A soft, salty sea breeze drifted in through the open window of Bryar and Kirika's bedroom. Bryar found himself staring in the mirror above their dresser, rehearsing words that he would soon be speaking to his dear wife. He had gone out into the wilds the previous night, to shift into his bear form and run freely. It was something he had not done much since being with Kirika, but it was necessary from time to time for him to maintain his composure. He never hid his runs from his wife - he merely preferred to do his runs on his own.
His last particular outing the past evening had been something different. The moon had at one point been rather high in the sky, casting a bright light across the forest he ran through - but suddenly everything had become shrouded in shadow. A familiar voice had begun to speak to him, and he soon realized he was in the presence of Dalanesca, the Reaper. The Death Goddess held a particular fondness for Bryar's wife, Kirika. As Queen of the Black Court, Kirika had a particular bond with Shadows, which fell into Dalanesca's domain.
She had appeared to Bryar to make him a proposition, and it was this proposition that he needed to present to Kirika.
He dressed himself, pulling on loose leather leggings and a light white tunic with leather cording at the top, which he allowed to remain unlaced, leaving his muscled chest partially visible. He attempted to tame his brown hair, but gave up. A bit of stubble had appeared on his face since the night before, but there was no use in bothering to shave at the moment. They would not be at court today and he knew he needed to be comfortable to reveal to Kirika what he needed to.
He made his way downstairs, where he found his wife with their niece, Cinder, off of the main entrance. Stepping through the door, he flashed both of them a smile. "I ran into Lady Dalanesca in the wilds last night," he said, as he walked over and planted a kiss on Kirika's cheek. He did the same to Cinder, before sitting down near Kirika. "She made me an odd offer… and I chose to accept it. I know I should have spoken to you about it before, but it was necessary and there was no way I was going to decline her offer," he added.
He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and continued speaking. "The Reaper has asked me to become her Avatar," he explained. "She can see all that I see, hear all that I hear, and know all that I know," he continued. "I also get a small bit of her power, which will allow me to have a bit of control over darkness, which in turn binds me closer to her… and to you, more importantly. This also allows Lady Dalanesca to protect you more soundly," he added. He reached over and drew Kirika's free hand into his own. "I do hope that you can accept this," he concluded. "I did not have time to discuss it with you before hand, but it was in both of our best interests."
