[PRP] Annoyance (Na'ima/Wrath) FIN

[Seussi]

"And what makes you think that I know anything about you at all, Na'ima?" He smiled, "For you, I was a test subject, while for me, you were just another means of getting what I wanted. There was no need for me to pay attention to your mannerisms, because that is not what interested me." But now he was paying attention, because now he was clear headed (well, mostly), and now he was, at least, faintly interested, if not horribly amused.

When his laughter died away, and he was able to breathe properly again, he listened to her words, and tilted his head to the side.

"See, and you obviously do not know me very well, either. You see these?" He lifted up his braid of hair by it's end, metal clad thumb flicking over the edges of a feather. "Favours, from priestesses who longed to make me their guardian. You think that you are the catch here, and that I should be working to impress you." He grinned again, "But I do not see why it should not be the other way around."

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[Eight]

Na'ima looked down at the feathers with a frown, bringing her pipe to her lips again and letting it rest there. She looked away, nails tapping against the underside of her pipe. Perhaps he was right, she was more appealing to a famine horseman than Death, but now he had hit her pride. Na'ima's face remained placid, thoughtful, and her gaze seemed to be favoring a plant across the room.

Without making any change in her expression, Na'ima was pouting.

"I see." She was very used to things going her way, being told she couldn't have something was not something she was accustomed to. Na'ima didn't consciously consider it, but she was a very spoiled horsewoman who was used to getting everything she asked for. Na'ima sank lower into her pillows without a word while taking a long drag from her pipe. How was she to impress him? Now it was a matter of pride. He was an a** denying her something she demanded to have, it made her want it more.

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[Seussi]

She had gone rather quiet, and up until then, he hadn't quite noticed that he may have, perhaps, and quite remarkably, hurt her feelings. It was not something he could really associate with the calm and stoic woman, and even in that moment, it was really too difficult to tell for sure but.....

He frowned, wondering if he'd maybe been a little too harsh. He wasn't here to tease her, after all, more to get to know her after a very confusing dream. The teasing had just come naturally, and was, perhaps, a little ill timed.

When she sank further into her pillows, he gave her a sidelong glance, and nudged her with his elbow.

"Show me you're worth it, and I will perhaps reconsider." He held the pipe back out towards her, finished with it.

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[Eight]

When she was nudged she blinked and looked up at him, carefully considering his words. Na'ima frowned as she took the pipe back and let it lay across her lap. "I am no priestess, I cannot offer you the coveted position of my guardian," she began with a surprisingly gentle tone. She knew how to appeal to a stallion of Famine, in fact that was child's play, but Death was a different matter entirely. "You need to help me, where do I begin to prove my worth to you, hm?"

After a moment she reached for his hand, and if he let her take it she would idly toy with his fingers. She looked thoughtful, her head tilting to rest against his arm. "You said earlier you did not want to obliterate all thought from your mind." Golden eyes turned up his way. "Why?"

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[Seussi]

Wrath couldn't help but grin wider. "I do not know if you have noticed, but I am not a guardian, which means that while the position may be coveted by many, it is not so by me. Favours, from priestesses that wanted more from me than I was willing to give. I am a soldier, and that is all I ever wished to be. I turned them down, and I moved on. " He settled back into the pillows, finished with smoking but content to relax for some time longer before he went about other business for the day.

He flicked a glance down at her hand as it took his, but did not move, his fingers lacing with hers easily, her head against his shoulder a surprise but not an unpleasant one. If she wanted to cuddle up against him, he would certainly not object.

But he was not stupid, either, and he had to wonder if she had alternate intentions. This was the woman who had paralysed him the first time he had met her, and the apprentice of the man who had poisoned him during their first encounter as well. She was dangerous, and clever, and he knew that he would do well to remember it.

"Where would be the fun in just telling you, hm?" he asked, "This is just something that, if you are truly interested, you will have to figure out on your own." He turned towards her, then, fingers locking around hers even as his eyes did the same, her second question earning her a more serious expression.

"I am finished with trying to forget. I am simply ready to move on, and create new, hopefully fonder memories."

eight

 

[Eight]

Na'ima gave a short chuckle, brow arching at his words. "Ah, so you have broken many priestess hearts. You are awful, Rathsvith," she teased. "How many? Just the three?" It pleased her that he settled back again, and she moved. She nudged herself under his arm so it was around her shoulders, sitting up a bit more so she was comfortable against his side. Cuddling was not something she was unfamiliar with, it was something she did occasionally with Salbei while relaxing, or often with her sister as well. There was an alternate intention to her actions, she liked body heat.

Her attention turned up to him again as he gave his answer, and she actually smiled, shaking her head. "Very well, I will figure it out, then. Perhaps you are--" He moved and she cut herself off to focus on him and see why, her smile faltering with her surprise. That was unexpected. Na'ima looked up at him, eyes widening slightly as she found herself unable to look away. Plus, there was something about his words..

Oh...that.

Her smile returned. "If you are waiting for me to climb onto your lap and beg you to take me, I am afraid we lack a lake and the possibility of your death to spur us on, as well as a marriage proposal," she joked at first, though she did quickly relax soon after. Her voice was much gentler when she next spoke, "I assume you are--..were trying to forget the same thing I tried to forget," she began. She felt it was a safe assumption, they all had families on the islands, their homes. Na'ima had not given herself a proper grieving period, she had tried to push it from her mind and bury herself into her work again, and that had proven to be nearly as self destructive as drugging herself beyond recognition. She could understand to a degree, at least.

"...Is that why you came to me today? To make fonder memories?" Her head tilted to one side, eyes studying his face as she waited for his answer. She almost found it hard to believe, but he did say he was here for the pleasure of her company, something she had already said she was surprised he was able to associate with her.

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[Seussi]

Just the three. He simply smiled knowingly at her in response. "I think it would be quite rude of me to say how many, truthfully. Though it was not without some regret, I suppose. It is just that I am just much more content to be a soldier than to be tied to some woman for the rest of my life, without choice in the matter should things not work out." Plus, he had no true feelings for them besides what they could provide in the bedroom, and had no desire at the time to find out if his lust could progress and mature into something more.

"But that is in the past. Things may yet change." When she moved in under his arm he, again, did not protest, and placed it comfortably around her, a thumb brushing idly against her shoulder as he continued to relax in comfort, though he was still feeling a bit wary beneath all of his show of content. It was hard to believe she did not have ulterior motives. This was, after all, Na'ima, a horsewoman that he would not ever have thought to be in this position with before, not from how their very first encounter had set the tone for every other meet up to come. He had been a mere object to her, something to experiment on, and he had willingly obliged, though at times had felt like she had enjoyed his reactions to her tests more than necessary.

But maybe, just maybe he had been wrong to judge her based on that alone. They hardly knew each other, after all. Hell, just in this short time they were spending together, he was learning more about her than he had in the months prior.

It was hard not to smile when she made the connection between his words and the dream they had shared. He hadn't quite meant for what he said to be so similar, but the fact was, he did want to create better memories for himself, now. He could never forget his past, his family, or what he had done to cope, but he could, at least, move on, and attempt to pick of the pieces of his life while doing so. "Death is always a possibility, a lake is but a portal away, but a marriage proposal...now that, I can not give, not even for the possibility of you in my lap." He had been looking at her so intently, and he didn't stop, but he did lift a hand up to cup her cheek, a metal claw brushing against her skin.

"I told you why I came here today, Na'ima. Company." He repeated, though he did not pull away as he continued to study her, eyes seeming to look for something in hers, though that small, somehow slightly smug smile was still on his lips.

"Would you like me to leave?"

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[Eight]

Na'ima huffed with amusement, still not taking her eyes off his as he reached in to touch her face. She wasn't entirely sure what to expect, not from Wrath, at least. Her face had been held before by her Salbei, by elderly old horsewomen, by her mother. Her smile faltered slightly as she recalled that, and she moved her hand to rest on his and keep his hand there. She tilted her head toward his hand, nuzzling her cheek against his palm. Company. Company was nice..

Her smile returned. "No, I would like you to stay." Her free hand lifted to reach up toward him, and then it paused just before touching him. She turned it if he looked toward it, showing him her entire hand was clean and free of anything that could hurt him before she touched his face. Delicate fingers following the line of his jaw and brushing against his beard. It would shock Na'ima if he trusted her just as easily as that considering every meeting before this. They had never truly spent any quality time together just to enjoy each other's company, it was only ever for her own interests in studying and his interests in destroying himself. Her fingers moved up, lightly tracing one of his scars.

But something he said before suddenly had her frowning as she thought about it. Death horsemen were strange. Conquest as well, but it was easy to be strange in a clan of pompous peacocks. Na'ima gave a slight shake of her head, enough for it to be seen but not enough for it to jostle her cheek from his hand. "Guardians do not get a choice if they end up not getting along with their priestess? That is not right, you should always have a choice," said the woman who demanded he court her and then pouted when he didn't. Na'ima was going to forget it had happened and never speak of it again. But he was right, things were changing. Already she didn't completely hate his touch which she was completely disinterested in before, though it likely helped that when she looked up at him she remembered the dream. Yes, he was much better looking than the man who borrowed his face. He looked alien without those horns.

Her thumb brushed against his cheek, her smile returned. "Kiss me." She paused, looking amused as she recalled how well her last demand went. Manners, Na'ima. "If it pleases you, I would like you to kiss me. Please."

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[Seussi]

He had begun to wonder if whatever was in that pipe that she was smoking was dulling her senses. She was actually nuzzling his hand, and while it was unexpected, Wrath found that he didn't actually disapprove of the motion, rather liking the the feel of her skin against the parts of his hand that weren't wrapped or encased in steel. The hand coming towards him, however, he nearly balked at, eyes narrowing briefly with suspicion until he noted just how very careful she was being, how hesitant. If she wanted to harm him in some way, he realized, she would have likely done it by now, and without any qualms whatsoever.

So, he stayed still, and even found himself enjoying the touch. How long had it been? How long had he been destroying his mind, his life, and avoiding things like this? His eyes closed for a moment as he fingers brushed against the scar beneath one. It was difficult for him to find any reason not to just let whatever was happening, happen, despite scoffing at her demand for him to court her earlier. There was something about her that was becoming quickly more appealing, the nicer she behaved, but that wasn't to say he didn't enjoy the more...callous aspects of her as well.

Horsemen weren't exactly known for their more gentle nature, after all.

"Then I will stay." He finally rumbled, red eyes opening to focus on hers once more, gaze intense, as if he was still searching for something there, or perhaps just focused on something he did not understand.

"We become bound to them." He explained, with a shrug of his shoulders. "Linked, even telepathically I believe, though I do not know if that power has been lost to us since the fall, or if it's been regained now that we are here. I have known priestesses that treated their guardians well and those who have treated them badly. In the past once a choice was made, it was made...now? I do no know. Times are changing, I suppose. But it does not always have to be romantic. I could have been my...." He paused, and took a deep breath. "My sisters guardian, if we had chosen to go that route. It was just never something I was interested in. I enjoy my freedom."

He realized that his hand was still on her face, that he had been staring at her for quite some time, and that he had been admiring just how beautiful her features were, his thumb still stroking slowly up and down her cheek, when she made yet another demand.

An eyebrow rose, and then both when she actually used the word please. He let out a rolling chuckle, something in his features, in his eyes, softening ever so slightly. Why was she asking this of him? Was it because of the dream? Because of whatever drugs she had smoked? Or was there something still more sinister yet in her intentions, perhaps just a lesson to be learned in trust?

He could find no reason not to find out, and he brought his face closer to hers, until their foreheads were touching. "I need to be able to trust you, Na'ima. That is the first thing." He said he wasn't going to help her, but there he went, doing it anyway. "So this had better not be a trick."

And with that, his hand slid down, thumb and forefinger cupping her chin, tilting her head back as he leaned in, lips seeking hers in a way that was not at all soft, or even gentle, but heated, raw, and passionate. If he was going to kiss her, he was going to kiss her, thoroughly, without holding back, his teeth pulling against her lower lip, just briefly, while his free hand slid around to the small of her back to pull her towards him. He was not going to demonstrate gentlemanly restraint in this matter. If she wanted to know what it would be like to be kissed by him, the real him, than he was damn well going to show her, and she could enjoy it or regret it completely, for all he cared.

He rather enjoyed it, though.

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[Eight]

Her eyes widened. "Fascinating. A telepathic link? Truly? How does it work?" This was a part of Death culture she did not know. It hadn't been important for her to deal with in any manner, so it hadn't been something she brushed up on. This was the kind of information she liked, though. It was interesting. How did they do it? Could it be severed? Was it more of an empathetic telepathy or could they speak to each other as was often written in stories? But then he hesitated, and that had her attention taken again. Na'ima relaxed again, turning her hand to brush the back of her knuckles along his cheek. She must have been on the islands. "What was her name?" What did she look like? Sound like? Smell like? It was something Na'ima reminded herself every day in regard to her own parents, and had done for Falair until her sister returned. They were her motivation, she'd made a promise she intended to keep. Wrath's sister, someone enough to make him stumble and hesitate before mentioning, was just another reason.

Golden eyes gazed up at him while he contemplated her demand, the corner of her smile twitching with amusement when he chuckled. He surprised her by not protesting or rejecting her but instead closing the distance between the two of them until they touched. She chuckled, tilting her head toward him to brush the tip of her nose against his. "Do not make it too easy for me to gain your trust, that would be foolish of you," she whispered, eyes slowly closing. "Would you even believe me if I simply said this was not a trick?"

He answered with his kiss, one that almost startled her with its ferocity. Sure, she had the memories of that woman kissing her man, so she had that...but it was not something she had ever truly experienced herself. But she remembered the woman felt a euphoric sense of bliss whenever that man kissed her or made love to her, and Na'ima was very much a fan of finding whatever way possible to feel euphoria. Wrath certainly didn't disappoint. Her heart raced so harshly she could feel it pounding in her chest, hear the rush in her head as it started to swim, and the way her skin tingled with excitement; it was not something she was used to, Na'ima was not one to get visibly excited about something, but she was finding she didn't dislike it. Her breath escaped her in a soft sound as he tugged her lip, finding it difficult to keep any control over her own breathing in that brief second of respite before he was kissing her again and pulling her to him. She moved to him, adjusting her position to straddle over and sit on one of his thighs. The hand that had been holding his moved to clutch at his shoulder, pulling and holding him to her as he did.

Na'ima let him do what he wanted with her, reciprocating in kind with admittedly unpracticed ability until finally she couldn't take it anymore. She ended the kiss, but stayed close, keeping her forehead against Wrath's and her lips barely a breath from his. "Wonderful," she said in a low purr of a voice, brushing her lips briefly against his before settling down again. "Exactly what I wanted." Na'ima grinned and leaned in to catch his lower lip between her teeth in a gentle, playful tug. And she had been true to her word, it had not been a trick. There had been nothing on her lips, not even anything simply for color, and nothing in her mouth that would have been passed to him with the intent of ill effect. It had simply been that, a kiss with no malicious plan to it.

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[Seussi]

Maybe Wrath was really just kissing Na'ima to put a halt to her incessant questions.

Though that wasn't actually the case at all, as he attempted to answer her to the best of his abilities. "Well, having never actually experienced it myself, all I can tell you is what I have heard, and that is that a guardian, upon becoming a true guardian and finding a priestess to serve, can than speak telepathically to that priestess. I do not know if it entails more than that." He was smiling at her, and it seemed less teasing at that moment, less amused, more like he was really just happy to have somebody to talk to, especially somebody who was showing a genuine interest in what he had to say.

Though that smile definitely faltered when it came to speaking of his sister. He shrugged broad shoulders and glanced away. "I would just...rather not talk about her at this moment. Apologies." He grunted, before looking back at her.

Kissing was a much better way to pass the time, anyway.

Did he trust her? No, not yet, but he felt like perhaps he could, given time and what actions she chose to take. Did he think this was a trick? He would not have been too surprised if it was, though at the same time he really did think she would have poisoned him long before now, if that was ever her intention. The only way to find out was to close that distance between their lips, which he did. He did not mind that she was inexperienced, perfectly okay with taking the lead, and finding a bit of a thrill in every small reaction she made, spurring him into lengthening the kiss, into trying to make it something even more. At some point, one of his hands had tangled into her hair, and the other had drifted down lower, squeezing slightly. The fact that it was just meant to be a single kiss and nothing more could quite easily be forgotten, and he wanted to forget, wanted Na'ima to forget that she was only allowing him this....

But she pulled away, breathless, her forehead pressed against his, and he stopped, a smile tugging up his lips once more at her compliment, and the light brush of her lips against his. Before he could say anything, however, she was surprising him with her teeth, and, Death help him, he suddenly wanted her, and wished she had not come up with some silly notion such as courtship, when they could have been having their fun right then, right there, without the need for....well, whatever it was she wanted from him, exactly.

Instead of dwelling on it, he chased that bite with another kiss, this one short, however, and with a quick lowering of his head, a graze of teeth against her neck directly afterwards, his hand sliding back up between her shoulder blades, his breath against her skin as he now spoke again, his voice low as well. "And you are sure that you do not want more? It seems as if I managed to get you on my lap without any hesitation." His beard would rub lightly against her neck as he drew his head back up again, gazing at her with sudden amusement once more.

eight

 

[Eight]

Her eyes opened slightly, regarding Wrath with a lidded gaze and a lazy smile. She could get used to this, kissing was actually much nicer than she gave it credit for. And she had been genuinely enjoying speaking with Wrath up until now, perhaps he would be worth the effort to--did he just?! Na'ima stared at him, clearly feeling his hand on her bottom. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and leaned in to return his kiss, surprised by how short it was. She blinked. What?

Teeth grazed her neck and she bit down on her lip, closing her eyes and tilting her head back with a pleased sigh. She dragged her hands down his chest, blindly doing her best to follow the lines of his scorpion tattoo as best as she could remember them, sharp nails scraping against dark flesh. Na'ima quickly forced her hands to stop from going too low when he began to speak, and she lifted her head again to look to him with a smirk. "Another time, Rathsvith," she crooned, leaning forward to press herself against him and moving her arms to drape them over his shoulders. "I also need to know I can trust you, after all." Her brow arched, she leaned in again to press her forehead against his so golden eyes could meet red on an even level. "Are you content with this for today? I am..enjoying this, and I would like to prolong it if you are willing." It was strange to her that she was enjoying Wrath's company, but he was proving to be much more interesting than she had initially felt him to be.

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[Seussi]

It was a good thing he hadn't really expected her to say yes. Disappointment would have surely soured the mood, and at that moment, he considered taking what he could get (and he was getting rather a lot more than he had thought he would) as a win. But feeling her hands against his skin, her nails dragging against his chest, only heightened his desire for her. Taking a deep breath, he breathed out slowly against her skin, only a split second before she draped her arms around his shoulders.

He pressed a few kisses followed with another n** of his teeth against her neck before he raised his head back up to regard her with a gaze that was steady, practiced, unphased even if he wasn't quite getting everything he wanted.

"Another time." He repeated, his own voice still that low, quiet rumble. Her next statement earned her a wide grin that didn't match that steady gaze of his, and he nodded his head slightly.

"Of course, though I do not believe I have given you any reason to mistrust me yet, have I?"

Her question, then, gave him pause. Content? He was not quite sure that was the word he would use, but again, given that he was getting much more now than he had ever anticipated, he could not say no.

But he could not say yes, either. Instead of words, he just smirked, and kissed her again. That could be answer enough, for now.

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[Eight]

"You have not, but only because I have never given you the chance..." Now she felt she was. He would have many opportunities to gain her trust, she hoped, but also many to test how far her trust for someone other than herself, Salbei, and Falair would go. The kisses and teeth against her throat were making things in her head fairly hazy, and for a moment she found it difficult to breathe, like her chest was too tight for her heart and her lungs and instead of breath all she could get out was a most undignified squeaking sound the likes of which she had never made before in her entire life. Another time, maybe next time, but not this time. "Yes, another time," she repeated breathlessly, finally able to get some kind of air out of her lungs.

She regarded him with a lidded gaze as he paused to think of his answer, her attention occasionally falling to his lips before lifting back to his eyes. They were a lovely color, actually, now that she was looking at them so up close and personal. And she was finding she quite liked the warmth and, well, heat of being pressed against him even if this was not quite the level of intimacy he was hoping for. If he was just patient it would happen, she just needed to clear her head and think before she did it. But it was going to be difficult to give up a sensation that made her feel higher than anything she had ever smoked.

A hand came up to lightly drag her fingers along his jaw line, trying to gently guide him to her to draw him in for a kiss he ended up giving her himself. That was much better. She could do this all day without complaint.

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