[Soothing Waters] A Bit Of Summer In Spring

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden released a long exhale, closing his eyes as his hands gave a momentary slow rub to his face. His head then leaned back, comfortably resting along her chest as she began working those magic fingers of hers along his skin. He smiled, lightly leaning into the small nibbles she gave to his skin. They were much more gentle and enjoyable than any nips he received from the animals in the wild or the swords of slavers he would encounter. She then slowly began to inquire about him, as another exhale was released, as a slight amount of tension was released as a result for both the hot waters and Summer's own caressing practice. "Where to begin?" Jaeden said as his arms slowly draped over he thighs, fingers lightly running along her calf muscles and caressing her ankles. "I've been traveling around out there on my own ever since I was eighteen," Jaeden began to explain before pausing slightly. "No, I suppose I should start a little further ahead than that." Jaeden then squirmed slightly as Summer's fingers reached the right side of his abdomen just before the hip bone. "Ah, little ticklish there," Jaeden comment, sliding his hand over hers for a moment. "Anyways, when I was younger, I lived in a cottage with my father, mother and sister. It was near the edge of the wild lands. My father suspected that the open land near the forest would be beneficial. The soil was good for crops, the woods laid nearby for meat and foraging. Their was a small pond in the woods that was only a mile away for fishing. Generally, everything could be provided for and it would be cheaper than living in the city." Jaeden then paused slightly, as his right hand reached up and started gently stroking Summer's forearm while she continued to lather up the skin along his chest, neck and back. "Of course, he didn't take into account the full measure of dangers that came with the area," Jaeden then said, his eyes opening slightly as his gaze studied the slow ripples their movements casted along the water's surface of the bath. "I can't say who it was, as it was night and I was only six, but I got home late after doing, whatever it was I was doing. Some group had set my home ablaze and were tossing my family into it." "Being a child and witnessing such can put a lot of stress on you, it's how I came to get this little patch here," Jaeden informed as his fingers reached up, lightly stroking the white streak of hair that ran along the back right side of his head before they returned to lightly sliding along Summer's arm. "I basically hid behind a hill, and didn't move until the sometime later. Seemed like days to me." "When I finally decided to poke my head out from behind he hill, I found everything I knew nothing but ash and smolder," Jaeden then said his voice a little less jovial than it was. "The only thing that I found survived the blaze was this necklace I wear. It belonged to my sister." Jaeden fell silent for a long moment as he seemed to recalling that past before a slow shake of his head was given. "I spent the next couple of weeks then slowly starving as I begged people who passed by on roads, ran from slavers and generally grabbed what I knew wouldn't make me sick from the plants of the forest. Everyone I came across either looked at me like I was a filthy animal that they needed to toss some food at to get it to leave them alone, or as a means of labor that could be sold for profit. That feeling is likely what lead to me collapsing near the forest and losing all hope." Jaden then reached up with both of his hands as ran them along the skin of Summer's own shoulders, allowing her easier access of the sides of his body. A slow smile then crossed his lips as he tilted his head back slightly looking up at her. "That's when I met him," Jaeden said idliy. "A master hunter, his name was Gin Olevar. He had shielded me when I was at my weakest. He cleaned and bandaged all my cuts and scratches, watched over me as I slept, and fed me the moment I awoke. He was the first real kindness I had come across since I lost my family. It's likely why I latched on to him when he was left after making sure I was alright. It was likely my own persistence in my latching that caused him to label me 'Pup' and take me under his wing." Jaeden then gave a slow frown as he reflected upon his time with Olevar. "Of course, he never mentioned the kind of hellish training he was going to put me through, the old codger," Jaeden grumbled under his breath, "but I stuck with it until he finally told me it was time I went out on my own. On my eighteenth birthday, he presented me with a pack of supplies for surviving in the wild and my own longsword." Jaeden's eyes then slowly moved to the right and up as he tried to recall that day. "I think his exact words to me were 'Ya learned what ya needed, I'm proud an all that stuff, now get the petch outta here and let me have some peace and quiet for a little while.' Or something along those lines," Jaeden said before giving a shrug. "I've been traveling Syliras region, the northern lands and east a bit ever since. Hunting what I could and occasionally making life a little miserable for slavers I come across."

[Gossamer]

Most people didn’t like talking about themselves. Summer was no exception. She’d much rather hear about someone else’s life who was a stranger to her than rehash things she already intimately knew about from her own experiences. Jaeden had a pleasant animated voice that was tinged with an honesty that bordered on almost whimsical at times as he spoke, rambling through bits and piece of his life as if he were walking through a forest of experiences where the trees should have been completely off any known trail.

She enjoyed it.

So, alone since eighteen, was it? Summer wondered how old he was now. He didn’t look more than in his early twenties, though he had a travel hardness about him that might have indicated older. One could never tell since few men actually perfectly matched their biological age. Interrupting his train of thought, she grinned as he squirmed, but made sure to press more firmly so to not lightly dance across sensitive skin and make him even more ticklish. She linked her fingers with his for a moment before gently tugging them free to continue her meandering path. Eventually she reached places no gentlewoman would ever deem to touch and gently soaped and stroked him there as well.

So? A fringer. “Life outside a city wall can be deadly. We inside call those that live in cottages and houses that are unfortified fringers. I think they do it for two reasons… one because they live on the fringe of society and that which is civil, and two because they live on the fringe between life and death.” As she spoke, she was reminding him gently yet unhurriedly that he was very much alive.

Hands stroked up his belly and between his pectorals as she reached up to finger the lock of white at his that fell along the back side of his head. He was lucky to be alive, and unlucky because a six year old alone in the woods was a meal ready made for anything that came along. – no questions about it. He continued to speak of those times, but she noticed his voice was slightly detached, as if it happened to someone else… not exactly him. Her lips found the necklace and she tugged it from behind, kissing the base of his neck and gently drawing it up short against his neck playfully before releasing it. His hands found her shoulders and she used it as an excuse to run her own up the insides of his arms and carefully begin to wash out his silken armpits.

Gods she loved the feel of a well toned man. She loved their warm bodies, their strong hearts, and their strong deep voices. Summer leaned back, drawing Jae even further against her, smiling as she rubbed her forehead into his scalp and wrapped her long slender legs more firmly around him. “I’m really surprised you weren’t killed and eaten by something. I hear stories all the time about children getting lost out hunting or gathering and that sort of fate befalls them a great deal. You must have been one lucky little boy.” Summer said, sincerely meaning it.

“Gin Olevar sounds like a really good man. It sounds like you are as well. The slavers in this area can be rough. They like capturing sylirans for one reason and one reason only. Sylirans are usually in good shape – well fed – and often disease free. They make better workers when they haven’t lived a hard life, aren’t lame or disabled, and half starved. The Knights chase them relentlessly, but they never quite seem to get all of them. As soon as one group is locked up, another crops up. People still disappear. I know where they are going. Mines, fields, that sort of thing. Sometimes they even whisper of mages using slaves for body parts for their maledictions.” She added, shivering behind him abruptly. “I’ve had a few close encounters myself. I used to like to take my paints sets outside and do renderings of trees and creeks. Now though, I guards or escorts with me.” She took clients too, but she never mentioned that. Some of them wanted to reenact fantasies – like things in the old stories – of meeting creatures of ethereal beauty in the wilds and being seduced by them. Summer’s lips slowly curved into a smile.

“When you say hellish training, what do you mean? Was he simply training you out of the goodness of his heart, or was there something more too it? In this day and age, almost no one does something for nothing. I wonder if perhaps he had a son like you once…. or something. Surely you got some hint of the reasoning.’ She was curious now, more curious than she had a right to be about it. Six year old boys were burdens for years before they truly became useful unless they were particularly talented or gifted. She wondered if that was Jaeden’s case… and if so what his talent was.

The girl smiled.

She could feel the mark on her back humming. Nikali wanted her to talk to Jaeden. She could feel the Goddess feeding pleasant sensations into the man’s body through Summers hands. It was strange that Summer didn’t always feel Nikali like she did now. Sometimes the goddess and her powers were silent. But when it did roar to life, it was more than likely for some specific reason. Nikali was interested… in more than just making sure Jaeden was well satisfied.

That makes two people… first Gin Olevar, then a Goddess. Summer wondered what other surprises Jaeden had up his sleeve. Regardless though, Nikali wanted her to keep him talking. She could feel it. It was as if the goddess was conducting her own evaluation just by watching their interaction. And watch she did. Summer could feel her.

“Tell me Jaeden… would you like to play a game? Other, of course, than the one we’re already.” She said with a smile once more nibbling his ear.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden slowly nodded as his lips fell to Summer's arms when they made their way close, the slight growth of his facial hair tickling her skin lightly as he did so. "Yeah, I was lucky," Jaeden then claimed as he tilted his head back slightly, letting Summer's lips kiss his brow as she leaned forward. "I've come across children myself, either lost in the woods or within the grasp of slavers. I sort of try and frustrate their lives now a days when I encounter them. I would then walk the children back to their homes, or if they didn't have one, try and find them a place to go." A slow exhale of pleasure was then released as she began to wash certain areas of his body, his eyes rolling back as his eyes slowly closed for a moment as another wave a goosebumps rose over his skin. "In the end, I tried to avoid going deep within the forests, unless I was particularly desperate for food. That, plus a sense of caution garnered over my loss with the luck, kept me alive until Olevar found me," Jaeden then continued as his fingers and hands slowly slid along her legs as they wrapped around him, exploring every inch of them they blindly could. "If ever you want me to, I'll accompany you on one of your excursions to paint. I can't say that I would be as effective as some who would guard you, but I would promise that I would gladly accept new scars in preventing you from being taken." His eyes then opened, as he pondered her question about Olevar. "He never did talk that much about himself," Jaeden answered after a short time of contemplation about how to explain his former master. "My time with him was more about the training I had to endure and things I had to learn than about his personal life. Up before dawn running for miles with a weighted pack along my back. Eating till I felt I was about to burst. Pushing my body to it's very limit and then seeing if I could go past it. He never let me stop half way, but he never showed disappointment when I could go no further." "A full year was spent simply going over the shapes of the tracks of every animal the forest had to offer. Going over the size and depth to determine their maturity and weight, how fresh the track was to determine how long ago they had passed by," Jaeden explained as he reached for the sponge lightly floating across the water as he slowly slid it across the skin of Summer's legs and feet. "Another year of recognizing every plant in the forest and whether or not any sustenance could be had from them. You know there are over one hundred and fifty types of plants, roots, berries and nuts to be found for eating up in the Cobalt Forest alone? To say the least of bugs and grubs if you become desperate." Jaeden's hand then slowly slid under Summer's foot before her heal came to rest in his hand. He slowly extended her leg, lightly sliding the spunge up and down the length of her shin as he continued his little imitation of her own work. "He also taught me the basics of using a sword, as well as various traps and snares that could be employed for catching prey," Jaeden then continued before leaning forwards and lightly pressing his lips along her knee. "I can think of at least a dozen different ways to create or find shelter in the forest if I were suddenly without my tent. All that time, training and learning, I won't say that any of it wasn't tough, because it was. However, I think he saw me as a child suddenly without a home, and he taught me that I could still have a home even though mine had been burnt to the ground. Whether he did this because he saw me as a son or a special protege to be molded in his likeness, I couldn't say for certain. It was one of many things about him that remained an enigma for me." A slow chuckle then escaped his lips as Jaeden soon moved over to Summer's other leg, repeating what he had done with the first. "On my eighteenth summer, I woke up to what would be my final test. I wasn't shook awake with him telling me to get ready for our run or that there was a new plant, track or trap to learn. No, I simply woke to find all of his things gone and no more food than two days rations. He only left a note that said: Find me, if you can." A slow smile crossed his lips as Jaeden recalled that morning with complete clarity. The initial shock of finding Olevar gone, the subtle uncertainty of being suddenly alone only to be replaced by the subtle amusement over the contest and excitement of finding light tracks that Olevar had left purposefully for him to follow. Jaeden's first official solo hunt, in a manner of speaking. "I took me two weeks. I would often lose his tracks and find them again. Trap my own food to prevent starvation, build my own shelters to keep safe from the elements. I eventually found his camp, nestled deep within the Wild Lands south of Syliras. I felt so victorious at that moment that I failed to see the lifting snare that pulled me fifteen feet into the air." There was almost a sense of gratification in his eyes as he seemed to visualize that day, remaining silent for a moment. "So, there I was, hanging, a smile still on my face when Olevar stepped in my view from behind me. He had a smile to match my own, and I think it was the first time I saw true pride in his eyes," Jaeden then said as a relieving sigh escaped his lips. "He then said to me: Well, you missed the trap, but all in all, I expected you to take another week and a half to find me. You did well, Jaeden." Jaeden sounded happy, revealing that particular bit of his past almost as if it were more of a childhood memory than his stepping into manhood. "It was the first time he called my by my first name rather than 'Pup' or 'Boy'. It was actually the first time I didn't miss my family," Jaeden explain as he grasped Summer's hands lightly, pulling them around his chest to embrace him. "We had a dinner and a drink and just spent the day in idle conversation about the movement of herds and the animals I had hunted while tracking him. The next day, he presented me with some leather armor, my own sword and a full supply of hunters gear and told me that I now had to strike out on my own, and make my own life. The odd thing was, that when he told me I had to, I didn't feel saddened to part his company. It just felt........... right." Jaeden then tilted his head slowly as Summer's sweet whispers licked at his ear, and his smile widened as she nibbled on his ear. He slowly turned, his hands sliding about her waist as they came to rest along the edge of the bath. He leaned in, his brow lightly touching her's as he gazed into her eyes. "A game?" Jaeden said with a light hint of excitement in his voice. "Do tell, for I am intrigued my beautiful season of warmth."

[Gossamer]

Summer smiled. "I'd love to have you escort me out into the woods to paint sometime. Perhaps I'll even give you a painting if you ever settle down." She said graciously. The truth was, Summer was a fair hand at painting even if it was one of those skills she didn't openly advertise. In fact, the room they were currently enjoying had two of her paintings on the wall. One was a pair of dolphins rising up above the waves playfully leaping. The second was a pair of flowers intertwined that decorated a space opposite of the vanity and its small little bench.

She listened to him talk a bit longer, nodding as he spoke about how many edible plants - especially berries - were found in the woods. Her hands never stopped moving and as he continued to speak, Summer gently picked up an urn, dipped it into the warm waters to fill it. She gently moved Jaeden forward, tilted his head up by caressing his chin until he lifted it, then ran the water over his hair, thoroughly wetting it so she could move her hands into the long strands. Setting the urn aside, she picked up a bottle and delicately took the cap off. Gold filigree stopper set aside, she poured the jasmine and pine scented shampoo into her hand and began working it into Jaeden's scalp from behind. She kept her long legs wrapped around him as she worked, playfully teasing him as she took her nails to his scalp and let him keep talking about his mentor and his experiences as a child.

It seemed to her a rough life, one filled with uncertainty, and she could feel ever so slightly the urge to comfort him though that was not exactly what her mark was telling her he needed. Flirting. Attention. Playful lighthearted banter without commitment. The man took nothing seriously, at least not yet, including his relaxation and his choice of partners. So she refrained from anything serious and instead kept her tone light as she continued to wash out his hair. Hair to her was a favorite. She loved the way she could make men purr by working her nails into their scalp and lavishing attention on their bodies in such a way they awoke to the world and to their own needs rather than stumbling through life blind. Most men needed mothering, though it wasn't because they were weak or immature. Most men needed mothering because they were so very tired of carrying so many burdens themselves, all alone, with no one to worry for them - their survival, happiness, or future. It was a lonely world and she knew how very important it was that they felt cared for while they were in her charge.

Once the lather was well worked into his hair and out onto the strands until she had worked even their tips - she retrieved the urn and refilled it. Slowly, carefully, she rinsed out his hair as he continued speaking, making doubly sure there was no way soap could stray into his eyes or otherwise distract his mood. His favorable mood meant her own mood was astonishingly good as well.

"That is an amazing story. He truly sounds like an incredible man. You were fortunate to be able to cross paths with him in this life. He sounds like he taught you to be strong and more importantly self sufficient." She said said thoughtfully. Hugging him to her gently, she ran her hands back up his chest, across his pecks, and lightly pressed her breasts against his back. She stroked him in a full body hug as she whispered softly in his ear.

"I have an older brother named Winter. He always wanted to be a Syliran Knight. We've always been close, even growing up in an outpost south of here on the Kabrin Road. Our father was a knight, assigned there, and the only reason he had us with him was that our mother had fallen to a plague seasons ago. Rather than give us up, he took us with him and used his family allotment to keep us properly fed and sheltered. It was odd, growing up in a fort in tight quarters with so many other men. I wasn't the only woman there, but I was one of the youngest. Shortly after I arrived, I started having dreams... feeling things... things I couldn't explain. I dreamed of a woman, a Goddesss, who promised me she would see to it that i survived the hardships to come. Shortly after that... my father was killed. Winter was devastated, but something happened to me while he was grieving that took me a long time to really process. A woman came to me and marked me. She did things to me, things that awoke incredible sensationss within me. And suddenly the men could not stay away." Summer turned her head, let her wet hair entwine with his and nuzzled his neck gently as she moved closer to him, almost encircling him with her arms. He could feel something there... a delicious pull. It was unreasonable that such a stranger knew how to touch him, how to sensuously make him feel so alive, even without having done anything improper yet.

"The first one came shortly after she left. It should have been awkward but it was beautiful. He had no style, no sensitivity, but I loved every minute of it even as he spilled my blood all over the last duvet my mother would ever embroider. He was the commander of the fort. Others came soon after. I welcomed them, Jaeden. Sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs or more. Men that fight together like to do other things together too. I thrived. But Winter suffered. He knew what his fellows were doing. He didn't understand it. He could barely suffer it. And he left." She said softly, her heart in her eyes even though Jaeden couldn't see it. "I followed him and then finally found my way here. He's a knight. We... quarreled but then in the end he said I could take work. He stays away from the baths because I think its hard on him knowing what I do. When you have a mark like I do... its hard to take any other kind of work. I used to really like the male body. Now, I can't breath without it." She said, laughingly, as she ran her hand across his neck and down his belly to linger at the apex of his thighs.

""I understand about things feeling right. Coming here was right." She said, giving his hair a final rinse and then shifting so she could look at him sideways. "A game indeed... a game of stories. You tell a simple tale, a small one, and I must guess if its true or a lie. If I guess correctly, I get to do whatever I want to you. Then, it's my turn. I'll tell a story. If you guess if I'm lying or telling the truth... and your right... I have to show you a new aspect of my trade - a tool or product - even a bit about massage. But you have to be honest with the stories... to play the game. Don't cheat to get your way or make them deliberately easy or hard. Just let them flow ... we'll have fun. Are you game? If so, the first story is yours." She added with a laugh, shifting now so she was not sitting behind him but rather sitting on his lap... intimately on his lap. The sparkle in her eyes, the grin on her face that so resembled an imp, told him she was more than up for a challenge of stories. And, most importantly, she thought she could win.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden leaned his head back, his eyes closed as those magic fingers of her slowly ran along his scalp, slow moans escaping his lips every now and then as he told his tale. There were times where he could actually feel himself drifting towards what he would imagine to be one of the most peaceful slumbers he could have. His own story telling, combined with the playful movement of Summer’s legs however stayed the dream weavers hand for the moment. As the hot waters were poured over his scalp, rinsing away the lather of soap and impurities of many days out in the wild, Jaeden finally let a slow relaxing sigh release from the base of his lungs, slumping against Summer’s front for a moment. He then listened intently to Summer’s own past. Her mother’s passing, being raised in a keep, and then eventually losing his father. Their pasts shared similarities, as they lost their parents when they were young. However their differences were also made clear. While Jaeden was rescued by fate, eventually falling under Olevar’s care and guidance, a Goddess deemed to guide Summer herself. And while that guidance drove a wedge between her and Winter for a short time, it didn’t tear them apart completely. Jaeden, on the other hand, lost his own sibling when he lost his parents. However Jaeden did not think the fates cruel to take his sister while sparing her brother. Rather, he felt happy for Summer. Happy that she did not have to experience the pain of losing her entire family. She still had someone. “Interesting how the Gods and Goddess’ of the lands reveal themselves.” Jaeden then commented as he looked over to Summer who now sat beside him. “While I’ve never been marked by any, I’ve often felt that they’ve given a small nudge now and then, influencing events in my favor that would have otherwise seen me dead.” Jaeden then slowly leaned back, a small, but playful smirk appearing on his face once again as Summer crawled into his lap. His hands slid along her sides, brushing up and down before finally lacing together at the small of he back. He listened carefully to the game she proposed and the rules that governed them. His head slowly tilted forward before his brow came to a gentle rest along hers. “While I think you will have a slight better chance at reading me than I would you,” Jaeden commented before slowly raising a hand to brush some of those golden strands away from her face, “I’m always up for a game that beautiful women like yourself wish to play.” Jaeden’s head then slowly tilted back as his gaze floated upward. Whether this was in recollection or a creative weaving of his imagination, such could not be determined at that time. “How about we start with,” Jaeden said, pausing for a moment to lay a kiss along Summer’s shoulder, “my first time of intimacy with the fairer gender?” “It was my fifteenth year, well past the midway point of the summer season.” Jaeden began as his fingers slowly slid first along Summer’s shoulders, making their way down her arms until they laced together with her own. He slowly pressed his lips along the back of her hands before once again slipping his hands behind her back as his head came to a rest along her shoulder. "Olevar and I had been up in the Cobalt mountains. He decided to track and hunt a large elk while I was responsible for foraging fruits and berries from the forest as well as catching a couple of fish.” A slow smile then crossed his lips as he continued his story. “When I went to the river to catch the fish, I happened upon what I thought to be a Goddess at first, sitting along the bank of the river as her hand gently caressed the flowing waters.” Jaeden slowly sat up, looking Summer in her eyes once again. “To my surprise, it was a konti woman, and she sang a song so beautiful, that it brought me to me knees and nearly caused me to weep. When she turned her head, seeing me for the first time, it was then that I saw she was weeping in my stead. I asked her what sorrow could cause tears while such a perfect melody could be sung? It was then that she revealed to me that it was a song her mother and her used to sing, and that she, being so far from home, felt a vast loneliness every time she recited it’s words. She asked me to lend her my ear, and hear her tale, and I did. I could not say how long her tale had lasted, because time seemed to stand still when she spoke. Finally, at the end of the tale, she asked one more favor of me, and that was to bring that loneliness to an end, even if it was only for a short while in her arms.” Jaeden then fell silent, indicating that his tale for Summer was over, as another gentle series of kisses were laid along her shoulder as they made their way up toward the lower lobe of her ear.

[Gossamer]

She smiled at him as he lifted a lock of her hair. Summer listened intently to him, watching his eyes as he told his story, shifting their bodies so they were sitting almost in each others laps, face to face. It was the only way to tell stories, after all. As he spoke, she toyed with the lines of his chest, playing gently with it while her eyes kept glancing up to caress his gaze with her own. Summer was playful, the saturation of joy infused with lighthearted freedom spiced with vanilla and sugar and all other things sweet to touch and taste. And as the story of the Konti unfolded. Her delight at the tale was obvious, and her grin impish as she waited to speak until he was done. "Every boys fantasy... perhaps too much of a fantasy no? Everyone wants to know what their patterning of scales looks like and where they intertwine. Do they lie over their pubis where they chaff, I wonder, during the most intimate of moments? I bet the rasp of scales against your bronze flesh is an amazing sensation. Everything about them is amazing. It makes us poor humans hard pressed to compete with them. But as for the truth of it... I'd say there was none at all. You were probably seduced, and I would believe it was at age fifteen, by a farmers wife bored with her man being gone more often than naught. And knowing you...." Summer reached her hand up and traced Jaeden's own roguish smile lines at the corners of his mouth. "... you probably talked her out of coin for work well done which satisfied her husband that his clever wife had hired suitable help to clean the garden, and work little handyman projects around the farm." She teased, leaning forward to kiss him lightly first on one eyelid then the other. "My first time... was with an Ethafael. They are creatures of great beauty but changeable as day and night. He claimed he fell from the Sun's arms and was cast back into the world to suffer. But when he heard my name and saw my golden locks, he said I reminded him of Syna and he talked me into letting him worship me for a while since he missed his dear mistress so. He came out of the sea and back into it he went. It was a strange time in my life.... I was eight and ten." She said, smiling softly and waiting for him to guess the truth or falseness of it. Meanwhile, if he gave her the answer as to if her claiming the Konti was a fantasy... she'd pay up or collect her due for being right.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden gave a slow tickle to Summer’s hips, pulling her in closer as she unraveled his story. A slight smirk crossed his lips before a slow chuckle escaped them. “You are, indeed, correct.” Jaeden the confessed as her allure and playful manner enticed him to further explore the softness of her body with is hands. “While my first time was not with a farmer’s wife, I will admit to it being a very awkward event for me. One which I will not reveal here, if for no other reason than it keeps you intrigued to find out.” Jaeden then listened intently to Summer’s own story in reply, the honey laced voice making it difficult to discern whether there were any fluctuations in her tone. Her gaze remaining fixated on his own, not shifting in the slightest whether in recollection or in creative thinking. When she had finished her story, Jaeden simply waited in silence for a moment as he leaned forward, pressing his ear along the center of her chest for a moment. “Well, it is indeed an interesting story, one as fanciful in mystique as my own.” Jaeden then said as before his head slowly raised from it’s rested position, once again sliding kisses along the skin of her collar bone, making his way up towards the nape of her neck. “Still, while my knowledge about the other races these lands hold isn’t likely as extensive as yours, I would have to wager that your first time would have come during the time the goddess who awakened those gifts within you. Having a knight for a father, and one who took you with him after your mothers passing? Well that just hints to me a great protectiveness. One that would see you going to a beach along at such a young age. So, I will have to guess false to your story as well my sweet, warm Summer.” Jaeden then tilted Summer’s head back, kissing her fully for a long moment before she could reveal whether her answer was true or false. One hand rested along the back of her head for support, the other wrapping around her lower waist. There was plenty of time for this game of there’s, after all, so a bit of fun could be had in between stories.

[Gossamer]

Summer's laughter reached up and entwined around Jaeden. At his admission of the falsehood, the blond woman slipped into his lap, legs splayed on either side of his body letting him lean back against the pool all by himself. She left her hands gently on his shoulders but slipped her pelvis forward until it snugged up against his, sensuously teasing him without taking it any further. He could feel her delight at the correct guess on her part, though she didn't at first admit whether he was correct or not. Brushing her nose against his, first once, then twice, she kissed his forehead being slightly higher than him and leaned forward so her lips were against his right ear. "I was a hellion for my father. I slipped away every chance I got. The encounter with Syna's fallen was the truth - absolutely - but my father caught us in the act and slew the poor confused man as he spilled himself inside me as I screamed in pleasure begging him to do it. He did go back into the sea, but as a corpse. My father beat me within an inch of my life but it was worth every minute of it and the house arrest thereafter. He was just... that good." She grinned, giving him half credit for guessing part of the truth about her father's protectiveness. "You're a wise man, Jaeden. I'll give you half credit for that one. But only half..." She said, then traced her hand between his pectorals, admiring the line of muscle down his chest. "And now, my prize...." She purred. She looked back at him, but it wasn't Summer's eyes. Instead, cold blue eyes filled his vision for a moment, consuming him, overwhelming him, loosing him in the depth of their immortal gaze. The shape on his lap changed, transformed, and blended into a completely different creature. Where there was light and joy and pleasure in Summer - a companionship and understanding - that was suddenly replaced by something else. Something completely alien to his experiences. "You love them. Each and every one of them you see, you love... and yet my sister will not have you, though she wants you. Cheva would have you settle down with just one and bank the passion that fills you into an eternal flame that burns for just one. Only one. It would be a waste, because one won't contain you. One won't satiate you. You want to touch them all - drink of their nectar - and make your name fall from their lips in screams of pleasure the moment you desire it. That is of my realm, not hers. And as Summer's prize, I gift you with this...." Summer, who was no longer Summer but some otherworldy creature, reached around and hugged him. Her hands came up across his back and laid against his left clavical, branding a mark deep into his skin where her right hand covered it. Though he could not see the mark, it was a linked chain, entwined with thorns and blooming with the strangest rose of all. There was only one link, only one bloom - and it was a deep dark stain of crimson against the tan of his flesh. And as she did so Jaeden was infused with such pleasure, such pain, that the sensations blended and caused his body to react deeply, violently, and he found himself unwilling and unable to hold his pleasure close. His body released itself even though all the creature did was touch him - brand him - with her mark. It was the most... incredible.... feeling he'd ever experienced. And as she released him, leaning back, the bold blue of her eyes fading, she said one last thing. "Your story of the Konti amused me... I will give you a chance to make your dreams a reality. Watch for it and don't miss the oportunity. She's a special woman, one who will be all but immortal herself if she follows her true destiny and eventually answers her Call. And though you are only human, she will remember you forever for you have much to teach her that will aid her on her way." A smile followed, then a light brushing of lips... And then Summer was back, staring at him with a puzzled perplexed look on her face. "Nikali wants you here, at least for a while, with us... as our brother because you have a greater purpose, a Call of your own coming and need the coin your pleasure will provide. Gods, Jae.... I'm sorry. What she gives you is sometimes no gift at all..." The bright lass said, some of her light dimming worriedly.

[Jaeden Kincade]

Jaeden’s eyes looked slowly into Summer’s, her whole demeanor changing as a look of confusion crossed his features. Even as her voice slowly changed, Jaeden wasn’t certain what was happening. Was this some part of the game that Summer had failed to mention? Or was it something else entirely. Then when Jaeden heard Summer mention “sister” and “Cheva” and it suddenly donned on him who spoke to him then. Generally, Jaeden would have any number of comments and retorts in conversation, but speaking to a Goddess was different. It was something that has never happened with him before, and something he wasn’t totally certain how to react to. As he was about to speak, Nikali embraced him using Summer’s arms, those small hands gripping his back tightly. Then it happened, the sensation first feeling like a little tingle along his skin, but growing to a burning sensation. Pain ebbed at his nerves as he winced slightly, a slow breath begin drawn through his nose. His eyes then rolled back as the exhale was released, feeling a burst of intense pleasure that mingled with the pain, washing over his body like ocean waves along the shore. His head slowly leaned forwards, his chin laying along Summer’s shoulder as the side of his head leaned up along her own. His breathing was slow, but taking in long breaths as he slowly lifted his head from Summer after a short moment. His pupils darted back and forth between her own as he stared into her eyes to see who now looked at him. The confused expression reflected in Jaeden’s eyes told him the story as Summer began to speak, her tone a hint more somber than it’s usual playful tone. When she apologized, Jaeden simply shook his head, raising his hand as it cradled the underside of her chin for a moment. His head moved forward, slowly tilting, before his lips brushed along her own in the gentlest of kisses. “You’ve nothing to apologize for Summer.” Jaeden said in almost a soft whisper. “For whatever reason this has happened may not be apparent right now, nor does it need to be. Right now, it’s just us in the bath. The rest of the lands and the events that go on, can wait until tomorrow.” Jaeden then took a quick inhale, as Ranuri already began taking effect. The physical contact between him and Summer being so full, that it became impossible not to feel her desire at that moment. His eyes slowly traveled over to the massage table, sitting in the corner of his room in an almost illuminating allure, begging to be used. “It still occurs to me, however, that you have yet to claim your prize.” Jaeden commented, a smile appearing on his face. “First, however, I have a sense that you wish for something else.” Jaeden leaned forward, slipping his arm under Summer’s legs before standing and lifting her in his arms. Water sloshed around as wide steps were taken across the large bath. Droplets of water fell from their skin as he stepped out of the bath, carrying Summer over the warm tiled surface to the Massage table. As he set her down in front of the table, he gave a small smile, reaching for one of the bottles of oil set on a small table nearby. “If you would indulge me,” Jaeden said with a smile, motioning to the table. Jaeden began running a little of the oil over his hands as Summer slid up onto the table, laying along her front. He rubbed his hands together for a moment, spreading the oil evenly over his hands as he stepped beside the table, his gaze lingering over Summer’s body for a moment. His hands lowered, pressing along the mid of her back as the Ranuri reinforced Jaeden’s senses, linking his desires to Summer’s own. His hands first traveled along the entirety of the skin along her back, spreading the oil over every corner. His hands then ran along the muscle that connected her shoulder to her neck, applying a light amount of pressure as he closed his eyes. His eyes stopped looking at he was doing by that point, but rather he let the mark guide his hands, as they slid down Summer’s back, stopping at key points when his desire syncing with hers reached it’s peaks. At some points his hands would apply appropriate pressure, awkwardly adjusting at first in accordance with the pleasure they provided. At others, his fingertips would just explore, petting along her skin lightly as he leaned down, kissing summer along her neck and cheek. His hands and body would then just continue to work in accordance with what Summer desired, finding his own matched. It would continue until she was satisfied.

[Gossamer]

Summer laughed and contradicted Jaeden. "Oh, I claimed it alright. She just confused me by coming personally. I wanted you for Her. I wanted you for Her more than I wanted you for myself. Which is odd because your a beautiful man. Not that you'll get out of here before I get to sample what you have a little more. But you'll learn, Jaeden, that sex is just sex. What we do here is so much more. We enjoy what is taboo to enjoy. We do shocking and lovely and amazing things that will take you the rest of your life to think about until you understand." Summer added, laughing when Jaeden scooped her up and deposited in front of the massage table. It gave her a moment to grab one of the nearby towels, carefully soak up the water on both of their skins as he choose his oil. She lightly jumped up on the table, enjoying this for a moment - glad the man was so smoothly moving into his gift. As he ran his hands over her body, she groaned, relaxed and purred alternatively as he hit tension and released it alternatively. The truth was, Summer was usually the one spending time indulging people rather than being indulged so it was a rare treat to be pampered so... especially after he'd spent the mizas to be taken care of. But as Jaeden soon found out, being Nakali marked herself, there was a relatively short time she could stand to simply put his needs aside while her own were being satisfied. Luckily, the massage table was designed with knights in mind. They were often giant men who took a great deal of room in comparison to one small blond human woman. So after Summer laid back, enjoyed Jaeden's touch, and let him oil her up everywhere, she captured the oil for herself and pulled him down with her. Laughing... for joy was always in her heart... she gave him the same treatment, though not focusing on his muscles or any tensions. His mark would be too new, too engrossing for such things to truly work on him. Instead, she just indulged each of their needs and reciprocated coating him with the smooth slightly almond scented liquid so that their limbs slid together and apart easily. It was delightfully good fun - touching a beautiful man with the whole of her body. She entwined her oil slicked form with his, loosing track of which limbs were hers, which his, as she indulged in the desire to touch him everywhere and anywhere with whichever body part was most convenient. An observer, uninvolved, might have seen two people with a high gloss to their skin slowly entwining around each other like serpents enticing each other to mate. But it was so much more than that. It was the shedding of societies inhibitions about nudity and nakedness. It was the promise of sex without the hurry of it happening. It was about curves and hard muscles and soft delicate flesh rubbed upon flesh. It was about kissing without boundaries, lips slickened from tasting elsewhere. They slid off the table still laughing and playing like two children as their bodies joined together teasingly and pulled apart just as easily. Jaeden could physically feel how good for Summer this was - this carefree worry free atmosphere of childlike wonder doing something very very adult. His mark gave him a direct link to her soul where he could sense the weight of how much she had always lost heavy on her heart. As she rose above him, demanding more of him for the moment - though with her it wouldn't last because she wanted it all at once and changed her whims in a heartbeat and thus positions - even as he tapped into the core of her sadness with his mark. She needed this, the sensation of finally being with someone who wasn't going to ride to his death the next day or the next tenth day, or the next year. He could tell that part of her loved them all truly and acutely even as she paid homage to them with her body. But they died so easily, and with the news of each death, she mourned their loss privately and walled the memory of the knight deep inside her. She collected those memories like some young women collected dolls. But Jaeden... he himself represented something else. Nikali's followers were survivors. They held on and lasted longer than anyone else she'd ran across because of their adaptability. And so it was he understood completely how genuine her joy was as she rolled with him bringing him on top of her on the smooth and cool marble of the floor. As she reached up and traced her hands across the lines of his face, even as she kept their bodies linked, he knew what she was thinking. His face wouldn't have to be memorized. The lines of his features didn't need to be stored away so that someone would remember him after he was long gone. He wasn't expected to die because of his work. So instead of touching him in sorrow, her hands across the bones of his cheeks and trailing down his jawline only paid honor to a life she knew would blaze on - perhaps even longer than her own. It made her pleasure and what they were doing all that more keen. It erupted out of her and overwhelmed him - redoubling any he'd enjoyed before that particular moment. And he knew, just as she did, that it wouldn't be the last time they were together. His very presence, as they rolled together yet again - laughing because the floor was oil coated and there was no chance for any sort of grip on it - was healing for her. Incredibly so. And it made him think, if not too deeply or too long, but even for an instant... that perhaps Nikali brought him here for a reason. Her caregivers themselves needed care. And as he could lighten their hearts and burdens - not just Summers but everyone who worked there - he could learn himself how to control his new found gnosis. The thought was abruptly cut off though, because somewhere in all the laughter intermingled with heavy thought, his partner had passed over the unspoken edge of forever. Her laughter turned into something else, something primal as she wrapped herself around him tightly where they lay side by side - united - on the floor. Nails scored his shoulders as she gave in to the inevitable and rode what some called Nikali's Passion to its end. And because of the mark and the wide open connection, she dragged Jaeden unwittingly along with her until they lay in a quiet tangle of oil slickened flesh and satisfaction.