An Intriguing Breakfast Conversation

"You know, love, I've always wondered. Just what exactly do you hear when you're around regular people. The ones that don't know that you're a Truthmaster? The common thoughts, I mean."

Arkarian paused in front of the stove where he was preparing eggs for their breakfast (shirtless, Isabel admired pleasantly), and caught her eyes with his striking violet as he looked over his shoulder, a smirk lifting the corner of his lips.

"Sex," he replied simply, returning his attention back to breakfast before it burned. "Or something in reference to it, such as daydreams, memories, thoughtless questions and inner comments. When it's not sex, it tends to be chores, interestingly enough, and food. But things like that mostly."

Isabel couldn't stop the indecent giggle that slipped from her mouth, or the amusement that fed into it as she leaned forward over the table, her shirt (his actually, she never passed up an opportunity to wear his) riding high up her thigh. "Really? I'd think, seeing as how you deal mostly with Guard members on a daily basis, it would be about missions, or skills, or something like that. Is sex really all everyone thinks about?"

"Well they don't think about it all the time, of course, but indecent thoughts do tend to slip into common thoughts fairly often. I believe there have been studies that show man thinks about sex in some form once every minute, or something obscene like that." He turned, electric blue hair shifting as he slid the eggs next to their toast on their plates, and brought them to the table before placing one in front of her.

With deft fingers she picked up her toast and began to spread marmalade.

"Is it true?"

He chuckled as he worked with his eggs. "Generally speaking, though to be fair I've never actually tested the theory myself. It also depends on the individual person, if they're busy, and age. Children are innocent, their thoughts pure, but as they reach puberty and adolescents it's like a dam breaks."

"Did that happen to you? I don't think I can even imagine it."

He chuckled, violet eyes looking down while a strange, devilish grin grew on his lips.

"When I was far younger, hormonal and curious, I won't lie; I was like that a bit. I would sit in taverns in the evening and just … listen. Though that was back when I had a normal, passing hair color, mind you."

Isabel laughed, picking up her fork to point at him. "You pervert! When I first met you I'd have never guessed. Does that make you a voyeur?" she questioned teasingly before she chuckled again, using her fork this time to pick up her eggs. Her lover lifted an eccentric blue eyebrow, obviously refusing to acknowledge that particular question with an answer.

"That was a very long time ago. And it does get old after a while, the unending stream of sexual thoughts that people make when they think no one can hear them. There's only so much of it you can take before, frankly, it starts to become boring and you figure you're better off ignoring it. Over the past century in particular, I've found my Truthmaster skill to be more tedious than not. I'd rather people focus on what I'm trying to explain, for instance, instead of waiting for them to pull their minds out of the gutter to ensure they've understood me and what I'm trying to tell them."

Isabel smiled and looked away, happy that she had mastered screening her thoughts from her lover long ago. She didn't think that she could admit just how often that particular scenario had happened to herself when she was being instructed in something by, or was having a very in-depth conversation with, her violet eyed lover. Especially once they'd both dived into their relationship with the enthusiasm of, well, eighteen year olds (it didn't matter that they'd been together years. It was like they'd never made it out of the newlywed stage. She didn't think it was likely that they ever would anytime in the near or far future, truth be told).

"How do you deal with all of it?" she couldn't help but ask. "Can't be easy. I'd always be distracted. I don't think I'd be able to help myself."

Her lover smirked. "And you call me the pervert?" Isabel just stuck her tongue out at him good-naturedly before giving a slight, mischievous smile and returning to her meal. "It's not that hard, honestly. It's like listening to a radio. You get used to what's on the station, focusing only when you hear a particularly interesting beat or sound. Then, once you've identified it and pulled what you want from it, you go back to ignoring it, like white noise. Same concept."

Isabel thought about that for a moment as she chewed her toast and sipped her coffee, before questioning, "Well, what about when someone has a thought that's particularly … naughty or creative? Or is it all white noise in the end?"

"Do you recall our last anniversary? The silk scarf?"

The healer instantly felt heat rise to her cheeks even as a slow, indulgent smile of remembered pleasure eased its way onto her lips and into the front of her mind. How could she forget? That had been one hell of a night.

"I picked that idea up a couple of centuries ago while on a mission. I was working for a few days as a servant in a tavern next to a brothel in Ancient Rome. You can only imagine all of the naughty and creative things I'd heard on a nightly basis."

Unsure whether she should feel mortified, bewildered, or slightly impressed, she couldn't stop her jaw from dropping in disbelief. Arkarian chuckled, picking up his own cup of coffee as he watched her with the slightest of smirks.

"So needless to say, my love, when I pick up on something particularly ... unique, there's a good chance I'll listen. You never know when the idea might come in handy after all." He winked at her in a way that managed to send a jolt of intensity and heat through her body. He smiled knowingly, continuing. "It hasn't happened as much as it used to, mostly because I've lost interest over the years, until you of course. When it comes to the carnal, it's really only you that captures my interest, and I'm far more interested in what I can do with you than what everyone else can possibly think up."

A blossom of smug pride caused Isabel to grin, because she knew that he was telling the truth. When they were together, the way he treated her was near worshipful (and maddening at times, though pleasantly so). She'd never once doubted his desire for her, and she made sure he never doubted her desire for him either.

A thought suddenly occurred to her, and curiously she asked, "So has anyone deliberately tried to distract you with dirty thoughts?"

"Besides you?" he questioned with a smirk and she pursed her lips at him.

"Well yes! And I'm not talking about when we're together and I let you in my head, you fool," she said with a pointed look though she made sure Arkarian could see her slightly veiled amusement. If she was being honest, that was one of the hottest things about their lovemaking. He was in her head and in her body, and it was as close to being one person she thought they'd ever get. Before she could continue further along that particular thought path (maybe he did have a point when he'd said that sex was frequently on people's minds, now that she thought of it?), she got back on point. "I'm talking about when you're teaching or explaining a mission or something?"

"Yes, there have been a few times," he admitted, leaning forward in thought and Isabel's good humor found itself taking a slight nosedive at the thought. Who would try to do that to him? She understood if it had happened before they'd gotten together (he was a very attractive man after all, ageless or not), but what about after? Were there people who'd tried to tempt him away from her? Suddenly she had to wonder about the ethics surrounding something like that? Was it cheating? Was it harmless porn? Did he ignore it?

"Really?" she couldn't help but prompt, and he shrugged a shoulder.

"Many years before I met you, Queen Brystianne once attempted to distract me while we carried on a discussion concerning the economy of the Italian Renaissance. She was disappointed when it failed," he replied casually, though Isabel couldn't help narrowing her eyes a smidge. "And both Shaun and Marduke attempted a coordinated effort once while I was lecturing ethics and acceptable use of skills in past and modern culture. They were both very determined, and interested to see if I'd lose my composure. Much to their dismay I didn't, though I will admit they'd come up with some profound ideas in the attempt. Even Ethan, when he was thirteen and thought himself clever, thought that he could distract me with newfound thoughts and images he'd seen and learned from Dillon." Arkarian chuckled in memory while simultaneously shaking his head. "His thoughts were immature and naïve, and the fact that he was even attempting it in the first place made the experience more humorous than distracting." He paused, then added, "Then, of course, there was you, though in your defense, you hadn't known you were projecting."

"What? When have I ever —?" she couldn't stop herself from saying before memories of some of her first thoughts of Arkarian, back when she was still an Apprentice to Ethan, flooded her mind and she recalled thinking some very dirty thoughts right in front of him back then … right before they'd enlightened her to Arkarian's skill as a Truthmaster. An embarrassed grin bloomed across her lips and she said, "Never mind. I remember."

"You were by far the most distracting. You always have been," he confided with a soft smile that she couldn't help but return with guiltless pleasure even as she took up her coffee cup once more, a weak and halfhearted attempt to hide it.

They continued their breakfast in pleased silence, occasionally muttering a comment or chuckling together over a shared memory or joke with her foot hooked comfortably around his ankle as they leaned close, happy in each other's company. Yet it was as she was picking up the dishes and cleaning up the table (it was only fair that she help with the clean up since he'd made breakfast after all!) that an idea burned in her mind like an ember.

Could she make him turn his mental attention to her, deliberately?

Stupid question, of course she could. She did it every time she spoke to him, or walked in the room. She dominated his attention, just like he dominated hers. No, the real question, the better question, was if she could distract him with dirty thoughts herself. But how would she know if it worked or not? She had no doubt that she could get his attention, at the very least, but she wanted more.

What she really wanted to do was see if she could distract him to the point that he gave a physical reaction, even if it was a small one. The man had the self-control of a God (she should know, given the amount of foreplay she was usually subject to before he finally decided he was content with how loud and how desperate she sounded, which she was sure must have be loud enough that all of Athens knew what they were doing). Could she think something so dirty, so naughty, that the formidable Arkarian couldn't turn a blind eye (or mind in this case) to it? His reaction didn't have to be anything big or overt, but something that would tell her that she'd done it.

Frankly, she wasn't entirely sure it was possible, but the prospect of it was relentlessly intriguing, and she found herself eager to try. Why hadn't she thought of this before? Plans came together in a frenzy.

She wouldn't do it during a mission brief. That would be irresponsible and immature and he wouldn't derive any pleasure or amusement from it (well, maybe some, but it was more likely to spark an argument. He took his job as a member of the Guard very seriously, and she did too for that matter), so it would have to be during something a little more harmless. Perhaps a class? Or a lecture? And seeing as how she was going to be projecting her thoughts, she'd have to make sure that there weren't any other Truthseers or Truthmasters around who might accidentally stumble upon a very private (and likely exceedingly indecent and utterly embarrassing) mental display.

Oh, it was naughty, so very naughty, but she realized that she couldn't stop the idea from growing in the fertile soil of her mind, and with a firm decision, she decided that she'd do it. She'd just have to wait for the right time to present itself. And hopefully, if it all worked out right, they'd both have a bit of fun.

She couldn't wait.


Hello everyone! Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you enjoyed it! I just recently got done reading the GoT trilogy and I became so inspired (with dirty ideas, interestingly enough, but you can't question the muse, can you?). If you haven't guessed, this is kind of the prologue for the rest of the story, so I hope you're all as anxious as I am to see what happens next :]

Just to clear up a few facts in case anyone is wondering, this story is set several years after The Key. The Guard has entered its much needed time of peace, which is one reason why Isabel and Arkarian can have this carefree moment together as a couple. This might also explain why the characters might seem a tad OOC. Here they're comfortable with their relationship and their sexuality, and I wrote the story to reflect that.

Anyway, please review and let me know what you think! I'd love to hear what you liked or didn't like and I am open to constructive criticism. So thanks, and I'll see you next chapter!