Streams

[Anonymous]

He nodded. "Yeah. Not very ladylike indeed!" He stood up and went to get the bedroll. Bringing it near the fire so she would be warm-- but not too close. Then he rolled it out and fixed it up for her. Dusting it off. Then he fluffed up the little pillow and motioned to her. "There you go." He said.

"I'm not tired, so I'll just stay up a little longer. Maybe go for a swim or something. Don't mind me. I don't sleep much anyway." Castien was pretty tempted to go swim-- he loved the water, and was loving having access to such a nice swimming hole. He looked over to her again and blinked.

"Do you want like... a shirt to sleep in? I'm sure that dress is uncomfortable."

[Anonymous]

A bed? A bed! He really had a bed!

Okay, so it was a bedroll, but hey, close enough! Lucy had learned the hard way that there really wasn't much room for being picky out here in the wild. Despite her circumstances, fate really had worked its magic, didn't it? Somehow, she was alive, with a full stomach and a bed to sleep on! She clasped her hands together and grinned, looking at the bed as if Castien had just presented her with a mountain of glamorous dresses. "A bed!" she cried out, moved. "I thought I'd never see one again...!"

She plopped on the roll, looking up at Castien, who blinked at her, and mentioned how uncomfortable her dress must be. "Oh, you're right..." She had never noticed before – but sleeping in her dress in the wild really was uncomfortable. Plus, there was a better chance that it'd get dirty again if she slept in it – and we couldn't have that now, could we? She sat up and bit her lip – his shirt would probably be unglamorous and she'd probably be mistaken for a pauper if she changed, but... Who was really going to see her out in the wild, except for him? And he had sworn he wouldn't tell – but oh, all the scandalous rumors he could start, if he ever did!

"I suppose a shirt would be a good idea... That is, if you don't mind!" She waved her hands around – Lucy was silly and sometimes unpractical, but she didn't want to come across as rude (again) to someone who had even agreed to be her escort through these woods. "I mean, I'm being an awful leech right now – someday, I'll have to pay you back for all of this."

[Anonymous]

He waved his hands. "No no.. No repayment. Having company is good enough. It's quite boring out here." He moved over to his bag and pulled out a long shirt. Handing it to her. It would probably just cover her bottom. But it was something. "I hope this is OK."

He paused, then turned his back to her to give her some privacy. He didn't want her to feel like she was being watched like a hawk or anything. But, when she was done, he turned back around. "Well. You better get to sleep.. The animals will start up soon." It was already getting pretty dark.

[Anonymous]

"Having company is good enough."

Did he really mean that? Well, of course he did, he had no reason to lie! For some reason, his simplest of statements touched her a little – after all, it really was lonesome out here, wasn't it? She couldn't imagine what it must be like, living out here alone like this – and she had tried to imagine, she really did, but had failed. Silenced by her thoughts, she almost didn't notice when Castien handed a plain, white, long shirt towards her. She nodded her head, assuring him, "It's fine!" but her face turned red as she did so -  she was going to have to change in front of him again?

Or in back of him, which, somehow, didn't lessen her embarrassment. With no time to mentally complain to herself about how unflattering such clothing was, she slipped off her dress (undoing the buttons, the ribbons, the buckles, all by herself) and pulled the t-shirt on, amazed at how... normal she felt. She still had on her cross and ruby pendant – for those things were dear to her and she never took them off – and the crown still sat atop her head, but besides that, she felt... normal, as if she were no different from anyone else. The pink-haired girl felt a sudden need to pull her dress back on, to reclaim all that she was. It was if she had shed her skin – had been born anew under the moonlight's watchful glow.

"Thank you," she thanked softly, twiddling her fingers again. It was all she could manage – it was as if all her fabulousness and flourishes had been stolen away once she had taken off the dress. "You're right – it is getting late..." And she didn't want to deal with those grasshoppers, no way! "I'll see you in the morning, then?" A part of her wondered if she would – what if she just woke up, and this turned out to be some crazy dream? Hah, she doubted it – she could still feel the water that sank in her lungs when they had been pulled under by the stream.

Curling up in the bedroll, Lucy stared upwards – towards the star-streaked sky. The sky – it looked like water, as if they were trapped in a huge fishbowl of sorts. Fishbowl? Water? She was thirsty as hell, sheesh – but she didn't want to pop back up and saunter over to the stream, where she had nearly died. No, go back to sleep, she scolded herself.

But despite that, thirst burned at the back of her throat.

[Anonymous]

Castien watched he go to lay down and he took her dress and set it on a rock so it wouldn't get dirty. Thinking a moment to himself, he stoked the fire and then picked up the dishes and decided to clean them. Setting them aside to dry.

It seemed like this would be a long night. He really was bad at sleeping. But, he needed to try really. He looked back to her and figured she was sleeping, so he pulled off his clothes slowly and let himself sink into the deep water. But he came back up and crossed his arms on a rock. Resting his head on his arms and he watched the fire. It was less intimidating when he was in the water.

[Anonymous]

Thirst, thirst! She was dying of thirst!

She sat up in her bedroll, sighing to herself, wondering if she really should just man up (or lady up) and head to the stream. No, she couldn't though – what if she fell in and made a fool of herself? She didn't even have her dress on – she looked like a pauper without it, didn't she? Pink hair and amethyst eyes were not enough – she may as well have just taken off her skin, and removed everything that made her who she was!

The beggar princess groaned, holding her head while shaking it back and forth in frustration, but then, turned towards the crackling campfire. She recalled Castien's water bottle – he sipped on it between their banter at dinner, and from the looks of it, there was still some left! Alas, all was not lost! She had shed her skin but she'd still be hydrated, at least! Tiptoeing, Lucy snuck her way over to the water bottle – stealing, even if it was just a drop of water, wasn't ladylike after all – and unscrewed the cap, downing some of its contents swiftly.

Whoa, this water was warm! And what the heck, it didn't taste like water... Lucy turned the bottle around in her hand, furrowing her brows at it, annoyed. She coughed a little, shaking her head. Something told her not to keep drinking it, but she was still so thirsty and the first gulp had done nothing, so she downed some more of it, with regret. "It buuuurns!" she whined, holding her throat, as if she had just swallowed pure fire. Man, and her head – why was everything starting to feel a little loopy?

Suddenly, she didn't care that she was dressed in an unflattering t-shirt – she had a right to complain, didn't she? She waved the bottle over to Castien, and complained in her most pouty voice, "Castieeeeen! What is this stuff? It's... it's not good water at all, Castien, not good at all!" Lucy took hold of the bottle, making her way over to the stream, waving it at him (with her hand closed over the top, so none of it would spill out). "It burns going down, Castien, it feels like fire! It's hot~! You gotta –" She was lost for words, "You gotta help me put it out~!" Castien was a water phoenix, right, wouldn't he help?

Forgetting totally that she couldn't swim, Lucy stumbled into the stream, after having teetered too far to the edge, but she forgot to scream or yell or flail around – instead she clung to him, rubbing her head against her chest. "But you're hot, too, aren't you?" She giggled, looking up at him. "Everything's hot." Her voice was low, almost sultry. "It's all your fault, birdy boy."

[Anonymous]

Somehow he had managed to doze off in the water like that, and never even hear her get up. Though she was pretty quiet about it, he still rarely ever slept that deeply. And she managed to drink that alcohol pretty fast without him noticing it's pungent smell.

Although, his sleep was interrupted when he heard his name. His eyes snapped open and he looked up at her. At first he was very confused, she was slurring her speech and staggering-- and what was hot? Finally he saw the bottle and his eyes widened. "That... wasn't water." he said, oddly calmly for the situation.

He watched her come close to the water and moved to get out and stop her, but she then fell in and clung to him. "Aa..what?" Now he was really confused. It was his fault? And he was hot? What the hell? He pried the bottle from her hand and set it aside, looking at her.

"Lucy! You're drunk. Don't you know alcohol when you taste it?" He looked to the bottle. Then back to her. "You drank half a bottle!" He was almost proud, but now.. he had a drunk princess to deal with. And, to make it all better.. He was naked! Joy.

[Anonymous]

What did he mean, it wasn't water? It was clear like water, so it had to be water! Still, when she was like this, it was hard to argue with anyone. "Well," she started, shaking her head, "if it wasn't water, then I dunno what it was, but it sure was str-aaaaange! What kinda water burns goin' down, huh? You s-shouldn't be drinkin' this sort of stuff, you know!" She crossed her arms over her chest, pouting, still not realizing she was in water, and still not realizing that she was somehow staying afloat without much trouble. Realistically, she should've drowned by now.

"Drunk?" she asked, tilting her head. "What's drunk?" She frowned, pursuing her lips, but then he mentioned it – alcohol. She had drank alcohol?! And half a bottle?! "Ooooh, that drunk," she realized, and couldn't help but start laughing at herself. Logically, she should be shocked and ashamed at herself, but she could only giggle, and her giggles were punctuated with drunken hiccups.

"Castieeeeen, don't worry about me! I'm totally fine~" she assured, giggling again. "Even if I'm drunk, you'll take care of me, won't you? You always do. You should promise~" She laughed, slipping her hands around her waist. Normally, Lucy could not feel pretty without wearing an elegant gown, but somehow, she was able to feel like a million without it.

She looked up in his eyes – bright blue-green things that reminded her of sapphires. "Isn't this partially your fault, birdy boy?" she accused, smirking a little at him. The drunk princess pointed accusingly at him, and then let that hand travel up his torso, her eyes eating him up. "You just haaad to leave that bottle around where I could get at it. Maybe you wanted me drunk. Huh, is that it?"

Lucy laughed again, pressing her head against his chest again. "So you could take advantage of me, maybe?" Her voice lowered to a whisper. "How unlike a gentleman~! Maybe I was wrong about you." And yet... "But maybe... maybe a rogue like you suits me better."

[Anonymous]

He paused a moment, then realized he wasn't holding her when she let go and wrapped her arms around her waist. He looked into the water and realized she was swimming! ..But..she always thought she would drown. "Aa... You know... you're swimming. Right?" He pointed out.

Then she started to blame him and he shook his head and waved his hands. "No no no! I didn't want you to drink it. I figured you would ask me to get you water if you were thirsty..... And I don't drink much anyway.." Why was he trying to explain the bottle he had just left next to where he was sitting a minute ago? Like he knew the princess was a sleep-walking alcoholic!

He rubbed his forehead and looked at her. "Eh!? I am not! trying to take advantage of you!" he tried to clarify, but she was leaning against him again and he looked to the side. "A rogue? ...You are a strange drunk. You really should get some sleep."

[Anonymous]

If Castien hadn't pointed it out, she probably never would've noticed that she was actually swimming.

Granted, this didn't seem to be a surprise to her – there were more things to be solved at the moment, damnit! Like... like... well, she couldn't remember why she started harassing poor Castien in the first place, but she'd stay here until she remembered, definitely! She scoffed at this realization, although her sober self would've been ecstatic to see that she could actually swim, all this time. "Who caaaaaares," she droned, shaking her head. "It's just swimming, I mean, if you can do it, birdy boy, so can I~!"

Her logic made no sense, of course, but it did in her mind, and that's what mattered! Satisfied with her eloquent answer, she nodded again, as if to affirm the genius of her own statement. Granted, he was denying that he had wanted her to be like this, which only made her laugh again.

"Liar," she muttered softly, and her arms were placed on his neck now, her cool fingers toying with his hair. Her voice was coquettish and feisty, her body pressed up against his as she leaned forward, her breath naught but a whisper against his ear. "You've always been a liar, haven't you? Admit it. This was all a trap to take advantage of me at my weakness: so you could have me any way you wanted, you rogue."

The alcohol, god, the alcohol had made things fuzzy, made Lucy split off into someone completely different. Her body was warm, hot with a tension she had never known before, and if she had not been drunk, she would've been scared at this sensation. But she wasn't – her body knew what it wanted, even if Lucy, in her purest form, did not.

"I'll give you what you want," she promised, her voice airy and soft, and her hand removed itself from his neck and travelled down towards his member. Nimble fingers stroked him as if she had been doing it all her life, her amethyst eyes locked onto his, her breath hot with lust. "Or would you rather take it? Take me?" She laughed a coquette's laugh, her body pressed onto his, still stroking him gently, teasingly.

[Anonymous]

He made a face as he was called a liar again. "Hey... that's not fair. I'm not a liar. If I wanted to take advantage of you I would've." He didn't really like being called a liar. It wasn't in his nature. He may have been raised by a bunch of hot-headed people, but he was as true to water as he could ever be-- even if he was an ass some times.

He shifted a bit when her arms went around his neck and he looked to the side. "I think you should get out of the water." he said softly, but he then froze up when he felt the hand touch him... down there.

He looked to her face and rose a brow. "W-what are you doing? Lucy.. You need to stop this." He picked her up and sat her on the rocks. "You shouldn't just ..touch people!"

[Anonymous]

"Castieeen!" Lucy whined, crossing her arms over her chest as he placed her on the rocks. "Stop being such a wet blanket." Hah – wet blanket! Get it, 'cause they were in the water! Hah! Her joke was suddenly so hilarious that she burst into a fit of giggles, kicking her feet in the water as she cracked up laughing. "You should try to have some fun once in a while, birdy boy."

And what was this crap about how she shouldn't touch people? "Why not?" she asked, which she thought was a perfectly honest question. "You like it, don't you? And you like me, don't you? So why can't I?" Not wanting to be away from him, Lucy carefully (as carefully as her drunken self could) eased back in the water, so she could be near him again. "Why don't you touch me, too? We'll be even then, right?"

Lucy took hold of one of his hands, and brought it over her breast, closing her eyes as she did so. "Mmm, see? Everyone likes to be touched." It made perfect sense to her drunken mind, so she wasn't even sure why he had been complaining. Her free hand returned to his member, stimulating him once again.

"Don't deny it, Castien – you like it, don't you?"

[Anonymous]

He moved out of the way of her kicking feet and sighed.. "A wet blanket huh?" he looked back up to her in time to watch her slip back into the water. This wasn't good. She was drunk, and had no idea what she was doing. He tried to move back but bumped into some rocks which stopped him. Then his hand was grabbed and placed on her breast.

"Aa.... Lucy.. Really. You shouldn't be doing this. You're gonna regret it." He was trying so hard.. But when she went to touch him again he couldn't help his reaction. He tensed up again and tried not to make a sound.

It took him a moment before he could speak-- and he was obviously enjoying her touching him. But he grabbed her shoulders and shook his head. "Lucy. You should go to bed."

[Anonymous]

She relished in that brief moment of silence – like a succubus feeding off his libido. He liked it, she knew he did – it was evident in that small way he tensed himself, the way he had to gather himself before speaking. Eventually, though, he did gather himself, placed his hands on her shoulders, and told her to go to bed. She raised an eyebrow – did he really want her to stop? This Lucy was hardened with the courage that alcohol gives poor mortal souls, and would not be defeated by such a half-hearted order.

"I'll go," she seemed to agree, but a feisty look sparked in her eyes once again. "But only if you come with me." Her voice was naught but a whisper – low and tinted with lust. She was so close to him that she may as well be grinding on him, still stroking him, with her lithe, skilled fingers. "I won't be regretting anything, and I doubt you will either." She laughed – that flirty, airy laugh. It was amazing – to witness Lucy's transformation of prude to powerful, and all it took was a half-bottle of mysterious alcohol.

This transformation – it was a mixture of lust, and that fear Lucy had always held in the bottom of her heart – that despite all the dresses, the crown, the cross, that she was never really loved by anyone, that there had never been anyone close to her. She could take that closeness now, couldn't she? She truly believed she could. Her body still moved on his, her hands still stroked his member, the temptress mistress, the beggar princess...

[Anonymous]

"If I go with you?" That was something he was wiling to accept. He tensed more as she grinded against him and swallowed hard. Shaking his head, he pushed her hands away and picked her up. Getting out of the water and setting her down. He dried her clothes in his usual fashion and slipped on his boxers before walking to the bed roll. "Ok... Please lie down.. I'll get in behind you."

He was having a hard time now.. She got him really excited and he was wondering how he was going to handle laying with her. If she were to try anything, he really wouldn't be able to control himself anymore.

[Anonymous]

She was sure that he wouldn't listen to her – that she'd have to change tactics, become more forceful – but instead, he did. In the back of Lucy's mind, some sober part of her thought, as she always ended up thinking about him, he really is a gentleman. But the alcohol's grip was strong, so strong, and as she made herself comfy in the bedroll, all she could think about was how warm his body was next to hers. How strong his arms were, when he picked her up and set her down. How he had been so kind, so warm...

As he settled down next to her, her hands traversed his body, her breath become hotter, heavier, and she knew that, with him this close to her, she would not be able to restrain from touching him again. So she did, seducing him with her tender touch. She whispered to him, in a sultry, low tone, her breath hot on his neck, and dared,

"C'mon, birdy boy. Let's see how long you can last."

Daybreak.

Birds were infernal creatures – when did they ever sleep? They were narcissistic things – pretty beasts with beautiful songs that sung them only to torture humans, to rouse them from an otherwise peaceful sleep. Lucy, however, had not slept peacefully. She had a horrid dream that she had turned into a demon and could not regain her natural sense of self, and in this new, courageous body, had done unspeakable things. Unspeakable things. She sat up, shivering, cold from the reality that her dream had projected, and noticed two things was wrong with this picture.

One, she had absolutely no clothes on. She covered top up with her hands, yelling out a tiny shriek of surprise, but then noticed what else was wrong with this picture. Castien was beside her, snuggled in the bedroll, while she was naked. Her eyes widened, but Lucy had a (semi) logical mind some times, and did not panic. She did not scream, either, but took deep breaths, in an attempt to explain how in the hell this could've happened.

"It must've been cold last night," she reasoned, and smiled to herself, nodding. "That's right! It was cold, so Castien... he decided to share the bed roll with me." She shook her head at herself. "I shouldn't have taken it from him the first place, really!" She placed a hand on his shoulder, her attempt to rouse him from sleep. "Castien! What are you doing here, silly? Weren't you gonna sleep on a rock somewhere?"

She laughed – but was it because she could not remember.

[Anonymous]

He was actually awake before she woke up, but had closed his eyes because the light was blinding that morning. He had rolled onto his side facing away from her before she roused. But he stayed still as she sat up. He realized she was freaked out a bit and he waited for her to settle down. When she attempted to rouse him, he opened his eyes and looked at her. Then sat up.

"Well.. You answer that.." he said softly. He rubbed his chest. Then made sure he was covered up. "You got into my alcohol... Drank more than half. Got drunk.. then." He paused. "Well, use your imagination."

He got up, not caring he was naked, and went to get her clothes for her.

[Anonymous]

The last thing she needed first thing in the morning was a situation like this one.

What he was saying made absolutely no sense. Alcohol? She had gotten into it? How? Did he mean that gross, burning water that she had drank before going to bed? Really, that was all she could remember – a bottle of disgusting water, and then... everything after that was a blank. She furrowed her brows and pulled the bed roll up so that it covered her chest, averting her eyes as he nonchalantly stood up and wandered off.

"Alcohol?" she asked, her voice curious, and yet decidedly cautious. "You mean that stuff in the bottle you had lying around that I drank?" She bit her lip – still confused. "I remember that, yeah, but what does that have to do with anything? And – and you're..." It just clicked – he had been naked too, lying beside her. Lucy's hands shook a little, the truth of what had happened last night attempting to make its way into her brain, but with all of the sanity left in her body, she refused the thought fiercely, her eyes burning with denial.

"I can't just 'use my imagination' – I have no idea what happened!" She flailed her arms around, frustrated. "Why – why were we... Why was I..." Her hands were shaking again, and she held her head, closing her eyes. But despite everything, she would not make assumptions; she would not jump to that conclusion. "Just tell me! What happened? I can..." She bit her lip, hard, bracing herself. "I can't remember, so I have the right to know, don't I?"

[Anonymous]

He set her dress on her lap, then found his clothes and got dressed himself. Sitting on the ground next to her. He watched her hands shake for a moment, unable to think of what to say. He felt pretty bad that he didn't have more restraint.

He sighed, deciding reaching out to steady her hands would be a bad idea.. So he looked to her face and shook his head. "Sorry." He said softly. "You were so persistent and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer." He looked away. "You made me lay down with you. Then you just got on top of me and well.. we had sex."

He looked back to her face.

[Anonymous]

Her dress –in all its ribbons and splendor – was dropped on her lap, but it looked so foreign to her that she could only stare at it blankly, as her mind was still attempting to create some perfect situation that would explain just what in god's name had happened last night. So far, she had come up with nothing, and it was driving her off the wall. Castien, forever a paragon of kindness, reached out to steady her hands, and Lucy looked up at him, still biting her lip. She would've been biting her nails if she wasn't trying to keep them from shivering – to keep herself from shivering – for reality, a gust of cold, bitter wind, was definitely breezing towards her.

The water phoenix spoke in plain terms – simple, blunt, and to the point, he described in such few words what did happen last night, and Lucy knew she would never be able to forget this explanation. Last night, she had been the most unladylike lady she'd ever been – she had drank what was not water but apparently alcohol (that substance, oh, yes, she knew what that was – it made men go wild in taverns and made women loose, didn't it?) and, infatuated with either courage or craziness, had seduced Castien.

She wasn't a virgin anymore.

"W-what?" she stammered, her voice a faint whisper – cracked with the loss of her own tenacity and vibrancy. She wanted to accuse him of lying, but why would he lie? She had a hard time believing Castien would pull such a prank. But maybe he had just got things wrong? "A-are you sure?" Her voice was squeaky, uncertain. "You and I... we really... I was..." She put her hands to her head again, shutting her eyes, shaking her head.

There were too many factors to worry about. One, she was no longer the wholesome princess she prided herself on being anymore – she had been taken, she was no longer pure. Two, she had done it with the only person in this world who had the kindness to take her in – she had seduced him and practically violated him! Three, what if she hadn't been any good? What if she was horrible at it and now Castien wanted nothing to do with her?

What if he thought she was a whore?

She was shocked into silence. Lucy pressed her palms over her eyes, trying to find words, but none would come. "I'm sorry!" she finally squeaked, shaking. "I- I must've – I mean, you must not have wanted to do it – I mean, I probably wasn't very...! I'm...I mean..." She wasn't even sure what she was trying to say, or if there was anything to say anyway. Did he think badly of her? Under normal circumstances, she would never have done something so bold!

With shaky hands, she grabbed hold of her gown. She couldn't even summon up the willpower to bother changing.