Welcome to Gaia! ::

| Now that Aaric and Emilie have gotten closer as friends, Em has decided that he may be the perfect candidate to help her with a little situation. |

Location: Aaric’s Room | Company: Emile| Other: Surprised

It had been quite the day, and Aaric had finished what he could and tucked himself away at his desk. For the last few weeks, he had been graced by Emilie’s company, and it had been the most at home he had felt since had been a boy. Her gentle laugh, her infectious smile, and always her beautiful blue eyes looking up at him, twinkling. He was at a loss as to why after their night of secrets and dancing, they had grown closer, but not in the way he had thought.

She was, to him, the most beautiful woman he had ever met, with a kind soul, and such a warming touch. Every moment with her left his heart fluttering, and more often than not at a loss for words. Each night after they parted ways he would return to his desk, and another poem would flow from his heart, through his hand, and then upon the page.

He had kept the stack of poetry secret, not wishing for it to be stumbled upon by any visitors, nor his servants for fear that such information might make way to his ‘father’. The time spent with her of course could not be hidden, but in that he did not mind. He was a single man, not yet married, and it was appropriate for him to spend time with the opposite sex in an effort to win a wife. Not that, it had been his intention in the slightest, he just couldn't resist a moment spent in her company.

And moments they had spent these last few weeks. Some at her spot in the library, others down the halls, talking not as strangers, but as old friends. Something about her left him completely disarmed, and it did not bother him a bit. The sound of her voice brought joy to his day as nothing had since his arrival at Utopia.

Tonight, he had decided to try something new. Since their art class, he had thought it might be pleasant to try his hand at sketching. For the most part it had been halls, rooms, and the occasional attempt at a landscape. His thought was that if he were to keep trying, he was bound to get better eventually. But tonight, he had decided to try his hand at something that truly sparked his creativity. On his desk, in parchment and charcoal, he was attempting to sketch a silhouette of Emilie.

If it came out well, he intended to give it to her with a letter, thanking her for the kindness and love he had shown him. What he wished for was that it sparked a flame in her heart, and she saw him as more than just a boon companion, but perhaps a potential partner. Women had come into his life before, but to him they had been dull, motivated merely by his family and their position at the top of the food chain. He had no interest in a partner that wished to move up the ladder, or to make their place in the Shahiti court. His interest in either his family or court was only so deep as his own survival and to be left alone.

As he sat at his desk, he tried to draw the smooth line of her chin, and frame it with her long dark hair. He thought charcoal a good medium because of the stark contrast of her skin and hair, but at the same time, he felt it lacked the detail of the image of her, smiling and twirling in her red dress, fair arms reaching out at him, and pulling him close.

His mind drifted as he remembered their time at the dance, and he found himself lost in memory when he heard a knock at the door. Startled, he quickly took a stack of parchment and half covered the sketch on his desk. No servant would be foolish enough to miss the man doodling images of Emilie and not get an idea in their head.

Dressed in loose pajama slacks, and a long nightshirt, he was illuminated only by the lamp burning upon his desk, its shutters thrown open for him to get a better view of what he had been working on.

Not quite being ready to be intruded upon, he reached and withdrew a dark silk night robe and slipped it over, giving him a slim yet baggy outline.

Stepping to the door, he slowly opened it, peaking his head out.

“Lady Leclair!” he said, beside himself.

His heart began to race, and for a brief moment, he stood frozen. Instinct took over after the moment and he opened the door, coming to stand fully up instead of hunched as he had as he had stared absent kindly through the crack he had produced.

His room was barely lit behind him, and the walls were bare. The curtain had been drawn in effort to retain what heat could be maintained in the room. To the side, a fireplace glowed with little but embers as he had been too distracted to see to its maintenance.

“My apologies, Lady Leclair, I had not been expecting you, though I must say you had been on my mind…” he caught himself before he could say more and quickly started up again, hoping to get past the momentary awkwardness of his thoughts.

“How may I help you my dear?” he asked, the warm smile spreading across his face as he took her in.

Location: Aaric’s Room | Company: Emile| Other: Boy howdy.

Aaric watched as she played with the edge of his robe and he wanted to chuckle. Cozy, that was how he felt, something he believed she had finally introduced him to. The robe was not something he would have worn before they had met, but it was something he had been gifted at one point. His stiff heavy night coat was tucked away in the closet. To him, although stiff and warm, it was an old friend that kept the cold away, but the fire had done its job and left the room warm.

When she asked to come in, he of course let her in, stepping to the side and waving his hand, allowing her to walk past. There was little he thought that she could ask of him that he would not be willing to do. It was something in the way she looked at him, and in her voice that left it hard for him to say no.

He watched as she turned, walking towards his desk, and he was almost sure that his heart would give out. Taking a step forward, he started to reach out to her. She paused however, turning towards him, and relief washed over him. Of course what was hidden was intended for her, eventually, but he was embarrassed to let her see it until he thought it was just right.

She said his name and then tightened her cardigan. His first name no less. It felt good to hear it in her voice, and his body to relax just a tad more as he rolled the sound around in his head.

Looking down, she began to ask him something, she seemed concerned? No not concerned, but something was certainly on her mind. As she took another step towards him. Trusted him? He supposed he gave her no reason not to, nor did he wish to. Then she was barely a foot away from him, telling him that she needed his help with a problem.

Her eyes flicked between the door and his bed, and his head naturally cocked to the side, following where her eyes darted. There was a nervousness to her, that he had not seen in her before. Part of him picked up on that nervousness, and got nervous as well.

The light from the embers began to dim, and the lamp lost a bit of its glow as his body began to absorb the light around him without realizing he was doing it. An automated defense system that had long built itself into his being.

It was then that she took his hand, asking, Would you sleep with me?

In his head, his mind rushed. Of course she had simply meant in bed with her. Perhaps something had frightened her, and she wanted the safety of another, and she trusted him. It wasn't in his nature to take advantage of others, especially those he cared about.

His face softened as she said the first part, he was ready to admit that he would if that is truly what she wanted, and only if she was comfortable.

However, then she followed up, with what felt like a solid kick into his gut.

I want you to have sex with me.

Everything in his head disappeared. An emptiness took its place, a vacuum preventing anything from taking shape. His face showed surprise, but he could not feel it. Actually, he could feel dull tingling through his body, like that of falling asleep on your arm, and feeling like it was stabbed by pins and needles when you awoke after.

Instinct caused his eyes to follow her, a look of shock hinted as he followed after her as she sat on the edge of his bed, her fingers curling into his blanket, still cold from the hours of neglect it had experienced from his time away from it and at his desk.

An hour passed, then a century, followed slowly by a millennia. After that millennia, the emptiness of his brain was quickly replaced by something akin to a hurricane of words, roaring too loudly to make out, and yet familiar, as if he could almost place the language.

Say something, please, she begged.

SAY SOMETHING YOU IDIOT!

Finally his brain shook itself from shock as it realized, before his consciousness, that his mouth needed to make sounds, and it needed to make them quickly.

“Uh….”

Yes, perfect. So poetic. This will be repeated by bards for centuries to come. Try using real sentences you fool!

Aaric took two steps for her, taking a knee in front of her, and reaching for her hands to take within his own. A wild mix of emotions passed over his face, until a softness and concern took over.

“Oh Emilie, I hope you aren’t feeling pressured to do it.” his voice was warm, coddling even.

Oh yes, brilliant again. She asks you to bed her, wanting you to be her first, and there you go playing concerned friend. If she didn't want it, would she have come out here this evening to ask you, Aaric Price, Prince of Dumbass!

This woman had just expressed something deadly personal to him, and was asking for him to be the one to share it with her. He must admit, he wanted to. To feel her warm body against his, to hear his name moaned in his ear. It was not the first time he had been with a woman, though this would be the first time he shared his bed with someone he truly felt a connection with.

A hint of common sense finally wormed its way into his brain and he stood up and sat beside her, close, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“There are more than a few women your age I imagine have not experienced the warmth of a man. If this is something you truly want, how could I ever say no?” His voice was comforting, warm, and gentle. He reached down and took her hands again, his eyes trying to meet her own.

I love you Emilie. That's what he wanted to say. If he had his way, he would wake up with her in his arms. The consequences of the actions were a future far away that he had little to no concept of.

Location: Aaric’s Room | Company: Emile| Other: Boy howdy.

The soft kiss against his knuckles sent his head reeling. It was an intimacy that they had yet to share. Touches had come and gone, brief moments of contact since the dance, that he held closely in his heart. It was not something he had been willing to admit to her, but he had safely locked them up, hoping that one day that would come to mean more.

Her tight embrace, had his arms follow suit, wrapped around her, squeezing her tightly. His body was warm against hers. When she released, he let go, and felt her take his hand, before cupping the side of his face. Her hand was warm and soft, and he felt his eyes close as he took in the sensation.

Im lucky you’re mine.

She had no idea how true those words were. From the moment she had asked him to dance, he was pretty sure she had enchanted him. Every movement, every touch, every smile, and every laugh. He had been smitten from the moment she asked him to dance. It was not that he was asked, but whom, and why. It wasn't for personal power, for influence, it was simply because she had seen a man she considered attractive, and had wanted to spend a few intimate moments with him twirling the night away.

In that, he had given her. That night, tucked away in the library, he had been desperate to kiss her. When she asked to return to the dance, he had been duty bound to escort her back. It had not occurred to him to resist her. What she wanted, he would want, as simple as that. The moments together since and simply solidified what he had felt the first time he laid eyes on her.

A part of him knew that it was the hopeless romantic him cresting to the peak of his emotions, but he did not resist. He let himself be swept up in the sea of her charm, and had been pulled away from shore, with no interest in making his way back. Stories of Sirens, calling to men from coral rocks and seeing them dashed to pieces upon the stone had come to mind before, but he had understood why the men had gone. For her, he too would dive from safety and swim towards certain danger at the chance to encounter her.

How do we… um…

Oh dear sea, she wanted to, but she didn't know how to start. That had been him once. A younger man, in the quiet safety of a woman’s room, stole away to spend his first time with a woman. There were many times in his life he was unprepared and knew not what to do, and that time in particular taught him that sometimes you simply had to give yourself over to something, and let it happen. She would come to understand that too if she really wished for what she was asking.

She faltered, concerned he might not want to do it. How wrong she was. The heat in his body had spread, and there was nothing more he wanted in the world than to pull her under the heavy covers and show her just how much he wanted to bring her pleasure.

Leaning in, she kissed him, softly. It took everything in his power not to grab her and pull her against him. The urge grew heavy and ferocious. Only her strict command to stop would prevent him from meeting her lips once more. He kissed her back, his lips warm, soft, and eager. His hand slipped along her outer leg, meeting cold flesh. He squeezed gently before she pulled away.

The taste of her lips lingered on upon his own, and he rubbed them together, tasting her upon his own. His brain became a bonfire, and his body felt like he had lost all control of it.

I'm sorry, I don't really know what I'm doing.

“You sure could have fooled me” he growled, his eyes burning with desire.

His hand slipped along her outer leg, making it to the small of her back. He pulled her back in as his left hand reached up and slid through her hair, cradling the back of her head.

Leaning in he kissed her, not softly but hard, his body aching for her. After only a moment or two of kissing, he pushed further, guiding her torso onto the bed. His lips left hers enough to whisper hotly, “I am ready Emilie, and I shall hope I can make you so as well.”

His lips whispered it into her ear, before gently kissing it, and then making her way down her neck. A string of soft, steady, warm, and moist kisses outline her neck before he made it to her throat. He gave a gentle bite as he leaned more of his weight upon her.

A smirk and another throaty whisper followed as he said, “If it is still what you want…”

Location: Library | Company: Emile| Other: Relieved

It had been days now since he had seen her, and it was tearing him apart inside. She had not been in her classes that following day, and he did not wish to pry. The first day he had chosen to give her space, a gentleman knew when to give someone time. Truth be told, he had snuck off to the library hoping to catch her, but when she was not there, he went about his day, Emilie floating around in his mind as he tried to keep his attention on the tasks before him.

That morning, he had written about her. It had been impossible for him to get her out of his mind. He had even chased the servant off when they had wished to change his sheets. Her scent had lingered on the sheets and pillow, and after class when he had not run into her, he chose instead to rest in bed, letting the smell wash over him.

On the second day, those sneaky sons had chosen to change the bedding regardless, when he had been out in class. It was hard to blame them, they had only been doing their job, but between that and a second day without the opportunity to see or talk to her, it put him in a dour mood.

They had grown close together in the last month, and a day without her in it felt as if a part of him was gone, like he could still almost feel her cuddled against him, the warmth of her body radiating into him. He had known those after the war that had lost limbs and said they still felt it, that they still felt like they were reaching out to grab something, only to see nothing reaching for what they wanted. It had always saddened him, but now he felt that perhaps a part of him might understand them just a little better.

Like the day before, he sought her out in the library, but she was nowhere to be found. Again, alone, he returned to his room and began drawing her again. The first charcoal drawing of her was done, and he found it to be quite attractive, but he supposed that with her so fresh in his mind, it had given him ample inspiration. This time, he pictured her sitting at the window in the library, choosing to try pencil this time. Slowly he sketched the shapes and began to fill in the details. As he drew her profile glancing out the window, he was delicate, cautious, not wanting to miss a single detail. As he continued, he felt the urge to cry.

By the third day, he was doing everything in his power to hold himself together. It was silly that he felt so poorly, but indeed she had been a bright light in this otherwise dim place. Her eyes and smile was a torch to light the bonfire that was his heart. Now it was just smoldering embers, and it made him feel cold. He was used to the dark and shadows, but it was not where he liked to dwell, just the hand that he had been dealt.

Entering the library, and concerned this too would prove fruitless, he made his way back to the spot she had shown him. Her spot. Turning the bend, he came upon the windows and the chair, and there she was. Slumped away in the comfortable leather backed chair. His shoulders dropped, his heart raced, and he quietly called out, “Lady Leclair,” his voice was warm and loving, relief quite obvious in his tone.

“It is so good to see you again, I feared you might have been ill having not seen you in class. I hope that you are well?” His voice was formal and polite, before he quickly glanced ahead and behind and took two steps closer. He had not seen anyone around on his way in, but it did not hurt to check.

“You are alright, aren’t you Emilie?” he whispered the question to her, true concern in his voice.

Location: Aaric’s Room | Company: Emile| Other: Surprised

Aaric was flooded with worry and then relief as she explained he had been sick. It did not sound like her being truly honest with him, but he paid it little attention, only happy to know she was feeling better. The first day he had been concerned, but by the third day he had been nearly frantic.

Inquiring into him, he waved his hand and said he was fine, just concerned.

“I admit I was a little sore, but I am well. And please, do not be sorry, I care, that is all.”

When she admitted he had been thinking of him, a warm smile rolled across his face. It was obvious he had been thinking a great deal about her as well. Quite extensively as a matter of fact, it had been the only thing occupying his mind for going on the third day.

As she indicated she wished him to sit, her voice showed, was it concern? She couldn’t seem to get the sentence out straight, but when she touched his hand, sparks flew up his arm and through his body. He gave it a gentle squeeze, and his warm smile returned. Feeling her touch once again renewed everything he had been feeling and dwelling on since she had visited him.

Taking the seat opposite of her, he wiggled his butt into the leather and got comfortable. A growing worry began to form in the back of his mind. It was too early for her to know, but stranger things than that had happened since he began attending the school, so perhaps she knew if they had started the growth of a child together. In his mind, there was nothing else it could have been. Nothing was more enjoyable than each others company, and they both seemed to truly care for each other, so it couldn’t be that.

Perhaps he had awakened something in her that she had not been aware of? As a boy, the urges had existed and he had been greatly familiar with them before he was sent away as a cabin boy early on in the war. Although he liked to imagine that was it, simply because the passion they had taken in each other’s arms, but although it had been amazing and her willing, he doubted she had gone mad from it.

In her lap, her fingers intertwined, playing against themselves. It was obvious she was nervous about something. The growing concern deepened, and his began to show it. A shadow grew across his brow and he leaned forward.

It was then she asked if he loved her. She acted nervous, but for him it was a different feeling. The answer came out without a second thought.

“Of course I love you Emilie!” the smile returned to his face and he let out a breath, clearly relieved. “I think I may have loved you from the moment you asked me to dance. Your smile is a permanent thought that warms me.”

Gods did he love her. For the first time since childhood, he had feelings for a person more so than any thought could apply towards another. So he had said it while they had been together? It came as no surprise. In her arms he had felt safer than anywhere else in the world and he could see himself easily confessing it during their passion.

“I will admit, I do not remember having said it, but much came from out of me that night, and each word of it from my soul to your ears. If you tell me I said it, then I have no doubt of it. It is the truth, and we shared many truths with one another.”

Leaning back in the chair, he crossed one leg over the other and gently set his hands on top. His body was relaxed now, the worry gone. It did not occur to him that she might not feel the same. To him it was an epic love story that would be told for ages to come. The softening of a dark heart, and joy brought to his kingdom.

A hand slipped into his jacket and he removed a piece of paper. It was the charcoal drawing he had been making the night before she had visited him.

“I have been very fond of you since we met. And this… well I had been drawing it before you arrived that night. I was so scared of you seeing it when you arrived, I had hidden it. I couldn't stop thinking about you when I woke up, and I had to finish it. I wanted to throttle the servants when they took the bedsheets while I was out, because I just wanted to drown in the scent of you.”

Location: Library of Broken Dreams| Company: Emile| Other: Surprised

While he was admitting the truth, he had been distracted. His poetic heart once more taking over and running away with the plot. It took him a few full good moments to notice the expression on her face was changing. It had gone from soft to perhaps scared? Her eyes began to water, and they did not appear to be tears of joy to him. Was not the news that the person you loved, loved you back brought joy? She even attempted a weak smile towards him. That was certainly not a happy sort of smile. Aaric had seen, and produced those on her face. This was a false smile placed out at him to ease his mind. It was not working.

This was a first for him, he had not truly expressed love like this towards another person, excluding perhaps childhood fantasies. But those had faded from memory, and dark thought had long taken their place in his mind. This had been different, a brilliant warm radiance had filled their time together, and the more they spent, the brighter it felt. Until now. Where it felt like a very ugly troll and had smashed it into the ground and then dug its heel into the remains.

Someone is going to be very lucky to be loved by you. she said to him, quietly.

Someone. Someone not her. Not Emilie. Not her, nor her small soft hands, brilliant smile, and entrancing voice. That someone was not going to be the one that you had fallen in love with in such a short time. Not the person that you saw an entire future flashing before your eyes. The woman that had flooded your dreams and your heart must pass on you at this time. Perhaps you might have better luck with someone else. There most certainly must be another beautiful, smart, cheerful, and heartwarming creature out there for you to fawn over. But not her.

The phrase soul crushing came to mind as the nausea began to form in the pit of his tightening stomach. Before he had always had to picture and imagine it. Now, there was a certainty that he was feeling it for the first time. His chest felt tight, his head felt like it was swimming, and he could now imagine a large black pool swirling around him, the walls growing further and further up as the darkness swallowed him.

Light in the room began to slowly dim. For all of his control, his consciousness was doing what it did. It did not eat away at the light like her words had, but there was a noticeable dimness to the light coming from the window as well as the stacks around him. The shadows grew ever so slightly darker and deeper.

Taking a steady breath, Aaric stood, reached out with his hand and closed her own around the charcoal drawing. Leaning forward he placed a very gentle kiss on her knuckles.

“Lady Leclair, you have no reason to apologize nor to be forgiven. Perhaps I have gone too far. You know me well enough, my poetry tends to flow out quite readily around you.”

BECAUSE I LOVE YOU! his mind was screaming behind the caring smile.

The corner of his eyes produced a bit of moisture, but for the most part he held it back. It was his fear that if he let it out now that the moisture would turn to a flood and he would not be able to put a dam up to keep the flooding back for some time. She had of course been flirty and kind, but had on multiple occasions told him that they were friends. Perhaps his heart had simply heard the words and interrupted it wrong. She of course still cared about him. Just not like that. Emilie had requested his help with a problem, and his heart had simply chased down the wrong prey.

“I do apologize for stirring such emotions from you, I truly do enjoy making you happy, and I fear I have overdone it. Please accept my apology and my continued friendship,” his voice was steady and polite, like when they had first met.

There was a certainty in his heart that there would be a great deal of wine that would be consumed that evening and that he was going to make a fool out of himself. It was rare when he lost control, but he felt the need to let these emotions flow out of him, and this was neither the time nor the place. It also never hurts to add a fair amount of libation to assist those emotions to flow out. As it had been over lost comrades, drinks were shared, stories were told, and grief allowed to be revealed.

Grief. A strange word for him to apply to what he was feeling, but it was accurate. There was a great feeling of loss and emptiness in him that he knew the wine would not fill, but it would at least dull it some.

“I fear I have become a smidge emotional, and I am just a bit embarrassed. Would you be so kind as to give me your leave, I think it might be a good time for me to take a walk a bit to settle down.”

In reality he wanted to run, and at the same time, drown, suffocate, or be bashed repeatedly in the head with something quite hefty. Not in front of Emilie. This was not the time to wax sad and poetic in front of her. No doubt he had caused enough trouble for her. When she wanted to see him, she knew where he could be found. Perhaps like her, Aaric might need a day or two to himself. Then again, perhaps a week in some dive pub off the grounds and far away from the familiar might do him some good as well. Nope, a short walk, then to bed, he would spend the rest of the evening under heavy covers highly intoxicated.