Down by the Seaside [Kendall]

[Hadrian]

92nd Spring, 511 A.V. The two of them had taken a walk, a long walk, out the main gates along the wall that hid the Dyers District until they came to the shores of the Suvan Sea. And then they kept walking south. Somewhere along the way, Hadrian carefully took Kendall's hand in his own and they continued to walk. They had been mostly silent, chatting occasionally, but just as happy enjoying each other's silence, their mere presence as well. They walked until a fortuitous turn of the coast combined with some boulders and trees collaborated to hide the fair city from view, showing only a stretch of sand empty of human life, nary a footprint to be seen since the greedy waves had eaten away at anything manmade. It was then that Hadrian paused, pulling Kendall close in front of him, wrapping his arms around and resting his chin on Kendall's shoulder. He might have spoken, but it took time to get there, long, languorous moments taken since there would be so few of them before the road rose up to meet them. "Beautiful," he said quietly, including the view, the man, and the experience in its entirety. In some ways he compartmentalized thoughts and concepts, and at other, odder times, he mashed everything together. "I don't always stop to notice that, but it's happening more often since I... since I met you." The young Azenth would not be burned by the sudden heat in Hadrian's cheek, but he might notice the change in temperature all the same.

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall's warm fingers intertwined with Hadrian's as the hydromancer reached out for his hand. He had not expected Hadrian to reach out for his hand. Normally the pair stayed at a friendly distance but now they stood close. Close enough where Hadrian could feel the heat that seemed to hug Kendall's skin against his own. There was nothing that needed to be said. Nothing in particular at least. Simple smiles and the feeling of Hadrian's fingers entwined with his own more the sufficed. At the sight of the sea Kendall could not help but grip Hadrian's hand a little tighter. He bit his lip as he smiled. He had missed the sea more than anything. He had visited the Suvan Sea a little bit. Once on his own and another time with Seven. He had been hoping to visit with Hadrian though. He wanted to see him in his element again. The feeling of excitement rose up within him when he saw Hadrian's blue eyes in contrast to the sea. When Hadrian pulled Kendall in close he could feel his heart race in his chest as a small smile brightened his face. He crossed his arms in front of him, leaving his hands to rest on Hadrian's arms. He looked forward toward the beach, his cheek coming to rest against Hadrian's head. He breathed in, Hadrian's warm scent playing his senses. Kendall rested his head against Hadrian's listening to him speak. "You just need to learn how to have your head in the clouds." His voice was soft in Hadrian's ear. He could not help but want to turn and kiss Hadrian but something about their stance seemed right. His arms around Kendall, the two looking out onto the sand and sea. "Beauty is everywhere if you want to see it." Kendall smiled as he felt Hadrian's cheek warm up against his own face. A hand reached up to touch Hadrian's flushed skin. "This reminds me of a poem I read back in Zeltiva." He had been trying to put his memories of home away but poetry was one thing he would never let himself forget. Much like the memories of those rare times Kendall had locked eyes with Hadrian back when he was a girl, they were too precious to forget. "'As you to your sons and you to your daughters, I'll keep gentle watch over the world and its waters, and as much as you control the ebb and the flow, as sure as the currents carve the pathways below, as swift as the tides rotate from high to low, that's as swift as you came and as quickly you'll go.' That is just the end of the poem. I always loved it though. It sort of reminds me of you. Of course, I'm hoping you won't go...go as in leave me." Kendall felt safe in his feelings for Hadrian and he trusted the mage was truthful. He said the last statement more so to deteer Hadrian from thinking that he was saying that he expected him to leave. "I have always found the sea to be beautiful. I am Zeltivan after all. I don't think I have ever found it more beautiful than I do now though. It all reminds me of you."

[Hadrian]

Hadrian chuckled at the admonition. "I've had tutors and professors tell me to keep my head out of the clouds. They would want me to focus on one thing, but I had already taken a few tangential leaps and was hard at work thinking about something else entirely. But I won't have trouble appreciating beauty as long as I have you to look at." Truly, whatever body Kendall's soul inhabited was beautiful to him, at least based on his experience of two. He fought the urge to kiss Kendall's neck while he recited the lovely poetry, and didn't give in until it was over. "You remind me of a sea chanty I heard while sailing from Sunberth to Sahova," he said. "This water is too salty for me to even drink I'd rather walk the dreaded plank than stay another week But it's you, my love; you're my land ahoy." He paused, flushed a little. It was hardly as highbrow as Kendall's poem, but the sentiment was similar. Usually it was Hadrian whose quotation seemed obscure and pedantic to his audience. "I mean, it was... well, it was just strange to hear salt dogs singing about love, you know? And I hadn't expected to find you in Syliras, nor you in an unfamiliar body. But... but it's you, my love... you're my land ahoy. I just hope our fate is happier than the pirate and his Sebastian. We'll make it happier... Hm, I only wish Laviku blessed me the way Ivak did you. I'd feel more like the sea for you..." After a moment, he extricated himself from Kendall and began pulling his shirt up over his head. "C'mon!" he exclaimed, excited by his own spontaneity. Stumbling toward the water, he shed his clothes, article by article, until his pale body gleamed white and tender before falling into the rolling swells of little waves. Perhaps Laviku didn't love him more than the average human, but he would offer his joy to the sea god all the same.

[Kendall Saarinen]

A soft blush settled on Kendall's cheeks as Hadrian spoke of beauty, of his beautiful. "Thank you. I wouldn't be beautiful without you." The words seemed a bit over the top but they were true. "I never felt beautiful in this form until I met you, or better yet got to know you." They had known each other before Syliras, at least in a way. They had seen each other in the halls of the university or in the library. Kendall would catch Hadrian's eyes but only for a moment before the shy mage dived into a book once again or Kay'lan pulled her way in jealousy. He never understood why his girlfriend found the boy so interesting. Kendall's fingers trailed slowly across Hadrian's skin as the mage muttered out his chanty. Kendall did not know why he found Hadrian's skin so enchanting. Maybe it was the coolness against his hot finger tips or the simple softness that it held. The one thing he did know was that he could not keep his hands off of him. He wanted to be close and connected to him for as long as he could. The fact that Hadrian's poetry was a sea chanty and not some poem recited year after year in classes meant little to Kendall. The meaning behind it meant to much more. He spoke of love, the one thing Kendall was so scared he would never find again. "Very beautiful." He pressed his cheek against Hadrian's hair, feeling it's softness against his skin, breathing in it's familiar scent as he spoke. His fingers continued to move back and forth across Hadrian's forearm until Hadrian repeated the last line of the song again. "But... but it's you, my love... you're my land ahoy." Did he mean it as love or was he just repeating lines? Kendall's continuous motion stopped as he turned his head to kiss the lips that uttered those words. Before he could Hadrian moved away, pulling his shirt over his head. Kendall might not have gotten his kiss but he could settle for seeing Hadrian's body. With a giggle Kendall followed Hadrian's example as he quickly pulled off his shirt and started to run toward the water line. As he got closer he also lost his pants and the rest of his clothing, leaving them on the beach. He fell into the waves with Hadrian, hardly worrying that his hair would look terrible after some thrashing from the sea. Kendall reached out for Hadrian's hand as he leaned over him to kiss him on the lips. "We keep romancing in water. I feel like I'm not being represented here. Perhaps I should take you to Wind Reach. A date in a volcano would be fun." He giggled as he looked at Hadrian. The blond was clearly joking though he could not help but think about the thought of it. The heat would not bother him too much but it might burn Hadrian. "I like this. I haven't felt the sea since I was in Zeltiva. I am a Saarinen, we were meant to be surrounded by water." He imagined Hadrian would know what his last name meant. Of course Hadrian often surprised him with his knowledge. "Do you know what Saarinen means?" It was a name very fitting for a Zeltivan being that they lived so close to the sea. It may have made more sense for Sahova but the island was not one to be hospitable to human families.

[Hadrian]

There was something terribly exciting about the feel of their bodies together in the cold seawater, and he clung to Kendall as much for the electricity their bodies created as that burning, feverish heat that was the norm for his beloved Azenth. He kept kissing Kendall, the pyromancer's words only escaping when he pulled his mouth away and Hadrian devoured the tender skin of his neck. "If we can hurry through your business in Ravok, perhaps we can move on to Avanthal and, if you don't melt the place down, move on to Wind Reach. But you could dive in lava unscathed... I don't know what I would do..." He laughed and kissed Kendall on the mouth once his question was asked, found himself kissing longer and harder until he almost forgot the question, let alone the answer. He tried to wade away a bit or else he might not be able to control himself. Kendall's self or perhaps the fire of Ivak within him made Hadrian's blood boil and his other parts excitable. "I don't know what Saarinen means," he said, face lobster red. "I just remember Kendall Samantha Saarinen. Sorry."

[Kendall Saarinen]

Warm fingers curled around Hadrian's arms as Kendall felt the hydromancer's lips begin to move away from his lips and down to his neck. It was at times like this that Kendall felt a sturring within him unlike that he had felt when he was a girl. When he had first felt it the feeling had bothered him. It felt almost unnatural and wrong. Pressed close to Hadrian the simple fact was that Kendall did not worry about things being right or wrong. He just wanted to be with Hadrian and he would love every feeling the mage gave him. A smile lightened his face as he felt the excitement growing within him. He could not have let go of Hadrian if he tried. "Or better yet, if we don't melt the place to the ground." A devious smile played on Kendall's lips as he spoke. He did not care where they were as long as he could find himself like he was now. Close and comfortable with Hadrian. The cool lips of the hydromancer halted Kendall before he could utter an answer. A hand came up out of the water to lie upon Hadrian's bicep. It was not as defined as many of the other men in Syliras but there was some muscle there. It seemed toting books around the university had benifited him in more than just his academics. It seemed like a blissful eternity before Hadrian's prolonged and passionate kiss ceased and let him speak. "Maybe Eyktol. It's not exactly fire but it sure is hot enough. I wouldn't want to lose you in a volcano. What sort of Azenth would I be to let someone as amazing as you fall into a fiery death?" The answer did not matter as much as the sentiment. At times their loving conversations seemed to just be filler for when they needed to break apart to catch a breath. "That would be very dramatic irony." Kendal smiled as he looked at Hadrian. He felt comfortable in his arms, possibly even more than he had felt when he was a girl. Anyone could love a body, especially if the body was appealing to the eye. It was different to love a soul. It was more work and it took longer to understand. Kay'lan had loved Kendall's body. He had taken joy in having a beautiful brunette to parade around Zeltiva. Hadrian saw past the body, to see the girl who was hidden beneath it. "There is no reason to appologize. I get to teach you something for once." Kendall smiled playfully at Hadrian as he spoke. "It means island. One who is surrounded by water." He moved closer to Hadrian, wrapping the mage's arms around his body. "That is exactly what I want to be. You are my water, the only thing that can cool me when I am raging out of control." Kendall's mismatched eyes looked up to meet Hadrian's endless pools of blue. "I can be your fire, setting you alight and keeping you warm." He stretched his body to kiss Hadrian again. His cool lips sent ectatic waves ripping through him. "Would you like that?"

[Hadrian]

Hadrian kissed when and where he could, all the while listening to Kendall talk and letting his imagination simultaneously run wild even as he was undeniably present, pressing his mouth to Kendall's, and to his cheeks, neck, skin everywhere, as if he would burn away his lips on the divine fire within. Kendall's words were lovely, but Hadrian's body was, for once, beginning to take control and poetry was beyond him. All he could do was utter one, husky, heated word: "Yes."

[Kendall Saarinen]

With a small chuckle Kendall smiled as he turned to face Hadrian. "Perfect." Whether the word was an answer to Hadrian or just his thoughts about the man in front of him was unclear. Words were only getting in the way now. "If I am your fire then I cannot let you freeze in this cold water." He moved close to Hadrian, pressing his body close to the mage. He could not keep from Hadrian's lips any longer. Kendall's arms wrapped around Hadrian's neck as his lips touched the hydromancer's. He barely noticed the crashing waves as he felt Hadrian against him. This was everything he thought he would never find. He savored the cool touch of Hadrian as he felt his lips leave his own and travel across his skin. Each time the lips touched his burning skin he felt as though the mage was setting his skin alight. If Kendall had not been so distracted by the man in front of him he might have noticed the emotion that was streaming off of him. It was no longer a captive within Hadrian's icy emotional defenses. The Azenth had seemingly done his job of releasing the pressure. The emotions were no longer hidden and in turn, Kendall would stop sensing them. It was a fair trade off in his mind. The trail of Hadrian's lips moved down Kendall's neck, making the young blond's blood rush. He was still getting used to the male reactions that play like this brought about. He held tightly to Hadrian, half in nervous fear and half for the simple reason that he did not want to let go of the mage. He want to be this close forever. This body was much easier to reside in when Hadrian made it alive with excitement.

[Hadrian]

"If only Laviku would bless me as Ivak blessed you," he sighed into Kendall's skin. His lips would rather be busy with kissing than talking, and his hands were not idle under the water. All it would take would be a particularly strong wave to knock them over, and the thought of hovering over Kendall among the sand and surf made the blood from his brain flee like rats from a sinking ship. But in the meantime, they would bless each other...

END

[Leviathan]

Thread Award! Hadrian   Skills Skill Gain Info. Storytelling 1 -- Poetry 1 -- Seduciton 1 --   Lore N/A Kendall   Skills Skill Gain Info. Poetry 1 -- Storytelling 1 -- Seduction 1 --   Lore N/A