The Trial of Envy
Shen had been a constant presence through Karma's life growing up in Navori. With gentle words and and hugs, Shen sought to comfort her the best he could, despite the Kinkou training teaching him to deaden his emotions. And so Karma's troubles had faded; the ones where she found herself at odds with the elders' philosophy. Arguing for action and never making progress. The Kinkou ninja seemed to ease her mind from the stress of politics.
She hadn't forgotten the matters of state for Ionia, but she had learned to manage time for her own health. At times it seemed so unreal, Ionian land had been burned, its people taken captive, and the elders still argued for inaction. Surely they could see where such a path had just taken them?
Still, she dreamed.
Now Karma's dreams were filled with a darker world. One in which she was lost in the Institute of War and found...found by hot hands and these hands weren't so gentle...and they weren't even Shen's hands. Over time, the dreams developed. Now there were other body parts involved. Now there were tongues and lips, and everything so full of desire that Shen's cold demeanor could never give. Karma woke from her dreams with her heart pounding, hands clammy, and short of breath.
She doesn't admit these to herself though; that would be another betrayal of the man who stood by her side for as long as the Kinkou had allowed. As hard as he had argued for them. He was confident he could maintain the order's disciplines as well as feel strongly for his love. She felt just the same, but she knew the Kinkou's way, and just how far Shen was willing to fight for her, even to the point of expulsion. She couldn't allow him to give up his life for her. So she rebuffed him. She stepped out of his way when he went to kiss her. She made the topics of the future after his training, dating, and lovers off limits. And Shen let her do it. He didn't push.
He was so dedicated and rigid; she can't imagine him as anything other than a companion now. The boy she first found love with, and the boy she couldn't let love her any longer. He was always her little protector; even if he was closer to seven feet tall than not, these days.
It isn't Shen in her dreams.
Karma was cleaning up in one of the village's main hall washrooms, having retired for the night from the Festival of Fire's festivities. Shen had been especially distant today and she couldn't work it out. He had taken some time away from the Kinkou to escort her to the Festival's events all week. The whole week. Even Soraka was okay with it. She and Sona had gone off on some big 'healing journey'. Probably an excuse to sit around watching the stars as Soraka told the stories of her youth again.
So Karma had packed her things for a week's stay.
Shen had been excited when she'd arrived; she could tell by the slight upturn of the man's lip, a beaming smile for the aloof ninja's personality.
He was all excited about doing what she wanted for once; not training alongside him as he preferred to do. She didn't really mind but she liked making Shen happy, so she went along with whatever he wanted to do. She told him she wanted to train alongside the river, watching the lantern boats of the festival light their exercise and he looked oddly pleased by that, making a sort of content hum. They then had made their way their, forgoing any armor for more comfortable training clothes. He had taken his shirt off and she had noticed; not for the first time, that Shen was seriously built.
He had finally looked at her with a look she had never seen before. He had almost stalked across the riverbank towards her. Nothing romantic was going to happen in her book, so she struck out with an open palm, sending the man stumbling back, clearly not expecting actual training. Then Karma saw Shen step back and turn to the sky, having heard something disrupt the balance he lived to maintain. Saved by the Eye of Twilight. His head lifted as he heard it, and then in a burst of light he was gone. He didn't say a word to her.
She waited for a while, meditating alongside the lanterns floating by, but it was clear he wasn't coming back soon if it was that important. She wondered just how Shen's sight worked. Future vision?
She always felt grimy after meditating outside so she decided to head inside their quarters inside the visitors' wing and have a wash. It was late, but Shen might be back before midnight. probably exhausted and hungry.
Perhaps if Karma had not grown used to guards outside her chambers in the Presidium, she might have actually locked the door, but she hadn't.
She heard the door open and thought it was Shen back from stopping whatever conflict had called him away.
"What happened? Another border conflict with Demacia and Noxus?" she asked.
No answer. She stuck her head out around the screen.
But the figure that entered was not Shen; it was much bigger and wider and certainly taller. She thought that it was the crisis that called Shen away earlier that brought him here searching for the Eye of Twilight. Karma squeaked an exclamation.
"Prince Jarvan?" She was so surprised. He had that same look on his face; like Shen had earlier by the river. She was confused. "Jarvan?" she tried again.
"Lady Karma..." He said her name like it was one of Soraka's prayers.
She made sure that she was covered with the screen and turned the water off; wiping the water from her face with her hand. He looked almost like he had taken some drugs or something; so unlike the normal focused Jarvan IV.
"Are you okay?" she asked him. She had never really thought of Jarvan as dangerous. Not to her certainly; they were allied nations and he was very noble.
"Oh..."he whispered. "Here you are, naked...and wet." he almost growled it at her.
Karma was still confused.. "Yes..." she spoke slowly, as if he was not quite with with her. "This is what I thought was a private washroom."
No response.
"You may leave now, go on with your business," she suggested.
He looked confused now. "Business?" he repeated.
"Yes."Karma waved at him with one hand. "Whatever called you away from the festival to my quarters."
Jarvan blinked very slowly. That gave her the tiniest jolt; it was almost...bloodthirsty. Close to what she'd seen on the field of battle but not quite the same. Karma started to question what was happening.
"Prince Jarvan," she stated carefully. "Leave now."
He tilted his head a little. And he smiled at her, a very slow smile.
She gasped a little. She really looked at him for the first time since he had entered the room. Shen was built but Jarvan was something else. He had been big and burly with his armor on and now he was practically the same height and all. And she noticed his casual attire was straining at the front.
Oh.
As a council member, time for her personal life was short at best, and not many Ionians would seek to court a woman that could just as easily send them flying as embrace them. She made a startled noise. it attracted his attention. He took a step towards her. His intentions were clear and she was naked and hiding behind a thin, four foot screen.
He just stepped past the screen. The prince took up an awful lot of room.
She was unsure what to do. No one had been this forward with her, and in her time with Shen they had barely made it this far. She knew she was not sacred of him, but Karma could feel her heart rate increasing. She had a choice between watching him and flashing him her naked body. She chose modesty and turned her back to him. Her wet hair hung to her shoulders and dripped down her body. She shivered a little. It crossed her mind to ask him for a towel. At least he might have to back away to do that. Probably not. The washroom was very small and his arms were so long. He could almost certainly reach it by just leaning to the left.
he made a noise at the sight of her naked, wet back and ass. It sounded mostly like a groan. Dear heavens, she was mooning the Prince of Demacia!
Jarvan made another step towards her. She was right up in the end of the bath now. He was too large for her to climb out and get past him to the door. But did she really want to leave this man, one who apparently wanted her? She thought about doing it anyway and while she was judging the distance he closed the gap between them.
One of his big hands slid around her neck and held her under the chin. The other snaked down between her legs. He tugged her back against him at the same time as he pushed forward a little. She was suddenly plastered up against his front. There was no gap between them now.
"Jarvan?" she tried appealing to him as well as she could with him holding her chin. She had a memory flash of her darkest dreams. She made a small noise like the air left her lungs. Her hands reached up to hold his arm where he held her around the throat.
He pressed his face in against her neck. His fingers at her groin pressed in against her secret places. No man had ever touched her there.
"Karma," he breathed down her neck. He was so big and so warm. She closed her eyes. Maybe it was a dream. She was asleep on her mat having another dark dream.
He licked her neck. It was so unexpected that she jolted a bit and the fingers below moved a little; they rubbed against other things. Things she had rubbed her own fingers against. She had only done it after Shen was gone and she could do it without tempting his control.
Jarvan seemed to know. She tried to shift her body, but it allowed those meaty fingers more access. The hand at her chin shifted a little and those fingers stroked down her neck. Pressing over the pumping vein in her neck.
"Jarvan," she whispered, "I had no idea you felt this way..."
"I'm not going to let you be alone anymore, my Lady," he muttered in a dark and throaty voice.
She almost groaned.
He spoke again. "You need this, just look at yourself."
That shocked her. Her eyes flashed open. She caught herself shifting her own hips against him.
Oh my, he was right. She had started rubbing herself against his massive hand as it covered her whole mound; his fingers slipping and sliding through her folds. She tried to breathe; it was hard to breathe. He held her so firmly, so warm. And the air seemed thicker; harder to inhale.
She was trying to think. How was she going to respond to this? Whatever this was?
Karma was torn from her thoughts as the washroom door opened again.
"Jarvan! What do you think you're doing?"
"Shen...oh thank the stars," she gasped out. The thought of what on Runeterra Shen was seeing crossed her mind. How could she explain this?
Jarvan spun them both effortlessly and oddly gracefully in eh crowded washroom. She faced Shen now. Naked. Wet. With Jarvan's hand on her herself. And she couldn't move. But she was so pleased to see him.
She cringed at the sheer size of them both. Trying to fit the the washroom with her. She lifted her hand in treaty to Shen.
"I informed you not to start without me," Shen said.
"What?" she managed. The implications of what Shen had just said made her question.
"But...the Kinkou Order, I thought they'd forbidden you?" she demanded.
Shen smiled at her. He still looked like normal Shen, as normal as possible without his armor. His eyes watched her seriously. "I've finally changed their minds, I've been given a chance to prove I can still fulfill my duty and love another."
"And Jarvan?" She could hear her voice rise herself.
"Jarvan has volunteered to be the temptation of jealousy for me. A test within a test, if you will." Shen rubbed his chin. "My judgment must be unclouded, therefore I must learn to share that which many could not."
"But we can share, can't we Shen," Jarvan suggested in that low growly voice.
His hand made another sliding stroke and she gasped and rubbed herself on him again.
"Of course, unless the lady has any objections," Shen said. His eyes were roaming down her body. The way Jarvan had hold of her basically displayed her for him. Everything she had was out for him. And she wasn't sure that what she had was worth looking at. She felt nervous all of a sudden.
Shen took a step towards them.
"She's nervous now, Jarvan...I told you to wait," he chided. Somehow he knew what she was feeling; damned ninja senses that picked up her heart beat and body language.
"It was the water..and knowing she was naked... damn, I had my hand wrapped around myself but I just couldn't wait...and wet, Shen...she was all wet..." Jarvan argued.
"I know..." crooned Shen. "But she's getting cold and shivery now Jarvan."
"We should warm her up..."
"Turn the water back on..."
"Sandwich her between us..."
Karma made another high pitched sound. Just the thought of the two of them...
One thing she had never really admitted to herself was the number of heated hands there were in her recent dreams.
Four. Always four.
Shen chuckled. "I believe the Duchess deserves better than that, my prince."
"Very well. Then we can start in her bed. Can't exactly go to your's or mine."
"True," Shen agreed.
"But can we try in the moonlight? Just once...a woman such as her deserves the best. it simply feels right." Jarvan begged the ninja.
"It matters not where, as long as it happens," Karma blurted out.
Shen looked at her, smirking. "I think that was clear from the moment you began rubbing yourself on Jarvan's hands, Karma."
"I...well...," she began to blush even more.
"She was so close...she was dripping...and then you came in..." Jarvan grizzled.
"Are you sure?" Shen was asking Jarvan, not her. He sounded doubtful.
Jarvan simply lifted his hand from between her legs and held it out to Shen. His arm extended past Karma's quivering shoulder. She could see his fingers glistening. it was covered in...her.
Shen sniffed at it then his tongue snaked out and he licked Jarvan's hand. He smiled; a long, slow smile. he looked her in the eyes when he did it. "Damn!" he exclaimed. "You taste divine, little Lotus...may I have a taste?" He held Jarvan's hand with his and then he sucked the essence of her from the prince's fingers. It was the single most erotic thing she had ever seen Shen do.
She felt another rush of moisture between her legs. "Oh my stars," she groaned.
"Her heart rate just went mad, Jarvan."
They both sniffed. Jarvan's arm slid from her neck down and around her waist and he lifted her up. He stepped out of the washroom and onto the floor in front of Shen; taking her with him. At some kind of unspoken signal Shen stepped in and squeezed her between them. Her feet were not on the ground. She was held up between them.
Her head rested on Jarvan's shoulder now. She was pinned between them and she couldn't seem to get enough air in her lungs. She couldn't utter a word.
Shen smiled at her. "I wonder," he said. His arm reached out again. But this time he reached past her. He grabbed Jarvan at the back of the neck and he hauled him in towards his mouth. And he kissed him. it looked like something they had done before. Their mouths were just sealed together. Karma was in fascination as Shen shifted his head a little and stroked his tongue in and out of Jarvan's open mouth.
She could hear herself panting for breath. Shen pulled his head back and nibbled a little at Jarvan's bottom lip. She heard Jarvan's groan and then he surged forward and mashed them even closer together. They were so rough with each other. Now she could feel two erections pressing at her. The arm that had been around her waist was now around Shen's. She didn't know where to put her hands, but in the end she reached out and slid up Shen's shoulder to his neck. His skin felt smooth and hot, so hot.
Shen's head finally drew back and he locked eyes with her again. "Want to taste him?" She knew he didn't mean for her to kiss Jarvan directly. "Hmmm?" he asked her. His lips hovered just above hers; teasing her. "Yes? Karma?"
Jarvan's lips landed on the side of her neck and he licked her again. Then he started kissing and sucking down her neck.
"Little Lotus?" Shen checked.
"S-Shen." Finally, she could speak.
"Say 'yes', my Lotus." He paused. "If you want to...do you want us to take care of you?" His lips still hovered over hers, but now a heated hand palmed one breast and the other was grasped by a different, larger hand. Jarvan made some kind of encouraging noise against the skin of her neck.
"Say 'yes'," Jarvan added.
"Y-yes..."she breathed out.
Shen smiled and then he kissed her. His mouth slanted over hers and he kissed her more gently than he had done with Jarvan, but he still kissed her hard. She was losing her mind; sandwiched between them. Shen tasted good, really good and a little sweet.
He pulled at her neck with one hand; the other was still holding her breast. She opened her mouth when his thumb stroked down her jaw. And then he plunged his tongue into her mouth. She tried to move back a little. She had never been kissed like that before.
She heard herself make some inarticulate noise.
Shen's head drew back. "Jarvan always tastes kind of sweet to me," he told her quietly. "Like he eats nothing but sweets in that palace of his."
Jarvan snorted behind her. Then his big hand grabbed her face and pulled her around to his. "My turn," he told her. She groaned but he swallowed it as his mouth descended onto hers. Shen was right; he did taste sweet. The idea that she could taste Jarvan on the other man almost undid her. She felt another rush of wetness between her legs. She ached now and she tried to wriggle between them.
They both groaned and she could feel their cloth covered erections as they instinctively ground them against her.
"We should move her, lest we do it here..." Jarvan stated.
"Yes," Shen agreed. He slid his hands under Karma's armpits and just hoisted her up. Her legs lifted and wrapped around his waist as he turned to carry her out of the bathroom. She had one arm around his neck and the other she reached out back to Jarvan. He grinned at her and squeezed her hand, walking quickly behind Shen as they mad their way to the bedroom.