OOM All Skate Skellig Dream Magic Weirdness -Part Seven

[brave_kreyu]

It turns out that 'guarding the lair' involves more than just staying in one place. Kreyu has a goal today of scouting outside their borders, looking for possible trouble.

Given that Skellig can't speak the local language, yet, they're not trying to pass as locals. Skellig is just wearing a kilt as they stalk through the forest.

The wilderness is truly wild here, only barely touched by humans. Beasts of all kinds live in these woods, wolves, deer, boars, birds, rabbits, and more.

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[brave_kreyu]

She smiles, so very proud, because it IS a big thing for him to say.

"Your life has been turned upside down and shaken beyond recognition," she tells him, kissing his cheek. "You are are adapting remarkably well, my love."

She looks up to the stars. "You are worthy of every good thing, every joy I can manage to give you."

[27_53]

Even though he cannot remember much of his life Before, he knows that the depth of stars was not this great as the field that covers the sky above them in this moment, now that the last hints of sunset have faded from the western horizon.

"I know I am," he replies. "And I am starting to even believe it, also," he quips, twirling a lock of her hair in his finger. "You have given me more joy and instances of Light and Karma to fill my soul and my heart than I could even imagine possible. I am very grateful for that."

[brave_kreyu]

She chuckles softly at his quip. "I am grateful that I could give them to you," she tells him. "For you have given me so much, Skellig."

There's starlight reflecting in her eyes. "More than I could ever say."

They're probably protected enough to fall asleep out here, beneath the stars, wrapped up in one another's arms.
Or if his stamina has recovered, they could entertain one another under the stars in other ways...

[27_53]

His stamina has recovered decently enough, but he is also feeling quite lazy and comfortable with her body curled around his in such a manner. His ears are 'listening' for any potential threats, but there are none within range, simply wildlife at a distance.

His fingertips shift to her upper arm, stroking gently upwards to the edge of her chiton at her shoulder.

"I am finally feeling deeply connected to the lines," he mutters softly, relief in his tone. "I know it has been several days since we have been here, but it has taken some time for me to grab hold of them fully. I am much less...overwhelmed."

[brave_kreyu]

"That is very good news," Kreyu tells him, relief and delight in her tone. The gentle strokes of his fingertips feel good, soothing.

"I hope you will get the sense you had Before back also, with time."

[27_53]

"I feel it returning," he says. "Every time that I connect with the lines, it takes less effort. I have not yet felt...pulled as I have before, but perhaps that is because I am not needed."

Skellig smiles. "Which is a good thing. I do not mind helping, but it is nice to be able to just focus on you."

[brave_kreyu]

"Wonderful," she says, utterly sincere. She gives him a celebratory kiss.

"I would be happy to help you, when you are pulled," she adds. "Though I admit I have very much enjoyed your being so focused on me." In so very many ways.

[27_53]

The celebratory kiss is something that he is more than happy to accept - and accept it he does, deepening it slightly and running a hand up and down her arm, tracing lines.

"Your help would be very beneficial," he says. "Healing pulls a great deal of energy from me, and having you at my side has made it easier to recover, the instances I have used it so far."

[brave_kreyu]

The deepening kiss, the lines traced on her arm, start to stir certain appetites.

"Have I?" she seems quite pleased that she's been helpful. "Is it the Light in me, the Karma?"

[27_53]

Skellig is working to stir those appetites, slowly.

"It is," he says. "Typically I am forced to recharge it by simply absorbing bits and pieces from those who are joyful, full of laughter, celebratory...youth works well, as they do not carry as much harsh realities as adults. I do not take much, just a hint now and again. But with you...I do not have to actively pull it, except when I am desperate. And your stores are plentiful...especially in regards to me."

[brave_kreyu]

She flushes, mostly in pleasure at his words, partly in arousal as he stirs her appetites.

She laughs, low. "How could they not be, when you make me feel so very good? You may drink from my Light as you please," she tells him.

"And a reason you enjoy the taste of me so, hm?" she teases. She's knows it's not just the Light that he wants when he has his mouth on her.

[27_53]

"The taste of you is a pleasure all its own. There are a few reasons, yes."

Even though it would be a truly desperate situation where he would pull any noticable (to her at least) amount of Karma from her reserves, he would still likely TRY to ask, first.

He leans in closer, presses his mouth to hers.

This kiss is definitely less chaste than the others they have shared so far tonight.

[brave_kreyu]

She grins at his answer, returns his kiss with equal passion.

When they break for air, her voice is low, husky. "Do you desire me here, tonight, beneath the stars?" She chuckles. "It is perfectly fine if you are too tired for such things." And she means that, one hundred percent.

[27_53]

"My desire for you is constant," he tells her. "My energy level..."

Skellig stretches his body out against the blankets beneath them, 'testing' himself a bit. His muscles feel fine, and he is so very comfortable with her body close to his.

"...could go either direction." He is not trying to be indecisive - just stating a fact. He presses his lips to her jawline. "But my desire...yes, I desire you my love, always."

[brave_kreyu]

She shivers, delighted, when he says his desire for her is constant.

She tilts her head back to let him explore. "Then if your energy allows, I would give myself to you tonight, beneath these stars."

[27_53]

"I am certain that I may find inspiration from somewhere...perhaps even the stars above, write our own legends to dot the sky."

It is certainly not their most vigorous session of lovemaking, that they get up to, but it is not any less enjoyable. Skellig suspects perhaps tomorrow when they are in the city that the rumors may continue to thicken, of the dragon taking a mate, a lover, and that their 'rituals' echoed through the far side of the valley below the volcano.

(He will try not to blush furiously, if he hears such a thing while they are shopping.)

Explore her body he does, and she does the same to him.

[brave_kreyu]

They fall asleep in one another's arms after their 'ritual', wake with the pre-dawn and resume their usual routine of bathing and breakfast.

Kreyu casts the language spell on him before breakfast, starts speaking in the local tongue while she cooks, explaining what she's doing. The words begin to make sense in his head VERY quickly, and he's learned a smattering of words and phrases already by the time they are ready to fly down to the city!

[27_53]

While she cooks and talks to him, he is parroting the words and phrases back to her in an attempt not only to commit them to memory, but also improve his efforts to match the local accent a bit better - or at least that of the village along the river. (It isn't great, but it's BETTER than it was previously.)

"What is... what should... look for while we are in the city today?"

He asks in an attempt at getting out a full sentence, as they walk towards the entrance to the Lair.

[brave_kreyu]

"Fruits and vegetables, perhaps some meat, olive oil. Oh, and eggs, although we will need to wrap those carefully for transport."

She applies their usual spells, darkens her skin, before they fly down to the city.

The words at the docks are less foreign to him now. People yelling at one another about getting the nets stowed properly, complaints about sailors not being in place because they're hungover AGAIN, gossip about where the fish might be.

His understanding grows, as they wander the labyrinthine streets. After a few hours, he should understand, mostly, what is being said and be able to communicate back effectively. (At least, so long as he doesn't try anything complicated.)

"Would you like to wander off by yourself for a bit?" she asks. "You don't HAVE to, but my browsing the wares here is likely to be dull." SO MANY SCROLLS.

[27_53]

He has the 'list' tucked away in his mind as they wander, but his focus is on trying to absorb as much as he can (it is not yet overwhelming, he hopes he will be able to handle it but suspects by the end of the day his mind might grow tired even with the aid of the spell) as they wander.

Nodding, affirmative.

"I think I would, if only just to listen as I walk. It is helping. I will look for the things you've mentioned, also." He has a decent-sized bag for carrying goods, and they've run through the currency several times over. He should be fine!

[brave_kreyu]

She kisses him on the cheek. "Thank you, love."

Skellig will absorb much, as he wanders, his feet leading him to an area that has clearly been settled by people who are from somewhere along the Mother river. He can understand them perfectly, even where they've picked up words and phrases from the local tongue.

He has not been called since he found himself walking in the desert outside Kreyu's village, until now. The feeling that he needs to be somewhere, soon, strikes him. If he follows the pull, it will lead him farther into the neighborhood, down side streets into the poorer area. Some syncretism has happened here, Great Lady Kreyu mixed with the Winged Goddess of their home village judging by the warding signs scrawled here and there upon doorways.

[27_53]

The pull that he feels is not entirely the same as the one that he is used to, from Before (but with how hazy and pixilated and pockmarked his memory is, who is to say what is imagined and what is fact) but he does choose to follow it. Idly he thinks to himself that he is grateful as he wanders deeper into the neighborhood that he chose to dress much more 'basic' for this trip to the city, as it helps him to blend in where he already feels that those walking these streets are staring at him.

Maybe they are, maybe they are not. He is familiar and yet a stranger all at once.

Listening closely, he follows the pull (and the roughly drawn wards) down streets that grow more narrow and twisted the deeper he goes.

[brave_kreyu]

As he winds deeper and the crowd disappears, he can hear a young heart and a set of small feet barreling toward him, frightened. It's a small girl, perhaps 4 years old, who skids around a corner. She wavers for a moment when she first sees him, staring at where the shadow of his wings WOULD be, if they were visible. (They aren't visible right now, at least not to NORMAL humans.)

"Had to get him away from Momma," she pants between rapid breaths. "But after ME now."

[27_53]

The shadow of where his wings would be might grow to the eyes of certain people who are sensitive to that sort of thing as he feels them flare a little, protectively. He extends his reach of what he's listening for, wondering what has this child in such a fright.

"He won't catch you," he says, motioning for her to come closer to him as he kneels slightly. "Where is your Momma? Does she need help?"

Skellig does not yet send out a call for Kreyu, and keeps his emotions steady - if this is something he can handle on his own, he would not bother her.

[brave_kreyu]

He can hear a man's footsteps, running, feel his anger. But there's something...wrong about his echoes, something Dark that feeds on human suffering.

She comes closer, although her eyes watch the shadow of his wings. She nods frantically. "Momma's so sick. She didn't get out of bed this morning, and she's so pale."

The little girl scowls. "Momma was doing better, until he came by yesterday. His shadow's full of rats, they make things go bad." PROBABLY not a literal description.