Rin Bonus Story: Strife Season's for Two Things (nonbinary Rin)

I duck at Rin's shout, dropping to crouch with my hand on the cracked, dusty earth to steady myself and feel a whoosh of air in the spot where my head was. I pivot, grip my dagger in my hand and pop back up hard, throwing my shoulder into the chest of a green-skinned humanoid fae.

The creature—a particularly nasty fae I recognize as a Risora—staggers backward, the wind knocked out of it and I press my advantage. I slam the hilt of my dagger into the side of its head and watch with grim satisfaction as it falls so hard several of the cactus-like spikes on its skin snap right off.

I step forward, expertly flipping my grip to favor the more deadly end of my blade. But just as I tense, about to finish the fight, I see a strange looking shadow flash across the ground.

“Oh, shit,” I groan. I turn, grab Rin’s arm and haul them back.

“What are you doing?” they protest. “We’re winning! We’re almost to the ruins, all we have to do is grab the artifact your den sent us for and we’ll be done!”

A screech sounds out from above us. A massive bird the size of an adult human plunges to the ground, landing with a crash in front of the Risora that kicks up dust and sends a few stray pebbles flying. Its feathers are every color imaginable, but it’s the talons my eyes fix on. They’re as long as my forearms, and the bird looks ready and willing to use them on us.

“That’s why!” I tug Rin’s arm again and this time they offer no argument. We dash headlong into the desert, dodging cacti and spooking the smaller animals and fae with our steps. When we find safety under a small palo tree, I drop my hands to my knees and breathe in hard, recovering my breath.

“What... was... that?” Rin demands between their own pants. “And is it going to follow us?”

“Lak’vhen. Big, angry, fae bird. It’s—well, you saw the wings. In common it’s called a Rainbow Vulture. They had a corpse of one at the cult’s research base, remember?” I remind.

“So it was scavenging our kill?”

“It would’ve waited until we’d finished the job for that," I say, straightening up. "More likely it had a deal with the fae we were fighting.” I flash them a sympathetic look. “Sorry for bringing you out here. Strife season’s always like this. It’s not the worst time to be in the wilds, but the fae are more aggressive now.”

“Just promise me we can relax when we get back to the city,” they say with a sigh, rubbing the back of their neck. “My head’s killing me.”

“We can do whatever you want,” I smile suggestively, stepping forward and nudging their hand out of the way with mine, enjoying the way their eyes flutter shut as I take over working a knot from their neck. “Is that helping?” I ask after a moment.

Rin hums in approval, lazily opening their eyes and pulling me closer. “I can think of something that’d help even more.”

I laugh, and meet their lips with mine. What starts off slow and relaxed quickly grows more urgent—colored with the danger of the wilds. I don’t think Rin’s ever kissed me any other way out here. Inside the city it’s another story, but out here the way they dig their fingers into my hips, the way they don't break for air until both of our heads are spinning feels nearly desperate. They're not alone in the feeling. When we part my hands clutch at the hem of their shirt instinctively, the idea of parting offensive to my fingers.

I sigh, laughing a little at myself. “Come on,” I say, checking my daggers and brushing the sand from my boots. “The sooner we’re done, the sooner we can...”

“Rip each other’s clothes off?” They smirk.

“I was trying to think of a more polite way to say it,” I say, grinning. “But if you want to put it crudely, there’s a saying in Leas: strife season’s for two things, fighting and fucking.”

“Well, we can check the first one off our list. Let’s hurry and get to the second.”

I laugh, and start leading us towards the ruins.