Scales & Spells

[Vixandra]

Verrith

My eyes lit up as I nodded. "Oh, yes."

After a quick check around to make sure I wouldn't knock anyone over, I launched myself into the air, ebony wings catching the salt-fresh air as I grinned. I love flying.

And the sight of Marcus taking wing to chase me was just enticing. I couldn't tell if his wings were built for speed, gliding or precision flight. Mine did gliding best with precision second and I could fly faster then I could walk but not that much faster. I caught a thermal above a large square, letting the heat pull me higher as I gazed over the city. It was larger then I'd suspected.

I tore my gaze from the city and turned it to my quickly approaching companion. I angled myself in next to him and reached out to touch his tail. "You're it."

Even knowing it was childish, I couldn't bring myself not to start a game of aerial tag. I was excited that I'd helped capture a Matron Mother, killed some drow and met a very interesting man.

My cheeks were flushed as I angled away from Marcus, catching a current high above the city.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Seeing the way she flew, Marcus could tell that she was faster than him in the air and just as manoeuvrable (which had taken him a bit of training, but seemed to come naturally to her). She wants a game, huh? he thought to himself after she touched his tail. Guess I better even the playing field.

Normally, Marcus could only fly as fast as he could run, but for situations that called for a bit more speed (and for those times when his own wings weren't an option); he had a cloak. Wings of Flying, the style was called. It had served as his replacement wing during the fight with the behir, but now that both of his wings were working, it had a different purpose.

Quickly muttering the command word, the cloak unfurled into a second pair of wings that grew from between his normal ones, though these new ones where covered in silver feathers and the knowledge of four-winged flight instinctively entered his mind. If his estimates about her speed were right, he'd be just as fast as her now.

"Here I come, V!" he called as he flew towards her as fast as he could, constantly adjusting his approach to intercept her and making use of thermals to get himself above her. He knew the city better than her and knew where thermals were most likely to be, and when she partly flew over one, throwing her balance off slightly, he dove straight down and past her, brushing a hand against her left wing as he did so. He pulled himself up and landed on the roof of a building, looked up at Verrith with a large grin on his face.

And one of her feathers between his fingers.

"Your turn, V; let's make this a little more interesting." With that, he took off again, diving low and leading her on a chase through the streets and narrow alleys of the city. Aerial tag was something new to him (never having met another winged humanoid before... not one that didn't want to kill him, at least), but he'd always enjoyed testing himself in cities by flying fast and low between the buildings. And doing it with a beautiful woman, well, that was just an added bonus.

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I scowled at him, holding my feather, standing so cocky on that roof top. Then I noticed the extra wings and growled at him playfully. "That's so not fair!"

I made an arcane gesture in front of my face and felt the magic tingle into my wings. Swift Fly, specialized for a winged creature. I dived at him and he took off, wings barely clearing the buildings he flew between.

We chased each other through the city, me laughing as I stole a feather from him in a fly by attack. By the time we landed in front of the inn we were both breathing heavily, my second casting of the spell having long since worn off. I was down two tertiary feathers and my hair tie was long since gone. I hadn't had so much flying in years.

"If you," pant, "want me to," pant, "keep airborne," pant, "stop pulling my," pant, "flight feathers," I reminded him, eying his dragonic wings. "I know you don't normally have feathers, but I can't fly without mine."

Turning to look at the tavern I smiled. "Tis a nice building, well roofed. Do you think those rooms with the balconies are open? I don't mind paying extra."

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Marcus was laughing while trying to catch his breath. "I only meant to take that first one; the others just got caught on my claws." When she remarked about the rooms with balconies, he looked up at them. "Hopefully, we'll just have to ask Durnon inside." With that, he lead the way into the Yawning Portal. "Oh, by the way; I activated the cloak because you can fly faster than me; I was just trying to even things out."

The common room of the inn was quieter than Marcus had been expecting, before he realised that the lunchtime rush had already died down. Durnon was behind the bar cleaning tankards, the very image of the retired adventurer-turned-barkeep, his old greatsword hanging on the wall behind him.

"Ah, Marcus; haven't seen you in a while," he said as Marcus and Verrith walked up to the bar. "And who's your lovely new friend?"

"Verrithanis Mijai; a spellsword who saved my bacon yesterday. Huh; you know that's the first time I've properly pronounced an elven name. Anyway; you got any of the balcony rooms left?"

"Just one; and it's the only room that isn't booked out too; so if you guys aren't comfortable with sharing a room..."

Marcus wasn't sure if Verrith wanted to share a room or not. He looked to her, letting her decide.

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

"I didn't know," I responded to his comment about his cloak. "Next time we're flying, remind me to cast Swift Flight on you. It helps a lot."

Both males turned to look at me at the mention of sharing a room and I tilted my head to the side thoughtfully. "Well, there is the aforementioned saving of the bacon... and we've been sharing a camp site without issues... plus you can actually say my name without mangling it... so sharing a room should be no problem. Especially if it has a balcony."

I didn't say why I'd have no problem with it, especially if things got a little "out of hand," though the flush that had faded from my cheeks was replaced by a blush as I thought it. I don't think the human caught it and Marcus wasn't always very easy to read, at least for me.

We followed Durnon up to the room and it was worth sharing. Up on the third floor, the balcony open to let in a sea breeze, it was clean and held a very large Instafill tub. I knew the tub type, it had been designed by a gnome I'd done a few "find this" jobs for as a new adventurer. It seemed Durnon had sprung for the largest model currently on the market, big enough for five humans... or two winged... I cut the thought off and started paying attention to Durnon and Marcus' conversation. Something about a drider, a halfling and a bugbear circus act.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

"Okay, the halfling and the bugbear I can understand; but how'd a drider get let into the city?" Marcus asked as he put their bags down near the bed.

"Dunno, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was brain-damaged or something; his hair was parted oddly - like there was a scar - and he was grinning like an idiot the whole time. He must've taken a hit at somepoint and gotten confused or something. Anyway; like I said, the show's not really worth seeing. I'll leave you two to get settled in; if you need anything just pull on that cord near the door, it'll ring a bell downstairs and I'll send Tamsil up."

Marcus thanked Durnon as he left before turning to Verrith. "So, lunch? Or would you rather freshen up first?"

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I pondered the question for a moment then sighed. "I smell like two weeks on the road plus salt, which I can't imagine is a charming scent. So clean up first and foremost."

A wicked smile crossed my lips as I began digging through my bags after I slipped of my belts. I pulled a trio of silver flasks, a loofah and silvery robe from one and set them on a chair next to the tub.

I bit my lip, a little unsure of what to do next before deciding to go with my original idea. I flipped my hair over my shoulder, baring my back and reached up to undo the clasps for my armor at neck, then arched to release the ones at the small of my back. I laid the armor on the desk in the room as I took every piece off.

I shot a look at Marcus and was pleased to see him watching me as I moved, slipping off my boots and stockings. I unlatched the chain leggings I wore and they slithered to floor softly, leaving me wearing only the skin-tight under-armor padding. I undid the ties of the top and as I took it off, invisibility shimmered across me.

A small groan escaped my companion and I gave a victory wiggle. My voice was teasing as I spoke, "What, you didn't think I was going to bathe in front of you nude, did you? At least not visibly. Even I'm not that forward."

Yet....

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Should've expected that, oh well.

Since she had started undressing right in-front of him, he'd thought she'd be fine if he saw her naked. Of course; it wasn't the first time his judge of character had been a little off.

"I think that trick you just used was in a novel I read at one stage. Here," he said as he walked over to the tub and placed a hand on the side, activating it and filling the tub with warm water. It would probably be a bit warmer than Verrith would like because it was the temperature he would've liked and his body temperature was a bit lower than a human's or elf's.

"Let me know if there's any other way I can help."

OOC: Marcus' novel remark is because I have read that in a novel once (well, a short story); it was in one of the short stories in the first Witcher book: The Last Wish (the title being shared by the book and the story I'm talking about). A sorceress that Geralt (the main character) was speaking with had a bath while discussing something he was wanting her to do and she was invisible the whole time (although invisibility magic in The Witcher only affects a person's actual visibility, so Geralt could still make out her outline from the displaced water).

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I grinned at the way his voice sounded. As if he found me as intriguing as I found him. I ran my tongue over my lips as I mused on my next actions.

One of the bottles I'd set down disappeared as I picked it up and pour some of its contents into the water. Bubbles began to coat the surface of the water, the soap one I knew for a fact would clean all the road grime away, leave my hair and feathers sparkly clean and manageable and remoisturise my skin. I can rough it with the best of the boys but sometimes a woman just has to be a woman.

The warm scent of vanilla filled the room, another reason I couldn't use this soap if I was planning on going monster hunting. Nothing like a nicely scented wind to give oneself away.

Carefully, I stepped into the tub, taking caution to ensure my wings folded neatly against my back. Once I was in water deep enough to lap at my shoulders, I dunked under, emergenging from both the water and my invisibility as I surfaced. The only things I was wearing were my ring and Turp's token. I ran my hands over my eyes to clear the soapy water away from them and turned to look at Marcus.

"I get itchy footed if I stay somewhere too long, but Gods, civilization has its perks."









OOC: Never read it, but thought it'd be amusing.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

His eyes bugged out as Verrith removed the invisibility. He started thinking his previous judge of her had been right after all. To be on the safeside though, he looked away and out the window, only to see a reflection of her in the glass window.

"You, um," he stammered. "You didn't answer my question before. I don't have anything to do so if there's anything you need..." He was sure there was a better way he could've worded that, but it just wasn't coming.

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I smiled at him and shrugged. "I do believe I'm good for the time being."

I stretched, knowing the bubbles were just enough coverage in my opinion and probably too much in his. Moving fluidly, I grabbed the last bottle on the chair and a washcloth. As I soaped up, I wondered if we were going to need a mop for the area near Marcus. Though to be honest if our rolls were reversed, I probably wouldn't have remained standing where I was.

I didn't have a history as a tease, but when I wanted something, or someone, as long as it was within my moral code to have it, I went after it with gusto. My standards required I at least eat before going any further though. I was hungry after my flight and the food downstairs had smelled good.

I rinsed my hair one last time and stood, sheilding myself with my wings and grabbing a towel to dry off with.

"Why don't you go downstairs and order us some food? I'll be down once I'm dried off. I have a bottle of air in one of my bags, so it shouldn't take too long."

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Marcus babbled for a moment before the ability to speak came back to him. "Uh, right... I'll..." he managed to get out before stumbling out the door. He was infinitly thankful for his choice of underwear from the night before (he'd originally grabbed them while he was changing his pants and Verrith was trancing); it wouldn't have done for him to walk through the main room of the Yawning Portal - one of the most famous inns in Waterdeep - with a raging hard-on. The downside of this, though, was that he was now rock-hard and wedged at an angle that was somewhat painful. Thankfully, his decent to the front room gave him enough distraction to get it back under control; if also providing a new source of pain.

He'd kept picturing Verrith after she'd stepped out of the bath; water running down her beautiful curves and her wings only just covering the right places. When he'd reached the top of the stairs, he tripped and tumbled down them in an almost comical fashion. After reaching the bottom (and drawing looks from the other patrons), he quickly stood up and called out, "I'm okay."

"Quite an entrance," Durnon said.
"Very funny. You got a menu for lunch?"
"Don't you want to fix your wing first?"
"My wing?" he turned as he asked and saw that his left wing had been dislocated by the fall. "Oh crap; I hate it when this happens. Do you mind?" Durnan shook his head and gestured for the half-dragon to turn around, before deftly popping the limb back into place (and drawing a slightly un-adventurer-ly almost-whimper from Marcus).

After a few minutes and hanging his armour and cloak on the back of his chair (leaving his upper body clad in a simple white shirt), the last of the lunch-rush patrons had cleared out and Marcus noticed Verrith enter the main room.

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

"You're teasing him," I chided myself mentally as I watched Marcus stumble out of the room. I shurgged, barely containing a laugh. It was rare for me to catch lustful attention. Most elfin men refused to see me that way, afraid my wings were a sign of taint due to their color. Most humans were too brash. And orcs... ew.

But Marcus was something else, I mused as I walked over to my bag and pulled out the aforementioned can of air. A few good warms gusts and I was dry, my hair fluffy enough to nearly blend into my wings. I dried the floor as well, knowing I'd slip on it later if I didn't and restoppered the bottle of air.

Setting it aside I pulled out a change of cloths appropriate for the city. I didn't expect any trouble so wasn't worried about my armor. And I always had my spells to rely on in case there was any trouble.

I slid into a pair of silk stockings and secured them to a matching garter belt. A snug demi-corset to hold things in place up top (since wearing a full corset was impossible due to my wings) and the lot of it followed by a crimson short yukata- a kimono like dress that fell to mid-thigh with delicate silver dragons embroidered along the hems. I'd picked it up on a quest and loved the silky feel of it. It wasn't exactly a common dress in this area, but surely they'd seen one before.

I pulled my hair out of my face with a silver head band and slid into a pair of sandals. I slipped my money-bag into the wide sleeve and headed downstairs, wondering at the scuff marks in the wood at the bottom of them. I shrugged it away and looked out to the rest of the room.

Marcus was sitting at a table tucked into a corner of the room, watching me approach. I knew the sandals gave just the right sway to my hips as I moved and sat down next to him. He shifted in his seat and seemed to shake himself, as if refocusing.

"So what's good to eat here," I asked, looking around for a menu board. "I'm starving."

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Marcus looked away from the menu board when he heard someone come down the stairs and his jaw dropped at the sight that greeted him. He wasn't sure if it was the sandals or the shortness of her dress, but Verrith's legs seemed to go on forever now.

The coincidence of the silver dragons embroidered in it were lost on him for the moment (along with most higher brain functions), the only thing he noticed about the yukata was how well it showed off her figure. He started to answer her question, but stopped for a moment to get his brain back in order and to get rid of the feeling that his tongue was too long for his mouth (which was technically true from a biological standpoint; despite having a human head and face, his tongue was very similar to what one might expect from a dragon-headed half-breed yet somehow able to sit inside his mouth the same way as a human's). He tried to keep his mind on what he was saying to avoid another beauty-induced brain-fart.

"The board's over there; he's got a lot of fresh seafood and he's got dire wolf steaks going cheap. Apparently a lot of them've been turning up near the bottom of the well," he gestured to the door that lead down to the Undermountan access well. "so Durnan's been going down there occasionally, killing one or two, and bringing them back up. One of the benefits of living over an Undermountain entrance, I guess."

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I wrinkled my nose at the idea of eating a wolf, even a dire one. "I think I'll go with the sea food. Shrimp stir fry sounds safe enough. Not to mention its a bad idea to eat the possible kin of a friend. And since I don't know any crab people, shrimp should be okay."

After Marcus had managed to calm down at bit and we ordered I studied him for a moment, fingers toying with the edge of my wine glass. "So what are your plans after this? I don't have anything planned and after I get my armor repaired, am up for pretty much anything."

I knew there was a double entre there... and I meant for it to be.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

When she said she was up for 'pretty much anything', Marcus momentarily got a mental image of them both back up in the room, with him sliding his- Gah, focus you idiot. She wouldn't be up for sex... would she? Is she just naturally that flirty or is she trying to come onto me? Damnit; I'm thinking things through too much. Play it by ear, Marcus; it's how you've gotten this far in life. Granted, it's bitten me in the arse a few times, but those are the exceptions. Kind of.

"Well I didn't have anything planned; I was just going to relax up in the room with a book, but if you want to have a look around the city then I'd be happy to go with you."

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

As we'd talked a contingent of adventurers came up from the lower levels of the Portal, all male and riding an adrenaline high.

I didn't pay them much attention as I answered. "You said you knew someone who might be able to repair my chain. Its not easy or quick to do so, so I'd like to get that started as soon as possible."

The adventurers leader, a tall elfin male who was handsome enough by the standards of most of my race, sauntered over to our table, pulling up a chair beside me. I gave him a haughty glare, irritated at the interruption.

"Now what's a lovely elf like yourself doing hanging out with a monster like this," he asked me, ignoring Marcus completely. "You must be slumming it. Really, my dear, you can do better. I'm sure you would find me much more entertaining."

My eyes narrowed dangerously, though my voice was cool and polite. "I can handle this," I said to Marcus and then to the elf, "Not interested. I find Marcus' company quite... stimulating. Thank you for your concern though."

The male glanced at Marcus and then back at me. "Oh, you're one of those wing-lovers? Is that why you're wearing that cloak? Really, if you're looking to fly, I can get you there faster."

I wasn't sure if the growl I heard was mine or Marcus' but I had had enough. I rose to my feet, wings furling. "I happen to be a winged-elf, so its not a cloak. And if your attitude and ears are any indication, I imagine it would take you over an hour of foreplay to get me even interested, where my dragon'ish companion merely needs to look at me and I'm all hot and bothered. You are boring me. Leave."

"You whore," he spat, face molted crimson as he stood.

"No, I don't have to pay or be paid for sex," I said before using my magic to open a dimension door behind the elf. A well placed elbow knocked him through it and into the manure pile outside the stable. I looked at the adventurer's friends but they seemed content to nurse their drinks at the bar and leave me alone.

Sitting down, I turned back to Marcus as what I'd said caught up with me. I blushed crimson and tried to talk my way past it. "There's always one. I swear I must be wearing a sign saying 'Asshole males, line up here' whenever I"m in a bar. Maybe resting up in the room is a better option."

 

[ShadowFighter15]

It wasn't in Marcus' nature to get angry at someone being a bastard to a travelling companion; if the person being harassed couldn't get themselves out of it, Marcus normally relished a bit of wordplay to make the idiots back off. But this elf was rapidly getting on his nerves, to the point where the claws on his left hand were tearing deep gouges into the table and was letting out a low growl. It was all he could do not to stand up and throw the arrogant prick out of the nearest window - preferably one that was closed.

What Verrith said as she stood up though made him stop in surprise. After she sat back down, he opened his mouth again. "Well... that was unpleasant. Might be best to just take it easy here for today; I can run your armour over to the smith later today if you want - they're only about a block from here."

He paused for a minute before asking the question. "That stuff you said before he called you a whore? Were you just saying that to piss him off or..."

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I bit my lip before answering. "I rarely lie, I'm horrible at it. And I..." I squirmed in my seat a bit before meeting his gaze and answering. "I meant what I said. You intrigue me on a multitude of levels... but I'm not... well I'm not sure how to go about expressing... yeah. I meant it."

My cheeks felt hot, and a small part of me wondered if the crimson matched my yukata. For some reason, Marcus made me feel inexperienced and new at the whole male/female thing. While I wasn't a slut by any standards, I was hardly innocent either and hadn't felt this awkward in decades.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Marcus was shocked. He may have travelled with a lot of women in the past, but none of them had seen him as any more than a friend and certainly hadn't felt like Verrith. Seeing her blush was somewhat reassuring; it showed that she was feeling as awkward as he was.

"Uh, wow. Okay, um... I... I don't know where to go from here. Though I am glad that the feelings haven't been one-way." He'd been having similar feelings for Verrith since the night before; having found her to be a beautiful and intelligent woman.

Before he could say any more, Tamsil - Durnan's daughter - brought their meals over. Hopefully the food would give him time to think.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

OOC: Bump, due to edited post.

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

I thanked the girl for the food and dug in, in a ladylike fashion of course. It had been a while (okay months) since I'd had a meal I hadn't cooked myself or ate a ration for. It was a very pleasant change.

After taking the edge of my hunger, I washed it down with a hearty drink from the pint of local ale in front of me. It was pleasant enough, for a human-made brew. "So what's the night life around here like? Is the city pretty by moonlight?"





OOC: Sorry for the delay, I had a Faire this weekend. Hard to find 'net access when you're pretending to be in the 1500's. I'll post something more elaborate later.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

"Can't tell you much about the night life; I'm not really one for it. If I'm not in a town to work I normally just relax with a book or something." Marcus was thoroughly enjoying his steak; the time he spent as a captive had built up his appetite and if it hadn't been for Verrith's food that night, he would've been drooling all over the meat the moment it was set in front of him. The steak was perfect, though he wouldn't have cared even if it was a bit tough (sharp teeth and strong jaw muscles can count for a lot in that regard).

"You know; I've never really paid much attention to how the city looks at night except at a long distance, and then you notice the lights more than anything."

OOC: Found a picture of the main room of the Portal, don't know if it's official artwork or not (it fits the description I read on that Forgotten Realms wikia). I guess they changed the layout a bit for Hordes of the Underdark; the well had its own room in the inn's basement for that game.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a123/Vallah_/Theyawningportal.jpg

 

[Vixandra]

Verrith

Go for it, V, if you want it, go after it. Like Memere said. I chided myself for a moment mentally before deciding to do what I wanted. We were both adults.

I leaned across the table and ran my thumb across his lower jaw then brought it to my own lips. After licking the juicy remnants of the steak from my thumb with a wicked smile I studied his face, his reaction.

There was a startled, pleased, and something darker look in his eyes that grew a bit more startled as I leaned in an pressed my lips against his.



OOC: That's the lay out I'm familiar with. I've played all of the official Neverwinter Nights 1 and quite a few downloaded ones off the 'net.

 

[ShadowFighter15]

Marcus was startled by the kiss for a moment before returning it passionately and bringing a hand to cup the side of her face. As he felt her tongue slowly make its way into his mouth, he reciprocated and tasted the lingering flavours from her dinner on her lips and tongue.


OOC: I guess they changed the Portal's layout to better pace HotU's story; concessions to the source-material to make an enjoyable computer game. On another matter; sorry for the shorter post - left replying way longer than I intended this time. I've got to try and reply to forum threads before half-past eleven at night.