When Æros held his jaw, the new Reaver stepped up to him, his half-dressed body close to the Fae’s, and savoured the kiss. Had he not been bloody, he would have pressed against him. But all of that finery wasn’t meant to be stained with Vastian blood. “The other is lucky,” he managed when it broke. “But if that promise ever breaks, Dominus, you know where to find me.” Hilana caught his arm before he started to sag, and further help came from the young man’s brothers-in-arms as They helped him upright between them, helping him drink, though he was still kind of grinning at Æros while Hilana washed, cleaned, and bandaged his wounds. “Gratias, Miss,” he managed once the herbalist was satisfied with his condition.
“You are welcome. Congratulations on your success. Go and get some rest, and actually sleep tonight. Don’t go carousing, let yourself heal.” She advised him, inclining her head as he was helped off. The cheeky lad still threw a wink at Æros over his shoulder, but he was brought out to the row of tents to go and sleep off the effects of his initiation. Another day, he would pact his second nimcha. More water was manifested by the girl. “You made an impression on him,” she grinned at her friend.
That was how the day went - aspirant after aspirant, initiation after initiation. It was after five more went for a total of eight that they were apparently done, because so was the Commander. The older man’s stamina was commendable; he fought as hard as he had from the first to the last. They were invited to lunch with the Commander and the other leadership that were there - not many were going to pass up an opportunity to have a chat with the horned Fae, after all. Questions could be asked and answered on the subject, intricacies and theories explained and discussed, and after a while, it was time to go. Hayima’el had been watered, given treats, and repacked with Hilana’s supplies. Bottles of Vasilei’s mead given to the Commander and the other ranking officers who had dined with them, and before much longer, farewells were said and the two were on their way back to the city, following the trail back to the banks of the Vasta, and heading home. Æros had been given assurances that when he was ready, a private initiation would be arranged for him. “That was fun, wasn’t it?” Hilana grinned at him over her shoulder. “Thank you again for coming with me. I hope you had a good time.”
