[Various Locations] City By The River (Meera)(Finished)

[Aren]

Aren's lips formed the shape of a crescent, briefly, as Meera thanked him for the treats. Suddenly, he found himself unable to look away from her, for some reason, her tanned skin and blonde hair serving almost to imprison his gaze. It seemed, however, that it was a prison he didn't want to escape. At the girl's offer of a cookie, though, the akalak's trance seemed to break, and he silently berated himself for his weakness. It was strange, his mind had never felt like it lacked discipline before, yet here, with this girl... For the first time in as long as he could remember, Aren found himself thinking that he might not be in complete control of himself, and the thought was a terrifying one. He could do such horrible things in a moment of weakness. Things he would likely never forgive himself for, even if he knew it hadn't actually been his fault. Fortunately, he had never been one to let a little abject terror dissuade him from anything, and he knew that as long as that fear was always in his mind, it would be act as a safeguard against his darker nature. Taking the girl's proffered cookie, Aren's hand seemed to linger for a moment, before the exchange was made, his massive physique dwarfing her smaller frame as his body leaned in closer to her's.

[Meera]

Meera had no darker self to keep in check, unlike Aren. Because of that, she would freely accept her mistakes as her own as she knew everything she did would be of no one's fault but her own. It made her accountable for her actions, but it also made her predictable to some degree, when compared to Aren.

He accepted the cookie, and Meera matched his smile when she lifted her eyes from her offering. His hand touched hers and lingered, as though holding her in place. His head dipped as he leaned closer to her, and she felt a feeling she hadn't necessarily felt before. It was a feeling of vulnerability. Too alone, too exposed. It was simply his sheer size that affected her, looming in close. Meera was developing a trust for him and she thought perhaps he would tell her a secret, so she leaned in close as though to hear it better. Her head tilted to expose her ear, her bell jingling softly in the movement.

Before he could say his piece, her head snapped back. They had their private moment, and now this was the perfect time to ask how he knew of her real name. Before she could ask, she hesitated. His face was very close to hers, and because of that, and the hand touching hers, she suddenly had not the breath for which to speak.

[Aren]

As they grew nearer and nearer, Aren could feel his own heart pounding in his chest. It was akin to the feeling he got when he was about to go into a life threatening situation, and it had been awhile since he had felt it last. Meera leaned in closer as well, and for a second, it looked to be a promising start to the day. Suddenly, however, she pulled back, seeming to teeter on the brink of indecisiveness. For Aren, the action was maddening. For a second, the akalak didn't know what to do. Should he back off? That seemed to be the best course of action, but then he noticed her hand still on his. "It's still there..." She had backed away, but her hand was still touching his. She had back away, but she hadn't gone very far. The gap between their lips was still inconsequential. All Aren had to do was lean forward just a couple of inches more. He thought about it, he honestly did. Who could say they wouldn't, in that position? But, what else could he do? He couldn't be sure of her intention, of her feelings. He could only be sure of his own. After what seemed like an eternity stuck in a palace of maddening doubt, he leaned in, catching her breath with his. If she wanted to hit him afterwards, to curse his name in the streets of Riverfall, so be it. But it would have been totally worth it.

[Meera]

Aren's golden gaze remained and kept her steady, and she was about to speak finally. A salmon coloured tongue darted between pink lips tasting sweet to wet them and finally Aren made his move. It just wasn't the one she had been expecting.

Aren kissed Meera. Her eyes remained open for the shock of it for the first two seconds, before she had the thought to close her eyes to better feel the sensation.

What a curious feeling, Meera remarked, this touch had caused. Where the hand on Meera's was rough and dry, the touch on her lips was soft and moist lips tasted like the candy she had just eaten. Her hand grew rigid as it continued to hold the cookie she offered him as she dared to move her mouth against his.

This wasn't a secret he was telling her, this was an emotion. The touch was gentle against her lips, it was pleasant. Anxiety still pressed up against her stomach, the tempest swirling in her insides.

Her world came crashing back to her and she pulled her mouth away. Crumbs fell from her frozen hand and when she looked down the cookie had shattered into pieces. Her eyes had been wide when they examined him and it was as though her entire self had been frozen by the cold winter as she remained completely still.

[Aren]

As Aren's lips touched her's, and he felt her's push back, her feelings were suddenly as clear as a spring under midday sun. There was no more doubt in his mind, no more hesitation. Whatever this was, it wasn't simply a construct of either's imagination, and now they both knew it. They both seemed consumed by the moment, but eventually, Meera took hold of her senses long enough to pull away. The drykas girl simply stared at him, wide eyed with an emotion Aren could not longer interpret. He wanted to kiss her again, in an effort to see if he received the same clarity of a moment ago, but she had pulled back for a reason. He knew what he felt for her, and what she felt for him, so he didn't understand what was holding her back. So, instead of doing he wanted to do, the akalak simply sat there, almost afraid of the next words that were going to come out of her mouth. "Say something," he though, not comfortable with the silence that permeated the air now. He longed for her to realize her mistake, to lean forward once more. After a few seconds, Aren noticed that she had cracked the cookie she was holding with her bare hand during the kiss, and an impish smile formed on his face, for some reason.

[Meera]

"..." Her mouth hung open just enough to see her teeth.

In a split second Meera was suddenly brushing the crumbs off her hand before gathering her stuff.

This felt right. It is very wrong
Their touch made her feel so happy. Then why do you feel so sick
Everything was going so well. It is going much too fast
He even knew her name. Your real name


Her eyes had left his to gather her stuff and she had bundled everything under her cloak.
She brought her eyes to his one final time. Her hazel gaze danced over his features as if to memorize.

"...I have to leave this town."

With that, Meera stood from the bench and left.

[Aren]

This was NOT good. Aren didn't know what the hell was going on, but her packing up her stuff was not exactly what he took to be a good sign. "What are you do-" Honestly, he didn't know how to react, or what to say, mostly because he had been given no clue as to what had triggered this turn of events. Was it her past, the fact that the drykas could be looking for her? "Who the hell cares about that?!" the akalak found himself thinking. As Meera's eyes lingered on him, for a second, he knew that this was not what she wanted to do. He didn't know why she was doing it, but she didn't want to, not really. At the drykas' words in her native tongue, Aren simply felt even more confused. "W-what... what does that mean?" he asked, agitation and anxiousness almost seizing his throat completely. As she stood up to leave, the akalak mirrored the action, forgetting all about the sweets he had bought, and even his scythe, which remained at the foot of the bench. Aren took a few steps after her, when an old friend decided now was a good time to make his presence felt, "Yeeeeees. Go after her. Bring her back. Giver her to me. I'll teach her she can't just waLK AWAY FROM US!" The akalak suddenly hesitated. Seros' voice was so loud in his mind; he was much too strong right now. Realizing that his mental discipline was too lax at the moment to trust himself around anyone, let alone Meera, Aren realized that he had to cease his pursuit, at least for now. "Be quiet! Or by Wysar, I'll wring my own neck, here and now!" Now that the damage was done, Seros saw no reason to push his luck, and gracefully retreated. His better half, however, was not about to give up just like that. Returning to the bench, the now more centered akalak picked up his weapon, a look of stubborn determination in his eyes. He wasn't just going to let this go. He couldn't.

[Gossamer]

. Character: Aren Experience: + 4 Observation, + 4 Socialization, + 2 Rhetoric Lore: Rethinking Past Convictions, Handling Those With Hangovers, Giving In To Temptation, Being Surprised By A Woman’s Actions, Knowing When To Not Let Someone Walk Away,The Uncertainty Related To New Relationships. Character: Meera Experience: +4 Observation, + 4 Socialization, +2 Leadership Lore: Having A Hangover, Giving Tours of Riverfall, Valkalah’s Tears, Knowing When to Treat A Lady, Fight or Flight Reflex, Being Kissed By An Akalak, Knowing When To Walk Away, The Uncertainty Related To New Relationships. Additional Note: I think your PCs both have amazing chemistry and with the way you both write their interaction, it’s a really great read for the person enjoying the thread. There was not a lot of action to award XP for, but it certainly made up for it in tension and mood. Thanks for the grade request. .