Private Tales Read between the lines

[Talus]

Goosebumps ran over him as Zana pressed herself into his side, fingers twitching over her skin for a brief moment as he took a deep breath.

"I suppose so." Talus said, feeling the weight of just how tired he actually was.

It felt like days since he had last slept. He'd used magic heavily during his missions, and now that he found himself here in this moment...he couldn't help but feel the wave of tiredness that washed over him.

A breath filled him, and then he began to drift off.

 

[Zana]

It wasn't a no and he hadn't pushed her away so she decided his answer was good enough permission to not have to move. That happened to be a good thing for Zana as she was comfortable. As he took a deep breath she felt herself automatically taking one too. Despite her nap earlier she found it didn't take very long to soon fall back into sleep.

She ducked as something smashed into the building above her sending dust and rubble raining down upon her. It was only her quick reflexes that got her shield formed around her just in time to reflect it. When she released it she still ended up coughing from the smell of sulphur in the air. Another ball of fire flew through the sky and landed further inside the city and a chorus of screams rose up.

Why was she running away from the wall and the action?

Other Dreadlords looked at her - shouted to her - but she had a purpose. A reason to be running from the fight instead of into it.

There was something in the heart of Vel'Anir.

 

[Talus]

Talus woke up hours later.

He could not tell if it was yet dawn, nor what time of night it actually was. The storm outside was still raging, the patter of rain drops on a roof echoing throughout the house. His eyes slowly slid open, wandering through the darkness of the small room.

The weight of Zana was still pressed into his side, the heat of her body washing over him as the chill of the night air cast over the bit of him that had exposed itself from beneath the blankets.

He could feel Grey at his feet still, the small hound moving around slightly as it dreamed some sort of dream. Talus slowly glanced at Zana, a smile touching his lips. What a strange night.

He thought to himself.

 

[Zana]

Waking up was such sweet sorrow. Her body had clearly not yet fully recovered from the incident in the bookshop for though visions visited her throughout the night they weren't strong enough to wake her as they usually were. Perhaps it was the soothing sound of rain, or the warmth of the man she was using as a living pillow, but when Zana finally did open her eyes blearily she felted rested for once. She could feel he was awake from the difference in her breathing and with a sigh she rolled over, pulling his arm that was tucked under her around her like a blanket.

She didn't want to wake up just yet. Waking up meant more politics and plotting.

 

[Talus]

Talus suddenly found himself pulled alongside Zana.

His eyes immediately popped open out of both shock, surprise, and sudden realization of certain morning happenstances that occurred with the male form. No no no.

The thought rang through his mind a little too late as he found himself suddenly pressing against Zana's form.

His face turned red, his entire body turned red, and briefly he considered just jumping up and running out the door never to speak with his fellow Dreadlord again.

 

[Zana]

It was pretty hard not to ignore. Well, it was pretty hard full stop. Her laugh was husky and thick with sleep but she didn't release him and tugged his other arm around her instead.

"It's fine," she pressed a kiss to the inside of his arm and kept still so as not to aggravate the ... situation further. "Talus it's fine," she said again when she didn't feel his muscles relax. In truth it didn't bother her in the least; it was just one of those things and if anything it proved very much that Dreadlords were in fact just like every other human out there.

 

[Talus]

"Luana magic?" Talus asked quietly, trying to inject some amusement into his tone.

It was almost entirely manufactured of course, embarrassment such as this didn't exactly go away in the blink of an eye.

Still, he tried to take her assurance and relax a little bit. It was ha-difficult, but he still at least felt some of the tensions go out of his muscles.

Good thing Dreadlord women didn't gossip, right?

 

[Zana]

Another pillowy laugh from the half asleep Dreadlord buried under the mound of her own hair.

"No, this is just me."

The rain hammered against the window and the wind raged around the house. Usually such weather mage her feel trapped inside, yet in the nest of blankets and his arms it actually sounded quite comforting. She lay there listening to it for some time, her fingers trailing up and down his arms tracing small mindless patterns.

"Did you sleep ok?"

 

[Talus]

For a few moments he lay there in silence with her, though eventually she would feel the touch of his other hand on the small of her back.

There his fingers slowly traced over her skin, a soft almost unnoticeable touch. "I did."

He'd had no dreams, no nightmares, no tremendous weight upon his chest. Everything had been calm and peaceful. Talus had not realized how much he'd actually needed that, how much he just needed silence with someone else there.

It was an odd human craving that he'd not realized he could even have.

"Did you?" He asked quietly.

 

[Zana]

Goosebumps ran up her spine at his tender touch and she gave a soft noise of appreciation. She leaned back into it and thought over his question about how she had slept. It wasn't very often she got to give a positive review.

"Yes," her mind drifted over the visions she had had and for a moment she frowned and bit down on her bottom lip. It didn't feel like the right space to bring it up in but... Zana twisted - carefully - in his arms so that she was facing him, their noses almost touching. She rested her cheek on the pillow they were now sharing.

"Do you know if they're hiding something in the centre of the city?"

 

[Talus]

His cheeks colored as she turned around, arm shifting slightly to move the blanket so she couldn't gaze beneath them.

"The Keep?" Talus asked.

It was one of the few places in Vel Anir that the Anirian Guard actually didn't protect. That duty fell to the Royal Guard, soldiers who were utterly devoted to the King. Joining their ranks was incredibly difficult, so much so that it was said even the Great Houses had never infiltrated their ranks.

Talus wasn't entirely sure if that was true, but he'd spoken to a few of their ranks and there was certainly...something about them. "I don't know."

"But..." He bit his lip. "The King has more things up his sleeve than most people would believe."

That was what the Generals told him constantly, though they never elaborated on what they meant.

 

[Zana]

Like the gentlewoman she was, Zana kept her eyes strictly above the collarbone height, though her cheek muscle twitched as she fought the smile that rose unbidden at his timid shuffling of the blankets.

"Maybe," she had definitely had a purpose wherever she had been going and it had been important enough someone had sent her away from the front. With her gifts of shielding and telekinesis it seemed like a critical thing to do so there must have been a reason. Perhaps Ashur had an idea of what it could be.

"There's something there we're going to need in the battle," she yawned and stretched a lazily.

 

[Talus]

"I can dig into it." The Royal Guard was loath to let anyone associated with the Great Houses even come near the Keep.

He'd have an easier time with the task than Zana would.

Briefly he wondered what the hell could be at the center of the city that could be so important. The Keep was a fortress unto itself, even if Vel Anir's walls were completely destroyed an occupying force would have a hell of a time with the Keep.

"I guess I should be off soon." He said quietly. "I'm still expected back."

Not that he would be punished, but his sense of duty was still there.

 

[Zana]

"Thank you," what a relief, again, to not have to think about doing everything herself. It would bring enough attention when she brought up working with the Guards let alone if she started asking about hidden things beneath the keep.

Her face fell when he mentioned leaving and she sighed, her eyelashes coming down and throwing shadows over her face as she shut her eyes. Of course he did. She knew she had things to do too but she didn't want to leave the bed.

Mainly because it was warm.

"Let me at least feed you before you go, your clothes should be dry by now too," not that she made a move to get up and if anything wriggled a little further into the bed covers.

 

[Talus]

As she wriggled around Talus suddenly reached out and grabbed her, ensuring that she did not move a little...too far.

His fingers tightened on her skin, though as soon as he grabbed her he realized that it might not really have been any better.

"I uhh..." Talus cleared his throat.

 

[Zana]

"Now who's the uncivilised one?" Zana raised both eyebrows at where exactly his hands were on her skin. She didn't move though, conscious he had stopped her moving for a reason.

"Would you like a moment?" her lips twitched and a playful light danced in her green eyes. Her hands ran up his arm hoping to ease the tension there, he was gripping her pretty tightly.

 

[Talus]

"I uhh." The joke book that he had checked out from the archives would refer to this as a Comedy of errors.

A series of events that simply made him look worse and worse while getting more embarrassed. There was little he could do to rescue himself now, and he slowly frowned as Zana quietly teased him.

Then something in his head clicked.

His fingers loosened slightly, the placement of his hand causing him to brush against her. "I was hoping for a moment with you?"

Yes. Play it off. That was it. Not an accident. Clearly.

Smooth Talus smooth.

 

[Zana]

The stuttering and growing flush that crept from his neck upwards to his cheeks was both amusing and endearing. She had been about to smoothly segway the conversation back to food and safer things when he made a bold choice.

Now it was Zana's turn to momentarily freeze as his hand splayed and a soft hiss escaped her clenched teeth. Her eyes narrowed into playful slits; just how far was he going to dig himself into this hole.

"Only a moment? That's never what a girl wants to hear in this situation Talus," her hands slid from his arms down to his sides and his hips. Would he break? Her hands slid lower.... lower...

 

[Talus]

In for a penny, in for an Anirian Sestar,

Talus knew he wasn't exactly the smoothest operator, but he could also only embarrass himself so much before something had to break. The little quip, where his hand had fallen, it had all gone a little bit too far for him to suddenly pull back.

He was determined to leave Zana's home with at least some of his pride still intact.

"Well if you have nowhere else to be." He practically forced himself not to tense up as she touched him. "I suppose I can lavish you with attentions until the storm breaks instead."

A little bit of pride swelled in him at having come up with the line, even if it wasn't very good.

 

[Zana]

She had a million places to be but none of them were places she wanted to be. She also highly doubted there would be any kind of hunt going on in this weather. As if to prove her point a crack of lightning illuminated the room for a brief moment then thunder vibrated through the house a few heartbeats later. Her fingers danced up the inside of his thigh as she appeared to consider his proposition.

"I'm curious as to what they teach the prim and proper Dreadlords," she rested her forehead against his and pressed herself closer so their breaths mixed in the air between them. Talus had picked the entirely wrong thing to try and keep his pride in regards to. Her fingers were at the highest point the could go on his inner thigh and she dragged her nails back down gently. "Perhaps I can push back my plans."

 

[Talus]

"Oh?" Talus had to inject some confidence into his voice.

He wouldn't pretend that this was something he'd done before. With Alloi it had always been...well two teenagers doing their best to sneak around. The Brothels it had never been up to him either. This was all...very different.

Yet he couldn't deny the spike of his heartbeat, nor the endorphins that flooded into him as he felt Zana slowly drag her nails over his skin.

Something sparked in him. "That's very generous. I know you Luana Dreadlords are busy."

His smile widened, and then suddenly she would feel his hand slide onto the curve of her rear in a hard smack.

"But for a Dreadlord of the Guard you're gonna have to clear your whole day." Then before she could argue Talus pulled her close into a passionate kiss.

 

[Zana]

Zana's interactions with partners had been varied; from downright disappointing to intoxicating. But they had been almost clinical with how they were planned and when it was over with it was never spoken of again. She saw it more as a way to release stress and tension more than anything with emotion. But this... this was playful and funny and dorky and it made her laugh as well as raised her pulse.

The smack was entirely unexpected. The laughter at his comment on Luana Dreadlords ended abruptly and her cheeks coloured somewhat as she stared at him wide eyed. Before she could regain her thoughts, or in fact do anything, his lips demanded hers and after a moment of disbelief she gave into it with a soft primal noise in the back of her throat.

The storm was the perfect dramatic backdrop to their tousle in the sheets and by the time they were both exhausted and spent enough to leave one another alone the thunder sounded much further away and the rain had returned to a light patter against the window panes. Zana's body was slick with sweat and she cast off the covers to let her skin breathe, her eyes closing as she focused on her breathing.

"Maybe I do need to join the guards."

 

[Talus]

Talus let out a heavy breath, one arm above his head, the other flopped half-way off the bed.

His eyes were closed as she spoke, but a throaty chuckle managed to find it's way from him. "I don't think this is standard recruitment procedure."

Talus said softly, his head still somewhat spinning.

This experience had been...different. A part of him was still wondering how he'd managed to fumble his way into it, but he'd doubtlessly enjoyed every second. Passion, joy, none of the practiced motion that he'd known beforehand.

It was...humanizing.

His eyes slowly opened, and his head turned to look at her. A smile crossed his lips.

 

[Zana]

"Mmm... it should be."

Zana stretched lazily, her whole body was feeling limp and heavy, but she managed to roll herself onto her side so that she might better enjoy the view whilst he was here. Her eyes danced down his body then back to catch his smile. Her own lips responded of their own accord and she leaned forward to gift him with a softer, slower kiss.

"That was..." probably many things. A mistake, for one. If inviting him for dinner was a death wish then she was pretty sure sleeping with him was worse. But none of the rational negative things sprang to mind in that moment. "A choice I definitely enjoyed making."

 

[Talus]

He chuckled again. "I think we'll leave that Method for the House Guards."

As she slowly stretched Talus watched her, taking in the sight while trying not to appear as though he were leering. His smile never went away, and slowly he was brazen enough to even adjust his arm to make it easier to see.

Her kiss came next, and Talus found himself taking in a deep breath.

"I would hope so." He commented softly.

Of course the reality of what they'd done had yet to strike him fully. There would have been consequences if they were discovered before? Now it would likely be worse. Which wasn't even to mention the hours they had spent together, hours that he would have to explain.

Still, he didn't feel a single hint of regret.

This entire thing. The dinner, their conversation, sleep, even the sex. It had been a connection, not just to Zana, but another link to Humanity that Talus had been desperately seeking. It was more fulfilling than he could have put into words. "Thank you."

He said softly.

"I've felt isolated for so long. Even among the Guard." They welcomed him, but none understood him. They couldn't. "It's been nice not to be...alone."