The third day, and Par and Malko were now trying another way to hone their skills - still naked. 19-year olds can be pretty randy, after all. Either way, they were inside the hillfort's main keep, where Malko and him were playing 'nude hide and seek'. They would take turns looking for each other; Par with his Aurism, and Malko with his natural tracking skills. Right now, it was Par's turn, and the merchant was trying to conserve his energy; he still didn't have the reserves for prolonged use. A split-second use of his power, and he can glimpse Malko's naked form in a side room once used for cleaning supplies! Running towards the area, Par, on impulse, swept his gaze to the side, briefly using Aurism, seeing Malko move towards another, larger room - for once, the other young man was slower than usual! With a tackle, Par managed to catch the Kvaren's waist, pushing him down to the ground. The two playfully wrestled, their sweaty bodies rolling around, before an exhausted Par slumped down, tired out by his physical and magical exertions, breathing hard, almost unconcious. Malko smiled at his boyfriend, and , putting a hand around his shoulder, walked him to the large feasting chamber that they used as a dining room, where the Kvaren brought out the food and drink from his and Par's kits. Par gratefully began eating, still naked. Once his tiredness began to fade, he then spoke to Malko: "So, today's the last day?" A nod from the Kvaren, who then continued: "Yeah. We'll meet again, right? Once you and I have gotten enough power -" a sigh. "Par, I know that Ebonfort has done horrible things to our people and its' own, but, tell me, wouldn't you rather run off with me, somewhere where we have no obligations, where we can live life as we wish?" Par looked at his boyfriend, before he gave his own sigh. To tell the truth, [i]why[/i] did he need to change the world, anyway? Why should he be the one, when he can blunder, or even worse, grow corrupt in his ambition? After all, Ambition may not be evil in and of itself, but it can and might lead to evil things - oh, what did he know? All he knew was, he wanted a world where he and Malko can live happilly, and such a world...wasn't this world. "They'd never allow it," spoke Par as he finished his food and drink, "not mine, not yours'." He then took Malko's hands. "But, looking at you, I now know this, that as long as I set my sights on my goal, which is to create a world where we can live happily, if I don't become distracted with thoughts of vengance, destruction, and even my vision for how I can remake the world..." "You won't become what you hate," Malko said. "And if you do, and change from the Par that I so love, well, let's just say that you'd never hurt me that way." A smile from the brown-skinned young man. "Let's clean up, even if it's only with our sweat and some kerchiefs. After that, let's make love again, and then practice crossbows, backflips, and of course, our magics." Par's response was: "Can we do everything while naked? After all, no one seems to be intruding in this abandoned hillfort." Then, a rumble of thunder outside, and the pitter-patter of light rain sounded, causing the young merchant to frown as his plans were apparently frustrated. "Oh, come on!" Malko said, "at least this way, we'll have a chance to clean up, then wipe ourselves inside, then do some more training! Also, if we bathe in the rain quickly enough, and dry ourselves almost immidiately, we won't get a cold." The frown was replaced with a smile. "I love you," Par said before preparing to walk outside, Malko trailing off. Within moments, they were now drenched in water, although, by a small miracle, the sun was still shining. ------ The two boyfriends, having dried off after cleaning up, had also made love yet again, before going off to an anteroom so that Par can practice his crossbowmanship against illusionary targets. "You're getting better," Malko tried to look at Par's progress, not his posterior. "You've only missed once or twice." "Hey, I have a great training aid," Par tried to be modest. "So," he said as he began picking up the bolts again, "I should please you with backflips again?" "Backflips, somersaults, whatever exposes your body the best," Malko said. "After all, it's my last day; you should give me a treat or several." "Shouldn't you do the same, then?" Par was beginning a somersault. "After all, we won't be seeing each other for a time." "We'll make this last night count," Malko then thought of something. "Will you see me off, though? I don't want to leave you in the middle of the night." A nod, before Par said: "I love you, never forget that." "Who do you think I am? Also, try using Aurism while backflipping; it'll tire you out faster, but it'll help as practice," Malko couldn't help but give advice, which was soon followed, and indeed, Par was opening his magical senses during his somersaults... [i][b]END[/b][/i] [@Twhirtley]