[SpringsSong]

Xo'keye.  Hybrid form.

He had painstakingly arranged everything.  There were flowers, there was wine, and there was food--and a secluded location that he had managed to secure for the evening.  Keeping the feelings of surprise and anticipation out of the Bond had been a challenge--but the feelings he'd been getting through the Bond from Tristanis were stressed; doubtless from the war and all.

So, Xo'keye had decided to put together a little something to surprise Tristanis--it had been a little over a year since they had first met, and subsequently, a little over a year since they had discovered their Bond.

He'd sent a letter out a few days before, written as neatly as he could manage.

Asi'avi,

I hope that this letter finds you well.  Rayzer has been... interesting to get along with, but he has been helpful.  He assured me that this letter would reach you as quickly as it could.  If it is not much trouble, I'm hoping that you could slip away from the war for a little while and meet me in Lamenolai.

Near the center of the city, you'll find another letter, near a fountain.  It will be underneath a stone to keep it from flying away in the wind.

Yours,
Xo'keye

[Rainbowfox Ari]

^{Tristanis. Human Form.}

Tristanis had been working nonstop for a small outpost station - mostly carrying around supplies and tending to wounds. He wasn't on the front-lines anymore for health reasons, but there was still work to do, and a weariness had settled into his stress-tired bones. Getting the letter was a welcome reprieve, as was his superior's agreement to have some time off. Thus, he was standing now in Lamenolai, searching out a letter under a rock. He looked... worse for wear. 'Tired' did not begin to describe the look in his eyes, nor the dark circles under them. Even if his eyes hadn't screamed out his fatigue, his body did a good job of doing that too. The way he held himself was as though he had constant pain in his back and shoulders - which he more than likely did, from carrying all that stuff. Regardless of all of that, he looked endlessly happy to have the chance to see his Bonded - and the emotion through the Bond was something between relieved joy and exhausted elation.

It didn't take long to find the rock and letter, and he let himself sit on the edge of the fountain while he held it up to his eyes to read it. He couldn't stop a yawn from working its way out of him, nor did he make an attempt to halt the rubbing at his eyes. Anyone who was aware enough could see this man was exhausted - he didn't have to hide it.

[SpringsSong]

The letter underneath the stone read:

Asi'avi,

I'm glad that you found this letter.  At the very least, it means that it didn't get blown away in the wind--and, hopefully, that no one else picked it up.  I obviously had no control over that aspect, but... I digress.

I don't know if this was what you were looking for with the time away you've got from the war, but there will be a couple steps more before you'll see me.  I promise you that it will be well worth it.

Your next stop will be a little shop in one of the alleys.  I promise you, it is nothing too strange--you will find a young man--at least, I think he's a man; his appearance was... difficult to determine--with a golden Zipala--they're strange, three-horned deer-like creatures--set up with a cart.  Tell him that Xo'keye sent you, and he'll know what you mean.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

The death-god quirked his lips into a smirk, and folded the letter neatly, pocketing it before looking around him to try and find just such an alleyway. It had been so long since he'd seen Xo'keye, and he was eager to get this over with... but why not a bit of a treasure-hunt? He'd always found those fun, and Xo was endlessly creative in the ways of entertainment. He'd go along with this as far as he possibly could. Obviously, his Bonded had worked hard to both set this up, and to keep this from him. Shielding emotions from a Bond was no easy feat, and it took guts and skill to attempt it. The very least he could do was reciprocate.

Whistling softly, the man took a stroll around the square, peeking into alleys without looking too interested, until he finally found the cart in question. He had seen a few of these strange creatures on the battlefront - both in and out of human-like form. But this one was beautiful. He stopped to admire the creature, and hailed the owner of the cart.... Xo was right. It was hard to tell exact gender, but he doubted it would matter much in the long run.

"Ex---Excuse me? Hello, I'm recently from the war. My name is Tristanis, and I was told to tell you that Xo'keye sent me, and that you would know what that meant."

[SpringsSong]

The person looked up when they were addressed, and their Zipala, which had been curled up on a rather large cushion off to the side, raised its head.  It made a strange sound, and the person gave a slight chuckle.

"It's all right," they said to the Zipala, scratching a spot behind its ears.  The deer-like creature gave a soft sound of appreciation, and it lowered its head, its eyes still on Tristanis.

"Ah, yes; this Xo'keye of yours told me to expect you," they said.  "He did a rather fine job of describing how you would look--just in case someone else got the letter meant for you.  I was meant to prevent that, and make sure that you got this--and this letter--in return."

They handed him a package that smelled of several calming scents--lavender, lilac, even a hint of vanilla and some other scents.  On top of it was another letter.

Asi'avi,

I hope that you don't mind the package.  I can only imagine how you are feeling--I've felt some of it through our Bond.  It is my hope that these oils, candles, and other such things help with that some.  There are a couple more places you will need to go--head down this street, away from the main streets, until you cannot go any further.  Then, turn right and look for a man with blue-and-purple hair.  He has the next letter, and another clue.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

With a bow, and a soft chuckle, Tristanis took the package and the letter, wishing the other man a good day. He knew who he was, but... Best leave some things on the battlefield. Besides, they'd never formally been introduced - it wouldn't be seemly to encroach. He sighed pleasurably at the scents, and started off toward where the directions said to go. If Xo wanted a scavenger hunt, he'd definitely play along. Tired, he may certainly be - but the promise of time with his beloved kept him mobile and on his feet. His long strides took him easily down the street, passing all sorts of little shops and out-of-the-way joints on his walk.

Finally, he reached the end of the long street, and looked around, folding that letter, and putting it into his back pocket while he looked for the person with 'blue-and-purple' hair. There was a quiet sense of joy as he realized who it was, and approached, giving the man a large grin.

"I see he roped you into this too, huh?" he said, laughing, and setting down the package of candles and sundry to offer his hand in friendship. "It's been a while. I'm sorry I haven't kept in touch. Of course, Xo'keye sent me. I think I'm supposed to say that, but I'm not entirely sure. I mean, you know who I am!"

[SpringsSong]

Mahj-Ahno.  Human form.

Mahj-Ahno turned as he heard the man approaching, and he offered a smile when he acknowledged him.  When asked if Xo'keye roped him into his little treasure hunt, he chuckled and shook his head slightly.

"Actually, I volunteered for it," he said.  "I'd seen Xo around the past year, and could see how happy he was.  Got to talking to him, and found out that the two of you were together.  When he told me he was putting together a little something for you, I volunteered to be a part of it.  And as for the keeping in touch part--don't worry too much about it.  I went away for a while, so... don't know that you would've been able to reach me."

After another few minutes, he took a letter out of his pocket.  "This is the second to last letter, he said to say.  I'm afraid there's nothing to go along with this letter like the last one, but for what it's worth, it's good to see you again."

He handed off the letter to Tristanis, smiling.  The letter read:

Asi'avi,

I hope that the deliverer of this letter didn't throw you off too much.  I figured getting to see another familiar face would do you some good, and I trust him.  You've almost reached the end of this little journey, but there is one more letter to find.  Continue down this path until you cannot go any further.  Then, turn left.  After about three blocks, you will come to a building.  There will be a letter attached to the door--I had a mage friend of mine enchant it so that only you could remove it; to anyone else, it looks like a notice that the place is no longer open.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

"Well that was certainly clever." Tris said, as he read the letter after taking his leave of Mahj. He'd see him again, probably, so he wasn't too worried about it. He followed instructions, headed down the long, winding street, and taking in the smells of street-food. Some of it smelled really good, and he didn't think Xo would mind if he brought them something, so he stopped briefly at one of the carts to buy two handheld wraps - one with spicy meat, and one with cool-ranch dressing and no meat. Xo'keye could take his pick, but he had a feeling his Bonded was having a 'no meat' day. Which was why he bought that one. He had the vendor wrap the portable sandwiches up in foil, then in brown paper, and purchased a basket from the seller across from him to carry it in. Into the basket went the sandwiches, two dessert balls, the package with the candles and sundry, and some condiments for the food. He thanked both vendors, slipped the basket over his arm, and continued on down the road as instructed.

The door was easy to find, as was Xo'keye's handwriting, and he chuckled as he took the paper off the door, first looking left and right to make sure nobody was watching while he did so. It would have been pretty odd for someone to walk up and just take a Foreclosure sign, after all.

[SpringsSong]

The last letter came off of the door easily, just as Xo'keye had said that it would.  However, a silhouette of the Foreclosure sign remained; perhaps to serve as a deterrent for people who would attempt to interrupt their evening?

Asi'avi,

Well, you've arrived.  I know it's not the most glamorous of places, but that's not the important part.  What is important is that we're both here, and that we both will have an at least an evening away from the war.  This is the least that I could do for you, asi'avi, for a belated anniversary.

Love,
Xo'keye

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Tristanis smiled, and pushed open the door, looking around at the quaint, quiet little place. This was just the ticket to get away from the war - somewhere nice, warm, safe... and with his Xo'keye. He adjusted the basket on his arm, and came into the doorway proper to take a good look. After he'd seen inside, he moved further, and canted his head to one side. "Xo? Are you here, love?" he asked, browsing around in the small space. "I brought snacks? Er... wraps, I mean. I got one with spicy meat, and one vegetarian one." He peeked his head around the corner, and spied his lover, dropped the basket, and ran to him, wrapping his arms around him and picking him up.

"Oh gods, you have no idea how much I missed you!" He held him close, and buried his head in his hair, nuzzling him. "My gods, it's good to see you. I love you so much."

[SpringsSong]

The door opened, and Xo smiled and made some final adjustments to the table.  There were candles in the center, two goblets that were empty (with a bottle of wine sitting off to the side in a bucket of ice), and two perfectly-set place settings.  He moved away from the table before Tris could see him, and when he saw him, and ran up to him, he couldn't help but smile.

"I've missed you, too, love," Xo'keye said, smiling as he hugged Tris back.  When he mentioned having picked up wraps, he smiled bashfully.

"Wraps?  Those sound delicious... but I, ah..." he started, indicating the table behind them.  Another person appeared; this one a little less ambiguous than the one with the Zipala, but they still looked like they could be either male or female.

"Your appetizers, Xo'keye," they said, looking to the tray in their hands.  There were two cloches on the tray.  Xo's bashful smile turned slightly goofy as he motioned to the table.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Upon seeing the setup, Tris flushed bright red, and set the basket down carefully, taking in everything and grinning his mind out. He kissed Xo'keye then and there, nuzzling him as close as he dared. "This is... amazing, Xo. I don't know how you did this, but it's amazing. I'm honored."

He purred something under his breath in another language - possibly Juridian - and settled down at the table, taking one of the appetizers. "Gods, this looks delicious. I can't wait to just... relax and spend time with you. How did you set this all up?" He popped another of the strange appetizers into his mouth, and settled a little more, a look of peaceful bliss on his face. This was his heaven. It really was.

[SpringsSong]

"I'm still wondering myself how I managed to pull it off," Xo'keye said, chuckling.  "I was just hoping that it would still be a secret by the time everything was said and done--I didn't want anything sneaking through the Bond and ruining the surprise.  Besides, I've felt how stressed and tired you've been--this seemed like something that would be good for you, even if it was just for a night."

He kissed the Juridian god back, deepening the kiss as far as he dared before he went and grabbed one of the appetizers himself.  "Happy anniversary, asi'avi--even if it is a little belated.  Better late than never, correct?" he asked, chuckling a little bit.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

"Oh Xo..." Tris couldn't help but smile to himself against, and rose from the table to cross over and take him into his arms. "You didn't have to do all of this, you know. Spending time with you would have been more than enough. ... It IS our anniversary, however, and you DID set all of this up, so let's enjoy it, yeah?" He reached over to snag an appetizer, and popped it into Xo'keye's mouth with a chuckle. "I can't wait to see what's next."

He didn't cross back over to the other side of the table, really. He went to pick up the chair on that side, and moved over so that he was sitting right up against Xo. Absolutely nothing was going to ruin this little date, and he wanted to be as close as physically possible to the object of his affection. If that meant practically sitting on him - well, so be it. Xo obviously wouldn't mind, and if he did, he could remove him to the other side without much effort.

[SpringsSong]

Xo'keye hadn't necessarily planned on Tris sitting on him--but he didn't seem to mind it at all.  Turning to the person with the tray, he nodded to them, and the person (who, upon closer inspection, seemed to resemble a Heartless Kuhna) dipped their head and turned to leave, disappearing into another room.

"I may not have needed to, but I wanted to," he said, kissing his beloved's cheek tenderly.  "I've been wanting to take you away from the war for some time now--but this has been the first time I felt that it would really work.  I've felt how stressed you've been--and Rayzer, as helpful as he's been, has been overbearing sometimes.  I think he is still a little... sore over how you and Yuki beat him in your second match with him."