JP -The Keep - Stairs, Walls and Loneliness

“I’m an example of the fact you shouldn’t listen to stereotypes.” She said with a shrug and smiled at him. “So, you wanted to go walking?”

Lek nodded. “Did you want to see the walls?”

Miyuki nodded with an odd excitement. She had never walked on a wall before.

Lek opened the door of the closest tower, stairs spiral upwards. “Uh, can you handle this many stairs?” Lek asked, glancing at Miyuki’s belly.

The kitsune nodded. “No need to worry, Lek. I’m not so far along that I can’t climb stairs.” She replied with a soft smile and a giggle she never thought she’d let out again. “Besides, I get the feeling this baby is going to be an active little one after they’re born. I could never sit still as a child.”

“Ok, there’s just a lot of steps and they’re steep.” Lek warned her and started up. He was used to these stairs, he ran up and down them several times a day carrying weights for training, and had to deliberately slow his pace so Miyuki would not have to feel like she was racing. About twenty-five feet up there were doorways opening to the walls, though the stairs and tower continued even taller. Lek stepped out onto the wall, which was more than fifteen feet thick. The walkway was sunk into the stone more than wide enough for them to walk side by side, and on the outer side of the walkway the stone rose higher than Lek was tall, with openings evenly spaced along for archers and viewing- in case of attack they would be well protected.

Somehow Miyuki kept up with Lek. She was a little worn out and possibly a bit sweaty, but there were zero complaints from her, especially once they stepped out on top of the wall. Her gaze went wide in wonder as she looked at both sides. “Wow, you can almost see everything here!” She said excitedly, despite her heavy breathing. A big smile was on her face - she truly was an adventurous woman. “You run along this every day?! That’s amazing, Lek!”

“I run it every day, but if you want to see everything, Wolf Tower is the tallest.” Lek pointed to the tower in the northwestern corner of the keep.

“Can we walk along the wall to it?” She asked, looking toward it.

Lek nodded and began walking along the wall towards Wolf Tower. It felt strange to be walking instead of running. It had been a long time since he noticed the view. “We had to put a new staircase in Wolf Tower, it was crumbling and dangerous when we first came here.”

“I bet the new one is sturdy and strong, though,” Miyuki chimed as she kept taking in the sight around her. “This place is beautiful…”

“I guess it is.” Lek admitted. When he first came here eight months ago he was fleeing his home, his village was in flames and the Keep was in disrepair after decades of standing empty. Nothing looked good then. But they had been cleaning and repairing the Keep to make it liveable, and looking at it as a newcomer, Lek could see the beauty in the Keep and nature around it.

“It is beautiful,” Miyuki persisted. “Just take the time to look around you, take in all the life and structures…there’s so much to see and smell and hear.” She set a hand on her stomach, smiling. “I’ll teach this one how to enjoy life to the fullest.”

“I’m sure you will.” Lek smiled. He rested a hand on the stone of the wall. “I guess I’ve just been busy missing home all this time to notice.”

“We all tend to miss our homes,” Miyuki said and watched him. “But we can’t forget that there is a whole world around us with beauty and love in it. Not everything is evil…”

“Oh, I know.” Lek agreed, remembering his friends and family. Something terrible happened, but they all helped each other get through it.

🦶****** 🐶
Rook made his way through the keep looking for Bella. Since meeting her the dwarf found himself fond of her and watched over her.

Rook would find Bella alone in a room with nothing but a few blankets she had huddled together in a corner. She was sad looking, ears down and tail unmoving even when he stepped into the dimly lit room.

"Bella are you ok?" Rook asked sitting down next to her on the floor.

Bella would look at him and just whine, ears twitching. She was obviously depressed.

"Nope none of that Missy" Rook replied, scooping the girl and blanket into his arms. Despite his size he carried her easily to his room depositing her on the bed. "From now on my room is yours as well" he replied, grabbing some jerky for her and himself "that way neither of us are alone."

Bella yelped and scrambled in his arms slightly, only calming down once she realized she was safely in his room. Sniffing at the jerky, she gladly took it and ate some, tail wagging now.

"Trust me I know that look in your eyes The feeling of loneliness" Rook replied taking a seat next to her "felt the same way myself ever since I've left my people to explore."

Still nibbling the jerky, Bella nuzzled against him, leaning into the dwarf as if he were a father to her. She let out a whine to him, not wishing him to feel lonely.

"So why don't we be lonely together" Rook offered with a chuckle as he pulled her into a hug "and yes that means you don't have to wear clothes."