Into Darkness (Part 2)

by **Zhol** on April 28th, 2015, 2:06 am

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Zhol's ability to speak vanished. He didn't miss it. Speaking had never been his forte. With Khara, sometimes he managed to fumble enough words together to come somewhere close to what he intended to say, but usually the words weren't enough, or they were wrong, or they sounded wrong when you listened to them a certain way. Zhol speaking had almost broken their friendship - almost made what they were now an impossibility. Zhol speaking his worries was what left Khara so nervous and tentative when anything like this happened. Zhol's not quite correct enough words were why Khara had just pulled away, despite that being the exact opposite of what Zhol wanted her to do.

So he didn't speak. As she drew away, he chased her, his body pressing itself against hers with considerably more slow and deliberate intent, his hands sliding across her back beneath the blankets as he brought his lips to hers again. His touch was gentle, but firm; if Khara tried to pull away, she would have no difficulty, yet Zhol wanted to be sure she knew that wasn't what he wanted. Every rise and fall of his lungs was enough for his chest to brush against hers, breaths snuck between the flurry of kisses that he poured onto Khara's lips.

He paused for a moment, his lips stealing a few last kisses before they finally obeyed his instruction to stop. "Stay," he breathed, only trusting himself with a single word. He let his head slip past hers, cheeks resting against each other, his arms drawing Khara's body as close to him as he could possibly get. His eyes closed, Zhol taking the time to appreciate the feeling that filled him; not excitement, but rather comfort, the reassuring feeling of being so absolutely close to Khara, with absolutely nothing at all between them.

A gentle kiss was pressed against her shoulder. "Please," he managed to whisper, another carefully chosen word. "Stay like this."

by **Khara** on April 28th, 2015, 4:00 am

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There wasn't any need to hesitate in giving an answer, Khara knew her immediate reaction was to do exactly as he asked, but still for a few ticks she remained silent. The sound of the rain hitting the soaked ground outside, the gentle crackle of the fire in front of them, the soft breaths of air they took that fell into time with each other; it was like she was waiting to see if the gods themselves would disagree. Her quiet served as a response in a way, though, as she stayed in his hold and didn't dare to make a single move to pull away.

Still, she nodded her head as her arms gently tightened around him in a tactile promise. "Okay, we'll stay."
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Next Morning - 23rd of Spring, 514AV

For the second time in two days, Khara's mind tried to instill panic in her upon waking. Thankfully this time it wasn't coming on the heels of unpleasant dreams and her mind more quickly recalled the prior day and the events that had lead to her and Zhol deciding to camp within the cave out of the rain. She shivered slightly, an eye cracking open to cast an accusing look towards the fire that had dwindled in the night. The blanket around her shoulders was tugged up from where it had slipped down and exposed her skin to the air. The only source of warmth she had was snuggled more against and with a small smile she listened to the beat of Zhol's heart.

There was something undoubtedly pure about waking this way under layers of blankets with nothing between her and the man she loved and only the warm wool keeping them from the cave floor. Maybe not the most comfortable place she'd ever slept, but it certainly was one of the least objectionable as well.

A gentle sigh left as Khara realized she really should have gotten up, checked to see if her clothing was dry, and tended to the fire, but she couldn't bring herself to move. The warm light that filtered into the cave could be seen beyond the smoking remains and she listened intently, focusing past the immediate sounds within the cave to hear birdsong and water rushing outside. Water from a river, not rain. A small silent prayer was given to Caiyha for them not only lasting through the night in her domain, but managing to enjoy what could have been some rather unfortunate circumstances. With a little luck, the Endal would return for them that day, the weather must have been a known factor in why they hadn't returned as the rain hadn't stopped even by the time the two of them had decided to try to sleep.

There was a change in breathing against her ear, a subtle shift in muscles and limbs that let her know that Zhol had awoken as well. The smile on her lips broadened as she used her arm around him to pull herself a little tighter against his body. She didn't dare say anything, feeling as if words were entirely unneeded in that moment.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Zhol** on April 28th, 2015, 4:26 am

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That gentle squeeze prompted Zhol's eyes to struggle open, blinking out of sequence with each other as they tried to clear the bleariness that the night had cast over his vision. Rather than pay attention to the world around him - waking in a cave wasn't exactly unusual, and Zhol wasn't nearly familiar enough with caves to regard this one as all that much different from the one he called home - he struggled enough to focus on Khara, a smile forming as she came properly into view.

Over the course of the night, one of his arms had proven surplus to requirements: his left was draped around Khara's shoulders, but his right had found no role in cuddling the woman he loved, and so had spent the night tucked behind his head. For a few moments he let it support his head, letting him gaze lovingly at Khara, before the strange numbness forced him to ease it free and stretch itself beside him. Instantly he was struck by the coldness of the air, and snuck the arm beneath the blankets, seeking out something warm that it could seep heat from. It stumbled across Khara's knee, a small smile forming on Zhol's lips as his fingertips meandered their way slowly upward, lingering on the curve of Khara's behind before coming to rest against her hips. He let himself lean towards her a little more, just enough to pull her closer to him still.

Only then did he allow himself to pay proper attention to the world around them; a glance towards the entrance of the cave discovered a world where water wasn't endlessly falling from the sky. A realisation formed in his mind, but the reluctance to say it affected even his throat and jaw; he tried to speak, but the sound that escaped was more of a mutated croak.

He abandoned his efforts for the moment, letting his eyes close again, drinking in the sensations. His cheeks began to turn pink as he half-realised, half-remembered that he was completely naked, and more significantly so was Khara; his fingers had discovered this already of course, but his mind was slow on the uptake. Suddenly, his roaming hand felt far less appropriate and acceptable; he shifted his head enough to settle a kiss of apology gently against Khara's cheek.

"We should probably head out before it decides to rain again," he eventually croaked out, with agonising reluctance.

by **Khara** on April 28th, 2015, 5:10 am

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There had been a small moment of worry regarding how Zhol would react when he realized they were both entirely nude. She wasn't expecting a bad reaction, or even him shying away from her - Zhol was way too aware of the effect such things could have on her, after all - but she had wondered if he would blush, if he might secretly hope she would move first so he wouldn't have to. All those worries were entirely washed away as he pulled her closer, as his hand ran up her leg. She still felt the sudden extra warmth his skin seemed to take on as Zhol woke further but the kiss against her cheek was more than enough for her to do nothing but smile in return.

The blissful expression faltered as he brought voice to the inevitable. This wasn't home, this certainly wasn't a day off, and the two of them really, really, needed to be somewhere. Eventually. The nice thing about growing up in Wind Reach were times like these, by the simple fact she was awake, Khara could guess that it couldn't be much past dawn. There was no early light that penetrated into the common rooms to wake someone from their slumber, and even the light in the warrens only had touches of Syna's warmth in certain places. Khara had adapted to waking on her own when it was necessary to do so and every morning her eyes opened at roughly the same bell and chime.

What that all translated to in her mind was the fact they had made some progress back through the valley the day before to reach the cave and that meant they had less ground to cover today - if it all hadn't washed away. It also let her know that the Endal who, gods willing, would be returning for them would only just be waking himself and they had quite a few bells at least before he arrived in this section of The Unforgiving.

They did need to get moving; clothing had to be shaken out and tugged back on, gear had to be repacked and if nothing else the sooner they got home the sooner they could get a proper meal and a bath. The sooner those two things happened, the sooner they could retire to their room, to their bed.

A small groan left her as she tried to speak, as if that alone could act as a reply and could fully relay the reluctance she felt. "We should," she conceded softly. Her arm tightened around him once more, drawing her tightly against his chest. "Just... not yet."

Khara practically grinned as she felt the arm around her shoulders pull her closer as well. Eventually she would encourage the two of them to get up, to make the necessary preparations and continue their venture back to the rendezvous site. But for now, for just this moment, she was entirely at peace simply existing in the wilds of The Unforgiving with Zhol.

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Continues in First Contact (Part 3)

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

by **Ssezzkero** on June 18th, 2015, 3:46 pm

Grades

So sappy... much love... wow.

If you have any questions or concerns, PM me.

Zhol

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Notes: Don't forget to edit your post in the request forum as 'Graded'.

Khara

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Closed Into Darkness (Part 2)