Private Tales Graceless and Divine

[Kilien Basmarc]

The layers of disbelief were mounting.

Vittoria's first kiss.

Never seen a kiss before.

King kissing girls (for whatever reason, despite the Initiates alarmingly good looks he had a hard time picturing this).

And that Vittoria thought her attempt was bad, of all things.

Kilien wanted to remark on ... all of that, but instead he focused on just the last thing. Because no.

"No," he said to her quietly with a shake of his head and turned to face her directly again, "no it was not bad. It was very nice. I liked it very much." Kilien offered her a small, earnest smile as he leaned toward her, "And you are welcome to keep doing it," his smile grew as he drew even closer still, "as often as you like."

"You know," mischief, "practice makes perfect."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

It was much different to see him near her.

It stole her breath, as if her lungs forgot how to work and function. Kilien's face was mere inches from her own, and Vittoria gazed into his hazel eyes until they fell to the glimpse of his lips pulled up into a smile she craved to see after seeing it so often this day. "We should perhaps eat and drinks before anymore practice."

If only her words were anything she could listen to. Vittoria found herself leaning in again, closing the distance to his cheek proper now. Softly, she pressed her lips and felt his lashes flutter at her nose. "Sorry, I could not... help myself."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

His stomach concurred on the front of food. It growled in response to his anticipation of her closeness.

The smile simmered warmly as she gifted him a third kiss, this one lingering and softer. He could almost tell that she seemed to be enjoying the act. This was good news for him, it meant she wouldn't be nattering at him to shave. He'd do it for the asking but feth if it wasn't a pain in the ass to keep up with.

"Hm," he smirked, amused, and lingered before her with his own eyes tracing her lips, "never apologize for kissing me."

Gllluuuurgle.

Cringe. "I am very hungry though, so let's go find a place to sit and eat."

With a short look about he spied some open round top tables in a picnic area off to the side of the food vendors. There was an open table and he lifted his lemonade to gesture toward it, "Right there."

And right there they went. He pulled his seat up across from her, set his drink down, and divvied out the kebabs.

"Nnn-" he grunted as he bit in to the first chunk of meat on his skewer, "oh-hohohohoooo, this is good." Juicy. Perfectly roasted. Tender. Crispy on the outside. And that sauce.

Kisses, dancing, and bbq. Could this night get any better?

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria was more than happy to go sit and take a moment away from the festivities. Slowly, she sipped on the lemonade, humming her delight in the nostalgic drink. Her father had made her plenty of cups of lemonade before she went to the Academy, and would often drink it with her as they cooled off from her lessons. The sourness on her tongue caused her smile all the same.

"Can I have a bite?" She asked, setting her drink down and looking to the skewer. They were large portions they were given, and Vittoria chuckled as she in fact counted five kebab skewers. "I do not think I can finish one all to myself." But her appetite would surprise her as she gingerly grabbed one and bared her teeth to bite the first chunk just as Kilien had done.

Her eyes widened with surprise, astounded by the flavours and how tender the meat was. "Oh."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Yes, eat, help yourself-" he motioned to the others for her to pick from. He had ordered three, he thought, and somehow ended up with five.

No matter. None of them would go to waste - his appetite could more than handle the meal.

"I don't want you nibbling my cheek off because you're hungry," he added, wry mirth in his eyes. While Vittoria indulged in her first skewer, he quickly cleaned up his and moved on to a second. Kilien wasn't a sloppy eater, and he chewed with his mouth closed, but woe to any hand that got in his way.

One didn't stick their fingers into the dog's bowl when the dog was hungry unless they were prepared to lose a finger for their trouble.

He sighed dreamily as he bit into the second skewer, just as delicious as the first, "They don't serve food like this at the Academy."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

"No, they truly do not."

She was quiet for a moment, pondering. "Perhaps the next time, I could take you to the pub here. They do roast pork and beef every Sunday, all day." And they had the best homemade gravy to go with it. "That is where the vendor is from. So, you can already trust his expertise."

Vittoria smiled, biting into the next cut of meat and chewing on it slowly.

How Kilien was enjoying Orean made her happy and proud, and eager to have him visit with her again one day soon.

"I like to eat whenever I travel on a mission. Finding the perfect meal is almost as fun as the mission itself." She commented happily, biting into the third piece on her skewer.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Yeah?" she didn't have to ask him twice, "Sounds like a date."

Eyebrows bobbed. He'd hold her to it.

As for eating on missions - his options were never quite so ... broad.

"The Proctors don't care to spoil me with large allowances for my missions," he admitted with a hollow sort of laugh. If Vittoria had not already guessed, Kilien had no fortune to his name. With his Rovani heritage already a detriment to his standing within Vel Anir, the Academy had not really seen fit to lavish him with much of anything extra.

It was almost like they didn't really want him there.

"But sometimes I uh ... get lucky." In more ways than one. Either through the generosity or distraction of strangers. Sometimes if he was really lucky, they'd feed him at the flophouses.

Couldn't go wrong with dinner and a ho-ly moly was this bbq some good eating. Skewer #2 down. On to #3.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria tilted her head at him.

"If you ever are on a mission with me, I am more than happy to provide a nice meal." And Vittoria had done so with many of her classmates. She always viewed a meal to be a reward and sustenance, an important one. She would not have her classmates become distracted on the job all because they ate poorly.

She was nearing the end of her skewer, but showed no signs of wanting the last remaining one between them.

"Are you still hungry, Kilien, or you would like to do something else? There is dancing still, or the firelight walk." She pointed to the lit up starting point to the walk, where a helper stood by the golden gate draped in white ribbons between the posts, calling out to attract people. Usually, the walk was popular later in the evening when it was truly dark, and not the last rays of light casting a shadow on the small town. "It is a fair walk, some of it goes into the forest. Really, it is a quiet and dark walk that is meant for those participating to stop and look up at the stars. If you are afraid of the dark, they hand out torches." She explained.

"Oh, and one path leads to the orchard!"

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

The third skewer was gone without any fanfare. After a gesture to Vi that silently asked if she wanted the last one, he took it up when she declined and instead chimed in to see what their next activity aught to be. Truly it mattered little to him what they did next. He was having a great night--the best night in quite a long time--and he could not fathom how it could get any better.

Well, he could, but he wasn't going to push his luck that much, nor did he want to.

Vittoria was not a lady to be rushed like his present meal. She was meant to be savored.

Bit by bit.

"Orchard?" he said, this time with his mouth full so that it came out as or-ferd. Kilien swallowed, "Well shit, it's a sign. Clearly that's the path we're supposed to take!"

Because it lead to fruit and more (stolen) kisses.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She saw him perk up at the idea of walking the firelight walk, the orchard being a place he wanted to see before they left. Vittoria polished off her skewer with a smile, adding it to the pile of used sticks between them. "Luckily for you, I do indeed know the right way to go that will take us straight to the orchard."

Vittoria sipped her lemonade, slowly finishing it off too as she licked her lips to collect the remnants of it. "But I will collect the books we left at my home first, it is on the way of course. Cannot leave those behind." Nor delay the time Kilien was to borrow that book she intended to give to Proctor Krixus for his perusal to discuss theories in what Vittoria and the Proctor were researching.

A breeze blew into the town square, bringing a warmth that blew her dark locks over her shoulder and fluttering about her face. She enjoyed the weather in the summer time, but winter always made her happiest. Perhaps she could take Kilien back here to Orean for the Winter Solstice, or even the few days after it when it fell to her seventeenth birthday.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Alright," down the hatch went the last of the kebab meat and Kilien Basmarc was feeling much, much better. He washed the lingering taste down with the last gulp of his lemonade and pulled out a kerchief from his jacket to wipe at his mouth and beard. The thought of leaving a dab of sauce behind on his cheek for Vi's next smooch made him smirk - but he didn't.

An attendant was making the rounds, collecting the cups and leftovers to feed to the local hogs. Kilien brushed his hands against his pants and stood from the table, "Books?" he said to his companion, offering her his arm so she could once more lead the way.

Because honestly, he quite liked being lead around by her.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

It was now natural for her to hold his arm as he offered it. There was no need to think about about it meant, what it would look like, or frankly, hold it against him for his station. He had at some point within this day, managed to creep past her walls and become someone that mattered to her, for Vittoria now had a comfort around him that she never experienced before.

"Yes, books. You wanted to loan one of mine?" She reminded him almost absentmindedly, leading him towards the starting route of the firelight walk. The small town was idyllic, and lit up by the torches, it was alive in a warm glow that truly looked like stars casting a gentle view of the path through Orean and the many shops that catered to the many travelers from the Academy and off the road for trading.

"That is the bookstore, just there on the corner. Quaint, but mostly rare titles from Epressa also, but the price is not an issue. I like collecting one of a kind reads like that." Vittoria rearranged her arms, so that one hand rand down his arm to interlace her fingers with his, and the other coming to to gently hold his arm at the bicep. It allowed her to get closer, to turn their conversation into hushed towns as the firelight walk was a quiet affair.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Yes, books. You wanted to loan one of mine?"

"Oh yeeeeaaahhh..." the response drawled out as though he'd forgotten, but the smirk suggested otherwise. Of course he hadn't forgotten about the books or that he wanted to borrow one. He'd just been expecting to pick them up the end of the night, not before.

The warmth of her fingers pushed between his own, lacing through the warm bands of his rings. He firmly clasped his fingers around hers and over her knuckles, pushing aside any surprise at the willingness she displayed for such close and what he'd always viewed as intimate contact.

Clasped palms were for friends or new partners.

Laced fingers were for lovers.

He wasn't going to tell her the difference.

"A collection, huh?" Kilien gave the bookstore a cursory glance, thumb lightly tracing the line of her pointer finger, "I never had more than a few books at a time. Could never afford to."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She was quiet for a moment, pondering and wondering on a thought that had emerged from the depths of her mind. "Kilien, would you like me to loan you another book?"

Her gaze on him was something soft in the firelight that illuminated them both as they passed, forever proving that Vittoria was meant for the night. "It is a nice one. Folktales from the Spine, a region in Epressa.It has my favourite tale of a dragon that liked to bare his teeth every chance he got. That way no one forgot he was a threat. One day, he lured an innocent boy with a smile, and... perhaps you should read it."

Vittoria flashed him a grin. It showed her own teeth, but it did not look as threatening as the tale she had just been speaking of.

"Folktales are my favourite." Her hand squeezed his gently.

And suddenly, she felt as if she should gift him a book one day. He had a penchant for the magical theory tomes, and Vittoria had many to spare... She was going to need a book bag to take back home with them.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Another?" Kilien raised his brows at her, pondering where this sudden rush of generosity had come from. Was it the lemonade? It had been rather tart - perhaps it had sparked a bit of warmth in the one so many referred to as the Heartless Wretch.

He smiled despite the notion, coming to find that pretty much most of what the rumor mill said around the school was true, but Vittoria certainly wasn't a wretch. He'd met plenty of them before and she was nothing like them.

Heartless though? Mmm, he wasn't fully convinced one way or the other. She had stabbed him in the thigh earlier in the day.

"Huh," he remarked, "never would have guessed that. Had you pegged for a more practical read sort of gal." As for wanting to borrow a story depicting a folktale? Well, it wasn't especially high on his list of wants considering the folktale he already lived every single day, but...

"Sure, if you like it so much I'll give it a read." One didn't turn down tea or books when offered by the hostess.

Speaking of hostess, their meandering had brought them finally back to the walkway of her home and he wondered, not for the first time, if she was going to make him carrying a whole dang stack of books on their moonlit walk through the orchard.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria shot him a smug look, enjoying the fact she got to surprise him a little with her reading habits. What she did not tell him that her interests in books were only because her father told her her moth enjoyed reading all sorts of books. In fact, her entire library was majority of the books inherited through her mother. It had been a childhood need to connect with a mother she never met, to do her father proud as he stated over and over how much she resembled her mother.

"Oh," she was surprised how quicklime they came upon her home, "I will be a minute."

She had taken four, a leather bag crossing her front and housing only five books. Vittoria returned to his side, leading him back onto the torchlit path. From her home, they would walk through a small woodland before it thinned out into the orchard. Then beyond that, a little walk over the hill to get to the fruit trees and shrubbery of berries.

"I have been meaning to ask... how is your leg after I put a knife through it?" Her tone was curious again, intrigued by his ability to heal so quickly and without much fuss. It almost was an allure, wanting the girl to test it again to ensure that it had not been a one time fluke.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

He waited with seemingly endless patience for her to collect her books and return them to the path of their evening stroll. Having offered once he met her at the door to carry the bag for her and being (unsurprisingly) turned down, he shrugged it off with a smile and fell into step beside her again. They walked without any words for some time, though much like their ride in the carriage here he felt no awkwardness in the silence. Kilien instead enjoyed the sights and sounds of the evening as they strode by other walkers and festival goers.

This village was quaint and warm and the nostalgic vibes continued to drop from his chest and into his gut like hot soup on a cold day. What a little treasure she had for herself here, enough to make a cursed Rovani jealous.

"My what?" he blinked at her distractedly, not having immediately registered the question. Kilien glanced down, his eyes looking over his pants and noting the cut in the fabric which brought back the memory from earlier.

"Mm-" he mumbled thoughtfully, "leg is fine." Fully healed, of course, as if it had never happened. He doubted that the cut had even left a scar for how clean it had been. "My pants on the other hand..." He probably could use a bit of mending magic to fix the tear in his pants but he couldn't be fussed to spend the mana for it.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She pulled at his arm to pause, for the briefest moment, her finger running over the tear. "If you want it mended, bring them by my room tomorrow." Vittoria looked to him before pulling him along, back on their starlit walk. Smaller torches lit the way forward, but Vittoria appreciated the dark and quiet.

"I learned to sew and embroider because that was what my mother did, according to my father. It has been proven to be a useful skill, I have found, and helped me figure out how to make leather scabbards before I learned how to sheath my knives beneath my skin with magic." She lifted an arm, a finger curling then digging beneath a magical pocket beneath her skin, peeling it back to show Kilien the glint of a silver pommel. "Want to guess how many knives I have on me?"

Her smile was genuine and wicked, teeth showing with proud display as she looked to Kilien.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

He could mend them well enough on his own but he was certainly not about to turn down an invitation directly into Vittoria's room or the offer of her to do the mending personally.

"Yeah? That's nice of you..." though he did not finish the thought as she showed off her rather unique skill of hiding things within magic flesh-pockets. Lewdness pervaded his thoughts for several moments though he kept it hidden behind an otherwise innocent look of intrigue, his eyes roving over her face and then down along her figure from where he stood.

He leaned into her toothy smile, "Five...?"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

When her gaze moves to meet his again, there was a change to his smile. As if remnants of his thoughts had found a place there and became complacent enough to remain. It invited a danger Vittoria was not familiar with, but danger always intrigued her. Her smile began to match his, enjoying the game she had set.

The woodland was not that much of a hard trek, but the blanket of darkness that curled around them was only warmed by fire light as they slowed their pace to pass each post.

"Higher."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Mmm, he rumbled in thought, lips slanting as his jaw jutted to one side. Guessing games were always a matter of amusement for one and annoyance for the other, but dragging out the correct answer would only prolong the game.

His eyes narrowed even more as he tested the waters with another guess, "Seventy-two."

A hand loosely moved to the small of her back as they meandered ever so lazily through the torch-lit wooded walkway.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Her tongue ran over her dried lips. "Lower." Vittoria looked to the path before them, amused.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

Warmth suffused him from his expression to his hand at her back. Kilien smiled easily, making no hurried effort to make another guess. Nope, he'd draw this out forever-and-a-day if he could. Certainly the fact that she kept shivs beneath her skin was off-putting to know, but the curiosity of just how many would keep him entertained for at least a month. He had between the numbers of five and seventy two to fill the time.

Instead he opted for mischief and let his hand linger lower - not quite into offensive territory but very nearly.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

A shiver, a stuttering in her breathing that caused her heart to... speed up.

Vittoria did not dare move or say a thing. Unknowingly, Kilien's hand neared the spot that Vittoria would reach into to retrieve her second largest blade on her. He had not provided a guess this round, only quiet, but she was someone that enjoyed playing with someone. She tried to speak, but no words came out, only hesitation.

She never hesitated like this before.

Clearing her throat, she bumped into his side as they walked. "Your hand is near a sheathed blade." Vitt provided, hoping that may spur him to continue guessing.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

This was usually where women scolded, yelled, or began throwing slaps at him and Kilien was ready to flinch away, grinning all the while, no shame to be seen. Strangely, when Vittoria paused and nothing followed, he almost broke the ploy.

Almost. Except she said something he'd certainly never expected to hear while his hand was nearing her or any woman's rear end.

Kilien blinked, head tilting slightly in piqued curiosity, "Is it?"

Well now she had his full and undivided attention. He stopped walking entirely and as if a man trying to puzzle out a hole in a fishing net began to smooth his hand at her back over the general area, "Well it's hidden pretty well then..."

Maybe if those layers of clothing weren't in the way... ah, but he was getting much to far ahead of himself.