Private Tales What Wolves Hide Their Teeth?

[Kilien Basmarc]

For as cutthroat as she was with everyone else, she sure was just the sweetest black licorice to him. Kilien canted his head to look at her, smiling warmly back. How she volunteered to do just about anything and everything with him could not be further from where they started.

Her professing that they would never be friends.

At least she still used his last name. The more things changed...

He stood, shifted over to her, and wrapped his long arms around her, hugging her so snugly to him that when he leaned back her boots would lift off the ship deck.

"You're a peach," he pressed a smooch into her cheek as he held her aloft. Another. And another.

He'd teach her anything she wanted to know.


~~~


"This... this is where... we'll be staying," stated Tafinn, breathlessly, as their long, long, looooong walk from the docks up to the upper levels of the merchant district finally came to a slow pause. The distance wasn't the issue here, but even Kilien would admit that the grade of the slope that met their steps was more than he'd expected. Dumb to think Elbion would be on level ground when it was built along the side of a mountain. The various districts seemed to be carved into giant terraces that span the entire width of the city.

The streets wove elegantly between quarters in looped hairpin turns that climbed the levels.

For those on foot there were steps.

So many steps.

Vel Anir was flat as one of Vittoria's pancakes compared to this. No wonder everyone here had massive calves.

Tafinn, heavily winded, swayed a languishing hand toward the sign of a rather prim looking building: The Marigold Inn. Its whitewashed walls were elegantly hand-painted with golden flowers to match the carved and gilded sign hung just over the main entrance. Every window had a flowerbox of - you guessed it - marigolds. Bright and blooming and giving his nose an awful tickle.

"How far are we from the college?" Kilien asked as he shifted his and Vittoria's traveling cloaks from one arm to the other. They'd gotten rather warm on the trek up.

"About half as far as we've already come," Tafinn nodded and blew out his cheeks, "but we'll have more luck catching a carriage here."

Down at the warf there had been lots of catch-carts but apparently they'd arrived during the midday surge. Not an empty cart in sight. So they walked. Kilien didn't mind but his feet would be grateful for a break.

"Take this inside to the front desk," Tafinn said, withdrawing a mildly crumpled scroll and handing it to Vittoria, "it has the reservations. I need... a few minutes to catch my breath."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

She quirked a brow, staring at the scroll as if waiting for the simple use of manners. When none came, she clicked her tongue and gingerly took the parchment roll with forefinger and thumb. Her eyes waged like the sea it was reminiscent of, but still she found a sense of calm looking to Kilien.

Silently, she motioned for him to accompany her inside.

"I really wish we did not have to stay somewhere so... floral." There simply was too much detail devoted to it, to simple marigolds. Vittoria sighed softly, leading the way to a desk where a gnome looking creature sat behind.

"Afternoon, new arrivals!" He spoke in Common.

Vittoria hummed something along the lines of pleasant, placing the scroll down before them. The gnome flattened it out, read the scrawled letters, and smiled. "Ah! Anirians! Yes, I have your rooms! Two, rooms for two people!"

She paused, looking to Kilien before the scroll. "We are a party of three... so, would it not be three rooms?"

"Ahh... well... you see we only have two rooms left, I can see to it that —"

"No, no. Two shall be fine."

"Right, well... here are your keys. Upstairs, on the third storey will be your rooms. This one here has a sofa that may fit a small someone..." He held up a key. Vittoria took it.

"Tafinn, another Anirian, is just catching his breath outside. Be sure to leave the other key for him, please."

And with that, Vittoria lead Kilien and their luggage to the stairs to their left.

"You do not mind, do you? If we share a room. I can take the small sofa... unless you are not opposed to me sleeping beside you." She asked as they slowly ascended the stairs. It was a tight spiral almost, but Vittoria seemed to keep a general pace. Not even a day in Elbion and she felt as if she did not need to train any endurance later today.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

He remained dead silent during the exchange. Vittoria got what Vittoria wanted and there was no one on this gods-given land that would sway her thoughts otherwise. If sharing a room was fine by her, he would not question it.

It wasn't as if she hadn't stolen into his dorm or he to her own on the occasion to spend the evening talking, cuddling, and classwork. But they usually parted ways before it ever got too late and he'd certainly never spent evenings with her so dangerously close to the full moon. The very thought opened the gate to his anxiety and it came wooshing back to the pit of his stomach with such force that he nearly keeled over.

"Nnn-" Kilien willed himself not to look sick and instead busied himself with picking up their things from where he'd set them on the floor, "noh, of course not. No one's sleepin on a sofa, especially not you."

Boots padded after her up the stairs where he allowed himself the luxury of his view for several long moments. Yeah, Vittoria's rear made a good balm for the brain.

"It'll be like the academy, but the whole night. No Proctor checks." He did manage a smile at that as Vi made the landing and stepped off down the hall, "All..." but there came reality again.

Every night. All night.

Right up to the full moon.

Kilien swallowed.

"...all week."

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

His voice was turning... odd.

The inflections in his voice were not normal, and Vittoria skewered him with a look that hinted at her suspect of him.

"Kilen..." Voice soft, directed. She eyed him another moment before walking to their room they would be sharing. If she were in Vel Anir, she could have used her magic to unlock the door, but here in Elbion, shackled, she used a mundane key to open the door to their small room. The bed was large enough for two, but the sofa looked thin and much too stiff.

Kilien was right. It would not be so bad as they had shared a bed for hours before sneaking off and away. Here, they would not have to.

"Are you... nervous of sharing a bed?" She asked, turning to peer at him as she placed her bags onto the sofa. "If... you are not ready to lay with me... then it is noted, Kilien. No need to be... evasive of it." Her eyes narrowed, not sure if that was what she was picking up on. Vittoria and Kilien had gotten pretty close a few times, but if he did not want to go that far while in Elbion, Vittoria could respect that as she knew the moment would come one day...

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

His feet stopped. His eyes saucered.

You didn't know that was a verb until now, but you know exactly what it means.

"Dyeh-buah-" there would be a point at which his feet, hands, mouth, and brain would all agree on what they were doing, but that was not this moment. He staggered just beyond the door, faintly hunched in a way similar to how one might when experiencing a forty-wagon pile up on a trade route. The pile-up signified countless thoughts all colliding at the intersection of taking Vittoria Larrainth's virginity and not revealing my biggest secret while sharing a bed with Vittoria Larrainth.

He gestured at her with his free hand, not quite yet making eye contact.

"Hold-" his hand flexed, "you-" pointed, "that-" balled. Kilien pressed his lips and hmmm'd gruffly.

"Pigeon feathers."

He was back to pointing at her, brows furrowed and eyes squinting to ensure he was hearing things correctly.

"You... want... to?"

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria was now witnessing something peculiar. She had never seen someone so... disoriented.

Her brow quirked at him, watching him struggle with words and movement, but Vittoria knew this was how beings reacted to surprising things. At last, he managed words coherent enough that, although spoken with too much pause in between, formed a short sentence. "I have been thinking about it since we spoke about the Malakath Kiss and... the others. I will not harm you, Kilien. These make sure of it."

Did she know or understand the imagery picking up cuffs awaiting her on a small table would look like? No. To Vittoria, she had not read anything about cuffs or restraints used in pleasure. These cuffs were for her to put on, to nullify her connection to her magical wells.

"I will not be unmaking you like I did that boy that stole a kiss from me. You I like. A lot."

That should put him at ease. Perhaps...

Vittoria looked to Kilien, a small smile working it's way on her lips. All for him. "Only... if you are ready. Of course. I can wait for you."

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

She still thought he was afraid of her.

She still had it all wrong.

The more Vittoria spoke, the more his body realigned. In the end, his hand dropped slowly to his side and he stood smiling at her, fondness crinkling his eyes. Until now his biggest concern was that they moved at her pace. That he not overstep the limits or make her uncomfortable. He had been patiently waiting for her.

Kilien was not someone who had a difficult time finding bedmates when he wanted that sort of attention, but that had never been the goal here.

There'd never really been a goal with Vittoria to begin with. This thing between them had just sort of... happened. Now he simply was here to see just how much more he could know of her that no one else did.

"You like me?" his jaw dropped in a play of dawning disbelief, "like ... this much?"

He dropped their bags and coats where he stood and stretched his arms out to either side, fingers wiggling in demonstration.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

Vittoria's cheeks twitched as her smile grew, her teeth bared only in a show of amusement as laughter bubbled through her.

She was unsure of these feelings she possessed, foreign to her, but Vittoria thought on it enough to understand some aspects. "I fear like may be inferior of what I am thinking and feeling." She crossed the distance slowly, abandoning the shackles that she would have to put on eventually. With is arms outstretched, measuring just how much her fondness for him could be, Vittoria wrapped her arms around his middle.

There, her head softly rested at his shoulder. "This much." She tightened her arms, burying her face into his coat. Vittoria spoke lowly, as she often did when it came to talking about her own emotions.

Kilien was the only person to bring out warmth from her. The first that Vittoria could experience such feelings and thoughts about a person, like the books she liked to read.

"Should we go find our charge? See how he fares before we go explore this city for something to eat?" Vittoria had done most of the cooking when they made camp traveling to the Falwood Stone. Sizzling bacon, eggs, bread, and plenty of broth, she had been looking forward to something not made by her.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

"Mm." A contented rumble answered in a puff of warm breath over her head as he nuzzled into her hair. Like a trap snare, his arms coiled about her and hugged her closely again, their charge utterly forgotten for the exchange shared just now. How could any man hope to keep their thoughts straight when faced with such naked truths?

"Mm-mm," Kilien shook his head fervently, nudging his nose further into her hair in search of her ear where he could press a lasting kiss with another pleased rumble in his chest.

"Nope. Don't care about him." He cared about this. Them. Talking as freely as any couple might ... even if they weren't exactly a couple. Perhaps he'd have to change that. Maybe tonight, over dinner.

"Hey," amidst envisioning a romantic, candle-lit dinner the dream broke as he pictured Vi sighing despondently over her anti-magic cuffs. "What if... you didn't have to wear the cuffs?" Leaning back just enough to look her in the eye, Kilien lifted one of his hands to curl his fingers within her line of sight. Gold and brass rings glinted in the daylight coming through the windows.

Beyond his skill with college magic and a wand, Kilien was particularly gifted in the art of tutaminis: the absorbing, recycling, and implementation of mana from others. It wasn't a talent he lorded over his classmates, but most Initiates made an effort not to let him touch their skin. Not that it mattered much - Kilien usually played the role of punching bag instead of going on the offensive.

"What do you think?" He could take her mana, effectively locking her out of her abilities for a while. She'd recover it eventually, but they had no need for her powers here either way. This was a diplomatic mission, after all.

 

[Vittoria Larrainth]

It took her a moment to understand what he was offering, but the reminders began to string together as her eyes watched his rings glint in the light. She had always held a fascination of for them, and had once felt envy they were always attached to him. By the time Vittoria knew what his offer entailed, she drew back her gaze to look up at him.

"You would offer this kindness to me?" To save her from being identified as a shackled monster due to her inhumane magic. Vittoria liked the infamy the cuffs gave her in Vel Anir, the reproach many gave her once they saw her make such a show of presenting them. Because in Vel Anir, where magic reigned in vast measures, one could only assume how potent it could be without the nullification.

Elbion... already she felt the freshness in the air. How this city differed from home. Set into the sides of mountains, high up in places, Vittoria had a new city to explore and look over. She had wanted to spend that time and adventure with Kilien, and the shred of excitement she began to realise was because of him.

"I would feel more at ease... that is to say, I would not need to feel like a Dreadlord in the making if I had to wear them every day."

And yet, her brows furrowed deeply. The nullification cuffs worked, yes, but her instinct to unmake held a high potency. Over days, her mind would find the cracks between magic, and if there were none, Vittoria would find ways to shatter the integrity of a spell. It was why her entire life since the Revolution had been spent in weekly renewals of cuffs being bestowed upon her...

What would that mean for him? Would taking her mana mean taking an essence of the small erosion that was her magic? "Remind me. How will this work?" She would refuse if she had suspicion she would cause him harm.

 

[Kilien Basmarc]

If he could give her a day removed from Dreadlord in the making, then he'd make every effort to do so. Vittoria did not know what it could feel like to be normal and he believed with every fiber of his being that she deserved to simply be a girl.

To enjoy herself.

"Ah, well," he curled his fingers and gently rubbed the pads together in thought. He'd never had to explain the process before and, frankly, he wasn't entirely sure he knew all the details. Theory was his repertoire, but it wasn't necessarily always complete or correct.

"So, your cuffs act as nullifiers, yeah? If your magic was your ability to buy something, the cuffs prevent you from reaching your money, your mana, while in place. You still have your money and can maybe figure out a way to work around the cuffs, or break them, to reach it."

"My ability acts like a pickpocket and removes your money entirely. So unless you know how to pickpocket others as well, you won't be able to buy anything until you've saved up enough money again over time. Make sense?"

It did not help his reputation that he was a convicted felon for various instances of robbery and theft. Kilien wasn't sure if she knew that but he wasn't about to bring it up.