Deception (Kovac)

[Shayth]

Listening to the archer talk, Shayth couldn't look at him, her gaze dropping as he spoke. The cut on his lip still bled and his eye already seemed swollen. Had she over reacted, or reacted more to the feelings she didnt want rather than the fact the avora had sought anothers company? As Kovac moved closer,  the redhead looked up at him, hands moving to hold her arms in what could be taken as protection from the cold or from words she didn't want to hear. More than a friend, it seemed so loaded but what did he really mean? The avora stood with hands on hips, gesturing at her. He'd kissed her? The sick feeling in her stomach rolled over and the tears she refused to let him see stung her eyes. Why should a kiss hurt her so much? Somehow, the way he spoke about not sleeping with Addy made her feel like a guilty child - as though she had done something spiteful to make him think of her.

There was a pause, and an awkward moment. Shayth fought the tears and swallowed back the lump in her throat. Here it was, the realization she had made more of this...tryst than he did. Kovac seemed embarassed, unable to meet her gaze and fumbling through his words. Taking a breath, the rider prepared to tell him it wasn't like that, and he was free to walk whenever he liked.

Voice stopping in her throat, Shayth blushed at his suddenly direct honesty, unable to hide from the archers deep green gaze. Watching him pace, the redhead looked confused, as though his speaking outloud had thrown her denial. He was angry, passionate and as much unable to accept the situation as she was. When he finally stopped his tyrade, the endal was struggling to remain calm. Sullenly, she spoke, voice thick with emotions she tried so hard to deny.

"You don't think it affects me either? I can't be rational when I'm with you. I bend to your will, even when you make me want to strike you down, even if I should!" Her voice had risen with a waiver and the tears she had so successfully held back sprang to her eyes. Raising her hands to her face, the rider pressed them to her brow, the tears now on her cheeks and face red. Making a sound of anguish she sighed.

"Ugh! This is so stupid!" Embarassed and angry, she swore and wiped her cheeks.

"You make me so mad, but I shouldn't petching care. At first, I want to hurt you, then I can't stop thinking about you. Obnoxious, egotistic and way to cocky for your own good. And at first its just exciting and a little fun, then I can't petching think straight! It's stupid an irrational. Endals don't do this. I am an eagle-rider...bonded to my mount. And your an avora, a petching bad tempered archer! This shouldn't happen. And I shouldn't be so petching upset over you, but damn it I am. And if this is what love is then why do people make it sound so good? Its a weakness, and I can't be weak. I'm an endal. If I'm weak, then-" She was rambling, talking more to his chest than his face, reasoning with herself. It didn't make sense even to her, but the words were out before she could take them back. Stammering, the redhead ran her hands through her hair. She said too much.

"I'm just..don't...I didn't mean..."

[Kovac]

He had done it. The self-centered, anti-social, cynical Avora had admitted he had a thing for Shayth. It should not have been a big revelation, they both knew behind their egos and pride that they had it for each other. It was the admission of the fact that was difficult, as if the first one to confess it was the weaker one. He had folded when he saw Shayth soften. Kovac was not ready for the feminine reactions from the strong-willed Endal. The blows to the face, yes. But when she finally spoke with an heart-laden tone, and the tears streamed down her cheeks, Kovac was undone. The frustration and feelings the tall red-head expressed resonated with Kovac, knowing the mixed and often contradicting emotions that he too felt about her. His pacing had stopped, his hands nervously shifting from hips to crossed arms back to hips. Shayth's own admission of her feelings for him left him without so much as a smirk to shoot back, even as she showered him with a rather honest assessment of his character. But what she was saying was unmistakable. It was out there now, and they had to deal with it. Then she said the word....love. Kovac felt the shiver of a chill when she spoke it. Love. He had been in love with Kalle, until her betrayal left the word a cold, empty, foolish notion. But his body's reaction was not one of disdain. If he could at all admit it, the archer would know It was a sensation of excitement. Did Shayth love him? Even as the Rider tried to recover what she had blurted out, Kovac was asking himself...did he love Shayth? The Avora's hand's mimicked Shayth's as his fingers ran through his crimson-streaked black hair. It was enough, they had said too much to try to build up the walls of denial again. The woman's display of vulnerability, her tear-streaked beautiful face, the whirling waves of affection, anger, frustration and more washed acrossed her face, disarming Kovac more than any woman he had known. In that instant she may have been more attractive then any had ever been. He seemed to see her soul. "Shayth," his tone was calm and honest, lacking its usual sardonic inflection, "...what do you mean?" He took a step towards her. He was not sure he wanted to hear it, there were a lot of words and emotions flying around, and he found he was afraid, not of what Shayth would reveal about he feelings for him as much as he feared what he would say of his own. "Look..." he began again before she could answer, "We like each other, a lot, its stupid to say that we don't have...something." It took a lot of guts for the denying Avora to say even that, though his eyes involuntarily softened as they darted up to glance at Shayth. "We need to decide what we do with it".

[Shayth]

Shayth swallowed hard as he came closer, almost afraid of what she'd said, lowing her hands to her sides. Fidgiting, she tried to calm her shaken nerves, feeling like a tiny mouse in an eagles sights. It was out there, and his voice was questioning, but not sarcastic or snarky. It was genuine. What did she mean? She couldn't admit it before, the pain and hurt, the need to be with him and the way just the thought of his mischevious face could interupt her entire day. It just was...fun. And it wasn't serious, or so she'd kept teliing herself. Bit damn, it was. A whirlwind of emotions and feelings wrapped in only a season of time together, and he an avora she an endal. Society decreed she abandon this silly affair, but her heart commanded she stay.

Listening to the archer talk again, she met his magnetic gaze, captivated by the softness she found there. There was something, like static in the air, a constant hum of energy. It was impossible to ignore, and Shayth was miserable without him. Yes, she could easily admit it to herself..as frustrated as it made her. Making a move, the endal stepped closer so they were only a small distance apart, and softly brushed her fingers against his hand, taking it very lightly and cautiously in hers. It was hesitant and almost shy. Her blue eyes looked down at their tentivly joined hands, needing to break his gaze to think straight.

"You...I think you know how I feel. It makes me sick to think of you with someone else, like something is trying to pull my heart out of my chest. This is all new too me, and I...I know you've been here before...i know what happened. I would like to...just take it day by day and see what happens." Even in this moment she couldn't fully accept their situation. It was not going to be all sparkles and sweet nothings. They had fire, passion, strong wills and a rank to consider. But thats what she...loved about him. Biting her lower lip, she looked up at his face.

"What do you want to do with it?" The redhead asked softly, her blue eyes searching his for some sign of an answer.

[Kovac]

This was unfamiliar territory with Shayth. They had always had the safety of their pride, cyniscism and sarcasm to protect them from...this. But it had happened anyway, skirted their walls and defenses and burrowed into each of them nevertheless. Now, it was embedded, and not easily removed. If one wanted to removed it that is. Kovac had never seen the Rider like this, he saw it in the raw depths of her sapphire eyes, it was vulnerability. The realization rocked the Avora, because he knew it was he who had brought the head-strong Endal to this place. Not that she had not wrecked his own fragile being. The need to have someone else to make him happy was hard to swallow, but it was true. He wanted to be around her, and when he wasn't, he schemed about how he could. Sure, he had flirted with others, he was who he was. But thoughts of Shayth, and even of her feelings could not be shut off. Eventually, his feelings for Shayth prevailed and he could not pursue Aidara, no matter how desireable she was. As he stood, shifting nervously before the emotional Endal, he was not sure whether he stood in victory or defeat. As the red-head tentatively took his hand, he gently embrace hers. He was not unfamiliar with gentleness, it had just been a long time since he felt the desire to exhibit it. Again, an uncharacteristic sincerity framed his features. "Shayth," he liked saying her name, ..."You know we are not the puppy love kind. If that word applies to us yet, I don't even know. Day by day is a good idea. To further deny what we feel is stupid, but to become what we are not is just as bad. I want to stay here, with you. I want to be with you, and I will only be with you. Circumstances dictate we should be discreet anyway. Lets be who we are and let our...feelings work out naturally, now that we admit them." He suddenly wanted to kiss her. Not in his usual carnal lusty way, but with true affection for the woman who he found could be as soft and demure as she could be violent and bitchy....and he found he like her both ways. But he hesitated. He wanted to hear what she had to say.

[Shayth]

To hear him talking like this, saying words that were unfamiliar to herself, the rider wasn't sure what to do. It made sense, it all did, but to admit it...to talk about it was...strange. But nice. Shayth nodded as he talked, agreeing fully. She would never be the fainting and poetic damsel in distress and he would never be the dashing and ever faithful hero. And they couldn't go declaring their relationship to the world. It was...inappropriate.

Glancing up from their hands, the endal smiled, tilting her head slightly.

"Well, of course. You didn't think just because there's something between us that I'd stop kicking your ass, did you?" Her voice was light, a jest to break the mood. Passion and raging emotions, thats what being an inarta was all about. But it left her feeling drained and to exposed. He knew how she felt, and they both agreed to take it slowly. Time now to throw off this sombre mood. Still, her eyes were soft and her thumb softly traced the back of his hand.

"Maybe we should...replace that bottle of wine?" It was a genuine request, her blue eyes caught by his own, the fight over and the relief apparent. Looking at his lip, she lifted a finger to touch it lightly.

"Ouch, you should really put something on that."

[Kovac]

What had been an awkward moment had faded as they both gave in to the truth. Both the Endal and the Avora had walls and defenses they had carefully erected over years to protect themselves from vulnerability. Those bulwarks had suddenly fallen and Kovac and Shayth found themselves exposed to each other. The archer would have withdrawn himself had the rider not bared her heart to him so freely. There was a relief in their confessions, even if neither of them had a clue where to go from there. But Shayth was right, they would never be doting couple type. He would still insult her, and she would still hit him. But that was what Kovac loved about what they had...fire, spit and sharp tongues...it's what had drawn the unlikely pair together in the first place. Kovac looked down at their clasped hands, Shayth's thumb rubbing against his skin. That was alright too. Then, as if a weighty veil had fallen, Shayth's welcomed taunts returned, even though her demeanor remained open and warm. The Avora's eyes glanced past her to the cracked bottle of wine on the table as she suggested a new one. There was much in the simple request for another bottle, and Kovac was encouraged by the direction Shayth was leading them. Before he could respond, Shayth's long finger lifted to press against his lip, gently touching where she had cut it, a light crimson color staining her fingertip. His smile returned as she suggested he put something on his wound. "Oh, I plan to put something on it." His smile took a familiar wry twist. Kovac leaned forward and pressed his mouth to Shayth's, giving her a lingering kiss. The pressure of his split lip on hers elicited an exquisite sting. He pulled back just a bit. "I will get us another bottle of wine. This cut is going to need a lot of attention." Kovac pulled away from the Endal, still grinning roguishly as he strolled back to his room to get another stashed wine bottle.