Completed [Sacred Arch Hotspring] Night's Game [Matthew]

[Amelia Cross]

Being called in the name of her mother. That was not a thing that excited her, on the contrary, it made her frown and despite her erasing the trace of the displeasure soon enough, one who was careful would have noticed it. Amelia had clearly contrasting personalities, and despite her father making it clear that Amelia was so much like her mother, bout of the women didn’t enjoy the thought. Ophelia found her daughter to be too easy going, shameful and lacking morals…even simple understanding of wright or wrong. While Amelia found her mother to be uptight, boring, two faced and a cheater. Needless to say, they didn’t get along perfectly even before she had visited Ravok. But being called that name…well, she guessed if she called Matthew the name of his father…he wouldn’t be too pleased either.

”my, my…who said I speak of those? I’m fragile, don’t you see?” she said, not mocking, just stating a fact and not even waiting for an answer as she was sinking off into another monologue ”I speak of a monster who makes the prey ask for more …” Amelia was not half as experienced as her act made one believe, yes, she had her fair share of men and women. One too many for her age and she was not ashamed, her father praised her for it. The parties of Ravok with their slaves, who held the gnosis of chains on their bodies…it all made her want the finest, finest she could get out of a man with teasing. But was she really ready to go up for what she was setting the man up for? ”so tell me now, Matthew, is the harlot really a worthy monster? Or is he just a sheep pulling on a black wolfs disguise?”

The feeling of his eyes on her, it was not something she would shy off of. The girl was well aware of being openly a tease, showing more of her skin than she should at her age. She knew that she was doing things she shouldn’t but it made her feel good. To feel eyes on her, was better than a million compliments. After all, words were just words, but actions said more. Maybe she thought so because she had yet to encounter someone, who held complete control over their own bodies, and little gestures… she acted out one more long stretch of her body like a lazy cat. Arching her back completely, making her chest rise and her neck show even better, eyes closed in imagined delight as she let her teeth bite her own lip.

When he rose from the water, her eyes half open, followed his body. No, she was still not affected by his body, she appreciated the clear care the man toke of himself. She could appreciate a well-toned body and good movement. But it was not what set her off to play and tease, so she was only half interested in it. None the less, she didn’t look away from him, the best way to explain her look though, was study. She was studying him again, she was not desiring the body…not yet.

Once he sat down in the water, she sat up from her comfy position on the rocks. Strange, how she found such a place comfortable to lay upon, but that was Amelia for you. In no rush, she carefully got in the pool of warm water that sent shivers upon her skin once more. Still walking slowly she found her way next to Matthew and lowered her body, first she was facing him. Letting her look in his eyes, for the first time this close, for the first time able to tell how chilling they looked. Without any words the girl turned around, setting her body between his legs, but letting her fingertips run along his inner thighs before sitting down, as if letting him know of where she would sit.

She was not going to be the one letting him get away easily. Before Mathew would get to her hair, she would move around quite the bit, forcing her back rub against his chest and her hips thrust upon his, while she was so casually trying to settle in a comfier way, truly a cat. A cat in denial. ”be gentle”

[Matthew]

If anything, the sudden look of displeasure on her pristine features was the first thing to cause him confusion. If the name had been something she didn't like, then why was it even offered up in the first place? It made him want to speak up, want to remind her that she had been the one to proclaim names didn't matter. He thought better of it though, holding his tongue for both his sake and hers. The tension was floating in the air, and it was best not to drag it down with anything silly and petty. Instead, he held onto it, pretending not to notice that she had been effected by his words. It seemed like it was best to leave it alone for now, and try a different name she had suggested next. Hopefully none of those would be a land mine either. At her analysis of him, he rose an eyebrow, silently applauding her for how close she might possibly be. He shrugged his broad shoulders, water rolling off of them, a smirk on his full lips as he kept his gaze locked to her own. "I suppose you are going to have to find out. A sheep doesn't have fangs, but a monster certainly does. The only way to know for certain is when you get caught, and the monster tries to tear into you." He gnashed his teeth at her, eyes glimmering, body tensing again. "And this particular monster knows how to devour his prey with extreme skill. I went to school to learn the body, after all." He winked at her, chuckling a little bit, wheels turning behind his head the entire time. If anything, it might be even more of an allure for her to know how calculated this all was. His mind was like a machine specifically designed and programmed with Djed to dissect her down to a very primal and simple level. It was a slow and meticulous process, but such an interesting one. Would it scare her to know that he wanted to reduce them to mere beasts? Or would it entice the woman, who spoke so boldly of beasts and monsters and exactly how she could handle them? He wasn't sure, but he planned on finding out. His eyes continued to soak her up, scrubbing and rubbing every single inch of her that he could. What his lips weren't saying, his eyes said a thousand times better. When she arched, he seemed to find every muscle that moved with his roaming gaze. When she rippled and revealed her neck and rose her chest, his eyes devoured those as well. When she bit her lip, his own teeth sunk down, the look on his face another one of pure hunger. His body was a natural show, though he did do subtle little things to improve it. While the catlike grace was something he was blessed with, everything else could differ depending on the look he was trying to give. While it was a show for her eyes, there was another more hidden meaning behind it. Specifically, he was simply showing off power. The idea of what a toned body that was so very well taken-care-of could do. Finally their eyes met, and for a moment, time stilled. Hers were an empty black, dim enough to hide whatever swirled beneath. He could see the movement, but the black made it harder to find. He was a stark contrast, with bright blue eyes that swirled with all the dark and dangerous things he could possibly do to her. With her eyes still on his, he slowly glanced down, stroking his gaze openly over the front of her body, then slowly returned eye contact with a small smirk on the corner of his lips. As she turned, he squirmed to make a bit of room, wanting it to be easy for her to sit. His inner thighs flexed with power and muscle as she teased them a little, and when her back and hips slid backwards, his own responded. The wet definition of his hips slid forward, the water churning with a soft smacking sound as their skin momentarily roughly collided. With that, he lifted a hand, gingerly sliding his fingers through her hair. He was incredibly gentle, a stark contrast to his actions up until now. He would be almost painfully slow in his exploration of her straight locks, making sure there were no knots to get caught against. He found one or two, marveling at how well she took care of her hair, wasting little time in gently pulling the knots free. Assured that nothing was there for him to get his comb caught on, he slowly started, combing one long section at a time and then slipping it over her shoulder. He kept leaned back just a bit, giving him plenty of room to work with her hair. "Is this gentle enough, miss?"

[Amelia Cross]

Amelia didn’t want to walk on the edge of a blade, trying to answer her hunter’s words. She found this point easy to slip at, and thus, chose to keep silent and just shyly smile, once more mocking him with the act of a frightened girl. Usually Amelia could put up a fairly good impression of a weak and frightened girl, shy and timid. But she had gone too far from that point, so now it didn’t do much for Amelia, not in this setting. It appeared too fake, so she finished it off with signature laughter and just leave it there.

Something in the way he was just didn’t seem right, not for this setting and what he claimed to be. Or maybe he was exactly what he claimed, and the young girl failed to see it? Probably as she had never encountered someone who approached such primal matters with cold calculation. She was just unsure of how to react. At this point, even the way he ignored some of her offsets seemed strange to alert. He wasn’t a puzzle, no, to a puzzle you have something you don’t know how to arrange. Matthew was above that, he seemed to be blank and made himself on the go…and something about it didn’t seem right. It alerted her, but did the girl have enough common sense to avoid it? To confront him and push it further as a wicked game?…no, not yet. ”stop already…it’s just your mind, too much Ravok in your head”

As she sat between his legs and enjoyed the pampering. She didn’t let herself wonder off why he would have changed his fur from the wolf to a sheep. She didn’t think of her earlier confusion, it was gone…far, far away in a place she couldn’t name, a distant chamber of her mind that she labeled paranoia. ”your much too good with this for a man” bringing back some of the earlier, casual and light speech. It was no lie though, everyone she knew that didn’t have long hair would usually either tease her about it or end up hurting her. And not because they wanted to hurt her, they just didn’t know how much it could hurt! All in all, this relaxed her, it made her feel better and safer with him, strange isn’t it? Such a seemingly simple gesture could get the girl so soft. Her ‘paranoia’ of him faded completely as well. At least until he would do something to bring it up.

”tell me now..” she began with her whole body resting backwards, destroying any distance between them. Her left arm stretching up and behind his neck as her head tilted to the side and bit backwards, to have at least some way to see his face, at least portions of it at an unusual angle.”what brings you to Syliras? If you ask me, there is quite enough negativity in this place to not become a dream destination for a traveler, especially not for a scholar” not exactly the words one would expect from a half native of Syliras. But to Amelia, Syliras was a prison. It was a cage she longed to escape.

[Matthew]

"For a man? I am not so sure how to respond to that. I am just a man who likes to take care of his appearance." Blue eyes didn't move from the lush black strands in his hands, the comb ever-so gentle and slow, his hands careful to seperate the mane into manageable sections. Every now and then his soft fingertips would brush the slope of her should, usually just to brush a strand of stray hair from it. He chewed his lower lip now, completely focused on the task at hand. "Appearance means a lot. Every little small thing, from the smell of the skin to the neatness of hair. It just helps with the first impression, and people base a lot off of first impressions." Finding another small knot, he paused, taking his slow time in slowly picking out the little tangle. Chewing his lip a bit harder, he managed to get it unknotted fairly quickly, and moved on in his task. He was halfway there now, his comb and fingers having stroked through a half of her hair. That half was gently laid over one shoulder, both to be out of the way and for her to observe. Another bolt of jealously at her long and silky locks ran through his mind, but he tossed it aside, reminding himself it wasn't really anything he could realistically have. Just another little odd quirk of his. As she leaned back against him, he stiffened just a bit, but not out of uncomfort. He made a point to make sure she was reminded of his body, especially now that her slim shoulders and lower back were perfectly placed against the defined lines. His neck arched a little to the side, giving her slim fingers plenty of room to creep an arm around, curious gaze raising an eyebrow at her as she tried to get an eye on him. He adjusted to help her out, leaning forward and to the side a little, body pressing tighter as he continued to comb her hair. "I am here for personal training. Training to be a harlot. I am not actually an official one. I have no brothel to work at. I merely want to study, so I can provide the best pleasure that I can." He gave her a small smile, his words soft and serious. Apparently he had some method of studying. Gods only knew what that could be. "If anything, a scholar is best suited for it. There is something of an erotic science to slowly disassembling the body down to a purely carnal level." He chuckled, eyes teasing, as if inviting her to find out exactly how that would work. "But, this is the one place where there doesn't seem to be a major brothel scene. I would like to be part of creating a new one. A better one. I feel there are quite a few hearts here that need... soothed." Odd aspirations, for a scholar. His eyes gleamed for a minute though, betraying that there was something more to it than met the eye. Almost through with her hair now, he shifted a bit and wiggled behind her, body lightly grazing her own with each movement. She would notice that his fingers were touching to her shoulders even more now, the teeth of his comb just barely scraping her back. If he had noticed the bruises, he had seemed to move on without paying much attention. "What about yourself? You feel out of place." He worded it exactly how he saw it, which even to him was a bit cryptic. He didn't actually know why he felt she was out of place. There was just something about her that didn't belong in the fortress city. Perhaps she just didn't want to belong.

[Amelia Cross]

”A cat who likes to take care of himself usually doesn’t know how to groom feathers of a bird” easy hearted was her speech as she didn’t pay much attention to it. Sometimes, words just came out without her thinking of it. ”the first impression might mean a lot, but the physical appearance isn’t all that counts for it…no? After all, physical beauty is present only for so long…” her father had thought her to preserve her beauty, but the teaching of her mother, to always impress people by mind, was what stroke her more. Why? Because her father rephrased it, saying that a brilliant compliment and a good opening line, might charm the one who found your appearance below a zero. ”if you are well spoken with a mind in order, everything falls into place”

The way Amelia was reduced to look up at Matthew was, uncomfortable, not to say more. But for some reasons beyond her realizations she didn’t feel like shifting her look back at the moon, not yet. ”you have unusual desires, personally, you must be the first person I meet who actually wants to please someone…without a mark” at that she trailed off, not sure if she should continue on the topic. Amelia didn’t like to have religion and gods forced on her, so she avoided speaking about them if not asked. ”not to mention, it’s not a profession someone has as their primary choice…and you don’t come off as someone who couldn’t find a…more liked form of earing miza” but she had to admit, the knowledge he must hold in his possession, could aid in the art of delivering pleasure. Amelia herself wouldn’t mind learning, learning to impress her father with her knowledge once she comes back to Ravok. ”there is a brother scene, but the people of Syliras are…not that interested in it, at least they try to appear like that. This is not a city that wishes to have everyone know of such places, as it crashes with the teachings of the knights and the laws they enforces” her statement true, at least for the most part. Amelia herself did hold a grudge against knights, despite the good they have done…she will always remember the ones who scared her soul. ”a city of peace and happiness, does not have the need for a place to sooth their hearts” and the last sentence, coming off as much more…cold. Amelia didn’t believe in the words she said, not now.

Her head turned away once more, eyes following the pattern of the skies, the clouds of night and the magical patterns of light the moon set upon them. Closing her eyes and thinking of nothing besides the wonderful sensation of being taken care off. She would have lived on quite well without the desire to speak, this felt right. Honestly, she didn’t even want to have pointless speech interrupt the sensation she was so concentrating upon. Well, she was not given that long of an enjoyment, before Matthew spoke. Did she want to answer, or just want to ignore it as it didn’t even leave his lips?

Well, politeness pushed her, she answered. ”I have grown up here, as far as physical matter goes…this is my home, the fortress city. But as far as once heart, soul and mind can tell...this is the place upon the lands I would want to be on the least…” not words you could imagine to hear from a ‘native’ of Syliras. ”My heart is somewhere else, where people are protected by the soothing light of a dark sun, where the people shouldn’t be ashamed of their trade…where the city is a painting and every lost soul can finally become at ease there, where a god makes sure it’s always warm and the people are happy…” she hadn’t said anything that would put her at risk of directly speaking of Ravok. Just for safety measures, as she knew that speaking of the city could get her killed…mentioning Ravok or Rhysol…could be the last words she spoke. Then again, if Matthew would ask her, she would speak…probably. He didn't come off as dangerous.

”You would like it there, I’m sure” she finished with a chuckle and let her hand slip away from his neck and following the line of his body , creep down to his hips and legs. The pattern was casual and with no real intention, driven only by her desire to understand and explore.

[Matthew]

He shook his head, though he agreed with her in a sense. "It isn't, no. But at the same time, it does count for a lot. Some birds will let the cat get within range if he somehow manages to make him look like a bird. And, it is a simple fact that a lot of people like what they see as well as base a lot of ideas about that person based off of what they see. Beauty will fade at some point, but even so, beauty isn't all there is when it comes to appearances." It of course wasn't the only part of the puzzle. It merely helped everything else along. There was a well spoken word, a neatly placed touch, or a variety of other things that could do just the same thing as a nice appearance. All of them together were certainly much more effective then just the one, though. Mentions of religion didn't bother him, merely tugging a shrug from his sculped shoulders. "Personal want doesn't play a part in my choice whenever it comes to profession. They are merely a means of earning a living... and can sometimes be chosen to fit in line with other goals." Why had he chosen this particular profession? It was an obvious choice for someone of his mindset, talents, and appearance. But, there were several other jobs that would probably earn him more coin. Why this one, then? Did it fulfill something that he wasn't aware of? Did he enjoy the puzzle that each different woman presented him? He wasn't honestly sure. He had simply chosen it, and now here he was. What mattered is that it had been his choice. That was what was important to him, in the end. Nodding at her next words, he considered her views of Syliras and brothels. He would have to keep that in mind, if he decided to come here in the future. It didn't seem like a place that had a dedicated business for prostitution, unlike the other cities in Syliria. Perhaps there was a reason for that though, like she said. He finally finished her hair, the entire dark mane draped delicately over her pale shoulder and down the front of her chest. He continued to quietly listen, noting the passion at which she spoke of where her heart could be found. Even though it wasn't specifically worded, it had a good idea of what city she spoke of. "I am going to a place just like that for a season, in the future. I wish to find how to indulge people in their darker pleasures, which I understand is welcomed. There is no such thing as depravity, one could say." He had only heard of Ravok second-hand, and wasn't sure how well he would deal with it once exposed to the city of the dark sun. But, it was something he wanted to do. There were things there he wanted to learn. Biting his lower lip, he lost himself in though, not noticing her fingers on his body. His figure reacted though, muscles pressing to her nails, body slightly shifting to find a clear line of definition for her to trace down. His own hands traced over her shoulders, all light touches and movements, gathering her long hair into his fists. He even brushed over the underclothing covering her chest, accidentally teasing. Soon, the hair was gathered, and he draped it fully over her pale back. "Would you like me to brush it again? Perhaps work any aches out of your shoulders, though I admit, I may need a little practice. You seemed to find pleasure in it. That is what I plan to one day sell." Instinctively, a suggestion swirled in the air. It was a subtle feel of sensuality, powered by his Djed. It wasn't meant to force the idea into her mind, or manipulate in any way. It was merely there, for her to indulge her mind in if she so pleased. It would be an easy thing, the two of them where they were, doing what they did.

[Amelia Cross]

His opinion was true, but Amelia counted it only as half true. Her father’s words were the law, and if something didn’t meet them completely, she didn’t count it as true. At least, that’s what she aimed for. How good was she really in it? Nobody really knows, even herself.

”I don’t understand you, you are not a dumb man and you do not please others for your own pleasure. It doesn’t make sense. I must apologize if I come off rude…but it seems silly. I don’t bash any form of earning money, but I respect a slave if it enjoys serving and respect a judge if they believe in their own words, the law…” she was talking in circles, probably not knowing how to state her own idea fully ”when someone doesn’t believe in their job, doesn’t get pleasure of it…their clients don’t to…see where I’m going?” A question she didn’t really wait to hear an answer to, before she explained herself ”If you want to give pleasure, you have to feel it and want it yourself, or the one on the other end, might think they are the cause of displease…and even the best actors can’t fake the eyes of a pleased me” Her words came out more as a scientific fact, than the words of a simple young girl she was.

Upon Matthew’s words, Amelia’s eyes lighted with hope. Could it be that he would want to go to Ravok? Did he know of the city? Had he been there before? So many questions she didn’t know the answer to, but craved to find out. But her common sense prevented her to ask directly, as he could have been a spy? Amelia was paranoid, yes, as she had been thought by bout of her parents to not speak of the other city, not in the found matter at least. If she was in Ravok, she was to use the city as an insult to others, calling them Sylirists and curving her lips in disgust when the city was mentioned. When in Syliras, she should act as there was no Rhysol or Ravok, the city just wasn’t real. So could she step over her teachings? If only he had mentioned the city directly. ”and what city would that be? Maybe I’m in the need of a place like that…maybe it’s closer and I could run away tonight?” how she would love to run away to Ravok this night, she was actually sure that her mother thought, it was just what she had done.

The offer to brush her hair came odd to her ear. She wouldn’t argue that the feeling was pleasant, but she didn’t see the need for it. Her hair was brushed, and despite Amelia’s own habit to constantly groom her hair, touch it and play around with it, she wasn’t quite found of the offer. ”I think my hair has had enough attention from you” and with that she toke her hair and pulled it back over her shoulder, laying over her chest, part of its length webbing in the water. ”I find pleasure in being touched…not necessarily massage, probably because my work place in this city, is the soothing waters…” she explained casually, moving around a bit until she found herself completely comfortable again and laid her head against Matthew. She felt right, maybe too right in the arms of a calculating man, but just a bit more and she could even fall asleep like this, so the little, cattish yawn was no surprise to the girl,but was it for the harlot?

”how long do you intend to stay in the city?” She wasn’t really curios, or intending to see this man after the sun rises. She was just trying to move to much more…casual topics that wouldn’t give Amelia the desire to fool around, or the man to challenge her.

[Matthew]

He rose an eyebrow at her as they craned heads to match gazes, noting the curiosity and curious himself as to why she was actually wondering such things. He was quiet for a moment, his teeth working his lower lip, studying her as he searched for the words to say. After a few moments of Matthew's thoughtful stare and Amelia's determined gaze, he finally spoke, each word carefully pronounced as he thought it through. "A prostitute isn't designed for his own pleasure. A prostitute believes in pleasuring his client. You speak in sweeping statements, assuming every client is going to be the same. Rarely does a client care for the pleasure of the prostitute deeply enough see if the pleasure is actually real. That is reserved for intimacy, and rarely has a client ever wanted intimacy." They would likely have differing views on this, but that was fine. He was going to do his best to explain it anyways. "If my clients wanted to see my pleasure, I would reveal it. I am a man, I do have emotion and feelings, and my body does react as any other body would. It is not a fake display of pleasure. Merely a controlled one." He paused again, chewing his lip a bit harder, then continued on. "I feel like you cannot judge how well anyone would hold up to the best actors, though. Have you ever experienced the best actor trying to trick you?" His fingers absentmindedly ran up and down her bare arms, teasing them with light strokes and touches, gently tracing what muscle he could find on her pale flesh. "In the end, I enjoy what I do. I am still a fleshy sack with a functioning brain, and it is only natural to enjoy sex. However, I did not go into the profession out of a desire to get sex. Or out of a desire to live out my dream job. It is simply a means to an ends." As if to prove he did indeed have reactions like any normal human, he slowly wiggled his hips. Some firmness was easy to feel against the curve of her rear and lower back, the natural reaction of a man with a wet and half-naked woman in his arms. "Ravok. I plan to go to Ravok." He answered her next question bluntly, holding no fear or reserving no emotion. It was just a word to him, just a city. He knew of some of the rumors surrounding it, but Zeltiva wasn't Syliras. They weren't directly opposed, and if he remembered correctly, Ravok and Zeltiva even conducted trade with each other. He knew Zeltiva was always in need of more food. Noticing that she was settling down, he instinctively catered to that need. Broad and strong arms slowly wrapped around her shoulders, loose enough to wiggle from, snug enough to be comforting and protecting. Even though his body was defined and firm, it did hold just enough soft flesh to not feel like a slab of stone. She would find him comfortable to lean against, at least. The water only helped things, a small cushion around and between them, warm and soothing. Tilting his head at her question, he continued to absentmindedly drift fingers up and down the sides of her arms, even with his limbs wrapped around her like they were. "Perhaps until the end of the season. However long is comfortable for me. There are still things to attend to back in Zeltiva, and if I am gone too horribly long, it will no doubt draw attention. I like to move around without my mother and father watching too horribly closely." He shifted, leaning back a little more, sinking their backs a tad lower into the water.

[Amelia Cross]

”Strange, the ones I have met do it for pleasure, they enjoy it and crave to see others be satisfied…they feel fulfilled when they do and they feel pleasure from it” she explained, not being a follower of Nikali, but believing her teaching from what she had heard ”and while everyone is different, everyone has different desires and dreams to be fulfilled, they all feel much more satisfied if they see they are bringing pleasure to someone, it brings satisfaction to the insecure, delight to the common and the feeling of power to the animals…or could it be, that you sell yourself so much, you have yet to experience being taken care of, feeling true passion and not just…filthy need that could be satisfied by any man or women on the streets?” she wasn’t fully following her own words anymore, they were just coming out ”for example I….look to bring pleasure and take care of my…entertainment”

Much more interested in the fact that he wanted to go to Ravok, than the sensations his body was bringing upon her, she just blushed lightly, before speaking. She was clearly happy to know he wished to see the city, but the desire to speak of Ravok had worn off for now”that’s my home, that’s where the black sun shines as I dance…where my hearth is” and her voice was ever so soft, like telling a secret to someone dear. This, of course was because the city had a special place in her hearth, and talking of it brought the warmest thoughts to her mind.

Why did it feel so good to be in the man’s arms? A mystery. She excused herself by the fact that it was his job, even if she wasn’t a customer. The girl assumed everything to him came naturally, how it should be for someone who earns money by selling his body, but was it really true? There was a small echo in her mind, that said the man wanted to feel something more gentle and casual, simple and not forced upon. But that was her mind speaking, the mind that had been tailored by her father’s believes. By the slaves she met, by the servants and the influential.

”Zeltiva, it’s so far, far away from here…aren’t you afraid to have them worried?” simple enough to be casual, adding in to it’s light heartedness by yet another yawn from the girl that she cut short, not really wishing to appear sleepy or tiered. Amelia appeared to be a lot of things, she only wished to be, but one thing that she was and couldn’t hide, was being a stubborn teenage girl. It was her young age that that made her wish to be closer to the man, it was her lack of a gentle touch against her skin that made her want to melt against him, even if she was tiered. Even if her actions and thoughts, wants and needs, if everything crashed in chaos and made no sense, she wanted to stay like this, just for now, just till the sun shines upon her and the perfect stranger who’s name she was dying to forget and make him just a shadow, and she could have had it like this, she could have turned around and kissed him, told him to stop speaking…she could have, if her curiosity hadn’t overpowered every bit of her mind and desires. ”Why are you doing this? You could have told me to leave you…let you rest” why did she want to know, because she needed things to make sense in order to believe in them. Then again, why would she have wanted to believe in a harlot?

[Matthew]

She was asking him very interesting things, and he wasn't sure sure how good of an answer she could give. She was the first in awhile to actually pry into personal matters and feelings. Not that he was offended or pushed away because it. He was merely taken a bit off guard, and had to think longer than normal to give her an answer that satisfied him. "I think I am simply too unattached to have desires of my own. They are not something I miss, or at least not that I am aware of. Any desires that I have ever had are ones that have been generated to please the one who I am servicing. I am certainly not a harlot with a place to actually sell myself, so my experiences aren't vast in number." He paused, his brow furrowing further, still not sure if he had spoken that correctly. It had been a long time since he had been requested to voice those particular things. "However, you mention filthy need that could be taken care of by anyone. I do take some pride in my career. If I give something that anyone can give, then I need to become better. I need to become more. I am driven about that, if anything." He was. It was simply the professional side of him. It would be no different if he had decided to pursue accounting. He would have wanted to provide the very best service he could possibly provide. In all honesty, he was almost scared of any desires he might have. Desires tended to be something that were uncontrolled and unexplained. He did not like that. He would rather construct desires based on his partner at the time. It was something logical. Something simple. Balanced. Hearing her speak fondly of her home brought back thoughts of his own. He was fond of Zeltiva. It was a natural thing. It was his home, and it reminded him of good things. He missed the smell of the salty air, and the sound of the wind whistling through the nearby peaks. He missed the yells from distant boats approaching shores, and the rustling of book pages in the quiet University library. He missed many things about the place that couldn't be found here in Syliras. It wasn't something he longed to go back to. He was content in Syliras, and knew he would be able to stay there when the time came. He just missed certain things. Once again, it was something simple. His hands wandered as he thought, incredibly light as they touched, merely a breath of his skin brushing against a breath of hers. He slowly traced down over the curve of her shoulders, finding invisible paths down her side and following them. He continued to stroke, not a massage, just a sensation that traveled down her body. The fingertips easily and lazily moved, following a line he was instinctively familar with, one that would relax and send electricity jolting from his touch. He continued to move, down to her hips and across them, tracing the lines of her underclothing to touch to the inside of her thighs. He continued on, not pausing, stroking as far as he could down her legs before having to pause and slowly come back up. "I am sure they are worried. I traveled with a group and on a road, but of course they worried. This is my first trip out into the world truly alone, so no doubt they are beside themselves right now." He didn't speak fondly of his parents, nor did he speak coldly. He just spoke, his voice a distant monotone. Her next question caused him to pause, and he found his hands settling just above her hips, grip firm as he tilted his head and looked at her questioningly. "I am resting perfectly fine as it is. If anything, having another warm body nearby helps one naturally relax more. Why would I have told you to leave me?" For all of his complexities, sometimes Matthew was painfully simple. If he had considered that she could be a danger, or an annoyance, he hadn't shown it. He had simply made a choice and then acted upon it, quick and clean. If anything, it would have been rude to turn her away, and he usually went with the most commonly accepted form of social standards. Politeness was the most common, and always well received. "Why do you ask?" He craned his head again, their position a tad uncomfortable for the eye contact each of them seemed to demand every so often. He regarded her curiously, blue eyes oddly innocent for once. For all his thinking and logic, sometimes it boiled down to simplicity. It was often a relief for his tired mind.