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

[Hess]

He allowed himself to be lead along by this girl that had already begun somehow to gently slip into his psyche, like a breeze playing about his face so softly and subtly that he didn’t even notice it, yet still felt its cooling touch. They walked in silence – a contented silence that demarked a accord of two spirits happy to simply be in each other’s company. As they weaved their way through the tortuous labyrinth that was Wind Reach, he was wasn’t really thinking, merely watching – her. And he was already unconsciously etching in his mind the landmarks that would guide him back to wherever it was that she was taking him. That was the hunter in him, a man used to navigating his way through seemingly untracked wilderness. When they reached a certain door – one like dozens of others they had passed – she stopped, and turned to him. Clearly this was where the trail ended, for now. Without knowing, or caring, if anyone waited for her on the other side of that door, Hess pulled her back into his arms and kissed her in a meaningful way. It wasn’t a brief peck, neither was it a wet, penetrating assault on her mouth. Somewhere in the spectrum of kisses, what he meant for it to say was something along the lines of I really enjoy kissing you and I can’t wait for more. But maybe kiss-talk never came through quite so clearly. In any case, it wasn’t an overlong kiss, and this time, he was the one who broke away first. Looking down into her eyes, his own glinting with suppressed passion, he asked, “So, when can I see you again? Tomorrow? After you’re done work? Shall I come by the Enclave?” He smiled teasingly. “Not like I’m really impatient or anything.”

[Euthisa]

The walk home was a silent one. She couldn't speak for him, but Euthisa knew her silence came from many places. She was enjoying his company, savoring his smell and touch and the sound of their footsteps walking side by side. However, she was also deeply lost in thought. She was trying to decipher her feelings, keep her thoughts from running too far off the beaten path, and she was already reminiscing on their enchanted evening together. Already playing the memory of it over and over in her mind, pausing on her favorite moments, savoring their sweet taste longer than the others. And she was watching him, on and off. The comfortability in his walk, the ease at which he found himself with her. It was peaceful and serene, a beauty of its own to behold. They eventually reached her door and stopping to look at each other again, Hess pulled her to him for their goodnight kiss. Not fleeting and guarded nor lusty and seducing, that kiss held more meaning to Euthisa than she'd ever thought was actually possible. She knew in that moment, without a doubt, that Hess really wasn't hitting on her or trying to get through her door to spend the night with her. She firmly knew that he was standing before her and he was kissing her lips because he liked to and wanted to. It was sweet and passionate, and it was Euthisa's favorite kiss from him thus far. He broke away first this time, further impressing Euthisa with the durability of his will power. And the sincerity in his words. He was being truthful with her, and any doubts she had flitting around her mind vanished. She didn't need to do the thinking with her head. Her intuition and heart told her everything. Their instincts were stronger and untainted by raw human nature and she trusted them completely. Hess was the real deal, and Euthisa made a mental note to thank the gods for weaving a web where their paths crossed one another's. He requested to know when he'd see her again, offering to stop by the Enclave when she got off work tomorrow. He teasingly added that he was impatient to wait to see her again, causing Euthisa's heart to skip a beat. She didn't want to wait to see him either, and so she agreed to his terms. "That would be wonderful, love. You could come by as I'm getting off work and we could go do something. I'd like that a lot. I'm impatient too." Wrapping her arms around his neck, Euthisa rose to her tippy toes and held Hess in a warm and caring embrace. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, planting a gentle kiss there. Sinking back down to her feet, her hands still rested against his chest. She stared longingly into his eyes, imprinting his gaze into her memory for recollection later. She wanted to make sure she remembered every little detail she could. Every glint and gleam. The emotion and passion that glowed through his irises. A hand reached up to cradle his face, fingers caressing the skin of his cheek. "Goodnight Hess. I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

[Hess]

She agreed to his suggestion and he smiled, happy to know that she wasn’t averse to meeting again so soon. In his mind, he wasn’t calculating how long it would take to get her into his bed. He truly just wanted to be in her company again, and he was fine with whatever developed, or didn’t, and he felt in no rush. This was something of a first for him too, as much as it was for Euthisa. So far, in his life, Hess had enjoyed being with girls in many ways, but things were only ever casual, and usually pretty short term. But as Euthisa wrapped her arms about his neck and cuddled against him for a moment, some other part of Hess was making its embryonic self felt. Some thought or instinct to find a mate, perhaps. That drive to bond and procreate, that 95% of the time simply resulted in a pleasant one off, and little thought for what might ever come of such a union. Hess had no children, as far as he knew, but he hadn’t really ever thought about it, or followed up on the girls he could possibly have fathered a child on. He as pretty sure he would have heard about it, if one of them had turned up pregnant. But now, in this moment, holding Euthisa in his arms, having spent an evening which was better than many in recent memory, he began to think about the possibility of something a little more . . . lasting. He kissed her forehead and grinned, “Good. I’ll be there around sunset. I’ll try to get cleaned up first, this time.” Pressing his lips to hers one last time, he gave her a brief parting kiss and not unreluctantly, let her slide from his arms. She opened the door and paused on the threshold, and he said, “Good night, Euthisa. I hope your sleep is peaceful. Sweet dreams.” He reached out his good hand and lightly tapped her nose. “See you tomorrow.”

[Phoenix]

Hess

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	3
Geography	1
Singing	2
Seduction	3
Rhetoric	5

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Enjoying the Sunset
•	Unprepared for Company
•	Requesting a story
•	Zintilia’s Fall
•	The Bear and the Maiden Fair
•	Listening to a ladies wishes

Euthisa

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Storytelling	3
Observation	4
Seduction	3
Rhetoric	4

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Wanting to be more than Chiet
•	Stumbling into a friendship with Hess
•	Zintila’s Fall
•	The Bear and the Maiden Fair
•	Saying no to Temptation

The Order of the Phoenix

Awwwwwwwww! How cute! I loved their interaction and I found myself cheering for them. I love seeing PC's get along just as much as I love seeing PC's fight Great job, you two.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.