Diamonds and Dragons (M)

[Lion]

Doryx groaned in frustration when Devaniée pulled away from him and he curled up in the sheets, before taking a pillow and propping himself up to look at her as she came back with the wrapped package that she presented him as she curled up beside him again.  "Oh, my, a gift for me?" he asked, smilng at her as he saw up more.  He carefully pulled at the wax paper, uncurling the folds and setting the paper off to the side.

As soon as he saw the painting he gasped in pleasant surprise, looking at the flowers in the painting, how beautifully done they were.  "My, the soul flower?  I remember this.  You wore one of these in your hair when we met at that one ball in Jadenshine.  And this flower, that blue one, the Rainwater Rose," he said, smiling.  "I love this.  I'm going to put this in my study when we come back.  I'll frame it properly.  Why did you paint this for me, I'm curious?"

[visualspice]

"When I was in town I met a man," she began, her fingers lacing into his. "This old man, you know, the type wrinkled from age but always smiling. He was just closing his paint shop when he noticed me staring in his window. He let me come in and showed me all of his paintings. THey were beautiful and he had the most wonderful story about them. He said he painted all of them while thinking of his wife, in tribute to her." Though her tone was soft, warm; towards the end she felt herself tear up a little, bashful that she felt this way, but it was her true emotions, raw and powerful, and she didn't want to stifle them- not after all that had been happening. She needed them to breath, and they were breathing well now.
She squeeze dhis hand and continued, finally looking up into his eyes and smiling. "It didn't take long to paint, but I felt inspired by his story. And guilty. I never had painted anything for us, not really, not lately anyways. I want my paintings to mean more than they do. Most I did out of frustration and were ugly. But this.. It's simple, and beautiful, with simple strokes. I just ... it sort of came out. I saw it there and there it was. I tried to give it to the man a thanks, but he wouldn't ahve it. So I want you to have it. And I would be delighted if you'd place it in your study." her cheeks flushed. "And maybe when we return, I can paint you even more."
And she delicately reached a hand out to stroke his hair, inadvertently getting his long locks stuck in the dragon amulet on her wrist she had nearly forgotten about until that instant.
And when her eyes fell upon it, the light in her eyes dimmed and she grew quiet.

[Lion]

Doryx's smile grew wider and wider as she went on, telling him the story of the man.  It was quite endearing really and he looked back at the painting as she traced his face.  Placing it back on the nightstand by his pocket watch and booklet he looked at her with a half-lidded gaze.  When he saw the light dim from her eyes, his smile faded only slightly and he did not let that faze him.

"I love it, I really do.  And I'm honored to be the object of your affections.  I couldn't believe I married somebody like you.  You must have had suitors coming out of your ears," he whispered to her affectionately, burying his face into her neck.  "I want to let you in on a little secret, dear.  Just wait a moment."

Doryx kissed her one last time on her chin before climbing over her from the bed and scurrying over to his bag.  He opened it up and pulled out a wrapped piece of something long and flat, about the size of the canvas she brought in and another leather case, rolled into itself.  Moving back to the bed, he sat down beside her and set the things beside him, pulling off the wrapping and revealing a small board canvas, three of them to be precise, and unfurled the small case of paints and brushes.  "I thought being away from your tower for two weeks and then some would be far too long and took these things from your room there for the time being.  We can wake early in the morning and perhaps you can paint me.  I love the way you paint."

[visualspice]

Devaniée couldn't believe it, and sat there, totally stunned as the canvas and painting supplies were set before her. THen at his words, she looked up at him, tears sparkling lovingly in her eyes as she choked on her own joke, "Only a few hundred suitors coming out of my ears." She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight.
"Oh thank you, Doryx. I love it." and she kissed him long but soft upon his lips, pouring all of her love through it. Then moving down to look at them, she carefully opened one cup of paint, smiling as she looked down at the quality of paints inside and then looked up at him and suddenly, after having discretely dipping one finger in the paint cup, she now drew a line of red paint down his face (on his nose) and laughed.
"Why don't you let me paint you now?" she said, laughing while pressing more lines across his cheeks before pressing a single dot at the tip of his nose. She wrinkled her nose, shrugging up her shoulders in glee at the silly way it looked upon his face.
"You will make quite a handsome canvas if you let me try it again. I think I could get it right this time agian.." and she moved to scoop yellow paint onto her fingers, and now armed with more paint, she threatened to move forward and smear more of it along his face, neck and chest.

[Lion]

Doryx laughed out, unable to contain himself as she smeared paint on his nose.  "I knew you couldn't wait until morning.  But it is past midnight already so perhaps I can make an exception.  Do be careful, Vaniee, this room is rather expensive, I'd hate to - Gods, what are you doing!?"  Doryx grinned at her as she threatened to smear him with paint, eyes wide.

He moved away from her and into the corner, eyes like a hawk, legs poised for the chase.  "Oh, no you don't!  If you think you're going to get that paint on me, you've got another thing coming." he said, running around the bed.

[visualspice]

Devaniée stood up on the bed, grinning like a fox as her fingers wriggled threatening with paint.
"Whatever do you mean darling? I thought you wanted to help me with my art!" and she leapt after him, chasing him around the bed, knocking over a can of paint in the process, which made her scream.
"Not! Not the blue!" But where it looked like she might have been crying as she cradled the paint jar in her hand, she only used it to deter Doryx from her scent, so when it seemed he might hesitate in his attempt to escape, she was all over him- or rather the blue paint was, as she childishly thrust it in his direction, a blob of blue paint sailing into the air, aiming for his face.

[Lion]

"Oh, darling I'm so sorry!" Doryx said, stopping for the briefest second as she kicked over the small can of paint.  He almost knelt down to help her when something came sailing into his face.

Doryx wasn't prepared for the paint that came sailing toward his face and he closed his eyes just in time to keep it from getting into his eyes and mouth, splattering all through his hair and down his neck.  His hands covered his face and wiped the paint from his face, spreading it all over his hand, and he stood there with a wry grin on his face.

"You have good aim!" he said, smiling at her.  "But I think you missed a spot right there!"  Doryx lunged at her and splayed his hands all over her face, trying to kiss her with his painted lips.

[visualspice]

Devaniée let out a scream after her face had bee smeared thoroughly with his painted hand, then flinched back, stumbling onto her ass on the floor beneath him as she advanced upon her, intending to give her a painted kiss.
"Ah! Doryx!" she squealed, laughing while trying to keep him from kissing her face. She shook her head, squishing her lips together and trying to avoid each and every kiss he'd try, getting his painted blue lips through her hair many times and soiling the one brilliant and clean vanilla hair with color.
"Ah! NO!" she said, finally managing to pull away, grabbing the green paint can up and armed herself with a brush and dipped it in and as she rose to her feet, she held it out threateningly.
"Now,"s he began, shoulder hunched, chest heaving with breath as her bare feet gripped into the floor boards, tense and ready in case she needed to strike. "Now be a good husband and stay right where you are or you'll get a nice green mustache... on your butt!" and she attempted, with all of her might, to dash behind him, aiming the green tip of the paint brush for the back of his pants.

[Lion]

"Oh, you'd like that wouldn't you!?" Doryx exclaimed as he stood up from the ground, cleaning his blue hands on his chest then wiping his cheeks again, making his skin a light shade of cerulean as he grinned at her menacingly.  "You think that little can of paint is going to keep me from smearing you full of this lovely shade of blue.  My it is certainly you're color!"

He nearly lunged at her again, trying to skirt around her and take her from behind.  He side-stepped around her and knelt down taking his arms around her legs, pulling her down with him, smothering her with the paint all over his chest.  His free arm grabbed a can of red pain and he popped the top off with his mouth and tried to pour it all over her chest.

[visualspice]

"D-Doryx!" she laughed, dropping the paint brush after barely getting one stroke across his cheek. She was back on the floor, the wind knocked out of her as her husband pressed his body upon her. She lit up like a flame, a fire burning between her legs and inside her heart and when her air returned to her, she was laughing, but then at the sight of the red paint can her eyes went wide.

"Doryx! No!" But it was too late as red paint now thickly lathered her chest. She squirmed at the sensation, then took her hands, rubbed them all over her chest (and forcing herself to have a bit of temporarily squished cleavage for a show) and then took her red, painted hands and pressed them to his cheeks, laughing before dragging her fingers into his dark hair and then feathering her hands out. She grinned up at him proudly, then took his hands and pressed them over her chest.

"You'd better help clean up this mess!"s he siad, her hair a mess about her, half covering one of her eyes while the rest lay in a scattered mess around her- most of it still blonde, but blobs of color streaked it here and there as she laughed at him and wrapped her legs around him, hands meeting to his cheeks again as she pulled his face to hers and kissed him fierce.

[Lion]

Doryx was laughing too hard to kiss her properly, his couldn't concentrate on the fact that she was kissing him so hotly.  "I would but you've hardly yet to decorate you properly," he said, running paint all along her face.  He sat up on his knees between her legs and rubbed the paint along her chest, laughing still before taking that same paint and running down his chest and down this belly.

He lifted her gown just a little, pushing it above her belly and painting his lips red before he lowered his face down to he stomach, kissing it softly.  He sat up, red-lipped and blue-faced.  "Now THAT  is art!' sputtering with laughter.

[visualspice]

She couldn't believe him! But leave it to her husband to get in the last laugh. She only smirked at him, looking at his face as she shook her head and sat up on her elbows, blowing a lock of blonde painted hair from her face.
"Just come here.." she said, lifting herself up and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him ontop of her, kissing him passionately while her hands smoothed up his shirt. "I want to make love to you." she said, her lilac eyes sparkling as her fingers slipped beneath his clothes. "Like we used to. Do you remember that one night in the tower?" she asked, lips moving to his neck and kissing warm, kissing soft.

[Lion]

His laughter was insatiable and he couldn't stop grinning as she pulled him down on top of her, giggling against her lips as she tasted him, licking the red paint off her and there.  "Remember?  How could I forget?  I mean there are a few details here and there that may have slipped my mind.  Why don't you enlighten me?" he said, tasting her lips at last, but all the while his whole body shook in laughter that was dying to get out.

"I think we ruined that deposit on the sheets," he said, laughing.  "The carpet fared no better.  But enough of money and taxes.  What ever could have brought on such a thrilling memory?"  His words were half-curious and half-taunting.  "It couldn't have been the paint was it?  Maybe it was the fact that you lost yet again."

[visualspice]

Devaniée grinned up at her husband, trying to pout.
"Why ever would you think I've lost?" She leaned up and kissed him. "I was thinking about it earlier today.." She told him, a finger moving his dark hair away as lips met to his ear, tongue moving across it. "The old man's story was touching. It made me miss you.." she slid back under him, hands sliding across his chest as she looked up at him more seriously. "I missed us."

[Lion]

"Oh, really?" Doryx murmured, visibly shivering as her mouth splayed itself hotly across his ear.  Feeling his laughter subside, but not his grins, he buries his face into her neck, rubbing paint all across it, kissing what few clean spots there were, pressing his lips warmly against her sensitive pulse points.  "Why do you push me away them?" he said, kissing her softly, unable to help himself and the question.  "Don't you know I always want you?  Why do you deny me so, make me feel like the very sight of me disgusts you?"

[visualspice]

Devaniée was heated by her lust, her desire for her husband making her feel drunk, though when the question came, it came like a dream. Or rather a nightmare. She found herself recalling all of those nights alone, and in an instant, the feelings that came with it all slammed into her. Hard.
She choked once, on a single sob, a single breath as her eyes fluttered with tears.
What had, at one moment, they been so happy and tender and right, now turned into a puddle of mud? And she couldn't answer him, only finding herself choked on despair.Why would he ask such a question at such a moment? She shook her head, eyes looking into his as a few warm tears slid down her cheeks.

"Because you would never want me." she told him, lips quivering. "You're always so far away, leaving me alone, and I find myself forgetting who I am around you. I feel like a stranger. I act like one." She turned away, rolling to herself and pushing herself so she was on her knees, hair hiding her face. "You wouldn't understand. You go everywhere, do everything." She said, trying to compose herself, sniffling a little as she moved to start gathering all of the small paint can lids in attempt to clean up their mess, or at least start to.

[Lion]

Doryx watched as the wetness of her tears cut through the paint that was trying to dry on her cheeks.  He moved away from her as she pulled away, letting her get on her knees and try to clean up their mess.  But by instinct he moved behind her and pulled her close to him, putting his arms around her waist.  "Come here," he said, leaning his head over her shoulder.  "I think I've understood quite well.  Why wouldn't I want you?  You're my wife, the only woman I've ever truly desired.  If you go away now, we might as well turn back and go straight home.  But i can't allow that.  I've already paid for the room after all.

"Devaniée, don't push me away like you're doing now, letting yourself drown in sorrow.  Just kiss me and let us go to bed together like we ought to.  I didn't marry you because I wanted a trophy to be kept on a pedestal, I married you because I love you.  I married you because I knew you would be a woman I'd always want.  Don't push me away.  You can show me who you really are.  You can't know I won't love you unless you show me.  If you want me, take me now.  I'm yours.  Always and forever."

[But I still love technology!  Always and forever]

[visualspice]

OOC: lol

At first, she tensed beneath his embrace, but after a time, she felt herself beginning to lose control and weep, and leaned back into him, closing her eyes as her cheek met to his.
"Oh, Doryx," she began, her lower lip quivering as she turned around to look at him, running a hand through his dark hair and pulling it away from his eyes. Upon seeing his silly painted face, she couldn't help but smile, despite their current situation as her heart was twisting inside.

"If only you knew, if only I could tell you. BUt you won't like what I have to say." she paused, another fat tear rolling down her cheek as she lifted a trembling hand and delicately traced her fingers across his lips, his face. "Because all I wanted to be was to be perfect for you. That's all I learned to do when I was growing up. It's what I was bred for." She smiled, and it shook. "But I'm not." She looked away, throwing her arms angrily at the ground, and in doing so, throwing the can of green paint she had been holding. "I'm not! I'm not!" She shook her head, looking away from him in shame.

"Doryx, I don't just like to paint,"s he told him, looking up from the floor. "Painting was always a hobby I had, the only thing my mother let me do that I enjoyed." She smirked sadly at the memory. "I like to read. I like to learn...." She turned to peer over at Doryx from her shoulder, but her smile faded and turne into a frown when she looked away.
"I've read every single book in my mother's library when I grew up. Heck, I even read all of yours. Even your research papers, all of it, someof your letters even...." She ran a trembling hand through her hair, shaking her head.
"Dorxy, Heck I even read the languages I didn't know!"she stood up now and began to pace. "I was so bored, but I wanted to learn!" she told him, turning back around and walking straight up to him, desperation in her eyes. "I wanted to understand. I wanted to dream, to see what you see, to do what you do, to get away from this place and the only way I could do it was through books and painting and dreaming and crying and..."
She looked away, hands curled at the tip of her chin as hot tears sparkled inside her eyes.
"Please," she began softly, after a time, turning back to him as tears streamed down her face. "Don't hate me, please don;t." She shook her head, hot tears, a hot mess. Then she held out her wrist, showing him the bracelet that was wrapped tightly around her wrist.

"Doryx....I KNEW even about this!"s he sobbed, arms trembling. "I should have known better! I read the scrolls, the documents. The red star.... I knew about it! I could have made the connection! I had it all decyphered! But I was ignorant... And the connection to the dragon,.. it.. it all makes perfect sense!" she hiccoughed through more tears and turned away from him, hugging her arms around herself as she cried..
"I twas all in the text, Doryx. The text and I-" she shook her head, folding inside herself and just sobbed, unable to speak anymore as she curled a hand over her lips and began to cry.

[Lion]

Doryx sat back at the revelation, as she broke down in front of him, baring the barest most naked part of her soul and in that drowning in a sorrow even he had never seen.  He didn't know what to say, but he didn't have to say anything as she continued to do all the talking.  But indeed it was all starting to make sense now and he had to let her be, let her get it out before he even moved an inch closer to her.  And when at long last she fell to the floor, amidst her own puddle of paint and everything was all falling together.

Doryx looked at her once more time before moving closer to her.  He didn't say a word and just picked her up from the ground, scooping her up like a small child, cradling her in his arms as he moved her toward the sheets.  "Sh, sh, sh, sh," he said, laying her down across the clean part of the bed.  "If you want to know what I think," Doryx began, moving over her to lay by her side.  "I think we need to get to that ball right away and show all the other High Lords and Ladies just what a real married couple is made of.  He just hugged her close to him, burying her wet face into the paint along his chest.

"You are perfect," he whispered to her, brushing her hair away.  "You're my perfect Devaniée, that's all I ever wanted you to be.  But now you realize that means I expect you to help in my research now.  I can't go around having a smart wife who won't even put her brain to work now.  See this learning thing?  It's a double-edged sword really.  You won't have time to paint anymore.  You'll be giving plenty of speeches at the schools all across the province and you'll have to start practicing your magic.  I can't have you helpless when I take you on my expeditions.  Do you realize how bad that would look?  The High Lord of the Province of Magic and his own wife can't even fire a simple ice spell?  Now, you've just thrown yourself into a whole heap of trouble.  You'll never be able to sleep, you'll be so busy.  But that's the way it should be.  You are my perfect Devaniée after all.  Made just for me."

[visualspice]

"But.."
She gasped.
"You're.."
She tried to breath.
"Not..."
She hiccoughed.
"Angry?"
Tears were streaming down her face, her lips pursed and open. She found herself unable to utter a single sound, her body frozen, her mind numb as her mind raced over everything he had said.
Then a smile cracked upon her lips, eyes blurring before suddenly she fell away into a terrible wailing fit of sobs.