Like Ships in the Night [Sariana]

[Pash'nar]

"Viewin'? Aye. Beddin'? Well, that depends." His answer was quick, almost too shameless, and proven honest by the expression held in the sea glass of his eyes … yet his pale hands slowly rose as if preparing for his own personal defense, the warm fire of chagrin spreading across moonlit skin along the back of his neck, "I made a petchin' joke. With the clerk." He added, this time with a hint of worry about the depths of his truthfulness, though he was almost incapable of having any color rise to his cheeks, "Bout makin', uh, any paid massage time well worth bein' free." He grinned at that without apology, confident in the implied prowess, though he did not lower his hands just in case his suddenly veracious honesty invited violence from the woman he knew he had both wronged and offended. He had learned the charm his ethereal visage carried with it and had learned well enough to wield its sway in his favor for his personal enjoyment. Even wrapped in his mortal seeming by day, he had enough Svefra swagger. Not all his memories were tarnished and faded. Was he going to admit to the mistake of his pool? Petch no. That he would contest to a watery grave as not his fault. He was a navigator. He made and read charts for a living (not that Sariana yet knew his vocation other than a fallen godling). His petching key had been near-unreadable. He had made a lucky guess. He was not complaining of the consequences. "So, I fig'red that … well …" One raised hand waved as if to invite the Drykas to continue his line of thinking, "Someone decided to take m'up on th'offer. How was I s'posed t'know you'd end up in th'wrong petchin' pool? I ne'er meant t'imply you were a whore. Just a good list'ner." He winked, sculpted face a near-perfect expression of unexpected wickedness, "D'you always bathe in front of men y'don't know?" Pash could play this game. He liked to gamble, after all.

[Sariana]

He was quick to answer, and for someone who had defended his reasoning earlier, he was definitely not one to shy away from a challenge it seemed. Sariana raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, obviously a little to confident in his skills it seemed.

"Well worth being free? Of all the..." Shaking her head, the brunette resisted the urge to slap the chiseled creature fair across his chiseled face. Instead she crossed her arms and gave him a cool stare, feeling that for women-kind everywhere she needed to show some sort of stand for his confidence.

Even if part of her wanted to test his ability.

No, no. The woman forced the forming idea's from her mind. This was...a creature of the gods! Pash'nar probably dwelt with beautiful beings formed from milk and honey with spun gold threads for hair. Not tattooed, travel worn drykas women with a spirit as a guide. She thought about biding the tall man a good night then, being on her way, before she did or said something incredibly embarrassing or stupid. Or rather, stupider than her earlier comments.

But then, he winked.

It wasn't melting exactly, but Sariana's gaze softened and she felt herself blush again under his wicked expression. Daemon in Heavenly clothing he was...and her thoughts again rose to the surface. Damned ethaefal.

"You take me for some untarnished young girl? I grew up with four brothers and a pavillion full of pubescent young warriors. I hardly have anything to be ashamed of." Moving, the drykas began to walk again, glancing back over her shoulder at Pash'nar.

"Unless of course, you had a complaint about the view."

[Pash'nar]

"N-nah, I ain't complainin'…" The ethaefal looked away with obvious coyness, and his quiet tone invited the Drykas to take his words however she pleased, "Though it's too petchin' bad a ship so fair's moored at th'harbor. I'm sure she'd be quite lovely out at sea." He already knew how he meant them. Pash'nar laughed, coarse and loud, scanning the lamplit darkness to see if he could recognize anything familiar. Nope. Not a thing. He really had no idea where they were going, but as long as he could eventually find his way back to his casinor without too much harassment, he was rather convinced he didn't petching care at the moment. After almost a season in Alvadas looking for work and attempting to recover all his lost sea charts, plus another two weeks at sea, it was a welcome relief to be enjoying unexpected company. The nagging thought of that wolf still worried the back of his mind, though. He caught the glimmer of lamplight off metal, sudden and in motion, and he stepped up his pace to walk beside Sariana instead of behind her, hooking a thumb over a pale, opalescent shoulder, "Y'know where you're goin', right?" Sharp features drew together into a smirk, attempting to maintain the casual humor they'd stumbled into out of so much seriousness. If they were noticed by patrols, the unlikely sailor didn't really know what he'd tell them. He was far from his perceived safety of the beach and his ship and he certainly didn't have a home or a job here. Maybe the woman could tell a good tale … or at least look pretty and bat her eyes at those petching knights. That would work. He'd put some coin on it, "Or are you gettin' us lost on purpose?"

[Sariana]

"Though it's too petchin' bad a ship so fair's moored at th'harbor. I'm sure she'd be quite lovely out at sea."

Oh, but the drykas was rather confident she knew exactly what his words meant. She smiled warmly and turned away to hide the ridiculous blush that colored her from cheeks to chest. Why the petching hell was she acting like this? She had played this game with men before, and usually by this time she had taken the lead and ended up with a warm bed for the night. But Pash'nar was...not just some man. He was something else.

Glancing up as he fell in beside her again, Sariana chuckled and swept her hand across the ruin and destruction before her.

"Of course I do. Look, up ahead. You can see the firelight of the encampments. It's like a beacon in the night." Indeed, further ahead there was the unmistakable orange dots of multiple campfires. On the wind, voices and crying carried to the brunette's ears. She slowed, then stopped. Part of her sorely wished she had gotten them lost. All to soon, their walk had come to an end. Turning, she smiled up at him.

"So, I guess...this is our final stop." The sapphire eyed woman said, her voice hesitant. The feeling inside, a sensation like the pulling of the tide, swept through her. She glanced at the moon, then back at Pash'nar.

"Maybe I could give you that meal tomorrow...if your not busy." Sariana said with a casual tilt of her head, as though she didn't care whether he really accepted or not.

"Or you could show me this boat of yours." The warrior shrugged, unable to hold his gaze as the same blush tried to creep its way across her skin. How petching frustrating.

[Pash'nar]

The ethaefal did his best to keep the disappointment from his aquiline features, but it was a slightly confusing sort of challenge. Instead, a heavy breath escaped between his teeth in wordless objection, all the while appreciating the color his words had brought to the Drykas woman's well-tanned skin despite her efforts to keep it from him. The moonlit shard bent with her gaze, noting half of Leth's face turned away and the stars finally visible through the smashed walls of the fortress city. An amused sound bubbled from his statuesque chest—a chuckle at her offer and her question. "Oh, uh …" Nervously, his hand strayed to that familiar spot at the back of his neck and cerulean eyes shifted away from Sariana's sapphire depths, suddenly more chagrined than amused. To reveal himself in daylight would mean to give up the game, to part the veil between his seemings and ruin the fun he was having. He wasn't ready for that, especially not before they'd even set sail. His own purse was too light to spoil this job—once they were out at sea, he'd at least be employed when the shifting of day to night revealed who he really was. "You sure we can't meet under th'stars again instead?" The unlikely sailor all but purred, quickly tipping gently forward to whisper in the swordswoman's ear. A light touch of too-perfect lips preceded his warm, quiet breath, "I ain't th'same under th'sun, an' I'd rather keep some surprises to m'self for a bit longer." Loose strands of sea foam hair and the smooth curve of a horn brushed her cheek as he withdrew with a tangible reluctance like the tide to all-but tower above the Drykas, laughing in a much softer kind of mischief, tide pool eyes reflecting moonlight and too many stars. He deigned her a smile, the fresh scent of soap once again lingering in his nostrils, "I'll show you my boat, but you gotta know how to swim."

[Sariana]

Oh Gods, she had made a huge mistake. The brunette could feel the blush deepening as the ethaefal looked away with embarrassment. She was stupid, stupid, stupid...Sariana felt her stomach twist in disgust. Lighting strike her down, please. Taking a breath, she began to open her mouth to make some light-hearted jibe and release Pash'nar from her question. Then he spoke, he moved closer to her ear, lips brushing against her skin ever so gently before even the breath of his words. Unexpectedly, his skin was soft, like hers.

Goosebumps raised on her skin, and for just a moment time stopped. She closed her eyes and allowed herself the guilty pleasure of his breath, his lips. There again, that strange feeling of being here before, of knowing something was just there beyond her view. A puzzle piece so nearly close to fitting but not quite making it. Taking a deep breath, she could smell the ocean on him, even after the baths had washed over him. The ethaefal moved, and her eyes quickly opened, head turning slightly as strands of silky hair and the smooth curve of his horn stroked her cheek. He had spoken to her, and with a sudden jolt into reality, Sariana smiled again.

"Secrets, secrets...you sure know how to make a girl intrigued. Well, at least I won't need to feed you at night." The brunette looked up into his face, feeling small against his stature. Her smile turned wry.

"Can I swim? Hrmm...what if I couldn't?" Chuckling, she paused a moment, nervously chewing her lower lip. Taking a bold step, the drykas warrior tipped up on her toes and pressed a soft kiss to Pash'nar's cheek, before lowering and stepping back.

"It's a date then. Meet me on the beach tomorrow night, same time." She didn't give him an option to say no, offering one last smile before turning to head into the distance towards the tents - heart pounding and face crimson. The blue eyed woman couldn't resist glancing just once over her shoulder...to be sure she hadn't just hallucinated the whole thing.

[Chevalier]

Pash’nar

LORE

• A Thorough Hair Washing
• ’Smoothing’ Things Over
• Realigning a Conversation After Derailment
• Sariana’s Spiritual Journey
• Navigating Syliras at Night, Poorly

EXPERIENCE

Skill	XP Earned
Seduction	2
Rhetoric	3
Observation	2
Interrogation	2
Philosophy	1
Subterfuge	1
Land Navigation	1

Sariana

LORE

• Meeting an Ethaefal
• Quick Social Recovery!
• Pash’nar’s Fall From the Sky
• Pash’nar Might Look Different During the Day?

EXPERIENCE

Skill	XP Earned
Observation	1
Intimidation	1
Rhetoric	3
Seduction	3
Interrogation	2
Philosophy	1
Persuasion	1

Storyteller Notes

Secret :

This thread had it all. Nudity, philosophy, humor...I enjoyed it. Many times folks might say ‘I’m not sure what you can award’, but really with something like this I can think of a lot of things to award. Subterfuge for Pash always holding something back. Persuasion for Sariana always getting her way, somehow. Land Navigation for Pash taking the time to really orient himself with the surroundings and so forth. Interrogation I don’t always see as a person beating information out of another, but instead through various tactics being dedicated enough to get answers to questions using a variety of methods, so there was some of that for everyone.