Private Tales Brothels and Broken Things

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi settled down opposite him, long legs crossed over, as she too fanned out her cards and examined them, subtly sorting them out so it was easier for her to keep track of what she was looking for. Her eyes flicked up when he posed his first question then glanced down and passed him a single card.

"Any twos?" her head listed to one side as she looked back up at him, biting on her lower lip.

 

[Cassian]

He'd been trying to beat her for over an hour when he finally threw down his shambolic hand of cards and flopped back into his pillow with a sigh of resignation.. "Remind you never to play you for coin, you'd have cleaned me out five times over by now, lass.." he huffed..

He rolled himself out of bed (naked, of course, he'd been stripped after the first two rounds) and tested his legs on the cool floor for a moment before walking toward the balcony and stretching his arms above his head. His bruises were still black, but the aches had been numbed somewhat by a few cups of wine. His gaze wandered across the city with a deep sigh.. It was incomparable to Vel Anir, everything seemed brighter, the buzz and atmosphere was carefree, and where Anirians would be shocked and disgusted to see elves, orcs and essentially every other form of creature that wasn't human, here they simply coexisted and things were..simpler.

How much more relaxed he felt, not to have to hold hate in his heart. Even the hatred of his father had gone, for there was no point in hating a dead man.

"Perhaps I should retire here, instead of on the seas.." he smirked.. "I like that the land doesn't move and sway."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi was down to her shirt and a single sock.

Sprawled on the bed she watched with growing interest as he rolled himself out of bed, biting down on her bottom lip as she took in the full view. Despite the black and blue bruises that turned his perfect skin into a patchwork quilt he was still a beautiful example of a man. He could have been a beautiful statue. She wondered, not for the first time, what she had done to deserve someone like him.

"I wouldn't mind retiring here either," not that she would ever have the chance. At least, Lexi seriously doubted it. "It would be nice being closer to my brother too," one less thing to worry about if she could keep her eye on him.

 

[Cassian]

He rolled his shoulders to loosen the muscles and gingerly pulled on some shorts stepping out onto the balcony and leaning his elbows on the stone as he gazed out to the sea, his mind still on the peace that he felt. "I've never really found the future very easy to imagine." he turned to look back at her sitting in bed and his cheeks dimpled with a grin. It was easier now that he had her, and it occurred to him that it didn't really matter where in Arethil he ended up.

He sat himself on one of the chairs and held his hand out, gesturing for her to come and sit with him. "Come get drunk and watch the sunset with me.."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lex thought her heart might burst with the love she felt for him in that moment. The dimple of his cheeks, the way the light of the setting sun turned his grey eyes into the pale blue of a winters morning sky. His hand reaching for her, beckoning for her. Wanting her. She had never realised quite how alone she had felt before that very moment and now it didn't matter.

She was whole.

The Commander of the White Ravens slid off the bed and padded her one socked way over to where he was on the balcony. She was mindful of his bruises but sat herself down on his lap and poured them both another glass of wine. Her fingers brushed down his spine and with a touch of magic she removed a few more of his aches and pains then pressed her lips to the hollow of his neck.

"I love you."

 

[Cassian]

He let out a deep sigh as her fingers traced over his spine, a feeling that was warm and numbing at the same time eased the pain and caused a pleasant shudder.. "Hey.." he chided gently and pressed his lips to her head as fingers ran into her hair "You've done enough.." . The last thing he wanted was her using up her energy on a few bruises.

Cassian relaxed as he wrapped his other arm around her, holding her against him, fingers slowly stroking through her hair. His eyes closed and he breathed her in, his grin widening at those words. "Love you too, lass." he answered in a throaty rumble of utter contentment.

"....Even though you rejected my proposal.." he smirked.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi smiled at his gentle chiding and was forced to meet his eyes with the way his hand ran into her hair and tugged gently. She attempted to give him her best innocent like but it was quite hard with one milky eye and a face that always looked as though it wanted to cave into a scowl.

"I don't like you in pain," even a little bit. Every time he moved and winced pained her too. She might have been tired still but she could handle the little bit of energy it cost her to take away a bit more of his - and thus her - discomfort. At his teasing she found herself beginning to laugh, burying her face in the crook of his neck. "So this might be the one girly thing about me, I kinda imagined being proposed to on one knee."

 

[Cassian]

“It’s not so bad, not now..” he assured. The broken bones and internal bleeding had been healed, now there remained only the aches of a good beating, something which he was more than used to.

His head fell back with a husky laugh as she buried her face against him and admitted her girly dreams. She was fucking adorable. His arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace and his lips pressed down on her head. “Aye.. Sorry, lass..” he huffed quietly and shook his head.. “You know well enough by now that I’m an idiot.”

“I’ll do better next time..” he whispered against her hair as he watched the sun settling on the horizon.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"There is no doubt in my mind..." Lexi pressed a kiss to the skin in easy reach of her lips before turning her face slightly towards the balcony and setting sun. It was a beautiful view.

The river stretched out before them and she could barely make out the other side it stretched so wide. The sea wall rose up and griffins and their riders circled about the towers that rose up out of the waves like jutting spears. The sun caught one every now and then causing their feather to glitter and shine. The summer breeze rolled towards them and Lex closed her eyes for a brief moment to take in a deep breath of the sea air.

"Damien is going to love being a Rider," her words were filled with pride.

 

[Cassian]

His arms encircled her, pulling her against his chest in a bear hug intended to melt their bodies together. The feeling of her against him was more soothing to him than she could ever know. Her body was so familiar to him now, the way it moved, the way she smelled, even the sound of her heart beating, he knew. She simply belonged in his arms, when she was there all of his pain left him, mental, physical, even the depression that had hung over him. His mind was at peace. She was everything that was good for him, and he'd never not feel like the luckiest man alive to be loved back by her.

He grazed the stubble of his cheek against her and dotted a few caressing kisses to her neck as she watched the sun setting. “Mhmm.. Seems a good life, lass..” he murmured against her skin with a quiet sigh. In comparison to Vel Anir, the knights and guard here seemed to have much more of a balance as far as he could tell. The lad had parents and a sister who adored him, he had coin and a good home and aspirations that he’d been allowed to fulfil. He had the life that Cassian could only have dreamed of for himself, but he couldn’t be jealous. How could he be jealous of anything now that he sat where he sat, with her?

He smiled against her neck and his teeth tugged gently at her skin before his lips soothed it with another kiss..

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

The evening was one of the best Lexi had ever had. For hours they watched as the sun dipped below the waves of the river and then from its shimmering depths rose the penny moon. For the most part they were quiet though every now and then Lexi would share this story or that about her childhood or her hopes or her dreams. Sometimes, when it grew darker and she felt safe in his arms despite it she even said what her fears were. Of dying in Command, of leaving them with no leadership. Her struggle to find an obvious person to take over.

Eventually they went to bed and took comfort in one another to chase away those darker thoughts. Their love making lasted until the early hours when they finally did fall asleep in one anothers arms. Content. Safe. Whole. Her perfect evening was followed by the best nights sleep she had ever had.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian awoke with the same smile he'd fallen asleep with and wondered if it'd ever faded, or if it ever would again. His arm tightened around her as she spooned against him and he sighed as he delicately peppered her neck and shoulder with soft kisses.

He'd had no dreams, and in his case that was preferable. Besides, he didn't need any pleasant dreams to comfort him. He'd found his cure.

His fingertips danced gently across her stomach as his lips grazed her skin, trying to wake her slowly. They had much to catch up on today, and his pain had dulled enough that it would be easy to ignore.

"Good morning.." he rumbled softly against her neck, his voice gritty from deep sleep.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

"Mmggn," came the guttural response from the woman who lay naked in his arms. She didn't even move, her body lay heavy still with the remnants of sleep and her brows only creased in slight annoyance that that sleep was being disturbed. She didn't want to wake up and, for a moment at least, her dreams and the waking world merged together to confuse her. Where exactly was she?

"No morning," this time actual words found their way out of her lips and she even moved to press her face into the pillows and block out the light that was filtering through the open balcony doors they had left to let in a cool breeze during the summer night. As she woke further and further Lexi was able to make out noises from outside their window and she groaned further, putting the pillow fully over her head.

 

[Cassian]

Cassian gave a husky laugh at her mumbling, his cheeks dimpling as his smile grew into a grin and he grazed his teeth across her sun-kissed skin. His head shook and he gave a quiet huff as she pulled the pillow over her head..

"I can find other ways to wake you up.." he growled and dug his fingers into her sides to tickle at them. Tickle was, in his opinion, extreme fucking torture that should be punishable by law, but it was called for.

"Lets go lass. We've spent enough time in bed." he smirked.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi writhed under his evil fingers as he tried to coax her from the bed. But she had been trained to withstand actual torture for days at a time, it would take more than tickling to--

"Noooooo not my feet!" the Commander of the White Ravens, with all the dignity attached to said title, squealed like a 12 year old girl and launched herself hurriedly off of the bed, sheets clutched to her naked form. She at least managed to give her lover a dirty look as she stalked off towards the showers muttering curses that had an edge of realism to them.

Something about turning him into a toad...

 

[Cassian]

“The fierce Commander, conquered by ticklish feet!” He teased and tossed a pillow after her as she stalked off in a mood to shower. He laughed and rolled himself out of bed to stretch his aches away and have a look over his bruises, some growing darker as they started healing, but the pain was considerably less bothersome.

He cast her a roguish grin as he joined her to bathe, hands armed with soap chivalrously assisting her in washing her skin as his lips peppered her shoulder and neck with kisses. “You know.. You make it pretty impossible for me to keep my hands to myself, lass.” He muttered, laying the blame entirely on her. "Ent entirely sure how i'm goin' to be able to go back to work.." he mused and nipped gently at her neck.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

There was the right amount of complaining and noises of protest as he joined her in the rainfall shower, though they quickly subsided when he proved to be aiding in cleaning her up. Soon she wasn't entirely sure whether it was the scolding water of the feeling of him pressed up against her that was getting her quite so flushed.

"Going to have to crack the whip am I?" Lexi gave a husky laugh as she dragged the sponge slowly down the other side of her neck and chest, between her breasts and down her stomach. "Nothing would give me greater pleasure," the touch of wicked playfulness in her tone was the only warning he had before a stream of water whipped him across his bare, exposed arse cheeks.

 

[Cassian]

Oh he was a lecherous bastard but how could he not be when she looked the way she did. He was human. Flawed, terrible and entirely in love. His lips curled against the soft skin at the crook of her neck as she threatened him and he bit down gently with a growl of a laugh, his hands sliding over her soapy skin.

The whip on the ass caused his entire body to tense suddenly and he glanced behind him. "The fuck?!.." he looked down at her, reaching to grab hold of her hips and spin her to face him and press her to the wall with a growing grin on his face.. "Now that just ent fuckin' fair at all now is it?.." his brow rose, his hands squeezing at her thighs as he dipped his head to leave a trail of kisses along her jaw and he pressed his body against her.

"I mean.. If you really want me to stop... all you have to do... is say so." he rumbled between each kiss until he reached her neck again.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi gave a husky laugh at his words.

"I will never... ever ask you to stop," she murmured, head tilting back to expose more of her neck for his eager lips. Everything in her world felt perfect in that moment. Her hands slid up his back and pulled him closer, her leg wrapped about his waist as he pushed her up against the wall. She filled every sense with him and only him.

When they clambered out their feet hit a pool. Soap and water were everywhere, along with the destroyed shower curtain.

"The poor maid."

 

[Cassian]

Cassian gave an awkward laugh and rubbed at the back of his neck, wincing at the sting of scratches but not daring to give complaint. "I'll.. leave her a little extra coin.." he rumbled. He seemed to spend a lot of his coin apologising for the destruction they left in their wake..

He dried off and dressed, black trousers and a new pale grey shirt that he silently prayed for as he pulled it on. His shirts never seemed to last long. He poured himself a whisky and sat out on the balcony as he waited on her getting ready. They'd spent breakfast time enjoying one another, now it was past noon and his stomach was protesting and the whisky was sinking pleasantly into his mind and muscles.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

After the reaction to her evening dress, Lexi opted for a light summer dress in a pale yellow colour with small white birds printed into the silk fabric. She'd left her hair loose in its usual shaggy mess; clearly the dress was as far as she was willing to go to be deemed 'feminine'.

"So, I think I may have found us something fun to do after Brunch," she said casually as she slipped into his lap and ran her fingers up his chest with a faint, ghost of a smile. "There's a Whisky Distillery in the city. Oban is famous for its wine but the whisky ain't too bad - might be quite fun to go take a tour and do a little tasting?" she asked innocently, looking up at him as her fingers brushed over his jaw.

 

[Cassian]

His eyes had been closed against the warm mid-day sun, but as she spoke they opened and he turned to quirk a brow, watching as she lowered herself onto his lap and he let out an involuntary rumble, his hands immediately wandering onto her thighs. She had a way of making him grin until his jaw ached, the look of innocence on her features..

"Why do I get the feelin', that you jus' want to get me smashed, lass?..." he gave a husky laugh and reached for the hand that tickled at his jaw, turning his head to press a whisky laced kiss against her palm.

"Not that I have any issue with you takin' advantage of me.." he smirked and gave a subtle wink before patting her on the arse. "Righ' then. Let's get outta here before I change my mind."

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

Lexi leapt off his lap with a smirk and began to waltz her way back through the house with just a little added sway to her hips.

"I know this really lovely little cafe just a few blocks over, you can sit out in the square and watch the performances that go on whilst you eat," she explained as they made their way down the stairs and out of the house with an apologetic smile to the maid as they passed her on the stairwell. It was well into the morning outside and people bustled here and there, calling to one another and creating the general noise of a populated city. Lexi paused to breathe it in and then started off down the street.

As they walked to pointed out bits here and there; a Griffin snoozing in a specially designed bit of roof in the morning sun, the guards and their special type of swords designed to be used from the back of a beast with wings, and some pretty murals in the sides of houses out of shells.

The cafe she had been discussing was facing out onto the Solari Square where live performances were already in full swing when they arrived - this mornings act was a juggler who tumbled and rolled about performing tricks. The cafe itself was a sweet little thing with outdoor seating under a linen red and white striped canopy. Lexi took a seat at one of the tables for two in the corner where vines were growing up the wooden marquee.

 

[Cassian]

It was the sort of morning that made him glad to be alive, for his second shot at life, for her. He entwined their fingers as they walked, looking at everything she pointed to and listening as she told him more about the city. His eyes were mostly on her however, and the grin was ever plastered on his face, particularly when he spun her against him and wrapped his arms around her waist to walk behind her like a smitten teen with his face buried in the crook of her neck and not a single fuck given who knew how in love he was.

"This place suits you.." he observed with a smirk as they sat, his eyes wandering over her sun kissed face and yellow dress, still unwilling to let go of her hand even as they ordered food. "Are you sure you we have to go back?" his brow quirked and he pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

 

[Lexi Quinzell]

A shadow fell over Lexi's face and she glanced away from his piercing eyes to their hands.

"I can't leave my duties," she spoke in a quiet voice barely above a whisper. Her lips pressed into a thin line then twisted into a grimace as she passed from one bad thought to the next. Her brows pulled down into a tightly knitted frown and her grip tightened on his just a fraction. She wanted to leave. Now she had found him it was like she could see a reason for living outside of her Chapter but now she was in too deep.

"They need me, Cass," Lexi's eyes rose to meet his. Pleading with him to understand and begging forgiveness all in one. "And I think I still need them," he might be helping her on the road to recovery but she wasn't ready to let go of the thing that had been helping her put one foot in front of the other for the past five years either.