Closed Colours and Promises

[Khara]

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Spring 47, 515AV

oocWarning... copious amounts of sap ahead. Oh... and some adult content, I guess? Yes. Warnings are good things. V! Look! It's THE thread.

It wasn't an unusual thing for a day to be considered long by Khara's standards, especially once Spring started in earnest, daylight hours increased, and game became briefly plentiful. Today though, today had been almost unreasonable in how long it had dragged out for. An early start lead to bells following a trail that Khara wasn't entirely sure was going to prove worthwhile, but the hunters with her had been insistent. When the group finally had come across a lone deer it bolted when one of the younger hunter - an apprentice, probably - had rushed in too quickly. Rather than give up, the group had pursued and an impossibly arduous time later the hunters had finally made the kill. The trip back had almost been worse than the trek out, the game scouts that had accompanied the group forced to drag the kill back while the Avora strolled alongside. Syna had long slipped under the horizon and even Leth had almost finished his journey as well before the group had returned to Wind Reach. The hunters had gone off to celebrate their success at the Inclement Weather, they had even invited the Chiet that had accompanied them, but the day had left Khara wanting nothing more than a bath, a meal, and sleep. It might even have been considered rude to decline the offer, but for once in her life Khara couldn't even summon the energy it would take to needlessly fret over such a thing.

Every muscle seemed to ache, though the baths had done their best to at least loosen the worst of it. All she wanted now was to slip quietly into the room she shared with the single individual who could make everything better. Her only concern was how she would find Zhol sleeping and if she would cuddle up behind him or if she would have to risk waking him and gently lift his arm and tuck herself into his embrace. Either sounded good; better than good, really. True, the bed wasn't exactly supposed to fit two people, and it was probably smaller than what Zhol would have considered normal where he came from since it was made for Inarta physique, but neither of them really minded. It just meant she had to stay that much closer to him.

The door was approached carefully, footsteps purposely lightened as she stopped mussing with her damp hair. Khara knew she didn't have to be purposely quiet, even if she hadn't ever come home this late before, she knew that Zhol wouldn't be angry with her or anything of a similar nature. Still, there was no sense in needlessly waking him if it could be avoided.

Khara pushed the door to their room open with the slightest of pressures so that she could slip inside and keep as much of the dim light in the warrens from escaping within. Rather than the expected darkness, however, she was met with warm candlelight and rather than the sleeping form of the man she loved, he instead sat propped up, a book in hand that the girl could only guess Zhol had borrowed from the Enclave.

As much as she was entirely exhausted, Khara couldn't deny the way the sight of him seemed to draw upon inexplicable reserves of energy that flooded her with the wonderful giddy feeling. A soft sigh left as she stepped fully inside the room and shut the door behind her.

"You should be sleeping," she said softly, far from scolding as it carried all the adoration she couldn't help but feel. A moment was taken to set down the day's equipment and slip off her boots before she crossed the room towards the bed. "Please do not say you stayed up because of me. It is no good for you."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

The instant Zhol laid eyes on her, his face lit up like a sunrise, a broad and overjoyed smile blossoming on his face with absolutely no effort at all. He had to struggle to diminish it, in fact; to rein in his happiness enough for it to stop interfering with his efforts to speak. His eyes didn't stray from her in the slightest as he retrieved the strip of brown fabric from behind his ear - one of Khara's scouting ribbons that she'd given for him to use - and draped it between the open pages, before flicking the book closed with a satisfying click.

"I didn't stay awake for you," he countered, setting the book down on the floor beside the bed before using his freshly emptied hand to snag hold of Khara's fingers and pull her a little closer. His gaze shifted downwards just for a few moments, admiring her dainty fingers as both of his hands took hold of them, caressing softly against her knuckles. Slowly, his eyes climbed back to hers. "I stayed awake for me."

Slowly he brought Khara's hand to his lips, placing a soft, lingering kiss against her fingers, before guiding her hand to gently cradle his cheek. He nuzzled against her palm, his hand holding it in place, a contented sigh escaping him at the touch of the woman he loved more than he knew how to describe. There was relief in that exhale of air as well: each moment that he had reclined here had been agony, far too many pages of his book fumbled through, far too many pages of Nari script read and re-read, too much genuine understanding gleaned for his liking. He did not want to have waited so much; he did not want fate to have kept him separated from his heart for long enough to begin to understand the finer points of glyphing. All he had wanted was for Khara to be safe, and here; he wasn't sure which god or goddess to thank for the fact that she was, and so he silently thanked them all.

"I did not want to let the day end without telling you that I loved you at least one more time."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

This template was made by Khara. She is part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor.

[Khara]

Khara realized something in that moment; she could do this. This could be every night for the rest of her life and she would be perfectly happy. Coming home to Zhol, to these gentle touches and soft words, it had been something that had been going on for over a season now but it took that very instant for her to realize that it was something she never wanted to change and more than that, she didn't think she could picture a reality where he wouldn't be there. The life of a Chiet had conditioned her to simply accept what was given and do her best to maintain all she had, never strive for anything better, never wish to become more. But this? This was worth fighting for, this was worth every rash action and struggled for admission. As much as the constant fear existed that she didn't deserve this, some new part of her realized that as much as she thought she could be worth becoming a hunter if she tried hard enough, so too could be be worth keeping this, keeping him.

A moment of hesitation was taken, her lower lip bitten as her fingertips moved just barely against his cheek in a gentle caress. The nudge forward happened in her mind, a sudden pull towards him that demanded the space between them be removed, anything so that her heart could find it's rightful place close to his. Khara held her breath as she gently put one knee against the bed next to where Zhol sat and then quickly moved forward into his lap, her legs straddled his as her arms gently rested on his shoulders, and her hands came to rest against the back of his head.

Her eyes met his and a smile formed after she finally let go of the breath she held. "I do not want another day to end without having you say that," she softly admitted before her forehead came to rest against his. "I... I do not want another day to go by without you at all."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

"That's a relief," Zhol whispered back softly, enough of a smile on his lips and in his voice to make it clear his words were in jest. "I was worried you might be getting tired of me."

He could get used to this. Before, when things had been different between them, every opportunity to spend time with her was clung to desperately; every missed possibility was painful. After that winter, after he had harboured her like a fugitive in his room, safely away from the riots, it had begun as fleeting moments, chance encounters. He had caught sight of her as she left to aid the hunters each morning, and each evening when she returned. He had never said anything though, not wanting to be a painful reminder of an experience she'd rather forget. But one evening she had glanced his way; one evening they had looked at each other, and then everything changed.

First looks, then days passed and they became smiles of recognition; neither of them broke from what they were doing, but both always made sure to acknowledge that the other was there. Next it had become excuses, tasks specifically timed or delayed to give Zhol an excuse to be outside the stables, to cross her path properly, to strike up a conversation. He still remembered the first thing he'd said, the words he'd spent all day practising to make them sound exactly the right amount of casual. His smile broadened as he uttered them all over again. "Find anything good?" he asked, his head nuzzling gently against hers.

It hadn't stopped there. When summer arrived, there weren't just brief sentences, and short conversations exchanged. Zhol would find excuses; he'd stockpile questions about Wind Reach, and insist that Khara was the only person he felt comfortable asking. Some days he only achieved a few minutes; some days he managed to snare her into a conversation that lasted all the way until he too was done for the day. Eventually, Khara began to linger on purpose; perhaps that was when Zhol had begun to fall, lured to the edge by the possibility that perhaps she looked forward to his company as much as he did hers.

It had taken several attempts before he'd managed to invite her to dinner - or rather, before he'd found a way to casually suggest that they both happen to eat at the same time; before long though, it had become lonely and uncomfortable to eat so much as a scrap without her. A day where he didn't at least catch a glimpse of her smile felt empty. Those days were gone though. Those moments were no longer stolen; they were freely offered, delivered to him willingly each and every day. That, for Zhol, had become the only conceivable definition of bliss: the knowledge that pure joy would smile her way into his arms every night, and all he ever had to do was wait.

He'd asked Khara a question, and he truly wanted to know the answer, to hear about her day, to savour the beautiful sound of her voice; but he couldn't help himself, couldn't stop himself. His hand trailed it's way up her body, brushed across her cheek, and then a crooked finger tilted her chin just enough to place the gentlest of kisses against her lips.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

This template was made by Khara. She is part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor.

[Khara]

No sooner than their lips parted than Khara shook her head slightly and a weary sigh followed. "Not so much," she admitted. "Today was very tired making and we brought some deer back, but I do not think we made as much use of the day as we could."

A gentle laugh worked it's way up and she moved forward, resting her body against his as her head found its place at his shoulder. A soft kiss was planted against his neck before another deep breath left her, more in an attempt to relax than continuing to linger on the day's frustrations. "I am just very glad I am home now."

She remained that way for a few moment, breathing in deeply all the things that made the room the single place she would always rather be: The soft scents of the candles that Dru had given them that combined to create the vaguest impression of the outside world that she cherished so much despite it being where she worked; the hints of linen that made up their bedding and the stretch of crimson overhead, the earthy smells that both of them brought with them on their shoes and managed to linger no matter how many times their clothing was washed. The rest of her senses joined in to complete the picture; the glow of the candlelight on stone walls, the warmth of the man she loved against her body. Khara didn't know if there was any sort of place a person's spirit could go if they managed to say and do all the right things - rather than being doomed to live another life struggling to survive- but if there was, she suspected that her perfect vision of such a place would include all these things.

It wasn't like something had dramatically changed in her mind into accepting it all, it was all Zhol's fault really. He had made all her doubts gradually fade in regards to them. Would they work? Was this possible? Did either of them actually deserve this? Was there someone better? All those questions seemed to have answers now, and each one of them somehow ended in her favour. No, their favour.

One of her hands moved from where she had moved them around him, sliding back forward down his shoulder to resume it's typical casual idle hobby of tracing swirling imaginary patterns against his arm. Khara supposed it was to reflect the way his - what did Zhol call it? Res? - showed as he willed it to leave him before it formed into flame. Either way, it had become a means of keeping her hands busy and satiated in their demand for constant fidgets and movements.

"What were you reading?" she idly questioned, eyes moving towards where Zhol had placed the book upon the floor, even if she knew fully well she would never see it through the obstacles between sight and binding.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

"I am was read about -"

He tried to reply in Khara's native tongue, but a few moments and it became clear that he lacked the vocabulary; he could barely comprehend the words in Common, let alone in Nari. A wave of embarrassment washed over him however before he had the opportunity to reply, coming to the realisation that he would need to do more than simply provide Khara with an answer: there would need to be context, and explanation, and that meant saying things that, while he was not ashamed to admit them, could not be uttered without at least a small amount of pink rising to his cheeks.

"It is a book about Auristics," he explained, focusing on the delicate shifts of Khara's fingertips against his skin, letting the reassuring contentment that always caused compete with the blush attempting to make it's eager way to his face. His mind strayed a moment, thinking back to the first time that Khara had touched him in such a way, back in the kitchens when he'd demonstrated what his reimancy could do - or at least, when he had demonstrated to her; his "demonstration" upon the face of one of the men attacking her the day they'd first met didn't quite count - and she had traced her fingers across his hand gripped by fascination. Now her attention was different: more intimate; a comfort to both of them.

A sheepish smile tugged at the corner of Zhol's mouth, his eyes flicking up towards Khara's for the briefest moment. "I know that you... that in Wind Reach... you once told me that before I came here, before the Djed Storm, your people always believed that fire was a gift from Priskil; that it was something light, and good. I do not have the benefit of that belief though, and while I try to hold that side of me at bay, I cannot always. There have even been times where I have needed it -"

He didn't need to list the examples; Khara had been there for many of them, had seen first hand how being cursed with fire had meant the difference between death and survival for Zhol and those he cared about. There were things he had learned about Ivak that had changed his views somewhat, but it still ate at him that it defined him so much, not just in terms of his self-opinion, but in the way that others saw him as well; in the value they placed on his contributions.

"Even so, I wish that it was not so much of who I am. I wish to be capable of more."

More quietness followed; he found his hands seeking out Khara's hips, gentle brushes of his fingers against her skin; one more tiny fragment of closeness; one more tiny fragment of comfort. Khara knew already how Zhol felt about learning anything knew; he was always eager, but his father and his failings as a child had left him believing that it would always be a failed endeavour. If fire was a large part of who he was, that certainty that he was doomed to fail as a larger one; good at nothing and good for nothing, that was what his father had convinced him he was. Khara was slowly changing that, slowly teaching Zhol that his father's opinion wasn't irrefutable, and that Khara's opinion and approval mattered to Zhol far more; but while Zhol definitely believed that he mattered to her, that wasn't quite the same as fully accepting that he mattered.

"Auristics is a way of using magic to see more than can be seen. To understand auras. To know more than what is visible on the surface. It may not be as useful as fire, but -" His shoulders sagged a little. "- at least I cannot harm anyone if I am not so good at this as well."

Zhol fell quiet for a moment, concentrating all his focus on the points at which he and Khara were in contact. It as a strange notion, a silly notion, but it as the only explanation he could conceive for how she made him feel the way she did: in the same way that Zhol as able to move his djed and allow it to seep from his pores, it sometimes felt as if Khara were able to pour parts of herself into him, as if every loving touch buoyed his soul and strengthened his spirit, as if she was somehow reaching into him, guiding herself to every emotional crack and crevice, and slowly soothing and smoothing over each of them in turn. There was no denying that he had been a broken man when he had arrived in Wind Reach, and still broken the day they had met, but piece by piece, Khara had been helping to put him back together. He only wished there was a way he could put that into words.

"I am not having much success though," he admitted, shrugging it off gently. "The book is in Nari, and... I am more badly with look words than I am with speak words."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

This template was made by Khara. She is part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor.

[Khara]

As fascinating as she wanted to find Auristics - and she really did - it was hard to focus on all of what Zhol was saying when his hands began touching her. Something about auras, that made sense given the name, she supposed. The potential uses or how it might have been better or worse than the fire he could conjure were an entire loss to her, though. Her mind simply refused to think on them and instead focused on the light sensation of his fingers brushing against the softer skin just above the waistband of her bryda. Her eyes closed as a content breath of a sigh left her; this was perfect. Zhol could talk about all the magic things he wanted and she could never understand them as long as he kept touching her and they stayed this way. It was somewhat funny to her to find that this was now her vision of peace. The thought of anyone touching her like he was had been something she had merely been uncomfortable with for most of her life, dreaded for a short portion, and now looked forward to. Of course, that seemed to hold true for a quite a lot of things between her and Zhol.

She wasn't entirely oblivious to what he was saying, despite the want to become completely lost in the feeling of those gentle touches and her eyes cracked open before she slowly raised her head from his shoulder. "I can help you read it, if you like? I don't know if I'll say everything correctly, but maybe it'll help you understand it a bit more?"

The offer was genuine, just like any other instance where she could potentially help Zhol with her native language. Though her interest in such a thing now was certainly questionable. Her hand moved from his arm, up along his shoulder opposite from where her head had been resting. She kept her fingertips light against his skin as they found their way to his neck, barely making contact in some sort of echo of the soft kisses she had placed to the other side only moments ago.

"Not now though," Khara said just above a whisper as her fingers crept up along his jaw and she leaned forward to resume the soft brushing of her lips along the opposite side. "I don't want to read right now. Right now I want..."

What did she want? To spend time with him - that much was obvious - but there were urges. Ones Khara often found herself entirely guilty for feeling in the first place. Not now, her thoughts scolded only to almost immediately be followed by a slightly startling self-assured retort of Why not now? Khara paused as her cheek nuzzled against Zhol's for a moment. It was a good argument, as far as she was concerned. There wasn't any reason to hold back anymore, was there? They had slowly progressed forward with what levels of intimacy they were comfortable with, they even had come close a few times to finally removing the last bits of hesitation and uncertainty and even fear she'd had about the whole thing. The question echoed, why not now? She loved him, of that there was no doubt. She was comfortable around him on a level she never expected to be capable of. She liked everything he did, every way he touched her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him so why not?

Her lips parted as she tried to speak her consideration, to ask if he was even alright with the idea, but as she tried to make the simple words that sounded right in her head come out all that was managed was a slight "I... I..." before language completely eluded her. Even the backup words of I want to spend time with you refused to come into focus. A soft sigh left her as she sat back just enough to catch his gaze with hers. Zhol always seemed to understand her better that way, capable of seeing intentions she couldn't quite voice. A faint smile formed on her lips for just a tick before they were brought to his. The kiss wasn't as passionate as she wanted, not nearly telling enough, but maybe that made it more genuine in a way, far more fitting of her and all the things she couldn't say.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

The fleeting touches against Khara's skin - ones Zhol had barely even realised he was making - changed as once again Khara kissed his breath away. His fingers followed the curve of her hips, sliding around her body so that his hands could roam across the skin of her lower back. If he hadn't known already that she had just returned from the baths, he would have felt it; the way that the warm air of Wind Reach had gently drawn the baths' dampness from her skin, leaving an intoxicating softness in it's wake. His lips yearned to shower kisses across every inch, and his fingers would have obligingly torn her clothes away if their kiss hadn't ended when it had, the way it had, with Khara drawing away.

For a fleeting moment, worry gripped him, a flickering moment of concern that he might have done something wrong that had caused Khara to pull away from him. One look in her eyes assured him otherwise however, and that loosed a stampede of thoughts and other feelings. As Khara kissed him again, Zhol retaliated with all he could muster, a hand sliding up between her shoulder blades and threading into her hair to make sure she wouldn't tear herself away from him again, his lips willing her to understand every want and desire that was coursing through his veins.

A fleeting thought occurred to him; some mixture of embarrassment and jealousy as he realised how much more clothed she was than him. Since their nights in the Unforgiving - since the rain, and the cave; a shudder of excitement and something else raced through his body as that thought crept through his mind - clothes hadn't been permitted to come between them at night; hadn't been permitted to impede their intimate closeness. That was the state of affairs that Zhol had prepared for; and here Khara was, the rough weave of her work vinati depriving him of the feeling of her soft skin against his chest.

"I love you," he gasped out, his lips reluctantly parting from hers for a moment. His fingers freed themselves from her hair, meandering slowly down her neck until his hand rested between the blades of her shoulder. He drew back enough to look into her eyes, watching vigilantly for any signs of hesitation or discomfort. "I love you," he repeated, infusing every ounce of sincerity he could into the most important words that he had learned from Khara, following them with another set of Nari words that he had specifically learned for her. It said a lot about Zhol, he supposed, that the only two phrases of Nari that he could speak with any amount of fluency were to express his feelings for her. "I have missed you."

Slowly, so tentative that it bordered on painful, Zhol's fingers found the string that laced Khara's vinati closed, gently pulling until the fastening began to unravel beneath his touch. He had watched Khara do this many times now, each one making him feel a very specific way; but this was different. He wasn't watching in anticipation as fraction by fraction the fabric slid aside to reveal more of the woman he loved; his eyes were fixed on hers, watching for any indication that he needed to stop. Somehow it made the feelings stronger; somehow it coiled around his chest, made it impossible to breathe. Gently, he peeled the vinati away, inch by inch, until it was nothing but limp fabric in is hands. With almost reverence, he set it aside, letting it fall off the edge of the bed, before once again he let his hands settle into place on Khara's waist, beginning their slow climb up her body to reach the freshly exposed flesh, his gaze not for the briefest instant parting from hers.

It wasn't until his fingers closed gently around her breasts, his hands moulding to the curve of them, thumbs brushing across the sensitive summits that he allowed his eyes to deviate from hers; but not until the last moment as his head slowly lowered, not until the last possible instant before his lips wrapped around her to place a long, passionate kiss against her tender skin.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

This template was made by Khara. She is part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor.

[Khara]

It wasn't anything new to undress in front of Zhol, or even remove her vinati while he was touching her with obvious intent. But what he had just done... She was glad he had continued to look to her the entire time, if for nothing else than every instant of her skin flushing, every timid glance away, every moment their eyes met again, all of it could be fully witnessed. Khara knew that he had come to learn the subtle changes that would reflect something was being experienced in a way she uncomfortable with, and that made her all the more certain that he was entirely aware of how much it was that she didn't want him to stop what he was doing. If anything she found it entirely alluring and found nothing but happiness in the simple fact that without a single word Zhol made her aware of his desire and she wasn't scared of it but actively appreciated it.

Khara couldn't quite place the moment when every touch against her skin stopped being a thing of terror, wondering if her mind was going to rebel against her and turn what should have been a pleasant moment into something traumatic. What had fallen into place in it's absence was a constant want to make Zhol aware that it wasn't like that, she wanted him to know how much she wanted him and the new fear had come into place that she was more worried about now forcing him into doing something he didn't want to. Moments like this, though? It took all those questions and shoved them right from the nest and left her feeling exhilarated.

Of course that could very well have just been because of the things he was actually doing as well. Even that was comforting, though. She hadn't expected to ever actually be able to enjoy anything like this, the best that hope called for was feeling like it wasn't being forced upon her, or that she could find solace in the joy of watching Zhol find happiness in such things. The truth was so much better, though, and Khara knew it was entirely because of the gentle way that Zhol treated her, of the permeable and undeniable love they shared, of a connection they had that she had never ever expected to find with another.

Her hands unthinkingly moved to the back of his head, fingertips weaving among the short strands of his hair that was just long enough to where she had to admit she liked it. She wanted to do more, though. She could feel her breath quicken amidst the small gasp that left as Zhol kissed sensitive skin. If nothing else his actions served as the bit of encouragement she needed. The day's weariness was all but forgotten as she gently pulled away from him every so slightly and one of her hands trailed down against the bare skin of his shoulders and chest.

It was hard to focus on anything other than the rapid beating of her heart and the feeling of every place they touched and for a tick she was sure her heart stopped entirely as her hand moved beneath the shred of blanket that remained across his lap in search of the tie that would undo the bryda he had seemed to taken to wearing before they went to bed and found nothing but skin instead. It shouldn't have been all that shocking, clothing had no place among the times they slept together now, but Khara couldn't deny it was unexpected somehow. With a bit of a mischievous smile her hand remained, her plan altering. If he'd already removed the obstacle, then that just made it all the easier to seek him out and let her fingertips run against him.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Zhol]

The touch alone was enough to solicit a gasp from him, but that smile, that clear intent intensified it. Things had been tentative between them at first, but the more comfortable they became with each other, and the more acutely they understood each other's desires and thresholds, the more confident they had become, and the more... Zhol wasn't even sure what the word was, but the feelings that Khara's confident contacts against him beneath the blanket were causing were certainly more something than ever.

He felt himself respond eagerly and obligingly to her touch, but a whisper of concern formed in his mind; not a protest at what Khara was doing in the slightest, but rather a realisation that he owed it to Khara to make sure she knew just how welcome her actions were. He found her gaze and grinned back at her, holding his focus on her eyes as he teased the blanket out from between them, removing Khara's only obstacle and making it clear that he had no intention of her being prevented from continuing by anything. He felt his hips shift as well, an almost entirely involuntary motion, pressing himself into her hand a little more, encouraging her fingers to roam more intently.

Finally he prised his gaze from hers, his lips leaving a trail of kisses across everything they could reach as his attention migrated downwards as well. As he drew the peaks of her breasts into his mouth, his tongue flitting and spiralling across them with a mix of eager determination and the practised attention of someone who had carefully learned exactly what Khara liked, his hands explored across the familiar and yet all too inviting terrain of her lower back, straying upward occasionally to rest between her shoulder blades and join forces with his mouth, deepening the intensity of the endeavours of his lips, and tongue, and - with the utmost gentle care and sparing implementation - teeth.

He felt his heart rate and breathing quicken, synchronising themselves with Khara's touches. Words formed in his mind - crude encouragements, breathy mutters of intent, questions of whether he was doing right, whether Khara wanted him to stop - but thankfully they never made it all the way to his tongue, Khara's breasts doing a better job of keeping him silent than a real gag ever could. There was one set of words he couldn't stop himself from uttering however; didn't want to stop; didn't even try.

"I love you," he breathed, his lips escaping long enough to climb kiss by kiss back to her shoulder, paying special attention to where Khara's neck and shoulder met. "You are more than I have ever wanted, and everything I ever could."

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

This template was made by Khara. She is part of the Rebel Alliance, and a traitor.