Private Tales Bones and A Beating Heart

[Val Pirian]

Val gave over his hands willingly, that drive for knowledge surging back.
"Fascinating..." he said in a hushed tone as he watched and felt her (literally) work her magic. Val had been given time already to figure out the bard and bartender's tricks. "Trick" was a generous term as well; the bard was likely a petty mage from Elbion, entertainment magic being fairly low level, and the ability to affect temperature to such a minor degree was extremely simple.

What Perrine was doing was far more complex, more precise. Synapses in Val's head began to fire as his magic and mind labored to understand the depths. He began to chew his lip, cognition fighting hard to overcome intoxication. The gears were locking together, he just needed a jolt to get them turning.
"Please, by all means."

 

[Perrine Urahil]

It was with his consent that she concentrated on his skin, eyeing the very spot she would turn his skin to a light wound that would match her own. Hers itched, but she paid no mind to it.

"My magic is only done by my hands." She explained, glancing up at him. "So I learned hand to hand combat more than wielding a weapon. I can do more harm that way." It was a glossed over fact about herself that many did not think on. "But can you feel that? Your heartbeat?" Perrine could feel it, the blood working at his hand almost throbbing as it began it's natural healing. It had taken her longer to pinpoint while inebriated, but once she found it, she concentrated on it. She quickened it, building a heat that warmed him all over.

"Watch..." She instructed.

His hand would tingle, the wound throbbing almost but the shallow cut began to piece itself back together. Redness faded to his natural complexion, and all remnants of the wound removed, as if it were truly an illusion. Perrine did not release his hands. "Let us see if you have learned a thing or two." She grinned.

 

[Val Pirian]

There was a stinging in the location that Perrine focused her magic, but Val barely flinched. The alcohol numbed the pain, and his intrigue far outweighed his sense at the moment.

"That I can..." he answered. Just as quickly as she'd caused the scratch to appear, she willed it away. Mechanisms in Val's head tumbled over each other, the teeth of metaphorical gears aligning themselves more precisely as they began to grind against each other. His eyes worked over his own hands, then Perri's, flicking about as though observing an invisible equation in the air.

Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump. Thuh-thump.

"...And...yours," he murmured. It was slower and less potent, Perrine would notice that much, but just as she'd fixed the abrasion she'd caused on Val, Val now worked to fix its mirror on her. "I think I'm getting the hang of it!"

His announcement came with a glance up towards Perrine, then a double take as he noticed the light-blue hues of her eyes, and the softness of her hands. His expression softened somewhat before he shook himself and refocused on the task at hand. Internally he cursed the rum and his own foolish ways, externally playing it off like nothing had happened, hoping that Perrine hadn't noticed the slip up.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine knew how to listen to the internals of one's body, and as their gazes met, she felt that shift in him. It took two heart beats of her own before it felt as if it skipped a beat.

The Proctor dropped her gaze, inspecting her hand with a small smile. "Well... at least you achieved the easiest test. I do not think I will trust either of us to try and mend broken bones after the drinks we have had." And finally, she slipped her hands from his, placing them on her lap unseen by him. She began to fidget, aware of something.

"Curious, but also such a fascinating gift. The quickest observations and you, too, can have power at your fingertips..." Perrine arched a brow, forcing the new subject to concentrate on. "How long does it last for? Does it vary on circumstances?" She pulled a hand away from her lap and cupped her chin, leaning forward as she changed her expression to something resembling cool, calm, and collected.

She was Perrine Urahil, unfazed by handsome faces and smooth talking... unless they looked like Val, it seems....

 

[Val Pirian]

For all the curious techniques Val had borrowed over his years, he couldn't recall ever having one that let him feel another's heartbeat like this one did. When Perrine's heartbeat shifted it was heart not to notice. She pulled back after a time and Val fought off the urge to be suddenly embarrassed, another feeling he'd not felt in quite a long time. Best just to play it off, surely.

"Ha, quite. I'm glad I passed the entry exam, Proctor," he teased her with a wink. Perrine easily slid back into the ebb and flow of their previous dynamic, and so would Val.

"I'm flattered you think so, but it's not nearly as impressive as it may seem. The magic I duplicate is never as potent as the original, merely a pale imitation," he explained, honoring their previous agreement. "But I can keep it as long as I like, as long as I don't swap it out for something else. I only have so many...slots...yes, that's a good word for it."

The venom in his veins was still coursing away, making the room sway and everything a bit more humorous than it actually was.
"If I want something new, something else has to go. And there are lots out there to try, so most magics don't get to stay very long, but..." Val paused and looked over his drinking partner once more. He felt a warmth and a tightness in his chest, and he couldn't help but breathe a gentle laugh and smile, taken with the sight of her. "This one seems special. I think I'd like to keep it around a while. See what happens."

 

[Perrine Urahil]

"This one seems special. I think I'd like to keep it around a while. See what happens."

Perrine found herself staring, under the spell of his laughter.

Kress, that rum was potent.

She lowered her gaze to the table before her head moved to hide her face. "Healing comes in handy when you least expect it. I have a small clientele that are privy to my actual talents and have me manipulate their skin to retain some semblance of youth. I can teach you that another time." Not that he needed any changes to his face. Perri dropped her hand to the table and braced herself for meeting his blue eyes as she brought her head back up.

As soon as she was to return to her office, Perrine knew what she colours she would be mixing to get the hues of the Pirian's eyes before her.

"My, the night seems to have slowed." She suddenly felt such an awareness of herself, seated before Val and under his gaze. Her hands went to fiddle with her empty glass, a small smile tugging at her lips without her control. "I think the Academy can wait for me until morning. Hopefully, I sober before then..." She scrunched her face, amused that she had finally taken some time to relax and not think of responsibilities. Would she sleep more than a couple hours this night, or be a creature of bad habits yet again?

 

[Val Pirian]

Val cocked his head. Was that...bashfulness? Sure, he'd only met the woman within the hour, but she hadn't seemed the type. It was...honestly rather cute. He set an elbow on the table then rested his chin in his palm.

"I'm always eager to learn. Though of course that does imply I get to see you again," he ribbed once more, feeling less smug and more...Kress, what was that? Satisfied? No, that wasn't it. Comfortable in the moment and yet longing for more. He couldn't quite put it to words, especially not as he was now.

Val's eyes remained locked on his company, instinctively drawn to committing her features to memory now. That subtle smile that she seemed to be trying to hide, the fiddling with her glass, the fidgeting. Was she nervous?
"Not headed back tonight, then? Given any thought to where else you might stay?"

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Was that the alcohol heating her cheeks to a rouge, or perhaps the rhythmic beating of her heart that increased the moment he turned his stare upon her. She could not give herself strength to bring her eyes to meet his, even as he spoke about meeting again. How she would like that, to have purpose and reason to return to Vel Anir.

"I thought some lovely establishment nearby would have lodgings." Perrine dared to lift her gaze, peering at him through her long lashes. "I would not want to return to the barracks in the Medical Wing... then I would have to talk to colleagues and I am not feeling up to conversation with them..." The glass balanced beneath her forefinger, the little dregs of rum coalescing at the bottom.

"Not when I am thoroughly enjoying my conversation with you. There is much more I would like to know about you, Percival Pirian." Perrine smiled, a coyness taking hold of her features.

 

[Val Pirian]

Val had heard tell of some divine entity that fired arrows through the hearts of men, bewitching and endearing them to the hearts of others. He hadn't ever believed in such stories before, of course--tall tales, all of them--and until this night he'd never leant any credence to them. When Perrine finally met his eyes once more, however, it was as if lightning had shot through his chest. Perhaps he'd finally met with the adoration's archer, and perhaps she had long blond hair and soft blue eyes.

"Ah yes, colleagues, certainly a most terrible fate!" he laughed away the nerves that tugged at the edges of his confidence. For some odd reason, her use of his full name didn't give him a pained moment's pause like it usually did. Even intoxicated and quickly becoming infatuated, Val was careful not to jump to conclusions. For once, he allowed himself a morsel of sincerity.

"I admit, this has been perhaps the best conversation, the best company, I have had in a long, long while. For however long you wish, until you depart to your lodging, I would indulge you..." a spark caught his eye and his own smile returned with gusto. "...Lady Perrine."

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perri righted her glass and slid it slowly to the side, bringing both hands to the table so that her fingers could fidget before her. "My, you are a sweet talker." She laughed, ducking her head a moment to give herself reprieve from his intense stare. They were hypnotic, almost, trying to draw her in closer and even that short of a distance was a trap. Perri very well could have fallen into those cool depths... and that was much unlike her.

"Well, should we finish this bottle? It is only half full. Or perhaps we take a wander to the streets of Vel Anir? I think a second opinion of where I should find lodgings is in need... with my wits not at all with me presently." Perrine wondered if those eyes would still make her stir under the cloud of night, but if those moons shone brightly without obstruction... "I would like to paint you, one day." She blurted.

Whatever spell that had been casted upon her fell the moment she sat up straight in her seat and touched her blushing cheeks.

 

[Val Pirian]

A hearty laugh escaped Val as Perri went right back to her nervous antics.
"Well, I'm not usually quite so sappy. It would seem you have a way of bringing it out of me," he replied, more than happy with the effect he seemed to have on her.

"Well, should we finish this bottle?

"That depends entirely on how awful you're intending to feel in the morning. This stuff isn't exactly known for pleasant mornings after, you know. But then, there's nothing stopping us from taking the bottle with us. I say we wander; perhaps we can rally, collect enough wits between the two of us to find a place to rest..." he went on and trailed off, Perrine's sudden confession catching him momentarily off guard.

"My my, that's certainly a new one," he said as he stood from his chair and rounded the table. Aionus' stars, what a reaction; in that moment Val couldn't recall a cuter woman. In but a moment he stood next to her, hand out to help her to her feet. "You've no reason to be embarrassed, my dear. I'm quite flattered. Rather certain I'd be honored, actually."

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine peered up to the tall male, standing beside her and offering his hand to escort her to stand. A nervous smile blossomed on her lips, hand reaching for his and moving to join him. She allowed herself this moment to see him up close, to note the inches her had on her, but Perri liked that she still looked up at him.

"I like your eyes." She decidedly announced, staring into them. They were piercing, but the longer she stared, Perri could see the differing hues that possessed the irises. "I would start with those."

Perri did not release his hand. Her magic tingled at her fingertips, transferring to his own so that she could feel his heartbeat. Did it beat inconsistently like her own? His mere... presence made her nevous, unsure of why exactly, but it was beginning to thrill her.

 

[Val Pirian]

Goodness. Perrine's proximity only just now occurred to Val. She was substantially taller than he'd realized, such that her intense, scrutinous gaze made his cheeks flush. Perrine spoke of painting Val, when she herself looked the part of a model.

He couldn't help but smile like a fool, at a loss for a proper response. Perrine's ability surged through his consciousness and was met with his own subconscious reflection. His heart beat like a hammer.

"Stars...I'm afraid you've stolen my words and breath, Perrine..."

Unthinking, Val raised a hand to gently brush a lock of her wavy, golden hair from her face, savoring the view he'd been blessed with. His breathing grew shallow. Just what was this?

 

[Perrine Urahil]

The smile he brought out from her after he spoke was one of considerable triumph, and yet when his hand came up to tuck a stray golden strand behind her ear, Perrine experienced a fluttering in her stomach and her chest coinciding. She dared to part her lips and take in a shaky breath, staring up at the male for a moment before chuckling and dropping her gaze.

Perrine pulled him along with her, turning slowly to lead the way out onto the street. Oh, was she glad to be in steady boots; her walk slow but sure as the alcohol she had consumed seemed to only affect her mind.

When they had stepped out onto the crisp night air, Perrine slipped an arm through his and decided to turn left, back towards more familiar streets.

"You are becoming a quick and strange person to me, Val. In the sense that... I feel as if I must be careful with what I do next... but trust you completely. I would like to see where the rest of this evening goes... if you would like to accompany me for such a journey."

The Proctor was entirely comfortable by his side. To walk the streets at this quiet time of the night, beside someone who brought out new feelings she never thought would happen...

"But I think, that journey is to find myself lodgings first..." She declared with a gentle chuckle. Perrine was unsure how far she could walk before her inebriated state worsened as the alcohol slowly worked against her magic.

 

[Val Pirian]

Only as Perrine began to drag Val from the tavern did he begin to realize just how inebriated he'd become. The world seemed to swim from side to side in his vision, and while he was momentarily disappointed that the two had broken their brief closeness, his brain finally caught up to what was happening now.

Val's arm snugged around Perrine's as they walked together. He was certain that they would both have to stabilize one another from time to time, and while perhaps walking as such was for practicality's sake it still felt somehow intimate.

Perrine's next words dispelled any hint that what they were presently doing was only for practicality. He didn't think his face could feel hotter than it had just minutes ago within the tavern, but her implications certainly did now.
"I would not seek to break that trust, Perrine. Admittedly, though...I would like very much to join you, yes."

Excitement and contentment weren't sensations that often mixed, but Val felt them swirling together in his chest like milk and honey.
"I...do happen to know of an inn nearby. Perhaps a two or three minutes' walk. Nothing tremendously fancy, but far from seedy, either."

 

[Perrine Urahil]

"Then I trust your recommendation." Perrine laughed lightly, slowing their walk unintentionally as she shifted her head to look at him at her side. "Although, truthfully? I would not have the faintest idea of quality of service... as long as I have a soft bed and pillow." Perrine mused, continuing to walk somewhat aimlessly as she had no real clue of where they were headed.

"When I have to travel for work, and make camp? It is not a soft bed I have, but to look up at the stars on a warm summer's night? Or if I am in a tent... the world is quiet except for the low crackle of embers in the fire... the woodland creatures scattering and chirping... the gentle rustle of leaves...."

When did her head rest at his shoulder? She was not all too aware they were now the picture of sweethearts, but if she removed her head... would that only made it known she had done so? What if he brought attention to it? Her cheeks were tinged in pink, but he would not be able to see it unless they walked near a lit up area.

"I like being in nature... I know, I know... I love my luxuries but... the stars at night. Nothing else can quite compare..." She murmured softly, rambling.

 

[Val Pirian]

"I would not dare to have you stay at anything less than...well, let's say three stars. Can't expect perfection in this part of town...but it's decent, at least," Val chatted back, thankfully able to remember the roads despite the fog of intoxication clouding his mind. He couldn't imagine how she would have made it all the way back to the Academy in this state by herself. Then again, maybe it was his fault she was in this state to begin with.

Val noticed Perrine slow her pace as she reminisced, and he happily accommodated her. Then she nestled her head onto his shoulder. It was so natural that for a moment it didn't even register to him. It just felt...correct. When his conscious brain finally acknowledged what his subconscious already had, Val couldn't help but smile.

"That does sound lovely, I will admit. Reminds me of simpler days, chasing fireflies through a meadow beneath the moonlight."
"Nothing else can quite compare..."

He breathed and leaned his head against hers.
"I can think of one or two things..."

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine's cheek now burned, but her lips drew up in a smile Val could not see immediately. "Are you so well traveled, you know of stunning vistas I have not seen?" Her voice quiet, soft, but heard.

Being in close proximity made her stomach flutter, her chest bloom with an ease and contentment she could get used to. "I would love to take time away from my work and just... paint whatever view I come across. To take my time, put memories to canvas and remember how I felt seeing it the first time."

The Healer dared not move her head, aware that her soft whispers could very well warm his face inches a part. "But do tell me, Val... tell me what can compare to a time with nature."

 

[Val Pirian]

"Not necessarily...I think it just depends on the eyes that behold such spectacles," he slowed further as they reached a corner, pale moonlight shining down on the two of them, the distant flicker of a fireplace illuminating the path before a cozy looking building. "For instance..."

Val took a big step past Perrine and turned on his heel, halting in front of her. One of his hands took hers, while the other swept up to cradle her cheek, his fingers brushing into her wavy, flaxen strands.
"I'm looking at a view right now that I'd like nothing more than to commit to my memory, for the rest of my days. A 'stunning vista' beyond compare."

He'd broadened the gap between them by stepping in front of her, but now he moved to close it once again. Gods, how his heart raced now. Yet, as he drew near, Val had never felt more comfortable with anything--or anyone--in his life.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

It was as if they were in a dance, the way he stepped out and away from her, only to be before her once more, turning to face her and take up position with his hand taking her own, the other held against her warmed cheeks. Her knees felt weak, and she knew it was not at the fault of the drinks they had consumed, not when he spoke to her the way a writer immortalises their muse.

A poet reciting beauty, but only for her ears to hear.

How her heart stuttered with awe, how her breath caught in her throat that she parted her lips to chase a breath that he may give her. She titled her head, staring up into his cool eyes with her periwinkle hues, afraid to say anything but more than anything wished to speak just to see that smile again.

"You only have this night before the imagery fades..." Her eyes flicked between either of his eyes, searching for something to inspire an excuse to not return to the Academy so soon. "I find you are compelling me to want to be in your company longer... and proving quite a distraction from relaying an excuse to buy me an extra day away." Perri's pink lips turned into a coy smile.

"Will you convince me, Val?" There was so much she could do with a day than a night. She would be free to paint as she liked, and she only knew one way to commit something to memory. Perrine wished to capture his eyes, then the expression that admittedly reeled her in. That slight smirk on his lips, the light crinkle to his eyes as he fixed them onto her.

 

[Val Pirian]

Val very much enjoyed the effect he seemed to have on Perrine, but he'd have been lying if he'd said she wasn't having a similar effect on him. He could hardly fight off the feelings the two of them were cascading towards, and he didn't much want to. This all felt so incredibly natural, and more than anything else, he wanted to see where it led.

He was left without a molecule of air in his lungs when her eyes once again met his, their startling rings of soft violet robbing him of reason. When thought once more graced Val's mind, he let out a single awed laugh.
"But one night? I don't believe that I could stand to live a life where I only got to know you for so brief a time. And yet, somehow, I think that my life would be one well lived if I was so blessed as to spend even that short interlude with you."

Magnetism. He found himself drawn ever nearer to Perrine, longing to crash into her like waves upon the shore.
"For a day I would move heaven and earth...just to see your eyes, and your smile, but a moment longer..."

The most convincing thing Val could think of was not in word, but in deed. The hand that had taken hers moved to wrap around the small of her back, and the distance between the two of them disappeared. Still framing her face with his other hand, Val felt the whole world fall away around them as he drew Perrine into a tender, passionate kiss.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

A kiss.

She thought when she was younger, playing princesses and princes in a kingdom, that she would kiss plenty of princes before having her pick of them to marry, but the Urahils were not a family made on the foundation of finding love. The idea and prospect of such a thing became clear once she was given up to the Academy, and Perrine knew she was not destined for something all too great.

As Percival Pirian held her so, pulling her close and speaking a poetry she hoped to recite later, unexpectedly... She felt as if her younger self knew such a day would come.

He was not the first pretty face that wooed her, but the difference between Val and others was that she had felt his feelings in his heartbeat.

And now, his hand to her cheek, she knew this kiss was something new to him too.

Such a kiss begged to borrow her air, and once they parted, she was fed his exhale before she tilted her head that slight touch to peer up at his eyes. He would watch her stare for a moment, a smile pulling at her lips and brightening her eyes before they fluttered to look down at his lips.

A kiss was easy, at least, that was what she believed in that moment as she went without softness, and found the same tender passion in which he initiated this kiss with.

 

[Val Pirian]

The quiet atmosphere of the night around the pair swirled around them, the cool, gentle breeze giving its polite reminder that the world outside of their embrace did still exist. Val only recognized it subconsciously, all of his focus on the beautiful woman in front of him instead. When Perrine finally broke their kiss he could do naught but try to catch his breath and absorb the sight before him.

Perrine was not done, however, and Val could only thank whatever gods may have been to be able to feel the soft touch of her lips on his own so readily once more. Stars above, he could've remained there for the rest of the night if allowed to. There was nothing he longed for now more than Perrine's company. Her wellbeing, however, did still nag at him. The inn awaited, and he would not have her pass out in the street.

Once more Val broke the kiss, his eyes closed as he rested his forehead on her own, hand still cradling her face and fingers playing through the soft locks of her hair. He reveled in her presence for a few moments, smiling silently, contentedly.

"Convinced?" he teased, at last.

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perhaps she began drunk off of his lips, tasting the alcohol that clung to them, but Perrine found herself leaning into him, a grin taking occupancy of her lips as his teasing words inspired her happiness. "Without any doubt." She never knew of greed until her lips stole another kiss, lingering only a second before withdrawing.

"I would wish for nothing more than to stand out here on the street, caught in a liplock with you, Val, but perhaps we should find me a nice room for the night?" She would take the hand at her cheek in her two, giving it a squeeze before interlocking her fingers with his and turned him around as she walked forward, continuing the direction they had been headed.

"Can I tell you a secret?" She whispered as he brought her to a slow, her eyes peering up at the signage of the inn. "That... was my first kiss." Periwinkle eyes fell back onto his blue hues, and the blonde woman smiled. "How you have spoiled me."

 

[Val Pirian]

Every kiss was a new arcane lightshow in Val's head, and he was elated each time Perrine returned for more. Perhaps thankfully, she had arrived at the same conclusion that he had, only she still maintained the mind to actually voice the thought.

Val blushed, a bit flustered by both her words and gesture.
"But of course, my dear," he answered with a smile, knowing that their final location for the night was as close as it was.

He eyed her curiously when she offered to share a secret and was immediately taken aback at her confession.
"My, my...that is an unexpected detail. I'm honored to have stolen away such a thing from you, Perrine. I only hope it was a worthy first."

He caught her gaze once more, his eyes glinting brightly in the light of the inn, a knowing smile on his lips. Ever the gentleman, Val opened the door of the inn for her and gestured towards the open portal.
"Sanctuary at last. Shall we?"