Citadel - A Tale of Ara [1x1 IC]

[Emperor Nat]

He roused, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as they opened to the sight of her face. He returned her kiss, running a hand over her side idly as he looked into her eyes.

"You are so beautiful. ...Why the hell did you just sleep with me, you are way out of my league." he murmured, stroking her face. After a short moment of silent wonderment, he sat up in bed and stretched, groaning slightly. He took a moment to let his joints click their way back into use. "Well - up for another round before we get moving to... well you know."

He chuckled slightly, shifting his position slightly so that he was sitting a little closer to her.

[Carantathraiel]

Aera chuckled, a smile on her face before she sat up and pushed him back down on the bed, climbing atop him and bending for a kiss. "Round two." She grinned.

A while later they lay side by side again, breathing heavy, their chests rising. Aera lay her head on his shoulder and let out a laugh. "I believe that is the best start to a day. I haven't had one like it in ages." For a while she watched him, looking at the bridge of his nose, the curve of his lips, the flush in his cheeks.
"Yes." She said softly. "I'll stay." When Ennis turned her head, looking exited, Aera held up a bare finger. "First, we have to get through the warehouse. And come out alive."
She stared for a bit longer. She would make enemies in there, that was inevitable. And if they found out that Ennis held her heart, they're use him to break her. She didn't look forward to having to pretend not to notice him.

[Emperor Nat]

Ennis smiled, giving her one last lingering kiss before hopping to his feet and getting dressed. It was only now that she noticed that his belt buckle was a little more ornate than one might normally expect - silvery, well-crafted, with the initials "E.D.R" engraved upon it. It seemed odd that he would possess such a thing, especially when he said his family was fairly poor.

"Alright. We'll try to get in and out of there as quickly as possible." he said calmly. "No sense... no sense putting ourselves in any more danger than we're going to be doing this. Just promise me Aera, try not to take too many risks if you can help it - I don't want you to get hurt."

[Carantathraiel]

Aera gave him an ironic smile. "Funny, I was going to say the same to you." She stood and got dressed herself, pulling her hair into a long braid and rolling it up against her head, holding it in place with her hair needles. Then she turned and took his hands and looked up at him, her expression timid.
"Ennis, what kind of man is Draven? Is he... will he want..." Her eyes went to the bed. "I mean..." her face flushed. "Before last night I had no second guesses on if I would or not... with Draven. But now..." She looked up at him, her mouth grim. She hadn't expected Ennis to invite her to stay with him. or that'd she'd even grow this attached. Now she wasn't sure what to expect of herself.

[Emperor Nat]

"Draven is... a thug, and a thief." Ennis said, casting his eyes to the ground. "But he's not a monster, he's just a man involved... involved with some pretty nasty things. He's in it for profit; there's no chance of him hurting you other than in self-defence, and he has no reason to try to take advantage of you. And Aera, I promise - no matter what happens in there, I really do like you and I really do care. That isn't going to change."

He smiled at her earnestly. He meant what he said.

"Come on. Get the last of your things together; we may as well get this over with. Just tell me once you're ready to head out and we'll go." he murmured, grabbing his axe from the bedside table and hanging it from his belt again.

[Carantathraiel]

Aera listened, her mind working fast to work out the possibilities stemming off his words and liked what she figured out. Ennis had no reason to lie to her about who Draven was. Especially now. If Draven was the type of guy to take what he wanted from a woman by force, it would be known, and Ennis would have it written on his face. Now she smiled and grabbing his belt as he moved and yanked him toward her. Taking his face in her hands she gave him an aggressive and passionate kiss before releasing him.
"First thing I want from you when we come home is the story behind that belt of yours." Her eyebrows rose. "Well, maybe the second thing. I might want whats behind the belt, first."
With that she grabbed her oil cake from the table by the bed and nibbled as she went downstairs to finish readying herself. She pulled on her quiver and her bow, then her cloak, pulling her hood up. She strapped her weapons on and called up to Ennis as she worked her feet into her boots.

[Emperor Nat]

Ennis rushed downstairs, now fully dressed. After a few sober checks to make sure the house was secured, he locked the door and began to lead Aera to where he knew Draven's hideout was located. They went down a number of side-streets, eventually coming to an abandoned plaza of sorts - a large marble fountain, the water now long since dried up, sat at its centre. Atop the fountain was a statue of an angel, looking gently down upon those in front of it with the same sort of calm grace one might expect of such a benevolent figure. His face was carved into a small smile, its hands stretched out towards them.

He pulled on one of the figure's arms; a small click letting them know that a door was unlocked nearby.

"Just... before we go in. There's one last thing I need to say to you..." Ennis started. But he quickly found his throat knotting again, and he shook his head - unable to continue.

[Carantathraiel]

The elf watched the statue with a glare behind her netted mask. Go figure the bastard would use a symbol for love and peace as a way into his lair. She took a breath, hot behind her mask so, deciding she really didn't need it, began unhooking the components, slowly revealing her face once more. Next to Ennis she glanced around, trying to spot where the door was, but before she could Ennis turned and tried to speak.
"Ennis." She shot her gloved hand out and grabbed his wrist, her face solid. "Ennis, love, you can't do that to me. If its something you need to say, say it. You may not have a chance later."
Her hand held him, holding him in place.

[Emperor Nat]

Ennis considered for a moment, gathering his words.

"Whatever happens in there, and whatever comes next - what we had last night was real, and it won't change a thing. I don't care what Draven does, I don't care what you do to him. I just want you to know that I really do care, and that isn't going to change just because of what goes on in there."

He looked her in the eye, a strange sadness present in his own glossy windows. She could tell that he was still holding something back, but it seems that he wasn't going to say it - at least not yet. Ennis then, calmly and carefully, bent down and opened up the grass-covered trapdoor in the ground beneath them. The long, black shaft stretched out below - barely a glimmer to let them know it even had a bottom. It was like a hole in the world had just opened up and was now staring back at them. This seemed fitting, for a man with Draven's reputation.

[Carantathraiel]

Letting him keep his secrets, Aera gave him an honest smile. "You know, for the past few years, I've hated men, humans, for what they did to my husband and unborn son. It took one dark haired boy and his smile to change that." Resisting the urge to kiss him, Aera settled for squeezing his hand. "My opinion on men may change again in the next few days or weeks, but my love for you won't."

She glanced down into the dark hole and, with a last squeeze of his hand, jumped, landing lightly on her feet.