Closed Anguished Restoration (Hess)

[Euthisa]

Timestamp: 3rd of Fall 512 AV Where: The Enclave, outside Who: Euthisa and Hess Overlooking the upper lake, Euthisa sat just outside the Enclave, knees to her chest, tears in her eyes. She'd come in to work today, just as she did every day, but her heart wasn't in it. How could it be, when it was in pieces? Kirna could tell something was amiss with the usual enthusiastic librarian and had sent her outside for some air. Out in the open and alone, Euthisa's composure ruptured and here she sat. One thing was on her mind, and as much as it made her current state worse, she couldn't shake that night from her thoughts. About a week ago, she'd had the most magical night she could've ever hoped for, up on a rooftop with a man named Hess. A chance meeting Euthisa could only give credit to the Gods for, the two spent almost all night talking and in each others' arms. They shared stories and experiences, he'd walked her home, and they'd eagerly planned to meet again the next day. Euthisa'd woken up, gone to work, and faced difficulty containing her excitement when her work day was coming to a close, for she knew Hess would be waiting for her when she got off. But he never came. She waited for hours, to no avail. A mix of balled up emotions, she'd moped her way home, going straight to bed to try and avoid feeling the despair threatening to overtake her. A couple days passed, and there was still no sign of him. Euthisa asked any hunter she saw if they knew or had seen Hess, and she discovered that he'd gone off with a woman and a wind eagle, Faye and Shakath. They were stranded on a mountain and weather hadn't permitted their rescue as of yet. Euthisa nearly fainted with the news. Lost on a mountain in a blizzard? How could they possibly survive that? She wanted to find them, but she knew if she tried, she'd only lose her life in the process. She had no choice but to wait, and time chimed by more slowly than Euthisa ever thought possible. When no one could give her any updated news, she sought out Shakath himself to see if he found them. After many questions and navigational mishaps, she'd located the wind eagle, but he had no news to tell her either. He'd been going out every day to search for them, but there was no sign. As the days passed, their fate looked worse and worse, and every day that he didn't appear, another piece of Euthisa's heart broke, like flower petals cascading to the floor around her. It'd been a week now, and Euthisa stopped asking around for any sign of Hess or Faye. She was trying to focus on coping with his disappearance and tried forcing herself to realize he wasn't coming back. The blossoming tie between them, so exquisite and extraordinary, was the realest thing Euthisa'd ever experienced. She'd dropped all defenses, invited him inside, and now all she had to show for it was tears. Crossing her arms over her knees, she buried her face, letting her hair drape around her, a curtain of burgundy tresses, and let her anguish escape her.

[Hess]

Gods, he knew he must look a complete horror. But there wasn’t any time to stop and make himself pretty, not as far as Hess was concerned anyway. He’d been waiting for this moment for a week, and, in between times of wondering if they would ever get off that petching mountain, he had thought of her – Euthisa. He was supposed to go meet her, that first evening, the day he and Faye got dumped with that wind sheer. And he knew she would be disappointed. Or at least he thought she would be, probably. Hopefully? He didn’t want her to think that he wasn’t interested, or that he didn’t mean the things that he said, like, that he would come get her from the Enclave. But, he did sort of want to think that she at least cared – that she wasn’t indifferent to whether he showed or not. And it had been a whole week! A whole petching week, up there. He had wondered, what she would think. Would she be angry? Furious? Sad? It hadn’t really occurred to him that she would go to the trouble of inquiring after him. When Shakath had at last found them, and they were on their way back, finally, to Wind Reach, Hess had almost fallen off all over again, when the wind eagle had mentioned that a pretty girl named Euthisa had been asking after him. It had made Hess anxious, to know that she had to worry like that. But he had to admit, it made him happy to know that she hadn't just thought the worst of him and written him off. So now, he hurried, taking steps three at a time and leaping and loping like the deer he hunted, from the landing platform, making his way to the Enclave, just as fast as he could. It was still early afternoon, and he thought she would almost certainly be still at work there. He was dirty and smelly and his clothes were ripped and torn – and he smelled like a fireplace, from sheltering in that little enclosed spot with a fire going and bathed in smoke. He was ravenous – Shakath had brought some food but it hadn’t seemed enough, not by a long shot. He was exhausted, because trying to survive and make sure Faye did too had taken a lot of energy, especially when there had been so little to eat. But bathing, dressing in clean clothes, eating, sleeping – all that could wait. There was only one thing that had to be done right now, and that was to find her, and let her know he was back and safe and that he hadn’t meant to stand her up. Bounding through the front doors of the beautiful library and performance center, Hess hurried to the front desk, not spotting her but hoping that she was there, somewhere, maybe in the back. The young woman to whom he put his breathless inquiries looked at him with a surprised expression, but directed him towards the back and then out to a terrace that opened off to the side, overlooking one of the crater formed lakes. The words had barely left the girl’s mouth, before Hess was disappearing in the direction indicated. Shoving open another door, he practically stepped right on Euthisa, who was sitting on the step, curled into a miserable little ball. Hess, being his unshy self, managed not to trip and fall right on her, and then plopped down next to her, pulling her right to his chest, both arms around her shoulders. “Sorry I’m late,” he murmured, into her sweet smelling hair, kissing the side of her head. “I got . . . delayed.”

[Euthisa]

Minutes ticked by. If chimes went off, she didn't hear them. She only heard the sounds of her sobs. She felt like she was in slow motion, everything frozen around her, she the only functioning thing around. Doors slammed open behind her, and before Euthisa could turn to see what was going on, a swarm of smells filled her nostrils and she was curled up in someone's arms. The man was covered in dirt and grime and smelled like body odor and fire, all taking Euthisa by surprise, but it was Hess's sweet voice in her ear and lips on her head that surprised her the most. She pulled away, looking up into familiar molten eyes, unmistakeable no matter how dirty he was. Eyes sprung wide, mouth gaping wider, Euthisa stared blankly in disbelief. Was this really Hess in front of her? Was he really here? Or had her sanity finally snapped and she was hallucinating him here with her out of grief? Her hands reached out to him, felt his arms, his chest, his neck and hair, and finally traced his face, cupping his cheeks between her hands while more tears flowed from her eyes. "Hess?!?!? Is it really you?!?! You're alive?! Are you ok?!" Without pause to let him answer, she leaned into him, kissing him hard and passionately, happier than words could ever describe to see him. When the kiss broke, she hugged him tight, curling up in a ball in his arms. She'd crawl into his lap like a puppy if he let her. Pulling back to look at him, still stunned that he was actually there with her, she wanted to know everything. "What happened? I've been freaking out! I feared the worst. I'm so happy to see you! You're so blessed to be alive. I'm blessed to still have you. Can I get you anything?"

[Hess]

Her first reaction was to pull away, and Hess could hardly blame her. There was little doubt he looked like a wild man, and smelled like a wild animal. But he didn’t release his hold, and his hands cradled her, keeping her close despite the look of shock on her pretty, tear stained face. It was hard to know that he had been the cause of those tears, despite that it wasn’t he’d done intentionally. He let her take the time it required to process that he was really there, beside her, but he grinned like a lunatic at her, just soaking in the much thought of look of her. And it didn’t take long for her brain to catch up with her eyes, and her lips followed right after, happily. When her mouth pressed to his, Hess ardently returned Euthisa’s kiss, feeling the currents of attraction renewing themselves, threading through his body like licks of wild fire. Her arms twined around him and he pulled her closer still. Their minds must have been pretty well aligned, for he just kept tugging on her until, in fact, she was drawn onto his lap, the two of them as close as they could get without some supernatural flesh melding going on. She had broken off the kiss, too soon, he thought, but he wasn’t bothered. There would be time for more, lots more. In reply to her excited questions and exclamations, he smiled. “We were lucky. Things went better than they might have. But – there’s time for all that, later. I can thrill you with every bloody minute of being stuck on a mountain top, some night, when you’re really bored.” His lips brushed against her cheek. “And nope, I don’t need a thing. I have all I want right here.” He gave her a little squeeze. “I was thinking about you – a lot. Sorry I couldn’t come get you, last week. Shakath told me you’d asked him, about me, and Faye. I’m sorry you were worried. I’m sorry you’ve been upset.” Hess pressed his nose against her ear, and said in a low voice, “But, I’m glad you just didn’t care.” He pulled back and grinned again. “Or maybe you were just crying because you stubbed your toe? Paper cut? I know how dangerous working in a library can be.”

[Euthisa]

Their kiss was magical, like the first one all over again. Their minds, mouths, and bodies molded together in perfect shape as Euthisa found herself in Hess' lap. He cradled her small frame in his arms like she'd always been made to fit there. Her eyes flooded with tears of happiness as he implied all he wanted was her. The fact that he literally just returned from being stranded on a mountain for a week, totally unprepared, and he wanted nothing more than to be there with her really said something to Euthisa. It showed how deeply he really cared, despite their lack of time knowing one another. She'd never felt this way before and while it was terrifying in that new experience kind of way, it thrilled and excited her. He apologised for his absence, for her worry, and for her tears, a gentlemen even when he'd done nothing wrong, and Euthisa shook her head at him. "Darling there's no need to be sorry. You're worth every tear." She kissed him again, briefly. He teased that her tears were because of her "dangerous working conditions" and playfully she frowned at him. "Yeah, because I'm such a baby about a paper cut or my toe. I'm tougher than that, dear. Though I may be little, I am fierce. Better watch out. I might getcha!" She laughed as she looked at him. Together they were both playful and serious, in all the appropriate places, and at the proper times, and things between them balanced perfectly. Thoughts crossed her mind, and a crooked grin adorned her face to match them. Hopefully, she'd take him by surprise. "Now my love, how about I take you home and get you cleaned up? You wear dirty very well, but I'm sure you'd feel tons better all clean again. What do you think?"

[Hess]

Her teasing words of her own ferocity made him laugh too, and he thought it was surely time for the third kiss. The other two had been just far too brief. But it was not to be. Yep, he was a pretty sorry sight – and smelled worse – so her desire to see him cleaned up came as no surprise. Her offer to take him to her own quarters, though, did surprise him – though he tried not to read too much into it. He hoped that Euthisa was feeling something like he did right at that moment – that now he had found her he didn’t want to part company with her right away. So perhaps that’s what was prompting her invitation. He wouldn't try to think beyond that. Before he accepted though – which he fully intended to do – he did take that third kiss, just a wee bit longer than the other two. And when he broke away from those irresistible lips, he said quite seriously, “I never want to measure the value of anything by your tears, Euthisa. Especially not my sorry ass. I know it’s not very realistic, life being what it is, which is one big risk – even for librarians.” He finally grinned. “But I hope I never make you cry again.” He kissed the tip of her nose and helped her slide out of his lap, then rose holding onto her hand to help her stand as well. “And I think your suggestion sounds like heaven, so lead on, though I warn you. I’m probably wearing a bushel of dirt. I hope you have access to lots of water. Hot water. I think I’ve had enough of snow for a while.” He brushed the ball of his thumb over her cheek. “So, take me where you will and have your way with me, until I shine.”

[Euthisa]

Their lips met again, more tantalizing than the first two, and Euthisa could hardly blame him. He was lucky to be alive to see her face and taste her lips, and she herself couldn't get enough of him. Looking at him, she saw through the dirt and grime and saw the handsome man she'd started falling for. She noticed not the smell of him for his inner beauty was more noticeable than his smell. She'd been so lost without him, even more so when she thought life intended for her to remain that way, and all things aside, he was all she gave a flying petch about. She then, naturally, broke into a wide emotional grin when he spoke the sweetest words she'd ever heard. He really did care about her a lot, and the feeling was warming. She'd never see another cold night or a stormy day as long as he was around. That she could be sure of. A sweet gesture and loving touch later, they were on their way to her room. "I don't see myself ever crying over you again. Not in a negative sense or for a negative reason anyway. And I have plenty of hot water, darling. Always keep some around. I'll take care of you." She clutched his hand as they walked home, securely weaving her fingers into his. There was a bounce in her step as they walked together, Euthisa could hardly contain her happiness. She hoped though that he didn't see her invitation home as a physical one. At this point, having come so close to losing him, she wasn't really opposed to the idea anymore, but she hadn't told him that yet, and she had her own way in mind to do so. Her invitation home was because they could part ways, clean up, and then gather again to spend time together, or they could spend time together while cleaning up. She wanted to take care of him and nurture him in a loving way, the way a mother does her child, only this was meant in a different way. It was a passionate and sensual notion on her part, and she hoped that message shone through to him. She pictured him relaxing while she worked to remove the hardships of the mountain and its evidence on his skin. She wondered if anyone had ever done anything like that for him, and she hoped she could be the first to do so. An act of her faithfulness to him. They had only just met when he became stranded, but in that time, she hadn't written him off or sought to replace him, and she had no desires to. She wanted him to know that, and actions always speak louder than words. They arrived back at her quarters, and just as promised, Euthisa did have access to hot water and a sponge. Thankfully, she'd cleaned her room earlier that day before leaving for work, and she was proud to have him there with her. Walking over to grab the sponge, she dipped it in the water and walked back over to him. Fingers trailed across his chest as she brought herself behind him, already placing the sponge against his shoulders and the sore muscles she assumed were there. Rising to whisper in his ear, her lips brushed his neck as she spoke. "Let me take care of you." Not waiting for an answer, she began in circular motions at his neck, waging war against the grime that clung there.

[Hess]

He let her lead him to her room, though he already had the path memorized. He had gone over it many times, in his head, in the past week, determined to find her just as soon as he set foot in the city again. He would first check the Enclave, and if she was not there, he’d fly to her quarters. And if still he hadn’t found her, well…he wouldn’t let himself think about that. But he was content to simply walk along with his hand in hers, wondering exactly what she had in mind, and how this was going to go down. It would have been easier, he supposed, to just go and have a bath at one of the communal bathing facilities. But he much preferred this notion of something more private, just the two of them, so the time would be spent together, in something that would of necessity have to get a bit…personal. They reached Euthisa’s room and they entered, Euthisa dropping his hand to go further in, and Hess turning to shut the door. When he turned back, she was already returning to him, a sponge in hand, and he stopped and grinned. “So, where do you want me?” he asked with a teasing glint in his golden eyes. But Euthisa, with a pretty saucy look of her own in her sparkling eyes, simply trailed her fingers lightly across his bare chest, continuing on to stand behind him. Hess turned his head to try to look at her, and then felt the touch of the sponge, warm and wet, between his shoulder blades. He chuckled softly. “You don’t mess around, do you?” he joked, but then he felt another warmth, that of her breath, on his neck and below his ear. She spoke in a low voice, and her lips were brushing over his skin, causing him to flinch the tiniest bit, as it almost tickled. “Please do,” he replied, turning his face back forward as she began to move the sponge over his no doubt grimy neck. “Definitely the best offer I’ve had all year.” He reached his good hand behind himself and rested it lightly on her hip, caressing it both through the fabric of her bryda and above, where her soft skin began. “I hope you’ll let me return the favor – if not today then…soon.”

[Euthisa]

She caught his flinch while she spoke, and she took it as a positive sign. There would be plenty more where that came from. Muddy rivers cascaded down his back as she scrubbed, but inch by inch, his hunter's skin was shining through. It dirtied her floor, but having a clean floor was the utmost furthest thing from Euthisa's mind. She giggled and smiled as his hand touched her hip and her flesh. His calloused and rugged hands always felt like velvet to her, standing every hair and nerve on end, tantalizing her senses and her hormones. Her free arm slipped under his to wrap around him, hand resting across his midsection, fingers toying with the muscles beneath his flesh. When his back was finished, or good enough without the communal baths at hand, Euthisa slipped around his front side to stand before him, patches of muddy water blemishing her clothes and her skin. A hand cradled one side of his neck while the other wiped at the opposite side. Her eyes gazed into his, letting her senses and instincts move her hand across his body, muddy rivers appearing to match his back side. Her eye contact neglected to falter as she backed him up, pushing him down to sit on her bed while she started on his legs below his bryda, using her free hand to massage the muscles as she washed. "And for that favor, today is as good a day as any." She winked at him before "innocently" turning her gaze back to her work. She ran the idea through her head and heart once more, quietly double checking herself to make sure she was ok with this. The response was a warm and tingly feeling, a definite positive sign, and a sultry smile formed on her lips. She glanced up at Hess from time to time, wondering what thoughts passed through his head. When the exposed parts of his legs matched the rest of his open skin, the parts beneath his clothes were all that remained. Using a cloth to wipe off most of the runaway dirt rivers, Euthisa worked from bottom to top, eventually landing herself in his lap again, this time comfortably facing him, knees bent under her legs on either side of his. Without hesitation, her lips found his, eager and animated with passion, heart and body fueling her actions instead of her mind. She pulled him against her, their upper bodies pressed together as her fingers tangled in his hair. She really had no idea of what to do or how this went down, but she knew it couldn't be bad to follow her instincts, knowing Hess would take care of her and guide her through this. She'd expected to feel nervous, though excited nonetheless, but she wasn't. She was comfortable like this, her complete trust in him shining like the brightest star in Zintila's sky. The star she knew he followed every time he was away and had to come home. The star she knew would always bring him back to her. There was only one thing she needed to get out before anything proceeded. "The only thing is... I don't want this to be your average, casual, mindless Inarta activity, if you follow my meaning." She said, breaking their kiss for a moment. She chewed her bottom lip as hopeful eyes searched his face, praying to Cheva he'd say and feel what she was looking for. Praying they were on the same page.

[Hess]

The further the sponge bath progressed, the less Hess cared about his state of cleanliness. Having a pretty girl bestow this kind of attention upon him, and the feel of her fingers that frequently touched his skin, were making his body react in ways that might have been embarrassing to some. But as Hess was Inarta, it kind of went with the territory, and he wasn’t bothered by it – and he assumed Euthisa wouldn’t be either. She might not be terribly experienced in such matters, by he had to think that she had some inkling of the effect she would have on him. So his reaction should come as no surprise. As she slipped around to begin on his front, he resisted the urge to wrap his arms around her, not wanting to get her wet, though she was that anyway. He also was sort of enjoying the tease of her being so close, touching him lightly, yet he was supposed to behave and stand still. So he let her continue on, and when she gently pushed him down to sit on her bed, he didn’t resist – though he did give her a snerky grin. Her little comment, in response to his earlier, and that wink, made his abs tighten a bit – a reflexive reaction to the thought her words conjured in his head. But all he said was, “Are you sure you want to do this?” Your bed is going to get all ….messy.” But Euthisa just shot him a look and went on to scrub lightly at his feet, ankles, shins, knees… He had leaned back, resting his weight on his hands behind him, and he watched her, kneeling on the floor before him, fascinated by that image, and wondering just how this was going to end up. Still, he made no move to stop her, to interject his own thoughts about what they might be doing, now that they were in this extremely intimate juxtaposition of bodies. Finally, though, when she laid aside her sponge and climbed into his lap, he leaned forward and wrapped both still damp arms about her, not caring anymore what state he was in now, or what state he’d wind up getting her, or her bed, in either. Her fingers were in his messy hair and his went to her…thighs, caressing her softly as their mouths met, with a great deal more passion than those earlier ones outside the Enclave. His biceps flexed as he tightened his embrace, and he tried not to shift about too much, still wondering what she would make of what she had created, in him. He let her lead, for now, let her explore, as she would, knowing at some point she would probably pause and relinquish the reins of this to him, just because of their respective experience levels. But first, she broke off kissing him and leaned back away from him a bit, though his arms were not about to let her go far. Their eyes met and she posed her question, and even though he was very familiar with exactly such types of encounters that she referred to, he understood what she was asking, and why. He smiled, amused, though he meant to give her a serious answer. His hand came up to stroke along her jawline to her chin and his fingers rested there, as he held her gaze with his own. “I think this past week has knocked a bit of that kind of pastime out of me” he said, his voice sincere in its steady timbre. “I must be getting old. I kept thinking about dying, and not getting to have anything…special. No-one to even really care that I had moved on. I’ve never taken the time to really get to know another person. It never seemed necessary, really, or useful. But…I think I’m ready for that. For something….above average… something I can put my mind to. To keep, for a long while. I want to belong to someone, and to take care of them in return. To maybe have something more than just today, or tonight…” His fingers held her chin level as he bent just a bit to renew their kiss, pausing just long enough to say, “to wake up with you, every morning, that is what I want, Euthisa…”