II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
-
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Active (1X1 Tea Party) [The Republic - The Winter Cottage in the foothills] - After the Tempests
- Thread starter Irihi
- Start date
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron didn’t like the idea of using Lauren as bait, but there was not time to argue the point or come up with a new plan. “Okay, be careful! He said, spreading his wings, crouching and then leaping skyward, his downwash blowing a cloud of snow outward in all directions from where he and Lauren had conferenced. Aviating amidst the trees was no mean feat, but Cahron was a competent flyer experienced with maneuvering in tight quarters. He scooped a handful of slush from a branch as he ascended, pushing over and flying a little downstream. He flipped inverted and pulled a half-loop and rolled into a heads-up orientation, winging back toward the bridge where Catston was stalking toward Lauren.
(Sour)Puss in BootsThe beastman dropped to all fours, getting his claws into the wood at last, and crawling toward Lauren on all fours. ”Your coward boyfriend flew off!” He growled. ”What are you going to do now b--PFAFF!” His growled threats were interrupted by getting a snowball in the kisser. Shaking off the powder, he (unwisely) advanced toward Lauren, likely underestimating her ability to defend herself.
That glowy magic shield was a neat trick, but it seemed like she could only manifest it in one direction. All he had to do was knock those skinny metal arm--
Cahron“Here, kitty kitty!” Cahron crowed as he winged in, launching the snowball he had packed at Catston’s face. Snow was followed by foot as Cahron shifted into a literal flying kick that would see him pile into the felinoid, his momentum carrying them both off the ice-covered bridge, even though Catston’s claws left score marks in the wood as he tried desperately to avoid a dip in the stream.
Cahron could fly. Catston could also fly; just not in any direction that was not down, where the icy waters of the creek were waiting.
Cahron pulled up and away from the falling beastman, stalled and alighted next to Lauren. Together, the pair watched Catston thrashing and sputtering in the shallow frigid waters. ”Seems like our work here is done,” Cahron opined. “Wanna leave that strange furry fish to his swim and head for home?” He suggested, putting an arm around Lauren’s waist.
Even a fur-clad felinoid was going to have a rough time of it when soaked through, as Catston was. Cahron had no desire to get into an actual fight with the burly beastman, and the timer in his head--that he set for keeping Lauren from getting too chilled--was telling him they ought to head out, rather than waste any more time playing with kitty. The Aerial hoped that, even if he were enraged by the outcome of their spat, Catston wasn’t willing to risk dying of hypothermia, pursuing the couple further into the woods.
Summary;
Cahron and Lauren knock Catston into the stream.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron jogged along with Lauren through the twilit woods. It was not exactly the romantic stroll he might have wished for, but there were more important concerns than flirting; Lauren was very susceptible to cold, and he thought maybe she’d mentioned something about wolves.
Better wolves than goblins Cahron thought to himself, then said as much to Lauren. He was a flyer, and running barely taxed his cardiovascular capacity, so there was no panting as he spoke. “You said something about wolves? Better them than Goblins, in my opinion. I caught a poisoned arrow from those little green so-and-sos.” He grimaced and shifted the package he was carrying. ”That was just about the end of me. At least wolves can be reasoned with.” He said, possibly drawing a quizical glance from Lauren.
Rather than explain himself, Cahron quieted for a while. His thoughts had shifted to keeping Lauren warm--or getting to her home before she became so chilled. From there, they progressed to wondering why she dwelled in such cold environs in the first place. That segued into imagining taking her on a tropical journey and then Cahron got a little lost imagining Lauren in a bikini. He glanced over at his running partner with a wolfish grin, but said nothing about what was on his mind.
TimberwolvesUnbeknownst to the pair--or at least to Cahron--an even more wolfish grin was dogging their heels as a pack of timberwolves picked up, first their scent, then the sounds, and finally sight of the pair of runners. Whereas they might have left a human and a fae alone, opting for easier targets, the motion of running triggered a predatory response in the small wolfpack, and they began pacing the pair, eventually becoming obvious as they surrounded and closed in on the jogging couple.
Eventually, if they did not see the wolves and stop earlier, the five-wolf pack would draw close enough to Lauren and Cahron that their growls and yips to each other would become obvious. The runners would have to stop, or risk being run down by the five wolves.
Timberwolves “Hey, Lauren, I think we’d better stop running.” Cahron said calmly and quietly as he spotted flashes of the pack that was pursuing them. “Don’t make any sudden moves--well, at least not until I do.” He said to her as they jogged to a stop and the growling wolves formed a circle around them.
Despite their seemingly-dire situation, Cahron flashed a grin at the elfmaid. “Don’t worry, I know how to deal with wolves. Like I said; it’s easier to talk sense into them than goblins.” So saying, Cahron turned until he was facing the largest of the animals.
It was clear which one was the alpha and the pack leader. Cahron was relieved to see this was a small pack with a young leader. His trick usually worked on any sort of pack animal, but the more inexperienced they were, the better.
With a rippling sound, his wings snapped out to their full extension, making Cahron appear about five times larger than he actually was. He growled right back at the alpha wolf making mirroring the false lunges the leader was making at them. Seeing the alpha’s tail flag in an instinctive response to being accosted by such a huge raptor, Cahron grinned toothily. With a mighty flap, he blasted snow in all directions, blinding the wolves and catapulting himself into the air.
”CAH-CAWWW!!!” The Aerial’s screech was almost comical in it’s imitation of an angry bird as he followed a ballistic trajectory--adding a somersalt for flair--and landed on the back of the blinded timberwolf. Grabbing for it’s sensitive ears, he gave them a painful yank, hard enough to actually lift the wolf by the ears and fling it aside, using the momentum of his stoop to toss the large beast as if it were a stuffed wolftoy.
Straightening, Cahron louvered the feathers on his spread wings, menacing the nearby wolves with hands formed into claws that--thanks to his stage presence--sure seemed like deadly talons. When he snarled at the wolfpack even Lauren might feel a sudden twinge of his intimidating presence. The comedian was gone now, scoured away by the man’s aggressive presence. Whatever his actual capability, Cahron suddenly looked like a warrior, and if the wolves had had any doubt this giant sea-eagle would rip them to shreds defending his mate, that doubt fled with its tail between its legs, just like their yelping leader.
Summary;
Cahron imagines Lauren at the beach
A wolfpack accosts the pair
Cahron stoops on the alpha wolf and frightens it off
II-CinderRadcliff-II
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Timberwolves
If having their leader run off like a frightened pup wasn’t enough, the zapping crackle of Lauren’s taser freaked the rest of the wolfpack right out. With yips and whines, the other four wolves fled the cyborg woman, racing off through the darkening forest. It would be a long time before they trifled with running people again, and they’d remember the scent of these two; steering well clear of any part of the forest or hills that smelled like them.
Cahron folded his wings and hugged Lauren back. “Just watching out for my girl.” He said, trying to be dashing and more-or-less pulling it off. “But I think maybe the wolves are lucky they only had to deal with me.” Cahron knew he wasn’t much of a fighter, and from the way Lauren handled herself, he was pretty sure she was.
Hot. He grinned to himself and grazed her cheek with his own little nuzzle after getting a kiss. We’re necking like a pair of wolves, ourselves.
“Okay!” Cahron was ready to get back to Lauren’s place as well.
…
It was a crisp cold fall night with the glow of the sunset framing the mountains and the stars beginning to twinkle overhead as the pair returned to the winter cottage. While Lauren saw to dispositioning her purchases, Cahron headed for the kitchen. ”Is it okay with you if I do the dishes and cook?” He asked, before setting to--if given permission.
Cahron was starving and he figured Lauren ought to be peckish as well, since they’d only had a bit to drink during their excursion. He set to work using some of the morning’s old dishes. It was rare Cahron had access to the equipment to make one of his favorite quick and simple dishes. While he cleaned the places and bowls from breakfast, he set a large amount of rice steaming in the same pot he’d used to fry eggs and bacon. The dregs of the reheated grease would soften and be perfect to add flavor to the rice once it was soft enough to fry. While frying the rice, Cahron sauteed and seasoned vegetables and tubers he found in the larder. The kitchen was soon filled with steam and the scents and sounds of sizzling dishes.
Cahron deftly delivered a veritable pile of food in fairly short order and then sat down with Lauren to enjoy the meal. Their dinner conversation covered lighter topics; laughing at the fool they’d made of Catston, some of Cahron’s favorite anecdotes from his career--especially comical accidents on stage with performing troupes, and a little exploration of the pastimes and hobbies each enjoyed.
Soon enough dinner was done, the hour had grown late, and the night sky beckoned. Cahron had never looked at the stars through anything but his gods-given eyes, and he was curious about the contraptions Lauren had set up to examine the heavens.
Summary;
Cahron and Lauren make it back to the cottage, Cahron cooks, and now it's time for starry stuff.
If having their leader run off like a frightened pup wasn’t enough, the zapping crackle of Lauren’s taser freaked the rest of the wolfpack right out. With yips and whines, the other four wolves fled the cyborg woman, racing off through the darkening forest. It would be a long time before they trifled with running people again, and they’d remember the scent of these two; steering well clear of any part of the forest or hills that smelled like them.
Cahron folded his wings and hugged Lauren back. “Just watching out for my girl.” He said, trying to be dashing and more-or-less pulling it off. “But I think maybe the wolves are lucky they only had to deal with me.” Cahron knew he wasn’t much of a fighter, and from the way Lauren handled herself, he was pretty sure she was.
Hot. He grinned to himself and grazed her cheek with his own little nuzzle after getting a kiss. We’re necking like a pair of wolves, ourselves.
“Okay!” Cahron was ready to get back to Lauren’s place as well.
…
It was a crisp cold fall night with the glow of the sunset framing the mountains and the stars beginning to twinkle overhead as the pair returned to the winter cottage. While Lauren saw to dispositioning her purchases, Cahron headed for the kitchen. ”Is it okay with you if I do the dishes and cook?” He asked, before setting to--if given permission.
Cahron was starving and he figured Lauren ought to be peckish as well, since they’d only had a bit to drink during their excursion. He set to work using some of the morning’s old dishes. It was rare Cahron had access to the equipment to make one of his favorite quick and simple dishes. While he cleaned the places and bowls from breakfast, he set a large amount of rice steaming in the same pot he’d used to fry eggs and bacon. The dregs of the reheated grease would soften and be perfect to add flavor to the rice once it was soft enough to fry. While frying the rice, Cahron sauteed and seasoned vegetables and tubers he found in the larder. The kitchen was soon filled with steam and the scents and sounds of sizzling dishes.
Cahron deftly delivered a veritable pile of food in fairly short order and then sat down with Lauren to enjoy the meal. Their dinner conversation covered lighter topics; laughing at the fool they’d made of Catston, some of Cahron’s favorite anecdotes from his career--especially comical accidents on stage with performing troupes, and a little exploration of the pastimes and hobbies each enjoyed.
Soon enough dinner was done, the hour had grown late, and the night sky beckoned. Cahron had never looked at the stars through anything but his gods-given eyes, and he was curious about the contraptions Lauren had set up to examine the heavens.
Summary;
Cahron and Lauren make it back to the cottage, Cahron cooks, and now it's time for starry stuff.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron listened attentively to Lauren throughout dinner, especially when she grew serious and asked him not to use pet names or do other ostentatiously embarrassing things in public. “You got it, honey bunny.” He chirped, then went for her real hand with both of his own before she could get annoyed. “No, but Lauren, I am truly sorry for making you uncomfortable. I wanted to make you laugh--to make you happy.” he said. “We’re different, you and I, and, you know…” He leaned forward so he could raise a hand from hers, reaching across the table to touch her cheek. “...I love those differences just like I love you. I… can’t promise I won’t ever do it again, but I’ll try to catch myself before I do anything you might find disrespectful,” he promised.
As they cleaned up and Lauren prepared for their little star party, Cahron couldn’t help but notice how she kept sneaking glances at his wings. He pretended not to notice, but he certainly did notice. It wasn’t easy to do inside the house without knocking things over, but he kept his wings at three-quarters fold, rather than flat on his back--as Aerials usually did indoors. If Lauren wanted to look, then he certainly wanted to show.
It was a little hard to focus his thoughts on… other things… so Cahron was glad for the bracing shock of the cold air when he stepped outside. Lauren’s enthusiasm for stargazing and her optical equipment was infectious, and Cahron threw himself fully into following her explanations and examinations of the heavens.
They made quite a good stargazing team. Lauren was an expert at her equipment, but Cahron had quite good wide-field vision for locating stars, planets, and other high-contrast celestial objects against the darkness of the sky, even though he was night-blind to rocks and trees and other low-contrast objects. The Aerial would scan the heavens with his eagle eyes until he located something interesting. Then he would point out the object to Lauren so she could find it and magnify it in the narrow-field view of her telescopes.
“Lauren, what’s that?” Cahron asked, pointing to a hazy spot he could just make out. “Another neb-you-la?” As they had stargazed, the Aerial had listened attentively to her fantastical explanations of what all the different things in the sky were. At times he was still a little lost--not possessing the same depth of knowledge of celestial and stellar physics as she--but he was getting the idea of just what--and at what massive scales--they were looking at. Objects so far away that--could you fly in space (Lauren assured him that he could not, no matter how hard he trained) with wingpower alone, it would take millions of years to reach even the nearest of them. He marveled at the fact it would take 100 days to fly to the moon, and 100 years to fly to the sun.
When the elf asked him what he was pointing at, she might have thought he was making it up, for he drew he close until they were cheek-to-cheek. Feeling the chill of her skin and a slight tremor from her prosthetics, Cahron asked, and then extended a wing over her. He didn’t try to steal a kiss, however--at least not right away--for he was serious. There was something in the sky different from anything he had ever seen. It took a little doing, but Cahron described its position based on what stars Lauren could see, and only then did he go for a peck on her cheek before releasing her to point the telescope at the object.
Summary;
Cahron promises to try to embarrass Lauren less.
The couple spend some time stargazing.
Cahron spots a comet and Lauren points her telescope at it.
They are the first people in the world to discover it!
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron peered into the telescope after Lauren. He’d noticed a little hesitancy in her voice, even though she seemed excited about the comet. Something about comets bothered her. As the fuzzy speck resolved itself in the telescope, Cahron felt a tiny bit of trepidation as well. Comets--large ones that didn’t require a telescope--were thought to be harbingers of disaster. He shared this thought with Lauren.
“Oh, some people think those are evil portents.” Cahron told her. “But if you say it’s just a dirty snowball on a… um…” He struggled to recall the terminology, “...periodic orbit, well then, I guess that can’t be correct--unless disasters happen on a schedule.” He joked with a smile as he turned back to Lauren.
“What? Where? Aw, I missed it.” He said, when Lauren told him she had seen a shooting star. However, after a few moments, it became clear that neither of them was going to miss anything as more and more meteors streaked overhead. “Well, I’m glad this doesn’t actually mean fewer stars to look at with you.” Cahron said. Obviously these were not actually falling stars, if stars were the vast nuclear furnaces Lauren said they were.
For a while, the couple sat on the blanket, leaning back and taking in the beauty of the meteor shower. They were shoulder-to-shoulder, and Cahron stole the occasional glance Lauren’s upturned face, though he couldn’t see much in the darkness. He had a wing under her and the other folded over them, trapping their body heat better than any blanket of cotton or wool. While they watched the meteors, Cahron pointed out the Autumn constellations, telling Lauren a little of the mythology behind them.
“That one is special. Everyone calls it “The Lovers”, but, where I come from, they are known as Elarial and Talin--a Fae and Human couple; those stars define Elarial, and she never sets.” He said, pointing to a cluster of stars that were in line with the planet’s north pole. “Talin is her lover, and he sets in the autumn leaving her alone in the winter. The Aerial say it shows that Fae and Humans shouldn’t be together.” Cahron said, but there was a mischievous note in his voice as he told the somber story. His hand was next to Lauren’s and now he moved it to cover hers and interlace their fingers. “The thing is, Talin disappears in the Winter if you’re on Aerie, but--this far north--Talin doesn’t set at all, and the The Lovers are always together.” Just like I want us to be. He thought, and wondered if Lauren was thinking the same thing.
Summary;
Cahron watches the meteor shower with Lauren
He describes some of the constellations
II-CinderRadcliff-II
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Yes. Cahron liked this. For sure. He enjoyed the matter-of-fact way Lauren talked about natural disasters and how some of them could be predicted. She sounded like a city planner, merchant, or maybe even a noblewoman. In her old world perhaps she had been, or maybe ordinary citizens were more involved in the world around them. Cahron tended to think a little smaller; how to protect his people, rather than all the people. “Did you build things to predict earthquakes and Tsunamis? He asked.
Cahron did not miss how Lauren’s lips lingered on his cheek, and how when--given the opportunity--she went for another kiss. He wrapped Lauren in his arms and both of them in his wings. His arms were around her midsection with his hands resting lightly on her hips. He gave her a little squeeze as she joked about him never leaving her. “That’s our constellation, then,” he said quietly. When Lauren suggested they get cozy watching the meteor shower, he couldn’t help himself. ”Is your name Meteor? Because, yes, please.” He grinned and prepared to get a swat for that one.
Cahron didn’t have a lot more to say. Well, he didn’t have anything decent to say because he was paying more attention to the Elf of flesh and metal in his lap than the one of stars way up in the sky. His hands left their resting places and did a little exploring. It wasn’t the easiest angle, but he bent his neck forward so his chin rested on Lauren’s shoulder and they were again cheek to cheek. She might shrug him off and use her own hands to put his back where they belonged, but he was hoping not. If he didn’t get shrugged away, Cahron--after a little while--would gently nibble a little on the graceful curve of Lauren’s ear.
Summary;
Cahron is
And a little frisky
II-CinderRadcliff-II
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron made a noise that rumbled from his chest to Lauren’s ear as she touched his wings roots. He could feel her cold hand on his feathers. His aviating muscles twitched and the downy inner feathers louvered involuntarily with the pressure and temperature changes of her questing hand.
There were many interesting and pleasant sensations going on all at once--warm lips on frost-chilled skin. Shockingly chilled fingertips wandering around after unzipping, unclasping, and unbuttoning. When Lauren wrapped them in blankets, Cahron rolled to a heads-up orientation, grinning at the thought of their intimate maneuvers in aviating terms.
He murmured some of those thoughts to the elf as they pressed together. “Stay in formation with me, Lauren.” He clamped his wings gently down on her hand, enjoying the sensation of her fingers running through his down feathers. “Very… tight formation.”
Summary;
The curtain drops on this part of the scene.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Irihi
Evildoer
That had been a night. Like the night before. Between the chilly frolicking on the deck and then some more measured and warmer activities in Lauren’s bed, they had apparently worn each other out. Yesterday something--perhaps the unfamiliarity and the uncertainties in their deepening relationship--had awoken them early from light dozes.
That wasn’t the case today, at least for Cahron. He had slept like the dead, and he did not exactly awake in trim. The man was sprawled across Lauren’s bed, all six limbs splayed in the rare--and somewhat uncomfortable--position of laying on his back. Aerials almost never slept on their backs, as this left them lying on their wings. One of Cahron’s huge feathered appendages was pointed up (like a ten-foot-long upraised arm) its broad tawny pinfeathers covering the bed’s headboard and a good portion of the wall behind. His other wing draped off the bed, trailed across the floor, and then bent up against the wall, feathers splayed like the leaves of a large strange indoor plant. That wing was asleep, its circulation cut off by Cahron’s positioning.
The Aerial man looked like he had crashed. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open as he slept, despite the rays of sunshine streaming into the bedroom.
At least he didn’t snore. The Aerial’s streamlined airways--that allowed them to keep from suffocating in high-speed dives--were not conducive to noisy breathing. It was nice and warm inside, so the winged man had not noticed he ended up with no sheets or covers, whatsoever. If Lauren were the first to wake, and wanted an eyeful of askew birdguy, the sleeping Cahron was certainly obliging.
Even when Cahron eventually woke, he was still obliging, putting on a smile, but nothing else. “Ooh, pins and needles!” He winced as he shifted to allow himself to move his trailing wing. Fortunately, he only felt the pricks of nerves reawakening near the root, and not along all ten feet of his wing. Sliding up a bit, he propped himself up partially on the headboard and stretched the rest of his limbs, yawning hugely.
Cahron was curious just how shy Lauren was in the light. He had gotten a decent idea of her mores in the darkness, so how about upon waking? Cahron knew she liked his wings, and he liked that she liked them, so he spread them across the entire back wall behind the bed, having to bend them at the corners of the room. Propped up on his elbows as he was, there was plenty else on display besides the twin stripes of white pinfeathers of which he was inordinately proud. As for himself, well he wasn’t the slightest bit more bashful in the looking as he was in the showing..
Summary;
Cahron wakes up.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
If Cahron had noticed or been awakened by Lauren’s snoring he did not remember as much now, nor did he care to think on much else as he was treated to his elven ****er’s unbashful awakening and morning activities. She was fun to ogle. Idly, Cahron wondered, and then--less idly--asked: “Lauren, do you know how old your body is?” That was not a question he would have asked a human woman--the Aerial valued his life more than that--but Fae were different. Lauren could look like this at age twenty five, two-hundred-and-fifty, or two-thousand-five-hundred as far as Cahron knew.
The Aerial wasn’t much for wearing clothing in the bath, but he guessed that was one of Lauren’s quirks, so he obliged and put on the shorts since he had no real objections. It was not like her outfit was hiding much. Rather than focus on getting her out of it, he decided he’d broach a somewhat-fraught topic. “Were you human in your past life?” Cahron thought that was the case. “Have you thought much about what you will do, you know, living forever, in this one?”
The Fae Cahron had previously known had been much more detached individuals than Lauren. They tended to treat him--and other short-lived beings like him--with a cool and somewhat alien sentiment. He supposed that they had to--considering that the lives of humans would be spent many times over, long before theirs reached their end--if they ever did. Lauren had her oddities (though Cahron might not be ready to detail them to her face just yet) of personality, but she was the most human Elf he had ever met. The Aerial felt honored--perhaps unduly--that she treated him like a person--like an equal--rather than like a pet, or like something pitiable, the way most Elves did humans.
If the topic was not too off-putting, Cahron would offer to wash Lauren’s back as they shared the bath. If she acquiesced, he’d sorta keep his hands where he was supposed to. Most of the time, only tickling her intentionally once or twice, but stopping before--or when asked.
If Lauren reciprocated, he’d ask her if she also wanted to wash his wings. “I have to warn you, though. It’s a pretty involved process, so it’s fine if you’d rather not. Cahron had twenty feet of limbs covered with layers of overlapping feathers. Cleaning them was an undertaking on the scale of washing a large car or light truck (actually more like a single-engine general aviation aircraft) from Lauren’s previous world.
Summary;
Cahron takes a bath with Lauren.
He asks her how she feels about being long-lived.
He offers to wash her back.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron found himself somewhat glad that Lauren didn’t quite know what to do with her newfound immortality. He liked that he was, apparently, one of her earlier acquaintances in this world. Because she had a home, workshop, mortal enemy, and past adventures, he had ascribed more familiarity with this world to her than she actually had. He was at once pleased by the idea of being the one to introduce her to more of it, and a little nervous about it. Cahron was very experienced in the ways of this world, and Lauren was new. He wanted to be careful not to abuse the difference in their experience.
At the same time, he was younger and shorter-lived, so maybe his experience lent some sort of balance to their relationship. He smiled at that thought as she scrubbed his back, spreading his wings so that she could reach between the downy feathers at their thick roots (also because he knew she liked his colors, and flexing them made his muscles bunch and ripple beneath the skin she was scrubbing.)
“I dream about flying.” He said, simply. “Places I’ve flown, places I’ve yet to fly. I think I dreamed about flying on the moon last night, after our stargazing.” Cahron slept very soundly and didn’t remember much of his dreams. He told Lauren as much, and wondered aloud if she remembered her dreams so lucidly because she was Isikai, or perhaps because she was Fae.
Cahron felt a little jag of concern when Lauren asked him when he was planning to leave. Never. Am I supposed to? He thought, smiling as she explained her question.
“Miiya needs some time by herself. She’s sixteen now and--in our world--that’s adulthood for some societies of Humans.” . Cahron was aware that those norms were shifting in places like Widersea and more technological societies. He had the impression that Lauren thought it was very young. “I taught her everything she needs to know about the road, and I was stifling her development, just as much as Ma was.”
Cahron then took some time to talk a bit at length about his family. He told Lauren about growing up poor in the Ryken slums, under the thumb of their overbearing mother, who was--herself--under the thumb of the criminal owners of the tavern where she worked. “Ma always wanted us to study hard so we could become rich merchants or tradesmen… but--that’s not realistic. Not in Ryke. Not for people like us.” Cahron told Lauren about his experience with the stratified feudal society; how he and his sister (and his immigrant mother--though she did not realize it) had a glass ceiling above them. “If we get too smart, or too pretty, or too successful, the gangs or--if you’re really lucky--the nobility come along and scoop you up; make you as much a…” Cahron’s attitude had been slowly changing, darkening, and now he gritted his teeth with an emotion Lauren had yet to see him display. ”....slave to them as Ma was to Osu.” He said, bitterly.
“Anything you’ve got--anything you manage to make or build, or learn, the powerful just… take it for themselves.” Cahron turned around in the bath, facing Lauren--a very different Aerial than she had seen before. His fists were clenched, he was only half-seeing what was in front of him as he recalled something that made his feathers involuntarily louver with fury. He looked much like he had when he stooped upon the wolf in the forest. ”That’s what happened to my sister. That’s why Ma finally let me take her away; the criminals who owned our family got too old, weak. Miiya got kidnapped by their rivals. My mother made a deal with V… with--a nobleman to get her back. Now he owns Ma, and the fucking wheel keeps on turning. So… I’m not going home, Lauren.” Cahron said with uncalled-for vitriol. “I don’t want to go there. I don’t want to see how Ma is living now, because there’s fuck all I can do about it.”
Cahron realized he had--at some point--grabbed Lauren’s wrist. He was glad to see it was her mechanical one, because he’d been squeezing it tightly. His rant at an end, the Aerial man returned a bit to the present--seeing again the scarred and tribulated elfmaid in the bath with him. He let out a long breath and tried to refocus. It would look, to Lauren, like a freight train switching tracks as the man forced his thoughts back to the here and now; his brow unfurrowed, his feathers settled, the cords of muscle in his neck, shoulders, and body untensed as he tried to reacquire his lackadaisical attitude.
Cahron tried a smile, a few errant twitches of tension still flicking across his skin--turning a feather or two on his wings. “Shit. Sorry." The Aerial ran his hands through his hair. “Not really the question you asked, right?” His grin was faded, but it did reappear. “I’ll leave when I’ve got…” He stopped himself to correct what he was saying. ”...nah. we’ll leave when we’ve got somewhere to go; because, Lauren, I want you to come with me.”
Summary;
Cahron explains why he is not in a hurry to find his sister or visit home.
He tells Lauren he wants her to come with him whenever he does leave.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron saw that he had unsettled Lauren with his rant. He felt ashamed for his actions and the disquiet stayed with him, even after his apology and Lauren drawing close to him when he said he wanted them to travel together.
He didn’t let it bother him so much that he didn’t enjoy the display she put on as she fastidiously dried every nook and cranny of her prosthetics. Cahron had to stop himself from offering to help, because then he wouldn’t get to watch as she dried her ankles and toes. Watching her display of flexibility was enough to smooth the furrow in his brow and restore a wide ****-eating grin to his face.
When Lauren looked up and noticed Cahron’s staring, he would forgive her if she threw the towel at his face.
While she retreated to her bedroom to dress, Cahron exited the bath, pieced together enough clean clothes for the day, and then went to find Lauren. He helped with straightening up her room and bringing in the equipment they had left outside the previous night. “Hey, I’m sorry about that outburst. I don’t mind talking about my family, I just get kind of wound up about injustice, especially when it’s done to people I love.” He said, as they worked together. “So don’t you go making any deals with nobility or criminals. He said, half-joking.
“Do you wanna tell me more about your past life? Or your present? Cahron asked as they moved on to preparing breakfast. He was really enjoying working with Lauren on these domestic tasks. It didn’t hurt that her cottage was a really comfortable place to reside--compared to his life on the road. “I know you said that you have memories and dreams like a picture gallery. Do they feel real, or is it like looking at a painting of a memory? Are there any good ones--like stuff that you treasure, or try to feel again when you dream?
If Lauren asked Cahron about his own treasured memories, he’d relate a story about flying. It might not have been the most relatable tale, but it was clear that the memory had really meant something special to Cahron. “I was down south on this tropical beach. I didn’t really have anything going on--I like to stick close to the ocean when I can; fish are free and I’m good at catching them.” He related. “Anyway, it was one of those thundery tropical days--the sky was all the kinds of overcast; stratus, nimbostratus, cumulostratus and these purple clouds were floating over the glassy ocean, grumbling with distant thunder. It was dead calm and this little swell was rolling in, mounding up over a sandbar before breaking on the beach. I took off and skimmed the water in ground-effect, and I could feel the waves--” Cahron paused and extended a wing, then pointed to his tertiary feathers. “--right here. Just bearing me up and pushing me along with the air in front of them. It was… I dunno, kinda magical. I flew circuits like that, just riding the waves, for an hour or two and then spent the rest of that peaceful afternoon on the cool sand under those heavy clouds.” Cahron scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed that his story didn’t have much of a point or conclusion. “I remember thinking that I wanted to share that afternoon with someone.” He said with a sheepish grin. “And now I have. Maybe we can visit that place--or somewhere like it--together.”
II-CinderRadcliff-II
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
Irihi
Evildoer
Cahron was thoroughly enjoying his day with Lauren. When her cool fingers touched his shoulders, he reached up to place his hands on hers for a moment, before she started massaging his back.
The intimate act was all the more so for Cahron’s wings. Lauren would get a tactile lesson in Aerial physiology as she her fingers and thumbs would trace and press the sheaths of muscle that kept Cahron aloft for hours. The man was happy to spread his wings to quarter-extension to make room for Lauren--the thick feathers parting like curtains to allow her to get close to Cahron. He wouldn’t mind her secret admiration--in fact he quite liked how his wings seemed to fascinate Lauren. Cahron very much enjoyed having her nestled in amongst his pinions.
He listened to her describing a bit more about what her Isekai memories were like, and tried not to think too much about where the other mind had gone.
Cahron listened with interest as Lauren began to speak about the ruins and history of her old world. “Ruins here are either somewhere convenient to camp, or something to be avoided--because of ghosts and such.” Cahron mused when Lauren spoke about visiting them as a--tourist? researcher?--destination rather than a waypoint. “I’ve been in my fair share of them. There are some which reach into the clouds. I haven’t tried camping in the really tall ones, but maybe we could give it a go, together? He suggested.
High camps tended to be drafty, but safer from threats on the ground. Cahron idly wondered--his thoughts were drifting a bit, thanks to Lauren’s hands on him--if there might be some business opportunity in leading expeditions to some of the grander wrecked castles and ancient obelisks.
When Lauren wrapped her arms around him in a hug from behind, Cahron bent his neck and lightly kissed her hands. When she held the embrace longer, he folded his wings such that they rested on Lauren’s back, gently pressing her against him and “trapping her” with his feathers. “Now, I’ve got you, my girl.” He murmured, holding Lauren until she unthreaded her arms from around his chest and moved off to gather supplies to make breakfast.
“Wow! You’re great at flapjacks.” Cahron noted, as Lauren deftly flipped he pancakes. “Check this out, though. Cahron said, confidently pouring not one, not two; but three smaller cakes into the pan. Shaking the handle lightly to break them free from the cooksurface, he executed a behind-the-back triple-flip.
And ended up with a sticky mess on the floor. “Shit.” Cahron said sheepishly. “I usually get it on the first or second try.” He said, a mischievous grin returning to his features as he made as if to pour three more flapjacks. “Okay, okay!” he laughed as Lauren intervened. “I’ll just do one-at-a-time, don’t burn yourself!” He was certainly up for wrestling playfully with Lauren, but not while hot stoves and cookware were involved.
The Aerial managed to show off his dexterity and flip the rest of the pancakes without incident.
Enjoying a strawberry with Lauren, he finished up making breakfast and was just plating the meal when she made her comment about sunbathing sans clothing with Cahron.
The man stopped dead in his tracks, eyes wide, feathers louvering dramatically. “LEWD!!” He cried, in his best impression of a shocked nun, then he smiled broadly, setting down the plates and walking up to Lauren. “Why, Miss Lin, if I didn’t know better, I might think that you enjoy being a little scandalous.” he said, affecting the airs of a nobleman, as he oft did on stage.
Cahron cocked his head to the side in a rather avian-like manner, then darted forward to give Lauren a peck on the cheek. The peck turned into a graze as the Aerial necked with his lover, casting one wing around her in lieu of an arm and nuzzling her sensitive ear as he whispered. “Me too.” He’d nibble Lauren affectionately, seeing if this might be one of the ways in which she was ticklish, until she pushed him off--or not.
Eventually Cahron would usher her to the table and the pair would sit down to breakfast. The Aerial grinned across the table at the elf as he slathered his pancakes with butter and syrup, then cut and took a bite. “Mm! Fantastic! Next time, maybe I can butter you, before having a taste.” He teased. Cahron had discovered that flirting with Lauren, while slipping in some innuendo, was one of his favorite pastimes, and so he proceeded to engage in it through all of breakfast and cleaning up afterward.
The Aerial suggested they retire to the cottage’s living room after breakfast, with the idea of serenading Lauren with what he had finished of “Morning Song”, a composition that had been running around his head since waking. For a little while, the two of them would lounge, limbs entangled, alternately chatting and working on Cahron’s song for Lauren.
Once breakfast had more-or-less settled, Cahron eventually set his instrument aside and asked Lauren if there was aught she wanted to do. He would be glad to spend the rest of the day--or some portion thereof--in Lauren’s workshop if she wanted to resume tinkering. He also suggested that--if there was any high work on the cottage; roof thatching, rafter dusting, or the like--he would be happy to help her with such chores for which he was uniquely suited.
Of course, Cahron did not shy away from standing such that Lauren’s nose was almost poking his chest, with his wings wrapped around the pair of them, and his hands on her waist. He spoke with chaste seriousness about domestic pursuits while his nearness, the heat of his body, and his very intense chestnut gaze sent unmistakable signals that he was up for diversions of quite a different sort.
II-CinderRadcliff-II
Kitsune of the North
TRAVERSING SOMEWHERE
IN ISEKAI HELL
