointed out. "I am accompanying her to keep her safe. I have not impeded her in any way, shape, or form. There are no chains on her, and i would not hurt her for disobedience. I can't even tell her what to do." He said. "So yes, she still has her freedom."