Private Tales Shifting Sands

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Vulpesen said:
"You do have a certain nobility around you. A strength of character."
Click to expand...

Seteta felt Vulpesen's lips softly caress hers and she hummed contentedly.

"Flattery will get you rewarded," she purred softly, her eyes fluttering open when he moved away.

She watched as he stuck the torch in the snad and secured it, meting the sand with his lightning magic.

As he came and lay next to her, she tucked herself under his arm and pressed up against his side. She rested her head on his shoulder and softly stroked his tail where it laid across her thighs.

"You are able to do quite a bit with earth manipulation already," Seteta said. "You just lack practice. And we only have a few more days before we reach the portal stone, so while I'll teach you a few more things that will be the foundation of more complicated spells, I think practice is what we'll prioritize."

Seteta turned onto her side then, stretching to gently press a kiss to Vulpesen's jaw, and hooked her knee over his leg, careful not to pinch his tail.

"Rest for a bit," she said, laying her arm across his torso. "The storm has the feel of one that will last till tomorrow morning. We have plenty of time for... many things until then."

Her flirtatious smile faded as she settled her head back against his shoulder with a quiet, tired sigh. She almost wished she could sleep for a while, but she'd weathered storms like this alone before. She knew how to walk that line between barely-conscious and sleep where she could still maintain the flow of magic, and quietly slipped into a state that was almost like a trance.

Vulpesen
 
"Well the road ahead of me will give plenty of time for practice," mused, his head lifting a bit to accept the kiss along his jaw. "Not so much time to enjoy resting with my desert princess." At her mention of the many things awaiting them, his tail wrapped around her hand, surrounding it in a soft coil.

Laying with Seteta at his side, he held her close to him, his hand drawing patterns along the elf's back while his eyes closed, though not to sleep. Stretching out his senses, Vulpesen worked to practice their previous lessons, extending his sight beyond their shelter and into the windstorm outside. He didn't expect to see much in doing so, but to sense the raging sandstorm through the sands was quite an interesting sensation.
 
Seteta smiled softly at the endearment of desert princess, and let Vulpesen's heartbeat lull her senses as his fingers stroked her back and the soft warmth of his tail curled around her palm.

She felt when his magic reached out, just barely brushing against the edges of her own, she just 'watched' as he stretched his awareness out. She didn't respond, didn't say anything, just let him experiment for a while.

At some point, she murmured, "Try stretching your awareness into the sand that's in the air. But just watch. Don't try anything else."

It would be trickier, since not all of those grains of sand were touching each other. But they were close enough together that he would be able to find a web of magic, similar to how she'd constructed their shelter, and watch the desert and the storm through it. He wouldn't, though, be able to manipulate the storm unless he used air magic. She knew next to nothing about manipulating two elemental forms at the same time, and so he would have to learn something like that from someone else.

Sometime later, maybe an hour or two, when she felt physically refreshed at least though the constant flow of magic she was maintaining was slightly tiring, she took a deep breath, and rolled over and stretched, then propped herself up on an elbow to watch Vulpesen in the flickering torchlight.

Vulpesen
 
Following her instructions, Vulpesen expanded his net of magic. It was slow work forging up towards the sky with a few frustrated growls coming out in the process. Still, once he learned the rhythm of the work and the tricks for following the weave of magic, Vulpesen's time became far easier for him to expand into the air.

"It'll take some practice, but I feel like I may be runnin' before walkin'. The sand touches, but its all different things. I'm guessin' solid stone may be a bit easier to sense through. Feel the vibrations and focus on one solid piece as opposed to trying to decipher the shift of millions." His eyes still shut, he could steel sense Seteta turning to watch him, the sand beneath her adjusting to the shift in weight and giving him a picture as clear as he might have seen anyways in the dark of their shelter.
 
"Solid stone is easier," Seteta confirmed. "But if you master the sand, you can master anything. However, you should stop now for a while. Don't push so hard you can't control the magic as you reel it in. That's how you end up with scars like mine."

As she waited, Seteta drank some more water, though sparingly, took off her boots with a sigh of relief as she wiggled and stretched her toes, and sat back again to let her hair down, shaking it loose from its braid, and started combing it out.

When she noticed Vulpesen's eyes start to flutter open, she smiled and scooted over to him, leaning over to press a kiss to his mouth.

Vulpesen
 
"The benefits of jumping into the deep end," he murmured as he came back to himself, withdrawing from the swirling sands around them. There was a small feeling of loss within him as he was left with only the sight of his eyes, though the void of sensation was quickly replaced by the soft touch of her lips to his.

Smiling at his own fortune, Vulpesen wrapped his arms around Seteta and pulled her closer, his tail wrapping warmly around her waist. "All rested up?" he asked, his lips hardly leaving hers. She was right, practice could wait until later. For now, they had quite a bit of time to kill until the storm outside died down.

Seteta
 
Seteta smiled against Vulpesen's lips as he pulled her closer. "All rested up," she confirmed, nestling against his warmth as his arms and tail settled around her. The temperature outside was slowly dropping between the wind and the lack of sunlight, and while it wouldn't get nearly as cold as it did overnight when the skies were perfectly clear, it would feel almost chilly.

"You said your warlock contract was a fairly recent happening," Seteta murmured between soft, slowly deepening kisses. "Is that how you gained the ability for earth manipulation?"

She was curious, both about his abilities, and about him. She may not have had many long-term lovers, but she didn't sleep with someone that she didn't think she could at least be friends with, if they weren't friends already.

Gently, she rolled onto her back on the sand, pulling Vulpesen on top of her and sliding her hands around the back of his neck to pull him down for another kiss. All their encounters so far had been playful and quick, so as not to interfere with their need for sleep while traveling. And while she'd enjoyed them, she also like slow, something that worked towards an intense build-up, and right now they had the time for that.

Vulpesen
 
The chill went unnoticed by Vulpesen as the wamrth of his companion settled in. Rolling with her, he withdrew his lips to trail a line of light nips and kisses along her neck, his pointed canines grazing almodt dangerously across her skin. "It is. V- my patron granted me the power to manipulate and be one with nature." He looked up from his attentions on her collarbone before going up to resume his affection to the softness of her kiss. "However, the techniques he left me to learn from others. Hence why he guided me to you."

He never asked how Varos knew such things such as where to find his targets and teachers. Truth be told, he didn't really care. Varos was a fae of secrets which he would reveal or hide as he pleased. Vulpesen was simply happy to enjoy the moment he was in. Letting his hands roam over Seteta's form, he took his time familiarizing himself with her just as he had taken his time to practice and learn her teachings.
 
Seteta arched her neck as Vulpesen's teeth grazed over her skin, and she slid her hands from his neck to caress his shoulders and then further down, traveling the lines of his chest with her fingertips, unhindered by his clothing.

"So you can manipulate all of the elements?" she murmured, teasing her toes up the back of his leg. "What else can you do, if you hadn't made a warlock pact?"

She moaned softly as his weight settled on her. Her fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt, then skirted up his ribs as she smiled teasingly.

"We should probably get out the blankets soon," she whispered. "Trust me, this is not something you want to do straight on sand. Even if you can manipulate it."

Vulpesen
 
"All the elements and a few other tricks like the one that got us here." His tail unwrapped from her waist and travelled along her thigh, occasionally flicking at the sensation of her fingers dancing along his torso. At her question, he pulled away from her lips though a bit reluctantly, reaching for his bag to retrieve the blankets while he answered. "I was a scout in the army. I can ride faster, kill quieter, and lie more cleverly than most people you'll ever meet."

[Hence you became my champion.] The unbidden commentary made Vulpesen jolt and a look of annoyance briefly crossed over his face.

[Does privacy mean nothing to you?] he growled out in his mind's voice.

[You're the one who forgot to close the door. Besides this is when all the best secrets are to-] With that, the metaphorical door was slammed shut as Vulpesen withdrew the blankets and laid them out.

"Now it seems quiet is a thing of the past with an extra voice rattling around my head," he finally said aloud, his words mixed with amusement and exasperation. "And after I was done with soldiering, I sailed the seas. So on top of superb balance and climbing skills, I learned to tie every knot under the sun."

Seteta
 
Last edited:
"Knots are fun," Seteta smirked playfully, helping Vulpesen to spread the blankets out. She sat, and pressed her hand against the sand for just a moment, adjusting the density of the sand dome to lessen the flow of air near the floor.

She reached over and tugged Vulpesen down beside her, then crawled into his lap. She pressed kisses to his forehead, the bridge of his nose, his lips, then continued down his chin to his neck before she tugged at his shirt.

"An extra voice in your head, hm?" she commented on the other thing he'd said at last, a note of concern underlying her teasing tone. "Is that where you learned all your tricks in bed?"

Vulpesen
 
A wily grin spread across Vulpesen's lips at her comment on his skills from the sea. It wasn't a skill he put into use in many places outside of work, though he couldn't deny that he'd learned the truth in her words. Accepting the elf into his lap, he once again enjoyed her kiss before helping to remove the infernal clothes that kept him separated from her.

"Fortunately, those skills I learned myself while on the march," he purred, his head lifting up to accept the kisses along his neck. "Something about the uniform, I guess." His hands lifted up, tracing under her clothing to run his nails lightly up along her spine. "So, shall we compare what tricks we've learned? A nomad and a soldier."

Seteta
 
Seteta wrinkled her nose a little at the mention of 'uniform' but didn't didn't stray from her current task of tracing her fingers over Vulpesen's shoulders and chest while she sucked a mark onto his skin at the base of his throat.

Uniforms, in the desert, meant conquest. And while she knew that Vulpesen likely wasn't from any race who would do that to her people, they were still a reminder of harder times for her tribe.

Even so, she shivered lightly at his nails dragged up her spine, lightly enough not to scratch.

"Hm, tricks yes," she purred, pulling back from her explorations to allow her abaya be tugged off. "Maybe test your stamina too."



Later, when it was fully dark outside between the sandstorm and the fading daylight, Seteta lay sprawled on her stomach, still naked. Her feet were lightly dancing in the air and her head was propped up on her hands. She gazed at Vulpesen with lazy fondness.

"You should practice some," she said, this time referring to magic, though she didn't say so right away, and after a teasing pause, she continued with a smirk. "Try to make a shape with the sand. Any shape, and keep it about the size of your palm. You'll use a similar method to how I made the woven net of magic between the grains of sand for this shelter. But don't try to force the sand apart. Just use the magic to feel the connections, and coax it into your hand."

Vulpesen
 
Vulpesen's eyes glowed like embers in thedark as he looked down at his tail, combing out the sand with a simple brush form his pack. Covered only barely by his cloak across his lap, the zorren wore nothing of a sleepy smile as he enjoyed the familiar comfort of a quiet night.

At the broken silence, his tail which had been flicking happily went stiff. Looking up with narrowed eyes, he stared imcomprehensibly at Seteta until she elaborated, her further statement releasingthe tension in his body. Even with over a century under his belt, he couldn't help but have a bit of pride. Afterall, he had hardly ever gotten word of anything less than satisfaction.

[You funny little mortals and you funny little egos,] Varos snickered into his mind.

[At least I dont need to get my kicks by watching the before and after of others. Hiding another secret are we?]

The sputtering of his patron drew a smirk from Vulpesen's own face as he took in the gorgeous sight of the elf infront of him. Taking his time in processing her words, it was a short moment before he reached down to the earth, both with his hand and his mind. "If I remember right, you didnt really grow the dome... it was more like catching the grains in a web."

He took a deep breath and felt out for the leylines, taking holdnofnthe nearest one and drawing on its power. Charging his spell, he wove it into the samd beneath his fingertips. Much like his lightning had left a pattern of glass in its trail, he made a somewhat solid statue.
 
Seteta watched, splaying her hand across the blanket to touch the sand and its magic, watching what Vulpesen did both with her eyes and through magic.

When he finished, she smiled and nodded.

"Now, after you tell me what exactly that's supposed to be, if you can move it, either from hand to hand or from your hand to the sand, without it losing its form, I'm sure I can think of some type of reward for you," Seteta said with a playful smile as she rolled onto her side, still facing him, and teasingly trailed her fingers over her bare skin.

The challenge, with moving the sand... statue was maintaining the magic in static form while it was in motion, and possibly even briefly not in contact with him. If he succeeded, she would be truly impressed.

Vulpesen
 
Taking another deep breath, Vulpesen honed his focus. It was the same technique he used in a long bow shot or deciphering words from beyond a thick barrier. Intense focus while drowning out the noise of the world around him. Slowly and carefully, he took his other hand and sank it beneath the sand, slowly shifting it through the sand until he was under his chosen shape.

His brow furrowed and sweating from either heat or concentration, he cupped his hand and started to lift up. Bit by bit, any sand he had not caught in his web of magic fell away from his statuette, pouring off like water until finally, he held it before Seteta in his palm. It had taken a fair amount of work and only when he was holding it still in the air did Vulpesen finally dare to open his eyes, though not daring to risk distracting himself with the beautiful face across the shelter as he saved every ounce of focus.

A small smile crawling across his lips, displaying a single fang, he beheld the miniature chuma which now rested in his palm. Slow and deliberate once more, he lowered his hand, setting the desert rabbit down in the sand. Thankfully, his power came from Varos, meaning that he had no difficulty pouring in strength for his spells. Unfortunately, his technique was all that he had learned in the few days that he had been travelling with his new teacher. "Ta-da," he murmured, even that little distraction causing a few grains to fall from an ear of his creation.
 
Seteta couldn't help but laugh delightedly at Vulpesen's ta-da. Miniature chuma was at least recognizable, even if it was already starting to crumble.

"When I said to make a shape I was thinking more like... a blob," she clarified. "But still, the fact that you've managed something more complex so quickly is promising."

She rolled back over onto her stomach, moving closer to where Vulpesen had set the little statue, grinning as she looked it over. It was obvious that he was struggling with holding the magic steady without getting distracted. She was tempted to tease him a little, make him exert some effort, but she also didn't want to wear him out... at least, not with his magic.

"You can let it go now," she said. "We'll try again in a couple hours."

Vulpesen
 
At the sound of her laugh, Vulpesen looked up, causing another ear to disintegrate entirely, falling into the sand from whence it came. Still, it was worth it to see Seteta's mirth. "Now I just need to learn to keep it there." Hearing her call for a rest, he relaxed and lowered the hand he had kept hovering over the tiny chuma, leaving the rest to fall into a small mound to be blown away at the next wind to touch it.

"I think a couple hours rest would do me some good," he offered with a smile, crawling forward to somewhat mirror her position and in the process bring his lips once more to hers. "You know, you make focus and a clear mind very hard to keep." The air behind him swished as his tail passed playfully back and forth, its midnight fur blending in with the dark of the dome.
 
"I don't think what you have on your mind right now is rest," Seteta whispered teasingly against Vulpesen's lips. "And besides, if you can master these things while being distracted, then you'll truly be ready to tackle the world."

She didn't move from her spot right away, content to indulge in soft, gentle kisses for a while, teasing Vulpesen's lips softly with her teeth and tongue. But soon, heat was curling low in her belly again, and her kiss became more insistent, her tongue delving in to stroke along his. Her lower lip caught along one of his fangs with a slight sting, and she pulled back, licking away a small drop of blood, but otherwise she barely noticed.

With a smile, she rolled over and shifted to lay alongside Vulpesen, knees bent and falling open welcomingly as she teasingly traced her fingers down her torso. "We've many hours yet till dawn, and till the storm lets up," she murmured. "Plenty of time for rest and fun, and maybe even a little more... practice."

Vulpesen
 
A pleasured growl rumbled against Seteta's lips as her tongue danced along his and a hand rose up to slide his finger tips up her neck before tangling themselves in her hair. When she rolled over beside him, he was quick to roll atop her, one hand still playing along her tresses while the other ran down her side to her waist to pull her closer. "Plenty of time indeed. And they do say that practice makes perfect."

His tail flicked down, curling itself around her leg while his lips pulled away from hers to lay a line of kisses along her collarbone. Perhaps it wasn't the most relaxing way to rest after stressing one's mind with a new application of magic, but he was fairly certain that afterward, he would find himself well enough depleted to enjoy resting both his mind and body.
 
Seteta had no idea what time it was by the time the two of them were... physically sated. But at some point, as they lay next to each other in the near darkness talking softly, she drifted off to sleep, curling softly into Vulpesen's side as she pulled a blanket up to her shoulders.

She didn't sleep deeply, since she had to keep the shelter up, but it was a little deeper than the rest she'd managed earlier in the day as she let the grains of sand beating against her dome lull her into a quiet trance, of sorts.

When she stirred again, it was because her stomach growled, and the dawn's light was starting to break through the dissipating storm. She yawned and stretched, but didn't get up, draping her arm softly over Vulpesen's waist.

"Good morning," she whispered, uncertain if he was awake yet. She was hungry and needed a drink, and then she would see about helping him with his earth magic a little more.

Vulpesen
 
Vulpesen's sleep had been deep for a time after the pair had exhausted themselves with each other's company. but now, as he felt Seteta stir against him, he reached down and stoked her back, his hand running up and down her spine. "Good morning," he murmured.

While obviously awake, his eyes were closed and one of his hands was against the ground. As Seteta awoke, she'd likely find herself more attuned to the web of magic that was stretching out from them. Sleep had come to him, but on a starless night, it was reluctant to stay and thus he had been spending quite a bit of time with some light practice and small conversations with his patron.

"I have a few rations in my pack if you want them. Not sure if we want to leave the dome just yet." He'd picked up on the growling of her stomach, one of his ears flicking to point more into her direction while the other twitched around to the general sounds of the winds beyond their shelter.
 
Seteta sighed softly at the feel of his hand tracing her spine, his sharp nails gently tickling her skin. As she slowly came fully awake, she realized that beneath the hold she had of her own web of magic for their shelter, she felt his own magic alongside it. It was powerful, but gentle, and she could sense that he'd been working on regulating the flow of it.

"Practicing already?" she teased gently as she sat up and reached for his pack and a waterskin. She shoved the pack over toward him, not sure where he kept the rations in it, and she didn't like to rifle through other's personal belongings.

She drank from the waterskin carefully. They still had one more full skin besides this partial one, but it would need to last them the rest of the time in this dome, as well as till they reached the next spring or oasis. There should be at least one more between here and the portal stone.

Though if she absolutely had to, she could force water up from deep beneath the surface of the earth. But it was... draining on her.

When she finished her drink, and waited for Vulpesen to divide up whatever rations he had left, she answered his earlier comment about whether or not they wanted to leave. "It's slowly dying down," she said. "The sand became less brutal through the night. Probably another two or three hours, and we can safely leave without having our face and eyes shredded by the sandy wind.

"After we've eaten, why don't you show me what you've been doing all night?" she suggested with a playful smile.

Vulpesen
 
Drawing his mind back into himself, Vulpesen closed his hand into the sand, his fingers gripping as he sent a surge of magic out towards his bag. Showing a small demonstration of what he had been practicing, he pulled at a rod of sandstone which extended out to his bag, causing it to slide towards them for him to reach in.

"I'd be happy to." Emotion and expression started to flow back into his voice as lucidity returned to his gaze. Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a pair of packages, each one filled with dried meats and fruits. In terms of size, his pouches were a bit larger than most, likely owing to the appetite he had thus far displayed. "This should hold us over until we can find something a little fresher." A small smile crossed his lips as he handed one of the ration packs to Seteta.

Stretching out a bit, Vulpesen enjoyed a small chorus of pops and cracks that sounded along his spine, loosening the tightness from sitting in one position for too long. It wasn't often that he practiced such meditative actions, but he'd allowed his attention to be taken up entirely by his practice, distracting him from the discomfort and hunger.
 
Seteta laughed softly as Vulpesen ended up retrieving his own bag. "I see you have been practicing," she said, and murmured a quiet thanks as she dug into her food. After they both ate and drank, she had him show her a little more of what he'd been practicing through the night, offering whatever hints and tips she could think of.

He had a stronger source of magic at his disposal, through his warlock bond, and so much of what she imparted to him was moderation. Making sure not to try and have the magic do too much too quickly for his skill level.

They... rested a little while longer again after that, and it was with some regret that Seteta eventually announced that the storm had finally ended and they could continue on their way.

"Tomorrow is probably our last full day of travel together," she said softly once they'd both dressed and she'd brought down the dome of sand with a weary sigh. "You'd better think of any questions you might have before I'm not here to answer them anymore."

Vulpesen
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom