When Nimi blushed I felt my heart skip a beat. She's adorable. "Always." I hide my feelings and simply play the courtly gentleman courting the lady. I give her another of those sweeping bows she loves and grinned when I was rewarded with a small giggle.
"You're so silly." She smiled softly.
"That I am m'Lady." I chuckle a bit.
"I suppose I didn't need you much for this little expedition."
"Not much. But at least you were prepared for the worst."
"Yeah." She flashes me a smile.
"Now, shall we m'Lady?" I gesture to the door we entered from.
"Not quite yet." She turns to a set of doors. "I have some exploring to do." I nod.
"I'll stick with you."
"Fine." As we wander the mountain, Nimi casually opened a hole in the air and I saw the throne room of the castle she had claimed as her own through it. She often tossed items into it that didn't make sense to me but when she did I noticed slight hints of tears forming in her eyes and, eventually, tear streaks on her cheeks. "Done now." Nimi sighs after about two hours of wandering the mountain.
"Are you okay?" I murmur wrapping my arms around her slowly so as not to scare her. "You look sad." She leans into my embrace with a quiet sob.
"No." She turns her head towards mine and I see her tears running down her face. "I miss her and.... and him."
"Him? Him who?"
"Dad."
"Oh. So what was he like?" I ask lowering us to the ground carefully, still with my arms wrapped around her.
"Kind. Charming."
"Sounds like a great dad."
"Yeah." She sighs. "He does." She leans into me completely. "I never met him. At least, not in my memories."
"What?"
"He died shortly after I was born. And at the hands of-of him." She growls out the last part.
"The Demon?"
"Yes." Her eyes flash red momentarily and she growls again. "I only know him by the memories of another's Past."
"Oh." I sigh. "Wait, where does him being your lover fit in? Why'd you become lovers if he killed your dad?"
"Arranged marriage." Nimi sighed again. "My mother didn't know what he did and when he offered her jewels.... Well, she couldn't resist."
"Wow." I chuckle softly and she jerks her head up to me.
"Why are you laughing?"
"Because, m'Lady, I never expected you to pour out your heart and soul and tell me so much of your Past." I smile and she relaxes slightly. "Where's your mother now?" I ask and feel her stiffen.
"Dead." She says simply.
"Oh." My eyes go wide. "Sorry."
"It's fine. You... didn't know."
"I don't know a lot about you." I say with a light chuckle, hoping to lighten the mood. "But I hope that'll change soon m'Lady."
"Now that I think about it, I don't know much about you."
"You could just look at the Past."
"I suppose I could but that takes all the fun out of meeting someone and getting to know them." She gives me a grin and gets up. "We should go back now."
"We probably should." I smile and pick her up, slipping one arm under her knees and the other under her neck. "Let's go."
"What are you doing!" She squeals.
"Carrying you." I give her a grin and she relaxes slightly.
"Fine." Nimi says, trying to hide her smile.