Giang

[Ethin Thayne]

"Of course," Ethin said, trying to hide the concern he felt. "Wait here while I fetch a shovel." Ethin ran back to the Tinker camp as fast as his legs would carry him and retrieved a shovel from the nearest man, all the while silently cursing the man for not getting the shovel faster. With the shovel in hand, he sprinted back to the site where the Cobain and Kiae were. "Is there any place in particular you'd like me to bury him?" he asked, out of breath.  

[Color Me Fubar]

('the Cobain'? rofl )

"No. Just deep enough that scavengers won't reach it," Kiae replied, turning away from the body once again. One look was enough to tell her he had suffered - although the Bond had told her that much - and she had no urge to remember the image. "At least Andurael isn't dead," she thought bitterly, positive her former Warder would remain alive for years to come.

"Ethin?" she began, then bit back the question that rose in her throat.  

[Ethin Thayne]

((Agh! Typo! I began to type "the body" but decided to change it to "Cobain." *smacks self*))

Ethin removed his cloak and jacket and placed them on a nearby log before unbuttoning half of the buttons on his shirt. "Yes?" he said gently, as he began digging next to a large oak tree.  

[Color Me Fubar]

"It was a selfish question. Don't worry about it. Just please finish that," she decided with a small shrug, sitting down on the grass a little way away and adjusting her skirts around her.  

[Ethin Thayne]

"If you want an answer, ask the question," Ethin huffed as he dug. He made a neat pile of dirt beside the hole. He occasionally glanced over his shoulder to see approximately how long to make the whole. "Bloody man was tall!" he thought with a small smile. Cobain had been a good man and had done him no wrong. He prayed silently to the Creator that Cobain's soul found peace as he dug.  

[Color Me Fubar]

"I don't believe I want to know the answer, that's all," Kiae informed him. "When more danger comes, whose Bond is going to have more pull? I have no doubt Esole's will, as her's is older. I just don't want to hear that," she thought with a slight sigh. She knew she was feeling sorry for herself, but it seemed like the only time she'd have a chance before bottling her feelings away in her head once more.  

[Ethin Thayne]

Ethin sighed at her response but chose not to respond. "She just lost someone close to her. Leave her be. If she doesn't want to ask it, don't make her," said a voice in his head. It seemed like a wise decision to him so he chose to let it lie and focus completely on digging. It took him a little longer than he expected but he finally finished the hole. He walked over and carefully picked up Cobain's body and gently laid it into the hole. He closed his eyes and folded his arms over his chest.

"Is there anything you'd like to say before I bury him?" Ethin asked as he looked over Cobain.  

[Color Me Fubar]

"Things like that have no purpose. He was a poor Warder but a good friend. Nothing more needs to be said," Kiae replied, not moving except for a slight wince. The question nagged at her, and she decided to wait until Ethin was unoccupied before asking it.  

[Ethin Thayne]

Ethin shook his head at her response. "May you find rest with the Creator, Cobain," he said solemnly before burying him. It took him almost no time at all but Ethin made sure to pack the dirty tightly to keep it from blowing away and leaving the body open to animals. Once he finished, he took a seat beside Kiae in the grass. He laid back with his arms folded behind his head as a pillow. He watched the clouds float by as he waited for Kiae to speak.  

[Color Me Fubar]

"Who's Bond will take precedence?" she spat out, then clapped her hands over her mouth, eyes wide. She stared at him for a moment before looking away. "I didn't mean it like that," she muttered, hands clenched in her lap. She didn't know how else to put it, though, and her mind was too cluttered to think straight anymore. Too much had happened.  

[Ethin Thayne]

Ethin sighed as he rose from his relaxed position so that he could be eye level with Kiae. He knew a serious question when he heard one. It was one he had been dreading for a while. "You didn't mean it like what, Kiae? Is it really fair to make me choose?" he said, slightly exasperated. He knew it wasn't her fault she was feeling the way she was but he knew that she had some control over what she said. "Do you want my honest answer?" he asked.  

[Color Me Fubar]

"I don't think I do, but I probably need to hear it," she sighed, shifting away from the man as if to avoid any physical contact. "I don't want you to choose, honestly," she added, truly meaning that. "I said it was a selfish question, and that's all it is."

She regretted the words and wished she could take them back, biting her lip hard enough to break the skin. "I'm an idiot," she told herself, "A bloody, Light-blasted fool. The best I can hope for is that he doesn't ask me to break the Bond right now out of disgust."  

[Ethin Thayne]

Ethin looked away and resumed his laid back position. Watching the clouds float by soothed him. "You," he said quietly as he embraced the Void. Calm washed over him.  

[Color Me Fubar]

Kiae's jaw dropped and she turned to stare down at the man before she could stop herself, eyes wide once again from shock. "Me?" she whispered, not caring if the answer was from pity or loyalty or anything else. She reached down gingerly, as if afraid he'd disappear, and rested her hand on his forehead lightly.

"Thank you," she murmured after a moment's silence, her eyes bright with something akin to life again.  

[Ethin Thayne]

Ethin let go of the Void as he rose and smiled at her. "There is nothing to thank me for. It is the truth and I would not change it if I could," he said softly. He noticed the difference in her eyes and was content. He was glad to see he made a difference to her.