There was something about this day that somehow made it easily the longest night of Lani's life. A lot had happened in not a lot of time. And most of it was turning out to be things she was not comfortable with. It was beginning to feel like this whole adventure was a loss. She had wanted to quit before they even left Burmecia but now that her and Steiner had... done things that couldn't be undone she knew that it was time to bail.
Well, she could say their tryst had simply been a moment of collective weakness: for her because of her inability to realize that a long term relationship was over, and for him because he couldn't stand to see a woman suffering. Why did he have to be so damn noble? Maybe then it would have been easier to just ditch him.
Which was something she had attempted and failed at this morning. If only she hadn't have stopped to talk to Ruby. But then again, if she had taken off, she would have missed seeing him in his new old armor. She was sure her jaw dropped to the floor, he looked so amazing! He looked like some sort of ancient Gaian god now that his chest plate was actually fitted to his torso. Had she been mistaken or had Mamy Esa actually given his abdominal muscles some definition?
Either way, she had been unable to look away as he requested that Ruby allow him to perform again in her play this evening and if it would be acceptable for him to give a monologue he wrote. Of course Ruby accepted and immediately scurried off to arrange an extra practice.
He then turned his eyes on her, looking disheartened as if he knew she meant to leave him behind. Then he took her hand, giving it a good squeeze. The gesture seemed oddly sterile despite the loving look in his eyes. Was he trying to hide his affection in front of other people or was this his bizarre way of saying good bye? She certainly hoped the latter but when he asked her to stay and see the performance she began to doubt it.
And of course she had been unable to deny such a heartfelt request so she now found herself in a darkened theatre, hoping he wouldn't make an ass of himself.
"You shall marry Prince Schneider and that is the end of it!" The actor playing the king said. Oh, yeah, this is the part where she was supposed to pay attention!
All the other actors filed off the stage leaving Steiner alone. He slowly made his way to the center of the stage, a slight tinge of nervousness to his movements. "Oh, Princess Cornelia," He began, "You titter about true love as if you do not see what is before you." He reached up and quickly pulled his helm from his head. A collective sigh released from the audience as his gorgeous cinnamon locks slipped from their metal prison and tumbled down his back.
"Certainly you do not see the true conundrum of the position you occupy. Do you choose the love of your father or the love of the man Marcus? Not an easy decision by any stretch..." He paused for dramatic effect, running his fingers through his hair. "And also a position I wish I did not find myself occupying." His spine straightened out, his body falling to attention. "I accepted the mantle of Knighthood knowing that I was giving up my life for the country of my birth... The country I love... The country I would kill for, the country I would die for. The country I will one day rule... But in my commitment, I have lost myself..."
He turned and walked toward the back of the stage, settling himself on the bottom step of the scenery wall. "I worry not what kind of King I will be," His hand reached back and slowly unsheathed the blade on his back. Wait a minute! Did he actually have his real weapon on stage? "I have lived under the sword, thus I know I shall rule under the sword. But..." He lowered the blade until the end rested on the stage. "The better question is what kind of husband I am- will be." He quickly corrected himself. "Can I truly be a knight, a man of the people, as well as a husband, a man for one woman?" Burying his head in his hand, his voice dropped. Was he actually speaking from the heart? "I have agonized over this since my father dropped this betrothal upon me."
Suddenly his head snapped up, his eyes immediately finding Lani's in the audience. "The princess is naïve to believe that love has never touched my heart, I am a man after all." He extended his hand out toward her and suddenly she felt like she was the only other person in the room. "I have lost so much to obligation, I remain as little but a shell of a man. Part of me wishes that the Lady follow her heart and spare herself this torment. For..." He slowly brought himself to his feet, his sword hanging impotently from his hand. "Sometimes just loving your country is simply not enough..."
Apparently his addition to the performance had been a hit. He had been approached by scores of well-wishers and smiling faces after the play who wanted to shake his hand and ask about his inspiration. He was not built to be in the center of big crowds and he thanked his lucky stars when Ruby came to his rescue. She informed him that there was a famous critic from Lindblum in the audience and she said his addiction was "The Shizz". Once he figured out what that actually meant, he would probably be flattered.
But the one face he wanted to see was the one that slipped his notice. Lani had not waited around to pass congratulations or harsh judgment or anything. She was like a ghost. He had seen her in the theatre so he knew she had heard his words. And that was what really mattered. Even if he never saw her again, he had left his heart on that stage.
But as he tried his hardest to gain comfort from that thought, worry hung heavy on his heart making sleep elusive. Maybe it was the room. By virtue of how the complex was built, there wasn't much in the way of air circulation. Very few rooms had windows, those few reserved for either the premium and high-paying guests or actors on extended stay. He had gotten the room of the actor he had been pulled in to replace which meant that he did have a window but it was only about the size of a brick. Since it was a moon-less night, the only light cast was from the dim glow of the stars, blanketing everything in mysterious shadows.
Or maybe it was the residual smell of cheap cologne that the previous occupant seemed to favor that hung thick in the air.
It had to be after midnight by now. Too early to truly call this night a bust as sleep went. Perhaps there was some kind of gym or common room he could visit to blow off some steam.
Just as he was about to sit up, the door opened a crack, momentarily casting a thin line of light along th floor. Quick as a bunny, a lonely figure slipped into the room, immediately closing the door again. "Lani? Is that you?" He whispered.
"Shh..." The feminine voice in the darkness shushed him. "I know I shouldn't be here but I wanted to talk to you."
A smile rose on his face as he recognized the bounty hunter's voice. "Lani, it is you! Thank goodness you're here-"
"Shhhhh..." Again, she shushed him, this time her interjection hiding the gentle sound of fabric moving against fabric. "Please, just let me talk." She delicately set herself down on the edge of the bed, her body masked by the inky darkness of the room. "I'm sorry for disappearing on you, I guess there were a lot of things that just didn't want to talk about."
"Believe me, my Lady, I-" He began.
But again, she silenced him, this time by leaning over and placing her finger across his mouth. "I kept telling myself that if I didn't talk about it, then I wouldn't have to think about it" Her hand slowly removed itself, coming around to caress his cheek. "So I've come to a decision: I'm just not going to think about it." Finally pulling herself out of the shadows, she dexterously spread herself across his lap, straddling his waist.
"My Lady!" He sighed, beholding her beautiful, nude form as she sat above him.
"I don't care!" She declared as she smoothed her hands across his bare chest. "I don't care if this is just for now. I don't care if you're going to be back in Beatrix's arms the moment we find her. It doesn't matter if... I know this will only end in tears." She sniffed quietly, was she trying to fight back tears? Hastily she leaned forward, placing her hands on either side of his head. "This just feels too good, please don't take it from me."
As he stared into her eyes, glowing slightly in the starlight, he slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around her shoulders, pulling her body down against his. She buried her head in the crook of his neck, releasing a quaking sigh before carefully kissing his cheek. It was rather amazing just how well she fit into his arms. He comfortingly rubbed his hands across her back, feeling the tense strands of her muscles ripple beneath her skin. It seemed that her shoulders were far better toned than most of the rest of her back. No doubt from her years of wielding her axe.
So for a moment he just held her quivering form against him. What was it that was bringing such emotion to this woman? Was she still grieving over her perceived loss of Amarant? Or had he actually managed to touch her with his words? That would be an accomplishment, he had never seen himself as a charismatic person. Whatever the reason for the sorrow in her words there was nothing but conviction in her heart. So before he could talk himself out of it, he reached down, pulling the strand on his drawstring pants. Not even bothering to sit up, she shimmied them down enough to expose his burgeoning erection. And without hesitation, she adjusted herself for entry and allowed him to slide into her soft center.
He sighed as she buried him up to the hilt in her body, his arms tightening slightly around her. She gently undulated her hips against his, the tiniest of motions causing every muscle in his body to relax. As much as he really tried his hardest not to think about Beatrix while in the presence of Lani, as she slowly began picking up speed, he couldn't help but reflect on the times he shared with his wife.
Beatrix had never been a very physical person. And even in the sparse occasions that the two of them had come together, she had never been one to take the lead. Back then he had wondered if it was because of him. She was such a strong leader when it came to her public life, why did that drive not transfer to her private life? Then again, maybe she was just not a sexual person. Or maybe there was something wrong with him. After all, the life of a knight was a life lived for others, never for the self. So he had always assumed that part of life would just have to fall by the wayside.
But now Lani was here. She may be many things, but Beatrix was not one of them. Where Beatrix was noble and efficient, Lani was brash and aggressive. She was loud and obnoxious, she didn't know how to keep her nose out of other people's business, she was immature and irresponsible and...
And beautiful in every way.
He clamped his hands on her hips, guiding her as she continued to increase her speed. She was right, as horrible as this seemed from the outside, it just felt too right to turn away from.
As she kissed his neck, he didn't fight her. In fact, as she nibbled lightly on his ear lobe, he sighed quietly, turning his head to whisper in her ear. "Mmm, Ms. Lena." He muttered. Upon hearing her birth name, she sat up, reducing her intensity but not stopping. A gentle smile played across his lips. With a careful hand, he reached up and tucked a wily lock of hair behind her ear. "You are so lovely."
With a smirk on her face, she suddenly ground her hips against his and it took a great burst of willpower to not explode inside her. "And you are fucking sexy." She whispered.
His hands rose up to the small of her back, giving just enough gentle pressure to stop the motion of her hips. "Is it so impossible for you to have a little decorum?"
"Not while I'm on top of you." She said in a husky whisper, trying to grind herself against him again. But he held her fast, keeping her still long enough to gently flip them both over so he was on top. Once he settled into an easy rhythm, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, pulling him down against her. "You know I'm no good at saying nice things."
His right arm tunneled up under her back, coming to support her head as he pressed his forehead against hers. "Try... For me..."
For a moment, she squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears apparently already welled there to slowly fall from the corners. "You make me feel good inside." She whispered, closing her thighs around his body.
That was all he needed to hear. With gentle force, he pushed himself inside her a handful more times before all feeling reached a climax. A hoarse sigh was the only sound he released as he came inside her. She wrapped her arms around him, holding him against her body and allowing every drop of liquid to drain out of him and into her.
It took several moments before he finally withdrew from her but neither was willing to release their grip on the other. He slowly lowered himself down onto the bed next to her and she snuggled up against him, relishing in the warmth and smell and mere presence of the man in her arms. She knew nothing was solved but at least she had gotten him to submit to the fact that this, whatever it was, was real. And it wasn't going away.