What dreams may come... (private)

[Lion]

[*puts a curse on windows* Damn you Bill Gates!]

He felt a tickling sensation on his chest that slowly dragged Ralen back to surface, swimming up from beneath the depths of the sleep's oceans.  As he returned to consciousness, his eyelids sealed shut, he found his body aching and his mouth sore.  Suddenly it was all coming back to him in small fragments of perceivable memory.  His eyelids slid open, turning his stiffened neck to his left to examine the weight of a body he felt beside him.  

As his recollection hit him like a sack of stones, he grinned a small smile at the now sleeping body of Satu, the gentle rainstorm that pattered against the pane of the windows, reminding him of the tears of the previous night.  His brain, now returned to its normal poetic and jovial state, worked in flashes, some parts focusing on the exhaustion his body took on and others noting the indiscreet happiness just looking at her brought him.  Putting an arm around her, leaning over to peck her forehead then hold her in his arms.

She was the one.  His lifemate and his alone, just as he belonged to her in every way imaginable.  But as he looked at her he was surprised to realize that no woman had ever been able to make him hurt as much as she had.  Now that he pondered about it, he found it very hard to believe that she didn't know what to do.  But perhaps it was pure instinct and emotion that drove them on through that wild and mad night, the innate need for one another.  Whatever the cause, Ralen was glad it had happened.  He finally could end his frantic search.  He could be content.

But would fate let him?

[Marchalt will be entering into her own scenes soon.]

[Anonymous]

((Hooray! Conflict! xD And...SERVES YOU RIGHT, Bill Gates! D8<))

Unconsciously, she began to smile in her sleep at the soft, slightly damp sensation on her forehead. Good morning to you, too, she thought with a serenity she never thought existed. Her eyes gently fluttered open, her body still tired and unable to move around too much from the previous night. She glanced up at him and began blushing all over again, giggling at him.

She nuzzled her nose into his chest, taking in his scent. She wondered if she still smelled like spices--that's what her mother and father used to say when they held her when she was a young girl. Spices used in cider like cloves and cinnamon. The thought of wassail began to creep behind the thought of cinnamon and cloves, causing her to lick the front of her lips quickly. "Did you sleep all right?" Satu finally felt rested--after four days with no sleep, she was finally set free through the power of rest.

...No harm in trying. Out of curiosity, she lifted one leg slowly to see if she would be able to rise. Her leg quivered under the covers as if she had weights hanging from every portion of it. She finally set it down, her leg seeming to sigh with relief as it relaxed against the bed. "I can't move," she said into his chest with a smile.

[Lion]

Wrapping her tightly in his arms, Ralen smiled down at her as she nuzzled against his chest, his chest muscles creating a pillow-like surface for her to rest on.  "Good morning," he said softly, kissing her forehead once again.  If he hadn't stretched with all that jumping around from rooftop to rooftop the night before, he'd no doubt have a cramp to deal with now.  Thankfully, however, only his every muscle ached in exhaustion and no cramps came to plague him.  Comfort and rest seeped into him as he held her, as if all he had to do was be close to her and all the pain he felt would simply disappear.

He had been insane to think he could possibly be satisfied with someone like Lady Marchalt.  Through their entire courtship there was something that he found lacking in their relationship.  And at the time he could not find a name for it.  But now as he considered his continually growing fondness for Satu and burning of his love for her, he found that it was these feelings exactly in which Ms. Marchalt lacked and which Satu bore.  She was a taker, a coveter, a thief of sorts, a desirer of material things that drove her want what she could not have.

She would not have him.  

"Of course I did.  With you beside me, I always will," he replied snuggling his nose into her soft auburn locks.  Her scent sent him reeling, cloves and cinnamon with a little something added extra.  Sugar?  It was sweet and good, this scent.  A small chuckle escaped from his throat as she said that she could not move.  "Weariness might be the price of great happiness," he laughed.  "Besides I don't want you to move.  Stay here in the bed with me.  It's raining like hell outside, a warm blanket and someone to share that warmth with is nice isn't it?"

~
Two men who loved her?  Two!  The prospect sent vicious quivers down Lady Madeline Marchalt's spine as she stretched out into onto the silks sheets of her massive four poster bed, the naked body of her husband beside her.  True she was a fickle woman, one who got what she wanted when she wanted it and her husband was a man to match her desires.  Though she couldn't help but feel that connection she once had for him seem to dissolve into thin air.  And the bond she felt she needed, she had gotten from Ralen.

Did she love him?  She didn't know.  But she did know that she wanted him and she always got what she wanted.

[Err, crappy.  Sorry for the crapola.]

[Anonymous]

((Nah, it's not crappy. ^-^ I liked it!))

Satu's mind went sailing without warning, as if she'd stood up too quickly and had become lightheaded. She noticed that Ralen had stuck his nose into her hair--perhaps he was smelling what her parents used to smell. She smiled at this and let him enjoy it, getting used to the feel of him holding her, snuggling with her.

Lifting her leg again, she listened as he asked her to stay in bed. At the sight--and sound--of her heavy leg hitting the bed after only seconds of being held up in the air, it looked as if she had no other choice. But that didn't bother her at all. She nodded at him and set her head on the down pillow, looking up into his green eyes.

An overprotective thought crept into her mind and she blinked it back. Now, where did that come from? True, Satu was protective of the ones she loved, but that sort of protective nature rarely ever made itself known in her life. This type of protectiveness was the kind where she would give her life up just for one thing. Ralen, hands down, was first on this overprotected list. Her brother came second--he could fend for himself pretty well, after all.

She remembered how antsy she would be whenever her brother ran across a young lady who took his attention for the day--afraid of him being hurt, she would pretend that she took a major fall (or something of the equivalent) so he wouldn't have to experience anything like heartbreak. He'd experienced enough as it was. He didn't need heartbreak on his mind as well.

Reaching up, she cupped Ralen's cheek in her hand, not paying her burning cheeks any mind. Pulling herself up with her free arm she gave him a soft kiss, soothed by his touch, his smell, his laugh, mixed with the sound of the rain, the warmth of the sheets, the lighting in the room.

((Um...I couldn't think of an ending sentence, so...*awkward* xD; Sorry.))

[Lion]

[Thanks, but I just don't seem to be up to my potential lately.  I remember when I was twelve, I could write with such eloquence it was sickening.  Ehh, I'll get those days back.  I can feel it in my blood.]

Madeline Marchalt couldn't help it.  If she wanted Ralen so much, what was she going to do with Bion, whose only crime was loving her too much?  But in her heart now, she felt no regard toward him, not the affection she held for him in their brief courtship.  Even as she gazed at her husband now, who had made such passionate love to her upon his return from court, her mind swiftly plotted in different ways to get rid of him.  Death was the first option, but that notion was quickly swiped from her mind when she reminded herself that she was fickle not a murderer.  "What about divorce?" her shouldered devil offered her, twisting his imaginary mustache.

Yes, she replied in thought.  That just might work.  There had to be a way, and when she was this determined she always found a way.  But what would she divorce him for?  Infidelity was out of the question, Bion had been faithful not only toward her but toward his reputation.  Marital neglect was a plausible possibility, but she was suddenly overcome by such great exhaustion she allowed her lithe body to slump down on the mattress and continue her into her thoughts on her back.

~
Ralen turn on his shoulder to better face her as she laid her head on the lawn white pillows.  For such a humble place, it proved to be increasingly comfortable.  When she relaxed a bit more, he pulled the covers up to his shoulders, then allowing himself to receive her tender kiss.

In all his years, he had loved and been loved in the physical manner, but hardly ever in an as emotional a state as this.  Yes, he wanted her but his desire, having been quenched, was in his reign of sanity now.  He was a romantic at heart and needed to be able to show his love.  Paper and poetry were one thing and experiencing this such release of feeling was quite another.  Her touch made him feel at ease, at one with her, the feeling of true love and peace washing over him like an ocean at high tide.  He wanted to hold her, love her, and, first and foremost, protect her.

[wow, it's really bad today, but I guess that's just because it's late and I really want to got to sleep.  *catches z's on keyboard*]

[Anonymous]

((Aww, it's okay. At least you know what to write down next. xP I have no clue! Gimme some options, perhaps? Like, maybe we skip into a few hours into the storm? When they can move?...er somethin'?))

[Lion]

[Skipping seems like a pretty good idea to me.  At this moment I can't think of many options to offer you because I was blinded by the amount of steam that fogged up their bedroom window.  As a kind of embarrassing/amusing scene, what if somebody walks in on them?]

[Anonymous]

((Ahaha! That'd be wonderful! Looking back on the past posts, Satu did have a deal with the owner of the inn--she was supposedly going to reward him for giving her a free room. So maybe he could walk in.))

[Lion]

[That would be funny.  His face could be all like, "WHAT THE HELL!!"  Sounds like a plan.  I say go for it.]

[Anonymous]

((Haha! Okay.))

Being in Ralen's arms like this would have easily put her to sleep, but she just couldn't pull her eyes away from him. Snuggling even farther down the covers, she looked up at him, blue eyes blazing with a dazed, sleepy look.

She heard a rustling outside in the hallway, the sound of robes gliding across fine carpet. Satu jumped slightly at her vulnerability--she would have been ready to defend herself had her kamas not been carefully hidden over there, her clothes dashed hither and thither, and a man
holding her down in bed. Plus, she couldn't move very much.

Whoever was wearing the robes knocked on the door very softly. "Madam?" Came a high, raspy voice, the surface of this man's leering and lecherous nature. "It is past morning--you promised that I could come and see you, remember?" His voice made her hackles rise--ugh, it was awful. And when he used that sing-songy voice...it made it all the worse.

Satu said nothing in response.

The man knocked again. "Are you sleeping? Well, I'll just have to wake you with a little surprise, then." With a chuckle he unlocked the door and stepped in, only to stare in vague surprise at the two Carpathians surrounded by clothing. The man was about as tall as Satu's belly button, hunched over with scaly skin covering his body. He wore a green satin robe, the belt pulled off for--immediate use, shall we say. A very light hint of a blush covered his entire head--bald, warty scalp and all--before he turned his head with disgust. "My, my. Seems you've been busy."

It was Satu's turn to blush, clenching her fists to keep herself from jumping up to give him a good one-two across the face.

[Lion]

Ralen was lost in Satu's eyes; lost in what he saw there.  It was a look that he could describe only as a dream-like state, dazed and a bit sleepy from what he could tell.  Perhaps a little worn out from the night, but that was common.  Adoration swelled in his chest, and he was so enamored with what he saw as he gazed deeply into her eyes he did not even hear the scuffling and sliding of robes nearing their bedroom door.

However, his attention was caught when he heard the hoarse voice, thick with lust as deep as a lake.  It was a courteous knock, but the man's voice did no sound like it wanted to come in to bring in a friendly breakfast or fix the bed.  "What the-" Ralen whispered harshly, putting a confused hand to his sturdy chin.  He turned his head towards the door expectantly, trying to hold back a laugh.  He was also aware of the heat rising in Satu as she became all the more annoyed by the frivolous sing song of the man.

With a click and tumble the door was unlocked, and entered the smallest, most morose looking creature Ralen ever had the misfortune to lay eyes on.  He looked like a tiny little dragon in fancy, silk robes; he could hardly call him a man.  As the flush formed over the little man's face, Ralen felt that instinctive need to protect come over him causing him to pull the cover further up on Satu's shoulders.  Then, that laughter that had been restrained, escaped the recesses of his throat in a low chuckle as he started blankly at the man.  When the last droplets of amusement had seeped from him, Ralen saw the slight flush that touch his face turn to seething embarrassment.

"Yes, I do believe busy is the right word," his voice now lacked complete amusement and was filled with a stern disposition, growing more serious by the word.  "Now, would you please excuse us and leave.  Do us a favor and close the door on your way out."  Ralen was completely annoyed now, even more so that if he had to argue he would probably have to do it naked.  It probably would not be a very appealing situation to have to be clobbered by a naked man.

[Anonymous]

Satu jumped at the feel of the covers covering her shoulders and smiled up at Ralen a moment before pulling them tighter around her body. She watched the little man as he grappled for words as Ralen laughed.

The dragon-skinned man looked somewhat offended at Ralen, looking from the door to Satu, to Ralen, and back to the door again. "As the owner of this inn, I have sayso in this. Not only that, but I take all sorts of contracts and promises. And our contract, m'lady," he growled, looking over Satu, "is still in effect. Now, once this boy leaves...where shall I begin?"

A hiss escaped Satu's mouth, frightening the unsightly man only a tad. "You can begin in one of two ways: you can begin by leaving, or you can begin by picking your teeth up off the floor."

"Why you--! What's wrong with...your teeth?"

"You didn't notice earlier?" Her hiss became more menacing, baring her small but sharpened canines.

"A...vampire!"

"Stupid old goat. I'm a Carpathian. But I am getting hungry. And you could be my next meal. How 'bout it, inn-keeper?"

The owner of the inn, paling with every word she said, clenched his fists and ducked his head as if she were going to throw something at him. Unable to restrain himself, he pulled out a very small whip from a belt loop from his shorts hidden underneath his silky robe. "Out! Both of you! You've successfully disturbed the peace here and that gives me the right to get rid of you one way or another!"

Satu was suddenly off. She had stealthily made her way around the room, putting her clothes back on, sucking up the energy to move from her rising adrenaline, and, finally, crouched beside her kamas. Once she reached her kamas, she was finally able to be seen. The man looked about for her, cracking his whip once. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Whirling around on his ugly heel, he strode over to Satu at a fast pace, speaking as though she were a child needing discipline. Calmly, Satu pulled out a kama and slowly put it to the man's throat. "I will easily get rid of you, sir...and you know what? No one would do a thing about it. You do know why, don't you?"

Frozen in mid-step, the man shivered as he began to stutter, "Specter!"

Satu gave him a sickeningly sly smile, showing her canines again in the process. "That's right, sweetie pie. Now unless you wish to be hurt, I suggest you leave. Oh," she added, stopping him from running out the door for just a moment. "and don't think of telling anyone. My brother is listening--always and forever listening." Without a word, the inn-keeper fled from the room, tossing his whip to the ground, leaving the door open behind him.

Satu waited a moment before she, arms folded, headed slowly and lazily to the door and shut it again, locking it with a loud click. Eyes still closed, she smiled. "Honestly, some people just don't know their boundaries."

[Lion]

A clever smirk touched Ralen's lips as he watched the scene, amused and astonished at the same time.  The gall the little dragon man had to want to throw them out; all the while it was he who had accosted them in the first place, interrupting what might have been... well a busy moment.  He had a strong urge to tear the little bugger's face off or hit him so hard he'll think it's last week.  But he was a bit surprised to find himself relieved that Satu had taken care of the problem for him.  As a gentleman, of course he did not want to have his hands covered in blood, though sometimes, in order to defend himself or those he cared for, a gentleman didn't have a choice.

He chuckled softly as she closed the door with a satisfying click.  He watched with glittering eyes her stand by the door.  Indeed he hadn't noticed her fangs much but the fear that had slightly grown on the little dragon man's face.  Now that he thought about it, eating such a disgusting looking creature didn't seem very appealing to him.  Nor as appetizing.  Some creatures have been known to have poison in their blood, poison just waiting to infect the next predator ready to sink their teeth into them.  And Ralen, having never seen a creature like the inn-keeper before, could not be too sure.

"I couldn't agree more," Ralen said, smiling as he rose from the bed, holding the sheet around his waist like a kilt.  Knotting it in the right place so that it would no fall from his hips he approached Satu and braced his hands around her face, resting his lips on her forehead in a soft kiss.  Little by little, Ralen was becoming more and more comfortable with expressing his emotion for Satu.  Holding his forehead to hers, he uttered sincerely, "You have no idea how much I love you.  Thank you..."

~
The storm was lessening a bit now as Madeline sat at her vanity mirror, applying her rouge, lipstick and various other applications that made most men weak-kneed for her.  It certainly worked on her husband.  Earlier that morning, even as Bion stilled lied in her bed, she had her lady-in-waiting wash and perfect her hair as quietly as possible as to not wake him.  She had decided what she was going to do when her husband awoke.  She was going to tell him that she wanted a divorce.  She did not care how he would take the news, she did not know or care how much he loved and pined for her, but she no longer felt any satisfaction from him.  It seemed he had become just another routine in her daily life, another repetitive bore.

[Anonymous]

((GAAAAAH! D: I have slept on this...and slept on this...and slept on this...and I am complETEly...out of Satu Muse Juice. >_____< Should we skip farther?))

[Lion]

[Well, don't kill yourself about it!  Actually, I must admit that it's my fault.  I'm not leaving you with enough material to reply to.  Skipping ahead is actually just what I had in mind.  Perhaps when the time is much closer to night, Ralen will realize he has nearly spent an entire day without being seen or heard from at his manor and his head servant will begin to worry.  He'll head home (Satu can come is she likes) only to be surprised by Lady Marchalt with the news that she is going to divorce her husband.]

[Anonymous]

((That....sounds...PERFECT! >w< You start it off, you'll have more to work with than me.

And don't worry--sleeping on it doesn't kill me as much as it does refresh me. *nods*))

[Anonymous]

(( o-o; Is it actually my turn?))

[Anonymous]

omg that was long!

[Lion]

[Ahh! Sorry for not replying, my cpu was getting repaired and all that jazz and my only access to the site was through the internet on my cell and it sucks worse then my vacuum.  In short, I could get online but my posting very limited.

I'll take it from here if you would like but I have to rest on it because it's late and I'm exhausted after lugging around a desktop all around Fry's Electonics for three days.  Don't worry I'll reply as soon as I can.]

[Anonymous]

((Awww, that's okay. I was wondering after I posted that question if your computer decided to fizz out on you. But okay! Get some rest! And...you were reading the RP, Vath? O_o;; I don't...know whether to be flattered or embarrassed. ^-^; ))