Closed I'll Give You The Stars From the Bruised Evening Sky

[Hess]

His gaze lay upon her as she spoke, and he listened to her explaining how she had felt, as a Yasi. It seemed an odd way of looking at things, to his more sociable mind. He had sought out any and all who had skills that he wanted to learn, and thereby had made many acquaintances and a fair number of friends. But he could see what she was saying, trying to be focused on getting ahead. His own mother had been a Dek and his father, well . . . who knew? It didn’t really matter, did it? One rose or fell based on one’s own drive and talents and accomplishments. He had been made an Avora by demonstrating that he had what it took to be a hunter. Without being overly proud of that fact, he was still satisfied with himself, and his life. It sounded, though, as Euthisa wasn’t quite at that point. He let his scarred hand rest between them, feeling the warmth of the sun still lingering in the stone of the rooftop. “I’d like that, so, yeah, let me know, if you are going to perform.” He grinned at her. “I promise I won’t heckle you.” His glance fell to his hand for a moment, and he explained, “I love being a hunter, but it’s not always fun and games. This was a gift from a bear.” He twisted his hand to indicate what he was talking about. “It was trying to kiss my face, but I wasn’t having any of it.” He laughed easily about the near fatal encounter. “Hey, I know a song about a bear. Want to hear it?” Hess was no talented singer, but he wasn’t too shy to share a tune, especially as she had been nice enough to tell him a story.

[Euthisa]

He expressed his interest in her performing, something that brought a smile to Euthisa's face as she stared back at him. He looked down to the hand laying between them, and her gaze followed his to the mangled mess of skin, knuckles, and bones. She suspected most would make a big deal out the "deformity" or even shy away at it, people were cruel, but it didn't bother her at all. He told her what happened to him, making a joke out of it himself and laughing at it. His laughter was not only contagious, but music to Euthisa's ears. The beaming smile accompanying his laugh certainly wasn't a sight for sore eyes either. She wanted to hear that laugh, see that shining smile, more often, and whether she was consciously aware of it or not, she made a mental note to try and be the cause of it. She laughed along with him and responded, "Well at least I know you're not a freak and into that sort of thing, haha." To emphasize that she was joking, could never be too careful not to offend someone these days, she playfully stuck her tongue out at him. He definitely had a way of bringing out her playful side, something that didn't see the light of day or the sparkle of night very often, and not many had ever seen it. He then offered to sing her a song about a bear. Euthisa was delighted. She loved listening to people sing, whether they were good or not, simply because if they enjoyed themselves in the act, and/or they loved it, so did she. She also couldn't deny that she thought it was romantic to be laying on a rooftop under the stars with a handsome man about to sing to her. "I'd love to hear it, Hess."

[Hess]

Hess had to raise his eyebrows at the girl’s comment about him not being a freak. But he laughed all the same. She was funny, and that was generally something Hess much appreciated. When she poked the tip of her tongue out at him, he cocked one eyebrow higher and smirked, shaking his head a bit. The only things that popped into his head to say as a retort seemed wildly inappropriate and the night was far too young to head off in that direction – yet. So his only reply was to her agreeing to hear the song, which was by no means an original one. In fact, he thought she probably would have heard it many times before. But of course, never sung by him – so she had been lucky, up until now. Hess didn’t have the worst voice in Wind Reach, but maybe that was only when you counted the crows and jackdaws. He tried to suppress another grin by biting down on his lip a bit, and he turned his eyes downward too, so he wouldn’t laugh as he sang, though he probably would. With an elaborate clearing of his throat, and another suppressed chortle that made his shoulders shake some, he began, in a warbly tenor: *A bear there was, A bear, A BEAR! All black and brown, And covered with hair! "Oh come," they said, "Oh come to the fair!" "The fair?" said he, "But I'm a bear! All black and brown, And covered in hair!" And down the road, From here to there, From here!To there! Three boys, a goat, And a dancing bear! They danced and spun, All the way to the fair! Oh! sweet she was, And pure and fair, The maid with honey, In her hair! Her hair, The maid with honey, In her hair! The bear smelled the scent, On the summer air! The Bear! The Bear! All black and brown, And covered with hair! He smelled the scent, On the summer air, He sniffed and roared, And smelled it there! Honey on the summer air! "Oh I'm a maid, And I'm pure and fair, I'll never dance, With a hairy bear, A bear! A bear! I'll never dance, With a hairy bear!” The bear,the bear! Lifted her high,Iinto the air! The bear, the bear! "I called for a knight! But you're a bear! A bear! A bear, All black and brown, And cover in hair!” She kicked and wailed, The maid so fair, But he licked the honey, From her hair! Her hair! Her hair! He licked the honey, From her hair! Then she sighed and squealed, And kicked the air, She sang: “My bear so fair," And off they went, The bear! The bear! And the maiden fair! He couldn’t help it. By the time he came to the last line, Hess was shaking with laughter, and he ran the back of his mangled hand over his mouth, and shook his head. “Th-thank the-the g-gods I’m n-no maiden,” he said, laughing fully and choking a bit. “Though that bear would have been hard pressed to find any honey in my hair.” With that he lay back on his shoulders and hooted up at Leth looking so benevolently down upon the two. *”The Bear And The Maiden Fair” a song found in various volumes of A Song of Ice and Fire series, by George R.R. Martin

[Euthisa]

Euthisa closed her eyes, sinking against the stone beneath her, and listened as Hess sang to her. He wasn't the most marvelous singer she'd ever heard, but it wasn't hard to listen to him either. She'd heard the tune a couple of times before, but it totally changed coming from his lips. Tenor-toned voices were Euthisa's favorite, there was something captivating and even sexy about the depth of the notes. By the time he finished his song, he was in hysterics, either at his singing, the song, or himself, Euthisa wasn't sure, and she lay there and laughed with him. He lay back down beside her, and he appeared so serene and picturesque in the light of the moon. His altered hand still lay between them, and propping herself up on her side, Euthisa's own hand reached over to delicately touch it. Her fingers traced the outline of his hand, and then followed the lines of his fingers and bones, feeling each scar and the empty space where his pinky finger used to be. Her touch was light, she was unsure of how long ago the accident was and if any of his hand was still tender or not, and she didn't want to hurt him. She flipped his hand over to repeat the process on the underside, following the lines etched in his palm, and touching the calloused pads of his fingers. A true hunter's hand indeed. She let her hand rest with his and her gaze once more sought out his eyes. She felt she could lay there with him all night, talking and laughing and enjoying a truly happy night. And so she did. They must've spent hours up there, for she lost track of time getting wrapped up in conversation with him. She liked who he was/seemed to be, she truly enjoyed his company, but she knew it had to be late and she had things to do the next day, and being a hunter, she assumed he did as well. So whether she wanted to or not, it was time to call it a night. "The song was cute. Heard it a couple times before, but I think I prefer your version more, haha. And as much as I'm truly enjoying myself, I think it's about time to call it a night. What do you think?"

[Hess]

Hess continued to snicker, and was appreciative that Euthisa joined in the laughter. That song wasn’t the bawdiest he knew, not by a long shot. It was comparatively mild, in fact, but it still made him laugh. He was glad too that the girl didn’t seem offended by it. Prudishness was never attractive, in his eyes. He finally quieted and was gazing up at the stars again, his mind wandering a bit to realms that could not be so surprising ones, given that he was laying here getting quite chummy with a pretty girl. Then he felt that light touch on his hand. Surprised, though not exactly startled enough to react in any particular way, he at first basically froze, wondering what was going on, and content to just wait and find out. Those soft fingers, uncalloused by any hard, manual labor, traced over the outlines of flesh and bones, where they were whole and clean and where they were mangled and rucked with scar tissue. It was an exploration, he decided, and though he wasn’t at all embarrassed or shy about what his hand looked like to others, he now wondered what she made of it, his mangled extremity. Did she find it gruesome, or was she simply curious? Apparently, whatever she felt did not prevent her from gently turning his hand palm upwards and repeating her tactile inquiry, all without any commentary from either of them. Hess was no virginal stranger to the touch of a woman’s hands, and so in that sense, he felt what a man would normally feel, when being caressed, in a way, by the soft fingers of a lovely young woman. On the other hand, he felt that Euthisa in no way intended for her touch to be erotic, and so he had to layer his own reaction with that filter. Still, he was thoroughly enjoying it, however you looked at it. Finally her hand stilled and nestled in his, and he turned his head to look at her. Her eyes met his and she smiled and he smiled back, thinking it might be the prefect opportunity to roll right over and try to kiss her. As with most things, Hess wasn’t shy about that either – physical intimacy. It wasn’t something most Inartans made much of an attempt to avoid or hide from, and Hess was very much a typical Inartan. But he hesitated – why, he couldn’t say – there was just something about her, something about what she had said, perhaps? That she was fairly unused to seeking out the company of others? That she devoted most of her time to work or pursuits that kept her in her room? She had said she had no partner, and that meant next to nothing. Hess didn’t either, but that didn’t mean he lived like a monk. In any case, the moment passed, and Euthisa said something funny about his singing, and he laughed and they simply . . . moved on. But the thought – the feeling . . . the impulse was still there, latent perhaps, but far from dismissed. Hess, too, was surprised at how quickly time passed, simply talking and joking and laughing at stories and discussing various happenings about the city. When Euthisa gently brought his attention to the late hour, he looked at her thoughtfully, nodding. “Yes, I suppose it’s time for getting on to bed,” he agreed, rising gracefully to his feet and offering a hand up. She accepted and he pulled her up but did not let go of her hand, taking a half step to close the distance between them. His other hand went to rest lightly on her waist and without preamble, his mouth descended to hers and he laid a brief kiss on her warm lips. “Any thoughts about maybe joining me for that?” he asked in a low voice, holding her eyes with his for a moment, before his head ducked once more to press his lips against hers, this time with a bit more insistence.

[Euthisa]

Though their night was ending, it took a surprise turn for the better when Hess helped Euthisa to her feet. She had not a moment to speak, or even to look into those eyes of his, before soft lips met hers for a blissful kiss. Euthisa flushed, thankful that the night would hide most, or all of, her rosy cheeks. Her heart pounded in her chest, to the beat of the fluttery wings in her stomach. She didn't respond much at first. She simply stood and stared, taking in the moment, his hands warm to her skin. Only mere inches separated the two, and when Hess kissed her again, more desire than the first charging the air around them, Euthisa closed her eyes and leaned into him. Her free arm wrapped around his body, resting gently against his back and the familiar feeling scars that resided there. She kissed him back this time, easily allowing him to cast a lusty spell upon her. Euthisa delighted in this moment, the hopeless romantic in her jumping for joy with every thud of her heart. She savored his touch and his taste, and his invitation along home with him was all too tempting for her, no matter how understandably nervous that thought made her. She knew all too well that Inartans were not shy to physical interactions with one another, it was all but frowned upon not to act that way. It wasn't that Euthisa was opposed to this so much as it was just that she'd never been in that situation. No men hit on her regularly, or tried to take her home, and none certainly had ever descended upon her like this, in order for her to be used to it. There was something different about Hess though. She couldn't put her finger on it, but something about him made her trust him. Calmed her uneasy nerves. Going home with him was a big step though, and her legs weren't ready to reach that far, so to speak, just yet. She unwillingly broke their kiss, gently leaning just inches away from him, and reopening her eyes to meet his gaze. She let go of his hand and wrapped both arms around his waist, her fingers gently gliding back and forth along the skin of his lower back. "As tempting as that offer is, I'm gonna have to say no. I definitely don't want to part ways though unless I get to see you again. Soon."

[Hess]

The first kiss had been fleeting, a mere introduction of his lips to hers, and it wasn’t surprising that Euthisa had been merely the recipient of his preliminary offer. It was too brief a proposal for her really to give him a response. But as he let the second one linger, he felt her react, and reciprocate, and that in turn set off some fairly predictable responses in his own body. His anticipation, too, was fueled, with the increased hope that she was thinking along the same lines as he was. His fingers entwined more closely with hers, and his hand on her waist pulled her closer, until their bodies met. That touch, the sensation of her pressed lightly against him, the feeling of her arm wrapping about him and her soft fingers on his back – it was sending shock waves of arousal through him and in turn his mouth closed over hers more ardently and through his kiss, he was communicating in no uncertain terms how much he was enjoying this – this contact. When her hand left his, and went to join its opposite, Hess was fully prepared to pull her into a tight clench. But already, her lips had left his and Euthisa was pulling back. This could be either a good thing, and she was going to tell him verbally what her body was already saying, or it could be . . . Yep, it was the bad thing. Well, bad superficially. Her softly spoken words were a mixed message of yes and no. A silken rejection of his offer, despite what her lips had been telling him a moment before. It certainly wasn’t the first time a girl had told him no, and it was for sure not the most insulting instance of such a response to his overtures. So, he wasn’t particularly offended or put off for that matter. It was true that sometimes ‘no’ held some undertone of ‘maybe’ in it, and this seemed to be one of those times. His face still hovered close to hers and he had only to move a slight bit and his lips were against her forehead. His arms tightened a fraction of an inch about her, and he asked in a low voice, “Why don’t you give in to that temptation then? I’ve really enjoyed this evening, talking to you Euthisa.” He lowered his head again and found her lips, brushing over them lightly. “I think it could only get better, hm? Spending the rest of it together? Don’t you think so?” His tone was low and suggestive, as he was doing his best to get her to give in to him, and maybe to herself as well. His hands moved over the warmth of her back and he caressed her flesh gently, to give emphasis to his words, as if she wasn’t already completely clued in to what he meant, what he wanted, and what he thought he could give to her in exchange.

[Euthisa]

As she pulled away from him, she could feel his reluctance to let her move any more than an inch away from him. His body was so warm against her front, his skin tantalizing, lips soft and delicious. Her mind swirled in loopdy loops, an ecstatic craze of thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, none of which she knew what to do with. Judging by his reactions to her, she was apparently doing something right, regardless of the fact that she honestly didn't really know what she was doing at all. She chalked it up to instinct, a proud smirk momentarily altering her features. She still stood against him, her smaller frame nestled easily in his arms, and he continued holding her close to him. He planted a delicate kiss on her forehead as her eyes closed to revel in the feeling. Her mind still swam in circles, and he was making it increasingly difficult to concentrate on anything, much less her resistance. He asked her again to go home with him, trying so hard to persuade her to give in to him. He wasn't arrogant and pushy, wasn't offensive, just gentle persuasion. His hands toyed with her skin, making her mind and imagination wander what else they could do. He was good at this. There was no doubting that, and while she didn't know if he was aware of her complete lack of experience or not, she suspected it wouldn't bother him. She knew she'd be in good hands, literally. A side thought crossed her mind that maybe this was exactly what she needed to break out of her solitary shell. Her people were very much affectionate with one another, they weren't shy about anything, they were their own kind of "party animal", and they spent as much time with each other as they could. While Euthisa didn't disregard this trait about her heritage, she didn't play into it either, not as much as she knew she should. Maybe Hess was good for her for that reason. Maybe that's why she was so attracted to him. Why she wanted to call him hers and only hers, even though she'd just met him. The war raged in her head as she stared up into his liquid molten eyes. She swam in his irises in the same way her head swam in confusion. Her mentality battled her hormones, her thoughts fought against her emotions. She wondered if he could see the inner bloodshed in her eyes, or if she hid it as well as she hoped she was. She didn't want to offend him or make him think there was anything wrong with his end of the equation. That theory couldn't be farther from the truth. In fact, his end of things was absolutely perfect, and perhaps this is what held Euthisa back. Maybe the naturality of the situation scared her. She couldn't tell, and until she could, she didn't want to give into temptation before she knew it was what she really wanted. She mentally cursed herself for being so self-noble. Her arms left his back and reached up around his neck to pull him down to her. Fingers quickly tangled in his hair and she eagerly pressed her lips to his, leaning her body harder into him, backing them up a few steps into the wall behind them. She kissed him as if she could devour him right then and there, making it clear to him that she wasn't scared of or by him. She only hoped it would reassure him when she still declined his offer. Minutes passed by, though time felt frozen in their moment. When Euthisa did finally pull her lips from his, her breathing had deepened and picked up pace. She took a moment to regulate herself before she spoke again, only inches from him, her body still pressed against. "Hess, I'll be honest with you. When I told you earlier that I had no partner, it wasn't just because I don't have one right now. It's because I've never had one at all. That's why I'm saying no, for now. I don't know what it is, but for whatever reason, I trust you enough to trust you with that, just not tonight. I know our people are practically famous for not being shy or stingy with things like this, but I'm different. I can't frolick around like that. I've got to care about that person, a lot, before I can let loose. That's why I want to see you again very soon after tonight. But at least know that I want to. I just need you to work with me a little bit here."

[Hess]

Once again, Hess took encouragement by her actions, but was then shot down by her words. When she pulled him closer for yet another heated kiss, his arms moved to really lock her in his embrace, not to contain her but simply out of a reflexive desire to bring their two selves as close as humanly possible. She felt so good in his arms and his kiss was one of possession, in the here and now, anyway. He wasn’t thinking past the next few hours, not even really considering the dawn that would come and see them parting ways. That was far in advance of his immediate needs and plan to just enjoy being with her in a variety of ways that had his mind and body spinning and pulsing just to think about, as they continues to kiss. But once again, she was the first to pull back and this time, though he could barely think, he looked down into her face with a bit more wariness. Her words basically went in one ear and out the other, at first. His blood was racing and he didn’t want this. He heard what she had to say, and he didn’t ascribe any evil intent to her contradictory actions. He hadn’t yet come to the conclusion that she was just a huge tease, taking some malicious enjoyment out of working him up for no reason other than she intended to walk away, laughing. But in the end, all he heard was “no” and Hess had to really push past the rejection he wanted to meet that ‘no’ with. His impulse was to simply ignore her explanations and kiss her again, hold her still and convince her somehow that she was wrong – that she was being too shy, too coy, too reticent, too damn sexy and cool all at the same time. That this was no big deal and coming to his room and spending a few hours together – immensely pleasurable hours he would imagine – was just what she needed. She hadn’t yet done this? Well, here was a chance to see what it was like. He didn’t care – it was neither a plus nor a minus to know that she was a virgin. He simply wanted . . . her . . . now . . . tonight. His eyes locked onto hers and he saw everything that she had just said, right there. Desire. Hesitation. Indecision. Anticipation. The warmth of her body pressed to his made it so difficult to think rationally, to sift through what he wanted versus what she was telling him. Euthisa’s still rapid breathing was an echo of the blood pounding in his ears, and elsewhere. Like coming down from a high, Hess waited for sense and logic to come out of hiding and make themselves known again. His breathing pattern mirrored hers and he waited a very long moment before he spoke. “Alright,” he said, his voice steady and carefully casual. His arms relaxed, and one hand came around to push a strand of flame out of her pretty face. His other hand dropped to rest gently at the small of her back. By breathing, he put a half an inch of space between his chest and hers, and he felt the rush of air that came between them. “Alright,” he repeated, as if to reinforce his own thoughts. “I understand. No worries. Not tonight. Got it.” His fingers traced a small circle lightly over the smooth skin of her lower back. His other fingers trailed down her cheek, across her jawline and then dropped away. Finally, he was able to give her a smile, and it was a genuine one. Friendly. Warm. “But maybe another night then? A guy can always hope, right?” He gave a soft chuckle. His head dipped to kiss her cheek. “It’s fine. I’d like to see you again, too, Euthisa. Soon. The sooner the better.” He raised his head and took a half a half a step backwards. His gaze held hers again, but the intensity was dimmed now, by willpower alone, on his part. Hess could be completely casual about women, and he wasn’t often too bothered by them, even if they told him ‘no thanks.’ There was always someone out there to move on to, it seemed. But he had really enjoyed chatting with Euthisa. She was smart and funny, and fun. He really did want to meet up with her again. And her reluctance to go to bed with him just added some indefinable layer of intrigue to it all. She wanted to wait? For some reason, that aroused his curiosity, for there weren’t many in Wind Reach that would turn a potential lover down for that reason. It seemed . . . odd. His smile became more of a quirky grin, as he added, “I’d offer to walk you back to your room. But then you’d probably think I was just going to hit on you again. And I won’t, Euthisa. I won’t.” Giving her a frank look, he tilted his head a bit to the side, as if perhaps he was studying her face and trying to commit it to memory.

[Euthisa]

Gnawing on her bottom lip in anticipation of his reply, Euthisa tried to calm her nerves that she'd upset him. She would stand by her choice no matter what, but she really felt horrible for turning him down. She just hoped now that when the time did come, he'd feel it was as worth the wait as she did. She hoped he saw the underlying message in her words; that waiting for someone she cared about, someone special, was a big deal to her and she was telling him that she wanted that honor to be his. Her thoughts swirled again as he removed a strand of hair from her face, fingers trailing her soft skin. Hess seemed to bring the hidden side of her out in the open. Her spontaneous and carefree side. The one her work and life habits seemed to bury most of the time. This entire night had been so far out of her routine, habits, and hobbies that it was like a total new Euthisa. She dreamed of the days when she'd live out her own folktale of sorts, like the ones she often read about, but she never saw it actually happening. Yet tonight seemed to belong written on the pages of a story. Hess organized his thoughts enough to speak, explaining that he understood but still hoped nonetheless. He seemed to mean it and didn't seem too bothered by her rejection of his idea. This relieved Euthisa immensely and she smiled warmly at him. A tender kiss adorned her cheek as his wishes to see her again soon embedded themselves in her ears. He took a step away from her and Euthisa's arms slid from behind his back to lace her fingers in his hands. Almost immediately his sense of humor returned, teasing her about walking her home. She rolled her eyes at him, her smile breaking down into a coy grin to match his own. "Haha, funny. I believe you, Hess. And I'd love it if you walked me home." He watched her carefully, his face calm but focused, perhaps painting a picture of her in his mind, trying to unravel the kinks in her character, or simply fighting off the thoughts and feelings she was sure were attempting to make things difficult for him. She couldn't tell what it was, but she stared sweetly back at him, as she let go of one hand, and began gently pulling the other towards the staircase to head home. His flesh was warm in her hand, and something about the worn patches on his skin felt comforting to her. Many thoughts raced in her mind, but none were so prominent than the thought that she could get used to this. That at almost twenty one years old, it was about time she found herself a boyfriend; one man to devote her time and loyalty to. And that she hoped things with Hess would positively progress from here and grant her her wish.