Another? (Cass)

[Darian]

As he nuzzled his face against her neck, he responded to her exposing her neck by kissing it softly at first gradually increasing pressure, and slowly rubbing up and down her belly. Kissing more up her neck he nibbled slightly on her ear, completely lost in the moment, and he took her growl as a purr of sorts. He was simply to consumed by the moment to differentiate. Her words though broke him out of his trance though, and he remembered that there time was measured if they were going to get done all that they wanted to this night. Slowly he bent down and kissed her deeply, and after more than a few moments of kissing her, he rose again looking into her eyes with a slight smile. " Yes, very much so now " he replied softly and then added. " Time is precious I agree, need to get healing as soon as possible "

After a brief suffering to untangle their limbs, he stood up and reached down to help her up to him. " Should we unpack your tent and such and bring it with us? " he asked examining the structure curiously. It wouldn't be too hard to carry with them, although they wouldn't need it in the inn but at least it wouldn't get stolen. He looked back at her and offered a smile, dark thoughts long passed from his mind in return for living in the moment, which seemed very happy at the moment.

Vigor flowed through his body as he thought of the city, and not returning alone warmed him up even more. Soon they would have a warm meal in them and could relax all they want in a room there. Plus no more worrying about his arm bolstered his eagerness, and if Cass desired the tent to go with them, he would quickly dismantle the construction of canvas until it was completely down and he would slide it onto his back along with his other pack before offering to help Cass walk. It would be a bit of a walk back to the main part of the city but the trip would be worth it.

Their progress would be slow through the woods but by the time the moon was full in the sky above them they were within the city, and already making their way about town. His pockets still filled with coin he had saved since he was young and he quickly secured them quarters within the castle commons. He was relieved that Cass's disguise had seemed to work so far, and as soon as they got to their room and closed the door, he wrapped his arms around her in a big hug, only to flinch back because of the pain in his arm. " We made it! " he said breathlessly watching her, while rubbing his arm slightly. " I think we will have to wait till morning to find a healer, it's not wise to travel Sunberth for long at night, especially with the both of us injured and besides no healer I know of would be out at such a hour " he continued and he looked at her, blinking several times to take it all in.

oocWant me to change anything just let me know

[Cass]

The feeling of his warm lips against her neck sent odd shivers up and down her spine. It took all her strength to keep herself from simply giving into her new instincts. Fighting the urges to touch and explore, Cass was grateful when his lips parted from her skin and his voice filled the air. The warm bubbles rumbling deep in her stomach were quelled. "Healing will do us both good." Once Darian untangled his arms from around her Cass slowly sat up. Taking his offered hand she was gently pulled back onto her feet. The pressure on her ankle sent painful flames shooting up her leg, but Cass simply bit back the pain. She needed to stay focus on reaching Sunberth. "Yes. Even though we'll be in a city we should be prepared if we find ourselves back in the wilderness again."

While Darian dismantled the tent Cass went about gathering up the rest of her own supplies. With her overcoat now dry and clean she carefully slipped it on, folding her wings up against her back so the coat could hide them better. Grabbing her small bag of supplies she slung it over both of her shoulders for easy transportation. She decided to wait until they were closer to Sunberth before applying the mud and dirt to her exposed dull grey skin. There was no reason to be completely disgiused at the moment. Grabbing Darian's dagger she carefully walked back over to him, keeping as much weight as she could off her injured ankle.

"Here," she held the dagger out to him. "We both need to be fully prepared and you're missing a blade." The secret spot Darian had originally hid the short blade was nowhere to be found on his person. So instead she simply slid the dagger between his armor and the belt holding his other longer blade. Finished Cass pulled out her gloves from her coat pockets and pulled them onto her hands, to hide her claw-like fingers. Slipping her boots on as well she smiled, ready to finally forge ahead.

With Darian helping her walk their journey was slow. Cass kept her eyes peeled and ears alert as they moved throughout the wilderness. Every sound whether threatening or not had Cass on edge. She was ready to pounce if need be, wounded or not. Thankfully no animal dared to strike. After a good while of walking Cass began to notice that the trees were thinning and that the flat ground was turning into small hills. And then...there it was. Sunberth. The first human city she had ever dared to even approach. A quick glance at Darian told her that he was glad to see the city as well.

Stopping to quickly cover her exposed skin in dirt and mud Cass kept close to Darian as they approached the city. Her grip on his arm tightened just a tiny bit when they finally entered, the fear of the unknown slamming through her body. Every human they passed gave hard, threatening looks which Cass had no idea how to respond to. Fighting the urge to explore the human city, Cass remained with Darian as they reached the castle commons. Keeping her mouth shut as they passed by a few more humans she released a sigh of relief when they finally made it to their quarters Darian had secured.

Loosening her grip on his arm Cass's eyes immediately began to roam their new quarters, taking everything in. It was all so very different from the tunnels and wilderness. "I noticed some humans looking at me strangely. My disgiuse worked, didn't it?" She held back her groan about the mention of finding a healer in the morning. She disliked the daylight hours...but for healing, she'd put up with it. "The healer will find out about me though." She glanced down at her injured boot foot. "It won't be hard for someone to notice the skin color and claws."

[Darian]

The room within the inn was small and cramped, but it was shelter none the less. A lone lit candle sat onto of a small square cabinet, illuminating the windowless room with a faint golden glow. Thin slits lined the top of the wooden walls, serving as a way to vent the smoke from the newly lit candle. Besides the cabinet and candle, there was only two other pieces of furniture, a straw bed that took up half the space in the room and a wooden chest that rested alongside it. The golden light glimmered of the metal of the simple unengaged lock that hung loosely from the chest's latch, and the shining allowed for a bit of a focus point for Darian's eye whenever it seemed to wander about. The quarters where simple, but that was the way Darian liked it, simple and nondescript and served well to drive eyes away from them. With the weight of the hungry eyes on the street no longer on him, his shoulders visibly relaxed, and he felt a little bit safer within the room. The chest would provide a good place to store his stuff for the night, and he suspected it and the cabinet would be empty, of course it would be empty, this inn isn't cheap for a reason.

Softly almost in the corner of his mind he registered her words, but as he picked up on her worry his attention was all of a sudden focused on her. " Eyes around here always seem to be more threatening at night, I'm sure you where not discovered " he said softly trying to soothe her and make her worry not. People around here where dangerous, and at night the threat increased tenfold, but he was sure they just saw them as another odd pair walking the streets at night. His armor made him a bit of a target as he didn't look like the average drifter as did she, but he had constantly backtracked several times to make sure they weren’t followed so he was confident of their safety for now. That had been part of his reasoning to check into the cheap inn hoping that anyone with eyes on them to think them not worth their time if they had no gold to steal. He would sleep with a dagger near at hand anyways, and perhaps even set a trap for any would be thieves during the night.

Her questions about the healer possibly discovering her struck a chord within him, and before he knew what he was doing he was reaching out for her, his hands trying to grab just behind her elbows and pull her close. If she didn't step back he would pull her close gently, and lock eyes with her, his dark hazel eyes glinting in the sparse light with fierce determination. " If the healer can't be persuaded to keep his mouth shut with my coin, then he will find my dagger " he said in a cold, protective voice. Almost as if recognized his err in tone, he blinked slowly and visibly softened his features. " I won’t let anything happen to you " he said softly and gently he would run his hands along her arms till he reached her wrists and he would pull her hands towards him and kiss the top of her hands lightly.

" Maybe I can make it easier for you to travel in the day " he mused aloud, casting his thoughts, and the conversation elsewhere, and slowly let go of her wrists and took a step back. It wasn't that large of a room so a step back was all he could manage without slamming into the wall, but he knew the relative dimensions of the room and gently he leaned back against the wall. " Perhaps I could fashion you something from cloth or purchase something from the market? I'll leave the choice up to you " he added, and he raised an inch or two from the wall and turned to face the bed.

The leather armor was painfully tight on his injured arm so that was what he decided to take off first, releasing the wrist guard with a flick of his fingers and watched as it fell quietly to the floor. He let the second wrist guard fall similarly, and he turned to gaze at Cass as he unstrapped his cuirass. " I won't need this armor while we are sleeping, and I don’t plan on wearing it around the city tomorrow. It would simply attract too much attention to us, attention we don't want " he explained to her as the last strap on his cuirass came off and the working of special leather clattered to the ground. Upper body exposed, the light glimmered off the moistness that had gathered under the conforming but breathable armor that had gathered up his sweat, and the humidity from the night's air, leaving his body shinning with what it left upon his skin. Deciding not to take off his pants just yet, he gathered up the armor he had taken of, and slid off the lock from the chest, opening it wide and replacing the empty space with his discarded armor. He left it open just in case Cass might want to use it, and slowly he rose to his feet and resumed his place across from her. " I hope the quarter's are to your liking " he said softly.

[Cass]

The room was a bit cramped but Cass didn't mind. In fact, the close quarters reminded her a bit of home in the tunnels. Well, the narrower tunnels. Not the larger ones. Taking in the straw bed, wooden chest, and cabinet Cass was a bit surprised at how far Darian's coin had taken them. The lack of windows was perfect. No need to have anybody looking through windows. Of course that meant they only had one way in and out of the room, but Cass was alright with those odds. Slipping her bag off to set it on the ground by her feet Cass finished looking about the room and focused on Darian.

Looking down at her gloved hands she nodded. "Right. I should have known that. Creature of the night and all." She spotted Darian's hands reaching out. His fingers warpped around her elbows and gently pulled her closer to him. Looking up at him she blinked at the new expression on his face. His eyes were filled with a cold determination that Cass had only seen her eldest brother wear. It was odd to see such a look upon Darian's face but also strangely comforting. His cold brutal words sent her mind reeling back to the days in the tunnels. But just as quick as Darian's cold look came, it left with a flash. His hands ran down her arms and lifted her hands up till he met them with his lips.

"I trust you," Cass replied. It was the only thing she could say. There definitely was another side to Darian, one she clearly did not know about. But that knowledge did not come with fear. His mention of getting something for her to wear during the day caused her to snap out of her musings. "Whatever costs you less coin. But you don't have to go through all that trouble. I'll stick it out." She'd be more irritable and more like to snap, but she would tough it out.

Cass watched as Darian faced the bed and began to slip his wristguards off. His hands then went to unstrap his cuirass from his chest. Her eyes widened a bit when his black armor dropped away to reveal his exposed chest. Sweat glistened and lined his muscles. The Ziths back home definitely had to be doing something wrong with the male human slaves. None of them had that kind of upper body. "But you need some kind of protection." She tore her eyes away from his exposed chest and focused on his face. "I saw the stares. Some of them are eager for bloodshed." Not quite ready for bed but tired of wearing her coat, Cass slipped her coat off and placed it in the chest next to Darian's armor.

"These quarters are perfect," she replied, allowing her wings to relax and droop a little. "But it's clear we need to watch our backs." Stepping closer to Darian she gently pressed her glove hand against his chest. "And I need to control a part of me I never knew before."

[Darian]

" Coin spent wisely is not a concern, your well being is worth it " he responded, and he reached out to brush a stray strand of hair from her face while offering her a smile. He was prepared to pay anything if it meant that she would be comfortable, but it needed to be simple if they were going to pull of the whole wandering drifters disguise. Rich clothing attracted thieves’ eyes, and that more often than not earned you a dagger in the back, something he sought to prevent. Besides he had to get him some more casual wear as well, but such planning could be saved for the morning. He needed time to think on how to procure such items safely without further showing off his flashy armor in the process, the target on his back was wide enough as it was. A glance at the single door to the room filled him with appreciation for even though it had its draw backs it meant any would be housebreakers would only have one way to get in, and he would at least be warned of their presence.

His eyes looked back at her as she slipped out of her overcoat, and warmth tingled inside of him. Part of him was touched by her concern for his well being and another part of him tingled with other sensations not so foreign but none the less pleasant. His eyes roamed her from bottom to top, noting her simple casual wear of shorts and a shirt before eventually settling on her face. It was difficult not to let his imagination run wild on what was under those thin cloths, but from what he could see she possessed quite a striking form that sent shivers all up and down his body, and his chest to feel lighter as his breath shortened. He resisted pulling her to him and making a show of passion right then and there and instead locked eyes with hers and offered a reassuring grin. " You are right, I just will need to get some cloths in the morning to wear over this armor, that way I'll be safe and less notable " he replied in agreement, and he took a small step to the side as he shuffled his feet.

He was relieved to hear that she liked the quarters, but the words that followed surprised him and reminded him what city they were in after all. " We survive by being careful out there " he added to her comment about watching their backs. Suddenly her hand was on his chest and he reached up and grabbed it gently within his hand and looked at her. Although he wasn't quite sure what she meant he had a relative idea, and he found himself in the same boat. " we can learn together " he said softly, his voice almost a whisper, and he took a step closer to her placing his right hand on her hip, keeping his left on her hand. The soft fabric that covered the firm muscle underneath felt good against his hand, and he squeezed her hip lightly while moving a bit closer to her. " It is foreign to it as well " he added breathlessly.

[Cass]

She watched as his left hand fell upon her own hand while his right hand dropped down a bit to rest on her hip. Bringing her gaze up she let a small smile spread across her face. In the golden light of the flickering candle Darian's features seemed to glow. Her gloved fingers began to trace random patterns against the firm muscles of his chest. "Then in the morning we'll find something for you to wear over your armor and something to keep the annoying rays away."

Feeling his hand squeeze her hip gently her smile grew. Moving closer to him she brought her other gloved hand up to gently run her fingers across more of his chest. A warm tingling was beginning to develop down near her waist. She didn't know if it was good or bad but it was getting far to tempting to resisit. Her smile morphing into a grin she let her eyes take in the beautiful body Darian possessed. He seemed perfect in every single way. He was far better than any of the wimps down in the tunnels. The moaning, scared humans of her past. No. Darian was better than that he was maverlous!

Her eyes momentarily drifted past him and all her darker, less gentle thoughts vanished when she spotted her imaginary friend tucked away in the darkest corner of the room, grinning in pure delight. Her annoying "friend" never grinned unless she was doing something another Zith would be proud of. Which meant she was slipping back into her beastily ways.

"Go ahead," her imaginary friend said. "Show him who's in charge."

No! No, that wasn't what she wanted! Pulling her gaze back to Darian she pulled her one hand away but kept her hand Darian was holding where it was. Wrapping her wings around both of them, Cass rested her head against his warm chest. It felt good. Amazing actually. "Darian...I'm afraid. I-I...I don't want to hurt you but there's a chance I might and...and you don't deserve that."

[Darian]

The feel of her waist, combined with the touch of her hand, and the sight of her face so close to his made his heart pound in his chest. His every breath was becoming more husky and deep at being in the mere proximity of her. The soft fabric of her gloves against his skin as she ran her hand across his chest raised goose bumps across his naked skin, and warmth radiated through his body as the passion of the moment intoxicated him.

Even through her cloths he could see every exquisite curve her body possessed, and his blood pumped faster as more sensual thoughts filled his mind, and he could feel the gentle heat that seemed to radiate from her body. Unconsciously he ran his left hand down her arm and just behind it, his hand teasingly brushing against her bosom, before securing a grip on her shoulder and massaging its way lower. The feel of her body was just too hard to resist, and his hands wandered with desire that had been constrained up until that point. His left hand gradually made its way back up her arm finally holding it once more, and holding it close.

He noticed her brief look to the side only barely in his lower state of awareness, but he just contributed it to her thinking, a thought confirmed as he heard her words. Oddly the feeling of her wings around him spurred on the sensations already at work in his waist area. Holding her hand tight, he closed his eyes briefly, it felt so right having her head against his chest. Still holding her hand, he put his chin on the crown of her head, and whispered. " Its a risk I am willing to take, I trust you " The words came out soft spoken but sounded of confidence as well. He had no fear of entering in such intimacy with her, despite the horror stories he had heard concerning zith and their lovers. No, she was different, and they could learn to control it together. They simply had to believe that.

To confirm his faith in her, gently he slid of her glove and tossed it into the chest, and took her other hand softly and slid the glove off of it as well. His left hand found its way to her cheek and he raised her head to face him, his lips enveloping hers as he kissed her deeply, and his right hand curved downwards to cup under her firm thigh. With a small turn his back was now to the candle and cabinet with her back to the wall, and picking up her thigh slightly, he pushed her back up against his wall. His tongue meshing with her own in her mouth as he kissed her, and gently he ran his left hand along her arm, rubbing it gently as he focus on what she wanted.

[Cass]

His statement of trust surprised Cass. She hadn't expected him to continue with this gamble. Keeping her face against her chest she felt his hands doing their own exploring. His touch and light squeezes sent sparks flying below her waist. She watched as he gently pulled her gloves off her hands to reveal her claw-like fingers. She quickly reminded herself to be careful now with her hands. A small gasp escaped her as his lips pressed against hers. She let Darian turn her and before she knew it her back was pressed against the wall. Her wings flattened against the wall as she wrapped her legs around him so he wouldn't have to keep holding her up.

Her tongue danced with Darian's as her fingers gently roamed his chest once more. Yes...yes this all felt so good! Breaking away from his lips simply to catch her breath she leaned forward and playfully bit the lobe of his ear. She then left her own short trail of kisses down from his ear to his collarbone. Lifting her head back up she recaptured his lips, tasting him once again. It felt like an eternity had passed. Time was going slow but Cass was happy about it. Pulling her lips away again to breath she glanced over at the bed.

Just as she was about to suggest taking things to the bed a loud laughter and bang pounded against the door of their quarters. Without hesitating Cass wrapped her arms around Darian, pressing his head close to her chest. Loud growls ripped past her lips as she glared at the door. Darian was hers! Nobody was coming to steal him from her! Nobody! Her growls began to die when silence began to settle. Not knowing what had happened Cass unwrapped her arms and looked back at Darian.

"S-Sorry...I got spooked," she admitted, her breathing a bit uneven. "Are you okay?"

[Darian]

His left hand wormed its way up her shirt as her legs wrapped around him, and a slight noise came from his throat as her teeth found his earlobe. Running his hand up her belly, it slipped under her bra band in its assent and he wrapped his hand firmly around her breast as he began to kiss her again more feverently. Every heart beat within his chest lasted an eternity for him, and his pulse raced as he plied her bosom with his hand, his pain long forgotten in the pleasure. Her lips broke from his, and he took a deep breath, his thoughts similarly on continuing this in the comforts of the straw, when a raucous in the hallway distracted him his thoughts.

His mouth opened to say something, but suddenly Cass's arms where around him and his face was pressed against her soft cushioned chest. Not that he was complaining being in such a spot, and the combination of the softness of her, and her growling, deciding to wait to whatever was happening to pass. As her arms loosened around his neck he looked up at her. " I'm fine, I'd been the same way if not so lost in the moment, how are you? " he replied with a gentle smile, he rested his head briefly against her collar bone, soaking in the heat coming off her body, before looking back up kissing her lightly, as he moved up closer against her. What happened had disquieted him, but slowly he felt the tightness recede from his chest, and then his eyes where once more on hers. Slowly the entire inn felt like it was calming, and all his ears could pick up was their own breathing.

[Cass]

Cass didn't answer right away, too busy listening to the quiet silence. While the bang and loud laughter had occured, nobody had made a move on them. There were no theives or bloodthirsty humans. It was only her and Darian, alone in their quarters. Letting her muscles relax as the silence carried on Cass focused back on Darian. "Well since nobody stormed in here trying to harm us, I guess I'm fine." It had been weird though. Definitely something she was not used to.

Feeling his head rest against her collarbone she felt a smile come over her. Ther same fire from before ignitied as his lips rose to meet hers. His strong passionate kisses only caused Cass to kiss him back just as firecely. Sliding her tongue into his mouth to play with his own tongue Cass let her hands carefully wrap around his strong body. The feeling of his skin against her own was so warm and mindblowing. No wonder the males of her race fought so hard to claim a mate. If this was their reward...to feel amazing in the strong arms of a lover...maybe the Zith ways weren't all that horrible. Maybe.

Pulling away for a moment Cass glanced back over at the bed. "I think it will be easier in the bed." As she spoke she untangled her arms from Darian's body and began pulling her own shirt off. She let her shirt drop to the floor at their feet, not at all concerned about it. "Unless you prefer the wall." Leaning forward she let out a quiet chuckle as she dipped to her head to kiss his shoulders. As she left a line of kisses on his shoulder she spotted her imaginary friend still hanging out in the darkest corner of the room. The grin was still plastered on her face.

"You'll have to stop me if this gets too rough," she whispered in Darian's ear. She watched as the grin on her imaginary friend's face fall. Cass's own smile returned. Yes, Darian was hers but there was no way she was going to fall back to her beastly ways just to be happy for once. She had ledft the tunnels. Left them for good.