Warm Me Up [Dayed]

[Naya]

She snorted at the mental image of Dayed failing to entice the two girls back at the Tavern. The suave younger man edging out of the Tavern with an awkward, not understood apologising? It was almost worth staying in the Tavern to have seen him be brought down a notch or two. But, then again, the cold air had calmed her down quite significantly. It was probably for the best. She smiled and looked away as she saw his hand drift from the butt of his spear. Ah, so she was now safe. The fact that he had come up to her to speak and was trying to make jokes with her told her one thing. She was well on her way back to good graces. His eyes locked on hers for a moment, having being caught in examining Naya. She could not blame him, she supposed, she was extremely attractive. She smiled as he glanced from her to the skies, and she followed his line of sight. The night sky never failed to take her breath away. The sheer magnitude, the brightness of lights against the dark backdrop of the sky was awe inspiring. She was broken from her appreciation of Morwen's Lights by Dayed beside her, speaking in hushed, amazed voice. It was clear exactly what he meant. And he was exactly right. The sky was beautiful, and it was everything to the Vantha of Avanthal. She turned to Dayed, standing beside her, jumping as they connected, blue eye to yellow eye. She smiled softly at him. Maybe the humble female tactic would work better? "Those lights are called Morwen's Lights. We are the Vantha, and that's where we came from. A long time ago, at the dawn of the age, Morwen was alone. She wanted to populate the mortal realm with people, and not just any people, but people of her own. In her own strength and wisdom, she led us through the lights in the night sky - lights that were hers. They stretched across the sky, in blues, greens, yellows - all sorts of rich jewel tones. We Vantha name them Morwen's Lights, in honour of the Goddess and the Queen that brought us here. Due to Morwen's infinite foresight and wisdom, we were among the first to arrive on Mizahar. We have dwelt here for a long time, one of the eldest on Mizahar, and ever serving Morwen as our queen. These lights are pathways to other worlds, and perhaps when the world comes to a halt, the Vantha will escape back through the humming strips of light - but for now, we reside in Avanthal with our Goddess Queen."

[Dayed]

Dayed listened quietly as Naya spoke, his eyes reflecting a calm reverence for the beauty and import of those lights. He himself did not worship Morwen, though upon reflection, perhaps if he had done so, his journey here may have been easier. Regardless, such detailed accounting of the Vantha’s origins filled Dayed with melancholy, for neither he, nor any of his people knew the story of their origins. All history simply started at the Valterrian, and that was not enough for Dayed. If his people had not existed before then…then how had they come into being? Vaguely, he was sure that it had something to do with the Eagles, but he was no theologian to debate such matters. He was a fighter, not a thinker, in truth.

“You are quite lucky,” he said, the magnitude of his sadness creeping into his voice unconsciously. “We Inarta know nothing of how we came to be. The Valterrian came, and then we were there, alongside our Wind Eagles.” He sighed, thumping the butt of his spear against the stones once more before turning his smirk into a frown. “And you have a goddess dwelling in your city with you. Perhaps it is for the best we have that, or the Inarta might be even better at falconry and glassworking than we already are.” That last was said with a sly tone, trying to lighten the mood he’d inadvertently dampened.

For a moment, Dayed fell silent, then he remembered the cold creeping into his bones, and the fact that he and his horse still did not have a place to stay. Looking up to Naya, forcing his golden eyes to remain locked on hers rather than wander about, he grinned sheepishly. “Since I am a newcomer to this city, I don’t suppose you’d know somewhere I could stay until Spring? Oh, and my horse too!” The last was almost an afterthought, albeit an important one, as his horse carried all of his worldly belongings other than his weapons. Dayed hoped against hope that the woman would have a positive answer, if only so he could get out of this petching cold.

[Naya]

Dayed's voice broke her trance, and she looked back down from the ethereal heavens to him. His voice was melancholic, and she wondered if perhaps this wasn't the best seduction technique after all. Ah well. If he did not end up spending the night with her, then at least she got some star gazing in. Morwen's Lights truly were beautiful, and every time she saw them, inspiration flashed in her mind. She nodded along with his thoughts, silently agreeing. The Vantha were lucky to have such a rich theological and historical background. Knowing where they came from and who they are meant that they had some idea of where they were going in this life. She could not imagine being like Dayed, like the Inarta, and having no sort of background. She smiled as he attempted to lighten the mood, and scoffed when he attempted to fluff up his pride even further. How had this happened? How had she gone from trying to get an easy, willing body for the night to discussing the meaning of life with this young Inarta? It complicated things. How was she supposed to discard a man, kick him out of her bed in the morning when she genuinely had begun to respect this man's opinion? She supposed she could kick him out of her bed, but keep him as a theological debater... but that would complicate things. And if she were to take him to her bed, how could she get the conversation back onto that track? Luckily, the decision was taken from her, when Dayed asked if she knew a good place to stay. Naya's seductive smile crept back onto her face, and she inched closer to the young man. She was back in her element. A hand raised up and rested on his shoulder, hip poised and her body close - he could probably feel the warmth of her body from where she stood. "Our city has just the place for young men just as yourself to stay," she began seductively. "The Savintar Warrens. However, if you were to be invited into a Hold, you may stay there, amongst the sleeping bodies of the Vantha." She smiled at him, waiting to see if he would take the bait.

[Dayed]

:(Ugh, short post is uber-short, but I really couldn't think of much else to put in without the whole post being awkward

Dayed smiled slyly as Naya explained the various lodgings of Avanthal. Apparently, his only options were to pay hard-earned money to stay in an inn of sorts, and while the name “Warren” gave Dayed a certain longing, comforting thought of home, he simply wasn’t sure of his income rate. Which meant that, apparently, his only real hope was to bank on the good graces of some Vantha inviting him into their hold. Eyeing Naya carefully, Dayed smirked. She was certainly trying hard enough, and the way she stood, intoxicatingly close to him, he could practically feel the heat rolling off of her, made her intentions clear enough. Still, if he accepted her unsaid offer too easily, it may turn out to be non-existent. Instead, Dayed cocked his head roguishly, his voice dripping sweetness. “As comforting as the Warrens sound, I don’t suppose you’d know of any Vantha generous enough to invite me to their hold for the night, at least?” He had a feeling he already knew the answer, but it was a good idea to ask regardless….

[Naya]

She smiled as he smirked at her, the gears clearly turning in his head. She wondered how he would react. The boy before her - for surely he was only a boy, an attractive one, though boy nonetheless - had certainly been playing hard to get this evening, what with the two girls from the tavern. If he took the bait too easily, she would reject him - for he would be an unworthy prize for this game. Though if he continued the game, continued the seductive chase, then she would accept. For then the trophy would be a well earned one indeed. She grinned at his response. Good answer. Hmmm, now to plant a wellplaced answer. "Hmmmm, Vantha generous enough to invite you in? You would have to be a special guest indeed... Though I do know of one woman." Here Naya stepped closer to Dayed, trailing the long fingers of one hand up his forearm, bringing her lips to his ear and whispering huskily. "This Vantha is... shall we say, extremely generous. Though there is only one bed in her hold. I do not know if that should be a problem." :(Short reply is short. My post lengths will pick up once we get back into the swing of the thread!

[Dayed]

Dayed smiled mischievously as the woman spoke, tracing one finger up his arm. He could feel warmth stirring within him, girding him against the vicious cold. Perhaps it would be best to just give in to her whims, to forget everything that had driven him this far north. He had come from nothing at all, and then raised to the highest point, only to be plunged back into the void. Is this what Priskil had ordained for him? To feel intense joy, followed only by abject misery? He could not believe it, and yet here he was. Running, always running. From Skyinarta, from Vayeki, and most of all, from himself. Who are you? Dayed asked himself as he locked his molten eyes upon the smoldering violet gems before him.

Endal. That was the easiest, most convenient answer. But an Endal had an eagle. Dayed had nothing but the clothes on his back and what could be carried by his small horse. Dek, was the less convenient answer, but even that wasn’t entirely true. Dayed no longer lived within the sacred Mountain, and thus no longer had to toil his life away, day in and day out, longing for the scraps of food left after the others had finished. The true answer was simple, and the most difficult to accept. Dayed was a nobody, an insignificant child being thrown about by forces outside of his understanding or control. Was his journey here truly the will of the gods? Or had he simply arrived in frozen Avanthal by chance in his blind flight from his loss? And since he was a nobody, what was the harm in accepting the company of a woman, if only for a single night?

Dayed frowned, all of this flashing through his head in a heartbeat. He doubted it would be simple. He could hardly expect this woman to just take him in, not after all his effort in playing hard to get. The Inarta would have to continue the charade, at least for a while, or risk being left alone in the cold. He quickly turned his frown into the familiar, confident smirk, though he could feel it did not reach his eyes. “Generous enough to take in a poor, solitary boy?” he grinned wider, “Where is this woman? Is she still inside?” He turned back over his shoulder, grinning at the door. He found himself enjoying the game for the game’s sake. Gods above, he had to find something to enjoy, or he would surely go mad. Dayed hoisted his spear, leaning the long weapon against his right shoulder as he gripped it near the end of the haft, his golden gaze glittering in the dancing display of lights, high above the city.

[Naya]

Trying not to roll her eyes or be irritated as he looked playfully back into the Tavern, she knew she had him hooked. There was no one else who would bother to extend their welcome to this random stuck up Inarta boy, and he certainly would not get a welcome so warm as Naya's anywhere else in the city. He was hers. He knew it, she knew it. It was practically a done deal. Though he insisted on continuing the game, why, she knew not - though if the boy wanted to flirt a little longer, she supposed she could allow that. "A poor solitary boy? That's exactly why she would take you in. Give you some... warmth, spice up your life a little. She doesn't like men to be solitary." Naya leaned forward, purring as she did so. Trailing two fingers down the front of his cloak and essentially his chest, she answered his second question. "No, she is not inside. She is closer than you think." Naya, though she had enjoyed the game they had played tonight, was quickly tiring of all words and no results. If the boy did not do anything drastic soon - and she hoped he would, for she loved men with initiative - then she would take control of the situation. Either way, they ended up in the same place - Naya's bed.

[Dayed]

:(Short post is short again, I'm not very good at writing Romance stuff lol

Dayed smirked as the woman drew him closer, tracing her fingers up the front of his katinu. Priskil’s Light, he could smell the heady scent that was intensely and purely her this close. The warmth within him built slowly, a smoldering fire that threatened to become a raging inferno if he did not do something about it, and soon. I grow tired of this game, he thought. She was in control right now, but Dayed was determined to see this end on his terms, even if he was playing at a disadvantage. He needed to do something drastic to regain the initiative, else he ran the risk of being thought of as a pawn in Naya’s mind, and that would simply not do. Why not? The thought came unexpectedly, almost nonexistent, more of a whisper from some deep corner of his mind. Pawns, they don’t have to worry about their friends dying. Better to be a pawn, better to just forget everything. Dayed frowned, he did not like that line of thought. He was who he was because he refused to be anything else, and he was not going to change that simply because Vayeki no longer soared beneath him.

He smiled, locking his golden gaze upon her face. Dayed refused to give her the satisfaction of seeing him leer over her body, even covered as it was against the cold. This is as good a way of forgetting as any, he said to that new part of his brain, and when it did not voice an objection, he supposed it agreed with him. “Truly?” he asked, “That is good, because I have been solitary for far too long. I think she may have quite a bit of work to do.” Abruptly, Dayed stepped forward, closing what little distance remained between them as he slipped one arm around her waist. Bringing his face close to hers, he stopped just short of delivering a kiss, hoping to tease her into following his lead. “I grow tired of this game,” he said with just a hint of petulance in his voice. “And besides, I find myself most eager to experience Vantha culture by seeing one of these ‘Holds,’” he added teasingly, as if neither of them knew the real reason they’d be seeing Naya’s Hold.

[Naya]

NP!They're longer than mine Naya had to admit, she was quite proud of the way that his yellow predatory eyes stayed locked on her ice blue ones - though now a darker seductive red. Most men took the opportunity to run their eyes down her ample curves, mind obviously not concentrating on the conversation. Though his self control was rather impressive, and she applauded him for it. She wondered how long it would last. Surely, or hopefully, not too long. Naya gasped just a little, as at the end of his sultry sentence, he grabbed her round the waist with strong arms, pulling her body blush against his. He felt good - strong, manly, heady scent and everything needed for a good night. They were almost at the same height, so when her body was pressed up against his, she could look directly into his eyes. Smiling back at him, she continued. "She'd be more than happy to work on you. In fact, she'd be perfectly happy to start the work now." Naya was surprised and pleasantly so when he leaned his head in slowly, as if to deliver a kiss - and that pleasure turned to extreme disappointment as he stopped, his lips inches from hers. He grew tired of the game? So did she, especially when good looking boys teased and denied her as they were doing now - namely, as Dayed was doing now. Rolling her eyes at their closeness and yet their mutual dissatisfaction, smiling, she wrapped her hands around the Vantha's neck. "She'll show you much more than the Holds, young Dayed. I hope you're ready." And with that, she leaned in slowly and touched her lips lightly to his. Sighing as their lips met, she moved her lips softly, hoping that he would respond with due measure. The entire night had built up to this moment - now was when she found out if her seduction had all been worth it.