Open your soul, maybe lose control

[Anonymous]

Apparently, she would be fine tomorrow, but how was he supposed to be reassured by such a statement, when she had lost so much blood, and looked like a wreck. He sighed, shaking his head. "It's hard to breathe when suddenly slice your wrists with a huge frickin' knife," Reks grumbled, annoyed. "I hope I never have to see you do something so crazy again." Underneath his gruff mumbles was a hint of compassion, which he tried to cloak away – probably to no avail.

He raised an eyebrow as Solae confessed to not wanting food. Really, she wasn't hungry at all? He'd probably be famished in her situation, after losing all that blood, after doing it for someone who had just treated them horribly... Reks sucked in a breath – he wasn't really hungry, and he didn't really want to leave her, but he wanted to walk around, get some air, and clear his head a bit. Besides, she needed her rest, and there wasn't anything left here for him to do. He twisted the door open, making his way out the door. "I'll be back later then – you get your rest." It was more of a demand than a suggestion.

The tavern was dull without Solae here to liven things up. Apparently, the place didn't have any other talent lined up, so the bar wasn't as lively as it had been the other night. Reks sat at his usual spot, not hungry or thirsty, but just tired and confused – wanting and needing nothing, except for his situation to make sense. Solae was a mage, but she had kept her promise, and his ears really were gone... But then, she was related to Lelena, which meant she shared the same blood as her, which was why she could neutralize the spell to begin with? But then, that meant she was related to Kalev... It was all too much to take in! Reks flipped off his hood, running his hands through his hair, more annoyed than he could ever remember being in all his eighteen years.

Barkeep, still cleaning a glass (...was that the same glass from this morning?) strolled by, smirking a little at the mage hunter. "You took your hood off," he noticed. "Must've finally learned some manners, huh?"

Reks cut his eyes at the man. "Quite the opposite, actually." Would he ever forget it – how he treated Solae back there? Sighing, he waved his hand towards the back of the bar, pointing at his favorite brand of mead. "The usual," he muttered, ordering it out of mere habit rather than need. As barkeep brought the drink over, he stood there, hands on hips, obviously waiting for his tip. Reks shook his head, and began, "Put it on –" but then stopped himself, biting his tongue. "Nevermind..."  Instead, he took out his own bag of coins and tossed a few at barkeep – he couldn't keep using Solae's charity, especially not when he felt like he didn't deserve it...

With nothing to do at the bar, a half hour later, he came back into the tavern, still no more enlightened than he had been when he left. He was sure to be quiet, so that he would not wake Solae if she were sleeping. Which begged the question – where was he supposed to sleep? Did he dare risk disturbing her, and climbing next to her in bed? Could he even bring himself to sleep in the same space as a mage, even if it was Solae? Would he take the chair, or the floor, as he had joked about last night? And why did he have to go and make everything so different, so stunted, all of a sudden? Why had everything just decided to change?

[Anonymous]

Solae watched as Reks left. Having him out of the room cleared up a lot of tension, and now Solae could get about doing a spell to get her energy back-- something she thought she would have to do once he was asleep.

She carefully stood up and walked over to her small table and sat down. Pulling out some items she had tucked under the table hidden by a tablecloth. Setting some crystals into a certain pattern and she chanted a spell that made the stones glow an eerie blue color, that same color soon enveloped her and she breathed in a sigh of relief, the blue glow seeming to soak into her and she smiled. Now... to surprise Reks~

Fully restored, she cut the bandage off her wrist, which was healed up. And she walked to her closet and pulled out a pink belly dancer dress and put it on. She adjusted everything and changed the band that held that bell on her tail to a pink one that matched the dress. Then she pulled her hair into a messy bun and fastened it with ties with coins that matched the dress.

Solae walked out of the room and down a back way to behind the stage. Talking to the tavern owner who was excited to hear that she wanted to dance again. So he stepped out on stage to get their attention. "You are some lucky men~ We have a beautiful woman back here who wishes to dance for you! Enjoy~" He backed off the stage and the curtains closed.

Eerie music started to play, not as mystic as her first dance, but it quickly picked up and the curtains opened to reveal Solae dancing on the stage. And, like she expected, Reks had come to the audience confused about someone dancing. So..Solae took to the audience sooner than she usually did and she played around and danced with some of the other men wanting to see Reks' jaw drop. She was also trying to show him that she was fine.

She swung her hips to get the coins to ring. Then she left the guy she was dancing with panting and wanting more. And Solae went over to Reks. Still dancing, but it was a bit more... intimate. And she spoke only loud enough for him to hear. "I'm fine now.. You don't have to worry."

[Anonymous]

Reks, always being slow on the uptake, took longer than it should've taken to realize that Solae wasn't even in this room – she was gone. Biting his lip in worry, he tossed back the covers, only to reaffirm his suspicions – she simply wasn't there. A million different theories ran through his head at once – what if the mage hunters had taken her, and she hadn't been able to defend herself since she was considerably weakened...

 Or what if Lelena or one of her minions (did Lelena even have minions?) found out about what she had done and decided to kidnap her... or worse! Reks groaned, holding his head, and found that he was shellshocked again. If he had to choice between fighting or fleeing, somehow, he could never decide, and picked neither, choosing to be a sitting duck for whatever danger approached. He was bad at making good decisions. So instead, he made no decisions at all.

Just as he was about to lose it, he heard barkeep's obnoxiously loud announcement – that woman was going to dance for them. He sucked in his breath and bolted for the door without hesitation, hoping, praying, that it was Solae, and not some other dancer... Then again, he didn't know if there were any other dancers as bold as Solae, who would choose Hyoite of all places to perform. He could only take his usual seat and glare at barkeep, who cleaned his glass (that same frickin' glasss) over and over again, as if he knew something that Reks didn't.

That music started to play, and Reks' jaw dropped as her saw her – Solae, in the flesh, dancing as if nothing had ever happened. She seemed totally fine now, as if all that happened had... well, never happened. In fact, she was more than fine, she was... a lot better, he knew, just by seeing her dance. He stood up, and wanted to say something – but all of his intelligence was sapped away as soon as she started dancing. Like she did before, she teased the other men, danced with them, left them wanting more – it was her job, was it not? – but this time, Reks could not help but be a little envious of every man she touched, teased, and toyed with...

Finally, she came over to him, dancing intimately, her hips swaying – entrancing him. He could almost feel the stares of the men in the tavern burying into his soul, but he couldn't care less about them in the slightest. She was fine, she said, and Reks wouldn't notice it, but he became noticeably more relaxed, after hearing her say so.

"Damnit, Solae..." he muttered, watching her hips. "I was so worried... I..." It was hard for him to concentrate on what he wanted to say – how could he, with all these distractions? Eventually, he pulled his dim grey eyes up toward her own, still worried, still concerned. "Can you ever forgive me? For what I... For how I..." The words were sticking in his throat – he couldn't find it in him to explain how wrong he was. He wanted to forget about it all, but with every sway of her hips, he felt more and more guilty – he didn't deserve her, he knew, but he'd give anything to be good enough for her.

[Anonymous]

She looked at his face as he spoke and she ran a finger up his throat and to his chin, tilting his head up so she could look into his eyes. "Can I ever forgive you?" She asked softly, bringing her tail around to wrap around his arm and pulled that arm to her hip as she moved even closer to him. "You acted out based on history. And I am a mage. Your hate for me is understandable."

Solae looked up when the music came to a stop and she drew back to bow and laughed as she was clapped for. When it died down a bit, she reached out and grabbed Reks' hand and pulled him all the way back to her room. She closed the door and ran her finger over the pane of the door, putting that same lock back on it. And she turned to look at him.

"I forgive you." She said softly. "And I would understand it if you chose to stay at the outermost boundaries of this cure. I'm surprised you didn't let me die. My death would've canceled out the curse, put it on my body and then end with my life. I almost thought you would. But you're keeping the curse." She stepped up to him. But didn't close the gap. "Why did you kiss me?"

[Anonymous]

Her body was hypnotic. Every delicate movement she made, and every sway of her hips did not go unnoticed by Reks, who could only watch her, star struck, trying to find words while she moved hypnotically, seductively. When she trailed her finger up her chin, he froze at her touch, and felt as if he would melt. She probably had no idea what she did to him – hell, even Reks couldn't understand it.

He had spent most of his life drifting, never forming any bonds or relationships, and here Solae came – unexpected and uninvited – into his life. But he welcomed her nonetheless, despite his previous mistrust. At her words, he shook his head, and felt dirty again – god, he'd been horrid to her. "That doesn't make what I did right," he muttered, and shook his head, knowing that he was undeserving of her touch.

She dragged him into their room, locking their door again, and forgave him, saying she would understand it if he stayed at the fringes of the cure, if he wished. He closed his eyes and shook his head vehemently. "No – that's not what I want," he replied, his voice shaky. "You're a mage, sure, but... you're Solae before you're a mage. I don't care what you do, or what you can do, and I should've... I should've never mistrusted you." He paused, and replied firmly, "I want to travel with you... if you'll let me, after what I've done."

Apparently, the curse would've been broken if he had left her to die, but hell if Reks would've done that, not ever. The very thought was insane, and if he had cat ears at the moment, they've would've stood up in anger. "I couldn't... I would've never done that to you," he said, in his defense. "Never in a million years would I have left you – or even another mage – there to die. That's not... that's not the kind of mage hunter I am..." He was a delinquent at best, but he didn't have blood on his hands, and he didn't plan to, not ever.

All he wanted was for things to go back to normal again. (What was 'normal' for them?) But then she asked him, stepping closer, but not too close – why did you kiss me?

Huh. Why indeed. Hell if Reks could explain it. At the question, he balked, and reached up to scratch his hair, trying to find an answer. The last thing he wanted to do was get all sentimental and sappy about this. He put his head in his hands for a moment, before looking at her, determined. "I couldn't resist you anymore. When I saw you, bleeding, talking about stupid shit like leaving you there, I wanted you to know..." He stepped closer, closing the gap. "...How I really feel about you."

[Anonymous]

She looked down at him and paused to think about the confession he had just given her. Solae just merely sucked in a breath and reached out to rest her hand on his cheek. "Reks. I don't want you to feel pressured into being with someone who you don't like." She started. "I am a mage...and your hatred for them may make a relationship with me very conflicting. And though I adore you... I don't want you conflicted."

Solae paused, then leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I will say this though...I would never perform such an act for someone I did not like." As in, she shared his feelings. She stepped back and looked at him. Then moved to sit on a chair and pulled the bell off her tail. "I'll let you decide. Reks. You can come with me. If that's what you really want. Though, if you want to chose that.. I ask that you spend one night with me how you would hope to spend nights with me. Do what you would like. I'll go along. But I wont be upset if, in the morning, you find you cannot truly do this."

Solae was used to men leaving her, much like her father, she expected that this would be the case no matter what.

[Anonymous]

He wished he had never mistrusted her.

It was a stupid thing to do – it was something he could never take back, no matter how much he wanted to. She didn't get it, she really didn't get it – he wanted to be with her, goddamnit, he didn't care what she was! (A part of him did, some nagging, out-of-the-line part of him couldn't help but think that things would be better if she wasn't a mage.) But despite any heinous stray thoughts that lingered in his head, he couldn't imagine leaving her, after she had changed his life so much for the better. They were bonded together now, weren't they? That... had to mean something, didn't it?

She kissed his cheek, which only made his cheek flush red – god, what a girly thing to do. He furrowed his brow, annoyed at himself, and placed a hand on the cheek she had kissed, as if doing so would preserve it somehow. He looked up at her, wanting to prove to her that this what he really wanted – more than anything, but didn't know if words could do such a thing. "Solae, I... I want to travel with you," he started again, as if repeating himself would confirm his statements. "I'll spend a day with you, travelling. But just know, I won't change my mind." His voice was peppered with that burst of determination, as he said with conviction, "The next morning, I'll still be there – with you." It was a promise.

He wasn't sure why this meant so much to him, but it did. And to be honest, his feelings were her were still confusing, still disorienting, and he didn't understand any of it. But he knew what he did feel was something he had never felt before, something that he couldn't convey with actions or words, no matter how hard he tried. The closest he had ever come to expressing it had been that kiss he had given her – brief, but bold – but now, he wasn't sure what else to do – except to prove to her, somehow, that he would always be around.

[Anonymous]

Solae watched Reks' emotions as he spoke, trying to prove to her that he was sorry, and wished he could take back what he said. And his desire to prove that he would stay with her. But, Solae decided to ask another question, just to be sure. "And, you don't think it would be strange to be with a cat when you seem to hold animosity against felines after what you've been through?"

Solae stood up, knowing what he would say. So she sauntered over to him and reached out to his face with her hand closed, her nails brushing over his skin, then opened her hand and let her fingers brush back over his jawline and pushed his chin back up and she studied his face. Then leaned in and kissed his lips softly. Deciding it would be the best thing to do in that situation to make him feel better. Though, it was honest.

[Anonymous]

She wasn't making this easy — hell, why would she? He had done the stupidest thing in the world, and he wasn't sure if he could ever prove how sorry he was about it. He looked up at her as she asked him what seemed to be her ultimate question — wouldn't it be hard to be with her, after he held so much animosity towards felines? He paused, but only for a moment, and determination shone in those dim grey eyes of his.

"How I feel about others — felines, mages — it doesn't matter. But what I feel for you — to me, that's the most important thing, right now." It was his confession of sorts, and if he could, he would've written it in blood, to make it official — to let her know, just how strongly this meant to him. And perhaps he had finally been able to express how strongly he felt, for Solae closed the gap between them, brushed her fingers across his face, and kissed him softly.

He didn't expect it (how could he?) but he leaned into it, returning it softly. He wanted to return it with the same vigor and passion as his first kiss to her had been, but he couldn't — guilt consumed him. Eventually, he pulled away, his cheeks flushed red (Goddamnit Reks, stop being such a girl, some voice in his head nagged). He looked up to her again, sucked in a deep breath. "I won't break my promise to you, Solae," he assured, biting his lip. "After all, you kept your promise to me." She had spilled her own blood to do it, too. How could he ever forget it?

[Anonymous]

She chuckled when he pulled away and kissed his forehead. "Ok ok.. You win, Reks. I believe you." She had been teasing him enough. She placed her hands on his shoulders and brought herself face to face with him. "So... now that we've come to terms with this..... What would you like to do now?"

Solae stepped back and swayed her tail as she walked to the dresser to find something more comfortable to wear.

[Anonymous]

She said she believed him, and if she said it, did she mean it? He could only hope so – and trust that she would tell the truth. He sighed a little in relief, but knew that this struggle was far from over. There would come a time when he would have to prove his loyalty, and then, he knew, he would have to step up. But, as of now, all Reks could do was be as faithful to his word as he possibly could.

What did he want to do now, she wondered. At her words, Reks took a seat on a plush chair, sitting cross-legged on it, biting his lip. He brought his eyes down to the floor, sucking in a deep breath. "We could talk," he suggested, staring at the floor. "...You said before, that you could only neutralize my curse... because of the blood you share with the one who made it." He paused, and struggled to say her name. "Lelena, the Witch." He studied her, curious. "So you're... you're really related to her?" His tone was not doubtful, just... curious.

[Anonymous]

She watched him sit down and figured he was finally settling down. Though, he chose such a morbid thing to ask her, so she just pouted and turned back to shuffling through her dresser and finally found a short skirt and a tank top. So, uncaring, she stripped down and pulled on a black thong and the skirt. Then the tanktop-- braless, and smoothed it over her stomach, but with the hip hugging skirt and the tank being held up by her chest, her mid section was still visible.

And she turned to walk back over to him. "Yes.. I am related to her." She answered plainly and bent over in front of him. Bringing herself face-to-face with him. "Why don't we do something more fun?"

[Anonymous]

Reks bit his lip, narrowing his eyes a little at Solae's blunt confirmation. Alright, so she was related to her – but how? Lelena wasn't a cat, as far as he had known – did that mean her father had an affair? And if that was true, did that mean she had lived on the islands? If so, why didn't Reks remember her? And if not, then ... gods, none of this was making sense! And Solae didn't seem like she wanted to sit down and talk about this, despite all of the questions that Reks had. He hated being left in the dark about things, especially things as important as this!

But then, she was changing – just totally uncaring that he was right there, watching. He knew he probably should avert his eyes, but, how could he? Normally, this sort of thing wouldn't have bothered him, but – goddamnit, this was not good. He looked down, struggling for words. "That's it?" he quipped, obviously annoyed. "I know you're related to her, but..." He cut himself off, however, as she brought herself face to face with him, and he stared at her, not knowing what she meant. Something more fun, she had said... "W-What do you mean?" he asked, legitimately oblivious, but obviously flustered, with wide anxious eyes.

[Anonymous]

Solae knew that Reks was being tormented by something, though she couldn't figure it out. So, she silently muttered a chant to allow her to read his thoughts, and read them she did. Solae almost pouted at the content that marred his thoughts and moved to sit on his lap. Reaching up she brushed his bangs back and tucked his hair behind his ear. Then let her hand rest where those cat ears used to be.

"She is my half sister. We share the same father. And, though I never lived with her, I have visited. It caused many problems with her-- she hated me. It was obvious. So I chose not to torture her with my presence any more than what was necessary to keep appearances up with my father. Though he disliked my learning how to dance, and that was the only thing that kept me alive." Solae answered, then stretched out a bit. "Anything else you need to know or can we do something less melancholy?" She pouted. But decided to be daring and leaned in to kiss his lips softly.

[Anonymous]

Ahhh – Solae always knew just the right ways to make him a little nervous. She was full on sitting in his lap now, and Reks wasn't sure if he deserved all the attention. Hadn't he just been clamoring over trying to prove himself to her, a moment ago? Apparently, she really did hold no ill will – or maybe she just liked toying with him. (She probably just liked toying with him...) Reks bit his lip, unsure of how to react to her positive attention, especially when she tucked his hair behind his ear, and placed a hand on his head. Reks had grown up without much love or affection from anyone – not his parents, and he rarely had any friends, besides the fortune teller – so to be tended to like this... it was a nice feeling.

"I just... it's hard for me to believe, you know? You're nothing like her... at all." He didn't mean in terms of looks, but in terms of personality... But then again, Kalev had been nothing like his sister as well. Maybe crazy didn't run in the family. For now, he was satisfied, and his heart sat a little easier in his chest, but that didn't mean he wasn't still nervous. Why was Solae all over him like this? (And what was she hinting about...?)

He was about to ask, but then she leaned over and kissed his lips and goddamnit, what had he been thinking about again? There was that flurry of emotions racing through his head again, but then, just like in his first kiss, he returned it with that spark of lust. He pulled away, his heart beating out of his chest, and asked, as innocent as could possibly be, "...That depends on what you mean by something 'less melancholy.'" He wasn't trying to be coy or flirty, although it might've sounded that way, if you didn't take for account the serious look in his eyes when he said it.

[Anonymous]

She chuckled when their lips parted and her fingers remained on his jawline. Watching his face as he spoke and nodded. "I barely knew my sister. And my antics come purely from my lifestyle. I never lived with my father and my mother left me when I was three. And I'm certain she's dead. So, I am a free spirit." She grinned.

His words that attempted to be coy or flirty... which ever. Though she found it very cute and attractive. She leaned in and kissed his neck. Speaking into his ear. "Well, why don't we just go with the flow and see what happens?" she asked, holding onto his shoulder and letting her tail drag along his leg gently.

[Anonymous]

A "free spirit" – that explained Solae perfectly, didn't it? She was someone who lived by her own rules, and yet, she was kind, honest, dependable... He shook his head, and could only think about how cruel it was – how Lelena had apparently not only made her own brother's life hard, along with Reks, but she had given Solae a hard time as well. He sucked in his breath, hoping that the day would soon come when he did find the witch, Lelena. Was it so bad, to want a little revenge? And if he could not take revenge, then could he at least reclaim what she had stolen?

Ahhh, but Solae was kissing his neck again – damnit, it was hard to stay focused when she was so close to him. Go with the flow, she had said, and see what happens. He shut his eyes, and when he did, he could nearly hear his heart beating out of his chest. In this sort of situation... how should he act? What should he say? Never before had he ever been intimate with someone before, so Reks was new to this, to showing affection for others.

"I'm not sure if I know how to go with the flow," Reks replied, legitimately worried. He wasn't someone who spoke in parables – he had no idea what Solae wanted from him, or what he was supposed to do, and that freaked him out a little. But he liked being close to her, so when he slid his hand near her waist, he hoped she wouldn't mind – he just liked the feel of her, underneath his fingertips.

[Anonymous]

She paused when he admitted he didn't know how to go with the flow, and almost laughed. It was strange to meet someone who didn't take such obvious hints. So she leaned back and looked at him. "Reks... Are you a virgin?" She asked.. Curious like a cat.

She looked over his face, then brushed his hair back and nuzzled against his neck. "I would've never guessed you to be so innocent."

[Anonymous]

He was a virgin – but he didn't know it would be so painfully obvious. He bit his lip, as soon as she said it – if she could tell just by looking at him, then what did that say about him? He nodded, slowly, hesitatingly – it was the last thing he wanted to admit, sure, but it was true, and he couldn't deny it. "I am, I guess..." he acknowledged, shaking his head. He laughed uneasily, "Is it that obvious?" It probably was, considering she had pinned him for a virgin without much hesitation.

She didn't seem to be turned off by it, though. As she nuzzled against his neck, he couldn't help but love how soft she felt against his skin. "It's my best kept secret," he laughed, although it wasn't so much of a secret anymore. "So I really don't have any ...experience... in this sort of thing..." In this sort of situation, he would just have to follow her lead.

[Anonymous]

She chuckled and kissed his neck and purred softly. "That's so cute~ I will admit, it became obvious, but only when i started to come on to you." She admitted and played with his hair. "I've never been in a relationship with a virgin.... Or.. well, a relationship period." She made a face.

Though shook her head and looked at him. "Well, if you want to be my boyfriend.. I'll make that 'best kept secret' go away?" She chuckled. "We don't have to today though. When ever you're ready. But, I promise I wont let anyone find out your secret."