Completed Here in Our Quiet Retreat

[Kristen Pirian]

(Following the events of "Dance for all that we've been through")


The one thing the Academy wasn't known for: peace.

Another thing the Academy wasn't known for: celebratory occasions that proceeded without some woeful catastrophe (or several) occurring.

This Dance tonight was not given any special name, yet, much like the First Annual Solstice Ball attempted last year, civility amongst many of Kristen's peers was in short supply, and thus was the occasion soon perforated with misfortune aplenty. Perhaps, when inevitably some celebration of the same sort was attempted next year, it would at last be different? Maybe. But Kristen didn't intend on being kept behind to join the next class and to find out firsthand. This, however, was a concern for the future; tonight still had a few hours left to spare.

The night's chill was almost welcoming, seeing as she and Alistair were leaving behind the mess and the cacophony in the Dance Hall. They'd not even a chance to sample the punch before disaster there found home!

"Well," Kristen said, somehow embarrassed and irritated at the same time (this was supposed to be a delightful night spent with Alistair!), though...not entirely without a kind of wry humor for it all, "now you have a more proper notion for the kind of calamity which visited yesteryear's Ball."

With some resignation for their shared fortune, standing there on the step leading into the Hall, she plucked at the skirt of her red dress and said, "Though I suppose there is some merit for an occasion to wear one of my favorite dresses, so rare has such become."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

It had been a smart move by Kristen for them to slip away. The dance was quickly reminding Alistair why he had not gone to the one last year. As much change as the Republic was making, Dreadlords and dancing did not mix well.

"Yes, I think I understand now."

Alistair was thrilled to be away from the dance, but he knew Kristen had really wanted this all to work out, so he felt bad for her in that regard.

"And you look absolutely beautiful."

That declaration had kind of come out of nowhere and he let the silence hang in the air for several seconds before he got another idea to try and better quickly move in from what he thought would be awkward.

A small smile pulled at his lips. "It was getting pretty chaotic back there. Let's find somewhere a bit more peaceful. I have the perfect spot."

Alistair took her hand and began leading her.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

And you look absolutely beautiful.

What silence there was Kristen filled with a soft, demure smile, her cheeks aglow with color and sweet warmth. Compliments from Alistair held to her more weight than from anyone else, and she was glad that in his eye he beheld such beauty in her.

Had she not been so arrested in the enamoring moment, she might've been able to return a similar compliment in kind, for truly did Alistair do a service to the Krixus name by appearing here tonight in so distinguished and handsome a fashion. But the impetus was swept away (at least for now) when Alistair, much to Kristen's surprise, mentioned a perfect spot for peace and took her hand.

"O-Oh!" Kristen said, moving along without a hitch despite the suddenness of it. A little sense of adventure accompanied this though, and a matching eagerness as well. "What might it be?"

Privacy outside of the small confines of one's dorm was difficult, if not impossible, to come by here at the Academy.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair's just smiled back at her, not wanting to give away the big surprise. He led her to Oriden's Tower, named after the father of Anirian military engineering. Funnily enough, his magical talents were limited to heating metals that he could touch, but the man sure knew how to build a siege engine.

The tower was the home of most industrial classes that could be found in the Academy. It was here that Rune Mages and other initiates with crafting specialties would practice their craft. Dozens of workshops dotted the tower, and it was often said that the tower was always glowing with at least one forge at work. The entire tower smelled of metals, smoke, coal, and grease.

Even so, Alistair's smile only grew as they ascended the tower. Until he suddenly stopped at a blank wall. The tower was mostly abandoned due to the ball, but this section of the tower was completely deserted.

His hand reached out blindly until it pressed against one of the stones. At first, nothing happened, until a grinding sound filled the hallway as a portion of the wall opened up revealing a room.

The room was warmly lit with a magical fireplace that must have been burning for some time. Much of the room was also covered in warm furs that were draped over several couches and chairs that formed a decent-sized square.

Large desks in the corner of the room were filled with scrolls and parchment that showed clear signs of collecting dust.

Alistair paused at the entrance with a large smile as he took in a deep breath, savoring the room. For all of the mechanical and cold nature of this tower, this room was...cozy.

"Me, Ral, and Tink found this place when we were young. Only a select few of us even knew of the place. We used it as a little getaway from the Proctors...to let us relax and bounce ideas off of each other."

A rare smile reached all the way up to Alistair's eyes. While many of the crafted that came from the Academy were cold and...nonsocial. This was one of the few places where many of them had got along, and out from under the eyes of their restrictive teachers. This place actually held some good memories.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Away she was whisked to a place, firstly, she had never quite been before: Oriden's Tower. Only those Initiates with certain magics, like Alistair with his runecraft, were even permitted access. Proctor Magomo once chided her (after sneaking up on her from behind, gods, how could a man be so stealthy?) for even expressing a passing curiosity in the Tower. While she had visited Alistair before in other Academy workshops, entering into the Tower itself was a novelty.

Adding to this wonder, which seemed only to mount more and more as they ascended higher and higher, was what happened with the blank wall. Or, rather, the seemingly blank wall. A small trick, and there revealed was a secret room (thankful clear of the heavy craftsman's smells permeating the rest of the tower!). Why, this little retreat reminded her rather fondly of one of the studies in House Pirian's Estate!

As she took in the surprising environs, eyes wandering like an eager pair of enraptured travelers, she commented, "Ah, is that so? Ralene and Tinker as well? I would not have guessed it! Ralene seems of a sort not given to frequent bouts of casual, personable socializing, and Tinker...ah, suffice it to say that this would go double for him." Not to end on a note which might be construed as disparaging, Kristen added with a lively flair, "Even so, this cozy retreat I'm sure served a small slice of respite! Mayhap even of heaven, if peace and quiet may by themselves be considered divine."

As soon as she said it though, she realized...yes, it was divine, compared to the cacophony which spoiled the night's Dance.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair laughed at Kristen's more than polite assessment of Ralene and Tinker. She was right of course. The two of them did not spend a lot of time in here, but they had found the room with Alistair when they had accidentally stumbled upon the room while moving some things for the Proctor.

"You are right, I probably spent the most time in here, since my work was often more small scale. While Tinker and Ralene were stuck in the forge or other workshops."

Alistiar's work was often more theoretical with only select projects involving wood or metalwork. Even so, the other two would show up from time to time to bounce ideas off of him.

As he moved through the room, other candles would light themselves as he walked by. Alistair moved some of the furs around to pile them up on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"It was great. It took some time for us to slowly sneak some of this stuff in here, but it was...ours." Judging by the dust around the room, it did not look like the room was used much anymore, which made him momentarily sad. Maybe he should tell one of the initiate craftsmen about this place, but another part of him did not want to risk the place being discovered and removed.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen slowly trailed in Alistair's wake as he moved throughout the room, hands demurely held before her at the waist. She was certainly glad for it, this refuge of Alistair's, for such would have provided him much respite in the far more harsh days of old. Just being able to sit for a time before so small a comfort as a cozy fireplace must have felt like pure bliss. If there was one thing above all else that Kristen had come to learn here in the Academy, what with her noble background, it was that privation elevated such small and often overlooked comforts to levels grand and sublime.

Kristen took another moment to glance about the room after Alistair's last comment.

"I do not suppose, then, that mayhap you have snuck in something to drink?" Maybe even some snacks, if she dared to hope. "We never did get to sample any of the Dance's punch, but...haaaa, perhaps that was a good thing, what with all of the tomfoolery on display there."

Who knew what might have happened to the punch if some wily Initiate (or even a misguided but well-meaning one, like Zaire) had gotten an opportunity when no one was looking?

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair pointed over to a large cabinet, "Drinks should be in there." His response was second nature, but he frowned at what he had said. That was Ralene's old cabinet where she hid all of the alcohol, but it was the only place with any sort of beverage. As for snacks...if there were any then they were in there as well.

He thought about stopping her, figuring Kristen was not asking for that type of drink, but it was really all that they had in there.

"Yeah, I was going to mention that. I would be willing to bet my horse that the punch was spiked in some way."

By now, Alistair had crafted a nice little sitting area, while also removing any random bits of metals, papers, and woods that were just lying about.

He still had a few surprises left to reveal, but he would hold off on those for now. After all, it would not hurt to be a bit of a showman.

"I was never sure if the supervising Proctor's did not know about the place, or they were just left us have this, but I had to assume the first."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen made her way to the mentioned cabinet, opened it, and perused its contents. It would have been the height of delusion to expect any wine in there, the one form of spirits which Kristen had any real familiarity with, however sparingly (putting aside, of course, the wild incident with ale in Vel Yuna; best not to ever mention that in any polite setting). There were a good many flasks, a motley collection of them one might say, and all of the bottles were unmarked. What to choose, then? In the end, Kristen just picked a flask which appeared most recently disturbed. Likely it was ale or some such, right?

"'Tis a credit, then, to the ingenuity and craftiness of your predecessors," she said, unstoppering the flask. "What small instances in the Academy today which may dare be called lax are, I can only imagine, a veritable abundance compared to the strict supervision of old."

Kristen took a drink from the flask.

And immediately spat it out and doubled over.

She coughed and coughed and coughed and GODS what in Aionus's and Astra's and Metisa's name was in that flask!?

"Heavens!" she thinly sputtered out the word between her coughing, the fire dancing in her mouth, and that godawful taste smothering her tongue. "...what...was that??"

Did Ralene drink this stuff...r-regularly?

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair rushed over to help Kristen to her feet, but could not stop himself from laughing, also moving to take the bottle from her.

"I never knew where she would get it from, but she seemed fine with it. I only tried it once."

He had not fared as badly as Kristen, but it felt like he tried to swallow straight fire. And the worst part was, he was pretty sure that Ral had given him the weakest of the stuff. He had no idea what level Kristen had grabbed.

Al took a sniff of the bottle and immediately pushed it away. He would definitely need to find a different one. He guided Kristen over to sit on the couch while he walked over to the cabinet and began the painful process of sniffing several of them.

"Yeah, it took forever for us to sneak most of this in."

Most of the stuff had been 'research' that had mysteriously gone missing and the like.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

By the time Kristen sat down on the couch she had mostly recovered from the sudden shock of the strong spirits. Certainly all of that coughing and sputtering (and let alone spitting!) did not make for much of a lady-like demeanor! But, sitting down now, hands neatly folded in her lap, back straight with prim posture, she easily reclaimed the noble bearing of which Mother would have been proud.

Alistair, prudently, was smelling the assortment of Ralene's collection which, in retrospect, was what Kristen herself ought to have done. Though truth be told she never experienced an occasion where such prudence was duly called for. Before this moment, Kristen didn't even really know that spirits could be so strong!

At least this little incident didn't happen in the Dance Hall. Lord Aionus, Kristen had already weathered embarrassing incident after embarrassing incident here at the Academy, and it was sometimes a marvel to her that she had not been made into a laughing stock for all her peers.

Yeah, it took forever for us to sneak most of this in.

"And it is a wonder, one of good fortune, that you and Ralene and Tinker had not ever been caught."

This, of course, reminded Kristen of her own similar covert affair, sneaking some things—in her case—out.

"Have I...ever told you, Alistair, the story from my childhood about myself, snickerdoodle cookies, and being caught redhanded?"

Now, the prime flush in her cheeks made it clear that this was something she thought was a bit scandalous, even if in the lightest possible sense of the word, but her smile was one that conveyed a sense of good humor about it all. Alistair might even find the story amusing, and the prospect of this, she found, did not bother her, for she trusted in him and his good nature.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

It was true, it was always a pretty harrowing event in Alistair's eyes, but the three of them had always been smart and some of them were cautious. They were a good team.

He was momentarily ejected from his thoughts when his nose passed over one of the bottles. That even managed to bring tears to his eyes, that couldn't be alcohol, must have been something closer to gasoline. Finally, Alistair found something that he was pretty sure would not kill them. It might still be on the strong side, but it was the weakest found so far.

Alistair retrieved two simply crafted cups, made by himself for this very purpose, and walked back over to Kristen.

"No, I don't believe so, but it sounds like something I would be interested in."

He took a seat next to her but was very careful to politely provide enough space between the two, while he focused on pouring each of them a drink.

"I would take small sips of this."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Alistair sat down, but Kristen couldn't help but notice that he didn't sit right next to her. Next to her, yes, but not right next to her. Little fretting thoughts, however small and however much she'd like to think them inconsequential, nevertheless intruded. Had she made herself look unattractive by that instance of unseemly spitting and the fit of coughing which followed? Certainly the former was unbecoming! Ohhh...had she ruined the pleasantness of the night by being so careless?

Despite the tiny bit of interior turmoil, Kristen remained upbeat on the outside.

I would take small sips of this.

"Oh yes, indeed, I believe I have fairly learned my lesson!" And, thinking ahead, she as well didn't want her breath to smell too much of spirits. A nice wine wouldn't have been so bad in that regard, but whatever was in that flask would need to be sipped sparingly.

"Well, as it so happens, snickerdoodle cookies are, and have always been, my favorite treat. Why, one of my earliest memories is nibbling on one! Though my mother Josephine and my sister Amelia did much to raise me as a proper noble girl, with all due grace and decorum, a child shall of course be a child. I was no different."

She would add some embellishments to her story, to make it all the more entertaining by leaning a touch into exaggeration.

"I for a time imposed quite the reign of terror upon the poor servants of the Pirian Estate, hounding them for snickerdoodle cookies until they relented and bequeathed my sweet bounty onto me! And how observant and crafty children can be, for I would know! I had taken note of when my father and my mother would typically be busied with House affairs, and only then would I make my move. And there speaks the moral of the tale, does it not? For I knew that what I was doing was wrong, against the rules laid out by my Mother and by propriety in general, and yet the temptation, left without any checks upon it, was irresistible."

Kristen took a small sip of the drink. Winced. It wasn't nearly as bad as the other one, but no flavorful wine was this.

She continued, "Fortunately, my Mother in time was made aware of my covert cookie heists. And one day, she waited in ambush. Waited for me to badger the poor servants into relinquishing yet more snickerdoodles and for me to devour them and to come prancing out of the Estate kitchen, crumbs still clinging to the edges of my lips. I saw her there, and like all children so apprehended by authority, I froze. She asked me the question whose answer she already knew. And I, in all my juvenile foolishness, tried to lie, lie right to my mother's stern countenance! Oh, the hearty scolding, the unforgettable disciplining, that I received for that lie! It would have been far better to simply tell the truth, but alas, that juvenile foolishness."

And even up to the present day, still Kristen could hardly tell a convincing falsehood, even if her life depended on it...as it very much did outside of Sene with the Cortosan Inquisitor.

Kristen showed a smile full of rare mischievousness. "Though, in contrast to my story, I would think it for the better if the Proctors did not learn the truth of this little hideaway, if it can at all be helped."

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Alistair took a sip of the drink and fought the urge to twist his face into a grimace. Yes, too much of that might make for a rough next morning.

Ignoring the taste, Al let himself sink into Kristen's storytelling. A smile slowly spread across his face the longer the story continued, in large part because of the adorable images in Alistair's mind of a bossy Kristen shuffling around and demanding cookies.

After the climax of Kristen's inevitable capture, he chuckled as he nodded his head along.

"Yes, I fear our punishments would have proven far more severe than some hijacked snickerdoodles."

He wondered if the Proctors could still be punished now that he had graduated, but a lifetime of physical abuse from the staff made this a curiosity that he did not wish to test.

He wished he could offer her some lighthearted story from his childhood, but those were nearly non-existent in his early years at the Academy pre-revolution.

"Yes, thankfully we were old enough when we discovered this place that we were able to keep secrets, and less prone to mistakes."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"And you were all fortunate indeed," Kristen said, glad that even at their younger ages none among Alistair's small group erred so grievously as to cause everyone to fall prey to disciplinary action.

She took another sip of her drink. Gosh, it wouldn't take much to reach that same "fuzzy" state of mind that a glass or two of wine brought on, would it?

The brief intrusion of quiet, naturally arriving at the conclusion of her story and the sip of her drink, made Kristen acutely aware of all the things, those which were wordless and unspoken, about the present moment: the privacy of their hideaway, the warmth of the room, the little crackles from the magical fireplace, that small bit of unfilled space between herself and Alistair. Oh, that troublesome space! So small, yet nonetheless like a thorn yearning to be removed!

She put down the cup of spirits on the table before them and said Alistair, "But I've yet to compliment you on your presentation tonight, Alistair, though I have been meaning to do so!" She reached over to his chest, touched with her hand of flesh-and-blood his tailored suit, letting the back of her hand feel the smooth material. "Blue and purple. Cool colors, suited to match a sound mind, as well as your House as a whole."

Casually, innocuously, she scooted over—closer—just a hair.

"Are these garments new? Tailored, mayhap, with tonight in mind? Oh, but I do adore the feel of donning fresh new clothes! Don't you?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

"Uh, yes, my father always did like...darker colors."

Blue and purple were nice colors, except when they were making Alistair's face look like a fucking tomato when he blushed, which he had to assume was at this moment.

Alistair's mind was often moving at the speed of a charging Anirian war mount, which was why it was always a little discombobulating when it all slammed on the breaks.

"Yes, yes. It's a new suit. With some of the new funds coming into my house coffers, I figured some new wardrobe was in order...I did not want to embarrass you at this dance."

She was of course right about her last question as well, but Alistair was always hesitant to acknowledge it. Alistair absolutely loved getting new clothes. It was a rare occurrence growing up, a luxury that his family never had to gold to afford. However, not only did he enjoy setting a standard with his attire. It was also a chance to practice some of his non-combative runes.

Even tonight, simple runes were stitched into the clothing to blend in with the pattern of the suit. They were nothing special, in fact, most Dreadlords would call them superfluous. Simple runes that made certain colors pop or emphasized certain sections of his attire. All was done to make the best presentation that he could.

"Yes, and I am sure I have already said this, but you and your dress are stunning."

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

"And you, Alistair, look sharp and handsome."

Here it came again, as delightful and exhilarating as before: the racing of her heart, fluttering with affection and full of anticipation; the cascade of warmth from the center of her chest outward, rolling like waves down her arms and down her legs; the beckoning of the very blood within her veins, the flush and heat of her face like her own fireplace brought to kindle.

"I do not know what impetus overcame you that early morn outside the gate of Ostia Anir," Kristen said softly, her hand slowly rising from Alistair's suit and coming to lightly cup his chin, "yet I am so very glad that it did. I rejoice that such wild fortune could possibly have been mine. And my endurance of feverish longing in the many days which see us parted are in these rare moments of union grandly rewarded. I dream of your touch, and of sharing mine...with you and you alone."

The tips of her fingers gracing his chin, feeling the flesh and the firmness of his jaw beneath, made real that longed for dream as much as they yet stoked that fire of longing further.

"We've much time yet before the conclusion of the Dance, before I must return to the dorms."

Kristen smiled—a warmth to surpass even the fireplace of their quiet retreat.

"May you kiss me? Hold me? Help me quench this terrible, wonderful yearning, if but for a time?"

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Kristen had a way with words that he knew for a fact made some roll their eyes, but they only made his own heart beat like the sound of a cavalry charge. He knew that his blush had likely not stopped, but he did not really care.

Her touch was soft but also felt like a jolt of energy shooting through his body. Somewhere in the back of his mind he just heard himself screaming 'Don't fuck this, Al.'

His own hand fell to hold her free hand before his head could only nod as he struggled to find the right words.

"I would like that very much."

Not wanting to give himself any more time to make a fool of himself, he leaned in and kissed her, closing the gap that had created, in an instant. Blushing, looking like a fool, decorum, none of that mattered in this moment.

He just wanted to cherish his time with Kristen.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Kristen kissed Alistair with a tenderness that suited the noble image she in her pristine dress so elegantly embodied, but this softness belied the underlying urgency which set her body ablaze.

Perhaps it was the privacy of their setting. Perhaps it was the thrill of a flourishing courtship nearing its full bloom. Whatever the true cause, the sensual experience was heightened to a degree which melted conscious thought and left only a rapture of passion. Gone were words and their meaning. There was only her breath and his, her warmth and his, her touch...and his.

This yearning to feel him more and more, for him to feel her more and more, this is what she had been talking about years ago.

Before Kristen had enrolled into the Academy, her mother Josephine had sat her down and given her that talk which all diligent mothers were obliged to give their daughters. There would assuredly come a time, Mother said, when Kristen would fancy a boy (Kristen had a few tiny innocent crushes, of course, here and there before then, but such need not be said). And while there would be many things which could be done together that would feel good, and these were okay, the one thing which Kristen should not do is give away the flower of her maidenhood carelessly, for all those things which felt so good in the fleeting moment could not hope to compare to that which was best: the exclusive and sacred love found only in matrimony.

Ravished as she was now by desires begging for blissful satiation and a heart which beat with a painful ecstasy? Gosh, would it be difficult to balance the indulgences of a young woman's yearning with the virtue espoused by her mother! But she could do it. She could.

All this was present, but distant.

What was near and dear were her lips, again and again finding Alistair's, the small sips of air between each kiss like the brief pauses that came in a dance when one song ended and another yet began.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Keep it together Alistair. Don't screw this up.

Alistair quickly pushed away such logical warnings away. He did not need that side of him. He did not need an in-depth analysis of the proper way to hold Kristen or something weird like that.

It was all simple. Kristen was in front of him, and she was kissing him and he was kissing her. It was not rune science. So why was this just as exciting as when he discovered a new rune? Every kiss was a revitalization of the passion that Alistair was feeling.

He would have to remind himself to thank himself for putting down the soft fur blankets on the couch, as Alistair wrapped both of his arms around her, and led both of them to lay within the comfort of the furs.

Alistair was by no means new to this. In fact, he had long since wondered why strong women seemed attracted to him. However, they all seemed to view Alistair as some sort of challenge or plaything. This, on the other hand, was far more nerve-wracking. This was not mere physical attraction.

There was a passion here, a desire that had been stoked and enflamed over the long time the two knew each other and kindled at seige in Ostia Anir.

He would not push Kristen into anything, no matter how much he wanted it. Everything he did was delicate and careful, allowing Kristen to make her own choice.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

The slow descent down to lay upon the furs was mirrored in Kristen by a rise of sensual excitement. Oh! So small a thing, yet to her surprise she found the little gesture to be utterly thrilling, just the simple way in which Alistair led and Kristen allowed herself to be led. She loved it, she truly did; it was like being guided along on a wondrous journey, hand-in-hand with Alistair, following after him and trusting in him as they explored together.

She did, however, have something she wanted to try. Something which Alistair himself had unwittingly caused her to discover some time ago during the Canal campaign; something which she at times thought about when came a lateness of hour and she found herself restless in her bed, for all the boundless titillation it seemed to provide; something which, even now, brought a shy flush at the notion of daring to suggest it.

But suggest it she did.

When came a small gap, a little parting of their lips from the kisses which otherwise claimed them, Kristen breathed the words in a husky, panting whisper, "Alistair...pin my wrists...above my head...hold them there...and then kiss me...without holding back..."

A little nervous nibble on her bottom lip followed, yet her smile, the shine in her eyes, had a kind of subtly rapacious anticipation to them. There was just...something she could not explain about the idea of a little restraint, something which nevertheless set to a lovely blaze her inner thighs and thereabouts.

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

Ok, it was official. Alistair would have to convert to Celestialism because Aionius or something had to be looking out for him.

It was very rarely that Alistair was left dumbfounded, but upon Kristen's request, Alistair froze just staring down as his mind attempted to reboot itself and get him moving.

He did not say anything. After all, what could he say in this context? However, when his mind finally caught up with the circumstances, he moved confidently.

Alistair took both of her hands and pulled them over her head while holding them in place with one hand. He used his other free hand to wrap around and pull her close. With that done, Alistair hungrily began kissing her.

All sense of decorum or worry was gone. Kristen had actually asked for this, so there was no point in holding. back. As he continued his actions, that free hand that had wrapped around her fell to her dress and began the ever-slow process of pulling the fabric upwards.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

The feel of his strength pressing down on her wrists. The entanglement of his arm securely wrapped around her body. The powerful, urgent force with which he kissed her now. Kristen felt as though she had soundly departed from Arethil, such were the thrilling heights of each impassioned pulse of her heart. She could barely contain it. Underneath Alistair she squirmed, writhed, her legs especially expressive in this way, her thighs and calves rubbing against one another, turning over each other and back again in a slow and pleasured churn.

"...oh my god..." were the words she managed to speak before yet another kiss sent her spirit soaring.

Enraptured in the bliss and ecstasy of it all, Kristen almost did not notice Alistair's free hand moving, grasping the bountiful cloth of her dress, the slow rustle and feel of the fabric's rising. Simply was it a part of the blaze, the heat of passion which melted all other things and left only sensual experience.

But some watchful sentinel in the back of her mind, dutiful even as the throes of the body's pleasure were deafening, reminded her.

"...wait..." Kristen said, this spoken half-heartedly, almost as if it were something she herself cared to disregard. The tiny word was caught in-between a second's gap when their lips parted and breaths were taken and, eagerly, their lips were again rejoined. Ineffectually did that whisper of a word dissipate, certainly doing nothing on Kristen's end to stop anything.

Yet that watchful sentinel remained, and this time it interjected more powerfully in her mind, enough so to bring Kristen back down to Arethil, to allow the dreary rational to have its say over the beautiful irrational. She knew what she had to do, what responsibility she had; that virtue which had come to mind only a moment, seemingly so easy to uphold a moment ago, now so difficult that with this interruption came a small pang of pain. Yearning, she discovered, liked not to be stopped when the force of its motion was so great.

"Alistair, wait," Kristen said, now her voice just above a whisper. She met his eyes with a beseeching look of her own. She had to tell him, and—gods!—she hoped it would cause no vexation or anything of the sort!

Alistair Krixus

 

[Alistair Krixus]

The passionate endeavor threatened to completely overwhelm Alistair's thinking. What was there to think about? All that mattered was Kristen's lips on his own, their close embrace, those momentary gasps of hot air when the two would break for air.

And Kristen's request had only made him feel more powerful. For someone often seen as innocent, she had exposed Alistair's carnal side within seconds. He hungrily continued to kiss her, his hand with the cloth rising ever slowly. He thought he heard Kristen say something the first time, but it was drowned out when they returned to their passion.

Thankfully, if there was anything that could cut through all of this then it was certainly Kristen's voice. As he began to notice just how he was pulling at her dress, Kristen's soft whisper made him freeze. He quickly let go and pulled back from her, not angry but worried and more than a little ashamed at himself.

"S-Sorry, are you ok? I...might have lost control there for a moment."

He pulled away, just to give Kristen some space, as he realized that the position he had just been in could have gone bad quickly if he had not listened.

Kristen Pirian

 

[Kristen Pirian]

Alarm, small but nonetheless present, when Alistair pulled away. Oh, how complicated these matters could be, wanting him both to stay close, and to get closer still, and yet knowing that for the sake of virtue some distance needed to be maintained, that they could not go as far as the heat of her body urgently pleaded for. Pushed in one direction, pulled in the other. Gods, the agony!

"No-no, I'm...I'm okay, I truly am. You have not done anything wrong, you haven't," Kristen said quickly, trying to allay his worry and get across her meaning as swiftly as could be done. "It is merely that...we must not allow our passion to go where it is indecorous. I must not allow it, for...for it is my wish to give my maiden flower, the most precious jewel of my womanhood, to the man whom I have devoted myself to through marriage. To him, and to him alone."

Still feeling unsure of how this would be received, Kristen with a beseeching smile continued:

"I love the feel of your hands on my body. I have dreamed of your lips kissing mine and richly have I been rewarded. Yours is a warmth I would have pressed to me for all time, if I could so have my way. There is..." here a kind of giddy anticipation separate from her sober statement made her stumble with a little stutter, "...m-much we could do this night in each other's embrace. Yet the true heights of sensuality must be left alone. Until I have spoken sacred vows before my beloved and before my god, it is...it is not right that I experience them."

Gods, she hoped he understood! Nervousness had crept its way in during her explanation, and it forced an anxious downward bend of that smile of hers. What sordid bits of gossip she had heard of fellow Initiates, and let alone the old method of "de-stressing", seemed to suggest to her that views of the kind she had just espoused would be alien to the vast majority of Initiates and Dreadlords alike.

"I hope I have not...offended you?"

Alistair Krixus