Seaside Living

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

The next chapter of this story, which has been developing far faster and far greater than anyone could have potentially anticipated, now takes us to Cedar in the west of Fiore. A port city that had fallen somewhat into financial decay, the beauteous seaside town was one of the two places that many people from Ca-Elum would have entered. It was very much a fact our two intrepid adventurers, hailing so from that distant land, could have thrown stones hard enough to hit the territorial waters of their erstwhile home. However, that was very much last on their list of priorities at this point, and neither of them intended on poking the beast, so to speak. They had both come to Fiore to start fresh, and start fresh they had. Well, mostly fresh. They still had each other.

So, arm in arm as they wandered the streets of a city with gorgeous gothic architecture, they were here to do a few things. One was simply to revel in each others’ company, which was absolutely mission critical to them. Two was to perhaps scope out some real estate. One of their requirements was that their new permanent home, when they could afford it, be near water; they both loved it ever so dearly, and so a city that was a port and allowed them to go to ocean’s edge at any time they wished seemed like a logical choice for them to select their potential new home from. And, finally, being at water’s edge allowed Uriel a chance to see just how well her water magic worked these days, for obviously he was slightly out of touch with what she was capable of doing. She was strong, of that there was no doubt. He, too, had learned much in their time apart, honing the relic weapon and armour that he owned. She had yet to see it, in fact, but Uriel knew very well that she would not be surprised by his choice of equipment, nor its design. He was a Tyrae through and through, and the use of the purple and phoenix motifs would not surprise anyone who knew the family.

As they strolled down the waterfront near the docks of the city, Uriel was taking in everything he could see. Compared to Hargeon, this place was a little quieter, which he liked; as much as the perfect home would have been a quiet, quaint little cottage on the edge of a lake somewhere close to society that he could have used his magic to, say, go shopping when they needed supplies, a home such as this was pretty nice as well. He could see himself living here, owning a sailing yacht, and taking Mor out on the ocean every weekend. Or something like that.

As fanciful as that all was, of course, when one had to work for a living to pay the bills.

Casting his eyes out on the ocean, he drank deep of the salty sea air; the phoenix knight knew that this was going to be a wonderful place for them to take umbrage and stay for at least a few days. They’d be able to rent a hotel room, perhaps, and spend a few days here. He had enough jewels to look after them both and pay their bills for some time, as necessary.  It was the one upside to being here before her.

”What do you think, Mor?” he asked, placing his hand atop hers as they strolled leisurely down the street. They looked the absolute image of dignified nobility, not only in the way they carried themselves but in the way their fineries sat upon their bodies. ”Of this city, of course. Though I will absolutely ask whatever is on your mind otherwise.”

He offered her a smile, small and sweet, as a penny for her thoughts.

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

"Ah, the joys and the shame of being in a public street," he told her, returning that wicked smile. The joys of being able to finally banter the way they’d wished they could for so long, too– and, for her reference, the answer was in fact all three. ”For future reference, you look far better with your clothes thrown every which way across the room than I ever could.”

All of which was true. The fact that they weren’t already going at it like sex-crazed rabbits at that moment in time was likely due to public ordinance, and the fact that was… interesting as they had become in the bedroom, this was not one of the things that they were willing to push the boundaries of. Decorum did in fact have its place and they had their family names to consider, even so far apart from their homes; there was an inevitable fact that they still carried pride in the people that they were, and the fact that even when they were so removed from familial bonds the future also had to be considered. Besides, who wanted to be thrown in jail over breaching the peace? It was absolutely not worth the hassle and the blow to one’s reputation. As far as Uriel and Morgana were concerned, their reputation preceded their names - and even if they wished to change that fact, they would yet have to build something worth retaining nonetheless.

He could almost hear her thoughts at this point. Her concern for the wellbeing of the citizenry of this dilapidated town as she furrowed her brow in concentration and the depths of her mind as she contemplated their plight. How the sea was, as always, so beautiful and yet so dangerous and held such indomitable majesty that it captured the heart of an entire nation and swept them away in its tides. Its perfection was truly incredible, and there was no hesitation in his mind as he knew that this was the place that they would be able to grow old together. Maybe it wasn’t his dream home, but it would do.

Uriel gave her a gentle squeeze of his hand, and planted a tender kiss onto her forehead. The fact that he could do that made his heart sing with glee, and his warmth and love shone through even in that moment.

”Agreed. This is the sort of place we’d have to go and spend hundreds of thousands of jewels on buying a home, though. We’ll have to work on that.”

There was a thought, broken only by the cawing of a sea bird as it took flight overhead to join its flock, to which a smile blossomed on his face. It was almost like being back home, except there weren’t a million eyes from the tabloids following them wherever they went. Being anonymous really was nice.

”Shall we find somewhere to sit and find a drink? A nice cafe, perhaps?” he asked, spying one off in the distance. Maybe a nice coffee to kickstart their morning walk would help them both.

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

”I love you too, Mor,” he told her gently, her kiss being a beautifully blissful moment that Uriel allowed himself to be lost in. Her lips, so soft, so tender, were a bountiful thing for him to be able to experience and enjoy now that he was able to have her around him without reservation or hesitation.

There was a long pause, however, as she mentioned breakfast.

”Liar. You had a protein-heavy breakfast.”

He cast his eyes around to make very damn sure that not a single being heard that particular comment, because… well, he was not brave enough to let other people hear that out loud. He was still adjusting to the fact that he could even say things like that, but well– he also was not kidding. Yet, it too was enough to make him laugh, long, full-bellied and loud, because it was also nice to be able to crack jokes, relax and be normal around her. The fact that they even finally had the luxury to tell each other that they loved them was an incredible change of pace for the nature of their relationship.

However, the moment passing, Uriel straightened himself up and glanced over at the cafe once again. ”Right. Come on.” He led her over by her arm, hand still pressed atop hers in probably the cutest display of affection he could muster, and took her to the little cafe that they’d pointed out; it had wicker tables and chairs sat out the front under a shade cloth, where they could have sat either inside or outside, though their choice was rather self-evident when they had the option to sit at the water’s edge, enjoy something quiet, and spend their time in what was effectively their natural habitat.

Without skipping a beat, Uriel pulled a seat out for her, and gave her all the time she needed to sit down– old habits died hard and no true son of Tyrae would ever allow a noble lady to draw her own chair– before placing a hand on her shoulder.

”What would you like, Mor?” he asked, knowing full well he was going to insist on paying for this one, whether she liked it or not.

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

He opened his mouth in playful protest to say the exact thing that she knew was going to come to his mind the moment he brought up the topic, and he was shot down within moments. An open mouth rapidly closed, as he said nary a word and continued inside into the cafe in order to procure that which she had requested. Yeah, no it was unwise to say anything there. He had been needling her in good nature for many years and, eventually, she would find the time to snap at him. Now was not the time to take that risk. Instead, he just needed to vanish inside and get her what she needed for the morning.

The line was not long; the cafe itself was quaint, maintaining basic decor, a number of internal tables, and the strong, heady aroma of brewing coffee filled the air with its delicious thickness. Uriel could not help himself but to consider this perfect and, as he approached the counter, asked for a very simple thing: two caramel lattes– the preferred drink– and two blueberry muffins. It was an order that would be etched onto their tombstones, if truth were told. This was how they would be remembered in the annals of history.

His wait was not overlong. Five minutes later and Uriel had a tray in hand; on it were their two promised lattes in beautiful ceramic mugs, and two freshly-warmed muffins ready for consumption. As he took his seat across from her, the tray was placed before Morgana with a gentle clatter and Uriel offered her a beautiful smile.

”Here, my love. I’m sorry for the wait, but deliciousness takes time,” he offered, taking her items from the tray in front of him and giving them to her. ”I rather hope it’s to your satisfaction.”

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

As soon as she began to turn back to him with those hilariously honeyed words, Uriel could not help himself but shake his head at her. Morgana was so playful, so teasing, the counter-point to many of the things that he was; they provided each other the checks and balances that they so desperately needed. When Uriel needed to be brought back to earth, she was there to do it; when she needed to be picked off the floor and made right once more, he was there to do it. It was how they functioned. How they survived. It made them both flourish in each other’s presence and they loved one another for it.

”Oh, my beloved, probably have suffered in a caffeine-free haze,” he told her, taking his seat across from her. The two mugs filled with their caramel lattes– a perennial favourite for the both of them, as it turned out– were freshly steaming and so wonderfully scented that Uriel simply could not wait for his. Raising the mug to his lips, he took a sip; the first hit of sweet flavours trickled down his throat and he was incredibly grateful for the fact that he could have such delights in his morning. For the moment, the muffin went untouched – he needed this first, before anything else.

Taking a moment to allow her to start eating and drinking before he said anything else, which afforded him yet another sip, thank the Goddess, he looked at her curiously.

”Now, I know that we wished to spend some time examining your magic here while we were at the water, but would you prefer to wander the city first and see about the local housing situation?” he asked, contemplating how best they could resolve both. After all, both things were equally critical, and Uriel knew that giving her sufficient attention to both was part of the justification for coming out to Cedar in the first place. How she wanted to play this was her prerogative, and he would support either decision.

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

There was a smile hidden behind the mug that Uriel raised to his lips, where her particularly familiar noise crested her lips; he refused to make any further comment on what that could have been, but suffice it to say he was incredibly glad that she had decided to eat her muffin first. At that moment, his eyes dipped to the way she ate that particular baked delicacy and he ensured that his gaze lingered just long enough that she would know he’d interpreted and heard precisely what she had done. There would be no mistaking his intent, or his glee, at the way she’d reacted. There was a particular way that noise… amplified, shall we say, and that there would be more of that content much later that evening. Uriel was already looking forward to it.

The phoenix knight took a moment to pause and consider the depth of Morgana’s words, when she indicated her wishes to him. There were a few things to unpack there, though on the surface it was a simple wish that she was expressing; while her magic was an incredibly important thing to her, she had their future first and foremost on her mind and that much he could appreciate keenly. However, he also wanted to know that she would be safe in the moments when they were apart, for example aboard Meliora Vitae’s sky-faring airship. Were she to be undertaking a task as a guild operative without him– perish the thought, but it was entirely likely– then he would not be there to protect her. He could not always be the sword and shield that she required. Besides, to pretend to be at all times would be to do his beloved a disservice; not only would it be a slight to her capability, but it would also be rather demeaning to imply that she could not protect herself, nor would it give her a chance to grow and better herself when she had such raw potential. Yes, it was unrefined for now, but she deserved the opportunity to take what she could learn and improve herself on her own terms. That much was clear to him.

So, it would have to be a task for later. However, Uriel filed that away for ‘things to do in the next week’ - this could not be indefinitely pushed back and he would not allow her to continuously push the chance to discover the roots of her magic back until she lost sight of her goal. Instead, he sat in his seat and considered their next move carefully. If she wished to examine the housing market, then so be it; Uriel was willing to do precisely that so they could start building their future, one step at a time. First, though, they needed to finish their breakfast before they could finally move on with looking around Cedar and seeing what they could possibly buy.

”House shopping it is,” Uriel finally conceded to her aloud, no longer concealing his smile as his mug of coffee was lowered back to its saucer. ”Do we want to go grandiose, or stay a little within our unfortunately meager budget?” For nobility, that was a valid question; they were used to the finest, but here they were barely better than paupers other than the way they comported themselves amongst others. It was a shame, but it was also the way it was, and they were adjusting to life regardless.

Uriel Tyrae

Seaside Living

”My needs pale only in comparison to yours, my love,” Uriel commented with a smirk on his lips, for he knew that Morgana was simply attempting to tease him; it was the best way he could think of to respond to her enquiry, where Uriel could in fact get his way with her later on by getting inside her head with a pointed word or two. It was part of their game, but an enjoyable part of their game; their banter formed a wonderful part of their relationship and Uriel would not have had it any other way.

However, to acknowledge their decision, Uriel finished the last of his drink; the caramel latte was their standard choice for a very good reason - it was delicious and sweet, and it was an easy way to get some caffeine into the system as quickly as possible. Besides, they needed a quick and easy way to start the day, and that seemed like a reasonable way to do so.

”As much as we can’t afford to delay your magic training, I think this is a valuable reason to do so. I’m happy to take care of that later– much later– and give us the time we need to relax. It’s a rather big change to be able to slow down, take our time, and simply enjoy the day.”

At that, Uriel stood up from his seat, staring down at and then collecting his muffin from the table; it was portable enough that he could eat it, walking and talking to his beloved. It seemed like a good idea to walk and talk as they explored the real estate market of Cedar. They could absolutely take their time with this, too, now that the rest of their day’s calendar had just freed up completely. If this wasn’t appreciated, then Uriel didn’t know what was. This was going to be a gloriously enjoyable day, and he was looking forward to it.

He finally offered Morgana his hand, and smiled. ”Come, my love. Let’s go and see if we can find something to spend the rest of our life with.”