Okay a few things to clear up just so everyone's happy.
The title of each piece is the Theme. Some themes will have to be altered to keep with the TP universe, but the original will be written in next to it.
The story must involve a 'kiss' but there is no limitations on your interpretation of the idea of 'kiss'. In Theme 2 there was a kiss, but it was a kiss on a hand. Oh and the kiss doesn't even have to be between the couple of choice, it's all fair game.
These stories do not have to be a part of the Tortall universe. All that must exist is the couple. If I make Daine's mother a part of one of them, well it's all good.
I don't recall any allusion to Numair being from Tyra. If it's something TP has said but hasn't published… then I think I can forgive myself. I only know what the books tell me, and I never noticed that if it's there. (sorry to the die hard fans)
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Jolt!
(Daine & Numair) Theme 3
by Kimra
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Daine had a imp's smile on her face, one few ever had the chance to see. Too many bad circumstances in her life had suppressed that imps smile for the most part, but on occasions it still surfaced and on those occasions the people who where graced with the chance to see it found her more stunning then they had thought it possible for her to be.
This time the person with this opportunity wasn't looking that much, he was far too busy making sure they where alone.
She wasn't sure why, but Perin seemed to be terrified of Numair and every time he took her aside in an attempt to court her he was convinced the elder mage was watching.
It amused her greatly, the way the boy was terrified of her friend. Numair was powerful and deadly, but only when it came to enemies, he only threatened when it came to protecting her and it was funny how seriously some of the boys and men in the castle took him.
She caught Perin's ear lobe in her fingers and gave a quick tug. "He's not here." She promised, a laugh in her voice, the imp smile increasing. "You can kiss me if you want." She didn't sound the least bit seductive, she knew how to do it, but she really was far to amused by Perin's paranoia to turn her voice sultry. Not that she really believed she could. Ma's daughter didn't have it in her to pretend like that.
"Are you sure he didn't follow us?" Perin asked, an edge to his voice, a little fright in his eyes and she laughed out loud. A proper full hearted laugh and tapped the boy's chin.
"If my grand teacher has followed us, after you kidnapped me off the dance floor-" Perin tried to sputter a reply but she continued "-then he will have to face my wrath, and even Numair is not that brave." That was a lie, but she didn't mind, it wasn't bad to make people think she had some sort of control over Numair. Else they would always be afraid, and if they where always afraid she would always be just his shadow.
Perin took a moment to digest her words, eyes stilling from their relentless search for danger, then a change came over him. She watched it with mild fascination, a part of her thinking 'about time' while the rest of her waited for him to come back into his own. Perin had taken her away before, secreted her off from social functions to get her alone, and he had engaged her in the task of kissing. He always wanted more then she was willing to give, but he was always polite about it as well. When he breached a boarder she would make it clear that he had done so and he would go back a step to where she had been comfortable. They hadn't progressed much passed kissing, but by itself that was enjoyable so she was happy for now.
She was too young to want much more then kissing, she knew it well enough. The beauty of her mothers freedom with men was that Daine knew exactly what she was ready for, and what she was unprepared to give. Sex was not on her list, she wasn't really that interested yet. From what her mother had said, it was a roaring passion that consumed and devoured until you surrendered to it, but Daine had yet to feel that so she was content to settle for kissing. When passion came, when things shifted and she felt that change, then and only then would she go further then secreted kisses in the shadows of the castle halls.
Perin's eyes got a little darker, a little more determined and without the scared rabbit expression on his face he seemed older and a little more interesting. He moved in towards her, and she nearly sighed in thanks that he was over his paranoia. Numair had no interest in following her, he was distracted by the buxom redhead he had been courting for the last week or so. He wouldn't even notice she was gone.
Daine felt a little sad, at the thought, a little distracted, so when Perin did gather his courage completely and his lips came to hers she was not really paying attention. The contact did wake her back to the present, though, and she tried to give herself over to the kiss as best she could. Kissing was enjoyable, on occasions, though some boys had a tendency to try and force their tongues in straight away, and knew less about kissing and more about drooling. Perin at least knew how to kiss decently so she enjoyed the stolen interludes when he had the courage to initiate them. She would never initiate them, she just didn't care enough, but she was willing to enjoy them when they occurred.
Perin lent into her, pressing harder against her lips, in a pleasant way and she complied to his demands by returning the pressure, her hands settling on his hips while his quested onto the sides of her neck gently increasing the pressure.
Daine waited the kiss out, starting to feel impatient. It was possible, though she hadn't thought of it before, that Perin was too polite for her. She was a wild thing after all, no mater how they dressed her she had an animals heart. This polite courtship, despite her human heart appreciating the patience that Perin demonstrated, was too bland for her.
As she stood there, pushed a little into the dark, eye's open and waiting she became aware of something; she and Perin where not alone.
Daine jolted out of her vague trance, eyes jumping to find the third party, and all she saw was the edge of a dark figure as it retreated from the scene. Her mind screamed that it was Numair, and logic and feelings complied to agree that it was him. She knew even his shadow, even the vague outline of his figure as it retreated a scene it hadn't meant to interrupt.
She responded to his presence, even though it was gone and she pushed Perin a step back from her. A look of guilt crossed his features.
"Daine I-"
"I have to go." She interrupted him, moving passed the shocked boy, not caring to explain. There where other days and other times to explain, but Numair- she needed to ask him something now.
As she walked quickly, knowing without a doubt where he would be she explored what was making her move, what had made her abandon her amusement for the evening. And all that she could decide was that she needed to know.
She was at his study door before she expected to be and her fist pounded against the wooden surface. Part of her was expecting him to be inside with his conquest, but he usually followed them back to their room. He never liked strangers in his study, too many experiments to interrupt and things to unbalance. She was shifting her weight in agitated concern as the seconds ticked by, uncertain but certain. She was sure he was in there, but not sure if he would open the door to her.
In a flicker of a shadow she had seen but one expression, one single feeling ebbing off a fading shape; distress.
The door opened to reveal him to her, just a slither of him through the smallest gap, but it was enough and she knew she had seen right. He didn't meet her eyes so she did what she had to. She pushed the door open against his strength and stormed into the room. He would not shut her out, she would cope with anything but that.
She turned to him, agitated and confused, almost scared and he was calmly shutting the door, as if he didn't see her state, or he didn't care. Resignation seemed to have settled over him and that terrified her. Numair was not a resigning man.
"Why?" She demanded and he turned to her, a bitter sort of half smile on his face that didn't escape her.
"Why what Daine?" His voice was all soft acceptance and she really didn't understand what was happening. Numair often made no sense to her, but this was the last straw, the last moment that she would allow it to pass.
"Why didn't you interrupt?" She demanded once more, in clearer words, clearer sentiment, and she realized, like a jolt to her system that she had wanted him to interrupt. She stilled, all anger leaving in a shock as she turned that idea around in her head.
"You seemed to be enjoying yourself." He replied, all casual unconcern, except for the strain in his voice, that tinge of strain she could hear no matter how he tried to hide it.
"That's never stopped you before!" She snapped it, distracted form her self analysis. She would deal with that conundrum later, when Numair was making sense again.
He made another attempt at a smile, facing her, waiting her anger out in a calm, gloomy acceptance and she hated it. She wanted him to be animated, he was always animated.
"I'm not your keeper Daine." He told her and she damned it all, threw all caution to the wind and acted on impulse. She was a creature, after all. She was all animal instinct and understanding and the human emotions of the moment where clouding her understanding. She didn't know what was happening so she let the part of her that could cope take control.
She breached the distance between them her hands delving into his hair, and not even seeing his surprised expression she had her lips to his in a hard kiss that went against any logic she might have been able to reason through to the moment.
Contact was made and sustained.
She knew in a moment exactly why she had wanted him to interrupt, why kisses felt ordinary and lacked passion. Because she had been kissing the wrong men. Just a simple contact, hard bruising force, her lips against his, and she felt the fire inside her ignite and grow.
He pulled back from her, the kiss lost and she could see his surprise and shock. She looked hard into his eyes, reading everything, using a friends knowledge of him to discern what he was thinking. Shock, surprise, excitement. Nothing that wasn't supposed to be there, nothing to tell her to let go.
She tried to pull him back. Now she knew she wouldn't let it go, now she understood what she wanted. He resisted and immediately she was pouting at him. She didn't mean to pout, would have laughed herself senseless at the expression on a normal occasion, but he was denying her when it had all just fallen so perfectly into sense.
"Daine-" He sounded cautious and his hands where reached up, trying to gently remove her grip. She let go at his request, titled her head the slightest bit and watched him. "You can't go about kissing everybody." He warned.
She felt two responses to that. Anger that he would think she was such a floozy and amusement because he was misunderstanding her actions. She ignored the anger, too happy to bask in her own discoveries to care much for negative emotion.
"Numair-" She bit into her lower lip and carefully looked up at him through her lashes, carefully studied motions she would never have put into practice. Except here she was, her voice toned down, a little drawl to her words to make them sound just right and a look in her eyes that probably told him exactly what she was thinking. Apparently Ma's daughter did have it in her, if the situation was right. "If you don't kiss me I'll go back to Perin. He's been wanting to show me his room's for some time." Apparently Ma's daughter could do much more then be sultry, she could also be very manipulative. Because she had seen his anger before, protective and caring and now she was using it for her advantage.
"Daine-" He started to warn.
"Just kiss me Numair!" She snapped, looking up to face him properly, locking eye contact with him and demanding he look right back. He seemed to falter, he seemed uncertain and she could see he wanted to.
Funny the things you can see once you started to look for them.
She took the initiative, she had to or he never would. She did it slower this time, carefully, her hands sliding along his upper arms to rest on his shoulders. Feeling the strength below her hold and excitement rushing through her. After today she wouldn't share, after today she would fight to keep him. Now she knew what she wanted, now she understood, she would let nothing get in her way.
Her hands drew him down slightly and she tilted her head to meet his lips. She could see his hesitation and only smiled. Men where such strange creatures, but she didn't mind, at least this one would entertain her.
Just like Perin she saw him surrender to the moment, knew it because his hands came up to capture her. Not soft and careful, not cautious like Perin had been, once Numair had made the decision he was dedicated to it. He caught her up hard, lifted her off the floor so he wasn't bending to meet her lips, one hand at the base of her spine, the other tangled in her hair and their lips meet in a hard kiss.
More followed, many more, she didn't care to count, too busy trying to remember how to breath between each meeting of flesh. Tomorrow they could discuss what this was all about, what it really meant, but for now, for now she was happy to surrender herself to the emotions stirring in her veins.
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