Private Tales Foosty Gobshytes

[Kaius]

A husky sound of enjoyment escaped his throat as she kissed him, his fingers curling her chestnut hair behind the soft curve of her ear as he returned each kiss delicately, his eyes closing in bliss.. "Mh.. No. Please don't ever do that in battle." he laughed under his breath and opened his eyes on her face with a drowsy smile.

His fingers walked the scars on her skin as she told him about each one. And each one caused a deep, burning anger to boil that bit hotter in his chest at the thought of anyone hurting her. The thought consumed him until his muscles ached with tension and he realised that he was clenching his jaw. He sat up to lean and press his lips to what scars his lips could reach, her shoulder, her chest, and then to her neck as his fingers took a gentle hold of her jaw..

"There will be more.." he mumbled against her skin. "If you stay with us.." he kissed again and let out a sigh as he pulled back to look at her with pain and frustration. He wanted her there, selfishly so, but.. " I'm not sure how I would handle something like this.." he looked down, fingers trailing over a few of her scars.. He knew exactly how he'd handle it, and it wouldn't be pretty.

 

[Riley]

A shiver of pleasure ran through her as his lips wandered her skin. His touch always sent sparks. Flashes of heat that seemed to tremble right down to her core. Encircle and ignite her heart. Her fingers trembled along his shoulders. Over his chest as she looked at him.

"I know," she whispered.

"But I'd get them even if I wasn't with you. Life isn't safe. There are no guarantees. That's why I don't want to waste a minute of it." Face softened. Her thumb ran lightly across the underside of his jaw. The side of his neck. "I wish I'd kissed you in that clearing two nights ago. Even if you tried to brush me off. I just...wasn't sure how you felt about me."

A light shake of her head.

"And if anyone should be worried about the other one getting scars it should be me. You've taken too many arrows mister." A finger poked at his chest. "No more."

 

[Kaius]

He delighted in each shiver his lips caused her, it only encouraged him to continue. He breathed her in, a comforting scent of earth and woodsmoke quickly dowsing the burning anger in his chest. A ripple of shuddering muscle followed the light trail of her hands.

His eyes creased at the corners and his cheeks dimpled as he smiled at her words. How she could have been unsure was beyond him, he felt that he’d made it painfully obvious how he’d felt about her. Kaius didn’t open up to just anyone the way he had with her, he didn’t look at anyone the way he’d looked at her. But he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty for trying to push those feelings aside.

“I hope, it’s more plain to you now.. If it’s any consolation, I’m glad you didn’t. I was.. afraid. I’d have hurt you and it’d have killed me to do so. By the time you demanded that I kiss you, I knew I had to. When I realised that either of us might have died in that cell without never having kissed you..” he frowned deeply and trailed his knuckles down her cheek. “What a fool I’d have been.” He mused with another small smile. “I’m sorry.. If I ever made you doubt how much I care about you. I was trying to deny it myself.” He swallowed.

“And I will try to stay a little more focused. I promise.” He grinned at her, and hooked his foot around her leg to quickly roll her onto her back and pin her with a husky laugh against her skin as he let his lips explore a little more.

 

[Riley]

"Oof," surprise and delight flecked across her face as the bed cushioned her from behind. Kaius grinning down at her. Her toes curled and a whimper left her lips as he explored the valleys, dips, and hills of her skin. Her finger tightened and dug into his hair, massaging lightly along his scalp.

"This...," a heady breath, "...is pretty good for being...," another one, "focused, Kaii," voice pitched with the shift of his direction. The half smile never left her face nor the look that no matter how much he touched her or how much she looked at him, she'd always be starving for more.

"Uggh," she left out a soft moan. "I don't know if I"ll be able to hide this when we get back."

But she knew they had to.

"We'll have to come up with a spot and maybe a code word for chances to meet up." Stolen kisses? Dark corners of the camp? Larger trees and bushes to hide behind. One hand shifted away from him and pressed against her forehead, clearing her face of tousled hair and to remind herself that all this was real.

She wasn't in some dream.

 

[Kaius]

The soft whimper, heady breaths, music to his sensitive ears. He heard all of the complex mechanics of her movements, the way her heart thrummed in her chest each time his lips grazed her skin and found those ticklish areas, the way her breath hitched. A day wasn't long, but it was a day he'd happily spend letting his lips roam every inch of her olive skin and getting to know every freckle, every sound, everything about her.

He growled quietly against her ribs as her fingers tugged at his hair, but it wasn't a sound of displeasure. His verdant gaze lifted to her with a breathy laugh against her skin.. "I'm teaching you.." he kissed.. "How to shoot a bow..." and again.. "We're just..hunting.." his brow rose, and a wry grin curled at the corners of his lips as he ventured southward.

"As for now.." his lips grazed her stomach and his hands sailed to squeeze at her hips. "We'll just have to get it out of our systems.."

And the next few hours were spent doing just that.

 

[Riley]

Fuk me.

As much as he'd elicit these sounds from her, she'd do it to him. Well, the moments when she wasn't a gasping or whimpering mess. And he made those moments few and far between. By the time they finished she was happily tired and her entire body was thrumming and tingling. For long moments she lay still against him until her heartbeat could slow down to something akin to normal.

But she was famished.

Her stomach growled much to her embarrassment. By the dipping of the sun outside they'd thoroughly enjoyed each other only for it to be closer to night again. Not quite but soon. Sighing lowly, she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the mattress, peeling herself from bed and Kaius. She began to tug on her clothes and boots.

"Oh Kaius, do you think you could teach me how to shoot?" A low snicker as she practiced the line. "Although it didn't go so well a day ago," a lazy smirk.

 

[Kaius]

His forearm lay across his brow as he took his time to tumble back down from the heady heights and catch his breath, but the thrum of his heart showed no signs of slowing. His free had pulled her close against him, his fingertip silly stroking the smooth olive skin of her arm until she moved and he let out a gruff noise in protest.

As if to agree with her, his stomach growled in unison with hers, and his eyes remained closed as he grinned roguishly so and let out a husky laugh.. "Perhaps it's best, that I go hunt alone. At this rate we'll both starve." he mused, his voice gritty and deep with the sort of restful calm that threatened to pull him into darkness.

He forced his eyes open as his stomach reminded him yet again of his hunger and he grumbled and sat himself up to roll his shoulders and stretch before rolling out of bed and tying the sheets around his waist. His eyes wandered over her in her state of mid-dress and he rumbled as he stepped close to her, allowing his hand to slide the soft slope of her neck and settle on the nape where he knew already that it fitted so perfectly.

He stared for a moment, wordlessly, just breathing and taking her in, the last several hours fresh on his mind. His chest rose and fell deeply and his lips curled ever-so-slightly until he finally spoke.

"Is it too soon to tell you how in love with you I am?.." his brow furrowed, but his smile wouldn't falter, not unless she gave it reason to.

 

[Riley]

She leaned into him as he came near. Her reaction to his touch seemed natural and even though they'd only admitted to their mutual feelings a day or so ago, she felt as though they'd been the way they were now for longer. It was hard to imagine the distance they'd shared before. Hard to imagine his hand not along her, giving her a gentle touch in passing. Or being by his side. Sharing a bed.

The rumble of his laugh against her.

But her mouth still went dry when he spoke those words. Eyes traveled upward to meet his own. She tried to hide the hesitation she felt. The hint of fear. Because none of it was about him. It was because she'd never been...loved before. Not by her family. Not by the monsters at the Academy.

By no one.

And she was scared she'd screw it up. Scared she didn't deserve it.

Lips parted, "I," she tried to think of something to say but struggled to find the words.

 

[Kaius]

There was no hiding her hesitation. The creases of his eyes slowly smoothed out, the dimples in his cheeks disappearing as she stole the smile from his lips. His body was instantly flooded with tension, with regret, with an unconquerable feeling of stupidity for having said what he'd said.

"Shit.." he laughed under his breath, but there was no amusement in it. Only foolishness and pain.

His chest tightened so hard that it ached, and the hand that had settled on the nape of her neck slowly sailed over her shoulder and dropped to his side as he took a step back from her and turned away to rub at the rigid muscle at the back of his neck.

What the fuck had he done?

"Sorry, lass.." he cleared his throat, unable to look at her and let her see aching in his eyes. He reached to lift his bow from the table, and the clothes hung over the chair.

"I'll go get us something to eat."

 

[Riley]

She saw it all over his face as panic welled up inside her. Like a storm cloud blotting out the sun. Heart twisted in her chest. His words had just...shocked her. She was still processing what they meant. Realizing how she felt about him. Because deep down...she loved him too. And that scared her more than facing the dreadlords. More than facing an Anirian army. More than refusing the Proctors. Now she wondered if she even deserved him.

She didn't.

Lips parted. Hand twitched at her side as her head turned. She wanted to call out to him but he was gone before she could, the derelict cabin door closing with a resounded thud.

"Shit," she echoed, already feeling cold. Missing his warmth and wondering if he'd ever look at her like he'd done just moments before. Palms pressed against her eyes, fingers digging into her hair.

Teeth bit down on her lower lip until she felt a sharp pang. "I'm a goddamned fool," she breathed into her hands. Why couldn't she just say it? Why couldn't she just admit she was scared?

Hands pulled away from her face. Snatching her axe up from the table, she stalked outside. She looked for him but couldn't spot him. Part of her was glad. She still needed time to think. To sort through her feelings. Scouting around the small property, she began gathering dead bits of wood and chopping them into more manageable pieces.

Whack.

Whack.

Whack.

With every hit of the axe, she released the tension she felt until she lost track of how much wood she'd cut.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius took his time. He needed his time. He had caught a large rabbit within the first five minutes of leaving the cabin and yet it would still be over an hour before he returned. He skinned the kill and washed in the shallows of a stream before sitting against the root of a tree, letting his head fall back against it's rough skin, his gaze on the stars that fought for dominance in the indigo sky.

He had convinced himself not to be afraid, so much so that he'd gone too far. It was a stark reminder that fear was a good thing and he should have listened to it. He'd felt too happy, too safe, he'd left himself open to damage and he couldn't blame anyone but himself.

She didn't feel what he did, and although he couldn't expect her to, it didn't stop him from feeling like someone had dropped an anvil on his chest.

Darkness fell quickly, and Kaius realised from the hunger in his belly and the stiffness in his bones how long he'd been sitting on the cold ground. He sighed, his breath a pale plume on the icy air, and he forced himself to his feet, rolling his shoulders and lifting the skinned rabbit to trudge back to the cabin.

His gaze cast over the piles of wood outside with a soft frown before he opened the door, awkwardly clearing his throat to announce his late return.

 

[Riley]

Riley turned from where she was squatting by the fireplace, poker in one hand, stabbing at the smoldering wood in that fireplace. She'd gotten a decent one going. Good enough to cook whatever he brought back. She turned, her face warmed by the fire, eyes traveling up to him.

Taking him in.

Searching to make sure he was okay. That nothing had happened to him.

But she knew he wasn't okay.

"We need to talk," she said quietly and looked back to the fire.

Taking a breath, she tightened her hand on the poker to keep it from trembling. "Before. When you said-I didn't mean to not-because I do really," she sighed and cleared her throat. Free hand rubbed at the back of her neck, too scared to look back at him.

"I've never been loved before," she finally admitted, barely a whisper.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius tried not to look as wounded as he felt when she looked at him, but he found it impossible. She couldn't even look at him, and he felt his heart sink lower into his gut. "We don't have to." he murmured, setting the rabbit on the table and lifting a rag to wipe his hands with.

But she was talking, and his brow was furrowing in confusion.. His head shook. "Riley. Don't." his jaw clenched, and he tried not to let his pain give way to anger. His anger was at himself, and if he projected it onto her he'd only feel worse.

"I shouldn't have said it, and I certainly shouldn't have expected it returned. I'm sorry that I put that on you, you don't have to try and.. fix it." he huffed quietly and rubbed the back of his wrist across his brow. "Look you know how I feel and that's not going to change. I'd... I'd just rather we forget about it, and just enjoy the time we have alone before I fuck it up any more than I have done already." he growled at himself, leaning his back against the door and bowing his head.

 

[Riley]

Head jerked away from the fire at his tone.

He hadn't reacted the way she thought. He blamed himself? She managed to tug on a ghost of her lopsided grin. A gentle smile as she set the fire-poker down and stepped toward him. A hand would go softly on his arm, then tug lightly on his wrist. Away from that wall. Away from having his head leaning down.

If he'd let her.

"For fuk's sake, Kai. I just told you how messed up I am and you're blaming yourself?" Head shook. Perhaps she felt a little more courage because he said it wasn't going to change. How he felt. And when he'd said it, she felt that line that drew her to him tighten and strengthen. The walls she'd built up around her heart were already beginning to crumble.

"But we can forget it. As you wish," she winked at him and reached around him for the rabbit.

 

[Kaius]

He let her pull him away from the door, but it was a struggle to meet her gaze, to fall at the mercy of those hazel hues at the risk of falling even deeper and drowning. He'd already risked scaring her off without adding more fuel to the fire that burned wildly in his chest.

As she spoke, he rubbed awkwardly at the tension at the back of his neck. He had a habit of blaming himself, but if he hadn't said anything, he wouldn't have had to feel so hollow right now. Nor would she have had to chop enough firewood to last three winters. It was his fault.

He said it wouldn't change how he felt about her, and it wouldn't, but it'd take some effort to forget. Whenever she said his name or grinned her lopsided grin, or made up some crass language, his heart would soar, only to come crashing down with the reminder that she hadn't felt it back. He'd reassure her that he was fine, and hope that with time she'd feel the same.

If not.... At least it would be his final heartbreak.

Kaius sighed and forced a small smile at her wink, his hand lifting to her cheek as he pressed a kiss to her head. Soft, affectionate and guarded. "Thanks."

 

[Riley]

She focused on the rabbit. She wanted to pull her own goddamned hair out. She saw that guarded expression. The pain she'd caused still echoing in his eyes. But when she tried to explain it to him. When she'd nearly admitted that she...to him too. He'd thought she was trying to make him feel better.

And she knew whatever she said to him now, he'd only think that.

For fuk's sake.

A very big part of her was already beginning to doubt what he'd just said. That his feelings for her wouldn't change. Maybe they would. Maybe she'd already lost him. She was so good at pushing people away and maybe it was too late for Kaius now too.

She poked at the fire, at the rabbit, lips pressing very thin as she angled her face - her expression away from Kaius. Time. She needed time. In time maybe it wouldn't be so...charged around him. Tense.

"Rabbit's done," she finally spoke and began cutting it into some pieces. There was one tin plate in the corner, chipped. Grabbing it, she lobbed some pieces on and offered it to Kaius. Taking one for herself, she blew on it gingerly before sinking her teeth in.

"Glad to see you managed to get a rabbit this time," she spoke between bites, going for small-talk and lightness for a change. "Maybe it should be me teaching you how to hunt when we get back."

And sassiness.

 

[Kaius]

Kaius had been watching the start of a snowfall out of the window, his gaze following each feathered crystal dance their downward spiral to blanket the ground. He loved the snow, despite how much of a bastard it was to walk in, he loved the silence and stillness of it.

Riley's voice dragged his mind back to the room and he stretched and turned to take the meal gratefully. "Ain't a thing wrong with my hunting, lass. Not when I don't have any distractions anyway." he mused and grinned at her as he took a bite of the meat and groaned quietly delight.

"How about a walk in the snow after we eat?.." he asked cautiously. It was dark, but the snow had a way of lighting the forest up at night, and it wasn't often he had the peace to enjoy it.

 

[Riley]

Riley hated the cold.

Hated the snow.

But for Kaius? She'd live in the Spine for him. She finished off her portion of the rabbit, wiping her hands clean.

"Sure. You'll have to keep me warm, though." He'd find her tone quite serious and not as much joking as the words implied. She went for her jacket slung over the back of a three-legged chair in the cabin. And now she wished she had another layer or two. With the snow, it wasn't that it was that much colder than the other day. But the snow always reminded her of that day in that courtyard.

"Kai, I might know of another lead to free some elf prisoners," her voice was quiet. "There's another town not far from here but...," voice trailed off. "Could be another trap."

 

[Kaius]

Kaius devoured his food and had rummaged in some cabinets, pulling free a dusty bottle of wine which he uncorked and swigged from before handing it to Riley. It was a little sour, but it warmed his chest none-the-less.

"As you wish.." he murmured under a coy smirk in response to her whilst throwing open a the large wardrobe in the Cabin's bedroom. Hunting boots, clothes and furs hung inside, a little musty but warm all the same. "Ah." he grinned and pulled out a thick, fur-lined coat, perhaps made to fit a young male and far too slight for his stature. He wandered over to her and opened it to wrap around her shoulders along with his arms, and his face buried itself into the crook of her neck with a deep huff.

"We can take a look.." he rumbled and kissed her cheek.

 

[Riley]

Riley took a swig of the wine and made a face.

"Ugh, far worse than what was in those barrels," her eyes twinkled with amusement as she handed it back to the elf. There was a fine line between warm and hot and as Kaius pressed his face against hers and brushed his lips on her cheek.

WooooooEEEEEeeeee.

She felt her face warm. That betraying uptick in her heartrate. "Leave it to you to find everything this cabin has to offer," she smiled at him, her hand coming to brush some of his hair out of his face. Looking down she tugged that coat on tighter. "This is a good start. She frowned, looking him over.

"Won't you be cold?" Her fingers entwined within the hand of one of his own as she tugged him toward the door.

 

[Kaius]

There was another coat in the wardrobe, one large enough to fit him, but it would mean letting go of her hand, and it'd give her reason to keep him warm, and so he shook his head and let her pull him outside. The snow was already thick on the ground, the moonlight was a diffuse ocean above them, lessening the inky blackness of the night, but not so bright as to dull the stars that speckled and glittered in the heavens above as they peeked down through the breaks in the heavy cloud. They needed no torch to find their way through the forest, the snow a buttermilk blanket that reflected the light of Arethil's moons and illuminated the land like some surreal dreamscape.

They stopped nearby a small, freezing lake and he felt his soul breath as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. He watched the snow's descent for a moment of calm and clarity, their chaotic flight to form a blanket that could not be more uniform, more orderly. Yet for some their destination was to come fall over them, to alight upon their faces and let their warmth be their spring melt.

He savoured the silence and breathed in the smell of frost, the smell of her hair. He wanted to tell her how he felt, wanted so badly to say it again, but he wouldn't ruin it, not again.

 

[Riley]

She eased against him, her arms wrapping around his frame. Lashes caught some falling flurries as she closed her eyes, pushing her cold face against the elf. A warm sigh against him. She could feel the tension she didn't know she still carried start to ease away from her shoulders. From around her heart.

Eyes cracked open as she shared the quiet landscape with Kaius.

With him against her? Perhaps she was finally starting to not hate the snow. Perhaps there was room for a happier memory. And as she looked at the frozen lake and flurries, she didn't see just death and pain. She saw hope and something...more.

So, she remained quiet against the elf, savoring the stillness and privacy. The sound of his breath and heart rate against her. And as the tips of her toes were starting to get colder, she looked up at him. She wanted him. All of him again.

And suddenly there were too many layers of clothing between them. Too much space.

"Let's get warm," she said quietly and would gently tug him back toward the cabin.

 

[Kaius]

Already he knew that look in her eye and his primal self rumbled a quiet groan as his lips curled with a roguish grin. "Warm.." he laughed quietly and allowed her to lead him. His impatience was clear when he found difficulty in keeping his hands and lips to himself as they retraced their steps back toward the cabin. She drove him to the very edge of self restraint, and when the little home came into view he wrapped his arms around her and to lift her off of her feet whether she liked it or not.

His pulse reacted to hers, and by the time he'd kicked the door open they were both equally frantic. They'd both crossed a line now that was impossible to un-cross. His lips were growing far too accustomed to hers, his hands had learned the contours of her body, the feeling of her bare skin under his palms. He was quite sure that he was addicted to the high she drove him to, and he knew he was in serious trouble.

 

[Riley]

This time when her feet left the ground she didn't utter a protest. She was too busy doing other things with her mouth. Her hands. If she needed to, she'd pummel him later.

Her nails dragged lightly across his skin. His touches nearly drove her mad. Breath hitched in her throat as she pressed against him, a vulnerable and intricate dance. A dance she'd want only with him.

"Oh hell," she breathed as he managed to instill pleasure across her entire body, making her toes curl and a deep moan escape her throat. Then another and another. Breathing heavily, she collapsed at his side, staring up at the cabin's ceiling, lit by the slowly dying embers of the fire they'd set earlier.

"You'll be the death of me," she uttered, eyes closing with a tired and impish smile curling on her lips.

 

[Kaius]

"Me? The death of you?.." he laughed breathily and reached to take her hand and press it against his chest to feel his racing heart as though the thing were punching for an escape. He let out a groan in contentment and pulled her in against him, breathing in the scent of her hair and pressing a kiss to her head as his eyes closed and his body slowly eased.

The words that he wanted to speak caused his lips to tingle and he swallowed them down with a sigh. It felt like the natural thing to say when he felt the way he did in that moment, but he tried to push it to the back of his mind and simply enjoy the inner peace he felt instead. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so truly comfortable, the bed was soft, but not as soft as her skin against his, and sleep pulled him into such a deep sleep that the sun was pouring through the windows by the time he woke.

He wanted to pause time, to stay here longer, forever if possible, and his eyes refused to open even as his mind roused.