Closed Until That Day [Ayatah]

[Ayatah]

Yes, Ayatah was impressed with her lover’s rhythm, though this was certainly no ordinary dance. It told no story (at least, not one that could be shared with the younger children), and there was no set pattern to their movements. Their steps changed as the drumbeats did, though their bodies remained merged together. The shadows they cast were welded together like statues, and not once did they separate.

Remarkably, their dance remained on the safe side of downright obscene, but the adults that happened to glance towards the young lovers knew that this was some strange sort of foreplay. This was, after all, their final night together and they deserved to make the most of each of the heated friction that existed between them.

Eventually, the entirety of the clan was on their feet, even Roseane led by her husband. The children ran between the legs of the adults, and those that weren’t in sexual couples made the most of the remaining wine, laughing all the while.

But Ayatah barely heard or saw the others.

Instead, her senses, and her world for those moments, consisted only of she and Razkar. His hands on her waist, pulling her ever closer; the heat that radiated off his body and his breath that clung to her ear. It sent shivers down her spine that ended somewhere between her legs.

"We still have one more night... and I want to make it memorable for you..."

That low, husky voice made Ayatah bite her lip to control herself, and even then a moan escaped from her deep within her throat. She turned on the spot, now facing him and wearing a dangerous smirk. ”I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.” Her hand snaked down his stomach, and kept going down to the place where their bodies were almost fused together.

Feeling his physical excitement added to her own, and her dark eyes flashed left, then right. The rest of her clan were either drunk, blind, or too busy with their own dancing to realise anything around them. Flashing her lover a final wink, she leant forward to whisper his ear. ”You best come get me, then.”

And taking his hand, she led him through the forest of writhing bodies and into the cooler, shadowed corner of the compound. They hadn’t even stepped into their dark hut before her lips were pressed against his, hands working on those few pieces of clothing that separated them. There was a sense of urgency in her actions, but then again it could have just as easily been the complete and utter animalistic lust that seemed to have taken over Ayatah.

She was going to make the most of this night, if nothing else.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

”You best come get me, then.”

The words came at the perfect time in the perfet pitch to Razkar' ears. Before he even had the chance to growl further she was leading him away, hand gripping his, the two of them snaking adroitly around the swaying figures. In the shadow and dark and flickering flames, they were unnoticed.

The male felt his heart grow faster and something else start to pump and twitch as they approached their darkened hut. The flap had barely swung back behind them before she lunged at him, lips mashing against his in sheer...

Desperation. That was what he tasted in her. A lust born of a frantic, relentless desire to savor every inch of him one more time.

Razkar returned it with vigor.

His hands ripped her clothes off, not pulled them. No time for the slow lovemaking of their past, not with only one sliver of night left to them. Their hands tore and scratched at each other in the frenzy to get them both naked, already sweating and slick with the humidity and dancing and fire-

They fell against the bed and he was on top of her, sliding between her hips and-

She arched her back, exposing her naked, shining body underneath him as he braced himself above her, moan of animal ecstasy purring from her lips. Razkar felt the growl pull back his lips and every last chain of self-control vanished from him.

His mouth darted down to claim whatever part of her he wished, and the rest of her body thundered against her in its own, needful desperation.

[Ayatah]

The two slick, shiny bodies clashed against each other, the alcohol they had previously consumed merely deepening their lust, their desperation to share each other one last time.

She didn’t even realise they had tumbled onto the bed, but suddenly he was on top of her. Her body responded in the most primal of ways, hips grinding against his, back arching and fingers dragging slowly down his chest as she gasped and moaned underneath him.

Her lips grazed his neck, chin, and shoulders… Wherever she could reach to taste that heady saltiness of his sweat.

Those long legs came up and wrapped around his waist, pulling him ever deeper and closer. They were both growling and groaning like animals of the very jungle they would be leaving, entranced by their own sex and sweat. Conscious thoughts were gone, only the two of them existed, moving against each other in their feverish dance.

She lent up on her elbows, breasts held flush against his chest, and Ayatah gasped whisperings of his name that escaped her lips between breathless pants.

Each wild thrust and pulsate bought them both higher, higher, until…

They greeted their shared climax with complete uninhibited cries of pleasure, eyes closed and mouths open. Chests heaved and muscles twitched as their bodies slowly parted. When Razkar collapsed on the bed beside her, Ayatah rolled to her side to face him.

She would not ruin their final night with sadness (especially not after that performance, anyway). Instead, pressed her nose against his before grinning. ”That should stay in my memory for a while.”

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

”That should stay in my memory for a while.”

Razkar's lips tried to move into a smile but first he had to remember who he was and what planet he was on. After a few moments... yes... Razkar. Mizahar. Now just the mystery of my his arms and legs were numb.

He moved his head up and smirked against her lips as he kissed her, both of them touching foreheads as they whispered to one another.

"I don't think many of the other barbarian lore masters will be able to do that, will they?" He said with a chuckle, groping down to find their - well, her tiger pelt - and pull it over them. "Goddess... female, you will be the end of me..."

Frantic and breathless chuckling reverberated around the darkened hut that seemed even more humid now after their exertions. For a few chimes it just continued without pause or control, all the stress and worry of the day leaving them as they held each other.

Finally Razkar gently kissed her one more time, losing himself in the sweet taste of her even as he settled in on his back. Ayatah rested her head on his chest, hair streaming in a rough and blackened halo around him pectorals. His breathing... Goddess, it was coming ragged... lifted her head gently up and down, one hand idly stroking her head...

She felt his heartbeat. He felt the softness of her hair. Before either of them knew it, slept claimed them both.

[Ayatah]

It was incredibly uncommon for Myrians to enjoy the morning by lying in bed. Usually their many responsibilities started as early as Syna did, requiring said Myrian to leave the warmth of their furs and begin the day.

For Razkar and Ayatah, however, there was only one thing for them to do today.

They’d need to get out of bed at some point, of course, but Quinneth had released them of their morning duties in order to make last minute preparations for their journey. And as such, when Ayatah’s eyes flickered open, she simply stretched and smiled, knowing she had time to relax.

I could get used to this...

She rolled to her side, finding Razkar still asleep and snoring lightly. Smiling to herself, she ran her fingertips across his torso, chuckling as he squirmed under the feathery touch. When he didn’t wake, she tried a different approach. Ayatah held her lips at his jaw, kissing and nipping it gently with her teeth.

”We start our adventures today…” Her voice was low, but it was obvious there was excitement in her tone, not fear or dread. The goodbyes had been said (all but one, anyway), and now all that remained was to put the Jungle behind them and… recover in their separate ways. Ayatah would miss her family, her friends and the jungle. But it would all be worth it. When she returned, she would better for leaving.

I’ve got to leave to come back.

She glanced back to Razkar, finding him now awake though still looking half-asleep. ”Hung over?” There was smugness to her voice, but when she lent up slightly, it disappeared instantly. A pale hand touched her forehead and she winced. ”…Because I am, apparently.”

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

The dream never stayed the same for long. Battlefield... jungle... city... plain... ocean... the scenery changed with every other blink, but those moments stretched on for bells. Or days. Or chimes. Razkar didn't even know anymore. Distant lands and lands that couldn't even exist, but he was there. Sometimes he was with her. But finally some... rumbling phenomenon broke the endless shifting perspective. Words... happy and buoyant and brimming with hope.

”We start our adventures today…”

Razkar smiled as dream became dark and then he knew he was back in the waking world. Ah, how he loved her. Always able to say in a sentence what it took him scrolls and bells to do. This wasn't the end of their times; it was the start of a new one. It wasn't an exile; it was an adventure. Even with his eyes closed he reached upwards and wrapped his arms around her... and then it hit him.

”Hung over? Because I am, apparently.”

Razkar groaned as it felt like the great bronze bells of The Temple were shattering inside his skull. "Why... Why are you shouting?"

Probably because she's whispering. Find some cocoa leaves...

He opened his eyes and unwelcome shafts of sunlight hammered into his red orbs. He groaned again and rolled over, seeking solace in some scraps of shadow. Petching Bennik, bringing that grog from the Garrison. Stuff could dissolve Tskanna bones...

Finally he found some tentative equilibrium and wrapped his arms around his lover's back. They had but one more thing to do before they ventured into the jungle... well, two, technically, but The Roost was probably not open yet. He detected that faint trace of smugness in her voice too, and bite down just a little on her earlobe as he squeezed her.

"Hardly one to talk, Aya. Urgh... Goddess..." He rested his head on her shoulder, wondering why his head felt like it had been loaned to him by an Akalak. "When are we leaving? And can we go back to bed?"

He chuckled and her questing hands started to roam again, memories of last night fresh before his eyes. A quick slap told him that, unfortunately, it was not on the cards.

[Ayatah]

She slithered back down into the covered, tugging them over her face before resting her head back on his chest, eyes closed to block out that evil sunlight. ”How about, we pretend we’ve left, and we just stay here forever? Or until my head stops pounding…”

”Never before have I felt so shit… Can’t we all just go back to asleep?

“Oh, you young’uns just can’t handle your liquor!”

Clearly the rest of the Scattered Bones were feeling just as terrible - all apart from Quinneth, apparently. Ayatah couldn’t help but chuckle at the surprising vitality of the ancient woman… And then envy it when her own quiet laughter sounded more like a herd of Tskanna.

She groaned when Razkar’s fingers brushed her bare, soft skin -- but this time it was not out of arousal. ”Not now, dear. I’m tired.” After patting his chest, she shuffled further amongst her covers, a mischievous grin on her face. That was all he would get out of her for a while, at least until the room stopped spinning.

So there they lay, wrapped up in furs and each other. Then Ayatah sat up - wincing once again as the sunlight hit her eyes cruelly. Leaning over him, and ignoring those damn wandering hands once more, she grabbed something that lay at the floor of the bed.

A book. What else?

Ayatah grinned sheepishly, shrugging her shoulders at her sheer predictability. ”I like books, okay?” She said, pretending to pout before pecking him on the lips and settling down to flick through the book. ”So… Riverfall?” The question was worded slowly, as if she feared arousing any sorrow over their departure. But they hadn't had a chance to discuss why exactly the city of blue men seemed to attract Razkar, and true to form, Ayatah certainly had questions. Either way, she mused with a smirk, better than a city full of blue women.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

”Not now, dear. I’m tired.”

He made a hurt sound like a mewling kitten and then replaced it when he saw her smile buried under the covers, teasing him. He shook his head and wondered how it had come to this: at the mercy of a half-breed. Then his heart skipped a beat as she leaned over him, glorious tableau of taut, lean, tanned female flesh reaching over him-

-and ignoring him totally to grab a book instead.

”I like books, okay?”

Razkar groaned dramatically and flung an arm over his eyes, banishing that damned sun that had no business being up at... petch, what time was it anyway? Well, to the hells with it. The point remained.

"You are not exactly boosting my ego, love. Goddess... replaced in my darling's eyes by leather-wrapped parchment. How edifying..."

The snort he got in reply was the shortened version of "I'm not here to stroke your ego, male", and he rolled his covered eyes, tentatively raising an arm. She was sitting between his legs, teasing him even more as she rested her back against his broad chest, book open before her.

She couldn't see it, but the smile gave her was one of sheer, indulgent adoration. Goddess, he loved her like this. Fresh and focused and naked and studious and... his. All his, and trusting this dumb male enough to lean on him as she read.

”So… Riverfall?”

He sighed and wrapped one arm around her waist, the other idly stroking her oh-so-softly on her upper arms. His chin rested on her shoulder as he read over it, frowning at the Common words scratched down in old, dried ink. His understanding of the barbarians' most virulent and widespread tongue was only rudimentary. Hers was not. His lips moved as he sounded words out, trying to match pictures with words...

"Yes. It's the first city beyond Black Rock, which is convenient, and I hear the Blue Skins are a race of giant warriors. A perfect place for me to pit my strength and skill."

His voice took on a darker tone and he squeezed her gently.

"But you needn't look so intently at the woodcuts of them, Aya."

Nothing but a giggle in response and Razkar scowled... then smirked. Oh, this was the game, was it? Well, then...

He leaned close into her hair and nuzzled softly, just enough pressure and gentleness to make her sigh and bare her neck to him... right before he spoke.

"You know, I hear there is an isle populated by nothing but pale-skinned women called Con-Tih, as well." She stiffened immediately and Razkar recognized his own canine-like reaction to a perceived threat in her sudden hardness. "Well, in the interest of exploration and broadening my mind, I should visit at least-"

An elbow in his ribs was his wit's reward, but Razkar laughed all the same.

[Ayatah]

"Yes. It's the first city beyond Black Rock, which is convenient, and I hear the Blue Skins are a race of giant warriors. A perfect place for me to pit my strength and skill."

Her knowledge of Riverfall and the blue men that lived there was pretty basic, but Ayatah knew enough to nod in agreement with her lover was saying. She wanted to learn more, though, to understand where he was going and what risks would ensue that location choice. Despite being a proud member of the Myrian race, she was still a woman a love and that meant she was a woman that worried.

"You know, I hear there is an isle populated by nothing but pale-skinned women called Con-Tih, as well. Well, in the interest of exploration and broadening my mind, I should visit at least-"

Her eyes narrowed and her elbow jutted out behind her, though the blow would be far from painful for her big strong warrior. ”Oh really? Well shall we see what these pale women are like? Oh, look here…” She flicked twenty or so pages further into the book, and lent forward to block his view from the text - which was actually about the Drykas people - before she started churning out some comically terrible tale about the race in question.

”Konti women are renown for feasting on the cocks of Myrian men -- no, not like that!” She threw him a playful glare before he even had a chance to make the joke. Then she continued with her pretend reading, ”especially the cocks of men who have a half-Eypharian swooning over them in Zeltiva. Well, I think it’s safe for us aaallll…” her hand snaked to somewhere several inches below his abdomen as she drawled out the last word she had just said before continuing, ”…if you stay away from there. I’ll visit and send you a post-card so you know what it’s like.”

They chuckled together and she lent uncomfortably to the side to kiss his lips. Then she sat back against his chest, one hand on the book in front of her and the other resting on his thigh. She frowned as she read, deep in concentration. After a while, she closed the book and rubbed her forehead. ”Reading whilst hung-over is not fun,” she muttered grumpily. But she now knew more about the city than she had done before, so her pounding head was worth it… sort of.

”There’s two training schools,” she began, wriggling herself to get comfortable and resting her head on his chest, ”one for armed combat and one for unarmed.” That piece of information would be helpful, or at least she hoped as much. ”And because they are all male, those big blue buggers are quite likely to welcome you like some tall, dark and handsome brother. Bro’s before -- women, and all that.”

Which Ayatah did not entirely understand, and to make sure Razkar didn’t either, she pushed the book off the edge of their bed (a rather drastic measure for her) and sat up. She turned herself around, bringing her legs up and over his so she ended up straddling him.

Her head was still pounding, but that didn’t mean some fun was entirely off the cards.

|| Ayatah's speech || Ayatah's thoughts || Others' speech ||

[Razkar]

”Oh really? Well shall we see what these pale women are like? Oh, look here…”

She squirmed and writhed and the pages whispered under her fingers, always keeping them from his eyes. They jabbed back and forth but he was still as blind as she wished him to be, her voice taking on a playful but cutting edge as she "quoted" from the unseen parchment.

”Konti women are renown for feasting on the cocks of Myrian men -- no, not like that!”

"Ah, well all the more... oh, fine, if I'm going to get that look tossed in my face..."

”Especially the cocks of men who have a half-Eypharian swooning over them in Zeltiva. Well, I think it’s safe for us aaallll…”

He hissed like a cat under attack as he hand found something expectant and suddenly engorged under her fingers. Razkar stiffened like a board and he heard her giggle, could feel the amusement in her power over him. Goddess, how he loved and resented her for that.

”…if you stay away from there. I’ll visit and send you a post-card so you know what it’s like.”

Razkar managed a halting breath and rolled his eyes, her hand finally and regretfully moving away. He sighed. "I should hate you for doing that to me... heh, and yet, here we are..."

She rubbed her forehead and at once Razkar was concerned. Processing the twisting Common while sober was hard enough for their race, used to runes and symbols denoting much or little in tiny scratches. But when hung over, well...

But she pressed on, and he kissed her cheek when she settled herself. She wanted him to know, and to learn, and thus be armed in his mind when he arrived among the barbarians. Razkar closed his eyes for a moment, lost in the scent of her hair and the fear-moans she talked about.

You are unworthy of such love, male.

”There’s two training schools. And because they are all male, those big blue buggers are quite likely to welcome you like some tall, dark and handsome brother. Bro’s before -- women, and all that.”

In seasons to come, after he had been all but chased from Riverfall by a slathering mob of Akalaks, Razkar would laugh bitterly at those words. But his bitterness was not at her. No... never at her. She did not know, she just saw things so simply. She was a fighter, he knew that, but sometimes she did not... understand how puerile a warrior's mentality could be. That and the attitude towards Myrians abroad, well... it was as unenlightened in many corners as theirs was towards transgressors in their sacred Jungle.

But at that time, he had nodded sagely and agreed.

"One can hope so. We perhaps have much to teach each other." He frowned and pointed at a picture, a cluster of dueling, giant figures in a stone circle. "Gideon... Arena... that sounds promising! Like the fighting pits in Taloba before the Goddess-Queen ordered them abandoned. They still have such things among the barbarians. Interesting..."

Then, to his surprise, the book was shoved aside and thumped lightly as it was banished from the bed. Razkar's eyebrows shot upwards as Ayatah reversed herself swiftly, straddling his legs and... oh, she really would be the death of him...

Silky heat was just above his naked crotch, but she did not grind sensuously. She simply straddled, teasing without teasing, hands planted lightly on his taut chest. His own arms reached up languidly and stroked her from stomach to shoulders, head lolled back to regard her...

Truly... unworthy...

"I think you underestimate the effect a female can have on the bonds of males. Besides, they need women, since they have none of their own. I would expect them to be-" he hissed as she clenched her thighs minutely, but even those movement bought her core closer to him member "-even more... appreciative of females."