Completed Peace Midst The Chaos (Edreina)

[Razkar]

22nd Day of Fall
Between Syliras and Zeltiva
10th Bell

Albrecht hadn't been happy about it, but the Myrian was finding that the bearded caravan master always had something to find fault with. The long procession of wagons, men and animals had been camped and stationery for two nights, but even with the lack of movement, the old human still wasn't satisfied.

"How does it look, you gallivanting off for... for a hunting trip?"

Albrecht had shaken his head and when he stopped, the beard was still gently swinging like it had its own disapproval to vent. The Myrian didn't break his stride, Edreina on one side, Albrecht on the other, striding through their brief encampment to the perimeter defenses.

"Hardly gallivanting. I am sure the men will like good meal. Good for morale."

"But what if something happens?" Albrecht's voice grew hushed, almost conspiratorial. A knot of sellswords passed by and the next words died on his lips... then spilled off them. "What if another Yukman horde emerges? Or bandits? Or... something else?"

Razkar jutted his jaw around and Albrecht whirled to see the Myrian had picked out the healing, glowering Moretta. Half her left arm was still bandaged, livid white against her skin... but at least today there were no more red blotches under it. The half-Drykas scout was marching up and down a line of sellswords snapping arrows at a half-dozen distant targets, pausing only to growl advice or give the occasional pat on the back.

"Her?!" Albrecht's words were still hushed, eyebrows doing a veritable fandango up and down his forehead. "B-But she's still wounded-"

"I doubt she will care if a fight comes, and she knows how to mount a defense."

"But she's a woman-"

Now the Myrian stopped, and whirled, and lowered, and Albrecht felt very small indeed under that black stare.

"So was my mother, who died with a score of Earth Demons hewn around her. So were my comrades in Taloba, who fought Dhani and demons and barbarians regardless of odds. So is Blessed Myri Herself, who slew the last male God of War and has his corpse still rotting on her wall. And so is my apprentice, who could give any other man here a run for their money, so what is you petching point?"

Edreina fought the urge to beam at the compliment, but thought it wiser to stay stoic and silent and... well, subservient. But not for much longer! Razkar had promised her at least some private time during this journey, and a hunting trip was as good a cover as any.

Besides which, salted pork and hard bread was getting petching old, too.

"I... I suppose... she'll do-"

"Yes, I am sure. Sebastian?!"

Half-lost in conversation with his young partner, the portly human whirled around and nearly snapped to attention as Razkar approached. The Myrian had to stifle a grin of his own, that time. Many had doubted his ability or suitability to lead them, but since the Yukman horde had attempted to ravage them, such fears had been put to rest... just like the Earth Demons.

The same was true of Razkar, if the truth be told. Red-cheeked and... well-fed, though Sebastian was, he'd seen the amiable-looking human bellowing like a beserker and hacking through Yukmen with a bloodlust in his eyes Myri would have been proud of. Manny, the dour youth who seemed to be attached to his hip, had impressed him, too, even though he'd been knocked insensible within the first few chimes.

Which was exactly what set Seb off on his rampage.

"Sir?!"

"Looking quiet out there, yes?"

The human nodded and swung his gaze back to the land beyond their camp. Albrecht had chosen it because it was a large, fairly-flat clearing in the otherwise hilly landscape, and Razkar could see immediately it had been used for the same purpose countless times.

Scraps of cloths, old sacks, ancient fire pits and grass eaten down to mere dirt by caravan after caravan of hungry herbivores. But they were still ringed by hills, one half of the view obscured by thick trees covering the slopes until they were ibscured by fog and low cloud.

Of which there was plenty. Razkar found himself frowning at the blanker of grey, gently shifting towards them.

Visibility won't be good... but sound won't carry, all the moisture soaking the ground. Just have to be careful.

"Not that we can see, sir. Everything's quiet, but we're keeping our eyes open."

Razkar nodded firmly, sure that was the same of them all. A ring of ten sellswords were spread out around the perimeter, the rest of their company either sleeping, eating or training. Every man had a partner, a buddy, so that if an archer or cunning scout did manage to silently kill one, the other would be there to raise the alarm.

That was the theory anyway... and even if it was false, Razkar gave strict instructions for the guards to watch each other in between watching the perimeter.

"Going to get you some better food." He said with a half-smile, patting the shortbow across his chest. "Taking apprentice, teach her about hunting."

"We could come!" Manny almost shouted the words, practically bouncing from foot to foot, eager to impress... Razkar frowned... was he trying to impress him, or his "apprentice"? "Me and Seb, we went hunting loads of time for-"

"That won't be necessary-"

"No, we have our duty, after all."

The first came from Razkar, the second from Sebastian, and both so fast they blurred together. Albrecht and Manny exchanged confused looked while Razkar and Sebastian... well, they weren't confused. Slow, surprised but... measured. Understanding. The merest quirk of a smile lit the human's face before he nodded sharply again, face overly-serious.

"Won't let you down, sir."

Razkar smiled back and decided the human wasn't nearly as stupid as he looked.

"I'll save you a good cut from what we bring back." He turned to Albrecht and put his hand on the human's shoulder, squeezing gently. "You have been leading caravans since before I was birthed. You will do a good job. Moretta is in charge, we will return by sunset."

"Watch yerself out there, Mister Razkar," Seb said with a sniff, glowering at the looming trees, "Lotta weird shyke out there in the Wilds. Need to be careful."

"I take your advice, Sebastian," Razkar said over his shoulder as he and his apprentice began slogging over the muddy field towards the treeline, then added in a lower tone, "But you have not seen the jungle, my friend..."

Seb, Manny and Albrcht watched with various expression as the two walkers were swallowed by the forest. Anxiety, curiosity, disappointment... and even knowing humor.

"What's funny, Seb?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, lad. Just a joke I heard earlier..."

"Oh... can I hear it?"

Seb told them the one about the toad and the barley barrel. That always got him a clip around the ear from his wife, so he knew it'd go down well with the youth. As he did, Albrecht walked away, still grousing, still grumbling.

"Hunting trip... out here in the Wilds... only a sodding Myrian..."

[Edreina]

"And so is my apprentice, who could give any other man here a run for their money, so what is you petching point?"

At this, Edreina risked a glance up from the ground she had been so carefully studying. Pride flashed through her eyes before she forced them to return to their previous dullness. It was why she kept her eyes on the ground... It was uninteresting enough to keep anything more than boredom from lighting her tepid eyes.

Finally, they were allowed to leave... alone. If anyone saw Edreina from the side as they entered the trees, they would be surprised to see the stoic apprentice grinning from ear to ear. The expression felt good on her face after so long; as natural as Razkar's scowl, it was. In the woods, a familiar bounce entered her step, a gleam in her eyes. The only thing keeping her from launching herself at the Myrian the moment they were past the forest's edge was an inquiry.

"Earlier today," she began, sliding her hand down Razkar's forearm so that they could lace their fingers together in that oddly perfect way that their hands fit, "I was looking over a map with Albrecht as you suggested and I could not help but notice a landmark that didn't look to be too far from here... It was named Priskil's Pond and when I asked, Albrecht said it was what fueled this rather larger than average copse. And... well I would really like to try to visit it if you're alright with that?" Her blue eyes were unsure, like she feared being a bother to her lover.

In all honesty, she did not know what this 'alone' time he had promised entailed. But then again, she cared not. For a few bells, they would be able to abandon the guise of master and student and slip back into their own skins. And perhaps one another's... But, if they were to just enjoy one another's company without the weight of expectations for a bit, Edreina would be able to enjoy that too.

Petch it. She needed-

With something akin to a moan of desperation, Edreina turned and hurled herself at the Myrian, trusting him to balance her as their chests came together an instant before their lips. Their movement was suddenly halted as Edreina felt tree bark graze her knuckles as her hands slid around his neck, pulling him close. But, the heat in her kiss was not a wildfire. It was slow, deliberate, nearly savory as she luxuriated in the ability to kiss him for more than a fraction of a tick. As he reciprocated, her knees went weak and she sagged against him, body curving intimately against his as the kiss went on and on... as it evolved.

She pulled away with a gasp, thighs pressed tightly together despite the way that her hips were flush against him. Alone as they were in the woods, Edreina wanted him... But she had needed that kiss. Now that the hard edge of her frusteration had been chiseled away, she could focus on more important things.

Like the hunt that they were supposed to be on. Petch. They still needed to bring back a carcass to feed their ruse. The smile that curved Edreina's lips was oddly meek as she pulled away, as if all of her courage had been used to send her after Razkar in such a way. "So... er... What will we be hunting?"

[Razkar]

Razkar smiled at her mention of the pond. He'd seen the odd blue blotch on the map, too, at a different time, remembered it because it was so strange, isolated and thus glaring in the vast landscape of tangled valleys and wooded copses. It was only a few leagues from where they camped, so...

Memories of their first time truly together flashed through his mind as he looked down at that worn parchment. Sounds. Tastes. Sensations that set his flesh afire again, and he'd forced his mouth to form some innocuous request at the caravan master just to tear his mind away from it.

The Geysers. The Pond. A wonderful symmetry there, it seemed... or perhaps they were subconsciously indulging the Svefra's... proclivities?

"I saw it, too." He said, eyes already scanning the ground beyond the trees, narrowed and intently looking for signs of passing prey. Fall had come but the leaves had not yet began to fall, and the ground was still bare of them. Easier to find tracks. "It would be a fine place to aim for, and as I told you, water is good place to find pre-"

The sheer speed of it took him by surprise. Her deceptive strength turning him, pushing him and it took most of his self-control not to reach for a weapon as he found himself pushed against a tree-

-nearly gasped as her body was pushed flush against his-

-and those lips he'd drank from countless times were his again... after so long...

It could have been chimes or bells; he neither knew nor cared. But when he was finally and regrettably freed, Razkar looked down and saw his love biting her lip and looking away, brief wind blowing hair across her face in a way... Goddess, he had seen frescoes and tapestries that could not capture such beauty.

"So... er... What will we be hunting?"

Razkar sighed; an odd thing, a Myrian seeing a hunt as a chore. Such a thing would be comparable to a battle or a rousing spar of any Child of Myri, but today? It was a pretense, an excuse, a thin lie that Razkar hated having to maintain. But it served its purpose, and in more ways than one.

"Looks like... deer..."

The Myrian crouched at the indents in the ground. Old, perhaps days, but as clear to him as the trees around them. He placed his palm on the ground next to it, making a mulling little sound as he measured with his hand and eye...

"A buck, I think. Fully grown. Where there are bucks, there are does. And fawns. And so, many of them. Out here, far from people, lots of deer..."

Razkar thought it a fair assumption, but it was one thing to plan, another to actually bring home the bacon (or the venison, more accurately). By the map Albrecht had shown them, the forest here was leagues across, the Pond in the middle of it. Could they search all day, going by old tracks alone?

No. Not enough time. Better to go to where they'll likely be... so... water.

"We have a journey ahead of us, Edri." Razkar said, smiling at the simple satisfaction of being able to call her familiar, not by some sham title. "I would say, over this ground... several bells."

The Myrian drew an arrow and notched it in his bow. He wasn't expecting to just stumble over a deer, a gift from Caiyha with a bow over it... but one never knew. The fog was held back by the trees and their attendant leaves, but the gloom in here... so much like Falyndar...

He inhaled deeply, loudly... smiled at the freedom of this. No responsibilities for a few snatched hours; no rotas of guard duty or issues with drunken or grousing sellswords. Just the forest, their prey, the myriad of ways to find them...

Razkar turned to his love... and the gloom did not touch her. Not skin nor eyes nor smile not hair that was as a torch in the stillness of the Wilds. He grasped her hand, pulled her in for a kiss like a man would a pull of refreshing water before a long march.

"We'll find our prey. Or we'll..." His eyes wandered, and by the time they came back to hers, a smile was with them. "... find something else to make our time..."

[Edreina]

For a few chimes, Edreina walked in step with Razkar, sliding her slim arm about his waist so that they were pressed close to one another's side. Smiling gently, she turned her head to rest her cheek on his shoulder, sighing contentedly. But, they had more important things to do so she released her lover and strode alongside him, noting whatever it was he happened to point out, pausing occassionally to kneel and examine something she found to be odd. At one point, there was a small paw print that looked remarkably like Navis' and Razkar confirm that it was, indeed a fox's paw print.

At one point, Edreina asked Razkar to give her a boost so that she could peer up into a bird's nest, examining the cracked eggshells left behind. To her surprise, the Myrian lifted her by the hips just long enough for her to examine the land-based wonder. Why would a creature keep their baby in one place, she wondered, biting her lower lip. Would it not be more safe moving about in a pod... flock? Whilst being lowered, the Svefra turned in her grip, resting her hands on his shoulders so that she could brace herself.

Slowly, they came eye to eye and the Svefra planted a gentle kiss on the tip of his nose before disengaging herself and motioning for him to lead once more."Sorry for all the distractions... It's just so nice to be able to be myself again..." she said quietly, blue eyes upon the canopy above. "And this place... I've never noticed how pretty it can be on land... I miss the sea... But...this is beautiful in and of itself." At the mention of her beloved Suvan, her voice wavered slightly, betraying the depth of her emotion concerning that subject.

Sometimes, she could hear the tide on the breeze if she listed hard enough, could hear gulls flying alongside the birds above. Sometimes, the grass's waves were a deep, crystal azure; the herds of deer were pods of dolphins; craggy outcroppings were the bare, bald heads of long-dead coral reefs, bleached white by years in the sun.

In truth, it pained her to be away from the Suvan. Each breath without its salty air filling her lungs, Edreina was suffocating... But, when considering even a day waking up without Razkar at her side made her feel like she was drowning. It was silly and irrational, but it was love.

After the distraction of the bird nest, Edreina settled into silence, quietly watching Razkar as he moved, making mental notes of how each motion seemed to have some sort of purpose and reasoning. Slowly, she began to see these reasons, started to view the world through a hunter's eyes. She was still clumsy as she moved through the foliage, snapping branches and twigs, but she was getting better, choosing the most moist ground possible before placing her boot.

After countless chimes of silence, Razkar raised his hand for her to stop... But... what had he seen?

[Razkar]

There was a facade to be maintained, and it was never from his mind. But Razkar underestimated the effect being engulfed and enfolded in a landscape of lush greenery... and being thus with her. Barely half a bell had gone by before the serious walls hemming in their actions and purpose began to crack and crumble.

Little things. Harmless things. A bird's nest noticed and inspected with child-like seriousness. Tracks examined with brushing fingertips and there was a savage smile as he confirmed, yes, it was like her little White Rat. Trees and shrubs identified... or attempted, for even after a full year abroad from the jungle, these paler examples of Caiyha's green gifts still bemused the Myrian.

Then there was the strangled, shrill warbling behind him... and Razkar shook his head.

"No, no, no," he said with faint exasperation, rounding on the female, "Like this-" It was like the sound she had tried to imitate, but it... flowed. It was natural, melodic, just like a real Blue Rush. "See? Now you try?"

Edreina did. Licking her lips and taking a deep breath, eyes focused and intent on this new endeavor. She pursed her lips as he had and...

Razkar did his best not to wince. Well, the girl would need practice. After all, what birds he she listened to besides the screeching protestations of gulls?

"Better," he said, and that was broadly true, "That is call for 'Prey' in my clan. It means the hunt must still, until..."

A new call, but tisone lilting, dipping low and then rising to a pleasant plateau. The Svefra stared, mystified, befuddled, bemused at such animal sounds coming from a tattooed and scarred visage, like he'd been making them his whole life. Then it dawned on her: he probably had been.

"That means 'keep moving, but caution'." He started walking again, still talking over his shoulder, eyes scanning the dirt, hunting for tracks and marks, broken twigs and disturbed leaves. "You will learn. I did."

Only then did he remember that all this calling, searching, perusing... it was ruining their hunt. Everything with ears for a mile around would hear them, and like minnows from the sight of a shark all furry and succulent morsels would flee or hide beyond reach.

Razkar sighed. Such an effect the woods and the right female had on the resolve of a hunter...

Then he frowned. His ears twitched, a soft whisper of sound caressing them. His hand jerked up, unconsciously closed in the first he'd learned from the Taloba Army. Halt. Silence. Possible enemy. She did as she was told, crinkling leaves stilling...

... and Razkar tapped his ear, muttering one word...

"Water."

Yes. No. Water. Land. Sword. Fight. Goddess-Queen. The Myrian started her on the basics with his tongue, including colors... but he was schooling a Svefra, after all. What kind of monster would he be if "water" and "sea" were not among them? She stiffened behind him and she listened, so did the sound become clearer. His senses were heightened in this place, so roiling with life, familiar in a thousand different ways.

The sound of gently lapping waves... the smell of humidity from moisture under the sun... splashing... perhaps geese or ducks.

Razkar jutted his hand downward until it was horizontal, pointing forward, and the continued. The treeline ahead thinned, branches and trunks giving way little by little until Syna's rays began to cut bright swathes through them, canopy evaporating like mist, until...

Two barbarians in a land ruled by predator and prey, far from civilization... looked down on beauty and tranquility...

"The Pond."

Very good, scholar. What did you think it was? A deep puddle?

The Myrian groaned inwardly at his own useless statement but it did not show on his face. Perhaps because it was too busy gazing, gawping, enraptured with the utter, stolen peace before him.

A large, hourglass-shaped... lake, more than a mere pond, was spread down before them, surrounded by trees covered in countless buds like bolts of cotton. Brilliantly, blindingly white, soaking up and spewing out Syna's glory tenfold, lending the water even more shine.

And it was clear. So clear and effortlessly blue that he could see fish darting around under it, could peer to the very bottom and fancy crabs scuttling around at the bottom, waddling little turtles going to and fro under their armored backs.

"OK..." He said slowly, forcing some semblance of authority back into his voice, licking his lips, eyes flitting around the muddy edges for traces of tracks. "This is where animals come to drink. So, we find a good place to hide, like last time." There was shuffling to his side and behind, and he assumed the girl was learning fast and muddying up her face. Good girl. "Looks like... the far corner. See? Where the trees are thickest?" He turned with a wry smile on his face. "Take them by surpEDRI?!"

Clad in nothing but an enraptured expression and goosebumps, the Svefra moved without his ken nor permission, bare feet on the soft grass making her smile. Razkar's mouth opened and closed like a dying fish as his eyes tracked her, wondering if he should look away-

Yeah, because you've never seen her naked before, right?

-and by the time he'd managed to clear his throat and work some semblance of language back into his Eyktol-dry mouth... she was already in the water. The Myrian sighed like a tested parent, bowing his head and pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger.

"Well..." he muttered to himself with rolling eyes, determined to see the bright side in her devastating his hunt "... I suppose fish will have to do."

Then he bolted after her.

[Edreina]

"Water."

The word danced over Edreina's ears, both taunting and soothing her. Could Razkar feel the way that her body went taut, longing to dash forward and discover the source? She ached to feel it rushing up over her knees, her hips, her shoulders and eventually her head as she moved into it. The sweet kiss of water was something that Edreina craved above all else. Each day she felt her skin drying, cracking, growing dull without the vigorous breath of Laviku or Makutsi. A shiver ran through her slim frame, making the tip of her copper braid vibrate with barely restrained enthusiasm. The only thing anchoring her in place was the brown warrior.

Now that he had pointed it out, Edreina felt it. Every nerve ending in her body came alive to detect the way the air here actually felt alive. Moisture is life. Her breath came long and slow, sliding in between parted lips as she tasted it. Yes, there was moisture in the air. It did not, however, hold the salty-sweetness of the Suvan. The water they were scenting was placid fresh water - for she heard not the babyish babble of a brook nor the song of an adult river - large enough that the wind kept it from going sour and stale, but not so large as to influence the patterns of weather around it.

When finally Razkar started to move forward, Edreina followed. Her motions were light, as if she was barely held to this earth. Everything seemed more intense as her senses strained for more signs of water, for each new one was like a drug to Edreina, pulling her in closer and closer, making her want more.

When finally they entered the clearing, Edreina froze, mind and body held utterly rapt by the scene before her.

Water, crystal clear water tinted blue and green by the bottom below. It was so beautiful. There just... there were no words for Edreina.

She moved in a daze, pressing the heel of one foot against the toe of another so that she could remove that boot. The process was repeated and her socks followed the boots, landing in the dirt. All the while, her eyes did not leave the water. All thoughts of the hunt and even the caravan fled from her mind like animals before a wildfire. It consumed her, becoming an element of her being so intrinsic that life without it would lose meaning. Her thumbs ran along her hips, loosening the drawstring waist of her pants though she did not remember undoing the knot itself. Cotton and leather made stiff by sweat slid down to reveal long, toned, honey colored legs adorned with freckles of a slightly darker shade.

Once free of those, Edreina did something that, were it anyone other than Razkar at her side, she never would have. Then again, in that state, it was a wonder that she was aware of Razkar at all. After removing the bindings from her chest, she strode forward, making her way to the water's edge.

A look of pure ecstasy fell over the woman's features as she stepped into the waters, submerging her feet. For a tick, she stopped, head tilted back so that Syna's sparse rays warmed her face, danced over her tongue as she parted her lips. Everything was so pure, so perfect. After days spent pretending to be a creature far from the truth, the water, even such a small amount, reinvigorated the Svefra's soul.

She needed more.

Taking a single deep breath, Edreina threw herself forward into the water, ignoring the fact that it was only a foot or two deep as she submerged herself entirely. The water rushed up and around her form, cradling her, washing away the grime of many days' lies as she padded deeper into the water. By the end of her breath, Edreina was at the center of the pond.

Pulling up her feet, the redhead reclined in the water, body going slack as she let it support her, let it cradle her. For several chimes, she was silent, feeling naught but the water on her skin and the steady, pure air flowing in and out of her lungs. For the first time since setting out, she was at peace.

Ever so slowly, a smile spread across her face as she emerged from her daze, returning to herself. How silly she had been, dashing into the water with abandon though there was still work to be done. And yet - her limbs moved languidly upon the water's surface, turning her slightly - this was right. This was what she had been needing for days. All of the stress that had been building, had been weighing her down was lifted away by the pure, clear water of Priskil's Pond.

She could not hold in her joy any longer. Moving in the water felt so right compared to how she moved on land, even on Jorven's swaying back. With a deeper breath than before, Edriena rolled and brought her head down, kicking her legs up so that she was perpendicular to the water. With a rippling flex that moved through her body, she propelled herself forward, down deeper into the water. The Pond was deeper than it appeared, because of its clarity. It took her the better part of a breath to make her way to the bottom, to the long undisturbed branches and sediments. Pale fingers skimmed over the surface, creating a miniature storm on the Pond's floor before she turned and started to swim towards the surface.

Immediately after emerging, she turned to Razkar, to her lover, and the smile that graced her lips was unlike any he had seen since they had left Syliras. "Join me!" she called in her lilting Fratavan, waving him into the water at the same time. Still she cared not of the hunt nor of their duties nor even their guises. In that moment, as she started moving towards the shore so that he would not have to struggle to be with her, only Razkar mattered.

Well, Razkar and the water... But that was really saying something.

[Razkar]

If it was the Suvan, the Myrian would have been worried after she vanished under the waves. Mainly because it would have been vanishing. After a few feet of shimmering blue, the ocean swallowed up all lights and shapes and even skin as pale as Edreina's would have been lost to the watery void.

Not so here, he noticed. Even from the shore, squinting slightly, he could see every inch of her warped and twisted form, arms and legs moving, wiggling through the perfectly clear water. Even in Falyndar... he'd never seen water so clear...

Well, at least there's no sharks in it. Probably.

Engines of primeval decimation or not, Razkar knew he was going in that water. When he saw the cascade of flowing red hair break the surface, a vertical waterfall arcing behind her, every inch of her... gloriously bare...

"Join me!"

He frowned. Fratavan... and he understood "me", but... what was the first word? Something sweetly insincere slithered in his mind and said with her looking like that it could easily have been "Fu-

Uh-oh.

Stirrings and dreams that had haunted him for many days came to the fore, and his loincloth suddenly became a constrictive nightmare. The Myrian shrugged out of his sandals, his breeches and his quiver, unclasped his weapon harness, and once that was off, he was as bare and innocent to the world as she was.

Razkar shook his head and took a tentative step into the... hmm... surprisingly warm water, actually. He frowned, unsure if such a thing could be true, in this season when Winters chill was heralded by Autumn's gradual decline. But here, in his hidden place of tranquil beauty, it was like tepid bath water, and as he waded in up to his knees, then his crotch, his waist...

She saw a smile split his face. The hunt was no more real to him than to her, in that moment. For brilliant white teeth split her face in a grin of sheer, radiant satisfaction; almost thanking him for this gift of a body of water.

The deception would wait, and unsettling though they were, the strange slimy kisses against his legs told Razkar there were, indeed, fish here.

All faded as mist before the morn, because he had made his love happy. They could just be Reina and Raz once again...

"I will try to swim while holding breath!"

A laugh barked out, half-warcry and half-exclamation of joy, and then the Myrian clumsily jumped up in the water folded his body almost in half, and vanished under the water.

[Edreina]

"I will try to swim while holding breath!"

This will be good, the Svefra thought, lips twitching as she paused, wading in place as she watched her lover fling himself into the water. His form was too bulky to ever be quite hydrodynamic. But, he had power. It was awing for her to watch, really. Despite his lacking skill, Razkar possessed more strength that Edreina would ever be able to imagine. He got more out of each stroke... but then again, his body did not move as easily, so he probably needed that extra power. Lips pursed, head cocked to the side, Edreina considered the trade-off for a second before deciding that she was happy enough with her own abilities.

As quietly as she could, moving nearly without ripples in the clear water, the Svefra hoped that her lover had not decided to keep his eyes open while swimming. Just when the end of his breath should be approaching, she stopped, acting as if she had not covertly closed the difference between them so that when he came up, gasping and spluttering, as she expected him to-

"Wow, Raz! Look how far you've come!" Alright, so she was lying, obviously. But, he could either choose to overlook it, point it out and make fun of his lover's inability to tell even the simplest lie, or pretend that he believed her. Either way, Edreina would edge closer, smiling gently. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, the redhead felt at peace.

Her grin became utterly unruly as she closed in, resting one hand on his chest and leaning in to whisper in his ear, "Allow me to reward your progress..." They were, after all, all alone save for the fish and the trees. His training was always so harsh... Edreina had other methods. "Let's see how long you can keep yourself afloat..."

The Myrian was not given a chance to respond as Edreina inhaled deeply and slid beneath the water's surface. She used his own body for leverage, sliding her hands down his ribs, his sides, eventually locking on his hips as her own fervency began to build. Even being a Svefra, this was something she had never attempted. In the clear water, her eyes were able to trace over his shape the instant before she leaned in and her tongue followed the same line, swirling in a small circle as she reached the end. This she had done to some extent... but never beneath the water. It was oddly exhilarating.

Her legs were straight out behind her, kicking slowly and gently simply to keep herself from drifting away from Razkar. Slowly and ever so gently, lips just a touch warmer than the water parted to envelop the most intimate part of him. Ever so slowly, and ever so gently, her lips worked at him, tensing and tightening around him as she worker her way closer to his hips. But, her breath was running low and so, Edreina released her grasp on the Myrian's manhood and returned to the surface.

For only an instant she remained there, taking another deep breath, not even looking at the face of her lover before returning to her previous position. She worked more quickly now, making the best of her - admittedly spacious - lung capacity. Her lips seized him with surety, tongue exploring each angle of the cylindrical plane thoroughly. He had taught her to be thorough, after all.

She felt him shudder as her tongue attempted to swirl him to oblivion, smiling and dragging her clamped lips along his length until she could kiss the tip of it ever so softly. He sank in the water for an instant, and his lover surfaced, smiling like a water-sprite of lore, carefully slipping backwards and away from him. Glittering blue eyes presented a challenge, a promise of more. With a bitten lip, she turned and started to swim away, towards the shore. Her pace was a quarter of what it would normally be. After all...

She wanted him to catch her.

[Razkar]

"Wow, Raz! Look how far you've come!"

"But of course, Edri. I have a good teacher..."

Razkar allowed himself a brief moment of bobbing smugness as he remembered to kick his legs in the clear-to-the-bottom water, proud grin plastered across his face. He didn't like the sensation of swimming blind, eyes screwed shut as he powered under the airless, noiseless, black void... but look where that had gotten him! The Myrian didn't know he was such a strong swimmer, but here was the proof.

"Must admit I do surprise my-"

"Allow me to reward your progress. Let's see how long you can keep yourself afloat..."

A hot yearning flashed in her eyes and Razkar felt it blooming so deep and burning in his own loins he didn't dare question it. Water lapping gently around his kicking feet and slowly waving arms, he let the Svefra turn him onto his back, face turned upward to the sky... then felt the gentle kisses down his body... and he was subsumed-

"Goddess..."

Ah, she knew that word well enough in his tongue. Many a time he'd muttered or gasped or grunted those two syllables in the dark, crushing passions they'd thrown themselves into. Now there was a... release, in his tone. As if he was speaking a benediction, flushed with relief... and all of that pent-up, frustrated and stymied lust flew straight to his hardness-

-suddenly cupped in her warm, wet, unafraid mouth.

Superlatives and clever narrative deserted him, along with most rational thinking. Waves of pleasure rolled over him, far more intense than the mere liquid they were both submerged in. Even the clear blue sky seemed to shift and shimmer, black spots flashing before his eyes as she coaxed every ounce of passion from him.

Goddess... it has been too long...

But when the male felt his balls tighten, heralding his final release, the architect of his ruin relented. Swirling tongue and delicate fingers vanished from his tingling flesh and something most definitely not a strangled moan escaped his throat. There was a splash as his head jerked forward, just in time to see a wink, a smirk-

-and she turned away from him, leisurely making her was back to the shore.

"... oh, not petching likely..."

Another splash, louder, and Edri turned to see... nothing. On the surface, anyway. Beneath it was the dark, shimmering form of some pierced, ink-covered and scar-ridden creature loping under the water towards her, like some fearsome amalgamation of ape and shark.

Yet there was no terror in her. Not when he began to surface, eyes closed to squints in his head, waiting until she was closer to the shore and he could put his feet down to steady himself-

-emerging from the surface, breaking the glass-like surface with only a hint of a ripple-

-head between her legs, shoulders rising under the back of her knees-

-strong, hands suddenly at her back, holding her horizontal on the surface... with his dark, dancing eyes all-but devouring her on the spot, a tasty morsel fo fish for the savage given quite an appetite.

And that was exactly what he intended to do.

Razkar lost himself in the... taste of her. The tight, smooth flesh of her inner thighs, sliding his lips over the skin there. The heat of her core warming his cheeks, already quivering in anticipation. But Edreina had taught Razkar much of... prolonged torture, shall we say. Wringing out every inch of fevered desire until she was thrashing lightly, moaning, breathing heavily-

-and then he pressed his lips to her, tongue moving gently against her twitching core. At once she was trembling in his arms but he would not let her go, hands keeping her steady... or one of them, at least. Buoyed by the water, he let one hand splay across her upper back, keeping her steady... while his other trailed over the surface... toying with her slippery, soaking chest, finding pert nipples and stomach ridges tightened almost to breaking point.

The Myrian chuckled against her and she felt every ripple of it wash through her. He looked up and their eyes met, a new sort of smug satisfaction writ large in his gaze... and he had the audacity to wink at her.

"Much better..." he murmured from beneath water and air, and two limp thighs over his shoulders "... than just master and apprentice, hmm? Much better like this..."

Razkar didn't give her a chance to finish; she may have had the self-control to swim away, but he was most sorely lacking. With a soft, almost grateful moan he tipped his head and his lips and tongue began their slow adoration again, moving a little faster, a little deeper with each time.

A warrior at heart, was Razkar. And he would conquer her...

[Edreina]

Vertigo seized the Svefra as she found her world being flipped and turned until she was on her back, and not to do the backstroke. Her breath hitched as she found herself at the mercy of a predator with black eyes and filed teeth; the quickening of her heart was not, however, due to fear.

There was that infinite instant as Razkar's eyes danced over her flesh, deciding where he would begin, planning her torment and the demise of her self-control. When most looked at Razkar, they saw only death in his ebony eyes; Edreina saw his excitement, mischief, planning... When the examined his face, they would be caught up in the filed tips of his teeth, not the fullness of his lips, the honesty of his smile, the heat in his smirk. His body was but a tool of destruction to him, but it was a fortress to his lover, a sanctuary; arms so capable of killing represented nothing but safety to Edreina.

All of these were things she had come to miss in recent days, forced to view him through the eyes of an apprentice. Her eyes had been opened to how others saw him, but her opinion of the man himself had not changed. This was Razkar, a Myrian warrior, her mentor and teacher... Her Raz.

All eloquent thought was quickly banished, as it often is, as primal urges surged forth within the Svefra once more as her skin was set aflame. He knew her vices and her weaknesses, and was not above using them against her. Slowly she climbed as his lips explored, pressing against and brushing over everywhere except for where she wanted them, where she needed them. Her body moved of its own accord, back arching and hips lifting as she made pathetic little noises of wanting. Her lover's name left her lips, as did the word please, whispered so quietly and instinctively in her native tongue,

A slim figure adorned in freckles went taut as finally his lips found their target. Gentle, trembling waves rolled through her body as she was lost to the sensation. She felt herself flex and tighten intimately in anticipation of what was yet to come. A new instrument of torture was added to the mix as Razkar's hand found her chest. Like a hurricane, something was building in her core, swirling and roiling with an energy as old as the earth itself.

Her breath caught.

Her body went taut.

She felt herself-

-fall off the wrong side of the cliff as Razkar pulled away, causing the pleasure to take several steps backwards in the span of a tick. The rumble of his smug chuckle and the words that followed sent bolts of ecstasy arcing through the woman in the strangest of ways when coupled with the mischievous looking up from the most intimate part of her. Blue eyes mimicked his in color as she spoke, voice a growl of longing, "You can still be my master any time you-"

She gasped and fought the urge to cry out in surprise as he did just that, claiming her pleasure for himself. There was something so wonderful in the most primal way about knowing that someone's pleasure, someone's passion lay solely in your hands. That feeling was built upon when the pleasure was not taken gluttonously, but given in adoration, in love. The ebb and flow of their passion was familiar to Edreina, comforting. When his pace increased, she felt her heart's rate quicken as well. Parted lips curved upwards and she tilted her head back, braided hair dancing beside her head like a tongue of flame.

Waves of ecstasy matched his pace, and as he moved more quickly, it all blurred together into one constant sensation. It grew higher and higher like a Tsunami before finally, with a sharp cry, it crashed over her. The power of it startled her, but not nearly as much as the longevity. As she tensed and gasped, body pounding and throbbing and moving riotously, Razkar refused to relent, dragging out every ounce of pleasure he could manage as she had done to him so many times before.

"R-Raz... P-Please!" There was no more pride in her voice, only a desperate wanting for things she could not form the words to beg him for other than the Myrian himself.

Common | Myrian | Fratavan