Stress Relief -
Vlad glowered at the newest batch of people asking for his audience. Usually his meetings were well spaced as to not take the entirety of his day, but due to an earthquake that hit the nearby town there was much to do. Thankfully the damages were less than when the storm had passed through a few months prior, but it still left him with many people to listen to.
He understood that they needed help and he was willing to provide it, but quite a number of the meetings were for small grievances that could have easily been handled by one of his staff. After the past seven hours of hearing the same grievances over and over, he more than needed a break. Biting back his temper, he listened as the newest batch of townspeople reiterated what almost all the others before them had said.
When they finally finished it was all he could do not to rise from his chair and leave them without an answer. His irritated silence lasted a minute too long, for one of them spoke up with indignation. "Sire, are we boring you with our desperation?" The man's tone was biting and Vlad could see his wife's eye widening in fear as she tried to tug him backwards.
Vlad wouldn't kill the fool for his words, despite what she worried, he could hear and see the man's exhaustion and this family had slightly more cause than most to report to him. However, he wouldn't allow such a tone to go unpunished, especially since the family's problems could have been solved by the relief efforts he already had in place.
Allowing a hard smile to curl his lips, he watched as the man stiffened and the wife shrunk back. "Desperation, you say? From what you have told me there is no immediate emergency you need aid for. You have come because the recent earthquake caused damage to your home. However, I already have relief efforts in place in town and they are working to repair damages as fast as they can. Your house holds no more importance than that of your neighbors and the order in which the relief finishes is already set. I will not be making exceptions for you or anyone else. Is that clear?" His tone was ice, further making the man quail under his gaze.
He understood the man's frustration but to come here and demand aid ahead of everyone else was callous and foolish. By the way he was staring at the ground now, he had come to realize that too. After a word of dismissal, Vlad decided he had enough. Rising from his seat, he moved toward the door only to pause directly outside of it when a voice from behind him called out.
His assistant watched him nervously, "Sire, the next meeting is-" His temper snapped. Spinning around, he moved with clipped strides to stand in front of the now flinching back assistant.
"I have been here for over seven hours listening to grievances, almost all of which are to do with the order in which people's homes will be repaired. I am going to take a break and when I get back you will have gone through the remaining meetings. Anyone who is asking for an audience for things that the relief efforts are already working on will be denied. Do you understand?"
His tone wasn't quite as icy as when he had previously addressed the man, but it was close. Generally he tried to curb his temper, but he had worn his limited patience short. After the first two hours he had wanted nothing more than to relax, alone with his wife for the rest of the day. However he had made himself stay because that is what was needed of him. No more, he had earned a break and he would be taking one.
Not waiting for the assistant to speak, he whirled back around and began moving toward his room. Leila would already be done with her routines by this time, if he was lucky she would be in their room or the connecting lounge so he wouldn't have to find her.
His staff all politely bowed but noticeably stayed out of his way as he moved, the crowd parting for him with ease. His irritation boiled, but he forced it back. Soon he would be with his wife and he could calm, if only for a short while, before he had to go back.
Luck was on his side, Leila laid reclined on the lounge in front of the floor to ceiling bookshelves with an open book propped on her chest. Hearing his entrance, she peaked up and immediately shut her book. Apparently, if her sudden concern was any indication, his face was expressing his displeasure loudly.
Opening their bond, he let her feel his frustration and mental exhaustion. Her eyes softened in understanding as he sits next to her on the couch. She wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his chest from behind, her cheek resting on his shoulder as she nuzzled into his throat. "Rough day?"
A low hum of agreement rumbled in his chest, he relaxed into her embrace. The feel of her arms sapping the last few hours worth of irritation from him like poison from a wound. He would have to go back soon, but until then he could enjoy his wife's company.
Moving her mouth to drop a kiss on his shoulder before trailing her lips up to his neck, she spoke into his ear. The low sound of her voice urging his blood to flow south. "I have a way of making it all better."
He saw the green from his gaze glint off the metal of the nearby fireplace, his arm reaching back to yank Leila against his side, allowing him easier access to her mouth for a scorching kiss.
"I'm sure you do. However, as much as I would love nothing more than to participate in some rigorous love making, I still have hours of meetings left to finish. Afterwards, I will be yours to do with as you will."
Leila grinned cheekily up at him from her spot wedged against his side. Wiggling free from his tight hold, she moved to sit behind him again before resting her chin on his shoulder. "Can't wait, but that wasn't what I was talking about."
Vlad raised an eyebrow in intrigue as Leila's grin widened. She scooted further back until she was propped into the corner of the couch. Once situated, she wrapped her fingers into the back of his shirt before tugging gently. The obvious request for him to recline back on her was received and followed with open curiosity.
Following the movement until his head rested against her chest, he stared up at her expectantly. Her fingers were in his hair in the next instant, combing through it and gently massaging at his scalp. The soothing motions rolled through his body like waves, all his former tension leaking out from him as she began to hum lowly.
By the time she stopped nearly ten minutes later, he had resolved to stay there for however long she decided to continue. He had already seen that most of his meetings were mild grievances, so it wouldn't cause damage for him to stay here for a while longer.
She dropped a kiss to his forehead before speaking, her hands still lightly combing through his hair. "Did that help? I can keep doing it if it does."
Lifting his arm, he cupped her head and pulled her down into a kiss. The angle was odd with him being upside down, but it still had the intended effect of expressing his gratitude. "While I would like nothing more than to have you continue for the foreseeable future, if I allowed you to do so, I will never go back to work today. So, regrettably I must go back." So saying, he rose up from his lying position before pulling her into his arms one last time before he left.
He soaked in the comfort of having her in his arms before planting a kiss on her head. Time to finish his work. The quicker he got through it, the quicker he could enjoy his time with Leila. The thought gave him the will he needed to sit back down for his meetings. As he looked at his now much shorter list of meetings, he could faintly see his assistant's relief at his mood change. Leila was very good for him, especially on days such as this.
Shaking off his train of thought, he straightened before calling in the next person. Soon, he reminded himself. Soon.
And that's a wrap on another smaller idea that refused to leave until I wrote it down.
