We All Have Secrets

[Arundhati]

spring 67th 511av

The sky was gloomy, grey, not even a glimpse from Syna. Light rain fell from the heavens, forming tiny puddles that eventually conjoined with others until there were shimmery pools of water scattered and rippling with every new addition. The canals rippled, too, welcoming each drop into the cold arms of Ravok. It was a sleepy day, a spring day, cold enough for goosebumps to mark the girl's arms. She didn't mind though, and the promise of entering the warm embrace of her bed was enough for her to power through her daily walk. For the most part she seemed to avoid the rain drops, but the occasional extra-heavy drop would land on her hair or arms and reinforce the cold she seemed to be feeling.

And then, she walked into a solid object, much softer than a wall, so it must be another person. Curses for not paying attention to her surroundings. Some people became very angry when someone careless happened to bump into them.

"Oh, excuse me. I'm sorry."

[Iskessah]

Iskessah hated days like this. Without the sun warming her skin, she felt sluggish, and the light patter of rain dampening her face made her want to crawl under a rock and go to sleep. She would not even be out in weather like this, but she had gone to visit the House of Immortal Pleasures before the rain had started, and now it was taking most of her consciousness to make her way home before she fell asleep. Then, something soft bumped into her, breaking her concentration. She looked up into the eyes of a young woman...there was something strange about her eyes...something that made them seem different from most humans she'd met...but Iskessah was too distracted to puzzle out what it was. The body that had run into her was warm. Even with the weakened senses in her human form, she could sense the heat from the other girl. Perhaps it was the cold dulling her wits, or perhaps it was residual effects from the House, or a combination of both that caused Iskessah to ignore her usual paranoia and caution. With a slow, sleepy movement, she grabbed the girl's arm, and pulled their bodies close, her Dhani strength making it difficult if not impossible for the girl to escape. She moved her head closer so that the girl's hot breath landed on her face. "Warm..." she murmured.

[Arundhati]

"Miss, are you alright?" There was always a chance that she had been cursed by someone with a Chaon mark or two. Maybe to think that she was incredibly cold all the time? Because it wasn't cold enough for someone's only source of warmth to be another being that had just run into them. And while having her personal space invaded did bring warmth to both of them, it was very awkward. At least, on Aru's part.

"Miss, what are you doing? It's not that cold. Only a light rain."

[Iskessah]

The woman didn't understand. Iskessah was cold-blooded. Ravok's normal temperature was chilly enough to keep her irritable most of the time, but this was colder than usual. If Iskessah didn't find a way to keep warm soon, she might just fall asleep in the street. And that was all kinds of dangerous. Iskessah leaned closer, putting her lips next to the other woman's ear, pressing their cheeks together so she could feel how cold the Dhani was. "I'm so cold," she whispered huskily. "Won't you keep me warm?"

[Arundhati]

She was in an awkward position. She wanted to be friendly, just like mother was friendly. Before she even thought about it, she replied to the woman who suddenly had her in her arms.

"Of course." It was only then that she realized how this woman could very well be cursed. She could ask, but it didn't seem very polite. Or, this woman could be actually cold. Some people came from the South, where they were greeted by warm weather every day. But Rhysol kept his city mild, and it was never too cold or too hot. The last, and more likely answer, was that this woman was a prostitute. Which would be odd, because most that she knew of worked in the House of Immortal Pleasures. Yet she had already answered the woman, and she couldn't change her mind now. Even if she wanted to walk away, the woman had an incredible iron grip that held her in place.

[Iskessah]

A chilly gust of wind blew over the pair, causing Iskessah to flinch. Instinctively, almost aggressively, she forced the girl back into the relatively peaceful shelter of an alley. The alley was little-used, largely because it was quite narrow. There was barely enough room for two people to walk side-by-side, unless one of them was swimming in the canal. Breathing heavily, with a warm body pressed between her and a brick wall, Iskessah could not help but give in to her desires. She trailed her hands down the woman's arms, finally holding her wrists against the wall as she kissed her fully on the mouth.

OOCI apologize profusely for the quality of the writing x.x This kind of scene is...something I need to practice ^^; Feel free to tip Kess into the Lake if it gets too bad...

[Arundhati]

Well this wasn't what she was expecting.

Not at all. As soon as she got her bearings, she attempted to push the girl off of her and into the canal. It was especially difficult because at the same time she was being snogged and held against the wall, but she eventually managed to push her.

OOCShort post is short, but if I wrote more it'd probably be considered godmodding or powergaming or whatever its called.

[Iskessah]

In Iskessah's current state of mind, she would have been inclined to mistake the girl's struggles as a more favorable response. As it was, the movement caught her off-guard enough that she lost her footing on the narrow and slippery ledge. The sudden downward plunge loosened her grip on the girl, though the Dhani tried to clutch at her even as she was falling. Whether Aru fell or not, by the time she hit the canal, Iskessah had no hold on anything. Srvival instinct cleared her head enough that Iskessah did not simply allow herself to sink to the bottom of the lake. As soon as the water covered her mouth and nose, she began thrashing violently, trying to pull herself in the direction of air. A few times, her hand brushed the floating edge of the canal, but it took her a while to manage to grab hold, and by that time, her lungs had filled with rather a bit of water...

OOCI'm going to let you decide where you ended up in all this kerfuffle After that, I figure I can do one more post to get me out of the canal, and then call it done? Unless you want to try socializing XD

[Arundhati]

For a moment, she almost thought that she wouldn't tumble down into the chilly canal below.

Wrong. The girl had managed to grab a hold of her dress and take her down, too. Survival instincts kicked in, and she managed to stay afloat. The girl had long let go of her skirt, leaving Arundhati free of any other person. The weight of it dragged her down, but she managed to keep her head above the water. Grabbing hold of the slippery edge of the canal, she tried to pull herself up. It took a few chimes, but she manage to drag her heaving and sopping body into the alley. She stood up, breath heavy, and wrung out some of the water from her hair and skirt, though not making much of a difference. She didn't stop to see what had happened to the girl, instead running off in the direction of her home.

[Iskessah]

Some time after Aru, Iskessah heaved herself up onto the alley above. She leaned back over the canal, choking up water from her burning lungs. She sat panting for a few chimes, but in the slight drizzle, she felt sleep threatening to claim her again. She forced herself to her feet, cursing violently. She did not know what had happened to the other girl, but she was gone now. Iskessah had to get home, where she could dry off and relax next to a cheery fire. She took off at a light jog, wanting to get there as quickly as possible.