[Wind Reach]It's Just Asking For Trouble [Shayth]

[Kovac]

Timestamp: 88th Day of Summer, 510 AV Location: Wind Reach Status: Closed, Shayth please Rating: NC-17 Kovac had lead Shayth through the corridors of Wind Reach towards the Commonrooms. "Lets dump the bows and quivers off first." He remarked as he slowed to a halt before one of the multitude of doors. He opened it up, stepped in far enough to slip off his bow and quiver and set them on a small table just inside. He held his hand out to Shayth, indicating she should hand him her gear as well for storage. If she complied, Kovac would set them on the table as well. If not, he would simply shrug and close the door, securing it behind him. "Come on." He coaxed the Rider, heading off again to a familiar location, Inclement Weather. Upon entering the club, Kovac peeled off and ducked under the end of the bar, reappearing with an unmarked wine bottle and two orange and black swirled glasses. The barkeep cleaning a row of mulit-hued glasses only glanced at him with a slight frown. The Avora wrinkled his nose at the man. The employees did not take kindly when Kovac helped himself, but then again, when he did, they didn't have to intreact to him. He joined Shayth again, scanning the room. The crowd was quite sparse, still being early. The atmosphere was sedate, several musicians on a stage by the dance floor played more mellow tunes than would be heard as the dance crowd gathered later on. While the sound of a lute, drum and pipes drifted across the club, Kovac made a beeline to a corner table that sat in a shadow as if there was a chance someone would take his favorite seat. The archer set the bottle and glasses on the table, shoving two of the chairs next to each other on the side against the wall, then plopped into one of them, nodding for Shayth to take the other. Tipping the bottle, he filled each glass almost to the brim before setting the wine down. Taking a long swig, he kicked one booted foot up onto the chair across from him and grinned. "Sit, relax Rider, your eagle can't fit through the door here." He taunted. " I like to come here and listen. Sometimes, when its early like this, even Davintas will come out to play."

[Shayth]

Following Kovac through the commons, Shayth found herself glancing at others as she passed, daring them to comment. If there were to be rumors, she would expect them to start here. Something about it sent a giddy thrill up her spine. Let them talk. Handing her weapons to the waiting archer, the redhead stretched her neck and her shoulders, enjoying the feeling of weightlessness. It wasn't that her bow and quill were heavy, but there was something good about having freedom of movement again.

As they entered the bar, Shayth watched Kovac dash away, and for a moment, she wondered if he'd lured her into some kind of horrible joke. Scanning the crowd, she stood tall and head high. There was something of an authority in her face, whether she meant it to happen or not. The rider had been here before, a few times, drunk and rowdy once or twice too. It was easier, less restrictive, than the taverns for the riders. There all they did was gloat about how fantastic they or their birds were. Smiling at Kovac as he returned, she followed him toward an out of the way table, watching as he made himself very at home. An eyebrow arched slightly as she looked down at him, before she moved to slide into the chair beside him. Picking up her cup, the rider sipped her wine.

"She might not fit through the door, but she can tear a damn good hole in the wall." Chuckling, she shook her head, smiling at the avora.

"Well, looks like you know the place pretty well. Keep didn't seem to pleased with you helping yourself though." Sipping again, she looked around the place, leaning back in her chair. Lifting the cup again, she watched the patrons, before leaning forward and placing the cup on the table, leaning her elbows against the wood.

"So, Kovac....I'm a little suprized at this. I would have thought you would want to be rid of an arrogant no-good rider the moment she was home." There was a teasing tone to her voice, and her blue eyes glanced at him with a curious question. There was something about his face, a cheeky almost look, that she was quickly coming to enjoy.

[Kovac]

Vanator watched Shayth from the corner of his eye as she leaned back and drank from her glass. He swirled the dark red liquid in his own cup and took another swallow, grinning at her remarks as he watched the musicians. Kovac turned to look at the Endal when she leaned forward, posing her question, her blue eyes teasing him. He leaned forward in turn, his elbows on the table. The Avora grinned as Shayth referred to herself as arrogant, knowing it was a jab at him for stereotyping her. Arrogant Rider? There was an arrogance about her, but not in the aloof sense that he associated with Riders. Shayth exuded a natural confidence that did not come from her status. Kovac hadn't quite figured it out yet, or could honestly explain why he felt compelled to spend more time with the woman who had struck him so hard that he still felt it in his jaw. Maybe that is exactly why he didn't shun her. Shayth had spit and sass that appealed to the snarky archer. "Well, I would just as soon get rid of you, but you practically threw yourself at me when you invited yourself to join me for a drink. Ukalas only knows what kind of trouble I would get into if I rebuffed a Wind Rider." He grinned at his own sharp wit, feeling the thrill of the risky taunts he dared to make at the Endal's expense. But Shayth was encouraging it, and he enjoyed her own barbed sense of humor and ability to play along. "But certainly, a Wind Rider would have no reason to associate with a sarcastic half-breed archer, unless she intended to do him ill. Am I rignt?" He winked at her boldly and nudged her arm firmly, causing some of the wine to spill over the rim of her glass. The game continued as he turned the tables on the imposing woman. Kovac realized, in the end he would most likely end up physically beaten, either by other Riders or Shayth herself. But in the meantime, he was going to have some fun.

[Shayth]

Shayth snorted, in a very unlady-like manner as he boldly accused her of throwing herself at him. A small hint of insult narrowed her blue eyes as she raised her glass for a drink, enjoying the game but also unable to help the little angry voice inside. It was her upbringing, her nature.

As she brought the cup to her lips, Kovac's elbow made contact with her arm and with a small cry of shock, she glared at the wine on the table. Turning her gaze to the archer, there was a definite flash of anger before she downed the rest of her wine and smacked the cup onto the table.

"A rider can associate with whom she wants. Even if it is a self-involved, over confident archer." The redhead said, leaner closer and speaking in a biting tone. Staring into his rich green eyes for a moment, she suddenly rattled the cup another wry smile on her face.

"I won't hurt you...much. Or maybe I will, if my glass remains empty." There was a sort of suggestive tone to her voice and a cheek in her smile.

[Kovac]

With twisted joy, Kovac caught the flash of indignation at his daring insult, bringing a snide curl to his lips. His grin erupted into a full smile as he bumped her, forcing a surprised yelp and an angry glare from the ticked Rider. There was a flutter in Kovac's stomach, a thrill that the barbed, suggestive banter with Shayth had evoked. Goading the woman, probing her limits, had become a game of cat and mouse, though he was not yet sure which role was his, for the sultry Endal was equally deft at searching out his own borders. Kovac flinched only a hair when Shayth leaned closer, her voice icy and edged. His smile faded, wondering if he had already reached the limit of her tolerance. But, much to his enjoyment, she faithfully taunted the Avora, grinning like a predatory cat and waving her cup. Her threat was not openly hostile, but assumed a suggestive authority over him. Kovac swallowed hard, not out of fear, but at the unspoken mischief her words inferred. She had, in fact, already hurt him, the wine just now beginning to numb the stiff ache in his back from being knocked down by the woman. The half-blood chuckled scoffingly, but obliged Shayth and, taking the bottle, filled her cup before topping off his own. He drank deeply, the deep red wine emboldening him further. "Then it seems, Shayth, that since you may choose any jackass you desire to keep your company, and I cannot refuse any stuck up Rider I happen across, I am stuck with you." He raised his glass in a mock toast and drained his glass. Kovac looked into the Endal's saturated blue eyes as if stuck for a moment, then a thought crossed his mind. His gaze tore away and shifted to the wine bottle. Grabbing the bottle, he stood up and moved around the table, next to Shayth's chair. He waved his hand in a gesture to follow him. "Come on," he urged, "This place is dead." Leading Shayth out of Inclement Weather, The two followed a convoluted path through the warrens that seemed to take them deeper into Mount Skyinarta. The archer ignored the curious stares they received from some passersby, occasionally jibing Shayth that her long legs should be more capable of keeping up with him. His gaze fell sidelong at the statuesque Endal a few times, admiring more of her than he had allowed himself before, when he hated her as a Rider. The lighting became more sparse and the traffic lighter until the corridor widened into an opening to a large cavern. Kovac took a swig from the bottle and offered it to the redhead before leading her through the opening. Beyond was a massive cavern. Stalagmites and stalactites of all sizes jutted from the ceiling and floor, some meeting to make pillars like tree trunks. Flora of a dizzying array of bizarre shapes and colors sprung up around the huge room, some of it was familiar as food, neatly cultivated and tended by workers, others growing wild like a garden gone mad. Luminous plants and fungus shed eerie light, appearing like a scene from a dream. Kovac looked up at Shayth with a grin that almost looked self-congratulatory. "Have you ever seen the Underground Forest?"

[Shayth]

Shayth smiled on as he refilled her glass, watching the dark red liquid as it levelled out. Sitting back, she raised an eyebrow as he spoke, chuckling and raising her glass in return. Throwing back half the wine, the redhead lowered the cup and let a small shudder run up her spine as her body protested the bitter alcohol on her tongue for a moment.

Sipping on the rest of the wine, Shayth watched him over her glass, blue eyes locked on his own green ones. There was a sort of magnetism she couldn't shake, trapped everytime he caught her eye. It was the depth of them, like a forest on the verge of darkness...and she still half expected them to shift or something, like the vantha themselves. Her quiet contemplation was shattered as he suddenly stood. Looking up at him, she quickly downed the last of her glass and slipped out to follow him from the establishment.

"Off to my doom, archer?" She asked softly, smile on her lips as she walked quickly beside him through the city, cursing back at him as he threw cheeky insults at her. The tall woman looked around as they moved, unconsciously staying a little closer to the man. Shayth was born in the sky, and she only came to the ground to mingle sometimes. Never did she actually delve deeper into Mount Skyinarta. A sort of claustrophobia clutched at her a little, and the womans sky blue eyes watched passers-by with a hint of tense suspicion. When she boiled down to it, she was an Endal - not the most loved of castes in the lower levels.

Taking the bottle as he handed it to her, the rider took a swig, examining the entrance as she did. It was wider than the tunnel they had taken, and the people has all but disappeared. Briefly, she slowed and looked around, lowering the bottle. It was darker here too. Turning back, she watched Kovac's form disappear into the cavern. The wine had gone straight to her head, and the rider swore softly. It was stronger than she had first realised. Not drunk, but certainly on the beginning of tipsy, she followed after the man.

"Avora, where are you..." Her voice faded away as she entered the cavern, mouth hanging agape as she looked around. Without realising it, Shayth was holding her breath. The whole cavern was like stepping into another world, luminous and alive.

"Oh Kovac, its beautiful!" She breathed, bottle hanging in her hand as she walked deeper into the glowing scene. The sheer size of the room was dizzying, and as Shayth approached on of the stone pillars she placed a hand on it and followed the natural creation all the way up to the roof. A sense of vertigo tipped her senses and she smiled, turning back to the archer.

"This is amazing. I've never seen anything like it."

[Kovac]

"I figured you hadn't had much reason to stoop so low into Wind Reach" Kovac joked. He turned from admiring the otherworldly scenery to watch Shayth's reaction. There was amazement in her azure eyes, the look of one caught off guard. The Avora was pleased, finding that the woman could be impressed by something beyond the high aeries. "Much of what you dine on in your lofty home is grown down here, Rider." The Endal suddenly appeared more like a child as she marveled at their surroundings. Wrapping his hand around Shayth's hand holding the bottle, he lifted it up until he could down a couple swigs of the stringent wine, then let go, leaving the bottle in her possession. He winked and grinned at the redhead as he stepped along a thin path that wound around the massive stone formations away from the cultivated plots and workers towards the wilder copses of exotic flora. "I like to come down here when I get fed up with people's stupidity." His hand reached up to trace the length of a large fern-like leaf that shimmered in a deep purple with pale yellow streaks in the ethereal light. "I suppose when you get annoyed you can just jump on Turiska and fly off somewhere, or just jump on some Drudge." He chuckled at himself, roughly leaning into Shayth teasingly as they walked through the strange forest. The wine had loosened the prejudice he had originally harbored towards Shayth, and he found that he was enjoying the physical contact they had made while taunting each other. Kovac too felt the unusual attraction growing between them, a magnetism that was made more enticing by the fact that he had wanted to hate her, still wanted to torment her, and grudgingly found her attractive. The cynical Avora was not sure why he brought the Rider to the Underground Forest. It had always been kind of a secret retreat to him, a place to escape society. But he felt a desire to open this elite woman to something she had not experienced, something about their home that, in essence, belonged to both of them. Besides, they could drink in more privacy. He suddenly wished he had grabbed another bottle of wine.

[Shayth]

Shayth couldn't help but blush slightly at Kovac's comment about their food. Grown here? She'd not even stopped to consider where it came from. Hunting for meat, for protein had made her forget that the vegetation they consumed was just as important. It looked so different like this though, compared to cooked and prepared in a dish. Watching him approach, she found her hand encased in his, and the warmth was a pleasant surprise. Averting her gaze as he winked and shot her a cheeky grin, the rider blushed a little darker and reached up to tuck her hair behind one ear, self conscious smile on her face. She felt like an adolescent teenager. Petching archer and his mischievous grins!

Following him deeper into the luminescent forest, she took a slug of the wine, almost sputtering it out again when he commented about her forms of...escape. Coughing, she took the comment to be a cheeky remark at possibly loose morals. Shayth didn't have the ability to have relationships with men. Turiska always scared them off. But that wasn't to say she hadn't had a night of freedom during her teenage years. She was young, drunk and he was quite charming. A rider himself, and so full of charm and stories. One thing led to another, and she'd spent a less than magical five minutes on her back. It had been painful and not in the slightest enjoyable - and the next day Turiska had all but shredded the Rider and his eagle. Discouraged by the experience, Shayth hadn't bothered again.

Pushing back against Kovac, the endal took another drink.

"Oh no, no any drudge, your just special." The same small thrill of adrenaline tickled her as she bit back, mingled with something more. A giddy delight as she remembered the afternoon's events. Although she hadn't thought about it then, the redhead could still feel the hard flat muscles of the archer pressed against her chest and thighs. Her cheeks were flushed with the warmth of the alcohol and her own private thoughts, and her inebriations were lowered as she felt tipsy. A small smile danced on her lips again and she glanced at Kovac from the corner of her eye. Deviously attractive, she thought that best described him. Taking another drink, she shrugged.

"I like the sky. I can just go away there, with her, and I don't have to worry about anything or anyone. Even though Turiska is there, she's so much calmer in the air. Sometimes we don't talk for chimes when we fly. We just...be."

[Kovac]

Kovac was a bit surprised to see the proud Rider blush, or thought she blushed. The eerie phosphorous illumination cast strange hues on their skin as they walked, depending on the color of the flora they passed. He wasn't sure if it was some hidden aspect of her personality creeping through or the influence of wine, but Shayth was behaving almost...coy. The archer eyed her suspiciously. Shayth had proven to be snarky, brash and willing to resort to violence. He took her sudden school girl behavior with a grain of salt. The Endal did not disappoint him, her edged wit returning and responding to his barbed comments by bringing up the earlier incident when she threw him down to protect him from Turiska. Kovac recalled the event as well and would not deny he enjoyed feeling the woman's body pressed against his, who wouldn't? Shayth was attractive, her fit body almost statuesque. But she was a thing of beauty he was not supposed to touch. Which made it all the more tempting to the rebellious half-breed. He caught her smile and sidelong glance that indicated it had not been unpleasant for her either. Seeing her down more of the wine, he reached out and snatched the bottle from her. "You are gonna suck it all down and leave me nothing, probably leaving your backwash in it too!" He chortled with a faux scowl, upending the bottle and taking several swallows, coughing a bit as the strong liquid went down. They continued their walk through the diverse array of subterranean plants and rock formations. Kovac listened as Shayth shared what it was like to fly with her Wind Eagle. It was an experience the Avora would never really have, he would always have to ride with some Endal to experience flight. The archer had is ways of getting away though. Kovac fell silent for a moment after Shayth spoke, feeling the headiness of the wine taking effect, and wondering what he was doing. He thrust the bottle, now nearly empty, back towards the redhead, grateful to have someone to drink with. As the archer glanced at the lithe woman, he allowed his alcohol-enhanced imagination to wander. They were treading a thin line, the two of them, heading closer to the edge of something tantalizingly dangerous. The game they had begun had his gut twisted in anticipation, the outcome uncertain, but promising to be exciting. Thinking again about what Shayth had said, Kovac grabbed on another goad to poke her with. A wry grin tugged up one side of his mouth. "Special? So, you did have an ulterior motive when you threw yourself on me so shamelessly. Protect me from your eagle..right." He scoffed a laugh, his bright green eyes meeting hers, bold in their insinuation, but unsure of how the fiery woman would respond to his latest jab.

[Shayth]

Shayth didn't object as he snatched away the bottle, knowing that she'd probably had quite enough. Simply shaking her head, she took the almost empty container back and held it up to the glowing light of the flora, swilling it. There wasn't really much of anything left, and with a shrug, she finished it. Holding the now empty bottle, the rider looked around, before setting it down as they walked. She would pick it up later.

Tipsy and feeling altogether languid, the tall woman reached up with both hands to run her fingers through her hair, lifting it off her neck and twisting it down the front of one shoulder. Glancing at Kovac as he threw another jibe at her, Shayth narrowed her blue eyes, staring into his green ones. Such gaul, and his gaze spoke levels. Her smile faltered and she stopped.

"Your a petching fool. Do you have any idea what she could do to you? What she wanted to do to you?" The feeling of anger tingled her senses, but this time it wasn't because of Kovac. She was angry at Turiska, again - like a parent might become angry at a child. Cursing, she shook her head, before glancing at him again.

"And what if I did? What if I find you so ravishingly charming that I called Turiska, just so I could get you down on the ground, straddled between my legs, pressed against me?" As she spoke, Shayth swayed closer and looked him over with a half lidded gaze. Her smile turned almost predatory and she reached out to run a finger down his jaw line. Leaning closer, she could have kissed him if she wanted to. Wanting to.

"Maybe I planned the whole thing, just to get you alone, so I could have my way with you." The rider breathed, looking down at the curve of his full lips. Glancing up at him, she bit her lower lip gently and smiled, before suddenly laughing and leaning away. Turning, she continued their walk.

"Your a real charmer, you know that Kovac? Bring a girl to such a beautiful place, after knocking her almost senseless. Share...terribly strong wine, only to try and egg her into another fight." Smiling, the rider turned to look over her shoulder as she walked.

"I am not some little side alley tramp, but I'm not a perfect princess either. If you want a fight, I'll give you one. If your looking for a f---" Her words were cut short by a sudden yelp and a quick drop. The endal had stepped over a small drop, causing her to loose her balance and fall. Landing flat on her face, Shayth lay there for a moment, before rolling over. Laying on her back, she laughed, but didn't make to get up. The wine had really started to kick in, and quite frankly, it was nice here. On the ground. Safer too. Around her everything glowed in an ethereal light, amazing that something so common was so wonderful. Shaking her head, she sighed.

"I am drunk, no thanks to you." She called out to the archer matter-of-factly.