The way Talric tilted his head to lightly press to hers caused a faint smile to flicker across her lips, arm tightening around his waist in a gentle, encouraging squeeze. “I’m fine. And from now on, if you get caught in a battle and get injured, you go straight to the medics first.” Her scolding was gentler now, though she fell silent as he shifted his head once they were in the more populated area of camp.

As Orym met them, mentioning the blood on Talric’s saddle, Gennadius threw a quick and discreet glare up at the man she supported. If there was a lot of blood on the horse’s saddle, she could only imagine how much blood loss the man had suffered already. But she didn’t bring it up now, instead focusing on helping Tal into the tent and helping ease him to sit on one of the few cots that had been set up. In the few moments Orym had moved away, and with no one looking, the woman’s hand came up and gently caressed the man’s cheek, offering him a worried smile as she leaned in near his ear.

“I’m going to leave and let Orym do his job. But if this happens again, I will be the one to pour straight alcohol into the wound and then stitch it up myself.” She leaned away, her threat lingering as she stood and backed away as the medic came to do his job. Gennadius knew with him, visitors were not welcome, not to mention she thought it would be good for the man to have some privacy. That and staying would look far too suspicious.

It wasn’t as though one over the other wanted their relationship quiet. It was a consensus they both had come to, both wanting to have the peace of a secret relationship. She was not one who advertised her personal life, what it had been or would be, and considering Tal made a living as a spy, it worked well for both of them not to have the extra pressure of the others knowing on their shoulders.

As she began to exit, she noticed Keinan not too far away, his shirt off with Lebuin wrapping his shoulder. A very faint staining of blood showed where the wound was and for a split moment, the memory flashed through her mind of cold metal before Keinan was suddenly to her back. It registered now, that he had saved her... She offered a nod in his direction, a faint smile on her lips as she motioned to the shoulder before leaving. She would talk to him when everyone was well rested and back on their feet again.

Gennadius did not spend the next half hour idle, instead going to check on Torrent. Her affection for the horse was, in fact, no secret. She loved the equine as if she were her own, the woman always having had a soft spot for horses. Liam had taken good care of her by the time she arrived, hand reaching up to brush against the soft fuzz of Torrent’s nose. The poor thing was still anxious, but offered Gennadius’s shoulder a light nudge. Satisfied she was alright, Gennadius caught sight of Tal’s items resting nearby. Torrent was off a little ways from the rest of the camp where it was quieter for her and no one would be surprised if Talric stayed near her.

Jogging across the outer rim of their current encampment, Gennadius grabbed her sleeping bag she had left and brought it closer to Torrent and Talric. She put it halfway between where he would be and the sleeping bags that were already spread across the open area, most of the soldiers already resting for the night. It was a safe distance, but still close enough to make her happy.

Once she was happy with how things were, the woman returned back to the tent in time for the spy to emerge, limping and looking beyond exhausted. Lowering her voice, she moved to help steady him as she spoke. “Come on. I have your sleeping bag set up near Torrent. I know you like more secluded areas anyway and she will be a decent warning system if there is an ambush.”

She doubted much was getting through to him, the woman knowing that look on his face when he was beyond exhausted. It wasn’t the first time she had seen it, and Gennadius doubted it would be the last. Still, she talked softly to him as she helped him over, sinking down to the ground with him. Arms wrapped around his waist as they sat for a moment, offering him a warm hug before she released him. “I’ll be over a little ways. No use in anyone finding out about us now.”

A hand reached out, carefully untying his hair for him and pushing it out of his face as she watched him for a few minutes. Or it honestly could have been an hour or so, but after a bit, she finally meandered over to her own sleeping bag and curled up inside, letting her own tired body drift off to sleep.

The rest of that night and most of the next day passed in a blur for him. He was asleep the instant his head hit the pitiful excuse for a pillow, and slept soundly until he was woken at dawn. Since this wasn't a permanent camp, they had to keep moving as quickly as possible, covering as much ground as they could until they arrived at their next campsite. A nearby town had offered to host them in exchange for the protection the rebel group provided, having grown weary of the king's militaristic ways and sick of his army's raids for supplies and food.

Unfortunately, the fact that the camp wasn't stationary yet meant that Talric had to keep moving, too, a fact that he dreaded the moment he opened his eyes and the pain in his leg sunk in. He suffered through the preparations to move, wincing every time he had to put any amount of weight on his injured leg, finding it stiffer and causing more pain than the night before. And though he was a bit more rested today than last night, he was still drained, already looking forward to when they stopped and finished setting up camp so he could get more sleep.

Though... He knew he'd have to share a tent with Aison... And even though the archer was tolerant of the idea, neither of them were accustomed to sharing a tent and neither were too fond of the thought. It was out of necessity, and with the hope that Talric would get a new tent quickly.

They arrived at the edge of Limrest that afternoon, a few hours before sundown. The group quickly worked to set up camp, the medical and meal tents going up first, then each going to set up his (or her) own tent. Talric helped Aison with his tent, but he could already sense the archer's annoyance caused by his mere presence. This would be a fun few weeks... Aison and Talric got along decently, as two of the originals that had formed this particular rebel group nearly ten years ago now. But the two of them also understood that boundaries and privacy was a good thing, and that was another major reason why both had tents of their own, other than the main issue being Talric's position and need for secrecy in general.

But he was just complaining to himself at this point, muttering silently under his breath as he tied one of the final knots in the rope that fastened one of the corners of the tent to a stake in the ground. "Done," he announced, rising stiffly to his feet with a visible wince. He did not bother to unpack his things tonight, just dropping the bags beside his freshly set up cot before limping off. He didn't plan on staying in Aison's tent tonight, anyways.

He wanted to talk to Gennadius. The only person in the camp he actually wanted to see. He'd missed her... He hadn't gotten to properly talk to her since the day before he left. Now that the camp was stationary again, tents set up, people trying to resume their normal activities, he could spend a little bit of time with her, catching up, hearing everything that had happened at the camp while he was gone... Reaching into his pocket, his hand found the smooth stone he'd picked up for her, sighing slightly at the rather pitiful nature of the gift but relieved that he wasn't coming totally empty-handed.

He limped into her tent without hesitating or announcing his presence, as was his habit. Sinking into the nearest chair and propping his feet up on a stool, clearly making himself at home, he let out a soft sigh of relief as he finally took the weight off of his now badly throbbing leg. Turning to look at her with warmth in his hazel eyes that were still so tired, he offered a soft smile.

"So, where were we?"

Once the camp was back up and moving, there was no time for Gennadius to check on Tal again or get close to him. The adrenaline was long since worn off and she was just as focused as the rest on getting out and to their next base as fast as possible. And Nicon was moving them hard, those unable to keep up, placed in the wagon that could. Which really only came down to two people, minus Talric who had Torrent to ride. She also owed Keinan a conversation but that wasn’t easily done while on the move, which meant waiting until they stopped.

By the time they did, Gennadius had a harder job ahead of her considering unlike most of the others, she was the only one putting up her own tent by herself. It was a practiced art at this point, though it was still time-consuming and hard for someone her size, but she did end up managing it with perseverance and determination. Which brought her to her next order of business of finding Keinan. Not that it went to plan considering it seemed the man had called it a night far too early and was already in his tent. She held a new respect for him now, which meant she left him alone until she knew she was welcome.

And that, in the end, brought her back into her tent, setting up her table and other simple furniture since the plan was to make this camp as permanent as possible. It wasn’t set up super nicely, but it was functional. Gennadius sank to sit on her cot, pulling out a dagger and a sharpening stone she kept with her, grinding it over the blade. Sparks flew here and there as she waited, expecting Talric to arrive eventually considering she could no longer visit his tent. Not when he was sharing one at least.

“Oh by all means, just come on in here and make yourself at home.” It was said with some sarcasm, though when she looked up, her eyes glowed. “You’re lucky. I don’t usually let strange men in here, and any who do manage to get this far, lose limbs.” She brought the stone over the edge of her blade a few more times as her focus shifted back down to the dagger she still held. “As for where we were, I believe we are supposed to be at the part where I ask what happened and you tell me I don’t get to know, and I then get annoyed at you. Sound about right?” She was well accustomed to the explanation that he couldn’t divulge information, but that never stopped her.

“So, Talric. Care to tell me what happened?” Gennadius cast him a knowing smile, finally sliding her dagger into her boot as she stood and sat in the other chair across from the man. “Or are we skipping to the part after that where you insist that my time here was much more fascinating than anything you could have ever done?”

Leaning forward, her dark eyes scanned over his legs that were propped up, specifically the one that had gotten cut. “How’s your leg?” There was that flicker of concern that now crossed over her features, recalling seeing how heavily he had been limping during the day. She had to resist the urge to reach out and try and look at herself, instead resting her elbows on her knees and leaning forward, head tilted. “You’ve gotten it checked since it was stitched, haven’t you? How long is Nicon letting you stay here?”

A tired smile spread across his face as he watched her, hazel eyes briefly moving over her familiar features, memorizing that mischievous look in her dark, beautiful blue eyes all over again... There were too many times when he couldn't show it... But Talric Seimere loved this woman with everything he was. He remembered, far too clearly, the panic he'd felt watching her fight. That frantic feeling welling up in his soul when he saw the enemy coming up behind her, sword raised for a killing blow. He remembered being too slow, and if not for Keinan stepping in, this beautiful, perfect woman of his would not have survived the ambush.

But he would not dwell on such things. Not now, at least. That thought would become a journal entry later tonight, he was certain, but for now he would make the most of the uninterrupted time he had with her. He had a distinct feeling that, with him now sharing a tent with Aison, their time together would be far more limited than he'd like.

"Good thing I'm no stranger," he teased, easily slipping into their usual comfortable banter, visibly relaxing from the stress of travel and fighting and being around people in general. "Or did the last seven years or so just slip your mind?"

For a man as introverted as himself, his chosen profession was remarkably ironic, considering people exhausted him greatly. But he survived, somehow. And on those particularly stressful days, he had Gennadius to rely on for quiet company if nothing else. She always knew when he needed to talk to someone, when he wanted to sit in silence, the rare occasion when he really truly wanted to be alone... She always knew what to do for him, just as he always knew when she was having a bad day, when she needed to vent, he knew how to calm her down when she got fired up or got carried away in the heat of battle...

"Sounds about right," he confirmed with a nod and a light smirk, his gaze moving briefly to the knife she had been sharpening when he walked in. "And who knows? Perhaps this time, you'll get a full description of just how boring that trip was..."

"Let's see... There was grass. Lots of that. Trees, too, lots of trees... There was this really interesting plant I saw, it had tons of these tiny purple flowers on it, reminded me of you though I'm not sure why..." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye with a grin, knowing that wasn't at all what she wanted to know about his trip.

"Oh, there was this one thing... About the third day, I saw some soldiers. Maybe you've seen them around, about two hundred of them, couple of banners out in front, they certainly weren't trying to hide when I saw them." His sarcasm was nearly tangible as he shifted positions, moving his injured leg with a visible wince.

"So of course I turned back, made it back here... Honestly, not sure how they got here so soon after I did, I didn't sleep for two days." A slightly dry laugh escaped him. "But they did, so no point in debating it."

His gaze moved to his leg when she called attention to it, studying the bandages for a moment as if to make sure nothing had seeped through. "Ah, I got Lebuin to check it when we got here, don't worry... It's fine, it'll be good as new in a few weeks... Or so they say. They're keeping me here for a week at least, depending on how it heals. I'm supposed to stay off of it..." A slight grin showed as he glanced over at her. "That's already off to a great start." It wasn't like he'd been on and off of it all day, packing and unpacking and setting up tents... Even riding didn't take as much pressure off of the rather painful limb as he'd like, but the move was over now at least, so he had more time to relax.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Eyes wide in excitement, he leaned over to one side to dig into his pocket until his fingers closed around the stone. "I didn't want to come back totally empty-handed... So, uh, I found this rock, and I thought it was really nice..."

Pulling out the stone, he offered it to her proudly, a boyish grin on his face as he opened his hand to reveal the multicolored rock, smoothed to an almost mirrorlike sheen by years in a riverbed, striped with beautiful shades of orange, red, yellow, and white.

A rock. He was giving her a rock.

Her lips tipped up into an easy smile as he made sure to tell her about his rather boring travel, eyes rolling as she leaned back in the chair. Had she wanted to know about the scenery, she would have asked, though they both knew what she wanted and what she was not getting. “And here I thought you would have welcomed a change in scenery,” she replied with sarcasm to match his, arms crossing over her chest. But she was comfortable in their conversation, relaxed in posture, and perhaps the calmest one would ever be able to find her. Talric did that to her. He took out some of the feral.

“I’m glad your leg is fine though, I’d hate to see you get an infection. Those things are hell.” They both knew what she was referring to, the time she had gotten sliced on the bicep and had managed to get the stitches infected. Two days of fever and extreme pain from getting the thing cut open was an unforgettable experience. Tal had been there for her, she remembered in between the hazes seeing him come when no one else was around, and when she was returned to her own tent, how much time he had spent keeping her company.

About to comment on his recovery time, Gennadius didn’t manage to get a word out before he lit up, her head tilting again in curiosity. Dark eyes landed on the stone he held out to her, fingers picking it up as she looked it over. She had never seen anything quite like it, with the swirling patterns of color. Her hand closed around it as she looked up at him, smile warm and pleased. Honestly, Talric could have given her a stick and she would be thrilled and find some use for it.

“It’s beautiful, Tal. I’ve never seen one quite like it. I’ll keep it with me. Call it a lucky charm of sorts. If you’ve touched it, I’m bound to have good luck.” The pads of her fingers rubbed over the smooth surface a few times before she tucked it into her pocket, her smirk lifting the right side of her face. “I always seem to get lucky when you are around. Like today. Don’t think I didn’t miss my brush with death.”

Her body leaned forward, hand reaching out to cup his cheek for a moment before falling away. “I had something for you, but I had to leave it behind in the rush. I wish I had managed to at least get something.” Gennadius did feel bad, loving to leave things for him to find when he returned, but there was nothing to be done about it now. Nor did she really have anything to offer him. “But I will most certainly treasure this, believe me.”

It was then that she had an idea, moving to her feet and grabbing her chair, dragging it around behind him as she plopped herself down. “Though I have an idea for what I can do.” Reaching up, she messed with his hair tie to undo, letting his hair fall out so she could work on untangling some of the strands. Gennadius wasn’t someone who was largely into hair or styling, but she knew her way around it, and it was the least she could do, sweeping his hair back into her hands as she working her fingers through it.

“You need to stay longer than a week, you know. I don’t care how eager Nicon is, you need to give your leg at least two weeks. Besides, I doubt you will get much rest with Aison. The two of you are too alike. I’d offer you to stay here, but you know Nicon is paranoid anyway.” She leaned away to look over what she had done, seeing that his usually messy hair had some semblance of order now, though she began messing with again just to do so.

“I will fight both of you myself to make sure you stay two weeks. Besides, next week I want you to come to the new town with me. I won’t drag you there this week, but we should scout out what we both like and see if we can find any quiet places we can have lunch at some point. And you’ll have to come ducking into my tent, though had I been choosing tents, I would have gone for Nicon’s. That would have brought so much satisfaction.”

Stopping what she was doing, she sighed before both hands dived into his hair, ruffling it and messing up all the work she had done. Gennadius stood, grabbing the chair and starting to drag it back with a shrug and a grin. “They’d be suspicious if your hair looked that nice. Either that or think you took a trip to the town and found yourself someone. I would hate to have that rumor going around. I don’t play jealous well.”

"Oh, I'm not saying it wasn't welcomed," he huffed. "Just that it was boring, much like myself. Which, I suppose, is why I like it... One of these days, I'll drag you with me on one of these trips. It'll be a lot less boring, I bet."

His smile faltered when she indirectly mentioned an incident firmly ingrained in his memory. Ah, yes... He remembered the infection she'd fought... He'd been the one to find her, burning up in her tent. He'd been the one to hold her down while the medics worked to open the infected wound again and do what had to be done... And he'd been the one to stay with her in the medical tent, when Lebuin could arrange it so they wouldn't be seen together... He'd been the one to stay by her side for those days she was in and out of delirium, and onward, until she was back on her feet. No, having seen firsthand how badly an infected wound could wreck a person, however minor it was to begin with, he had no desire to go down that path himself and give Gennadius a similar heart attack to the one he suffered.

"Yeah... I'm gonna try to avoid that," he said with a quiet laugh, shaking his head. "I don't have time for an infection."

Her reaction to the stone he'd found, though, brought another warm smile to his face, hazel eyes full of adoration as he watched her... This was why he always brought her things. He loved bringing a smile to her face every time he came back... He loved her.

"That's okay," he said, smiling gently and trying to reassure her. "I wasn't supposed to be back so soon anyways."

When she began to pull her chair around behind him, his brows raised in a silent, amused question, a smirk tugging at his lips before a sigh revealed he'd guessed her plans. Eyes closed, he sat still as she began to untangle his hair, brushing her fingers through the wild mess he hadn't bothered trying to tame, something indescribably soothing. "I could get used to this," he commented with a chuckle, looking up as if he could see the look on her face. He couldn't, not from this angle, but that wouldn't stop him from trying and looking silly while doing so.

A dramatic groan escaped him. "Don't I know it... He's unbearable already, Jenna... Fighting over which side he wants his cot. It's his tent, I don't give a damn where he wants his cot as long as mine fits, but he wanted it right in the middle- I'm not sure I'll survive two weeks." He rolled his eyes, sighing again as the tension melted from his shoulders again. "I'd love to go into town with you next week. Let's see how many taverns you'll get me banned from here, hm?" While Gennadius hadn't directly mentioned causing trouble, he knew she would, as it was her nature. And though he didn't particularly approve, he simply couldn't miss any of her shenanigans... Which also usually meant he took the blame for whatever mischief they caused.

"Who was choosing tents, by the way? I'd like to have a few words with him," Talric scowled, then jokingly shoved Gennadius away when she messed up his hair again, already reaching up to pull it back. Leaning forward a bit and moving both of his feet to the ground in front of him with a wince, he rested his elbows on his knees as he watched her.

"So now that we've talked about me... How were things in camp while I was gone? Seems to me that new guy is proving his worth, from what I've seen..." He referred to seeing Keinan saving Gennadius' life during the battle, and while he hadn't personally spoken to the former soldier yet, he planned to eventually.

Dark eyes glowed as the woman grinned, trying to avoid the hand that shoved her to the side after messing up the man’s hair once more. She cared little if Talric touched her in such a way, only chuckling as she moved the chair where she wanted it. Turning her chair around, Gennadius straddled it from behind, folding her arms on the back and resting her chin on top of her arms. “Oh believe me, if I was choosing tents, I would not have picked yours. I have vendettas against other people that I would have preferred to let them suffer for a while and save you the pain of Aison.” The woman had already stored a grudge against the archer with this new information of him being an ass towards Talric, something she would put into effect later.

“And please, don’t worry yourself. There is only one tavern here for me to get you banned from. But who knows, maybe I will be in a nice enough mood to spare you.” Her head tilted as a mischievous light sparked into her eyes, something that she showed often around the one person she felt most comfortable with. The one person who truly knew the truth behind who she was and why she stayed with the group despite her struggles and irritations that she took out on the rest of them.

Gennadius released an exaggerated sound of frustration as the conversation shifted to her, leaning back and stretching her arms out as her fingers brushed the ground, showing just how flexible the woman really was. Her hair brushed against the ground as she stared forward at the bottom of the tent edge before pulling herself up easily to stare at the man once more. “It was pretty much beyond boring and far too still for my liking. I was able to find some amusement by messing with Keinan for the week...” She let out a small huff before her expression lightened some.

“I owe that man my life. Yes, I am damn pissed about him, I won’t sugarcoat that for a second. We weren’t even told someone new was being brought in... at least I wasn’t. And it made it all the whole damn worse that he was a soldier, accepted the moment he stepped foot into the camp. It took me far too long to be accepted and even now I know I stand on somewhat precarious ground. But Keinan is a good man, though it pains me to say it. He risked his life and could have gotten a whole lot more than a scratch for what he did.”

The conversation shifted to a more serious note with the mention of Keinan and the battle. Her gaze fell back to Talric’s leg before flickering to his face once more. “I’m going to see about a leatherworker in town this week and we are getting you some calf protectors. I don’t want you to have a repeat of this if it can be avoided.” The concern was flickering through her eyes once more, something deeper than what she would show for the others at any time. “We can probably get them fitting so your pants can hang over them without being uncomfortable. Then if this...” she gestured at his leg, “happens again, the damage won’t be so bad by any means.”

The woman moved from the chair, stepping up to the man and crouching, hands coming to the side of his face. “Don’t EVER get hurt like this again, understand me?” Gennadius’s face gentled once more as her thumb moved over his cheek for a moment. But the moment broke the moment she was done with it, straightening and meandering over to her cot to flop onto it, leaning back with her hands behind her head.