Midnight was nearing the end of her rope, exhausted and irritated with the world. Trudging along beside the river, she could feel even her superior stamina starting to flag.
Let me take over. You need to rest.
Scowling, she brushed her sister's voice off. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." No sooner had the words left her mouth when she snagged her toe on a rock and nearly twisted an ankle, only her quick reflexes saving her from toppling into the water that ran beside them.
"Fine," she grumbled, sensing Starbright's smugness. Closing her eyes, she let herself sink back into her consciousness- it was rather like meditation, but somehow deeper.
As if a beam of sunlight was lighting the young woman's hair, coal black changed to flaxen gold in a ripple of color. Her body shivered slightly and when she blinked her eyes open blood red had changed to clear, sky blue.
Starbright looked down at herself with a small sigh. She was covered in small scrapes and bruises that she couldn't even entirely remember getting. You really need to take better care of this thing. It's not just your body.
Yeah, yeah, shut up.
"Oh, go to sleep," she snipped quietly. "You're grouchy when you're tired." Hefting her pack a bit higher on her back, the girl set off again with renewed energy, a small spring in her step. One of the nice things about their "condition" was that they could travel longer distances without needing rest by "switching drivers" as Midnight referred to it. One sister would rest in the back corners of their mind while the other controlled their body. An odd system, but it worked.
However, though her mind was refreshed, Starbright knew for the sake of her body she'd have to stop and take a real rest soon. Still, she found herself humming softly as she made her way downstream. It was a beautiful evening, the sun sinking ever lower and creating a starburst of color. It was in her nature to enjoy the little things.
"No, that's not it."
Vel muttered to himself as he looked down at a book, and then back at the river's water. He made signs with his three available hands. Water from the river rose up into a blob, and started taking a vaguely humanoid shape.
"There we go, come on..."
Hearing a voice up ahead, Starbright paused. She almost asked Midnight what to do- what if they encountered someone or something dangerous- then brushed the thought aside. She was being paranoid, and her sister needed rest.
Cautiously, she moved forward again, coming around a bend in the river. She stopped short, eyes going wide as she located she assumed must be the owner of the voice.
What- what even was that?
Whatever it was, it appeared to be doing magic. Both shocked and fascinated, the young woman could only stare, eyes flicking from the strange, mechanical looking creature to the water it was manipulating.
Vel continued to form the water golem, until finally, it took a vaguely feminine shape. It opened its eyes, and they glowed a soft yellow.
"Alright, now come over here..." Vel said, and he motioned to himself and started to backpedal. The water golem walked towards the river bank, but as soon as it stepped onto land, it fell into a mere puddle.
Vel sagged.
"Almost."
A moment of silence, and he crossed both sets of arms. It seemed he hadn't yet noticed Starbright's presence.
Starbright gasped slightly as the water-woman moved toward land. She found herself sagging a bit in disappointment along with the spell caster. It was a very pretty trick, she wished she'd been able to see it completed.
"Um, excuse me?" She took a hesitant step forward, not wanting to startle the stranger. "Hello?"
A voice.
Vel wheeled about to face the source, and he went stock still as he stared at her. He joined his hands.
"Um."
He raised a hand and waved.
"Hello."
Starbright waved automatically in response, a small smile twitching at her lips. Midnight probably would have been more wary, but she found her curiosity was winning out in this situation.
"Could I...ask what you were doing?" she asked slowly, taking a step forward. Her eyes flicked from him- his voice indicated that he was male, anyway- to the water.
"Oh, well..."
A few ticks and Vel turned back to the water.
"I was just practicing. Water golems. They lose cohesiveness when they exit water, though, so perh--" Vel stopped talking suddenly, and sighed.
"My name is Vel."
She smiled a bit. "Starbright." Taking another step closer, she tilted her head curiously and murmured, "Yes? You were going to say something- so perhaps...?" She trailed off, hoping he would fill in the blank.
If Midnight had been awake she would have snapped at her for wasting time and letting down her guard. But she was curious, so she decided to take advantage of her sister's rest.
"W-Well, perhaps if I mixed in a little earth with the water..."
He snapped his fingers, a light, clicky noise.
"Like a mud golem!"
Starbright giggled a bit. She couldn't help it. He was interesting to watch. "What's a golem, exactly?" she asked taking a cautious step closer. "And...well, if you don't mind me asking...what are you?"
"Well, a golem is a construct. Constructs are like... artificial beings. I'm a construct as well."
Another awkward pause.
"Except golems are made of just one material. Like a stone golem's made just out of stone. I'm made of brass, wood, and steel."
"Really?" She inched even closer, looking at him curiously. "Can all constructs do magic then? And who made you? Someone must have."
Suddenly realizing how forward she was being, she blushed and snapped her mouth shut. "Forgive me, that was rude."
"Oh, it's quite alright, I'm used to it," Vel said. This girl was getting awful close to him. She could probably hear all the clockwork ticking away inside of him!
"So... are you on your way to somewhere?"
Starbright could in fact hear the gentle ticking sounds, and she tilted her head curiously but didn't question it. "Well, yes and no," she answered him with a small smile. "I am traveling, but I have no specific destination you see."
Giving him a quick up and down look, she asked in turn, "What about you then? Um, Sir?"
"I'm learning!" Vel said, and motioned to the forest around them.
"I seek to learn everything there is to know about the planet we live on."
"Wow." Her eyes widened a bit. "That's quite a goal." And one she found she could respect, despite being a little unrealistic. With a small smile, she asked, "How far do you think you've gotten with that?"
It could have been a sarcastic barb, but her tone was kind and genuinely curious.
"Well, through a lot of very complicated math, I can tell you I'm around thirty percent done with that," Vel said.
"Much of the world is already know, but t'd those hidden, undiscovered treasures that I'm after. The secrets of magic, the oceans, and the moon above."
Starbright found herself smiling as she listened to him. She couldn't help it, he was just so passionate about it.
A sudden thought struck her and she actually gasped. "Wait a moment," she said quickly, looking at him with wide eyes. "You said- secrets of magic? Do you...how much do you know about old magics? Strange ones?"
In all their life the girls had never met anyone who could help them with their strange condition, and as they grew older it began to chafe more and more. Perhaps an answer had somehow fallen into her lap.
A wild and desperate hope, perhaps, but it was there all the same.
When the magic related question came up, Vel looked much more excited. He didn't have a face, but it was clear in the way he literally wound up, standing up straight and putting his hands together.
"Magic is my greatest area of expertise!" Vel proclaimed.
"I have knowledge of magical traditions that date back thousands of years."
That certainly seemed promising.
Starbright beamed at him. "Maybe you could help us then," she said excitedly, moving closer to him. "My sister and I...we have a bit of a magical problem. As far as we can tell, it's pretty unique."
"Do you?" Vel asked, and he clapped his hands together. A section of earth rose up behind him, and he sat down on it. The same happened for the earth behind Starbright.
"Tell me."
"Oh." She glanced down at the makeshift seat and smiled, then sank onto it. "Well...it might be easier to show you, actually." Tilting her head slightly, she murmured, "Midnight? Wake up, I want you to meet someone."
What is it now? Leave me alone, I'm tired.
Starbright frowned. Speaking aloud for Vel's benefit, she coaxed. "C'mon, just for a few minutes. Please?"
Midnight's consciousness stirred, absorbing the information their body had been taking in while she slept. She growled a bit at her sister's lack of caution and spat, Fine, but only because if i don't take over who knows what stupid thing you'll do next.
Opening her mouth to protest, Starbright suddenly froze as a sort of rippling shiver ran through her body. Blond hair darkened from root to tip, and her eyes flickered violet for a moment, then settled into red.
Midnight gave Vel a cursory once over, seeing him through her own eyes for the first time. "And what the hell are you exactly?"
Be nice!
sighing, the girl rolled her eyes and muttered, "Name's Midnight, pleasure to meet you. Now- what the hell are you exactly?"
Vel watched with interest as Starbright went to Midnight, and when it was all done, he lifted a finger to speak. When Midnight cut him off, he retracted the finger.
"My name is Vel. I'm an artificial being."
"How do you work?" Midnight asked with blunt curiosity, standing and leaning forward to examine him a bit closer. Hearing the ticking sounds, she murmured, "Clockwork. Do you have to wind yourself up or something?" She paced around him in a circle, eyes calculating but interested.
Suddenly she paused, shaking her head, then sighed. "My sister says I'm being rude," she informed him. "She also- well, we want to know what you think." She gestured to herself with a hand. "Of this."
"Oh, heavens no. That'd be awfully primitve of me. I run on magic and steam power," Vel said.
He turned to keep facing her as she circled him, just as curious of her as she was of him.
"It's quite an interesting trait. Twins, inhabiting the same body..."
Midnight snorted. "Interesting. That's one word for it." Tilting her head at him, she arched an eyebrow and asked, "So, think you can help us out?"
Would it kill you to be nicer? Starbright moaned in the back of her mind.
It might.
"I think so," Vel said.
"However, the process would require reagents and objects that I just don't have."
Both girls sighed and Midnight's shoulders slumped. "Told you not to get your hopes up," she muttered to Starbright.
Wait- he says he doesn't have the objects. Does that mean...we could get them?
Midnight arched an eyebrow and replied her sister's question. "If we could somehow get you the things you need, could you...fix us?"
"I could try my hardest," Vel said, putting his hands together.
That was more hope than either of them had ever expected to have. Oh! Thank him, Midnight!
"What do you need?" Midnight asked instead, kneeling in front of the magical construct. After a pause and an insistent shouting in the back of her head, she added, "Alright, alright! Starbright says to thank you."
When Midnight kneeled in front of him, Vel looked rather abashed by it. He took off his hat (which was also made of wood and brass, funnily enough) and held it to his chest, holding it by the brim.
"You're very welcome," Vel said.
"As for what I need, I'm not sure exactly. I'll need to consult one of my books."
She tilted her head. "How long do you think that will take?" The question was blunt but not accusatory, so Starbright simply sighed and let it be.
Offer to help.
"Could we...help you with that? Somehow?" Midnight ventured slowly.
"Well, I've got a lot of books, so really, it'll be me sifting through books until I find the right one," Vel said.
"You could help me look, I suppose. Care to accompany me?"
Books? Yes please!
Midnight shrugged. "Yeah, sure. Thanks." She stood, dusting herself off, and gave him a wry smile. "I'll let you walk with my sister. I'm tired, and she'd more pleasant than I am. you can talk about these books"
Thanks, Midnight. The change rippled through them again and in a moment Starbright was blinking at Vel, offering a small smile. "Sorry about her," she said a bit sheepishly. "She's really not so bad, once you get to know her."
Vel waved the issue off.
"She's fine. I rather like her. You're both very agreeable," Vel said.
Vel turned away, and made signs with his four hands. A portal opened ahead of them.
"Shall we?"
Both girls were surprised- they'd been called a lot of things in their lives, but "agreeable" wasn't one of them.
But before Starbright could really react he'd opened a hole in the air. She gasped, eyes widening. "Is- is it safe?" she asked, looking up at him.
"I've done it tons of times," Vel said, and he stuck his arm in it. It came back out unharmed.
"See?"
"Well...okay." Starbright gave him a nervous sort of smile and nodded. "Right. Lead the way then," she said, trying to sound determined.
"Would you like me to guide you through?" Vel said, and he offered her his hand.
"Oh. Yes, thank you." That was actually quite reassuring, the idea that she'd at least be stepping into this unknown with some sort of anchor. She took his hand with a small, grateful smile. "Ready, I guess."
Vel held on tightly to Starbright, and stepped through. It would tingle momentarily as she passed through, but otherwise, things would be all right!
The space they found themselves in was rather impressive. It was a rather impressive mage's workshop. The room was circular and multi-floored, like a cylinder. The first floor itself was built like a study, with a desk facing a gigantic window that currently looked out to complete blackness.
The first two floors were dedicated to magical workstations and devices large enough to need dedicated wall space. The floors above were dedicated entirely to books. A small circle in the center of the first floor was left clear as well
"Here it is! Home sweet home," Vel said, motioning to the room about them.
"Nothing says peace and quite like having a dimension to oneself."
Starbright gripped Vel's hand tightly at the strange sensation of passing through the portal, clenching her eyes shut. Then they were through and she peeked at their surroundings, giving a soft gasp.
Her hand fell from her guide's and she turned in a small circle, taking the place in with a murmured, "This is incredible." She faced him with wide, sparkling eyes. "This is another dimension?"
"Well, it's between them, technically. We can go to one!"
Vel waved his hand at the window, and it flashed for a brief moment before an endless sea of fire was visible from the window.
"Elemental plane of fire!" Vel said, motioning to the window.
"It's much cooler than having a fireplace."
Midnight swore and Starbright yelped, jumping back from the window with wide eyes. She sort of laughed at herself and smiled sheepishly at Vel. "Sorry. Startled me."
Casting another look around the room, she finally turned to him and said, "So, where do we start?"
"Well, somewhere up there," Vel said, and pointed to the vast upwards expanse of books, with each floor dedicated to a specific subject.
He walked to that small, empty circle in the center of the room, and it lit up beneath his feet. He motioned towards him.
"Come on."
Warily, Starbright followed, eyeing the glowing circle with interest and some trepidation. "So...this is where you live?" she said slowly, looking around again. "How long have you been here? Did you...make this place?"
Probably too many questions, but she couldn't seem to help herself.
"Well, I work here. I know people on the continent can be a bit fifty-fifty when it comes to magic, so I prefer to work here," Vel said. He took Starbright's hand, and made signs with his hand. The circle lifted up, and started rising up through the tower.
"I haven't had this place for too long. Only recently learned how to construct multiplanar structures," Vel said, as if it was nothing.
"I'm four hundred and seventeen years old."
She gaped at him. "Four...hundred..."
Damn, Midnight said with a low whistle.
"Wow." Starbright just blinked at him, wide eyed. "So when you say recently- is that a pretty relative term to you?" she tried to joke, still sort of stunned.
"I suppose," Vel said.
"I've had this work shop for about... ten years now. It was mostly just taking all the stuff I already owned and moving it."
Vel sighed.
"Such a hassle."
"By yourself?" She dragged her eyes from their surroundings to look at him, tilting her head slightly. "Are you...alone here?"
Alone was a concept that was rather foreign to the both of them, but it seemed sort of...sad to her. Her brow furrowed a bit as she looked at Vel, suddenly hoping he would tell her otherwise. He- it?- he seemed friendly, and he was kind enough to offer them help.
It didn't seem fair that he should be alone.
"Yes, alone. Well, not completely. Sometimes, in the right planes, I get visitors." Vel said, and he nodded at her.
"But yes, mostly alone."
Her brow furrowed. "For...four hundred years?" she murmured, looking up at him with some combination of concern and sympathy. "I'm sorry."
Oi, bleeding heart. Back to business. He's an automaton, not a puppy. Head in the game.
Sighing, Starbright shook her head. "Right then. Um...what can I do to help with this search?" She glanced up at him curiously, hoping that she hadn't overstepped her bounds and he wasn't offended.
"Oh, not for hundreds of years, no!" Vel said.
"I mean, I'm alone when I'm in here. I go to the cities all the time! Where do you think I got all this stuff?" Vel said, and the disc stopped on a seventh floor.
"Okay, I need you to find a book. Red binding, gold letters. The title is "Two Minds, One Body: Demons and Possession."
"Oh." She smiled. Knowing that made her feel better. "Alright, I'm on it!" She set off to search for the book, though it was hard to focus with the myriad of titles around her.
"Demonic possession?" she asked as she looked. The whole "two minds, one body" thing sounded right, but... "Do you think that's what this is like? Some sort of possession?" Well, Midnight could be a bit of a demon.
I heard that, and I will get you for it later.
"It's not really a demonic issue. Or possession," Vel said as he stepped off the disc and onto the floor.
"However, someone possessed by a demon has a similar issue. Perhaps by studying how malignant demonic presences are removed from bodies, we can find a way to separate you and your sister."
"Yeah, I definitely need a malignant presence removed," she muttered.
A white hot flash of pain jolted through her skull and she yelped. "Gods, Midnight, calm down! I was kidding," she snapped, glowering at nothing. Shaking her head and grumbling insults at her sister, she peered back at the shelves.
"Oh!" She reached up to pull down a book and turned to Vel. "I think I found it." She dusted off the cover a bit, eyes flicking over the ornate letters of the title.
"Oh. Well, that was quick!" Vel said, and hopped back onto the disc.
"Come on then, I need to find a few more books."
"Alright." She climbed back onto the disk with him, a little more confident now. She still reached for his hand though- the grip was comforting despite the rigid, metallic feel of it.
Vel eagerly took Starbright's hand, and the disc moved up.
"Next stop, the enchantment books."
Watching the levels skim by them, Starbright shook her head with a small, wondering smile. "How many floors are there?" she asked in amazement, looking up at Vel's one blue eye.
Vel looked down at her. If she stared into his blue eye, she'd be able to make out the ghostly countennance of a handsome, twenty-something year old man. Vel's soul.
"Uhh... Fifty-seven, I think."
Vel pointed up.
"I've got a floor for each catagory. For instance, the floor we just visited was the "Planes and Planar Beings" floor. It's got all the books I have on the planes or the creatures that live in them."
Starbright blinked, leaning forward unconsciously in an attempt to get a better look at the glimpse of a figure in his eye.
What the hell is-
She cut her sister off with a low, appreciative whistle. "It must have taken forever for you to organize all this," she murmured, trying to put the image from her mind. It wouldn't be polite to ask.
Wuss.
Shut up.
"Ugh, it did. But it was worth the effort."
Vel chuckled a bit.
"I mean, I know wizards have some pretty impressive towers, but I've never met a mage with an interdimensional one!"
After a few quiet moments, Vel looked at her.
"You saw my face, didn't you?"
She jerked a bit. "I- I did," she admitted quietly, looking at him. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't...understand. You say you're a construct, but that- you- looked...human."
Kinda cute too.
Really, Midnight? Is this appropriate?
You're no fun.
Lowering her eyes, Starbright ignored her sister and murmured, "I don't want to pry. I'm just a little confused."
"Well, I suppose it's rather hard to explain," Vel said.
"I was built by a wizard who specialized in constructs. He'd already created so many automatons just like me, but they were workers, or assistants."
Vel sighed.
"What he wanted was an apprentice, so when he created me, he infused me with the soul of a child. Well, my soul, to be exact."
The disk stopped on the right floor.
"It's why I have a personality. A mind of my own. I... I don't remember what my old body felt like. As long as I can remember, I've been trapped in this... this moving coffin. This damned machine..."
"Oh, Vel..." That sounded worse than having your sister stuck in your head.
Without thinking about it she reached out to touch one of his arms, not entirely sure if the comfort of the gesture would translate through the mechanical body but wanting to try anyway. "I'm sorry," she murmured, tilting her head back to look at his eye.
Midnight- silent and thinking before- suddenly spoke up. Hesitantly, Starbright relayed, "Have you ever tried- is there a way for you to get your true body back?"
The gesture did translate, it was clear in the way Vel suddenly looked down at the touched arm. A few ticks passed and he covered her hand with one of his. His face looked somber.
"Thank you, Starbright."
He stepped off the disc.
"If only it were that simple. If I was a mere soul in a machine, I could do it easily, but I'm locked into this orb. These seals are powerful, beyond my ability."
"Besides, the only man who knows how to unlock them, my creator, is dead. It hasn't stopped me from trying."
"I'm sorry," Starbright repeated, softly, as she followed him off the disk. "That's..." She sighed, then murmured, "We know how it feels to be trapped in a body that isn't entirely yours."
Though Midnight remained silent, she felt a pulse of agreement from her sister.
"There has to be a way," she murmured, brow furrowing. Suddenly determined, she moved quickly up to his side. "We can try to help you, the way you're helping us."
She half expected Midnight to argue, but the other girl was surprisingly quiet.
"I'm not sure if there's much you can do," Vel said, and he passed his eyes over the books.
"Unless if you can do magic as well? Perhaps. An extra pair of hands could serve well..."
Vel was quiet, passing his fingers over the spines of the books. He wanted so desperately to have a body, a real body, but he just wasn't sure of how possible it was. Even if he'd managed to get his soul out with the help of the sisters, where would he find a body?
She slumped a bit. "I can heal with magic, but that's all I've ever really been able to do. And Midnight has...other gifts," she admitted. Then, perking up, she added quickly, "But I can do more mundane things. Research, and gathering supplies. That sort of thing."
"Do you say that because you haven't learned anything else, or can you only channel healing energies?" Vel asked, picking up both of her hands. It left two of his hands still free, so he put those on her arms.
"Because if you're able to learn, we might be able to pull something off. What can your sister do?"
Starbright furrowed her brow, considering it. "I- I've never really tried to do anything but heal with my magic," she admitted after a moment. Shrugging, she added, "As far as we know, Midnight doesn't even have magic. She's stronger and faster than our body should allow her to be, and if you put a weapon in her hand she instinctively knows how to use it."
She shook her head, biting her lip and looking up at him. "I'm sorry. None of that is very helpful, is it?"
"It's given me something to think about," Vel said, and he placed a hand beneath the rim of his eye, similar to how someone would put their hand on their chin.
"Now then, let's focus on splitting you and your sister. I can worry about myself later," Vel said, and he let go of Starbright's hand.
"The book we're looking for doesn't have a title. It's a big, black leather tome. It has three interlocking triangles on the cover."
"Okay, got it," Starbright said with a nod, moving forward to begin searching. "What's this one about?" she asked out of curiosity. "Not possession again?"
"It covers a certain amount of enchantable items that are a bit more on the esoteric side. I believe a few of those items, particularly ones dealing with manipulation of the soul, will help me separate you and your sister."
Vel coughed.
"After that book, there's one more."
She blinked a bit, then shook her head. The way he talked was taking some getting used to, but she found she rather liked it, in an odd way. "Is it because you're centuries old you talk that way?' she asked without thinking, "Or is it all the reading you do?"
Realizing that may not have been entirely polite, she flushed and glanced at him sheepishly. "Er, sorry. That was rude." She went back to her tasks with rather red cheeks,desperately ignoring midnight's chuckling in the back of her skull.
Vel answered her question without hesitation. Whether he was offended or not, it didn't show.
"I like to think it's a combination of both," Vel said, and he went along the wall, looking for books. Finally, he pulled one out.
"Got it."
"So how long have you two been together?"
"Me and Midnight?" She shrugged. "Since...we were born. Maybe even before that, I guess." Her brow furrowed. "We never really understood- our mother...never really explained what happened. Why we are the way we are."
Yeah, she was too busy abandoning us, the bi-
She coughed slightly to cover up Midnight's voice, even though she knew he couldn't hear it.
"Oh. You... must have been an interesting infant," Vel said, and he put his hands together. The faint image of his face turned its eyes downwards. He started to mutter a bit.
"You're both very nice."
He perked up suddenly.
"So, what're you going to do when you're seperated? You should hug. It feels good to hug a sibling."
Both girls chuckled a bit at that. "I suppose we must have been," Starbright agreed with a small smile. She found herself blushing lightly at the compliment while Midnight grumbled about being called "nice".
Starbright laughed again at his suggestion of a hug. "Yes, maybe we would try it," she said.
I'm not a hugger.
Ignoring her sister, she tilted her head at the automaton. "Do you...speak from experience then? Are there more of you- siblings?"
"Well, like I said, my creator built others. They looked like me, but they weren't... alive. They were still my siblings, however."
A few ticks.
"They're all gone, now. Rotted and rusted away, most definitely. I'm the only one left."
"Vel..."
She hesitated a moment, then crossed to him in a few soft steps and gently wrapped her arms around him. Midnight might not be much of a hugger, but Starbright certainly was. She couldn't help herself. "I'm sorry," she murmured, her healer's instinct wanting to soothe.
Hugging a machine was awkward, but she did her best, hoping the gesture wouldn't be poorly received. He did have a human soul, right? Hopefully that part of him would understand what she was trying to do.
Vel, it seemed, understood the gesture very much, because he returned the hug without hesitation.
"Thank you, Starbright," Vel said, giving her hair a short stroke.
"I can feel it, you know. When you touch me."
She tilted her head back at that, startled. "You can?" Her eyes searched his large blue eye, perhaps looking for a glimpse of the face she'd seen before. Having mechanical arms around her was a little strange, but not exactly unpleasant- she wondered if that's how her hug felt to him.
The face was there for her to see, and it gave her a sheepish smile back.
"I can," he confirmed.
"I can't smell or taste, though. I've always wondered what it felt like to have food..."
Starbright bit her lip. "Well, it's...not all it's cracked up to be," she said in a rather feeble attempt at a joke.
Midnight scoffed and muttered, Can we focus on the task at hand please?
Frowning slightly, Starbright stepped away from him and shook her head. "Midnight's getting impatient," she said apologetically by way of explanation.
"Well, then let's not keep her waiting," Vel said, and stepped onto the disc.
"One more book, and I think we can get started."
"Right. Okay." She stepped onto the disc beside him and looked up at him curiously. "What's this one about?"
"A necromancy tome," Vel said, and the disc started going down. He held up a finger.
"Now, before you judge, I'll have you know that necromancy tomes are the best resources for information on soul manipulation, which is precisely why I need one for this."
"I'm not judging," Starbright said quickly, though she had started a bit at the mention of necromancy. With a quick smile, she added, "You're the expert here."
Midnight snorted. I can't believe we're really doing this. It's not going to work, you know.
She shoved the other girl's negativity away with a small frown and a shake of her head. I don't know, and neither do you.
"In all honesty, I just need the book for a single spell," Vel said, and the disc stopped again. There was indeed a whole section for books on necromancy and soul manipulation, but it was a sparser collection than the other categories.
""Cloth of Life: Weaving The Soul" is the book we're looking for," Vel said, and he turned away to search the shelves.
"So, do you and your sister share the same body, or does it shift when you switch? Of course, if you weren't twins, I wouldn't be asking you this. I'm just curious."
"It's...the same. We think," Starbright murmured as she began looking for the book. "I mean, if we're not careful- if we just keep switching back and forth so one of us can rest while the other controls our body- we can wear it out. So, I think it's the same." She shrugged, fingers pausing on a leather spine.
"This it?" She pulled the book out and turned to him, holding it out.
Vel looked at the book, and picked it up from her hands.
"Mmm..."
He opened the book and flipped through it.
"Yes, this is the one. Shall we get started?" I just need to visit my storage to get some things. It's on the first floor."
A thrill of nervous energy ran through her and she nodded eagerly. "Yes, let's." Automatically she took his arm and moved toward the disc, then hesitated. "Ah- is this okay?" It was a rather familiar gesture for someone she'd really just met.
"It's fine," Vel said, and he offered her his arm to take.
He walked back to the disc, and before long, they were on the first floor.
"Now, I need some time to prepare the reagents, and memorize the proper incantations, but you're welcome to stay while I get ready."
"Oh. Alright then." She bit her lip and shifted her weight awkwardly from foot to foot. "Is there...anything I can do to help?"
"Well, you can help sift through these books," Vel said, and he sat down. The window flashed again to a view of several nebulas and galaxies.
"Whoa..." She'd never get used to that.
Tearing her gaze from the awe inspiring view, she settled herself beside him and picked a book at random. "What are we looking for?" she asked as she began to flip pages. "Something specific, or just anything that might be useful?"
Vel handed Starbright the book on enchanted items.
"I need you to find two items. A clone mirror and an essence pearl."
"A- a what and a what?" She took the book and flipped through the the back, hoping to find a glossary.
Let me take over. I'm better at research and you know it.
Starbright thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Midnight's going to switch with me," she told Vel by way or warning. "She's...better with focus. Doesn't get distracted as easily."
With that, she closed her eyes and fell back into her own subconscious, letting Midnight breeze by her to take the reins. Cracking her neck, the now dark haired girl glanced at the book in her hands and immediately started looking for any key words.
"The two items you're looking for have pictures on the appropriate page. Everything's alphabetical, as well," Vel said, and he opened up the two other books, and started flipping through them simultaneously.
"Right." Midnight nodded briskly and flipped to "C" first, eyes skimming, searching... "Here." She turned the book around and tapped the page that bore an image labeled "clone mirror". "This what you're looking for?"
Vel looked at the image. It depicted a tall mirror.
"Yes, that's the one. Save that page."
"Got it." She dog-eared the page and continued flipping through to "E". The entry for "essence pearl" wasn't too hard to find and she marked that page as well.
"Are these things supposed to work together?" she asked, just as curious as Starbright if with a blunter tone.
"Well, there's nothing saying they don't work together," Vel said, and he gave Midnight a smile.
"I suppose you'll want the details of the procedure?"
"Yeah, I would," she said, crossing her legs and looking at him expectantly. "I don't wanna offend you or anything, but- we really don't know you. I'd like to have some idea of what's gonna happen here."
Vel nodded.
"Well, the plan is to first enchant and use a clone mirror to create an exact body clone of either one of you two. Then, I will render the clone dormant. After that, I'll use some spells from the possession and necromancy books to seperate your souls. I will take the soul of whichever of you we made the body clone of, insert it into the essence pearl, and then use that essence pearl to transfer the soul to the body."
Vel snapped his fingers.
"And just like that, you're seperated."
Midnight blinked. Could it really be so- so simple? "That's...exceedingly clever," she murmured. Then her brow furrowed slightly. "Will it really work though?" she muttered, almost more to Starbright and herself than to him. "Only one will remain...is it so easy to work around a curse like that?"
"The trick is that you were stuck together. There's nothing keeping you from seperating," Vel said. "
"Anything can be simple with the right application of magic."
"Yeah, about that." Midnight's brow furrowed. "If...there was a part of the spell- curse, whatever you want to call it. That dictated- predicted?- that eventually only one of us would remain..." She gestured between him and the book. "Will your magic stop that?"
"I am not sure," Vel said. "It is one thing to undo a curse, but prophecy is a skill I do not have," Vel said. He reached across the table to hold her hand.
"If I had to go off my hunch... No."
Both girls let out a sharp breath, heart sinking. "Yeah," Midnight muttered, glancing away and frowning. "I guess that was too much to hope for."
Still, having their own bodies- it was too good an opportunity to pass up. She withdrew her hand- Starbright probably would have left it there, but the contact was making her twitchy- and shook her head.
"Alright. How do we get started?"
"Well, we can't get started immediately," Vel said, noticing that Midnight retracted her hand with a slight frown.
"I need to create the clone mirror and the essence pearl. And prepare the spells. It'll take me the afternoon, at least," Vel said.
"You're both welcome to stay here to wait, though. I've got plenty of books to read!" Vel said.
"Oh." Midnight couldn't help the small frown that stole over her features, but she shook her head quickly to clear her expression. "Right, okay. Thanks." She tried for a smile- for some reason the gentle curving of her lips that came so easily to Starbright was harder for her.
Vel smiled faintly at her as well.
"Perhaps the prophecy is about to be fulfilled? There's going to only be one of you in the body, after all."
She smiled a bit at his encouragement. "Yeah...maybe."
What can it hurt to hope?
For once, she found herself in agreement with her sister.
When Vel saw that he got Midnight to smile, it perked him up a bit.
"It's going to be fine."
A few ticks.
"So, what are you two going to do once you're seperated? Travel together?"
Midnight blinked. "I don't...really know," she said after a moment, frowning slightly. "Probably. We don't really know anything else."
She could sense Starbright's dissatisfaction with that, but her sister didn't argue.
"Well, you've proven able assistants. If you need a job, I'd be happy to provide one," Vel said, placing a hand on his chest.
"You're both such nice girls."
"Wait- really?"
Yes!
Midnight stared at him, wide eyed. Slowly, she said, "That's- that's a very kind offer. But I think that might be something we need to discuss."
What's to discuss? Just say yes!
She managed a smile, this one almost more like Starbright's than her own awkward one. "Thank you. Really. We'll talk about it."
Vel nodded.
"Well, regardless, you should make yourself at home while I prepare."
She nodded and murmured, "Yeah, thanks." Looking around, she attempted to do just that, wandering to the window and glancing out at the particular dimension Vel had summoned for a view.
"It really is something," she said quietly. "This place, I mean."
"Thank you," Vel said, poring over two books at the same time.
"You should see my infinite storage closet, if you think the view's so breathtaking."
"Infinite what?" Midnight repeated, blinking at him curiously.
Oooh, that sounds fun.
"Can I see?" the girl asked, tilting her head at him. "I mean, you don't have to interrupt your work to show me- just point me in the right direction?"
"It's that door over there," Vel said, and pointed to an unassuming door laced where one would expect a storage closet to be.
"Er, um... don't actually step in. You can take a look, though."
Vel went back to his work. If Midnight went over and opened the door, she'd see a storage closet with shelves on both sides and an area in between large enough for two people to stand in comfortably. The back wall was beyond visible, as the storage closet stretched onwards into what actually seemed to be infinity.
"It's not designed to be actually walked in," Vel chimed.
Opening the door, Midnight leaned in as far as could probably be considered safe, despite Starbright's warning in the back of her head, and peered around with interest.
"How do you get the things from the back, then?" she asked, poking her head back out to look at Vel curiously. "If you can't walk in it, I mean."
"Well, you just think about what you want, and the shelf comes to you," Vel said.
A few moments passed.
"Actually, while you're there, can you get me a large mirror and a pearl? I know I have those things lying around in there."
"Oh. Uh, sure. Okay." Just think about it?
Large mirror and a pearl, please!
Midnight rolled her eyes. "I don't think you have to say please-"
Suddenly the shelves seemed to rearrange themselves and she was staring at her own reflection in a full length, rather ornate mirror. "Wow. That was quick." Reaching in, she pulled the thing out and rested it against the door frame, she snapped her hand out to snatch the pearl off the shelf that had suddenly appeared to her right.
Pocketing the pearl and hefting the mirror (it really was a good thing she was the one physically in charge for this particular chore, Starbright probably would have been crushed under the weight), she nudged the door closed with her foot and moved toward Vel. "Will these do?" she asked, putting the mirror down and reaching into her pocket to produce the pearl.
Vel looked up, and he put one set of hands together.
"Perfect!" Vel said.
"Just leave them somewhere safe. I'll need to enchant them later."
"Alright." With a shrug, Midnight hefted the mirror again and glanced around a moment before deciding to tuck it back against a wall. Keeping the pearl on her- she was sort of afraid she'd lose it otherwise- she meandered her way back to Vel and peered over his shoulder at what he was doing, her curiosity getting the better of her.
Vel was reading two books at once, flipping through them at a rather startling speed. Suddenly, he stopped flipping through the necromancy book, and after a few moments to affirm that it was the correct spell, he set the book aside.
He turned his head to look at Midnight.
"Say, do--"
He paused, still looking at her.
She blinked at him, waiting for him to continue. When that didn't happen, Midnight tilted her head. "Hey. Uh, you alright?" Her eyes flicked to the books he'd been reading. Was it possible for his brain to just- overload? He'd been doing an awful lot.
Don't be silly, Starbright muttered in the back of her head.
"Oh, no, that can't be right," Vel said, and he stood up, still staring at midnight. He leaned in a bit, and his ghostly face could be seen squinting his eyes at her.
"I... I don't quite know how to tell you this..." Vel said, and he magicked up a small hand lens. He held it in front of his face, and he gave Midnight a once-over.
Her reflex was to lean away, but she forced herself to hold still. "What can't be right?" she demanded, starting to get irritated now. "Tell us what, Vel?"
"I can't split you," Vel said, and he put the hand lens down.
"You're tied together, but... not?"
A few moments and he stepped away.
"Stay right there, I'll be back!" Vel said, and he went to the storage closet.
"You can't- Tied together- what?"
She knew this had to be too good to be true. Scowling, Midnight started to go after him, calling, "Oi, would you mind explaining just what the hell-"
Suddenly her feet stopped moving. She growled. "Star..."
Calm down. You're not doing anyone any good if you lose your temper, her sister urged softly. Let me take over.
"No."
Midnight...
"No!"
There was a wrenching feeling in their gut and a pounding in their head as they scuffled. It was only thanks to Midnight not having really rested in the past few days that Starbright was able to wrest control from her sister, shuddering and gasping. She hated doing that, switching places always felt wrong when they had to fight over it.
Vel returned just in time to see Starbright forcefully take control. He was holding a large black sphere, made of a single piece of stone.
"Oh! I'm sorry!" Vel said, and he got in close, arms outstretched in case Starbright needed some help sitting up.
"Please, let me explain," Vel said, and put a hand on Starbright's shoulder.
"There may still be a way to fix you, but... just not in the way you thought."
Let me out you fu-!
Starbright gave him a shaky sort of smile, letting him support her as she got re-used to her body. "Okay... Explain then, please?" She looked up at him with wide eyes, feeling her stomach flip nervously.
Since it was clear to Vel that Starbright was using the support he offered her, he put more of his hands on her, providing that necessary support without hesitation.
"You and your sister, you're not twins," Vel said, and he shook his head.
"I can see life energy, it's part of who I am. When I first saw you, I thought you were two separate people. But, when I looked at you now, I..."
Vel glanced about nervously.
"You're not two seperate people, Starbright. You and Midnight are both halves of the same soul, a soul that's coming very close to breaking apart. Maybe..."
Vel left Starbright to stand on her own, and turned his back to her.
"If I calculate for the atrophy, factor in spiritual decay..." Vel muttered to himself. Suddenly, he wheeled back around.
"That's the prophecy! If you two go on the way you are, your souls are going to break apart. One of you will die, and the other will be left half of a soul. The survivor won't last very long," Vel said.
"You need to be merged. Put back together."
What?
Starbright stared at him, eyes wide and mouth agape. Even Midnight was shocked into silence. "One...soul?" she repeated quietly, swaying on her feet again when he removed his hands.
"What do you mean? How is that even possi- break apart?" A thrill of fear went through her, and standing was suddenly too much effort. She sank to her knees, just staring up at him.
"But- but how?" Her voice was close to hysterical. "We've always been...we. I don't understand..."
"Starbright, please," Vel said, and he knelt down to match her height. Hands on her shoulders, the faint face in his orb head gave her a concerned, sympathetic look.
"The specifics are lost on me as well. I know it's so much to take in, so take your time. I'll answer any questions I can."
She could feel her eyes start to itch and blinked furiously in an effort to prevent tears. "I just..." She drew in a sharp breath. "How could we not have known?"
Steady, girl, deep breaths. Though just as shocked as Starbright, Midnight immediately snapped into a place of emotionless logic. At least he figured it out now, before he tried to separate us.
Vel sat down properly next to Starbright. He put an arm around her, and provided a shoulder to cry on. It was made of brass and wood, but it was a shoulder nonetheless.
"You were never told," Vel said.
"And I saw firsthand how easy it was to mistake your condition for another one," he continued.
"But I will find a way to save you two."
Starbright broke down, turning her face into his shoulder and crying. She wasn't even sad exactly. More confused, afraid, overwhelmed, and it all seemed to be trying to escape in tears.
After a few minutes, she managed to pull herself together a bit and turned her face away, wiping at her eyes. "S-sorry," she mumbled. A watery sort of chuckle escaped her and she added, "Midnight's right, at least you realized before..." she trailed off, shuddering.
Looking up at him, she murmured, "You really think you can still help us? Me?" She frowned. That felt strange to say.
This is gonna take some getting used to.
"Well, yes!" Vel said, and he smiled at her.
"The thing is, it's one thing to take a soul out of a body, and another thing entirely to mend a broken soul," Vel said.
Vel kept his arm around her, and he reached up with another to brush the hair out of her face.
She tried a small smile in return, leaning unconsciously into him, seeking the comfort of touch. "Broken," she muttered with a sigh, rubbing a hand down her face. With a soft, bitter chuckle, she mumbled, "It's easier to think of us as squeezed into one body than broken."
I just want to know why. Why us? Me?
That was a good point. Frowning, Starbright relayed the thought. "I just don't understand why us. This happened before we were even born, according to Mother." What could they have possibly done to deserve this?
Vel shifted to accomodate her leaning. He wasn't the most comfortable of people to lean on, but his construction was sleek enough so that nothing protruded against her. In order to prevent a single arm from being squeezed to his side, he moved it so that both arms on the side Starbriht was leaning on were around her.
"Perhaps your mother did something to attract the ire of a witch, or some other caster with the power to lay a curse like this."
She sniffed, then gave a bitter sort of chuckle, nodding. "That would be like her, I suppose," she murmured.
Swiping at her eyes again, she forced herself to sit up straight and gave him a small, grateful smile. "Thanks," she said softly, reaching up a little hesitantly to place her hand on the side of the crystal where she could make out the shadow of a face.
"Alright then." She huffed out a breath, then shook her head. "What do we- I have to do to fix this?"
Nobody'd ever done that to him before.
The area around her hand glowed slightly, and Vel unwittingly leaned in to get more of that contact. His eyes closed.
"I'm not quite sure yet. I've only just found out now..." Vel said.
"Thank you for understanding..."
"Oh!" Starbright's eyes widened at the glow, but she let her hand linger for a moment because he didn't seem to mind the contact. When she did pull away, she offered a quick smile and a shrug. "I can't say I...understand exactly. But you've been nothing but kind to us, so I believe you're trying to help."
She glanced away with another shrug. "That's all I need to know, really." Midnight piped up int he back of her head and she added with a soft chuckle, "Midnight says she'd like to know more, but it'll do for now."
Vel nodded.
"Thank you for being kind, too," he said.
"Most people tend to think I'm weird. Or annoying. When you touched me just now, er..."
Vel was getting wound up, it was audible in the way he creaked ever so slightly.
"...Nobody's ever touched me like that before..."
She gave him a crooked smile. "I do think you're weird." A shrug and a softer smile. "I'm weird too. Weird doesn't mean bad, just...different."
Biting her lip, she tilted her head at him, eyes narrowing slightly in concern. "Was it...bad? I mean, I didn't think, I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable."
"Oh, no! I rather liked it," Vel said, and he gave her a nervous smile.
"And you're not weird," Vel added.
"You're too pretty to be weird."
Her cheeks got very warm.
Did he just...?
"Th-thanks," Starbright murmured, dropping her eyes. They weren't used to getting compliments. Trying to make a joke out of it, she said lightly, "Me or Midnight?" giving him a small smile and tilting her head.
"I--I think you're both very pretty," Vel said.
"In your own special ways."
Starbright giggled and Midnight scoffed, but they were both blushing slightly. "You're sweet, Vel," she told him, hesitating a moment before reaching up to lay her hand on the crystal again for a moment. "Thank you."
Vel merely smiled, placing a hand over Starbright's as her hand rested against his "cheek". Words failed him at the moment, so he just opted to appreciate it.
She returned the smile, feeling that somehow it was easier to make out the human face looking back at her. Perhaps she was being fanciful, but it was a nice thought...
Oi. If you two would stop with the puppy eyes, there's work that needs doing!
Starbright started at Midnight's voice and withdrew her hand, clearing her throat awkwardly and dropping her eyes. "Right. Well, um...wh-what should I do now?" she asked with a little forced levity.
It didn't take a mind-reader to tell that Midnight had intervened in some way. People didn't just startle like that.
"Uh..."
He didn't know.
"I don't quite know. Sure, it's one thing to take a soul out of a body, to mend one? That's a whole different story. I don't think there's any one spell or object that can pull it off. However..."
He motioned to the black stone sphere he'd brought out earlier.
"There might be places on Le'Ranna that have the magics necessary. Ancient shrines or tracts of land charged with divine energy. That oculus stone I brought out is a magical map of all such places of power."
Vel shrugged.
"We've just got to find the right one."
"A magical map?" She leaned closer, looking at the stone curiously. It just looked like a stone to her. "How does it work?" she asked, tilting her head back to look up at him.
"Why, I'll show you!" Vel said, and he stood up, coming op next to her. He clenched a hand, and it glowed an ethereal blue. He placed his hand on the stone and it shot up into the air, stopping when it was about ten feet up. It ballooned in size and magical lines sprouted up along its features.
It was a map of Le'Ranna, and peppered across the continent, there were glowing white dots.
"Cool, isn't it?"
"Whoa!"
Indeed.
Starbright gave a startled little laugh, ducking and tilting her head to see the map from different angles. "Very cool," she agreed with a grin, glancing up at Vel with sparkling eyes. "Did you make this, or did you find it somewhere?"
"It's an old relic, I found it while exploring some ruins," Vel said. A part of him wanted to take credit for it, mostly because he kind of wanted to impress Starbright, but his conscience got the better of him.
Vel looked down at Starbright, and smiled.
"If anything's going to help us find the right place, it'll be this."
She nodded, pacing around in a small circle to see as much of the map as she could. "Are all those little white dots places we'll have to check out?" she asked, suddenly feeling a little daunted by the task.
"No, thank the gods," Vel said, and he paced alongside Starbright.
"I know what most of these places are. Like there," Vel said, and he pointed to a point in serendipity.
"There are some very old standing stones there. Very ancient magic. I also know of at least two lost temples that have very powerful residual magics as well."
"Oh good." Starbright gave a relieved little laugh and grinned at him. "So how many of these places will we have to visit then?"
It suddenly struck her just how much effort he was putting into helping them- her- and she bit her lip. "This is going to take a while, isn't it?" She sighed, rubbing her temple. "I'm sorry, you've been so kind, and we're really doing nothing to earn your help," she muttered.
Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, Midnight protested mildly.
"It's quite alright, I like helping!" Vel said, putting his hands together.
"If my guess is right, then I've got it narrowed down to around four. What we're going to do not only requires a grand amount of magic, it requires a very specific kind. Old temples and places of healing have the right energies needed to mend a soul."
Four? That wasn't so bad, actually. "Great!" She beamed at him, clapping her own hands together and bouncing on the balls of her feet. "How soon can we leave?" Then she went a little red."Oh. Um...I don't mean to rush, if there's things we need to do here first."
Easy there, tiger.
At Midnight's reminder, she realized their body hadn't properly rested in days. Yeah, maybe they should take it easy for a few hours at least.
"It'd probably do you some good to rest, first," Vel said, and put the top pair of his hands onto Starbright's shoulder.
"Travelling to ancient magical sites isn't exactly a walk in the woods," he added, and gave her a pleasant smile.
"Oh- are you sure?"
Don't be stupid, he's offering!
Biting her lip, Starbright gave him a grateful look and murmured, "I don't suppose there's a cot or something I could use to lie down for a bit?"
"Well, I... don't really sleep," Vel said.
"But you can use my comfy seat!" Vel said, and motioned to the comfortable looking chair at his desk.
"I'll get you something to rest your feet on," he said, and he took the disc up to the second floor.
"Oh no, you don't have to-" He was already gone.
Smiling a bit, Starbright made her way to the chair and sat a little cautiously. It really was a "comfy seat". Chuckling to herself, she curled her legs up and nestled back into the chair, folding her arms over one arm of it and resting her head on them.
He really is quite an accommodating creature, isn't he?
"Mhm..." She yawned, physical exhaustion overcoming her stress and excitement as she started to drift off.
When Vel came back down, there was a small ottoman floating by him, a seat from the upper level of his workshop. He went up to Starbright and set it down in front of her, so she could stretch out her legs.
"Don't worry about time, just let me know when you're all rested and ready to go."
"Mm?" She blinked at him, smiling and murmuring thanks as she stretched her legs out and snuggled back into the chair. "M'kay. Thanks, Vel." Starbright reached out to absently pat one of his arms before yawning and letting her eyes flutter closed, feeling Midnight allow her own consciousness to fade away.
Vel stood above her for a bit, before he turned back and went to work narrowing down the sites they were going to visit.
She wasn't sure how much later it was when she woke, feeling rested for the first time in days, but the girls had switched in their sleep. Midnight found herself blinking physical eyes open and yawning, looking around.
"Huh." She became dizzy and shut her eyes for a moment. It wasn't the first time something like this had happened, but it was always a little disorienting.
Vel was poring over some parchments when Midnight's voice caught his attention. He looked over to her.
"Good morning, Midnight!" Vel said.
She blinked, rubbed at her eyes, then focused on him. "Morning?" She glanced at the window, then remembered that probably wasn't her best judge of time anyway. Her eyebrows shot up. "We- I- slept all night?"
Indeed, the window was set to look into the elemental plane of water, so it was nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see.
"You did," Vel said, and he stood up, walked over to Midnight, and took a seat at the edge of the ottoman.
"You must've been very tired."
She gave him a crooked smile. "Yeah, guess I was. Figures, though. Don't think we've slept in almost a week."
Shrugging, she slid to the edge of the chair and propped her elbows on her knees, chin in her hands. "So what'd you find out?"
"Well, I guessed rather correctly. There are four sites that could contain the latent magic necessary to mend you," Vel said.
"However, I... don't quite know what the process will do to you. If both of you are two halves of a person, then there's a strong chance that when I merge you, you two will both cease to exist and become the girl you were meant to be from birth."
"Cease to exist," Midnight repeated blankly. Letting out a sharp breath, she looked up to meet his "eye" and asked bluntly, "And if you don't do this? We'll die, won't we?"
"If we don't do anything, then your soul will break apart, and one of you will die. The other will waste away," Vel said.
Silence. For a long moment.
"Then I guess we don't have much choice," Midnight said with a sharp breath. "So. Where to first?"
"I'm sorry that I can't offer you an alternative," Vel said, and he put a hand on Midnight's shoulder.
He kept his hand there for a moment, before he withdrew it.
"Our first site will be a fae glen on the Serenian border. One of the rare few untouched places in the world."
Her lips quirked up on one side. "It's not your fault," she said with a shrug. Nodding, she stood and stretched, twisting her spine from side to side.
"Do we leave now, or are there some magical dodads you've got to get first?" Midnight asked, looking at him and planting her hands on her hips.
"Well, I should probably get some books... and ritual supplies," Vel said, standing up with her.
"Sit tight for a moment, I'll be right back."
Vel took the disc up to the library floors, leaving Midnight by herself.
Sit tight. Well, it wasn't like she really had anywhere to go-
I wonder what we'll look like.
Midnight blinked. "Excuse me?"
What we'll look like, Starbright repeated, musing. As one person.
She snorted, rolling her eyes. "You are so weird."
Hey, I am you, so that means you're weird. Silence for a moment. Then: Gods, that sounded messed up even to me.
Midnight chuckled.
Vel came back after a few minutes, toting a satchel bag and a backpack. He went up to Midnight, and nodded.
"You ready to go?"
Shaking herself out of her internal conversation, Midnight nodded briskly. "Yeah. Let's go." She shot him a quick, rather hard smile, eyes determined.
Vel nodded, and he reached out. Another portal opened, and he offered Midnight his hand.
"Alright, let's go then."
Taking his hand, she held her breath as they stepped through the portal, still not used to the strange sensation. Her grip on his fingers tightened spastically.
Vel held her hand all the way through, and when they came out of the portal, he put a hand on her side to make sure that she was steady.
"You alright?"
"Yeah." Her voice was a little shaky, so she cleared her throat and tried again, more firmly. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just a little weird, you know?"
She gave him a half smile, glancing at his hand on her waist but not pushing it away.
"Yeah, it took me some getting used to," Vel said, and he chuckled.
"Don't even get me started on learning it."
Get him started, I'm interested!
"Later," Midnight muttered. Louder, she said, looking around, "How close are we to this glen? A bit of a walk?" She was actually okay with the idea, relishing in the fresh air.
"Oh, It's just this way. Come on!" Vel said, the excitement clear in his voice. While he had to take his hand off of her waist to start moving, he didn't let go of her hand.
Finding his cheer and excitement contagious, Midnight fell into step beside him easily, resisting the reflex to pull her hand away. He seemed to like it, where was the harm? And she could tell that Starbright liked the contact.
"So, when we get to this place," she said as they walked, looking around. "Are you just gonna...do some sorta healing spell, or is it more complicated than that?"
Vel looked at Midnight as they walked. His faintly visible face held a certain contentness that he didn't have before. It felt rather nice, to hold someone's hand.
"Well, I need to see if the place has the correct energies. If it doesn't, we move on."
Vel smiled.
"That is, if you don't want to stay there awhile. It's quite beautiful."
Midnight huffed a small laugh through her nose. "I'm sure it is, but I'm more a get the job done kinda girl," she muttered. Then her free hand went to her temple, as though she suddenly had a headache, and she added with a sigh, "Starbright says to at least wait until we see the place before I make that call."
"Both are excellent philosophies," Vel said.
"But I have to agree with Starbright om this one."
Suddenly, the trees broke, and there they were. It was a large pond, only about knee deep, but the water was perfectly clear. Small trees stuck out of the water, disrupting the mirror-like surface. The trees concentrated in the center, hiding it from view.All kinds of insects, from butterflies to gnats, fluttered about in a state of peace. There was a small path of earth that led into the demse trees in the center.
Midnight stopped short, eyes widening. "Whoa," she breathed, looking around the place. A tiny smile spread across her face. "You weren't kidding. Gods, this is..."
Beautiful.
"Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stay here a bit," the girl admitted softly, giving Vel a crooked sort of smile. then she shook her head and eyed the earthy path. "We going into those trees?"
Vel beamed at Midnight's reaction, and held up their joined hands.
"Yep. Let's go," Vel said, and he led the way.
Taking a fortifying breath, Midnight followed after him, finding she didn't really want to pull her hand away anymore. It was rather comforting.
"Um..." She glanced around as they walked, lowering her voice unconsciously. "We're not, like- disturbing the fae, are we?" She and Starbright had heard plenty of stories in their time about angry faeries taking revenge on mortals who trespassed on their lands.
"Don't think so," Vel said, and he glanced around.
"They didn't seem to have a problem with me when I came by myself."
"If you say so." She found herself gravitating a little closer to him all the same.
Aw, look at that- fearless Midnight, scared of a pixie, Starbright teased in the back of her mind.
She scowled. "Oh, would you shut up?" Wincing when she realized she'd said that out loud, Midnight glanced at Vel and said hurriedly, "Er, not you." Coughing, she glanced away and grumbled, "We almost there?"
Vel ignored the "shut up," for the most part, for he already had an inkling that it wasn't directed towards him. He did notice that Midnight drew closer, and to provide her further comfort, he gave her hand a light squeeze.
"Just a bit more, Midnight."
Starting a bit when he squeezed her hand, the young woman glanced up at him as he drew her closer.
"What does it feel like?" she asked abruptly, not really caring if the question was rude. "You said you can feel it when someone touches you- what's it like? I mean...do you feel warmth, texture?" Her clinical curiosity was rising to the surface, overriding her wariness as she tilted her head at him.
"It's rather hard to explain," Vel said.
"And I don't really have anything to compare it to, but yes, I feel the texture, the warmth. I can feel your heartbeat," Vel said.
"It's nice. I like it."
"My heartbeat?" Her eyebrows went up a bit at that. Curiosity growing, she asked, "Is it different- I mean, when Star touched your...face? You said it was different. Than this?" She gestured to their joined hands. "How did you mean?"
Midnight, that seems rather personal. She shrugged off the admonishment, looking at Vel expectantly.
"It was tingly, but good," Vel mused.
"My head keeps my whole body powered, so it just feels different. It's sensitive," Vel said.
"Hm..." Midnight gave him a calculating sort of look, kind of wanting to perform some sort of experiment with that, but knowing they didn't have the time.
Besides, Starbright was shouting at her about how rude and "too personal" that was. Hmph. She was just curious. "Is that why we can see you- you, you- in there? Because that's what keeps you powered?"
Starbright groaned in the back of her head. Why do I even bother trying to teach you tact?
Despite Starbright's reservations, it seemed Midnight's questions only spurred Vel onwards. He liked answering them! Vel nodded.
"Yes. My body is powered by my soul, which is kept in the crystal that serves as my head," Vel explained.
"As you already know, however, I'm also trapped in here. I can form illusions to make myself look human, but I cannot leave this crystal.
"Wait, you can?" She stopped walking, looking at him with renewed interest. "Can you show me?"
What happened to being a "get the job done" type of girl?
Oh hush, this is interesting.
"Sure!"
Vel let go of her hand. He did it all the time when he went to cities and stuff, so it was a cinch for him to do it now. In a flash of light and a swirl of magical smoke, the wood and brass turned into an unassuming but aesthetically pleasing robe, under which there was, well... a person!
Vel's handsome face was at the forefront now, and he let down his hood so Midnight could see.
"I'm quite good at looking like a person. You can feel my face and everything!" Vel said.
Midnight grinned, looking him up and down. "Neat trick," she chuckled, stepping closer and reaching out curiously to touch him, fingers skimming up his arm to his shoulder, then a little more hesitantly brushing against his cheek.
It felt like- well, skin. Smooth, warm, nothing too out of the ordinary. "You know, you're actually pretty cute," she said with a soft laugh, tilting her head and giving him a crooked smile.
Vel's illusion flickered a bit at that, and he smiled at her. When Midnight felt his arm, she might notice that beneath the robe, he was actually pretty well built. If you could sculpt a body for yourself, why make it anything other than good looking?
"Y-you too," Vel said, and subconsciously, he put a hand on her cheek as well.
She felt Starbright's little flush of pleased embarrassment, and even her own cheeks heated. She tilted her head a bit into his touch, fascinated by how different it felt from his mechanical hand. Quite a masterful illusion.
"Um, thanks," she mumbled, then dropped her hand, stepping away and clearing her throat. "Er- sorry. Got distracted. But we've got things to do, yes?" She glanced at him, and her brisk tone softened a bit as she added, "Thank you for showing me this."
"Yes," Vel said. He kept the illusion on, because hey, Midnight seemed to like it, and he took her hand again.
"Plenty of time to look at the scenery after we check the place out," Vel said.
"The center shouldn't be much farther."
"Alright then." A little surprised but not exactly objecting to the fact that he kept the illusion, Midnight let him take her hand and lead her further into the glen.
When they arrived at the center, it was truly something to behold. A stone altar lied in the center of a patch of flowers, surrounded on all sides by the clear water. Twinkling lights floated about in the air, little fae spirits native to the place.
"Here we are," Vel said.
For a moment Midnight was actually struck speechless, just staring at the place in awe. "Beautiful," she murmured absently, eyes flicking appreciatively around the glen.
Then she shook her head, forcing herself to focus, and looked at Vel. "Alright. What do I do?"
Vel looked around the place as well, before he glanced back at Midnight.
"Well, just relax while I read the place's latent energies," Vel said, and he let ho of her hand to conjure up a ball of green light. He stared into it as he started to walk around the place.
"If doesn't have the right energies, then we move on."
"Ah...okay then." She shifted her weight from foot to foot, looking around the glen curiously. Quite fascinated by the dancing lights, she took a cautious step toward them, squinting to try to get a better look.
It's so peaceful here, Starbright sighed happily, and she gave a soft little hum of agreement.
Vel continued to pace about the glen. Every once in a while, he'd adjust the ball of light, and it would change colors. It was a rather odd system, one that the uninitiated would probably just find confusing.
Distracted by the flashes of color in the corner of her vision, Midnight turned her attention to Vel and watched him work. Her curiosity bubbled to the surface and she was itching to ask what, exactly, he was doing, but she didn't want to distract him.
"No," Vel muttered, and he turned his hands. The ball of light flickered rythmically, and after a bit, it winked out. He walked to Midnight, arms crossed.
"There's a lot of light and nature magic here, but not the kind of magic we need," Vel said.
She sighed, a little disappointed, and nodded. Giving him a wry grin, she said with a shrug. "Well, I suppose it would have been too easy for us to get it right on the first try." Taking a breath, she planted her fists on her hips and shook her head, looking back up at him with determined, crimson eyes. "Right. Where to next, then?"
"We'll have to return to my workshop and then go from there," Vel said.
"Didn't you want to stay awhile, though?" Vel said, and he smiled as he stepped up to her.
Oh, please!
Midnight sighed and shook her head, but muttered, "If you insist. Here, you should get the chance to really see the place." She closed her eyes and took a breath, and when she let it out Starbright was blinking her eyes open and looking around with unabashed fascination.
"It's so different when you see it with your own eyes," she murmured, smiling softly as she turned in a small circle.
Vel smiled at Starbright's wonderment.
"Yeah," he said, and he sat down against the altar, closing his eyes. He ran a hand through the soft grass, and when his eyes opened, he looked over to Starbright.
She was looking back at him, head tilted as she took in his human body- or at least the illusion of it- with her own eyes for the first time. Kneeling next to him, she reached out to touch his shoulder, then hesitated. "Can I...?"
"Go ahead," Vel said, giving her a friendly smile.
He patted the ground next to him.
"Why don't you sit?"
Starbright smiled and sat beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest before she reached out to touch his shoulder. Much like Midnight, she let her fingers ghost up to his cheek where she hovered for a moment.
"Is this...what you think your body would have looked like?" she asked slowly, not sure if the question was overstepping her bounds. "I mean, if you hadn't been- you know." She flushed and dropped her eyes, pulling her hand away bashfully.
"Yeah, it's what I'd like to think," Vel said, and he scooted closer to her, putting an arm around her shoulder.
"I wonder how you'll look. I mean, when you're merged," Vel said.
"Mostly I wonder what color your hair will be," Vel said, and he chuckled.
Midnight scoffed but Starbright giggled, nodding. She leaned into him a bit, hesitating a moment before she let her head rest on his shoulder. "Me too," she agreed. "I was arguing with Midnight about that earlier, actually."
She screwed up her face and added, "Honestly I wonder how we're going to mesh. We're so different!"
You can say that again.
"Well, that's partly the reason why you can mesh," Vel said, and he shifted a bit to better accomodate Starbright. He rested his head against hers. He slipped his arm down around her side so he could bring both of his hands in front of them. He spread his fingers out.
"If you two were eaxactly the same, it wouldn't mesh at all," Vel said, and he bumped his fingertips together.
"But opposites?"
He locked his hands.
"Like pieces of a puzzle."
Vel let his hands drop, leaving one right on Starbright's waist.
Though she was a little startled that they suddenly seemed to be almost, well...cuddling, Starbright recovered quickly and tucked herself into his side.
"I think I get it," she said with a small smile. She simply let the silence reign for a few moments, then ventured quietly, "When we're fixed...does that offer still stand? About being your assistant?"
"It does," Vel said.
"Having an extra pair of hands would be invaluable," Vel said. He didn't seem to mind as much that they were almost cuddling, even when Starbright tucked herself against him even further.
She giggled, glancing up at him, and teased lightly, "What, two isn't enough for you?"
Oh, yeah, and I'm the tactless one.
Ignoring Midnight, she smiled at Vel gratefully. "Thank you," she murmured softly, tone sobering. "We've never been...I've never really been able to put down roots before. Thanks for offering the chance."
"Pfft!" Vel laughed, and he held her a bit closer.
When the tone got serious, Vel nodded. He brushed a bit of hair out of Starbright's face.
"It's nothing. I'm just happy to help," Vel said.
Starbright hummed softly in acknowledgement of that, giving him a quick smile hen he brushed her hair away.
"You're really touchy," she noted mildly. "It's...not what I would have expected." Flushing, she backpedaled quickly. "I mean- it's not bad or anything, it's just...surprising, I guess, considering..." Coughing awkwardly, she trailed off and dropped her eyes, blushing furiously.
Vel knew what she meant, and though he frowned slightly, he quickly perked back up.
"Well, you feel nice," Vel said.
"I feel comfortable with you."
Though her blush deepened, she couldn't help laughing a bit at that. "I feel nice?" she repeated, eyes twinkling. "Well, I guess that's a good thing."
Leaning back into him, she said lightly, "We- I feel comfortable around you, too. Which is strange, because even I have a hard time warming up to people so quickly, let alone Midnight."
Oi, what's that supposed to mean?
Oh, hush. You know you're prickly.
Vel couldn't help but to laugh a bit at Starbright's little jab at Midnight. He fell silent, simply appreciating the moment.
He turned his head, meeting Starbright's eyes with his own.
"It really is beautiful here..."
She nodded, humming in agreement. "It is," she murmured, though for some reason she was finding it hard to break his gaze. Something about him was just intense, even just sitting there looking perfectly human, like the magic that animated him permeated everything about him.
Vel found himself caught in Starbright's eyes, if not for a completely different reason. Words failed him, so he merely opted to smile at her.
Ah-HEM. You two gonna wake up anytime soon?
"Oh!" Starbright blinked, flushed, and dropped her eyes. "Um...ahem. We- we should go, yeah? Get to the next place on the list?"
Of course, every time it seemed him and Starbright almost had a moment, Midnight just had to chime in. Vel wasn't eve na resentful person, so why did that bother him so much?
Instead, he sat still for a few moments, committed the feeling of having Starbright against him like that to memory, and then stood up.
"We should," Vel said, and he offered her his hand.
Starbright took his hand with a grateful smile and let him pull her to her feet. She didn't draw her hand away though, cautiously threading her fingers through his.
"So." She let her head tilt slightly to the side. "Where to next?"
Vel encouraged Starbright's contact by giving her hand a welcoming squeeze.
"There's an old temple. I've never been there before, but I've got a good feeling about it."
"That's good!" Starbright beamed at him, squeezing his hand back gently. "The good feeling I mean." Unlike Midnight, she was a firm believer in intuition.
"Do we have to get out of the glen before you open a portal?" she asked curiously, looking around at the beautiful place again.
"I'd rather not do any major magic here," Vel said. He walked close to her as they left the center of the glen.
"If only we had more time to stay and appreciate the place."
Biting her lip, Starbright cast a last glance over her shoulder at the glen. "Maybe we could come back," she suggested brightly, looking back to him. "When all this is over I mean. Just come back to...you know, visit."
"I'd love to," Vel said, and he gave Starbright a smile. Without thinking, he ran his mouth.
"The glen looks better with you in it."
Her cheeks got very warm, very quickly. Still, she couldn't help smiling at him for a moment before she ducked her head in embarrassment. "Th-thank you," she mumbled, eyes glue to her feet. After a moment, she got up the courage to lift her head and say quickly, "I'd return the compliment, but I don't really have a basis for comparison."
Her tone was lightly teasing, but there was real sincerity in her eyes. "I'd think most places would be better with you in them." Her blush worsened and she dropped her head again. Whoa, girl. What are you doing?
For once, the voice in her head was her own- she seemed to have managed to shock Midnight speechless.
Vel was speechless. Between being caught in his own words and Starbright letting a few of her own out, he couldn't really find anything else to say.
He did know, however, that he didn't want this conversation to end on the note it was currently on, so he did the only thing he could think of.
He leaned in, and left a chaste little kiss right on Starbright's cheek.
"You're sweet, Starbright," Vel said.
"I like you."
It felt like her whole body blushed this time. She actually stopped walking for a moment, frozen in place. When her throat decided to work again, she stammered out, "I-I like you too, Vel."
She smiled at him, starting to walk again- albeit a little clumsily. "You've been very kind. I've never met anyone quite like you." After a moment, she realized how that sounded and amended, "I don't just mean...I meant your personality. You were so eager to help a stranger, and you're so curious about everything-"
You're babbling.
Flushing darker, she snapped her mouth shut and dropped her eyes, walking in silence.
Again, another sudden cutoff. He really wanted to confront that, but he didn't want to intrude.
"Thank you, Starbright," Vel said, and he held her hand a bit tighter.
"I can't begin to fathom what Midnight's thinking right now," Vel mused.
Starbright gave a slightly exasperated little chuckle. "She told me I was babbling," she said with a wry smile. Blushing- or rather, blush worsening- she added, "You, um, sort of shocked her silent for a second there. We're not- I'm not used to..."
She cleared her throat and glanced away. "We're not around people much," she mumbled eventually. "I guess you could say our social skills are kinda rusty."
"Really? I think your social skills are just fine," Vel said. He stopped walking, and held up the hand he was holding. He passed his thumb over Starbright's knuckles.
"I..."
He trailed off.
"I think you're very beautiful, Starbright..."
Face positively on fire, she forced herself to meet his eyes. His touch sent a pleasant little shiver over her skin and she offered a small, nervous smile.
What, just you?
"Thank you," she said softly, ignoring Midnight's quip. Reaching up a little hesitantly, she brushed the back of her free hand over his cheek. Her smile turned a little lopsided and she murmured, "Midnight was right, you are- well, I wouldn't say "cute". Definitely appealing."
Dropping her hand and her eyes, she bit her lip, desperately ignoring Midnight's scoffing in the back of her mind. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "I'm not very good at this sort of thing."
To be perfectly honest, she wasn't even entirely sure what this sort of thing was.
"Me neither," Vel said, and he chuckled softly.
"I've never really... done this. With anybody," Vel said.
"But I'm happy that I met you and your sister. You're both so nice, I..."
Vel sighed.
"The nicest I've met in a long time."
Starbright bit her lip, her heart aching for him a little at that. "I'm sorry," she murmured, shifting closer to bump her shoulder against his. "If that's true...I'm sorry."
He was hundreds of years old. How long was "a long time" to him?
Midnight, uncomfortable with emotional displays at the best of times, sort of fidgeted in the back of her skull, making a noise akin to clearing one's throat.
"Well." Starbright straightened her shoulders and gave him the best smile she could manage. "We're not going anywhere, not anytime soon at least. You said we- I can be your assistant, and I'm gonna hold you to that."
Vel smiled, and passed a hand over her cheek.
"I know you'll make a great one," Vel said, and after a moment's trepidation, leaned in to give her another kiss on the cheek.
"Come on, we should get moving," Vel said, and he continued down the path."
She wasn't quite as stunned this time, but the kiss was still a surprise. Raising her free hand to touch her cheek lightly, she hurried after him, letting him keep his grip on her hand.
Oh, sister, we are in so much trouble...
Starbright closed her eyes for a moment. Didn't she know it.
Soon enough, they were out of the dense trees and back out in the open air.
Vel looked back at Starbright and smiled.
"You ready to go?"
She smiled back. "Ready." She couldn't seem to help the reflexive tightening of her grip on his hand as she prepared for the strange sensation of going through the portal though.
With a wave of his hand, the portal opened.
With a smile, Vel led Starbright through.
Her breath hitched as they passed through and she squeezed his hand tightly for an anchor. Then it was over and she let out a sharp exhale, leaning against him a bit.
Looking around at his inter-dimensional hideaway, she found a smile creeping across her face and couldn't help whispering, "Home again, home again," in a little sing-songy voice.
Vel held Starbright when they teleported in, and couldn't help but to chuckle brightly at her little song.
"We'll rest here for a bit. Teleporting takes a lot out of me," Vel said. To further conserve energy, Vel dropped the illusion as well. He click-clacked over to the nearest seat, and plopped down.
Following after him, Starbright bit her lip and have him a concerned look, leaning against the arm of his chair. "Are you alright?" she asked softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. With a small smile, she added, "I am a healer. If that took too much out of you, maybe I can..." She waved a hand airily. "Help. Somehow."
It brought Vel some degree of comfort to see that Starbright didn't really care if he was under the illusion or not.
"I just need a breather, although a healer's hands aren't unwelcome either," Vel said.
"Go ahead."
Nodding, Starbright shifted around to kneel in front of him and placed both hands on his shoulders. She closed her eyes and breathed, then murmured, "I've never tried this with someone who didn't have a human body, so I'm not sure how it's going to work, but I'll do my best."
Tapping into her magic, she let it dance down her arms and through her fingers into him, hopefully bringing a sense of calm and a surge of energy, like a nap and a good meal. It was a trick she'd learned dealing with malnourishment, but she hoped the principal was the same.
Vel spread his legs a bit so she could get close enough to put her hands on his shoulders while kneeling in front of him.
Indeed, he did seem to relax, although the meal facet of the spell didn't really work, seeing as Vel never really knew what it felt like to be well-fed.
"That feels good," Vel said.
"I feel like I've recovered a bit, definitely, but I could still use a couple minutes," Vel said.
He reached down and put a hand on Starbright's cheek. He smiled down at her.
"Thanks."
She beamed, glad she could help even if it was just a little. "Of course." As always after using her magic, Starbright felt flushed and happy.
She let her hands drop to his legs and used them to sort of boost herself up rather spontaneously, leaning up to press a quick peck to the upper middle part of the blue crystal, where she imagined Vel's forehead would be if he were wearing a human form.
Settling back, she tilted her head and smiled. "Let me know if there's anything else I- or Midnight- can do," she chirped.
Indeed, Starbright's sudden show of affection caught Vel off guard, and the only thing he could think to do was to put his hands on her waist when she leaned forwards to leave a kiss on his forehead. Again, there was that tiny glow where her lips contacted the crystal, along with a telltale smudge in the shape of lips.
Vel smiled. In his mind, this confirmed that she accepted him in all his forms, and the thought made him swell with happiness. He flushed, the crystal going a few shades lighter.
"You'd kiss me? Even when I'm like this?"
She let her head tilt to one side and her lips curved up into a small smile. "Well...yes. Of course," she said softly. "It's still you, isn't it? Doesn't matter what the outside looks like." Sure it was a little strange, but then she was quite used to strange.
Starbright's words made Vel so incredibly happy. He motioned towards himself.
"Come up here, then," Vel said, patting his lap.
"I want to hold you."
"Oh! Um...Okay." Blushing, Starbright climbed a little awkwardly onto his lap, some vague corner of her mind- probably controlled by Midnight- fascinated by the fact that wood and brass could be formed in such a way to feel almost human.
"This okay?" she asked, a little shyly, ducking her head and hesitantly putting her hands on his shoulders to steady herself.
"It's fine," Vel said, and he loosely wrapped his arms around her waist.
"How long have you been practicing magic for?"
Starbright furrowed her brow, trying to think about that. "Since...I was seven, I think," she answered after a moment. "At the foundling home, there was a little boy- he fell and cut his leg, and I just..." She waved a hand airily, wiggling her fingers.
"It just sort of came out," she said with a lopsided smile and a shrug. "What about you, then? You've been alive so long- has most of that been practicing magic?"
Vel smiled at her account, and then nodded at her question.
"I was born-- er, rather made to practice magic. Creator wanted an apprentice, you see he was... incredibly lonely. And insane."
Vel chuckled a bit.
"When I first opened my eyes, I was like a child, playing with toys I couldn't even comprehend. I've been able to channel magic my whole life, it's just been an issue of how well I could do it."
Vel's arms went a bit tighter around her waist, turning it more into a proper hug.
"I didn't actually know healing spells worked on me," he admitted.
"So there are some things even you don't know," Starbright teased lightly, letting her head tilt to one side.
Midnight was focused on something else he'd said though, and she forced it to the forefront of her mind.
It's personal, I don't want to ask.
I want to know. I won't let up until you do.
Fine! "Your...creator," she said slowly, leaning unconsciously forward a bit so she was more nestled against him. "What- what do you mean, insane?"
At the question, Vel looked off to the side for a few moments. It was clear that this wasn't his favorite subject.
"Creator was an old wizard, an artificer to be exact. He was a disagreeable man, so he lived by himself in a castle on a mountain. He wanted to make the perfect construct, so he surrounded himself with them. He built his own friends, his assistants, everything. Even a dog."
Vel looked back at Starbright. Keeping the other three hands on her waist and sides, he moved one up to stroke her cheek and brush some hair out of her face.
"When the loneliness was too much even for him, he made an apprentice," Vel continued.
"Me."
"That's why he...gave you a soul?" she ventured slowly, leaning into his touch just a bit. She was growing used to the way his mechanized hands felt.
Her heart clenched a bit guiltily at how he'd looked away. She knew she shouldn't have asked, it was obviously something he didn't want to talk about. Clamping down on Midnight's curiosity, she reached up to brush her fingers over his "face" in turn.
"Sorry," she mumbled, biting at her lip. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."
"There's no point in keeping it bottled up," Vel said.
"In a way, I'm his masterpiece. A construct with a soul, a construct that can think, learn, feel, and grow mentally on its own."
"So..." She hesitated to ask, but Midnight's prodding and her own curiosity were too strong.
"What happened?" she asked quietly. "It- it sounds like you admire him, sort of. Why are you...on your own now?"
"Admire him?"
His voice took a tone that Starbright had not yet heard from him. Anger.
"I don't even remember who I was before he put me in this walking coffin. He lied to my face, raised me like I was his own son." Vel said.
"I don't want to talk about why I'm alone. All you need to know is that he's dead now."
Starbright reeled back a bit, startled by the anger. Cursing herself- and Midnight- mentally, she dropped her eyes and murmured, "I'm sorry."
She hesitated a moment, then warily leaned forward to put her arms around his shoulders in a hug. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
Her voice cut off and she swallowed thickly. It didn't matter that she hadn't wanted to make him angry, the fact was she had. Midnight was bristling in retaliation, but Starbright was doing her best not to cry. She'd always been overly emotional.
"Oh, hey no it's alright," Vel said, and he stroked the top of her hair. His other arms encircled her into a hug.
"You didn't know," he continued.
"Just... let's avoid the subject in the future, alright?" Vel said.
"Alright," she agreed softly with a quick nod. Midnight grumbled a bit, feeling thwarted, but she ignored her.
Glancing down at his arms around her, Starbright smiled slightly and let one hand drift down to trace the runes on one of his upper arms. "What do these mean?" she asked, as much to change the subject as because she was genuinely curious.
"The runes let me channel magic through my arms," Vel said.
"They're actually very important," he added on.
"If I can't channel magic through my arms and into my hands, I can't cast spells," he said.
"Really?" She snatched her hand back and gave him a sheepish look. "Er, sorry."
"Oh, it's okay to touch them," Vel said, and he took her hand, putting it hack on the runes.
Once again, he met her eyes, and didn't look away.
"Oh." For some reason the way he met her eyes made her blush. Perhaps it was just because she was unused to actually looking people in the eye for longer than a moment or two.
Sort of absently, she let her fingers trace over the runes again. "Does this...feel different? Like when I touch the crystal?" It seemed not all of Midnight's curiosity could be suppressed.
The runes were etched into Vel's frame, so when she passed her fingers over them, she'd be able to actually feel them.
"It feels no different than when you touch my shoulders, or my chest," Vel said, maintaining the eye contact.
"You're very curious," Vel said, but he smiled to let Starbright know that he liked it.
She flushed and gave him a sheepish sort of smile in return. "I know, I can't help it." With a shrug and a chuckle she added, "It's mostly Midnight- she gets so persistent about things, it's like I can't even think of anything else until I figure out what's bugging her."
...I'm not apologizing.
Shaking her head, Starbright gave another small laugh and leaned back, though she let her hand remain resting on his arm. "How much longer should you rest?" she asked Vel, tilting her head to the side. "Is there something I can around here while we wait?"
"Well, I'm kind of comfy like this," Vel said, and he idly passed a hand up her side.
"I'm feeling a bit lazy right now, to be honest."
She shivered a bit at his hand on her side, still not quite used to the sensation of being touched to familiarly. A hug or holding hands was one thing, this...cuddling was pretty new to her.
"Alright then," she said with a small smile and a shrug, shifting a bit to settle against him more comfortably. Suddenly she giggled, raising her hand to cover her mouth. "I'm sorry," she chuckled, eyes sparkling. "I just- I feel like I'm dreaming or something. This is all...pretty surreal."
A girl who's two girls that're actually one girl snuggled up against a centuries old magical construct with a human soul in an inter-dimensional tower, Midnight said flippantly. What's so surreal about that?
"Yeah," Vel chuckled.
There were a few moments consisting of nothing but silence as Vel merely appreciated Starbright's presence.
The silence wasn't uncomfortable- in fact it was rather nice- but after a few moment Starbright felt herself beginning to get antsy.
And then there was Midnight, pushing forward a question that had been circling in the back of her mind since the glen.
"Um, Vel?" She bit her lip. "Can I ask you something? And you don't have to answer if you don't want to, I'm just...curious." That sheepish smile again, brow furrowing questioningly.
Vel looked at Starbright curiously, and then nodded.
"Go ahead," Vel said.
"I'm all ears."
That brought the rather off-topic question of did he even have ears to the front of her mind, but she pushed it away.
"Okay then. Um, before, when you said-" She coughed, flushing a bit, and finished in a rush, "When you said you thought I was beautiful- did you mean that...objectively? Like, you think I'm aesthetically pleasing? Or was it..." She trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know, something else..."
You are the definition of awkward, do you know that?
Shut up.
"Star..." Vel said.
"I think you're beautiful both inside and out," he said. He put a hand on her cheek.
"You're just so kind and caring. Like I said before, you're the first person in a long time to treat me this well," he said.
She flushed a bit and leaned into his hand. "I just can't believe that," she murmured, shaking her head and looking at him a little sadly. "It doesn't seem fair. You're so kind, you deserve to be treated the same way."
Blush deepening, she let her eyes flick away and cleared her throat quietly, still feeling a fuzzy little glow in her chest from his compliment.
"Unfortunately, that's not the way the world treats me," Vel said.
"A lot of people have treated me like a freak. As something dangerous. It's partly the reason why my illusion form's so good," Vel said.
"But around you, I... I don't feel like I need to hide. You accept me for who I am, gears, wood and brass and all, and I can't express how happy that makes me."
Vel leaned forwards and left a kiss on Starbright's forehead. Well, kiss was a rather loose term, since he didn't have lips in this form. However, it did leave behind a tingly post-kiss feeling.
She wasn't expecting the touch, and the quick tingle it flashed across her skin from the point of contact made her shiver a bit.
"I'm glad you're happy," she said softly, letting one hand fall to his arm and brushing her fingers over the etched markings there again.
"It's...it's a mutual feeling, you know," she said with a small shrug, ducking her head. "Midnight and I- we're usually on our own because we make people uncomfortable. I know it's not really the same, and we haven't had to deal with it nearly as long, but..." She smiled absently. "But it's nice. Not having to hide."
"I don't know how you and your sister could make anybody uncomfortable," Vel said.
"You're so pleasant to be around."
Midnight snorted and Starbright gave a slightly bitter little chuckle. "Not everyone thinks so," she said with a shrug.
Leaning back slightly so she was more perched on his lap than nestled against him, she added, "I think people just find it off-putting. And before we learned better, we would talk out loud to each other a lot- which just looks like a crazy girl talking to herself if you don't know better." Another little laugh and shrug.
"I must say, it's a rather unique trait," Vel said.
"The problem is that people aren't interested in taking the time to know you. They look at the surface and judge," Vel said.
"Gods, I can't remember the last time I was ever approached by someone..."
Her chest tightened at that. She reached up to lay her hand on the side of the crystal. "Well, you were summoning a lady made out of water," she said with a small smile. "How could we not approach you? Like you said, I'm curious- it's in my nature."
Perhaps it was a poor attempt to lighten the mood, but she didn't want to think about him being alone. It made her heart hurt.
"Oh, I don't doubt that it must've been quite the sight," Vel said, and he put one of his hands on top of Starbright, placing another on her other hand.
A few moments of silence.
"W-when you were nestled aginst me, it... I liked it. Can you go back to that?"
"Oh. Um, sure." Cheeks heating a bit, she carefully let her hands drop to his shoulders and leaned into him again. "Like this?"
"Just like that," Vel said, and he put his arms around her again. A hand drifted up her back, and he found her eyes to be particularly captivating.
"Do... do you really find me attractive? Like... Really?"
Her blush darkened and she tried to look away, but there was really no where to look. She settled for ducking her head against his chest. "Yes," she mumbled. The human illusion was certainly pleasant to look at, but she found she rather liked the glimpses she caught of his face in the crystal as well.
A few more moments of stunned silence. With her head against his chest, Starbright would be able to hear the gentle ticking and clicking of Vel's brass insides. Perhaps, even, the rhytmic hissing of his heart as magically powered and sealed internal mechanisms pumped and recycled air to turn Vel's gears.
Vel stroked Starbright's cheek, and held her tighter.
"Thank you," Vel mumbled back.
"H-hey, I... Uh..."
Clockwork. Interesting, Midnight commented. I wonder how that works, exactly.
I think it's nice, Starbright thought back, simply listening to the rather rhythmic ticking for a moment. It was sort of soothing...
It took her a second to register that Vel seemed to be trying to say something. Tilting her head back, she looked up at the crystal, unconsciously searching for his face. "Something wrong?"
She found his face, gazing back at her with a rather unique combination of nervousness, warmth, and affection.
"Oh, um, I just... want, er..."
He continued to look at her.
"I... can't really explain it, but... I just feel..."
His head moved forwards a bit, and he stopped, hesitant.
Starbright offered a gentle smile in response to his expression. He seemed nervous, and she wanted to soothe him though she wasn't quite sure how.
"What?" she asked quietly, reaching up to lay her hand on the side of his head again and unconsciously leaning forward a bit.
"You feel what?" Another smile, encouraging as best she could.
"Like..."
The touch to the side of his head soothed him visibly, and he maintained eye contact.
"Like I don't want to be anywhere else," Vel said, and perhaps spurred on by a combination of foreign feelings, Starbright's own opennesss, and his limited social skills, Vel leaned forwards to kiss Starbright properly.
Starbright gave a small noise of surprise that was muffled into the kiss. Her eyes went wide and she froze.
It was strange, kissing someone without lips. But she could definitely feel the intent behind the touch. Hesitantly, she lifted her other hand to cup his "face" between her palms.
Ahem. Not trying to bother you or anything, but- what the hell are you doing?
She started a bit and pulled away, staring at Vel with wide eyes. "Um." She blinked and cleared her throat. "Th-that- um..." Flushing, she looked down, unsure what to say.
"Oh, oh no," Vel said, and one of his hands went to hers.
"I messed it up, didn't I?" Vel said, and he broke eye contact.
"What?" She blinked at him for a moment in silence. Then: "Oh! No, no of course you didn't." Absently she smoothed her thumb along the surface of the crystal, trying to tilt her head to meet his eyes again.
"You just- it surprised me, that's all," she said quietly. Blushing, she ducked her head a bit and added, "We've never- I mean, no one's ever tried to-" She cleared her throat and glanced away.
"O-oh..." Vel said, and he sagged a bit in his seat, having just now noticed how tense he was.
Suddenly, a small chuckle, and he put a hand on the side of her head, mimicking what she was doing to him.
"Well, I guess nobody ever really expects for their first kiss to be from a construct made of clockwork," Vel teased.
She smiled crookedly. "Can't say I did, no," she replied with a quiet laugh, leaning into the touch a bit.
Suddenly Midnight piped up again, demanding, and she sighed. Biting her lip, Starbright gave him a look that was almost wistful. "Um... Would you mind...doing that again?" She tapped her temple. "Midnight's...curious."
Just voicing the question made her blush, and she was suddenly having a hard time meeting his eyes. I hate you sometimes.
I am you. That seems unhealthy.
"Um... No, it's, uh... no trouble," Vel said, and he stroked her cheek as he tried to meet her eyes again.
It was kind of awkward now, as the first one had been a spur of the moment decision. Nervously, he hesitated. He gave her a warm smile, however, and leaned in to kiss her again. Before, it was a short, chaste touch, but now that he knew it was okay, he stayed with it a bit longer. When he pulled back, he gave her a grin.
"If she's so curious, then why doesn't she come out and do it herself?" Vel said, tone obviously joking.
There was an almost crackling energy that accompanied the kiss this time, and Starbright vaguely heard her counterpart musing that perhaps it because magic was so much a part of him.
She ignored her, eyes sliding closed for a moment when the touch lingered. then Vel pulled away and she blinked, giving him a shy little smile in return.
Hey, now there's an idea. Midnight pushed at the back of her mind, jockeying for control.
"Hold on, would you just- alright, alright!" Reluctantly, Starbright gave him an almost apologetic shrug and opened her mouth to say something- but before she could a wave of inky black swept through her hair and she gave a delicate little shudder.
Tilting her head, Midnight reached up to touch her lips. There was still a faint tingling. "Interesting," she mused, eyeing Vel curiously.
At first, Vel thought Starbright was talking to him, but when Midnight took over, Vel relaxed. Somewhat.
Midnight wasn't as shy as Starbright, and just thinking about that difference sent images and thoughts through his head that were fanciful at best. He supposed, then, that if they were the same person, it was only fair to give them the same treatment...
...right?
"Hello, Midnight," Vel said, hands still on her waist.
"Hey." Her lips twitched up on one side in a smirk. Midnight let her hands- which Stabright had kept gently cradling his head- slip down to his shoulders before wrapping them around his neck, pulling them closer together.
Quirking an eyebrow, she challenged lightly, "So do I get a kiss, or do you just like Star better?"
Starbright groaned in the back of her mind. Gods, I can't believe you.
Midnight was completely unabashed. Though she was just as new to this as Starbright, she wasn't going to be a blushing maiden about it. Her eyes were calculating, almost predatory as she waited for him to respond.
Now, Vel didn't want to say that he felt intimidated, but with her hands around his neck like that (Although, for some reason, it wasn't an entirely unpleasant contact) and the way she leaned in assertively made it almost feel like he was being coerced into kissing her.
Certainly, something the centuries-old construct never thought he'd experience.
"I-i like you both the same," Vel said, and in an attempt to bolster himself, he held her tighter as he dipped forwards to kiss her.
Midnight hummed appreciatively at the contact. Though technically she and Starbright could experience everything the other thought or felt, it really was different to have it be her he was kissing, not living it through secondary senses.
She had a sudden urge to deepen the contact, but wasn't quite sure how to go about doing it. Pulling back a bit, she tilted her head at Vel, considering. "Do you feel pleasure the way humans do?" she asked abruptly with almost clinical curiosity.
Midnight!
It's just a question. Ignoring her sister, she continued, "I mean, I know you can feel this-" she brushed her hand down his arm to one of the hands at her waist to emphasize the point. "But is that all you feel? Just the contact?"
"I... I'm not quite sure," Vel said. His hands relaxed on her waist, and he started to idly stroke her sides.
His eyes, once again, locked onto Midnight's.
"When you stroke my arm, it feels nice. I've never had any experience to compare it to, but it does please me," Vel said.
Then, he kissed Midnight again. It seemed he was getting more and more comfortable with the act.
"I know my flat face isn't the best for kissing. If you'd like, I could assume my illusion," Vel offered.
She tilted her head. It would be interesting to compare the two experiences. She opened her mouth to encourage him to do so, hesitated, then said with an exasperated sigh, "Starbright says only if you want to."
Thank you.
You are absolutely no fun.
[I just realised that I didn't describe Vel the last time he shifted, so imma do it now!]
Giving Midnight a sheepish smile, Vel shifted into his illusonary form. She'd feel him shift under her as he went from wood and brass to flesh and blood.
He gave her a smile. His featurues were handsome and sharp, a pretty glaring contrast to his soft personality. His eyes were an almost eldritcht blue.
He gave Midnight a shy smile.
"Why don't you kiss me?" he offered.
Taking a moment to simply study his features- she wasn't sure she would ever get used to that change, how easy it seemed to be for him- Midnight smiled in return.
Although on her the expression looked much less shy. Maybe even a little wicked.
"As you like," she said easily, leaning forward to press her lips to his.
Definitely a different experience. The pleasant tingly was still there, the but texture of skin was much different than the feel of the crystal. She let the touch linger, exploring.
Vel let out a surprised noise since it felt different for him as well. He designed his illusionary form to make him feel like a human as well, so it was more akin to shapeshifting than anything else.
When Midnight remained against his lips, a hand wandered up to her back to press her a bit closer, deepening the contact of his own accord.
Midnight felt her lips curve a bit against his and tilted her head as he deepened the kiss. She let it last a few more moments, then turned her head just slightly to break the contact.
"Well." She licked her lips, eyes flicking over is face. "That was...different." Curious, she asked, "Does it feel different in that form than your other one?" She sort of figured it did, but she didn't want to assume.
"It does, yeah," Vel said.
"It feels like I can make more contact," Vel mused. He passed a hand over Midnight's cheek. He looked into her eyes for a few moments, lost in thought, before he gav her a wry grin.
"S-so, do the two of you plan on sharing me?"
Midnight smiled wickedly. "Do you want to be shared?" she murmured, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. A pause, then she sighed and added softly, "Stabright feels the need to say that if everything goes well soon enough we won't exist. You'll be left with one."
Just who that one would be was unclear to her. Some combination of them, or perhaps someone entirely new? The thought was a little nerve wracking even for her and she shied away from it.
"Would you be disappointed?" she purred instead, shifting to press herself closer against him. "If I didn't want to share?"
Of course Starbright objected to her teasing, but she ignored her easily.
"W-well, it doesn't sound like a, uh... like a bad idea," Vel said.
"But I mean, if Starbright wants to spend some time with me, it's not fair to keep me to yourself. Not that I don't find it flattering that you don't want to share, b-but, uh..."
Vel's hand left Midnight's side and came to rest on her thigh. He gave her a shy look before going in for another kiss.
Midnight gave a little chuckle, then hummed into the kiss. "I'm only teasing," she murmured when she pulled away for a moment.
"Although," she added, lips tilting up into a small smirk, "the idea is awfully tempting, I have to say."
She moved her hand down to rest on the one he had on her leg and kissed him again, this time with more confidence than Starbright would have been able to muster up.
Breathlessly, Vel let out a little laugh before Midnight went right back into it. He returned that kiss with some slowly growing confidence of his own. When they finally broke the kiss, he was blushing quite brightly.
"Gods, Midnight..." he murmured, and leaned in to kiss her. His lips touched hers for a moment, before he was struck with an idea, and his lips moved away from her mouth and to her neck, where he left another kiss.
"Mm..." Her head tilted back to expose more of her neck and she let her free hand drift to the back of his head. So much different then being kissed by a crystal.
She abruptly pulled away to shift around on his lap, putting her knees on either side of his hips before leaning back in to press a kiss to his neck in return.
Vel paused so Midnight could straddle him, and he sighed when she kissed his neck. His hand returned to her thigh, and he brought the other one up to stroke the back of her neck with his thumb.
"That feels good, Midnight..."
Her lips curved up into something between a smile and a smirk and she chuckled against his skin before trailing a few kisses up to his jaw. "Good," she murmured, shifting a bit to press herself closer.
She skimmed her hand down to splay her fingers against his chest, tilting her head just a bit to bring her lips just over his. "Wanna return the favor?" she teased quietly, crimson eyes glinting.
Vel looked into Midnight's eyes, and he closed his as he tilted forwards to lock lips with her. He then drifted down her jaw and kissed at her neck. The hand on her thigh started to idly stroke, and the hand at the back of her neck went to her side.
Pleasant little shivers ran through her and she gave a quiet humming sound in approval. Starbright was saying something, but she easily ignored her. Her hand on his chest moved up to grip his shoulder, pulling him closer so her chest was pressed against his as she tilted her head to give him better access to her neck.
Vel continued to hold her, both hands on her thighs. He continued to kiss at her neck, and then just beneath the ear, and then on the lips.
Midnight leaned into the kiss, letting her hands fall to cover his. "I know we don't have a lot of experience for comparison," she murmured against his lips, unconsciously including Starbright in "we". "But I'm gonna go out on a limb and say you're pretty good at this."
"Thanks," Vel murmured back.
It was impossible to resist arousal any longer. He'd designed his human form with exceptional accuracy, leaving out no details. It was the closest he could get to being human, after all, but he had no experience with the current subject.
He looped his arms around her waist and joined them at the small of her back. He smiled, and continued to kiss her.
Midnight kissed him back eagerly, then suddenly froze, a little surprised. "Oh." She looked at him, lips curving up a little wickedly as she shifted her hips slightly, experimentally.
"You really went for the whole thing with this human form, huh?" she teased lightly, dipping in to kiss the corner of his mouth.
"O-oh!" Vel squeaked, and his cheeks went stark red.
"I-I mean, if I had the knowledge to..." Vel trailed off, biting his lip a bit when Midnight gave her hips a wiggle.
"Why not?"
"Why not indeed." Her voice was practically a purr, ignoring Starbright's mortified protests in the back of her mind. Her eyes glinted almost dangerously and she started, "I wonder-"
That's it!
A gasp and a shudder, then it was Starbright sitting on his lap, blushing as the true sensation of touch suddenly hit her. "Sorry," she murmured, panting a little from the effort of a forced switch. "I just- I couldn't, um..." She trailed off, blushing furiously.
Vel started a bit, since he didn't immediately notice the change. But when he looked and saw none other than Starbright on his lap, he blushed as well.
"Star?" Vel asked. They were still pressed together, and Vel gave her a curious look.
"What happened?"
"I'm sorry," Starbright repeated, dropping her eyes. "It was just- she was going to- I got so embarrassed, I couldn't just sit back anymore..." She lifted her hands to cover her face, mumbling another apology into her palms.
She was still embarrassed, but now that she could actually feel everything first hand... Suddenly Midnight's actions seemed tempting.
"Star..." Vel said, and he gave her a reassuring little squeeze.
"Your sister's actions are her own. Why would you be embarrassed by that?" Vel asked. It was a genuine question, and he didn't really sound angry. He leaned in to give her a short peck on the lips.
"Because-" Her blush deepened and she resisted the urge to turn the peck into a proper kiss. "Because I'm still there. I feel like I'm...intruding or something, but I can't just go away! And-"
She bit her lip, then covered her face with her hands again and admitted, voice muffled, "And was...maybe a little jealous."
"I... I'm sorry, I didn't know you were forced to watch..." Vel said, and he gave her a proper kiss to alleviate some of that jealousy.
"But I think your sister's going to be pretty peeved."
She shook her head, mumbling, "Don't apologize, you didn't know." Sighing, she brushed her hair out of her face and added wryly, "Peeved is an understatement."
Now that she was here though, out in the real world, she couldn't resist leaning forward to give him a quick kiss in return. Then she groaned and dropped her head onto his shoulder. "Why does this have to be so complicated?"
If you weren't such a prude, it wouldn't have to be.
Oh, like you're not getting jealous, stuck in there!
"Listen, the two of you will just have to take turns," Vel said, giving Starbright's cheek a stroke.
"You can't just be kicking each other out like that. It'll damage your soul energy."
Huh.
That must be why it hurts when we force it.
"Okay," Starbright said softly, expression contrite. "I'm sorry, I didn't really think..." She bit her lip and looked away. She was always the one who acted on emotion, rarely thinking through her actions.
"Hey, it's all right," Vel said, and he tried to meet her eyes.
"I'll treat you both equally, I promise."
She smiled shyly, cheeks warming. "I know. I never doubted you would." Biting her lip, she looked down again and murmured, "I suppose I did rather...ruin the mood though. I'm sorry."
Midnight snorted derisively and her blush deepened.
"Don't be sorry," Vel said.
He gave her another kiss, and his hands drifted along her thighs. He kissed her deeply, like he did with Midnight.
"How about you let your sister back on, and when we're done, I'll attend to you?"
Blushing furiously at the idea of what the specifics of that might be, Starbright nodded and closed her eyes.
Finally.
Midnight gave a little shiver as she took over their body again, shifting around on his lap to reacquaint herself with the situation. Then she smirked, wrapping her hands around Vel's neck and tilting her head at him. "Now. Where were we?'
Vel grinned at Midnight when she returned, and he gave her a kiss, knowing she probably wanted to keep recieving those. Of course, Vel was still aroused, so really, all it took to get them back on track was a little reminder.
"You were curious about the... details of my illusion," Vel said, giving her thighs a short rub.
"I believe your words before you were interrupted were "I wonder"," Vel said.
"Ah, yes. I remember." Grinning wickedly, she leaned forward to press a trail of kisses down his neck to his collar. "I believe I was going to say something along the lines of "I wonder what's really under this"." She tugged at his clothes for emphasis.
Not actually what she'd been going to say, but she figured it was a better idea to sort of ease back into things. Starbright had retreated to some back corner of their mind, doing her best to essentially plug her ears and shut her eyes, though it was rather hard to do in her current state.
"Well, take a look then," Vel answered, sounding surprisingly confident to himself, and he gave Midnight a series of neck kisses.
His robe would be easy enough to open, as it was the kind that kept itself closed through nothing more than clever folding and a few buttons. Upon opening his robe, Midnight would discover that it did him no justice. Of course, since Vel was in complete control of how this form looked, why not make it look good?
Vel wasn't overly muscled, but he did have a pretty good build. Underneath the robe, he was wearing nothing save for some baggy shorts as undergarments.
Midnight quirked an eyebrow. "Well aren't we feeling bold," she teased lightly, letting her hands run down the robe and figuring out how to get it open and pushed off his shoulders.
That task accomplished, she sat back on his lap a bit and arched an eyebrow. "And with good reason," she muttered, almost more to herself than him. A little hesitantly- which was definitely out of character for her- she let her fingers glide over his torso, learning as much by touch as by sight.
Her eyes flicked up to his face for a moment, then she leaned forward to place a rather chaste kiss to his collar before dipping lower to explore his chest. One of her hands found his and urged it higher on her thigh, shifting her hips forward so she was pressed flush against him.
Hands on Midnight's hips, Vel could only sit there and accept Midnight's exploration. As she explored him, he did the same. He took a moment to run a hand up her body, stopping short of her breasts, before sliding it back down to her hip.
"Midnight..." Vel murmured.
"This is great..."
She chuckled quietly against his skin and kissed her way back up his neck to his lips where she lingered.
"What is? This?" She shifted her hips again, biting back a small sound at the little zing of pleasure the movement brought. "Or this?" She let her hand smooth over his chest again, then lower, over the planes of his stomach to stop just short of the hem of his underclothes.
"Both," Vel said, and he chuckled a bit weakly. He tangled lips with her for as long as she would have him, and when they parted, he was blushing a bit more.
"Also, just... being here with you, doing something I've never done before," Vel said.
Mustering up his courage, Vel reached up and cupped one of her breasts in a hand, giving her light touches through her clothing.
Midnight sucked in a sharp breath. She may not react the way Starbright did to this sort of intimacy, but every kiss, every touch was just as new to her.
"That- that's good," she murmured after a moment, leaning into him. "I...like this too. Being with you." It was as close to a true expression of emotion as she was likely to get, and even that made her feel a little uncomfortable.
In an effort to distract herself, she dipped her head to kiss his neck. "What's something else you've never done before?" she asked quietly, encouraging his touches with little shifts against him.
"Well, before you, I never kissed a woman," Vel said.
"Although technically, Starbright was my first kiss."
Vel have her a grin, a bit stronger this time, and when she proved to be receptive to his experimental touches, Vel fondled her with a bit more effort, moving his other hand to the edge of her buttock.
"I've also never, well..."
A blush.
"Y'know..."
Smirking, Midnight nodded. "I know," she replied easily, "We've never, either." Although she figured he'd probably assumed that from Starbright's skittish reaction.
"Well," she purred, tilting her head to nip lightly at his ear, ignoring her sister as she began to hum- loudly- in an effort to block them out. "If Star was your first kiss, does that mean I get to be the first... y'know...?"
[Throwing up an "M" just to be safe]
At that suggestion, Vel's face flared up red.
Still, he couldn't hide just how aroused he was, and the way he let out a shaky breath when she nipped at his ear told it all.
"I'd... I'd like that," Vel admitted.
"But only if you want to," Vel added. He brought both of his hands to her chest, and he started to undo her top.
[What's Midnight wearing, anyhow?]
[Whoops, sorry! Never got around to mentioning that: simple tunic and breeches, good for traveling]
She leaned back so he had better access to the laces of her tunic and said with a crooked smirk, "I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't want to, Vel."
Her hands fell to his shoulders and she resisted the urge to pull him closer, shivering lightly as bare skin began to be exposed to the air.
[Goooootcha!]
Vel's fingers were dextrous, so it didn't take him long at all to unlace her tunic and gently take it up and off of her. Once she was exposed, Vel could do nothing but stare for a few moments, before he looked back up to Midnight's eyes.
He kissed her then, using both of his hands to massage Midnight's breasts.
"We're going to need somewhere more comfortable," Vel said.1
A soft sound that was rather like a mix of a purr and a moan escaped her and she arched into the touch, eagerly responding to the kiss but letting him take control.
"If you have suggestions, I'm all ears," she replied, a little breathless once she broke away.
"Well, I do have a bed," Vel said, giving her a cheeky look.
He kept a hand a breast while the other went to give her butt a gentle squeeze. As he did that, he continued to kiss Midnight's neck.
Her breath hitched and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'd say lead the way," she muttered, a little breathless, "but honestly I don't really want you to stop doing that..."
"Then I guess we'll just do it here," Vel mumbled into the skin on Midnight's neck, and he continued to do what he was doing. He was missing the "take control" cue, as expected from somebody who'd never done this before.
Midnight laughed softly, the sound a little distorted by the small gasps his ministrations coaxed out of her.
"Or you could carry me," she suggested pointedly, letting her hands glide down his back, just barely letting her nails scratch skin. "I'm not opposed to the chair on principal, but I'd think a bed would be nice for...let's say beginners?"
She ducked her head to kiss his lips, feeling heat begin to pool in her chest, then travel south rather quickly.
"Wise advice," Vel said when their kiss broke.
Invisibly, Vel augmented his strength with magic. He took his arms off of her and put them around her side. He looped one beneath her legs, and when he stood up from the seat, he took her with her. He held her up against his chest, and gave her a kiss.
He walked over to the disc, and it took them up to the top of Vel's tower. It was a short lift, yet Vel kept Midnight as occupied as he could during it. When they arrived, Midnight'd be able to see Vel's room. The cieling was a glass dome, so she'd be able to see even more stars and galaxies, like the window on the ground floor. The space itself was a bit small, but it was definitely luxurious, with a dresser, desk, and a small, personal bookshelf by the bed. The floor was a rich carpet, and there were various other pieces of furniture in the room, like a glass coffee table with ccompanying loveseat and a fireplace with an armchair.
Vel wasted no time in walking to the bed and laying Midnight down on the plush sheets, right at the edge of the bed. He remained standing.
He looked down at her.
"So? What do you think of my room?"
Midnight locked her legs around his waist when he stood, tilting her head to nip and kiss lightly at his neck as he moved them onto the glowing disk.
Honestly she wasn't paying much attention to their surroundings until the disc stopped and he laid her on the bed. Her head tilted back and she drew in a sharp, audible breath as she looked around the room, gaze continuously drawn back to the glass dome above their heads.
"Beautiful," she said quietly, bracing her palms on the bed behind her and leaning back. Her head tilted as a thought struck her and she eyed him curiously. "Do you...actually sleep?"
"I recharge every once in a while, yes," Vel said. He sat on the bed next to her, and gave her a kiss before he moved more towards the center of it. He leaned back on his elbows.
"Come here," he said, giving Midnight a smile
Lips curving up in response to the kiss and his own smile, she twisted onto her hands and knees and followed after him, pausing just beside him to lean forward for a quick, rather chaste kiss.
"I'm here," she said cheekily. "Now what do you want?" She had a feeling keeping her cool to play this little game was going to prove too difficult soon enough, so she intended to have some fun with it while she could.
"I want to pick up from where we left off," Vel said, and he leaned up to give Midnight a kiss, a deep one.
She easily returned the kiss, reaching over so her arms were braced to either side of him and leaning into the contact. A delighted shiver ran through her at the skin to skin contact.
"I think..." Midnight whispered, moving her kisses along his jaw to nip lightly at his ear. "You were using your hands a bit more..."
Vel grinned at her, and he reached up with his arms, placing a hand on her ass and using that leverage to push her towards him a bit more. He reached up with the other arm and gave one of her breasts a moderate squeeze. He feathered kisses along her neck and collarbone, hands touching her needily.
Midnight followed his lead easily, throwing one leg over his hips as he pulled her closer and moaning quietly at his touch. "Gods," she whispered, hand gripping his waist for an anchor. "How is it possible you've never done this before? Especially looking like that."
"I dunno. Call it intuition?" Vel said, and he started to play with the hem of her breeches.
"I've... come close a few times. But every time I tell the girl what I really am, they... they don't really take it well," Vel said.
He kissed her again, this time a fiery kiss.
"But I don't want to think about that. I just want to think about now," Vel said.
She nodded quickly, skin flushed from that kiss alone, never mind where his hands were. Dipping her head to focus her attention on his neck, Midnight muttered between nips and kisses, "Now is good."
Pressing her hips forward into his hands so the hem of her breeches was pushed back a bit, she added with a small smirk, "Those come off, you know."
The breathless quality to her voice made her attempted nonchalance rather less convincing.
"I know," Vel said, feigning bashfulness as he moved his hands slightly to get a better grip on her hem and pulled her breeches down. He left it up to her to remove them the rest of the way, and found himself feeling the skin of her hips and buttocks.
He gave her another kiss, and introduced his tongue.
"My shorts come off too," Vel said.
Midnight shivered as she was suddenly exposed to the air, wriggling around a bit to kick her breeches the rest of the way off. She parted her lips into the kiss and moaned softly.
"My turn then," she murmured, twisting her head away to catch her breath for a moment. Her hands found the hem of his shorts and tugged, though for the first time there was a little hesitance in her motions and she looked up at him through her lashes.
Vel didn't notice the momentary hsitation, too drunk on the sensations at hand to do anything else but caress Midnight's sides and wait.
Taking a quick breath, Midnight slipped the garment as far off of him as she could manage.
Even Starbright paid attention as she just sat back and looked at him for a moment, heart hammering against their ribs. "Gods," she whispered, lunging forward to seal her lips over his, hands eagerly tracing over newly exposed skin.
Hesitantly, she rocked her hips forward to press against him. A gasp hitched in her throat and she froze at the sensation, breathing raggedly.
Vel let out a small sound of his own as Midnight bumped his member. It's size was... ideal, to say the least. If Midnight had actually asked how he'd gotten something like that to work, Vel would've given her some sort of lengthy explanation about how one can use magic to do all kinds of things, if put together cleverly enough.
Vel eagerly kissed Midnight back, and with a hand on her ass, he encouraged her to rub against him some more.
"Midnight, that's amazing..." Vel remarked.
"P-please, do it again..."
Letting his hand guide her, Midnight cautiously rolled her hips again, letting out a small mewling sound that she probably would have been embarrassed of if she'd had the mind space for it.
"Oh gods," she breathed, clutching at his shoulders and repeating the movement with a soft groan. "Vel," she pleaded, pressing hot, frantic kisses from his lips down to his neck.
Vel gave his hips a little buck, grinding them together without him entering.
"Gods," he moaned, repeating the motion.
He reached down, and held himself up. He looked at Midnight, nodding for her to proceed.
That was all she needed, her body moving almost before she made the conscious decision to do so, sinking down onto him.
A flash of pain stopped her short and she gave a small cry, squeezing her eyes shut. Vaguely, Starbright realized it was probably a good thing that Midnight was in control for this particular "first". Her sister simply took a few deep breaths and let her hips press down until she was flush against Vel.
Letting out a long breath, she shivered above him and gave herself a moment to adjust, then gave an experimental roll of her hips.
Vel couldn't describe how good it felt. A flash of concern went over his features when Midnight cried out, but she seemed to be alright. His hands drifted from her hips to her sides, and he looked up at her and smiled.
"You feel so good, Midnight," Vel said, and he took one of her hands.
Lacing her fingers through his, she smiled almost shyly and dipped to kiss him. "You're better than I could've imagined," she murmured, a hint of genuine affection shining through her normal Midnight-ness.
Then she rocked her hips forward again and growled low in her throat, eyes fluttering as pleasure coursed through her. She braced her free hand against Vel's chest and began to move, slowly at first but with growing confidence.
"O-oh..." Vel murmured, giving Midnight a nervous smile. This was uncharted territory for Vel, and if it was one thing that put him on guard, it was not knowing anything.
At first, his hips were still, just letting Midnight move on her own, but he figured out her rhythm and started to push upwards when she came down.
"Now I know why humans do this all the time," Vel said, and chuckled.
Midnight smirked. "I think I'm getting an inkling." She chuckled quietly, but the sound turned into a sharp gasp as he hit a spot that sent a rush of heat through her and made her toes curl.
"Oh gods," she moaned, her head falling forward. "There- that- do that again, please."
Through it all, Vel found himself wondering how Starbright was doing through all this. The poor girl must be mortified, he mused.
Midnight's words brought him back, and Vel gave her a quick nod. He squeezed her hand and started to buck up against her more regularly, letting out osft sounds of his own.
For once, Midnight was hardly even aware that her sister existed, losing herself in pure sensation. Gripping Vel's hand tightly, she leaned down to kiss him fiercely, shivering as their chests brushed and feeling heat began to coil tight in her core.
Vel put his free hand on the back of Midnight's head, holding her to him as they writhed and kissed in unison.
"Keep bouncing, Midnight," Vel moaned.
"Just like that!"
Breath coming sharp and fast, Midnight followed his urging, her movements growing increasingly more frantic. "Vel," she groaned, raining kisses over every inch of skin she could reach.
"Midnight!"
Vel tilted his head back to allow midnight as much access as possible. He kept going like this until the desire to move was just too much, and he turned them over so that Midnight would end up on her back.
He took a moment to look down at her, face red and breath coming out way too hard, before he leaned down to just kiss her.
To appreciate the moment.
A small sound of surprise escaped her, then she moaned and arched her back, reveling in the new feeling of being completely covered by him.
Midnight leaned up into the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting her lips part against his. One leg hooked over his hip and she bucked against him, not breaking the kiss but whining softly into it with a fevered sort of need.
Vel took Midnight's buck as a sign, and he broke their kiss by leaning up . He looked down at her and gripped her by the hip and side, and when he started to thrust, he pulled her into them. Each collision of their hips made a rather lewd slapping noise, but Vel couldn't care less.
Midnight let her head fall back and moaned, not bothering to keep her voice in check. "Oh gods- yes, Vel, yes!" She did her best to match his thrusts with bucks of her hips, but mostly she just let him take control.
Take control he did. Vel leaned forwards, keeping himself propped up with a hand as the other still moved Midnight into his motions. Perhaps, if she took the time to look, Midnight would see that Vel showed no signs of exertion. He might be blushing red, but that was it. He was a machine, he could keep this pace for as long as Midnight could take it.
He kissed Midnight, letting his tongue dance with hers.
Midnight kissed him back, fiery and desperate, tongue fighting for dominance even as she let him take her with a willingness that really wasn't like her. She could feel herself coming closer and closer to the edge, and he didn't seem to be even remotely ready to stop.
Arching her back, she let out a keening moan and panted, "I- I can't- I'm so close, Vel." She grabbed for his hand, gripping so tight her knuckles went white.
Vel nodded.
"I know, I can feel it," Vel said, and he leaned back to hit her at a different angle.
He touched her breast, squeezing it to hold it as he moved."
She cried out, throwing her head back. Everywhere their skin touched seemed to set her nerves on fire and she arched up into his hand, chest heaving as she panted.
With his hand on her breast and this new angle forcing him deeper it didn't take long for her to lose herself. His name was ripped from her lips as every muscle in her body tensed and she shuddered. Then she went limp, gasping, and her hand weakly sought his, clutching tightly.
Vel gripped her hand. He was close to a release, and while Vel couldn't ejaculate in the traditional sense, he could still orgasm.
He slowed down when Midnight hit her peak, and he held her hand as he nuzzled their lips together.
Her breathing gradually grew slightly less frantic as she recovered and she returned the kiss easily, lifting one hand to stroke his cheek. "That was..." She didn't have words, and settled for trying to convey the sentiment with another kiss.
Pulling away just enough to see his face, Midnight said softly, still a little breathless, "Are you- I mean, you didn't-" At least she didn't think so. She hadn't been that out of it, had she?
"no, I didn't," Vel said. He smiled into the kiss.
He gave her a little buck with his hips, and kissed her neck.
"I kind of want you to be on top of me again."
Midnight hissed in a breath, her hand falling to the back of his head to clutch him closer. A smile twitched at one corner of her mouth. "Alright then."
She was much stronger than her slight frame would suggest, but with how shaky she was still feeling it took more effort than she would have expected to flip them over. But she managed.
Looking down at him with half lidded eyes, she rose up on her knees until he almost left her, then abruptly slammed their hips back together, drawing a gasp from her own lips. "Like that?" she whispered, arching over him to kiss the center of his chest and rocking her hips against him almost as though asking permission.
"Just like that," Vel moaned, and he kneaded the flesh of her ass as she bounced on him.
"Just a little bit more, Midnight," Vel said, encouraging her to go faster. Then, he kissed her, because he just couldn't get enough of her.
Midnight picked up her pace, bracing her hands on his shoulders and slamming their hips together with an almost bruising force. She reveled in the kiss, drawing his bottom lip between her teeth and biting gently.
Already overly sensitive from her climax, it didn't take long for her to be panting and moaning with every movement, her arms starting to shake with the strain as she looked at Vel with burning eyes.
Vel took up Midnight's hands, supporting her as he laced their fingers together and held up their hand.
"Gods I'm so close, Midnight," Vel managed to say just before he actually came. It would be an interesting feeling for Midnight, because rather than release seed, his cock pulsed inside her, releasing a surge of positive energy. It would go past her womanhood and surge through her whole system like rapturous lightning.
"Oh!" The strange but unbelievably pleasurable feeling pushed her over the edge again and she tightened around him, clutching at his hands desperately. "Gods, Vel," she panted, sort of collapsing more than leaning over him to catch his mouth in an almost harsh kiss.
Vel gave that kiss everything he had left, weakly throwing his arms around Midnight. He was still inside of her, but he hardly minded.
"You were amazing, Midnight," Vel said, giving Midnight yet another kiss.
She actually blushed a bit, nuzzling into the crook of his neck. "Stole my line," she accused weakly, very reluctantly rolling off him to snuggle against his side. "Gods. What was that? I think I forgot how to breathe for a second..."
Midnight was exhausted, eyes sliding closed even as she talked. She pressed a sleepy kiss to his shoulder, blinking in a rather futile effort to focus.
"I... Don't quite know," Vel said.
"But it's the best I've ever felt."
He lifted a hand and brought the blankets over them with telekinesis. He held her tightly with the other hand. He couldn' maintain the illusion anymore, and it fell away, leaving him in his true form. He put another arm around her.
He turned to face her, and gently brushed some of her hair aside so he could see her face.
"Beautiful."
She turned her face into his hand, kissing his mechanical palm lightly. "No one's ever really called me that before you," she said quietly, cheeks a little pink. "...Thank you."
It was a little harder to find a comfortable way to lay against him in this form, but she managed, pressing another quick kiss to the side of his face- what probably would have been his cheek when he looked human- and burrowed in between him and the bed.
"Wake me in a few days," she mumbled, feeling sleepy, sated, and utterly content for the first time since she could remember.
"I will," Vel said, cuddling her close. He laid his head against hers, and closed his eyes.
His inner ticking slowed down greatly, but he gave her a reassuring stroke on the cheek before he fell dormant. The blue glow in his head dimmed down to near blackness, and he went still in her arms.
Midnight watched with interest through half lidded eyes for a moment or two as he "slept", then allowed herself to follow suit. Her eyes fell closed and as her consciousness faded, a flash of gold ran through her hair and she shivered gently. One little annoyance of their condition: if one sister slept, the other was automatically forced into control of their body.
Starbright, very much awake, kept her eyes closed and her body as still as possible, not wanting to disturb Vel. With her sister asleep and their body thoroughly exhausted, she did her best to simply rest.
It was difficult though, memories of touches that weren't quite hers playing through her mind with Vel's arms around her. Her cheeks were warm and she turned her face into the bed, trying to force herself to think of nothing at all. Just rest. Let your body rest.
While Starbright's presence didn't exactly wake Vel outright, he did stir. His elbows clicked and his crystal flickered for a few moment, a moment he used to press Starbright closer, before he fell inert again.
She froze when he stirred, afraid she'd woken him, then relaxed when he simply pulled her closer. With a small sigh she tucked her head against his shoulder. She was still blushing, still processing and trying to deal with the emotions his tryst with Midnight had stirred up, but she was content enough to simply lay there until he woke.
Several hours passed, and once Vel was all charged up, he stirred yet again. The crystal flickered, and this time, it remained on. He opted to merely lay there for a moment and enjoy the presence as his side, and when he looked over...
"...Starbright?"
Vel's face was straight for a moment, but then he smiled.
"Midnight completely tuckered out, huh?"
Starting slightly at her name, Starbright opened her eyes and automatically smiled in response to Vel's expression. "Yeah. She's been out for a few hours now."
Suddenly flushing red, she ducked her head and twisted slightly in his grip, trying to get some distance between them. "Um...guess you're stuck with me," she tried to joke, giving an awkward little laugh.
Vel let out a few chuckles of his own, and he let Starbright have her distance. He'd been cuddled with her for a few hours, now, and he wasn't even sure if the poor girl was into that, or not!
He did, however, take her hand, and he held it gently.
"Can... can I ask you something, Star?"
She let her fingers lace through his, though she still wasn't able to look at his face.
"Of course," Starbright murmured. "Wh-what's on your mind?"
"When... when Midnight and I... y'know," Vel said, clearly awkward as well.
"Did you... feel anything?"
Damn. She'd been sort of afraid he'd ask something like that.
"Sort of," she answered in a mumble, blush deepening. "It's- when we're not in control, it's like...watching through a window. But we can feel a little. Pain, cold, heat, anything intense. But it's sort of...muffled. It's hard to explain."
She turned onto her side, putting her back to him and hiding her face in her hands, mortified. "I tried to give you as much privacy as I could," she muttered. "It's just- there's only so much I can do."
"Hey, Star, it's alright..." Vel said, turning onto his side and putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I appreciate you giving us some space, really. It took a lot of strength to do something like that," Vel said.
"Can I see your face?"
She sort of whimpered, but rolled back over to face him, dropping her hands. She still couldn't meet his gaze, cheeks crimson, but she reached up to cover his hand with hers, squeezing lightly.
"Don't be so hard on yourself," Vel said, and he leaned forwards to leave a kiss on her cheek, holding her hand tenderly.
Starbright sighed, flicking her eyes to his face and then away. "I just..." She bit her lip. "I feel so strange. Like it happened, but it didn't. And you-"
Her blush deepened, though how that was possible at this point she wasn't quite sure, and she twisted her head away. "You seemed to like it so much- and I could never do what she did, I'm just... I'm not like her."
"Star..." Vel started, and he stroked her cheek.
"You might not be able to do it the way Midnight did it, but that doesn't mean you can't do it your own way," Vel said.
"I'm sure you can make me feel just as good..."
She looked back to him for a moment, then away again. Running a hand through her hair, she mumbled, "Maybe."
Sighing, she leaned forward to press a quick peck to his "cheek". "Should we...go?" she asked softly, not so subtly trying to change the subject. "I mean, to the next place on that map."
"We probably should, yeah," Vel said, knowing when to drop a subject.
"You should... get dressed as well."
It was only then that she remembered she wasn't wearing anything. Of course she knew that- but for some reason it was much more embarrassing when it was her naked rather than Midnight.
Starbright squeaked and ducked under the covers. "Um...do you see where my breeches went?" she asked after a moment, voice muffled.
And the tunic was still at the base of the tower somewhere. Wonderful.
"Oh, yeah, they're... uh..." Vel looked around.
For obvious reasons, he didn't see exactly where Midnight tossed the breeches to, but after a few moments of investigation, he found it lying at the bedside. He laid himself down by Starbright, and gave her a smile as she hid under the covers.
"Here you go," Vel said, laying the breeches down by her head.
Her hand reached out to groped blindly for her clothes, then retreated quickly when her fingers closed around the fabric with a muttered, "Thanks."
She wriggled around a bit, almost falling off the bed twice as she attempted to dress under the covers. Succeeding, barely, she ventured to poke her head out and look up at Vel.
"My, um..." She licked her lips, flushing. "My tunic is downstairs." Cautiously, she sat up, arms folded to afford herself as much modesty as possible, however silly a reflex it was.
Vel kept looking at her face so that Starbright wouldn't be embarrassed any further than she actually was.
He nodded gently, and leaned in to give her a kiss.
"I'll be right back with it," he said, and he gave her leg a pat before sliding off of the bed.
"Oh..." She hadn't expected him to actually go and get it- maybe she would've asked for him to turn away or something while they went down together. Her lips curved in a small smile and she called softly, "Thank you," touched by the simple kindness.
Vel gave her a smile in return, although it was a bit far to see his face in the crystal, and he looked at her as the disc descended.
Starbright would be by herself for a few minutes as Vel searched around for the tunic, but when he finally returned, he had it folded and held in his hands.
"Here you go, Star," Vel said, and he set it down on the bed.
Starbright offered a quick smile and held the blanket up to her chest as she leaned forward to take the tunic with a murmured, "Thank you."
She twisted to put her back to him as she wriggled into it and started with the lacing at the front. Then she paused and glanced over her shoulder. Flushing, she tried to channel her sister's confidence and said softly, "Could you, um- help me with this?"
She turned back to face him, fingers hovering over the laces as she bit her lip and looked up at him shyly.
"Sure!" Vel said, and he came up behind her. He put one pair of hands on her waist while he laced her up.
"It's such a simple garment, but you look stunning in it," Vel admitted.
She blushed, turning slightly to smile at him. "Thank you." Impulsively, she laid her hands over his on her waist and stretched her neck to kiss him, a bit more than a peck but nothing too lingering.
Vel put a hand on her cheek and kissed her back. Perhaps he was still feeling shades of Midnight, because when that kiss was over, he went in for another one.
Starbright gave a soft noise of surprise, frozen for a moment, then she kissed him back. "Vel," she murmured when she broke away, a little starry eyed. "Could- could I ask..." She bit her lip. "Never mind." She pressed another quick kiss to the smooth surface of the crystal and moved to pull away.
Vel let her pull away, for the most part, but his curiosity was stoked, so his arms remained around her. He finished lacing her tunic, and then put his othwr set of hands on her side.
"Ask me what?" Vel said.
"It's alright, Star."
Still worrying her bottom lip, she said softly, "I was just wondering- I could sort of feel it when you kissed Midnight, but...I was wondering what it was like to kiss you in your other form." She rushed the last few words together, blushing.
Clearing her throat, Starbright turned away again and gave a nervous little laugh. "Never mind. Being silly."
"Star, that's not being silly at all," Vel said, and she'd be able to feel his mechanical hands turn into soft human ones.
He gave thw back of her neck a kiss.
"I promised you both equal treatment, after all."
Startbright started a bit at the change, then shivered when he kissed her neck. "But-" She twisted to look at him, brow furrowing slightly. "Doesn't it get...tiring, maintaining that?" She didn't want him to exhaust himself for her own curiosity.
"I'm fully charged!" Vel said, and he gave her a wide grin.
"I could maintain this form all week, if I had to," he added.
He leaned in, and rested his forehead against Starbright's, gazing into her eyes.
"Oh..." Her mouth tilted up in a small smile and she tilted her head a bit, leaning in.
Then she paused. "You know I think you're lovely either way, right?" she murmured, hoping he understood that already but wanting to reassure him.
But she found she couldn't wait for him to reply, her lips seeking his quite without conscious permission. A soft sound rose up in the back of her throat and she let the touch linger, hesitantly reaching up to cup his face in her hands.
Vel nodded.
He was about to say something else, but that was when Starbright kissed him, and he kissed her back. He hugged her as she held his face, wanting to be as gentle with her as possible.
Pulling away, Starbright let her forehead rest against his again. "So much better in person," she murmured with a tiny smile, eyes dancing. Her thumb absently stroked along his cheek. "Thank you."
"Thank you," Vel said, and he chuckled a bit to himself.
"Maybe you want more than just a kiss?" Vel offered, and he nuzzled their noses together.
Her all too easy blush was back. "U-um..."
If she was being honest, she did. Midnight's memories brushed teasingly against the back of her mind and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to shove them away.
"M-maybe," Starbright whispered, letting her hand move to trace his mouth with her thumb before she leaned in again for another kiss.
"It's alright," Vel said.
He kissed her deeply, and then his mouth slid on past to give her a kiss in the jaw. His hands moved from her back to her hips.
"Tell me what you want to do. Don't be shy, I want to hear it all..." Vel murmured, hoping this encouragement would work.
"Oh." She valiantly resisted the urge to hide her face. It was one thing for him to tell her not to be shy, quite another for her to go about it.
But she gave it a go. "Touch me?" she murmured softly, hesitantly placing a kiss just below his ear, then trailing to the side of his neck. "Um...here." Hands shaking slightly, she wrapped her fingers gently around his hands and slid them up to barely graze her breasts, a small shudder running through her as she did.
Vel gave her a understanding little nod, and he moved his hands up to gently hold her breasts. He kissed her like a lover, nothing like the heated affair he had with Midnight.
"You're so soft," Vel muttered out loud, and he gavw her breasts another light knead.
"I love it."
Starbright drew in a sharp breath, eyes fluttering at the touch. She kissed him back gently, soft little sounds of encouragement escaping her as she arched up into his hands.
"Th-that's," she murmured breathlessly when she pulled away for a moment. "So much better," she sighed, pressing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, reveling in the feeling of a touch she didn't have to experience second hand.
Vel took a moment to give Starbright a smile. He took a hand off of her breast to stroke the side of her face, leaning in to give her another kiss.
"Star..." Vel murmured against her lips.
"Vel," she whispered in reply, smiling gently into the kiss and tilting her head just slightly into his touch.
Hesitantly, she let her hands drift down to his shoulders, then his chest, exploring. She paused a moment, then dipped a little lower, tracing the planes of his stomach. "What- what do you want?" she asked quietly.
It was her nature to give, not take, and she was starting to feel a little more comfortable with the idea.
"I..." Vel started.
"I want to be with you, Star," Vel admitted, and he kissed her again.
Starbright felt a little tremor run through her as she leaned into the kiss, reaching her arms up to wrap around his neck.
"Me too," she finally admitted, biting her lip and looking up at him through her lashes. Her cheeks were red and she fidgeted nervously, glancing away.
"I just...I don't know what to- I'm not like Midnight," she murmured, brow furrowing.
"Well, I hardly knew what to do, and I'm pretty sure Midnight was just improvising," Vel said.
"I don't really think there's a right or wrong way to do it. As long as we both have a good time."
Yeah, that seemed like Midnight. Taking a fortifying breath, Starbright trailed her hands down to grasp his waist and pulled him closer, leaning up to kiss him again.
"Can you...touch me again?" she breathed when she broke away, arching her back to brush her chest against his slightly. She flushed as the words left her lips, but she didn't try to take it back.
Vel put his own arms around Starbright's hips. The bed was just beside them, but he was letting Starbright call the shots for now.
His hands slid up her body to touch her breasts again, and he gave them a good squeeze before he simply opted to just rub them.
Her breath hitched and she pressed closer, leaving a light trail of kisses along his jaw and down his neck where she nuzzled into him.
With gentle tugs, she leaned back onto the bed and pulled him with her, letting her hands slide up from his waist to his shoulders as she silently urged him along.
Vel provided no resistance, and he paused in his kissing of her to let her maneuver him as she wished.
When he ended up on the bed, he gave Starbright a look before placing his hand on the laces of her tunic.
"Can I?"
Though she was blushing furiously, Starbright gave a quick little nod, holding his gaze with her own.
Her lips quirked up on one side and she noted with a slightly forced levity, "Seems like I just got the thing back on." A rather poor attempt at humor, but she often said silly things when she was nervous.
Vel chuckled at her joke, and gave her another kiss as he unlaced the front of her tunic and gently pulled it up and off of her.
Vel's eyes wandered downwards, and he was struck with an idea. He kissed her breast, right on the nipple, eyes watching Starbright for her reaction.
"Ah-!" Starbright's back arched and her eyes went wide with surprise. She clutched at Vel's shoulders, nails digging into his skin. "Oh...good," she breathed, heart skipping erratically against he ribs. "That- that was good."
Vel, satisfied with Starbright's reaction, continued to kiss, lick, and suck on her breast while his hand worked the other one. After a moment, though, he stopped, and he brought his mouth up to kiss her neck.
Her breathing had started to come faster, harsher, and she mewled softly at his attentions. One hand drifted up to cradle the back of his head and she held him closer, turning her head so he could better get at her neck.
"Don't you- don't you want..." She trailed off, not quite sure what she was trying to ask, but it seemed like Vel was doing an awful lot of the work.
"Hmm?"
Vel lifted his head up so he could look at Starbright's face.
"Go ahead, Star."
She flushed, bringing one hand up to lay her palm against his cheek. "I- I want to do that for you," she said softly, biting at her bottom lip. "I want to...do what Midnight did. Make you feel good."
Hesitantly, she leaned up to press a kiss to his collar, then let her lips drift a little lower to his chest. "Tell me what to do?"
"Don't worry," Vel said, and he kissed Starbright with that gentle passion he had a feeling she preferred over the burning affair that he had with Midnight.
"We'll take it slow, and I'm here to help you every step of the way," Vel said.
He leaned back on his knees, giving Starbright an appreciative looking over before he slipped out of his robes (He had shifted back, after all!) touched the hem of her breeches.
"May I?"
She nodded again, breath hitching in her chest as she looked him over in turn. "Gods, that's not fair," she muttered, covering her face with her hands. "You look- why are you perfect?"
She lifted her hips unconsciously as she spoke, pressing slightly into his hands.
"I'm far from perfect," Vel said, and he gently pulled Starbright's breeches off.
He went back down, and continued to kiss her.
Starbright wanted to argue with him, but found her mouth otherwise occupied. Everything was bare now, and though she knew it was nothing he hadn't seen with Midnight, she still felt suddenly shy, squeezing her legs together even as her body demanded she do otherwise.
She whimpered quietly, kissing him with a slow, burning need.
Vel passed a hand down Starbright's leg and thigh, deciding to let her open her legs at her own pace. He squeezed her breast with the other, and continued to kiss Starbright.
A shiver rippled through her at his touch and she slowly let herself relax, legs spreading open slightly. She arched her back, pressing further into his touch and parting her lips against his. Cautiously, she let her tongue flick out, tracing the outline of his lower lip.
Vel caught her tongue with his own, and one of his hands slipped down between her legs, where he tested her waters.
Starbright gave a soft moan that turned into a gasp when his fingers found her heat. She squirmed beneath him, face flushing in embarrassment while her body ached with need, hips bucking against his hand.
"O-oh..." She bit her lip and clenched her eyes shut, panting lightly.
Vel found Starbright's gasp to be more than satisfying, and he kissed her in response. His fingers worked her a bit more intensely.
She mewled against his lips, practically writhing beneath him now as little waves of pleasure rippled through her with every touch.
She wanted to touch him, to make him feel what she was feeling. Her hand traced over his chest and down the center of his torso, where she hesitated for a moment before wrapping her fingers around his length.
Vel let out a sharp little gasp when Starbright wrapped her fingers around him, and to encourage her to continue, he slipped his fingers inside of her.
"You're doing great, Star," Vel said, and then kissed her again.
Starbright moaned, the sound breathy, and slowly started to stroke her hand up and down. She rolled her hips, grinding against his hand.
"Gods, Vel," she panted, stretching up for another kiss. "Don't- don't stop..."
Vel met her halfway with a kiss of his own, and he pushed his fingers deeper.
He mouth returned to her breast, and this time he caught her nipple between his teeth as he sucked.
A small cry tore out of her and she bit down on her bottom lip to keep the sound in check. Her free hand went to the back of his head to hold him against her as she shuddered delicately. "I- I-" A groan and she arched up under him.
"I want you, Vel," she whispered, fingers clenching so her nails scratched at his scalp. "Please."
Vel nodded, and he leaned up. He spread Starbright's legs, and leaned back down. He gave her a gentle, passionate kiss.
He oriented himself for entry, and pushed in.
"Gods!" Midnight's memories had done nothing to prepare her for how it would really feel. Starbright's breath came in short, sharp pants and she wrapped her arms around Vel's shoulders, clinging desperately as she trailed kisses up his neck to his lips.
Vel let out a sharp breath and buried his face against Starbright's neck. He continued to move until he was buried in her to the hilt.
"Gods, Starbright..." Vel said, and he moved to capture her lips with his own.
A soft whimpering sound escaped her as he moved and she did her best to roll her hips up to meet him. Starbright kissed him back with a fire she honestly didn't know she had, letting her hands slide down his back to grasp his hips and kneading gently.
"Incredible," she whispered, tilting her head to press her lips against the curve of his shoulder. "You're amazing, Vel."
"You too," Vel moaned, and he gave her another gentle kiss.
He cocked his hips back and started to give Starbright slow, gentle thrusts.
Her instinct was to protest the compliment, but words suddenly failed her and she let her head loll back, drawing in quick, desperate breaths as he started to move.
The burning in her core was starting to build and she clapped a hand over her mouth in an effort to muffle the sounds she was making. She moved against Vel, grinding their hips together, guided by instinct and fuzzy Midnight memories.
"Don't worry about making noise," Vel said, and he took Starbright's hand, holding it tightly as he continued to slowly grind and thrust against her.
Starbright flushed, biting her lip now that she didn't have her hand to censor herself. She shook her head, blushing, but she was afraid to actually open her mouth to protest her embarrassment.
Embarrassment that was quickly fading the more he moved, rather effectively cutting off any coherent thoughts. She clutched at his hand and arched up against him. A sudden urge hit her and she threw her legs around his waist, hooking her ankles together as she bucked her hips up.
"Starbright," Vel mumbled against her skin, using the position of her locked ankles to hit her with his thrusts a bit more intensely, although their pace was still tame compared to Vel's romp with Midnight.
"Gods, you're amazing..."
"Vel." Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she rained kisses over every inch of him she could reach, all the while every thrust knocked his name from her lips. "Vel, Vel, Vel." Over and over, like a chant or a prayer.
Vel lifted up a bit to look down at Starbright as they copulated. He smiled down at her, and sealed their lips together in a deep, affectionate kiss. He squeezed her hand.
A moaning sort of sigh escaped her as his lips came down over hers and she slid her hands up, one going to the back of his head and the other curving around the nape of his neck as she kissed him back with a tenderness that didn't quite fit with the sudden few bucks she gave with her hips.
And that was all it took to send her tumbling over the edge, a gasping cry muffled into the kiss as her body tensed, legs tightening around him and nails biting unwittingly into skin.
Alright, so Starbright was definitely more sensitive than Midnight. It was a rather interesting observation for Vel, something he'd have to give more thought to once the current situation had passed.
The nails against his skin didn't really bother him, and he continued to lock lips with Starbright for a few moments before he leaned back. With her legs still wrapped around his waist, he took her hips into his hands and he lifted her hips off the bed by a couple inches. He continued to thrust into her, throwing his head back to let out a moan of pleasure.
Already overly sensitive, Vel's relentless pace had her just about seeing stars. Shudders wracked her frame and she cried out, hands clutching at the bed in search of an anchor. Almost sobbing with pleasure, it was all Starbright could do to reach up and grab one of his hands on her hip, gripping tightly.
Vel's pace was relentless, yes, but it was also slower than when he romped with Midnight. He had a feeling that both sisters had different sexual preferences, although up until now, that'd been a fanciful thought. It was something to keep in mind for the future.
"Star, I'm close!" Vel said, and he got a bit faster.
"Oh gods, Vel!" Starbright tightened around him his increased tempo had her reaching her peak again, mewling and gasping as the sensation rocked through her.
Her hand tightened on his and she nodded, panting desperately, silently urging him to go faster, harder, whatever he needed to feel what she was feeling.
Vel saw Starbroght's little nod, and he leaned back down, returning them to their previous position. He took both of Starbright's hands and pinned them above her head, even as his pace and intensity increased to more... "Midnight appropriate" levels.
When his peak finally came, he delivered the pulse of energy with a final, immensely powerful thrust, and his moan reached the cieling. Again, that surge of pleasurable lightning would ahoot through Starbright.
She actually screamed, arching her back as her hands strained against his hold and her head was thrown back. Again, nothing from the fuzzy, secondary sensations she'd gotten from Midnight could have prepared her for the actually feeling.
Shivering through the aftershocks, Starbright felt her legs go limp and slide down from around his waist and she simply lay there, breathing raggedly. "Vel..."
Vel's mouth hovered over Starbright's as they both laid there, basking in the sensations. He moved in a bit closer, and he kissed Starbright lightly.
"Star..."
He kissed her again, finding he quite enjoyed the feeling of her lips.
"Mmm..." Starbright hummed into the kiss, tiredly slipping one hand out from under his to stroke his cheek. She cautiously let her tongue flick out, tilting her head to the side to deepen the kiss.
Vel let himself fall to the side, and as a result, he turned Star over so they could both be comfortable.
He met Starbright's tongue with his own, and he made soft noises as they kissed.
"You're beautiful, Star..." Vel mumbled.
She flushed slightly and gave a soft, contented sigh before pulling away from the kiss to tuck her head against his shoulder. "You're...incandescent," she replied quietly, lips curving up in a small smile.
Vel offered up a few chuckles to that.
"I mean, I do glow from time to time," Vel said, the joke clear in his tone.
He put his hand on the back of her head, and slowly petted her.
"I wonder if we woke up Midnight..."
Starbright giggled quietly, nuzzling into his neck and giving a happy little murmur at his touch on her hair.
Then she flushed, realizing she hadn't given her sister any more thought when she was with Vel than Midnight had given her. "Um..." A moment to "look" through her mind and her blush deepened. "Well- ahem. Yeah, we did."
Midnight kept quiet, but she could definitely feel that her consciousness had woken up.
Vel blushed a bit at that, and looked Starbright in the eyes. I mean, if he wanted to look directly at Midnight, that was the right place...
...right?
"Sorry, Midnight," Vel mumbled.
Flushing a bit, Starbright relayed her sister's reply. "She says that she'll let us off the hook once, but can we please next time keep the- I'm not saying that. No, Midnight, I'm not." Clearing her throat and blushing, she finished in a mumble, "Just asked us to keep it down next time."
It was almost more the acknowledgement that there was likely to be a next time that had her blushing, rather than Midnight's foul language.
Vel smiled a bit at that, and nodded lightly.
"We will," Vel said.
Vel put an arm around Starbright's midsection, and pulled her in closer. He left a kiss on her neck, and then rested his forehead against hers.
Sighing happily, Starbright slipped her arms around his shoulders and brushed her nose against his with a small smile.
"I know we have to go, but I don't want to move," she admitted quietly, smile turning a bit wistful as she let her fingers stroke up and down the nape of his neck.
"Well, we're not in a rush," Vel said.
He turned onto his back, and opened up his arms so Starbright could cuddle into his side.
"We can afford to sleep in a little."
Eyes brightening a bit, she eagerly took the unspoken invitation and curled in against him, pausing a moment before letting her head rest on his chest. Her arms slipped down around his middle and squeezed lightly.
"You said there was a temple you wanted to check next?" she murmured a little sleepily, pressing in against his side.
"Yeah, the ancient kind," Vel said, putting an arm around Starbright and holding her to him. His hand lingered at the small of her back, just above her butt.
"Mm." Even as exhausted and sated as she was, Starbright found his touch still somehow sent pleasant little tingles up her spine.
Pushing them away, she let one of her hands drift up to trace absent patterns over his chest with her fingertips. "This one in Serendipity too?"
"No," Vel said.
He lifted his other hand and laid it on top of Starbright's, loosely holding in a manner most tender.
"Adela, I believe."
Adela?
"We've never been to Adela," Starbright murmured, a hint of nervous excitement creeping into her tone. She laced her fingers through his and absentmindedly stroked her thumb over the side of his hand a few times.
"Thank you, Vel," she said softly after a moment of quiet, turning her head a bit to press a kiss to the center of his chest. Perhaps it was a little out of nowhere, but she was suddenly feeling like she hadn't said it enough.
Vel smiled at Starbright, and he gave her hand a little squeeze.
"I'm happy to help," Vel said.
Vel pulled Starbright just a bit closer so he could get more of his arm around her. Now, he had his arm around her waist and his hand was resting on her leg.
"You know, if you want to get comfier, it's alright if you put your leg over mine..."
"Oh. Um...alright." Hesitantly she hooked one leg over his, breath hitching just a bit as the move increased the amount of contact between them. Relaxing again, Starbright smiled softly and shifted closer into his side. "This okay?" She was quite comfortable, but she wasn't sure if the position was awkward for him.
"Yeah," Vel said.
"You're really comfy, so it doesn't bother me," he added.
"Comfy?" She arched an eyebrow and tilted her head back to see his face. "You know, some women might think that means you're calling them chubby," she teased, poking his side lightly.
In the back of her mind, Midnight snorted. Honestly, sometimes I think that may be an improvement over "wispy".
Vel rolled his eyes at the little jab.
"You know what I meant, though, right?"
"I do," she said with a soft giggle, stretching up a bit to kiss his cheek. "You're comfy too."
Starbright settled back against him, glancing at their still joined hands. "I never thought..." She trailed off, not quite sure how to phrase what she was thinking, then went with a small chuckle and a murmured, "This isn't really what I expected when we first met you."
"Yeah, uh... me neither," Vel said, and he chuckled.
"It's funny how things turn out sometimes, huh?"
"Funny," Starbright agreed with a quick smile, twisting her head to kiss his cheek. "And definitely good funny."
Vel turned his head to catch Starbright's lips with his own.
"Definitely," Vel repeated.
She hummed happily against his lips, letting the kiss linger for several long moments.
When she did eventually pull away, it was because she was suddenly struck by a slightly uncomfortable thought. "Vel," she started slowly. "Do you think...when we're not a we anymore, would you still..." She trailed off and ducked her head, not sure she even wanted to finish the question much less know the answer.
"Would I still what?" Vel said.
Normally, it wasn't really proper to press, but Vel had been intimate with both sisters, and there are many ways that question could be interpreted.
Sighing, Starbright asked in a rush. "Would you still want us? Me? If we become me, I guess. She might be...different. Would you still want her around?"
There was a little piece of both sisters that was afraid it was the novelty of their unique condition that had drawn his interest in the first place, and worried he might grow bored when "them" became "her".
"Why wouldn't I?" Vel said.
"I appreciate the both of you. I think you're both smart, beautiful, and kind girls. Why would I not want a girl who's the perfect fusion of you two?"
Vel squeezed Starbright's hand.
"I... I've been scared, too. I'm afraid that when the two of you merge, you won't remember me."
She blinked. "Is that- could that really happen?" There was a touch of fear in her voice and she squeezed his hand back, pressing closer against his side.
"I don't know, and that's what scares me," Vel said.
"I just... I just want to appreciate our time together to the fullest. Just in case," Vel said.
"Oh." Feeling her eyes start to burn suspiciously, Starbright turned her face into the curve of his neck. "Okay."
It doesn't matter.
She froze. How can you say something like that? Even for you, that's too harsh!
No, Star. Listen...
Letting her sister talk for a moment, Starbright suddenly gave a choked kind of laugh. It was surprisingly sentimental for Midnight. "She- Midnight says it doesn't matter what happens," she murmured. "Even if we forget- you'll still be you. If we fell for you once, we can certainly do it again."
"Heh," Vel said, and he pulled Starbright into the closest thing to a hug that he could pull off on his back.
"Gods, Midnight. I thought Starbright was supposed to be the sentimental one," Vel teased.
She is. I'm just stating fact.
With another small chuckle Starbright relayed her words again, pressing a few kisses to Vel's neck and shoulder as she leaned into the hug.
She hoped her sister was right.
Vel laughed again, and after few moments of quiet, he relaxed.
"Well, I am an accomplished wizard. What's so hard about making lightning strike twice?"
Four times, by my count, Midnight commented blithely.
"Five," Starbright corrected aloud without thinking. Then she flushed and ducked her head. "Er...I mean- oh, never mind." Her sister was practically cackling in the back of her mind.
"Five?"
Vel looked at Starbright a bit quizzically.
"What about five?"
Groaning in embarrassment, knowing he probably wasn't going to let it go, Stabright hid her face against his shoulder and mumbled, "You said...the thing about lighting striking twice, and Midnight said four times, and, um..." She cleared her throat, cheeks positively burning. "Well, it was five, actually. Counting, ah, all of...mine."
"Oh."
A moment's pause, and Vel's cheeks flushed.
"Oooooohhh."
His little moment of realization made her blush deepen and she groaned again, grabbing at the covers in an attempt to bury herself. "Yes. Oh."
Midnight, for what it was worth, seemed to find the whole situation hilarious.
Vel watched Starbright as she tried to bury herself in the covers, and he kissed her through the sheets over her face.
"Was it really five? Because I thought it was four, too," Vel said.
Starbright peeked out of the sheets enough to mumble, "Ah...two sort of blended together at the end there. Ran over each other."
Oh gods, was she really having this conversation? She retreated under the covers again, covering her face with her hands for good measure.
"Oh, okay," Vel said. He had to admit, Starbright was pretty adorable when she was like this, but he didn't want to torment the poor girl.
Vel hugged her to him, and kissed the top of her head, which was exposed just a bit from the blankets.
"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, Star," Vel said.
"Says you," Starbright grumbled, but she ventured out from her hiding a bit. Enough to actually look at him. "I didn't even know that could happen," she admitted, blushing. "And then you were- it's like you don't even get tired!"
Although...well, she supposed he wouldn't, not in a human sense anyway.
"No, I don't get tired at all," Vel said.
He pulled the sheets by her face down a little bit so he could kiss her, and he looked into her eyes.
"Though, I'm sure your sister plans on taking advantage of that at some point."
Oh hell yeah I am!
Face very red, Starbright mumbled, "That's...good to know." She smiled slightly and tilted her head back to give him a little peck on the lips in return.
Reaching up to cup his face, she let her thumb smooth over his cheek. Smiling turning a little lopsided, she gave a small, slightly awkward laugh and muttered, "Sort of wish we could return the favor."
Speak for yourself.
"Well, you're only human," Vel said, a wry smile on his face.
He put his hand on her cheek, a mirror of what she was doing to him.
She wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out at him, but tilted her head into his touch. It was like magnets, she just couldn't seem to help herself.
Pressing a trail of quick kisses from his forehead to the tip of his nose to his lips, Starbright tucked her head up under his chin with a small sigh. "Human or not, Midnight could still probably give you a run for your money," she murmured, a little sleepily.
She really shouldn't be tired, their body had gotten plenty of rest. But she still felt rather heavy and sort of fuzzy around the edges.
Vel lifted his head a bit to let Starbright rest. He put a hand on the back of her head, as if petting her and soothing her to sleep, and dropped the illusion so he could conserve energy.
"Go ahead and take a catnap," Vel said.
"I'm gonna recharge for an hour."
"M'kay." She nuzzled herself closer, hardly noticing the change in his form as she yawned and let her eyes flutter closed. "Don't let me sleep too long. We really should...get going..." Another yawn and she shifted a bit to pillow her head on his chest, the rhythmic clockwork ticking beneath her oddly soothing.
Again, Vel powered down, hand still on the back of her head. The extra arm on Starbright's side simply went around her, and the fourth arm just sort of... laid there.
As Starbright fell asleep, Midnight's consciousness- by default- took over. Incredibly well rested, the dark haired sister still had an easier time holding herself still than the fidgety Starbright, though she did absently reach across Vel's body to lay her hand over his fourth forearm and wrapped her fingers lightly around his wrist.
Again, Vel stirred at the contact, but he didn't wake.
Around half an hour later, Vel's crystal came back to life, and he slowly lifted his head. When he saw the black head of hair just beneath his "chin", he knew he'd forgotten (yet again) that Midnight and Starbright switch in their sleep.
"Hello, Midnight."
"Hey there." She tilted her head back to give him a quick, slightly smug smile. "Expecting someone else?" Midnight teased lightly.
"I keep forgetting that you switch when you sleep," Vel admitted, but he knew there was nothing wrong with that!
He quickly noted that one of her hands was around his wrist, and he brought that arm back a bit so he could hold her hand instead.
"I trust you haven't been waiting for me too long?"
"Nah, not long." She cast an almost curious look at their joined hands, then shrugged. "Been a long time since our body's gotten this much rest. It's actually kinda nice."
"Mmm," Vel hummed.
After a short pause, he leaned in to give her a kiss.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it."
Midnight returned the kiss with a bit more gentleness than was strictly typical for her, then sat up with a small sound of reluctantance. Unlike her sister, she was completely unbothered by her state of undress.
"Guess we really have to get going now, huh?" she muttered, glancing around for her clothes. Again.
"Well, like I said, we're not in a huge rush," Vel said.
"But yes, I'd like to at least make a bit more progress in narrowing down the ritual site.
Arching her back in a stretch, Midnight slipped out of bed. "Well, then I guess I should get dressed," she muttered with a short, quiet laugh, moving to gather her clothes from where they'd been discarded on the floor.
"Yes, it might do you well," Vel said, and he stood up out of bed behind her. He gave a stretch, his joints giving small, almost inaudible creaks as he strained them. He stepped past her, giving the small of her back a little pat, and walked to his desk.
Midnight smiled a bit at the small touch as she straightened up, pulling on her clothes. She trailed after Vel, looking over his desk to see what he was doing.
"Temple in Adela this time, right?" she confirmed from Starbright's memories.
"Yep," Vel said.
He wasn't really doing anything at the desk. It was one of those idle actions meant to pass time. When Midnight came up next to him, though, he turned to face her, smiling. He brushed a bit of her hair out of her face, and gave her a looking over.
Midnight found her lips twitching up on one side as he looked her over. "What?" she asked with a small laugh, tilting her head into his hand just slightly. "See something you like?" she teased lightly, eyes glinting.
"Yeah, just about everything," Vel replied, and he confidently put a hand on her hip. He leaned in to give her a kiss.
"Mm..." Midnight let her eyes close for a moment, simply enjoying the kiss. When she pulled away, she smiled softly, her expression at odd with her teasing tone. "I bet you say that to all the girls."
"Hah."
Vel gave Midnight's hip a little squeeze.
"You've got me all figured out," he teased back.
Chuckling, she gave his shoulder a light shove before letting her arms slip around his neck, curving herself around to perch on his lap. "You're gonna make me jealous," she mock pouted.
Sobering a bit, she asked, "How far to this temple then?" She was assuming he could only open a portal so close, like with the fae glen.
Vel gave her a look, before adjusting his arms around her.
"It'll be a short walk once I teleport us," Vel said, looking comfortable with Midnight on his lap.
"Hm. Okay." She nestled a little closer. "Maybe we don't mind the walk so much. Company's pretty nice." She tilted her head to press a kiss to the side of his face.
Wow, was that sincerity I heard Midnight?
Oh, shut up.
"I was thinking the same thing," Vel said, putting a pair of hands right on Midnight's ass and then another merely hugged her. He held her closer to him, and smiled.
Midnight started just slightly at the touch, then smirked at him. "You know, when we get back...we're really gonna have to test that whole don't get tired thing," she murmured, nuzzling in against him as he drew her closer.
"I had a feeling you would say that," Vel said, and he nuzzled her back, although his crystal wasn't all too conducive for nuzzling.
She chuckled quietly, enjoying the closeness for a moment, then pulled back a bit. "Come on then. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back, right?" Her eyes glinted at him.
"Mmhmm!" Vel hummed, and he gave her hips a pat to let her know she had to get up.
"We should be back pretty quickly, right place or not."
"Alright." she slipped off his lap, then suddenly paused.
"If it is the right place," she started slowly, not quite looking at him. "You'll just...do the spell and we'll be- fixed?"
"Well, no," Vel said.
"Once we find the place, I'll mark it, and then I'll have to come back here to pick up the ritual supplies," Vel said.
"Oh." Neither sister was quite sure whether they should be glad of that, or discouraged. On the one hand, it was all the longer they were separated. On the other...
It gave them some more time before they had to face- whatever would happen when they merged. Loss of memory, loss of self.
Midnight was growing uncomfortable with all the emotion. "I'm gonna let Starbright take over," she told Vel by way of warning. "Seems only fair she gets to see this new place first, seeing as I got the last one."
A blink and a shiver, her hair turned blond and when her eyes opened they were sky blue. Starbright frowned slightly. "Huh. That was...surprisingly nice of her."
"Well, it is only fair," Vel said, taking Starbright's hands.
He stood there, gazing into her eyes, before he leaned in and kissed her.
"How was your nap?" Vel said.
She smiled into the kiss, and the expression stayed when she pulled away. "Good," she answered quietly, still holding his hands. "I feel good."
She simply let the contact last for a few moments, smiling up at him. Then she pulled away with a small sigh and a quietly chirped, "Let's get going then."
"Indeed, let's," Vel said, and he raised a hand. He made some signs and a portalappeard in front of them.
He gave Starbright's hand a little squeeze, and he led her on through.
Starbright squeezed his hand back as she followed him through the portal. She was almost used to the sensation now, and instead of inspiring a full shudder it just gave her a little flash of goosebumps.
Once through, she took a moment to look around, orienting herself to their new surroundings. "I will never not be impressed by that," she chuckled, looking up at Vel.
They were in the Draconi forest now, among the tall oaks and redwoods that called the place home. Their feet were on a worn down, almost ancient looking path.
"Well, I'd rather hope that you're impressed by it. It's a pretty advanced technique," Vel joked.
She laughed quietly, leaning into his side a bit. "I bet," she said with a smile, leaning up to peck the side of his face.
Looking down the path, Starbright drew her bottom lip between her teeth and worried at it a bit. "This feels...old," she noted, lowering her voice unconsciously, almost reverently.
"It's very old, I can assure you of that," Vel said.
"We'll have to be careful. This old temple might hold what we need, but at the same time, it could harbor dark energies and presences. We must be on our guard."
"Oh..." She tucked herself a little closer to his side as she looked around again. "Okay. On guard. Right."
She didn't quite manage to keep the anxiety out of her tone and cleared her throat, forcing the brightest smile she could manage. "I'm glad I'm with you then," Starbright said with a small laugh.
Hey, what am I, invisible?
At the moment, I believe the term is incorporeal, dear sister.
Vel put his arms protectively around Starbright.
"I'll protect you," he said warmly, and he took her hand again.
"Come on, let's go."
...Okay, I don't need protecting, but the sentiment is appreciated.
"I know you will," Starbright said with a quick smile, lacing her fingers through his as they started down the worn path.
"So," Vel started as they walked down the path.
"I want to ask you something. It pertains to how you and your sister share your body," Vel said.
"Okay." Starbright looked up at him, eyes wide and open. "Ask away."
Vel nodded.
"So, does your body get tired independently from when you or your sister get tired mentally?"
She nodded vaguely. "Yes. It's usually harder for us to tell when we're, you know, physically tired because of it. If we spend too much time just switching whenever we start to wear out, we can actually pass out or something." It had happened once or twice.
Looking up at him again, she asked, "Why? Is that important?"
"I was just curious," Vel said.
"So, if one of you performs rigorous physical activities, and then sleeps, will the other be sore in the morning?"
Starbright laughed quietly, looking at him sidelong. "Yes. Are you asking me if I'm sore from...you and Midnight?"
"Well, no I was asking in general," Vel said matter-of-factly.
"But, now that you bring it up... yes. I'm curious about that as well."
"Oh. Well, I am, a little," she admitted, cheeks coloring slightly. "But it's hardly the worst I've had to deal with after Midnight's in charge for a while."
She frowned slightly, remembering a few scars she'd woken up with after Midnight went rogue once or twice. Then she smiled at him, blush deepening, and added, "Definitely worth it, by the way."
After a moment, she ventured,"Can I...ask you something then? About your illusion?"
"Sure, ask away," Vel said, smiling down at Starbright and her colored cheeks. Gods, she really was adorable, wasn't she?
"I was just wondering... It's not really just an illusion, is it? I mean, your shape changes, and you feel-"
Rather amazing.
Her cheeks went scarlet and she coughed out, "H-human. I mean, like flesh and blood."
"Well, it's an illusory form," Vel said.
"It's crafted from both incorporeal illusions and physical manifestations that I've learned how to shape into a human looking form, complete with all the complexities that form offers" Vel explains.
"And, well... I put a lot of effort into making sure the, uh... penis works. I'm a stickler for perfection."
Well thank the gods for that.
Starbright ducked her head, flushing to the tips of her ears. "O-oh. Well, that, um...that makes sense."
She sort of wanted to ask why he'd decided to go through all that effort in the first place, but after opening her mouth briefly she decided against it. She didn't want to bring up his past, it seemed to be a rather touchy subject.
"Yeah. There's a lot of very complex magic at work there," Vel muttered.
"I know your sister's appreciative," Vel remarked.
"Did you hear what she's going to do to me when we get back to the tower?"
Starbright snorted. "Appreciative is one word for it." Glancing up at him, still blushing, she added in a mumble, "Yeah, um, I heard."
Maybe she should take a long nap.
"I... Apologize in advance?" Vel said, shrugging his shoulders.
"No, no, don't apologize." She shook her head quickly, giving an awkward little laugh. "You're perfectly entitled to- I mean if you want to of course, she's not gonna pressure you- well she might, but you don't have to-"
Starbright snapped her mouth shut, flushing. "I'm...just gonna stop talking now."
"Hush, Star!" Vel laughed, and he gave her a tiny squeeze.
"I know what you mean, and I appreciate the thought. I'm just... I guess I'm just preparing myself for when we get back."
I'm not sure whether I should be offended or flattered.
Starbright shook her head and flashed a quick, slightly awkward smile at Vel. "Well- good luck with that. I...apologize for my sister in advance."
Hey!
Ignoring Midnight, she looked ahead down the path, taking a moment to really absorb their surroundings.
Vel laughed, and his eyes returned to the path as well. They were sure to be close by now, right?
"We're just teasing you, Midnight," Vel said with a quiet laugh.
Starbright grinned crookedly at him as Midnight grumbled. "I think it's good for her, honestly. Usually I'm the only one who bothers to give her a hard time."
I shall have vengeance.
She laughed and relayed that to Vel with a little glint in her eyes. Sobering a bit, she glanced around again. "Think we're getting close?"
"Yeah, we'll be there any--"
And then the trees parted, suddenly, as if the overgrowth was being held at bay at a certain point. The temple in front of them was an ancient, gated cathedral, complete with one of those small cemeteries, although the statues were wheathered and eroded to the point of non-recogniction, and the gate appeared to have fallen off ages ago.
"Woah."
"Oh my..." Whoa seemed to about cover it. Starbright felt a strange pull toward the place and at the same time an instinctive wariness. She pressed a little closer to Vel's side, blinking wide eyes as she looked around.
"Do you know who this was built for?" she asked quietly.
"No," Vel said.
"But I'm not the biggest fan of how this place looks."
Starbright swallowed and nodded. "M-maybe I should let Midnight take over. Just in case..."
She didn't really want to think about just in case, actually. "Can we do this quick?" she murmured, looking up at Vel.
Vel nodded, and looked towards the ruined cathedral. He slowly stepped forwards, past the gates and into the main yard.
Still clutching his hand, Starbright followed warily after him, tucking herself behind him unconsciously.
Let me take over. I can handle....whatever this is.
It didn't take much to convince her. "Okay," she whispered. Tugging Vel's hand, she murmured, "I'm letting Midnight out," a moment before the change shivered through her.
Vel nodded, and gave Starbright some space to change over. Vel glanced around.
"I can feel the magic in the air, but... it just doesn't feel right," Vel said.
He turned to look at Midnight.
"If you want, we can venture into the cathedral so I can make sure that this place doesn't have the energies, but my gut tells me that it doesn't..."
"I think I trust your gut," Midnight muttered, eyes flicking around warily. "...I don't like this place, Vel," she said softly, not quite realizing she hadn't let go of his hand until she found herself clutching at it.
Vel didn't let go of Midnight's hand, yet he made no comment about it either.
"If a place makes us feel this way, then it doesn't have what we're looking for," Vel said.
"Holy, healing energies make places feel warm, inviting, relaxing. This... is something else," Vel muttered.
Midnight nodded, taking a small step back. "Damnit," she muttered. "Then I guess we should go, yeah?" She tugged lightly at his hand.
There was definitely "something else" about this place, nothing like the energies they'd felt in the glen.
"Yeah. I guess we should be thankful that this place was just a dud, and not really dangerous," Vel said, looking at Midnight.
"And hey, it gets us back to the tower quicker, eh?" Vel teased, although he'd be lying if he said he wasn't looking forwards to it.
She chuckled quietly, eyes glinting up at him as she tugged his hand again, urging him back onto the path.
"Oh, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into," she murmured with a wicked grin. In the back of her mind, Starbright groaned and did her best to begin practicing blocking them out.
Vel finally capitulated and started walking. He'd notice that Midnight tried to tug him a few times, and he figured he shouldn't keep the girl waiting.
"As long as you don't dismantle me in the process, you've got a free pass to do whatever you want," Vel teased.
She mock pouted at him. "Well you just rather limited our options, but I think I can make it work," she teased, leaning up to press a quick peck to the side of his face as they walked.
Vel let out a quiet "oh dear" to himself, flushing a little when Midnight pecked him.
"Well, I see no reason to walk any further."
Vel opened a portal, and motioned.
"After you, my lady."
"My lady?" She grinned at him. "Y'know, I think I kinda like that." Bracing herself briefly, she stepped through the portal and back into the tower.
Vel gave Midnight a knowing smile.
When she stepped through, Vel didn't immediately follow, instead taking the time to put on his illusion before stepping through.
"Both of you girls are my ladies," Vel said, putting his arms around Midnight from behind and giving the back of her neck a kiss.
Midnight stilled at the touch, a pleasant little tingle running up her spine. He'd changed forms. "Mm- that so?" she murmured, twisting her head and leaning back into him to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
"Mmhmm," Vel said, turning his head so that kiss for the corner of his mouth could turn into a full one.
His hands wandered up her body, and he gripped her breasts rather boldly.
Midnight pressed her lips against his, softly at first but with a growing intensity. She gave a soft sound of appreciation for his touch and lifted her hands to cover his, urging him on.
Breaking away from the kiss for a moment, she muttered, "Think we should take this to the bed?"
"Definitely," Vel muttered back, kneading her breasts beneath his hands. He stepped backwards, walking with her still in his arms to the disc, and as it rose, he started to unlace the front of her tunic, kissing her all the way.
Midnight arched her back, pressing herself into his hands and reaching back to stroke the side of his face. When his fingers moved to the laces of her tunic she dropped her hands to help undo them, shrugging out of the garment once it was loose enough.
Her tunic simply fell onto the floor of the disc, and Vel shrugged out of his robes. He squeezed her tits and slipped his tongue past her lips. He wanted to give Midnight every last bit of his affection. They were already half-naked and they weren't even in the bedroom!
She met his tongue with hers and moaned quietly into his mouth. Twisting around to press flush against him, she reached up to twine her arms around his neck.
"Bed. Now," she rasped out, letting one hand drift down to cup against his crotch for a moment.
Vel let out a little sound of surprise when she cupped his crotch, and right when that happened, the disc came to a stop at the top floor.
Vel kissed Midnight fiercely, breaking away only to take her by the hand and lead her to the bed.
Midnight let him pull her along, pushing against his shoulder when they reached the bed to urge him to sit as she leaned up for another searing kiss.
"Gods, Vel," she murmured, voice low and breathy, before tracing her tongue against his lips softly.
Vel dropped his shorts and sat down at the edge of the bed, hands trailing along Midnight's sides and lips still tingling with lingering contact.
Reaching one hand down to fumble her breeches down to the middle of her thighs and simply wriggled the rest of the way free of them. Pushing him back lightly, she crawled up onto the bed, settling her knees to either side of his hips as she arched up over him and caught his lips with hers.
Vel put a hand on the back of Midnight's head, holding her to him as they kissed, the other hand placing itself firmly on her back.
"Midnight..." Vel gasped a bit breathlessly.
She hummed softly and ground her hips down, giving a quiet gasp. "Vel," Midnight whispered, trailing kisses along his jaw to nip at his ear.
Vel smiled against her lips, but when her lips left him, he turned to her neck.
Vel bucked upwards so his length rubbed against Midnight.
"Gods, Midnight. I want you," Vel said, almost in a needy whine.
"I want you so badly..."
Midnight drew in a sharp breath as he rubbed against her and pressed her lips against his neck, moaning.
"Then take me," she whispered, bucking her hips forward to grind against him again, fingers digging into his back as she clutched him closer.
"Maybe I will," Vel teased, and he gave her another buck before reaching down to orient himself for entry, his tip rubbing against her for a few moments before he bucked his hips again, lancing up into her.
"Gods!" Well, she had basically dared him. Midnight took a moment to adjust, her head falling forward onto his shoulder as she gave her hips a cautious little wiggle, letting out a low moan as she did.
"So good, Vel," she whispered, pressing her lips to the curve of his shoulder. "Every time..."
"I'm all yours," Vel whispered, and he moved his hips.
"Command me."
That sent a shiver up her spine, and for a few seconds she blinked at him in a rare moment of speechlessness, not quite sure what to say. Then she reached up to cup the back of his neck and pull him forward a bit, rocking her hips against him again.
"Kiss me," she murmured, arching her back slightly and urging his head toward her chest. "Here. Like with Star. I want to feel that." She'd been curious about it, considering the reaction it had gotten from her sister.
Without hesitation, Vel sealed his lips to her breast, sucking and licking while he used his free hand to squeeze the other.
He even nipped it with his teeth a few times, knowing Midnight would enjoy that.
Midnight let her head fall back, giving a low sound of appreciation when she felt his teeth graze over sensitive skin. She started to move her hips with more purpose, rising and falling on him almost painfully slowly.
Juras moaned a bit against her breast, but he didn't stop working it over with his tongue and teeth. Every time she fell on him, his hips rose, and he hungrily sought for as much contact as possible.
Breath starting to come harder, faster, Midnight pushed against his shoulders, silently urging him onto his back as she dipped her head to latch onto his neck, kissing and nipping in turns, all the while the movement of her hips increased slightly in intensity.
At her behest, Vel laid back down against the bed, hands going to her hips as he let her take complete control.
With more freedom to move, Midnight increased her pace drastically, not bothering with any slow build. Soft curses mixed with his named spilled out of her mouth and her head fell forward, lashes fluttering as she began to pant.
Vel helped Midnight move, using his grip on her hips to help her rraise and lower herself.
"Harder," Vel challenged.
Midnight snapped her eyes up to meet his and met his challenge with a growl, raising herself up on her knees and then slamming back down.
"A-Ah!" Her breath hitched and she repeated the motion, slamming her hips into his hard enough to bruise and not really caring. "Gods, Vel," she groaned, bracing her hands against his chest.
Vel lwt his head lie back, simply taking the punishment as Midnight dealt it out. The bed creaked beneath Midnight's onslaught, and Vel himself let out moans so she knew she was doing a real bang-up job.
Midnight kept up the pace for as long as she could before her breathing really started to race- which was a decent amount of time, considering her disproportionate stamina. The sounds Vel was making egged her on and she leaned over him to pepper kisses over his chest every so often.
As she started to get tired though, she slammed down again and made little circles with her hips, panting and staring down at him. "Can- can you sit up?" she rasped out, an idea suddenly striking her.
Vel, of course, didn't even look winded, despite the fact that he'd been moving his hips in time with Midnight for as long as she'd been moving. He looked flustered from the pleasure, but there wasn't even a stray bead of sweat on him.
At Midnight's request, he sat up, and the first thing he did was seal his lips to hers.
Midnight started a bit in surprise, then hummed against his lips as she kissed him back, trailing her hands up to cup his face.
Unlike Vel, a thin sheen of sweat covered her body and she was panting lightly as she broke away from the kiss to meet his eyes. Holding his gaze, she leaned back and braced her hands on the bed behind her and began bucking her hips again.
It took some of the pressure off her legs, which she wrapped around his hips, and provided a new angle that had her moaning and gasping in a few moments.
Vel marveled at the new angle, and he put his hands on Midnight's sides, passing his fingers up her body as she bounced up and down in his lap.
"Gods, Midnight!" Vel gasped, and he gripped her ass tightly while she worked.
"You're so good!"
Midnight positively purred at his touch, head lolling back and hair falling in a dark curtain behind her. She tried to smirk at his praise, but then a particular buck had him hitting that sweet spot and she gasped sharply, eyes going wide.
"O-oh. There. A-amazing. You're amazing," she panted, increasing her pace as much as she could. "I- close, Vel. I'm getting close."
Vel kept the angle, shifting up onto his knees so he could thrust into her as she writhed atop him. He hit that sweet spot over and over again, trying to accelerate Midnight's orgasm.
"Me too," Vel said.
A few more thrusts, Midnight bucking her hips to meet his, and she went toppling over the edge with a cry, using her last burst of strength to push herself forward and throw her arms around Vel's neck, clinging to him as she tightened and shuddered.
Impulsively, she turned her face into his shoulder and bit down as she rode out the waves of pleasure racing through her, not quite gentle but not hard enough to really hurt.
Right at the point where Midnight bit Vel's shoulder, he came, and that massive rush of positive energy hit Midnight once again.
Vel breathed hard as the waves of pleasure kept coming, and he kissed Midnight like he couldn't get enough of her.
"Don't tell me you're done already," Vel teased.
Midnight gave another, softer cry as she felt him pulse inside her, tightening her arms and legs around him and peppering kisses over his shoulder and neck.
A short, breathless laugh spilled out of her at his teasing and she pulled back to give him a challenging smirk that may have been slightly undermined by the flush in her cheeks and her panting breath.
"Not a chance," she told him, voice low and rough. Rolling onto her back, she used her arms around his shoulders to pull him with her and added, "You're on top this time."
Vel gave her a smirk, and kissed her as she brought him down on top of her. He actually did just that for a few moments, wanting to appreciate this time they had together. After enough time, though, he broke away, and turned Midnight onto her belly. He planted his hands by her head, and rubbed his member along her crack as he gave he back of her neck a few searing kisses.
After a few seconds of this, he angled himself and pushed all the way inside her, marveling at the new angle.
Midnight gave a soft noise of surprise when he rolled her over, but she didn't protest, intrigued by what he was planning. She resisted the urge to buck her hips back when she felt him rubbing against her, letting him take control.
Then he was in her again and she gasped, her head falling forward to press against the bed. She shifted her hips back, moaning out a muffled, "Gods, Vel!"
Vel was content to take control for this round, thrusting into Midnight with an abandon he'd probably be embarrassed to think about later. He pulled her up so that she was on her knees, ass cocked into the air as he pounded her.
If she hadn't been so high on the feeling of him, even Midnight may have been a little embarrassed by the sounds pouring out of her between muffled curses and pleas for him to keep going, harder, faster. Her hand fisted in the sheets and she bit down on her lip so hard it bled as once again she found herself nearing her peak- much more quickly this time, body already sensitive to him.
Vel let his head fall backwards as he fucked Midnight, opting to merely enjoy the sensations as they copulated.
Feeling a little devious, he raised his hand and gave Midnight a spank. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough for the intent to be there.
A rather undignified yelp escaped her and Midnight twisted her head to give him a mock pout- or as close to one as she could manage- over her shoulder. "I'll g-get you for th-tha-"
Her playful threat cut off in a sharp wail as he railed into her and she came again, tightening around him while her head fell back onto the bed and she arched her back, bucking her hips back against him wantonly.
Vel couldn't help but laugh a bit to himself, something that was rather well timed, since Midnight saw it fit to have her climax. Vel's was coming soon, but they still had some time before then.
Vel didn't give Midnight the chance to wind down. He turned her onto her back, and leaned down to lock lips with her as his hips resumed movement.
Panting heavily, Midnight was completely unresistant as he turned her over again. For several moments she simply lay there and kissed him, and even that was taking more concentration than she could really muster up.
Vel's relentlessness had her climbing again before she could even come all the way down. Getting up the energy to give a little buck with her hips, she gasped and panted out, "You- you really weren't kidding- about not- getting tired."
Vel's movements went slow to give Midnight space to breathe, and he kissed her neck and took her hand.
"Honestly, I could go like this as long as you want me to," Vel said, but even then, an idea went to his head.
"Although, if you're feeling beat, you can just switch with your sister," Vel suggested.
"I'm sure she won't mind."
She gave a breathless little chuckle and squeezed his hand. "I'm not done yet," she muttered, lips twitching up on one side. "But if you keep this up, that may become a necessity."
Getting her second- third?- wind, Midnight rocked her hips up against him and gave him a wicked smile. "Unless you're getting tired of me?"
"Hah, like that's ever going to happen," Vel said, and he moved his hips in time with Midnight. He leaned in to kiss her, and this time, he lingered on that, turning their fast fuck into something much more passionate.
Midnight groaned into the kiss, arching up to press herself flush against him and sliding her hands over his shoulders to cup the back of his neck gently, lovingly.
Another memory from Starbright struck her and she languidly wrapped her legs around his waist, letting one hand trail up and down his back as she moved against him, moving her mouth to his jaw, then his chin, then back up to his lips.
The emotion behind the hand on Vel's neck wasn't lost on him, and he cupped one of Midnight's cheeks to reflect this, resting his forehead on hers. He still held her hand with the other hand, and he started to buck into her harder while maintaining the slow pace.
The slow, intense bucks were definitely different but no less effective from their earlier, furious pace. Soon enough Midnight was drawing in short gasps between trailing kisses over Vel's neck and shoulders, little tremors running through her as wave after wave of pleasure rocked her senses.
"Oh gods," she whispered, slipping one hand up to cup Vel's cheek in a mirror of what he was doing to her. "I- I can't- a little more, please, Vel," she breathed, lashes fluttering against her cheeks.
Vel kissed her again, and just as he did that, a climax rocked him. Again, Midnight would get that rush of energy shooting through her.
Midnight kissed him back, then felt that lightning bolt of pleasure jolt through her again and she moaned against his lips as once again she was pushed over the edge.
Her whole body was shaking while she rode through the aftershocks and her head fell back, mouth open as she panted. "Vel," she rasped out, clutching at his shoulders. "Oh gods, Vel, I can't..."
She nearly fainted, thoroughly exhausted and sated, and as she started to slip away another little tremor ran through her, black hair changing to gold and suddenly Starbright found herself Staring up at Vel, her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist with him inside her.
Vel had never been in skin contact with Midnight or Starbright as they changed, but he could feel the vibration travel through him, and when he saw it was blue eyes staring back at him, he could only smile sheepishly.
"Hello, Starbright," Vel chuckled.
"It looks like your sister's tuckered out on me," he said.
Her first reflex was to be embarrassed- mortified, really- but honestly...what was the point? They were far beyond any point of embarrassment now.
Starbright found that realization actually rather liberating. Though she still blushed a bit, trying to adjust to all the new sensations, she smiled crookedly and replied. "Seems so."
Deciding to ride this new boldness as far as it would take her, she tugged lightly to urge Vel down to her, stretching up for a kiss. "Mind if I cut in then?"
"Not at all," Vel answered, and he rolled onto his back, kissing Starbright all the way.
He gave his hips a little upwards buck to urge her on.
"Gods, I've really got my hands full with the two of you. Tucker one out, and the other jumps right in to replace her," He said, and laughed to himself.
Giving a small squeak as he rolled them over, Starbright found herself closing her eyes against a jolt of pleasure that ran through her at what it did to the way they were connected.
Slowly opening her eyes, cheeks flushed, she smiled at Vel almost shyly, unused to looking down at him. "You like it," she teased quietly, still feeling that surge of confidence, and leaned down to kiss him.
As she did, she cautiously rolled her hips, eliciting a small gasp. She was slow, careful, nothing like Midnight's furious pace, as she started to learn how to move their body this way.
"Oh, I love it. You've got me guilty as charged," Vel said, grinning.
He helped her along with her movements, slowly moving his hips to complement hers as they kissed.
"Is Midnight conscious in there?"
Starbright chuckled quietly, starting to move her hips with a bit more confidence. "Barely," she said, lips twitching up on one side. Her sister was well and truly exhausted, it seemed.
She leaned in to kiss him again, hair falling forward to create a kind of curtain around them. Experimentally, she made a slow little circle with her hips and sucked in a sharp breath.
"I- I watched this time," she admitted suddenly, not quite sure why but unable to keep silent about it. "I couldn't help it. I'm sorry." Another little circle and she swallowed a groan, eyes clenching shut.
"Don't be sorry," Vel said, hands on her hips.
"I mean, you picked up a few tricks," he added.
Starbright actually smirked a bit, the expression incredibly reminiscent of Midnight. "Oh? You mean like this?" She ground against him more forcefully, shivering at the sensation.
"J-just like that!" Vel gasped when Starbright grinded down against him.
Encouraged by his reaction, Starbright gradually fell into a rhythm, rocking her hips forward and then grinding down. Panting lightly, she gripped his shoulders and let her head fall forward, losing herself to the sensations for a moment.
Vel simply went with the flow, putting his arms around Starbright as he moved in time with her.
"Gods, Starbright... don't stop..."
Unable to really speak, Starbright just nodded, picking up her pace slightly. Every time she brought their hips together she leaned forward over his chest, seeking more contact.
Impulsively, she reached one hand down between them as her hips lifted and began to stroke him, mewling quietly when her fingers slipped just barely inside herself as she came back down.
Vel let his head fall back, hands rising up to grip her breasts as she bounced on him.
"V-Vel!" Starbright gasped out, her pace becoming erratic as she started to lose herself. Another rock of her hips, arching her back to press her chest into his touch, and with no more warning than a small cry she came, head falling back as she clenched her eyes shut.
Starbright's climax brought Vel close, but he didn't come just yet.
"Gods, Star... I'm close!"
"I- I can't," Starbright panted, moving weakly against him. A low, ragged moan tore out of her throat and she bit her lip and clutched at his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as a sudden burts of "Midnight-ness" had her slamming her hips into his with everything she had left.
Fortunately for Starbright, her efforts to get the lead out at the end led to a rather sweet reward in the form of another surging climax from Vel.
Crying out, Starbright stilled- well, collapsed would probably be more accurate- shuddering. Not having the chance to really come down from her own climax, she found herself peaking again, slumping forward on Vel's chest as she gasped out his name, eyes clenched shut.
Vel chose to simply hold Starbright. He turned onto his side and used magic to throw the blankets up and over them, cuddling her to him.
Starbright snuggled against him automatically, hooking one leg over his hip when he turned on his side to keep as much contact as she could.
Still breathing raggedly, she blinked up at his face hazily. "Gods, you're amazing," she mumbled, letting her head fall forward against his chest with a sigh.
Vel put an arm around Starbright's back, pressing her to him to maintain the contact.
"You know, I'm starting to believe that," Vel said, and dipped in to kiss Starbright deeply, enclosing his other hand around hers.
She kissed him back, heart fluttering against her ribs. Her free hand slid up to cup the side of his face. "You should," she murmured when they broke apart. "That- being with you is the best we've ever felt."
Maybe it was because she was simply so physically exhausted, but while an admission like that normally would have made her at least blush she just stated it matter-of-factly.
"This..." Vel started, giving Starbrigh another kiss.
"Is the best I've felt as well. When I'm with you two, I feel like I'm more than just a machine. I feel like I belong, like... I'm loved."
She tightened her arms around him at that, a strange little shiver running through her.
"You are," she murmured after a moment, cheeks flushing as she hid her face against his chest. "I mean, we do. Love you." That's what this was, right? She couldn't say she had a lot of experience, but she thought that's what love would feel like.
"M-Midnight may not admit it, but she does. And...I do." She fell silent, biting her lip.
Vel processed Starbright's words for a few moment, taking those precious few seconds when she was biting her lip and doubting to gently take her hand.
"I love you too. Both of you," Vel said.
He moved in to kiss her.
Starbright's heart jumped into her throat and she snapped her eyes up to him, surprise plainly written on her face.
Then he was kissing her and she let her eyes slide closed, squeezing his hand tightly. In the back of her mind, she could feel an unsure Midnight trying to process what was happening
Vel kissed her deeply, letting the contact linger.
"You're amazing," Vel mumbled into her mouth, mirroring what she'd told him many times in the past.
She shook her head, slowly blinking her eyes open. "We're really not," she murmured between pressing little pecks against his lips. Her mouth curved up in a small smile and she whispered, "But I'm glad you think so."
"You are," Vel urged, and then he paused to accept her little pecks.
"And I won't let you think otherwise," he added.
Starbright gave a quiet laugh and another soft kiss, letting this one linger a moment before she settled back. "I think maybe I can get used to that," she murmured, smiling at him with happily glinting eyes.
Tucking her head against his shoulder, she nuzzled herself a little closer and hesitated a moment, as though worried about a sudden rejection, before saying softly, "Love you, Vel."
Vel hummed to himself at the reaffirmation, and settled down a bit with her.
"Love you too, Starbright," Vel said.
"And Midnight," he added, gazing into her eyes.
"I love you just as much."
Giggling, Starbright informed him, "She's not saying anything, but I can feel it. She loves you too, she'd just not very good with emotion."
...Traitor.
Vel laughed at that a bit.
"And how is she doing? When we parted, she was raither... faint," Vel teased.
Starbright laughed quietly and Midnight grumbled a few choice curses at them both before going off to sulk in some back corner of their mind.
"She's alright," she said, still chuckling a bit. "Just needs some rest. Actually-" A yawn suddenly overtook her and her eyes fluttered a bit.
"Our body's...really tired too," she murmured. "I- I think...maybe I need a quick nap? Sorry, Vel." Another yawn.
"Well, then rest," Vel said, dipping forwards to kiss her.
"Turn around and put your back to me. That way I can hold you better," Vel added.
She kissed him back, parting from the contact with a reluctant sigh as she rolled over and snuggled back against him.
"We still have places to check," she mumbled sleepily. "Don't let me sleep too long..." Her eyes drifted closed and she leaned back into him, the warmth and solidness endlessly comforting.
"Alright," Vel said, although now, the idea of leaving bed could be nothing but a bad one.
Vel put one arm around Starbright's midsection, and he put up his other arm so Starbright could use his bicep as a pillow.
He kissed the back of her head, marvelling at how close and comfortable they both were.
"Sweet dreams, Love."
Starbright's lips curved up in a smile as she nestled against him, part of her mind vaguely registering- happily- how easily she fit into the curve of his body.
She laid her hand over his around her middle, sighing contentedly as she drifted off.
It took a few minutes, both girls were tired, but eventually a small shiver ran through her and a wave of inky black swept through her hair. Even Midnight was asleep now though, and she barely stirred as her consciousness came to the forefront.
Vel made no comment or response to the change, merely cuddling Midnight a bit closer to him and closing his own eyes. He didn't need to sleep, but he felt like at least having his eyes closed would do him some good.
Besides, if he was sleeping, he'd miss out on cuddling with Midnight, and honestly, he wanted all of that.
Some time later, Midnight started to come fuzzily back to the waking world. The first thing she noticed was Starbright still asleep, tucked away in the back of their mind.
Then she felt Vel's arm around her, her back pressed against his chest- and found that she actually really enjoyed the feeling. Not wanting to break the contact, she turned her head carefully to peer over her shoulder.
"Hey," she said softly, not wanting to wake him if he was "recharging". "You awake?"
"Mm?" Vel mumbled, and the hand planted on Midnight's abdomen gave that area a slow rub.
"yeah, I'm awake," he answered.
"I don't want to move, though..." Vel whined, snuggling in a bit closer to Midnight.
Midnight chuckled quietly, reaching back with one hand to stroke her fingertips lightly over his face as she nestled back against him. Her other hand went to the one at her stomach, lacing their fingers together.
"Well, who am I to tell you what to do?" she said softly, giving him a lopsided smirk over her shoulder. "And it seems you've got me pretty well trapped so..." She gave a dramatic sigh, shaking her head. "Guess I'll just have to stay here."
"Trapped?" Vel repeated, and he leane forwards a bit, placing a kiss on the back of Midnight's neck.
"Or are you right where you want to be?" He said, keeping their fingers laced together as he nuzzled the back of her neck.
She squirmed a bit at the tingly sensation his kisses sparked along her skin, giving a soft little hum of appreciation.
Then she frowned a bit, peering back at him. "Ah, c'mon, don't make me say it," she whined. "Star already told you, I'm no good with the touchy feely stuff."
Another little wriggle, this time nudging her hips back against him, and she added with a small smirk, "Well. I'm good with some of it."
"Hah!" Vel laughed, squirming when she nudged her hips back against him. She was playing with fire, there. Of course, it remained to be seen whether or not she wanted to be burned.
"Me too," Vel said, and the hand on her belly slid upwards, and he gently fondled one of her breasts.
"Maybe we can be touchy-feely with each other?"
"Hmm..." Midnight pursed her lips in mock consideration, twisting her head to look at him over her shoulder and reaching up to cover his hand on her breast, egging him on.
"You know, that doesn't sound like a bad idea at all." Her eyes glinted wickedly and she squirmed around again, arching a bit so her backside rubbed up against him.
With Midnight's encouragement, Vel gave her breast a more thorough squeezing, and under her backside's rubbing, Vel grew hard. He switched hands, and brought the arm around her down to her womanhood, where he kneaded her clit beneath his fingers.
"Say, Midnight..."
Vel kissed the back of her neck again.
"I want to try something new..."
A low moan left her as his fingers worked and Midnight arched her back again, nudging her hips forward against his hand.
"What- did you have in mind?" she muttered, lashes fluttering as she twisted slightly to return the kiss to her neck with one to his shoulder.
Vel went a bit red at having to explain what he wanted to do.
"I... I want to kiss you, and lick you, but..."
He gave her womanhood another indicative touch with his fingers.
"But down there. I want to make you feel good, Midnight..."
"Oh." Her eyes widened slightly and she turned onto her back, eyes flicking over his face. Was that something people did?
Actually- to hell with it, she didn't care. Seemed like a pretty damn good idea to her. "Ah- be my guest," she murmured, reaching up to cup his cheek and pressing a quick kiss to his lips before gesturing vaguely toward her waist.
It was probably a good thing Starbright was still asleep, because even she was blushing a bit.
Vel smiled sheepishly in return. He'd been in a brothel once, although not for anything they were selling. During his time there, he'd... Overheard a couple things. They sounded terribly embarrassing then, but now?
Well, why not?
Vel gave Midnight's neck a kiss, then her breast, and then her abdomen as he travelled downwards. With a wink, he disappeared beneath the covers at Midnight's waist. He gave her pubic area a kiss before he slipped ever lower, planting some kisses at her inner thigh before he passed his tongue over her wetness. He couldn't taste or smell it, but he found that he rather liked his texture. And while he didn't really know what he was doing, he was solely focused on making Midnight feel good.
Her breath started to pick up as he made his way down her body, hitching slightly with each little kiss. Then he winked at her and she actually chuckled, crinkling her nose at him and rolling her eyes.
And then her eyes went wide and she sucked in a sharp breath at the feel of his mouth on her. The kisses to her thigh had her gripping the sheets, and when he licked her she let out a ragged moan, eyes falling closed as her back arched, nudging her hips toward him just a bit.
"Oh my- that's good," she whispered, reaching down with one hand to find his and grip his fingers tightly. "That's- that's really good, Vel."
Vel let out a surprised noise when Midnight bucked her hips against his mouth, but he rolled with it, using his hands (and a little bit of magical assistance) Vel pinned Midnight's thighs open.
He licked her regularly now, releasing small sounds as he worked. Sometimes, he penetrated her with his tongue, exploring every part he could reach.
It didn't take long for Midnight to start to come undone. She tried not to writhe under his attentions, but she just couldn't hold still. Though her legs were held pretty much immobile, her toes curled up and her back arched, her hands going up to clutch at her own hair as she wriggled and moaned.
"H-holy gods," she rasped out, almost whimpering as ever growing waves of pleasure surged through her. "Vel- Fuck, Vel!"
Vel continued to have at her. Whatever idea he'd stumbled upon, it was a gold mine, and it had Midnight turning into putty beneath his ministrations.
So he just kept going, even getting a bit more intense. He didn't need to breathe, so he took the opportunity to absolutely devour her.
Midnight gave a keening groan, clutching at the sheets so hard she was pretty sure she tore the fabric. And she really didn't care.
Vel just kept going. She was gasping for breath now, panting out sharp little exclamations and his name between every few gasps. And when a climax rocked through her she arched her back and cried out, one hand flying up to clutch at the back of his head.
"Oh gods, Vel," she groaned, shaking lightly.
Vel felt her climax, and he paused to give her a breather. He kissed her abdomen, and his eyes flitted up to meet hers.
"So? Good idea?" Vel asked.
"Very good," Midnight panted, looking down at him. "Very, very good idea, Vel." She let her hand drift down to stroke his cheek.
Vel beamed at Midnight's praise, and he kissed her belly again.
"You wanna return the favor?"
A considering glint came into her eyes and she nodded slowly, pushing herself up a bit on her elbows. "If I can make you feel like that, hell yes," Midnight murmured, squirming a bit in an attempt to flip their positions.
Vel stood up on his knees, and allowed himself to flop onto his back next to Midnight. He gave her a kiss, and patiently waited for her to begin.
Midnight met his eyes for a moment, then dipped to kiss his neck, then his chest, then just above his navel, following the pattern he'd mapped over her body before.
Flicking her eyes up again, she started with a kiss, pressing her lips to the base of his shaft.
Then she let her tongue flit out experimentally, constantly glancing up at his face to try and gauge his reactions.
Right from her first kiss to his base, Vel looked like he liked it.
When she started to lick it, Vel's hips moved a bit, and he let his head rest back.
Taking that as a good sign, Midnight grew a bit more confident. She dragged her tongue along his length to his tip, then wrapped her lips around him carefully. Moving slowly, learning as she went, she started to bob her head up and down, going a little further each time.
"Midnight..." Vel breathed softly as she took him into his mouth. It certainly was a different feeling. It wasn't better or worse than sex, just...
different.
Vel put a hand on Midnight's head, merely resting it there as she worked.
She gave a soft little hum at the touch of his hand, working a bit faster and cautiously giving little licks when she could manage it. It took her a few moments of trial an error, but she gradually grew more assured of herself and fell into a steady rhythm.
Her hands skimmed over his skin to rest at his hips and she pressed down lightly, using the leverage to arch up slightly and work at a different angle, taking him a little deeper than before and giving another quiet, rather smug hum.
Vel had no words. He rested his head back on the pillow as Midnight worked, releasing small sounds to egg her on as she changed the angle and took him deeper.
His hand closed a bit on the back of her head, loosely holding on by her hair. However, he provided no push or pull.
Midnight flicked her eyes up to him, rather pleased with the reactions she was getting. An idea struck her and she removed one hand from his hip to wrap her fingers around him almost delicately, using her hand to pump up and down while she worked with her mouth, tongue moving in ever bolder strokes or quick little flicks across his tip.
"Gods, Midnight. That's..."
He couldn't keep quiet anymore, and once she started to pump and lick him, his filter came off.
"So good!" He moaned.
The elicited another hum and she resisted the urge to smirk, focusing her attention on working her hand and mouth in rhythm.
Midnight's eyes flicked up to his face, glowing scarlet, and she tried to push herself a little further, relaxing as much as she could and taking him in until he hit the back of her throat and sucking. Her eyes fell closed and her fingers on his hip dug in a bit as she gave a soft grunt at the effort.
That had Vel going a bit tense, and his breathing went a bit short as Midnight managed to vanish most of him into her mouth.
"Just like that," Vel murmured.
"I'm close, Midnight."
Her grip on his hip tightened breifly in acknowledgement and Midnight raised her head just a bit to swirl her tongue around him before ducking back down and sucking again. She repeated the pattern, glancing up at him through her lashes as she did her best to make him fall apart.
Vel's hips squirmed as Midnight did her damnedest, and Vel's breath caught just before he went sailing over the edge, the energy surging from his cock and right into Midnight's mouth.
"Midnight!"
Her eyes widened slightly as that strange but pleasurable sensation swamped through her down her throat, but she kept her mouth on him as long as she could.
Finally reeling back, Midnight drew in two deep breaths and simply sat staring at Vel for a moment, chest heaving. Then she bent and pressed a kiss to his stomach, then his chest, then his neck, prowling her way back up his body until she reached his lips.
Vel put his hands on her hips when Midnight reached his lips, and he eagerly returned her kisses. The magical nature of Vel's orgasm meant it left a slight taste of ozone in Midnight's mouth, but the taste didn't linger long.
He smiled against her lips.
"Love you, Midnight."
Midnight was silent for a long moment, palms braced to either side of his head and looking down at him. Then she let out a low breath and dipped to kiss him again before letting herself sort of collapse on top of him, nuzzling into the crook of his neck.
"...Love you too."
"See? You can do touchy-feely," Vel mumbled, gently throwing his arms around her.
"did you know that Starbright picked some tricks up from watching us?"
She huffed, grumbling quietly but smiling as she pressed her lips to his neck.
Then one eyebrow quirked up and Midnight chuckled quietly. "Did she? I was...rather indisposed, I didn't notice."
"She did!" Vel said.
"She, uh... Rode me like you did."
"Mm..." She lifted her head to better see his face, a wicked little smirk curving her lips. "Well you certainly sound pleased about it," she teased quietly, tracing lazy little circles over his chest with one hand.
"Yeah, I'm not exactly complaining," Vel said.
He stretched a bit.
"I'm dropping the illusion, just letting you know."
And with that, he was brass and gold again.
Grateful for the warning, Midnight watched with interest as he let the illusion slip away, flesh turning to metal under her hand.
"I wonder if you could teach Star more magic," she mused, continuing to trace her little circles over his chest. "I mean, the healing thing is good, but you can do so much with it."
"I probably could, given that she's willing to learn," Vel said.
"Magical aptitude is magical aptitude."
"She'd love that," Midnight murmured, smiling as Starbright piped up with her opinion for the first time since she'd woken.
Her shyer counterpart seemed to be growing gradually, if not more comfortable, at least accepting of their rather unique situation when it came to romantic encounters, and she had simply tucked herself away when Vel's attentions to Midnight had woken her.
"I wonder if we'll keep that," she mused after a moment. "When we're...joined, or whatever."
"Well, you can't really lose magical ability. In fact, it might even be amplified," Vel said.
"A unity of soul might result in a clearer mana stream for channelling," Vel continued.
Suddenly, he started, and he looked into Midnight's eyes.
"Oh, and good morning, Star."
Midnight chuckled. "She says good morning." Her eyes glinted wickedly and she added, "Oh, and she'd never actually say this, but I can tell she wants to try your new idea, when you two get the chance."
Midnight!
She smirked at her sister's mortified protest, completely unabashed as she just nuzzled a little closer into Vel's side.
"Gods, you two always keep me busy," Vel said, teasing clear in his voice.
He wrapped all four of his arms around Midnight as she nuzzled closer.
"Love you both."
"We love you too." The words were sort of halting still, but the affection in her tone was clear. "Gods, it still feels strange to say that," Midnight mumbled, turning her head a bit to hide her face against his side.
"Yeah, it does," Vel said.
"I've never loved anybody before."
Midnight nodded slowly in agreement. "Neither have we. Well..." She frowned and amended, "There was this boy once. Star thought- anyway, doesn't matter. I didn't like him."
She shook her head slightly. "Never felt anything like this."
"You make me feel like I'm a human," Vel said.
"If... If I found a way to give myself a face a-and a... penis, but stay looking like a robot... Would you still make love to me?" Vel asked, the insecurity clear in his voice.
"Oh, Vel..."
She pushed herself up to better look at him and laid on hand on the side of his face. "'Course we would," Midnight murmured, perhaps a little gruff but definitely sincere.
Urged on by a Starbright-like impulse, she leaned forward to kiss him gently.
Vel was still for the first few moments of the kiss, but then he deepened it as much as he could given his current form.
"How did I get so lucky?" Vel mused, giving Midnight a smile and a kiss of his own.
Midnight scoffed at that, but her cheeks heated slightly in a soft blush. "I wouldn't say you're all that lucky," she muttered, ducking her head and settling back against him. "We're kind of a handful." She gave a soft, self-deprecating little laugh.
"Well, I like having you in my hands, so it all works out," Vel said, giving the top of Midnight's head a kiss.
"You shouldn't be so hard on yourself, Night."
She gave another quiet chuckle, smiling softly. "I guess you're right- I think we like being a handful for you," she teased lightly.
Midnight didn't address the opinion that she was too hard in herself, instead tilting her head back to look at his face and blinking slowly. "I like that," she murmured after a moment. "Star was always the one with the nickname, I never... Night. I like that."
Somehow it made her feel more...present. More real.
"Well, you've got a nickname now!" Vel beamed, and he caressed her cheek.
"Are you hungry?"
Midnight laughed quietly, leaning into his touch. "Yeah, I am actually," she said with feeling. When had they last eaten? "A bath probably wouldn't be entirely amiss either," she mused. Vel may not really work up a sweat during their romps, but she wasn't exactly fresh anymore.
Manners.
With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, she added, "I mean, if it's not inconvenient."
"Well, I do have a washroom," Vel said.
"I might not sweat, but it's good to clean off these old joints."
He looked away for a bit, seemingly in thought.
"As for food, I'll... see what I can do."
"Thanks, love." The endearment was just a little awkward, but Midnight thought she managed it alright. She sat up a bit and gave him a quick peck before stretching her arms over her head and running a hand through her hair.
"Does that disk thing work if you're not on it? If you just tell me where to go I can..." She made a vague motion with her hand, standing and looking around for her clothes.
Though unlike Starbright, she was completely unperturbed by the idea of wandering around the tower naked, she had a feeling she might get chilly.
"Well, I know your tunic's on the disk," Vel said.
"And your, uh... breeches are here," Vel added, picking them up off the bed.
Vel was quiet for a few moments before he stood up, walking up to her, holding her breeches in one of his hands.
"Do you want to get dressed before I show you how to work the disk?"
She took the clothing with a quick smile and chuckled, "I can multitask," pulling the breeches on as she moved toward the disk to bend and snatch up her tunic.
"So. What do I do?" Midnight asked, looking between him and the rather convenient bit of magic as she wriggled back into her clothes.
"Very simple. Here's how you turn it on," Vel said.
He stepped up onto the disk with Midnight, and then held up a hand, fingers spread. Then, he touched his index finger to his thumb, then closed his hand into a fist, and the held up his index and middle fingers together. The disk hummed to life.
"And here's how you turn it off."
He held up the same hand, fingers spread as before. Then, he closed his hand into a fist, and opened his hand back up, keeping his fingers together this time. The disk went inert.
"Try it out a few times."
"Hmm." A little dubious that the disk would actually respond as well to her, Midnight warily held out her hand and repeated the gestures he'd made with his fingers.
To her slight surprise, the disk started up underneath her, glowing. Her eyes widened and she looked up at Vel with an incredulous little laugh before trying to replicate his motion for turning it off.
It seemed to work fine, and she repeated the process before looking back up to him with a wide grin. "You're really something else, you know that?" Midnight marveled, some of Starbright's fascination with the magic bleeding into her tone.
"Alright." She forced herself to settle a bit. "Where am I going?"
"Well, what can I say? I've had time to learn my stuff," Vel said, smiling confidently as he crossed his arms.
"So, usually the disk responds to thought, but until you get that particular skill nailed down, it also works to just say out loud where you're going, as long as you know where you're going," Vel said.
"So, for instance, my washroom's on the floor beneath us. So, you turn the disk on, and you can either say "the washroom" or "the floor beneath me", and it'll take you there. Go on, give it a try."
"Ah, okay..." Again a little irrationally nervous, Midnight activated the disk and said as firmly as she could manage, "The washroom."
A rather undignified little yelp escaped her as the thing started to move and she looked up at Vel with even wider eyes. "Um- see you in a minute, then?"
"Well, I figure a bath wouldn't do me any harm," Vel said.
"That is, if you'll have the company."
Midnight grinned slyly. "I certainly don't mind." Glancing down at the disk, she tried, "Um, stop?"
That seemed to do the trick well enough, and she looked back to him with a smile, holding her hand out. "Come on then."
Vel smiled at her, and stepped off of it with her.
The floor directly beneath Vel's bedchamber, while still fancy, was actually kind of unfurnished. The main feature of the room was the two doors on opposite sides of the room. One had a towel rack next to it, while the other was unmarked. Just like Vel's bedroom (and all the other central rooms in the tower), the room was circular, with a hole in the center for the disk to pass through.
Vel took her hand, and motioned to the door with the towel rack, where a neat little pile of towels sat folded.
"Let's take a nice bath, and I'll fix you something to eat after," Vel said.
"That sounds heavenly," Midnight proclaimed, giving his hand a quick squeeze before dropping it so she could wriggle back out of her clothes- she made a mental not to not even bother with them in the future- as she followed him to the door.
Vel watched Midnight undress, eyes tracing her form as it was revealed to him yet again. He'd left his robe upstairs (the wooden outer layer of him is what turned into the robe when shifted into a human form. He could take it off in his true form, as well.)
Vel took two towels under his lower pair of arms, and opened the door, motioning inside.
Vel's washroom was absolutely decadent. It was an octagon shaped room, and the large, pool-sized basin of steaming, floral-scented water matched the room's shape. The place was kept lit by a chandelier that hung over the basin, and candles set into the wall. As a result, the lighting was a bit on the dim side, although it definitely contributed to the place's relaxing feel.
"Well?"
Following him into the room, Midnight gave a low whistle of appreciation as she looked around.
"You really go all out," she laughed, turning to Vel with a bright smile. "It's beautiful in here, Vel."
The light expression quickly turned teasing and she moved forward to lay her hand on one of his upper arms, rocking up onto her toes to peck the side of his face and musing, "The candles are a nice touch. Kinda...romantic, I guess."
She danced away toward the edge of the water basin, tossing over her shoulder, "You know, I appreciate the effort, but I feel like past experience had proven that you really don't have to try so hard to seduce me."
Vel broke into laughter at Midnight's joke, coming up next to her at the edge of the water. He was quiet for a few moments, before he took her hand and started to lead her down into the water.
"Well, if you could magically create a home for yourself, I have a feeling it'd be pretty luxurious as well," Vel teased.
"Besides, I like the look on your face every time you enter a new room."
Midnight smiled again, allowing him to pull her into the water. She gave a soft, blissful sigh at the feeling. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders under the pretext of keeping her footing.
"Just my face?" she teased lightly, arching an eyebrow.
The water basin had steps at the edges, and around five steps downwards led into water that would be around chest-high for Midnight. When she put her arms around his shoulders, he wrapped all of his arms around her hips and sides.
"I like the look on the rest of you, too," he added.
"Hm. Good." She grinned and kissed him, quick and soft, then sort of leaned back, gaining better footing on the bottom of the basin.
"Don't suppose you have some sort of soap lying around here?" Midnight asked, glancing around but not bothering to let go of him and actually go search.
"Well, I don't really have soap bars."
Vel glanced about the room, and then kissed Midnight, not satisfied with just one. He looked to a door in the corner of the room.
"Hold on," he murmured, and he raised a hand towards the door. It opened, and three brass buckets came floating out, along with three sponges. Since Vel couldn't use soap bars, he relied on buckets of liquid soap and sponges. With a snap, the buckets all set themselves at the basin's edge and filled up, and the sponges dunked into them.
"Ta-dah!"
Midnight chuckled and reached for a sponge. "Much as I hate to say it, you're going to have to let me go for a moment," she pointed out with a wry little smile.
Vel let out an exaggerated sigh, and he let Midnight go, but not before giving her another kiss. He took a sponge for himself, and wandered out to the center of the basin. Funnily enough, he started with his face, rubbing the sponge over the crystal's surface to wipe away all those smudges left behind by a certain pair of lips.
Then, he started with the rest of him. He actually squeezed the sponge and held it over his chest, letting the soap seep into his torso and wash out his delicate insides.
Taking a sponge of her own and working in her upper body, Midnight glanced over at him. "Hey, Vel? Ah- not to be rude, but...how does that work? I mean, I'm assuming you don't like- rust or anything?"
oh yes, that definitely wasn't rude, Starbright noted sarcastically.
"No, I don't rust," Vel said, and he jittered a bit in place as he flushed the soap through his system. Then, he started to sponge down his exterior.
"But grime stuff still builds up inside of me and in my joints. Mud is pretty much the bane of my existence," Vel added with a chuckle.
He stepped a bit closer to her, quite unsubtly eyeing her chest as she got it soaped up. His crystal face still had suds and soap streaks on it, so he looked rather ridiculous.
"At least you got skin to keep all that stuff out."
Looking up at him, Midnight gave a quiet chuckle and reached up to wipe a bit of the soap away with her rinsed sponge.
"Never really thought about that before, but I guess it is lucky," she noted with a crooked smile.
Her smile turned into a smirk as she moved closer to him. Even in this form, she knew where he was looking. "Help me out?" she practically purred, turning and looking at him over her shoulder, offering the sponge. "I can't reach my back."
Vel recoiled a bit when she put the sponge on his face without warning, but it was only a momentary discomfort.
"Thanks."
Vel gave her a smile, and moved her hair so that her back was more exposed to him. Vel continued to scrub himself down with one pair of arms. While he did that, the other pair went to work on Midnight, one hand placing itself on her hip while the other went over her back with the sponge.
"That's really nice." She was almost crooning, the hot water and gentle touches relaxing every muscle in her body slowly. Midnight couldn't actually remember the last time she'd felt so at ease.
A small conversation took place in her mind and she murmured, "Star's coming out, just letting you know."
That shiver and flash of gold, then Starbright was leaning back against Vel's touch.
"Hi, Starbright."
Vel continued to wash Starbright's back, and he sighed pleasantly. He went a bit low with the sponge, dragging it against the top of her buttocks for a few moments before he resumed the regular motions.
"Hey." She turned her head to smile at him over her shoulder, then gave a pleased little shiver as his touch dipped, cheeks flushing, and snapped her head forward again.
"D-do you, um... Want me to return the favor? When you're done?" Starbright muttered, casting around almost desperately for something to say.
"I wouldn't mind," Vel answered, and then he rinsed her back off. Of course, Vel could scrub his own back with telekinesis. But hey, Starbright was offering! Vel moved onto her hair, and he got it all lathered up and soapy after a few minutes of slow, massage-like work.
"Submerge yourself, so you can rinse off all the suds."
Starbright wouldn't have thought of that as a particularly sensitive spot, but her scalp was positively tingling under his attention. It actually took a moment for his words to register.
"Oh. Alright." She ducked her head under the water and ran her hands through her hair a few times before popping back up, drawing in a quick breath. She turned to look at Vel with a soft smile, offering, "Turn around?"
When Starbright turned to him, Vel could only smile back. He dipped in to leave a kiss on her lips, and turned his back to her.
"Been a while since I had a bath this good," Vel said.
Taking a moment to recover from the sudden kiss, Starbeight smiled and picked up the sponge. "I don't think we've ever had a bath this good," she laughed quietly as she started working on his back.
"Um- you'll tell me if I do something wrong, right?" she mumbled, suddenly wary. What if this body was sensitive in places she didn't know about?
"Uh, yeah, I will," Vel said. He turned his head so he could look at Starbright with a sidelong glance.
"I don't know what you mean by something wrong, though. I'm sure you'll do perfectly."
She wrinkled her nose slightly, rubbing gentle little circles over his back and muttering, "You seem to have far more confidence in my abilities than I tend to, love."
"You're washing my back, Starbright," Vel said, confusion in his tone even as he leaned back against Starbright's attentions.
"I... I don't understand why you would doubt your ability to do that."
"Well- I don't know, what if I accidentally get soap somewhere wrong or something?" Starbright muttered, though even as she said it the concern sounded irrational.
She sighed and moved her hand in bolder sweeps, cupping water with the other to splash it lightly over his back. "Never mind. Guess I'm just being silly."
"Don't worry about it," Vel said, looking back at her. He gave her a reassuring smile, wanting her to be comfortable.
"It feels good, love."
She smiled at him almost shyly and continued her ministrations, leaning up to press a kiss between his shoulders. She rather liked the endearment.
"Vel...thank you." Starbright knew she wanted to say something, but she seemed to be having difficulty finding the exact words. "I just- this is good." She touched his arm lightly, indicating that "this" was definitely more than the bath. "Can't remember the last time we were so happy."
Vel gave Starbright a tender little smile, and he turned his head away to look straight ahead.
"I'm glad that I make you happy," he said
Starbright smiled again and gave a soft little hum in the back of her throat, dunking the sponge in the water a few times and using it to rinse off the suds left on his back.
A little hesitantly, she moved closer and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her cheek against his back. It was definitely different, hugging him like this when he wasn't wearing a human form, but not worse.
Vel was still from the contact for a few moments, but he quickly put his hands over Starbright's arms. He leaned back against her embrace a bit.
"So, Midnight told me you're interested in learning more magic?"
"Oh, yes!" She positively beamed, slipping around to stand in front of him and giving him an almost pleading expression that could probably be described as "puppyish".
"I heard some of what you were talking about. You really think I can learn more than healing?"
"Of course!"
Vel put his hands on her shoulders and sides.
"If you've got magical aptitude, then really, you have the potential to learn anything you want," Vel explained.
"Although, really, it's going to take lots of wo--"
Suddenly, Vel cut off, and he snapped a finger.
"I know! Instead of being my assistant, you can be my apprentice!"
"Really?" Her eyes were positively sparkling and she gave a happy little sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a squeak, then threw her arms around him.
"Oh, thank you!" Starbright pulled back to beam at him for a moment, then kissed him in sheer excitement.
Whoa there, rein it in, girl. But even Midnight sounded more amused than annoyed.
Vel laughed, Starbright's joy proving to be contagious. His laughter was cut off when she kissed him, and Vel didn't hesitate to deepen that contact, pulling her closer to him.
Still buzzing with happy excitement, Starbright leaned into the kiss and tightened her arms around him for a moment, simply enjoying the contact.
When they broke apart, her eyes flicked over his face briefly and she giggled, reaching up to wipe away the smudge her lips had left on the crystal. "Sorry. You just got clean and I'm mussing you up again."
Vel gave her a sly smile at that.
"Well, then maybe I should use something that doesn't smudge?" Vel asked, voice just a tad husky, and he shifted into his human shape.
He kissed her again, hands wandering to her hip and thigh.
"Oh-" Her little sound of realization was cut off by the kiss, but she wasn't complaining. Starbright leaned into the touch, slipping one hand up to cup his face and the other wrapping gently around the back of his neck.
"I love you, Starbright," Vel mumbled into her mouth.
The hand on her leg gently took her by the knee, and drew her leg up to his side as he pulled her closer.
"And, well... I kind of want to make use of this bath chamber. Midnight was right, it's... pretty romantic."
"Well...I suppose it would be a wasted opportunity if we didn't..." She murmured quietly, blushing but eyes glinting.
Then her expression softened a bit and she ran her thumb over his cheek. "I love you too, Vel."
Feeling very warm, she leaned a little further into the embrace and pressed another kiss to his lips.
Vel smiled against Starbright's lips, and the hand on her hips went to her ass. He moved in to kiss her neck, his arousal slowly making itself clear as well.
"Do you want to just do it right here?" Vel asked, and he grinned.
"Or sitting down against the ledge?"
Starbright's eyebrows went up, even as she automatically tilted her head to allow him better access to her neck and slid her hands down to press against his back.
"Here? Like right here? What- how would that even work?"
There was some genuine confusion her her tone, but she was rapidly losing interest in technicalities as she nudged her hips forward slightly and sucked in a sharp, hissing breath when she felt Vel rub against her.
"We're lighter in water," Vel said, nudging his hips forwards so he pushed against her, but their angle wasn't right enough for entry, so he just ended up gliding along her folds. He nipped at her neck with his teeth.
"I can take you from behind, or you can put your legs up on me."
Starbright gave a shuddering sigh and her hands clenched spastically, nails scratching lightly at his back.
She smiled at him and used the leverage of the leg he was already holding to his side to push up and hook her other knee over his hip. "Like this?" she murmured. An almost sheepish smile curved her lips and she added, "I like seeing your face."
Vel held her to him by placing a hand on her bottom, and with slow movements of his hips, he started to glide along her sex.
"So do I," Vel said.
"You're beautiful."
Her cheeks flushed darker and she gave him a very small smile, little shivers running through her as he started to move against her.
"I actually believe that when you say it," Starbright murmured, leaning forward to kiss him gently.
Vel accepted the kiss, and while their lips were still together, he oriented himself for entry and pushed in. He moved slowly, so Starbright could feel every thick inch of him slowly filling her.
Starbright broke away from the kiss so she could gasp in a breath, arms wrapping around his neck as she let it out in a long, low moan.
Tilting her head, she feathered little kisses over his neck and shoulder, clutching at him. "Oh, Vel," she breathed out. It was a little difficult in their current position, but she did her best to roll her hips against him.
Vel breathed against Starbright's neck, taking a moment to bask in the sensations. Vel used the leverage his hands provided to help Starbright move, moving his own hips in time.
"Gods, we can't keep our hands off of each other," Vel joked.
She gave a soft chuckle, falling into his rhythm and rolling her hips to meet his. "I'm not exactly...complaining," Starbright murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of his neck then lightly scraping her teeth against his skin.
"Me neither."
Vel shuddered a bit when Starbright used her teeth, but his pace didn't relent.
Starbright experimentally let her lips trail down to his chest and pressed a few kisses there, kneading her fingers against his shoulders as they moved together.
Curious, she flicked her tongue over a nipple. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to get as a reaction, but- sensitive skin was sensitive skin, right?
Vel squirmed a bit at Starbright's little experiment. Although his reaction belied a little bit of discomfort, a small gasp from Vel indicated that his reaction wasn't a completely negative one.
Vel started to thrust into Starbright a bit more intensely, and he sought out her lips with his own.
She easily tilted her head up for another kiss, tightening her legs around him as his intensity picked up. One hand slid down to clutch at his waist, not quite pulling him against her but urging him on.
"Is this ever- going to be enough?" Starbright suddenly murmured through soft little pants. "You don't get tired, Vel. Are you ever satisfied?"
"Well, yeah. I am satisfied," Vel said.
He paused for a moment, and took a few steps, setting Starbright down on the steps without leaving her confines. They'd be able to copulate properly like this.
"Just because I can't make love to you two until I'm tired doesn't mean you don't satisfy me."
"Oh. Um. Good." Starbright smiled at him, resisting the urge to buck her hips up against him and urge him to resume his earlier pace. "I just- we just...want you to be- I don't know what I'm trying to say," she mumbled, giving a little exasperated sigh.
Deciding words weren't really her friends at the moment, she reached up to twine her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, giving in to the impulse to rock her hips against his.
"I... I think I understand, Star," Vel said, and he resumed his pace, their new placement making things much easier.
He smiled at her, and nuzzled his nose to her.
"So, do you mind if I ask you something?"
"N-no." She sort of gasped the word out, arching her back to press as much of herself against him as she could manage. "Go ahead..."
"W-when..."
Vel trailed off. He was curious as to why Midnight switched with Starbright, but he wasn't completely sure if he should ask it, now that he thought about it. Still, a part of him just had to know.
"When you switched with Midnight..."
"Just now, you mean?" Starbright asked quietly, tracing one hand up and down his back lightly as she bucked her hips up against him. "Did you- did you not want me to?"
Her voice got very small and she bit her lip, ever uncertain of herself.
"Oh, n-no, I..."
Vel put a hand on her cheek.
"I was just curious..."
"Oh." She gave a soft sigh of relief. "It- it's not a big deal. I was just curious, wanted to see this place for myself..."
A tiny smile curved her lips and she laid one hand on his cheek. "Did you think she was mad or something?" she asked lightly, almost teasing.
Vel shrugged.
"Not really. Like I said, I just asked because I was curious," Vel said.
He realized that they'd stopped moving, so he gave Starbright a gentle thrust as he started to get back into the rhythm of things.
Starbright drew in a sharp breath, quickly falling back in sync with him. "You're always curious," she noted quietly, smiling. "I think it's one of my favorite things about you."
She let her hand fall from his cheek to brace it on the step behind her and get a little more leverage, nudging her hips up for a different angle, one that made her gasp and clench her eyes shut.
Vel grinned at that, and adjusted to the new angle, one hand on her waist and the other holding the back of her neck.
He leaned down, and attended to her breasts with his mouth, wanting to return the favor.
"Ohhh." Starbright gave a breathy moan and let her head fall back, knowing his hand at her neck would keep her head from hitting the edge of the basin.
She bucked her hips against him, giving a pleading little whimper. "More, Vel, please," she whispered, breath coming in little pants now.
Vel paused so he could adjust his position and spread Starbright's legs ever wider, making it so that every thrust had his entire length entering her, bringing their hips together under the water.
He raised his head and crushed his lips to hers, giving her bottom lip small nibbles and exploring her mouth with his tongue.
She gave a cry that was quickly muffled against his mouth and did her best to rock her hips to meet his thrusts.
Starbright flicked her tongue out to meet his and returned the kiss with everything she had, for a moment almost wondering if Midnight had somehow taken control. But no, this was far too present, too real. It was definitely still her.
"Vel," she rasped when she broke away for a moment of air. "Oh gods. Love you. I love you." She gave a little mew of pleasure and dove back into kissing him, her free hand going up to clutch at the back of his head.
The kiss was almost too much for Vel, and he moaned softly into it when the sensations all blended together.
He turned over, and now his back was against the steps, Starbright on top of him. He gave an upwards buck to encourage her, hands caressing whatever he could reach.
Starbright found a rhythm much more easily this time, bracing her feet on the stairs and using that leverage to rise and fall on him, giving soft sighs and groans as she did.
Her hands fell down to run over his chest and stomach, tracing the lines and curves there as though committing them to memory, then- remembering the reaction she'd gotten earlier- she cautiously flicked her thumb over a nipple as she sank down on him, bringing their hips together and grinding lightly.
Again, Vel's reaction to Starbright's nipple play was mixed, and he found himself gazing into Starbright's eyes as she rode him.
His hands clapped onto her ass, and he helped her move, squeezing and kneading the flesh of her rump as he did so. He bucked upwards to match her movements.
Sighing in appreciation of his touch, Starbright moved her hands up to clutch at his shoulders, using the added leverage to increase the intensity of her movements.
Leaning down to kiss him, she whispered against his lips, "Tell me what you want?" Even as she felt the heat building in her core, she wanted to do what she could to make him feel good.
"I want you to keep riding me," Vel groaned, and he bucked up against her a bit harder.
"And I want you to ride me hard."
She almost squeaked at that, unsure if she was actually capable of giving what he wanted. That seemed like more Midnight's area of expertise.
Although... She did share his sister's memories. Drawing on that, Starbright leaned back and began to move her hip faster, bring herself up higher when she lifted off of him before slamming back down.
"O-oh!" She hadn't expected it to feel like that. Panting, Starbright leaned back a little further, gripping his hips tightly as she really started to ride him.
"Ah, yes..." Vel moaned, his hands going to Starbright's sides. He leaned forwards to kiss her, bucking in order to slam their hips together.
"Oh, I'm close, Star..."
"Me- me too," she panted, pressing rather clumsy kisses to his lips as the knot of tension in her core wound ever tighter.
A slight shift of her hips to deepen the angle and suddenly Starbright was giving soft cries every time she brought their hips together. One hand flew up to her mouth in an attempt to muffle the sounds and she clenched her eyes shut, never slowing her pace.
At Starbright's maintained pace, there was only so much Vel could do to hold on. He lasted only a short while longer before his climax rocked him, and with it came the usual effects.
In the aftermath, Vel flopped bonelessly against the edge of the washbasin.
Starbright stilled as she reached her own peak, practically vibrating with tension and biting her lip hard enough to draw blood in an effort to keep her voice in check.
Then she let out a breath and slumped forward on to Vel's chest, still shaking lightly but now with the little aftershocks.
Vel lazily put his arms around her, and he let himself relax and sink a bit deeper into the water as he relaxed.
"Gods, sex is just... so great."
She chuckled breathlessly and tilted her head to kiss his cheek. "I guess that's why people seem so fascinated by it," Starbright noted with a slightly lopsided smile.
Nuzzling into his neck, she added softly, "I don't think it'd be as good if it wasn't you."
"Same," Vel said.
He moved his hips back to pull out of her.
"You wanna just sit in this bath for a bit?"
"That sounds pretty good." She shuddered slightly as she felt him leave her and swung one leg over him so she was sitting beside him rather than straddling him.
Her stomach gave a small grumble and she added, blushing, "I, um...I am kinda hungry though."
"Just a few more minutes, then," Vel said, putting his arm around her.
"Gods, I haven't been this relaxed in ages."
Starbright smiled, nodding in agreement. "And I guess that's saying something, for you," she teased lightly, nuzzling into his neck.
Then suddenly she frowned. She hadn't really given it much thought before- it hadn't seemed important. But...well, he was over four hundred years old. Which meant he'd probably live at least another four hundred more.
She didn't want to think about that, shoving the thought from her mind and wrapping her arms around his middle. "I have a feeling I'm really going to like baths from now on," she murmured, trying to lighten her own mood.
"Heh, you read my mind," Vel said. He closed his eyes, reverting to his mechanical form as he held Starbright nice and close.
"I love you, Starbright."
She positively beamed, pressing a small kiss to his shoulder. "I love you too, Vel," she murmured, contentedly swirling her finger over the surface of the water and watching the ripples.
Vel watched Starbright play with the water, and he put a hand in it. Turning his palm upwards, he lifted his hand up out of the water, and he brought up a perfect sphere of water. He held it out to Starbright, smiling warmly.
"Oh!" Her eyes lit up and she smiled wonderingly, leaning toward his hand. She reached out automatically, then hesitated, looking at him. "Can- can I touch it?"
"You can hold it!"
Vel held it out a bit further, almost placing it against her chest.
Grinning delightedly, Starbright carefully took the sphere from him, cupping it between her palms and sort of cradling it against her chest.
"Amazing," she murmured, turning it this way and that as she looked down at it. Solid water, but just as warm as the bath around them. Looking back up at Vel with wide, sparkling eyes, she asked, "Do you think...I could learn to do something like this?"
Vel smiled, happy that he could make Starbright look this amazed.
"You will," he said.
"I... I'm so glad that you're becoming my apprentice."
Stabright giggled and leaned forward to kiss him lightly. "Me too," she murmured when she pulled away, eyes soft.
Glancing back down at the sphere of water, she cautiously transferred it to one hand and held it up to catch the candlelight, settling back against Vel and tucking her head into the crook of his shoulder.
"That thing you were doing when we first met," she murmured absently, "the...water golem? Could you touch one of those, like with this?" She turned the little sphere again to emphasize this.
"Yes," Vel said, matter-of-factly. He put his arms around her more completely, and gave her a kiss on the top of the head.
"Why ask?"
"Just curious, I guess," she said with a shrug. "Midnight's always interested in technicalities, too."
Bringing the sphere back down to hold it just above the water, she asked, "And if I just let this go- will it combine with the rest of the water again?"
"See for yourself," Vel said, motioning to the water.
In fact, if Starbright dropped the sphere of water, it would actually sit on the surface, akin to an actual ball.
Glancing at him, Starbright slowly let the sphere go. Her eyes widened even further and she drew in a soft gasp, lips curving up in a delighted smile as it bobbed on the surface.
Laughing quietly, she was content to just lean against him and watch it for a moment. "I probably seem silly to you," she chuckled after a moment, glancing up at his face. "So fascinated by something that must be simple for you."
"No, not silly. I... I actually think it's pretty cute," Vel said, and he put a hand on one of her own, watching the ball of water bob with her.
Starbright blushed a bit, smiling shyly at him. She laced her fingers with his and brought their joined hands up to her chest to rest just above her heartbeat.
Giving a quiet chuckle, she murmured, "Midnight normally isn't a fan of being cute, but I think she likes it coming from you."
"There are many things she likes coming from me," Vel joked, placing his head against Starbright's.
"Can... can I ask you something about my illusion form?"
Chuckling and nodding in agreement, Starbright snuggled a little closer to him. "Sure," she said, giving him a curious look. "What is it?"
"Um..."
He cleared his throat.
"When I orgasm, uh... how is that? For you?"
"Oh." She flushed, dropping her eyes. "Um...well it's- it's...nice," she mumbled after a moment, staring down at their laced fingers.
You two are adorably awkward, do you know that?
Starbright frowned and added quickly, more to prove her sister wrong than anything else, "More than nice, actually. We like it."
"Oh. Because, like... I knew I let out some energy, I just... wasn't sure, erm..."
Vel rubbed the back of his head.
"Yeah. Because I was thinking of making it more realistic."
She tilted her head at him, brow furrowed in confusion. "More...realistic?"
Um, Sis? I think he means...
Starbright's eyes widened at Midnight's assumption and she stammered, "O-oh," flushing deeply.
At Starbright's blush, Vel blushed, and he gave her a sheepish smile.
"Thoughts?"
"W-well, I mean- it seems like that should be up to you," she muttered, biting at her lip. It was sort of surreal to her that they were having a conversation.
Then Midnight pushed a question forward and her blush deepened. She shook her head quickly. Uh-uh.
A sigh. Ask, Star. It's important.
Then you ask!
Fine!
Without further ado Midnight took her sister's place, running a hand through her hair and rolling her eyes. "Star's too embarrassed to ask, but someone has to. Would...shall we say realism make it possible for you to get us with child?"
The question was quick and blunt, and in the back of their mind Starbright winced.
"Um, no," Vel answered quickly.
"All it would do is make the accompanying surge of energy come with the more... tangible evidence of lovemaking," Vel said stiffly.
"Ah." Midnight nodded. "Well, like Star said- that seems like something that you should decide if you want to do," she said with a shrug, apparently unconcerned now that her question had been answered.
"W-well, I figured you two should have a say, since, you know... You're involved in the process."
Vel picked the ball of water back up.
"Sorry if it was a weird question."
"It's not weird," Midnight said reassuringly. "It was...sweet of you." She pressed a quick kiss to the side of his face.
As if on cue, her stomach quietly protested it's emptiness and she gave him a crooked, slightly sheepish smile. "Ah- sorry. Human body and all, certain needs I guess."
Vel's blush darkened a bit when she kissed his cheek, and he smiled at her.
"I'll get the change implemented, then," Vel said.
He stood up on the step, offering his hand to her. The ball of water fell into liquid in his grasp.
With a small smile, Midnight took his hand and let him help her out of the large bath with a murmured, "Thanks."
She watched the magical ball turn back to simple water with a little tilt of her head. "You know, I've never really been jealous of Star before, but I do kinda wish I could learn to do something like that."
"You know that you have potential too, right?" Vel said, stepping up out of the bath while still holding Midnight's hand.
"You're both two parts of the same soul. Maybe your magical potential hasn't manifested on its own yet, but it should still be there."
"Wait- really?" She blinked at him. "Oh. I guess I just thought- well at first we thought we were different people, then when you told us we weren't...I just figured Star was the piece that ended up with the magic."
"The strange part is that's not an entirely inaccurate assessment," Vel said.
"Starbright recieved the more immediately apparent magical talents. Yours are more latent, and as such, they will manifest in ways that might not necessarily reflect traditional casting," he explained.
"Huh." Midnight digested that for a few moments, nodding slowly. She wondered if her particular talents in combat, even without training, might reflect that.
Giving him a crooked smile, she laced her fingers with his and stepped a little closer to his side. "Look at that, I'm already learning as your apprentice," she said lightly.
"I work quickly," Vel teased, and he used the free arm on that side to give Midnight's ass a playful grab.
"So, are you going to put something on for dinner, or not bother to put anything on at all?"
She gave a quiet yelp, a little surprised by the grab, and mock glared at him for a moment before the expression smoothed into a teasing smile.
"I don't know. Will you be able to keep your hands to yourself if I don't?" she teased.
Vel looked like he gave that serious consideration.
"I make no promises."
"In that case, I think I'm fine like this," Midngiht decided, flashing a quick, smug smile at him.
Wrinkling her nose, she added, "Besides, my clothes could use a wash too. I can stand being naked if it means I can have clean clothes when I do put them back on."
"Wise words," Vel said, and he opened the door to the room, ushering her out.
"I must say, I've never conjured up dinner before, so I relish the challenge," Vel said.
"Well, I'm flattered I get to be the first to try it," she said with a little chuckle.
Eyes flicking around the round room as they moved out into it, she nodded at the door in the far wall, the one without a towel rack, and asked, "What's in there?"
Vel shrugged, and he led her onto the disk. He turned it on, and it started to descend.
"Nothing, yet. It's an empty room. Perhaps it'd make a good training chamber for you two?" Vel suggested.
"Sure." Midnight gave him a shrug and a small smile. "Makes it convenient that it's right next to the bath."
Tone sobering a bit, she looked around the tower as they descended. "How many empty rooms do you have in here?"
"Well, not many. There's the room we just discussed," Vel said, and as they descended through the library levels, he motioned occasionally.
"Most of these library floors have a room or two that I keep empty so that I can set up experiments inside without having to worry for space," Vel said.
"Experiments?" Her eyes flashed with curiosity and she pressed a little closer, looking up at him. "What kind of experiments?"
"Well, I've only got one running now," Vel explained.
"I'm testing the effects of exposure to raw magic on several different base elements and materials."
"Just...because you can?" Midnight ventured, intrigued. "Because you want to know everything there is to know." Her lips curved up in a fond little smile.
A little chill ran through her and she pressed closer against him, frowning slightly. Maybe she should have opted for her dirty clothes after all, distasteful as the idea was.
"Well, firstly, because I can," Vel started.
"Secondly, because I do want to know everything. And thirdly, I want to see if that will create any new and interesting substances I can make use of."
He felt her shiver and press up to him, and Vel gave her a worried look.
"Do you want to borrow one of my robes?"
"Do you mind?" She looked up at him, a little sheepish but grateful. Then a bit of her snark reasserted itself and she added, "I mean, I know it might not offer as good a view, but I'll admit I'm getting a little chilly."
"No worries," Vel said.
"I can always take it off of you later," Vel said.
"Besides, I think you'd look sexy in the right robe."
Midnight chuckled, pressing a little closer to him and accusing lightly, "Flatterer."
She shivered again and wriggled around a bit to tuck herself under one of his arms, turning almost unconsciously into his side.
Vel's arms went from around her side to around her hip and back, and using a bit of magic, he warmed himself. The disk stopped at the bottom floor, and he motioned to the fireplace.
"I'll be right back with your robe," Vel said. Once she parted from him, the disk would go back up.
"Thanks." Midnight smiled at him and rather reluctantly stepped away, moving to sit in front of the fireplace and drawing her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.
Vel was only gone for a few minutes as he ascended back to his room and got one of his robes. While his wooden outer layer was good for travelling (his human-shaped chassis wasn't as sturdy or environmentally resistant), it wasn't that good for prolonged states of calm, so Vel did keep a supply of comfortable robes in an armoire.
When he returned, he had a velvet red robe in his arms. It wasn't as thick as a coat, but it had a hood, moderately baggy sleeves, and for Midnight, the robe would go down to her shins. It closed by buttoning the waist together.
"Here you are, My Lady. Only the finest garments," Vel said as he walked up to her.
Glancing up as she heard him approach, Midnight stood with a smile that turned into a quiet laugh. "Why thank you, good sir," she murmured, eyes glinting as she took the robe from him.
She managed to get it on alright, fumbling a bit with the fastening system at the waist for a moment. Looking back to Vel with a lopsided smile, she spread her arms and turned in a small circle. "Well? How's it look?"
"You look radiant," Vel said, trailing his fingers along her side as she twirled.
"I think red's your color. For both you and Starbright, I think."
She grinned at him and stilled, reaching up to loosely twine her arms around his neck. "You think?" Midnight rocked onto her toes to peck the side of his face. "We'll have to wear it more often then."
She simply let the contact linger for a moment, enjoying the closeness, then reluctantly stepped away. "Can I do something to help with the food?" she asked, head tilting a little to one side.
Vel's smiled a little breathlessly, surprised that Midnight took his suggestion so close to heart. It... it felt nice. Being able to be with somebody like this. Perhaps it might even heal the old scars on his ticking heart.
"Well, erm... not really," Vel said.
"I don't really have food. I don't eat," he added.
"However, I do know a spell that can conjure a mighty feast," he said.
"Of course you do," Midnight chuckled. Looking up at him curiously, she said, "Can you show us? I mean- can we watch you do the spell?"
"But of course!" Vel said, and he motioned to a clear table in one section of the room. Usually reserved for when he needed to get a ton of books together, it'd do for a dining table.
"Take a seat, I'll be right with you," he said, and he went to his storage closet.
Smiling, Midnight nodded and took a seat. "I feel a little strange, being- I dunno, waited on," she chuckled.
"Well, if it helps, It feels a little strange to wait on someone," Vel said as he got the necessary materials.
"Although I have done it before," Vel said.
He returned to the table with several silver serving trays and dishes levitating behind him, and he set them all down on the table, arranging them all within Midnight's reach.
Then, he procured a piece of chalk, several pinches of some kind of grayish dust, and a sapphire. He drew signs on the serving trays and table, sprinkled those with the dust, and set the sapphire down in the center of the table.
"It's going to take me a few minutes to cast," Vel said as he prepared it.
Watching the process with interest, Midnight nodded silently, not wanting to distract him while he worked. She could feel Starbeight training all her attention on watching the spell from the back of her mind.
All in all, it took around five minutes for Vel to set it up. He set his hands down on the other end of the table, and the chalk markings started to glow. The first thing that became apparent was the smell of luxurious food. Cooked poultry, sauces made of berries and vegetables, stews, all kinds of things. Then, a single candelabra appeared on the table, sprouting up from the chalk. Steam started to come up from under the lids of the serving trays, and finally, a chalice of impossibly good wine appeared by Midnight's hand.
Vel looked up, smiling at Midnight, before he stepped up and took all the lids off of the serving trays, revealing a wealthy bounty of luxurious food. Sliced and braised dragon tail sitting on a bed of vegetables, freshly baked sweetbread, a stew comprised of only the finest mollusks and fish, and finally, half of a strawberry shortcake, oozing with sweet berry sauce and powdered sugar.
"Voila!"
Midnight, wide eyed, thought her mouth might actually be watering. "Oh my gods, Vel," she laughed, looking at him with an incredulous kind of wonder. "I mean- thanks!"
She sort of felt like there might be some protocol she was supposed to be following, but by that point she was so hungry she really didn't care, and she just reached for the first dish that caught her eye, which happened to be the stew.
It tasted as good as it smelled, and Midnight's eyes slid half closed while she gave a little groan of delight.
"How is it?" Vel asked, sitting down at the table with her.
"You... look like you're enjoying yourself," he said.
"Don't eat too fast, though! You'll get a stomachache!"
"It's really good!" She grinned at him, then realized he may have a point and forced herself to slow down. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I didn't realize how hungry I was."
"You don't have to apologize to me," Vel said, slightly bemused.
"I like to think of myself as a proficient conjurer."
A slight pause.
"And chef by extension, I suppose."
"I'll say," Midnight chuckled. She took a bite of some of the vegetables, knowing Starbright preferred not to eat meat.
"You seem to be proficient in a lot of things," she teased lightly.
"Well, I've had a lot of time to learn," Vel said.
"I'm your average renaissance construct."
There it was again, a reminder of his age. Midnight tried to hide it, and she did a better job than Starbright might have, but her face fell slightly.
"Right. Of course." Shaking her head, she eyed the shortcake and gave a quick smile. "Star's always more of a fan of sweet things, I'm gonna let her take over," she said, eyes flicking up to Vel with the warning before a flash of gold ran through her hair and her eyes flickered blue.
"Hey, Star," Vel said, smiling.
"I had a feeling the red robe would look good on you, as well."
"Hi." She smiled in response, blushing and ducking her eyes at the compliment with a murmured, "Thanks."
Starbright giggled quietly as she looked down at herself, joking, "I feel very much like an official apprentice."
"You look like one," Vel added.
"You can have the robe, if you want. I've got plenty more. I might have to adjust it so that it fits you better, though."
"Oh, really? Thank you." Starbright grinned and smoothed one hand down the front of the robe before reaching for the cake her sister had left her, tilting her head at it for a moment and then looking at Vel.
"You...can't eat any of this, can you?" she murmured softly, feeling suddenly guilty.
"No. I cannot," Vel said.
He said it like it didn't matter, and to Vel, it pretty much didn't. Of course, he'd always wanted to actually eat food, but he knew that until he found a way to make himself human, those were just fanciful thoughts.
"Oh." Knowing he didn't need to eat and knowing that he couldn't eat seemed like two very different things, and it made her a little sad.
Starbright picked at the shortcake, getting a small forkful and cautiously taking the bite. "Oh!" Her eyes widened a bit. She didn't think she'd ever actually tasted anything so good. She looked at Vel with sparkling eyes. "This is really good, thank you!"
Swallowing, she winced a little guiltily and murmured, "Is there...something we can do for you? I feel bad that you've been taking care of us and we aren't really returning the favor."
"I... I can't think of anything off the top of my head," Vel said, leaning his elbows on the table.
"I'm just happy to have you here."
In the middle of another bite, Starbright paused, set down her fork, swallowed, and stood to move around the table and stand beside him.
"Us too," she said quietly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. With a small smile, she added, "If you ever think of something we can do, don't hesitate to ask."
Vel nuzzled against her side when she hugged him, his own arms moving to go around her waist.
"I won't," Vel assured.
Finding she didn't want to break the contact, Starbright hesitated a moment before perching lightly on the edge of his lap, keeping one arm around him as she reached out with her free hand to pluck what looked like some kind of potato off one of the dishes and popping it into her mouth.
Vel put his arms on Starbright's own lap as she sat on him, likewise keeping an arm around her. Normally, he'd kiss her, but then he'd get grease all over his face.
He'd rather wait for her to use a napkin.
"Did you try the dragon tail?" Vel asked.
She wrinkled her nose a bit. "Midnight did. I...don't usually eat meat if I can help it," Starbright said with a shrug, reaching to pull the shortcake closer and grabbing the napkin with it, dabbing rather daintily at her lips.
"Ah, I understand," Vel said.
He curiously watched her as she pulled the shortcake closer, and then when she cleaned her lips with a napkin, he moved in to steal a kiss before they got dirty again.
Starbright froze, a little surprised by the sudden kiss, then smiled. "Holding that one in, huh?" she teased, giving him another quick peck before she took a bite of the dessert.
"I didn't want to get strawberry sauce on my face," Vel chuckled.
He slowly passed his hands over her leg, feeling the fabric of the robe in combination with the feel of her body.
She giggled quietly. "Reasonable concern. We did just clean up."
At his touch on her leg, Starbright shivered lightly and shifted back on his lap so she was pressed closer against him. "The, um, the robe's nice," she mumbled, flushing a bit. "Do you make them?"
"No, I buy them," Vel said.
When she pressed closer, one of the hands resting on her lap went around her abdomen.
He kissed her cheek.
"Oh." She gave another little chuckle. "I guess I was just starting to assume you make or conjure everything in here."
Letting one hand drift down to rest on his arm around her middle, Starbright leaned back into him and nuzzled her head against his.
Vel let out a breath when she nuzzled him, and he started to caress her again.
"Done eating?" Vel teased.
"For now, I think," Starbright laughed softly, then shivered lightly at his soft touches. "Um...Midnight pretty much filled us up..."
Maybe it was silly, but it was still so easy for him to make her blush with even innocent little touches.
"I'll store the food, then," Vel said, kissing Starbright in the neck as he continued to just touch her all over the place.
"O-okay." She swallowed, biting her lower lip and squirming slightly under his touch. "Shouldn't I, um- get up, then?"
"Only if you want," Vel said against her neck.
"I'm in no rush."
"I can see that," Starbright mumbled, but she wasn't exactly complaining. "Here." She shifted around a bit so she was more facing him, looping her arms loosely around his neck and smiling softly.
"Much better," she murmured, leaning forward to give him a soft, quick kiss.
"Gods, I never thought doing something so simple would be so addicting," Vel said, returning Starbright's kiss when it came.
His hands went to her hips and thighs.
"I love you..."
A little thrill went through her every time she said or heard that, and though she knew that wasn't what he was talking about, Starbright found the tiny jolt addicting in and of itself.
Smiling, she leaned her forehead against him and let out a quiet, contented little sigh. "I love you too, Vel."
Vel smiled at Starbright, and he rested his head against hers, eyes closing.
Reaching up to stroke the side of his face absently, Starbright was content to let the silence linger for a few moments.
Eventually though, she pressed a quick kiss to the crystal and murmured, "Two more places we have to check, right? Which one's next?"
"I don't quite know what the third one is," Vel said.
"All I know is that it's on Yoreiq, in the jungles."
"Yoreiq?" Both she and Midnight perked up a bit with interest. They'd never really left Serendipity, let alone the mainland.
"You've been just about everywhere, haven't you?" Starbright asked quietly, head tilting and lips curving into a small smile. There was a hint of wistfulness in her tone.
"Well, that depends on your definition of everywhere," Vel said, lifting a hand to caress Starbright's cheek .
"I've been to all the major landmasses on Le'Ranna, yes, but I've hardly been to every plane of existence out there."
Vel sighed.
"I stipulate that around 76 percent of them are still undiscovered."
"All the major lands- planes...of existence..." Starbright repeated quietly, eyes wide as she tried to process everything he was saying. She shook her head slowly and gave a short little laugh.
"Gods, I really do feel like a child around you sometimes."
Vel chuckled at that.
"Well, with time, perhaps you will be on my level," Vel said.
That sobered her slightly. Starbright bit her lip. "With time," she repeated in a mumble.
"Vel...it's taken you centuries to be where you are. We- we won't even live half that long." She ducked her eyes. It was a thought that had been sort of haunting her and Midnight both, but now that she'd actually said it aloud she wished desperately that she could just swallow the words.
That got him to pause. How could he have forgotten?
"Oh, S-starbright," Vel stammered, and he cupped her head in his hands.
"We... we can find a way," he said.
She desperately wanted to believe that, but for some reason she could feel her eyes starting to burn and she blinked rapidly to clear them.
"Sorry," she mumbled, half laughing and half crying as she swiped at her eyes. "I mean- not something we have to worry about soon, hopefully. I just..." She couldn't actually explain what she was feeling, exactly.
Sniffing, Starbright leaned into his touch and wrapped her arms tighter around him. "Love you," she murmured, snuggling a little closer against him and blinking again in an effort to make the burning behind her eyes go away. "I don't...want you to be alone again."
Vel gently shook his head, hugging Starbright to him like she was priceless to him.
"Don't cry, Star..." Vel murmured, kissing the top of her head.
"I love you, and I don't want to lose you, and I don't want to see you cry," he rambled.
"I'm n-not crying," Starbright protested, voice muffled as she ducked her head against his shoulder as though that would hide the blatant lie.
Shaking her head, she sniffed, "I'm sorry. I- I'm too emotional. Always h-have been." She curled up a little tighter on his lap, using the small thread Midnight threw to her to try and calm herself down.
Vel was quiet for a few moments as he embraced her.
"It's alright, Star. I'm here for you."
Even that almost set her off again, though the tears threatening now were more from gratitude than sorrow or fear.
"I love you, Vel," Starbright murmured, gradually getting ahold of herself. "I'm sorry, I didn't want- I didn't mean to make you worry."
"But I want to worry about you, Star," Vel said.
"Because when I'm with you and your sister, Gods I... I worry so much. And it hurts, yes, but at the same time, I've never felt that way before in my life, I... I've never felt like I've had something to lose before I fell in love with you," Vel said.
"Worrying about you makes me feel human."
Starbright clenched her eyes shut, forcing away what she hoped were the last of her tears. Lifting her head, she pressed a kiss to the side of his face.
"I'm glad," she whispered. "But...also not. I wish- I almost wish we weren't the first. You're so kind, Vel, you deserve as much love as you're willing to give."
Another kiss, this one a little closer to the center of the crystal. "But we're also stupidly, selfishly happy we're the one who get to keep you," she murmured, resting her forehead against his. "You are human, love, in every way that matters."
Her words had Vel pause, and it was audible in the way his internal mechanisms actually skipped a few ticks. He returned her kiss with so much love that it made his brass heart ache, and his hands wandered to her back and thighs.
If he could cry, he would. Words failed him, so he simply opted to just kiss and appreciate her.
She returned the kiss with a kind of intensity she honestly didn't know she had in her, hands sliding to his shoulders and pulling him a little closer against her.
When the contact broke, she just wrapped her arms around him and let her head rest on his shoulder, content to simply bask in the closeness.
Vel did the same, deepening the embrace with which he held her. A few moments of silence passed, and he chuckled.
"sorry you had to sit through that, Midnight," Vel joked.
With a little giggle of her own, Starbright murmured a quiet apology to her sister and let her consciousness fade to the background as Midnight came forward.
Lifting one hand to wipe at the tear track in her cheek, Midnight shifted a bit but didn't pull away from the embrace. "You know, I feel everything she does," she muttered thoughtfully, "but it doesn't make me break down like that..."
She briefly wondered if maybe she was the odd one in that equation.
"Well, we all deal with things differently," Vel said, and he gave Midnight a short peck on the cheek.
Another moment of silence.
"I never thought it'd be possible to be in love with two people at once."
Midnight gave him a crooked smile. "You're not, technically, remember?" she tried to joke. "Just...two different pieces of the same person."
Still- they felt like they were two people, at least mostly. Along with all the internal conflict and, if she was being honest, jealousy that sparked.
"I know about the technicality, but that doesn't change how I feel," Vel said.
"You and your sister are both people in your own right."
She smiled slightly. "Yeah. For now, at least." Snuggling a little closer against him, Midnight teased quietly, "Maybe you secretly want a harem." She tilted her head back and gave him a mock pout. "Should I be worried?"
"A harem!" Vel laughed, and he returned her pout with a sly look. They were pressed rather close together now.
"Once again, You got me all figured out, Night."
Midnight gave him a playful growl for that, eyes narrowing. "Oi. I can handle sharing you with my sister, but that's it."
She leaned forward to kiss him, wrapping her arms possessively around his shoulders.
"That's fine. Because you and your sister are the only girls I need," Vel teased, returning both the possessiveness and the kiss.
"Do you want to cuddle somewhere more comfortable?"
"Hmph." Midnight kept her mock scowl up for a moment or two longer, then let the expression fade into a smile.
"That sounds pretty good," she murmured, leaning back but keeping her arms loosely around his neck. "Bed or chair?"
Vel looked to be in thought for a moment.
"Couch?" he suggested.
"Fine by me." Giving him a rather cheeky little grin, Midnight tightened her arms around his neck and batted her eyes. "Carry me?"
Vel gave a mock sigh of exasperation, before he lifted her right up off of him and stood from his seat. He walked her to the fireplace area of the bottom floor, setting himself down onto a three-cushion couch.
He laid on his back, with Midnight on top of him.
"Comfy?"
Giving a small noise of surprise that he complied so easily, Midnight chuckled and folded her arms over his chest when he settled them down. "Very," she said, grinning wryly and dipping her head to give him a peck as she sort of sprawled over him.
Vel simply received the peck, putting his arms around her.
"I never knew wood and brass could be comfortable."
"It took some getting used to," she admitted with a small shrug. "But it's... Well, it's you. Definitely worth it." She gave him a quick, slightly lopsided smile.
Vel blushed a bit at that, his crystal going a few hues lighter.
His hands started to wander on her body, and they passed over her ass, lightly feeling it through the robe.
Midnight shivered lightly at the touch and gave him a slow smile, eyes going sort of soft and warm. "Just can't keep your hands to yourself, can you?" she teased quietly.
"Nope. I gotta use up all four of them for you," Vel retorted.
He played with the fabric of her robe a bit more.
"Gods, you really do look sexy in this thing."
She chuckled, tilting her head at him coyly. "Do I?" She sat back, straddling his lap and giving a rather artful little shrug that made the robe slip down off one shoulder.
"Guess there's something to be said for hand-me-downs," Midnight noted wryly, eyes glinting.
If she was teasing him, it was working, because Vel's eyes were drawn from her face to the movement at her shoulder, and then to the flesh that exposed.
"Indeed," he murmured, passing a hand over her bare shoulder before slipping it down to fondle at her exposed breast.
Midnight gave a contented little hum at the touch, arching her back slightly to press into his hand.
"I've never quite understood the male fascination with breasts," she noted nonchalantly, wriggling around to situate herself more firmly atop him. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not exactly complaining." She smirked. "Still...it's a little odd, don't you think?"
Her eyes were glinting teasingly, head tilted to the side so her hair fell mostly over one shoulder, which she shrugged to encourage the robe to slip down around her waist.
"I dunno, it just feels right," Vel said.
He did something he never did before with her, and he dedicated all four hands to her breasts, two for each one.
The contented hum turned into a rather breathy moan and Midnight leaned forward into his touch, curving her fingers around his shoulders.
"Extra set of hands...really comes in handy," she murmured, eyes fluttering half closed.
"It really does. I don't know how I'd get by without it," Vel joked.
He pulled her a bit closer, and then resumed the touches.
"Mmm..." Midnight dipped to kiss him lightly, curving her spine to press more firmly into his hands.
"Vel, what- what do you want?" she murmured after a moment, tracing one hand down his chest. "I don't know this body as well, what you like. You're gonna have to help me out..."
"O-oh, well, I mean..."
Vel smiled a bit sheepishly.
"I haven't really implemented any, well... implements for this form. I was just about to shift over," he said.
"I haven't really had that much time to enchant something up that'd let me use this form for anything more than touching and kissing."
She tilted her head at him. "But you can still feel, can't you?" She trailed her hand down his torso, then back up to his shoulder. "Some places have to feel...well, better than others."
Dipping to kiss him again, Midnight added with a small smirk, "But I wouldn't object to you switching right about now." She wiggled her hips to emphasize the point.
"W-well, neck kisses still feel as good, and, well, any part of a human that's more sensitive than others is just like that for me," Vel explained.
Without further ado, he shifted, and gave her a grin.
"But don't worry, I'll fix it soon."
"I'll keep that in mind," Midnight said quietly, filing the information away with a smile.
Leaning in to give him a proper kiss, she murmured against his lips, "Take all the time you want, Vel. We love you either way."
"I know you do," he said, and he nuzzled his lips against hers. Since he was naked in his true form, he was also naked right of the bat in his illusion form.
"But you gotta admit, it'd be nice to have it sooner rather than later."
She chuckled and admitted, "Maybe." Parting her lips against his, Midnight let her tongue flick out teasingly, pressing herself down to rub against him lightly.
Her breath hitched and she added, panting a bit, "Still- this is pretty good."
"I can tell," Vel teased, and he gave her ass another squeeze, more potently this time.
Midnight gave a little mewl and rocked against him again, clenching her eyes shut. "Tease," she accused, panting lightly.
Vel reached down, and oriented his cock upwards for entry.
"What say we move past the teasing, then?" he said, surprising even himself with how confident he sounded.
Midnight smiled at him, leaning down to kiss the top of his nose as she sank down until her hips were pressed against his.
Giving a low, blissful sigh she murmured, "I think I like the take charge Vel."
"O-oh..."
Vel let his head rest back as Midnight pressed them flush together, and he shifted his hips so that he was as deep in her as he could go. He opened his eyes, staring at her through half-drawn eyelids.
"I love you, Midnight."
She smiled softly, nuzzling into his neck. "I love you, Vel."
Midnight gave a rock of her hips, grinding down against him. "Oh. So much. Love you so much," she murmured, pressing a heated kiss to his skin and then nipping softly.
Vel held Midnight by the hips, thumbs caressing the edges of her abdomen as he kissed whatever he could reach. First her neck as she nuzzled into his own, and then her mouth when he could reach it.
Midnight poured herself into the kiss, bracing her hands to either side of his head as she started to move her hips against Vel, panting sharply every time she allowed herself to fall on him.
"Vel," she murmured against his lips. "Can- can we..." A flash of surprised embarrassment from Starbright combined with a particular roll of her hips had her voice cutting off in a sharp moan.
Vel paused in his kissing to let her speak, she ended up cutting off, and he grinned.
"Can we what?" He teased.
Overriding Starbright's sense of decorum for even asking, Midnight murmured, "I want to try what you did before again."
Instead of explaining with words, she moved off of him and shifted around on the couch so her back was to him, bracing her forearms and looking back at him over her shoulder. Even Midnight found herself blushing slightly, but she gave her hips an enticing little wiggle.
Vel watched with great interest as Midnight got up off of him, and even when she assumed her position, Vel flushed a bit just remembering that as well.
He grinned at her, standing up onto his knees and pulling her closer to him. Vel took a moment to rub himself along her, before he angled himself and pushed in, intent on fucking her from behind like she wanted.
Midnight groaned quietly and turned her face into her arms, bucking her hips back against him automatically with a quietly rasped, "Vel..."
Vel leaned back a bit so that his thrusts would hit her at a slightly upwards angle. His hands gripped her ass and hip quite hungrily.
Yelping with the slight shock of the first thrust, Midnight forced herself to relax and resisted the urge to buck against him, letting him set the pace with soft moans of encouragement.
"Midnight," Vel moaned as she let him have his way with her. He took the time to savor each thrust, letting Midnight experience every thick inch of him as he moved.
"Oh f-fuck, Vel," she groaned out, unable to hold still any longer and bucking back against him as he thrust forward. Midnight practically purred at the sensation, arching her back and lifting her head slightly, lips parted as she panted out another curse.
Vel blushed a bit as Midnight saw it fit to curse out with the pleasure, but at the same time, he found it incredibly arising.
He leaned forwards, thrusting into her with greater potency.
Midnight gave a wordless cry and her back bowed deeper, her stomach almost brushing against the fabric of the couch. "That," she gasped out, squeezing her eyes shut. "Just like that..."
Another thrust had him hitting that sweet spot again and she whimpered, starting to tremble. "Gods, Vel, I'm close," she panted.
"Come for me, then," Vel said, looping his arms around her hips, one of his hands even playing with her clit as he fucked her.
"Don't hold back!"
She couldn't, even if she'd wanted to. With a sharp cry, almost a scream, Midnight went tumbling over the edge and bolted up against him, pressing her back to his chest and bucking her hips desperately back against him.
Her hands snapped back, scrabbling at his hips, nails digging into skin where she could find purchase. Midnight shook against him, whimpering as she rode out the waves of pleasure surging through her.
Vel's hands went to Midnight's breasts, holding her against him as he continued to bring his hips forward. He kissed her neck, and then tried to meet her lips with his own.
Midnight let her head fall back against his shoulder and twisted her neck so their lips could meet, kissing him fiercely even as she tried to get her breath back.
Vel just couldn't hold it in anymore, and with a cry against her lips, he came, arms pressing her to him and cock plunging as deep as it could as he delivered his dying thrusts.
Gasping, Midnight clutched at his hips, pulling him against her in an effort to force him even deeper as she felt that pulse of energy shooting through her.
"Vel," she sighed into the kiss, trembling in his hold and tilting her head to trail her lips along her jaw tiredly.
And somehow, she did get him deeper. His hands trailed up and down her abdomen as they kissed, and Vel let himself tip backwards, leaving Midnight on top of him and on her back when he came to a stop.
Midnight gave a small mewling sound and wriggled around a bit but didn't try to move off of him, reaching up to stroke his cheek with one hand and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
"I don't want to move," she admitted with a quiet chuckle.
This time, Vel didn't even bother to slip out of her.
"Good. I don't want you to," Vel said.
Humming contentedly, she smiled and twisted her upper body slightly so she could more easily kiss his neck. "What, not ever?" she teased lightly. "Don't you think that might prove troublesome after a while?"
"Hah," Vel breathed but even then, he just settled down. He kissed her cheek.
"Love you."
Midnight smiled, nuzzling back against him happily. "Love you too," she murmured, eyes drifting half closed as she just basked in the closeness.
Using a bit of telekinesis, Vel brought Midnight's robe up so that it served as an impromptu blanket for the two of them.
He settled down, although he didn't drop his illusion, just wanting to feel the afterglow and cuddle with Midnight.
"That's really a useful trick," Midnight noted, snuggling under the robe and twisting a bit so that she was laying completely with her back against his front, head pillowed against his shoulder.
Chuckling quietly, she murmured, "D'ya think we'll ever be able to go longer than an hour or two keeping our hands off each other?"
Vel laughed at that.
"Why would we?" he said, and he gave his hips a slight wiggle as he finally pulled out of her, letting his cock rest against her womanhood as he laid his head back and sighed.
She gave a little whimper at the feeling of him sliding out of her, shifting her hips as she settled better against him.
"Fair enough," Midnight murmured quietly, giving Vel a crooked smile and kissing his cheek.
Vel laid there, quiet, before her cheek kiss prompted him to words again.
"You know, if you turn over, all this kissing will be a lot easier."
Chuckling quietly, Midnight complied, rolling over so they were pressed chest to chest. "Much better," she agreed quietly, giving him a quick kiss.
Vel wrapped his arms around her, giving her nose a little nuzzle with his. He brushed a bit of her hair out of the way, and gazed into those striking red eyes of hers.
Suddenly feeling a little shy, Midnight had the urge to drop her eyes but found she couldn't break his gaze. "What is it?" she murmured, forcing a small smile. "Do I still have strawberry on my face or something?"
"No," Vel said.
"Just beautiful."
Her cheeks went pink and she ducked her head against his shoulder, mumbling. "Oh."
Midnight pressed a kiss to the curve of his neck and shoulder. "You too,"'she said quietly after a moment of silence. "If you'd heard what Starbright and I were thinking the first time we really saw you..." She trailed off in a slightly awkward little chuckle.
"What?" Vel said, her words making him curious.
"What'd you think?"
"That you were far too cute to be real," Midnight told him, lips quirking up on one side. "Well, at least that's what Star thought. I think I was more along the lines of damn, seems like a waste of good looks if you can't take advantage of it." Smirking, she nuzzle in a little closer. "And look how wrong I was, thank gods."
Vel laughed a bit more openly at Midnight's admission, and he dipped in to kiss her.
"Well, if it's one thing I'm good at, it's blowing away expectations."
"You are at that," she agreed with a soft chuckle, returning the kiss softly, eyes going soft and sparkly. "I'm starting to think there's nothing you can't do."
"You'd be hard pressed to find something like that," Vel said.
"Stop loving you. There, that's something I can't do."
Midnight went quite red, hiding her face against his chest. "I, um- you...us too," she mumbled awkwardly.
With a soft huff of frustration, she shook her head briskly and muttered, "You get out here, you're better at this part."
The words were barely out of her mouth when Starbright switched places with her, looking up at Vel with a blush and a soft smile. "You're too sweet," she said softly, stretching up to kiss him.
"You like it," Vel whispered, caressing her cheek as she kissed him.
"Admit it."
Starbright giggled. "I do," she admitted easily, grinning. "So does Night, even if it makes her flustered."
"I reckon she'll get used to it," Vel said, stroking Starbright's hair as they talked.
"I think she'll have to," Starbright chirped in response, tilting her head into the touch. Then she flushed and added in a mumble, "And I'll have to get used to how, um...athletic you two get."
Vel blushed a bit at that too.
"Well, she brings out my racy side," Vel said.
"But I also love being gentle with you," Vel said.
Still blushing, Starbright gave him a soft little smile for that and pressed a kiss to the tip of his nose. "Best of both worlds, huh?" she teased.
"Exactly," Vel said, and he tilted his head up a bit to catch Starbright's lips.
"Gods, your lips are so soft..."
She smiled, giving his lips another quick peck. "That's good?" she ventured. "I mean- they're just lips," she said softly with a small laugh.
"Mmm, but they're your lips, and I can't get enough of kissing you," Vel said, hands wandering up her back.
A shiver that started at the base of her spine and jolted through the rest of her made her tremble lightly under his touch.
"Good," she murmured, dipping to kiss him and letting the touch longer, lips parting slightly against his.
Vel deepened the kiss, holding Starbright to him. He let out a faint breath against her lips before he continued to make out with her.
He turned onto his side, so now Starbright was nestled between Vel and the couch's cusions.
Eyes fluttering half closed, Starbright hooked her knee over Vel's hip, pressing as close as she could manage.
She broke away for a moment of air, then pressed a trail of soft kisses along the edge of his jaw to the column of his throat.
Vel trailed a hand along the leg hooked over his hip, kissing Starbright's cheeks and head as she applied her lips to his neck.
Flushing, Starbright tilted her head back slightly to look at him. "Is it...selfish if I said I wanted my turn?" she asked quietly, letting one hand trail down his chest to trace patterns over his stomach.
"I'm happy to provide," Vel said, and he nuzzled their noses together.
"How do you want me, beautiful?"
She sort of chuckled at that, feeling suddenly like she was ordering a meal and not entirely sure that the comparison say well with her. "What do you want?" she countered. "You're always taking care of us. I think you need a turn."
"Mmm," Vel murred, and he gave her cheek a caress.
"I want you to ride me, but with your back facing me," Vel said.
"I want to see that nice butt of yours in action."
"O-oh."
Her eyes went wide and her blush deepened, but she nodded slowly, biting her lip. "Okay," Starbright whispered, pushing lightly at his shoulder to get him to roll onto his back and hesitantly climbing atop him, face very red.
Vel rolled over, watching Starbright as she climbed up onto him.
His hands travelled up her sides, and the anticipation was clear on his face.
Taking a breath to steel herself, Starbright bent to kiss him, quick and soft, then leaned back again. She shifted around to put her back to him, straddling his hips.
Biting her lip, she glanced down and cautiously took him in her hand, pressing him against her core for a moment with a soft whine before she sank down, taking him as deep as she could.
"Oh!" Vel gasped, intrigued by this brand new angle. His hands went to her hips, and he gave her ass an eager little pat.
"That's good..."
"Mm- mhm..." Starbright nodded slowly, encouraged, and cautiously started to move, figuring out how to roll her hips against him with this new angle.
Letting out a sharp breath as the tension started to build, she leaned forward and braced her hands on the couch to either side of his legs, using the leverage to increase her pace.
Vel let his head tilt back as Starbright started to bounce, but when he looked back at her, his cheeks went red.
"Oh, Star... If only you had my view."
Blushing furiously, Starbright muttered, "Somehow how I don't think is find it as- a-ah!"
Somehow she'd found that perfect angle that had him hitting her sweet spot and she bucked her hips back against him again, head falling back and hair spilling down her back to her waist as she really started to ride him.
Vel clapped his hands onto her ass, squeezing it with gusto. He bucked up against her, matching her angle.
She gave a sharp little moan, wantonly rocking her hips to press flush against him and pushing her ass back into his hand in the same motion.
Panting lightly, Starbright reached down to stroke him as she rolled her hips in a frantic sort of rhythm.
Oh, this was something else entirely.
Vel tipped his head back to moan as Starbright went frantic.
"Yes!"
"Gods, Vel!" She keened and reached forward to grip his thighs, giving her better leverage as she slammed her hips down on him.
The heat building in her core rose another notch and she panted out, "Vel, I- I'm-" barely a moment before she reached her peak and clenched around him, groaning.
Vel relished Starbright's climax, breath shuddering as she came around him.
"Lie down on your back," Vel groaned.
In no real state of mind to question him, Starbright nodded and obeyed, leaning forward and twisting around to look at him. Her face was flushed, chest heaving, and she reached out for him silently, eyes begging.
Vel crawled towards her, eyes soft, and the first thing he did when he got close enough was kiss her, professing his love with each part of his lips against hers.
He entered her then, and took a moment to keep kissing her before he started to move.
Starbright wrapped her arms around him and returned the kiss. There was so much emotion in the touch it left her nearly breathless and she let her eyes fall shut, murmuring, "I love you, I love you..." against his lips.
Then he was in her again and she gasped, throwing her legs around his waist and urging him on with a little roll of her hips.
Vel didn't speak, letting his lips speak for him as he kissed her with growing heat. His hips rocked against hers, each roll causing him to strike the deepest parts of her.
A stuttering moan tore out of her lips and Starbright had to turn her head to gasp a few breaths, rocking her hips up to meet his.
Then, for a moment blue eyes almost seemed to flash scarlet and in a very un-Starbright-like manner she challenged, "Harder."
Although Vel did say that he liked being gentle with Starbright, when she requested he pound her harder, he did not hesitate to give it to her. He laced his hand with one of hers, using his other hand to keep himself propped up as he plunged into her.
Clutching his hand, Starbright arched up against him. "Yes!" It was half moaned and half hissed, her eyes clenching shut as she tightened her legs around him in an effort to pull him closer against her.
"Gods, Vel, yes," she cried again, wrapping her free arm around his neck and pulling him down into a fierce, almost desperate kiss.
Vel let himself be pulled, and they were chest-to-chest as they rutted fiercely. Vel's lips never broke away from Starbright's the whole time, and he kissed and kissed like he'd never see her again.
"I'm gonna come, Star," Vel moaned, and he nibbled on Starbright's lip.
In response she just clutched him tighter, bucking her hips up to offer a deeper angle. "I want to watch you fall apart," Starbright breathed against his lips, raking her nails down his back.
Her words drew a fluster to his cheeks and coaxed his climax out of him. He held her tight as he came, and his moans reached the cieling.
Afterwards, he collapsed atop of her, although he still had the strength to kiss her.
Knowing and expecting that pulse of energy really did nothing to prepare her for how it really felt, every time. Once again Starbright was tumbling over the edge, raining kisses over Vel's face and panting out sharp little moans in between them.
When his lips found hers again, she practically purred into the kiss and wrapped herself around him as much as she could manage, one hand stroking tiredly over his back.
Vel put his arms around her, smiling as she kissed him again and again. He kept himself inside of her so they could remain as close as possible.
"Gods, Star..."
Vel let his tongue dance with hers for a bit before continuing.
"Gods, I love you so much."
She smiled, laying her palm against his cheek and letting her thumb stroke back and forth. "I love you," she said softly in reply, nudging her forehead against his. "More than I ever knew I could."
Still smiling, Starbright kissed the tip of his nose, then his chin. "I love you, Vel," she repeated, moving to his lips and breathing, "My Vel..."
Vel looked into Starbright's eyes, resting his forehead against hers as she professed her love to him. He closed his eyes, listening to her talk, and when their lips parted, he smiled.
"We'll make the whole world jealous," Vel whispered, and he kissed her.
"My Star and my Night."
"I think I like the sound of that," Starbright said softly, melting into the kiss.
With a quiet, happy sigh, she tightened her arms and legs around him slightly and nuzzled into the curve of his neck, murmuring, "I don't ever want to move from this spot."
Vel nodded in agreement at that, and he closed his eyes.
Perfectly content just to hold him, Starbright nudged her head under his chin and let out a happy little sigh, eyes drifting closed.
Vel brought a hand up to pet Starbright, giving the top of her head a little kiss as they settled down. He would remain like that as long as Starbright did, nestled inside of her and between her limbs.
Kissing the underside of Vel's jaw, Starbright murmured after a few quiet moments, "As much as I wish we could stay here forever, maybe we should get moving soon?"
Vel groaned, and he let himself flop a bit more.
"What harm will a few more moments do?" Vel said.
"Can I make a request, Starbright?"
She chuckled quietly and stroked her fingertips over the back of his neck, relenting, "I suppose a little longer wont't hurt."
"Of course," Starbright replied, pecking his cheek. "What is it?"
"When, er..."
Vel's eyes broke away from hers.
"When we find the ritual site, I-- Can we spend more time together before we perform it?" Vel said, voice soft and filled with worry.
Because despite their assurances, he was still afraid.
For a moment she was a little confused by the request, then she remembered.
"Oh..."
Starbright clutched him a little tighter, kissing him gently. "Yes," she murmured quietly. "Yes, of course we can."
She almost said as long as you want before she remembered that waiting too long might have rather disastrous consequences for Midnight and herself.
"Just a month," Vel murmured into her lips, and he kissed the bridge of her nose and forehead.
"Just a month for me to teach you, to take you all kinds of places."
"A month, then," Starbright agreed quietly, closing her eyes for a moment to simply appreciate his little kisses.
She laid her hand against his cheek and tilted his head a bit to meet his eyes. "It's going to be alright," she said softly, smiling- not really knowing if it was true but wanting to reassure him.
"I don't want to lose you," Vel said, his feelings threatening to spill over.
He cupped her cheek.
Starbright leaned into the touch, her smile wavering a bit. "You won't." She cleared her throat and repeated that, more firmly. "You won't, Vel. Never. I promise."
As she leaned up to kiss him, she just caught Midnight's fervent, Gods I hope you're right.
Vel managed a faint smile at that, and this time, it was his turn to melt into the kiss as they embraced.
"I love you. Always. Forever."
"We love you too," Starbright whispered. "Nothing's going to change that, okay? Nothing."
Vel smiled, nuzzling into Starbright's embrace.
"Nothing?"
"Nothing," she repeated firmly. "You just watch. You're stuck with us now, forever."
Vel laughed at that.
"I can think of worse fates."
Starbright smiled, nuzzling her nose against his briefly and saying quietly, "Good."
Trying to lighten the mood, she asked brightly, "Where will you take us then? If we have a whole month to go anywhere."
"Where do you want to go?" Vel asked.
"Anywhere you can think of!"
"Oh..." Her eyes widened at the sheer amount of possibilities. After a long moment, she asked hesitantly, "Could we- start with the sea? We've never actually seen it..."
"Mmhmm," Vel said.
"I'll take you to a beach on Yoreiq."
Starbright beamed at him, kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Vel," she murmured, trying to wrap herself around him even more than she already was. "Thank you for everything."
In order for Starbright to get her limbs around him more, Vel had to press closer, which caused him to move his hips. He kissed her, pressing gentle touches to her cheek.
Giving a small gasp at what his little shifts did to the way they were connected, Starbright smiled and just sort of basked in his attentions.
"What's your favorite place you've ever been?" she asked after a moment, absently drawing nonsense patterns over his back.
"The astral plane," Vel answered, and he rested his head against hers.
"And more recently, my bed."
She giggled, nudging her forehead affectionately against his. "Good answer," Starbright teased, pecking his lips.
Her smiled turned rather playful. "I rather like your bed too, but this couch is definitely moving up on the list."
"Mm, yes," Vel mumbled.
"You know you're the most beautiful girls in the world, right? Because you are."
Her cheeks went pink and she ducked her eyes, smiling shyly. "Flatterer," she accused, voice soft and a little hesitant.
"You like it," Vel accused right back.
"Well- yes," Starbright admitted, blush deepening. "But I'm just- we're not used to it. I don't know how to react to you sometimes." She tucked her head against his chest, hiding her face.
"It's alright," Vel said.
"Sometimes, I feel the same with you. You just know how to take my breath away."
She couldn't help smiling a bit at that, feeling a little smug. "I don't do it on purpose," Starbright murmured.
"...But I'm kinda glad I do."
Vel chuckled at that, and he leaned away, going straight up on his knees. He pulled his hips back, and he finally slipped out of her.
"We should get going," Vel said.
Starbright gave a delicate little shudder and pushed herself into a sitting position, nodding. "Yeah, okay."
She glanced around, then reached for her borrowed robe and slipped in on, fiddling with the fastening at the waist.
"Don't you want to wear something underneath the robe? We're going to Yoreiq, remember?"
Regardless, he reached down to help her with the ties.
"Oh. I guess I should, huh?" she said quietly, blushing and letting his hands take over. "I, um, I think we left our clothes back in that room just outside the bath..."
"I'll get them for you," Vel said, and he stood up, giving her a peck on the lips.
"Be right back!" he added, and he stepped onto the disk and went up.
"What-? Oh!" She started to protest, but he was already disappearing into the upper levels of the tower.
Starbright shook her head with a small smile. "He's really too sweet."
I think he actually likes taking care of us. The concept was apparently so foreign to Midnight that she sounded vaguely shocked.
Indeed, Vel did like taking care of the two sisters. They provided a new outlet for his energy, and another way for him to use his magic. Also, no matter how much he tried to forget his past, he was programmed to serve, after all.
He went upstairs, found their clothing, and came back down. He freshened their clothes with a spell, and walked back to Starbright, clothes bundled over one of his arms. He'd dropped the illusion.
"Here you go!" Vel said, holding out the folded clothes to her.
Starbright smiled, taking her clothes and wriggling around to get them on under the robe.
"Thanks, love," she chirped, leaning up to give him a quick peck in the center of the crystal, or as close as he could manage.
Vel smiled at Starbright's peck, and he stepped away from her, opening up the portal and standing by it, patiently waiting for her.
Adjusting her clothes so they laid right on her body, Starbright smiled and stepped up next to him, taking his hand as she moved into the portal. She didn't necessarily need the reassurance anymore, but she liked the contact.
Vel followed her through the portal, and in a mere moment, they were standing in ankle-deep water, right in the center of a shallow, clear marsh. The whole place had a calm, almost silent vibe to it.
"This is promising," Vel said.
"It is?" Starbright wrinkled her nose, flexing her toes in the marsh and glancing around. "Well...it certainly doesn't feel as- off as that last place did."
"Usually, peaceful areas like this tend to crop up around places where positive energies are common," Vel said.
He gave her hand a squeeze, and started to walk.
"Let's go."
"M'kay." She gave his hand a little squeeze in return and fell into step beside him, looking around curiously. "So. This is Yoreiq..."
The air was little different than in Serendipity- a little warmer and heavier, maybe- but aside from that she wasn't too shocked by their surroundings.
"It's a jungle, very much like Thanatos, or the Kish'aan jungle on the south end of the continent," Vel said, motioning to the jungle trees poking out of the marsh's water.
"Jungles always have very strong nature energies."
"It's...like a forest. But different," Starbright mused. "It feels- wilder, somehow." She shook her head and flushed a bit, glancing up at him. "That sounds silly, doesn't it?"
"Well, the plants and animals are all more suited for the warmer, wetter climate," Vel explained.
"Jungles are thicker than forests, so they do feel wilder."
"Mm." She turned that over in her head as she took another look around. "So, where exactly are we going? Another temple?"
"Like I said, I'm not quite sure what this one is. Could be a shrine, a temple, another fae glen, or Gods know what else," Vel said.
"Alright then." Starbright changed her grip on his hand to lace their fingers together. "So this will be like a- a little adventure."
Midnight snorted. You're awfully cheerful all of the sudden.
"Mhm!" Vel said, nodding.
"You and me, making new discoveries," Vel said.
"I really like the sound of that." She squeezed his hand gently and leaned into his side for a moment.
"I do too."
Vel kised the top of her head, before he took a step forwards, his smile large. Now that he wasn't as shy, his face was clearer in the crystal.
"C'mon!"
Starbright laughed, his excitement contagious, and picked up her pace to fall into step beside him.
"You know, I feel like I can see you better now," she noted, tilting her head to study his face. It may have been a trick of her imagination, but still the thought made her smile.
"Do you?" Vel said, and his face shifted around a bit. It seemed that the crystal was hollow, and that his face itself seemed to be part of a wisp that floated around in there. His words further confirmed this.
"I'm so used to hiding in the back of the crystal, I-- I've never really had a reason to come out."
"You...hide?" She frowned slightly at that, not liking that it was something he was used to.
Shaking her head, Starbright leaned up to give him a quick kiss. "Well, I'm glad you're not hiding anymore. You never have to do that with us."
"And gods, does that make me happy," Vel said. They walked in silence for a few moments, before Vel suddenly shuddered.
"Ugh, I just stepped in a soft patch of mud..."
Starbright wrinkled her nose, tugging his hand and carefully attempting to step around the patch. "While this place is pretty- I'm thinking maybe we're gonna need another bath when we get home," she muttered.
"Mm, I won't object," Vel said, and he gave her a wink.
Vel took a moment to look around at the marsh, and thne back at Starbright.
"So, you said you've never been out of Serendipity?"
Flushing a bit but smiling at the implication, Starbright shook her head. "No, not really. I mean, we've mostly lived in the Riverlands our whole lives, but we spent some time up in the Highlands."
"The highlands are nice," Vel said, a wistful tone to his voice.
"It will be my pleasure to show you te rest of the continent," Vel said.
"How about we spend each day somewhere new?"
Starbright swung around in front of him to loop her arms around his waist, grinning. "That sounds perfect, Vel," she said softly.
She pressed a quick kiss to the bottom edge of the crystal and nuzzled briefly into his neck. "A whole month of new places. And you. Sounds perfect," she repeated.
Vel put his arms around her, neck curling into her nuzzling.
"I can't wait!" Vel said.
She peppered a few more kisses to his face and neck, then leaned back. "Then let's check this place out. The sooner we find a ritual site, the sooner we can get started," Starbright chirped, beaming.
Vel nodded at that, and he got right back to walking. After just a short bit of walking, the marsh levelled out to light foliage and soft grass, although a canopy of trees still covered them from above.
"Can you feel that? The ambient magic?" Vel said, and he let his fingers trail along a tree as they passed it.
Starbright closed her eyes and took a breath, letting her mind go blank for a moment the way she did when she was using her healing.
"Oh! Yeah, I do," she murmured, opening her eyes and looking at him with a small smile. "It's...it's sorta warm. Is that good?"
"Very good," Vel said, and he took a few more moments to feel the place out.
"Where we're going must have powerful energies indeed, if we can feel them from here."
She nodded, doing her best to memorize the feeling, the distance, their surroundings, anything that she might need to know later.
"Okay. Does that mean we have much further to go?" she asked, looking up at him.
"Well, every site of magical importance has something in the center. You know, the fae glen had that altar in the center, and so on."
Vel looked to the path ahead, and shrugged.
"Could be anything , really."
"Anything," she repeated, starting to pay closer attention to their surroundings. "Like...really anything? An ancient tree maybe? Or does it have to be man made?"
"Yeah! Things like ancient trees. I mean, the fae glen wasn't manmade, that was built by forest spirits," Vel said.
The trees broke, and they were standing at the edge of a small clearing, looking at a cliff face that went up about a hundred feet. At the base of the cliff was a cave. Flowers and herbs grew by the entrance, making a miniature meadow.
"Case in point," Vel said.
"Whoa." Starbright's eyes widened and she looked around with awed curiosity. "So...do you think nature spirits made this place too?" she murmured, voice dipping lower with an instinctive kind of reverence.
"It's possible," Vel said, and he held Starbright's hand tighter.
"Let's take a look!" He said, excitement reentering his demeanour as he walked.
His excitement catching, Starbright nodded and smiled, giving his hand a quick squeeze. "Alright!" she chirped, having to take a few longer strides to fall into step beside him again.
When they reached the mouth of the cave, they'd discover that it was barely a shallow alcove, and the darkness gave it the appearance of being much deeper than it actually was. Vel held a hand up, and a ball of light appeared, illuminating the inside.
There was a small shrine here, built out of crudely stacked rocks and adorned with several animal skulls and bits of bone. The walls of this cave were painted, and while they were all nearly faded away, they could be made out with Vel's light. All kinds of animals, covered the walls, along with what appeared to be the shapes of humans hunting them. The cave's paintings depicted a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, where the dead's souls would be mended by the spirits and brought back to the earth in new bodies. Animals sometimes came back as people, and people sometimes came back as animals.
"Star, this-- this place is old," Vel said, kneeling by the shrine and brushing a hand against the rocks.
"Very, very old..."
Starbright was speechless, staring around the small shrine with wide eyes, lips slightly parted.
Then Vel's voice sort of brought her back to herself with a jolt and she knelt beside him. Her eyes were still very round as she looked at him. "This- this place feels...I don't know, exactly." She frowned, struggling to put the sudden reverence she felt into words.
Gaze flicking to the stacked stones, she murmured, "Do you think this is it?"
"I think so," Vel said, and he conjured that bigger orb of light, watching it shift colors as he stepped about the room.
"I've got a very good feeling about this place."
Lifting her eyes to watch him move around, Starbright nodded, feeling a smile curve at the corners of her mouth.
"I think...I think I do too," she said quietly, getting to her feet.
It's definitely better than that last place, at any rate.
Nodding in agreement with her sister, she moved across the small space to gently wrap her hand around one of Vel's forearms, smiling softly up at him.
Vel watched with interest as his larger orb of light shifted between green and white as he walked, not at all minding that Starbright was latched onto one of his forearms. He smiled at her, and held the orb up to the rocks. The thing flushed white, and Vel nodded. The orb disappeared.
"This is the place."
"Really?"
Some combination of excitement, anxiety, and something approaching panic rose up in her chest and Starbright bit her lip. "Okay," she breathed out, closing her eyes for a moment.
Something about hearing him say it made the whole thing seem so much more real.
Not quite knowing what else to do, she turned into Vel and flung her arms around him, hiding her face against his chest. "Okay," she mumbled again, trying to force her breathing to calm down.
Vel couldn't muster any words, so he just put his arms around her, trying to comfort her. One of his hands went to the top of her head, and he held her nice and tight.
"It's alright, take your time."
"I'm fine," Starbright murmured, voice muffled. "I just...this is really happening."
She took a few deep breaths, then leaned back a bit to smile at him. "I love you, Vel." For some reason she felt the need to say it aloud in that moment.
"I love you too," Vel said, and he leaned in to kiss her, although the touch lingered, and he deepened it eagerly.
She stretched onto her toes to better lean into the kiss, reaching up to cup the crystal between her palms.
Pulling away after several long moments, she gave him a much gentler, more relaxed smile. "I believe you promised that we'd see the ocean."
A month. They still had a whole month before things would change.
"I did!" Vel hummed.
"Do you want to go now?"
Starbright took a look around the alcove, taking in the paintings and the small shrine. "I think...unless there's anything we need to do here, yes," she decided, looking back at him with a quick grin.
"Alright, let's go," Vel said, opening up a portal and leading her through.
When they stepped through, they'd find themselves on the edge of a Serenian beach, white sands glittering as the crystal blue water lapped at the shores.
"Here we are!"
"Oh!" Starbright's eyes widened and her hands flew to her mouth.
"It's...it's so big!" Well, logically she'd known it must be, but actually seeing it was something else entirely.
"Oh, Vel." She looked up at him, eyes shining. "Thank you!"
It was the look in her eyes that made the moment for him. Vel smiled at her, taking her hand as he looked out towards the ocean.
"You want to take a dip?"
Her eyes went even wider. "Really?" Practically bouncing with excitement, she nodded eagerly. "Yes, please!"
She squeezed his hand and took a few steps toward the water, then paused. "Oh. I should, um, get out of this, huh?" she mumbled, blushing and working at the fastening of her borrowed robe.
Maybe take a breath, huh? Think a moment?
Oh, don't act like you're not excited.
"Well, you should get out of everything," Vel said, and he shot her a grin as he shifted into his human form, throwing his robe off as he started to step into the water.
"O-oh." She flushed as the robe fell to the ground and glanced down at the ties of her tunic. "But, um...what if- I mean, we're all out in the open, what if someone...?"
Oh, don't worry so much. Have a little fun.
Her embarrassment coming front and center, Starbright allowed Midnight to come forward and strip them out of the rest of their clothes, following Vel into the water with a quick smile. She gave a soft squeak at the chill, pausing with the surf lapping at her knees.
Vel stopped alongside her, and that was also right around when he noticed it was Midnight now, instead of Starbright.
"Hello, beautiful," Vel said.
"Take your time going in, the water's a bit cold."
"Hello." She grinned at him, taking another step out into the water, wriggling her toes in the sand. "Star got a little embarrassed, so looks like you're stuck with me." Midnight leaned up to give him a quick peck.
Growing used to the temperature, she waded out into the water until the small swells were lapping at her waist. She let her eyes slide closed, enjoying the newness of the feeling.
Vel followed out behind Midnight, and when she stopped, he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her belly and kissing the back of his neck.
"Stunning, isn't it?"
She nodded, peering back over her shoulder at him and grinning. "It's beautiful," she agreed, leaning back against him slightly.
"I couldn't even imagine what it would really be like," Midnight murmured, eyes flicking back out over the water. "It's...almost unreal."
"Well, it all looks better with you in it," Vel said, giving her abdomen a playful little pinch.
"I'm so happy to have you, Night."
Giving a small squeak at the pinch, Midnight jumped and gave him a mock glare, crinkling her nose.
"You're just saying that," she accused playfully, flushing a bit for the compliment. Then she let out a small breath, relaxing back against him happily.
"We're- I'm happy too, Vel," she murmured, closing her eyes for a moment before twisting her head to kiss his shoulder.
Vel simply held her, taking his eyes off the horizon to look at Midnight.
"It's going to be a good month. I have a hunch."
"Mhm." She tilted her head back to look at him with a small smile.
"Yeah. I think you're right." She rocked up onto her toes to kiss him, much more gently than was strictly usual- almost more like her sister than Midnight herself.
Vel broke the kiss and stepped over a bit so that they were facing each other, and he put his hands on her sides, pulling her in for more kisses.
Humming in the back of her throat, Midnight leaned eagerly into the kisses, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck as she pressed against him.
A little swell of water made her lose her footing slightly and she staggered, clinging to him and laughing as she tried to get her balance back.
"Careful!" Vel chuckled, hand slipping to the small of her back to hold her steady against him. He kissed her again, and his hand slipped lower yet, kneading the flesh of her ass.
Midnight chuckled, giving a little sound of approval in the back of her throat at his touch. "I think you're taking advantage of my precarious footing, sir," she mock pouted at him, eyes glinting.
"I'm just trying to hold you steady," Vel retorted, and he leaned in to kiss her neck.
"Hey, I'm not complaining," Midnight purred, tilting her head to bare more of her neck to him and sliding her hands down his back to grip his waist.
All this touching had Vel hardening up. He slipped between her thighs, cock throbbing as it slid along her folds with every movement of his hips.
Midnight drew in a sharp breath and pressed her hips forward against him. "Gods, Vel," she murmured, smirking as she trailed kisses over his shoulder and up his neck. "You're going to be the death of me, I swear." She gave a little wiggle that ground her down against him and moaned quietly.
"Mm? How so?" Vel teased, and he turned his head to meet her lips, kissing her.
"You know very well how," Midnight grumbled, then gasped quietly against his lips as she rocked her hips against him again.
"Is my penis so good that it'll give you a heart attack?" Vel teased, and his other hand slipped up to her breast, squeezing it quite possessively.
"Turn around for me..."
"I was thinking more along the lines of sheer exhaustion." Midnight tried to sound pithy, but her voice was a little too breathy to pull it off.
Giving a quiet noise of appreciation for his touch, she nodded and easily turned to put her back to him, reaching up to keep his hand clasped against her chest.
Vel kissed Midnight's neck, and he dipped his hips forward, prodding her entrance with his head. Keeping one hand on her chest, he used the other to steady her as he pushed right on in.
"Gods, so good... every time."
Midnight let her head fall back with an incredibly satisfied sigh. "It keeps...getting better," she purred, rolling her hips back against him.
She wrapped her fingers around his wrist and guided his hand on her chest lower, dipping down over her abdomen, pleading silently for his touch.
Vel bumped his hips against hers as she moved, and when she guided his hand downwards, he didn't hesitate to start rubbing her, giving special attention to her clit.
"If only we could fuck forever."
Midnight groaned, arching back against him. "That- should be your next project," she panted out, clenching her eyes shut. "There has to be- some sort spell. Stop time for a bit, maybe..."
"Hm," Vel said, and his other hand travelled back up her chest, squeezing her tit and pressing her closer to him, and he started to fuck her in earnest.
"O-oh..." Midnight whimpered needily and bucked back against him, clutching at his hips. "So good, Vel," she breathed, lashes fluttering. "Gods, just- just keep doing that..."
And Vel did just that, interrupting his thrusts by grinding into her every once in a while, reveling in the cushion that her ass provided. He leaned his head forward and locked lips with her.
"Gods, we've resorted to fucking while standing," Vel joked.
Smirking into the kiss, Midnight felt a delightful shiver run through her as he ground into her. "We- we're hopeless," she agreed.
A soft moan rose up in her throat as he found a particular angle that just about had her seeing stars. "I'm not...complaining," she panted.
"The best kind of hopeless," Vel said, and he started to pound her a bit harder at that angle, fingers working her clit a bit harder.
"Gods, I love you, Midnight."
"Ah- haa." Breathing in quick, sharp pants, Midnight reached back to clutch at his hips again, nails digging into skin as she groaned and began frantically rocking her hips back against him, his fingers working her into a near frenzy.
"Love you," she gasped out, eyes clenched shut. "Love you, Vel, I- oh gods, there!- I love you."
"Midnight!"
Vel paused, his entire length sunk into her, and he kissed the back of her neck rather hungrily.
"Let's go to shore," he said.
She nodded shakily, mute, and twisted to catch his lips in a searing kiss before taking a little step forward, whimpering as he began to slide out of her.
"Shore," Midnight whispered, turning her head over her shoulder to look at him. "Let's- get to shore."
Despite the fact that he'd slid halfway out of her, Vel took the opportunity to bump their hips together one last time before he pulled out. He squeezed her hand, giving her a kiss as he started to walk back to the shore.
Lacing her fingers through his, Midnight let him lead her to shore, giving him a crooked smile. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" she teased, starting to get her breath back a bit.
"I really can't," Vel said, looking back at Midnight.
"You make me all kinds of wild."
Her grin widened and she swung around to stand in front of him as they moved out of the surf, flexing her toes in the sand.
"Good," she purred, rocking up to catch his lips, one arm going around his shoulders and the other around his waist. "I think I like making you wild."
Vel smiled against her, and he reached down to finger her as she wrapped her arms around him.
He levitated their robes and laid them out so that they had somewhere to lie down.
"So, who's gonna be on top?" Vel teased.
Smirking at that, Midnight gave a playful growl and gripped his shoulders, pushing him gently down onto their robes and straddling his waist.
"Unless you have any objections?" she murmured, quirking an eyebrow and rolling her hips against him teasingly.
"No objections," Vel said, and he gave her buttocks a spank.
"Just a burning desire for you to fuck the shit out of me."
And even as he said that, his cheeks went red.
Midnight gave a sharp, slightly startled laugh, her eyebrows creeping up a bit as she leaned down to give him a quick, fierce kiss.
"I guess I really do make you wild," she murmured against his lips. Smirking, she leaned back and rocked her hips again.
"Well. The master commands and the apprentice obeys," she teased lightly, reaching down between them to stroke him for a moment, rubbing his tip against her, before rather abruptly slamming their hips together, groaning as she took in as much of him as she could.
Vel moaned to the sky as Midnight's hips came crashing down to envelop him. His hips bucked up to meet her about halfway through. Vel passed his hands up Midnight's side, gazing up at her.
"Gods, Midnight..."
Already panting lightly again, Midnight rose up on her knees and fell on him again, moaning. She started to fall into a rhythm, biting her lip and whimpering every time their hips came together.
Leaning down to kiss him, she murmured heatedly against his lips, "Gods I love it when you say my name like that." She loved being the reason he made those sounds, and how he looked at her.
Words failed Vel, so he opted to just buck underneath her as they wildly rutted on this beach. He kissed her back fervently, overflowing with need for her.
Every move of his hips sent her spinning higher and Midnight quickly reached that near frantic pace, rocking her hips against him with little mews and gasps.
She kissed him deeply, cupping his face in her hands with a kind of loving gentleness that was completely at odds with the desperate bucks of her hips.
Vel writhed beneath Midnight, desperately crashing his hips into hers when they moved.
"I'm gonna come, Midnight!"
Feeling her own peak coming ever nearer, Midnight crashed her lips onto his, biting out, "Don't hold back. I-"
Her voice cut off in a low moan as she tightened around him and she dipped her head into the curve of his neck and shoulder, biting down while she rode through the waves of pleasure.
Thay came at the same time. Vel cried out as his cock started to pulse within her, hs hips giving out final, desperate bucks.
Midnight clung to him, moving her hips weakly to match him as little shivers ran through her and she was near sobbing with the sensations.
Finally she just collapsed, sprawling against Vel's chest with her arms wrapped around his neck while she panted desperately.
Vel breathed as Midnight laid on top of him, and he merely started to kiss her. Incredibly slow and loving, these kisses were kisses of love.
"The two most beuatiful girls on the world," Vel hummed.
"I love you."
She hummed quietly and returned the gentle kisses, reveling in the closeness, the connection. "And I love you," she said quietly, smiling against his lips and nuzzling her nose against his for a moment.
Vel let the silence hang for several moments before he spoke again.
"You know, there's a plane of existence that's just an endless stretch of beach," Vel said.
"And all of the animals there have adapted to a coastal life."
"Really?" Midnight folded her arms over his chest and rested her chin on them, smiling a bit and eyes glinting with interest. "You mean they all can swim?"
"Most of them," Vel said.
"Past the shore, it's just endless seas of shallow coastline, reefs, and tide pools."
"Reef?" She blinked at him, tilting her head to one side. "What's that?"
"A reef's like..."
A thoughtful hum.
"It's like a forest, but underwater. And instead of trees, it's got these living structures called "coral," and all kinds of water creatures live there."
Midnight's eyes widened a bit and she felt Starbright perk up with excitement. "That sounds incredible," she murmured, smiling softly. "Is there any way we could see that? Some spell to breathe underwater maybe?"
We can't solve all our problems with magic, Night.
Won't know until we try.
"I'll see if I can arrange a view in the tower," Vel said.
He closed his eyes, listening to the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore.
"Gods, I love holding you," he murmured, nuzzling her.
She chuckled quietly, pressing herself a little closer against him. "Good. Because I'm not planning on moving any time soon."
Midnight sighed quietly, closing her eyes and listening to the ocean. "I never really liked being touched until you," she murmured absently. "Now...it's like I just don't want you to let go."
"I don't wanna let go, so you're all set in that regard," Vel said, and he gave her butt a series of playful pats as she lied on top of him. He was silent.
"Sleep with me for a bit?"
Midnight gave another quiet chuckle, squirming a bit for the little pats and muttering, "You really seem to like doing that."
She pressed a kiss to his cheek and agreed lazily, "Mhm. Okay." She nestled a little closer. "Do you want to sleep like this? I mean, are you...comfortable?"
"Yeah, I'm comfy," Vel said. He pulled out of her, kissed her properly one last time, and his form faded back into the mechanical. He raised an arm past Midnight, and a small, almost translucent bubble surrounded them. A minor shield to keep the bugs and weather out.
"And I mean, well, your butt's just so nice to touch," Vel added.
Midnight shifted a bit to lay more comfortably against him, pressing her legs together. She was a little surprised by how...odd she felt no longer being connected to him.
She gave him a crooked little smirk. "I think you're biased," she chuckled.
Vel returned her smirk, and he gave her a kiss.
"Let's rest now," he murmured, and let his head fall back as he relaxed.
"Mm." Midnight hummed a quiet agreement and snuggled against him, letting her head pillow against his chest. "Sleep well," she murmured as she let her eyes drift shut.
She drifted off fairly quickly, but instead of the usual quick shiver and flash of gold, Starbright's personality asserted herself gradually, streaks of hair changing color from one breath to the next, and by the time she was fully in control Starbright herself was dozing as well.
Vel was asleep before the transformation could finish, falling inert and powering down.
They dozed for several hours, and when Vel stirred awake, Starbright was still asleep. He smiled, and closed his eyes, resting his head back. There was a lovely sunset on the horizon.
The change of the angle of the sunlight on her back and Vel stirring beneath her brought Starbright half out of her doze. She yawned, moving to roll over before realizing that probably wasn't the best idea and just lifting her head slightly instead.
She smiled at Vel. "Hey."
"Hey."
Vel reached up and adjusted her hair a bit, for she'd developed a little pillow-hair from sleeping against his chest.
"Look at the horizon, Star."
"Hm?" Distracted by his attentions to her hair, she glanced sleepily toward the horizon, then gasped.
"Oh my gods," Starbright breathed, pushing herself up off his chest and just staring. "That's...it's gorgeous." She'd never could have imagined what a sunset over the ocean would look like.
Vel sat up with Starbright, looking past her towards the horizon.
"It sure is," Vel said, vice barely over a whisper as he didn't want to disturb the quiet of the place.
Starbright let out a quiet, awed breath, slipping off his lap so she could sit nestled against him. "This is amazing," she murmured, leaning back against his chest. "This- this place. This day. Everything."
"First day of our month," Vel said, and he kissed the side of his head.
"I love you, Starbright. And if you're awake in there Midnight, I love you too."
She tilted her head to smile at him and return the kiss. "I love you too." Her smile went a little crooked. "So does Midnight."
With a happy sigh, Starbright let her head rest on his shoulder. "Our month," she repeated quietly. "I think I like the sound of that."
Vel put his arms around Starbright's midsection as she leaned on him, and he nuzzled against her head.
"Just you, me, and the most exotic locales we can think of."
Starbright laid a hand over one of his, squeezing gently. "Well, we can check the ocean off the list," she murmured, eyes fixed on the bleeding colors of the sunset.
She pressed a little closer back against him. "We should go someplace you want next."
[So I was thinking we time-skip soon, maybe to the day before when the ritual's supposed to go down.]
"I'll think about it," Vel said.
Vel held her hand a bit tighter, keeping their fingers laced as he leaned in to kiss her, and he wanted it to linger this time.
[That works for me.]
Starbright hummed quietly into the kiss, reaching her other hand up to cup the side of his face as she just leaned into him, letting the warmth of the touch spread through her.
Vel held her just that much tighter as they kissed, hands gliding along her sides.
Twisting around a bit more, Starbright rose up onto her knees and cupped his face in her hands to tilt his head back slightly, deepening the kiss with the new angle.
Vel let out a few soft sounds as she kissed him. He drank deeply of her love, relishing ever second of contact.
Starbright let the kiss last a few moments longer, basking in the closeness, the love. She let her lips trail down to his neck, then finally pulled away with a soft sigh.
"We should probably go home soon," she murmured reluctantly, tucking her head up under his and glancing back at the sunset.
"Soon. But not now," Vel said, and after a few moments, he shifted back into his human form. By now, the two of them should know what that meant.
"I... I want you, Starbright," Vel said, and he squeezed her a bit tighter.
She blushed delicately, tilting her head back a bit to smile up at him. "Do you ever not?" she teased lightly, her blush deepening even as the words left her mouth and she leaned up to kiss him again, slow and passionate.
"Heh," Vel said, and he brought Starbright down, gently setting her on her back as they continued to kiss and share their love with one another. He laced their hands together.
"Good point."
Starbright arched her back a bit in an effort to get as much contact between them as possible and ran a hand languidly up and down his back, smiling against his lips.
"I love you, Vel," she said quietly. "If you want me, I'm yours."
"I'm yours too, Star. I belong to you and your sister, now and forever," Vel said.
He penetrated her then, but he didn't immediately start thrusting.
Her head fell back and she gasped, letting her eyes flutter closed and just relishing the feeling of him. Starbright drifted her hands up his arms to grip his shoulders lightly, pulling him back to her lips for a kiss.
Vel did the same, basking in the emotions and sensations of it all before he started to gently move.
"Oh, Vel." Starbright rolled her hips to meet his, slow and gentle. She trailed light, sweet kisses over his face and down his neck, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and clutching him against her.
Vel smiled down at Starbright, drinking from her love and kissing her gently. The sun blazed orange behind them.
---------
A month had passed in absolute bliss, at least for Vel. Going somewhere completely new every day proved to be fanciful, as sometimes, they spent two or three days in the same spot. Hidden, beautiful corners of Le'Ranna, all over the planes of existence, and as many major cities on the continent as they could fit in a month. Under Vel's tutelage, Starbright had developed her magical talents quite well, as she proved to be a fast and eager learner. Midnight, while having made some progress in awakening her latent talents, still had a ways to go.
As for himself, Vel developed his illusion further, and found a way to develop a halfway form that he could maintain even in his sleep. The halfway form had his face, and a member as well, but he was still a machine. In the halfway mode, these features were semi-translucent, as having flesh parts coming from a machine would be odd, to say the least. He also developed that extra realism.
They were in his bed right now, sleeping all tangled up together. Vel had woken a few minutes ago, but he'd wanted to be with her for a few more moments.
"Hey," he said to whichever sister was with him at the moment.
"You up, beautiful?"
Their month seemed both incredibly slow and impossibly fast to the sisters, each girl reveling in the time they had with Vel, learning and seeing as much as she could. Midnight didn't seem too bothered by the fact that her sister proved to be a better apprentice- they'd both really expected that.
Besides, she definitely made up for the time Vel spent teaching Starbright in other ways.
Ways that wound up with a thoroughly exhausted Midnight yielding control to Starbright sometime in the middle of the night last night, so it was sleepy blue eyes that blinked at Vel as her lips curved up in an automatic smile at his voice.
"No," she mumbled, burrowing under the covers and closer against his chest. "I'm not up. Five more minutes."
"Mmhmm," Vel hummed, and he pulled the blankets up a bit higher. He nuzzled her lovingly.
"That's good. I'm not up either."
He left a gentle kiss on her lips.
"You know, I think Midnight might be using me for exercise. Everytime we have sex, she always goes until she passes out."
Starbright chuckled, ignoring her sister's groggy protests in the back of her mind. "Have you ever known Midnight to do a thing half way?" she murmured, eyes glinting as she nuzzled him in return. "Unless it's actually going to hurt her, I think she'll just go until she physically can't anymore."
Still feeling warm and content and sleepy, she wrapped her arms around his neck and tucked her head into the curve of his shoulder.
"I have not," Vel chuckled.
He fell silent, then. And for a good long while, too.
"So, this... uh... this is the last day of our month," Vel said, but he quickly smiled.
"Let's make it the best day. It's your turn to pick where we go."
"Oh." Logically, she'd known that, but it suddenly hit her, very real and very present. She wasn't so sleepy anymore.
"Right. Last day." Starbright smiled and kissed the tip of his nose. "Hmm, my turn..." She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, thinking. "I think...I know it's not terribly exciting, but- what if we just found some place quiet and...had a picnic or something? Maybe someplace like that fae glen?"
"Oh, that sounds lovely," Vel said.
"If only I had a summer dress for you to wear," he joked.
Starbright beamed, cheeks going a little pink. "Oh, I don't need anything like that. Besides, Midnight's never liked dresses much."
She kissed his cheek, letting her hand stroke over his face lightly. "We don't have to go right away though, do we? A lazy morning seems kinda nice..."
"Yes," Vel purred.
"How'd you sleep?"
She smiled, nuzzling her nose against his for a moment. "Good. Seems like it's been taking longer for us to switch once Midnight's passed out lately, so I actually slept longer than I usually do."
Snuggling a little closer, she asked, "You? I know you don't need as much sleep as we do, don't you get bored just lying here?"
"I slept well," Vel said.
"I actually just woke up a couple minutes ago, but if I'm ever awake before you, I just close my eyes and appreciate having you until you wake up," Vel said.
"Cuddling feels so good."
Starbright blushed a little at that, though her lips curved up in a small smile. "You think far too highly of us," she mumbled, hiding her face against his chest.
A small giggle left her and she added, "I certainly won't object to the cuddling though."
Vel laughed and kissed Starbright, hand planted confidently on her ass.
"And Midnight? How's she holding up?"
A month ago the touch would have made her jump, but now she just blushed a bit harder and crinkled her nose at him, returning the kiss.
Familiarity didn't lesson the little tingles that ran through her at the touch though. "Tired. Sort of groggy, but she's alright," Starbright replied, reaching for one of his other hands to lace their fingers together easily.
"Well, I'm sure she'll beat me one of these days," Vel chuckled, and he brought Starbright in a little closer.
That earned him another giggle, and a faint sense of smugness from Midnight. "Maybe," Starbright laughed.
Then her expression fell a bit and she ducked her head in an effort to hide it. One of these days. But this was their last day. After that...Midnight wouldn't exist anymore, not the way she did now. And neither would she.
She didn't want to think about that. Shaking her head briskly, Starbright pushed herself up a bit and smiled at Vel. "C'mon. Why don't we go downstairs and sit by a fire for a bit before we leave?"
Vel smiled at her suggestion, and he sat up as well, planting a kiss on her lips before slipping out of bed. He was in his true form, so his translucent member disappeared, but he kept his face up in that form, mostly because he liked having an actual face in his mechanical form.
It was better to kiss them that way!
Vel stretched, and then reached down to get his robe up off of the floor. It'd been nearly a month since he wore his wooden robe/plating (he simply felt like he didn't need it around the two of them!), having been clad in cloth robes the entire time.
"Are you gonna bothered to get dressed?"
Starbright flushed a bit and nodded, slipping out of bed to grab the red robe- borrowed no longer, but fitted properly to her and Midnight- that had been tossed onto the floor sometime in the previous night.
"Ready," she said brightly as she cinched it closed, smiling at Vel. She crossed the room to take his arm, leaning against his side and stretching up to kiss his cheek. "There. A proper good morning," she chirped.
Vel blushed ever so slightly. Since his face was a translucent blue, his blush was represented by a light shade of blue.
He turned his head to her, and he leaned in to give her a fuller kiss.
"Good morning, Love."
They stepped onto the disc, and the descended to the ground floor.
"You've come a very long way in your magic, Starbright. I'm proud to be your teacher."
Her eyes lit up happily, first at the endearment, then at his praise. "You really think so?" Starbright said excitedly, giving his arm a quick squeeze.
Smiling softly, she leaned into him a bit more. "You're an amazing teacher, Vel. I couldn't have learned anything without you."
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm an amazing teacher," Vel said.
"But I think I get by well enough."
He grinned at her, wrapping the other arm on the side Starbright was leaning on around her waist.
"Amazing," Starbright retorted firmly, eyes sparkling. "Like with just about everything else you do," she added with a small laugh. A month with him had really shown the sisters what centuries of life, a clever mind, and a little magic could make possible.
"Do we have any food left from the last time you conjured some?" she mused, moving to step off the disk. She hadn't really been keeping track of when she ate, but she thought they must have something lying around.
"Yes, I do believe you left some of the stew, and a little bit of the mixed vegetables," Vel said.
he gave her ass a little spank.
"Go on, you know where to find it," Vel said.
"I'll prepare the picnic food."
Starbright squeaked and threw him a mock pout as she went off to get herself breakfast, returning quickly with a bowl of stew and muttering a charm to heat it up. She still had to speak most of her spells aloud, mental incantations were a little too volatile for her abilities.
"Can I help with anything out here?" she asked, perching on the arm of a chair and taking a spoonful.
"Fetch the feast spell supplies from my closet and pack them into a basket so I can make us some food for the picnic," Vel said. He motioned upwards.
"I'm going to go check the spellbook that has it, so I can see if I can make picnick-y food."
She nodded, slipping of the arm of the chair and chirping, "Yessir!" as she moved to the closet and set about collecting what he needed. Plucking a basket off one of the shelves when she asked for one, she packed the supplies away and drifted back out into the main room and settled herself back on the chair, content to wait for Vel.
Vel came back down after a few minutes, holding a thin spellbook titled Magic and Cookery; Spells and Incantations for The Kitchen.
He flipped through it as he walked back over to Starbright, and since she was sitting on the arm of the chair, Vel just sat down right in it.
"Alright, so what do you want for a picnic? A pie, perhaps?
Starbright curled toward him automatically, peeling at the book over his shoulder. "Sounds perfect," she said with a smile, kissing his temple lightly.
A small giggle left her and she added, "One of these days I'm gonna cook for myself, I promise. Can't have you always waiting on me."
"Hm, I suppose it would be a good idea to build a kitchen room. Maybe give it its own infinite pantry," Vel said.
"A pie, and..."
He looked up to her.
"You pick the second one."
"Hmm..." Her eyes flicked over the page. "What about this?" She pointed to a custard dish that caught her eye. Unlike her sister, Starbright had a sweet tooth.
Smiling sheepishly at Vel, she said, "I know it's really a lot of desserts, but...why not, right?"
Vel grinned.
"Two desserts it is," Vel said. He leaned up a bit to kiss her.
Starbright laughed lightly and tilted her head to return the kiss, cupping his face gently. She let one thumb stroke over his cheek, nuzzling her nose against his.
"Should I get anything for the spell?" she asked, smiling softly as she pulled away.
At her question, Vel looked a bit puzzled.
"Didn't you already pack the supplies?" he asked.
"Or did you just get the picnic supplies?"
"Well..." She hopped off the arm of the chair to peer into the basket. "I have all the things we used last time, and a blanket, and a few other odds and ends- but do we need anything more specific?"
She glanced up at him, worrying her lower lip absently. She tended to over think, she just couldn't seem to help herself.
"No, that's everything," Vel said.
"Do you want to try and conjure the food?"
"Sure!" Starbright grinned and slipped back over to the chair, leaning over the arm to look at the book. She bit her lip again.
"Okay. Um...I can do this," she muttered to herself, taking a breath and forcing her mind to calm and focus.
"It's not too different from the conjuration tricks I taught you a few days ago," Vel said, eyes staring at Starbright's bust as she leaned over the arm of the chair to read the book.
"Although, the spell isn't really set up right now, so you can't really cast it at the moment."
"Oh. Right, of course." She flushed. She was getting ahead of herself again. "Well, if it's like those other tricks...is the preparation the same? Or at least similar?"
Her eyes flicked to his face and she realized where he was looking. Cheeks going just a bit pinker, she teased quietly, "Unless you're too distracted to teach at the moment, Master Vel."
Vel smirked, although he didn't take his eyes off of her.
"Well, the sigils that represent each food item need to be drawn on the trays with chalk, and then sprinkled with the grey powder," Vel said, and he reached up to gently grab her breasts.
"It's really more like a ritual than a spell."
Starbright breathed in a little sharper than was strictly normal, then gave him an arch look. "Alright," she said slowly. "But if you want me to actually do this you're going to need to keep your hands to yourself for a few minutes."
Her tone was teasing though, and she made no real move to pull away.
Vel sighed, and nodded. He took his hands off of her, and instead took the book, closed it, and slipped it in between her breasts.
"The sigils for the different kinds of food are in the pages. Remember! Draw with chalk, sprinkle with powder."
Still a little flushed and smiling, Starbright leaned in to give him a quick peck, nodding as she pulled away. "Chalk, powder. Got it."
She spun to make her way to the table, pulling the book out and flipping through the pages to find the sigils. Humming softly to herself, she fished a bit of chalk out of a pocket in the robe and set about preparing the spell, drawing the designs on the trays and sprinkling powder over them when she was done.
The next part should be fairly straightforward, but he hesitated. "Vel?" She glanced back at him, biting her lip. "Can you check to make sure I did this right?"
You have no confidence in yourself, Midnight spoke up for the first time that morning.
I'm just being careful!
Vel was already watching her draw the sigils from the seat, but when she asked him to come over and check them, he stood up and clacked over to her.
He came up next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Everything looks perfect," Vel said.
"Okay." She huffed out a breath, then smiled at him quickly. Glancing at the book, she nodded to herself and closed her eyes, murmuring the incantation.
Oh, please work, please work.
Have a little more faith in yourself, sister.
When she opened her eyes, the pie and the custard were sitting on the table, looking and smelling freshly made. Starbright beamed, clapping her hands together dleightedly. "I actually did it!" She whirled and threw her arms around Vel's neck, giving him an exuberant kiss on the cheek in her excitement.
"You did!" Vel said, and he held her nice and tight, lifting her off of her feet a bit and giving her a proper kiss.
"I'm proud of you, Starbright."
She practically glowed, kissing him back happily. "Thanks," she murmured when she pulled away, letting her arms drift down to hug loosely around his middle.
And because she really couldn't help herself, she leaned up for another kiss before sighing, "Here, I should pack these away..."
"Thanks for packing the picnic," Vel said, hands dusting along her hips.
"Maybe I shouldn't build a kitchen after all. You seem to have the hang of it."
Starbright's smile widened a bit. "Yeah, maybe I do," she agreed happily, leaning into him slightly for his soft touches. Then she gave him one last quick peck on the cheek and turned to slip away and gather up the basket. "Let's get going then."
Vel nodded and followed after her. He opened a portal that would lead them back to the fae glen, and motioned for Starbright to step through.
"After you, my love."
She grinned at him and stepped through. It was much easier now, even if she still didn't think she'd ever get quite used to the feeling.
Starbright took in a deep breath on the other side of the portal, closing her eyes and drinking in the fresh air and sunlight.
Vel came up behind Starbright, holding the picnic basket. He wrapped his arms around her midriff from behind, leaving a kiss on the back of her neck.
"It feels nice, seeing this place again.
"Yeah." She leaned back into his touch and tilted her head back to look at him, smiling gently. "You know, at the risk of sounding incredibly cheesy...this is really where we first stared falling in love you you."
She twisted in his arms to give him a quick kiss, then took the basket, glancing around. "Where do you think we should set up?"
"Mm, this is our spot," Vel said, and he motioned towards a patch of soft grass by the water's edge.
"Now this place is special in two ways," Vel said.
Nodding with a smile, Starbright moved to the spot and set the basket down, sitting with her legs curled to one side. She smiled at Vel and held her hand out to him invitingly.
"Are you sure the- the fae spirits or whoever won't mind us being here?" she asked quietly at Midnight's prompting.
"Remember what I taught you," Vel said.
"Fae spirits are mischevous, yes, but they are mostly peaceful. If you come with peace in your heart, you will find peace among the fae."
She nodded again, glancing around the glen and taking a soft breath to let herself relax. "I almost can't believe it's been a month since we've been here," she murmured, curling her legs under her body and smiling softly as she took another look around.
"Just being back here, I can't really explain the feeling," Vel said as he sat down right by Starbright, and he opened himself up so she could lean on him.
He kissed her cheek.
"Light of my life."
Starbright beamed and cuddled in against him, returning the kiss to her cheek with one to his temple. "You really think too much of us," she murmured, flushing and smiling for the endearment.
"I can't think enough of you," Vel rebutted. He laced his fingers with hers, and stared out to the glen for a few short moments before he returned his gaze to her. He kissed her then, short and sweet.
She was opening her mouth to argue that when he kissed her, effectively cutting off anything she might have said. Smiling almost dazedly at him when he pulled away, murmuring, "Love you, Vel."
Shaking her head slightly, Starbright leaned away a bit to open the basket, chirping, "Well, let's make this a proper picnic shall we?"
"Let's, before we get too distracted and your food gets cold," Vel said, and he gave her a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.
Starbright blushed a bit and crinkled her nose at him, taking the food out and breaking off a small piece of pie to pop into her mouth.
"What makes you think you'd be able to distract me?" she teased lightly, eyes glinting. "I'm hungry!"
He laughed a bit at that.
"Is that a challenge?" Vel said. Chuckles still left his mouth as he leaned in to kiss her neck.
She shivered delicately and glanced at him over her shoulder, drawling, "Maaaybe." Putting her back to him quite deliberately, she took another bite of the pie and tossed her hair, evidently ignoring him.
Vel took the hint, and his fingers wandered to her hips as he continued to kiss her neck. Hands trailed up her abdomen and along her legs, and after a moment's consideration, Vel shifted to his human form.
They hadn't quite made love with Vel in his half form that many times, mostly because Vel liked his fully human form a bit more for sex. The half-form was better for just kissing.
One hand drew upwards to gently cup a breast, while the other held her by the midriff.
Starbright fancied that she could feel him shift, and the hunch was confirmed by the feel of human hands running over her body.
It took some effort, but she continued to ignore his advances, picking at the custard. Well, mostly ignore. She did find herself leaning back into his touch unconsciously.
Vel leaned forwards and nipped Starbright's earlobe. He pushed her breasts together with his hands and teased at her nipples through her clothing.
"You can finish your food. I'm content to do this until you're ready," Vel whispered.
Starbright shivered delightedly. "Well," she mused softly, turning her head a bit, "I suppose I'm not all that hungry..."
Unable to play the game anymore, she twisted and caught his lips in a kiss, arching her back to press her chest further into his touch.
At her acceptance, Vel's hands worked harder, and when he couldn't take it anymore, he laid down, bringing Starbright with him and turning her to face him. He looked into those endlessly vibrant blue eyes of hers, and kissed her softly.
She hummed happily against his lips and cupped his face in her hands, arching against him. Almost unconsciously, her leg hooked over his hip and she nuzzled her nose against his as she pulled away for a brief moment of air.
"Love you, Vel," Starbright murmured, smiling and stroking the back of her hand lightly over his cheek.
"Love you two as well. Always."
He opted to just hold her and kiss her, amazed at how such a simple action could still make his heart swell in love for her.
"I will never stop loving you."
Starbright's heart lurched at the reminder of "two" and how very soon that would no longer be true. Her kisses suddenly took on a new fierceness, a slight edge of desperation as she tried to chase the thoughts from her mind.
Vel sucked in a breath at Starbright's sudden ferocity, and he tangled his hands with hers as he shifted to straddle her. He opened her robe, and started to unlace her tunic.
Starbright clutched at his hands, breaking away from the kiss and wriggling a bit to make getting her robe off easier. She forced herself to hold still when his hands moved to her laces, chest heaving with pants.
"Gods, Starbright," Vel said, kissing her as his hands worked her tunic. Finally, the laces were off, and he slipped her tunic up and off of her.
Raising her arms so he could slip her tunic off, Starbright let her hands fall to his shoulders and leaned up to kiss him deeply. "You win," she murmured playfully against his lips. "I'm officially distracted."
"Maybe you'll be a little bit more than distracted," Vel said, voice a husky whisper as he opened his own robe. He stood up on his knees a bit so he could get his shorts off, and he leaend back down to kiss her.
"I really want to feel myself between your breasts right now," Vel murmured.
Starbright shuddered delightedly and let her eyes move up and down his form before coming to rest on his face again. She reached her arms out to him invitingly. "Then do what you want," she said softly. "I want to make you feel good, Vel."
Since Vel was already straddling her, all he had to do was shift forwards a bit, and he could put his slowly hardening member right between her breasts. He smiled down at her.
"You know I love you, right, Star?" Vel teased, and he gently squeezed her breasts together as he moved between them. There was more than enough length of him left in case she wanted to suck on him as well.
She smiled, rather flushed. "I know," she murmured, "but I love hearing you say it."
Tilting her head, she glanced up at him before pressing a kiss to the tip of him, then flicking her tongue out in a teasing little lick.
Vel let out a small chuckle.
"Gods, Star..." Vel mumbled, and he started to move her breasts so she could keep licking at his head.
He shifted forwards a bit so she could reach more of him.
"This month it's... it's been the best month of my life, Star..."
Shivering and resisting the urge to wriggle under him, Starbright started flicking her tongue out rhythmically in short, almost playful strokes.
"Us too," she said softly between licks and kisses. "Gods, Vel, sometimes I'm afraid this is all a dream." She wrapped her lips around as much of him as she could manage, giving a soft little hum as she did.
"That's a damn long dream, but it's not, and everytime I wake up next to you, I forget all about my dreams. Real life's better," Vel said, and he moved a hand to cup her cheek. He gave her a lopsided smile before tipping off of her and onto his back.
He made no motion for her to approach or to ride him, he merely opened his arms.
"Come here, Beautiful."
Starbright climbed to all fours and moved to him, lips curving up gently. She crawled over him to lay against his chest, kissing his chin as she wiggled around to get as much contact as she could manage.
"I'm here," she said softly, eyes sparkling. Kissing the line of his jaw, she said in a murmur, "Tell me what you want, love."
"I want to be one with you, Starbright," Vel said, closing his eyes and basking in her love. He returned her kisses when he could, slowly parting his lips against hers whenever he had the opportunity.
"Gods, I... I just want as much of you as I can get."
She smiled against his skin, kissing his lips softly before she pulled away for a moment so she could shift around and put her knees to either side of his hips.
"Then you have me," Starbright whispered, a little tremor running through her as she pressed her hips forward against him just slightly. "I'm yours, Vel. Always." She dipped to kiss him again.
"And I am yours," Vel answered.
They'd said that to each other countless times throughout the month, yet always sent a rush of warmth through Vel every time.
Vel's hands stroked Starbright's upper sides, thumbs dragging along the edges of her front. This position was familiar to them, and Vel would be willing to wager it was Midnight and Starbright's favorite position as well. He lifted his head just a tad to kiss her in return.
Starbright smiled softly against his lips, bracing one hand by his head and lifting the other to cup his cheek gently. "We love you so much, Vel," she murmured, rocking her hips gently forward again, teasing.
She wasn't like her sister though, the little teasing touches were always too difficult for her to maintain. Meeting his eyes almost questioningly, she reached down between them and wrapped her fingers around him, lining them up so she could grind more potently against him.
Vel didn't say anything in return, preferring to act rather than speak. His hips nudged forwards, and he actually slipped his head into her, although it was up to Starbright to take him in the rest of the way.
"Love me, then. I want all of it, Starbright."
Starbright's breath hitched slightly and she closed her eyes for just a moment, letting herself revel in the sensation. Then she opened her eyes to meet his gaze and slowly sank down, biting her lip as she took her time, letting them just feel each other until her hips were pressed flush against his.
"Oh, Vel..." She leaned down to kiss him, rolling her hips against him languidly.
Vel bit down on his lip as Starbright slowly enveloped him, and when she was flush against him, he let out a breath he wasn't even aware he was holding.
Both of his hands went to her head, pushing her hair aside so their kissing would go unobstructed. Vel smirked.
"Some picnic we're having," he said, but he kissed her again in case his tone came off as too serious.
She smiled slightly, trailing kisses along his jaw. "I think all our picnics should be like this," she muttered in response, giving another slow roll of her hips and biting down on her lip to muffle a small, needy whine.
"I can think of many things that can be like this," Vel said, and he rolled his hips to match her movement. While there wasn't much in and out happening, he was grinding against her insides quite deliciously.
"Dinner, study..."
Suddenly, he laughed.
"Actually, I think we're already doing that."
Starbright giggled quietly. "You sound so pleased with yourself," she teased lightly, dipping to kiss him briefly.
The pleasant, burning want in her core was steadily growing in intensity and she lifted herself up onto her knees a bit so she could slide down onto him again, letting out a blissful sigh as she did.
Vel's words were lost to the pleasure and he moved with her.
"Faster, Star..."
Starbright nodded and picked up her pace, bracing her hands on his chest as she fell into a steady rhythm.
It was almost strange to her, how this was all so familiar and yet every move sent a brand new spark of pleasure through her, as though it was the first time they'd touched. She groaned quietly, eyes fluttering half closed.
"So good, Vel..."
Vel's hands went to her hips, gently feeling at the smooth skin of her thighs as she rocked on him.
Starbright leaned back a bit, drifting her hands down over his chest and torso and then raising them to lay gently over his own. "Touch me?" she murmured quietly, picking up her pace a bit more and lifting higher long his length before rocking back down.
Vel lifted his hands, gently clasping them around her breasts as she moved.
"Gods, I love it when you move like that. It's so sexy..."
She gave him a breathless little smile and started rocking against him even faster. "Like this?" Her hands drifted to grasp his hips, unconsciously starting to pull him against her as she moved.
Vel caught onto Starbright's desires, and he started to gently lift his hips against her as she swayed.
Starbright gave a low groan and bent to kiss his neck, slowly raising her hips and then crashing them back onto his. She let her fingers brush up and down his sides lightly, tracing nonsense patterns over his skin.
Vel let Starbright do as she pleased, surrendering himself totally to their pleasures.
"I'm close, Starbright. Gods, please..."
With a soft moan Starbright reached a positively frantic pace, hands braced on his chest as she crashed her hips into his over and over.
"Let go, love," she murmured breathlessly, lashes fluttering as she felt her own peak nearing.
Vel let out small noises of his own, and his hips started to buck harder. Then, after a few desperate thrusts, he reached his peak. Starbright recieved the surge of energy and warmth as Vel's fake seed filled her.
"Ooohh..." Starbright bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, shudders rushing through her as she went tumbling over the edge. Panting, she pressed her hips flush against his and leaned down to catch his lips fiercely. "Love you, Vel."
Gasping, Vel replied with a faint "yes" as they kissed.
"Mm, I'm not done with you yet," Vel purred, and he turned over so that Starbright was on her back.
"Oh?" She smirked a bit, the expression rather reminiscent of Midnight. Then he rolled them over and she squeaked out, "Oh..." eyes going wide.
Starbright smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I don't think I want you to ever be done with me," she whispered in reply, kissing his chin, then his lips.
"Good. I'll never be done with you."
Vel didn't start making love to her immediately, however. He wanted to recover a bit more from his climax, so while his member rested within her, he kissed her, joining their hands together.
"You complete me."
Starbright gave him a soft smile, feeling her heart skip happily up into her throat. "You've turned me into an addict," she accused, kissing him back gently. "I still get a little thrill every time you say something like that."
"Just a little thrill?" Vel said with a pout, and then he gave her lower lip a small kiss.
"Did you bite your lip again?"
"Maybe a big thrill," Starbright conceded, grinning.
Then she blushed, embarrassed both that she had done so and that he was so used to that particular reaction he could tell so easily. "Yeah," she mumbled. "Sorry. Can't help myself, I don't...want to be too loud," she muttered, dropping her eyes and squirming under him in embarrassment.
"Hey, it's all right," Vel said, and he kissed her, giving her lower lip a series of soothing licks and gentle pecks.
"Don't worry about being quiet, Star. We've been together for a month now, you don't need to hold it in. Besides, I kind of want to hear you."
She felt herself arching up a little bit more for each peck. Then she groaned and covered her face with her hands, blushing.
"I know," she mumbled. "I just- I get so embarrassed." She knew it was a silly reaction, but she couldn't seem to help herself.
Shaking her head, she dropped her hands and huffed out a breath, then smiled at him. "I'll be good this time, though. Promise." She leaned up to kiss him again.
Vel smiled back at her, cupping her face with his hands and kissing her quite deeply. He started to move at that moment, gently drawing his hips back before thrusting in a bit harder, again and again.
"I love being so close to you. I can't get enough of you..."
Starbright gave a gasping sort of moan and rolled her hips to meet his, arms wrapping around his shoulders and head dipping to trail kisses along the column of his throat.
"Never enough," she whispered. "It's never enough, Vel, I always want you." She blushed for admitting it, hiding her face against his chest.
"Mm, always?" Vel teased. He thrust into her a bit harder for a fe wmoments before his pace evened out again.
"So, even when I'm teaching you, you can't help but think of Master's dick?"
"Always," she gasped, kissing his collar.
Face very red, she whispered, "Yes...sometimes..." Okay, most of the time, but even thinking that made her cheeks flare hotter.
"Mm, I'll keep that in mind, then."
He started to thrust into her with greater vigor.
Starbright moaned, rocking her hips to match him. "Wh-when you stand behind me, checking my work," she panted unthinkingly, "and you lean over my shoulder, and it's like all I can feel is you..."
Flushing, she turned her head to kiss the corner of his mouth.
Vel said no words in reply, instead answering her lust with more of his own. He kissed her neck, and held her hands tightly.
"Maybe from now on, I'll do more than check your work..."
She shivered delightedly, tilting her head back to bare more of her throat and lightly running her nails down his back. "That a promise?" she teased, voice trailing off into a breathy little sigh of pleasure.
"A promise, an oath..."
He grinned, and kissed one of her breasts.
"And a deep desire of mine."
Starbright moaned, starting to bite at her lip before she caught herself and made a conscious effort not to censor herself.
"More, Vel," she whispered, hooking one leg over his hip. "...please?"
Vel rested his forehead against Starbright's as he started to go into her harder and faster.
Mewling and bucking underneath him, Starbright closed her eyes and cupped his face in her hands, smoothing her thumbs over his cheeks. "Tell- tell me what to do," she offered, pressing quick kisses to his lips. "So close, Vel... I want you to feel this..."
"Don't stop, Starbright," Vel said, slipping his tongue past her lips.
"Make love to me until you can't make love anymore."
She nodded, flicking her tongue out to trace the line of his lips. Rolling her hips to meet his thrusts, she hooked her other leg around his waist.
"I- oh gods, Vel, I'm close," she panted, groaning and arching her back in an attempt to get as much contact as possible.
"Come, then," Vel said.
"Squeeze my seed out of me."
His words pushed her over the edge and she came with a cry, clenching her eyes shut and practically clawing at his back as she tried to press as close as possible.
Vel came again, pulling out about halfway through his orgasm so his seed spattered her belly and womanhood as well.
Yet, he still wasn't done with her, and he dragged his length against her clit time and time again as he continued to kiss her.
Starbright didn't have a moment to wind down, the shocks of her first climax barely fading when he was rubbing against her and she was climbing again.
"O-Oh. Vel, Vel," she whispered against his lips, breath hitching. "Don't- don't stop. Oh gods, don't stop!"
Vel didn't stop, and even as he penetrated her yet again, he rubbed her clit with a thumb.
Starbright groaned. "Oh, yes, Vel!" she gasped, unable to keep herself from squirming underneath him. She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him in for a kiss. She had to pull away quickly though to drag in a desperate breath. Overly sensitive to him already, she found herself teetering on the edge again.
Vel buried his entire length in her and turned her onto her side, cocking her leg up against his chest as he pounded her from a different angle.
She actually screamed as she came again, tightening around him and throwing her head back as waves of pleasure rocked through her, his name tumbling from her lips.
Vel didn't let up on her, reveling in the new position as he leaned in a bit further, putting his arm around her leg to keep it up as he laid down behind her, continuing to thrust as his other arm wrapped around her and squeezed her breast.
Starbright whimpered, reaching back to clutch at him desperately and murmuring his name mixed with soft moans.
"G-gods!" she wailed, arching her chest up into his touch. "I- I can't, Vel. You'll make me faint..." Another climax shook her and she sobbed with the pleasure, twisting her head to press kisses to any part of him she could reach.
Vel lifted his head so she could find his lips ready for her.
"Do you want me to slow down? Or maybe give Midnight a turn?"
She was caught between asking for a breather and not wanting him to stop.
Kissing Vel deeply, she whispered, "I love you," and let herself fade to make way for Midnight.
The dark haired sister gave a low groan as sensation hit her full force. "You don't have to slow down for me," she murmured, lips twitching up on one side.
Vel returned Midnight's smirk, and he started to fuck properly again.
"And you, Midnight? When I lean over your shoulder to check your work, do you share Starbright's feeling?"
He grinned.
"Or am I right to assume that if you want me, you'll take me?"
Midnight shuddered, both for his words and what he was doing to her.
"I do," she breathed. "I try to be a good student, but I suppose...more often than not..."
She twisted to kiss him again. "We end up here."
"Ah, but you still learn, don't you? Call it an alternate teaching method," Vel teased.
"Besides, it's not so bad for the Master either."
"Oh?" She grinned wickedly. "Not so bad? I thought Master loved this." She rolled her hips back, giving a soft mew as she tried to take him as deep as possible.
Vel sighed, mocking exasperation as Midnight rolled against him. Their current position was great for closeness, as they were pressed flush together, but movement wasn't the easiest thing.
Still, Elaros pressed his hips against Midnight's as she moved against him, tightening his arms around her as they made love.
Midnight gave a low chuckle, dropping one of her hands to rest on his arm as they pressed closer together.
Effectively trapped against him, she twisted her head to give him a mock pout. "It's not very easy for me to move like this you know," she murmured.
Vel chuckled, and he leaned forwards to kiss her pouty lips.
"Let's fix that, then," Vel said, and he rose up onto his knees. He motioned towards him, hoping Midnight would understand the position he wanted.
Giving him an arch look, Midnight twisted around to balance herself on all fours and looked back at him questioningly, not quite sure if she'd correctly understood his cue.
Vel smiled, letting Midnight know she'd read him right. He shuffled forwards on his knees, placing his hands on her ass as he teased her.
"Easier to move?"
Grinning, Midnight bucked her hips back against him for the teasing. "Much," she purred, peering back at him over her shoulder with smoldering crimson eyes.
She pressed back into him again, moaning quietly at the contact. "Vel, please. I need you."
"Mm, it sure sounds like you do," Vel teased, dragging the tip of his member along her folds before he stopped and pushed into her, coming to a stop only when he couldn't go any deeper.
"It never stops being so good. Gods, Night..."
"Oh, yes," Midnight hissed, eyes falling half closed. "So good, Vel," she agreed, rocking back against him and spreading her legs a little wider as she bowed her head toward the grass.
"You're always so good..."
Vel started to thrust, hips slapping against Midnight's ass. He put a single hand on her hips to keep her steady, the other gave her a spank.
She yelped, then groaned, wantonly bucking back into him. Midnight craned her neck back to look at him, eyes daring him as she panted out, "More, Vel."
More indeed. Faster, harder, he gave her more of everything, pounding her from behind as hard as he could.
Midnight's back arched and she gave a keening moan as she felt herself drawing ever closer to the edge.
She rocked back, grinding her hips against his as he thrust forward, and suddenly tightened around him, biting out his name between sharp, panting breaths as she reached her peak.
Vel wasn't quite done yet, so he turned Midnight onto her back, hungrily locking his lips with her as if the minutes he'd gone without kissing her left him deprived.
Midnight kissed him back just as hungrily, letting out a blissful sigh of satisfaction against his lips. "Insatiable," she teased breathlessly, rolling her hips against his as she started to recover from her climax.
"You love it," Vel retorted.
He thrust into her for a few more moments before yet another climax hit him, and he filled her. At that point, he was completely satisfied, so he opted to just slow down and kiss her.
"I love you, Midnight."
She gasped, then shuddered as she felt him release within her.
"I love you too, Vel," Midnight murmured, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and nuzzling her nose against his as they kissed.
"Midnight, I... I want to ask you something," Vel said, eyes shining with love for her.
"It's kinda important."
She blinked at him, then her lips curved up in one side. "Should I be worried?" She was mostly teasing.
Sobering, Midnight laid her hand on his cheek. "Ask, love. What is it?"
"W-well, I..."
Vel looked genuinely nervous, probably for the first time in weeks since their month had started. Finally, though, he straightened up, and he brought he up with him so they could sit up together.
"I... I want you to know that no matter what happens, no matter who you turn into and whether you remember me or not, I will always love you more than anything else in the world," Vel said.
"So, I-I made you this," He said, and he held out his hand. A small black box appeared, and he opened it, revealing quite the ring. It was made of gold and wood, with the wood being insets into the golden band of the ring. The gem was a square-cut diamond that twinkled with a beauty that only fine magical craftsmanship could obtain.
"Starbright, Midnight, will you marry me?"
"Oh..."
Oh...
For a moment they were struck utterly speechless.
Then Midnight and Starbright tried something they'd never tried before, reaching forward and back into themselves at the same time. They gasped quietly, eyes flickering from blue to red while gold streaks appeared through their black hair.
"Yes."
They could only manage it for a moment, then Midnight was in full control again. "Yes," she repeated, positively beaming. She threw her arms around his neck and clung to him, laughing. "Yes, Vel, of course!"
She leaned back, eyes flicking from his face to the ring. Her fingers fluttered toward it hesitantly. "Can- can I...?"
When their arms went around him, Vel let out the breath he was holding (a rather funny behavior, since he didn't need to breathe!) and he laughed along with them. He kissed her, and when she leaned away, Vel nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course!"
He held it out to her.
"Let me know if it doesn't fit just right and I'll adjust it."
She beamed, hesitating a moment before she slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly.
Midnight made a squeaking little sound that really wasn't like her and wrapped her arms around him again.
"I... You..." She couldn't seem to get much more than that out, so she settled for, "Thank you, Vel."
Vel beamed back at her, wrapping his arms around her and resting his head against her shoulder.
"I should be thanking you too," Vel said, and he lifted his head to kiss her.
"I've learned so much from being with you, and you've brought nothing but light into my life. I will always be here for you. Forever."
Midnight kissed him back eagerly, moving her lips to trail along his jaw when he broke away to speak.
"It doesn't matter what happens tomorrow," she murmured against his skin. "You're ours, and we're yours. Always and forever."
Vel's eyes closed at her words, and he smiled, simply opting to appreciate the moment. He nuzzled his forehead against her, and then lied down on his back, motioning for her to join him.
Following his lead, Midnight tucked herself against his side with a contented sigh. After a few moments of silence, she murmured, "Not fair of me to hog the moment."
She tilted her head back to kiss his cheek and let Starbright come forward, a wave of gold running through their hair.
The other sister smiled at him, eyes soft and sparkling. "Love you, Vel," she whispered, nuzzling into his neck. "Gods, I love you so much."
Vel chuckled lightly.
"I can't even express how much I love you," Vel said.
"It's like every time you're nearby, I just feel like nothing else matters. Like I can just curl up in your arms and forget about the rest of the world."
Starbright's smile grew and she snuggled closer against him. "Well, for now at least, that's exactly what I plan on doing," she told him happily, kissing his shoulder.
She let her head fall to rest on his chest with another sigh. "I wish this day would last forever..."
"Me too."
Vel turned onto his side, holding her close to him, hand placed confidently on her ass.
"I love doing this. Just lying down with you and appreciating everything."
She giggled softly, turning her face into his shoulder as she smiled. "You know, for a nearly all-powerful wizard, you're really just a big softy," Starbright teased quietly, wrapping her arms around his middle.
"What can I say, Starbright? You melt my ticking heart," Vel joked, and he gave her a squeeze.
"I can't ask for a better apprentice, though."
Starbright beamed. "I'm glad. I wasn't sure that I'd be any good at it." She traced her fingertips over his side.
Her eyes flicked to the ring sitting quite innocently on her finger. "This really is beautiful, Vel," she murmured. "When do you even have time to make this?"
"Well, I hate to admit my secrets, but you need sleep, and I don't," Vel said frankly.
"It took a lot of willpower, but I was able to sneak away at night in order to create it. I was doing that for the past week."
Her lips quirked to one side. "A week." She kissed the side of his neck, then resettled herself against him.
"Vel... Can I ask..." She bit her lip, then finished quietly, "How long were you...thinking about this?"
Vel flushed a bit at the question.
"I was about halfway done with the ring," Vel said.
"Originally, I was just going to give it to you as a gift, but..."
He trailed off.
"That night we spent on the astral plane four night ago, I decided that I would ask you to marry me."
Starbright felt herself flush. "I'm...I'm really glad you did," she whispered. "I mean- of course we would have stayed with you anyway, as long as you wanted, but it's- it's nice to think that we'll be tied. Like this."
Vel smiled, and took her hand, passing a finger over the ring.
"Maybe, when you're sufficiently skilled, you can make one for me?"
She nodded quickly, smiling. "I'd like that," she said excitedly. "I'd really like that, Vel."
Of course, lurking in the back of her mind was uncertainty and worry, but this day was just too perfect to let it bother her. She pushed it away, curling tighter into his side.
"Can we just...stay like this awhile? You kinda tired me out." She gave him a lopsided smile.
"Of course we can, love."
He let her tuck in and cuddle as much as she wanted, and he let his illusion fade away, going back to the half-way form.
"Maybe I should brew some stamina potions for the future? You'd definitely be able to go much longer."
Starbright chuckled, making minor, automatic adjustments to the way she lay against him as his form changed from flesh to wood and brass.
"Not a bad idea. Could always teach me how to make them and call it another lesson," she said cheekily, letting her eyes drift closed.
"Hmph," Vel huffed, and he planted a kiss on the tip of her nose.
"I bet Midnight would appreciate those potions greatly."
Yes please!
Starbright laughed again, crinkling her nose at him. "She probably will," she agreed brightly. Then her expression tightened slightly. "Would, I mean."
Vel winced a bit at his use of "would."
He didn't want to face the fact that he might lose them, but it was an inevitability.
"I can make some for tonight!" Vel said.
"Who knows, she might actually beat me. It's been a while since I've charged."
Starbright gave a dramatic groan. "Oh, don't challenge her. Now she won't rest until she does beat you."
Damn straight.
Shaking her head at her sister, she tilted her head back to better see his face. "Would you teach me then? Can't hurt to learn something new, right?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure there's much to teach when it comes to alchemy. You just need to know the ingredients and how to mix them," Vel said.
Vel grinned.
"Also, I don't mind MIdnight being so dedicated."
Oh that boy is not getting any sleep tonight.
Starbright rolled her eyes. "On your own head be it then," she laughed, pushing herself up a bit so she could lean down to give him a proper kiss.
Glancing up, she noted lightly, "We've still got daylight. I've had my picnic- you should choose something for us to do our last- today." She smiled at him softly.
Vel looked to be in thought for several moments, looking up at his wife-to-be (Gods, she was his wife now!).
"How about..."
He snapped his fingers.
"The reefs! Remember that plane we went to in the beginning that was just an endless coastline? And I told you about the reefs?"
"Oh, yes!" She did remember. Her eyes brightened at the idea. "Really? We can see them?" she asked excitedly, clasping one of his hands with a wide smile.
"Yes we can!" Vel said.
"I can magic up a force bubble for us so we can walk around without having to hold our breath."
Starbright's eyes positively sparkled. "That sounds amazing!" She started to get up, then remembered she was naked and curled in on herself with a squeak.
"Um, clothes. My clothes..." She glanced around, trying to remember what had happened to them.
"Clothes are here," Vel said, motioning to a pile of robes and clothing next to him. He picked out his robe and his shorts, and handed the rest of that bundle to Starbright.
"Thanks." She wriggled into her tunic and breeches, shrugging the robe on over top and tying it loosely so it fell mostly open.
Starbright bounced to her feet and held her hand out to him, beaming. "Let's get going then!"
"Always so eager! It's a miracle you run out of energy at all," Vel said as he stood with her. He took her hand, but suddenly he flushed a bit.
"Did... did you clean up? Down there? Remember, I leave something behind now."
"Oh, er...right." She flushed darkly. She almost crossed her legs, suddenly reminded that he was quite right.
"Just, ah- one minute." She scurried to hide behind a tree and clean herself up. A silly reflex maybe, but she didn't like the idea of him seeing it.
"Okay, ready!" She bounced back into the glen and took his hand with a bright smile.
Vel patiently waitied for Starbright t ocome back, and when she did, he took her hand again. He lifted a hand and opened a portal, wasting no time in guiding her through.
And then, they were back on the beach. The sun was rising here.
"It only feels like yesterday when we came here," Vel said.
Starbright sighed, breathing in the sea air happily. "Yeah, it does."
She tightened her grip on his hand and started pulling him toward the water, grinning widely. "C'mon!" she laughed, feeling like an excited child.
Vel stumbled as he was pulled along.
"Wait!" he laughed, and he managed to pull Starbright towards him and into his arms.
"Let me cast the spell first before you soak youself," he teased, and he kissed her before he started casting the force bubble.
Starbright giggled and leaned into him, kissing him back happily before she settled to lean against his chest and wrap her arms around his waist as she watched him cast the spell.
Vel performed a few complex signs and some simpler ones until a small, barely visible bubble surrounded them. He shaped it so that it would have ledges for sitting, and then he promptly took a seat, motioning for Starbright to join him.
She hesitated a moment, then opted to perch on his lap instead of sitting beside him. "Does this just...move on it's own, then?" she asked curiously, looking around at the bubble he'd created.
Vel raised a hand, and pointed forwards, and the bubble started to move directly forwards, hovering across the water's surface. He started to lower his hand, and the bubble slowly lowered as it moved forwards. Soon enough, they were submerged just past the shore, and Vel kept moving it forwards.
"Oh." Well, that answered that then. Starbright settled back against him and tucked her head into his shoulder as she flicked her eyes around curiously.
She wrapped her arms around Vel's waist and twisted to look back up at the surface of the water. "Oh! It's beautiful, seeing the sunlight filtering down like that," she noted quietly, lips curving up on one side.
"Yeah, and we're still on the beach! Just wait until we get to the reefs," Vel said, settling a bit so Starbright could sit more comfortably on his lap. At the moment, they were still cruising across the beach. Small ocean plants and fish greeted them, but it did seem to start building up as the water got bluer and bluer and the life seemed to get more complex.
She shifted around to snuggle closer against him, eyes searching the water with rapt fascination.
"Look," she laughed, pointing to a colorful fish as it swam by. "They're not afraid of us at all, are they?"
"Well, I'd like to think that they find us rather curious," Vel said, just in time for the fish to dart away. He cleared his throat.
"I mean, fish are naturally skittish."
"Well, I find them curious too," Starbright said with a laugh, watching the flash of color dart away. She leaned back against his chest and tucked her head into his shoulder.
"Tell me something," she said suddenly, rather spontaneously. "I know we've talked so much this last month, but there must still be things I don't know about you. Tell me one."
"Hmm," Vel said, and he looked in thought.
"That's a bit of a tough one... Oh!"
He reached up, and just popped his arm out of his socket.
"I can do that!"
Starbright jumped, startled. "Oh my-!"
She gave an incredulous little laugh, eyes wide. "I'm not sure whether I'm impressed or disturbed," she told him, smiling crookedly.
"Ah, but you didn't know I could do it!" He said, and popped his arm back on.
He was about to say something else, but then the reefs came into view. There was a small dip in the landscape, and the reefs were beneath them, stretching on into what seemed to be infinity. Countless varieties of fish, coral, and other sea creatures swam in the reefs beneath.
"Oh! Here we are."
She turned her head to look and her mouth fell open, a gasp hitching in her throat. "Oh..."
Starbright rose slowly to her feet, walking to the edge of the bubble and pressing her hand against it.
"Oh my gods, Vel. It's...it's beautiful," she breathed, glancing back over her shoulder at him.
"It is," Vel said as he lowered the bubble down so it sat just a few feet above the corals. He stood up, and stepped out to the center of the bubble.
"I'm surprised we didn't come here earlier."
"Me too," Starbright murmured, still captivated by the sight before her. Then she smiled and added quietly over her shoulder, "But...best for last I suppose, right?"
"Hm, yes," Vel agreed, and he looked to her.
"Gods, I look at you now and, well-- you're my wife!" Vel said.
"I couldn't be happier."
Her cheeks pinked and her smiled brightened exponentially. "Us too, Vel," Starbright said happily, crossing to wrap her arms around his waist and lean up for a kiss.
Mock pouting, she added playfully, "I hope you know when I call you "Master" now that's only in regards to magic. Just because you're my husband-" she stuttered a little over the newness of the word, "-doesn't mean you get to boss me around."
"Well, I never bossed you around before, so I don't see a reason to start now!" Vel said, kissing her when she pulled away.
"Well, now that we're married, we'll have to consummate," Vel said, grinning at her rather widely.
Starbright laughed. "I suppose we will," she agreed, eyes glinting. She leaned up for another kiss, letting this one linger.
Vel gladly accepted the lingering kiss, moving forward just a bit so that she was against the bubble's wall. His kissing got hotter and heavier.
She gave a soft sound of surprise that settled into appreciation at his kisses, curving her arms up around his neck to pull him against her. "What, here? Now?" she teased quietly when they broke apart for a moment.
"Well, if we wait until we get home, I'll have to brew those stamina potions," Vel said.
"And, well, you know."
He kissed her again.
"Why not do this whenever we get the chance?"
"Hmm..." She leaned up into the kiss. "Good point."
Starbright let her hands trail down his sides to rest on his hips, tugging him gently to her as she kissed him again.
"So," Vel started, and he parted Starbright's robe, hands going to her sides and ass.
"Do you want to have a ceremony? Or are you content with just being husband and wife?"
"A ceremony?" Starbright shrugged her shoulders to urge her robe down off her arms. The idea did have some appeal. But- well, it wasn't just her decision.
"Whatever you want." She smiled and kissed his cheek. "We both know I'm yours. It doesn't matter to me if we say it officially or not.
"I like that point of view on it," Vel said.
"I'm yours too, girls."
Her smile brightened just a bit and she reached up to cup his face. Her robe pooled around her feet as she did.
"We love you, Vel," Starbright murmured, hearing Midnight echo the words in the back of her mind as she stretched onto her toes for a kiss.
Vel shrugged off his own robe, and he conjured up his member, which is how he worked in his half-way form. It was a different experience altogether, her skin against his hard exterior.
It felt almost like a fantasy.
Starbright gave a sharp little gasp, then leaned into him more and nudged her hips forward against his. Dipping her head slightly to kiss the center of his chest, she murmured, "Shouldn't we...move?" Her eyes flicked to the little ledge he'd created. "Make things easier?"
Vel glanced back to the ledge, and smiled sheepishly.
"Yeah," he muttered, a blush appearing on his semi-translucent features. Their bubble actually descended into the forest of coral, nestling itself in a clear area so they were now fully surrounded by colorful reef life.
Vel walked backwards, still holding her as he brought himself to sit down on the ledge.
"One of these days, we gotta have sex in just like... a plain room or something. just to change the pace," Vel teased.
She laughed quietly as he led her back, waiting until he'd settled himself before climbing up onto his lap and sliding her knees to either side of his hips.
"Yeah, we really should," Starbright agreed with a soft, playful little smile. "I suppose we'd scandalize less fish that way," she added teasingly, and leaned in to kiss him.
Vel accepted the kiss, letting it draw out whatever tension he had left before they'd started.
"Yes, poor fish indeed. They must be so taken aback right now," Vel said.
"Have I ever told you how much I love having you on my lap like this?"
Starbright giggled. "I'm not sure," she murmured, eyes glinting. She wiggled her hips teasingly and bit back a small gasp. "Maybe you should remind me. What do you like about it?"
Huh. I'm actually a little impressed.
She ignored Midnight and rocked her hips forward gently, drawing her bottom lip between her teeth with a quiet groan.
"Well, from here, I can reach any part of you I want," Vel said.
"I can kiss your chest, neck, lips, whatever. And I love watching you move from this angle," Vel said.
"And, well, it's good for cuddling, too. For when I want to just be with you."
Vel smiled, and kissed Starbright.
"What's your favorite position? And this question goes out to the both of you."
Her eyes softened at that, rather touched by some of his reasoning. "My sweet Vel," Starbright said quietly, and leaned in to give him a quick kiss.
As she pulled away, she murmured, "When I'm on my back, and your hands are on my hips and you're pulling me into you every time you move." She flushed and ducked her eyes. "When- when you leaned down to kiss me, it's like you're everywhere."
She paused a moment, listening. "Midnight...she says she likes anything where her back is to you." Her blush deepened and she added, "R-riding you like that. She says...she loves the sounds you make..." Automatically she started to raise her hand to cover her face, even though it wasn't really her saying it.
Vel's hand beat Starbright's to her face, where he gently laid his palms against her flushed cheeks.
"I like having you on your back, too," Vel said. He nudged his hips forward, tip of his cock brushing against her heat.
"And... and I like it when Midnight dominates me as well," Vel said.
Starbright tilted her head into his touch automatically. She gave a little shudder when he brushed against her, shifting her hips in an effort to repeat the touch.
"This- this is good too," she whispered. "Really good. Anything with you, Vel, it doesn't matter to me." She leaned forward to kiss him again and murmured against his lips, "As long as it's you...."
She bit her lip and shifted again, taking in just the tip of him with a small mew of pleasure as her lashes fluttered against her cheeks.
Vel let out a noise of his own when his head sank into her, and he took the initiative and pushed her down the rest of the way on him.
"I love you, Starbright. I love you, I love you."
He darted in to kiss her.
"Love you."
She drew in a sharp breath as he pulled her down and kissed him back needily. "I love you," Starbright replied a little breathily. "Gods, I love you so much..."
She tilted her head to trail kisses across his cheeks and down his neck to his shoulder. "Just- just love me, Vel," she whispered, hiding her face against him. "Love me like it's your last chance."
She wasn't quite sure where the words came from, but she didn't try to take them back as she rolled her hips slowly against his.
Vel nodded slowly, and his hips moved in time with Starbright's, coming up to meet her every time she came down.
Hands all over her, he wanted their passions to slowly burn them up.
Starbright moved at an almost maddeningly slow pace, each movement meant to really feel him as much as she could. She rocked her hips forward languidly and gave a quiet groan.
With a soft gasp, she leaned back a bit, guiding two of his hands to the small of her back and urging the others to her breasts.
Vel's hand went right to where she wanted them to go. He squeezed her, linking his arms behind her back so they could be chest-to-chest as Starbright tortuously rolled on top of him.
She just about purred, lifting her hips away from his before oh so slowly sinking back down. Starbright reached up to curl her hands around his neck and gently pulled him forward into a kiss. "I love you," she whispered against his lips, never stopping the now almost painfully slow movements of her hips.
"Gods, Starbright," Vel moaned into her mouth as they kissed, thoroughly intoxicated with passion.
Starbright groaned quietly and started to move faster. She just couldn't help herself, couldn't take the slow torture anymore. Her fingers curled around his shoulders and she trailed her lips down to his collar, then his chest.
And as she got faster, Vel let out a sigh and sped up to match her. One of his hands stroked her head as her mouth passed over his collarbone.
"Harder, Starbright."
She hummed against him as her lips mapped a trail over his neck and shoulders. She started to rock her hips into his fiercely, a moaning whimper rising up in her throat as she did.
"Gods, Vel," Starbright gasped out, lashes fluttering against her cheeks.
Vel looped his top pair of arms around Starbright's neck, and he kissed her deeply as she rode him. Everything was just so perfect at the moment. He wanted to be there forever with her. He didn't want to face what could happen as a result.
Starbright returned the kiss with an almost desperate kind of passion as her hands came up to frame his face. She whispered his name with every brief parting of their lips and her movements started to become jerky and frantic as she came closer and closer to her peak.
Then she was crashing over the edge with a cry, pressing her hips flush to his and just clinging to him, trembling slightly against him.
Starbright and Vel came together, and he sat there, holding her tightly as she clung to him, and he laid gentle kisses on the side of her head.
She gave a shaky sigh and curled even further into him, laying her head on his shoulder as she slowly got her breath back.
"Love you, Vel," Starbright murmured as she wrapped her arms tighter around his neck.
Vel smiled faintly and rested his head on Starbright's.
"Light of my life," Vel mumbled, and he left a kiss on the top of her head.
Starbright smiled softly and nuzzled closer against him. "My hero," she murmured quietly in response.
It wasn't necessarily something she'd said out loud to him before, but she felt like she should have. It was true, at least to her. He'd saved them.
Vel was still for a bit after she spoke, before he held her tighter, smiling widely.
"Flatterer," he teased.
"You love it," Starbright teased back, using his words against him. She leaned back a bit and rolled her shoulders, letting out a soft sigh.
As she glanced around at the colorful, vibrant world outside their little bubble, she murmured, "This really has been amazing, Vel."
She looked to him and bit her lip. "Not- not just this. I mean-" She smirked and wiggled her hips gently. "This was amazing, but I meant...everything. This day, this month." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "Thank you."
"This month has been like a waking dream. You and your sister have made me into the happiest sentient construct in the multiverse, " Vel mused.
"But nobody ever said it stops being amazing when today has passed," Vel said, and he took Starbright's hand, passing his thumb over the ring he'd given her.
"Starbright, Midnight, know that whatever happens, I will stand by your side until the end of time itself. I love you. I love you so much, I feel like my heart is going to start pumping blood instead of air."
Starbright fell quiet for a moment- mostly because she was afraid if she tried to talk she'd start crying.
She settled for hiding her face against his chest and tightening her arms around his neck. "We love you, Vel," she murmured softly once she felt like she could risk speaking. "We will never stop loving you."
It was a promise she desperately hoped they could keep.
Vel brought Starbright up against him a bit, and while it did slip him out of her, he made up for it by sealing their lips together in a slow, loving kiss.
"Shall we go home?" Vel asked softly.
"I know Midnight's eager to return."
She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the kiss for a moment with a soft sigh. Then she nodded and leaned back slightly to give him a smile.
"Can't hide anything from you, can we?" Starbright teased quietly. She moved to get of his lap, albeit reluctantly.
"I know you too well," Vel said, grinning at her.
When she moved to get off his lap, Vel continued to hold her.
"Noo, not yet," he whined, and their bubble slowly started to move, this time going upwards towards the surface.
"Let's take our time," he said with a grin.
Starbright laughed quietly as she resettled herself on his lap. "As you like," she chirped with a grin.
Honestly, she wouldn't care if it took them another month to leave this bubble.
Well, that just seems a little unrealistic.
"I like very much," Vel answered, and he gave her ass a playful squeeze. The ball hovered just above the reefs now. A rather large shark passed by their bubble before descending into the reefs below. Vel watched it as it went.
"Ooo, I think that's a new one," Vel said.
"I haven't seen that species before."
"Oh!" Starbright's eyes went wide and she squeaked in surprise and- honestly- a bit of fear as the toothy fish swam by. She shrank back against Vel and unconsciously wrapped her arms tighter around his shoulders.
"That's, um...that's interesting," she murmured, still rather wide eyed. She cleared her throat and added, feeling a little more at ease, "Wouldn't have thought there's much left that you haven't seen before."
"Well, you'd be surprised about what I don't know. Apart from my extensive knowledge of magic and Le'Ranna, I have an understanding of other planes at a level I would consider 'basic'," Vel said.
"I really don't know as much as you think I do."
"Still about ten times more than most people know," Stabright pointed out brightly with a small smile. Her eyes glinted rather adoringly at him before she turned her attention to their surroundings again.
The way the light filtered down through the water was almost hypnotic, especially as the sun started a downward arc toward the horizon.
"When, um... When we- when she-" Starbright started, then frowned a bit as she stumbled. She settled with, "After tomorrow, do you think you'll- we'll go back to visit the places we saw this past month?"
"If you so desire," Vel said, brushing some of that beautiful golden hair of hers to the side and placing a hand on her cheek. He smiled at her, adoration and love in his eyes as well.
"There are many more places we can visit as well."
Starbright somehow found herself on the verge of tears again, though whether they were from joy or fear was actaually difficult for her to tell.
"That sounds wonderful, Vel," she said softly, and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Then she had to blink and look away, trying to swipe surreptitiously at her eyes.
"Gods, I'm just a mess today," she said with a self-deprecating little laugh. Her eyes tried to focus on the reef below them. "So these potions," she chirped suddenly in a not very subtle attempt to change the subject. "How long do you think it'll take to make?"
Vel looked like he was about to comment about her self-deprecating joke, but then she changed the subject, and Vel grinned at her.
"Well, it shouldn't take me too long to make them. It really depends on if Midnight minds if they taste decent or not."
Starbright opened her mouth to answer, then paused. She gave Vel a smile and a quick kiss before letting Midnight come forward.
Settling against him, the dark hair girl tilted her head and her lips twitched up on one side. "Doesn't make any difference to me," she informed him blithely.
Vel smirked at that.
"I have a hunch that tune might change, but no matter," Vel said, and he kissed her.
"So, how does being married strike you, Midnight?"
"Hmm..." She tilted her head as she considered the question.
"Well- it's not something I ever really thought about before, but I think it's...rather nice," she admitted after a moment.
Smiling crookedly, she leaned into him and nuzzle briefly against his cheek. "And you?"
"I still find it all so dreamy," Vel said, turning his head so they could nuzzle noses.
"But I know that I'm the luckiest man in the world to have you by my side."
Midnight chuckled quietly. "Yeah, it almost doesn't seem real sometimes."
She gave him a quick, soft kiss and a smile. "I think we're the lucky ones, Vel."
Vel scoffed.
"I think we were both extremely fortunate to meet each other," Vel said, giving her a satisfied grin.
"Love you, 'Night."
The bubble started to move back in the direction of the shore, rising up until it was just below the surface before travelling horizontally.
She smiled softly and let her forehead rest against his for a moment. "Love you too."
Midnight twisted a bit on his lap to watch the changing view around them as they moved closer to shore. He eyes flicked down to the ring quite without her permission and she found herself twisting it back and forth on her finger.
When Midnight twisted on his lap, Vel moved his arms accordingly for her comfort. He watched the coastline come up with her, but her fidgeting with the ring caught his eye. He looked down to her finger, and then back to her.
"Does it not fit right?"
"Hm? Oh no. No." She smiled. "It fits perfectly, I just- it's sort of strange to see it. Good strange," Misnight hastened to assure him. "But I suppose it may just take some getting used to."
"Oh, I understand that feeling," Vel said.
"Every time I would install something new in myself, it'd take some adjusting."
Vel shuddered.
"Like my joints. Before I put new joints into myself, I moved a lot more stiffly. You should've seen it."
She smiled at him crookedly. "Really? Huh." She tucked her head against his shoulder and curved into him a little more. "Well, I'm glad you fixed that then," she murmured with a small laugh. "As much fun as I would probably get out of teasing you about it, I like the way you move now."
That coaxed some blushy laughter from Vel, whose expression straightened out into a smirk afterwards.
"Yes, I suppose you prefer the fluidity of my movements?"
"Mhmm..." Midnight's smirk widened and she nuzzled into his neck gently. "The flexibility is nice too," she teased quietly, pressing a soft kiss to the curve of his shoulder.
"Where would we be without it?" Vel teased back.
The bubble made it back to shore, setting down on the sand.
"Love you, Midnight."
"And I you." She smiled and pecked his cheek, then looked to the sand below their feet.
Midnight sighed quietly. "It's feels like we're coming back to reality." She wasn't sure she liked it.
"In a way, it does," Vel said, and he stood with her. The bubble disappeared around them, and he glanced around at the infinite coastline that stretched out to either side of them. He took Midnight's hands and held them, and he leaned in to give her a soft kiss.
"But just think about how magical reality's going to be," Vel said.
She kissed him back and laced her fingers with his. "Maybe it will be, with you," she relented quietly, then blushed a bit. "Gods, you've turned me into such a sap."
"I've got you blushing and everything," Vel said, and he planted a kiss on her cheek.
"What say we return home and do less sappy things?"
Midnight chuckled. "Agreed," she said with a lopsided smile.
Vel opened a portal and gave Midnight a kiss, leading her on through. They were standing in the bedroom, and Vel gave the bed a glance.
"Just make yourself comfortable while I go brew those potions, my love," he said before parting with her.
"I won't be gone long."
Midnight nodded and rocked up for another quick kiss before he left. She drifted to the bed and sat on the edge, brow furrowed as she thought.
Their last day was almost over, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it to be.
With a soft sigh, she shook her head to chase the thought from her mind and absently set about "making herself comfortable"- which pretty much meant by the time Vel returned she was sprawled lazily across the bed with her clothes tossed to the floor.
It took Vel about ten minutes to brew the potions, and when he came back up, he had three simple vials on a metal tray. He was in his human form now, wearing nothing but his trousers as he walked to the bed and set the tray down on the bedside table.
He looked to Midnight, and gave her a smile before he flopped down onto the bed with her. He put his arm around her and kissed her.
"I hope I didn't disturb your nap," Vel teased.
"Hmph." Midnight's lips twitched up in a crooked smile and she leaned into him to return the kiss. "Maybe you did, but I don't think I mind," she teased back lightly.
She pushed herself up into her elbows and glanced at the tray he'd brought with him, quirking an eyebrow. "Do I have to drink all of those?"
"Drink them at your leisure," Vel said, and he passed a hand over her hip.
"Drink one when you tire out, and then another when you tire out again, and so on."
Vel put his forehead against Midnight's.
"I... I want this to last for as long as possible."
Midnight nodded with a murmured, "I see." She shifted a little into his touch unconsciously.
Her eyes flicked to his face and her lips curved up on one side. "As long as possible?" She leaned forward to brush her lips against his, whispering, "Sweet, I think we'll need another month."
"I hope," Vel said, and he gave her a fiery kiss before rising to his knees. He started unbuckling his pants.
"Well, let's get started, then. Here's to another month."
She kissed him back, following him up and letting her hands trail to the hem of his pants. "Here's to the rest of our lives," she said quietly.
Misnight grasped his hips gently and leaned in to kiss him heatedly.
Vel let himself be kissed, focusing on getting his pants down and off. As soon as he was free of them, he put his arms around Midnight's waist and pulled her against him, their bodies pressed flush together as he sought to devour her with kisses.
Midnight wrapped her arms around his shoulders and kissed him like it was the last chance she'd get. She rose up a little higher on her knees so she was arched over him slightly, then slid back down, pressing herself as close to him as she could manage as she did, and all the while never breaking the kiss.
Eventually she let her lips travel to his neck and rocked her hips forward against him gently. "Love you," Midnight murmured against his skin, not sure why but suddenly compelled to say it aloud.
"Love you more," Vel said, shooting her a grin as his mouth descended to her neck.
At this point, he usually would've had his hands on her ass, but he was taking it nice and slow.
"Gods, Midnight, everything about you is so perfect. I'm addicted to you."
She hummed happily in the back of her throat and breathed, "Good."
Midnight had to admit she was a little surprised that Vel seemed to be taking his time, but she was perfectly willing to let him set their pace. She slid one hand over his shoulders in gentle strokes and dipped to kiss his collar softly.
"I don't feel...right if I'm not with you," she admitted quietly after a moment, cheeks heating as the words left her mouth.
"I don't want anybody else," Vel whispered, and he held her closer, arms around her waist.
"Be one with me, Midnight..."
Midnight leaned into him with a small smile. "That's all I want, Vel," she whispered against his lips before catching them in a kiss, reaching down to stroke him lightly as she did. "Always."
Vel let out a soft gasp when she started to stroke him, and he slipped his tongue into her mouth to dance with her own as his hands went downwards. His right stopped at her buttocks, but his left continued onwards in order to tease her, testing the moist flesh between her legs.
"So, are you going to be taking turns with your sister, or am I all yours, Night?"
She gasped as his fingers found her heat, shuddering delightedly. His question didn't exactly take her by surprise- she and Starbright had actually worked something out.
"Tomorrow she'll be with you, until the ritual," she whispered, eyes glinting at him. "So tonight...you're all mine."
Midnight sealed her lips to his fiercely, then trailed down to kiss and nip at his neck. Her fingers wrapped more securely around him and she started to pump up and down his length slowly.
"Mm, let's not waste any more time, then," Vel said, leaning forwards a bit as he pressed back against her kissing.
"I burn for you."
Midnight smirked. "You'd better," she whispered.
Using touch to line them up, she rocked her hips forward and slid halfway along his length with a soft groan. "Oh, Vel." She buried her face in the curve of his neck, dragging her lips along his collar.
"Is that a threat?" Vel teased, and he nibbled along her neck as they slowly rubbed together.
Midnight chuckled. "Maybe," she breathed, circling her hips a bit against him teasingly. She let her head tilt back to offer better access to her neck with a softly purred, "More of a...proposition."
Vel chuckled against her neck, and he gave her a spank.
He started to use his fingers again, and even as his length slowly glided along her folds at that torturous pace, he used them to keep her spread and to play with her clit.
"I've got a surprise for you," Vel said.
"Something I've prepared beforehand, like your wedding ring."
She shuddered delightedly at his touches, giving a soft groan and a murmured, "Tease," against his neck.
Midnight tried to focus on him rather dazedly as he spoke, forcing her mind to move passed the way he was making her ache for him. "Oh?" she whispered. A small smile graced her lips. "You're making me feel guilty, Vel- we don't have anything to give you in return..."
"Seeing you happy is the only payment I need," Vel said, a he reached down and gently took her hand off of him, holding it as he kissed her, making sure she wouldn't see as he applied the changes to his illusion form.
In essence, he just made himself bigger, both lengthening and increasing in girth, now large enough to fulfill any fantasy, no matter how wild or fanciful. It wasn't a very hard thing to implement, either. He already had control of his form, why not use it to make this long night count?
He lowered Midnight's hand back onto it.
"Surprise."
"Oh."
Midnight's eyes widened slightly as she explored the changes with light touches, stroking and dancing her fingers along him carefully.
She bit her lip, glancing down and then back up at his face. Scarlet eyes flared. "You know, I didn't actually think it was possible to want you more," she murmured. "But gods you've proved me wrong."
She leaned in to kiss him fiercely, wrapping her fingers around him and using the touch to line them up so she could grind against him with a soft, blissful moan. "I need you, Vel, please."
"And I'm happy to give," Vel replied, moving his hips up, still sort of getting used to the extra mass himself, and a good portion of his length dragged against her.
"How do you want me? On your back? On your knees?"
"O-ohhh..." Midnight stuttered out a soft moan and let her eyes flutter shut for a moment.
Then she opened them and searched his face. A smile curved at her lips and she leaned in to kiss the spot just below his ear.
"Lie on your back," she urged quietly. "I- I've thought of something I want to try..."
Vel nodded gently, and he gave Midnight one last kiss before he set himself backwards, eyes filled with mirth, lust, and love for her.
Midnight simply stayed on her knees and looked at him for a moment, smiling softly. She leaned down to press a quick kiss to his lips with a whispered, "You are perfect, love."
She turned to put her back to him and swung one leg over him so she was straddling his hips. She reached down to stroke him again, rocking her hips forward to rub teasingly against him a few times.
Then she shuffled her knees back and bent to wrap her lips around the tip of him with a quiet hum that started up in the back of her throat. Her hands moved to his hips and she shifted back a little further so she could dip her head down and take him deeper into her mouth, her behind cocked into the air as she did.
Even before Midnight started to suck on him, Vel's hands were on her sides, and they drifted to her ass once she bent over and started working.
Vel lifted up a bit and passed his tongue over her experimentally, and then started to return the favor in full, nipping her clit with his teeth and pushing his tongue into her.
Midnight had to pause a moment to gasp a breath as Vel started working her. With a low, playful growl she dipped her head again and dragged her tongue along him from base to tip before taking him fully into her mouth again, raising a hand to wrap her fingers around him as she did.
She'd learned a lot in a month, now able to work her lips, tongue, and hand in a steady and practiced rhythm that had certainly paid off in the past. Still, Vel's little surprise forced her to adjust, to learn as she moved.
A task that was certainly not made easier by the attentions of his mouth on her. Not that she was complaining.
Vel's hips squirmed as Midnight pleasured him, yet he found himself hungering for her, pulling her closer so he could devour her at greater speed.
Indeed, she had learned much, although Vel still lamented that she'd learned more about sex than about wielding her budding magical potential. This was a place where many of her lessons had ended up in.
Vel took a break from licking her to speak.
"This is a great view, by the way."
She chuckled quietly around him, lifting her head with a long lick and twisting a bit to look back at him.
"Thought you'd enjoy it," Midnight said with a rather smug smirk, though she was flushed and panting from his own ministrations, before she dipped back down to continue working him.
"And you? Enjoying the new toy?" Vel said before getting right back down to business. He started applying his fingers as well, fingering her as his tongue rolled over her folds and even joined his fingers inside of her on several occasions.
Midnight gasped sharply and went still for a moment as a little shiver ran through her. "Mhm..." She lifted her head again. "You know what, I am," she whispered. "But I think I'm done teasing."
With a reluctant sort of groan, she twisted around in a rather elegant motion so she was facing him properly, straddling his hips. She leaned down to kiss him, rocking her hips against his gently with a soft mew for the strange-familiar feeling of his increased length rubbing against her.
"Take me," Vel whispered into her mouth as she rocked against him, hands firmly holding her ass.
"I want to be inside you."
Gods if that didn't make her positively ache for him.
Midnight smiled against his mouth, drawing his bottom lip gently between her teeth. As she did she sunk her hips down to envelope him with a groan.
"Oh gods!" She had to pause, shuddering, as she adjusted to his size. "V-Vel..." Her hands clenched in the sheets by his head. She actually wasn't sure she could move for a few moments, focusing on remembering how to breathe.
Vel sighed, as it was also a much tighter fit for him in there, and he took Midnight as an example and simple sat there to appreciate the new sensation.
"Oh my god's it's like I'm being squeezed," Vel said, and he gave a small buck upwards.
"O-oh!" Midnight clenched her eyes shut and groaned. "Gods, Vel, I've never felt so full," she whispered, panting.
She bucked her hips against him in response, slowly starting to work into a rhythm. "I...really like this surprise," she gasped out.
"It's all for you," Vel chimed, holding her by the sides, grinding against her when he bucked up.
"Whenever you want it, however you want it. I will never stop loving you."
Midnight gave him a smoldering look for that. "Come here," she murmured, leaning down to him and pulling at his shoulder to tug him up slightly for a fiery kiss.
She fell into a rhythm with her hips. "Gods, you're tearing me apart," she whimpered against his lips with a shudder of delight.
Vle returned the kiss with fire of his own, only spurred onwards to harder thrusting by her encouragement.
"Let's make love until we can't make love anymore. I want to devour you, to be one with both you and your sister. I love you."
"Yes," Midnight purred into another kiss. "Yes, sweetling, yes. You're the only thing in the world we want."
She ground down against him and moaned. He was deeper inside her than he'd ever been before, and she couldn't get enough of the feeling. "I love you," she breathed.
"I-I...gods, Vel, I love you so much it hurts," she practically wailed as she felt herself drawing closer to the edge, more quickly than she normally would.
Vel threw his arms around her, kissing her delightedly as they reveled in one another's passions. Vel arched his back, lifting his hips up a bit higher so they'd collide a sharper angle, an angle that had him going ever deeper, stroking parts of Midnight that had never been touched prior.
Midnight gasped at the shift and picked up her pace, crashing their hips together almost frantically. She leaned into the kiss, the touch fevered and almost desperate.
Then she slid down on him, sheathing him fully within her, and she broke away from the kiss with a sharp moan as she came. She honestly wasn't quite sure how it was possible, but she felt herself tighten around him and shuddered, back arched and eyes closed as she wordlessly cried her pleasure to the ceiling.
Had she just come? Already?
Vel grinned at her. He took his hands off her ass so he could wrap her up in his arms. He nibbled on her breast, hands passing over her to add sensation ont top of the crashing wave of her climax.
"It's going to be a long night, my loves," Vel said, and he started to buck again.
Midnight gave a small sound that was almost a whimper at his attentions, her breath coming in sharp little pants.
She was frankly a bit embarrassed by how little it had taken to push her over the edge, but it didn't stop her from tilting her head to kiss his temple and rock her hips weakly against him as she started to recover slightly.
"S-sorry," Midnight murmured as she clung to him. "Just- gods, don't stop..."
Getting her breath back a bit, she dragged her nails lightly down his back and ground her hips in a little circle against his.
"Don't apologize," Vel said against her lips, and he gave her a deep kiss as he continued to buck.
"Your orgasms feel great. I'm going to give you as many as I can."
Midnight shivered in unabashed delight and anticipation as she moaned a quiet, "Oh dear gods."
She smiled wickedly at him and ground her hips down into his as he bucked up. "Prove it," she purred, leaning in to nip his ear playfully. "Fuck me, Vel. Show me you mean it." She reached down between them to stroke him where they were connected.
That was all he needed to hear.
He started to lance up into her with the pacing and precision that only a machine could achieve.
"I'm gonna fuck you until your womanhood weeps with my seed," Vel said.
"Oh gods, oh gods." Her head fell back and she gasped every time their hips came together. She rocked down when bucked into her, desperately trying to get as much friction as possible.
"Yes," Midnight purred. "Yes, Vel- ah! There, right there. Oh, fill me up, love..."
A long, low moan stuttered out of her as a particular thrust had him brushing against the deepest parts of her. She could almost swear he'd touched her womb. "Gods, Vel," she whispered, dipping her head to kiss his chest. "It's- you're so much."
Indeed, Vel had reached her deepest parts, and when the tip of his cock brushed against her cervix, he let out a breath, found that angle again, and kept at it.
"It's all for you. Every single millimeter of me is yours forever."
Midnight growled out a rather possessive, "Good," and nipped at the column of his throat. The onslaught of Vel pounding into her had her gasping and spiraling ever higher with each thrust.
"And- and I'm yours," she moaned out as once again she found herself approaching her peak much more quickly than usual. "We're yours. All of us, everything we are, everything we'll be- we'll always be yours."
Vel sealed his lips to Midnight, holding her close so they were writhing flush together, chest-to-chest, with him pounding against her cervix with each thrust.
"I love you, Midnight."
Midnight smiled against his lips as she kissed him. "Love you more," she said quietly, eyes glinting at him.
Then another thrust sent her sailing over the edge again and she clenched down around him with a soft cry. Her fingers dug into his back and she pressed herself as close against him as she could manage.
The aftershocks of her climax pulsed through her and she sagged against him slightly. "Switch?" she suggested, twisting a bit to lie on her back.
Vel nodded, and he kissed her as he pitched forwards. She would end up on her back, and Vel gave her a moment to adjust and get comfortable, kissing her the whole time.
"Love you more."
Midnight wiggled under him as she adjusted to their new position and beamed up at him. "Not possible," she chuckled, reaching up to twine her arms around his neck and pull him in for a kiss.
Her legs lifted up to hook over his hips and she bucked against him gently. "You gonna make good on that promise from before?" she teased, voice breathy as she was still sort of recovering from her climax.
"Oh yeah," Vel said, and he started to move against her, nice and slow so that she could feel every thick inch of him sliding into her.
"That, and more."
"Ohhh, Vel." Midnight let her head fall back and closed her eyes, just basking in the sensations. "Just like that..."
Taking her cue from him, she tried to match his pace with slow rolls of her hips to grind against him as he moved. Her hands slid down over his back, nails scratching lightly, and she gripped his hips to pull him a little more forcefully against her.
Vel took her cue and started to thrust into her with greater force, although he maintained the same speed. He took her hands into his own and held them above her head, essentially pinning her, leaving her helpless to do anything but receive him.
Midnight moaned and writhed underneath him, spreading her legs wider in an effort to take him as deep as possible.
"Have I mentioned lately that I love it when you do this?" she panted out, twisting her wrists in his hold to indicate what she meant. As much as Midnight enjoyed being in a dominant position, she had developed a particular fondness for the way Vel could pin her and make her squeal.
"You haven't," Vel said, and he kissed her.
"But I can tell you can't get enough of it."
Suddenly, though, he winced, and he started to speed up.
"I'm coming, Midnight!"
"Oh, yes!" She arched up under him and threw her legs around his waist as she did her best to slam her hips up into him. "Come for me, Vel. I want everything you have!"
And that is what he gave her.
He groaned as he came, filling her with his faux seed.
Midnight let her moans spill out of her unchecked as she felt him release inside her and tightened her legs around his waist.
"Dear gods," she groaned, trembling beneath him and panting rather desperately. A ragged chuckle left her and she wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders.
"Star is going to be so sore tomorrow..."
"Sorry, not sorry," Vel said, and he gave Midnight a light, tender kiss.
"But this is just the beginning, Midnight," Vel said, and immediately, his expression turned haughty.
"Need a stamina potion?"
"Ha!" Midnight smirked at him, though the way her chest was heaving with pants probably mitigated the effect somewhat.
"Well aren't we feeling smug?" she teased, nuzzling her nose against his. "Like you said- this is just beginning. I've got at least two more in me before I'll need some help."
She might have been bluffing- with his increased size she honestly wasn't sure. Still, Midnight had never been one to back down from a challenge, and she bucked her hips up against him with a wicked little glint in her eyes.
Vel let his eyes drift closed when she gave him that playful buck, and he brushed a hand along her cheek.
"Gods, I love it when you look at me like that," Vel said, and he kissed her.
"You're a goddess."
That brought a rather flustered blush to her cheeks and Midnight suddenly found herself biting her lower lip gently in a very Starbright-like reaction to her embarrassment.
"I'm not," she murmured, though she didn't glance away as her sister might have. "I'm...just me." She kept her eyes locked on his- he'd said he liked it, and though she wasn't sure what exactly she was doing, if it made him happy she was more than willing to continue.
She tilted her head to better kiss him, loving the heat of his body over hers. "You're the extraordinary one here," she murmured, lightly but with obvious sincerity, before placing a few soft kisses on his lower lip.
"Say what you will, you're still a goddess," Vel teased, and he nuzzled noses with her. They were going at a rather slow pace, so he decided to start kicking things back up.
"Hands and knees?"
"Mmm..." She decided not to argue with him. If that was really how he wanted to see her, she would gladly take it.
Her soft hum turned into a chuckle and she gave him a fiery sort of look and a nod. "Here, let me up."
She wriggled her wrists free and turned over to perch on all fours, rubbing her hips back against him languidly. "Make me scream, Vel," she challenged in a rough whisper.
Vel took a moment to take her in, slowly rubbing his hands on her ass as she pressed against his length.
"Gladly."
He oriented himself for entry, and pushed about halfway into her with a single thrust, and then the rest of the way in with another. He sighed, enjoying the feeling of her, before he started to pound her mercilessly.
Midnight arched back into him and moaned loudly, urging him on. Her heart seemed to be thudding in her ears, though even that was barely audible over the slap of skin against skin.
"Gods yes..." The words left her on a ragged breath as she felt him starting to reach those deep places inside her again. A shudder ripped through her body and she keened to the ceiling as she threw her head back to cry her pleasure.
Vel brought Midnight's ass up a bit higher so he could hit her at that perfect angle, his other hand planted on her back to keep her there as he had his way with her.
"I'm close, love. Gods!"
She bucked her hips back against him with all the strength she had left- which wasn't much, honestly. "Then come for me, Vel," Midnight panted.
Then another thrust had her spiraling up and over the edge yet again and she wailed, her body snapping up so she was on her knees, her back pressed to his chest as she shuddered.
Vel came, and with his increased length, his faux seed shot straight into the deepest parts of her, filling her with his warmth as he held her to him, hands gripping her breasts and mouth kissing her neck.
Midnight shivered against him and reached back to stroke his cheek weakly. She moaned as he filled her, her head falling to the side.
"I- I think..." She panted and licked her lips. "I think I may need one of those potions after all..."
Vel smiled, and he kissed her as well as he could.
"Or you could give your sister a turn. Catch your breath, make this all last even longer."
She chuckled and twisted her upper body around to kiss him more easily. "That," she murmured against his lips, "is not a bad idea."
The words were barely out of her mouth when a shiver ran through her and Starbright took her sister's place. "Oh!"
Blue eyes widened as sensation suddenly struck her full force. Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks and she leaned her head back on his shoulder. "Gods, Vel," she breathed. Midnight had adjusted their body to his new size, but feeling it first hand was an entirely new experience for her.
"Hey there," Vel said, and he gave her a thrust.
"You come here often?"
Starbright laughed, then gasped sharply as he moved. "Mhm," she purred quietly, twisting to nuzzle against his cheek. "There, ah, seem to have been some changes to the place though," she chuckled, rocking her hips back against him.
"Yeah, I had it remodeled."
His hands felt at her abdomen, and he let himself lie backwards, leaving her on top of him.
Starbright smoothed her hands over her belly, brushing the backs of his hands with her fingers, and twisted her neck to kiss his cheek as she settled on top of him.
"I have to say," she murmured with a small smile. "I think I like the...remodeling." She cautiously cocked her knee to the side, rolling her hips back into his.
"I knew you would."
He turned them onto their sides, and he started going slow and deep, keeping her one leg cocked up.
She let out a long, slow breath and arched her back against him, lacing the fingers of one hand through his and reaching back with the other to stroke his face.
"I just- ohh... Sorta wish there was something we could do to...return the favor," Starbright breathed. She clenched her eyes shut with a soft moan as he moved against her.
"Hmm," Vel said, and he gave her clit a teasing rub, even as he bucked up into her.
"Ride me, Starbright. Ride me like only you can."
A sharp breath was knocked from her lips and Starbright nodded slowly as she rolled them so he was on his back and sat up.
She glanced back over her shoulder. "Do you want me to stay like this?" she asked quietly, waving a hand to indicate how she was perched with her back to him.
"No," Vel murmured.
"Turn around so I can see those beautiful eyes of yours, Starbright."
A blush rose to her cheeks and she did as he said, a small smile curving her lips up as she settled herself straddling his hips.
Starbright dipped to press a quick kiss to his lips. "Better?" she asked quietly, eyes sparkling.
Their eyes danced, and finally, Vel spoke.
"Perfect."
Arms ran up her sides and back, and he gave her some kisses on his own initiative.
Starbright smiled into his kisses, then rocked her hips forward to sink down on him with a soft groan. "Vel," she sighed blissfully, nuzzling her nose against his. "Gods, you just feel..."
She kissed him again heatedly. "Perfect."
An upwards buck, another kiss.
"Just a few final adjustments, and I think I'll make this change to my form permanent," Vel stated, managing to sound just a bit too clinical, a habit he'd never dropped.
She gasped, then chuckled quietly as she peppered kisses over his face. "While I absolutely adore that idea," she murmured, "I think there's too much talking right now."
She claimed his lips in a searing kiss as she fell into a rhythm with her hips, gradually picking her pace up as she ground against him.
Oh, how he loved it when a little bit of Midnight came out of her like that. It was partly the reason he'd been able to digest their strange relationship so easily. Both sisters were more themselves than the other, but it was those moments, those occasional words or looks that reminded Vel they were both the same person.
Just different ends of the spectrum.
Vel's pace started to match Starbright's, hips bumping upwards to meet hers as they made love.
"Just like that, Star..."
Starbright practically purred against his lips before dragging her lips down over his skin to nurse at his neck as she rode him. Then, slowly, she leaned back up, skimming her fingers from his shoulders to his hips before taking his wrists gently and sliding his hands up along her thighs.
Eyes hazy and shimmering, she gazed down at him as her breathing picked up, tension coiling tight in her core. "I'm...getting close, love," she mumured, letting her head fall back and rocking her hips into his with a sharp, jarring motion that made her gasp.
Vel squeezed her thighs, sighing with her as they moved in unison. Hands drifted towards her ass, and he helped her rock so she could reach that climax all that faster.
"Come. Milk my cock."
The coil of heat inside her snapped at that and Starbright tossed her head back with a long, breathy moan as she tightened around him. She was still for a few moments, shivering lightly in the aftershocks of her climax.
Then she swooped down to kiss him desperately, nails digging into his shoulders as she clutched him to her. "Again, Vel," she pleaded quietly between hungry kisses. "I- I want to feel only you. Make me forget everything else..."
Vel turned Starbright over at her words, putting her on her back with him as close to her as possible. He plunged into her with passion and love.
Starbright arched up into him with a small gasp. "Yes, Vel," she encouraged breathlessly, throwing her arms around his shoulders to hug him to her. "Just- just like that."
She groaned as she felt the tension starting to build again and pulled him in for a kiss.
Vel kissed her, and as they writhed together, he couldn't help but come into her a second time. He moaned sharply as he clutched her tightly, riding out his own orgasm.
She gasped and clung to him, shivering as his release filled her. Starbright tilted her head to trail kisses along his throat, her hands stroking over his back and shoulders lightly. She nuzzled against his chest and hooked her legs around his waist to hug him against her.
"My Vel," she murmured. She tilted her head back a bit to smile at him.
Vel just breathed, and at Starbright's words, he just kissed her. He allowed his tongue and lips to profess his love, taking a moment from sex to just be with her.
"I need you," Vel murmured.
Starbright returned the kiss softly, enjoying the moment. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, resisting the urge to smile so she could continue the contact.
"And I you," she murmured when they eventually broke apart. "I love you so much." She pressed her forehead to his for a moment, letting her eyes close and just breathing slowly, taking the time to really feel his touch.
Vel didn't know how long they were like that, but after enough time, he wanted more. He gave her neck a kiss, and started to move again.
"Starbright..."
Her head fell to the side as he started to move again and Starbright arched up to meet him. "Vel," she murmured, running her hands over every inch of skin he could reach.
"Gods, Vel... We're so addicted to you," she whispered with a soft sigh of pleasure.
"I'm happy to feed it," Vel said, and he chuckled.
"I could do this forever..."
Starbright laughed quietly and nuzzled into his neck. "I would have no objection to that," she chuckled between pressing a trail of kisses along his jaw. "Well, if it weren't for silly human needs like sleep. And food."
Playfully, she nipped at his ear and bucked her hips up against his encouragingly.
"Those do sound so pesky," Vel said, playing along with her joke. He kissed her heatedly before straightening up, sort of turning her onto her side and holding a leg up against himself as he started to get a bit rougher with her.
"Yeah- ah..." She squirmed a bit as he shifted her around. Her hands clenched in the sheets and she let out a sharp, breathy moan. "Gods, Vel." She did her best to buck her hips against his, biting her lip and clenching her eyes shut.
"You don't have to-" She drew in a sharp breath, then continued, "I'm not gonna break, Vel. I love it when you're gentle, but..." She twisted her head to look at him. "You- you can do what you want. I think...I wanna see what Midnight gets." She licked her lips a little nervously.
At Starbright's request, Vel just nodded.
"As you wish, love."
His thrusts became harder, and he leaned over her a bit so he could thrust deeper.
Starbright's eyes widened a bit and her lips parted. "Oh. Oh." She did her best to twist her upper body so she could prop herself up as he leaned over her and catch his lips in a kiss.
"Vel," she breathed, gasping as she felt him brush deeper inside her than she'd ever felt him before. "Oh gods, love-" Her voice cut off in a moan that turned into a small chuckle. "I definitely like the remodeling."
Vle let out a breathless laugh, a laugh that cut off when he sealed his lips to hers. After a moment, he let her turn fully onto her belly, and pulled her ass up so that it was level with his hips.
"Gods, I'm going to fuck you so hard," Vel said, clapsing his hands around her hips as he sheathed the entirety of his length into her.
Starbright gave a surprised little mew when he turned her over, then a soft gasp as he thrust into her. His words sent a delightful shiver up her spine and she whimpered quietly.
"Yes," she breathed. "Gods, yes. Don't hold back, Vel, give me everything." She bucked her hips back against him desperately, the heat in her belly flaring up to spread through the rest of her body.
Vel gave her the Midnight experience, all right. Each collision of their hips was heralded by a lewd slapping of flesh, and he pounded the golden-haired girl like she'd never been pounded before.
"Oh- oh gods, oh gods!" Starbright wailed as he pounded into her, burying her face into the bed with sharp gasps and moans. She'd seen this side of Vel before of course, but never directed at her.
It was definitely a new experience. "Vel," she whimpered, her back bowing as she tried to slam her hips back against his. "Oh my gods, Vel, Vel!"
Vel kept her pinned, placing a hand on her back to keep her down while the other helped her slam her hips into his. She was helpless to do little else but buck as he claimed her.
Starbright groaned and bucked against him to the best of her ability, though she really was mostly helpless.
And she found she didn't mind. She was starting to understand how Midnight could crave this so much- it was raw and hungry and gods it felt amazing.
She'd always been the more sensitive of the two of them, and it didn't take long for her to find herself toeing the edge. "V-Vel, I'm gonna- I'm coming," she gasped out barely a second before she clenched around him with a keening sort of moan.
Another thing Starbright would learn about getting it like Midnight was that Vel wouldn't let her ride out her own orgasm. He just kept on going, pausing only when he was sure her climax was over.
Perhaps now she'd know why Midnight tired faster.
"Oh gods..." Starbright actually whimpered as he just kept going. Vel kept her spiraling higher until she found herself getting lightheaded.
When he finally paused she gasped and collapsed, going boneless. "Holy...Wow, Vel," she whispered, panting lightly.
Once she collapsed, Vel gave her a moment to breathe, leaning over her to give her a kiss on the cheek.
"Still prefer it when I'm gentle?"
"I...I honestly don't know," Starbright murmured when she got her breath back enough to speak. "That was- I mean- wow."
She laughed weakly and rolled onto her side so she could look up at him with a small smile. Her hand reached up to smooth over his cheek. "Can I prefer both?" she asked, lightly teasing. "I mean, maybe we could sort of alternate..." She leaned up to kiss him.
Vel met her kiss, fingers stroking her cheek.
"I was sorta teasing you with that, but if you want it rough, don't hesitate to tell me," Vel said. He looked at the clock in the room.
"It's been an hour," Vel said, and he turned back to her.
"It's going to be so much more time..."
Starbright shivered lightly at that, her eyes flicking over to look at the clock as well. "Mmm..." She nuzzled her nose against his. "I, uh-" She flushed and offered a sheepish sort of smile. "I think I may only have one more in me before I'll need one of those potions. Or to switch with Night."
She kissed him gently, twining her arms around his neck.
Vel's own arms went around her, and he helped her turn fully onto her back once again.
"Noted."
He kissed her jaw, her cheek, her mouth, and even her nipple.
"Pick the next position, love."
Starbright blushed lightly and squirmed a bit under the attentions of his mouth. "Okay." She bit her lip as suddenly an image was put forth- probably by Midnight.
"Um, can you...stand?" she asked quietly, cupping his face in her hands to kiss his nose and cheeks. "And I could...sort of scoot to the edge of the bed, and..." She cleared her throat, hoping that was clear enough.
Vel looked like he pondered what she wanted for a few moments, before he nodded, giving her a kiss before he stood up by the edge of the bed.
She hesitated a moment before slipping to the edge of the bed, legs spread invitingly as she leaned back and braced one palm on the sheets behind her.
She reached out with her other hand to brush her fingers over his side, then curl around his hip and pull him toward her.
Vel came up between her legs, spreading her just that much wider. He didn't immediately penetrate, instead passing his hands over her body, admiring her like a priceless work of art.
Starbright shuddered at his touch and felt her skin flush under his gaze. She bit her lip and looked up at him through hooded eyes.
"See something you like?" It was meant to be teasing, but her voice was a little too low and rough for that.
"Everything," Vel answered, and he penetrated her.
"Gods, Starbright..."
She arched into him with a small gasp and her lashes fluttered against her cheeks. Starbright let herself lie back on the bed, at his mercy.
"You feel so good, Vel," she murmured. "Gods, how is it always so good..."
"Why wouldn't it be?" Vel said, and he started to move. Since he was standing, he could get much better movement as he started to make love to her, nice and slow.
He held both of her hands.
"My beautiful wife..."
Starbright laced her fingers through his with a heavy exhale as he started to move, letting him take control.
She smiled. "You know, I really love the way that sounds. Husband." She was sort of testing the word out, rolling it around on her tongue before she let it leave her lips.
Vel chuckled.
"I love hearing it from you, too."
He squeezed her hands, bringing them against the bed and kissing her.
"Gods... we have so much sex..."
Starbright giggled quietly and wriggled her hips against his. "Well, if you're getting sick of it-" She gasped quietly at a particular buck against him, then continued, "We could always find something else to occupy the time." Her eyes glinted up at him teasingly.
"I'm the exact opposite of tired of it," he said, and he gave her a quick kiss before he sped up.
"Oh- mmm..." Starbright's eyes fluttered closed and she arched her back, squirming against him with the little pulses of pleasure that made her toes curl.
"Good," she breathed. She shifted a little further to the edge of the bed and hooked her knees over his hips in an attempt to pull him closer.
Pull him closer she did, and from his standing position, Vel squeezed Starbright's breasts as he plunged into her again and again.
Now that he was standing, he was able to use his full force, every thrust rocking her.
Starbright gave a quiet cry and her whole body seemed to shudder with every thrust, hair tossed about over the bed, tangling around her face and shoulders.
She gasped as Vel brushed against the most sensitive places inside her and groaned, clenching her eyes shut as her spine arched. "Oh gods," she panted. "I- I'm getting close, Vel."
[[Shall we do a timelapse when Starbright and Midnight switch again?]]
Vel nodded, and he sped up.
"Come for me," he said.
[Yeah, works for me!]
Starbright couldn't do much else but obey, a sharp cry ripped from her lips as she peaked. Gasping desperately, she reached up to grasp his shoulders and pulled herself up against his chest, shivering against him.
"Can't...go much longer," she murmured. "We were already tired...from Midnight. And now..."
Vel kissed her, and he held a hand out to his night table. A stamina potion floated into his hand, and he held it to her.
"Drink, love. So that we may love longer."
She took the potion perhaps a tad too eagerly, tipping her head back to down it in one swallow.
A small, surprised sort of breath hitched out of her as she felt tingles start in her fingertips, then flash through her whole body, delivering a jolt of energy.
Starbright blinked at Vel and grinned, eyes sparkling with laughter. "Hmm... You know, a few more of these and Night and I might be able to give you a run for your money." She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss, rocking her hips against his gently.
"Well, I made four, so there's plenty more where it came from," Vel said, and he started moving again.
"Let me take you from behind, Starbright," Vel said.
A shiver rippled through her and she nodded, leaning in to kiss him again before breaking away with a quiet sigh and turning to put her back to him. She braced her hands on the bed and glanced over her shoulder, biting her lip.
"I want you, Vel," she murmured, eyes shimmering. "I want you to make love to me until I can't think anymore."
Vel nodded gently, putting his hands on Starbright's hips as he pulled her into his first thrust.
A soft, almost relieved sigh left her as he thrust into her and her head fell forward, hands fisting in the sheets. With a shaky breath, she experimentally flexed around him, wanting to give him the same pleasure he was giving her.
"It gets better every time," Vel chuckled, voice soft as he made love to her at a comfortable pace.
"Mhm," Starbright agreed softly as she let her head fall forward, streaks of hair sticking to the sheen of sweat that covered her skin. "I don't know how it's possible, but it does."
A little hesitantly, she reached down to stroke him delicately where they were connected, her back arching slightly to press her hips more firmly back against his.
"Oh!" Vel started a bit at the new sensation, and he gave her buttocks an appreciative squeeze.
"I like that," he added.
She smiled, panting lightly and face flushed. "Good," she murmured, glancing at him over her shoulder as she kept it up.
A soft moan left her and her head fell forward again. "Vel...a-a little faster, please? I'm getting close..."
Vel straightened up a bit, sharpening the angle with which they collided. His gentle movements escalated into moderate thrusting, and the hand that wasn't on Starbright's ass went to her back.
"Anything for you, love," he said breathlessy.
Starbright groaned and her head fell forward as she panted and rocked back against him, her movements beginning to border on frantic.
"Vel," she whimpered. "Oh gods, Vel, Vel..."
With a sharp cry she went tumbling over the edge, shuddering as she tightened around him, still stroking his length were they were connected, albeit rather dazedly.
Vel let out a sigh of his own, and while he didn't reach the edge like Starbright, her tightening was more than heavenly.
He noticed her dazed movements, and he set himself down on his side. He pulled Starbright against him so that he was still buried deep inside of her and he nuzzled the back of her neck.
"Need a breather?"
She gave a small nod as she pressed back against his chest. "S-sorry," she murmured, panting lightly. One hand reached back to almost absently brush her fingers over his side and she twisted her head to kiss his cheek.
With a sigh Starbright let her eyes close for a moment. "If I could I'd never stop," she told him softly with a slightly lopsided smile as she cuddled against him as much as she could in an effort to get more contact.
Vel held her close, shifting his hips against her in slow, gentle movements as her back pressed to his chest.
His hands went to her breasts, and he kissed the back of her neck.
"I love you so much."
Starbright smiled, eyes half closed as she let out a contented hum. "And I you," she murmured, sighing delightedly at his kiss, his touch.
She simply enjoyed the contact for a few moments, the closeness, as she got her breath back. Then she pulled away from him and twisted on her side so they lay face to face. One leg moved to hook over his hip and she shifted forward to press against him.
"Let me look at you?" she murmured, stroking his face as she rocked her hips forward gently.
"You can do more than look," Vel said, and he dipped forwards to kiss her, arm traveling along her side and stopping at her hip.
He kissed her again, and laid his forehead against hers.
That shivery heat she'd come to expect and crave from his touch raced over her skin and she smiled. "Love me?" she whispered softly, letting her hand trail down his chest and stomach to wrap around the length of him gently.
"I already do," Vel said, tone serious. The sly smile on his face said otherwise, however. He started moving against her again, sighing gently.
Starbright chuckled softly, the sound turning into a quiet sigh of pleasure as he started to move. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him, long and slow.
"Vel..." She nuzzled her nose to his, her expression suddenly sobering slightly. "I love you so much," she murmured. "I just- remember that, okay? Remember how much we love you, here and now."
Vel's expression sobered as well, but at her words he closed his eyes and nodded gently, kissing her with rekindled passion.
"Forever. I will remember until the end of time."
Coming from him, she had a feeling it wasn't an idle claim.
With another small sigh Starbright returned the kiss, passion building in her as she started to move against him with renewed ferocity. "Then show me," she breathed, not quite sure herself where the words came from.
Vel kissed and kissed as he turned Starbright onto her back. He drew his arms beneath her knees, bringing them up as he started to kick things up.
Little cries and gasps of delight were drawn from her lips and Starbright let her head fall back onto the bed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Her hands moved over his body, relishing the simple joy of touch.
"O-oh!" She bit her lip and looked up at him heatedly. "I'm- I'm getting close, sweetheart." She wasn't quite sure how that was possible so quickly, but she didn't really feel like questioning it.
"Go ahead," Vel said, and his mouth descended to her neck.
"I live to feel you clench on me."
Damn if that didn't send her over the edge again, making her shiver and mewl delightedly beneath him, a small part of her consciously working her inner muscles around him. It was something she'd learned from Midnight, and was still rather new to her.
Panting, Stabright clutched at his back and kissed him desperately as she rode through the aftershocks of her climax.
Vel moaned just a bit into Starbright's mouth, but he didn't let her come down from her climax, preferring instead to just keep giving her everything he had.
"Mmm...o-ohh, Vel, I can't...ahhh!" Starbright gasped as he kept her spiraling higher until she peaked yet again, clenching around him. Her fingers scrabbled at his back and she kissed his neck tiredly.
"I c-can't," she whispered again, whimpering quietly. "Oh gods, Vel, you'll make me faint, I know it..."
Vel slowed down just a bit at her words, but it was a far cry from any show of mercy. He still wanted to blow her mind, but he also didn't want her to faint on him. He wanted to keep her right where she was for as long as possible.
It was almost torturous, but in the best possible way. Starbright found herself teetering on the edge again and again, and even once she'd tumbled over Vel kept her right there, caught between crying for mercy and begging for more.
She didn't faint, but she thought she must have blacked out for a moment or two, because she really wasn't sure how long he kept it up- all she could register was the feel of his body against hers as she desperately clutched him to her, whimpering and calling his name.
Vel kept up the pace until he himself could go no longer.
With a gasp, he buried his entire length into her and unleashed his orgasm, seed filling her even as he continued to buck.
Feeling his release was almost too much and Starbright gave a cry as her back arched, vision seeming to flicker in and out for a few moments.
Her legs slipped down from around his waist and she collapsed back onto the bed, panting desperately. She could feel his seed pooling between them, her already so full of him there just wasn't room.
"Vel..." She cupped his face in her hand and kissed him gently.
"Star..."
His kisses were nothing but the gentlest, fingers stroking along her cheek as they remained joined. He smirked.
"I've still got more potions. Unless of course, if you want to give Midnight a turn now?"
She opened her mouth to reply, then closed it, brow seeming to furrow in thought. Vel would probably recognize the expression- an internal conversation with her sister.
"Midnight," she sighed after a moment, giving him a crooked little smile. "Three potions left, right? So, she can have her turn, a potion maybe, then me again..."
Though still clearly tired, her eyes sparkled playfully up at him. "Gods you are in for a long night," she chuckled.
[Do you still wanna do a time skip here/soon-ish?]
[I'll do it on my next post.]
Vel let out a long breath, and smiled. He was feeling just the smallest bit drained, but he ignored the feeling as he dipped down to kiss her.
"All three of us do."
Starbright giggled quietly and pecked his lips. "Fair enough." She settled back underneath him and smiled, stroking his cheek. "See you soon."
That familiar shiver ran through her body, a wave of ink sweeping through her hair and crimson eyes blinking up at him. "Hey there." Midnight propped herself up on one elbow to wrap her arm around his neck and kiss him. "Did I miss anything?"
"Hi."
Vel kissed Midnight in return, and rolled onto his back.
"Just me almost making Starbright faint again. Nothing too big," Vel teased.
----------
The night was a blur. Not a blur as in he didn't remember anything, but a blur in the sense that they shared so much love and climaxes that it all melded into just one whole memory of
goodness. The two of them had finally beaten Vel, and when the morning came, both of them were just passed out, Vel having dropped out of his illusionary form when he fell asleep.
The bed (and the two of them, by extension) was just an absolute mess. The room smelled like
liquids and sex and Vel was pretty sure that his beautiful wife had gone to sleep with her intimate areas, breasts, and even her face more or less covered in his cum.
It was all so inexplicably great. Too bad he wasn't awake enough to experience it. Shut down as he was, it was likely that either Starbright or Midnight would wake up before him.
For once Starbright had been the last of the trio awake, and so it was Midnight who opened her eyes blearily and yawned, arching her back and reaching her hands over her head in a stretch.
She went still suddenly, realizing how...sticky she was. In any other situation, it may have been uncomfortable, and the idea of a bath was certainly not unwelcome- but somehow she found herself reveling in it, running her finger almost curiously through a bit of a mess on her breasts.
"Vel." She rolled onto her side to face her husband- even thinking the word brought a small smile to her lips. He must have shifted forms while they were asleep. She reached out to cup his face in her hand and murmured again, "Vel? You ready to get up, love?"
Vel's head lit up into a dim glow, signifying that he was still pretty pooped out. He did expend a great deal of energy, after all. His internal systems all went from idling to active, and that familiar, quiet ticking would start up. The two arms on the side pointing on the cieling wrapped around her even tighter (as he was already holding her!) and he sighed.
"I am if you are," Vel said, quite unsubtly eyeing the mess all over her.
"Hmm." Midnight pretended to consider it, cuddling closer and giving him a quick peck on the tip of his nose. "No, I don't think I am. Not just yet." She smirked and kissed him again. "I just didn't want to be the only one awake."
Noticing where he was looking, she arched an eyebrow. "Eyeing your handiwork?" she teased, spreading herself out as much as she could in his arms to bare herself to his gaze.
Vel was still foggy, so when she kissed the tip of his nose, the spectral form shuddered a bit before returning to normal.
"That was awful cute of you, Night," Vel teased, and he pecked her nose right back.
"And yes, I am in fact eyeing my handiwork."
"What, I can't be cute?" She mock pouted at him, then chuckled and noted, "You seem awfully pleased with yourself." She quirked an eyebrow and teased, "Should I move back so you can get a better view?"
Contrasting her words, her arms circled around his shoulders to hold him gently.
"No, I have you right where I want you."
Vel's hands rested on her hips and sides, and he rested his forehead against her.
"Can we just be like this forever?" he muttered quietly.
Midnight sighed contentedly and snuggled a little closer. "Don't I wish," she murmured.
Her mouth twisted down a bit at the corners and she stroked her hand lightly over his cheek. "Does- does it have to be today?" she whispered, her voice suddenly very small.
She'd never paid quite as much attention in their studies, but she could feel Starbright shifting in the back of their mind, a gentle reminder that too much longer and their soul would tear apart forever.
Vel wasn't used to hearing Midnight sound so small, so he did what he did for Starbright, and pulled Midnight into an embrace, not caring that he was pressing his own mess against him.
They were going to bathe, anyways.
"It does. I don't want to risk waiting any longer," Vel said quietly. His third hand joined with one of hers, and he held it tightly, fingers passing over the ring he'd made for her.
She nodded- she'd known that, really, but it was still hard to accept- and buried her face against his chest.
Midnight clutched his hand tightly, watching his fingers smooth over the ring. "We're going to make one for you," she murmured. "I promise we will. This isn't- this isn't going to be goodbye or anything, okay?"
Some of the fire was back in her voice, the bold confidence that seemed to be her default.
"I know," Vel said, but even as he did, something in his voice wavered. He was afraid, no doubt about it. But Midnight's confidence rubbed off on him, and he smiled.
"Bath time?"
"Yeah, I think so." She crinkled her nose dramatically and gestured to the mess all over her. "This is really sexy in the moment, but after a while..."
She shrugged and sat up a bit, covering a yawn with her hand. A cheeky grin suddenly lit her face and she twisted to look down at Vel. "Think you're too tired to carry me?" she baited with a chuckle.
"Never," Vel replied, falling for it hook, line, and sinker. He scooped her up and stood up from the bed, giving her a gentle kiss as he made his way to the elevator.
Midnight gave a pleased hum and another chuckle as she settled into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. "My big, strong husband," she teased fondly, kissing his cheek and letting her head tuck into the curve of his shoulder.
Vel's cheeks tinged a bit at the praise, and when the elevator reached the correct floor, he stepped off and walked over to the bath basin's door.
"Your stop, m'lady."
"Why thank you, my good sir." Midnight grinned crookedly and pressed another kiss to his cheek as she slipped out of his arms, keeping her own around his neck as she found her footing.
Lacing her fingers through his, she nudged the door open with her hip and pulled him toward the bath.
Vel let her pull him along, and when they were next to the bath, he was the first to step down into it, still holding Midnight's hand.
"Come here, beautiful."
She smiled and allowed him to pull her into the water, pausing on the steps so she was just a little above him and leaning in for a kiss.
"I'm here," she murmured with a crooked smirk. "Now what?" Her arms wrapped loosely around his shoulders and she leaned into his body with most of her weight, feet drifting up in the water behind her.
"Well, now I can clean you, and kiss you," Vel said, holding a hand out. The sponge came flying across the room and into his fingers. Simultaneously, he pressed their lips together and danced tongues with her. His unoccupied hands just went to myriad places on her body.
"And other things."
Midnight shivered happily under his touch. "But other things mean you'll have to clean me again," she teased lightly, tapping his nose with her forefinger. "Seems like a bit of an endless cycle, hm?"
Her other hand scooped water up over her body, rinsing sweat and seed from her skin.
"Hey, I don't mind being part of a cycle," Vel said, and he brought the sponge up and started to bathe Midnight, although he was also extremely sensual with the sponge's movements. It also didn't help that he was feeling her up pretty much everywhere else.
"Ve-el." Midnight practically purred as she arched into his touch. "You know how much I love this, but we could be in here for hours."
She shivered as his hands fondled and the sponge swiped over her skin. "Gods, didn't we tire you out at all last night?" she joked a little breathlessly.
"Well, I did sleep," Vel said, and he kissed the back of her neck.
"And I do recharge pretty quickly."
"Of course." She sighed and reached back over her shoulder to stroke his cheek. "We just can't beat you, huh?" she chuckled, and twisted to catch his lips with hers.
"But you did!" Vel said when their lips parted.
"I was passed out too, you know."
Midnight chuckled and nuzzled her nose to his. "Mm, I guess that's true," she murmured playfully. "But you've only be up a few minutes and you're ready to go again! Insatiable," she teased.
"I mean, aren't you ready to go as well?" Vel teased, and he held her a bit closer.
"Or are you arcing your back because you've got a kink in it?"
She mock scowled at him, then her breath hitched as he pulled her closer and she inadvertently rubbed against him.
"What a cruel master," Midnight pouted. "You have far too much fun teasing me."
"I really do," Vel said, and he nipped her neck.
"But I know you love it."
A shiver ran up her spine and she grinned at him, eyes glinting. "I do," she breathed, leaned up to kiss him. "I really, really do."
One leg hooked over his hip as she balanced on the ball of her other foot, cupping his face in her hands and melting into the kiss with a happy little sigh.
Two of Vel's hands went to Midnight's ass, to keep her held up against him, and the other two went to her back and the back of her neck.
"Good. Because I love doing it."
"Hmm..." She let her head fall back slightly, his hand on her neck supporting her, and smiled at him. "I know you do," Midnight chuckled, bucking her hips forward against him.
"I know that you know that I do," Vel retorted, eyes going half-closed as she rubbed up against him.
Midnight giggled quietly and rubbed herself a little more firmly against him. "We could go in circles all day like this," she noted, nipping playfully at his bottom lip.
Vel chuckled in return, and started moving his hips with Midnight's movements, nipping her own lip in return.
"I want to bend you over the rim of this basin and claim you," he growled lightly against her lips.
"Please?"
A dark chuckle rumbled in her chest and she gave him a grin that was positively dangerous. "Do it." Her lips found his again and she growled, "Take me. Make me yours. Again." A kiss to his lips. "And again." Her lips moved to his neck. "And again." His collar, where she lingered.
That was all the invitation Vel needed. He lifted Midnight clean off of her feet, devouring her with kisses until they reached the basin's edge. He planted her on the rim, facing up so that he could lean down to just keep on kissing her.
"Mm!" Midnight was actually a little surprised by the sudden ferocity of his kisses, but certainly pleased. She wrapped her arms and legs around him as best she could and kissed him back passionately, tracing his lips with her tongue and humming in the back of her throat.
In truth, Vel was as ferocious as he was because he knew that for better or for worse, his time with the sisters was coming to an end. He wanted to make sure that every last iota of memory with them was nothing but the best.
Vel lifted up and out of her mouth's reach so he could turn her over, bending her over the rim of the basin as he promised.
Midnight whimpered slightly as he withdrew, arching up after him, so drunk of his kisses she was actually confused for a moment why he'd pulled away.
Then she was bent over the rim of the basin and she remembered. Her lips curved up on one side and she looked back at him over her shoulder with an enticing little wiggle of her hips.
"You wanna claim me?" Another teasing wiggle. "Come and get it."
All of Vel's hands went to her ass, and he spread her nice and wide and claimed her without any form of hesitation. And he didn't hesitate to just start pounding away at her, either.
"Oh- ahhhh!" Midnight's back arched and she was pressed to the edge of the basin with each thrust, clutching desperately at the rim for an anchor.
"Oh, yes, love," she gasped, pressing her hips back into his. "Gods yes!"
Two of Vel's arms wrapped around Midnight's legs, pressing them together so that she was rendered even tighter for him.
"G-Gods!"
"H-holy fuck!"
Midnight squeezed her eyes shut and shivered deliciously, rocking her hips back into his and trying to press her legs closer together for him.
"Touch me," she begged, reaching for one of his hands and guiding it to her core.
And touch her he did. A third hand rubbed her clit and folds even as he took her, and the forth planted itself on her abdomen, just feeling the smooth flesh there.
Midnight felt as though she might actually be glowing she was so hot, panting lightly and unconsciously murmuring for "more", "faster", "harder".
Her hand covered his against her heat, urging his touches on as her other hand guided the fingers stroking her stomach up to her breast. "Please..." she murmured, lashes fluttering against her cheeks as her eyes rolled back in her head.
Vel gave her everything she asked for, taking advantage of his mechanical nature to reach points that humans would probably be unable to maintain for any significant amount of time. He squeezed her breast when she guided him up to it, and he leaned over her, kissing the back of her neck.
"You're mine," Vel said.
"And I'm yours."
Midnight found herself quickly teetering on the edge, but she didn't want to come just yet, trying to hold it off.
A shiver ran down her spine from his kiss and she tossed her head back to cry her pleasure. "Yes," she gasped in response. "Yes, I'm yours, and you're mine. Forever."
She couldn't hold her peak off anymore and came with a high, lengthy moan.
Vel relished Midnight's early climax, but after it came, he slowed down noticeably, wanting to keep her more or less levelled out.
As she started to come down from the high Midnight glanced back at him again. Weakly, she gestured for him to lean over her with one hand, murmuring, "Get down here. I wanna kiss you."
Her hips pressed back into his, grinding in small circles when she had the chance with his slower pace.
Vel did as was asked, leaning down and coming in from the side to kiss Midnight gently, a sharp contrast to what they'd just been doing.
Midnight hummed against his lips and let the kiss last until her lungs were crying out for air. She rested her forehead to his for a moment with a murmured, "I love you."
Her lips twitched up on one side and she added, "Husband," giving a playful buck of her hips.
Vel smiled, returning her playful buck with a spank.
"No matter how many times I hear it, it makes my heart swell," Vel said.
"I love you so much, Midnight."
Midnight squeaked slightly at the spank and gave him a dry look, rocking her hips back again.
"And I you." A small shift in the back of her mind and she rolled her eyes and added. "We love you."
Vel smirked at that, and he opened his mouth to speak. His climax caught up with him, and he filled her.
"Oh gods, I could come inside you all day," Vel said, and he leaned down to nip at her neck.
She moaned, working her inner walls around him to milk him as long as she could. "Good," she breathed, tilting her head to the side to bare more of her neck.
"I don't want you to leave me. Just stay inside all day," Midnight purred, her eyes half closed.
"Watch," Vel said.
"I'll find a way to be inside you from across the room."
Midnight laughed and shifted a bit to look at his face. "You're not serious," she giggled, kissing his cheek. "Though I appreciate the sentiment," she added, eyes sparkling playfully.
"I'll have you know," Vel said, pausing so he could turn her over onto her back. His hands went to her breasts and he leaned down to kiss her.
"That I am more than capable of finding a way to do that," he teased.
Her back arched and she sighed happily as she kissed him back. A pleasant little shiver ran through her and she laughed quietly.
"Hmm, you probably are," she agreed after a moment. "I don't know what I was thinking. My Vel can do anything he sets his mind to." She stroked his cheek and pulled him in for another kiss.
Vel blushed a bit brighter at the praise, letting Midnight pull him down for a kiss.
He slowed down a bit, wanting to take it slow for now, wanting to appreciate the time they had.
Midnight chuckled quietly, though her breath hitched slightly as he started to slow and she was suddenly infinitely more aware of his touch.
"I love it when you do that," she told him in a soft murmur, smiling and cupping his face in her hands. "Blush like that. It's so..."
Human. Despite the fact that he was literally glowing, it just made him seem more human.
"So?" Vel repeated, and he nuzzled her. His hands travelled over her, caressing and stroking.
"So what?"
His tone was curious and playful.
Goosebumps rose in the wake of his touch and she shuddered slightly. "Human," she admitted after a moment, not actually sure how he would take the observation. "It's just...human. And cute."
She leaned up to kiss the tip of his nose, then his lips, letting her tongue flick out playfully.
Cute.
That prompted more blushing, and as she kissed and licked, he sped up a bit. The distinction that the blushing made him seem more human didn't bother him that much. He wasn't human, and he'd come to terms with that long ago.
Midnight gasped quietly, then giggled as he sped up. "Funny, I didn't think men liked being called cute," she noted, quirking an eyebrow at him and lazily hooking her legs up over his hips.
"W-well," Vel started, and he passed a set of arms over Midnight's legs.
"It came from you..."
"Hmm." Her smile turned a little softer. "More of a Star thing to say, huh?" She let her hands move to cover the set on her legs, guiding him to grip her rear so she could tilt her hips up for a better angle.
It was strange. Recently, she'd started to feel less and less connected to her sister, but at the same time they seemed to be taking on more of each other's mannerisms. Perhaps it was because for the first time in their lives they were allowed to freely switch at whim, to just be themselves.
"Oh, no not like that, either!" Vel said, and he smiled sheepishly.
"It came from you in general, not that it came from you you."
Vel took a moment to shrug.
"Am I making sense?"
Midnight threw back her head and laughed, then gasped as the vibration did some interesting things to the way they were connected.
"Yes, it makes sense, love," she assured him, stroking his cheek. "I've never liked compliments much, but I like them from you."
Vel smiled, glad to know that his point wasn't lost on her.
"Good, because I like complimenting you," Vel said.
Starting to get just a little fidgety with all the emotion- she was still Midnight after all, similarities to her sister aside- she smirked at him and rocked her hips pointedly.
"Well, I like other things you do too..."
Vel smirked at that. It seemed the time for words was coming to a close, because once she rocked her hips, he started to speed back up.
"Mmn..." Midnight tipped her head back and tightened her legs around him slightly, trying to pull him against her with sharper movements. "Gods you feel so good," she purred, one hand tracing up and down his chest lightly while the other held his waist.
It always felt odd to Vel when Midnight or Starbright felt at his chest with a hand. There was no exquisite muscling, no juicy abs to touch. Just wood and brass plating approximating a human shape. Of course, he knew things were different when he had his illusory form on, but the reminder that the sisters loved and accepted him no matter the form made his heart swell every time.
"You too," Vel said.
"You feel like heaven."
"I'm glad." Her eyes fluttered closed as her fingers continued to dance across his chest, finding like divets and minuscule texture patterns in the wood and metal by memory alone.
"I like making you feel good." Midnight leaned up a bit to wrap her other arm around his shoulders, hand now trapped between their chests as she kissed him.
Vel didn't respond with words, letting the movements of his hips do the talking for him. He shivered a bit at the feeling of Midnight's hand, and he held her ass a bit more firmly.
Midnight's head fell back and she closed her eyes with a few quiet, panting breaths. He was hitting a perfect angle now and she just couldn't hold off her peak any longer, a long, shuddering moan torn from her lips as she found her release, her hand clawing at his back and shoulders.
Vel came with her, and as she tightened down, he filled her. Sighing, he let his head rest between her breasts.
He was quiet and still for a noticeable amount of time, before he spoke, face still planted between her breasts.
"I'm scared, Midnight..."
Enjoying the pleasant buzz of their afterglow, Midnight suddenly tensed slightly.
Then she sighed, letting her cheek rest against the top of his head. "Oh, Vel..." She kissed his temple, then admitted quietly. "Me too. I'm terrified."
No matter how they looked at it, afteer today she and her sister would no longer exist, not like this, not they way the three of them knew. It felt like she was just lying down and accepting their own death.
"But..." She drew in a shaky breath. "But everything we are, everything you've taught us about ourselves- it means we'll love you again. We have to." She hugged him tight around the shoulders. "We both love you more than anything. That has to carry through. It has to..."
"I know, but..."
Vel let out a small sob. he moved backwards, taking Midnight with him as he sat down against the basin's wall, leaving Midnight on his lap facing him.
"Gods, I... I can't describe how it feels. It feels tight--"
Vel put a hand over where his clockwork heart was.
"--right here. And it hurts, Midnight. I don't want to say goodbye..."
She had to choke back a sob of her own, hating to see him in pain.
"Sweetling, I know." She kissed his forehead, his cheeks, his lips, eyes clenched shut to hold back tears. Gods, when was the last time she'd cried? And this had her near bawling.
"I know, love. I- I don't want to leave y-you..."
She couldn't hold it back anymore and a pitiful wail was wrenched out of her as she clung to him so tight if he'd been human she might have been near suffocating him. "Don't forget me," she begged quietly between sobbing little gasps. "Don't forget us, please. Please..."
Vel didn't cry, he didn't know how to, but he held Midnight as she saw fit to do what he couldn't.
"I won't, I won't..."
Every time she said please, Vel repeated his answer like a mantra.
"I promise, Midnight, Starbright, I'll never forget. Until the end of time itself, I promise."
It took a few minutes for the hiccuping sobs to fade, and even once they had she still hung onto him, her face hidden against his chest while she took in deep, shaky breaths in an effort to calm herself.
"I won't forget you, Vel," she whispered eventually. "We could never forget you. Whatever happens... Whatever or whoever she is, we'll have to be in there somewhere. We won't forget."
Another quivered breath. "I love you."
Then she shivered, gold waves rippling through her hair until it was Starbright clinging to him, eyes clenched shut as those last few tears trickled down her face.
Vel had his eyes closed, so he didn't even notice they'd changed.
"I love you too. So much. So much that it makes me hurt," Vel said, hand stroking along Starbright's head.
"I'm sorry," Starbright whispered. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. We never wanted to cause you pain. I love you so much, Vel, so much..."
But that was exactly the problem, wasn't it? If they hadn't fallen so hard for each other, maybe it wouldn't feel like her heart was being ripped in two right now.
When Vel heard Starbright's voice, he opened his eyes, and once he processed them, he shook his head.
"No, it isn't your fault," he said, and he kissed her.
"It isn't..."
She shook her head in denial, actually turning away from his kiss- something she'd never done before. "It is," she whispered. "It wasn't intentional, but it is. If we'd never met, you wouldn't be hurting right now..."
She took a soft, shuddering breath, then hid her face back against his chest and admitted in a voice that wasn't even a whisper, "But I'm glad we met. It's stupid and selfish, but I'm so, so unbelievably grateful we knew you."
"It isn't stupid or selfish," Vel said, holding his position against Starbright's denial.
"I know that you're hurting too, and now that I know you I don't know how I could ever have gotten along without you in my life."
Vel offered her a weak smile.
"Light of my life..."
Starbright finally lifted her head and returned his smile as best she could with quivering lips and a tear stained face. "My hero," she replied softly.
She leaned in to kiss him. "My teacher. My friend. My love." Each title was accompanied with another small kiss.
After she declared him her love, Vel interjected with a title of his own.
"My wife," he said, and he smiled a bit wider, giving her a small kiss of his own.
"You're the steam in my pipes and the magic in my heart."
"My husband." She cupped his face in her hands and smiled through the tears, though there was more heart in it this time, a glimmer of pure joy.
"I could think of no greater honor, dear heart," she murmured as her thumb stroked his cheek.
She let her head come to rest on his shoulder, arms loose around his neck. Gods, she didn't ever want to move. If they could just stop time, stay in this moment forever...
Vel was content to remain like that with her. He held her close, like some prized treasure, and went still, although the gentle ticking of his heart indicated that he was just relaxing.
Loathed though she was to do it, she knew one of them had to make the first move, as it were. With a deep breath to steel herself, she murmured, "We should go..."
They were just delaying the inevitable now. And she would have loved to continue, but she was afraid the longer they stayed like this the more it was going to hurt.
When she spoke, Vel just nodded in agreement. Then, he stifled a tiny chuckle.
"You need to stand first, my love," he said, hoping the light tone would help.
She gave a shiffly sort of laugh and moved reluctantly off his lap. "Yeah. Right..."
She couldn't look at him. Glancing away, Starbright started to climb out of the bath with a murmured, "I'll get dressed then."
Vel nodded, and stood up after her. He reached out and took her hand. He opened his mouth, stammered a few syllables out, and then blushed.
"Before you get all dressed," he started.
"C-could I maybe put you up against the wall one last time?"
Without a word she whirled into his arms, flinging her own around his neck and catching his lips in a soul searing kiss.
"Yes," she breathed. "Yes yes yes."
Vel was taken aback by Starbright's sudden ferocity, and he didn't hesitate to do just as he said and put her up against the wall. His hands went to her hips and sides, and he returned every hot kiss with one of his own.
"Gods, I need you," Vel said.
Starbright moaned against his mouth, wrapping her legs around his waist to help hold herself up.
"Then take me," she begged softly, her tone at odds with the nature of the plea.
Vel wasted absolutely no time. Once her legs went around his waist, he gave her lips a gentle bite before he started to push in.
He was ravenous with lust for her, desperate to het all he could before she was gone forever. He wanted to fuck her brains out, and all of these inner desires made themselves manifest in the way he started to pound her right out of the gate.
She gasped, then cried out, throwing her head back and shaking in his hold as every thrust jarred her whole frame.
"Yes," she gasped out, heat racing through every square inch of her skin as she clutched him closer, pulling him in so tight it was like she wanted to meld into him, literally become one. "Vel, oh Vel... Ah- ahhhn!"
Her hips bucked into his frantically with bruising force, but she didn't care. If this was their last chance, she wanted all of him, every piece she could get.
Starbright's cries and movements only served to goad Vel further, and he grazed his teeth along her neck as he just vented everything, wanting to say what he couldn't say with words.
There were some things that just couldn't be voiced, and Starbright desperately tried to tell Vel everything she couldn't say with words with those soft moans and wordless cries, with her fingers digging into his shoulder and every buck of her hips against his.
Vel clutched her tighter, teeth dragging a harmless line against her collarbone as he seemed to want to pound her into the wall.
"V-Vel!" Starbright clutched at him, arching her spine with a desperate mewl before every muscle in her body tensed and she cried out. She turned her face into his neck and gave a soft wail of pleasure as the waves of heat rushed through her.
"G-gods, Star!" Vel said as he felt her clamp down on him. He slowed down, grinding against her to keep her climaxing for as long as possible before he resumed movement.
A moan caught in her chest and Starbright shivered against him as he held her at her peak for what felt like forever. Then he was moving again and she gave a gasp of almost relief.
"Vel, Vel..." She murmured his name unconsciously as she kissed her way up to his lips, her hands moving to cup the his cheek and the back of his neck.
When she kissed him, he slowed down, although he still moved with the same power.
"I want you to ride me," Vel said agianst her lips.
"Please, Star..."
Speechless, she nodded- if she was being honest the force he'd been pounding her into the wall with was almost painful, but she'd hardly cared, just desperately trying to keep him as close as possible.
But she certainly didn't object to his proposal, kissing him fiercely. "Whatever you want, love."
Still holding her close, Vel pulled her away from the wall, setting himself down on the floor as he continued to kiss her with abandon.
Starbright moaned against his mouth, her hands running over his arms and shoulders endlessly. Slowly at first, she started to rock atop him, but she gradually picked up speed.
Her breath was coming in sharp little pants and her hands moved to grip his shoulders as she finally pulled away to meet his eyes. "I love you," she whispered, stilling for a moment. "I will always love you."
Then she slammed her hips into his, arching by her back as she gave him everything she had.
"Me too," Vel said breathlessly, hands traveling up Starbright's sides and back as she rode him. He couldn't get enough, and it scared him to think that come a few hours, she was going to be gone.
"Forever."
She replied with a hungry, desperate kiss. Her hips rocked into his fiercely and she could feel herself climbing closer to her peak, but she did her best to hold herself back until she's brought Vel to her height, her movements now bordering on frantic.
Starbright's frantic movements had the desired effect. Soon enough, Vel was peaking, and his mechanical hands clamped down on her thighs and sides hard enough to leave red marks on her skin.
"I'm gonna come, Star! Fuck!"
"Oh yes, yes!" There was definitely a note of relief- she couldn't hold on any longer. With another forceful slam of her hips she went sailing over the edge, her whole body shuddering and her head falling back as she cried her pleasure.
The pressure from Vel's touch only amplified the sensation. She didn't care if he scratched her, if her hips and back were bruised from their lovemaking, if she would be sore for days after. She wanted everything, anything she could hold onto, permanent marks he'd leave on her body.
With a shivering wail she slumped forward against him, arms wrapping weakly around his neck as she just trembled and held him.
"I can't stop," Vel said, and after a few moments, he turned over, putting Starbright on her back.
"I wish I could give you more."
"Vel." She laid her hand against his cheek and gave him a very soft smile. "You've given me everything, love. More than I ever could have asked for." She leaned up to kiss him gently.
And just like that, they were slowly making love on the ground. he passed his hands over whatever he could, committing every inch of her to memory again and again. After she kissed him, Vel let out what could have been a weak sob and he let his face rest against her neck.
"You too. Light of my life," Vel said, and he gripped her hand tightly as he met her eyes.
"Can... can I see Midnight?"
Starbright smiled a little sadly and squeezed his hand in return before she nodded, and that shiver ran through her body. Then Midnight was blinking up at him, head tilted slightly.
"Hello again," she murmured with a small, wry smile. She moved gently beneath him, her motions slow and fluid as opposed to the ferocity she was used to.
Vel let out a soft noise, and nibbled Midnight's throat a little.
"I love it when you go slow."
A small sigh escaped her and she ran her hands over his shoulders and back gently. "I love it when you make those little sounds," she replied in almost a whisper, continuing the languid movement of her hips.
She turned her head slightly into his neck so he couldn't see her face. She was sure he'd be able to tell what she was thinking from her expression- the grief, the fear- and she didn't want that, not if this was their last chance to be together like this.
Vel smiled, and kissed the top of her head, moving his hips against her as they bumped and ground into one another.
"How does riding me sound?"
"Like heaven," she answered quickly. Midnight pushed his shoulders a bit so she could roll them over and sit straddling his hips, looking down at him with half lidded eyes.
"I just want to feel you," Vel mumbled, passing his hands over her hips and breasts as she situated herself.
Midnight shivered agreeably and leaned in to give him a quick kiss before she started to ride him gently. "And I want the same," she murmured as she laid her hands over his to encourage his touches. "Just love me, Vel, as much as you can."
"I can't love you enough," he said, even as his hands got hungrier.
"No matter what, It's never enough."
She had to choke back a small sob at that. No. No, she wouldn't let herself think about anything but now, how it felt to be with him in this moment.
Midnight drew in a shuddering breath and practically threw herself into her motions, rocking atop him with heated gasps and moans.
"Gods, just a little longer," Vel gasped, almost unable to contain himself as Midnight rode him for all she was worth.
Midnight gasped, then cried out as she slammed her hips into his and clenched her eyes shut.
"Gods, VEL!" Her whole body shuddered with the force of her climax. She wailed and clung to him, trying to bring him over the edge.
When she ground down and clung to him, it only took Vel a few rough grinds against her before he found his release. He held her close as his warmth blossomed within her. He held her close, silent at first, before he nipped her neck and spoke up.
"Gods, I love coming inside of you..."
She was panting quietly, getting her breath back, and a small smile tugged at her lips. "Good," she murmured with a tilt of her head so she could kiss his temple.
Her body gradually relaxed against his, her head coming to rest on his shoulder with a small sigh. "Just...hold me a moment?" she asked quietly, almost embarrassed.
"You don't even have to ask," Vel murmured as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Thank you..." She curved into him and let her eyes close for a moment. She just didn't want to move, to admit that time was passing and the world outside was moving.
After a few moments, one of Vel's hands went to her head, gently stroking her hair.
Midnight took a few shivering breaths and hid her face against his neck.
"Vel...we have to go," she murmured eventually, hating the tremor in her voice. "We can't- we can't just keep putting it off..."
Vel hated that tremor as well. He didn't want his wife to sound so scared, and he knew there wasn't much he could do to alleviate it.
He was terrified as well.
"I know," Vel said. His voice was just as uncertain, if not more.
"I know."
"Vel." She sighed and feathered a light kiss against his neck. Her arms tightened around him for a moment, then she sighed and slowly sat back.
A tremulous sort of smile curved her lips and she tried to flip her hair with her usual confidence. "C'mon then. We should...probably get dressed."
Vel followed her up when she sat. He nodded weakly, but in the same vein, he helped her adjust her hair, hands stroking along the side of her head. He smiled sadly.
"Can't have you looking anything but your best," Vel said.
Midnight caught his hands, held them against her for a moment, then pressed a quick kiss to his palm and released him with a sigh.
Starbright was nonsensical in the back of their head, desperately trying and failing to pull herself together. It seemed she would have to be the strong sister for now.
Slowly she gathered up her clothes and dressed, keeping her face carefully blank and not quite able to meet Vel's eyes.
Vel got his robe on, and once Midnight finished dressing, he approached her. He found the will to find those ruby eyes of hers, and he offered her a weak smile.
He took her hand, eyes drawn to the ring on her finger, before he leaned in to kiss her.
If he'd remained like that for eternity, it wouldn't have been enough, and when he pulled away, he was only squeezing her hand tighter.
"Let's go."
That kiss almost destroyed her. Midnight swallowed a sob and cupped his face in her palm, clutching his hand desperately.
"Alright." She took a breath, forced the best smile she could muster, and lied, "I'm ready. Let's go."
Vel nodded and led her onto the platform, and it descended. He'd packed a bag full of everything the ritual needed, so all it took was a short trip to the infinite closet and he was returning to her, a decent-sized pack slung over his shoulder.
He raised a hand, and he made the motions, except this time, the magic fizzled. Vel sucked in a sob, and clenched his fist. He couldn't focus.
Midnight kept her arms wrapped around her middle as she waited for him, rocking forward a bit when he started to cast the spell but almost afraid to touch him.
Then the spell seemed to fizzle out and she blinked, clenched her eyes shut and biting her lip. With a few quick strides she'd moved up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle.
"I'm here," she whispered, voice rough. "I'm here, love. We still have time..." She pressed a kiss between his shoulders and hugged him tighter. "It'll- it'll be alright. I love you so much, Vel. It's going to be okay..."
He held her arms to himself with his bottom set of hands, while his upper left reached behind him to stroke her cheek.
"I..." He cut off with a sob, but he turned his head to offer her a sad smile.
"Look at me. So shaken I can't even make a portal," he said, as if making a portal to another place was the most elementary spell he knew.
He took a few moments, grounding himself in her words, the feeling of her body pressing to his. He closed his eyes, and repeated the motion.
The portal opened, and that small cave set into the cliffside was visible, the gentle jungle breeze coming in through the rift in space. For now, he was only able to look at it.
Midnight forced a smile for him in return and leaned around so she could cup his face in her hand. "It'll be okay," she repeated softly.
Her attention was drawn automatically to the portal and a whimper caught in her throat. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe, trying desperately to believe her own words.
"We-" Her voice caught in her throat and died. She took a shuddering breath and tried again. "We...have to go through..."
"I know," Vel said, and he took her hands, walking her through the portal. Once they were through, he took a moment, and then resumed walking, leading her by the hand towards the cave.
Midnight bit her lip and kept quiet, eyes downcast as she allowed him to lead her along. In the back of her mind, she could hear Starbright crying quietly, but her sister was giving a valiant effort to pull herself together.
They entered the cave, and it was just as they'd left it the last time they were here. Vel approached the shrine, and seemed to affirm a few things before he set the pack down.
"I need to set up," he said, opening the top.
"Okay." Voice much softer than usual, she took a few cautious steps forward. "Can I...help? Or do you need Star, maybe?"
"If Star wants to help, she can," Vel said, and he laid a sheet of white thatch down in front of the ritual altar.
"There's three magic foci in my bag," he said as he started to draw on the thatch with charcoal, doing an incredibly delicate single-stroke symbol.
"Can you put them in a triangle, with the point at the foot of the altar?
Midnight nodded slowly, but it was a sniffling Starbright who completed the task. She kept her head bowed, shoulders hunched as she did as instructed, unable to look at Vel for fear of breaking down again.
Once the last foci was in place, a quick line flashed between all of them, forming a triangle in magic energy for a few moments before it faded. Vel procured a book and a small scepter from his bag.
"Alright, just..."
He sighed, and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Lay down on the mat, love. Head towards the shrine."
Starbright nodded and did as she was told. Her breath felt like it caught in her chest and she had to focus just on getting air in and out of her lungs.
Gods, she was so scared. She looked up at Vel with wide eyes, trying to force a shaky smile. "O-okay. Ready."
Before Vel started, he knelt down next to her.
"How about a kiss for luck?"
Another quick nod and she sat up to twine her arms around his neck and kiss him deeply. "Love you," she whispered, ignoring the resurgence of tears in her voice.
"Love you too," Vel murmured, and he went in for another kiss.
"Forever."
She kissed him back, then parted with a soft hitch of breath and lay back down on the mat. Her eyes closed and her hands clenched into fists at her side.
It'll be okay, Midnight whispered in the back of her mind. Gods she wished she could believe her.
Starbright laid back, and Vel stood, moving to stand at her feet, but still beyond the area covered by the foci. He opened the book and flipped to a specific page, holding it open in front of him with two hands while his other two performed the motions.
The language that he spoke the incantations in would be incomprehensible to Starbright, but as he spoke, the triangle shape reappeared on the foci. With a turn of his hand, the triangle started to rotate, and another one appeared above it and started rotating in the opposite direction.
The various bones and trinkets on the shrine started to glow.
Starbright's breath picked up and she clenched her fists tighter, nails biting into her palms. She didn't understand the words, but she could feel that magic coiling around her.
Suddenly her heart skipped a breat, then picked up in double time. Her back arched and she gasped, prickles of heat racing all over her skin.
Star!
The world began to melt away, as it did when she traded places with Modnight. But- but her sister wasn't coming forward. She was still there, in the back of her mind. She could see her.
"V-Vel, I'm scared..."
She heard the voice that was hers and yet not, but her focus was gradually directed inward, watching Midnight in the darkness that was closing in around them. Both girls smiled, reaching out to touch each other.
Val wanted to tell her not to be scared, but he couldn't interrupt the chant. As the spell started to take effect, she would start to lift slightly off the ground. Vel raised the scepter and the necessary energies started to swirl around it.
Another triangle appeared, this time overlaid over the first.
Both girls gasped as their body lifted off the ground and every line in their body went tight, tension thrumming through them.
But inside their head it was surprisingly calm.
Midnight smirked. "Weird to see you without looking in a mirror," she noted.
Starbright chuckled and nodded. "You're beautiful," she said quietly, not a hint of teasing or even envy in her voice. A simple observation.
Midnight smiled and murmured, "You too." Her head tilted as both girls heard Vel's chant wrapping around them. The darkness seemed to be closing in, they could hardly feel the physical world now.
"I guess this is it then."
"Yeah. Guess so."
They were both quiet for a moment, then Starbright moved forward. It felt like she was walking on water. "I love you, sister."
Midnight held out her arms to accept the hug and muttered, "Love you too." They clung to each other and the blackness washed over them.
Their body jerked, black hair flashing to gold, then black, then gold again, much more quickly than a change had ever affected them. The girl's mouth open and she keened- not in pain, more a cry of shock and confusion. Her eyes were wide, flickering rapidly from blue to crimson.
And then, just as it all came to a head, Vel slammed the book shut, holding the scepter up high as the enrgy flowed into it. Then, when it hit its peak, he leveled the scepter at the shrine and a stream of warm, greenish-white energy came shooting out. The rocks on the shrine shuddered, as it absorbed the energy.
For a few moments, things were almost worryingly still, until the rock placed at the very peak of the shrine fired a stream of its own, right into the chest of the sisters.
Midnight and Starbright held each other tight, then cried out as light suddenly invaded the darkness that had claimed them. It filled them up, was all around them, then-
They were a part of it. They dissolved into the light, the warmth, particles of self that fluttered about each other in a fidgeting sort of dance before finally settling...
Her body collapsed back to the ground, back still arched and chest heaving with pants. Her eyes were clenched shut, chocolatey brown hair tossed about her shoulders.
Then she gasped, bolting upright as violet eyes shot open. She clutched her chest, her hips, her hair, reassuring herself that she did, in fact, exist.
Oh gods, it worked.
At first, Vel could only look curiously at the change in hair color, and when she bolted upright he could only watch with a hand placed over his mouth, the others lowered to his side.
After she'd finished patting herself down, he spoke up.
"Um, hey..."
She jerked and whipped her head around to look at him, eyes still wide. "H-hello?" She swallowed and moved to stand, but her knees buckled and she dropped back to the ground with a soft gasp.
"Starbright?"
Vel moved to help her, although he stopped before he could get in arm's reach.
"Midnight?"
"I- I-" The girl blinked and shook her head. Her eyes were wide and scared, bottom lip drawn between her teeth in a very Starbright-like gesture. "Wh-who-? I'm sorry, I don't- wh-where am I?"
Who am I? she wanted to ask. She'd thought she'd known, but now...it was like a dream she couldn't quite remember, scratching at the inside of her skull. She whimpered and pressed her hands to her temples.
And just like that, his greatest fears were realized. He took a step back from her, eyes drawn open as wide as they could go as he just shook with uncertainty.
"You--They..."
Is this what a broken heart felt like? He sunk to his knees, facial illusion disappearing as he couldn't even maintain that.
"It can't. They can't be gone..."
Oh. Oh no.
"P-please-" She didn't know why she did it, but she started to reach out to him. "Please, its...alright. Don't- don't be upset..."
Don't be upset? Who was she to be saying that to anyone? She didn't know anything for gods' sakes!
Well...she knew she was a person. She knew what that meant. She could feel magic in her body, and knew what it was. She had...flashes- snatches of memories that weren't entirely her own, but they were all too jumbled up to make sense of anything.
Another little pained whimper left her and she tried again to get to her feet, collapsed, and instead crawled toward the creature that had been the first thing she'd seen. "Don't be upset," she repeated quietly.
She didn't know why, but seeing him so obviously in distress made her chest ache.
The sound of the stranger collapsing once again snapped Vel oit of the dark hole he was descending into and he looked up to see she'd crawled closer.
Like an instinct, he was up, putting all of his pain aside for the moment to kneel by her.
"I'll be alright," he said, obviously not anywhere near alright.
"Do you need help standing?" He asked as he stood a bit, offering her two of his hands.
"I-I, um..." She sighed. "Yes please."
Taking his hands and pulling herself to her feet, she closed her eyes against a sudden wave of dizziness. When it passed, she opened her eyes with a slow breath and looked around, biting her lip again.
"Where...are we? Please, I don't- I don't remember. I feel like I should, but I just..." Her eyes lit on his face- or rather crystal- and she fell silent for several long moments. A bit of Midnight's calculating glint came into her eyes.
"Do I know you?"
Vel seemed a bit not there, but when she finished speaking, he snapped back to it. He looked away, thinking about how to answer her question. He almost couldn't look at her, especially when a litte Midnight came out.
"You do. Or... Did," he said, the sadness audible. He lifted one of her hands, and peered down at the ring.
"You... You don't remember anything?"
He let out a shaky breath.
"At all?"
Her brow furrowed as she followed his gaze to the ring. "I...remember..." She sighed and shook her head. "Bits and pieces. There's- there's so much, I can't sort through it. Two of every memory, colored blue and red, dark and light, passion and control..."
She blinked, seeming to almost snap out of a trance, and looked up at him again. There was a painful twisting feeling in her gut. "I...knew you? When I was two- no, when I was shattered..."
She shook her head, temples pounding. "I-I'm sorry." She was crying. Why was she crying? It felt like she'd...lost something. "I'm sorry," she repeated in a whisper.
So she did remember! At least, she sort of did.
Before he could say anything towards that, however, she was crying and apologizing, and crying some more. Vel closed his eyes and drew her in for a comforting embrace. She still felt the same, even sounded the same. For the moment, it was easier that way.
"Don't be," Vel said.
"You... you haven't done anything wrong."
He parted from her slightly so he could meet her eyes. Their color wasn't lost on him, but for the moment, all he wanted to see was blue or red. He was frustrated, and heartbroken, and drained from the spell.
"You've been through something strenuous. You need to rest," he said.
The hug made her tense, surprised, but she suddenly returned the embrace eagerly. It felt good- better than good, it felt like she was supposed to be there.
Maybe they'd been close, before? That might explain why he was upset.
She blinked up at him again and repeated, "Rest." She nodded slowly. "Yes. Right. Thank you-" Her voice stuttered to a horrified stop as she realized she didn't know his name.
She should know that. Gods, why didn't she even know his name?!
The hug was too sweet, bringing both comfort and pain in equal measure. When she stuttered on his name, he fought back a sob to answer her.
"Vel," he added quickly.
"I'm Vel."
He took a few hesitant steps backwards, and he motioned for her to follow him.
"Do you know your name?"
She followed him a little haltingly. "My name," she repeated quietly. Her brow furrowed. "Do I have one?"
That was a disconcerting thought.
"Before, when I was them...Midnight and Starbright." She frowned. "But that's...not who I am anymore."
Vel gently shook his head.
"It's not."
Looking away from her, he made a portal to his home at the mouth of the cave, and after a few tentative moments, he reached out a hand to guide her through.
Another little twinge of something that felt almost like guilt ran through her and she took his hand.
A gasp fell from her lips and once she was on the other side of the portal she staggered, off balance. "I remember that!" she exclaimed, wide eyed. "I remember- the first time, it was so strange, and then...and then..."
And then what? A small wail of frustration left her and she wrapped her arms around herself, dropping teary eyes to the floor.
He couldn't stand to see her like that, and once again, he moved to comfort her.
"I... I wouldn't even know how to describe what you've just been through, but give it time, I think things will become clearer with rest," he said, hands on her shoulders.
She looked up at him and smiled shakily. "Thank you, Vel."
She may not remember, but it was clear this person had done nothing but help her. She wished she could return the favor.
Glancing around the tower, she bit at her lip again and murmured, "Where, um...what should I do now?"
"Oh, well, you can rest down here," Vel said, motioning to an armchair by the fire, foot rest already in front of it.
"I can, uh, bring you a blanket from upstairs."
"Thank you." She smiled again and moved to the chair, hesitantly curling up to bring her knees closer to her chest.
The red fabric of her robe brushed her cheek and she blinked, staring at it. The robe. Was it important?
"Did- did you...give me this?" she asked slowly, glancing up at Vel.
Vel was about to go get her a blanket, but then she spoke, and he looked at her sidelong, resting a hand on the armrest of the chair for a few moments before turning to face her.
"I did," Vel said, and he pointed down to her hand.
"I gave you that, as well."
She blinked, then stared at her hand, at the ring. For several long moments that was all she did, stare, as though it could give her the answer.
"We were...are...close?" She looked up at him again. Memories that were the same but different demanded her attention, clawing at the inside of her head. "You're...you were...you taught me." Her hand fluttered to press against her chest.
"Magic." She closed her eyes. "Something- you showed me how to-" Her eyes flicked to the ring again. "Magic," she repeated.
Suddenly the half-her memories surged up and she cried out, wrapping her hands around her head. Gods, it hurt!
Immediately, Vel was by her. He didn't know how to just soothe the pain in her head, so he could only try to soothe everything else.
"Yes, I taught Starbright magic," Vel said, sitting down on the footrest to remain with her. By this point, his facial illusion had returned.
He offered her a weak smile.
"Midnight was the more physical sister."
Whimpering, she flicked her eyes up to look at him, trying to focus on the face she could now see.
A jolt of something like recognition ran through her, as though she knew him, if she could only reach those memories-
She didn't realize she'd been physically reaching out until her fingertips brushed his cheek. She snatched her hand back, cradling it to her chest. "Starbright, Midnight," she muttered, shaking her head. "Who am I?"
He didn't know how much a simple, gentle touch could hurt.
"It's alright," he said, and he smiled at her again, this time making more of an effort.
"Starbright and Midnight were... Interesting. When I'd first ran into them, I thought they were twin sisters, inhabiting the same body through some kind of curse. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Starbright and Midnight were two halves of the same soul. Your soul," Vel explained.
"When you woke up in the cave, I had just finished performing a ritual to reunite them. I... I put you back together."
"Put me...back together." She stared at him, violet eyes very wide. A small smile twitched at her lips, still confused, but gratitude was there all the same.
"Thank you," she murmured, reaching out to touch him again. Her hand rested lightly on his shoulder for a moment. "I think- it's like I've got a head full of memories that aren't quite mine, but they're not...not. I can't...sort through them."
She shook her head and withdrew her hand again. "There was...more, wasn't there? You didn't just help them- me. We were...friends?"
"We were quite close," Vel said, and he brought his eyes away for a moment before he met hers again.
"Starbright and Midnight, they..."
He couldn't find the words.
She bit her lip. "I- I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't remember properly." Her eyes flickered to the ring again.
Was that something one friend gave to another? She couldn't quite place the gesture, she felt like she was missing some vital piece of information. Her head was swimming with blue and red, blending and separating, then coming together again.
She closed her eyes and gave a tight, forced laugh. "I...can't do anything, it seems. Maybe you shouldn't have bothered putting me back together," she tried to joke.
"No, no don't say that," Vel said, and he took her hand.
"You needed to be put back together, you would've died otherwise," he said.
He didn't want those words to sit, but they did as he searched for something else to say.
"Let me get you a blanket," he said, and he stood from the footrest.
She would have died.
Yes. Yes she remembered that. But she also remembered...resisting the ritual anyway. No, not resisting...putting it off?
"Oh. Okay. Thank you." She retreated slightly, huddling onto the chair again as she watched him with still wide eyes.
Vel was only gone for a minute, going upstairs to take the lower sheet off of his bed and coming back down with it neatly folded. He set it down on the armrest, and sat back down on the footrest.
"I know it's rather broad," Vel started, and he chuckled to himself lightly.
"But do you have any questions?"
She gave a little chuckle of her own, a more natural smile curving mat her lips. "Only about a thousand," she replied- in very Midnight fashion.
Sobering a bit, she tilted her head and asked slowly, "First though- do I have a name? I don't remember."
Vel shook his head, and moved closer, resting both elbows on his left side against the armrest.
"You don't, and neither you or me gave that any consideration before the ritual, either," Vel said, eyes apologetic.
"You're going to have to come up with one."
"Right." She worried at her lower lip again. "I- I guess I'll think about it." A little distractedly, she reached over to take the sheet and wrapped it around her shoulders.
Light... A voice echoed in the back of her mind. Vel's voice.
Light? What did that mean? It didn't feel quite...finished. She huffed out a breath and shook her head. "Then- do we both live here? I'm- they were your student, right?"
"You were," Vel said.
"But you didn't come to be my student. Originally, I was just going to help you, but..."
He sighed, trailing brass-tipped finger along the armrest.
"We decided to put the ritual off for a month. Along the way, I ended up teaching you magic."
She frowned. "Why did we decide to put it off?"
Just voicing the question aloud exploded a riot of color in her mind, azure and scarlet vying for control, each trying to present a different side of what she thought was the same story. She flinched and clapped her hands over her ears as though that would help.
"I- I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she sobbed, not sure if she was talking to Vel or the not-quite-hers memories. "Please, I can't- it's too much, I can't."
Eventually the cacophony in her head died down to a manageable level and she released a shuddering sigh, eyes clenched shut. "I- I think I need to rest," she whispered, for some reason unable to look at Vel.
"Rest," Vel said. It hurt him to see her like this, but at the same time, he was thankful that he didn't have to answer the question. That was a subkect that not even Vel was comfortable talking about at this very moment.
"Do you want something to soothe the headaches? I can make you something," he said.
"Really?" She blinked up at him gratefully. "Yes, thank you. If it's not...too much trouble."
She frowned, dropping her hands to her lap and staring down at them. "I should...know how to do that, shouldn't I?" She sighed. There were probably dozens of useful things he'd taught her that were hiding away in those strangely fractured memories.
"You should," Vel said, and he held a hand towards one of the cups set on the dining table, and it floated over as he stood, entering his hand as he stepped towards his closet.
"Don't worry, I'm sure it'll come to you," Vel said.
Another smile. "You're so kind," she chuckled softly. "I- I know it must seem normal to you, but for me...it's nice. I think I'm very lucky I met you." Her tone shone with an innocent sincerity as she smiled shyly up at him.
Vel came back from the closet with a palmful of different herbs and sat back down on the footrest.
"I'm lucky to have you as well. I was before, and I still am."
He held the empty cup in one of his lower hands and made symbols with his upper pair, magically filling the cup with water. With a point of his finger, it started to steam. Then, he closed the hand that held the herbs, passing a hand over that one. When he opened it, the herbs were powdered, and he put them in the water.
With another simple motion of his fingers, he stirred the herbs in. The end mixture would have a plain, slightly sweet flavor.
"Here you go. Careful, it's hot."
The girl sat up quickly and leaned closer to watch the process, fascinated. A wondering smile spread across her face and she took the cup with a murmured, "Thank you."
She blew in the drink, causing small ripples across the surface of the liquid.
A memory suddenly solidified, blue and red clashing and bleeding into one another until violet light wrapped around the image and just...clicked into place. Ripples on water. An orb or clear water she could hold in her hands, a warm bath-
She gasped and nearly dropped the cup. "I- I think I remember something!" Eyes wide, she looked up at him. "Did you...was there a spell that could shape water? Make it...solid, sort of?"
Vel looked at her with worry on his expression. He could tell when she was having flashes now, mostly by the way her eyes just sort of looked straight forwards and her pupils widened. In a way, he found it interesting, but his contemplation was interrupted when she spoke.
"Really?! Um..." Vel thought for a few moments before he nodded, leaning in to speak.
"Was it like... A ball? Or more person shaped maybe?"
"A- a ball," she said slowly, but once he said "person" the images began slipping away, replaced with...
She giggled. "Mud golem." Eyes bright, she looked back at him. "You couldn't get her to come out of the water. So you thought...you could make a mud golem.
Click. Another violet memory sliding into place. But now her head hurt, and all the other memories seemed jealous, more persistent than ever. She rubbed at her temple. "I'm sorry. That's all I remember..."
Vel's face brightened at her being able to remember, and it was a look that persisted despite her self-percoeved failure to remember any more.
"You're doing great, don't worry about it," Vel said, and he motioned to her.
"Drink your tea. It's not as good when it's cold," he chuckled.
She gave him a little half smile. "Right. Thank you." She sipped at the tea, blew on it again, and sipped some more.
A yawn overtook her and she smiled at him sleepily. "You're very kind, Vel," she murmured, then yawned again.
Vel smiled at the compliment, and he searched the fabric of the armrest for words. Finally, he looked back to her.
"Do you need anything else?" He asked.
She smiled and shook her head. "No, I think I'm alright." She finished off the last of her tea and gave another yawn "Thank you, Vel."
She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back. Whatever was in that tea it was working; she could feel her mind calming already.
Vel nodded, and he stood to go to bed. Then, she stretched and arced, andfor a few moments he found himself staring before his cheeks flushed and he went on his way.
"Good night," Vel said, and the tower darkened as he rode the platform up to his room.
She watched through sleep heavy eyes as he left, murmuring a soft, "Good night," of her own.
Her dreams were strange, quick and disjointed, and always with those fractured lights, blue and scarlet demanding her attention. The tea probably lessened what would have been an otherwise unbearable night, but even so she was restless.
She woke sometime in the night, bleary and not altogether there. Automatically, she stumbled to her feet and made her way to the disc in the center of the room, muttering, "Library, third floor."
It wasn't until she stepped off the disc that she realized she'd known how to operate it. She blinked and looked back over her shoulder. "Huh."
But...why had she come to this floor? Damnit- she'd known when she'd asked, but now she couldn't remember.
Vel went up to his room, and about after an hour, he managed to get settled down and comfortable. He was used to having something to hold, and the lack of anybody there with him meant that he tossed and turned before powering down on his side.
Barring any incredibly loud noises, he'd remain that way for the night.
She wandered the bookshelves, tracing her fingers over tome she could barely see, some vague part of her hoping maybe one of these books might trigger some memory or another. There must have been some reason her sleep-addled mind had brought her here, right?
After nearly an hour of aimless meandering, she returned to the disc and sat at the edge, brow furrowed and eyes dangerously bright. "I'm sorry," she murmured to no one in particular- maybe the girls she'd used to be. "I'm sorry..."
She flopped onto her back and tilted her head to the side with a sigh- and suddenly sat up. There was a book, slid under one of the shelves, just out of sight, but the angle she viewed it with now made it plain.
Cautiously, she crawled forward and reached under the shelf to fetch it out. It appeared to be a plain leather journal. She frowned, tracing her fingers over the cover a moment before opening it. Her eyes widened slightly.
Learned basic elemental summoning today. Still can't get it down- this stuff is for Star, not me, was written in a sharp, hurried hand
The next line, scrawled in carelessly elegant curves and loops: Tried to convince Vel to let me work on potions- we ended up with a compromise, but I'm still gonna bug him about it.
A notebook. That was all it was, a notebook the girls must have been keeping for their lessons. Her eyes welled up and she sniffled, entirely befuddled as to why she was crying as she slowly turned pages, evidently content to read until dawn.
And if that was what she wanted to do until dawn, then there wasn't much Vel could do to stop her. Vel woke up a few hours before dawn (although dawn was a relative term, given that the tower was lit only when Vel was awake), and after stretching, he saw it fit to go down to the ground floor and check on his... something.
Was she still his apprentice? His lover? His wife? He supposed she would have to decide for herself, but that only made things scarier.
He found himself worrying as he descended on the platform, going through possible scenarios until he reached the third floor library.
As he well should be, he was stunned to see her there, and didn't even respond at first, just staring curiously as the platform came to a stop on that floor.
Somehow she didn't notice the movement of the platform until it once again came to a stop in front of her, this time bearing Vel. She blinked, then tore her attention away from the journal and looked up at him.
"It's light," she murmured, sounding vaguely surprised. Her voice was rough and circles were forming under her eyes. She held up the journal wordlessly. "I...found this."
She held it out to him. "Midnight and Starbright kept it. Did you know?"
Vel was by her, kneeling down next to her so he could take the journal. Fondly, he passed a hand over the cover.
He couldn't bring himself to open it.
"I know they had a journal," Vel said, looking to her.
"But I never read it. Never was nosy enough," he added with a chuckle.
He leaned in a bit, studying her face.
"Have you been up all night?"
She shook her head. "Not all night. Maybe half?" She yawned and smiled a little vaguely. "I thought maybe...if I read it, I might remember something."
She shrugged. "I got- more bits and pieces. Oh, I remembered how you figured out what was wrong with me." She chewed on her lip, then took the journal back and flipped to one of the last pages with writing. "And I found this."
At the bottom of the page was what appeared to be a series of nonsense words, though one had obviously been written over to make it bolder and was circled: "Twilight".
Beneath it were the words "Light of my life. We like that."
She shrugged again. "I'm not sure, but I think they were maybe trying to come up with a name?"
Vel looked at the page, passing a finger over the words beneath it. A deep sadness washed over him, and he fell silent as he just closed his eyes, incapable of crying but feeling the pain all the same.
When he opened them, he looked to her.
"Twilight. I rather like that," he said. Sighing, he set himself down next to her, back against the bookshelf.
"What else did you see?"
"Hm? In the book?" She shrugged, evidently oblivious to his inner turmoil. "A lot of notes about lessons. They all seemed to sort of focus on-"
She suddenly blushed and trailed off, looking away. "I, um..." She cleared her throat. "I think...they had a crush on you." Her cheeks were very red.
Her cheeks weren't the only ones to light up, because Vel's darkened heavily as well. But above all, he was curious.
"Let me see?" he asked, leaning a bit closer so that their shoulders touched and he could read the journal.
Her blush deepened as he got closer. "Ah- like here, see?" She pointed to a passage. "She starts off talking about you teaching her potions, but then it's like a paragraph just talking about watching your hands move."
She flushed, if possible, even redder.
Vel blushed brighter as well. He knew the sisters loved him, of that there was no doubt. But to have such an intimate look into how the two of them viewed him was something else altogether. His expression, however, remained ever curious.
"Is there any more, Twilight?"
She coughed uncomfortably. "Well...a few things here and there. They...obviously admire you a lot."
She looked up at him sidelong. "This doesn't make you...uncomfortable?"
Vel chuckled.
"It doesn't," Vel said, and he met her eyes for a few brief moments before he looked back out to the library around them.
"We were lovers."
Twilight's jaw dropped. "I-oh!" She squeaked out.
A long moment of silence.
"Oh my gods!" She stared at him. "I- you were- and here I've been going on about not remembering-" Her eyes welled up. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry!"
Her heart ached, for him and for what she suddenly realized she'd lost.
"Don't be sorry," Vel said.
"You didn't know, er-- Well you do know, you just haven't remembered it," Vel said.
"There's some, uh... memories. Some very choice memories."
She bit her lip. "Memories like...between us?" she ventured slowly.
Vel nodded slowly.
"We put the ritual off for a month because we fell in love. We spent that month in bliss, sharing love and traveling all over the place," Vel said.
"The memory, with the ball of water. I wasn't in it?"
"I..." She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. As though in a dream, she murmured, "Warm water. A bath. Your hand over mine, telling me what to do. I...lean back into you. I'm safe-"
Suddenly she snapped out of it, staring at him. "I had it," she murmured desolately. "It was right there, I felt it. But it just..." She shook her head. "It's like a memory of something I saw, not...something I did."
"Just as a purely objective observation, it'd seem your memories come most clearly when they're triggered," Vel said.
"Maybe if you took a bath, you'd remember more?"
"Um..." She flushed again and blinked at him. "W-with you, you mean?"
Something in her responded to the idea, an instinctive flutter in her chest and heat that coursed through her- but the memories still weren't all hers, and nerves made her a little twitchy.
"O-oh! I mean, I didn't mention myself, but, uh..."
Why was he so nervous around her? She had all the memories, the same face, everything! So why was he so gun-shy all of a sudden?
"I-if you want me there, then... yes?"
"M-maybe..." She bit her lip, still red. "Could I...start by myself, maybe?"
Vel nodded.
"Take all the time you want," he said as he stood, holding a hand down to her.
"Come on, I'll show you the bath chamber."
Twilight nodded slowly and took his hand.
"Thank you, Vel," she whispered.
Vel smiled warmly, glancing down to their joined hands as he led her onto the platform and it started moving. He didn't know how to feel anymore. After a night of sleep, he wasn't as despondent, and there was even some hope that she would recover her memories completely.
Would she ever be the same two girls he loved? No. He wanted to move on, knowing that the two of them were gone irrevocably, combined to form the person they were meant to be from birth. That Starbright herself had told him to be happy with this new person. It left Vel with an interesting conundrum, something he poured thought into as the platform rose.
when they arrived at the bathchamber, he motioned towards the door.
"There it is. If you need anything, let me know."
"Okay. Thank you." She smiled again and moved toward the door, only then realizing she still clutched the journal in her other hand. "Oh."
Flushing, she turned and placed the book on the floor a little ways away from the door, not sure what else to do with it. She offered Vel a sheepish smile and slipped into the bath chamber.
Her eyes widened slightly. "Oh my..." It was really amazing. How could she have forgotten this? How could she have forgotten any of this? The tower, all those lessons in that journal, Vel...
He'd said they'd been lovers. Her eyes flicked down to the ring as she slowly stripped out of her clothes and started down the stairs into the basin. The warm water was heaven- she hadn't realized how tense she was. Glancing around, she found the bucket with soap almost on reflex and set about washing herself.
Gentle hands sliding down her sides, gripping her hips.
Entirely entranced, Twilight's lashes fluttered against her cheeks and a soft sound slipped passed her lips unbidden.
Fingers tracing her belly, her legs hooked up as her back arched and those fingers moved south-
She didn't realize what she'd been doing until her hand brushed against her core and she gasped, snapping out of it. Very, very red, Twilight scrambled from the bath and hurried dressed herself again. "Um, Vel? Are you still out there?"
Vel was still out there. He'd gone up to his room for a moment to place the journal on his nightstand, and had come back down. He was sitting against the wall, reading a book on interplanar megafauna. He was rather surprised that he could find the inner calm to read a book at this time. He had so many confusing emotions running through his head, although a majority of them weren't even negative. He was caught in a strange place, the long night alone having made him realize just how reliant he'd become on the sisters for comfort and affection.
He was thumbing through a chapter on astral whales when he heard Twilight's voice, and in a moment, he was in front of the door.
"I'm here," he said, placing a hand against the door.
"Can... Can I come in?"
"Um..." She bit her lip, still rather flushed and confused. But at least she was dressed. "S-sure."
She hugged the robe a little tighter around her body and shifted her weight nervously, eyes on her feet.
Vel turned the doorknob and entered. He could tell that she'd used the bath, but he could also see she was nervous.
"What's wrong?" Vel said, stepping closer.
Unconsciously, she skittered back from him a few steps, feeling twitchy and anxious. "I- well, I-"
Cheeks very red, she mumbled. "I, um, remembered...some things. But I...I think I'd rather not pursue those...particular memories just yet."
It was so strange. She looked at Vel out of the corner of her eye. The face that seemed to be molded out of crystal wasn't unattractive, certainly, and it had the haunting sense of familiarity, but well...he was a machine, wasn't he? At least physically.
Hearing the word "lovers" and having snatches of memories to put to the term were very different things. How had that even worked? Was that why he was keeping her around? Or did he actually care about her- her, not the girls she'd once been? And how did she feel?
It was all so much, so confusing, that she sort of drifted off into her own world, eyes wide and distant.
Vel nodded, stepping forwards.
"I understand, Twilight. I do, and I'm here to help you through this. Before the ritual, I made a promise to you that I'd be there for you. A promise to forget about the past and look forwards to the future."
He trailed off, and he dared to put a hand on her shoulder. He smiled.
"I want to show you something. It might help you remember."
She flinched a bit under his touch, but it wasn't from discomfort- rather the opposite. Heat spread through her, dredging up the memories from the bath and making her blush deeper.
"Okay," she said slowly. "Where, um...what is it?"
Vel offered her his hand.
"Come with me," he said, intent on leading her out of the bath and towards the platform.
Twilight took his hand carefully and nodded. She followed him easily, as though it was habit, despite the rather confusing jumble of thoughts and half-memories that still swirled in the back of her mind.
They stepped onto the platform, and it started to rise. It rose to the very top of his tower, stopping at his bedroom. Vel stepped off the platform and motioned to the room about him. The glass dome at the top was tuned to the astral plane, with different hues of pink, purple, and blue swirling above the tower like abstract clouds.
"This was our bedroom," he said, and he looked back towards Twilight.
Eyes very wide, Twilight stepped cautiously off the platform into the room. Her eyes were immediately drawn to the dome above her head- mirroring that first reaction from midnight, though she didn't realize it.
"That's amazing," she whispered. Then, suddenly: "Astral plane. You showed us a realm of fire, and water. Endless beach, a forest of coral-"
She blinked, snapping out of it. He cheeks flushed and she looked back to Vel. "I..." She cleared her throat and dropped her eyes. Slowly, softly, she started to speak.
"I remember what it was like to love you, I think," she whispered. "But it's- everything is so fractured. It's like trying to catch light with your hands- I can see, I just can't...feel it. Not- not the way they felt it." She wrapped her arms around her middle. "But I- I think I could. Feel that again, I mean. I just..."
She raised her eyes to look at his face, biting her lip. "I think I'm afraid you won't want me. Not the me I am now- Midnight and Starbright loved you so much, and I know you love them. I don't...I don't want to just be a replacement."
"You're not a replacement," Vel was quick to say, stepping up to her. He took her hands in his, desperately shaking away his emotions.
"In many ways, you are Starbright and Midnight, and in a way, they were you, if not split between two people," Vel started, eyes drawn to the ring on her finger before he mustered up the will to look her in the eyes.
"I still love you, Twilight," he said softly.
"You... you just have a different name now."
"I-"
She hesitated, torn between pulling her hands back and just giving in and leaning into that strange familiarity of him. Even just hearing him say her name sent a strange jolt through her.
She felt her eyes start to water and blinked rapidly. "I'm sorry, Vel," she whispered. "I can't- I need some time."
She drew back slightly. It felt like she was ripping her own heart in two, but she couldn't stop herself.
Her heart wasn't the only one being torn, and when she moved to pull away, Vel let her, although he couldn't begin to even hide how his emotions were crushed.
He nodded weakly.
"I understand, you..."
Oh no.
"Vel-" Without thinking she moved forward and wrapped her arms around him, clinging tightly. "I'm...I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I want- I want to remember. I want to feel like that again, I do, I just..."
Her voice choked off and she moved to pull away from him. "I'm so sorry."
Vel sighed, leaning into her embrace and feeling all the more pathetic for it.
"No, Twilight," Vel said, stupidly pulling away. Inside, he was screaming. His face disappeared, leaving blank crystal to gaze at her.
"Don't feel sorry for me, just take your time."
His light retreated to the back of his crystal, and he turned to leave. He was confused, hurt, angry, and above all, clouded with his own desire for her.
He stepped onto the platform. It flickered for a few moments before dyig down, and Vel closed one of his hands into a fist.
"Ground floor."
"I- Vel wait!"
A confused whimper left her as she watched the platform descend. She let out a shuddering breath and closed her eyes, a few tears trickling down her cheeks.
Seeing him in pain hurt, but she couldn't seem to stop hurting him! It was the last thing in the world she wanted, but she knew his pain was her fault.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to empty air, covering her face with her hands.
Vel reached the bottom, and by the time he'd gotten there, he didn't even know what he wanted to do there. He just wanted to be far from her at the moment, as far as he could get.
He walked to his desk and sat down at it, quiet for a few moments before couldn't help but let out a frustrated noise, elbows digging into the wood as he held his head.
Behind him, the window transitioned, revealing a grand, desert vista.
When the platform returned Twilight just about scrambled onto it and whispered, "Ground floor."
She caught a glimps of Vel's hunched figure once she arrived at her destination and paused, then turned and tried to make her way toward the closet- snippets of memories began to click into place as she murmured her requests.
Eventually, she approached Vel cautiously with a blanket clutched in her hands. She spread it over his shoulders silently- she'd enchanted the cloth with a basic comfort and healing spell, offering warmth and strength.
It was one of the first magical tasks Vel taught her.
Vel barely acknowledged her presence, even when she opened the closet, and not even as her footsteps approached him. It was only the feeling of a warm, comforting blanket being laid over his shoulders that caused him to raise his head from his hands.
Still looking down at the desk, he slowly pulled the blanket a bit tighter on himself, and sighed.
Finally, he looked to her.
"I'm sorry, Twilight. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"No." She knelt beside him and cautiously laid her hand over one of his. "No, don't do that, don't apologize. I...can't even imagine what this must be like for you. I wish- I wish I could just fix it, make everything...make sense again."
She sighed and lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry too, Vel," she whispered. "I may not be...the same, but I do care about you. I don't want to see you hurt."
After a few moments, Vel turned his hand upwards, locking his fingers with hers.
"If only there was a spell for that," Vel said, and he let his head rest back.
"Are you still tired? You only got half a night of sleep," Vel said, and he raised another hand to pass a finger along the bags under her eyes.
"You should go sleep in my bed. It'll take out all the aches caused by leaning against that bookshelf all night," he said, and he gave her a faint smile.
She was tired, but she bit her lip, hesitating. "I- are you sure?"
She couldn't deny a real bed sounded amazing, but she didn't want to make all of this worse for him if she could help it. "I mean, I don't mind sleeping on the chair again, if you're...more comfortable with that."
"I'm sure," Vel said, resuming his facial illusion so he could smile more properly.
"I'm already quite rested, I think I'm going to just watch the views go by," he said, and he stood, turning the chair around so he faced the window. he stroked the blanket's fabric.
"Thank you for the blanket. It... it means a lot."
Seeing his smile made her heart jump up into her throat giddily. She beamed in response. "You're welcome. I'm...glad you like it."
Still smiling, she gave him a small nod and moved toward the platform. "Bedroom, please."
As the platform rose, Vel merely relaxed into his chair. He would watch alien landscapes, interdimensional swirlings, and the natural churnings of the elemental planes for as long as it took Twilight to rest.
In his room, however, the dome had darkened the rest of the room, leaving it a dim, comfortable light perfect for sleeping. The dome portrayed a sky full of gently twinkling stars.
Twilight paused a moment when she reached the bedroom, just looking up at the stars. Then she sighed and made her way to the bed.
She curled up under the covers and suddenly felt her whole body relax. Her eyes fluttered closed and she took a deep breath; the smell of magic, wood, and the light metallic scent of brass filled her nose, comforting.
She fell asleep quickly, curled up like a child in the center of the bed.
Around five hours later, Vel was standing at the foot of the bed, still wrapped in that blanket she'd given him.
"Twilight," he said, softly as to not jar her from sleep immediately.
"Hey," he whispered again.
Twilight mumbled something incoherent in her sleep and rolled over, blinking blearily. She saw Vel and stared at him fuzzily for a moment.
Still half asleep, she rolled back into her side and waved her hand at him in a "come here" gesture, then patted the bed beside her. "Too early to be awake," she grumbled in true Midnight fashion.
Vel was hesitant for a few moments before he took the blanket off of his shoulders and folded it, setting it at the foot of the bed.
He climbed into bed on the side that would put him in front of her, and slipped beneath the covers, coming to a rest at a distance where if she wanted to reach out and pull him closer, she could. He laid on his back, covering one of her hands with one of his own.
"Remembering how good my bed is?" Vel chuckled.
"Mhm." Eyes closed, she smiled and turned her hand so she could squeeze his fingers gently. "I'm starting to."
She was obviously still a little out of it, but for perhaps the first time since the ritual she was completely relaxed, a small smile perpetually curving her lips.
A few violet memories slid into place with rather understated clicks and she stretched, yawning. "I used to just lie here," she murmured. "Starbright, I mean. She would lie here until she was sure you'd powered down for the night. She wanted to make sure you got enough rest."
Vel smiled at that. A sad, genuine smile ripped straight from his heart.
"And if I woke up, I'd wait for her to let her get her rest as well," Vel said. He moved a bit closer.
Twilight frowned a bit, just slightly more awake now. "Don't be sad," she murmured, reaching up with her free hand to cup his cheek. "Please don't be sad, Vel."
Her eyes closed and she sighed. "They loved you so much. I can remember that, even if I can't really feel it."
"I know they did," he said plainly, closing his eyes against the hand on his cheek.
"I've thought about things a lot," he said, and he opened his eyes to look at her.
"Ready to see something else that might jog some memories?"
"Hm?" She yawned again and sat up, seeming a bit more conscious. Her robe had fallen off one shoulder and she had some rather impressive pillow hair.
"Sure. What did you have in mind?"
"Just close your eyes," Vel said, and he sat up with her, smiling gently.
"Um, okay." Smiling in bemusement, she closed her eyes and straightened her shoulders, letting her hands come to rest folded in her lap.
Vel was still for a few moments, before he closed his own eyes and assumed his fully human form. He made a conscious choice to appear with a simple linen shirt, although it was sleeveless.
"You can open them."
"Alright." Still smiling a little crookedly, she opened her eyes.
"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh!"
Hands tracing over her body, staring up into endlessly blue eyes, a smile, a laugh, a soft blush dusting his cheeks under the wide brim of a hat-
Twilight gasped and doubled over, clutching her head. The pain wasn't as strong this time, but the sheer amount of information she was bombarded with made her clench her eyes shut and set her jaw.
"Vel," she gasped out, reaching for him blindly, needing the comfort of touch.
"Twilight!" Vel said, immediately regretting showing her this form as she doubled over. When she reached out, he took her hand, setting his other hand down on her shoulder.
"Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I... I didn't mean..."
Her head snapped up and she stared at him, panting. A crimson tinted memory suddenly forced itself to the front of her mind and she found herself leaning forward, pressing her lips to his in a harsh, desperate kiss.
Click. Another violet memory. But just one, making her reel back with a gasp. She pressed her hands over her mouth, eyes wide.
"I- I'm sorry," she gasped. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-" She twisted away from him, moving to scramble off the bed.
He was stunned.
So stunned, in fact, that only when she started scrambling away from him is when he snapped back.
"Twilight, w-wait," he said, almost dumbly reaching out for her, but she was just too far away.
"Twilight!"
She froze the second time he called her name, obviously disheveled with her arms wrapped tight around her middle, her back to him. She was shivering slightly.
She didn't say anything, but she wasn't exactly trying to run away anymore either.
"It's alright, Twilight," Vel said, trying to ignore that the kiss had shattered whatever control he thought he had over his feeling.
"You didn't mean it, it was my fault, just... please, don't cry. Or be upset," he said.
"It hurts me to see you like that."
She wailed and turned to face him.
"But that's just it!" she cried, eyes wild and teary, face still flushed. "You mean that- I can tell you mean that, that you care about me, but is it really me? And I- I don't want to hurt you, but when I look at you like that all I can remember-"
Her voice choked off, then picked up again in that entranced tone: "Making love under starlight, growing heat wrapped around us, I'm you, you're me, we're together, we're one, I'm not complete without you in me..."
She shook her head and covered her face with her hands. "I don't want that to be all there is," she whispered. "I want- I don't just want to remember the- the sex, I want to love you!"
Gods, why was this so hard?
"Twilight, please," Vel said, and he put his hand on her arm, a soothing touch.
"Remembering the sex is easy, it's obvious and there was, well... a lot of it," he said, blushing even as he spoke.
"But the love... that's different, you can't remember an emotion, a subtext," he continued.
"If you want to love me, truly, then I think we just need to spend time together, and not even worry about it," Vel said. He offered her a smile.
"Me and you didn't fall in love because we set out to fall in love, it just... happened."
His blush heightened the color in her own cheeks, but the levity he addressed the situation with dew a small smile from her.
"I..." She sighed and rubbed at her temples again. "I know you're right. I'm sorry, I'm just...confused."
She hesitated a moment, then laid her hand over his on her arm and squeezed gently.
"You have every right to be confused," Vel said, smiling as he looked into her eyes.
"You haven't even been a whole person for a day yet."
She laughed. The sound was still a little teary and hysterical, but it was a laugh.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." She chuckled and wiped at her eyes. "I, um..." She bit her lip and shifted her weight a bit. "I don't think I like just sitting around," she murmured after a moment. "I don't like feeling...useless. Is there...something I can do around the tower?"
Maybe she could trigger more memories with even everyday tasks. At least she hoped.
"Well, I know for a fact you can help me out with things around the tower," Vel said.
"You... can also continue learning magic! and we can travel, and do lots of things," Vel said, nodding enthusiastically.
"Alright." Twilight smiled and nodded. "I'd...really like to keep learning magic, if I can." Her smiled grew a bit. "I remembered that spell for the blanket!"
Her face fell again abruptly. "But...I can't really remember anything else magical. But- but traveling sounds nice."
One thing both Midnight and Starbright had held in common was their love of exploration, and it seemed clear that the trait was only amplified in Twilight, her eyes shining excitedly at the very idea.
"Well, then that means I get to teach you all over again," Vel said, beaming at the prospect.
"And I can take you all kinds of places, too. Places here on Le'ranna or even beyond."
"Beyond..." Her eyes flicked up to the dome. "You mean, like...astral fields?" Was that the term? She couldn't quite remember, but she thought it was something like that.
"The astral plane, yes," Vel said. He scooted closer, and looked up to the dome with her.
"And so many others."
Unconsciously, Twilight started to lean into him before she caught herself and forced herself to take small step away.
"I'd like that." She smiled at him. "I'd really like that."
"Then it'll be so," Vel said.
He glanced back to the bed, and then to her, before sitting back down on the edge of it.
"How'd you sleep?"
"Really well, actually." She hesitated, then perched on the edge of the bed a little away from him. "It felt...like home, honestly." Her cheeks colored and she ducked her eyes.
"I, um...you were alright, weren't you? I mean, I was kind of hogging the bed."
"I was fine," Vel said, waving her concern away.
"I quite enjoyed being wrapped up in the blanket, watching the vistas go by," he said.
Silently, he noted how she just kept putting distance between them.
"Oh. Well, good. That's good." She tried for another smile, rubbing her arm a little awkwardly. "I'm glad you were- I mean you weren't- anyway."
Flushing darker now, she shook her head and said quickly, "I should probably make myself something to eat. I could get what I need for a spell out of the closet, right?" She was feeling a little jumpy all of the sudden, part of her wanting to just stay and lean into his side and just be there with him, another part anxious and still not entirely convinced of what would be right for either of them in this situation.
"Yes," Vel said, but she just looked so nervous that it only felt natural for him to lay a hand on her shoulder.
"Is everything all right?"
She resisted the urge to flinch. "Oh yes, yes! Sorry, I'm fine, I'm just..." She shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "Twitchy, I guess."
She glanced at his hand on her shoulder but didn't try to pull away- instead she almost seemed to be studying it.
"Yeah, I'm not exactly myself either," Vel said, giving her a lopsided smirk. He traced her vision to his hand, and he chuckled.
"Pretty realistic, isn't it?" he said, bringing up the other hand so he could flex the fingers.
"In a way, this human illusion's my masterpiece."
Twilight gave a small smile and lifted her own hand, catching his and splaying her fingers out against his.
"It feels real," she murmured. Her cheeks colored a bit. "I mean...I remember that, a little, from them, but... This is my memory." She wanted something that was her, not Midnight and Starbright. She let her fingers slide against his until she could lace them together.
Vel looked down at their laced fingers and smiled, glancing back up to her eyes.
"Your eyes are like amethysts," Vel commented, and almost instinctually his eyes drifted down to her lips.
Her cheeks colored an she dropped her eyes, a bashful little smile lighting her face. "That's...good?" she ventured slowly. "I know- I know you liked their eyes..."
"I did," Vel admitted, and he squeezed her hand gently.
"But purple and all those related colors have always been my favorite," he said.
Twilight's smile widened a bit. "Really?" Still blushing, she squeezed his hand back gently before pulling hers back.
Her eyes searched his face curiously, and she reached up as though to touch him, then hesistated. "Um...can I...?"
"You don't need permission to touch me," Vel said, and he leaned forwards a bit for her.
Twilight hesitated a moment longer, then let her palm rest lightly against his cheek. Her face was serious, studious, and her thumb traced gently over his skin as though she was trying to memorize the sensation.
Her fingers traveled down softly, tracing the line of his neck down to his collar, then across to the hollow of his throat. She seemed transfixed, eyes tracking the motion of her fingers as though her life depended on it.
Vel let his eyes drift closed, just sighing as Twilight explored his neck area at her own pace.
Eventually Twilight pulled her hand back, biting her lower lip. "I, um...sorry," she mumbled, shuffling back a small step. "I just...I remembered that. I wanted to- figure it out for myself," she admitted sheepishly.
"Isn't that what you were doing?" Vel asked, eyes curious as his hand sought hers.
"Memorizing me for yourself?"
Her blush deepened and she ducked her head. "I, uh, I guess it was," she mumbled, embarrassed. "That's...really weird, isn't it?"
"It's fairly interesting if that's what you mean by weird," Vel said, and he took her hand, turning it upwards so he could place a few fingers on her palm.
"You, erm... you can keep going if you want."
Twilight felt like her cheeks must be glowing they were so hot. "O-okay..." She let her fingers wrap around his, then slowly slid them to his wrist and up his arm. Her other hand moved cautiously forward, hesitated, then came to rest gently on his chest.
"Feels pretty new, doesn't it?" Vel said, a sort of playful tone to his voice.
Twilight flicked her eyes up to his and smiled a bit. "Yeah, it does." She could feel clockwork ticking away under her palm.
For some reason it was...soothing.
With a reluctant sigh, she drew her hands back. "I, um... I should really get something to eat," she murmured, not quite able to look at him.
"Alright," Vel said as he nodded curtly.
"You can find the spell materials in the closet. The book should be on the dining table," Vel said.
"I'll be down shortly, you can go on ahead of me."
Twilight nodded and made her way to the platform. "I'll, ah, see you in a minute?" She smiled and murmured, "Ground floor."
Vel nodded, and let her be on her way. He let his human illusion drop, going back to his half-form as he picked up the enchanted blanket and threw it around his shoulders, like a cloak.
He went to the other floors to gather some books, and then went to join Twilgiht downstairs. All in all, it'd take him three minutes.
Twilight had managed to collect the supplies she needed, spreading them out on the dining table with the book open in front of her. a frown was fixed on her face, fingers tapping an irritated sort of rhythm on the table.
She knew how to do this. She really did- she remembered doing this, sort of. So why couldn't she cast the damn spell?! It was like her magic was on strike, sulking somewhere that she couldn't reach.
She made a small noise of frustration and slammed the book shut, tangling her hands in her hair.
Vel heard the book slam shut as he descended into the ground floor, and when he saw her, he approached, setting his collected books down on his desk.
"It's alright if you don't get it immediately. If magic was easy, everybody'd do it," Vel said, giving he a smile.
"Need a refresher?"
She jumped a bit, so absorbed in her own frustration she hadn't noticed his approach. Wincing sheepishly, she gave Vel a rather plaintive look.
"...Yes please."
"It's alright," he repeated, and he picked up the book, going to stand in front of her as he flipped through it.
"What were you trying to conjure?"
Twilight huffed a sigh and stopped him when he reached the page she'd been looking at. "I figured I should start with something simple, so I thought the stew would be easiest."
She shrugged and pouted unconsciously.
Vel nodded.
"Well, you have the powder, the chalk..." Vel started listing, and he looked towards the incomplete spell.
After a few moments, he looked back to her.
"Can you show me where you're having trouble?"
"It's like..." She frowned as she tried to think of a way to describe it. "Like- there's a wall between me and the magic. I can feel it, I just can't...reach it."
She huffed and bit her lip. "Damnit, I did fine with the blanket!"
"Hm," Vel said, looking thoughtful, before suddenly, he snapped his fingers.
"Wait right here!" he said almsot cheerfully as he went to the platform and took it all the way to his room. In a minute, he was back, holding a small, oaken wand with brass tips and magical runes carved into the shaft.
He approached Twilight, and held it out for her.
"Try making the hand motions with this wand. It'll let you channel your magic into a fixed point. It'll make it easier to tap into it."
"Really?" She took the wand carefully and turned it over in her hands, examining it. "Have I...used this before?"
She didn't remember- but of course, that seemed to be the general problem, didn't it. She sighed and shook her head, then held the wand carefully and started attempting to complete the motions required by the spell.
"You haven't," Vel said, and he stepped up to her, putting a hand on the bottom of her forearm.
"It's important to keep the arm and wrist straight when trying to channel through a wand," Vel said, and he gently grasped her wrist, straightening it out.
He looked to her eyes.
"Don't worry about getting it one-hundred percent like the motions in the spellbook, just let it flow out," he added, and then let her go.
Twilight blushed to the roots of her hair as she felt him guiding her form, his body pressed against hers. She tried to ignore the little stutter her heart gave and nodded, following his instructions.
The wand helped a great deal, giving her something physical to anchor her power to.
The spell wasn't easy, but she managed to pull it off, conjuring a crock of gently steaming stew into being.
"Aha!" Twilight bounced on her heel and whirled to throw her arms around him. "I did it!"
Vel threw his own arms around her, smiling as he nodded his affirmation.
"You did!" he said,still holding her. He pulled away a little, but his arms were still around her.
"You can keep the wand. I don't use it."
Still beaming, Twlight nodded quickly. "Okay. Hopefully I won't need it too much longer."
She seemed to realize they still had their arms around each other and flushed, moving to pull away. "Oh, sorry..."
Vel, however, didn't remove her arms.
"It's alright, you know," he said, and he blushed a bit brighter.
"You don't have to apologize for things like this. Ever."
He nodded.
"I... I like it."
Twilight's blush darkened and she ducked her eyes. "I-I know." She worried at her lip. "I just- I don't want to make this...harder for you."
"And I appreciate that, Twilight. So much," Vel said, and he drifted one of his hands over one of hers.
"But I... this is better for me," he said with some finality.
"I need to move on."
She tried for a small smile, looking at his hand over hers.
"Yeah. I guess we both do..."
She cleared her throat and stepped back from him reluctantly. "I should, I'm, eat. Yeah, I'll just...do that."
"You do that," Vel said, giving her hand a caring squeeze before she pulled away. He went to his desk and sat down, opening one of the books.
Behind him, the window switched to a seemingly endless sprawl of magma crags and small lakes of lava.
Twilight took a few breaths to calm herself and settled at the table to start picking at the stew.
It wasn't bad, all things considered. She probably could've have made it better with a more confident spell casting, but it wasn't bad.
Her eyes flickered tot he window and she smiled a bit. "You know, I wouldn't have thought something so dangerous could be so beautiful."
"Its a property that tends to extend to any things," Vel said, looking up to Twilight from his books. After a few moments, he tapped the opposite side of his desk.
"You can eat here. You won't have to turn your head for a view," he offered.
"Oh- are you sure?" She moved toward the desk even as she asked, holding the bowl of stew carefully. "I don't want to...disturb you."
"You won't," Vel said, looking down at his book.
Taking a quill, he underlined a passage from the book and marked the edge of the page.
"Alright." She sat across from him and continued picking at her food, watching him curiously.
"What are you doing?"
"Well, I'm working on an ongoing experiment," Vel said, and he looked back up to her.
"Regarding how mundane, wordly materials like wood, plant matter, and metals change when exposed to raw mana."
"Ah." She furrowed her brow. "I, um-"
Click. Violet memories sliding into place.
"I remember that!" She nearly jumped out of her seat in excitement, then blushed and hurriedly tried to collect herself. "I mean- I remember you talking about that, before."
Vel smiled.
"I... may or may not have purposely used the exact same wording I used to describe it to Starbright," he said, and winked.
"I've made some progress on it, but raw mana takes time to collect. I've only been able to test on leather, ceramic, and copper."
Twilight's blush darkened. "Oh. Well, thank you." She smiled sheepishly, then asked, "How do you colect it? Could I help?"
"It's just a matter of time. I have a mechanism in my tower that sucks mana out of the air," Vel said.
"But raw mana is dangerous, Twilight. I... I'd rather you didn't. At least for now."
Quickly, though, he spoke up again to make the situation positive again.
"But you can help with the actual experiment!"
"Oh." Her shoulders slumped, but when he offered something she could do she perked up again. "Oh? What could I do?"
"Well, manipulating the raw mana is something that takes a lot of focus, so if you could record the results of each experiment as I do it, it'd lend to much more accurate data," Vel said.
"I have other ongoing things that you might be able to help with as well, like you could help tend to my alchemical garden."
"Alright!" She beamed, finishing off her meal. "What should I do first?" She seemed eager now that she'd been offered tasks to accomplish.
"Well, I haven't watered the garden yet, so that would be a good place to start," Vel said, and he closed his book, but not before dog-earing the page his was on. He stood from the desk and motioned for her to follow as he stepped towards the platform.
"Come on, I'll show you.
She nodded quickly and bounced to her feet. Absently, she waved a hand at the stew pot and muttered an incantation.
Click.
The dishes vanished, and it took her a moment to realize what she'd done. "Oh!" She stared at Vel, wide eyed. "I did that!"
"You did," Vel affirmed, and he stepped towards her, looking at the spot where the pot of stew once was, and then back to her.
"I think you know more than you think you do," he stated.
She giggled, then started laughing. The laughs turned into a slightly hysterical guffaw and she clutched her side, gasping.
"That- that seems to be the story of my life lately."
Vel laughed as well, finding her joy contagious.
"Don't you worry, I'll be here if anything gets confusing," Vel said, taking her hand.
He motioned to the platform with his head.
"Shall we?"
Still giggling, though even she wasn't entirely sure why, Twilight nodded and took his hand. "Yes, I believe we shall."
Once they were on the platform, it started ascending.
"So, how do you feel about resuming your magic lessons tomorrow? Or do you want a couple more days to adjust?"
"I could!" Twilight smiled at him and squeezed his hand breifly. "I'd like to- get back into things quickly, if I can."
"Alright. I'll have to devise some sort of test, to see what you retained and what you need to remember," Vel said, thinking out loud and idly stroking Twilight's hand with his thumb.
"Alright." She nodded and glanced down at their joined hands, then cautiously let her thumb stroke over the back of his hand in response. The ring glittered as her hand twisted slightly and caught the light.
Click.
"Vel..." She looked up at him. Her eyes were very wide. "You, um...did you make the ring?"
At her words, Vel glanced down to the ring, tried to look back up, and then his eyes remained on it. He had a nostalgic smile on his face, although some re-emerging sadness was visible in his eyes.
"I did," he said, and he passed a finger over it, finally managing to look back up at her.
"Did... did you remember why?"
Her face fell a little. "No... I'm sorry." She ducked her eyes and bit her lip, feeling guilty. "I just...I remembered you saying that maybe we- I could make one for you, someday, so I figured..."
Vel smiled at that, and, feeling a bit emotional, he pulled her into a hug.
"I'd like that, Twilight," he said, voice soft, almost weak.
"Oh, Vel..." Evidently she'd touched on something deeply emotional. She squeezed his hand, then rocked up to press a quick, spontaneous kiss to his cheek.
"Th-then I'll do it. I promise."
Vel pulled back a bit, cheek still tingling from the kiss, and he nodded.
"Thank you," Vel said, and even then, his eyes glanced down to her lips, but he couldn't quite draw up the courage yet.
"Can I call you Light?"
Twilight's smile widened and she squeezed his hand again. "I'd love it if you would," she replied sincerely, eyes shining.
"Light," he repeated, testing the word on his tongue, before he gave another small nod.
The platform slowed to a stop on the 7th-floor laboratory, but he didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he leaned in and left a kiss on Twilight's forehead.
The room had several work tables on it, including a station for mixing potions, a heavier-duty enchanting table, and several scientific devices, both mundane and magical were either stored on shelves or mounted on tables. On one side of the room, there was a door that bore a leaf symbol on it. On the other, a similar door with a symbol of a crystal formation.
"Come on," he said, voice containing a twinge of excitement as he guided her by the hand towards the leaf-marked door.
A small tingling sensation seemed to spread through her from the point of contact of the kiss and she flushed happily as he led her off the platform.
"Alright, I'm coming," she chuckled, trying to hurry along behind him even as she took in their surroundings.
Vel noticed she was looking around, and he slowed down for her so she could take in the room. When they arrived at the door, he opened it and motioned for her to enter.
beyond it was a medium-sized greenhouse, with plants ranging from mundane herbs and plants of note that could be found on Le'Ranna to flora that could only be found on specific planes, like astral flowers, tulips made of photosynthetic metal, or even sunflowers that actually gave off a pleasant glow.
"So, what do you think? Do you remember this room?"
She looked around. "I-"
Red and blue clashing to make violet, over and over. Click click click.
Twilight gasped and clutched her head, though the headache eased much more quickly this time. "I- I do," she gasped out when she could speak again. Despite the lingering pain, she was smiling. "Starbright loved it in here..."
Vel nodded silently, although the sound might have been given off by the slight whirring of his neck joints.
He walked forwards, trailing a hand along the rim of a planter.
"No... choice memories?" he asked, although he blushed at the thought.
"Choice memories?"
She blushed herself as realization hit. "O-oh." She cleared her throat and ducked her eyes. "I...think Midnight liked it here too. If for different reasons..."
"Starbright was always afraid we'd disturb the flowers," Vel said, and he chuckled. He turned about to face her.
"So, ready to learn how to keep this place green?"
Twilight snapped back to the present and nodded eagerly. "Yessir!" She gave him a jaunty little salute and a bright smile.
Vel couldn't help but to return that smile.
"So, most of these plants require water, and if you'd look by the door--" Vel said, and he motioned to a water can set by the door.
"You'll notice the endless watering can. Now, the water that comes out if it's been magically altered, so it'll keep pretty much all of these plants alive," Vel said.
"Three seconds of water is pretty good for most of the plants. Some of the larger ones might need it for five. There are some plants that require something else entirely, and those supplies will be by the plant," he said.
"You don't have an aversion to bugs, do you?"
Did she? She considered it.
"Starbright sort of did..." she mused. "I mean- she was scared of them, but she never wanted to squish them. Midnight was fine...but she didn't really care if she stepped on them either..."
She shrugged and smiled. "No, I think I'm good. That'll balance out, right?"
"Okay," Vel said.
"I'm asking because I grow crickets and bees around here. I've bred them to be incredibly docile and passive around people, so just don't swat them or anything, they're just there to support the plants," he said.
"The carnivorous plants eat the crickets for food."
Twilight blinked. "Carnivorous...plants?"
Her eyes were very round and she laughed a little incredulously. "That doesn't even seem like it should be real."
"Well, it's all just small ones that eat the crickets. Don't worry, I don't have any maneaters," Vel said, chuckling.
"And the weirdest part is, a good portion of those plants are from Le'Ranna!"
"Really?" Her eyes went, if possible, even wider. But one word caught and lodged in her brain. "Um...maneaters? There are plants that...eat people?!"
Vel nodded.
"Not many on Le'Ranna, but maneaters are more common in certain dimensions or planes," Vel said. He looked about, and took her hands into his.
"Any more questions?"
Still seeming a little stunned, she shook her head. She squeezed his hand almost reflexively and offered a quick smile. "Um, I think I've got it. will you be in the library if I need you?"
"Yes. Oh! One more thing," Vel said, and he guided her through the garden to a plot of soil that was seperated from the rest of the greenhouse. In that plot sat a small tree, except the bark was shiny, like metal.
"You don't need to water this one. I take care of it personally, alright?"
"Okay." She tilted her head, eyeing the tree curiously, then looked back to him. "What is it? It almost doesn't even look like a plant."
"It's a tree not native to this plane," Vel said, meeting her look.
"I'm growing it for the raw mana test."
"Right. Okay." Twilight nodded, then smiled and gave him a jaunty little salute. "Guess I'll get to work then."
"Okay. Thanks for helping out," Vel said, and he leaned in to peck her cheek before he stepped past her.
"I'll be downstairs at my desk. If you need anything, just let me know," he said. He stepped out of the room.
"Will do!" She blushed a bit at the peck on her cheek and nodded at him, then turned to observed the greenhouse-like room again as he left.
Well. She may as well get to work. She moved to gather up the "infinite watering can" and started moving about, doing her best to follow Vel's instructions.
Vel went back downstairs to continue reading. Making sure to wrap himself in the enchanted blanket, he sat down in the armchair in front of the fire.
Twilight was able to fall into a sort of pattern as she tended the garden, a few snippets of memory making the task easier when she hesitated or fumbled.
It just wasn't enough though. Her headaches were less severe, shorter and farther between, but she still couldn't capture those blue and red tinged memories that taunted her. She frowned as she worked, completely losing track of time.
After about twenty minutes, the door to the greenhouse opened, and Vel stepped in. He looked around, and when he picked Twilight out among the plants he walked over to her.
"Hey," he said, and he gave her a bright smile.
"How's it going?"
"Ack!"
Startled, Twilight jumped and tossed the watering can into the air, grabbed for it twice, lost her balance, then collapsed to her rear. The can landed in her lap, thoroughly soaking her.
She glowered up at Vel, hair dripping, and mumbled, "You scared me."
"Twilgiht!" Vel exclaimed, although there wasn't any mortal fear in it, just concern, and in an instant, he was by her side, picking up the watering can and setting it down out of the way.
"Are you alright?" he said, putting a hand on her knee.
"I'm sorry!"
She looked up at him for a moment, then suddenly burst into giggles.
"It's- it's alright," she gasped out between fits of laughter. "My fault for being skittish." She reached up to cup his cheek, head tilted as she smiled in a vague sort of way.
Vel's look softened when she cupped his cheek, and it took everything he had to not close his eyes and lean into the feeling. He looked her over, and leaned a bit closer to her, setting himself down right next to her.
"I suppose we'd better get you into some dry clothes," Vel said, letting a hand rest on her leg as he looked to her.
She chuckled and nodded. "I suppose we should." Her eyes flickered down to his hand on her leg.
Click.
She wanted him. Oh gods, she wanted him, so much her whole body ached with it. But-
Not like this. It was a disservice to the both, would do more harm than good. She knew that, yet she couldn't stop herself from thinking of how easy it would be to lean in and claim his lips, to coax his hand higher on her leg as she drowned in the taste of him...
"Clothes!" Her cheeks were very red. "Um. D-dry clothes..."
When her cheeks went red, Vel's cheeks sort of flushed up as a reaction, as it came with the realization that she'd just remembered something racy.
It didn't help that her wet robe was sticking to her like another skin.
Quickly, he stood, and offered her his hands.
"Let's get you a new robe."
"Yes!" She clasped his hands as she got to her feet, loathed to break the contact. Her fingers tightened almost reflexively, her thumbs caressing wood and brass.
Then she snatched her hands back with another blush. Gods, she needed to get a grip! "Ah, lead the way."
Vel offered her a smile and started to walk, leading her out of the greenhouse and towards the platform. As they stepped on, he looked to her.
"So, did you at least get all the plants watered?" Vel asked.
"Oh, yes." She nodded sharply and offered a quick smile. "Everything but the mana-tree thing. Oh, and I saw one of those plants eat a cricket." She screwed up her face. "It was...interesting."
"Which plant was it?" Vel said, leaning in with his eyebrows up, ever the curious one.
"Ah, the one toward the back? Sort of tucked against those pink and gold flowers?" She bit her lip, then nodded. "It was- kinda gross, but really interesting too."
"The Yoreqi Stableaf?" Vel pursued, tilting his head. The platform came to a stop in his room.
"The one with the moving vines that pull apart bugs?"
Twilight nodded quickly. "Yes, th-that one."
She hadn't realized she was chilled until her teeth started chattering. Her wet hair and robe clung to her, cooling the air considerably and she shivered, wrapping her arms around herself.
"Quick, before you catch a cold," Vel said, and he put an arm on the small of her back to usher her towards the wardrobes.
Vel had his own, but he'd also acquired one for Starbright and Midnight, which held their traveling clothes, various robes and outfits, and other personal effects, such as spare towels or various trinkets.
"Fresh clothes are in here. I'll give you some privacy," Vel said, and he stepped back towards the platform.
"I'll be on the floor below, just let me know when you're done, or if you need anything!"
His touch at the small of her back sent a rush of heat through her that she didn't entirely understand. Alright, so she had these memories- so? Why should that make her so...shivery when he touched her?
She bit her lip and nodded, murmuring her thanks. Her attention returned to the wardrobe and she rummaged about a bit, stripping her wet clothes off with one hand.
I think red's your color.
Her robe slipping from her shoulders, fluttering around her hips before being cast aside, fingers- both flesh and brass- exploring each other eagerly-
Oh gods she couldn't take this anymore. She was flushing scarlet, half dressed with her a hand clutching at her chest and her legs pressed tight together, a small whimper in her throat.
She took a few breaths in an effort to calm herself and jerked a simple cream blouse on over her head, letting it flutter around the tan breeches.
She moved to the platform and took it down one floor, holding her wet robe. "Um, Vel? What should I do with this?"
Vel was adjusting some equipment when she came down, and he looked up from his work.
"Oh, just..."
he looked up to see her in the blouse, and he smiled, forgetting the equipment as he approached her.
"There's a laundry basket on the ground floor, I magically clean all the clothes there once a week, to keep things efficient."
He looked down, and he played with some of the fabric of her blouse.
"This is a good color for you. Goes great with your hair," he murmured, almost unconsciously. His eyes flicked back up to her.
"I still think red's your color, though."
Her cheeks flushed darker as he echoed almost exactly the memory that had just fallen into place for her. She cleared her throat and glanced down at his fingers fiddling with her blouse.
"Um...thank you." She smiled bashfully and reluctantly stepped away from him. "I should go take care of this," she murmured, lifting the robe in indication. "I'll- I'll be right back."
"Alright," Vel said.
"I'll be here. I got something to ask you when you get back," he said, and spared the blouse another glance before he returned to what he was doing.
Twilight nodded and hurried to complete her task. She found the laundry hamper with relative ease and tossed the robe into it, muttering a quick spell in an effort to keep the damp from spreading.
She paused when she realized what she'd done, then shook her head and returned to the platform. She stepped off it almost warily when she reached the appropriate floor.
"Um, hey." She cleared her throat. "What did you want to ask me?"
Vel had taken up a seat at one of the tables to wait for her, and when she arrived, he stood up, smiling and beckoning her over to him.
"Do you want to go somewhere with me?"
"Oh." She relaxed, a smile spreading across her face. "Sure. Where did you have in mind?" She moved toward him, eyes bright and curious.
"I was thinking, maybe..."
He pursed his lips, seemingly in thought, and once she was close enough, he took one of her hands.
"How does the moon sound?"
"The- the moon. The moon?"
Eyes very round, she blinked up at him as her mouth fell open. "You're not- are you serious?!"
"Why not?" Vel said.
Her surprise was curious to Vel. She knew he could open portals to other dimensions and planes, so why was the moon such a shocker.
"We could lay out a blanket, watch the stars," he said.
"B-but, um..."
There was a problem there, a niggling red memory gleaned from pouring over a book.
Click.
"Air!" she exclaimed, then blushed. "I mean...I won't be able to breathe? How-"
Click click. Violet images popped to the front of her mind. "Oh- are you going to do that bubble thing again?"
"The force bubble, yes," Vel said.
"Combined with a few other spells, I can pretty much protect us from any environment indefinitely," he said.
He stood, and took her other hand.
"So what do you say?"
She squeezed his hand, her smile spreading.
"I say that sounds lovely."
"Alright. Let's go get that enchanted blanket, then!" Vel said, tone excited as he started to lead her towards the platform.
"You can see all the constellations from the moon," Vel said as they stepped on.
"And the galactic band, and there's no clouds to cover it all up either. It's just... the universe," he said, almost bouncing with eagerness.
Twilight laughed, a sound of pure joy that stemmed from genuine enjoyment watching him at so excited. Her heart skipped a few times erratically, but she didn't mind it.
"Alright, slow down," she chuckled as she followed him. "My legs aren't as long as yours."
Vel came to a stop on the platform, smiling at Twilight as it started to move.
"I think the blouse you have on should do," Vel said, glancing down, eyes scanning her.
"For the moon?" Her smile was crooked, hint of disbelief still in her eyes. "I wasn't aware there was a dress code," she teased.
"Well, it gets a tad dusty," Vel said, brushing a hand against the blouse's loose fabric.
"It should be fine, though."
"Oh. Okay." She nodded and automatically reached for his hand. "Is the portal...different? When we go such a long way?" she asked curiously, blinking up at him.
"Normally, it would be," Vel said, and the platform arrived at the bedroom. He walked on ahead, holding a finger up.
"But with a little magical know-how, I can weave a portal that lets us skip through the astral plane, making it a rather simple process."
Something about that gesture was familiar to her, and she smiled softly. "I see."
She didn't really, but she figured it would be easier to just fake it. Maybe that information was buried with the rest of her yet-to-be-recovered memories.
Twilight squeezed his hand gently, unconsciously, and pressed a little closer to his side as he walked forward.
Vel silently appreciated her closeness, letting himself lean a bit into her side as they walked.
"Alright, blanket..." Vel muttered, looking about until he spotted the blanket. With a snap of his fingers and a hand movement, the neatly folded enchanted blanket floated over into his arms. He held it out to her.
"Hold this, I need to cast the bubble," he said
"Got it." She took the blanket with a smile and stepped back to give him space. She resolved to watch the casting of the spell carefully, taking mental notes in the hopes that it might trigger some sort of recall.
Once he had space, he set his hands down, focused for a moment, and performed the motion, using all four hands in motions that fit together like clockwork. A shimmering bubble enclosed them before the shimmering ceased, leaving their barrier invisible. Tentatively, Vel reached up, and when his hand pressed against an invisible cieling, he smiled, and motioned for her to get close.
With another series of motions, a portal opened, a gray moonscape visible beyond. Vel held a hand out to her.
"Shall we?"
"Oh." Twilight's eyes widened and she stepped closer to him. She gaped at the view through the portal, then looked up at him. Curiosity, excitement, and nervousness warred in her expression.
"Let's go!"
Vel led her through, and just like that, they were on the moon. Vel kept the gravity the same with magic, however, and the flat floor of their bubble kept them from actually touching the incredibly cold surface.
"Welcome to the moon, Twilight!"
"Oh my gods!"
There were so many stars. It was like she was falling up into them. Her breath caught and she just stared, starlight reflected in her eyes when she finally managed to turn her gaze to Vel.
"I..." Words failed her and she just smiled and took two of his hands in hers, squeezing tightly.
Vel smiled, her joy contagious as she held his hands and just marveled. Vel glanced behind them, and he started a bit, and looked back to her.
"Look behind you!" he said, and he turned about to point. Sitting over the horizon was Le'ranna, and while it was a small, pale circle at this distance, the continent could still be made out.
Twilight's eyes went, if possible, even rounder. She clapped her hands to her mouth as she gasped. she felt weak at the knees, dumbstruck with awe.
She shook her head eventually and glanced back at Vel. "This is unbelievable." Her voice was soft and reverent, as though she was afraid the sound would shatter the miracle around them.
She reminded him so much of Starbright that it hurt, but even as she marveled, he came up next to her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Your eyes get even prettier when you're like that," he said, blushing a bit. He stood there, transfixed by her for a few moments, before he shook himself out of it.
"Let's lay the blanket out," he said, motioning to the bundle in his arms.
Her cheeks colored and she ducked her eyes. "Thank you..."
She shook herself and cleared her throat. "Um, yeah. Here, let me do it-" She moved to take the blanket from him and accidentally bumped her nose against the brass plating of his chest.
"Oh! Ow- sorry, sorry..."
"Oh! Are you okay, Twilight?" Vel said, putting a hand on her cheek as he leaned in. He didn't look too concerned (she'd just bumped her nose!), but all the same, he wanted to make sure that she wasn't hurt either.
"Here, let me turn into somwthing softer," he said, and he threw on his human form.
"I'm fine," she hurried to assure him, smiling sheepishly. "I just- wasn't paying attention. My bad."
Wow he was really close. Her face heated a bit more and she bit her lip. "You, um... You want to... we should..." She swallowed and squeaked out, "Blanket."
"Blanket," Vel affirmed, her own flustered nature bringing out a blush in him because he knew. He helped her unfold it, and once it was down on the ground, he wasted no time in lying down on it.
Twilight settled herself beside him cautiously, leaning back on her hands. She smiled at him shyly and slid her hand until her pinky brushed his.
Vel was looking up at the stars, one arm resting on a knee he had drawn up. When her pinky touched his, he glanced down at the contact, and then at Twilight. Giving her a shy smile of his own, he took her hand into his.
Her smile widened and she laced her fingers through his. "Vel..."
She glanced down, up to the stars, then back to him. Her eyes flashed. She leaned in and pressed a quick, light kiss to his lips.
Pulling away, she murmured, "I don't want to make this harder...but I wanted to remember what that felt like. Remember for me."
"No, Twilight, you're not doing anything wrong," he said, lips still tingling, heart starting to swell. He flushed a bit brighter.
"You... you can kiss me again. It's alright," he said, and he gave her a lopsided smile.
"I don't..." That little bit of Midnight bravery seemed to quickly fade into Starbright's bashfulness. "I don't want to...make this harder for you," she repeated, but she was already leaning in.
Her eyes fluttered closed as their lips touched and this time she didn't pull away, allowing herself to sink into the kiss.
Vel maintained the kiss, the hand not holding onto Twilight's sliding up her other arm, coming to rest on her upper arm as he kissed her.
A small sound worked passed her lips and Twilight shuddered delicately as she tilted her head to deepen the kiss. her hands came up to cup his neck and she parted her lips, hesitating a moment before flicking her tongue out cautiously.
Initially, her tongue went unanswered, as if Vel was hesitant to go too far, but after a moment, his tongue met hers.
A sudden flash of heat shot through her body and Twilight twisted, throwing her leg over Vel's hips so she was straddling him. Her hands moved to cup his face and she kissed him fiercely, scarlet-tinged memories egging her on.
Vel's hands remained in neutral zones, holding her by the shoulder with a hand on her cheek as she straddled him.
"Light..." Vel murmured against her mouth.
Another little shiver ran through her. "Do that again?" she murmured, pressing a series of quick kisses to his upper lip. "Please, just say my name again."
Vel pressed a more passionate kiss to her lips in response.
"Twilight," he said, a bit more heatedly this time.
She moaned and practically tackled him with another kiss. Her hands slid to his shoulder and back and she ducked her head to kiss his neck. Her eyes flickered outside of their bubble, taking in the stars that surrounded them.
"Don't let go?" she asked quietly, smiling against his collar. "I'm afraid I'll float away."
"You won't," Vel said, and he looped his hands around her waist, kissing her forehead.
"I've got you."
Her eyes closed and she sighed quietly, leaning into his chest. "I know you do." She kissed his cheek, then his nose, then his forehead in turn, wrapping her arms tight around his shoulders to just hold him.
And when she just held him, Vel sought fit to do the same, letting his head rest on top of hers as he enjoyed the silence.
"I like this," Vel said, murmuring against her hair.
"Just being with you..."
"Me too." She smiled and nuzzled into his neck a bit. "Vel- thank you. For being patient with me."
She turned, rolling off his lap to tuck herself against his side. "You are...the kindest person I've ever known." She paused, then laughed, "Even if I can only remember about half the people I've known."
Vel chuckled with her, and he put an arm around her. He stared off towards Le'Ranna, looking so peaceful from this distance, before he looked back to her.
"Thank you, Light, for being patient with me as well," he said, and he leaned in to deposit a kiss on her forehead.
His eyes wandered downwards, and he lifted the hand with the ring, pressing a kiss to her knuckles.
"Do... do you remember this ring yet?"
Some of the blissful peace left her face and she dropped her eyes.
"No. I'm sorry- I know you gave it to me. I know it- it means something. I just don't remember what." She looked up at him again, guilt plain in her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Vel."
"No, Twilight, don't worry about it," Vel said, and even though he eyed the ring sadly one more time, he looked back up to her with a loving smile on his face. He leaned in a left a kiss on her nose.
"When it's right, you'll remember," he said.
Her nose crinkled and she smiled at him for a moment. "You're right," she murmured, and she half believed it.
She kissed his cheek and leaned against his side, resting her head on his shoulder with a small sigh.
Vel was content to stay like that for a moment, before he took her hands and started to lie back, intent on gently pulling her with him.
"Watch the stars with me?" he asked, voice soft and shy.
Twilight smiled and lay beside him easily. "Of course."
She curled into his side, hesitated a moment, then let one leg slid over his so she was pressed closer against him. Her head tilted back to look at the endless sky.
"Are the constellations the same out here?"
"Yeah, they're just not as distinguishable, since all the stars are here."
He pointed to the cloud-like brightness going across the sky like a scar.
"I've always wondered what that is. I know the universe is so much larger than just Le'Ranna, but--"
He paused, and sighed, shaking his head a bit. He turned to Twilight and pulled her a bit closer, enjoying her warmth.
"I still have so many places to go. So much to learn."
"Hmm." She smiled and cuddled closer.
"...could I go with you, when you do?"
"Of course, Light," Vel said, and he smiled brightly.
"I wouldn't picture it any other way."
Her smile widened and she leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Vel."
She rolled into her back again to look up at the stars, utterly entranced by the sight.
Vel kept holding her hand, although he let her move and roll over of her own volition. He lifted a hand to point to the sky, to where the sun was.
"I've always been fascinated by the sun. Always wondering what it actually is. People say it's the eye of a god, or a chariot streaking across the sky, but..."
He looked to Twilight.
"I have a feeling the truth is so much cooler."
"The sun." She hummed as she mulled that over. "I don't know if I ever really gave it much thought."
She frowned a bit suddenly. "Eye of a god....it seems so hard to believe that, out here. Don't you think the gods would be...seen?" She gestured to the vast expanse around them. "Are they supposed to be out there somewhere?"
It was a rather disconcerting thought.
"I don't know," Vel said, a phrase very rarely used by him. He looked to Twilight, and held her hand a bit closer.
"Reckon I have a lot more research to do before I go about finding any gods."
She shivered a bit, an instinctive fear of the unknown. "Yeah. Right."
She shook te thoughts from her mind and curled closer into his side.
Vel pulled Twilight closer, resting his cheek against her head. He pulled one side of the blanket over him a bit, relishing in the enchantment.
"Ugh, I feel like I can just snooze here," he said.
Twilight chuckled and kissed his cheek. "Then go ahead. You've had a rough few days, take a nap."
"Maybe I will," Vel said, tucking his head against her neck. With a quick motion, he strengthened the force bubble around them and turned onto his side slightly, curling against Twilight.
For some reason the way he curled into her made her smile and she wrapped her arms around him, curving up so she arched around him, his head cradled to her chest.
Absently, she began humming under her breath, her fingers running through his hair as she did.
The humming is what did it, and between that and the hair touches, he fell asleep quite peacefully.
Twilight felt him drift off and her smile widened. She continued stroking his hair absently and tilted her head back to gaze out at the stars, content to lay there until he woke.
Vel was in a light snooze, so he remained in his human form the entire time, occasionally stirring a little or mumbling some nonsense words in his sleep. After about an hour, he slowly woke up, although the only thing he did was pull Twilight closer.
Twilight laughed softly as she felt him stir and pull her in tighter. "Hey there." She dropped a kiss on top of his head. "Have a good rest?"
"Had a great rest," Vel said. He let his hand wander a bit lower down her back, although it didn't reach any intimate territory.
He propped up a bit on an elbow, smiling at her even as his eyes flicked down to her lips, and then back up.
"Enjoy the view?"
"Very much." Her eyes were fixed on his face when she said it, then flickered to look over his shoulder. "It's...still sort of unbelievable. I keep thinking I'll wake up from a dream."
"Well, it's not a dream," Vel said, and in the hopes of awakening more memories, he repeated something he'd told Midnight.
"Right now, reality's still better than any dream I'll ever have."
Her eyes flickered, suddenly searching his face. "Vel...?"
Click.
She sucked in a sharp breath and suddenly leaned in to kiss him as the heat of the recovered memory washed through her. "Don't say stuff like that," she complained quietly against his lips. "You're making me all tingly."
Vel smiled into the kiss, and his hands drifted to her sides.
"Tingly how?" Vel said, tone almost seductive as he kissed her again.
She hummed quietly into the kiss. "Here." Her hand pressed against her chest, over her heart. "Warm, and tingly. And here." Her hand slid down to her belly and she dropped her eyes, blushing. "It's...like I'm nervous, but I'm not, I'm just...shivery."
She looked up at him from under her lashes, biting her lip. "Y'know, technically I've never...done anything before. I mean, I remember it from Midnight and Starbright- well, mostly Night- but I don't have any-"
Face very red, she looked away from him. "I still feel like I...haven't. It's making me jittery." Particularly with how close he was pressed against her.
"Don't worry about that," Vel said, and one of his hands brushed from her side to her belly, where he traced her navel with a finger.
"You know, Midnight didn't have any experience either, neither did I. To this day, I don't know if we ever did it properly," Vel said with a smirk.
"We just did things to make the other feel good, a-and if you want me to, Twilight," Vel trailed off, and he cupped her cheek, looping an arm around her neck before he leaned in to kiss her.
"I can make you feel good."
"Tingly" shot through every inch of her body and she whimpered quietly, arching her back slightly to press into his touch.
"I-" Her words were swallowed into the kiss and she returned the touch eagerly. "I-" she tried again when she broke away to draw in a quick breath. "I don't- a-are you sure?"
"I'm sure, Light," Vel said, and his single finger against her navel turned into a hand, and he slid that hand around to the small of her back.
He looked up to her, blushing.
"Do you want to go to the bedroom?"
Twilight swallowed thickly, feeling her blush spread down her neck and chest. "Yes," she murmured, and cupped his face in her hands so she could pull him up into a kiss.
"Alright," Vel said, and after the kiss was broken, he sat up a bit, sighed, leaned in to kiss her again, and then stood up all the way.
"Let's be quick then," he said as he gathered up the blanket.
"Okay." Twilight's voice was soft as she got to her feet and took the blanket from him so he could create the portal.
With the same hand motions, the portal was open, and Vel was quick to lead her through. Just like that, they were back in Vel's bedroom, but the dome quickly shifted over to replicate the night sky they'd just left.
Still holding the blanket, Twilight stared up at the sky shown above them and gave a quiet sigh of wonder. "It's different from here," she noted softly. "But it's still so beautiful."
Vel smiled at that, and approached her, taking her hand as he started to slowly walk backwards, towards the bed.
"It is," he remarked, eyes remaining on her face.
Her eyes snapped to his face and her cheeks colored. She bit her lip and let the blanket drop to the floor as she reached to take his other hand. She followed him careful steps, nerves making her hands tremble slightly.
Vel held her hands a bit tighter, intending on soothing that trembling. Rather than rush her into anything, he let her take her time, merely pulling her close and leveling a soft kiss onto her lips when they reached the bed.
Twilight gripped his hands tightly, as though seeking a lifeline. Her breath hitched when their lips touched and she was frozen for a moment. Then she rocked up onto her toes in an effort to deepen the contact.
Vel's arms looped around her waist and he sat down at the edge, going slowly so she could adjust as necessary.
"Twilight," he murmured, kissing her jaw.
She found herself pulled forward almost onto his lap and squeaked quietly, the quickly adjusted so she could perch over him.
Her lashes fluttered and she tilted her head back slightly as he kissed her. "Vel..." Her hands slid up his arms to grasp his shoulders lightly.
Vel let his hands drift to her thighs as she sat on his lap, hands holding her to him.
Twilight shivered and glanced down, squeezing her eyes shut. Red and blue memories scratched at the back of her mind and she forced herself to breath as a few swirled together, became violet, and clicked into place.
Cautiously, she swept her hand down his side to hold his hip lightly and leaned into him for another kiss.
"Is... is everything all right, Light?" Vel said, dipping forwards to leave a small kiss on her neck.
"Having a few memories?"
Twlight hesitated, then nodded slowly. "I just- I don't know what to do. I feel like I've got them both yelling at me to do something different, and I..." She shrugged as she trailed off.
"Just do what you want to," Vel said, and he moved to take her hands into his own. He smiled, and lovingly squeezed her hands.
"Make your own memories, remember?"
Her smile was a little shaky, but it was a smile. "Right." She leaned in to kiss his cheek, then moved back to his mouth. Her hips shifted slightly as she settled herself more comfortably on his lap and twined her arms around his neck.
"Midnight and Starbright had... different tastes," Vel said, and he kissed Twilight again, sliding his hand along her back. He blushed fiercely, and sealed his lips to hers for a few moments.
"Maybe... you'd want a little bit of both?"
[Whoops!]
"I, um..." Her cheeks were scarlet. "I don't know," she admitted in a mumble. She ducked her head to press a few quick kisses along his neck in an effort to hide her embarrassment.
"Well, don't worry. It'll come to you," Vel said, nodding a bit and holding her close as she hid her face.
"Can I see those beautiful eyes of yours?"
Her blush deepened but she raised her eyes with a softly quipped, "Only if I can see yours." One hand moved to cup his cheek and she smiled gently, almost cautiously. With a small sigh she leaned in to press her forehead against his for a moment, then kissed his nose.
Vel closed his eyes when she laid her forehead against his, taking a moment to just breathe out. When he felt her lips against his nose. He opened his eyes and gazed into Twilight's deep amethyst, his hands edging towards the more intimate territory of her hips.
Her lips curved up slightly at the corners and she kissed his forehead gently, shifting on his lap a bit before taking his hands in hers and guiding them to rest on the curve of her hips.
"It's- it's okay," she murmured. She offered what she hoped was a confident smile. "I'm still learning here, Vel. Teach me."
"Alright," Vel said, and he laid back, taking her with him as he stroked her hips. Breathing out of his nose, he slipped past her lips to kiss her neck, drawing his hands up her sides.
Twilight drew in a sharp breath as she found herself sprawling over his chest while he kissed her neck.
"That- that's good," she noted. She didn't know she was so sensitive there. She let one hand trail down his side, tracing absent patterns over his ribs and stomach.
Vel smiled against her neck, and then kissed her lower neck, and her shoulder. Vel was still for a few moments, seemingly lost, before he drew back and kissed her.
"Maybe... we're wearing too much?" he said, flushing.
Her own blush deepened and she ducked her head slightly. "M-maybe." She swallowed thickly and moved one hand to the hem of her top, tugging it up slightly.
Vel helped her out of her dress, pushing it up gently as she pulled.
Once she was free of one layer of clothes, Twilight shrank back a bit, wrapping her arms around herself. She blinked up at him bashfully, rather irriationally nervous.
Okay, she probably didn't look any different to him. But she felt different. Did it show?
Vel saw her retreat a bit and he put his hands on her sides. He looked at her and smiled, a little bit of nervousness flashing through his own expression.
He didn't quite know why he was nervous, but he just was.
"You're still beautiful," Vel said, tone playful as he started to shrug off his own robe.
Twilight flushed darker and watched as his robe slid down his arms. She helped it along, fingers skimming back up his arms to his shoulders, then to his chest, remembering.
"So are you," she murmured, smiling softly.
Vel blushed a bit brighter and leaned in, dragging his lips against hers for a little before he parted them, letting his hands brush down her now bare sides and thighs.
She tilted her head to deepen the kiss and wrapped her arms loosely around his shoulders, stroking her fingers gently over his back. She wriggled on his lap, heat building in her core even as she tried to relieve it.
He let out a soft noise, and he turned over a tad, gently rolling them over onto their sides as he drew a hand down her side.
He introduced a tongue to their kiss.
Twilight parted her lips eagerly for him and ran her hand up to cup his cheek. She hummed quietly in the back of her throat and pressed closer against him.
Vel parted away, smiling. The hand on her side slid down to her hips, and then, boldly, he placed it on her ass, leaning in to kiss at her jaw and neck.
Twilight started slightly and blinked at him, eyes wide and lips parted as she breathed. Then a soft sound between a moan and a gasp hitched out of her and she tilted her head back to bare more of her neck, her hands sliding down to grasp his hips.
And Vel took the chance to lay more kisses on her neck, giving her collar, throat, and jaw attention as he started to slowly rub her ass, pulling her close so that they were pressed together.
"I like this, Light," Vel said, and he smiled.
"Being with you."
"Me- me too." Her face was flushed as she smiled at him in return and combed her fingers through his hair. Her body seemed to be pulling toward him, even without the pressure of his hands, as though there were invisible strings tying them together.
She sighed and leaned in to kiss him properly, pressing as much of her body against him as she could manage.
Vel smiled, dancing his tongue with Twilight's as he leaned in against her. He turned over again, this time leaving Twilight on her back with him over her.
His hands against her sides, he just kept kissing, drawing one of her legs up against him as the other hand kept him braced.
Twilight mewled quietly and found herself arching up under him as he pulled her leg up. The heat building in her shot up another few notches and she whimpered quietly, her hips giving an involuntary little wriggle against him/
Vel gasped a bit when her hips wriggled, and he pulled her closer, kissing her a bit more fiercely as they mutually writhed.
He shifted his own hips, resulting with them brushing together in a more than intimate way.
Her breath hitched as sensation shot through her and she whimpered quietly. "O-oh! Wow, that's...so much better in person," she breathed, unwittingly quoting herself- or rather, half of herself.
She flushed as soon as the words left her mouth, ducking her eyes and biting at her lip.
"Well then you're in for a surprise," Vel said, and he managed to give her a confident smirk, leaning down to kiss her. One of his hands rose to gently cup her breast as he repeated the motion a bit more assuredly.
"Because everything else is going to blow you away."
"Mmph!" Twilight's eyes were very round, skin hot under his touch as she stared up at him. Her hips rolled into his almost without her conscious consent and she whimpered quietly as another jolt of sensation shot through her.
"Our, um..." She swallowed nervously. "I-I should get these off," she muttered, plucking at the hem of her breeches.
Vel let out a breath, and nodded. He loosened up his grip on her, letting her have some space to take off her breeches.
Twilight hesistated, then in a sharp, almost militaristic movement jerked her breeches down off her hips and gave a few kicks to free herself from them.
She paused, glancing up at Vel and sort of crossing her legs, drawing her knees a little bit toward her chest as she did.
He didn't particularly like that position, so when he leaned back in, it was to place a hand on her knee and and give her a sympathetic look.
"Is something wrong?"
"N-no..." Twilight blinked at him, face flushed. After a moment, she huffed out a breath and admitted, "I... I know you've...seen me before. Like this. I just- its new to me. I'm embarrassed..."
"If you're not comfortable going any farther, then it's alright, Twilight," Vel murmured, leaning in to brush his lips against hers in a soft kiss.
"We can just spend the night together."
"N-no, I..." She sighed and closed her eyes. Her face was burning as she admitted in a mumble, "I want you, Vel. I can't- I can't help it. I just...I'm still a little confused."
Vel gripped her hand, holding it rather passionately.
"Then tell me how to make you see clearer," Vel said, and he kissed the top of her head.
"I want to help."
Twilight looked up at him and bit her lip. "Can I...see you?" she ventured softly, letting her hands smooth down to rest gently on his hips.
At her request, Vel blushed just a bit brighter, but he nodded, straightening up on his knees and undoing his pants, letting them fall off and pulling them off.
Her eyes traveled down and she licked her lips, swallowing thickly. She remembered this, what he looked like, but she had never really seen it.
Her gaze snapped up to his face, cheeks very red, and she leaned closer for a soft kiss.
Vel deepened the kiss, lowering himself so their bodies were pressed together a bit more.
"It's your turn," Vel said, smirking a little playfully as he edged the hem of her smallclothes and breast coverings with his hands.
Twilight squeaked as her blush deepened. She ducked her head a bit, but picked at the edge of her breastband for a moment before taking in a sharp breath and undoing the tie, letting it fall away.
Unable to meet Vel's eyes, she did away with the rest of her smallclothes and paused, shivering slightly.
"Light," Vel murmured, and he dipped in to kiss her cheek as he passed his hands over her now bare hips, one of them slipping down to touch at her heat.
"Don't be nervous. We'll take it slow, alright?"
Twilight shivered and arched just slightly into his touch. "Alright," she murmured, finally lifting her eyes. She tried for a smile, reaching up to cup his cheek lightly. Her other hand slid to his hip, then traced lightly up and down his thigh.
"I, um... Wh-what should I do now?"
"Touch me," Vel murmured, and he leaned in to kiss her deeply.
"However you want. Just take your time with it," Vel said, letting some heat bleed into his words as he held her in a racier grip.
"O-okay..." She let her hand pass up and down his thigh twice more, then slid her grip around to cup his rear hesitantly. She pulled herself closer until her hips pressed against his, breath hitching as her heat brushed against him.
Vel sighed at the feeling of her heat, and he kissed her, hips starting to rock gently as he ran his length against her. He let his hands explore her hips, sides, and breasts, kissing her passionately the entire time.
Twilight sighed, then moaned quietly as she started to rock her hips into his gently. She kissed him back feverishly, her hands wondering over his body as though trying to commit the feeling to memory.
Vel made a soft noise as she kissed him, pulling her closer and offering her his tongue to dance with her own.
"Light," he murmured, one hand gripping her breast and pressing down on the nipple with a thumb.
"Oh! Vel..." She arched into his touch and her hands moved to tangle her fingers in his hair, holding him against her as she slid her tongue along his bottom lip. Her hips rocked into his a little more insistently and she whimpered in the back of her throat.
"Just like that," Vel murmured, pressing a kiss to her lips before he started kissing her throat. Finally, he slid down a bit, and sealed his mouth onto her breast, kissing the soft flesh at first before he turned his tongue and teeth to her nipple.
Twilight gasped and her hips gave a sharp, involuntary buck against his. Her hands moved to grip his shoulders and she gave a soft, needy whine in the back of her throat.
"Gods, that feels so good," she panted quietly.
Vel just kept going with that, kissing, sucking, and licking as his hands got hungrier and started to wander. Then, he kissed her breast, and his head went lower, kissing along her navel, her thigh, and then eventually, he gently passed his tongue over her heat.
Vague memories began to surface as he worked his way down her body and Twilight's breath started to come a little faster and shallower. She wriggled under the attention of his lips and tongue, then gasped and fisted her hands in the sheets, trying to keep her hips still.
"Fuck," she hissed, then blushed a bit, surprised at herself. "A-again?"
Her language sent some shivers down his spine, as he found it incredibly reminiscent of Midnight. He started to lay into her more with his tongue, hands gripping at her thighs a bit more greedily.
"Ah- ahh!" Twilight felt the sheets tear under her grip and she moaned out his name, heels digging in the bed as she searched for purchase. "Oh- oh my..."
Another groan rose up in her chest and she clenched her eyes shut, biting her lip until it bled in true Starbright fashion.
Encouraged by her reaction, Vel penetrated her with his tongue, holding her closer as he tried to dry more cries out of her, wanting her to remember everything she could.
She threw her head back and tried to swallow a whimper, the sound half caught in her throat as she quickly felt herself approaching the edge. "Oh gods," she gasped, trembling gently. "I- Oh gods, Vel!"
She came crying his name, nails digging into her palms. Her back bowed for a moment, then she flopped back into the bed. Her eyes were half closed, staring down at him hazily.
"Vel...?" Her voice sounded strangely fuzzy, almost distant.
Vel let her rest and he moved up so they were eye-to-eye, her juices still glistening on his lips. He leaned in to give her a quick, loving kiss, but when she spoke, he just looked a little worried, eyebrow perking curiously.
"Twilight?"
"Vel." Her voice was a little stronger this time and she reached up to cup his face in her palms. She smiled shyly and kissed him again, tasting herself on his lips.
"How can you make me come undone so easily?" she murmured, trailing her kisses down along his jaw to his neck.
"W-well, I've had a month of experience," Vel murmured, blushing fiercely as he spoke. He kissed her, letting his hands wander down her sides and thighs.
"And I just... had a knack for it, I guess."
"Mmm." She tilted her head into the kiss. "More than a knack, I'd say."
She felt suddenly bolder, more comfortable. Some of the memories that had clicked into place felt more like they were hers now.
Vel chuckled, pressing himself a bit closer to her. He kissed her once again, nipping her bottom lip, tasting the slight flavor of blood.
"You bit your lip again," he muttered, smiling as he went in to kiss her jaw.
"I want you, Twilight."
Twilight blushed and licked at her lip automatically. "Sorry. Couldn't help it," she murmured.
Wait- Again?
She put it from her mind- it was probably something Starbright used to do- and twined her arms around his neck.
"I want you too, Vel," she murmured, twisting her head to kiss his temple.
Vel held his head against her neck, leaving a kiss there as he moved to slowly rub his sex against her own.
"Twilight..."
"Ohh..." Twilight rocked her hips into his gently, a quiet whimper caught in her throat as the friction sent pulses of heat through her body.
Red and blue images swirled through her mind and she groaned quietly, eyes clenched shut. She didn't want this, the memories, she just wanted now, to be able to focus on him and her and this moment.
Vel lowered himself over her, pressing their bodies together, oblivious to her plight as he leaned in to kiss her.
The pressure of his body over hers brought her back to the present and Twlight kissed him back eagerly. She bent her knee to press her leg tight against his hip and breathed his name against his lips.
For several moments, Vel was happy to just rub the two of them together, pledging his lips to hers. After that, though, he let his tip press against her, and he lifted up a bit, looking down at her.
"I... I'm gonna put it in now, okay?"
Twilight licked her lips nervously but nodded. She tried for a smile, arms wrapped loosely around his neck.
"Okay." She kissed him again. "I- I want to be with you, Vel."
Vel nodded, leaning back down to kiss her before he parted from her again. Eyes open, he searched her face for her reaction as he started to slide into her.
Lightning shot through her and Twilight gasped, memories suddenly clicking into place as she realized what this really felt like.
"Oh gods." She moaned quietly and hid her face against his chest, slowly rocking her hips up until they were pressed together. Her body trembled and she mewled against him, peppering kisses over his chest and collar.
Vel let out the breath he was holding and he just fell still and enjoyed. His movements started after a few moments, his intent being to ease Twilight back into it. However, he knew that she didn't just have a soft side, and the one hand on her hip squeezed a bit tightly as he went in for a kiss.
She gasped softly and clenched her eyes shut as he started to move. Her hands slid to his back, nails digging in as she arched her spine in an effort to keep as close to him as possible.
"Vel..." She whimpered quietly and tilted her head into the kiss.
"Light," he whispered back, and he pushed until he was in her to the root, taking his time to just grind and make small, deep movements before his regular motions resumed.
Twilight moaned quietly and felt her hips buck up against his without her making the conscious decision to do so. She hissed in a sharp breath as she felt him grind deeper and hid her face against his shoulder.
"Oh my gods." She shivered against him, clutching at him tighter. "Vel- more?" Her cheeks flushed even as the words left her mouth.
"You got it," he said, and he kissed her neck as he started to move more passionately against her. The hand that wasn't squeezing her sought her hand, and he curled their fingers together.
"Oh- oh!" She clutched at his hand and wrapped her other arm tighter around his shoulders. Jolts of pleasure shot through her body with every move he made and a barrage of red and blue tinted memories flashed behind her eyes.
She groaned, the sound a combination of confusion and desire, and twisted her head to catch his lips in a rather harsh, clumsy kiss.
Vel returned her clumsy kiss, going into her just that much harder as he found his stride.
Twlight gasped against his mouth, then gave a long, low moan as he started hitting that oh-so-sensitive spot continuously.
"Gods, Vel!" She arched up into him and wrapped her legs around his waist, hooking her ankles together.
It really did feel like nothing had changed. Part of that scared Vel, part of it only drove him further, and once her ankles locked behind his waist, he stuck with his angle, knowing just how to touch her after having a month of experience.
Twilight felt her body melt under his touch. She marveled at how easily he could make her fall apart, though part of her knew it was because he must remember all those things she didn't.
She ignored that part. She wanted to focus on the present, on the way he made her skin burn and drew desperate little moans from her lips.
"V-Vel, please," she gasped, back arched and eyes fluttering shut. Heat raced through her body and she shivered against him. "Please, I'm close..."
"Come," he said, pulling her so incredibly close and pledging his lips to hers. He could feel her heat racing all throughout her body, and he drew his hips back and started to thrust into her in a way that had nearly all of him leaving her before he slid home, again and again.
Her moans were swallowed into the kiss and her spine curved deeper, pressing her body against his as tight as she could manage. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she clung to him and suddenly tore her lips from his with a sharp, gasping cry. Her body tensed and trembled and she whimpered his name with each shudder that passed through her.
Click.
Fuzzily, she registered how a few more violet tinted memories had slid into place. But she didn't care, too caught up in the way it felt to come apart with his arms around her, him still inside her. Her head dropped forward so she could rest her brow on his shoulder, panting.
She'd pressed to him so tightly, that Vel could do little more than just hold her to him as she came and whimpered. Once her storm had passed, however, he kissed her head and straightened himself out, finding her hands with his own and gripping them tightly as his movements resumed, starting with gentle rolls and building back up slowly.
Overly sensitive from her climax, Twilight gasped and clutched at his hands as he started to move again. It was just on the border of too much, but towing the line ignited a thrill in her she'd had no idea existed.
Her eyes searched for his as she looked up at his face, lips slightly parted as she still panted lightly from her release. She tried for a shaky smile and twined her fingers through his. "You're amazing, Vel," she murmured, sincerity shining in her tone and eyes.
"You too," Vel said, giving her a grin. He moved her hands above her head, gently pinning them there as he started to move harder.
"O-oh!" Her eyes widened a bit as she stared up at him, surprised- but her body reacted, writhing up under him automatically and grinding her hips into his. Her wrists strained against his hold but not hard enough to actually break his grip, more playful than anything else.
Click.
Ah. That was definitely a midnight memory.
Vel took a moment to return the grinding, pressing the flesh of his groin to her slit and grinding much more potently than she was to him. He leaned down to kiss her, teeth finding her lower lip, and then resumed his movements.
Twilight gasped and threw her head back into the bed. So sensitive already, she could feel herself quickly climbing again.
She moaned at the feel of his teeth and chased after the kiss before tilting her head to kiss his neck, his collar, his shoulder, then back up to his lips. Her tongue flicked out daintily, tracing the line of his upper lip.
"Vel," she sighed his name like a prayer as her hips bucked up in a search of more of that delicious friction.
In her searching, she'd only find that he was starting to pound into her a bit more roughly now, their hips making lewd noises as he took her.
"I'm close," he whispered, giving her neck a passionate nip, followed by a kiss.
She mewled and wriggled under him, a strange, primal heat ignited in her chest as she felt the force of his thrusts and vaguely heard the slap of skin against skin.
"Come then," she gasped, twisting her head to nip at his ear. "Gods, Vel, fuck me!"
At her command, Vel could do nothing else. Letting out a small moan of his own, he started to pound her, and her hips would no doubt bear the marks as he fucked harder and harder until his dam broke, and she'd finally feel what it was like to be flooded with his seed.
She may not remember why, but her hips were already sore from their furious lovemaking before the ritual. His punishing thrusts brought a sharp cry from her lips, new bruises layering over the old, but she didn't care.
Another cry, longer and softer, when she felt his release fill her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him, using the leverage of her legs around his waist to keep him pressed tight against her. She shivered against him, her breaths stuttered and panting as she tried to collect herself. Her whole body felt warm and heavy and a wonderful ache seemed to have settled in.
"Vel." She kissed his neck gently, nuzzling into the curve of his shoulder with a sobbing sort of sigh.
"Twilight," he answered, resting his own head against her shoulder as they just sort of curled up together. He laid a soft kiss against her neck.
"I was so scared, Twilight. Before the ritual," he started, lifting his head so he could look at her.
"Do you remember?"
"A little." Her hand moved to play with the hair at the nape of his neck absently. "Flashes. Bits and pieces. I remember the bath...and I remember being afraid. So afraid, but I wanted to be strong for you..."
She huffed out a breath and closed her eyes. "Guess I didn't really manage that, huh?" After another quiet moment, she added softly, "I- I remember...telling you how much we- I loved you. And that- that those feelings wouldn't just go away."
Her mouth suddenly felt dry and her voice choked off. She kept her eyes tight shut, not sure how to handle all the memories suddenly clamoring for her attention.
"No, you were strong," Vel said, leaning in to kiss her.
"So much stronger than me."
He sighed, and he let his head rest down against her shoulder for a few moments before he lifted it back up.
"Did... are those feelings still there?" Vel asked, eyes searching as he set himself down next to her on his side, leaving her in the process. Idly, he passed a finger along her stomach before he took that arm and wrapped it around her waist.
Twilight closed her eyes and let out a long breath. "I...I think so. But I don't- it's all so much, Vel," she whispered. She turned onto her side and tucked herself into the curve of his body so her face was hidden from view.
"I want to- I think I'm starting to...more than just remember loving you." The words felt heavy on her tongue and her heart stuttered nervously.
Her words made his eyes widen just that small amount more, and he searched for one of her hands with his own.
"Light..."
She gripped his hand tightly and lifted her face a bit. A shaky sort of smile curved her lips and she lifted his hand to press a quick kiss to his fingers.
"Vel." She closed her eyes and let her head hide against his chest again. "Just...a little more time, please? I'm- I'm getting there..."
"I'll give you all the time in the universe, you don't even need to ask me," Vel said, and he embraced her.
After a few moments of silence, he spoke again in a lighter tone.
"Do you want to sleep?"
Twilight hesitated a moment, then nodded. "Yes. Please. I just...everything feels so much more tiring than it should, like trying to do something from Starbright's point of view and Midnight's at the same time. I'm exhausted."
"Well, then you've come to the right place to be exhausted," Vel said, and he gave her a bright smile, lifting up so he could pluck the covers out from under them so he could throw it over the both of them with his magic. He snuggled up closer to her, and gave her a soft kiss.
Twilight smiled and leaned into the kiss a bit. She cuddled closer to him under the blanket and hesitantly wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Vel..." She bit her lip, then continued, "That was- amazing." Finally, it felt like she had a memory with him that was fully hers.
"It was," Vel said. If he had to be honest, he'd say that he was ready to go again, but she was tired, and Vel didn't want to rush things along too quickly.
"And I'm glad I got to share that experience with you."
Her smile widened and she cupped his cheek in her hand for a moment. "Me too."
With a quiet, sleepy sigh, she let her eyes flutter closed and tightened her arm around his waist slightly. Almost unnaturally quickly, she was asleep, her breath evened out and tense lines in her body she hadn't even been consciously aware of smoothed away
Vel looked at her, the beautiful brown-haired girl who didn't even know she was his wife yet. He took a moment to appreciate her, holding her like a treasure as he let his illusion drop and powered down.
Twilight watched as two girls she knew but didn't know sat on what appeared to be an endless stretch of beach, looking out over a golden and rosy sunset. As though it was the most natural thing in the world, she moved forward to sit between them.
"You're not real."
Starbright looked to her with a smile, head tilted slightly. "No. Not exactly. You're real though, and we are a part of you."
Midnight snorted. "More than a part."
Twilight shook her head, dropping her chin onto her knees. "I know that. But it's so hard to accept. It feels like I'm not really...my own person."
Another snort from Midnight. "Ah, c'mon. Don't get all weepy and existential."
"Stop that." Starbright leaned over her to smack her sister's shoulder. "She has every right to feel confused."
"She's hurting Vel," Midnight retorted with a sharp frown. Twilight's heart skipped up into her throat and her stomach lurched guiltily.
"I don't want to," she whispered. "I- I care about him, I..."
Starbright smiled softly and offered, "Love him?" Twilight swallowed thickly.
"Maybe." She sighed and closed her eyes. "But he loves you. Both of you. I- I can't help feeling like I'm just...the next best thing."
Silence. She looked between the two girls and had the feeling that one or both of them was going to say something- but then they were gone. The beach was gone, the ocean, the sunset. She was alone in darkness. No, not even darkness, just...nothing. Endless nothing.
Twilight jerked awake with a gasp, bolting upright before Vel's arms around her stopped her from jumping out of bed completely.
There was a few seconds of delay between Twilight's jump and Vel actually coming back online, and his crystal lit up as one of his lower arms went to one of her hands.
"Twilight?" he said, voice concerned as he sat up a bit.
"What's wrong?"
Twilight flinched back from his touch, then forced herself to breathe and calm down.
"Um, nothing. Weird dream, sorry." She offered a small smile and hesitantly brushed her fingertips down his crystal. "Didn't mean to wake you."
"Don't worry about it," Vel said, and he smiled a little shyly.
"Weird dreams aside, how did you sleep?"
Her smile softened into something a little more sincere. "Very well." She hesitated a moment, then leaned down to kiss the center of the crystal lightly. "You?"
She frowned suddenly. "Do you...dream? Ah- sorry, is that something I should already know?"
"I don't. At least, I don't think I do," he said, banishing her doubts by just going with her question. He smiled a bit wider when she kissed him and he let one of his hands rest on her hip.
He tilted his head slightly, leaning in to give her a kiss of his own.
"I actually can't quite remember if I ever told you that before. I don't blame you for not remembering if I did, though."
"Oh." She frowned a bit even as she leaned forward for another quick peck. "That's...I'm sorry." she pressed her forehead to his temple for a moment. "It's...nice, usually. I mean, that one wasn't, but I think I usually like dreaming."
Not that she really had many of her own memories to really form that opinion, but she thought it was something almost ingrained in her.
"I like the sound of dreams. It sounds so, well..."
He trailed off and closed his eyes, shuffling a bit closer to her. He drew a hand down her arm, eyes wandering over her, taking in as much of her as he could.
"Dreamy."
He chuckled to himself, and he left a quick kiss on her nose.
"Like you."
Twilight flushed and crinkled her nose. "Flatterer," she accused lightly, voice soft as she smiled at him. She leaned into his touch a bit, allowing herself to relax further into the bed as she did.
Vel smiled, lips hovering millimeters away from her nose before he leaned in just a bit lower and left a long, soft kiss against her lips.
"Can't help it if I'm being honest."
She smiled slightly and returned the kiss, her hand stroking gently over his cheek. "We should probably get up soon," she murmured after a moment with a reluctant sigh.
"Yeah, soon," Vel started, and he let himself flop onto his back.
"Not now, though."
Twilight giggled and propped herself up in one elbow to look at him. She remembered this- sort of. Lazy mornings and playful banter and arms wrapped around each other exchanged with smiles and soft blushes.
She remembered this, and it made her ache.
Forcing the feeling away, she hesitantly reached out to touch his arm, drawing it around her waist. "Is...this okay?" Maybe it was a silly question, but she had to be sure.
"It's just fine," Vel said, offering her a gentle smile as his hand stroked her waist, and then he pulled her just that much closer. He gazed into her eyes, allowing his pain and fears to lift away for that moment.
An unexpected guilt prickled at her chest as she looked up to meet his eyes and she had to resist the urge to tear her gaze away.
He thought he loved her. She knew that, and it felt like she was...taking advantage of it. Her dream refused to leave her mind. "She's hurting Vel," Midnight had said.
Maybe she was, without realizing it. Maybe...
She gave herself a mental shake, tried to focus on the present. "We, um...we should get out of the tower today," she murmured suddenly, not quite sure where the words came from. "Just...go somewhere, for a little while."
"Did you have anywhere particularly in mind?" Vel asked, tilting his head a bit towards her.
She frowned in thought. She hadn't really considered that part.
"Um...somewhere green?" she suggested after a moment. "Maybe...was there a place in the Serenian highlands? Somewhere- in the moors, maybe. With a stream?"
Was that a memory, or a conjured fantasy of her own?
"Yes," Vel answered, and his smile returned.
"The place where we met."
Her heart lurched. "O-oh..."
She should have known that. Had she known that? It was strange, like a half-dream that had also just been there.
She licked her lips and ducked her eyes a little nervously. "Can we...go back?"
Vel nodded, and he lifted the covers from himself, standing from the bed and stretching out his limbs. The wood and brass creaked as he arced his back, and he sighed pleasantly.
"Of course," he said, and he turned back to her.
"But how does some breakfast sound, first?"
She smiled. "That sounds wonderful," she murmured, sitting up as well with a small yawn and stretching her back.
She glanced around for her clothes, frowning a bit. The prickle of guilt that had started in her chest had grown to a stubborn ache, not matter how hard she tried to ignore it. She seemed sort of...vague as she located her clothes and pulled them on, mind obviously busy elsewhere.
Vel knew it was too good to be true. That while they had shared a moment of bliss, it had opened up wounds, perhaps even in both of them.
Those wounds were starting to bleed.
"Twilight," Vel started, and he sat down at the edge of the bed.
"I think we need to speak."
A soft chil of worry ran down her spine at that. Slowly, she sat beside him, hands clasped in her lap and head bowed.
"Okay..." she said softly.
"I-it's nothing bad," Vel said, and he was quick to put a hand over hers, and he nodded.
"It's just... I want you to know, before I say anything else, that I don't regret what we did. That I trust you, and like you, and... yeah."
He cleared his throat.
"But... I can feel it. Something's bothering me, bothering you, and... and I wanted to ask you if you wanted to talk about it, Twilight. I'm here to hear it, no matter what it is..."
He squeezed her hand a bit tighter.
Twilight's eyes snapped up to him and she took a breath, mouth open- and nothing came out.
She did want to talk to him. She wanted to talk to someone, she just...couldn't figure out what to say. She clutched at his hand, then slowly drew hers back.
"I think... Why don't you go first?" Her eyes were downcast. "If you- if you want to talk about something, I'll listen."
Vel sighed, and leaned back. Almost as if the tower was reacting to his emotions, the place became just a tad dimmer. The cieling changed, and showed just a regular midday sky, complete with clouds.
Some magic started to swirl in front of him.
"Twilight, you're wonderful. I always viewed you as an individual from the beginning. Deep down inside me I know that you're the same girl, but... I can't help but remember."
He looked to her and offered a small smile.
"I'm working through it, though. It's tough, but... I know I love you, Twilight. I always have and always will."
He looked away for a moment.
"That's why I married you. Because I knew that'd be true no matter what."
Her breath caught and her eyes went wide. "Wh-" She swallowed thickly, snapping her eyes to the ring, then back to his face.
Too many emotions were clamoring for her attention, she couldn't focus on any of them. Her heartbeat was suddenly thundering in her ears as she stared at him.
She loved him. She knew that. But married? They were married?
"Vel, I..." Twilight shook her head, covering her face with her hands. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry I didn't remember."
"Don't be sorry," Vel said, shaking his head weakly as he moved closer, hand searching for hers.
"It's not your fault, you're still recovering," he continued. His voice was low and even.
"We were only married for a day before you were made whole again."
"O-oh." She swallowed thickly, taking shuddering breaths as she tried to compose herself. "I...I'm still sorry," she whispered.
She didn't know how to handle this. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she could handle it. When she glanced up at him, her heart ached in the best possible way and she had to take another shaky breath.
She let her fingers twine with his and squeezed tight. "I... Vel, I love you," she whispered, staring at their joined hands. "I know I love you, but I-"
Slowly, she pulled back, wrapping her arms around herself. "I think I just...need some time. I'm so sorry." Less than gracefully, she staggered to her feet and backed away from the bed, the threat of tears shining in her eyes.
"Hey, no no, don't cry," Vel said. He wanted to say other things, but now, she was crying, and almost like it was an instinct he moved in to comfort her. He approached, hesitantly putting a single hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, I... I understand why you'd need time. I'm not going to pretend that it doesn't rip a hole in my heart but..."
He nodded slowly.
"...I understand."
"I'm sorry." The words caught around a sob in her throat and she backed away from him, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry."
Crying in earnest now, she practically ran to the levitation disk and managed to choke out, "First floor," and felt it glide into movement beneath her feet.
She forced herself to keep her back to Vel, shoulders hunched and head bowed.
Vel stood there, paralyzed with emotion, as he watched her go. He could've stopped her, but instead the construct found himself unable to do nothing. She had already descended when a thought struck him, and he glanced up, checking to see where they were through the dome of his tower. When he could see fish and the sun shining down through the water's surface, he startled.
"Wait, Twilight!" Vel called out to the lower floors.
He stepped out into the empty hole where the platform would be, and the soles of his feet started to glow. He descended fast enough to catch up to her before she could go out the door.
"If you're going to leave for a little, um... don't do it while we're in the ocean. Let me move us somewhere safer."
Startled by Vel's sudden appearance, Twilight jumped a bit before she shuffled over to give him room. "A-alright. Thank y-you," she snuggled quietly, keeping her head bowed and swiping constantly at her eyes.
She hated this. Hated feeling like this, knowing that she was making him feel- she hated it.
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I love you, Vel, I do. I love you. I love you. The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't force them out. I love you...
But I'm afraid. I'm so afraid, afraid I can't be what you want, what you remember.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again, her arms wrapped tight around her middle as her body shook with repressed sobs.
As she talked and stood there, Vel placed a hand on the tower's wall, and the views started to cycle. It was with solemn hesitance that he took his hand off. Outside the tower, the rooftops of Arca could be seen.
"I don't want you to go," Vel said, his tone pleading, and he looked at her.
"I know the past day or so's been confusing and sometimes painful, but it'd be nothing compared to not having you here. Please."
"I love you, Twilight. You're wonderful and kind and beautiful and I don't want to spend a day here without you."
"Oh, Vel..." She swallowed thickly and took a hesitant step forward, reaching out. Then all at once she'd thrown herself into his arms, gripping him tight and kissing him like it was the last chance she'd get.
Then she forced herself away, darting around him toward the door. "I-I'll be back, I promise. I just...n-need some time."
Half afraid if she looked at him again she'd lose her nerve and stay, she fled out into the streets of the city.
She'd find that the door to Vel's tower led out into an alleyway, the door disappearing behind her to better conceal the entrance. The entrance to the tower was there, but not the tower itself. One of the perks of being extradimensional.
Vel almost went after her, but then the door was closing.
"I'll be waiting," he said, weak with emotion. He couldn't process anything else but the hole in his heart, and he stood at the door, frozen with equal parts despair and sorrow.
Eventually, he regained enough of his faculties to go and sit down and to try and hold onto the lingering memory of her lips.
Twilight stumbled out into the street and started running. She had no idea where she was trying to go, she just needed to move.
She spent hours just roaming the city, searching aimlessly, though she had no idea for what. Lingering memories from both Midnight and Starbright tugged at the corners of her mind, and she tried furiously to shut them out.
One memory was useful though. The sisters had spent more than their fair share of nights on the street, so when she finally realized the sun had set and the temperature was dropping, she knew how to find an out-of-the-way doorstep to curl up.
And realize that she had absolutely no idea where she was.
The door she'd left through had disappeared. Even if she remembered how to get back to it...
She groaned and dropped her head onto her knees. "I'm an idiot," she whispered to herself, sniffling. Maybe Vel would come to find her- but did she even want him to, in that moment? Well, yes. And no. Maybe.
Way to cover all your options there, girl. She almost laughed, but it came out as a broken sob.
"Hello?"
Twilight gasped and snapped her head up, eyes wide. A stranger was standing some three steps away, eyeing her with concern. How had he gotten so close without her noticing? She pressed her back further into the curve of the doorway and glanced around like a cornered animal searching for an escape route.
The stranger smiled, crimson eyes crinkling up a bit at the corners in a friendly way. "Easy, child. I'm not going to hurt you." He knelt, not seeming to give a whit for his fine clothes as the debris of the street stained his kneels and the trailing edges of his clothes. "Are you alright? Lost, perhaps?"
Slowly, Twilight nodded. She swiped at her eyes. "I-I...um..."
"Oh, you poor girl." The man smiled softly and held out a hand. "My name is Lorian. What do you say I help you get home?"
She hesitated. An instinctive wariness of strangers warred with her desire just to be home, to be safe and warm and with- well. But there was something else. Something about this Lorian that put her on edge at the same time it lured her in. She swallowed thickly, glancing from his hand to his face.
She wanted to see Vel. She didn't want him to see her.
With a sharp exhale, she took the offered hand.
Lorian smirked as the girl's eyes sort of glazed over, then she went limp. He caught her easily and lifted her up, cradling her against his chest as though she were a child. Which in many ways she still was, he noted as he looked down at her tear stained face. Naive, trusting, young. Very childlike.
But not what he was concerned with.
"Technically you've come of age today," he murmured, smirk widening. Eighteen years he'd been looking for this particular prize. "Happy birthday, Aurora."
With a simple wave of his hand, they vanished into the shadows.
There were several moments where he contemplated going after her, but he was afraid. Afraid that if he did, he'd ruin it all for good. He found himself rooted to the spot with fear and indecision.
Vel retreated to bed shortly after he'd collected himself. He was too tired, to emotionally drained to do anything but rest after all of that. He couldn't think about her anymore, and to do that, he needed to sleep.
The night was long without her, but he managed to sleep.
Morning came, and Vel made his way downstairs. He went to his closet and called forth a crystal ball, and a golden stand to put it in. He went to his work desk and cleared out a bit of space. It was with a sudden stab of heartache that he noticed one of the books he'd pushed aside was Starbright and Midnight's diary, which he'd never opened since the night it was discovered.
He set the stand down and the crystal ball in front of it. With a wave of his hand, the tower dimmed. He placed two of his hands on his crystal and two on the ball itself, and the runes on his arm started to glow.
"Where are you, Twilight?"
At first, the ball showed a view of Arca, but then, it started to zoom away. Vel's eyes widened, and he could only watch as the scrying ball showed its visions.
[OOC: I guess you should describe what the scrying ball sees? If it sees anything at all, that is >:D]
[On it! ;)]
Soaring over Arca, tilting west, then north, then zip zip zip over the mountains, over the Sirantil Valley, further north still, almost to the cradling embrace of the Kilanthro range.
A grand if somewhat decrepit manor stood nearly at the base of the mountains, all dark stone and imposing walls, each gate capped with wrought iron spikes and guarded by stone gargoyles- or were they stone? The seemed to move in the corner of one's eye, but never if the gaze lingered directly.
The vision pulsed, narrowed, then soared in through one of the many vaulted windows in a northeastern tower.
Twilight groaned softly and sat up, pressing a hand to her temple. Her head ached and her whole body felt heavy, as though her veins had been filled with lead. She shivered and looked around, trying to make her brain work quickly enough to figure out just what the hell was going on.
The room was dimly lit by wall sconces, with a thick, burgundy rug that matched the hangings on the four poster bed where she lay. She frowned at that, plucking the blanket between her fingers. She didn't recognize it. "Where...?"
"Are you?"
She jumped and whipped her head toward the voice, which evidently belonged to the tall, thin man who not occupied the arched doorway. Immediately her hackles went up, eyes darting from the door to the window to the dresser, searching for an escape route.
The stranger- and he was a stranger, hair too dark and face too long to be the man she remembered from the previous night- smirked and shook his head at her. "I wouldn't, precious. We're some two hundred feet up in this room, and I don't think you're sure enough of your magic to risk that jump."
Twilight swallowed thickly, but before she could respond- if she could have thought of anything- a slightly more familiar voice drawled, "Enough, Tyrrel. Go to your sister, she needs assitance."
The man- Tyrrel- rolled his eyes and stepped aside to allow Lorian into the room, casting a fang-tipped smirk at Twilight over his shoulder as he did.
Wait.
Twilight's eyes widened and she sprang from the bed, darting toward the window. "Where am I?" she demanded of Lorian, panting. "What- what did you do to me?" She could barely move- just that quick lunge had drained her of her strength, she was swaying on her feet.
"Easy now, easy." Lorian moved toward her and held out a hand. She flinched away from him, but then her knees gave out and with a little cry she collapsed, only to be caught around the waist by that slender, wiry arm. She pushed feebly at his chest, breath sharp with fear and a labored heartbeat. "Shh, sweet thing," Lorian murmured as he reached up to smooth a lock of hair from her forehead.
"You...lied to me," Twilight gasped. "Where am I? What- what's going on?"
"All good questions," Lorian purred. "Though for another time, I think." His hand cupped her cheek, forcing her to meet his crimson gaze, and suddenly she felt even heavier, slower than before. She couldn't move, couldn't resist...
Vel...
"Vel." It was a whisper, barely. Lorian's brow wrinkled in a slight frown. She took a shuddering breath. "Vel- Vel!"
"Ah, ah, ah." Her captor smoothed a hand over her brow and her eyes fluttered. She slumped in his arms and he scooped her up, carrying her to the bed. "You're stronger than I'd have thought," he murmured as he laid her down carefully and drew a blanket up to her chin. Fangs flashed as he grinned. "That's good. That's very good."
Everything was swimming in darkness. Sounds and images felt very far away. She barely stirred when he leaned in to press a kiss to her forehead, murmured something in a language she didn't understand in her ear-
Darkness.
Lorian chuckled as the girl slipped again into unconsciousness and looked up toward the window where he could feel the tickle of the scrying spell. "You've no idea what sort of prize you've been hoarding to yourself, do you?" he commented blithely to the unseen watcher. His eyes flashed as he spread his arms wide in invitation and grinned. "If you'd like to learn, please. Come. Come enjoy our hospitality. I'm sure Aurora would be thrilled to see you. If only for a moment."
He chuckled, waved his hand, and the spell was broken.
The scrying ball went dark.
[Sorry for the long post! Wanted to set the scene :3]
The silence was deafening. Vel only had enough wits about him to catch the scrying ball before it fell off the table. The sudden cessation of magic had caused it to wobble out of its stand. Vel held the scrying ball in his lower pair of arms, staring down at the dark sphere, his face straight.
What did he feel?
Shame, first and foremost. Shame that he let this happen.
And then it hit him full force. Twilight was in danger.
Twilight was in danger.
He set the crystal ball back down onto its stand a little more forcefully than was appropriate for such a delicate implement, and he put his hands on the table to collect himself.
The man's words, especially his offer to "come and learn," rang in his ear, and he closed his eyes to let it fester, let it grow. He sought an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time, an emotion he'd told himself was too destructive for someone like him to hold. And then there it was.
Anger.
Straightening up from the desk, he turned to face the window. With a wave of his hand, there was the man's mansion, in full display. The gargoyles, while well made and extremely well concealed, were of no concern to Vel. It gave him a twinge of hatred, seeing fellow constructs guarding what was now a foe, and it'd make it all the more easier for him to dispel them.
He stared at the mansion for a bit longer, and more of the man's words echoed within him.
"Come enjoy our hospitality."
So there was more than one of him as well. Vel turned away from the window and walked to the elevator. He set his feet on it, and took a deep breath. His mind was too jumbled up, so he spoke the words.
"Seals below that guard the unseen, lift thyselves."
From beneath the platform, a gentle blue glow shone out before dimming. Vel let out a breath he didn't even know that he was holding. He'd never gone in here since he built the place. A literal burial of his past. He was afraid that what he'd take from there would change him forever, that he wouldn't be the Vel that she married for using the things beneath.
But for her, he was afraid, but not hesitant.
"Bottom floor."
He started to descend into a dark chamber, and when the lift stopped magical lights illuminated the room, his greatest secret.
The room looked like a tomb, with unforgiving stone making up most of its construction, a sharp contrast to the wood that made up most of his tower's interior.
Ahead of him was a brass coffin set into the wall, and the walls of the room around him were lined with constructs of all shapes and sizes. They were all of similar make and craftsmanship as Vel, but their forms varied. Constructs that ranged in size from Ogre-sized metal behemoths to even a clockwork dog, sitting eternally by the brass coffin. A dragon's skull, made of gears, glass, and steel, hung over the coffin.
As he walked towards the coffin, Vel's mind was silent, and he got close enough to even lay a hand on the coffin. He hated his master and creator. Hated him with every fiber of his being. He'd made a promise to himself that he'd never disturb the tomb beneath his tower for anything. To Vel, using anything that his master had left behind would be a betrayal to himself and his lifelong quest of mastery over the art of construct-making.
Using his magic, he unsealed the coffin, removing the locks that kept it closed and allowing the lid to swing open. Inside were the dessicated remains of his master. A grand figure in life, but now, a shrivelled corpse wearing a plain brown robe. The area around the body was lined with scroll cases and the corpse itself held a large tome bound in a copper case.
Vel paused for a few moments, but thoughts of Twilight scattered his doubt. He reached in and took a single scroll case. His eyes paused on the book, and he let out a sigh.
It was tempting to just take it, but he stayed his hand. Instead, he sealed the coffin once again, and looked down at the scroll he'd taken. A single spell.
Flesh to Brass.
The rest of his preparations went by in a blur. He'd resealed the tomb and gone to the top floor to don his wooden plating. There was a time where he was used to wearing it nearly every moment of the day. His time with Twilight had changed that, and now, it felt all the more foreign as he attached it to his frame.
And past that, he was ready. He put on his illusion so he'd look like his human self but with armor on, and went to the door. He opened it, and stepped out of a large tree on the edges of the mansion's territory, the gates to the grounds looming several hundred feet away.
All in all, it had been an hour or so since the scrying ball had gone dark, and he still wasn't sure if he was ready for what was about to happen.
Twilight was lost.
Locked in her own mind, screaming, screaming for freedom, screaming hatred, screaming threats and tears and terror. Screaming for Vel.
But outside she meekly followed her captor through his grand, crumbling manor to a large antechamber where a massive table had been laid with a feast that I'm any other situation would have made her mouth water. When Lorian took a seat and beckoned her forward she came, movements jerky and stiff, a puppet resisting her strings.
"Fighting it will just drain you," the vampire said with a fang-tipped smirk. "This whole thing will go much easier if you just accept it. Sit."
She sat, railing uselessly against him inside her head. It was like being Midnight or Starbeight when the other was in control, forced to sit and watch as her body moved without her intervention.
"Ah." Lorian suddenly grinned and looked to the door. "Seems your beau has arrived."
Panic jolted through her, strong enough that she gave a little gasp and lurched forward slightly before his spell froze her in place.
"Easy now," Lorian soothed with a pat on her arm that made her skin crawl. "No one will harm him just yet. After a, I told him he could expect our hospitality." He clicked his fingers and the same young dhampir from before appeared at his side. "Escort our guest to me, please."
"Yes, Father." With a smirk for Twilight, he left to collect Vel.
Silently, Twilight prayed that he would run.
The walk up to the gate was probably the worst he'd ever felt. It made him remember the few times he'd defended himself before he learned that running away was just the better option.
He hated using his magic to hurt, but as he got closer and closer, he found himself more and more alright with scattering Twilight's captor into ashes and then glassing even that. The feeling sickened him, and without a stomach to turn, the bad emotion only fueled his agitation.
He spared a glance to the gargoyles as he approached. They seemed dormant at the moment, which was good. They were either waiting for their master's signal or crudely made enough to only recognize the living.
Placing a few wards on himself as he approached the last few steps, he put a hand on the gate, and gave it a test push.
Locked, of course.
Here he was expecting trouble yet the first threat he runs into is a locked gate.
At least that's what he thought, until the door to the manor opened, and Vel looked up, hands at his side, balled into fists. He might not have looked it, but he was ready.
The dhampir smirked as he took Vel in and leaned back against the door frame. "You must be the whore's little protector, hm? Come on, then." He chuckled and flicked a glance up to the gargoyles. "Before Father's watchdogs decide you've loitered too long."
It wasn't far to the antechamber where Lorian waited, Twilight seated at his side. She could actually hear his son's muffled voice as he addressed Vel. But she couldn't do anything, couldn't move, couldn't even speak.
It was driving her mad.
Despite the fact that outwardly she could show no emotion, Lorian seemed to pick up on her agitation- not that it would have been a difficult assumption, at this point. "Calm yourself, Aurora," he murmured, reaching out to stroke her hand gently and giving her a friendly sort of smile.
Bile rose in her throat and she tried desperately to jerk away from him, but to no avail. Twilight! she screamed in her mind. My name is TWILIGHT!
Vel weathered the pale man's words. He had a hunch that these weren't just ordinary humans, and when he peered into the dhampir's energies, it all became clearer to him. He knew exactly how to deal with her kind. Using his thumb, Vel discreetly made some symbols on his palm, the action hidden by the fact his hands were balled into fists.
It took a lot out of him to weather the words of the spawn he saw before him. Some kind of vampire whelp with a drastically inflated sense of self-potency and importance. Thinking about the spells he was preparing insdvertently caused him to shoot a slight, knowing smirk at the dhampir as he passed, his eyes remaining hard points of contempt.
He followed through the halls until they reached the meeting room. Immediately, the first thing he noticed was Twilight. He could see the malignant sorceries lingering about her and it caused his cool, unemotive seething to give way to a scowl, directed at the man sitting next to her. A million things flew around in his head, but the hatred his eyes leveled towards Lorian had a piercing clarity to it. He had to play it cool, but not too cool.
He knew these were vampires. He hoped that they'd see the soul that powered him and think him a weak human. As someone who could be underestimated.
Vel made it a point to speak first. There was no room for pause or hesitation as a machine. He went into the room to do something, and he executed his plan.
"I'm going to make this quick and very simple for you. You have one of two options."
He stepped forwards to put a hand on the far side of the table, staring right down at Lorian. The smug look on his face only deepened his anger.
"You take your goddamn strings off my Twilight and you let me walk away with her. You and your inbred little vampire family get to see another moonrise and you will never even so much as think about the color of her hair ever again."
He straightened up, taking his hand off the table.
"Your other option is to die in this heap of a mansion."
Tyrrel snarled, rocking forward toward Vel, but Lorian raised a hand and his son settled back.
The vampire sort of pouted at Vel, tilting his head to the side before he offered a friendly smile, one that made the blackness behind his eyes somehow more prominent. "Well no, that's not very kind. And after I went through all the trouble of inviting you here." He sighed dramatically and reached out to stroke Twilight's cheek.
A small shudder ran through her body, the only reaction she could show to her revulsion of his touch. Her eyes were fixed on Vel, screaming inside her head for him to run, that he didn't realize how powerful the vampire lord was- but she was frozen, locked in place by magic.
"So, allow me to counter-offer." Lorian folded his hands beneath his chin, elbows propped on the chin as he smiled again. "Feel free to take a seat, of course." He cleared his throat. "You seem to be under the impression that Aurora here- that is her name you know, the one she was born with- is somehow yours. I'm afraid you're mistaken there, but it hardly matters."
He clicked his fingers and Twilight suddenly found herself jerking to her feet, then stepping behind his chair. Her hands clasped in front of her body and her head lowered slightly- violent shivers wracked her frame with every movement, the only manifestation of her desperate resistance.
"So here's my proposition: Aurora stays here, with me, very well taken care of I can assure you. And of course you would be permitted to see her, as often as you like, I should think- except when I have need of her." He leaned back in his chair and cast a sort of evaluating look over Twilight. "Depending on her strength, I'll perhaps only need a child or two. Of course replacements should be made should the first perish, but..." He shrugged and smiled blandly in Vel's direction.
"You really have no idea what she is, do you?"
Another click of his fingers and Twilight was suddenly stumbling forward to collapse into his lap, shuddering as his arm came around her waist and his thumb stroked over her hip, a perversion of a caress. She couldn't even turn her head to look at Vel until he did it for her, guiding her chin with thumb and forefinger.
I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- run, sweetheart, please, you have to go, I don't want you to see this, she babbled desperately in her mind, only vaguely aware of Lorian shifting to move closer to her.
She felt his fangs brush against her skin and even through the spell holding her immobile a soft, sharp intake of breath betrayed her fear.
Vel couldn't help it. He flinched slightly at Tyrrel's lunge, raising his shoulder defensively for a few moments. His focus returned to Lorian when he started speaking. It was with both contempt and relief that Vel saw that this particular scumbag liked the sound of his own voice.
All well and good, because it gave Vel more time to silently weave and prepare magic, as well as plan out his attack. When offered to take a seat, he merely approached the seat closest to him and laid a hand on top of the backrest, fingers gripping it with pent-up aggression.
Vel was seething. For a moment, somewhere halfway through Lorian's tirade, he looked to Twilight, and his gaze lingered on her. When Lorian made his offer, Vel started to channel his magic into the chair he was gripping.
His eyes returned to Twilight, but just as quickly, Vel heard fingers snap, and she jerked out of his sight and into Lorian's hands. Vel's other hand clenched into a fist, and suddenly, his anger was gisible in his face.
Don't touch her. Don't you fucking dare--
He didn't need to think anymore, because he saw the glitter of fangs as he moved in close to Twilight, he reacted. He ripped out a chunk of the chair's backrest and used a little bit of the reserves he'd been building up the entire time to make it far deadlier than it actually was.
Which, of course, he'd already been weaving into the wood of the seat.
Then, in nearly the same instant, he threw it at Lorian. It would fly like a bullet towards him, accuracy enhanced by magic. Vel didn't have time to aim, however, just to throw it at the general part of his chest he could hit.
Regardless, he didn't have time to see the results of his attack, because Tyrrel lept in to attack him. Vel just barely turned around in time when he heard the young dhampir advancing. Tyrrel pushed Vel up against the table, managing to get one hand around his neck while Vel held the other arm at bay. Immediately, Vel used his free hand to land a hook across Tyrrel's face. Magically-boosted strength combined with the striking force of a machine meant that Tyrrel ended up losing most of the teeth on that side of his head.
The dhampir recoiled, caught off-guard by the strength of the attack. Tyrrel only had a few more moments to realize that maybe he wasn't dealing with a regular human before Vel hit him square in the chest with a minimized fireball. Fortunately for Vel, whatever strength Dhampir had in resistance to sunlight they lacked in true vampiric endurance.
Even as Tyrrel fell backwards, screaming as the magical flames continued to spread despite his attempts to put it out, Vel spun back around to face Lorian again.
Lorian seemed to almost teleport away from the danger he moved so fast. Twilight was thrown forward into the table in his haste, half collapsing against it before she went limp again without the vampire's interaction with his binding spell.
The master of the manor was at his son's side in an instant, clicking his fingers to draw the flame away- but it was clear the damage had been done. Barring severe magical intervention, Tyrrel was dying.
Of course, Lorian was capable of that intervention, but it required a good deal of resources and time. It was much simpler to just let the boy die. Well- "let". He wasn't a complete monster, he could put his son out of his misery.
"What a waste," Lorian murmured as he knelt, sort of stroked Tyrrel's cheek, then snapped his neck with an elegant flick of his wrist. He looked up to Vel, annoyance more than anything else clear in his features. "You seem so intent on making this more difficult than it has to be," he noted. His tone was still mild, but there was an undercurrent of something approaching anger.
Left limp against the table, Twilight was throwing everything in her power at the spell that trapped her. Which unfortunately wasn't much; Lorian's control was so complete she couldn't even reach for her own magic.
Two shadows were slipping into the room, using the commotion as a distraction. More of Lorian's spawn, she was sure. Everything she had roiled and bucked against her magical chains- and she thought she felt something shift. It wasn't much, but it was enough.
Movements still wooden, she managed to clumsily scramble over the table, reaching for Vel before she was frozen again. "Be...hind you..."
Lorian tsked, genuinely surprised the girl had managed even that much but unwilling to show it. He snapped his fingers, eyes narrowing at her.
Twilight's spine arched and she went rigid as magic coursed through her, foreign and invading and painful. A cry was choked off before it could even really begin and her eyes widened. Then she collapsed. Without the ability to break her own fall, her head struck the stone floor and her vision blurred, then went dark.
It was a lot to take in. Almost as soon as his rage had subsided and he looked down at Tyrrel, his blackened ribcage home to the dying embers of the fireball, he felt a kind of cold shiver go over him.
Oh gods, he'd done it.
He actually killed someone.
He felt like he was going to be sick, but almost as quickly as it had arrived, Lorian was there, and the sick feeling melded with his anger to create something the construct couldn't quite place. The snap of Tyrrel's neck was what pulled him out, and he looked to Lorian witha disgusted, hateful look smeared across his features.
And then Twilight was speaking, and he couldn't stop himself from turning around, just in time to see her fall and hear the baleful sound of her head hitting the ground.
And so, he started to run, abandoning all sense of self-preservation as he went to his beloved.
At least, that's what he wanted the vampires to think. His other two arms, concealed by his illusion, prepared a force spear.
Lorian bared his teeth and growled-- a sound that was more irritation than rage, eyes flaring. "You are making this needlessly complicated," he spat at the construct, throwing a hand out and releasing a crimson bolt of magic toward Vel's head.
Twilight's vision swam, flickering to black on occasion, and she stared dully up at her husband. Run! she screamed in her head, though she knew he couldn't hear. Run, run, RUN!
Something grasped her. A power she didn't know or understand. It coursed through her, electrifying every nerve in her body, setting her blood on fire.
Lorian's eyes widened as he felt his hold on the girl weaken. "No," he snarled, and his attack changed course, aiming to wrap around Twilight and redouble her magical chains.
Vel braced for the magical bolt to hit him, feeling his wards flare up as the magical bolt approached, and then veered off at the last second. Fortunately for Twilight, if there was one game that Vel could play, it was the magical one.
It was almost in slow motion that he saw the sizzling, red magic whizz by his head and keep going, straight towards his wife. In a motion that was almost too quick, he altered his spell, his mechanical nature allowing him to perform the sigils well despite the rush.
The spear of force was widened, and he cast it. A barely tangible sheet of solid force flew in front of Twilight, and Lorian's spell slammed into it, but ultimately didn't break through the barrier.
"I said keep away from her, you son of a bitch!"
Vel, now only ten feet from his wife, wheeled about on his heels, slammed his fist into his open palm, and extended two fingers towards Lorian. It was a quick, almost subtle motion, but the lightning bolt that shot out of his fingers and arced towards Lorian wasn't so subtle.
The vampire lord dodged to the side, so quickly the air around him seemed to blur. He turned back to Vel with a growl, hands raised, another spell forming on his lips.
The power that Twilight didn't understand pulled her forward. Moving on instinct, an animal defending her mate, she somehow managed to lurch in front of Vel, one arm cast put protectively. "L-leave him alone!"
Magic gathered around her, scarlet and azure and violet, and it twisted and writhed, then suddenly solidified. She blinked, staggering slightly under the sudden weight of the shield and long sword she now held. The shield was deep blue, a silver sun and golden moon embossed on the surface, and the hilt of the silvered blade was crimson, a ruby set into the pommel.
Lorian snarled, Though his eyes widened fractionally. "That's not possible."
Lorian wasn't the only one left surprised. When she stood in front of him, Vel automatically started moving to her side to support her. But then the magic started swirling around her, and he barely made it next to her by the time it had all coalesced into her weapon and shield.
Vel was quiet for a few seconds, just staring in shock and awe.
It was amazing! He'd never seen anything like it, and Lorian had just barely finished speaking when Vel snapped out of it and put a confident grin on.
"It is possible," Vel said, not even quite knowing what was going on but pressing the advantage nonetheless. As he spoke, he wove some more magic, and then laid a hand on Twilight's shoulder. He didn't know if she had magical protection, but he wasn't going to take any chances. His sole focus was protecting her, and it showed. Twilight was encased in a suit of weightless, transparent armor that quickly shimmered and disappeared from sight.
Twilight drew in a shaky breath as she felt the magic settle around her. With the brief fight against her magical chains still raging in her mind, the touch of Vel's magic was a breath of cool air against her neck.
She smiled, feeling Lorian's grip fall away, unprepared for the combined assuault of her and Vel's power. She raised her shield and pointed her blade at the vampire.
"We're leaving," she told him calmly, coolly.
He bared his teeth in a savage grin. "You've no idea what you're playing with, girl," he growled. "No idea what this power is, what it will do to you and your automaton lover."
"Trust me, it's better than what you had in mind," Vel spat, and now that he was ousted, he didn't bother concealing his nature. At least he now knew that vampires could see through his disguise.
He held all four of his hands together, and a soft, warm light started shining from the gaps between his fingers.
"So step aside."
He tightened his hands, and the light shined a bit brighter.
"Vel, don't." Twilight glanced back over her shoulder at him, eyes wide and more than a little scared, despite the sudden bolster of her power.
Lorian smirked, raising his hands almost peaceably. "Listen to her, artificial mage. No one has to die today. Go on, take her. Take the little whore and I will not follow. Not today."
Vel was quiet, a determined, lethal look in his eyes. Ultimately, it was Twilight's voice that stopped him from filling the room with daylight, and he relaxed slightly. His upper hands calmed, but his lower hands still held onto the swirling globe of sunlight. He made the motions with upper hands, and a portal opened behind him. He motioned Twilight through with his head, and he spoke as he backed into it, making sure she went before him.
"If I ever see you again, you're going to wish for the sunlight," he growled.
Twilight hesitated as she backed toward the portal, one foot inside while she waited for Vel.
Lorian caught her eye as she paused and smiled. Her stomach dropped. She raised her shield threateningly, Modnight memories assuring her she could wield both blade and shield well if she chose.
The vampire laughed, shaking his head, but for an instant there was a flicker of irritation in his eye. "You are welcome to try, automaton. I am rarely caught off guard twice."
He winked at Tailight and she felt her stomach roil in disgust, dropping her eyes.
"A pity," Lorian added serenely. "We could have come to an arrangement. I may even have been able to help you find a body. A real body." He shrugged and smirked again. "Alas."
Vel didn't give him the satisfaction. Instead, he put his hands fully together drowning out the light. As he stepped back into the portal to join Twilight... he smiled.
"Well, before you can help me with that, you should find a new house before sunrise."
Just before the portal closed, he dropped what he had formed in his hands, leaving it behind. It was a dull rock with glowing red crags the size of a fist, and it sat harmlessly against the carpet for a few moments before it started to burn with fierce, magical fire.
The portal closed, and Vel merely stared at the empty space where it was for a few moment. Then, he turned to Twilight, and just sort of looked at her. He was bewildered, emotional, and for the third time in his life, coming down from an adrenaline rush.
Rather than say anything, he just pulled her into a hug and gripped her tight, as if she could float away at any moment.
Twilight squeaked quietly, eyes going wide as she froze. Shen she threw her arms around him, shield and sword clattering to the ground on either side of her.
"I'm sorry," she gasped against his chest, shaking as she held him. "I thought I had to, I had to go, I'm sorry, love, I'm so sorry..."
Carefully, she pulled back enough to look up at his face and reached up to lay a hand on his cheek. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"N-no no, it's alright, I'm fine," he said, and he raised a hand to stroke her hair when he saw that it was still bloodied from when he'd struck Tyrrel. He lowered it, and used his lower arm instead. He had some scuffs on his back and scratches on his neck from Tyrrel's nails, but apart from that, he was undamaged.
"I'm okay, I just..."
He put his head on her shoulder, looking on past her as he continued to embrace her.
"I've never... I've never killed anyone before..."
"Oh, sweetheart..." Twilight reached up to cup his face in her hands, then sighed and just held him against her shoulder, swaying gently from side to side. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I wish you'd never had to do that for me."
She frowned and turned her face into the curve of his neck and shoulder, holding him tighter. "I was so stupid, I never should have left, I shouldn't have trusted him!"
She sniffled and bit her lip. "I was so scared," she whispered. "I-- I didn't think I'd ever see you again..."
Vel nodded gently, and turned so that he could lightly nuzzle the top of her head. He was silent for a few moments, mind caught in a dark place. Even now, a brutal truth still remained burned into Vel's memory.
That it was easy to do, that he did it almost without thinking. He did it like a machine.
"I'm just happy to have you back," he said finally, and he let his halfway form out so he could leave a kiss on the top of her head.
"And that you're safe. Are you hurt?"
Twilight shivered gently but shook her head. "No. He didn't...really hurt me. Just-- kept me frozen like that." Another shudder, this one a little more violent, and she clutched him tighter.
"I was trapped in my own head," she whispered. "I could hear him talking, and sort of see them all moving around me. I-- I felt him touch me, stroking my hair a-and things, but I-I couldn't do anything."
She whimpered and buried her face in his chest, trying to swallow down tears. "He's h-horrible. The things he said..."
"Don't," Vel said, and after he collected himself enough, he continued.
"You'll never have to worry about him again. I'll make sure of it, we'll be ready, and...."
He trailed off, and his tone got lighter.
"Where did you learn how to do that? With the sword and the shield?" Vel said.
"That was incredible!"
She looked up at him with a cautious sort of smile, eyes still haunted but some of the tension leaving her body.
"I...don't really know," she murmured, shaking her head. "It was like I just- I just knew. I was fractured and lost and frozen, and then I saw him coming for you and I just... My magic woke up. It took over for a moment and..."
Twilight shrugged. She'd suddenly ducked her head, unable to meet his gaze. "And I, um...remembered. I remembered a lot."
"O-oh," Vel said, flushing when he caught her words. Then, he kept speaking, still excited.
"Well, either way it was great! You stood up and you had all this energy swirling all around you. To channel like that without even knowing how, Gods..."
Finally, he paused himself.
"How... what did you remember?"
Twilight still couldn't meet his eyes, though whether it was embarrassment or a fear of bursting into tears she wasn't sure. Maybe both.
"I think...everything," she whispered. She curled her fingers around the ring on her hand, holding it close to her chest. She took a careful breath.
"We-- we met by a river," she murmured. "And right away you offered to help me. You didn't even know me, but you just wanted to help." She smiled softly, eyes a little over-bright. "Our first kiss was Starbright. And-- and the first time we made love, it was Midnight. And I loved you, I knew I loved you, so impossibly fast..."
She took another breath and finally looked up into his face. "I loved you. Because it was me. As much as Star and Night were their own people, they were me. And I remember."
Vel listened as she spoke, smiling to himself and nodding along at points, content to hold her. When she finished, nodded and smiled breathlessly, awed and overjoyed all at once.
"I love you too. So much," he said, and he leaned in to kiss her cheek before resting his forehead against hers, a particularly favorite action of his.
"I was always afraid of going too fast, but whenever I had you in my arms like this I just couldn't help myself."
She closed her eyes and tipped her head back slightly to nuzzle her nose against his. "Are you sure you're alright?" she murmured after a moment. "He really didn't hurt you?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Vel murmured, smiling a little more when he felt her nuzzle his spectral nose. He adjusted the tilt of his head and gave her a short kiss. He spoke when he pulled away.
"Just a scratch or two. Nothing I can't mend," he said, and he passed a hand along the back of her head. His eyes met hers, but then a glint in the room caught his eye.
Her sword and shield were still there!
His eyes snapped back to Twilight. In his eyes, Vel had an inkling of that insatiable curiosity that she'd find familiar.
"Your weapons, they're... they're still physical," he stated, and he looked at her.
"Do you... can I see them?"
The smile she offered was a little tired, but her laugh and the warmth in her eyes were genuine. "Of course, Love."
She pulled away from him reluctantly and knelt to retrieve both sword and shield, crossing to lay them out on his work table. Her fingers buzzed with energy as she touched the metal and she stared at them curiously, clenching and unclenching her hands in fists.
She set the equipment down, and Vel was there, examining it. He gave her an almost breathlessly excited look, and then picked up her sword. Perhaps it was he fact that he himself was synthetic, but Vel had a practiced eye for the artificial. Magical construction was his specialty, after all!
"Remarkable. It remains solid, even when the mage isn't focused on it..."
He spoke more to himself than her, and even worded measurements to himself as he picked up the sword and stared straight down the point. He held it in one hand, seemed awed, and then started passing a finger down the blade.
"Perfect symmetry, perfect balance, even the smelt's perfect. I haven't seen steel this pure in ages."
He passed a hand along the sword, and then looked at her. Giving her a smile, he pushed it a bit towards her. Then, he picked up her shield. As he studied the symbol on her shield, he spoke.
"You'll need armor. You have everything else," he noted, and he walked to join her at her side of the table.
He put a hand on her side, and gave her an appreciative look.
"But right now, I just want to have you in my arms."
Twilight watched him examine the sword and shield with no small amount of her own curiosity. As he pushed the blade toward her, she wrapped her fingers around the hilt and lifted it easily, elegantly.
She smiled when he wrapped an arm around her and pressed closer to his side, but her eyes were a little distant, distracted. “Is this what I am?” she murmured, almost her herself, as she swung the sword in a lazy arc. The ruby in the pommel glittered.
It felt right. Standing beside Vel, ready to defend him. Almost trance-like, she pulled away to heft the shield on one arm, looking down at both weapon and defense. “Thank you,” she told them, as though they might actually hear. A pulse of magic radiated outward from her core.
The sword and shield glimmered, then vanished. Twilight blinked, surprised that she wasn't surprised, and turned toward Vel again.
With a tired little noise somewhere between a groan and a whimper, she fell into his arms, wrapping her own tight around his middle and hiding her face in his chest. “Take me to bed?” she pleaded softly. “I’m so tired, Vel...”
Vel watched as she pulled away to heft her shield. He studied everything about her, then. How the magical weapons showed up on optical methods of magic detection, how the fields swirled around the weapons and mingled with Twilight's own energy. He could see that the weapons were, in fact, not merely the sword a sorcerer might conjure in a pinch and then dispel later, but real, tangible objects!
He was observing the lingering magic in the air when she swung the sword, and he was so captivated by it that when the sword and shield disappeared, he only had a moment to blink at her as she turned around before she fell into his arms. He forgot all about the shield and the sword as he held her.
He left a kiss on top of her head, nodding against her hair.
"Let's go, then," Vel said, and he pulled away, although he took her hand to start leading her up to the elevator.
Twilight smiled softly for the little kiss, and she laced her fingers with his when he took her hand.
There were several moments of silence, then she ventured cautiously, "Vel, are you...alright?" She flushed, cleared her throat, and tried again, "I mean...that was a lot. He-- he said some things. About me. About you. Are you...okay?"
"I heard, and it made me sick. But all of his sick plans don't mean anything now, because we beat him," Vel said, and the elevator started to rise.
"And he'll never get the chance again. I'll make sure of it."
He looked up as the platfrom rose past the several library floors, and then back down at her.
"I'll be okay once we're in our bed, and I can hold you to me-"
He paused to kiss her. When he broke away, it was by the barest amount that their lips were seperated. After a few moments, the platform came to a stop, and he smiled. Above them, green light from the Earth Plane's skies shone in and gave the room a faint emerald hue.
"That night I spent without you was maddening, Twilight..."
Twilight smiled again, feeling her heart leap happily as he kissed her. Gods, she'd had no idea how much she'd missed this, just being near him and holding him and knowing what he meant.
"It was only a day," she whispered, but even as she said the words her smile turned sour. "But I missed you."
She sighed and pressed in against his chest, wrapping her arms right around him. "I— I never want to do something that stupid again. I'm so sorry, Vel, I was...so confused. But then I got scared and— and he said he could help, and I just wanted to get back to you..."
She swallowed a little thickly and laughed, throat tight. "Let's...let's go to bed."
(Guh, I forgot Vel had all this armor on :|)
Vel had so much more he wanted to say, but when Twilight let out that laugh and made her request, he nodded, and smiled with her. Gently, he pulled her along, assuming his human form and looking back at her. Since he was wearing his wooden outer plating (which he was eager to take off, he felt it limited him), his human form was wearing armor as well, rather looking like a suit of light plate armor.
"You'll need to help me out of my armour first, though. Comfier to sleep that way."
His smile brightened a bit.
"Comfier for other things too."
[Oh shoot, me too haha]
She smiled again and nodded, stepping forward to begin working at the straps on his chest and shoulders.
"I didn't even know you had this," she murmured almost absently. It was difficult to place if it was curiosity or regret in her tone. "I...never really thought about you wearing armor before."
"You saw me in it once. It was when we met," Vel said, and he snuck in to steal a kiss when she leaned in to get at some buckles near his collar. His chest plate came off, and as soon as it seperated from him, it took on its original wooden appearance. With a quick motion of his fingers, it floated gently to the ground.
"This is what my outer layer looks like when I'm all human.
He started to help her, and between the two of them, he was out of it all fairly quickly. He shrugged off his robe, leaving him in just his underclothes as he took her hands and sat down on the edge of the bed. He regarded her with an inspired twinkle in his eye, and smiled. He met her gaze with his own, and spoke.
"Be with me tonight, Twilight."
Twilight took the opportunity to smooth her hands over his shoulders and down his arms once he was out of the armor. She twined her fingers with Vel's, letting him pull her toward him slightly as he sat on the bed.
Her stomach flipped nervously, and she smiled.
"Yes."
She took a breath, feeling a shiver of excited, nervous energy run down her spine.
Vel's eyes drank her in, the body he'd always found to be irresistible, and he passed his hands down her side, letting them come to rest on her hips. He kissed her, eyes naturally closing as he held her just that much tighter.
He didn't want to admit that just one night without her had nearly drove him mad, but now she was back. She was safe with him and finally, he could be with her again. He raised a hand to her cheek, deepening their kiss before he parted from her.
"Do you want to be on top tonight?" He asked, cheeks reddening as he spoke.
Twilight paused, then smiled softly and leaned in to kiss him again. Rather than answer verbally, she climbed carefully onto the bed, letting her knees come to rest on either side of his hips.
She trailed her lips down along the line of his jaw to his neck, pushing lightly on his shoulders before she came back up to press another kiss to his mouth.
As soon as she climbed onto his lap, she was in his arms. Vel held her, hands joined against the small of her back.
He parted their lips, and smiled just a bit wider, face reddening. He slid a hand up her side, thumb grazing the flesh of her breast as he stroked her.
"So, how do you feel about doing some magic tomorrow?" He asked bluntly, even as he leaned in to kiss at her neck.
When she pushed at his shoulders, Vel obliged and laid back, hands slipping down to her hips. His eyes traveled up her form and he met her eyes with a smile.
"I honestly just want to see that sword again."
Twilight giggled almost despite herself and leaned in to kiss him again, letting her hands trace lightly over the planes of his chest and stomach.
"I think I could manage that," she mused aloud before peppering a series of kisses down the center of his chest. "I'm curious about it too, honestly."
Even as she spoke, she marveled at the ease with which she could fall into him. Though now she had full access to Midnight and Starbright's memories, they still weren't hers, exactly. She knew every touch they'd shared with Vel, but was still relearning them, reclaiming them for herself.
Vel smirked, eyes falling shut as he opted to just feel her. As she kissed his chest, he nuzzled the top of her head. A hand slipped downwards to grip her ass.
"I love you, Twilight..."
Her cheeks darkened and she dropped her eyes slightly, smiling. "I love you, too," she murmured after a moment.
She trailed her kisses up to his collar, then his lips again, humming softly in the back of her throat.
Vel smiled at the humming, stroking the back of her head as his other arm went around her waist to hold her to him. It all melted away as they kissed until it was just him and her, with the starlight shining in from above.
Feeling bold, his hand gently glided from the back of her neck, stroked across her collar, and slid down low to test her heat.
Twilight's breath caught and she tucked her face into the sip of his collar for a moment, drawing in a careful breath. "Vel..."
Slowly, she lifted her head, claiming his lips again in a gentle yet passionate kiss that ebbed and flowed with the swell of passion that gripped her, her hands grasping for his hips and digging her nails lightly into his back as she pressed herself against him.
Vel's hand moved out of the way when she pressed down, allowing their sexes to finally rub together. When he broke away from their kiss, he was flushed, with an almost dazed look in his eyes.
"Gods, Twilight... I want you."
A soft gasp left her lips and she shivered delightfully, nuzzling into his neck. "I want you too," she whispered with a soft kiss. "I want...I want new memories with you."
She kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck and sliding her knees up slightly so her body was pressed flush to his, a shuddering breath escaping as she did.
Vel nodded at her words, putting their foreheads together when she pressed in close. The head of his member, which remained that special size from a few nights ago, pressed against her entrance delicously, and Vel kissed her.
He was hungry for her.
His teeth gently caught her lower lip and he sank into her, bit by bit until he was in her warmth to the very base.
"Twilight..."
"Oh..." She broke away from the kiss and dropped her forehead onto his shoulder with a delicate shudder. "Vel," she whispered, kissing and nipping gently at his collar. "Gods."
Twilight turned her face into the curve of his neck and gave a slow, gentle roll with her hips. "I missed you..."
Vel held her, letting her set the pace as she started to roll her hips. When she spoke, he nodded weakly, and he started moving with her, hands going to her hips to squeeze needily, to encourage her to go a bit faster.
"I missed you too, Light. So much," Vel started, and he kissed her neck.
"Just one night without you felt like an eternity."
A gasp caught in her throat and she shifted against him, falling into a gentle, steady rhythm. "I-- I was scared," she mumbled after a moment. "I thought...when I woke up in-- in that place, I..."
She closed her eyes, dipping to kiss his cheek, his jaw, his neck, trying to chase away her own thoughts. "I was afraid I'd never see you again," she admitted, feeling tears prick behind her eyes.
Her arms slipped around his neck, holding him close as she rocked her hips again, harder this time, a small groan hitching up in her chest. "Gods, I missed you so much. I love you."
"I-ah, I..."
He cut off when she rode into him a little harder. His hands ran up her sides and he joined them behind her back to hold her like she held him.
"I don't want you to think about that anymore. You're here now, with me," he said, and his lips moved past hers and he gave her a needy little nibble below the ear.
"And I want you to fuck me, Twilight."
Twilight groaned low in her throat and let her head tip back and to the side to encourage his attentions.
"Vel, I--" her voice trailed off in a gasping moan as she ground her hips forward against his, a tinge of desperation entering her movements. Deciding words were just too much effort, she tilted her head to seal her lips against his neck, sucking and nipping lightly. Her arms twined tight around his shoulders, clutching his body against hers fiercely.
It was almost too much. Vel panted against her shoulder as she lifted and fell, drunk on the feeling of her lips against his neck and the pleasure of her desperate motions, addicted to the total surrender of this mindless pleasure.
When the desire to move became too strong, he pulled her down to grind them together before turning over, leaving her on her back. He spread her as wide as she could go and started pounding away, feeling his climax start to build up.
As he turned her beneath him, Twilight whimpered and turned her head to bite down on his shoulder. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders, pressing them chest to chest as their hips writhed against each other.
With a slightly understated gasp and shudder and climbed that peak and fell, shuddering beneath her lover-- her husband-- as he moved atop her.
He felt her come undone beneath him and he showed her little mercy, instead opting to quench her fire by powering through. He kissed her then, so fiercely that he found himself panting, even if he didn't neet to breathe.
"Twilight, I'm close!" He said against her jaw.
She twisted her head and fluttered kisses against his cheek, his jaw, his neck. "Vel," she whispered, wincing slightly and gasping as he continued to move, her body shuddering beneath him.
"I want to make you fall apart," she breathed, curving her neck up to press her brow against his, cupping his face between her palms as she drew him into a kiss.
In the end, she got what she wanted. Vel hammered her until he couldn't do it anymore and he caught his crest, filling her with illusionary seed and that rush of energy that'd arc across her entire body.
When it was over, he was breathing against her shoulder, still over her and inside of her.
"Gods, I'm so lucky to have you..."
It was barely a mutter, but he punctuated it with a tiny nibble to her shoulder.
Twilight's hand came to cup the back of his neck and she let her cheek lean against his temple, breathing rather heavily.
"Stole my line," she whispered with a small, tired smile as her other hand moved to stroke up and down his back gently.
"Mm" was Vel's response to that.
Finally, he let out a sigh and straightened up onto his knees, letting her see all of him as he let the illusion go and went back to his halfway form. Subsequently, he drew his hips back to pull out of her nice and slow, idly fondling her breast.
"I think we need a bath, my love."
Her lashes fluttered and her back arched as he pulled away, a soft "Mmm..." slipping past her lips. She smiled up at him tiredly and nodded.
"I think you're right," she agreed quietly. While a large part of her would have been happy to fall asleep just as they had been, she knew a bath would ultimately help. It had been a long few days, and getting clean before slipping back into bed would probably be helpful.
Vel paused, seemingly indecisive about something, before he leaned down suddenly and kissed her breast, shifting forwards and burying himself in her to the base once again.
He gasped, and then turned that gasp into a gentle bite to her nipple, followed by a kiss to her neck.
"One more?"
Twilight gasped, startled, and her body jerked slightly beneath him. A little caught off guard, she wriggled to resettle herself and drew her hands up to stroke down his shoulders to his upper arms, pulling him up for a proper kiss.
"Alright," she sighed, mock exasperated. "I suppose you've convinced me."
Vel chuckled a little breathlessly, letting out small sounds into the kiss as he started to move again, hands wandering all over her.
"Most gracious of you," he said, and initiated a kiss of his own as he took it slowly this time.
Twilight simply allowed herself to relax back into the bed, her hands stroking gently up and down Vel's shoulders and over his back, relearning the texture of metal and polished wood against her skin.
"I love you," she murmured breathily as her hips rolled up to meet his, eyes shimmering amethyst.
Vel beamed down at her at that, and he swung down to kiss her for the barest moment before he let both sets of arms wander about her.
"I love you, Twilight. Always have, always will."
Then, wanting to experiment, he leaned back and propped her legs up on his shoulders, leaning back down and planting his hands by the sides of her head as he cranked it up.
"Ah! Gods." Twilight's back arched and she closed her eyes, letting her head fall back into the pillows, lips slightly parted as she panted lightly. She reached up to clasp her hands around his neck, drawing him down so their chests nearly brushed as they moved together.
"That's right," Vel said, allowing himself to be a little more aggressive than he usually was. Perhaps he was still pumped full of energy from his momentary scrap with the vampires.
Brought down low, Vel locked lips with Twilight as he repeatedly slammed into her, knowing she'd appreciate it. He squeezed her ass and hips quite possessively.
"You like that?"
A little taken aback for a moment, Twilight nonetheless allowed herself to be swept into Vel's mood. She dragged her nails down his back, wondering if it felt the same in this form as it would when her touch met skin.
"Yes," she whispered, tipping her hips back and holding them there for a few moments, grinding them together as he thrust forward. She kissed him again, almost harshly, her tongue tracing his lips before she nipped at them just a bit passed gently.
It was interesting, the feel of her nails skimming across brass and wood, but Vel shivered like a human nonetheless. She ground them together and he did the same, going in as deep as he could and staying there as they moved in unison.
"Just like that, love. Please..."
Twilight pressed up against him a little harder, dipping her head to kiss his shoulder, then turning her face into the curve of his neck as she felt her peak approaching. "A little more, Vel," she gasped softly, her nails scrabbling at his back as she sought purchase.
Vel went harder, feeling his own peak approaching, drawing his hips back to really pound her climax out of her before he unexpectedly caught his own crest, filling her with magic and seed as he gently bit down on the side of her neck.
"Twilight!"
Another gasp dragged from between her lips and she jerked beneath him, almost shuddering as her climax rippled through her.
After, she all but collapsed back into the mattress, panting, and wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders, holding him to her while her legs hooked around his waist.
Vel would've made to pull out, but once her legs hooked around his waist he took the cue and simply settled against her, content to keep all of his mock seed plugged up inside her.
"You're amazing, Twilight," he murmured, and he lifted his head to kiss her.
Her legs slid down his body, still wrapped around him but now resting over the curve of his thighs rather than locked around his waist.
"I love you," she responded softly, smiling into the kiss. Her hands stroked idly up and down his back.
"Mm, I love you more," Vel said, lifting his head up to grin sheepishly at her. After a few moments, he straightened up, feeling up on her legs as they rested on him.
"Bath?"
Twilight chuckled and nodded, pushing herself up on her elbows. "Yes, I should think so," she laughed quietly.
"Alright then," he said, and he lifted up on his knees a bit to finally leave her. The sight made him blush, but he watched it nonetheless.
Yeah, he was just going to "forget" to change his dick back. As long as Twilight was concerned, it'd always been that way.
Quick to stand from the bed, he offered her his hands.
"Let's go."
She grasped his hands and let him pull her from the bed, arching her spine in a long, luxurious stretch once her feet were on the floor. Wrinkling her nose at the rather sticky feeling between her legs, she chuckled, "Bath would be very good right about now. Then I need to sleep. I'm utterly exhausted, love."
"Sorry to keep you up," he said, giving her a knowing smile as he took her by the hand and led her onto the elevator. Once they were down on the bath chamber floor her was quick to lead her through the door.
"Go on ahead and settle in. I'll get the soaps."
Once they were in the bath chamber, she quickly scurried to the edge and lowered herself gracefully, but speedily, into the blessedly hot water. A soft sigh slipped from her and she leaned her head back against the edge of the basin, just closing her eyes for a moment.
Not even a day ago she'd been in fear for her life. Now... Her eyes flickered up to Vel, and a smile curved her lips.
She was home. Safe and happy and whole.
Soon enough, Vel returned with the wooden buckets with soapy water and sponges. Vel spared no time in getting onto the warm water, fully submerging and going back to his fully machine appearance.
His sponge was different from hers, rougher and more flexible to better clean his machine parts and it made a light scratching noise against his metallic bits. He looked back to her.
"I don't remember ever teaching you how to conjure weapons. That's what kinks me about it," he said finally.
"But part of you always did have such an affinity to weapons. That can't just be a coincidence..."
Twilight sat up a little straighter as she began washing herself, brow furrowed and lips pursed in thought. "It...I don't think I learned it, exactly," she murmured after a few moments. "It felt like-- like-- I don't know."
She sighed, ducked beneath the water to scrub at her hair, then surfaced again. "It felt like something I could always do, or should have been able to do, just...suddenly was there." She went quiet for a few moments, combing her fingers through her hair. Then, slowly, she ventured, "Maybe...H-he said something about...a Paladin. Does that mean anything to you?"
Vel seemed to mull it over, using his sponge to rinse the suds off of his "face". He sat next to her, putting one of his four arms on her legs as he used another to scrub his neck, squeezing the sponge to let the soap seep down into his internals so he could flush it out later.
"Paladin is a general term. A holy warrior dedicated to a faith, but... well, I hope you don't take this the wrong way but you never struck me as a woman of faith, love," he said, giving her a smirk through the crystal.
He looked back across the bathbasin, still as his gears literally turned.
"I can't help but think that there's something familiar about it, though..."
Twilight nodded slowly, her own eyes rather unfocused as she turned thoughts over in her mind. "I can't... It's all sort of foggy. When he was...controlling me like that--" She paused, a shudder running through her body at the memory, but continued, "He was talking with some of the others. His-- his sons, I think."
She bit her lower lip. Her hands ad still on her head, suds dripping aimlessly down her hair and into the bath. "What I can remember-- the way he said it, it was almost like a title. But I don't understand what it's supposed to mean!"
"Forget about that for now," Vel said, noticing the rising stress in her voice, and he leaned in to kiss the side of her head, moving close so that their sides touched. His other hand on that side soothed at her shoulder.
"That's a question and a discovery for tomorrow. Tonight, I just want to rest," he said, resting his head against hers. He would be lying if he said slinging all of those spells today hadn't left him a little drained.
"Mmm." Twilight let her head rest against his shoulder, tucking herself into the curve of his side. She sighed quietly and nuzzled at the dip of his neck and shoulder. "I might just fall asleep here," she teased lightly, chuckling.
"Trust me, the bed's comfier," he said. Taken by an emotion, he re-materialized his facial illusion so he could leave a short kiss on her head. Then, he moved downwards, meeting lips with her as his hands skimmed across her body.
Then, blushing quite brightly (literally,) he parted from her and stood to fetch the towels.
"Oh, yes-- mm..." She leaned into the kiss instantly, curving her arms over his shoulders to hold him against her. When he stood from the bath, she blinked almost in confusion, then flushed a bit and boosted herself out as well. She took the towel gratefully and wrapped the plush fabric around her body, shivering as cool air brushed over her damp form.
Smiling with a soft glint to her eyes, she encouraged, "C'mon, let's get to bed. I'll freeze if we stay down here."
With an almost giddy smile, Vel was quick to dry himself off. With a thought, he made the tower a little warmer for her, and then took her hand to take her back to the elevator and to their bedroom.
As the elevator rose, he resumed their abruptly broken kiss from before, giving her nothing more than a sly look and a smile before he leaned back in to press his lips to hers.
Twilight giggled quietly into the kiss, nuzzling her nose against his when they broke apart. "Don't you start something," she warned, mock stern. "We both need rest, Vel."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Vel said, smiling at her in kind. The elevator stopped and he parted from her to go to the bed, making sure he was all dry before he jumped under the covers.
"Suuuuure you don't." Twilight crinkled her nose at him, then laughed lightly and chased after him to the bed, jumping in agilely and burrowing under the covers.
Grinning, she nuzzled into Vel's chest and jabbed her chilly toes against his legs. "G'night."
Thankfully, wood and metal didn't absorb cold as sharply as Vel did, but she would still find him at least a little warm from the contained steam that pumped through him to turn his gears. He encased her in all four of his arms and pulled her leg over his as he held her in kind.
The tower dimmed and Vel's illusions all faded again as he fell dormant.
Twilight fell asleep with a smile on her face, her head tucked up under her husband's chin, all wrapped in his arms with their legs twined together.
Despite the chaos of the last few days, she couldn't have been happier.
Vel was especially tired after the day's events, so he slept for about as long a Twilight did, when he usually was the one to wake first. When she awoke, she'd find him still sleeping, slowly ticking away.
Twilight came awake in little fits and starts, strange dreams clinging to her eyelashes as she forced herself awake.
With a little shake, she lifted her head and saw that Vel was still asleep. A small smile curved her lips and she reached out to stroke his face gently.
She didn't want to wake him. He needed the rest. Slowly, carefully, she disentangled herself from her husband and slipped out of bed, gathering her scarlet robe and shrugging it on as she made her way to the elevator.
"Library, fourth floor," she whispered.
Her stroking of his face earned her a few flickers of his crystal, but he otherwise didn't wake or stir.
She'd have around an hour to herself before Vel came online. He sat up, stretching a bit, causing his frame to creak ever so slightly. He sighed, noted he was alone and promptly slipped out, making the bed with a wave of his hand.
He got into a loose blue robe with extra sleeves for his arms. He put the hood up and stepped onto the elevator. He spent the ride down playing with the ties on the robe, curious to see where Twilight had gotten off to.
Twilight had made her way from one floor of the library to another, searching any relevant sections she could think of for mentions of the word "paladin" not used in the traditional sense.
She was on the fifth floor by the time Vel woke, sitting cross-legged on the floor with over half a dozen open tomes scattered around her. She held the pages of two open with magic while a third was kept open with two pressed fingers. In her free hand, she held one of the smaller books closer to her face, brow furrowed and lips moving as she tried to match passages.
She was so absorbed in her work she didn't even notice the movement of the elevator.
The elevator came to a stop on the fifth floor. Vel was hesitant to even disturb her, slightly impressed with her focus. It wasn't even three days ago that she was muttering the words to do even the most menial spells, but it seemed she'd come leaps and bounds forwards since then. Could his theory have been correct? That a unified soul would make channeling the magic easier?
He opted to just approach her, bottom arms joined behind his back as the top ones merely crossed over his chest.
"I trust you've done some good reading?" He started, and he crouched down by her, picking up one of the closed books near her.
Occult Orders of Adela. Interesting reading, if anything.
"Find anything on The Paladins?"
"Gah!"
With a start of surprise, the young mage-in-training nearly tumbled back over herself and her pile of books, eyes wide. She managed to catch herself with an outflung hand, and once she'd righted herself she huffed and glared dramatically at her husband.
"Warn a girl," she grumbled. Her expression quickly melted into a smile, albeit a slightly frustrated one, and she shrugged. "I've found a few mentions, but none of them are very specific-- and they seem to have almost nothing in common with one another, which is just spectacularly unhelpful." She huffed and glared down at the books surrounding her as though it was their fault.
"Well, I like to keep you sharp," Vel said, teasing her. He knelt down to help her pick up her scattered books, putting them more or less back to where they were. Of course, her pages hadn't been saved.
Then, he set himself down in front of her.
"Whenever I research an obscure topic, I come at it from every angle. Not just words, but symbols, phrases," he explained.
"Let's see the sword. And the shield, it had a crest on it, remember?"
"Oh." Twilight blinked. She'd actually forgotten about that. "That's right, it did."
She looked down at her hands, then up at Vel again. There was a hint of trepidation in her eyes, her teeth worrying at her lower lip. "Vel, what... what if I can't do it again?"
What if it had been a fluke? What if she never learned how to control this power?
"Nonsense," Vel started, and he moved to take her hands.
"You called them up just fine yesterday, when we were here in the tower," he said, fingers stroking her palms.
"I know you can do it."
"Okay." She took a breath and closed her eyes, squeezing his hands gently. "Okay..."
Another breath, and she allowed her consciousness to both open up and sink back, almost as if she was still separated, one half of her soul relinquishing control to the other. She could feel magic sizzling and popping beneath her breast, familiar and warm... And even further beneath that, something else. Something like magic but-- but different.
Slowly, Twilight stood. One foot slid back, her body automatically sinking into a defensive stance, one arm coming up in front of her torso while the other was held in a ready position, fingers curled. With a shimmer of scarlet and azure light, sword and shield appeared in her hands.
Twilight blinked her eyes open and let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Wow. Okay."
"Wow is right," he started, and he stood up, marvelling at how natural her stance seemed to be. Martial prowess and magical aptitude united into one soul, and this was the result. It was stunning, really.
He skimmed brass-tipped fingers along the flat of the blade and then up to her shoulder, and leaned in to give her a short peck on the lips.
"I think you look really sexy, armed up like that," he said, voice playful, before he held all of his arms out.
"May I?"
She giggled a bit and returned his peck, allowing her stance to relax. As he held out his arms, she nodded and stepped forward, laying both sword and shield in his waiting grip.
"It's so strange," she murmured, her eyes tracing over the emblem on the shield, the design of the hilt, the way the light caught the blade. "They almost feel like...part of me."
"They have to be," Vel said immediately, even as he took them over to a mostly empty table. He set them down and stepped back. He held a hand out and conjured a sword into it, building it with magic from the hilt up until he had a fairly generic looking longsword in one of his hands.
"Even dedicated conjurers can't relinquish their blades without it dematerializing," he said, and to demonstrate he let go of the sword. It broke apart into little bits and flakes of magic before it even hit the ground.
Then, he passed his fingers along the blade of her sword.
"But this? This... this is a real sword, my love. Your sword. I've never seen anything like this. And the magic that comes off of it, it's yours. I can feel you shining off of it."
Twilight gave a soft little hum of agreement as she stepped forward to more closely examine the sword and shield now that she was no longer holding them.
She reached out to trace her fingertip along the edge of the blade, eyes drawn to the shimmer of it, the sharpness of the edge that almost seemed like it could cut on sight alone.
"This has to have something to do with it," she sighed, glancing up at Vel. "Right? If it's not like a conjuration...it has to be a Paladin thing, doesn't it?"
"I'm sure it is," Vel said.
"I certainly never taught you how to do that, at any rate, so it must be something innate. You are a Paladin. Or at least, you have a lot to do with them," he said, thoughtful.
"This crest on the shield, though..."
He traced the lines with his fingers, then he looked at the sword. He decided to get a little lost in his work.
"And we haven't even checked for inscriptions yet..."
He lifted a hand and it glowed with a yellow light. He shone it over the shield and sword and found that they lit up with magical etchings and symbols.
"Wow, the enchantment work on these is supreme..."
"How is that possible though?" Twilight reached out to follow the patterns of the symbols with her fingertips. "They just...exist. I never made them, no one crafted them, they just...came into being. How can they be like this?"
"Questions that will be answered, but I don't think we're able to just yet. For now..."
He returned to the shield, looking at the crest once more.
"These weapons are definitely central Le'rannan. Adelan or Serenian in origin. I think I've seen this crest before, though."
He turned to her.
"Fifth floor, thick red book called 'Knight's Tales of Serendipity'. Could you bring it to me?"
"Right. Yes!" She nodded and stepped back sharply, moving toward the floating disk. Then, remembering they were on the fifth floor, she flushed, winced, and disappeared among the shelves to look for the requested title.
After about a quarter of an hour searching, she returned, clutching the thick red tome in her hands. "Here." She held it out to Vel.
When she came back with the book, he was holding the sword with magic, turning it as he looked over the details and the craftsmanship. He was engrossed with the texture of the steel when she suddenly approached him and startled him out of his cocentration. The magic faltered and the sword dropped into his arms. He looked at her and smiled a little breathlessly.
"Warn a guy, huh?"
He took the book in his top two hands and started to flip through it. His bottom hands held the sword out to her.
"There's a story in this book about a pair of knights who stood against a force of hobgoblins.One was a local noble's son, but the other..."
He stopped, and turned the book to her.
On the right page there was a richly done illustration depicting the contents of the text. Two knights in armor, one in blue and yellow livery and another wearing all white, stood on a high rock surrounded by advancing hobgoblins. He pointed to the knight's sword and shield on the page, and then motioned to her weapons.
They were identical.
Twilight smirked and leaned in to kiss his cheek, chirping, "Turn about is fair play, my love."
Sobering, she looked down at the page he held out to her and her eyes widened slightly. "That's..."
She swallowed thickly and took the book, squinting down at the page. The colors were different, silver where hers were gold, black and violet rather than blue and red, but the make and shape were clearly the same.
Drawing her bottom lip between her teeth, she let her eyes flicker over the text. "It says...these knights were "brothers", but that word is old Serenian, I don't think it means literally... Brothers in arms? But closer than that-- how would you translate this?" She pointed to a word, looking up at her husband. "Soulmates? But that doesn't seem quite right..."
"Battle Brothers?" Vel said, straightening up and stroking at the bottom of his crystal.
"These are Serenian knights. The bond could've been magical. But..."
He flipped through some pages, scanning over them with machine precision.
"...The text mentions the white knight as the young noble's Holy Protector in multiple instances. And in the end, I know that the white knight sacrifices himself to give the young noble the chance to claim victory over the hobgoblins," he continued.
"My running theory is that Paladins are protectors of sort. That makes you, um..."
His crystal blushed a bit.
"My knightly protector? If my theory is correct. But we don't know enough yet. But, all this aside..."
He set the book down and pointed a finger at her.
"Magic lessons. Remember where your training room is?"
"Knightly...protector?" she repeated, eyebrows creeping up toward her hairline. Her cheeks flushed and she bit her lip, looking down at the pages.
That...didn't feel as weird as she thought it should.
"Oh! Right. Magic lessons." Giving herself a shake, Twilight nodded and summoned up a smile. "Yes, I remember. I remember everything now, really. Just takes a bit of...tweaking to make the memories sit properly in my head."
"So you remember all the magic I taught you? And the weapon trials?" Vel said.
For while Midnight was the least magical of the two sisters, for that entire month she had impressed Vel with her ability to use pretty much any weapon he put in her hands.
He picked her sword and shield up, and held them out to her.
"I think you're going to need these."
Twilight nodded quickly. "Yes, I remember. I'm sure practice and refreshing won't hurt though."
She reached out to receive the weapon and shield, hefting the blade in one hand while she buckled the shield into place on her off arm.
It felt right. Midnight could use almost any weapon she'd held, but sword and shield just felt like it fit in a way that nothing else had. This wasn't just using a tool, this was...an extension of herself.
"Should they have names?" She tilted her head, eyes tracing over the emblem on the shield, the gem in the hilt of the blade. "Don't, y'know, special weapons have names?"
"They're yours. If you want to name them then you should have all the honors," Vel said with a chuckle. Her hands were taken up, but he ushered her onto the elevator with gentle nudges to the small of her back.
It took them back up to the washroom level, where he'd set up their training area in the spare room. On the way up, he quizzed her.
"So tell me, what's the last spell I taught you?"
"Hmm." She considered that as she was ushered back onto the magical disk. Laughing quietly to herself, she muttered, "I wish these came with a sheath or something. Don't get me wrong, being able to summon and banish them at will is really amazing, but..." She shrugged almost sheepishly. "They are kinda bulky to just carry around."
At his question she paused, parsing through her memories. "Um... It was redirection, right? A defensive spell, if someone attacked me with magic-- a way to redirect the power rather than absorb it."
"That it was!" Vel said, and he led her to the training room. It was an octagonal chamber, divided into quarters not by walls but by what those areas contained. A wide desk situated in front of a large sheet of parchment set onto the wall as a "board" of sorts, and the desk itself was still stacked with the books that Starbright had been reading. The part next to it was a locker and storage area, where both sisters had kept their respective equipment, and the other two quarters of the room were a combination sparring area and dummy range, with all the implements needed to train both martially and magically.
"I haven't been in here since the ritual, so that's why everything's sort of messy. And Midnight's training dummy is in my workshop..." he continued.
"Well, your training dummy," he said, shooting her a smile.
"Do you remember it? I remember your face when you struck it with that mace and it swung back."
Twilight snorted and shot him a droll look. "Yes, well, someone decided the training session would have more impact if I was unaware that the dummy had been enchanted," she pointed out with a quirked brow.
Still, she couldn't keep herself from smiling, just a little. It just felt so good to have those memories back, to be able to see herself in Midnight and Starbright, and to see them in her.
Vel smiled.
"Impact's one way to describe it."
Without further ado, he went and stood at one end of the sparring area, stretching his arms out as he shook the last of his sluggishness out.
"So, what kind of spells is deflection useless against?"
"Force," she replied immediately, almost instinctively. Her right hand swung low, then circled the wrist, re-familiarizing herself with the feel of her blade. "And most elemental attacks, as long as the caster can connect to the element being used against them to redirect it."
She slid one foot back into a defensive stance and raised her shield. A thought suddenly struck her and she glanced down at the shield. "Do you think this could offer protection against magical attacks?"
Enchantment was woven into the very fiber of the thing, but for some reason it only just struck her that she really didn't know what it could actually do.
Vel shrugged.
"I haven't had a chance to fully inspect it yet," he admitted, but his expression brightened.
"Although, an enchanted shield is without a doubt capable of blocking magical effects. That's part of the entire point of producing such a thing," Vel said, and in one of his outstretched hands a collection of force balls appeared.
"So, in theory, it should be able to block spells designed to pass through metal."
Twilight automatically raised the shield into a better defensive position, her blade hanging in a relaxed ready stance at her side.
"Well, that'd certainly be useful."
"It would..." he said, letting the words sit before he cocked a hand back and sent one straight to her on a slight curving trajectory. He tossed the others to the side and they started to orbit him.
He wanted to see if the shield actually was that strong, using force magic designed to pass through metal and leather.
She twisted to the side and braces against the ball of magic with a soft grunt. The force impacted the shield with enough energy to shake her footing, but did not pass through the metal. Twilight slid her back foot in an arc to complete a graceful turn as she absorbed the impact of the blow, sending it around her body and slingshotting back toward Vel.
"Think fast!"
Vel saw her spin about, and took the barest fraction of a second to be impressed before he raised a hand and swiped, knocking it out of its trajectory and causing it to return to its orbit around him.
"And the coverage?" he continued, smashing all of the force balls together into smaller pellets and sent those at her as a stream,
Twilight dropped to one knee, curling almost her whole body behind the shield as the balls of force impacted against its surface. Then she suddenly exploded to her feet, the blade in her right hand cutting swiftly through the air in a large X.
About half of the pellets just...dissipated, sliced out of existence when they came into contact with the sword. Twilight paused, glancing at the blade with wide eyes. "Whoa."
Vel smiled wider.
"And the sword, too? Here, let's try something," Vel said, and he hurried past her to redirect her attention to the spell range. Here, all kinds of targets were set up. Rings, singed dummies, circles of wood that stuck out from the floor and hung from ropes from the ceiling.
"If your sword can channel magic like that, maybe you can use it as a focus," Vel said, and he motioned down range.
"Do you remember fire bolt?"
She nodded, allowing her stance to shift so she was ready to attack rather than defend, her shield gripped loosely at her side while her blade come up at an angle in front of her body.
"I think so," she replied, eyes locking on the nearest dummy. She glanced briefly at her sword, feeling the magic pushing through her fingertips, into the hilt, up the blade, and then circling back into her body. Like a circuit. "A focus. You mean like a wand or something?"
"Just like a wand," Vel said, and he moved on over to her side.
"But it's a sword! The possibilities are endless! A simple charm to heat your soup could be used to heat your blade instead, for instance," he said.
Oh, this was a new thing. And if there was anything that Vel loved, it was learning all about new things.
Twilight laughed and gave him a wry look over her shoulder.
"Oh boy. Careful, love, or I'll lose you to the euphoria of discovery," she teased, bumping her hip against his playfully.
"Discovery is nice and all," Vel said, and he answered her hip bump by giving his beautiful wife a spank.
"But you've got a much nicer ass," he said.
Then, he pointed down range.
"Let it rip whenever you're ready," he said, eager to watch the sword in action.
Twilight yelped and glared at him for the little smack. “Watch it,” she growled playfully. “I’m armed over here.”
Refocusing her attention, she locked her eyes on the target and muttered the incantation under her breath.
Flame leaped from the top of her blade, arcing in a thin stream to strike the dummy directly in the center of the chests. Twilight stumbled back a step, caught off guard by the power of the backlash.
Eyes wide, she stared at her sword. “Armed and apparently rather dangerous.”
Vel watched the whole thing unfold, and he nodded.
"Incredible. You've only just discovered it yesterday but the magic flows through as if it's been attuned to you all your life," Vel noted.
He stepped over to the side of her covered by the shield.
"So from now on, your magic and combat training are one and the same."
She blinked at him, a little taken aback. "You're going to--?"
She snapped her mouth shut. The protest had been right on the tip of her tongue, that Vel was far too gentle a creature to teach her combat, did he even know how to fight?
But of course he did. She'd seen that.
Shaking her head, Twilight pursed her lips and drew herself up a bit, eyes flashing with determination. "Alright. Where do we start?"
Never again. If she had her say, he would never have to do something like that again.
True, Vel wasn't all that much of a combatant. He had the confidence of someone who could move with machine precision, and he knew that his frame had more strength in it than the average man, although not by much.
But when it came to martial matters, Vel had done some reading but he had very little actual combat experience.
"Well, we'd normally start with your dummy," Vel said, but then shrugged his shoulders.
"It's in the workshop right now, though. You might've trashed it a few days ago."
He moved to stand across from her.
"I suppose I'll have to do for now," Vel said. He held all four of hands out, and then he had four short swords.
Twilight's eyes widened. "What--? No!"
She took a step back, shaking her head. "Vel, I'm not going to attack you!"
Not even in practice. The very idea of it made her stomach roll.
"Twilight, it's just a bit of sparring..." Vel said, and he sort of deflated a bit. He'd steeled himself for a spar, but he hadn't expected her to react quite like that.
"I... would you prefer an illusion, then?"
"Oh." She'd disappointed him, she could tell. A desperate need to make him happy warred with the instinct that told her even mock-attacking him was akin to blasphemy.
...Hold on. That seemed...a little dramatic, didn't it? Sure, he was her husband and all, but should she really be so sickened just by the idea of sparring?
Knightly protector, huh.
Biting her lip, Twilight shifted her stance and shook her head slowly. "No, I-- I can...do it. Just, let's take it easy?"
"Okay," Vel said. He took a moment to cast wards of protection on both him and her, wards that would repel the metal of their swords from one another. They could still strike and feel the impact of being struck, but the wards absorbed the damage and pain, and he'd used them extensively during her training previously.
"You'd better watch out, love. The wards are on, and I've got three more swords than you," he said, hoping some levity would lighten her up.
"Don't worry about hurting me, let's just have some fun."
he cocked them all back and advanced. He made precise motions, wanting to sort of befuddle her with all the flitting blades before he struck at her abdomen with a quick stab.
Twilight forced a smile as she slid back into a proper defensive stance. "Three more swords..."
She threw up her left arm and his quick jab clanged against metal. She smirked. "But no shield."
She pushed forward, hoping to throw him off balance, and pivoted to the side, bringing her right hand around with her blade aimed toward his upper shoulder, using the distraction of the blow with her shield to get an opening.
She pushed forwards, putting Vel on the backstep. He had three arms to defend himself, but he opted not to risk his balance any more and dodge back, observing her swing and avoiding it by the barest amount.
"Don't forget that this is a magic lesson," Vel said, and he took another step back and flicked a hand towards her. A line of fire sprouted at his feet and shot towards her. A cone of flame angled to strike up from the ground. He followed that in with a flurry of blows, stepping in through the smoke to strike.
Twilight took a step back, then two. She swung her blade in a low arc in front of her body, and the flame was suddenly blocked by a jagged pool of ice that spread from her feet.
Her shield came up to block his strikes, then she shoved forward again and tried to duck under his guard, bringing her sword up with a twist in an effort to disarm one of his hands.
She succeeded, able to knock one of the short swords out of his hand as he stepped back and away from her.
It never hit the ground though, as Vel extended two fingers from the hand holding it and caught it in his magic before it could dissipate. Vel swung it about and it zipped past her, trying to strike her from behind even as Vel prepared a blast of wind and let it loose at her.
She felt almost more than saw his incoming attack, and Twilight jumped back just in time to avoid the strike. The wind buffeted her, nearly knocking her off her feet, but she twisted and channeled the momentum through her feet, exploding forward to slam her shield against Vel's front, trapping two of his arms between his wards and the metal.
Blade up, she pointed the tip toward his throat and paused. "Yield?"
There was a moment of stillness when she had the point of her blade up against his throat, and he chuckled.
"I yield," he said, and he pushed the point of her blade aside with a finger to lean in and peck her nose.
"Remind me not to argue with you in the future, you haven't forgotten a thing," Vel said.
Panting lightly, Twilight grinned at him. She let her arms go slack, shield and sword falling to her sides, and rocked up onto her toes to return his peck with a quick, affectionate kiss to his lips.
"I still don't like fighting you," she grumbled as she pulled away, mock-pouting. "It just feels...wrong. I should be protecting you!"
She kissed him again, as though that might help her feel better about the whole thing. Which it did, to some extent.
With that second kiss he looped his bottom set around her waist, pulling her close to him.
"Careful..." he said, and he kissed her lips again.
"Teacher and student shouldn't get so sidetracked," he said, tone chiding even as one hand went to her ass and the other drew her leg in close.
Twilight's smile widened and she turned her hands out, allowing her weapons to disappear with barely a brush of thought.
Then her hands were on his shoulders, sliding up to cup his face between her palms. "Student and teacher, yes," she mused, eyes glinting. "What of husband and wife? Might they get distracted?"
Vel was silent for a few moments before he turned on his facial illusion, giving her a proper kiss as his hands started to wander. He pulled his wife closer.
"That, my love, is a distinction that need not be mentioned," he said, tracing a finger down the center of her torso.
"And, well, you do seem pretty advanced, maybe we could postpone the refresher..."
Grinning victoriously, Teilight allowed her head to tip back as his finger traced down her torso, a delectable shudder running through her body. "Well, only if you're sure," she murmured playfully. Her eyes were bright and happy as she looked up at him, her bottom lip drawn between her teeth.
She swayed toward him slightly, quite suddenly aching for touch.
"I..."
He trailed off when she pressed closer and his mechanical hands gripped tighter. He leaned in and took her bottom lip into his own teeth, giving her a little nibble.
"I am very sure," he said finally.
He gripped and kissed her until he was drunk, then he parted from her, leading her to the desk in the room. He hoped she remembered that desk...
"Vel..."
She sighed his name, twining her arms around his neck and clinging until they broke apart. As he ushered her toward the desk, she quirked one eyebrow and looked up at him. "Do you think this desk will ever get used for actual work?" she teased lightly, reaching out to run her hands over his upper arms before pulling him in for another kiss.
"Hmm? I don't know what you're talking about," Vel said, giving her a cheesy smile before she pulled him in. All the kissing emboldened him, and he murmured into her mouth when they parted.
"If you get on your knees and make your husband happy, I'll eagerly return the favor," he said, giving her another deep kiss.
Twilight's eyebrows crept up. "Oh?"
She kissed his lips again, then his cheek, jaw, the side of his neck, his shoulder, collar, center of his chest... She worked her way down his body slowly, methodically, until she was on her knees before him, her hands gripping his hips as she looked up at him through her lashes, lips slightly parted as her breathing became just a little ragged.
She smiled, slow and teasing. "How can I make you happy, Vel?"
And when she looked up at him, she'd see that he was in his human form. He stroked at her head and hair, giving her a knowing smile before he parted his robe, letting her see that he was practically fighting to get out of his underclothes.
"Hmm, I think you can guess..." Vel said, and he leaned slightly against the desk, cocking his hips more towards her as he rested his hands on the wood.
"Oh, I could." Her smiled was positively wicked. She leaned into kiss him through his smallclothes, short and soft.
Her voice lowered to a purr and she added, "But it's so much more fun to hear you beg, husband of mine."
Her hands gripped his hips a little tighter and she leaned in again to gently mouth him through the cloth, looking up at him through her lashes playfully. When she broke away once more, she whispered, "So what do you want, my love?"
"O-oh..." he said, biting his lip and looking down at her, dazed and flushed. He throbbed and he could barely keep himself still as she mouthed him. He brushed her hair aside, letting a breath out. So he decided to cut to the chase.
"Please," he started, and his own smile turned a little wicked.
"Suck my cock so I can eat you out on this desk."
Gods, he couldn't believe he'd said that!
Her face flushed very red, but she smiled and moved forward to mouth him again, humming in the back of her throat.
"As you wish."
With a deft movement she hooked her thumbs into his smalls and pulled them down over his hips. He was barely exposed to the air for a moment before her mouth was on him, lips and tongue lavishing attention as her hands slid back up the outside of his thighs and around to grab at his rear, pulling him against her.
He let out a soft surprised noise when she pulled him in closer, and he parted his robe a bit more to give her all the freedom she needed.
"Ah, just like that," Vel sighed as she kissed and licked.
"Show me how much you love it..."
Twilight tried not to smile as she worked along his length. There was something heady and addictive about how much she knew he loved this. She pressed closer, laving her tongue over him and sucking greedily at the tip, glancing up at him through her lashes every few seconds.
Vel let his head hang back and let her take him to heaven, noting that she was acting very "Midnight" right now. Vel loved the affection, and while he'd been very skittish early on into their relationship he had none of that now. Not to mention that getting his dick sucked was an immense guilty pleasure for him.
He put a hand on the back of her head, clearly eager for her to take more of it in.
"Come on, deeper," he whispered.
She hummed quietly in acknowledgement and let her jaw go slack, taking him in as deep as she could, twining her tongue around the length of him before sucking fiercely.
She pulled back with just the barest hint of teeth against his skin. She looked up at him, lips parted slightly as she drew in a breath. "Are you mine?" She kissed the tip of him, flicked her tongue out in a teasing lick. "Are you mine forever, Vel?"
"Forever," came the immediate answer, as if he'd say anything else with her diligently sucking him like that! When she kissed his tip, he shifted himself upwards to rest his length over her face, grinning a little. "And ever..."
"You bring the worst out of me when you do this, you know that right?" He said, voice teasing.
"Mmm. I'm well aware," she replied teasingly. She gave the length of him another long, slow lick, then leaned back abruptly and smirked at him.
"But I also know how to make you beg for it," she whispered, eyes half lidded as she looked up at him. Her stomach flipped even as she said the words, strangely giddy, feeling very...wicked. "So I suppose these things balance out, hm?"
Two fingers traced up his length, then her thumb rubbed a circle around the tip, eyes never leaving his face.
"Yeah," was just about all he could say to that, sucking some air in as she teased him with her thumb. Vel was like putty in her hands, and it showed in the way he winced with pleasure.
"I'm getting there," he murmured, shifting his hips a little impatiently.
"Seed or no seed?" he asked, concerned about making a mess.
Twilight licked her way up his length again before answering, "This is for you, love. What do you want?"
Her hands stroked him lightly whenever she broke away to speak, head tilted just slightly to the side as she looked up at him, clear adoration shining in her eyes.
Her light stroking gave him a breather and prolonged his pleasure, giving him time to think over his choice for a few seconds.
"I don't want to make a mess," he started, and then shot her a slightly wicked smile.
"But at the same time, I do."
Then, he sighed.
"It's yours if you want it..."
"Well..."
Her smile grew wider and she slowly began working her way up his body again, mapping kisses over his torso. "If you're worried...about the mess...there's always...a way to...avoid that."
Each break in her sentence was punctuated with a kiss and a firm stroke of her hand, until her lips were hovering in front of his and her hands were moving almost painfully slowly along his length. She rose up on her toes and nudged her hips forward, rubbing them together with a soft groan.
"Gods, Vel, I want you so badly..."
"How ingenious, my apprentice," Vel said, and he smashed their lips together until he was dazed off the feeling and shifting against her, reaching down to spread her folds so he could truly grind himself against her. He held her legs closer together, amplifying his pleasure.
Then, before he could get too far along, he lifted her and turned about, seating her on the desk and pulling her flush to him.
"I'll just make the mess inside of you instead," he continued, and nipped at her lips.
He slid into her all the way to the base until he came to a slamming stop inside of her and couldn't go any further even if he made his dick longer.
"Nice and deep, so that it doesn't come out..."
Twilight yelped, then groaned as he twisted her onto the deck and plunged inside. "Vel--" Her voice was rough with the sudden overwhelming heat of her desire and she wrapped her legs tight around his waist, holding him flush against her.
"Gods, I love you," she gasped, leaning up to nip lightly at his throat. Her hands dragged down his back, nails clawing at his skin just over the edge of gently.
Vel gasped, and he squeezed her legs and ran his hand down them, pulling her until she was securely flush against him.
"I know," he teased, pressing down on her legs to spread her a bit wider, getting just that little bit deeper before he started to fuck her, snaking a hand to the back of her neck to pull her in for more heated, frantic kissing.
He'd been close before they even started, so he wanted to make sure that the short time they had like this was well spent.
"Gods, I'm still close... it's coming, love!"
Anything she might have said was muffled into their kisses, as she seemed entirely uninterested in pulling her mouth from his. Her kisses were crushing and desperate, hot breath panted into his mouth as they moved together.
Finally, she broke away long enough to gasp, "Come then." Her brow pressed against his, chests brushing together as she panted. "Come for me, love."
Then she was diving back into the kiss, groaning and gasping and writhing against him.
It was too much for him. The heat and the kisses and the pleasure all warped together and he barely even noticed how close his peak was until he cut off with a gasp. He filled her with magic and come and every burst was accompanied by a sharp thrust to make sure that it truly went deep.
He held onto her shoulder with his teeth, scraping lightly until he was done.
"I'm coming..." he said weakly into her neck.
Twilight gasped and mewled, wriggling under him and rocking her hips up until they were so close together the pressure was almost painful. She held the back of his head as he bit down on her shoulder, digging her nails into his scalp and moaning quietly.
With a soft, breathless laugh she whispered into his ear, "I noticed," before nipping at his earlobe and dragging kisses up to his temple.
"Just let me catch my breath..." Vel said, twisting his head to kiss the side of her head. The only motion he made was to stroke her sides.
"You haven't had yours yet..."
"Hmmm..." She smiled and feathered a few kisses over his face, content to just hold him for the moment. "Take your time," she murmured against his temple. "I wanted to make you feel good, love. This doesn't have to be about me."
With a wry little half smile she added playfully, "Though if you want to return the favor..."
"It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," Vel teased back. Curiously, he tried something new. Although he wore his human form, he let the illusion fall apart a little bit, showing his bottom pair of arms, as well as the connecting plates so it wasn't just metal arms coming out of his sides. He'd never tried to mix forms like this before.
The extra pair smoothed down her front, gripping her breasts while his other arms gripped her ass and squeezed.
"Just means I'll keep filling you."
Twilight shifted and squirmed against him a bit, intrigued. With a soft chuckle, she reached up to cup his face in her hands and murmured, "Good. I want all of you, Vel."
Even just the brief time she'd been without her full memory felt like too much. She felt as though she had to make up for the lost time somehow. Arching into his touch, she drew him down for a long, languid kiss.
"Careful what you wish for," he said, and he would've kept speaking had she not pulled him in for a long kiss. As they kissed, he drew back and nearly left her confines before he slowly pushed back in, getting a feel for her twice-slicked insides.
"I'm not the best at polymorphing but I can get creative," he purred.
Twilight laughed and shoved at his shoulder lightly for his teasing, though it only took a few small movements of his hips for the laughter to turn to a soft gasp. Her head fell back and she writhed her hips up against his.
"I think you're plenty creative as it is," she whispered, lips slightly parted while she drew in a ragged breath.
"Aw, you don't want to see me turn into a minotaur?" Vel teased, and he continued giving her those short, slow thrusts until he was hardening back up inside her and his speed was starting to build.
"Or maybe I'll just keep making my dick bigger..." he continued, and feeling wicked he ushered her onto her back so she was sprawled out over the desk, and he leaned down and started to fuck her again.
"Strange as it may sound, I'd really rather not fuck a bull-man-- oh gods." Her hands shot to the edge of the desk, anchoring herself as he drove into her. "V-Vel..." She swallowed thickly and clenched her eyes shut, mewling quietly, "Care-- careful, love. I'm still sensitive from before..."
Vel wanted to keep teasing, but he lost his words and decided not to go looking for them. Leaning down over her, he laid a heavy kiss onto her lips as he grabbed her hips and pulled her into a thrust.
"I'll take it nice and slow for you then," he said, switching his pacing for power.
"Going to stuff you up nice and good" he said, finding those teasing words he was looking for.
Twilight drew in a ragged breath as their lips parted, but she hardly waited a moment before twisting and reaching back to pull him in again for another hungry, nearly desperate kiss. "Just shut up and fuck me," she growled against his mouth, her eyes flashing and lips curving just slightly into a challenging smile.
He couldn't really muster up any words to match what she'd said. Not that he was going to, she'd made her request crystal clear. Straightening up away from her, he used her breasts as handles as he started to fuck her relentlessly like a piston. His other set of arms grabbed her by the thighs and slammed her into his thrusts.
"Oh gods yes..." Her back arched and she gasped, her hands clenching tightly on the edges of the desk. "Vel, oh Vel!"
Every time she cried his name was like music to him, so he sought to keep driving it out of her. He was getting close again, still sensitive from last time, but he kept quiet and focused on her pleasure.
"That's right," he said, smiling wider as fucked her.
He leaned down again, planting his hands by her head and coming closer to thrust deeper into her.
His name was a soft chant, spilling endlessly from her lips as he drove her higher and higher, spiraling and circling her peak until she though her whole body might just break apart from the tension.
When it was finally released she screamed for him, clutching the desk so hard that the wood creaked beneath her grip in protest. Flushed and panting, Twilight felt her body go boneless and more or less sprawled forward, just barely able to hold herself up on her elbows, her whole form shaking.
Vel gave her a little bit of a break, but just before she could fully wind down he gave her a few quick thrusts before spilling his climax into her once again. He remained as close to her as possible, giving his hips little sideways motions to make sure he was as deep in her as he could go.
"I love you," he whispered to her before giving her a gentle kiss.
"I...love you too..." She finally allowed herself to collapse fully, trusting Vel to keep her upright as they both slumped against the desk.
Twisting her upper body slightly, she wrapped an arm around his neck as she returned the kiss, her eyes closed and her mouth moving against his slow and gentle, drinking him in.
"Mmhmm," he mumbled into her mouth, hand slipping up to lazily grip and knead her breast as they kissed and bathed in the afterglow.
When they broke away, he had a stunned look in his eyes.
"I used to be such a nervous, innocent construct," Vel said, smirking.
"Look what you've done to me..."
"Oh yes, this is my fault," Twilight shot back, one eyebrow raised wryly. "I think you were just waiting for someone to come along and let the beast out, Vel."
She leaned into peck his nose as she said it, the soft shimmer in her eyes assuring that she was only playing.
"Maybe," he said, and he gave her ass a slap.
"Or maybe, I'll--"
A soft chiming sound echoed through the tower, coming from one of the lower floors. Vel lifted his head, staring out to the door of the room.
"The tree! It's ready!" he said quickly, and he looked back down to her. Giving her an apologetic look, he leaned down to give her a series of quick, deep kisses before he pulled away and unplugged her. He started to put his robe on.
"You remember the tree in the greenhouse? The metallic one?" he said, an excited smile coming onto his face.
Left a little bewildered, Twilight shook her head at his abrupt shift in focus and smiled indulgently as he got dressed.
"I remember." Seeing how excited he was, she smiled and murmured, "Why don't you head up? I'm a little...well. I'll clean up a bit and be right behind you, okay?"
"Oh," he said simply. He paused where he was, seemingly hesitant, before he stepped back to her as she laid on the desk and gave her a deep, parting kiss.
"That's a nice look for you, all ravished like that," he said, shooting her a dirty smile before he gave her yet another short kiss and set off. He'd left his underclothes all strewn about, having thrown his robe on out of habit rather than necessity.
He stepped onto the elevator and it started to descend.
Twilight returned the kisses and gave him a little pop on the hip as he turned to leave. “Go on then, silly creature,” she laughed. “I’ll be just a minute.”
True to her word, she cleaned herself up as quick as she could and threw her own robe on loosely, tying it rather half heartedly as she made from the disk and followed Vel to the greenhouse.
When she caught up to him, he was already in the center of the greenhouse, jotting down notes about the silver-barked tree. It had certainly gone through some kind of change. The broad, copper leaves and steely branches were now adorned by blooms of flowers made of a light, almost bluish type of metal. Vel was reading his notes aloud as he wrote them, and didn't seem to notice her come in.
"...blooming beyond expectations, so much material to work with. Mana Exposure project can proceed to step six with plenty of adamantium to spare for side work..."
Twilight simply stood in the doorway and watched him for a few moments, a small smile on her face. It was just so very...Vel.
Slowly, she moved up behind him and leaned against his side. "Making good progress, then?"
"Great progress," Vel said, looking to her.
"I knew the adamantine tree was going to bloom around now, but the amount is beyond what I could've hoped for," he said.
He closed his notebook and went to go look for his magical shears, coming back with them after a minute's absence. As he came back, he bumped the side of his hip into Twilight's.
"Sorry to leave you hanging like that," he said, and gave the side of her neck a kiss.
"I'll make it up to you later. Science waits for no man."
"Oh, I know." She laughed and leaned up to peck his cheek. She stepped back to let him take his samples, her smile fading slightly as she rocked gently back and forth on her heels.
"Vel..." she murmured after a few moments of relative quiet. "I... Can I ask you something?"
"Of course, dearheart," Vel said, using one pair to snip while the other collected the falling flowers in a basket, which he used to fill a large chest. It was an entire tree in bloom, so he had quite the task ahead of him.
"Ask away."
Worrying at her lower lip, Twilight said slowly, "When I was...gone. And you found me... You used the crystal, right? You were scrying for me?"
She was tugging absently at a lock of hair as she spoke, entirely unconscious of the fact that she was doing it.
"Yes," he answered immediately, lowering the shears, He gave her a small smile and approached her.
"I got worried sick so I decided to check on you. That's how I found you."
Still biting her lip, she nodded, her eyes slightly unfocused as she seemed to be considering something.
"And that spell, the scrying spell... It works through time, doesn't it? With the right components, the right execution, you could see into the future or the past?"
He had told Starbright it was possible, but the healer half of her spirit didn't remember anything beyond and idle curiosity on the topic.
"Reading the past is possible," Vel said as he nodded.
"Reading the future, however, is quite the difficult feat."
Twilight let out a soft breath, almost relief. "Okay. Well, good, because it's the past I'm interested in right now."
She licked her lips and glanced up into his face. "Could you, um...teach me? Or, maybe look yourself, if it's too advanced for me to learn? Please..."
"I think you could learn how to scry the past," Vel said, and he gave her a reassuring smile before kissing the top of her head.
"It's not easy but you've come a very long way in only a month of teaching."
She smiled a bit for the praise, almost despite herself. There was still a worried sort of pinch at the corners of her mouth and eyes.
"I-- I'd like to, if you don't mind teaching me," she murmured. "But, Vel, I...I don't know if I can wait to learn it. I have to-- I have to know something. Well, a few somethings. About-- about me. About what...he said. If you can scry that..."
She swallowed a little thickly and dropped her eyes. "I need answers, Vel."
Vel was quiet, and he simply nodded at her words.
"Whatever you want," Vel said, and he parted from her. His face was knit with concern, and one of his arms slid down to take her hand.
"Once I get what I need from the tree, we can do it."
Twilight let out a short, sharp breath and her her shoulders slumped forward with a strangely powerful relief. "Thank you, Vel."
Without quite conscious of what she was doing, she stepped into him again to wrap her arms around him, letting her forehead rest against his back. She seemed content to stand there while he finished his collection of data.
Vel let out a soft "oh," when she leaned against him and wrapped her arms. Smiling to himself, he held her hands with his bottom pair of hands while the other two used magic to float the shears and buckets about to collect the adamantine petals.
He hummed to himself as he did so, and when it was all over he had five buckets filled with those bluish slivers of metal.
He himself was a little hesitant to move on from that spot, however. He found he rather liked how she held him like that so he relaxed in her arms, leaning a bit more into the contact even as the task had already been completed.
She smiled as she felt him lean back into her. Though she was a bit smaller than him, there was something deep in her core that seemed to light up and buzz happily whenever he allowed her to really hold him, almost as though he was using her as a shelter. Whether that was true or not didn't really matter, just the thought made her happy.
I will always keep you safe.
"Need help carrying the buckets?" she asked after a few moments, though she made no move to let him go.
"Well, there's five buckets and I've got four hands," Vel said, also unmoving. The only motion he made was to stroke along her arms, letting her hold him to her heart's content. He could easily levitate them all, but he knew that Twilight liked helping.
He nudged a bit in her grip before turning around and embracing her in kind.
"Light of my life..." he murmured, resting his face on the top of her head.
Twilight smiled and nuzzled into his chest, her hands moving up to press against the backs of his shoulders as he twisted in her arms.
"My love," she murmured in response. She tilted her head to feather a kiss against his collar. "You give me purpose." She tilted her head back to peck his cheek. "Thank you..."
"You're too sweet," Vel said, but it was obvious he loved it.
"So," he started, and he pat her sides.
"We need to take this adamntium up to the workshop floor," he said, and he kissed her to puncuate the sentence.
"I'm going to make a plate of adamntium and we're going to expose it to raw mana."
Another kiss.
"And we're probably invent a new kind of fantastical metal. How does that sound?"
She wrinkled her nose and laughed softly for the way he punctuated his sentences with little kisses. "That sounds just fine," she teased lightly. "Need help setting anything up?"
"Yes I do," Vel said, smiling down at her as he parted away.
"The sooner we get all those buckets up to the workshop, we can do that scrying you wanted done," Vel said, and he bent down to pick up three of the five buckets, one for each bottom arm with the third held in the two top ones.
"And then we can get straight to work."
Twilight quickly snatched up the other two buckets. Her smile faltered a moment, but then she forced it back into place. "Right. Yes."
She fell into step beside her husband, going quiet as a thoughtful sort of frown plucked at her brows.
They took the elevator down several floors. The middle of Vel's tower had a collection of three floors dedicated to working spaces of various crafts and magical disciplines. Vel prized himself on his ability for artifice, and had learned many crafts over the long years. The top of the group was his magical/alchemical work spaces while the middle and bottom held metalworking stations and refining implements, respectively.
While their month of bliss had meant that Vel saw very little of these rooms (apart from when he was riding the elevator) he seemed even more at home when surrounded by tools of creation than tools of magic, or even books. As an artificial creature, he found a powerful sort of introspective solace when he carved wood or hammered metal into shape.
They stopped at the refining floor and Vel was quick to step over to a dome-shaped smelting furnace and set his three buckets down by it.
Twilight followed diligently, placing the buckets she carried down beside Vel's when they reached the room. She dragged a hand over her brow, glancing around the room.
"I've never really been in here," she noted quietly. It hadn't been part of Midnight or Starbright's training, so she'd never really had the opportunity.
"It's just tools and workspaces, mostly," Vel said, approaching her. He took her hands.
"This is where I snuck away to make your ring," he said, smiling a little wider as he lifted her hand to pass his thumb over the ring.
"If you ever want, I could teach you how to make things. All kinds of things," he said, gazing down fondly at the ring.
She smiled and twisted her hand in his so that she could trace her fingers lightly over his wrist. "I did promise I'd make you one, didn't I?"
She leaned up on her toes to bring their faces closer together, then hovered there, waiting, close enough that her breath tickled over his lips.
Vel gave her a few moments to feel the anticipation before he gave her a light kiss just beneath the lips, and then a proper, deeper kiss. He put a finger under her chin to tilt her up into the kiss.
Twilight's breath hitched quietly and she leaned into him, her hands trialing down to grip his hips gently and pull him against her.
"I love you," she breathed against him. She didn't care how many times she said it, it wasn't enough.
Vel made a small surprised noise when she pulled him in by the hips, but he loved being against her like that so he didn't object in the slightest.
"And I love you," Vel said, gripping her hips in kind.
"Whenever you're close my heart ticks at twice the speed."
She smiled and murmured teasingly, "Oh, but I bet you say that to all your pretty apprentices."
She tilted her head for another kiss, letting the touch linger sweetly, then stepped back again. Her expression sobered a bit. "Do we...need to do anything else? Before, um, scrying?"
"Nope," Vel said.
"I know the crystal ball's in the downstairs closet," he started, and he swayed in place with her a little bit to a silent tune.
"Head on up to the bedroom, we'll set it up on the table by the fire."
He gave her another kiss, short and sweet.
"I'll gather the things and meet you there."
"Are you sure?" She pouted at him a bit. "I don't want you to do all the work, you're already the one performing the spell..."
"Don't worry about that," Vel said, giving her a knowing look.
"Go on upstairs, I'll catch up," he said, giving her sides a fond little rub.
She debated arguing with him about it, but eventually just sighed and nodded, leaning in to give him a last quick kiss before she pulled away.
She climbed onto the elevator and murmured, "Bedroom," allowing her eyes to close and a soft sigh to escape her lungs as she started moving up. When she reached the bedroom, she stepped briskly off the disk and moved toward the fire, busying herself with clearing the table while she waited.
If she kept her hands busy, she wasn't so wrapped up in her own thoughts and worries.
And while the elevator went up, Vel teleported downstairs to get everything together. In no more than a minute, the elevator was called from the bedroom to the ground floor, and he was upstairs in another.
He had the crystal ball, its holder, and a set of divination lenses in his arms and he smiled at his wife as he entered.
"Hello hello," he said, and he stepped past her to set the ball holder down on the table, followed by the ball on top and the divination lenses off to the side, for later use. He set himself down on his knees, motioning for her to take a seat across from him as he dimmed the tower.
Twilight quickly settled in, feeling her heart jump into her throat with a sudden influx of nerves. Leg jittering anxiously, she reached out under the table to clasp on of Vel's lower hands, squeezing tightly.
Vel squeezed her hand in return, meeting her eyes from across the table. He offered her a warm smile and another hand beneath the table. He closed his eyes, and the ball started to glow with gentle, white light. The inside started to swirl with some kind of vapor, obscuring the insides of the crystal ball.
"I'm ready," Vel said.
"What am I looking for?"
She swallowed, squeezing his hand again, then took a breath and murmured, "A-- a woman named Liana and her daughter...Aurora. About sixteen or-- or maybe seventeen years ago..."
Vel nodded, and put his hands on the base of the crystal ball. The brass tips of his fingers glowed a gentle white and he let his head lean back. A milky white glow started to come from inside the ball. The same glow started to grow in Vel's head until his crystal screen matched it.
"Tell me where," he said, and he brought a hand to the top of the crystal ball, and the energies started to swirl.
He clasped her hand in both of his bottom set, stroking her knuckles and wrist.
Twilight was nearly vibrating with tension, and she took a deep breath in an effort to steady herself as she replied softly, "Arca."
[I can do a long exposition-y thing describing what they see in the crystal on my next post if you want?]
[Go ahead! I figured we were going to do something like that anyways.]
"Arca," Vel repeated, and his head tilted just a bit further back. The crystal ball flushed yellow and it shone brighter as loose blotches and colors started to form. His fingers tightened on the crystal and he drew them back down to the bottom as he manipulated the energies inside.
"I can see it, the past. The veil is strong, but if only I could just..."
He leaned in closer to the ball, spreading his fingers out.
"...Pull it away."
His fingers glowed brighter and once again he touched the top of the ball with both hands. He dragged them down, and as he did so the picture started to form. First, the city of Arca, and then it started to zoom down...
Twilight leaned forward as the view inside the crystal changed, not even realizing that she'd seemingly forgotten how to breathe.
Inside a small, brightly colored house near one of the academic districts, a rather lovely woman sat in what appeared to be a newly furnished nursery, holding a child who couldn't have been more than a year old in her lap and singing to her softly, laugh lines crinkling around her eyes as she smiled.
"Two little princesses dancing in the wind,
Spinning fast and freely on those little toes,
But where the wind will take them, no one ever knows..."
The child burbled happily and reached up to grasp at her mother's auburn hair, making the woman laugh as she held the baby against her chest.
"Easy, Aurora. Gods, I swear I'll go bald before you learn to speak," she chuckled, flicking the girl-- Aurora's-- nose lightly. As she brushed the lock of hair behind her ear and out of her daughter's grasp, she revealed the gentle points to the tips of her ears. On closer inspection, her skin seemed to almost shimmer in the lamplight of the room, belying fae ancestry.
The door to the nursery suddenly opened a crack and a man with a mane of wild black hair and a rather scattered expression poked his head into the room. "Lia, darling, have you seen the--"
"The keys to the workshop are on your desk, love," the woman answered with fond exasperation. Narrowing her eyes, she added, "But you're not thinking of holing yourself up to work, are you? You did promise you'd put Aurora to bed tonight."
The man blinked. "I did?"
At the expression his wife gave him, he cleared his throat and amended quickly, "Yes, of course I did," stepping swiftly into the room.
Twilight's eyes immediately snapped to the sword strapped to his hip; it seemed out of place on him, with his scholar's robes and the spellbook that he placed on the table before crossing to his wife and taking the child from her.
"And what have you been up to today, hm?" He smiled when the baby chattered inanely, but had to quickly lift her up and away from his hip as she suddenly squirmed and reached for his sword. Laughing, he muttered, "Oh no, little one. Gods know as my daughter you'll have plenty of time getting to know your own when you're older."
The babe pouted and her parents chuckled. They were quickly cut off by a distant knocking, both stiffening and looking to the door.
Liana looked to her husband, brow furrowed. "You don't think--"
"Stay here." He passed Aurora back into her mother's arms and moved toward the nursery door. "Evidently our little visitor is a persistent type. I've told him I'm not interested in his project; I suppose I'll just have to make myself clearer..."
The image in the crystal faded back into swirling smoke and Twilight sucked in a breath, half relieved and half disappointed.
"They--" Her voice was raw and hoarse. She cleared her throat. "That-- I don't..."
Vel watched the scene play out in the crystal ball, and when it was over and Twilight was talking to him, he took his hands off the ball, although it still shone with residual magic.
Without saying much, Vel stood and sat on Twilight's side with her, putting his head on her shoulder and giving her leg a comforting stroke with his hand.
"Aurora," he said simply, and looked to Twilight.
"That's what the vampire called you."
Then he looked back to the crystal ball.
"I... I think those were your parents."
Twilight swallowed, mute, and nodded. Her eyes were over-bright, biting her lip as she resisted the urge to burst into tears.
After a few shaky breaths, she managed to whisper, "Her— Liana, my m-mother...I remember her, a little." She swallowed again and bent her head forward, shoulders shaking though she stubbornly refused to cry. "When she l-left me, left us, we— we thought she didn't care. I thought she didn't, but she..." She sniffled. "It looked like she loved her, didn't it? Liana loved her baby..."
She covered her face with her hands, her whole body trembling now.
"Hey, hey..." Vel said, and he took her into an embrace, wanting to comfort his wife.
"Liana loved you," he said, and he started stroking the top of her head.
"And the man, your father, he sounded like he already knew what you were going to grow up to be," Vel continued.
She turned into his arms, shaking as she clung to him and tried to hide her tear-stained face against his chest. For a few minutes she simply cried, clinging to Vel like he was her last lifeline.
Finally, she manged to take a few breaths and pull herself together. She lifted her head and swiped a hand beneath her eyes. "I think-- I think he did. My...father." She cleared her throat and glanced toward the crystal before continuing cautiously, "He had a blade...I thought it held the same symbol as my sword."
Vel held her for as long as she needed it, not caring that her tears were dripping down into his inner workings. When she got herself together, he nodded and extended a hand towards the crystal ball, projecting the scene up onto the air above the crystal ball.
He viewed the scry again, and he stopped it at the moment when Aurora reached for the sword, as that was when the view of it was the clearest.
"It's... It's identical," Vel noted.
"Do...do you think he was...like me?" Twilight asked, her eyes tracing over the design as she stared intently at the image. Her hand still clutched Vel's, though she almost didn't seem to realize she was doing so.
"I wouldn't doubt it," Vel said.
"He'd know that you would recieve your power from him, but... your mother," he continued, and ran it back again, this time pausing on Liana.
"She's fae. Very much so. Maybe that's where you got your magic."
"Maybe..." Twilight agreed softly. She pressed herself against her husband's side as she watched him manipulate the image in the crystal.
With a soft groan of frustration, she dropped her head into her hands again and mumbled, "But this still doesn't really tell us anything! Why she left me, how my soul got split, why Lorian was after me..."
"There's nothing saying we can't scry again," Vel said, determined to reassure her.
"Now that we've seen and know Aurora, we can try scrying earlier in the past, but... it takes a bit out of me, to read the past," he said, resting his head on her shoulders. The magic diffused from his crystal and the ball was rendered inert. The tower returned to that dim lighting and once again the stars were visible in the ceiling.
"My apprentice, would you like to learn how to work metal?" he asked in a sleepy tone.
"Oh, Vel." She winced and twisted to wrap her arms around him, dipping her head to kiss his brow as he rested against her. "I'm sorry, love," she murmured, stroking one hand over his back. "I didn't mean for you to strain yourself."
With a slightly forced smile, she tried to joke, "I think I can work metal fine, when it's on you." Her other hand stroked playfully over his brass joints before coming to rest on his hip. "But what did you have in mind?"
"Don't apologize," he said, and smiled a bit at her joke, moving his bottom set of hands to cover her own on his hips.
"I had the basics in mind. How to use the smelter, smithing fundamentals, that stuff."
Twilight nodded and smiled at him softly. "Alright," she agreed. "Show me."
And just like that, they were headed back to the workshops. Vel would be lying if he said he was also super eager to get that adamantium worked and ready, but that was all secondary.
"I love smithing, or anything to do with metal. That's why I'm going to make you a suit of armor, to go with your sword and your shield," he said.
"But first, step one! Starting the smelter!"
He motioned rather dramatically to a bin of coal by the smelter. There was a shovel resting against the rim of the bin.
"Before you learn the fine art of metalsmithing, my dearest apprentice, you must unceremoniously shovel coal into the bottom of the smelter," he said, giving her a goofy smile.
Twilight laughed, her throat still a little clogged with tears but her eyes bright as she smiled and shook her head at him. "You are utterly ridiculous," she informed him, affection warm and clear in her tone.
With a quick breath, she pushed the sleeves of her robes up passed her elbows and then tied the trailing ends behind her back before crossing to pick of the shovel he had indicated.
"How much coal do we need?"
"Three shovels will do it. Smith aprons are in the cabinet by the hammer rack," Vel said. He approached one of the buckets of adamantium petals and set it aside. Then, he went to another section of the room, past his engraving station and forge, to go and get the molds for the smelter.
One for ingots, another one to form a 1x1 sheet.
"It is a magical smelter, just cast a spark of flame to light it, then I'll show you how to use it from there," he said when he came back.
She nodded, shoveling the required coal into the smelter, then crossing to the cabinet he'd indicated to retrieve and slip on a heavy leather apron.
She faced the smelted, a few steps away, and flicked out her hand with a short, sharp snap, calling a spark into life.
"You're going to see it light up in places," Vel said, stepping past her to fetch an apron of his own. He came back and set the sheet mold into the smelter.
Indeed, the magical smelter seemed to come alive once it was lit. Magical patterns appeared on its surface, loosely organized into squares and rectangles with differing symbols on them. An ingot, a chunk of ore, and even symbols for different pieces of weapons and armor.
"Smelter can take multiple kinds of inputs, and it can hold different metals separately in its core, so you can smelt a mixed batch of metals without having them mix," he said, and he pressed the chunk square. It faded out and funnel opened up on the side of the smelter, leading down into its heat.
"Go ahead and dump the bucket in, that's the next step."
Then, he leaned against the smelter, watching his wife work but also sorta secretly looking at her ass as well.
"You could even put weapons and armor in it and it'll break it down, use the non-metal bits as fuel. Anything's possible with a little magic," Vel said.
Twilight followed his direction, dumping the bucket carefully. She straightened up and wiped a hand across her brow-- leaving a smudge of soot, though she didn't realize it. Glancing back at Vel over her shoulder, she smiled and quipped lightly, "That's a favorite phrase of yours, love."
Her eyes followed his, realized where he was looking, and her eyebrows crept up toward her hairline. "Getting a little distracted there?"
Damn, was he really that obvious?
He cleared his throat. He was caught red-handed, but that didn't mean he could play it cool.
"I might be looking somewhere else, but believe me I'm not distracted," Vel said.
The adamantite started to melt, and a faint white glow started to emit from the smelter's top. Curiously, it produced no smoke as it worked.
"Now, the sheet mold. Affix it to the mold plate under the smelter's spout, make sure the white edge of the mold faces away from the smelter," he said.
As it started to go, one of the squares in the pattern suddenly gained a blue outline and started filling in with the same color.
She smirked a bit, but followed his instructions to the letter. Her eyes traced the changing lines of color in the pattern as she took a step back and tilted her head slightly to the side. It was rather...soothing, in an odd way.
"Blue for adamantium. That shows you how full the chamber is," Vel said, and he went to stand next to her as the smelter cooked away. The inside got so hot that the air directly above the smelter's top seemed to bubble and boil and before long the business end of the smelter conical smelter started to glow blue.
"That means it's ready," Vel said, and he went up to the smelter to double-check the mold plate.
"Place your hand against the blue square and channel into the smelter. It'll pour for as long as you focus on it, so keep an eye on the mold."
Twilight hesitated, her eyes going a little rounder than normal. "Um, sweetheart?" She looked up at him. "I'm not made of metal. Won't that burn me?"
"No, it's not hot on the outside, the magic is very well contained," Vel said, gesturing vaguely to the smelter.
"Alright..."
Of course she trusted him, but there was still an instinctive sort of wariness as she reached out to place her hand against the blue square and concentrated, summoning up a thread of magic to feed into the smelter.
She'd find the smelter cool to the touch. Once she started feeding magic into it, the square pulsed and melted adamantium started pouring into the mold. It glowed white hot but the underlying metal was blue, causing quite the interesting color combination.
"there, just like that. Just a little more... and done!" Vel said, and he waved his hand for her to stop.
Twilight pulled her hand back at his cue, panting just slightly from the exertion of magic. Glancing to the side at her husband, she somehow couldn't help herself from chuckling and quipping lightly, "Y'know, I'm not used to hearing you say stuff like that without a different context--"
Almost as soon as the words were out of her mouth she blushed and snapped her mouth closed. Gods, girl, pull it together for five freaking minutes.
"Okay." she cleared her throat and eyed the mold, still glowing hot. "What next?"
"Well, normally you're just supposed to let it sit in the mold until it all cools down enough to take to water."
He shrugged, and just straight up pulled the white hot adamantium plate out of the mold with his hand and walked it over a few steps to dunk it down into a bucket of water.
"I personally prefer not to wait," he said, dusting his hands off.
Then, he looked back to her. He saw a little Starbright come out of her, and he chuckled as he leaned back against the nearby anvil, his open robe casually displaying his mechanical body.
"You're lucky to have me, you'd never have made it through mage school with all that scandalous quipping of yours," he said, yet motioned for her to come closer with his finger.
She watched him move the hot metal to the bucket of water, flinched back a bit instinctively when steam billowed up into the air.
She tried to stay focused, she really did, but then he crooked his finger at her like that and she narrowed her eyes as she came closer, the tiniest hint of a smile playing around the corner of her mouth.
"And you wouldn't have made it five minutes without staring at my ass." She tutted playfully. "Scandalous, truly."
Her hands came up to curl in her fingers in the collar of his robe and she tugged gently, pulling him down into a quick, soft kiss.
He chuckled into the kiss and drew a hand down her face, all while his lower set of arms locked around her waist and drew her in nice and close. He leaned in and gave her a kiss of his own because gods, one was never enough...
"So, you feeling up to pounding that plate into shape?" He said, and motioned to the steaming bucket of water.
"They usually come off the mold with a kink or two."
"Oh, of course." Twilight forced herself to step out of the circle of his arms and back toward the now cooling metal. She worried at her lower lip slightly. "I've never worked metal before, Vel. I mean...I know the theory, but I don't know..."
"Well, that's why I'm here to guide you," Vel said, and he walked up next to her and picked up a pair of large tongs, holding it out to her.
"First step's to get it out of the water and into the embers," he said, motioning to the metalworking area, housing a bed of coals to keep metal hot and a few differently sized anvils, as well as a full range of finely made tools.
"I'll get the bellows going."
He moved on ahead of her and cranked up the bellows to feed more fire to the coals, winding them via a valve that powered the steady, deep breaths that flared the coal with each rush.
"Okay..." A little warily, Twilight did as she was directed, using the tongs to move one of the metal sheets onto the coals and glancing toward Vel for further cue.
She's always liked working with her hands, if not maybe to the same extent that her husband did. Her skills tended to be more suited for working with earth and growing things, or perhaps a task that required quick fingers: gardening and weaving and the like, not so much shaping hot metal.
"Now, we wait for it to get hot. Once the metal turns white with heat you gotta take it out and hammer it until it's thin and even," he said.
He crossed his arms and leaned against the anvil.
"It'll take a few minutes."
Twilight glanced at him sidelong, and the smallest hint of a smile twitched at her lips. "Exactly how long is a few minutes?" she asked, far too innocently.
"Eh, like four or five," Vel said, completely missing her tone and innocent smile as he just stood there against the anvil.
Patiently waiting for the metal to get hot.
Twilight had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, though she couldn't stop the fondly exasperated chuckle from bubbling up passed her lips.
Leaning up onto her toes, she pressed a quick kiss to her oblivious husband's cheek. "Never change, Vel," she laughed quietly, settling back onto her heels and wrapping her arms around his waist, content to wait there until she was told the next step.
"Never change? I think I can manage that," he joked, but quieted down once she got nice and close to him. He looped a set of arms around her waist and another around her back, stroking as he waited for the metal and then holding her a bit tighter, liking the way her chest pressed subtly to him when he held her nice and tight.
"So, think this is interesting?"
"Yes, actually," Twilight responded with a quiet chuckle. Starbright had always been interested in crafting, and something about the blending of her personality with Midnight's had tempered the warrior part of her spirit slightly to be interested not just in the function of weapons and armor, but how they were made.
She turned slightly in Vel's arms to put her back to him and lean against his chest, drawing his top set of arms around her waist and holding them there gently.
When she turned, his hands moved. He looped her hips and just beneath her breasts, smiling a little more to himself. He watched the plate glow brighter and brighter, going from red to orange to almost yellow, now.
"I should get you some smithing clothes. Something that isn't a heavy robe, I'd bet it gets rather hot in here."
"I'm a little warm," she admitted, wrinkling up her nose. "To be honest though I'd rather have more protection on than less. I'd like to keep risk of horrible burns to a minimum, if at all possible."
"I'm not going to make you something that wouldn't protect you. It's rather simple to weave heat protection and cooling magic into clothing. And you'd still have gloves and an apron," he said.
He laid his head against the back of hers.
"And I'm a little dramatic, you don't have to grab the hot metals from the coals. That's what the tongs are for..."
Twilight chuckled a bit and pressed herself more firmly back against him. "You? Dramatic? I never would have guessed," she teased quietly.
She twisted her neck to press a kiss to his cheek, then turned back around. Her gaze fixed on the heating metal. It was almost white-hot now, the glow of it strangely hypnotic.
"That's looking about done," Vel commented, and for a moment he smoothed his bottom pair of hands along her abdomen.
"So get goin', before I get too handsy and the metal ruins," he teased. He slipped out from behind her and moved to the anvil. He set about finding the hammer and vice.
"Alright, alright." Twilight chuckled softly and moved forward to follow his instruction, moving the hot metal under his direction before stepping back again to wait and see what came next.
"So, I'll do this first one, so you can see," he started. He held the plate steady with the vice in one hand and he started hammering, keeping perfect pace with skill honed by a long life of artifice, he started to even out the plate.
"You want to strike hardest when it's fresh, because it'll be easier to mold. And with Adamantium you need to be fast because, well... it gets really hard."
He turned it about and started hammering the other side.
"Okay..." She watched his movements carefully, trying to memorize the angle he struck the metal and the way he held it, where he was focusing in the mold and why.
Risking the heat a bit, she shuffled just a little closer. "When was the last time you made something like this?" she asked spontaneously. "Armor, I mean."
"Well, this plate specifically is gonna be for an experiment. Maybe the final product will be armor," he said. He was meticulous in how he went about making the plate even. He worked with machine precision as he spoke.
"But I've worked on myself in the past. Replacing plates, tuning joints. Upgrades and such. Not too different from making armor."
"Do you have to...take the pieces off to do that? Or can you work them while they're still--gods!"
She flinched back instinctively from a flare of sparks, then flushed deeply and cast her eyes away in embarrassment at that particular reaction. She tried to play it off with a quiet chuckle, glancing up at him sidelong.
"Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Working on my arms was awkward until I put in the second set. Before I invented the removable limb, I also had to work with my parts still on me."
Her jump made him startle a little and he shared her chuckle.
"It's alright. Just sparks. Won't catch, not even on wood. Trust me, I'm made with it."
Twilight smiled at him, still a little embarrassed, but she managed to tease lightly, "Honestly, Vel, sometimes I'm not sure you would notice if you caught fire, not if you're working on a project."
She shuffled a little closer to him as she spoke, careful to keep most of his body between her and and the hot metal. She did snake her arms loosely around his waist though, leaning her cheek between his shoulder blades.
He smiled at the arms around his waist and gave the metal a few more hammers. It was a level, square plate which could feasibly be then bent or cut into any other shape necessary. For the moment, however, he wanted a nice even surface to test the mana exposure.
"I would. Trust me, love," he said
The metal had cooled slightly and what remained was a bluish chrome metal that seemed to radiate an air of invulnerability.
"Adamantium. The single hardest metal in known creation," he murmured, and his bottom set of hands held her arms tighter.
"It'll take some time for the tower to charge enough power to get us to the mana stream, so all I gotta do is go put this in the testing chamber and, well..."
He turned his head so he could peer back at her.
"...we can do whatever you want. It'll take at least a day."
Twilight peered around his side as he talked, keeping her arms wrapped loosely around him. Her brow furrowed as she studied the plate of metal like it was some ancient scroll, mentally going back through all the steps that had taken it to this point.
When he mentioned that they had the rest of the day to themselves however, she glanced up at him with rather wide eyes. "Oh. Um..."
She bit her lip, debated saying anything, then let her shoulder drip slightly with a puff of air and asked, "Could we...go somewhere? Not—not the moon or the reefs or the astral plane or...maybe Arca?"
When she thought about it, it had been almost a month since she'd really been anywhere "normal", around other people. And, if she was honest, she kind of wanted to see how Vel might react to some of the things she'd grown up accustomed to. "It doesn't have to be a city," she amended quickly as she looked up into his face. "Maybe just...someplace smallish?"
"Someplace normal?" He suggested, knowing how she felt. He was an introvert and loved his tower but even he had to get out at some point.
"We could go to a nice Serenian town. Somewhere cozy?" He furthered, turning about in her arms to return her embrace. He smiled, drawing a pair of hands up her back while the other looped around her waist.
"It's been a very long time since I've dressed up to go out on the town."
Twilight nodded, her shy smile broadening when he turned and wrapped him arms around her. She leaned into his chest and let her hands settle lightly on his hips.
Chuckling, she noted, "I've never really dressed up and gone out." She tilted her head at him. "So...is that a yes?"
"Oh yes," he said, and darted in for a shy peck to her lips. He glanced past her, towards the metal, and mentally reminded himself to move it later. His hands around her tightened, and he slipped one to cup her leg just beneath the buttock.
"But before we get all dressed up, can I, um..."
He got shy but then he leaned in and kissed her neck properly.
"Can I dress you down first? I still haven't made it up to you for leaving you hanging," He asked, smirking against her neck.
"Oh." Her eyes widened slightly even as she automatically lifted a hand to settle on the back of his head when his attention turned to her neck. With a faint blush dusting her cheeks, she murmured, "Um...right now? Here?"
It wasn't as though she was opposed to the idea on principle, but it seemed to her that there were other places in the tower more conducive to a romantic tryst.
With a small smile, she twisted her head and guided him up with the hand against his nape to catch his lips in a soft kiss. The hand still on his hip slid up to the small of his back and she splayed her fingers open as she pulled him a little more firmly against her.
He relished the closeness, absolutely drunk on the feeling of her pressed up against him. He smiled a little brighter when they parted and then formed his partial illusion so he could leave a proper kiss against her lips.
"No, not here," he said, and hesitantly broke away to guide her towards the lift. He tilted his head, thinking about where to take them before he settled on something.
"Ground floor," he whispered, and leaned in to give her another kiss as it started to descend.
Twilight smiled against his lips and kept close to him as they stepped onto the lift. "Should I be expecting to see a familiar couch in my future?" she teased lightly as she stepped back into his arms once they started moving, wrapping her own gently around his waist.
"Hmm," he hummed, and tapped his chin with a spare hand. As they descended into the tower's main living room the place was tinged in a greenish light from the main window. There was a view into the elemental plane of earth from the tower's window, a sprawling rockscape where brightly glowing green acid drizzled from yellowish clouds under a brown sky onto arches and peaks and other dramatic rock formations.
He brought her closer to the window until he twirled her onto his big armchair. He put his hands on the arm rests and leaned in to kiss her so he could capture the moment, before he trailed a hand down the front of her robe, along the seam where both sides were held together.
"You're stellar. Amazing," he said once they partsd.
“Oh!” Twilight yelped, then chuckled as she was twirled into the chair. The sound was quickly muffled against his lips. She arched up as his finger trailed down her front, a flush of goosebumps following his touch even through her clothes.
“Stole my line,” she breathed in reply to his compliments, cheeks slightly flushed. She reached up to cup his face between her palms and drew him down, attempting to press them closer together as she sought another kiss.
One hand trailed down his chest to settle just above the junction of his hips, thumb rubbing small circles. “Vel...” She pressed another kiss to his lips, gradually increasing pressure and insistence.
He drowned in her love, humming and breathlessly gasping against her as she pulled him in and he came to rest against her. The chair creaked against the both of them and this time he assumed a fully human shape, wanting to feel everything.
He kissed and nuzzled until he felt her hand at his hips. Smiling, he held onto her lower lip with his teeth as he parted her robe around the center just enough to expose her. Then, he reached down and opened her legs wider, putting them up on the armrests as he then came even closer, pressing their bodies flush together.
"Oh, yes..." he whispered, excited and jittery.
"Go on, take it out," he said, slipping a hand under her barely-open robe to clutch one of her breasts and knead.
A soft groan slipped out of her as his teeth worried her lower lip and she arched up against him further, quickly shifting to help him hook her legs over the arm rests. She shivered, feeling the cool air tickle against by now very flushed skin as he opened her robe slightly.
"Mm...ah." His hand moved to her breast and she let out a sharp breath, moving her own hand to his hip to pull him closer. Her other hand, which had been teasing at the dip of his hips, slid down just a bit to cup him for a moment, then stroke gently along his length.
Another shiver rippled through her, and Twilight felt her heart jump up into her throat as her stomach flipped in almost anxious anticipation. "Are you just planning to tease me all day?" she challenged in a rough whisper, cheeks flushed and eyes bright, before she pulled him sharply against her to grind together. She tilted her head to claim his lips again at the same time, gasping into his mouth as she gently shifted her grip to rub him against her core.
Vel drank in the closeness and pleasure. Despite the fact that he didn't quite need to breathe, his small groan had a breathless quality to it. The grinding was torture and without much hesitation he planted his hands on her side and brought her against him as he slid home and struck her deep.
"How's that, then?" he asked, leaning in to kiss her.
He shifted, testing their connection in this new, intimate angle. And then the chair creaked beneath them as he started to give her what she wanted.
Twilight's head fall back against the chair with another quiet, breathy groan and she rolled her hips against him as he began to move. After a moment, she wriggled closer to the edge of the chair, allowing her legs to slip down and hook her knees over his hips while her hands slid up his back to grasp at his shoulders.
One hand traveled further to cup the back of his neck and she pulled him in for a fierce kiss, tugging his lip gently between her teeth for a moment before she released him. "Vel..."
She dropped her kisses to the column of his throat, nipping and sucking gently as she traveled down to his collar, lingered a moment, then moved back up to bite gently at the shell of his ear before whispering, "Harder."
"As hard as you want," came Vel's reply, and he started to truly fuck her, using his fantastical member to punish her insides. He looked down, watching how his size vanished into her so easily with each deep thrust.
"You drive me mad," he said, going then to lower his head so he could kiss her deeply and with need. He went on like that for a bit more before he got the idea to lift her legs up higher to make him go somehow even deeper.
"I try to be good but I just can't help myself around you," he said when they parted, and her gripped her ass tightly.
Her back arched and Twilight whimpered quietly as he moved against her, thrusts bordering on painful though never quite reaching that point in a way that kept her hovering on the edge. She managed to rasp out a chuckle as his grip moved to her ass and her own hands dragged deep, parallel gouges down his back.
"Then stop trying," she whispered before tilting her head back to kiss him again.
Despite the harsh movements of their hips, the kiss was soft and sweet, with an almost delicate kind of gentleness to it as she molded her lips to his and drew his body closer, pressing them chest to chest so he could feel her heartbeat thrumming through her chest and into him.
And indeed, he stopped trying. He drove into her like a piston, pace unerring and passion burning brightly. The chair complained and complained but he didn't relent on her.
"Twilight!" He called out, letting his other pair of arms through the illusion so he could both spread her legs wider and hold her face while he kissed her.
"Oh gods, gods--!" Twilight's cries were muffled into the kiss and she writhed up under him, clutching at his back until she'd pressed him so close that if he needed to breathe she may have worried that she was suffocating him.
With a sharp gasp against his mouth she caught her crest, every muscle in her body going tense, shivering, before she collapsed back against the chair beneath him, arms and legs both wrapped tight around him to hold him close.
Stuck against her like that, he could only grind and push through her climax and even then through all of that his peak came rushing in right after. He gasped against her, hands tightening on her breasts as he pushed himself deep so he could give her as much as he could.
"Twilight!" He called out, and then kept repeating her name like a chant as he wound down and fired his last few bursts into her.
"How... how have we not used this chair yet? It's great!" He breathlessly teased even as he nuzzled noses with her.
The way he murmured her name as he gradually came back down from the high, over and over like a prayer or an anchor, settled itself like a warm glow in her chest. She twisted her head to kiss his neck and cheek, one hand stroking gently up and down his back.
She giggled quietly when his nose brushed against hers and tilted her head slightly to peck the tip of his nose. "It is," she agreed with a bright smile, letting her brow touch his lightly. "This mean we can use this chair again in the future?" A laugh bubbled up in her chest and she added, teasing, "The near future, if our particular history is any indication."
"I'll give it half a day," he joked and he lifted her to turn around and seat himself in the chair, leaving Twilight straddling his lap on the chair. He stroked up her chest with a hand, brass fingertips leaving cold little trails on her skin as he soothed the side of her head and brought her in for a short kiss.
"I don't want to get it too messy, though. It's my favorite chair..." he trailed, resting his head against her bosom.
"Mmh!" She clung to him when he moved them around in the chair, legs locked tight around his waist both to keep herself from slipping and just to hold him close.
When his head came to rest against her she reached up so stroke one hand gently over his shoulders, the other cupping the back of his neck as she turned her head to kiss his temple. "Well then perhaps we'd better stick to the bedroom," she teased softly, a slight smile on her lips.
Settling a little more comfortably against him, she let one hand trail down his arm to find his fingers, lacing her own through them and shivering a bit at the cool feeling of metal against her skin. "...Are you sure you're alright with going out?" she murmured after a moment. "I don't want to keep you from your work, I just thought..."
She trailed off, twisting to kiss his cheek, then finished quietly, "It might be nice for us, you know?"
"I'll be honest," Vel started, and he paused to lift her hand to his mouth and kiss her knuckles.
"I prefer to stay home with my books. Make things to pass the time. I would... I wouldn't normally ever consider going out," he said, and he tilted his head at her.
"But you want to, and I'm willing to give it a try for you."
He capped it off by giving her a kiss and holding her tighter, which caused them to grind together, still connected like they were.
Twilight squeaked quietly into the kiss, then gave her hips a little wriggle in retaliation even as she returned the touch, moving her lips gently against his.
"Vel..." She pulled back to look into his eyes, then gave the tip of his nose a quick peck, smiling. "You are wonderful. And...thank you. I promise we don't have to stay out too long. Maybe just a quick meal, some music if we can find it?"
Her smiled widened a bit and she looped her arms loosely around his shoulders, swaying very gently back and forth on his lap. "When's the last time we danced, love?"
"Both of those sound lovely, even if I can't really eat," Vel said, tone teasing. She wriggled her hips against his and he chuckled, a drunken blissful noise that turned into an honest gasp when she started to sway on his lap.
"We haven't danced since that time I played my viola," Vel said, leaving it unmentioned that it had occured before the ritual. He held her tighter, daring to give a small movement of his hips as he looked up at her.
"Do you remember? How the lights danced around us?"
"Well I do need to eat something, I can't subsist on you alone," his wife teased back, but then he sort of twitched his hips up against hers again and she curved forward slightly with a tiny, sharp intake of breath as it sent a zing of sensation through her body.
"I...remember," she replied almost hazily, her eyes on his face, drinking him in. Though she could see both Starbright's and Midnight's memories now, it was still strange to access them, feeling both as though she was spying on someone else's life and was able to claim the memories for her own.
She didn't really want to think about it. Leaning in, she trailed a few faint, feathery kisses down from his jaw along the column of his throat, murmuring, "The world falls away when I'm with you, love. It always has."
"You're my world," Vel said, feeling like saying something poetic even as their hips continued to make small movements against one another. Vel had spent most of his life perfectly content without anybody but now he couldn't begin to think about how he was able to do it without her.
Twilight's husband drew his hands over her breasts and down her front, finally gripping her hips as her neck kisses made him sigh.
He supposed they should be going out. He had her once now and many times today so... it should be enough, right? He moved his hips more and the slick feeling of him inside her with all that seed and it sent a shot of dirty arousal through him.
"I want it again. And again," Vel murmured, shy as he averted his eyes, and then he met hers.
"Please?"
Twilight's eyes softened and her throat went suddenly tight, warmth flooding her chest in a bright, happy burst. Vel wasn't exactly shy when it came to telling her how he felt about her, but the simple sweetness of those words made her heart ache.
"I love you so much," she told him softly, leaning in for another kiss as his hands moved down to her hips. She shifted against him, shivering once for the reminder of how intimately they were connected.
A small chuckle escaped her lips and she laid her palm against his cheek when he met her eyes. "How about one more now, and then once we get home we can spend the whole night in this chair if you want?" she bargained teasingly, dropping a quick peck to the tip of his nose even as her hips gave another slow roll against his.
"One more," Vel conceded, making a small noise when she rolled her hips nice and slow and he dragged his hands up her stomach and front to grip her breasts.
"I can't help it. I get a taste of you and I just want to keep eating," he added with a breathless smile, and squeezed one of her breasts tighter.
"So ride me, so I can fill you and we can go out for the night..."
She bit her lip as his grip tightened and sort of squirmed against him, silently begging for more. "I blame you for the fact that no matter what we do, we always end up distracted," she huffed, teasing and breathless already.
Her hips rocked against his, then again, then once more, each thrust forward progressively more powerful. A soft whine built in her throat and she flicked her tongue out to wet her lips as she met his eyes, hands coming to rest on his shoulders.
"Gods, Vel, why can I never get enough of you?"
"I could ask myself the same about you," he said, and he let his head rest back against the seat as he movements got stronger and stronger. Once she was bouncing on him properly he gripped her ass tighter and just looked up at her in wonder for a few moments before leaning in and kissing her collar.
"Why is it I can't stand a waking moment away from your embrace?"
He leaned back against the chair more and his eyes wandered down her body again.
Twilight felt her heart thump almost painfully against her breastbone at that, and she closed her eyes with a tiny shudder that ran down her spine all the way to the tips of her toes.
She lifted her hand to stroke over the back of his head when he kissed her collar, then let her hand fall to his shoulder when he leaned back again. "If you keep talking like that, we are not going to leave this chair for a long time," she gasped out when she remembered how to speak, half laughing.
Another rock forward against him, pressing her hips flush to his and grinding in a slow, deep press as though she wanted to eliminate even the tiniest space between them. "I love you," she breathed on a trembling sigh, letting her head sip forward to press her brow against his as she paused a moment to just press against him. "Forever. You know that, right? Forever."
"Forever," he echoed, moving her hips with his hands to compound her pressing. He loved this, so close that she was everything he knew.
"I'm close," he murmured, and his cock twitched inside her as his arms squeezed her nice and tight.
And yet, beyond the tower's glass, out onto those acidic wastelands beyond, something was stirring. A geyser of acid ruptured open, not an extraordinary event on its own, but the large glowing worm that came curling out was. It curled and waved before it set its eyes on the tower.
Vel had his back to the whole scene, too focused on his bliss with his wife to notice anything else.
It didn't take much more to send Twilight crashing over the edge. She was already sensitive from their several earlier bouts of play, and her husband knew exactly how and where to touch her to make her fall apart as efficiently as possible.
Perhaps something to be said for a mechanical nature.
Gasping and shuddering against him, she clutched at his arms as she tried to come back to herself--a task made exponentially more difficult with him still inside her, still moving against her so delightfully. "Vel..."
Almost dreamily, she let her cheek rest against the top of his head and sighed softly, lashes fluttering as she blinked and tried to focus.
Which was about when she noticed the movement outside the window.
She stiffened a bit, surprised more than anything else. She couldn't quite make it out... "Um, Vel?"
The Plane of Earth wasn't exactly known for its bountiful collection of life, but many of the creatures who did make their homes here were large, territorial, and not particularly bright. A tall, stone tower that glowed from the inside with magic looked an awful lot like a rival in your territory, if you were a roving elemental worm.
Vel himself kept moving, although he slowed when she stiffened, and looked up at her with a dreamy, silly smile.
"Yes, love? Erm..."
he caught her wide eyes, how she was looking at something he couldn't see, and he tilted her head. It couldn't be heard inside the tower, but the towering worm roared, spreading acidic spittle onto the rocks around it as it started to draw closer.
Twilight's eyes went wide and her grip on Vel's shoulders tightened sharply. "Vel, move the tower," she gasped, trying to scramble off him, flinching back instinctively when the worm's acid splashed against the rocks just outside the window. "Now, move the tower now!"
The tower?
"Move the tower?" He said, and he looked backwards and nearly started scrambling off of the seat. The tower rumbled as the beast drew closer, and he took his wife by the shoulders to steady her scrambling.
"Get under the desk," he said, urgently ushering her down there so he could stand and start the procedure. Moving a tower was not easy work, and to do it so quickly... it required preparation, sometimes days for spefic locations. Calibrating the illusion, making sure not to drop it in lava...
Nevertheless, he started the motions. Rings of magical control started to form around him and as he quickly drew his hands about, deep ticking and metallic drumming would come from the tower's inner workings. He thought he could do something, anything. One of the connecting planes—
The worm slammed its head into the tower and it shook, and before Vel could quite finish the incantation properly he was knocked up against the desk and over it. There was a racket upstairs as books in the library were no doubt toppled from the shelves. The tower still travelled, however, but wherever it was after the flash of blue light and swirling magic, it was dark, and eerily still.
"Vel!"
All but shoved under the desk, Twilight quickly found herself trying to pop back up from underneath it as the tower shook and Vel was tossed backward over the piece of furniture. Hardly paying any attention to the sudden change in surroundings, she managed to clamber back up and hurriedly make her way around to kneel by her husband's side.
"Oh gods, are you alright? What was that?" She looked around frantically even as her hands began to move over him, searching for sign of injury. Slowly, the panic started to fade as she realized they were somewhere new, but it was replaced with confusion.
"Where...where are we?"
Being made of metal and wood had its downsides. Rather than come to a stop like a person, Vel ended up skidding across the tiled floors of the tower's bottom floor until he came to a crashing stop against a collection of magical odds and ends kept by the closet's door. The impact had spilled ash from the fireplace, knocked some of the furniture over and overall made a mess of the place.
Vel was quick to sit up as Twilight came up to him and knely by him, taking her hand but not standing immediately.
"I think I'm okay," he said, not having noticed that the tumble he took had left his back and shoulders with scuffs and scratches, or that there was a dent on his side where he'd hit the desk.
"I think that was a male Lumbricus Cyclopea Extraplanum. Planar Cyclops Worm..." he said, and he covered one of her hands with two of his.
"In all honesty I would've loved to see that thing in any other context. I could finish my book on dimensional terravermises."
"Oh, Vel..."
Twilight shook her head at him, caught between exasperation and affection. It was just like him to be thinking of his books and not at all worried about how dinged up the whole event had left him.
"You're sure you're not hurt?" She reached up to cup his face in her hands, turning his head gently from side to side just to check and stepping a little closer as she did. She shivered slightly; though the cyclops worm had pretty effectively ruined the mood, she was still mostly naked, a fact which the chill of the tower reminded her rather pointedly.
She didn't pay it much mind, stepping around to look at her husband's dented plating where he'd hit the desk and hissing in a sharp breath. "We should get this looked at. And these buffed out," she murmured, skimming her palm gently over the scuffs on his shoulder, down to a few scratches along his back.
The daze of being slammed around still hung about him and he couldn't help but widen his eyes and notice her undress as she knelt over him, wearing just her open robe like some kind of... sexy sorceress.
No, bad Vel. She's worried about you, don't look at her tits.
"I mean, yeah, it hurt to get slammed around like that, but--" he cut off when she brushed her hands long his scrapes and dings, and he let out a shaky breath. He knew whenever he was damaged or hit, but many times the extent of his damage wasn't really known to him until he examined himself after the fact.
"Oh, that... doesn't feel right, you're right..."
When she stepped in front of him again, he took the opportunity to close her robe and tie it shut, wanting her to be warm more than he wanted to see her naked body. With the other pair of hands, he made the motions to light the tower up, only for the lights to dim on and stay low, some even flickered.
"Tower's damaged," he said simply, and as he looked around he gained a confused look on his face.
"Where the hell even are we?"
[Oh god he is such an adorable nerd I can't XD]
Twilight hissed in a soft breath in sympathy as she saw on his face when he realized the extent of the damage. "Stubborn fool man," she accused fondly, though it was clear she only said it because she was worried about him. She allowed her hands to drift down onto his shoulders and looked around as the lights flickered, frowning.
"I don't...I don't know." She peered out the window. Darkness. She shook her head. "I can't see anything..."
She took another step toward him, instinctively enclosing herself in the circle of his arms as another shiver traced down her spine--this one not from cold, but sheer apprehension. "Should we, um..." She licked her lips and glanced up at him, a little wide eyed. "Should we...go look?"
She got closer and he easily wrapped her in his arms, looking out around the tower, feeling his own kind of uneasiness.
"We should," he said, and he found her hands to give her a comforting squeeze.
"We're in one of the surrounding planes, no doubt. Maybe one of the transitional ones..." he said, and he led the way as he stepped back out towards the window. It wasn't completely dark, there was some sort of... pale illumination that seemed to come from outside. As he approached the window, the inner feeling of dread in his chest started to build.
The planes, elemental or otherwise, were all connected by the energies of the world. Places like the astral plane connected them, but the astral plane was not the only one...
As he came up to the window and laid a hand on it, the first thing he noticed was how cold it was. The window looked out onto shadowy, blasted terrain. In the distance, warped mockeries of buildings were silhouetted by a permanently eclipsed black sun. The tower itself had come to rest on the edge of a ravine, looking out over bleak, seemingly lifeless terrain permanently cast in shadow.
"Of all the places... it had to be the plane of shadows..."
"Vel, wait--"
She didn't want to leave his arms, but for some reason she didn't want to get any closer to the window either. It was silly, she knew, but there was just...something. A dread deep in the pit of her stomach that made no sense, but refused to relent.
She pressed in close against his side as he crossed to look out the window, her eyes finally beginning to adjust to the faint, pale light. She swallowed nervously and looked up at him. "The...plane of shadows?"
That really did not sound great.
"Can we move again--? No. No, the lights aren't even working, of course the tower can't move immediately," Twilight muttered to herself as she wriggled in to get even closer to his side, instinctively seeking some sort of shelter. Another shiver rippled through her, though this one was equal parts fear and genuine cold; there was a chill from the window that she could feel even a few steps away.
"The impact might've thrown the arrays off of their alignments. The power channels seem to be disrupted as well..." he said, but his clinical talk cut off when she clung to him a little tighter. He nodded, and extended a hand out and her robe flew into his hand. In order to soothe her shivering he put the robe around her shoulders and he smoothed it out with a quick stroke down her arms.
"We're fine, and it looks like the tower is, too. We just need to activate the wards," he said, and he took his eyes off of the view to look down at his wife.
"We can pick the tower up later."
Twilight looked up at him, eyes still wide, and nodded once, firmly. She tried to shove down that illogical fear in the pit of her belly and glanced around the tower again.
"Okay." She took a breath. "Okay. So what's first to get the wards back up?"
She was being silly. It was just dark, that was all. There was nothing sinister to be worried about.
"The physical ones are the most important and the simplest. They're down here on the first floor. Along the walls," he said, and as he motioned to the walls the tower responded to his thoughts and the magical enchantments and markings that gave it its power lit up on the walls.
"I think these are the only wards I've taught you to use, too," he admitted with a shy smile.
"But if you get these down here, I can go on up to the observatory level and get the energetic wards going. This is the kind of place where you don't want any magical energies seeping in."
He could see she was still grappling with uneasiness, and he sought to take her attention from it by sliding his hands onto her waist and giving her one long, deep kiss.
"All set?"
Twilight hummed noncommittally in the back of her throat, and though she relaxed into his touch, once he'd broken the kiss the wariness was already beginning to creep back into her expression.
But she just gave him a single, sharp nod and murmured, "Yes, I can do this. Should I head up to you when I'm done down here?"
Already she was turning over the warding spells and activation rituals and words that he'd taught her, eyes scanning the markings on the walls as she allowed her power to rise up in her chest and swirl just beneath her breastbone--the sensation settled somewhere oddly between comforting and wary.
She didn't notice the glimmer of red in the air around her, on the thin, ghostly outline of a shield that began to manifest over her back, then faded when she shook herself and let out a sharp breath.
"Please do. We need to get everything back on as fast as we can," Vel said, and it was his mechanical nature that let him hide his jitters. This was not a good place to be stuck.
Stupid, stupid! He knew the tower could take a beating, if he hadn't have tried to rush the spell...
Then, Twilight did that unique magic of hers and wonder replaced anxiety. He returned her nod, and he rest his hand on her side.
"Lots of books to re-organize," he added with a tilt of his head, and he leaned in to peck her cheek before stepping onto the elevator and rising up into the tower.
For the briefest moment, Twilight thought maybe there was something wrong. Something more than what he was saying. Her eyes skated over him, sharp and evaluating--but before she could get a proper read on him, he'd pecked her cheek and was already on the elevator, heading up.
"Of course. We can't have disorganized books," she murmured with a small smile at his retreating form.
Reinstating the wards was time consuming, but not necessarily overly difficult. It was really just a recitation of spells she'd learned by rote over the last month or so, really. The only difference was she didn't have Vel over her shoulder checking to make sure things were done correctly, but she was confidant enough in her abilities--old and new--that she stepped onto the elevator to move up to the observatory.
The sounds of magical sparking and the blue-green flicker of magic greeted Twilight as the elevator took her up into the tower's observatory level. Ironically enough, it wasn't even the top floor. Inside, Vel was wrestling with a sparking chord of magical energy coming from the walls. There was a visible crack in the walls where the giant worm had hit the tower.
The wards flickered and sparked, and ven though Vel managed to get all of the released energy back in, the wards remained dull and barely functional.
"No, no no no no no.... damn it!" Vel said, unaware of his wife's presence in the room. He spread his arms and tried once again, hurling magical energy at the wards in a desperate attempt to get them to re-activate.
"Come on!"
Once more, the lightshow came to an end, and the wards remained dull. Vel slumped onto his knees, all four mechanical arms sizzling and popping with the leftover magic.
"Hey."
Twilight crossed the room quickly and reached out to lay her hand on Vel's shoulder. "It's okay," she murmured. She had no idea if it was, or would be, but she hated to see him like this. She just wanted to help. "It's okay, love."
Her magic swirled beneath her breast, reacting instinctively to her emotional state--and her intent, whether she realized it consciously or not. She just wanted to help, and her magic...tried. It curled up her arm and through her fingers, tingling in violet sparks as it fell from her fingertips and trailed over Vel's shoulder and down his back, sinking into wood and brass in tiny bursts of arcane energy.
She gasped, snatching her hand back, eyes wide. "Oh! I didn't--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to--are you alright?"
Not so much despondent as he was drained, Twilight's hand on his shoulder brought a sluggish groan out of him. The markings on his arms were letting out hot, bluish vapors as excess mana bled away. The brass in his arms radiated the last few vestiges of crackling energy. Twilight would find him hot to the touch, although not enough to burn.
"The energy wards... they're drained. Fully drained..." he said slowly, and he would've kept on talking if not for the sudden influx of magical power coursing through him. As the violet energies seeped into the texture of his wood and the seams of his brass.
His runic inscriptions flashed, and he straightened up on his knees with a shudder. He was just as confused as she was. Had she just transferred some mana to him?
"Oh it's quite alright," Vel managed, and he found her hand with his own and held on tightly.
"We're in a bit of a situation, Love."
Twilight's eyes widened at the flash of light from the runes etched into her husband's body, but she squeezed his hand back tightly and knelt next to him to wrap her other arm around his shoulders.
"Okay..." She looked around the tower, eyes flickering between worry and determination. "Okay. Okay." She leaned in to kiss his cheek, then cupped his face in her hand so she could tilt his face toward her and meet his eyes. "What do you need me to do, Vel? How do I help?"
She glanced down at their joined hands, at the last remnants of purple sparks that jumped around her fingers. "What if..." She looked up at him again. "What--what I just did. You said the wards are drained. Mana is just energy. What if I...could I charge them?"
Vel looked up at Twilight, awe and concern blending in his expression as his eyes wandered from her to the weakly pulsing lines that ran all over the tower's bedroom.
"It's... it's dangerous. Reach too far into them and the wards will sap your power away for days. To be honest, it's too much for one mage to bear alone. Didn't stop me from trying, so stupid..."
He straightened up a bit on his knees so he could rest his head against Twilight's arm. Then, he reached down and unclasped an ornate bracer from one of his wrists. It had a pyramid-cut sapphire in the center, surrounded by intricate engravings of blowing wind and flowing water.
He held the bracer up to Twilight.
"Here, this bracer's tuned to the tower's magical conduits. Just focus on the soul ward, that's the most important one on this plane."
“Oh, sweetheart...” She held him a little tighter when he leaned against her. She rarely saw him this tired from magic use, and honestly it scared her a bit. “Just give yourself a minute,” she urged quietly, twisting her head to press a quick kiss to his temple before she took the bracer. She eyed it for a moment before she cautiously slid it on.
Soul ward. Right. Okay. She could do this.
Twilight closed her eyes and tried to repeat what she had just done on accident: no spell, no incantation, no runes or signals, just magic. Raw energy that she tried to picture as a conduit, flowing from her into the tower’s ward. Come on, please...
And it seemed to work. The purple sparks that had been dancing around her fingertips started up again, then suddenly her whole body was alight with them as they skittered down her arms, into her hands, and then outward or into the bracer. She kept her eyes tight shut, willing the magic to go where she wanted with no other purpose than to fuel a spell that was not her own.
But she’d never done something like this before, and Vel was right: it was too much for a single mage. Twilight began to slip from fierce concentration into a sort of daze, but the magic just kept coming, using her more as a channel than as an anchoring spell caster. But just a little more, if she could just do a little more. She had to do this, to protect them, to protect him....
With a quiet sigh, the last of her magic swirled out in violet spirals and she slumped against Vel’s shoulder, barely conscious. If she’d had the presence of mind to examine herself, she’d have realized that she’d be drained for days from that, just like he’d said.
Except...
Except it didn’t stop.
Power continued to flow from her, violet fading to pure white light. No longer sparks but a constant shine, a halo around her body that seemed to be drawing in from the air around her, from some invisible source not quite connected to the tower itself, and then using the channel she’d already opened to flow into the wards. It started to come faster and her breaths grew shallow. She collapsed entirely, unconscious.
And the magic didn’t stop.
The Whirls.
That was the term that Vel's old master had used to describe the act of losing yourself in the act of manipulating large amounts of magic. Vel had always thought of it as a crude, spiteful way of referring to one of the most dangerous things a mage could do.
"Mages spend their lives training to rule the streams of power around us. But when you lose yourself to the current, when you let your mind float along the stream instead of gripping and controlling it, that's The Whirls."
He couldn't help but hear his master's old voice chiding, cackling in that hoarse, smug tone of his. By the time the focus in her eyes gave way to a dazed look, the horror had dawned on him. Her motions became less precise, more reactionary. Arms whirling with less and less precision with each pulse of magic. The worst part was that by the time she'd set into it, it was already too late.
She slumped against him and Vel stammered wordlessly before he was able to get her name out.
"Twilight? Twilight! That's enough, please!"
She couldn't hear him. He tried to rouse her, to put her hands down and hold her by the wrist to just make her stop, anything to make the flow of magic stop. He saw the last of her violet light go whirling out of her, and he saw her eyes hover between open and closed, and he made a small choked sound. A hand against her wrist, and much of the tension left him.
Okay, she was still alive. This was still a nightmare, but at least--
And then Twilight nearly heaved out of his arms as piercing bolts of renewed power started slamming into the wards. Out of instinct, Vel shielded his crystal against the magical whiplash. He was torn between letting her go and holding onto her even tighter. The terror didn't really set in until she went fully limp but was still shooting veritable torrents of magic into the tower's magical systems.
He stood, made some signs to try and dampen her own magic, but he himself was still drained and all he got for his efforts was sharp backlash and singed forearms. By the time he'd gotten back to his feet, the tower's lights were glowing brightly. Too brightly! The foundations shuddered as dormant systems all came back online at the same time, but that shudder was quickly followed by a sharp jolt as magic bolts started to arc off the runes in the ceiling, jumping around and leaving scorch marks wherever they landed.
This was too much, for both Twilight and the tower itself!
Thinking quick, Vel put himself in the way of the beam, using all four arms to try and capture as much of it as he could into himself. His arm runes sizzled and he could feel that his mana reserves would blow at any moment, but he needed just a couple of seconds to mentally direct one of the tower's windows to open. Using the tips of his fingers to guide the energy, Vel straightened his limbs into a resistance-free path. One pair of hands received all the energy, which flowed through him and out through the tips of his other pair of hands, aimed directly out the window like some kind of exhaust. Immediately, the connection slammed through him and he became a conduit. The damage across his body increased, his chest started to glow orange with all the heat and power flowing through him.
He could only hope that she petered out before he got melted.
Whatever was happening to Twilight, it was clear she had no conscious control over it—but she could control it.
That instinct didn’t kick in until the power hit Vel the first time. Her body jerked slightly, spine arching and fingers twitching, then she went limp again. Then Vel began to use himself as a conduit, raw magic arcing through him like a lightning rod, and she jerked upright.
She still didn’t seem to be conscious. Her eyes were closed, body far too rigid compared to how she usually held herself; her arms raised, left foot sliding back into her guard stance as the magic around her suddenly shivered and shifted, then broke into pieces. In a blink, she was holding her sword and shield again. With a short, sharp movement, she slashed the blade through the beam of white light, severing it entirely, then threw her shield up and braced herself as the remaining excess magic seemed to be sucked into it.
And then it was over. The power in the room vanished, back to wherever it had come from. Twilight turned her head toward Vel and opened her eyes. The violet was almost entirely eaten away by white sparks.
Slowly, as though she wasn’t quite sure of the language she spoke, she said, “You’re…hurt.” She took a step toward him, reaching out with the hand that still gripped her sword to press the tip of her finger against the center of his chest. A brief, bright pulse of white light—remnants of that raw magic—sparked from the contact, racing over his form and cooling the heated metal and wood, seeking out the buffs and scratches from where he’d slid across the floor earlier.
Twilight sucked in a sharp breath as her hand dropped, and blinked rapidly. Her eyes flickered, the white light fading to reveal a purple that for just a heartbeat seemed bluer than usual.
She stared up at him. “…Vel?”
She swayed on her feet, then collapsed to one knee, using her sword as a crutch and bringing her shield up automatically before both weapons flickered out of existence. She slumped, panting, both hands braced on the floor in front of her as she looked up to him again shakily, tears in her eyes.
“I…don’t… I’m sorry…I—“
Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed again—though thankfully this time it seemed to only be an exhausted swoon.
It was over in a moment, although to Vel it had been a near eternity. Wood boiled and metal glowed, and he thought for a moment that this might actually kill him, but before he could even register much else, she was suddenly back in action. She severed the stream somehow, and even managed to dispel the excess. Not scatter or dilute it, but it was just... gone!
He could barely keep his balance. Magic permeated every inch of him, so to be so drastically over-charged played hell on his sight and senses. But he could see her eyes. She looked to him and the sparks gave her an otherworldly, almost ethereal look. She advanced on him then, and while his first instinct was to recoil and keep her from touching his burning-hot frame, he found that he couldn't quite resist her or the look in her eyes.
Like she was sleepwalking, she touched him with a single finger. Vel felt the magic, and hesitation turned to bliss as his metal unwarped and his wooden parts mended. He closed his eyes, only opening them when he heard the clatter of a sword.
"Twilight!"
He knelt down before she could swoon all the way to the grown and supported her.
"My love, that... I think you should rest. I've never seen magical feedback like that in my life."
Breath coming in stuttered, shaky pants, Twilight managed to nod weakly against his shoulder as he knelt and held her against him. "I'm sorry," she repeated faintly, lashes fluttering against her cheeks. "I'm sorry, love, I didn't...mean to..."
An involuntary sigh of exhaustion escaped her and she let her head fall to his shoulder, too rattled and weak to continue holding it up herself. She could still feel...something. The barest flicker of power in her core. But her usual awareness of her magic seemed to have almost disappeared entirely--she had no idea what had just happened, but she knew whatever it was had drained her almost completely.
She did manage to muster enough strength to ask quietly, "Are we...safe?" She had a vague sense of the tower's wards having come back on, as it were, and she thought most of the lights were working again, but it was all still very fuzzy.
"We're safe, love. Don't worry," he said, closing the window he'd opened with a thought. Gently, he supported her weight and then tucked his arms under her legs so he could carry her. He stepped over to their bed and let her down on top of the covers. He put a hand on her forehead, and then caressed her cheek.
"We're safe now because of you," he repeated, ignoring the large shadow that slowly passed over the tower, temporarily darkening it as if a cloud had passed over.
and not a moment too soon, he thought. Before she or him could give it much thought, he willed all the curtains closed and the tower's lights dimmed. All around him, he could feel the tower alive once again.
He took her hands in his bottom pair of hands while the top stroked her cheek and adjusted her pillow.
"Rest."
"That's...that's good," Twilight murmured as he lifted her up, unable to keep her eyes open. She sighed quietly when Vel put her in the bed, and her lips twitched in the barest flicker of a smile when she felt his hand on her cheek. She tried to squeeze his hands in hers, but only managed a slight twitch of her fingers.
"M'not...don't think I can...do much magic...for a while," she mumbled. Her words slurred as though she was drunk, the drain of all that magic passing through her body leaving her in an exhausted state almost near delirium. "We should...make sure we move...soon..."
Her head lulled on the pillow and her breathing deepened as her body finally dragged her into unconsciousness. Despite the sheer volume of power she had just wielded, aside from the deep weariness, there didn't seem to be any ill effects--but she slept deeply, unlikely to wake any time soon.
"I'll move us soon, don't worry, he said, and he sat down on the bed next to her as she slurred and lulled. The slight movement of her fingers caught his focus and he made sure to hold them until sleep seemed to take her.
He'd never seen anything like what he'd just seen in his life, and he had thought he'd seen it all. She didn't seem hurt at all, just... tired. All that magic had nearly melted him, so to have her come out unscathed...
His memories tore at him, and he laid down on the bed next to her, on top of the covers so as to not disturb her. He just laid on his back, hands on his chest save for one that lingered within Twilight's.
Starbright, Midnight... Who were you?
He couldn't help but wonder. Everything seemed to indicate that there was some greater hand, even that damn vampire seemed to know more than he did.
He almost powered down, but he couldn't contain his curiosity. Feeling drained but with a sudden fire in his mind, he took the lift down to his library. With a sigh of dismay, he saw that many volumes were strewn and knocked about by that worm's run-in with the tower.
With a raise of all four hands, books slowly lifted off the ground and started to file about, back to their places. As they did, he scanned the covers, looking for something, anything.
By the time Twilight would come to, Vel was back downstairs at his main desk, just in front of the window. He had indeed moved them somewhere, a clear morning sky was there to greet Twilight if she opened the windows. Vel himself was downstairs, head down against his desk as he'd literally powered down mid-page on a book.
His equivalent of falling asleep, if anything. It gave him a funny look, all limp like a toy that a child had placed down into a seat, only for it to slump forwards. Normally, he was very good about arranging himself well before shutting off, but this was in no way the first time.
She was back on the beach, only this time, she was alone.
Twilight looked around slowly, searching for any sign of--well. She didn't exactly know what she was looking for. Midnight and Starbright, maybe, but...that was an odd thing to search for. Pieces of herself. Pieces she had accepted now, so...so maybe they didn't need to appear to her as shadows for her to listen to them.
But then why was she here?
"...Aurora..."
She went still, a hunted animal's response to scenting prey. No on had ever called her by that name except the vampire, but he--that was--she was dreaming, wasn't she? Surely he couldn't invade her dreams, that was impossible--
"Aurora," the voice--definitely a man now--came again, more insistently, and she whirled in place trying to find it.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted, hoping anger covered the fear in her voice. "Just leave me alone!"
"Oh, sweetling..."
She stilled. That...wasn't the vampire. That was... She knew that voice...
An indistinct shape, like a person made of ocean mist, was hovering at the shoreline in front of her. Her eyes widened, and she took a cautious step forward.
"...Da?"
The shape tilted its head to the side, and for just a moment she had the barest impression of a sad smile. "...Cannot...without more power... You must...and trust...within..."
"What are--please, I don't understand." She started to reach out, but it was like the shoreline receded with every step she took, eternally just out of reach. "What's happening? What are you, what...who..."
Who am I?
"Trust yourself, little one."
Twilight woke with a start, and found herself alone. It took her a few moments to adjust to the feeling of being in bed, safe. Groaning quietly--she felt oddly stiff, like she'd been doing hard labor--she sat up and reached instinctively for her magic, trying to call a light to her hand.
Nothing.
Right. Drained.
With a low sigh and another quiet groan, she managed to stumble out of bed and haphazardly tied her robe around her waist as she made her way toward the lift and mumbled tiredly, "Bottom floor."
Even half-asleep, with the memory of that dream lingering, she figured if Vel wasn't with her, that meant he was at his desk, working.
The lift almost didn't start, with how distant and drained her magic was. It sputtered and slowly accelerated to its usual speed. Back down through the recently re-organized library, followed by the workshops, labs, training area, all had been picked up by Vel throughout the night.
Everywhere still were the signs of damage. The place had been tidied up, yes, but many small fragments of broken alembics or small scatterings of items remained. The door to the greenhouse was ajar and it seemed some of the more delicate plants had not survived the massive impact, as there was a freshly filled magical compost bag. There were also a few of Vel's harmless bees floating around, having escaped from the greenhouse to buzz about the green/bathhouse floor looking for pollen.
And when she finally entered the ground floor, he was still in his powered-down state. Not that she'd have much of a chance to approach him. As the lift reached what should have been the ground floor. It flickered once again and gave no sign of slowing. Without ceremony, it simply kept going down another fifteen or so feet, past solid stone lit by magical light-spheres, until it stopped in a dark, noticeably mustier chamber. Almost like a crypt of sort.
At first, Twilight would just have the darkness and the persistent smell of rust and decayed wood, but more magicals light came on one by one, illuminating the large chamber beneath, almost twice the diameter of the tower itself and clearly part of its foundations.
Arched pairs of support pillars ran through the chamber in an "X" shape, forming four quadrants which were separated by these pathways lined with pillars. In between the aisles and filling the quadrants, all manner of construct stood. To her left, right, and behind her, she was practically surrounded by them when the lights came on.
They were all made of wood, brass, and other metals. Many had crystal heads just like Vel where some others had more human looking appearances. Small and large, human-shaped to inhuman. To her right, a collection of identical constructs, all appearing to be warriors in various states of damage and disrepair, guarded a small path towards what appeared to be coffin-sized glass cases set into the ground.
Inside each case was a humanoid construct shaped just like Vel, save for small differences. One of them, just a torso missing its legs and waist, had his extra arms set above his shoulders and coming down from above, instead of the sides. Another, missing most of his right side from what looked to be an explosion, had an all-metal casing and a half-shattered crystal shaped like a pyramid. Yet another had a more feminine shape and a face made of now-cracked porcelain. She had beautiful hair literally made from exactingly thin strands of gold.
The wall on this side of the room also had small alcoves, each bearing a head, or some other recovered piece that could be used as a memento mori.
Finally, deeper into the chamber, the last remaining section lit up only when approached. Immediately, a large, clockwork dragon skull leered out from the darkness. Snarling with its mouth open, fangs bared and magical flame-projector exposed, it truly made for an imposing sight, even if it was just resting on a stone shelf.
Just beneath the dragon's protective jaws, resting in a vertical alcove between a clockwork dog stuck in a permanent sitting position and a magnificent clockwork horse in surprisingly good condition, loomed a large bronze sarcophagus.
Not plated in bronze, but made of a single solid piece of bronze, hollowed and given hinges. The surface of this sarcophagus was covered in magically precise etchings of a castle in the mountains, with the sun rising behind it. The etchings were also intricately blended into the mechanisms of the sarcophagus itself, which had six different locks installed into its lid.
An epitath set into the dragon's jaws reads:
"Here is interred Praal Torgeddon, Ninth Circle master of artifice and conjuration, alongside his many children, friends, and servants. Kind father to some, Cruel master to others. Tragedy befell him and all those around him when he had to face the consequences of his actions.
Gathered around you are bodies that used to contain souls, each a life stolen to power an experiment, a curiosity. They did not choose to be made, or to be immortal. None of them had chosen to be destroyed, or even made the choice to involve themselves. We were all toys to him.
Sealed within this chamber are the secrets, knowledge, and memory of a man dedicated to his craft. A reminder that perfection is not a goal for its own sake, and the promise I made when I built this tower.
I have to do better."
Twilight was so tired that at first she didn't fully notice the levitating disc hadn't stopped where it should. She caught sight of Vel at his desk and took a few shuffling steps toward him, instinctively calling a quiet, "Vel--"
But she was still moving, lurching awkwardly as the elevator continued to sink into the floor. That woke her up, at least a little. She staggered back to the center of the disc, eyes wide as she turned in place, trying to figure out what was happening.
Oh gods, had she somehow screwed up that magic so badly that she'd broken the tower?
No. No, that wasn't...whatever was happening, the tower was clearly made to do it. When the disc finally ground to a stop beneath her feet, there was a long, held breath where she simply stood there in the darkness, the sound of her heartbeat almost painfully loud in her head.
Then the lights began to flicker on, and she instinctively sucked in a sharp breath.
What...was...
No. I should go back up. This...this is all down here for a reason, it's locked away for a reason, I shouldn't...
There were too many secrets. She was godsdamn sick of not knowing things. For really the first time since they'd met, Twilight felt a flicker of anger toward Vel. She was sure whatever this was was down here for some purpose, something he'd think was very logical and not worth mentioning, but she was so so tired of not understanding what was going on around her. Her magic, her childhood, her life, her husband--
Without quite realizing that she'd done it, she'd somehow stepped off the disc. And then...well, the damage was done, wasn't it? She'd already seen. Surely a closer look wouldn't do any more harm, right?
Twilight followed the magically illuminated paths through what she gradually began to realize was a clockwork graveyard. She remembered Vel talking about his creator--about siblings--but somehow she had never really imagined...
The dragon's head drew her forward, despite the trepidation in the pit of her belly. She had a terrible feeling that she knew what was in that sarcophagus. She kept her steps light, careful, as though worried about waking the hundreds of constructs around her, as she moved forward.
She knew she wouldn't, of course. She'd lived with Vel long enough to know the difference between powered down and...dead.
Eventually, she stood in front of the bronze sarcophagus, her eyes flicking over the epitaph. Her heart squeezed painfully. A reminder that perfection is not a goal for its own sake, and the promise I made when I built this tower. I have to do better.
"Oh, Vel..." she whispered, one hand pressing to her chest as something in her ribs went tight. That tiny flicker of anger faded almost immediately.
I shouldn't be down here.
She couldn't make herself step away.
Coming back on after involuntarily powering down had always been one of the few things that would always throw Vel off. For a consciousness within a machine, senses were an on/off scenario. Vel didn't really experience any of that blurry in-between period a normal person might go through.
For him, it was as simple as being mid page-turn, and then in the very next moment he was face-down against the table, arms sprawled about him and reading material fallen to the side. He straightened up quickly, looking around as he tried to gauge how much time he had lost. The light in the tower was different, had he slept for a full charge?
"Twilight?" he called out, looking up into the ceiling above him. When no response came back down through the lift's shaft, he opted to stand from his desk.
"Poor girl. Probably still-"
and then he stopped cold, looking down at the circular hole in the center of the living room where the lift usually stopped. He was still, as if movement would accelerate time again, and then wordlessly approached the hole.
"Light?" he repeated, softer, this time directed downwards. He cast a spell and then stepped out onto the hole, levitating himself downwards until his brass soles clinked against the stone at the bottom.
Then, he walked. Through the winding path, past the wall of memorial pieces, past the glass cases.
He picked up on her voice and soundlessly rounded the corner, and then he stopped again. There she was, paralyzed with emotion in front of Praal's sarcophagus. For a few brief moments, Vel didn't quite know what to say, or how to breach this moment. This place... was his sanctum. Nobody but Vel had been inside this chamber ever since the tower was constructed. It had laid here, a solemn reminder for nobody else but himself, a place where Vel could be with those who had once felt his pain, his confusion.
He stepped into Praal's tomb. At first, he wanted to reach out and comfort her, but something close to hesitation kept him at the precipice. Half in the darkness, and half in the light.
"You should be resting," he finally said, although his voice gave away just how uncomfortable he was with having her here. His bottom pair of hands rubbed together anxiously, ever the pair of giveaways. The top set lingered by his side, but he raised one to hold it out to her.
"Come on, Light. This... isn't something you want to see," he said, voice cautious as he took some steps towards her.
She wasn't sure how long she'd been standing there, exactly--probably not longer than a few minutes, but it felt like hours. She was so tired, so stunned and confused, that the sound of Vel's voice behind her made her start violently, a gasp of surprise caught in her throat as she whirled to face him with wide violet eyes.
The first words that pressed against her lips were an apology. She bit it back. She didn't exactly know what she would be apologizing for, and that seemed like something she should figure out before she actually said it. Her eyes moved over him slowly--she was still clearly exhausted, dark circles under her dull eyes--and she had started to tremble slightly either with emotion or weariness or both, but she still didn't move.
Her eyes caught on the nervous movement of his bottom set of hands for a moment, then drifted slowly back up to his face, to the crystal. When he took those tiny steps toward her, she moved in concert.
Ignoring his outstretched hand, she reached out to wrap one arm around his shoulders and the other around his waist, drawing his head down to her shoulder and pulling him gently against her. Though she was smaller than him in pretty much every conceivable way, there was something encompassing and protective in the gesture, despite the way she still shook lightly.
"Vel."
She didn't know what else to say, so she just held him for several long moments, feeling her heart beat in a strange harmony with the clockwork against her chest. After a long breath, she pulled away just far enough to cup his head in her palm and tilt him towards her, pressing a soft kiss to the center of the crystal.
She hadn't been so physically affectionate with him in this shape since he had made adjustments to his illusory form. It wasn't a conscious avoidance on her part--whenever he wanted to hold her, he tended to switch over, either to that halfway-form or his completely human illusion. But she realized it had likely been weeks...and she remembered what he had said once, what felt like ages ago now, when he had briefly railed against his creator in response to her curiosity.
That he was a soul trapped in a walking coffin.
She couldn't make that go away. She couldn't fix that. But she loved him, and she wanted to help however she could, and she needed him to know that.
"Vel," she repeated on a low, soft breath, another gentle kiss pressed to the surface of the crystal before she just let her forehead rest against his as she held him to her.
"...Come to bed with me."
There were so many things she needed to say, to ask. She had a feeling he probably had quite a few things to say himself. But they could deal with that later. Just then, all she wanted to do was go back to bed and lie beside him until her body felt like hers again and she could fully process everything that had happened.
She said his name the first time and it almost brought him to his knees right then and there. He was thankful that she didn't take his hand because it was shaking. He managed to clench it into a fist, more out of a desire to steady his own fingers thaan anything else.
She looked tired, haggard even, and it was easy for Vel to take her into his arms and support her. Ironically enough, it was she who would have to support him as he leaned on her. Scared and emotional and all too vulnerable. When she didn't offer anything other than acceptance for him it all but broke him right then and there.
Indeed, she was smaller than him, but she had this amazing, natural ability to somehow encompass him entirely, especially when it was clear that he needed comfort or reassurance. He'd never once felt such contrasting desires, of wanting to speak and be silent all at the same time.
The first thing he noticed was that she was shaking, and he brushed a hand along the back of her head, thoughts coming to a stop when she leaned forwards to kiss him. Indeed, even though their first kiss had been shared in this form, it felt like the last time had been a lifetime ago. Even though he honestly preferred his illusions when it came to intimacy, there was something strangely pure about this.
Instead of lips, Twilight would feel that buzzing as his energy rose to meet her from the other side of the crystal.
She said his name again, and he fully surrendered into her kindness, clockwork heart aching with how much he wanted to cry. He made a small, defeated noise against her, barely reacting when she lifted his head up and gave him another kiss.
This time, there was no energy to meet her, no tingle, as if she'd just kissed an inert piece of crystal. His light had dimmed, once again hidden as he literally retreated into himself.
"Go on ahead of me," he said, tone low and cold. He made an effort to squeeze her hands but the mechanical joints moved with notable stiffness, as though there was conflict in his control over his own chassis. Conflict in his words.
"I... it looks like some things have been knocked loose down here," he started. He didn't know how, but he managed to part from here, arms retreating towards himself, still viscerally uncomfortable.
"Go on... please. I'll catch up."
When she felt him start to lean into the embrace, Twilight held him tighter. The slight shivering that shook her frame grew to an honest tremble when she felt that tingle of energy in the kiss. The tiny sound he made when she said his name again nearly ripped her heart in two, and she rocked onto her toes in an effort to bring herself closer.
But the light in his crystal had dimmed; she could literally feel him retreating, both physically pulling away from her and also sinking back into himself. Her hands fluttered as he pulled back, as though she was fighting the urge to draw him against her again.
She bit her lip when he told her to go on ahead, but she didn't argue, nodding stiffly. "Okay," she whispered. She knew he needed some time, and she didn't want to make this harder for him than it clearly already was, but...she was worried. "Okay," she repeated quietly, moving to step around him and head back toward the lift.
She paused for a moment just beside him, her shoulder nearly brushing his. She took a careful breath.
"I love you," she told him quietly. Then she moved away, eyes down as she made her way back through the clockwork graveyard Vel had built his life on.
In a way, he was grateful now that he could not cry, because he would have been a mess of tears and snot by now. Now that he was away from her, the world grew cold again, and the conflict inside of him made him sick. He looked to her and answered her love with a short brush of his fingers against her wrist.
"And I you. Always," he said, but he hated how mechanical he sounded. How distant.
He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, of that there was never any doubt, but... this? This was his pain, his burden to bear. She had already done so much, put his life on her shoulders, shown him love and companionship like none he'd ever met before...
Vel needed this to be just his. It was one of the only things giving him purpose in the world.
And still, he couldn't even go a minute before he couldn't stand it anymore. She'd barely gone round the corner and away from him, and his heart just seemed to wind tighter and tighter. He knelt down to recover a piece that had fallen from one of the dead here, and he recoiled when he saw it was an eyebrow frame, with the dusty glass eye still inside.
It fell to the ground and came apart in a mess of plates and broken glass, and Vel was deathly silent for a few moments before he collapsed onto his knees. More crunching and clattering announced the noise, and he lit up his crystal so he could see the ground.
Pieces of his dead family littered the ground like autumn leaves and for the second time in his life, he made a pitiful, terrified sound. He didn't know how to cry, but, gods could he scream, terrified and desperate. Anguish rooted him to the spot, and he made horrible attempts at panicked wheezing, the lack of lungs giving it a rather manufactured rhythm, as he raised his hand and saw bits and pieces fall off of them.
"Twilight!" he finally screamed, needing someone, anyone to get him away from this hellish place, he screamed her name like a child calling for their mother.
She hadn't gotten very far when the faint clattering sound--metal on stone--made her hesitate. Her instinct was to turn around and go back to him, just to make sure he was alright, just to check...but he clearly hadn't wanted her down here. Whatever he was dealing with, he would talk to her about it when he was ready. Wouldn't he?
She took a few more steps before she heard the scream. Instantly, power gathered around her form, trying to take the shape of sword and shield--she hardly noticed, let alone had the time to examine just how the weapons were able to come into existence when she was still incapable of calling on even a drop of magic.
She turned and ran, bare feet nearly silent on the cold stone, and the half-formed shapes dissipated. It only took a few breaths for her to reach Vel and find him kneeling amongst littered pieces of what in almost any other situation she might have thought was scrap metal from his projects.
The realization of what they actually were dawned quickly, and her stomach turned as she dropped to her knees beside him. "I'm here." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him against her, reaching up to turn his face into her shoulder, away from the scattered bits of the inert constructs around them. "I'm here, sweetheart, I'm here..."
She stroked one hand down his back gently, unsure what to do. She needed to get him out of here--could she even get him to walk?
"Come on, come here." She kept her voice low and even, tone soothing, as she stood slowly and pulled him up with her, still holding him. Her hands dropped down to take his bottom pair--always more full of anxious energy--and she nudged her head gently against his as she took a small, careful step backward.
"Just look at me," she murmured, letting her brow rest against the crystal for a moment. "I'm here, okay? I'm not leaving you. I promise, love, I'm not leaving you." As she spoke, she started walking backward slowly, cautiously. Every so often her heel would brush against a piece of metal or glass--maybe porcelain?--and she would correct herself delicately to continue leading him back toward the lift. Her hands never left his, and she kept up the low, soothing murmur as they moved: "I'm here, I'm right here, look at me, I'm not leaving, just focus on me, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here..."
When she found him once again, it was with all four arms wrapped tight around himself, nearly doubled over with a potent mixture of renewed grief, indignation, and sheer horror. His crystal was bright, the equivalent of his eyes being as wide open as they could go, stopping on a fallen construct that seemed to have broken apart when it fell over.
Vel didn't seem to be all that present when she approached him once again, swept away by the same feelings he'd felt when he first put this memorial chamber together. Desolation welled in his soul and sapped away the strength in his limbs, which refused to move apart from their desperate clinging to his own body.
When he felt arms around his shoulders from behind and a loving voice, the very human softness or the specifics of who it was completely evaded him. He gasped, trapped in an infinitely long moment that was suddenly broken, and he did not resist in the slightest when she brought him against her.
"...Vella?" He said, quietly, delirious with grief, not really aware of the specifics of his surroundings anymore. His voice was riddled with terror, as if seeing the person whose name he called would shatter him further.
But no, it wasn't Vella, the closest thing to an older sister he'd ever known. Vella was in the third glass case, just before Praal's tomb, her golden hair still as bright as the day she...
"Twilight." He corrected, voice barely a whisper, and his light rushed out to the front of his crystal, swamping her shoulder with that familiar tingling.
"Take me with you," he said, having to tear the words out of himself even if it was a barely audible sob. She took his bottom pair and he gripped her hands tight, tighter than he'd ever held them before. Once she started to help him up, he regained control of his legs and managed to stand with her. She asked him to look at her and he met her eyes in an instant, anchoring himself to her.
They started to walk, and he cringed closer to her when he heard her feet brushing against the bits and pieces on the ground.
"They're everywhere, oh gods..."
Walking through the place to get to the lift felt like eternity, but once they reached that stone circle he tried to collapse onto it as best he could. It lit up instantly in response to the magic boiling inside of him. Responding to his thoughts, it started to rise up and stopped once again on the floor above.
When he gave that plaintive little call for Vella, Twilight felt her heart rip neatly in half. Not because he’d called her by another name—he was clearly distraught, she doubted he was even fully conscious of his surroundings—but because of how broken he sounded.
She’d never seen him like this. Even just after the ritual, when everything between them had been jagged and painful and heart wrenching, he’d never been lost like this. “That’s right, it’s me,” she whispered when he corrected himself, hoping he couldn’t hear the threat of tears in her voice.
She nodded against him when he asked her to take him away, and forced herself not to flinch when he curled closer to her whenever she brushed against the bits of broken constructs that littered the path back to the lift.
“Shhh, shhh.” She stroked her hand gently over the side of his neck, trying to keep his focus on her and not the wreckage around them. “It’ll be okay, love.” She had no idea if that was true, but she couldn’t bear to tell him anything else. When he more or less collapsed onto the lift, she quickly knelt beside him and drew him into another tight hug, turning his crystal into the curve of her neck.
She was shaking again, and it wasn’t until the disc came to a stop beneath them that she realized it was in no small part due to a sudden surge of pure, unadulterated rage. She was so focused on Vel, on making sure that he was okay—being Starbright, in a sense—that she somehow hadn’t noticed the anger rising in her until it was threatening to boil over. A vague part of her noted that it might be a lucky thing she’d drained her magic—she had no idea what she might have done otherwise.
When Vel had come to save her from the vampire, there had been a part of her that was shocked to see just how ruthless her husband could be. She was never afraid of him, and she knew how much it took from him to cause someone harm…but the anger she’d seen in him had been shocking, to a point where she hadn’t fully understood it.
Now she did. If Praal had somehow still lived, it wouldn’t have been for long.
She forced herself to take a breath, reining in control of whatever Midnight impulse was trying to rule her, and very carefully leaned away from Vel, just far enough to place her hands on his shoulders and search his crystal with worried violet eyes.
“Can I take you upstairs?” she asked quietly, letting her hands run down his top set of arms to stop at his wrists, then back up to his shoulders. She remembered what it had felt like in her worst moments when she’d been newly put together, how memory had been overwhelming and threatened to swamp her, drag her from herself. She remembered how Vel’s touch had been an anchor, and though she knew the situations were vastly different, she hoped she could at least help a little. “You need to rest, dear heart.”
"It's you, it's you..." he repeated into her neck as she guided him along.
Once they were back on the ground floor, he was nearly shaking again, if not for a different reason than Twilight. It was all for the better that she managed to contain her emotions, as the sight of his gentle Twilight in a rage would've only served to send him further into despair.
A soft pair of hands smoothed over his shoulders and wrists. Twilight would be able to feel his magic simmering within his runes as his emotions caused them to boil just under the surface, but with each pass of her hands it got gentler and gentler until he'd fallen still again.
When she lifted his head to search his face, she'd find that his inner energy was a disjointed swirl of colors until he managed to focus on her, and it whirled back into his familiar look.
"Please," he said, in response to her offer to take him upstairs, and he hid the vulnerability in his eyes by leaning up and catching her lips with another tingling kiss.
"I was wrong, dearheart. I don't want to be alone."
"Okay." She wrapped her arms around his shoulders again, leaning up onto her knees so she could arch over him protectively. "Okay, love."
With a murmured request for the bedroom, the lift started to move again. Twilight shifted around to settle herself behind Vel, drawing him back so he was half reclining in her lap, his head against her shoulder as she continued to stroke one hand up and down the length of his right arms, first the upper then the lower one.
"I won't leave you alone, sweetling," she promised quietly, pressing a kiss to the side of his head. She knew he didn't like her seeing him so vulnerable, but she wanted him to know he was allowed to be. As her hand smoothed over the gradually cooling runes in his arm, she wished powerfully that she could still draw on her magic, could have used one of Starbright's healing spells to help calm him.
The lift came to a stop and she twisted her head slightly to judge the distance to the bed. The she turned to press another kiss to the edge of his crystal and murmured against him, "Can you stand?"
If she hadn't still been so exhausted, she might have been able to carry him, but even then the odds were slim.
"I'm sorry," he started, voice a stuttering whisper. Even like this, his first thought was to apologize, to make things okay. Gods knew that he needed things to be okay, and thankfully Twilight seemed to sense this.
She drew him into her and he was like putty in her hands, resting back against her, looking up as the floors of the tower slowly passed by him, the bedroom's skylight becoming brighter and brighter as they approached.
"You wanted to do something simple," was what finally surfaced after, remembering what they'd spoken about before his desire for her had gotten the better of him and they became distracted. He turned his head to rest "cheek" against her collar. His left set of arms simply laid across his waist, wrapped around his midsection as strong emotions played with his artificial nature in an almost nauseating way.
The lift stopped, and Vel simply nodded at her question. This time, it was his turn to stand and he offered Twilight all four arms.
"Vel, no." She kissed his temple--or roughly the equivalent--when he tried to apologize. "This isn't your fault. Sweetheart...you're allowed to feel. You don't have to be easily content all the time."
She kissed him again, standing slowly when he offered his arms and stepping forward into his chest, wrapping her own arms tight around his middle.
"I think...we've both had a hell of a week," she murmured against him. Gods, had it even been that long? She wasn't sure. It certainly felt longer. With a low, tired sigh, she took his hands in hers and pulled him to the bed, urging him to sit with a hand on his shoulder as she fussed with the pillows with her other hand.
"For once in your life," she murmured as she tried to usher him under the covers, "let someone else take care of you."
There was...so much that they needed to talk about. So many questions this had all brought up. And--she glanced up as a shadowy shape passed over the tower--they still had their current location to contend with.
But the wards were functional--more than, what with all the power she'd blasted into them. And they really both needed rest. She climbed into bed beside him and laid down, one arm cautiously slipping around him to draw him down with her. "Just...lay down with me for a while?"
It seemed that Twilight was able to dispel whatever tightness had been coiling in his gut. Once she wrapped her arms around his middle and held him tightly, he seemed to almost slump in her grasp, which he which he quickly perked out of once she started pulling him along.
He started to speak, almost as if to object to her assertion that nobody's ever taken care of him before then, but even the thought caused his heart to creak painfully.
"I've... never needed it," he said, plaintively, still in shock. He let his body tip back and once his shoulders hit the bed there was nothing keeping him from just slipping away right then and there.
But he didn't want to. He wanted to stay here, with Twilight.
Twilight.
As if suddenly remembering who had been taking care of him this whole time, Vel spat in the face of her caution and pulled her tighter against himself , burying his face into her collar so that Twilight was all he knew, and he made a small, mournful sound. He didn't notice the dark shape over the tower, he didn't care.
Now that they were both laying down, he pulled her against himself fully.
"Don't leave," he said, sounding pitifully like the time she'd left the tower. His voice held the threat of tears, but again, he could not shed them no matter how hard he tried.
"Please don't leave me."
"Oh--"
Perhaps she shouldn't have, but Twilight felt a brief flare of surprise bolt through her when he wrapped his arms around her and tucked his face into her collar, pulling her in against him. Something in her chest melted around what remained of the jagged shards of anger and confusion, and she returned the embrace tightly.
"Never," she murmured, pressing her lips to the edge of his crystal for a moment. "Never, Vel, I promise. I won't leave. You're mine, and I'm yours, remember?"
She kissed him again, curving forward around him as best she could and letting her hand start to stroke rhythmically over his shoulders and up and down his back. "I won't leave you," she repeated quietly, finally allowing her eyes to begin drifting closed with a sigh. "Rest, love. I'm not going anywhere."
At her bidding him to rest, Vel simply nodded his head against where he'd pressed it. This was altogether too much for him, to have an old wound torn open like this, to the point where he'd almost shunned Twilight again.
It made him sick that he was this weak, this easy to shatter. He couldn't help but hear the last few words in his own master's voice, and he gave an involuntary shudder.
"... I love you," came his final, weak reply, before he let the feeling of Twilight over him become all he knew. His limbs around her loosened so he could hold her more comfortably, hands spreading out to encompass her in his protection.
"Always."
"I love you, too," Twilight replied quietly, exhaustion dragging at the edges of her voice even as she continued to let her hand glide lightly up and down his back. She shifted a bit in his arms when he adjusted his grip, moving with him easily, and tucked her head into the curve of his neck when he'd settled.
She might have said it again, but she was too close to sleep to be sure, and what felt like between one breath and the next, she was out, sleeping just as deeply as she had when he'd first put her in bed after her little magical pyrotechnics display.
At some point, she shifted against him in her sleep so her leg slid between his, tangling them together even further. She didn't wake, but did make a small, indiscernible sound that might have been something like contentment, or relief.
Vel was awake for longer, staring up at the tall darkened ceiling above them. She was right, that it had been a hellacious week for the both of them, but something else kept Vel awake. He was terrified of having to go back to that time. When everything, everyone he knew had been broken apart. To just... pry that open again, to even begin...
...even for Twilight. He couldn't.
His head tilted slightly when she made that furtive noise and tangled her legs with his, and he sank further into the bed as the last few embers of resistance in him finally sputtered out. With the warm, familiar weight of Twilight against his side and chest, he just covered her hands with one of his own and let everything go dark.
The lack of any sun or stars meant that Teilight had no real way of knowing how long she slept, but she had to assume it was a night's span—or perhaps longer—as she simply didn't have the energy for anything less.
She blinked herself blearily back to consciousness, wincing and arching her back slightly as her body protested with a mild soreness. Once she was awake enough, she sat up carefully and looked around, making a point not to glance up through the glass dome of the ceiling.
Vel normally never slept as long as she did, even in more usual circumstances. But after all that...
She glanced down at her husband, worrying her lip. If he was still resting, she didn't want to be the thing that disturbed him. Maybe she could go down to the library...although she was suddenly wary of exploring the tower alone, unsure what other secrets she might accidentally stumble upon.
Vel had not slept very long at all. He had barely been awake for an hour when he had his breakdown, and apart from some energy that had bled away when his magic boiled up to the surface, he was fully rested.
It had felt nice to just... sleep. As if he could start again fresh. And it gave him time to think, as well. To just lie there with Twilight, still gently snoozing, and feign inertness as the gears turned in his head. But... how to even approach it?
Twilight eventually stirred him out of his thoughts when she sat up. She looked down at him just in time to see his crystal slowly light up, and he stroked a hand up her back in lazy, circular motions.
"Good morning."
Twilight found herself smiling a little wryly and glancing up toward the darkened ceiling again. "Is it?" she mused quietly, letting herself lean back into his touch a little.
She looked down at him again, and concern drew a line between her brows as she leaned down to kiss the side of his crystal lightly. "Did you sleep at all?" she murmured as she pulled back, reaching up to brush the backs of her fingers lightly over his cheek--or the closest equivalent.
"A little," came Vel's answer, easily letting his head rest in her touch for a few moments before he propped himself up on his bottom pair of arms to sit next to her. With a discreet shift, Vel manifested his partial illusion so he could return the kiss, this one to her shoulder as he let his top arms circle her collar rather amorously.
"It's always morning somewhere," he murmured.
He found that he missed the feeling of her skin against his lips, having neglected his illusions recently, and gave another, lazier kiss against the same spot.
Once again, a shadow passed over the tower, and Vel gave a defeated sigh, letting his head rest full on her shoulder.
"The wonders of the planes," he murmured sardonically against her flesh.
“Mm. Indeed,” Twilight replied dryly, and turned her head slightly so her nose brushed against his before she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She leaned into him, reaching up and back to cup his cheek in her hand for a moment before she let her arm loop lazily back around his neck. “The tower is safe though, isn’t it? All the wards are back in place.
Even as she said it, she started to reach out with her magic instinctively, wanting to assure herself. Or at least, she tried to; she was still unable to summon up so much as a single spark of power.
A long, low sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes as she stroked her fingers absently over the nape of his neck.
“…Are you alright?”
Vel took her hand, eyes turning vulnerable as she asked him if he was alright. He... wasn't one-hundred percent sure if he was alright with everything, buuuuut...
"I'm feeling much better," he said, letting a genuine smile perk up the corners of his mouth. He sat up more and joined his bottom set of hands on her lap, thumbs fidgeting together but otherwise calm, encircling Twilight's waist in the familiar sensation of brass and wood.
"And the wards are indeed still in place."
Vel could see them just as naturally as anything else, such was one of the few perks of being made up of energy. He looked up at the interlocking geometric patterns, following them to the glowing nexus at the peak of the room's glass ceiling. All invisible without at least a touch of magical assistance.
"I should be asking you the same thing," he said, unlooping his top set from her shoulders so he could wrap them around her middle and properly cuddle her.
"It... It was not an easy place to be."
There was the briefest moment of hesitation when his arms went around her waist; it was as if a part of her was afraid to lean into him fully, so used to relying on him for strength and comfort but now so suddenly aware of how selfish that had been.
But despite her best intentions, it only lasted a moment before she settled back into the embrace with a soft sigh, turning her head to nuzzle into the crook of his neck. "I'm glad you feel better," she murmured against brass framing.
She was quiet for a moment after that, then agreed slowly, "No...it wasn't. But..."
She didn't know how to say this. Wasn't sure if she should say this.
Finally, she admitted defeat with another small sigh and whispered, "It's a part of you, Vel. And I just--I'm sorry you felt like it's something you had to hide from me." She twisted in his arms to return the hug properly, holding tight for a moment before she started to pull away. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," she said softly, looking down, "I'll never ask that of you. But it...if there's things you aren't telling me because you think it will make me uncomfortable, I--"
She cut herself off again with a sharp breath and shook her head. Still not quite meeting his eyes, she smiled sadly and leaned in to peck his cheek. "I love you," she told him quietly. "Nothing in this world or any other is going to change that."
Vel's gears almost melted out of his chest, but somehow he managed to keep his emotions welled up as she spoke. Of course, he knew that this topic couldn't really be avoided, not after it had been so brutally torn open earlier.
Her words made him want to turn his head away, but he held her gaze when she turned to face him. Yes, he had hidden something from her. Something better off left buried, but the sting of raw act still made itself clear.
"There's nothing else to hide," Vel said, her peck still buzzing on his cheek. His face straightened as he looked her over, afraid that she would be different somehow. Finally, though, he settled on a smile and stroked her cheek, all the way up to her temple where he cradled her head.
"When you came into my life, all of that was just... a buried memory. It had all finally stopped hurting," he said, hugging her tight and hiding his face in her shoulder.
"I couldn't leave them where they were."
He didn't want that to settle, and his hands tightened around her. He kissed her chin, needy and apologetic.
"So I laid them all to rest in the safest place I knew. There are no hidden doors in this tower. No illusionary walls or moving bookshelves. Just one quiet place where they can finally be undisturbed."
Twilight listened to him quietly, tilting her head slightly into his hand when he cradled it as her eyes searched his face. She sighed softly and shifted a little closer when he hid his face in her shoulder, reaching up slowly to wrap her arms loosely around him, almost wary but still wanting to give comfort however she could.
“Oh, Vel…” A tiny shiver rippled through her when he kissed her chin; she pushed it aside, tilting her head to press a kiss of her own against his temple as she tightened her embrace just a bit. She was quiet for a moment longer, then…
“I trust you.” The words were simple, but spoken with a kind of quiet conviction. She held him closer and kissed his cheek again. “If…if you ever decide you need—or want—to tell me more about what happened, you know you can. But I trust you to make that choice.”
She shifted a bit in his arms, letting her hands settle on his shoulders and her brow come to rest against his with a tiny, weary smile. “…Can I kiss you?”
It was normally an unspoken question, one he usually gave the answer to before she’d even asked it. But something in the air around them still felt fragile, and she wanted a confirmation she could hear, could hold on to.
Vel didn't really feel like a simple "Yes" could answer Twilight's question. Instead, one of his hands left its place around her to stroke her chin and give her head a little tilt. He closed the distance, having sensed Twilight's own trepidation and wanting so desperately to banish that.
Once he was against her lips, his eyes naturally drew closed and he drank deeply of her for as long as she'd permit him. Once they'd parted, Vel sighed and cupped her head more securely and he slotted his nose against hers.
"Always."
He let the moment hang for a little before closing his eyes.
"There will never be a perfect time for that. That's my family down there. I will never just wake up one day and decide it's time," he started. He kept his tone soft and even, and his hands never stopped stroking along her back.
"But if there's anything you want to know, any questions you have... I'll answer them."
Twilight leaned gently into the kiss, one hand cupping his cheek while the other rested lightly against his chest, unconsciously grounding herself to the rhythm of clockwork beneath her palm.
She let her brow rest against his when they broke apart, a tiny movement nuzzling her nose against his before she fell still again and just listened. She couldn't say she understood the kind of loss he felt--she hardly remembered her own family, and a few minutes of viewing a scrying crystal wasn't exactly an adequate replacement--but she could at the very least sympathize.
"I have...a lot of questions," she admitted slowly after a moment. "About that. About you. About--about a lot of things. About both of us, really. But..."
She sighed and closed her eyes, nudging her head gently forward against his. "But I think they can wait for a little longer. I just--I just want to hold you for a while, if that's alright?" She tipped her head to kiss his cheek lightly, arms draped carefully around his neck, but otherwise she was still in his arms, waiting for his response.
"That's quite alright," Vel echoed, raising a hand to cup Twilight's face as she kissed his cheek. He couldn't help but smile discreetly at the tenderness. He turned his head to catch her lips and sat back on the bed, sitting with his back against the pillows.
He brought her down with him so they could both rest together. He shamelessly held her close, hanging on to the feeling of a warm body covering his like a security blanket.
"Maybe I could tempt you with some breakfast later?" He said, dipping in to steal another short kiss from her.
Twilight let him pull her down into the bed with him, adjusting slightly to the way he held her so that she nearly covered him entirely—taking the silent cues she'd spent a month learning until they were more instinct than anything else.
"Mm." She smiled tiredly into the quick kiss and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. "In a little bit, she agreed softly, lips still curved in a small smile as her eyes fluttered closed. She sighed quietly and tucked her head up under his chin.
"...Don't let me actually fall asleep?" she murmured after a few moments. "I just...I just need a few minutes like this. But I've spent enough time sleeping." She was quiet for a few more breaths, then admitted in a very small voice, "And I—I keep having these...dreams. I don't want them anymore..."
It was what she'd initially wanted to talk to him about, before...everything. Now that there was some distance between them and that tomb, the memory had returned to niggle persistently at the back of her mind.
She always knew just how to set him at ease. Once he could rest his chin on her head, he sighed with something approaching true happiness and cradled her head and body. He only made minor tugs to adjust his human pillow and fell still once again.
He was reluctant to pierce the silence, but he spoke nonetheless to keep her awake.
"Your mind is still healing from the ritual," he said, gently smoothing her hair down as he threaded brass-tipped fingers through her hair. His voice was a bare whisper.
"The mind sometimes uses dreams as a way to make sense of things."
She gave another soft, sleepy sound of assent, but she couldn't get the dreams out of her head.
"It was just them at first. The girls," she murmured into the curve of his neck, eyes closed. "Just...me, I guess. Telling me what I was doing wrong." She sighed, struggling to keep herself from dozing as she laid against him. "But the last one, it was...it felt..."
Real. Real in a way her dreams of Midnight and Starbright didn't, as though there was an external force working on her mind. Her brow furrowed and she burrowed a little deeper into her husband's embrace. "For a moment, I thought it was...was him. The vampire. But then it...I don't know." She sighed; her whole body felt like lead, but she couldn't fall back asleep. "I don't know," she repeated quietly.
"A memory from your past?" Vel ventured, fingers stopping where her hair stopped. At the mention of the vampire, he just looped a third arm around her back and held her more securely.
"I'm sure we can figure it out after breakfast," he said, unsure if she wanted to pursue the topic further.
By this point, he knew when his wife was struggling to stay awake, and knew what to do to keep her attention up. His hands stroked down past her hips and his fingers skated along the back of her legs while his upper pair of hands visited her sides.
"Mmm..." She gave a soft sound of consideration that changed to a contented hum as Vel's hands started to wander. Eyes still closed, a slow smile spread over her face and she and shifted against him minutely. "Looking for something in particular?" she teased quietly, allowing her own hand to stroke down the length of his spine as she cuddled a little closer.
She did want to talk about this, to figure it out, but not now. She was still slow and sleepy from emptying out her magic, and now additionally tense and confused from the accidental discovery of Vel's family tomb. For now, she was more than happy to be distracted.
"Careful, love." She leaned up to peck his cheek again, nuzzling his temple before she pulled away. "You certainly have my attention. What do you intend to do with it?"
Vel knew he had her when she warned him to be careful, it could be seen in the way his eyes closed and smile grew. A delighted shiver ran through him when she ran her fingers down his spine. In his mechanical form, the spine was rather pronounced, and it was where much of his magical power was stored and distributed.
"I'd hope to hold it, for just a little," he said as he tangled his leg with hers one of his hands settling on the inside of her knee to drape her leg over his thighs before it rose to hold the back of her thigh, not too firmly or loosely.
Two more of his hands stroked up along her neck and jaw to cup her head, letting his fingers stream through her hair as he leaned up to peck her lips.
"As long as you'll tolerate it, really," he added with a small smile, genuine and inviting. His final hand had taken to stroking a finger down her front, nearly reaching Twilight's navel before lazily looping back up as it devolved into nonsense patterns.
Her smile turned a little lopsided, a tiny spark of mischief lighting her eyes with the first brightness they’d shown in a while as she traced her fingertips along his spine again. She knew well enough by now how his mechanical form worked, and how the physical conduction of power through his body could heighten sensitivity. She managed to keep her voice innocent as she repeated the touch with a little more pressure and murmured, “I more than tolerate it, love. I rather welcome it.”
She shifted a little closer, hitching her leg just a bit higher over his and ducking her head to nuzzle against his neck. “But just what are you planning?” She kissed the dip of his throat into his chest and splayed her hand gently over the small of his back. She shivered a bit under the patterns he was drawing up her torso and reached between them to catch his wrist, holding his palm flat over her heartbeat.
A soft, contented sigh slipped passed her lips as she leaned into the contact, feeling the way her heartbeat gradually began to match the clockwork rhythm that echoed almost imperceptibly through his body.