Water to the Parched [Vanator]

[Sybel]

It seemed he too was capable of shifting gears as their conversation abruptly delved deeper. As much as Vanator inspired her amorously, he also prompted a level of feeling she’d hidden previously. Sybel was in fact, rarely sentimental. Any and all speeches given on her life seemed to be under the duress of alcohol. The desert dweller felt safe with him and that sensation was altogether new. Of course, she could have guessed at his reaction – the first thing she’d learned in Endrykas was their close family ties. The Benshira too maintained such intimate involvement in one another’s lives, which she found to be meddlesome. The Drykas by contrast were a hardy people, and somehow the difference in approach made it more acceptable.

"That is true...I am torn between my duty and my heart. But I have yet to make my choice, or forced to take a certain path,” he replied, thoughtfully. Yes, not making a choice was also a choice. When you hedged your destiny, life had a way of making that decision for you. ”Sybel..." The young prince’s eyes were laden with sadness. "I know some of what it means to lose someone you love. But I have always had family. I know this all may be crazy, what we feel here. I mean, we barely know each other...yet, we seem to know each other intimately. As long as you are in Endrykas, or tread the Grass, or beyond, you will always have something, a friend, and someone...me. His offer was beyond what she’d have hoped for.

Some stupid part of her wanted to reaffirm they’d still be speaking tomorrow. The whole night seemed too good to be true. Things that made her so very happy never lasted. But Sybel had grown out of such childish fears. He would care for her as he promised, or he wouldn’t. A more matronly part of her brain wanted to remind him that promises made in heat and haste usually fell apart. But those ideas interfered with the tentative happiness she was enjoying. And then, he finished his sentence. ”It is my deepest desire to be much more than that."

Breath caught in her throat, rendering her unable to speak. What did he want to be to her, exactly? Before she could head back down that particular road, his full mouth pressed against her dark mane and the woman released a relieved sigh. He moved to her cheek, the sweet gesture wordless and yet saying everything. It moved to a kiss in earnest, this time with all the unspoken promises two people could make. Their mouths were searching, comforting; it was a kiss of adoration rather than lust. The true depth of feeling Sybel had for Vanator was near to frightening.

The drykas let go of her hand and draped her arm around her, delicately bowing her form against his. Happily, she obliged him. As he nuzzled her hair she rested her cheek against his beating heart, enthralled by its heightened rhythm. It was her ideal resting place, right there. Just listening to the beat of his heart. That was her single perfect moment. If every day until the end of the world was the same as the one she’d just had, she still happily repeat it if for nothing else, to reach that date under the stars. To have that moment again.

"I hope, in spite of what you have endured, that you still possess your own dreams. What are they Sybel?"

That question was harder. “My greatest and only dream is to belong.” Her voice was barely audible. “To be happy and to find my place in this world. I quench my wandering spirit by roaming, and quell the fire in my heart with adventure… But my need to belong is the unfulfilled dream. I move from place to place hoping to fit somewhere. I realize now it’ll never be so simple. But one day I hope I can discover a place that is truly mine.” With that thought in mind, she sighed.

After a time, since they were bearing all… She needed to ask. “You’re of a suitable marriage age.” Sybel was near to being crushed by the weight of it. “Are you married, Vanator?” For he certainly must be.

[Vanator]

As Sybel revealed more of herself to the man within their intimate embrace, deeper facets of the Benshiran woman opened up before Vanator. As Bel's heart poured forth, Vanator's hand slipped to her head, gently caressing and combing his fingers through her silky dark hair. Listening to her confession, an ache rose within the man, pain at the simplicity of the wish she wished. She didn't want to be alone.

Vanator had never really been alone. Oh, he had been by himself, out in the grass, but the Denusk always had a home to go to, and people to care for, and care for him. He had been lonely, many times in the past few years. But to have no one...and as Sybel said, nothing...the thought broke his heart, and he held her closer. It was a crime, a cosmic sin, that this amazing woman could be without a simple way to belong, somewhere, anywhere. He vowed to himself she would no longer be so. If he were nothing more than her friend, Vanator would ensure Sybel would at least have him. The Drykas confessed to himself, maybe, someday, she would belong to him in a greater way.

The horseman felt Sybel sigh within his arms, but he felt that words were not the balm she needed at that moment. Instead, he held her close, and simply existed with her for a long moment before her alto voice lifted again from his chest.

“You’re of a suitable marriage age. Are you married, Vanator?”

There was no desire to keep anything from the woman, the strangers now open scrolls before one another. "No, I am not married. Though I was. Three years ago, my wife was killed in a Zith attack." Now, it was his turn to sigh, his broad chest expanding and contracting with the breath of air. "My parents have tried to arrange marriages for me. But I am no longer some whelp to be set up. I married Tamar for love, and I will only marry again for love." Almost instinctively, Van leaned down again to kiss her head.

Like the balance of Leth and Syna, sun and moon, Sybel and Vanator complimented each other even then, sitting in the grass. The strong Drykas, wanting someone to care for, wrapping protectively around the gregarious woman with the desire to belong.

[Sybel]

Though she could no longer see his face, the posture he held gave some clue to his reaction. Sybel’s talk of being alone made him tense, which she’d figured. After all, he’d already made the rash declaration she’d always have him. Yet her deep sigh had telegraphed the question that followed it, and he held her just a bit tighter. That was okay. Sybel clung to him just as desperately, entwining their legs. It’d been years since she’d cuddled with anyone, let alone been touched at all… The Benshira enjoyed sex to a fault but it was never a goal. People generally kept to their own comfort zone and she did much the same. Intimate contact of any variety was a rare occurrence for her. Just having the man’s arms encircling her, met some unrealized need deep within.

"No, I am not married. Though I was. Three years ago, my wife was killed in a Zith attack."

Guilt hit her with crushing weight. Sure, Sybel had experienced rejection. She’d lost her Father and never knew her Mother. But to love someone so very much, to choose to spend your life with them… Then have it all slip away? Her heart ached horribly for the unkind thoughts that she’d had. She should have thought better of the ankal’s son. Vanator would not have become so intimate without fair warning. Worst of all, she was plagued by the fact the confession relieved her. The woman’s heart could not be in complete tatters. Not with the revelation that he was a free agent. It opened up unanticipated avenues, freedoms.

Silent, she leaned up to face him. They were close, so close… Closer than she’d been with anyone since Hael. The hand that rested on his chest moved up to caress his face. Her eyes were pained for him. Again their mouths closed on one another, yet a different variety of kiss emerging; a kiss of condolence, of comfort. Her lips worked against his with unprecedented tenderness. A different sort of build up began to occur, a slow climb to a different sort of passion. Sybel began to ache for him again but in a far different way. It transcended lust. She didn’t desire some desperate tryst… The Benshira wanted to make love to him.

She drew away in the midst of their fervor yet again. Her mind remotely wondered why she even held back. The only reason that tethered her had been dispelled. They were unfettered. But the swelling in her chest indicated that if they crossed that line, she’d be lost in him utterly. No, if Sybel truly tasted Vanator… There would be nothing left but that. She would love him unendurably. As it were she needed time to clear her head, think of what had transpired. Her longing gaze held his, and after a time she regained the will to speak.

“I have not felt this way since I was barely a woman.” Her throat was chafed with desire. “You have me too, Vanator. You will always have me.” Whether it be a friend or a lover. Sybel would not let him down.

[Vanator]

After Vanator had shared his confidences, the Drykas and Benshiran lingered for a quiet moment in each other's arms. Then Vanator felt Sybel's head shift against him, and he turned his face down to look at the dark-haired beauty as her azure gaze lifted to his. The compassion that the Drykas witnessed in her eyes melted his heart, the tenderness in the caress of her hand against his cheek melted his soul. Unmistakeable was the empathy in her pained features, heartfelt emotion that reached deeper than anyone would expect from one so newly acquainted. The desert girl's soft lips embraced the horseman's again, but not with the hungry carnality of lust. This kiss was deep, long and steady, as if Sybel poured solace into the unrushed, slippery caress of her moist lips against his willing mouth. Vanator savored the sweetly intimate taste of Sybel, as if she were a vessel from which he drank healing and strength. Desire for simply her body had been supplanted with the need to unite with the Eyktoliangoddess body, mind and spirit. Indeed...making love would be how Vanator would describe it.

They were thwarted, or rescued, by Sybel's retreat. “I have not felt this way since I was barely a woman. You have me too, Vanator. You will always have me.”

The Drykas stil marveled at his consuming affections for Sybel. They were acting like teenagers. In fact, Vanator remembered feeling almost the same way as a young teen. He had met a young Drykas girl, and almost immediately, they seemed to fall in love. By that evening, at the age of fifteen, he had conceived his first son. That young Vanator experienced juvenile infatuation. But the man that found himself entwined with the Benshiran woman had seen twice as many winters as that boy. He knew what love was, he knew what life was about, and he knew what he felt for Sybel was no mere infatuation. Sybel and he just happened to crash into each other in the perfect storm. Still, Vanator had to look at her with awe, not only amazed by his own unbridled need for Sybel, but more so in the fact that she felt the same way.

"I can't explain this Sybel. I should. I should be able explain why I would find myself utterly captivated by a woman I just met. Why in a few short bells I would find myself willing to do anything to make sure I saw you again, to make sure you would be in my life for a long time. But I can't. I don't want to. Gods, I have been so..." He paused, hesitating to be so transparent, "...so lonely. But I feel so warm and wanted right now, I feel compelled to show you that someone, I ...find you irresistible and desirable. I find myself unable to think about anything else but to be with you..intimately, completely and wholly. I think others would find that kind of talk foolish. But I don't care. I have seen more winters than many, many Drykas men have survived, I am entitled to... love." There was no hesitation in his inference, how else could he explain his condition?

Vanator's hand cupped her bronzed face again, brushing his thumb against her tender cheek. "Come ride with me tomorrow. Tell me I will see you again."

[Sybel]

Vanator seemed disappointed by their fervor’s abrupt end, but he took it in stride. Moments passed in silence as they two enjoyed the simplicity of their embrace. Gazing into his depths, Sybel found herself quite comfortable there. His lips tightened, tensed to speak. As they parted she hung upon the sound. "I can't explain this Sybel. I should. I should be able explain why I would find myself utterly captivated by a woman I just met.” She was utterly captivating him? Perhaps she could have guessed, but to hear it… His honesty was so different from what she’d been used to. Drykas were honest, but men generally were not. He continued, his stare boring into hers. “Why in a few short bells I would find myself willing to do anything to make sure I saw you again, to make sure you would be in my life for a long time. But I can't. I don't want to.”

To be in his life for a long time? The idea made her chest swell. Sybel felt incredibly light, like the spine of a feather set to blow away. Her form was only tethered to the ground by his strong embrace. “Gods, I have been so..." He trailed, groping for the words. "...so lonely. But I feel so warm and wanted right now, I feel compelled to show you that someone, I ...find you irresistible and desirable.” Did he really? The negative voice in the back of her mind chided her for being so dense. Would they have done all they’d just done and it not been mutual? Mollified, she once again shut it out. How was it possible her own mind could be so annoying?

“I find myself unable to think about anything else but to be with you..intimately, completely and wholly.” There was that stirring, again. It was making her near rabid with desire, ready to rip the shirt from his back. ”I think others would find that kind of talk foolish. But I don't care. I have seen more winters than many, many Drykas men have survived, I am entitled to... love." There was the dreaded L word, the one she’d been trying to avoid. But he had a point. What else could be that flying feeling in her heart? The woman was falling in love.

That scared the petch out of her.

Before she could dedicate too much thought to the onset of terror, he continued to speak. "Come ride with me tomorrow. Tell me I will see you again." It was more a statement than a bonafide request. His hand caressed her face affectionately. “Of course,” she replied without hesitation. Anywhere he’d be, she’d be. “Vanator, I loved once.” She explained. “Only once. When I was very young, I fell in love with a boy from a neighboring tent – your equivalent of a clan. My full name is actually Sybel of the Tents of Alijah, Descendant of Malech of the Sons of Rapa.” With a little giggle, she gave him a brief history lesson. “Rapa was a beloved follower of Yahal, the god of the Benshira. His sons and became our first ever priesthood. Malech was known as ‘the Clever,’” which explains where I inherited my smart mouth.”

“Anyway, the boy’s name was Hael. The abridged version of the tale is that he promised to leave Yahebah with me. We were to start a life in Riverfall, open a little curio shop.” With a brokenhearted sigh, she concluded the story. “When I went to leave after my Father’s death, he denied me. He told me that he wasn’t like me, that he couldn’t abandon his duty as a man. That has stayed with me.” Sybel’s eyes were desperately sad. “I tell you this to warn you. There are very few people who can live as I do. I am sustained by this glorious freedom. It has been hard won, and I am loathe to give it up.”

It was so terrible, that she had to put that up front. “Still,” she eased out of the grim speech. “How I feel for you… It’s beyond what I have ever felt before.” Her love for Hael had been adolescent and built over time. With many years of experience backing her, she could discern the two sensations. “I will ride with you to the end of the earth.”

[Vanator]

He had said it, hadn't he? Not directly, so subtle that Vanator himself had scarcely realized the word had slipped his Sybel-warmed lips. But the inference was unmistakeable. He had brought up Love. Vanator had loved, more than once. It was an condition that intoxicated him, though he himself had not realized that consciously. Van did not take love lightly, nor did he confuse the companionship of an intimate friend with that great human condition. But when Vanator fell in love, he fell hard.

So, when Sybel began her cautionary tale, a weight pressed heavily against the Drykas chest. The rejection the woman had suffered by the one she loved was a sad story indeed, its sorrow compounded when one looked into the depths of hurt still harbored behind glistening pale blue eyes. Again, his heart tore at the pain etched in her features.

“I tell you this to warn you. There are very few people who can live as I do. I am sustained by this glorious freedom. It has been hard won, and I am loathe to give it up.”

The pressure on his heart became that of an olidospax's foot. She was a wanderer. Vanator had thought she wandered because she had no none. Did the beautiful Benshiran have no one, because she was compelled to wander? A myriad of possibilities clouded the man's euphoric enjoyment of the moment, unable to resist premature musings of what might be. Would Sybel ever be satisfied to live in a pavilion, tied to the grass? Would he ever leave his family and responsibility to travel with her? Would he be no better than this Hael? Vanator's elation unraveled before him, and a panic began to seize him as he saw the long darkness of loneliness lurking, only waiting for things to fall apart.

“How I feel for you… It’s beyond what I have ever felt before. I will ride with you to the end of the earth.”

Hope sprung from the desert girl's lip and Vanator scolded himself for his pessimism. It was only their first moments together, regardless of what the future held, he would jealously lay hold of every new moment he had with Sybel.

A caress of the girl's thick dark mane became an amorous clutching of the silky strands as Vanator tilted her head back and leaned down to press a hot kiss once more to Sybel's generous mouth. This oral embrace was laced with the fire of desire, Vanator choosing this time to allow his actions to express the content of his heart. His free hand drew her against him firm but gently, until he felt the crush of her curves and contours against him, threatening to fan the kindled flame into a conflagration. After a desperately long and impassioned chime, Vanator relinquished Sybel's burning lips back to her, his own tingling from the ardor he poured into the kiss. His hand relaxed, before it wandered further than was wise. Then, a warm, caring, promising smile lit Vanator's face as he once again plunged into her welcoming gaze.

"My gorgeous desert flower...tomorrow, you will ride with me on a Drykas Strider. I promise it will be the ride of your life!"

[Sybel]

He seemed very concerned by her little recollection and rightfully so. Sybel had feared his reaction. Any challenge to a Drykas man’s sovereignty had the potential to end poorly. They were a proud people. It wasn’t even that women did not have societal freedom – they certainly did. It was just not the kind she needed to thrive. Both man and woman held a strict social obligation to their clan and their partnership. That sort of limitation sent her running in the opposite direction. But Vanator struck her as different in some way. He’d already revealed his desire to live as he wished. That at least clued her in to a depth others did not share. It made her want to know all she could about him.
At her confession however, he seemed re-invigorated. Van planted another kiss on her lips, unleashing some measure of his restrained desire. With a hand he pulled her flush against his excited body, and the feeling of his taut muscles nearly overwhelmed her. Her hands encircled the Drykas’ torso, pulling him in further. Sybel tasted him again, her adventurous tongue requesting entrance as it ran the length of his lips. Much to her dismay he untangled himself, eyes feverish.

"My gorgeous desert flower...tomorrow, you will ride with me on a Drykas Strider. I promise it will be the ride of your life!" His smiling declaration lifted her spirits considerably. The idea of abandoning Eplah however, put a sour taste in her mouth. Still, Sybel wanted to make Vanator happy. She’d allow her Eyktolian Desertbred a small vacation from her restless wanderings. After all, Van’s happiness was quickly becoming a priority.

“I love your smile…” She said, beaming up him. “I can’t wait.” Sybel was practically glowing. She even giggled a bit, the girlish sound somewhat foreign to her ears. “Would you like to walk me back to my tent?”

Whatever was in store for the pair of them was unknown but nonetheless exciting. Sybel was sad to leave the night behind them, yet wise in making her sudden departure. If she'd chosen to stay there with him in the grass, there'd be some window for error. It would become all the more tempting to overstep the carefully laid boundary they'd both erected. All she knew was that Vanator nourished her; like water to her chafed, parched soul.

OOCSorry about the length. Wrap up is HARD!

[Jackalope]

Sybel

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Socialization	+5	Accidentally Spilling A Drink In Someone's Face
Rhetoric	+2	Vanator Denusk: Drykas Heartthrob
Observation	+5	Going Off Alone With a Drykas
Seduction	+2	Finding A Fellow Mead Drinker
		Vanator is a Great Kisser
		Turnabout is Fair Play, Benshira Style
		Carrying Burdens Alone
		Vanator Will Only Marry for Love
		Fear of Falling in Love

Van

Award

Skill	XP Earned	Lore Earned
Observation	+5	Turning the Tables with a Witty Comment
Socialization	+5	Complimenting Someone Who Can't Comprehend
Rhetoric	+3	Sybel: Exotic Desert Beauty
Seduction	+2	Finding a Fellow Mead Drinker
Teaching	+1	Using Pavi to Get Some
		Wanting Thing Which Aren't Drykas
		Sharing Your Desires
		Sybel Dreams to Belong
		It's a Date

Witty Remark Here

Alright. Great thread you two. I gave a ton of lore because I think you guys learned a lot of little bits of info and technique, but let me know if you want something more specific. Nice job on the mushy stuff. I think my heart might have fluttered a few times too. D'awwwww. Keep up the good work! If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.