59th of Glade, Year 120
He hummed, his lips pressed together as he slowly breathed in and out through his nostrils. There was a man beside him -- blond of hair, tall, with azure blue eyes. Winged. The man who'd made him go this far in the first place, diverting his focus out into the wilds, investing much of the money he had into some obscure rube-fitting home. The wind gently flowed through the forests, humming with him, as the leaves strummed their tune. The ambience was relaxing; like the wind chimes, but somehow better. Something about... everything just felt right, but not in the sort of way that had him jumping with elation or excitement; instead, the kind that made him want to sleep. Being around Riven also tended to have that effect, so -- Taelian was somehow tired, but not in that his body felt weak. He just... wanted to collapse into the other man, lay his head to rest.
Throughout their journey through the forest, he hadn't said much. Taelian was unusually quiet -- he was already often a soft-spoken person, at least in theory, but their journey today had brought him to a different level of almost solitary behavior. Much of what Riven raised had been replied to with a quiet 'yeah' or 'I see', with Taelian raising few thoughts of his own. A lot of it was because... well -- he was lost in his thoughts. His mind absently wandered towards a plethora of things; the Covenant, the Dranoch, his role between them. His future with Riven. And even smaller things. He remembered the Barnell brothers, who camped in forests like these. Not even too far away. He remembered the fearful stories Miranda shared with him, of the monsters that dwelt in Atinaw's wilds.
His mind started to just . . . get stuck in banality. All of these trivial things compiling, but he didn't feel overwhelmed. He felt... calm.
The trees were beautiful. They obviously always were, but there was something about the wind and the dull sunlight that made them almost enchanting. They were surrounded by pines, though with some oaks and other traditional trees dotting the area of the large forest. Keeping acutely aware of everything surrounding him, he saw the creek as it ran -- he saw little animals drinking from the water, like rabbits. They had passed by a few deer, too, and at one point they had gotten fairly close to them.
If the intent of Skyhaven was to bring them into an environment of peace, it had succeeded in doing so. And they weren't even there yet. But . . . almost.
"Oh, look," he called out. A few minutes more had passed, and they came to the edge of the treeline. The small valley, with their new cabin sitting near the center of it, was an enchanting view. Surrounded by water on one side and the forest on the other, backed by cliffs, raised by a small island-like nub of earth. He supposed it was built there to protect it from wandering animals, or even people. Of course its placement also added a fantastical charm, one that wouldn't normally be ascribed to a cabin in the middle of nothing and nowhere.
He noticed that the cabin had its own small forest as a back yard -- which was unexpected but incredibly pleasant. He loved it; Taelian imagined he would often spend nights there, perhaps picnicking with Riven, camping... doing anything there. They could feel safe while still being surrounded by the foliage of trees, and the comfort of family and home.
Everything about it was immaculate and wonderful. It was... lovely. The wind continued to flow through; the Siltori glanced once at his Arlaed and smiled, then looked onward to view someone who appeared to be an agent of the Imperial Bank. He was waiting at the small dock that allowed ferry to the home, by means of a wooden boat. It was... interesting, though he enjoyed that it had a sort of moat.
"I -- I think he's here to give us a tour of the house, maybe?" Taelian surmised. But... "I think I'm decided already. One look at it and I just know: it's perfect."
