When Monkeys Attack (Halet)

[Aidara]

Timestamp: 88th of Fall, 512 AV
Where: Dreamscapes
Tagged: Xalet, Aidara.

It was all Addy could do to stay ahead of the creatures that chased her, their cackling, laugh of a war cry echoing through the branches that pressed in on the woman from all directions. Their towering trunks and heavy, foliage-laden branches were almost more intimidating than the things that chased her. Anything could be hiding in there.

“Nooooooooooooo!” Screaming wildly as something crashed directly to her left, Addy threw herself from the path that she had been following, diving headfirst into a bush. A pair of giant, black furred creatures appeared rounded the bend in the path only a few ticks later, the ground shaking from the force of their pursuit. Their arms were over long and extremely muscled, especially when compared to their tiny, stubby legs. They propelled themselves along on their fists, swinging their mass up and between their arms before repeating the process; for their bulk, the creatures were surprisingly fast.

Managing to pull her legs inside the bush in which she hid, Addy held her breath as she watched the creatures approach, slowing as they reached the spot where the rustling from within the forest had startled Addy into her hiding spot. Their faces, much too human-like in their expressions, turned to face the edge of the path as a third of their kind appeared from between the massive tree trunks.

“I saw her, she was just here.”

“We have to keep looking.”

“We will find her.” Addy shouldn’t have been able to understand the grunts that passed between them, but she felt a chill work its way down her spine as the words rolled over her. They would find her, and it was all she could do not to scream in sheer terror with the beasts only a few feet away.

Holding her breath and trying to control the shaking of her hands by gripping hard the branches that concealed her, the little Inartan woman watched as the trio began back down the path, continuing in the direction that Addy had been running, slowly picking up speed as their strange lope took them around another bend and out of sight.

Addy had seen their kind before, once, in the unpredictable wilds of The Unforgiving. The Jamoura she had encountered outside her home, however, hadn’t been thirsting for her blood. The books she had read afterwards, having run straight to The Enclave to find out more about this strange race, hadn’t told her much except that they were a peaceful race.

“Ha. Peaceful.” Struggling to free herself from the restraining arms of the bush, the little woman tumbled back out onto the path, skinning both her hand in her knee as she rushed to find her feet. There wasn’t much to her choice to run back down the path. It was simply the opposite way than her pursuers.

She had only been jogging for a few chimes when something grabbed her from behind, clamping a hand down over her mouth to stifle her scream as she was dragged off the path and into whatever awaited her in the darkness.

[Xalet]

Where there is darkness, light shall shine brightly and prevail. Xuphim wasn't exactly certain who had said that, because it sounded far too preachy for him to come up with on his own, but it worked all the same as he made his introduction into the dreamscape. Darkness had befallen the red-headed Aidara, but luckily the light had sought her out and - in it's own way - illuminated a path to survival. "Yyeeeaaaah!" came the battle cry as a glimmering length of steel penetrated the shadowy beast thing that had fastened it's clutches onto Aidara. Most interestingly it shared almost no likeness to the previous simian style creatures that had chased her previously. If anything it was less defined and detailed. Almost like the outline of a scary monster that had the various particulars left out in some cheap novel. It was big, it was dark, it had red glowing eyes, and one could have been pretty certain it had long talon-like nails. It's presence didn't last long however as an unfamiliar purple skinned Akalak in silvery armor sliced what must have been the thing's head clean from it's body. A shower of red confetti like gore gushed into the air, but appeared to dissipate the moment it struck anything of substance. As the body collapsed from behind Aidara, Xuphim looked down satisfied with his work. With a calm, almost sagely nod he reached his foot covered in a fine solleret of plate steel backward and punted the head of the nebulous beast into the foliage. "And that's how we do it, Syliran Style." was his statement of triumph. Behind him the fawning figure of a woman with dark tresses, pale skin and an unusually skimpy attire consisting of something best worn to a watering hole was quick to provide some positive commentary, "Oh Xalet, you're so dreamy." "It's Xuphim. And I know. Such is the life of an Akalak." at some point during the initial clash and now Xuphim's weapon must have found it's way into his sheath, as it was only his bare hands that sat upon his hips as he posed with the Priskil replica clinging onto his bicep. "And the way you kicked it's head, so hot Xalet." she continued. "Yup I'm the man. And it's Xuphim." his eyebrow twitched slightly as he made it a point to reassert his identity to the woman. Her presence wasn't involved in conversation too much longer, as the moment she spoke out with, "But...who's THAT?" pointedly drawing attention toward Aidara, the very woman that Xuphim had appeared and subsequently 'saved', the projection of the Goddess of Light suddenly faded out entirely. Clearly Xuphim's attention span involving women was...somewhat limited. "Eh? Oh, hey. Never seen you around these parts before..." in fact, come to think of it, Xuphim was sure he almost never saw anyone with red hair around 'those' parts. Either way she was hot and thus was an immediate target for poorly constructed come-ons, "There's a dress code here, it involves way less clothes so what's say you and me obey the rules, eh?" It seemed appropriate and as far as Xuphim was concerned it always worked. Dreams meant different things to different people, but for a Soul that lived a life almost completely free of doubt and regret, Xuphim's dreams were well formulated in his favor, if a bit scarce on detail and overall substance.

[Aidara]

Unable to see her attacker, Addy was left to fail wildly against the arms that restrained her with impossible strength. With her fingers curled into claws, the little woman went to town on the hand that covered her mouth, digging and scraping at the flesh in the hopes of eliciting enough pain to make whoever or whatever it was let go. But no matter how hard she tried, nothing happened, her fingers sliding off the things surface as if it were made of greased glass, all while the thing’s grip got tighter and tighter, effectively cutting off her air supply. Addy thought she could hear her rips creaking under the pressure and she would have screamed, had she any breath.

Luckily, her savior was but a few moment away. Wincing as the scream shattered the nights silence, scattering the shadows that had begun the gather at the edge of her vision as unconsciousness crept forward, Addy lunged away from her captor as soon as she felt it’s hold loosen; and not a moment too soon, either.

The sword sliced where her head had been only moments before, the Intartan only catching a glimpse of her attacker before it exploded into happy little pieces of paper, all the colors of gore and blood but without the mess. “Whoever has to clean that up is going to hate you.” Watching as the flashy purple thing posed and primped after his heroic save of the damsel in distress, Addy backed away slowly until she was out of reach of the sword he wielded with such little care. “Careful where you throw that thi-“


Her savoir stuck a heroic stance and tossed out what might have passed as a catch phrase as a scantily clad woman slunk from the shadows, draping herself all over the shining Akalak. Addy couldn't help but snort and roll her eyes, making gagging noises and miming sticking her finger down her throat when neither of them were looking, the picture of pure innocent and rapt attention when a glance was cast her way.“I think his name is Xuphim.” It was only then that the beautiful woman seemed to notice Addy, the shock and repulsion in her face stinging only a little as the woman faded away.

“Jealous type, is she? Well, I can see why she'd feel threatened.” Seemingly, it was a clash of egos as Addy mussed her hair, giving it a sort of just-been-petched look, idly inspecting her nails as she hooked the thumb of her other hand towards where the goddess once stood. She began shaking herself of the bits of confetti that had landed in her hair clothes, glancing up at the Akalak with a wicked gleam in her eye. “I’m more of a rule breaker myself.” Looking up at the giant man from beneath her lashes, Addy gave him a once over, an appreciative smirk curling the corners of her lips as she flicked the final bit of paper gore from her sleeve. “Plus you’ll have to try harder than that, sweetheart.”

From somewhere above, a bright light flicked on, basking the beautiful little Inartan in a golden glow that set her hair blazing as the rest of the forest fell into stark relief, Xalet dispearing into the darkness as it became all about Aidara. The light caught her skin just right, giving it a creamy glow as more and more of it was revealed, the woman’s clothes melting away into nothing right before their eyes. The healer stood there all the while, one hand on her hip while the other was held over her head in a dramatic flourish. In less time than it took to draw half a dozen breathes, Addy was clad in nothing more than the exact outfit that Priskil had worn moments before, pale cream and gold that seemed to glow of its own accord. Dropping her pose, Addy turned towards where she thought Xalet stood in the shadows and dropped him a curtsey, pulling the scanty fabric slung around her waste to the side, revealing more than was really proper. "What do you think?"

Lifting her hand, small fingers snapped and the forest disappeared, replaced with soft white sand and rolling, crystal blue waves. Another snap brought forth not one but two men, one dark as the night sky and the other as bright and dangerous as fire itself. Eywaat and Ivak both stepped to Addy’s side, scooping their arms beneath her and lifting her from the sand. Both of the gods looked upon the little woman with a sort of feral hunger, only barely restrained. They were both clad in nothing but the a loincloth, stark contrast to Xuphim’s ornate armor. Reclining back against their strong arms, one hand idly twirling a lock of Eywaat’s dark hair, Addy tossed the Akalak a smirk and bit at her lip. “I like real men… Xalet, was it?”

[Xalet]

Xuphim wasn't the type to get surprised easily, but the strange things he was witnessing were unable to be easily comprehended. Big beastly monsters that needed their heads separated from their shoulders? That was one thing, it was only a two step process after all. Sword met neck, head met ground. There was the optional step of kicking the head, but it wasn't by any means required. Now lights were shining and clothes were changing and men were appearing. Why where men appearing!? And where did all of the ambient light go!? "What the..." Xuphim swirled around in his spot, appearing to have stepped into a place that was entirely segregated from the now glowing Aidara. It felt like he was back atop that platform years ago, high above the world of Mizahar below, surrounded by darkness with only one shred of light to draw his attention. His tension was raising, he could feel his jaw crack slightly as he ground it to the left and right in an attempt to work out the kinks. That annoying crack had surfaced during many years of getting punched in the mouth, thanks to the cuddly training of unarmed combat. "I think it's gettin' pretty freaky here, but I'm alright with that." he replied. There was a mostly naked redhead with a killer body in the immediate vicinity, what could possibly be wrong? The Akalak was just about ready to get close and intimate with the fiery haired woman when suddenly and rather shockingly the environment completely changed. Looking over his shoulder, Xuphim's body finally followed his head as he observed this new serene tropic setting. The first thing through his mind involved how badly salty tasting water reacted with his armor, the second thing was how annoying it was to have two guy crashing his party. There wasn't enough room around these parts for three men. Quite literally. If Aidara was a landscape, she'd be a very small yet attractive plot of land. Xuphim didn't like sharing anything with anybody, but more importantly then that, even without standing immediately beside her this red-headed woman looked extremely petite. "IT'S XUPHIM!" he shouted, the force of his voice acted like the waves of the ocean, pushing the sand that immediately surrounded him away in a wide circle. The gritty dust flashed up into the air in large rolling towers before collapsing downward. That moment that the sand obscured Xuphim's form was apparently enough to have him change from his armor into the breeches his typically wore with nothing upon his chest and back. Bare feet were made for traversing sand, and thus the sabaton style boots were absent as well. "In my quest to claim ultimate hotness, I, XUPHIM..." he made certain to emphasis his identity, "...will defeat any man." That was how he liked it, of course. Nothing appealed to the Akalak more than claiming what he wanted by beating the tar out of everything else that wanted it too. With guys like this between him and milky skinned, red-headed fun times, there was no way he could lose. His long legs, quite proportional to his seven foot frame, brought him across the sand toward the trio. Of course he was only interested in the creamy center, so to speak. Whether in a dream or out, a lifetime of working his muscles had left Xuphim with a razor edged definition that made his skin look more like deep violet marble than flesh. Body building had been good to him, but most notably it had given him the confidence to deal with any problem through physical means. Because thinking was hard and whipping ass was easy. Finally he was directly in front of Aidara, one hand clasped over the opposite fist. His knuckles cracked loudly, the classic display of a fighter's intimidation tactic, "Alright pretty boys, hands off. I do hereby claim this hotty in the name of Xuphim, and if anyone's got something to say about it, little kids are gonna be picking up teeth instead of sea shells on this beach for decades. So beat it." his hands came apart so that a thumb could thrust up and over his shoulder, a clear indicator as to which direction he felt these Godly representations should proceed.

[Aidara]

Addy watched as the gods on either side of her moved, their muscles rippling in the sun, their skin shining like bronze and porcelain alike. It was going to be hard to choose which one she wanted to take first, they were both so delicious. Ivak was an unknown, but if his passion was as fiery as his hair, they would get along great. Ewyaat, on the other hand, had already given her a taste of what he could offer, the memory of his life-giving kiss sending a cool shiver down her spine. It seemed the choice was between a mysterious unknown and a delicious well known. Biting her lip, Addy let her gaze trickle over each of their forms, her delicate fingers tracing over the sharply defined muscles of their arms as they cradled her between them.

The smell of sweat and sharp sea air was intoxicating. Addy lost herself in her little fantasy, motioning for Ivak and Ewyaat to bear her towards where a couple trees provided shade not far off. The sun did little to bother the little healer, simply basking her in a warm golden glow that only seemed to accentuate the sleek lines of her body, the dark fire in her hair. No, the move towards the trees was simply used as an excuse to stay between these two gorgeous men for a few moments longer while she reveled in making her decision.

Even though she was smack dab in the middle of what seemed to be paradise, the details literally paled in comparison to the gods, the surroundings becoming a uniform blur ( with an unsightly big purply splotch ) as she drank in every imagined detail of the divine that cradled her. It was clear where Addy's priorities were. From a nightmare to a dream come true, the little woman couldn't have asked for more. She would have to thank that guy... Xalet?... who saved her. After she was done petching, that is.

Xuphim seemed to have a different idea, however, staking his claim on Addy just as the gods turned and began to bear her away. At the sound of the challenge, Ivak raised a gingery brow at Ewyaat, his darker brother inclining his head as they silently agreed on their course of action.

“I’m sorry, beautiful. The sand isn’t too hot, it won’t burn your feet. We'll be right back.”

“We’re going to have to leave you here while we take care of some business.” Setting her gently down, both gods leaned in close and whispered their apologies in her ears. Addy couldn’t help but run a finger along the delicate lines of their jaws, savoring in the closeness of them both before a casual flick of her wrist sent them towards the Akalak waiting only a few feet away as she sunk down into the sand to watch, reclined into a casual yet seductive lounge.

Oh yes, in this world, Addy was the epitome of desire.

Drawing loops in the sand with her finger, the little redhead twirled a lock of hair with the other as she watched the two gods converge on the big purple man. Ah, they were fighting over her. It was what every girl dreamed of, plus it took the choice out of her hands. Whatever god returned to her would be the one she slept with, of course! Easy. And all she had to do was watch.

Glancing off to watch the waves lap up onto the sand, reteating and leaving the ground dark and moist to mark its passing, Addy lost herself in the soft sounds and calm motion of the sea. It was so beautiful, and calm, and quiet… Quiet? Wasn’t there supposed to be a fight going on?

Whipping back around and scrambling to her feet, Addy groaned at what she saw. Both Ivak and Eywaat were unconscious on the ground, piled on on the other with Xuphim lounging on top. “No no no no….” Her boys! They were down! How could they not have won!? Striding as best she could through the soft sand and completely ignoring the victorious Akalak as she approached, the little healer went and felt the pulses of both the gods, sighing in relief as their heartbeats thrummed steadily against her fingers. Unconscious then.

“How dare you! I was going to sleep with one of them… or both of them!” Pointing a finger at the big purple man, Addy stepped around his throne of unconscious godly bodies and poked him hard on the chest. “It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity and you spoiled it!” Poke poke poke SHOVE. Putting all her force behind the movement, Addy sent the big man flying across the sand with such power that a little woman such as her self had no business having.

Stalking after him to where he sprawled, the sand blown out about him with the force of her shove, Addy simply climbed atop his prostrate form and continued to pummel his chest, her frustrations manifesting into a growl deep within her chest at the same time a chill wind whipped forth, blowing stinging grains of sand every which way, though mostly it all seemed to fly directly into the Akalak’s face. Addy, on the other hand, seemed rather unaffected as the wind simply swept her long hair from her face so that she could see where she swung her fists. It seemed her emotions were taking control of the landscape, and Xuphim had just cost her an immeasurable amount of fun. He was in for it now.

Though she seemed to possess unbelievable strength in this world, Addy’s little fists left barely a mark upon the Akalak, as it would in the real world, though it wasn’t for the lack of trying. Clamped down atop him as she was, determined to make him pay, Xuphim got a face full of icy rain next as a thundercloud manifested and opened up directly above the pair.

Forced to struggle beneath a torrential downpour, Addy again hardly seemed effective, raindrops that bounced off the Akalak’s tight body splattering her and soaking her only so much that she looked properly alluring and wet. Oh yes.

Luckily for him, Addy stopped her assault only a few ticks after the rain began, bracing her hands against his chest and panting as she sat astride his stomach, suddenly exhausted from her efforts. Her emotions seemed to likewise dwindle, as the rain and wind both slowed and eventually stopped.

“You…. Suck.”

[Xalet]

Xuphim. The Priskilian Juggernaut. His massive, well muscled purple form was designed for many things, but none so righteous as laying out those that would get in the way of his extremely mature content oriented plans. For insolent individuals like those he prepared a backhand of justice. It was a crime to have to share someone like Aidara with two others, and much like any crime within the home of his stone-shaped Syliras, there was a penalty. "Alright, folks. You've just stepped into the zone of ass-whippin', hope ya'll like soup." The scarlet tress covered Aidara had missed it, but it was a fairly grisly affair. There was punching, kicking, and somewhere within the violent entanglements a flying elbow drop had worked its way in. That was the level Xuphim was prepared to reach for when something stood in the way of what he wanted. When she had turned back to the trio of combatants prepared to fight for their lady's 'honor', it appeared only Xuphim remained on his feet, or rather on his 'foot'. The other foot was standing triumphantly upon the bodies of those slain. It was only a minor slaying, however, as they both did still draw breath. "Asses have been whipped this day, my civic duty is complete. Now to claim my prize." he spoke, clearly to himself. His words were even complete with a haughty level of nodding for self-reassurance. "Ah, and here she comes...like what I've done with the place? Now you and me can get to the good stuff. I think we could start with--" pausing in his victory monologue, Xuphim clearly looked confused at the response the red-headed morsel was giving him. "Huh? I won fair and square girly. You better get to--WHAT THE SHHHHHHH..." suddenly he was flying through the air. In every conceivable circumstance that could be generated by his creative yet currently rather sexually focused mind, a five foot tall female sending him backward like he had just been tackled by a Jamoura wasn't one of them. "...IIIIIIIIITTT" the impact he had with the sand created a long crater-styled trail that began from the moment he landed and continued with an impressive slide nearly fifteen feet long. As she crawled atop him, climbing his mountainous form so that she could more appropriately lay down her vengeance, Xuphim could only lay there, shocked from the epic level of crazy he was being assaulted with. His stringy black hair ruffled about like he was in the middle of a hurricane, sand kicking up and creating a wall of dust and particles. Rain was next, completing the a proper cataclysmic 'end of the world' styled weather package. He could feel the damp strands of hair hanging from the woman above him bouncing up and down upon his bare skin as she continued to demonstrate her rage. In the midst of all this how did Xuphim feel? This was awesome. "Suck?!" it was quite clear that Xuphim immediately got the wrong impression of exactly how that word was meant to be used in Aidara's sentence. "Girly you and me are made for one another! I ain't never been ridden with such VIGOR. I sure can't say no to a girl that can put me on my back like that." Clearly the man she was straddling was excited, she could tell quite easily considering how...hot he was. Quite literally hot, temperature wise. So warm had he become in just a split second that a line in the sand suddenly ignited, creating a fiery trail that led to a pile of wood, shaped like a large timber teepee. The bonfire ignited and spilled its warm glow upon them both, which was quite fortunate since somehow during the storm it turned into night. "A besides, I won. You said you like real men right? We'll ya got me. These here biceps were made for lifting petite gals up in the air in triumph after kicking the asses of those who would seek to keep me from your ultra sexy wrath. Feel free to keep pounding away for a bit if you got it in you, I don't mind watching them bounce." The 'them' he was referring to was the particular, vaguely circular shaped portions of the female anatomy that Aidara had very scantly covered. "But then you gotta recognize, to the victor go the hotness. So it was written, and so it must come to pass."

[Aidara]

Transfixed by the way the light from the bonfire turned Xuphim’s skin into a dark, dusky color of sunset, the huge flames licking hungrily at the sky, Addy had hardly noticed that the strong body she straddled was practically a flame itself. That is, until the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, pressed in direct contact with the Akalak’s exposed torso, began to burn with a terrible ferocity.

With a pained yelp, Addy jumped up off of the prostrate man, who at some point between the sand, the rain and the fire had been relieved of his bulky, restricting and physique covering armor, the little woman unable to help but notice the abs that she climbed off of as she tried to fan away the burning that had ignited between her legs.

It was only after a moment or two of ridiculous hopping, swearing and passionate threats regarding the Akalak’s wellbeing and the slim chance that he would leave here with all of his family jewels, Addy realized the absurd euphemism. “The actual pain is a little much.” Stomping back over to where the Akalak still lounged from where she had been splashing water onto her legs, Addy jut out her bottom lip in a pout as her arms crossed themselves over her chest, effectively hiding it from his leer.

“It’s like you’re undressing me with your eyes.” Not that she was complaining, really. “Considering I’m almost completely naked, that says much about your…. Capabilities.” Despite her snide remarks, Addy couldn’t tear her gaze away from the exquisite example of man meat that had practically thrown himself at her feet. Sure, his pickup lines sounded as if he had been dropped on his head a few too many times as a child, there was a certain…. Appeal to the Akalak that Addy couldn’t quite put her finger on.

Allowing him to finish his convincing little speech as to why she should get back onto her big purple mount, the little Inartan woman sidled a few steps forward as she ran her gaze from top to toe. He was undeniably hot, even if she had no idea why he was here in her dream. The gods were gone and the burning between her legs was just getting quite unbearable. “But I do like real men, yes….” Perhaps there was something here she could work with after all.

What was wrong with her? Any other day she would have jumped his bones bells ago. But now the chase had been going on too long for her to just…. Give in. It’s what he expected of her, what with his smooth lines and cheesy-yet effective boasts. Addy snorted and started to turn away to wander back down the beach and see what other surprises that this land had in store for her when it hit her.

Maybe he didn’t really expect her to give in. If she were to suddenly fall for his every word it might effectively throw the big man for a loop more soundly than any kind of trick she could play. It took only ticks for Addy to make up her mind, a slow shifting of her hips bringing her back around to face Xuphim.

“I don’t know how I could ever thank you for… saving me.” With her voice almost a low purr and her green eyes just barely visible beneath her lowered lashes, Addy took slow, languid steps forward until she was in place to climb back atop the big Akalak. It was almost as ridiculous as Xuphim’s own attempted pickups when Addy leaned down towards him, her hands planted on his chest and her face hovering but inches from his own, dark auburn locks falling into a curtain around them, completely blocking out the scenery as well as all sound and smell; it was as if they weren’t even on the beach any longer.

Pausing like that for only the barest of ticks, Addy sighed sensually, biting at her lower lip as she lowered her face to the strong line of his jaw, her lips barely brushing his heated skin, the little woman practically panting by the time they reached his ear. “Oh please, let me be your prize.” Something in the back of her mind pointed out that the Akalak just might be arrogant enough to have expected this reaction from her, completely shattering her plan.

The rest of Addy’s body decided she didn’t care.

[Xalet]

Something felt off. A lifetime of dealing with the dreams of two souls working at once had often created a certain confusion, an inconsistency about what was important enough to include within a dream. A part of Xalet was Xuphim, and a part of Xuphim was Xalet, but neither of them could recall the model for such a woman as Aidara. The liquid nature of a dream still had Xuphim filled with uncertainty, which was always a warning that his consciousness was not existing within the real world. For Xuphim there was no uncertainty in the real world, but in a dream, those parts of Xalet plagued him. A casual smirk appeared upon his lips as the red-headed fury of a woman climbed off, making remarks and complaints. She had a real spark, that one. In a world filled with propriety and restraint, she seemed to be the flame that burned away such casual restrictions. That was it! That was where the uncertainty was coming from. Xuphim finally realized it, he was dealing with someone that possessed an ego to rival his own. How had this occurred? Such a man, or woman, did not exist within the confines of his own psyche. He pulled himself up into a seated position, calloused palms pressing firmly against the sand just behind his hips. The slight tension in his abdomen that kept him upright caused his abdominal muscles to flare slightly. This was how all female interactions ended with Xuphim though, wasn't it. With the woman walking away, her back turned to him. It felt so appropriate, almost comforting. His eyes closed slowly as he inhaled deeply, once against things were as they should have been in his head. Have some fun with the womenfolk, then they head on their way. Only that wasn't were this interaction ended. His eyelids raised suddenly from the sensation of her lightweight body coming to rest atop his own. His vision came into focus in order to see Aidara, and only Aidara. His lips parted slightly as if he was about to say something, only to be met with this Inartans. Dark red hair was cutting off the outside world, like a private booth for the two to enjoy themselves in. Suddenly Xuphim felt out of control. How was he not in control!? How was she the one causing his heart to beat faster than he wanted? How was she the one to make his breath feel hotter and slower? His right leg pushed against the ground as his hands sought to scoot him away, a foolish attempt to create distance when the woman was essentially right on top of him. If she looked into his eyes again, she would notice they were different. They were wider, rounder. Before Xuphim's stares had been done with a narrow predatory glance. This was somehow different. "Who...are you? Something's not right..." his last comment was meant mainly for himself, though the words behind it were still spoken outloud. The large Akalak felt nervous, was this fear? Xuphim didn't feel fear! Before there was no such thing as fear, only frustration that turned to anger. Anger that turned to power. Power that could fuel his faith and keep him moving forward. "Who are you?" he asked again, his hands gripping about her narrow waist. Now it was almost as if he didn't want her to leave, a great contrast to his previous motion involving the creation of space. "This...none of this is normal. You're different...different from what I've known." Nothing was going like it was supposed to. Everything was out of control! Aidara's features were so striking, so concrete. She wasn't like the faintly detailed creatures and people that normally filled the Akalak's dreams, she had far too many dimensions. Reaching upward with a hand, Xuphim moved Aidara's lengthy locks back and away, almost so that he could now focus upon her face more ably. He tried to commit it to memory. The pale skin, the green eyes, the hair like shadowy fire.

[Aidara]

Xuphim had acted a lot young than he looked, and though Addy had suspected that the Akalak’s advances consisted of the sort of posturing that all young men feel, she was still taken by surprise when the giant man she straddled seemingly tried to slither out from underneath her weight. Behind the pickup lines and the flexing of muscles, the young woman was unable to ascertain anything that resembled the man’s identity.

“Whoa, hey! What the petch!” The sudden movement threw her back against his knees as they bent to push the rest of his body backwards, a giant purple kneecap striking directly between her shoulder blades and eliciting a gasp from the little woman, the breath hissing out between clenched teeth as she scrabbled for her balance. Her small hands found little purchase on the slick hard muscles of Xuphim’s torso as he shouted at her, Addy glimpsing the wild look in his eye for barely a moment as she quickly tumbled towards the sand, unable to keep her balance on the now squirrely Akalak.

“I’m Aidara!” The presentation of her name ended in a grunt as Xuphium changed his mind and wrapped his massive hands around her waist, quickly halting her decent towards the beach and pulling her back up into the position she had originally taken. “You’re not right, you mean…” Gasping out the words as she desperately tried to replenish the air that Xuphium’s strong fingers had squeezed from her lungs, Addy braced a hand against the Akalaks chest while using the other to pry his fingers from her waist… or at least try too, as it didn’t avail to much. His skin was so hot, she could almost feel her flesh sizzling; how would she explain large handprints encircling her body to Sira? Or anyone who saw her naked, for that matter?

The kiss had been great though, for the few seconds it had lasted. Distracted momentarily, Addy watched the big purple man beneath her as the expressions transformed with the surges of his emotion; she had always found it fascinating to watch people so visibly think, to be able to read on their face what they weren’t saying aloud. It was endearing the way everyone thought their thoughts and feelings were safe simply because they didn’t voice them.

But Xuphium had voiced his concerns and even acted upon them. Combined, Addy couldn’t ignore the fact that something had shaken this intimidating- gorgeous- man to the core. SHE had shaken him to the core. “I’m Adiara,” She replied again, slower this time as his question was repeated. “An Endal… a healer… an Inarta? …Wind Reach..?” Watching the man’s face as she tossed out the identifying words, Addy waited for any sign of recognition, though none came immediately. Having hardly left her city, she didn't know whether or not to be surprised that he seemingly hadn't heard of her people, even though that wasn't necessarily the case. Instead, he muttered about her being different.

“Of course I’m different. If you had let me finish, I would have shown you I could be better than any woman you’ve ever known…” The warm muscles of his chest beneath her hand became almost impossible to ignore, the closeness of the Akalak and the realness of his presence failing to set off alarm bells in her own head as they had in his. No, this was expected in a dream of Aidara’s; multitudes of hot men that didn’t want her. Nightmares were the norm, but this was just cruel. So rather than let this nightmare win, Addy attempted to take control and get what she wanted… even if it was a dream.

“But you’ve not known me yet… would you like too?” Her voice was a husky, throaty purr that dripped with sensuality and lust as the fiery haired woman leaned forward and pressed the length of herself against him, fighting the hands that still held her down over his hips. “There is nothing so wrong with that… If you haven’t had a woman, this is normal…” Clearly thinking she was simply dealing with a virgin, sexually shy individual, Addy continued her advances with aplomb, refusing to let his little outburst throw her off her game. A dream man wouldn’t trump her.

She simply had no idea he was so much more than a dream.

[Xalet]

Was he right? What was wrong with him? Even with two souls, life for him was never so chaotic. There was always some defined control, be it Xalet or Xuphim, someone was always at the forefront, making the decisions, experiencing things first hand. Now the ever confident Xuphim couldn't even be sure that all of his thoughts were his own. They were invasive and foreign, almost as if the sturdy control he had was lost. That name, Aidara, what did that mean to him? Had he heard it before? Was it similar to a word in Tukant? Something from the Konti perhaps that he had heard his Patron whispering softly during her lectures toward him sometime over the past fifteen years? Clearly there was more than a name, although be it either of the two Akalak brother's, neither could claim to know much about Wind Reach. An Endal? There was no real understanding as to what that was. An Inarta was something they had seen before, and a healer was something there existed plenty of in a city with so many like Syliras. There was no such healer as this within the city which was the most populated in all the world, however. There was some strange connection, had he somehow contracted the Gnosis of Aidara? Heeding her explanation involving her greatness as well as the level of her unique existence Xuphim leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, his hands pulling her against his mountainous form, shoulders some thrice as wide as the petite Eagle Rider that sat upon him. There it was that the connection was somehow strengthened, almost as if her lips had been felt before. Closing eyes was typical, but now they closed to help the big man focus, try to think back upon a lifetime of experiences for where he could remember experiencing this same feeling. Parting away from her, either from his own choice or her potential displeasure he finally responded, "Yeah, you're right, you ain't like anyone else. Where can I find you? If all this fades and you and I ain't together anymore, where would you be?" it was no different then asking a girl where she lived, but somehow Xuphim felt like he needed something specific, something to allow him to track this girl down. There was an element to their meeting that felt fragile, as if he could lose his way to her in the future. Of course, then there was her final comment, "And hey, I had women before! Damn, see these beaters here?" he huffed, tapping the abrasive palm of his left hand against his right bicep, finally releasing the Aidara in the process, "They're like the flame see, draws women like moths. Like you say though, ain't no other girl like you. Maybe you are better than any of them, but I been around long enough to know there's something else. I know you somehow. This ain't just some 'girl of my dreams' thing..." which could have been fairly ironic if the Syliran truly understood his predicament, "...going on here, it's something else. Maybe this is what it feels like to meet the hottest Inarta ever, Void if I know." Then, almost as if Xuphim was trying to find just the right time and place to insert Aidara into, the surroundings began to fluidly change once more. Great trees sprouted up from the ground, pillars of sand reaching up to the sky yet somehow avoiding the pair between them. Lush grass, thick vines, towering oaks, a narrow haze hung just below the canopy of the trees. Was this it? They didn't remain long before the plantlife receded into the ground, the land becoming bare and hard. Rocky craigs and dry wind pushed itself around, escaping past the top of some cliff that was now the place they resided. The soft crumble of rocks loosening and falling helplessly down into a ravine echoed, almost eternally. Or was she apart of some colder environment he had once experienced? Powdery snow mixed with splotches of long since frozen vegetation, the sterility of the white that covered every corner of the landscape, rolling and vast, somehow neither unbearably cold nor invasive.