Closed [Ruby's Scarlet Sanctum] A Better Place to Crash

[Kaie]

28th Day of Spring, 514 AV
11th Bell

Thunk.
"Think it's alive?"
"Dunno. Only one way to know for sure."
Thunk.

The two boys stood there a few yards from the motionless body with giddy curiosity upon their dirty faces. Like most of the city inhabitants, their pale faces were gaunt and their bodies thin enough to leave their clothes hanging like baggy rags from their shoulders. Somehow their muddy brown eyes still managed to hold a generous amount of life. Perhaps that was mostly due to the strange object of their amusement, which the bolder boy was cautiously easing toward. His steps were slow and quiet, his partner in crime nervously peering about the body from the background. The approaching boy paused when he was within arm's length of the body upon the rancid street, his head snapping back to shoot a devious look toward his companion. A small hand began to reach down toward what appeared to be a leather vest. Closer and closer...

"Clive!"
Thunk!

The adventurous orphan fell back with a gasp onto his rear and scampered backward upon his hands. An irritated groan came from the downed individual, who had apparently chosen to free her gladius in a manner that suggested she was dangerously close to taking a swing at the intrusive hand. The stupid stone hurled from the skittish child pelted dully against the Myrian's leather back, and not a moment later the children had fled. The young woman's eye lids opened painfully slow in the presence of Syna's vibrant assault. A bronzed arm lifted to block her eyes and several flurries of jungle-born curses followed.

Goddess, my head....

Kaie pulled herself from the filthy street and sheathed her weapon. Already was the center of the streets bustling with the most devilish of Sunberth's characters on the move. The savage girl on the other hand? Not so much. Instead she had herself braced against the closest wall trying to find her bearings. If only the sun wasn't quite so blinding, perhaps she could at least figure out where she was. No matter how hard she tried to recall the previous night, which she assumed included plenty of alcohol like every night before, nothing would come. All she could remember was walking into the Pig's Foot for a drink and then....Blank. At least she managed to successfully maintain possession of her coin purse.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted with the giggling of a flock of women far too well dressed and pampered to be a regular citizen. The four of them were whispering about something scandalous. At least that's what the Myrian could assume considering they had their heads so close together and their voices were kept down. Needless to say the horrible hungover Kaie was promptly ignored like every other misplaced body slumped unceremoniously in the streets. The four of them slipped into the establishment right beside her, a rush of perfumes and incense gushing from the building with enough potency to make Kaie's already queasy stomach twist. And that's when it hit her.

"I fell asleep outside the door of a petching whorehouse?!"

[Matthew]

He had wondered if she was dead at first. While it had been something of a surprise to find Kaie crumpled on the street, he had learned that quite a few familiar faces frequented Sunberth as of late. The fact that she seemed to be either unconscious or dead was more surprising to him. If she was unconscious, should he attempt to wake her up? Or had she made the decision to take a sudden nap? He felt like she would be angry if he woke her up from a nap. He found himself hoping she wasn't dead, though. There were very few people in this world that Matthew could firmly say he felt some level of fondness towards, and she was one of those people. He'd feel sadness if she was dead. Sadness, no matter how distant, was still sadness. It wasn't at all enjoyable to experience. When the children had approached and started throwing a stone or two, the harlot had decided that they were quite the smart pair. What a safe way to see if the fiesty Myrian was alive. She didn't react at first, and Matthew readied himself for the spark of emotion in his chest. Oh, wait, one boy was moving closer. This would verify her current state. He reached out, and a slow flash of steel slugged at the air. The harlot let out a breath that he didn't even know he had been holding. Kaie was still very much alive. Just waking up. He continued watching from the midst of the moving morning crowd, curious to see how this would all play out. Why was she here, and why was she in the middle of the street? She looked exactly the same as when he'd last seen her. No, there was perhaps some differences. He would note all of them later. He'd last seen her in that dream. What an interesting dream it had been. It was so very real that he might even say it had been real, at least in some sense. He had experienced it before and had no doubt that it would happen again. Kaie looked rather sluggish. She was sweating a tad. The light seemed to be hurting her. Perhaps she was sick. A new puzzle came to mind, pushing the question of her condition aside. How should he greet her? The harlot stared a little longer, pondering. He was well-dressed, like normal. Nothing too fancy, just completely and utterly clean, which was a bit of a rarity in this place. Should he perhaps approach her with a joke? He didn't know any jokes. Perhaps he should kiss her? No, while the greeting would likely be understood for what it was, he had the feeling she might empty her stomach sometime soon. He didn't want to be near her lips when that happened. The harlot decided to just go for the simple approach, which was probably the least impressive approach, considering. His voice was as soft and professional as always, and completely casual, even with the sudden surprise reunion. "Hello, Kaie. So nice to see you." He stepped from the crowd and to her, one arm slipping around her bronzed waist to give support, the other arm lifting a hand to offer her a waterskin that had started keeping on him during the Spring season. "Would you like to lay down? In a bed? You don't look well." He didn't give her much time to answer before he was leading her right into the very whorehouse she had just noticed. He was sure they wouldn't mind if the two of them borrowed a bed for a bell or two. That was his job, after all.

[Kaie]

So petching stupid, Kaie. So very, very stupid...

With an irritable groan she fell back against the wall, eyes staring upward with disbelief until the sun very quickly reminded her of her place. Her lids snapped shut and sunkissed hands ran themselves lazily down her face. It had only been a few ticks that she had taken up the position, futilely trying to plan her next move, when a voice seemingly from another lifetime fluttered through the loud, filth ridden air to rouse her from her misery. Slowly she dropped her hands from her cheeks and the fiery amber of her irises was revealed once more. It was in that moment she swore everything in her world had paused in place. In hindsight, she would've admitted it might as well have. In that very moment nothing else really mattered because there he was, standing there like he always did. Always so clean cut and well mannered with a voice as smooth as silk. It was him. It was...

"Matthew," She breathed in astonishment, brow raised and eyes wide as she used a hand to shield away the natural light to get a better look. The harlot as usual was already way ahead of her. Gone was here from that place she had spotted him in the crowd. He was at her side before she had a chance to question his presence with a waterskin raised. She sniffed at it once and her face twisted for an immeasurable moment. No scent. Just water.

As if you need more alcohol anyways. Look at yourself, Kaie thought as she gently took the container and tipped it back to her lips. At first the clear liquid burned like Ivak's second reckoning down her throat, but after the third gulp it left only a soothing sensation of much needed hydration there. Sadly, she wasn't quick enough to swallow the water in time to protest being directed the last place she wanted to be.

"Oh, no no. Hold on!" It was too late. With the swing of a door she had been corralled inside like an animal in captivity. It came again, that potent perfume she had only gotten a whiff of before when the whores entered. This time there was no relief. Incense and fragrances all mixed together made her stomach heave. Not even she knew how she kept from dropping down on her hands and knees to vomit right then and there. Perhaps gutting animals and disemboweling people when it was necessary had strengthened her stomach. Anyone that had smelled a corpse would understand the logic there./color]

[color=#89170f]"Hello to you too," The Myrian female managed with a quiet laugh, brushing the front of her vest off with one hand, the other still clutching the waterskin which was then offered back to him. "Nice to see you, Matthew. But Goddess! What the petch are you doing in a city like this? Why aren't you in Syliras? Oh, and thanks for the water."

[Matthew]

He stared at her as she stared back, bright blue eyes wide and unblinking, movement ever-so-obvious behind the windows to his rather simple soul. He had noticed the look on her face when he had offered her the water, and the look had confused him. He would have thought that water would be one of the things she would really want at the moment. It was only after she gulped down a few big mouthfuls that he finally slowly nodded, coming to terms with the fact that he did not understand the various emotions that had briefly ran across her exotic face. If the harlot lingered on everything that he did not understand then he would still be stuck in Zeltiva to this very day. Instead he moved on, supporting the young woman as he took her into the Sanctum. Her protests fell on deaf ears, the young harlot leading her patiently through the shirtless men and barely-covered women. He waved off the waterskin as she offered it to him, glancing around to find a path through the throng of people. After a short moment he plowed on ahead, moving them through a variety of people and up a nearby staircase. She would soon find herself in a simple bedroom that smelled rather nice, a small number of snacks and a glass of wine on a nearby nightstand. He led her to the bed, gently laying her down in it, his nose wrinkling for a brief moment. "On second thought..." He motioned to the floor, silently commanding her to occupy it. "Sunberth is a good place to practice my craft. I have advanced quite a bit. There is much more of a market for it here." He explained simply and quickly. He remembered that he had told her he was coming to Sunberth, but he didn't remember telling her why. That was a somewhat important detail he had left out, he supposed. "Please remove your clothes." After she had moved herself to the floor and he had taken his waterskin back, the sudden command would come out of the blue. "I will return shortly. If you do not have your clothes off, then I will be more than happy to expose you to a variety of strong perfumes. There are a few scents that would suit you." He had noticed her reaction to the smells as they had entered the place and he was now using it as a friendly threat. If there was such a thing. She was given a polite smile and then he was gone, giving her a few moments of privacy. Then he was back, but with a bucket. There was also a cluster of rags in one of hands, and what looked to be a bar of soap floating on the surface of the water. He was going to give the Myrian a bath. "Do you realize that you smell quite odd? We are going to change that. I trust that you don't have any objections?" He tilted his head, awaiting a response. For a moment, something seemed to heat up in the air, some sort of aura briefly brushing Kaie. Matthew didn't move a muscle, but it would be obvious where the familiar heat came from. There was a feeling to the air when he was around, and apparently he had learned to control that feeling. Some people intimidated with magic, or with strength. Matthew intimidated with sex.

[Kaie]

Matthew was always a step ahead of her it would seem, and not just when it came to the bedroom. While she gawked at him, still utterly shocked at his manifestation, the harlot made no pause in his rush through half naked bodies to answer her. Instead the Myrian was guided into a surprisingly clean, common room clearly furnished for the purposes of one with a promiscuous lifestyle. She'd expect nothing more from a brothel even if it was one claimed to be "high end." The bed was comfortable enough for sure, she had thought. Well, that was until Matthew made a clear point that was not where she belonged for the time. Kaie rolled her eyes but complied. She eased down from the bed and found a spot in the middle of the room to sit. Only then did the peculiar man explain the unpredictable turn of events.

"Apparently the Fortress City of Peace is dull enough to ward off everyone then, but Sunberth? Of all places? Please at least tell me you carry some kind of blade. Haven't you seen the people that...wait what?" The Myrian stared blankly at the man. Her eyes blinked several times in disbelief even as he made his threats and left the room. Still, Matthew was hardly the one for jokes and thus by the time he was back she had done as he had bid her, clothes piled in a small heap elsewhere on the floor. One might've been surprised the woman wasn't at all bashful about the whole ordeal. Then again she did come from a world in which loincloths were part of the culture's fashion.

"Well I couldn't really tell you where I've been the last several bells so I can't say I'm surprised. You do remember where you found me, right?" Her tone was irritable at best, but what else could truly be expected from a hungover savage from the jungle? Yet even then there was that fire flickering madly to life in her eyes as she stared at him. Their connection to one another was strange but strong...not to mention wildly competitive nature of it.

"Fine. Let's get on with it."

[Matthew]

"Blade?" The Harlot gave the Myrian a curious look, the expression barely registering on his poker face. "I am not good with a blade. I do need to learn, though." His blue stare went distant for a moment, gears turning as a thought occured to him. Then he was gone, off to fetch the materials required for scrubbing the Myrian down.

When he had returned, a short nod was given at her when he saw that she had obediently stripped down. Her body was glanced over in that forward, smooth sort of look that Matthew managed to always do like it was the most natural thing in the world. it was so very interesting to him to see the variety of body types that existed in the world, and Kaie's was no different. She had her own unique figure, filled with lean muscle and a savage grace. A Myrian grace, he should say. He had seen many of the same features on Razkar's body, though there were subtle differences because of gender. He strode up to her, critically looking over different dirty patches of flesh. One rag was soaked and wrung out, and then the task begain. Every single inch of her flesh would be scrubbed with an initial layer of water, graceful hands working the rag in smooth tight circles. He was slow and effective, scrubbing away everything that looked at all dirty. Only her hair would left dry. Even her face would be targeted, though he would give her a few moments to close her eyes and mouth before he gently cleaned that area.

"Sunberth seemed ideal for practicing my craft. The environment is more accepting and open. Business is good here. I have gotten better, like I said. Much better. Sunberth can be safe to be a part of, as long as you are willing to be a part of it." He didn't even look at her this time, but once again there was this subtle shift in the air. It was that pulsating heat. Some people radiated danger, but he radiated something completely different. There was a confidence now. It was a confidence beyond what she had experienced in Syliras. His craft had become something more.

The dirty rag was tossed aside and the bar of soap was then collected. He patiently went over her body with it as well, not a single patch of skin escaping the suds. His hands weren't at all invasive or daring, merely methodical and gentle with their work. Back and forth the bar of soap went, covering almost everything in a slippery layer of pleasant-smelling suds. He stepped back, studying his work, making sure he hadn't missed anything. At some point he had rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned his shirt, but somehow he had avoided getting anything wet but his hands. There was a bow tie on his neck, an odd addition. She might have noticed in on all the other men in the building, though.

"And what of you? Why are you here?" His tone was even, polite, soft. It hadn't changed a bit, much like Matthew didn't seem to have changed in the slightest.

[Kaie]

She shouldn't have been so shocked, really. For all his wits and sex appeal, Matthew was a creature of seduction rather than violence. There had been that moment in Syliras when he requested knowledge about combat. She had merely shown him the basics and like any man that understood the value of time and efficiency, the harlot wanted to get straight to the point: the killing. Had it been a very different teacher, there might've been a moment of suspicion in her eyes when he had made such an inquiry of her. Yet Kaie was a savage, a bloodthirsty heathen from the depths of a forgotten jungle they called her. To her there was never a more practical question in the world. Still she knew for all his pragmatism, Matthew wasn't a cutthroat killer even as vacant as he sometimes seemed.

When the moist rag touched her bare skin, a quiver across the surface of her skin. It wasn't one that came from the chill of the water. It was the mere contact itself. So much time had passed between them, and so few hands that ever found her flesh weren't born from hostility. The copper skinned woman glanced at him quickly before turning her head forward again as if studying the room. When was the last time anyone else had shown her such kindness? The Myrian simply couldn't recall. Since the fateful day in the Sea of Grass she took care of herself. The rag was wrung and returned but this time she did not shy away from it. The fabric wove spirals upon her back with a sensation so soothing it made her feel...vulnerable. Part of her wanted to hate him for it.

Matthew's silk-like voice filled her ears not a moment too soon, and all of her childish resentment faded like vapor in a breeze. A brief wave of lust swept across her consciousness instead. I could take him. Right here. Now, Kaie thought longingly. Her fingers curled into claws around the edge of the tub, nails digging into its sides absently."I guess that makes sense then. I've heard it said that those that come from Sunberth have few...inhibitions? Yes, that word's right. Inhibitions," She mused with a curious expression. For a tick her amber eyes were curtained from the rest of the world, tongue tracing her bottom lip as if tasting the overwhelming aura Matthew was projecting. It was stronger now. Much stronger. It influenced her own as well and altered it in a different direction: desire.

"Why am I here?" A sweeter scent filled her senses just before the scrubbing began. The Myrian was no stranger to soap by any means. The staple was easy to find in Syliras and cleanliness was a necessity when she worked at the Rearing Stallion. As of late, unfortunately, such a simple good had been fleeting within the city. The citizens certainly didn't seem to purchase hygienic products often. "Knowledge." It wasn't a lie. Not really. Her journey hadn't been voluntary, but she was there to acquire a certain thing desired by a peculiar congregation of individuals. In return they had promised to gift her with something worth her while. Did she really believe them?

"I guess we have that much in common, you know, Sunberth being good for our trades." There was a gesture toward the gladius carefully placed upon the pile of removed clothing. "It's a shyke show around here but work is easy enough to find. I wanted to get more comfortable working with something in my hands." Upon feeling his absence, Kaie spun within the bath tub to face him head on. Familiar amber eyes flickered across his frame, but there was no strangeness about him. Matthew was still the slick, well-mannered whore she'd met seasons ago. If anything he'd only gotten more proficient in his expertise. That much she could practically see in the air that surrounded him...and perhaps the involuntary expression of ardor that appeared briefly.

"What was it that you meant before? About Sunberth being safe to be a part of, as long as you're willing to be a part of it?" Kaie exited the tub and ran her fingers through her soaked hair, the noninvasive scent of the soap easing her mind. It had been so long since she had the luxury to take a real bath, to be scrubbed pure again. Like all things pure, though, she expected to find herself back in a bath tub soon enough. Matthew could do all the scrubbing he wanted in the world, and as meticulous as he was, the Myrian would never be eternally cleansed neither in body or soul.

[Matthew]

For a moment, his mind briefly wandered to Web. The woman had skill in the art of Intelligence, something he himself had some skill in but not that incredibly much to speak of. He studied it when he could, but so far hadn't put it to any real use. The presence of the Myrian tigress made him consider how useful it would have been to be just a bit more skilled. He could have known she was here instead of stumbling upon her in this way, and then maybe been a bit more prepared to socialize with her. Instead, here he was giving her a bath in a somewhat plain room. It wasn't a very professional greeting, to say the least. He lingered on a few particularly difficult patches of skin while he considered this, bright blue eyes sharp and studious. Hopefully she wasn't disappointed by this. Still, he assumed that the free bathing would be taken as a sign of goodwill and friendship. Who didn't like a nice bath and the soon-to-follow sensation of being utterly clean? He was so focused in his thoughts that he didn't at all notice the quick glance that she stole at him, nor the brief moment of resentment that lingered.

His focused mind did sense the brief surge of lust though, his stare suddenly narrowing and locking onto the claw-like curl her long fingers had transformed into. He was cautious about Kaie and her lusts. He had toyed with them at times when it came to their lessons and he had seen a certain gleam to her eye. Lust was a primal thing, but Myrian lust was seemingly on a different level. He silently dipped into a well of djed that he kept within his belly, coating a core of blood in the essence and letting it rush through his veins. He breathed in, feeling the djed sizzle with his intake of air, pushing the djed further along in his body as he breathed out. His eyes briefly closed, finding some sort of meditative sense of peace within the simple circular motion that his hands swept her back in. When he opened his eyes, Kaie lit up in a variety of colors and shapes. Her Aura was now obvious to him, but he did not seek to find out things that he did not already know. Her privacy was her own and he respected that. Instead he honed in on the lust, the purple strands of silky smoke that wafted from both the core and the edges of her aura. It seemed dampened. Did that mean she was trying to supress it?

For a moment, Matthew's own aura would surge in strength. With Kaie came challenge, this odd rivalry that he really couldn't explain. He did not sense it with anyone else.

She was attempting to resist him, was she?

Almost immediately after the aura surged, it would die back down. He had nothing to prove. It would be silly to push his skills upon her. He was not the sort to use his carefully trained skills for personal gain. He saw no benefit in such manipulations.

"Inhibitions. Yes. That is the correct word." He nodded, confirming her assumption. Sunberth and Ravok were both places where he thought he could further his craft. Sunberth, interestingly enough, had struck him as the safer choice. Perhaps safety wasn't the right way to describe it though. Ravok gave him a bad feeling, rather. If he felt something strongly enough to be intimidated by it then he had learned to trust that instinct, as much as he liked to be a creature of pure logic.

He glanced toward the gladius, giving a brief nod to acknowledge it. She was correct. Her own trade would perhaps be even easier to train than his own. He had often wondered if he should attempt to dabble in mercenary work as well, but he knew he would need a bit more training in quite a different skill set if he was to attempt that. One day, perhaps. One day when he had mastered this line of work and moved to the next. As he went to grab the soap and returned to her, he now realized she was facing him. Blue eyes met amber, silently studying the woman in front of him. Kaie was still Kaie, though still with a slightly different look about her.

"Sunberth is a person of its own. It has silent rules and understandings among the people who inhabit it. Everyone here is a part of the same body of Sunberth. They are un-ruled, at least in their own minds. Sunberth allows anyone to fit in, as long as that anyone becomes a part of the body. If you try to go against Sunberth, be different than Sunberth, that is when you stand out and become a virus to purge. One might think I would stand out, but as long as I breath the same lust and debauchery that they do... then oddly enough, I simply fit in, just like that." He observed his handiwork as she rose, eyes bold in their careful examination of her bare body. She was certainly an excellent specimen of the female body in all of its raw beauty.

He pondered a moment and then nodded, satisfied. A quick rinse or an air dry and she would be finished. His eyes glanced back to hers, head tilting. "We can purchase you some new clothes, if you like. Do you have a steady job yet? Do you have a place to stay? I am sure I could find you work, and it could possibly be arranged for you to stay with me. It would help save on the cost of rent, I imagine." He crossed his arms, giving her ample time to process the sudden rush of questions.

[Kaie]

At first nothing had changed. The scene was still bizarrely the same: a stunning male prostitute diligently scrubbing a wild woman spotless in a common tub. Matthew was still making small, focused circular patterns across her flesh with the rag. Then the storm rolled in. It struck rapidly and viciously like a bolt of lightning, and then just like that it was gone. The Myrian could still feel its potency in the unexpected kick to her heartbeat and dilation to her eyes. Very quickly the fingers had clenched together and slipped across her slim figure. It was as if their presence could physically bar her emotions away. Had she not worked so hard to distract herself with further conversation, she might've forced herself upon him right then and there.

Matthew, you sneaky little son of a bitch, Kaie scolded internally. Her very own ambiance roared to life, and his next touch was welcomed with a shiver that was in no way related to the cold. The young woman might've accused his bursts of energy her way cruel, but that would imply she didn't find any pleasure in them. Admitting such a thing would've been as awful a lie as any. Thankfully Matthew had humored her in her inquiry rather than continue with intangible torment.

There was something strangely perilous in the harlot's words. It wasn't his voice or intonation that had given the Myrian the impression, but the very real description of the society she was mingling within. Prior to her arrival it had been a city of pure rumor. Most of what she knew about the place had actually come from the common traveler at the Rearing Stallion. They'll spill almost immediately about the anarchy, the filth, and the ruthlessness of Sunberth's citizens. They had painted the City of Anarchy itself as a terrible, untamable beast. What Kaie was truly beginning to discover was that the people were just as cursed as their city. Rather than a bold order like the Syliras Knighthood, Sunberth had its massive mob. Here you pleased the people, not the law if you wished to survive.

"Guess that makes sense. They sure tend to stick together," She agreed with an understanding nod, remembering how the locals had regarded her when she entered the taverns. The was the first thing the Myrian understood when she arrived: Sunberth's citizens were not friendly with outsiders. Matthew's next ambush of questions forced the hungover savage to blink, and then take an extra few ticks to consider her condition in order to answer honestly. "Steady job? No. I've been a bit... distracted as of late. Place to stay, that's also a no. Sort of been crashing in places I don't think you'd even be caught dead. And I guess I'll have to get that steady job before I even consider buying clothes." Kaie sighed a bit exasperated, fingers running through her soaked brown hair. When she reached their end she slipped her locks over her right shoulder and gazed about the room.

Then as if only then understanding what Matthew had offered, the bronzed woman's head snapped back to the harlot with a curious expression. She rocked back and forth on her heels in a manner that was almost child-like, biting her lip guiltily. "I can't ask you to do that for me, Matthew. Besides, unless the work's bloody and dangerous I doubt anyone would have use of a Myrian around her. It was...nice of you to offer though," Kaie finally replied, clearly uncomfortable and a bit surprised by the helpful gesture. Their exchange of favors had been one thing but she knew this was quite another. How could she possibly impose? Then again, she might've been justifying any reason to turn him down. Habit had left her to fending for herself. Why was it so hard for her to accept a little bit of help?

[Matthew]

He crossed slim but defined arms, blue eyes staring at her with a slightly puzzled gleam to them. He tilted his head, considering her, his lips slowly parting as he pondered his words a brief moment before softly offering them. "You didn't ask me, though. I asked you. The presence of a Myrian would be appreciated. Your skillset compliments my own. What you lack in social graces, I lack in martial skill. Also, I feel that such a brothel always has a need for protection when customers get out of hand. I am sure that Ruby would be happy to have you. She appreciates strong beautiful women." The words could easily be taken as a shameless compliment, but Matthew had this way of delivering them that made them sound like a complete and utter fact. Perhaps reading her mind or merely lucky in how he made the offer, Matthew absentmindedly added one last clause. "It is merely an exchange of favors, just like it was the last time."

Ah. Speaking of last time. That reminded him.

Matthew's movement was slow and smooth, an oddly graceful flow forward. "I had forgotten. There is something I planted last time that you need to be reminded of." If she had a moment to think back, she would hopefully immediately realize what he was referring to. He had told her that he would take ownership of part of her. That he had planted himself within a small section of her mind. The look in his eyes, the swelling in the air, the sudden intensity that his eyes took on and the way he confidently approached her naked and dripping wet body... it was all very obvious. If anything, the way that his eyes lingered on hers before dropping to her lips would certainly be a good sign of what was to come.

She would certainly have time to react if she wished. She was more than his physical superior. If she did not react though, if she did not stop him from his very obvious mission, then Matthew would simply kiss her.

The Harlot unknowingly treated her like the Myrian female was probably not supposed to be treated. That could certainly be a bad thing, though it could also be a good thing. He was neither shy nor submissive in his approach, instead bold and utterly unashamed. One strong arm would slip around her wet waist to pull her nude form firmly against his own figure, while the other hand would take a hold of her brown hair and give it a firm tug. He took the lead and took command of her body, the tug of her hair forcing her head to arch back in a position that opened the perfect path to her lips. His mouth would fall upon her own, lush lips colliding. It was a firm and passionate kiss, urgent but slow, lips briefly parting to tease at the tip of her tongue with the very tip of his own. Like many other aspects of the Harlot, even though he was kissing her, he was still turning it into a tease. He was still dangling what she could have in front of her face, only giving her little tastes here and there.

Providing she allowed him escape, Matthew would step back to allow her some space, eyes on her own. He licked his lips to quickly sample her lingering taste and then arched an eyebrow upwards as he watched her, eyes glinting. "So, do you want the job?"