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Another figure was tracing the line between the waves and sand with bare feet. Ethereal, he seemed made of moonlight and shadows. With each step something like faint screams followed in his wake while the water swallowed his footprints. Were these foot-shaped impressions screaming in death as they were erased from existence? It would not be until one saw him up close that one might guess the truth, that twin shadows trailing behind him were actually great metal wings, each feather grinding against its fellows with tiny little shrieks. And sometimes, when they flexed with great emotion, they might spark with fury. But tonight the beach was calming the creature that walked with such grace and silence. Tonight the easy footsteps of a predator were merely relaxed and lazy.

A golden glow on the clear night seemed like a fetal sun hovering low over the dunes. It must attract all sorts of nocturnal beasts. The feral elfin angel with demon's blood flowing through his veins was no exception. The eyes of this moth were not what most people would want to capture, but night and daylight were always destined to meet, and often with explosive results. Night-dwellers, even the moon, always bowed before the morning light but Qaphsiel had never bowed before anyone.

The air around him seemed to ripple and fold for an instant, and anyone standing around him just then might have swooned as if in a confused dream; suddenly the distant form was just outside the light, almost close enough to touch. The woman bathed in warm light stepped in front the orb full of fire, draping everything in front of her in darkness. From that darkness came a silvery voice, trickling in from the seaside and booming with the waves: "Summoning the creatures of the night is a dangerous pastime."

"You brought daylight to the night with that fire of yours. Have you not heard of the old adage about the moth and the flame?" The young lady's voice was soft, but even over the surf the night enhanced everything. The fire burned Qaphsiel's eyes which in turn made his ears ring. When the light faded to a dull red he still saw the ghosting green flames behind his eyelids. Even so he could not help but stare, only taking vague note of the beautiful creature wrapped in revealing cloth that controlled those flames.

That same distraction left him at a disadvantage when the light suddenly flared, blinding him entirely. A creature of action and sometimes even violence, the only defense he had against such an assault was to attack the offender himself. With a snarl he flung himself at her, felt flames tickle his dully-glinting armor and skin just before making contact with her mass. She was light and he was heavy wearing all that dully-glinting armor; having already taken this into consideration, he landed directly over her and pinned her shoulders with his bare forearm. Then with a foot he swept her legs together and leaned on her thighs so that she couldn't kick him.

"What do you think you're doing!" he growled with a mix of exasperation, betrayal, and disgust. What was she, some kind of sadist? Lure people in with pretty flames then attack them. Poor moth indeed! "You're lucky I'm in a good mood. If I wasn't or if you had attracted someone else, you'd be wishing you'd stayed home in bed like a good little day-dweller should." His wild mane of green and black hair shielded his face a little from the light. Slowly his sight returned but everything was washed out and undefined.

The body beneath him was unbelievably soft. He had forgotten about the spikes on his armor. He was usually left alone, or wandered off alone, so he hadn't thought about being touched by anyone in quite a while. But he set his jaw, self-preservation was in play. The darkness helped to cool his eyes, but not nearly enough. "No, I will not. Not until I can see again."

In reality his vision cleared very quickly, but it seemed much longer. To say the state they were in was not awkward and embarrassing would be a lie, though Qaphsiel did not notice right away. Once he did, and taking into consideration that this was a girl and the disarray of her clothing, heat rose to his face. The only coherent thing he could think was, Serves her right, stupid girl!

"Hmph, I should get you back for what you've done to me. How should I exact payment?" Finally he could see her face. It was quite lovely but distorted with fear. He tried not to think about the long expanse of exposed skin down her leg and failed. It put him in a wicked frame of mind, but she seemed a kind enough girl and he had been raised not to harm the innocent. Teasing was all right though.

He shifted his arm away from her chest and placed his palm there instead to keep her there. He felt a little wetness but it was difficult to tell if he was feeling blood or sweat. His armor made the smell of blood difficult to discern. He leaned forward closing the distance between them and kissed her shapely lips. "I am sorry if I harmed you."

Quickly and carefully he pulled away, using his other arm to take the brunt of his weight and it disappeared into the sand. His shin was difficult to extract from her clothing, but he managed. In the end their encounter was over almost as quickly as it began.

A strange weight pressed briefly against the air surrounding Fiera. It might feel like sudden, excessive heat and humidity in the depths of summer. Qaphsiel had disappeared, but a moment later his voice could be heard several dunes away. He was sitting in the sand looking at the depthless water. "I find it difficult to believe that this has never happened to you before. Have you been playing with fire for long?" Her little fireball had reminded him of someone he knew. How could he possibly know that he had just tackled Ciela's fairer daughter to the ground like a tiger?

(He had his hand on the area below her collarbone and above her breasts, in case that wasn't clear. Definitely still closer than what is good for a stranger. xD; <3 )

"Then you are very fortunate. There are many strange beasts and sinister people that roam around at night." He was, of course, one of those who preferred the night. It was his understanding that in his family, for generations someone had had his face upturned in the moonlight. His father was like that, and his grandfather before them. Unlike his grandfather he did not know why, and his father may or may not know. All Qaphsiel understood was that he was what he was. And like these relatives at least, he meant no harm to anyone but those who deserved it.

That was why when he heard Fiera hissing in pain, Qaphsiel felt a twinge of chagrin. He had already apologized so there was little else he could say. "If you are bleeding you should probably wash it off in the water. The salt burns but it helps to heal wounds."

He rose to his feet and turned back toward her. His silhouette was clear in the moonlight. "No, I don't think you should deny anything about yourself. If this is your gift then you should become its master. But you should exercise some caution, too. I'll go now so that you can go in the water." He turned to leave, but he was not going to disappear again. He had been out for a stroll, after all. He merely started walking in the direction he had been headed before.

(Naughty fingers? XD )

Qaphsiel looked over his shoulder at her and grinned with a hint of pride. "It was my first kiss too."

He turned to face her fully. "As you can see I was not harmed permanently." He did still see faint spots but they were disappearing with each moment. "I do not know you so I did not know if you would try to attack me with something stronger after blinding me, so I did the only thing I could think of to stop you without seriously hurting you."

With a bow he said more formally, "I am Qaphsiel. I will serve as your protector tonight if you want. You can be yourself and practice your magic without fear." Of course, she had had no fear before he proved to her that there was danger.

(Let him try again, I don't think he had enough time to form an opinion. XD )

"I can tell you didn't mean any harm. Why should I make your life miserable when we both made mistakes? And so you are welcome to try out any of your spells you wanted to practice. Now that I know what to expect I can stay out of harm's way." And now that he knew what to expect, he could stare not at the flame. It was going to be his job to keep an eye on her, after all. And the shadows. But he could look at her too.

"I like your name, Fiera. A pretty name for a pretty girl." It sounded silly to say, but it was the stripped-down truth. Not only that but she was already blushing. That was blushing right? It was so dark it was hard to say, but if he was right then he wanted to see how much he could fluster her. Perhaps she'd burst into flames, or maybe the sea would start to steam when she stepped into the water. Of course it never occurred to him that his teasing might be making her miserable. "So now I have your name. And your lips are mine as well? Does that mean I can have them whenever I want?"

(Here's the brashness I was warning you about! And he's already charming her out of her clothes. At least they're going for that swim. There are legitimate reasons for this. xD )

Qaphsiel was already looking away; he was raised a little better than that. Or perhaps he had stolen a glimpse through a shock of hair that was so dark that one could not really be sure. He mimicked her movements and began to take off his armor. Perhaps the jagged 'cut' of his hair was because he had snagged to many times on the spikes and his wings, but he had learned a trick or two about navigating armor. He wound his hair around his hand and shoved it into the neck before sliding it over his head and carefully around his wings. The metal plates came off in pieces and made heavy grating sounds as small puffs of sand filled the air around his ankles. His wings flexed with subdued little shrieks, enjoying their freedom. He did not even consider leaving any articles of clothing on before it was all arranged more carefully in the sand at his feet.

He stood up about the time she asked him to look away. He couldn't not look at her, but he was already moving, slipped smoothly up beside her, stole another kiss, and was back across the the next dune. "All right, I'll keep a look out and you can go into the water."

(And he just got a nice good look. Little brat. >_>; )