Closed The Things Corsets Cause (Noven)

[Kechaiya]

The moment his face came into sight, her arms were around his neck pulling him into a primal, hungry kiss. She'd never felt such pleasure and was not about to let it stop for something so simple as catching one's breath. Her lips moved voraciously against his, until she pulled back. And then another teasing joke escaped him, and she just chuckled lightly at him. When he expressed his impatience to her, she looked down her body, and her eyes widened at what she found waiting for her. The only word that came to mind was intimidating, and that knot was beginning to form in her stomach once more.

Trying to nip it in the bud, rather than let it get out of control, she moved to kiss him again, when his hands began fumbling with the belt of his trousers. This got her full and undivided attention, looking down the rugged, scar covered terrain of his chest. But he just couldn't seem to get it, as if he'd completely forgotten how to put on and take off trousers. It would've been funny had she not looked at his face, that defeated, slightly pained look as he asked for help. Nodding curtly, she had to wiggle down the bed, to get her short arms within reach.

Her small fingers reached for the buckle, avoiding the critter threatening to break free. It really must hurt to be confined in such a manner. Slowly she pulled the excess of the belt back through the metal frame, and lifted it freeing the prong, the similarity of it to the situation at hand not lost on the doctor. A finger snaked beneath the belt and slowly began pulling free from the buckle. When it was loosened and separate, she took a big gulp, knowing exactly what she would see, and yet at the same time, knowing nothing.

Her hands laid flat against the rigid stomach muscles, just above his hips, and crept downward. Her face was flushing dark once more as her finger tips slipped beneath the fabric of his undergarments and trousers both. As her hands slipped further into the fabric, feeling more and more of his muscular legs, the pant began traveling lower and lower, her eyes locked on the offending obstacle, moving with the fabric. Having to bring her hands forward a bit toward his thighs, she pulled the fabric out continuing lower, when suddenly the appendage popped into view. Only when she exasperated had she realized she'd been holding her breath. She'd seen manhoods on occasion at the Hot Springs she frequented, but none had ever been in such a state, and it was rather shocking.

She continued to push the pants lower and lower until it was past his knees and he could take the effort to kick them free. Kechaiya had always heard that the first time would hurt, but the size of that, especially in comparison to her size, she feared that it would be even more painful. But it couldn't be in worse than him cracking her rib or her treating his wounded stomach, twice, right? Her rested on his shoulders, and pushed, allowing her to pull her body back up the bed. She knew what he wanted, and she knew what was supposed to happen. As such, she pulled her knees up toward her and parted her thighs, hooking her feet around the small of his back. Biting her lip, she began using her heels to urge him forward, never taking her eyes of his. She prepared herself for the inevitable pain, and could only hope that it was short and quick.

[Noven]

Something about having a beautiful, naked woman undoing your trousers was sublime beyond description.

And excruciating, as well. In the best possible sense of the word.

He hadn't meant for Kechaiya to help shed his pants entirely, but once she got there Noven found no desire for her to stop. Her face was flushed in apprehension and anticipation as her hands traveled downward along with the clothing. Soft, delicate fingers made a tingling trail down the sides of his thighs, sending shivers of pleasure back up Nov's spine.

Despite the number of times he'd done more or less this very same thing, the man felt a moment of unease. It was different, this time, and he suddenly found himself caring to absurd degrees what his companion's reaction would be. But they'd come so close to the point of no return--had maybe even long passed it, arguably--that all Noven could do was remain still under her gentle efforts, helpless and anxious and thrumming with excitement all at once.

As soon as he was freed, the cook gave a small sigh of relief. Then he glanced down and, to his vast amusement, saw the doctor's utterly shocked expression. Nov didn't know what he wanted to do more: chuckle at her reaction or lean in closer toward her slightly ajar mouth.

Thankfully, he chose neither. Mainly because Kechaiya was doing something unexpected again; she was positioning herself under him, biting her lip in the wake of inevitable pain as if she were to be mounted right then and there, no further preamble required. Nov rested his forehead against hers, forcing him not to do exactly what she believed ought to happen next. Instead, he extracted himself from his rumpled trousers and moved to place it underneath the healer. He helped her raise her hips as he slid the fabric under.

"Relax," Noven coaxed, breathing softly against her ear, "We'll take it slow. It shouldn't hurt much, if at all. Focus on this instead..."

He kissed her, tenderly at first, then deeper and more hungrily than ever before. All the works were in play--hands, tongue, moans--as he honed the entirety of his attentions on making the healer feel nothing but impassioned. Rough but gentle palms roamed up and down her body in an almost therapeutic ritual, loosening any taut muscles, before they finally settled between her legs. Nov's fingers caressed her lovingly, teasingly. He needed to make sure Chai was as physically ready as she was mentally, and an added measure of pleasure never hurt in the wake of something as intimidating as experiencing intercourse for the first time. She'd been completely relaxed moments before, but niggling worries had returned during their brief hiatus and those needed to be eradicated.

When--and only when--he felt she was lost in enough bliss, did Noven withdraw his fingers to position himself in front of her. He rubbed experimentally a few times to allow her some time to prepare, leaned forward to kiss her once more, and then pushed very, very slowly.

"Easy," he whispered reassuringly, "don't tense, just relax."

Chai needed for her muscles to be as loose as possible in order for the next step to be less painful. Nov knew that. He also knew, given her approximate age, her thin layer of virginity should be much easier to break, and therefore more pain-free. Isme had educated him on countless subjects of this nature, yammering on until he threatened to pass out from the sheer effort of zoning her out, but at least a little of it had gotten through. For which the cook found himself unexpectedly grateful.

Knowing her being relaxed was key, Nov went at a snail's pace. He wasn't even moving after entering about an inch, waiting for Kechaiya to adjust before daring to go farther. "Just nod if it's okay," he offered, imbuing as much calmness into his voice as he could muster. Which was something of a feat, given the beast that was now raging against the moral confines of his mind. "And if it hurts, shake. I won't keep going if it does."

For some reason, it felt like he was kicking himself in the nuts for making these promises. But Nov pointedly ignored the feeling. No pain for Chai. As little as possible. That was the only thing that mattered right now.

If she should give the nod of approval, Noven would continue, going just a hair deeper and no more. Then he would gradually, agonizingly, move back and forth. Just enough to get her used to everything and perhaps enjoy some stimulation, but nonetheless controlled so he could stop or proceed at her next signal.

[Kechaiya]

When Noven didn't follow through on her preparations, she relaxed her toothy grip on her lip. She felt him lift her him lift her rump and slide his trousers underneath, and for the few ticks it took her to think about as why, she was completely clueless. Blood. Where there's pain, there's blood. This brought a nugget of guilt to her mind, for she felt bad that she was likely about to ruin his trousers. At least it wouldn't ruin her own bedding. The whispering in her ear helped to take her mind off of it, and she nodded meekly at his comforting words. When his lips found hers once more, she eagerly pressed back. She was glad that she'd kissed him on the doorstep of the orphanage all those days ago, because she quite enjoyed repeating it.

Loving the warm feel of his large, calloused hands moving all over her body, she was squirming from hip to breast beneath his touch. When his tongue sought out hers, she tried her best to match it. It was strange for her, because prior to this, she had absolutely no reason to use her tongue in such a manner. While it was strange, she found it oddly pleasing and erotic. When his hand had traveled between her thighs, she moaned into his mouth, her nethers already sensitive from Noven's previous attentions. Under his finger based focus, her body did react, and she found that previous, explosive pleasure was building within her once more.

Several times she had to break away from his lips, gasps and moans escaping her mouth. Her hands had already moved from hanging around his neck and were exploring his muscular back. When his fingers left her, she let loose a small exasperation in disappointment, not wanting the pleasure to end. She felt him prodding at her entrance, lovingly, gently, preparing her for what was to come, much to her appreciation. She felt ready, and wanted him to continue pulling on his back, hoping to lure him closer. As he slowly entered her, she found the feeling odd, but not wholly unpleasant, as she stretched to accommodate him.

She was very glad that he had decided to take his own route of going slow, rather than her own idea of getting it done and over with. Perhaps that was part of him being more experienced and knowledgeable when it came to the art of lovemaking. Her body relaxed further under his touch, finding that it allowed her to feel more comfortable with this foreign appendage seeking to sheathe itself with in her. As he pushed ever forward, she continued to adjust and get used to it, nodding at his words of caution.

As he started to rock his hips back and forth gently, only a little at a time, she found that the strangeness was now becoming pleasure. Her legs loosely hooked around the backs of his thighs, her breathing starting to match the tempo of his gentle thrusting. As the pleasure inside of her grew even more, she started moving her hips against his without even thinking about it. As he pulled back, so did she, and as he pushed forward, she moved to meet him. She knew she was ready, and was already enjoying it.

[Noven]

Chai was responding better than he'd anticipated, and much faster, too. Her quick ascension to pleasure and maddening movements to accompany it drove Nov's mind clear out the window. His breathing grew shaky, erratic, as she hooked her legs around his waist and tried to draw him closer.

"Can't...ahh..."

That was all he managed before his self control burned to ash in the wake of the fire that Kechaiya had unleashed. Noven tightened his grip on on her hips and rear, lowering his head to suck on the delicate flesh right under her jaw, knowing the mark it would leave if he went too rough. But better this momentary pain than that of another.

So it was that as soon as his tongue and lips began to bruise her skin, creating a mixture of stinging pain and tingling pleasure, Nov plunged himself deeper to break the final barrier.

He broke free of the kiss as soon as he'd gotten through, freezing in place to make sure he didn't hurt her further. The marking had been to distract Chai, like pinching one of the orphans before extracting a loose tooth, and he brushed a thumb against it to ease some of the stinging. Nov tried to say something, anything. Some kind of assurance so that his companion knew the worst was over. But she was so warm around him, and it felt so good to have gone farther in. He barely knew how to think anymore.

"Kechaiya..." he moaned as he began picking up the pace again, still slow and not fully sheathed but no longer stationary. Dipping his head beside hers, Noven's breathing grew ragged, his motions less gentle. His hands roamed of their own accord as he lost all sense of everything but the here and now. And Chai.

He did, however, manage to keep hold of a tiny sliver of will. The will to wait for her to hit her threshold of pleasure first so that he could feel her muscles clenching around him as he released. With this in mind, Nov recovered enough from his more primal compulsions to angle himself better. This time when he slid out and then back in, it created more friction in the front, and it was all he could not to turn full animal right then and there. He looked into Kechaiya's ink-black eyes as he did this, finding it irrationally arousing to watch her every reaction.

Noven had never really understood why other men made such a big deal out of virgins until then. What was there to look forward to? As far as he'd been concerned, only awkwardness, guilt, and blood, none of which he found especially appealing. He'd lost his virginity once, and had coupled with one or two inexperienced girls in his youth. None had been engaged in anything more than lust, though, and it always left a bad taste in his mouth after. Sometimes literally.

But with Chai...he could begin to understand why. Everything was new for her. Every kiss, every touch, every thrust of his hips. There was an entire, unexplored territory and she only a blank slate, reading to absorb anything and everything. Granted, this meant much of the responsibility was left to him to ensure she came to no harm. To see that she enjoyed it as much and as often as she could. And normally the man chafed at the very thought of more work to be done. But, for the doctor, Nov didn't mind this added duty. Not in the slightest. He took too much pleasure from her little gasps and writhings and moans of surprise to complain.

He was moving in earnest now, rocking back and forth in a haze that alternated between disbelief and complete bliss. He'd never felt like this before. Or if he had, he'd long since forgotten. Coupling had never felt bad, per se, but somehow, the way Chai was looking at him right now, and the way he was most likely looking back...for lack of any other way to describe it that wasn't filled with cheese and fluff...it was just better. A hundred times better. Amplified to degrees he didn't even know existed until now. It was like everything he'd experienced up until then had been child's play, and he'd come to know the true visage of unfettered, unadulterated ecstasy at last.

Nov's breath caught in his throat he relinquished all restraint and buried himself hilt deep. A groan that fell somewhere between a rasp and growl came out instead when the breath finally loosed. Panting from his efforts now, he sank forward to wrap both arms around the healer, bringing them as close as they physically could be. Neck to neck, hip to hip, core to core. He was saying something, though he hadn't the faintest idea what, and the sounds of their impassioned love making filled the little room.

The dam was ready to burst now, and he knew he wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

[Kechaiya]

Moaning louder as he gripped her hips tighter, she was sure he was about seal the deal. But he had decided to tease her further, despite that she was more than ready and willing to accept him wholly. He pressed his mouth to her neck, and began sucking on her skin. At first it was just odd, for it was rougher than what his lips had done over the rest of her body. As it continued though, the blood rushing to the spot, the skin pressing against his teeth, it began to sting, and yet, still feel good. It was a strange mix, like the combination of salt and sugar that vendors put on roasted nuts in earlier in the season. It was a pleasurable amalgamation. It was all she was focused on, fingers clutching at his back, pressing firmly into the muscle.

Then he plunged into her, breaking the barrier, causing deeper, slightly pained moan to burst forth. It certainly stung, but it was nowhere near as bad as she had assumed it to be, perhaps in due to Noven's efforts to make the entire scenario better for her. If that was in fact the case, she was most grateful. It was still strange to have this foreign invasion in her body, but it was definitely not unpleasant. The pressure within as she was stretched around him was a little uncomfortable, but his efforts had certainly eased its passage.

Hearing him say her name was equally as pleasurable as everything he'd done physically so far. It reminded her just how much he wanted her, over every other woman he'd been with, over every other woman he could be with. He wanted her. And she wanted him just as much. As he started to move within her, the discomfort was quickly replaced by a greater pleasure than anything else thus far. His head dipped down next to her, and she snaked one of her hands from his back and entangled it in his hair, pressing as much of her body up against his. When she felt he'd settled on a very, very pleasurable pace, she began matching it with her own hip movements, using her hooked legs as leverage, her abdomen flexing back and forth as she did so. It was as vigorous as any exercise as she had done before, her breaths shallow and lusting, her body glistening from the combined heats of the hearth, Noven's body, and their combined exertions.

The primal way he moved, the way his hands seemed to get lost over her body were very animalistic and reminiscent of her life back among the Chaktawe, such as when her and the other youth danced beneath Lethlight around a fire until they all forgot themselves and their surroundings. There had only been the moment. When he adjusted himself, her moans grew deeper, louder, her fingers digging deeper into his back. Her face wasn't a smile, but rather her mouth formed an almost constant 'o' shape, her eyes half closed, as their bodies rocked together. Kechaiya had already lost all sense of time, not knowing if they had begun five chimes or full bell ago. The digits in his hair were pulling hard at the tufts, not caring if it hurt or not, for she was just trying to hold onto the world before her pleasure carried her off.

The pace increased and her moans and breaths followed suit. She pressed her face into the crook of neck, holding on as her body shuddered and racked nonstop with waves of pleasure. It felt as if it would never end, and she was perfectly okay with that. She felt a big one coming, and she wanted him to see what he was doing to her. Moving back into his vision, her dark eyes found his, as it grew and grew. When he plunged the rest of himself within her, it sent her over the edge, her ecstatic moan echoing off the walls of her little apartment, and probably disturbing poor Nellie living three doors down. But she didn't care. And her voice stayed at that volume as the vibrations that racked her body took the last of any semblance of control from her. It was just explosion and explosion of pure white pleasure rolling through her. She was pressed close against him as he wrapped her up, their hearts, breaths, and bodies becoming one.

[Noven]

He could feel her fingers gripping his hair as the moment neared, both lost in a cloud of heated fervor so intense it severed them from the rest of the world.

It didn't take much more after that to send Chai over the edge. As soon as Nov buried himself as deep as he could go, cries of ecstasy burst forth from her lips and ricocheted off of multiple surfaces. Some niggling concern was trying to gnaw to the forefront of his consciousness, but the man was too lost, too wrapped up in the feeling of her walls contracting around him amidst wave after wave of bliss.

Noven's hold on his own peak slipped from him faster than a wet bar of soap as the healer writhed and bucked from her blindingly powerful frenzy. He tried to muffle his own cries within the thickness of her earthen locks, planting his face into silken hair as spasms of pleasure swept through his body. Both he and Chair were holding each other as if they were one loosened grip away from drowning. Self-control completely forfeit, Nov's muscles tensed everywhere all at once and his hips jerked of their own accord a handful of times in his final throes of ecstasy.

Then the cook collapsed, no longer able to keep himself propped up. All his endurance had fled in the span of a heartbeat as he spent himself entirely within the confines of Kechaiya's warmth.

Something told him he ought to be alarmed by what he'd just done. That this was not the way things normally went, and for good reason. But Nov was so exhausted, so dizzy with the aftermath of probably the most intense coupling he'd ever participated in that he could barely remember his own name.

For a good while he just lay there, not quite crushing his companion but still entangled with her limbs. It took a bit before his breathing finally eased. And, with the fresh supply of air, his mind found itself partially resuscitated. At least enough to extract himself from Kechaiya so he could take stock of any damage they'd done. The sheets and blankets were rumpled to all hell, half of them draping well over the edge of her bed. That was to be expected. Next, Noven moved to check the trousers beneath the doctor's pert little rump. There was a small amount of blood here and there, but nothing extreme, and if anything far outdone by the other fluids that had accumulated on his Ramie pants.

The cook shifted back up to plant a soft kiss on Chai's lips. "Don't move," he murmured with a faint smile. "There's only a little bit of blood, nothing to worry about. I'll clean things up. Wait here."

Noven scooted his legs over the edge of the bed to stand. Without his trousers, he had little choice but to fish out his undergarments and don those alone. The merry fire that Kechaiya had kept alive while they'd been at the party was still burning, but had grown considerably lower since either of them last checked. Nov padded over to the hearth, crouched down to fetch a fresh piece of wood, then placed it gingerly on top of one of the older logs. Flames licked up around its sides eagerly, swallowing the log in a dozen orange-yellow arms within ticks.

Satisfied to see the fire burning with renewed vigor, he rose and made his way toward the table, where the doctor kept a cooking pot. Hmm, but he needed water as well...where would that be kept in Chai's tiny quarters?

From the corner of his eye, Nov spot the doctor's pack and the head of a waterskin peeking through its opening. "I've got to borrow this, if you don't mind," he announced in complete seriousness as he held up the skin. Should Kechaiya present no objections, the cook would pour enough water from the skin to fill about a fourth of the pot before setting the metal container over the fire.

He didn't need the water to be boiling, only warm. So, during the few chimes it took for the pot to heat, Noven picked up his abandoned shirt, an empty chair, and set them both in front of the crackling fireplace.

The cook wasn't terribly concerned about his trousers, which were currently covered in a rainbow of fluids. Ramie's were made for this kind of thing. All they needed was a good wash and everything would be set aright. He was, however, somewhat worried about the healer. Being no doctor himself, Nov could only assume it wasn't the best of ideas to let her be, and that some of it ought to be cleaned off. But it wasn't as if they had the luxury of sinking into a hot bath, not at this bell and in their current states. So he'd gotten resourceful.

That, and they needed to address the fact that Noven had done something he never, ever allowed himself to do before tonight.

Judging the pot to be hot enough, he wrapped his shirt around his hand and fished the container back out of the fire. A quick opening of the lid and poking of a finger into the water assured Nov it was warm to the touch. With this settled, he made his way back to the healer and executed a ridiculous little bow.

"Your humble bath awaits, my lady."

Then he scooped Chai up in his arms, nakedness be damned, and carried her over to the empty chair. He sat down first before settling her on his lap and, with nothing more than his hands and relatively clean shirt, began to slop water onto them both.

"Clean as a babe's squeaky little bottom, you'll be," Noven jested before a snort of laughter escaped his facade of seriousness, unable to be contained as he engaged in what was probably the most absurd ritual he'd ever willingly walked into and water splashed haphazardly against both of their bodies.

[Kechaiya]

With as much time as had been spent building up to this point, Kechaiya found it surprising how quickly it had passed. She could feel his seed filling her, the extra warmth it spread. It was strange, and yet, oddly comforting, though she couldn't pinpoint a reason as to why. Kechaiya's own waves of pleasure had ebbed down to small, much more manageable trickles, as Noven practically collapsed upon her. Thankfully he'd not done so fully, as Kech was still working to get her breath back into her lungs. She wrapped her arms fully around him, embracing him as they lay there coupled, pleasure sought and spent. Now that he was spent, she could feel him softening.

When he pulled away from her, the lack of his presence felt as if she'd lost something she'd always had, and always wanted. She shifted and wiggled to get herself into a proper comfortable way to lay, feeling his eyes examine her, as if he were the doctor and her the patient. As the last of the pleasure faded, she could now feel soreness all throughout. Her hips, her nethers, and something in side were all tinged with pain. It was a bit disconcerting with her medical mind trying to determine the exact damage. That was when she realized what was still in her. He'd sewn his seed in her. Which meant that more likely than not, she would become heavy with child. She thought back to when she'd had her last Leth cycle, and realized that it was supposed to be soon. And all of the midwives she'd talked to had said that the days leading up to her cycle were the days most likely to make a baby.

Holy shyke.

He didn't have to ask her to stay still, because she was frozen, still trying to come to terms with what she'd just realized. She heard him mention cleaning but that was the last thing on her mind. Kechaiya knew she wanted to be with Noven, but hadn't even considered this a possibility. Cursing herself silently, of course she knew, she was a doctor. She just hadn't cared, her lust had outweighed her good sense. And now, now the fears came.

Would he leave her because she was pregnant? It wasn't unheard of, and it wasn't as if they knew each other especially well. Much of their time together had been spent in either a professional capacity or falling their emotions. They'd not said much of anything important to one another. She didn't even know where he lived.

She looked over as he rose, not sure what it was he was preparing to do. But her mind turned back to the fear, finding no interest in his doings. It wouldn't be hard to leave her. The orphanage had Orion now and really didn't need her. She came by as a kindness, but she was unnecessary. Which meant he could make it so she was never allowed in the building, cut off from him and the children. And it would take next to no effort on his part. As she thought these things, she could feel the tears within her welling up, but she forced herself to keep them in.

Barely hearing his question, her voice broke a hint as she said, "No, no mind." She laid there, her mind finding all the ways her life was about to be shattered, absolutely certain that he was leaving her when he stepped out that door in the very near future. She barely even registered the fact that he'd picked her up and set her upon his lap, cleaning them both. The water that splashed on her was warm, but as he spoke his final joke, she broke down.

The tears came hard and they came fast. Her chest heaving as she sobbed, she tried to get out the fear she had in mind, "You... leave... me... cuz... " It took her many a tick to finally eek out the last word, louder than the rest, "Pregnant!" With that final exclamation, she buried her face into his chest and continued sobbing loudly, her tiny fist now pounding in frustration against his shoulder. As she wound down, not calm but out of tears and breath, yet again, she muttered, "Please no leave..."

[Noven]

Nov froze mid swipe as the woman he was semi-bathing suddenly burst into tears. She was sobbing and trying to explain herself at the same time, which predictably ended up as nothing but gibberish.

Krysus, what was plaguing her mind this time?

As it turned out, Kechaiya had put one and one together far faster than he originally assumed possible. Which made a lot of sense, the cook realized with a sinking feeling of stupidity, given that she was both a woman and a doctor. He just sat there as she began pounding her dainty little fist against his bare flesh, inflicting about as much pain as a ten-day-old puppy falling onto his shoulder.

Eventually, the healer ran out of steam. But of all the concerns she could have found most distressing, Chai chose to ask--to plead--for him not to leave.

Noven looked down at the top of her dark head, feeling oddly calm. "You really think I'd be the type to do that? " he responded in answer, almost angrily. "To leave as soon as someone I care about gets thrown in a shyke ton of trouble because of something I did?"

Pushing the doctor away just enough so she could see how serious he was being, Nov continued, "It was my fault. Not your's, mine. I--"

He paused for a moment, not entirely sure how he ought to phrase his next words. "--I don't normally...let this happen. I should've known better..." Those weren't exactly the most comforting things he could think of saying, but the cook saw little else in terms of options.

Chai's eyes were red rimmed and puffy again from all of her panicked sobbing. Empty night, he'd been around her for less than a season and the man had already triggered Kechaiya's tears more times than he could count. And the doctor didn't exactly strike him as the weeping, mewling type, either. "Look, it's not that easy," Nov tried to explain. "I know you're the expert and all, but I've...um...been around my share of pregnant women. Ones that show up at the orphanage, or find themselves in spot of trouble at a brothel, or both. And 's not like everyone of them just had sex for the first time in their lives."

He dampened one end of his shirt again, this time to wipe more gently at one of the healer's thighs. "There are ways of dealing with it, if you're really worried," Nov added, uncertainty coloring his tone, "but they're more oft than not dangerous. I wouldn't let you try half of them."

Immediately, he wanted to throw in that he'd been with plenty of women, whores and regulars alike, and none of them--with the exception of maybe Tinnie--had ever birthed him any bastard children. But that sounded crass, even to him. And this wasn't exactly an appropriate time to bring up something so simultaneously damning and hurtful. Even a thug-headed simpleton like Nov knew that.

"Chai..." he tried to soothe, brushing back some of her wayward hair. "You don't have to be afraid. About me leaving, at least. And you can't know right away if you're pregnant--that's just ridiculous."

Using the side of his wrist, Noven wiped some of the frustrated tears from her flushed cheeks. "Tell you what...if you're that worried, we can make a special trip tomorrow. I know someone who might be able to help." And who also happens to be a whore--a whore attached almost exclusively to me.

He didn't exactly relish bringing the doctor to one of his old, favorite haunts. But Isme was the most knowledgeable person he knew, and if she knew something, anything at all that might offer Chai some peace mind or, better yet, solve their problem altogether, then the temporary embarrassment would be worth it. Not to mention he had some unfinished business there to attend to...business in the form of a little girl no older than six, and her waifish but steadfast caretaker Maggie, who was nothing more than a kitchen girl.

A brave kitchen girl, Nov reminded himself. Possibly the bravest he knew.

Trying to lend Kechaiya as much optimism as he could, the cook placed another gentle kiss, this time on her cheek, and used the undampened portions of his shirt to dry both of them off. The fire was doing a good enough job of it already, but the cloth helped speed up the process. Mind awhirl with budding plans, he plotted out the basic goals he had to achieve. First, he needed to fetch Dina and Maggie and bring them within Jillene's vigilant sanctuary. There wasn't much time left for waiting or stalling; rumors were circling around them like crows above a fresh kill, closing in with each passing day. Second, he would need to somehow buy information from Isme without raising a scandal. And third, Nov had to accomplish all of this without encountering Brega the Queen of Whores herself.

Gods above. Things could never be simple, could they?

"We rest first," Noven decreed as he carried the healer back to the bed, tucked her under the blankets, and tossed his soiled trousers into the pot to soak before slipping in himself. Not the most hygienic of places to wash sex-stained clothing, but the doctor did have plenty of alcohol.

"Say, Chai..." he muttered as he moved to hold her close to his chest, already beginning to fight the oncoming tides of drowsiness. Frantic, exhausting intercourse wasn't his usual method of sleeping dreamlessly, given his new and much less complicated method of drinking the doctor's miracle tea, but after tonight, Nov was fairly certain he'd sleep through a thunder storm.

That, and he had a plan. Plans always made him feel better about his problems. Even if they didn't succeed, at least they had action to take, a way to actively do something about their circumstances.

"...ever been to a brothel?"

[Kechaiya]

Kechaiya listened to his words, thankful that he wasn't using any of his silly jests. Perhaps she had overreacted, a trait she was beginning to realize came out around the few people she cared for. Calming down some, she nodded, loosely wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing the side of her head against his heart, listening to it. "Is both fault. No just you." She found him directing her eyes to his once more as the tears stopped fully, listening to him continue. She knew it wasn't that easy, her father had worked with midwives and pregnant woman in their village, and had brought her along. But she supposed perspective changed a lot when it was yourself involved.

When he told of ways of dealing with it, Kechaiya had realized he was right. After all, she'd sold herbal contraceptives to women before, and had even offered some to Caela when she thought she was a whore. She felt a tinge of anger when he said he wouldn't let her try half the methods, as if he controlled her. They finally come together as a couple, and now he was the boss of her? It put her into a bit snappy of a mood, "You no tell me what do. If want do danger, I do danger. No need you help, no need you show me you whores."

She extricated herself from his lap, wincing at the soreness of her hips and made her way to her pack. Digging inside, she pulled out two pouches and grabbed her kettle. She put some water in it, and sprinkled in some Wild Carrot leaves, and chunks of Gigar root. Putting it on the fire, she waited for it to boil, returning to his seat once more. "No worry. I take care of." She knew the tea she was making would be terribly foul tasting, but taken a few times a day would force her Leth cycle to come earlier, and would keep a child from forming within her.

Mention of rest sounded divine to Kechaiya, she was sore, emotionally and physically drained. She was still a little ticked at Noven, but it wasn't a lasting anger, since she manage to let him know. Laid down on her mattress, she rolled away to face the wall. Feeling him join her, "No, no have go to brothel. I no whore."

When her kettle started whistling, "Can get that?" There was a pit in her stomach, for even though the idea of a child scared her, at the same time it wasn't a completely awful idea. They both liked children, and she knew if her father was here, he would want her to keep it. She could even see that giant grin of his, telling his friends that he was going to be a Pop-Pop. If Noven thought it best though... It wasn't as if Sunberth was crawling with men who wanted her, and she didn't want them. She wanted Noven. And would give him what he asked for, even if it broke a part of her heart to do so.

[Noven]

He was just about to doze off when her hard, resentful answer came.

Nov sighed behind the healer's dark head. He always managed to make a mess of things, even if he had every intention of setting things right.

When the kettle began to whistle, he paused a tick at Kechaiya's request before obliging, leaving the warmth of the bed to fetch the kettle. The cook had no idea what she'd put in the thing, but it smelled strange enough to make him guess. Looking around for a container of some kind, he tried his best not to let the rising tide of old, familiar frustration take over, focusing on the mundane task instead. Noven poured the mystery liquid into a cup, set the kettle onto the table, and then walked over to sink into the edge of her bed.

"I know you're not a whore," he said softly, wearily, offering Chai the steaming up without turning to face her. "And you're right. I have no control over what you do. You are free to choose, to control your own life, risks and all."

He didn't feel like having this conversation. Like having any more conversation at all. But once again, the man found reality as harsh a mistress as ever. There were things to be dealt with whether either of them wanted to or not. "And as for the brothel...you're free to choose that as well. I just thought--had assumed I could help. But it isn't the first time I've been wrong."

Nov stared at his folded hands, idly wondering when he'd acquired so many nicks and burns. "I have something I need to take care of at Happy Endings...a debt to pay. Two children are struggling to survive there on their own, and it's finally time I brought them to the orphanage. That was my main reasoning...I--"

Didn't mean to offend you. To make you angry. To create all the shyke I always manage to cause. Nov sighed. "--don't know...I'm no good at this..."

He wasn't entirely sure why he was telling Chai this. If his plans were let slip and Brega somehow caught wind, she would hold Dina and Maggie as hostages within an instant. And then she would have all the leverage she needed to get him to do anything she wanted. The man shuddered at the very idea. But he had entrusted deadly secrets with the doctor before...he knew he could trust her, even if she was pissed off at him.

For a while, he just sat there, face resting in his palms. He was still donned in nothing but his undergarments, but Nov was simply too tired to care. He had so many burdens upon his shoulders. So many broken pieces to pick up that some days he didn't even know where to start.

Somehow, in the span of a few short chimes, this night had turned from blissful recklessness to sobering bleakness. Which he ought to be used to by now, the cook admitted to himself. Part of him felt it might even be better if he just left. He didn't exactly relish the idea of having to face the healer's cold, angry back for the entire night. But if he left, he would become the very thing he despised, and Noven wasn't going to succumb to that. Not here, not yet.

So in the end he slipped back into the bed to stare blindly into the ceiling, wondering for all the world what life might be like if Nona was still alive.