Note: I do not own Blizzard nor do I make any profit from this story.
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"Welcome to Tranquillen, Mage," he said quietly as the small outpost came into view.
The name didn't quite fit the small gathering of two or three buildings, if that's what you'd call them. They really weren't buildings anymore. Just broken, cracked husks of a distant past. But, Jinny had a vivid imagination and could still picture them in her mind in all their full glory and beauty. The now overgrown path that cut through the small smattering of buildings used to hold children, laughing and playing, but now it only held few permanent residents. A hodgepodge of Sin'dorei and Forsaken.
Jin'ala was almost saddened at the sorry little buildings and their inhabitants. She drew her cloak tighter around her as she looked around on their way through. It seemed always to be nightfall in Ghostlands. There was always mist on the ground, and creatures of the night lurked just out of sight in the deep shadows.
"Ev'nin', lady. Sir," a forsaken greeted them, nodding 'hello' to both of them in turn.
Sagely, she nodded back, unconsciously slowing her mount to ride next to Darreek, drawing the bird so close to his bear that their legs almost touched. He glanced sideways as he noticed their proximity, but said nothing. The look on her face made it clear that she was uneasy about traveling through the perpetual darkness that enveloped Ghostlands. The mage shivered as the two left the relative safety of the small outpost. The rode in silence as they walked along the path through the forest.
She jumped slightly when they heard a loud Crack! From the forest beside them. The warrior chuckled. "Don't worry, mage," he said quietly. She looked at him and nodded. The warrior chuckled. "You know, I never did tell you what I was doing at the fountain," he said, trying to take her mind off the darkness.
"You . . . what?" she blinked.
"Yesterday, at the fountain. You'd asked me why I was out and about. I never did tell you." He smirked at her.
She didn't really care why he was there, but she was grateful for the distraction. She sighed, "So, why were you there?"
The warrior winked slyly at her. "You want the truth, or should I make up some eloquent and long-winded story of instant attraction and unbridled lust?" his mischievous grin no only on his lips but also in his eyes.
She sighed and rolled her eyes at him. "The truth."
It was his turn to sigh. "The truth is boring. I'll make something up." He nodded and thought for a moment. "I was wondering around aimlessly, yesterday. I had nothing to do and no where to go. So, I decided to loiter by the large fountain that graces the eyes as one enters the city from the Sunfury Spire. When I found something even more graceful than the water cascading down the falls." He looked at her pointedly.
She arched an eyebrow. "Oh? And just what was that?" she asked, still slightly annoyed.
Slowly, a smirk pulled at the corner of the warrior's mouth. "That should be obvious," came a deep and gritty reply.
For once, she was relieved at the darkness. The mage could feel the fire spreading across her cheeks and she hoped the darkness and the hood of her cloak covered her face enough that he wouldn't take notice. His low, raspy chuckle clenched at her stomach and made her realize that he had.
"It intrigues me, mage." The humor in his voice was audible.
She didn't dare look at him. She focused on the ground in front of her hawkstrider. "What does?" she asked quietly.
"Why is it, mage, that you blush so often?"
She opened her mouth as if she were going to speak, but her lips couldn't find the words. Jinny tried again only to find herself at a loss for words once more. She sighed, relenting. "I . . . I don't know." Her quiet voice still carrying far enough for him to hear. "I suppose I'm just not accustomed to holding conversations with . . . with . . . ." such attractive men, she almost said, but stopped herself short, not quite sure how to finish.
He eyed her with a wicked half grin. "With?" The fel glow of his eyes roiled playfully. "With whom? With such forward men, like myself?" He chuckled as she flushed again.
She hadn't expected him to read her mind. But, that was impossible. He was a warrior and had no real knowledge of the magics that surrounded her life except for the addiction with which every Sin'dorei was burdened. She shook her head. She had hoped she would have been more stoic, like the others of her race, but she'd always held her emotions on her sleeve. She was always easily readable. She hated that.
"Hrmm?" The soft mumble shook her out of her thoughts and she looked at him. "You're not accustomed to holding conversations with . . .?"
She thought for a moment, trying to decide how best to finish the thought. "With anyone outside of the magisters." She sighed inwardly with relief.
Darreek glanced at her and sighed as he realized how incredibly innocent she really was and how incredibly barbaric his actions toward her had been. "You don't get out much, do you?" he asked at length. Jinny shook her head and looked away in embarrassment. "What, exactly, do you do with yourself all day?"
She regarded him. The warrior seemed genuinely curious. Not teasing as he usually was. She shrugged. "Train. Read." The look that was elicited from her remark was one of question.
"Read? What is it you read?"
Jinny fumbled around in the saddle bag and produced a large tome.
"What's that?" he asked, impressed.
She chuckled. "This," she said, inclining her head towards the leather bound pages, "is a book. You read it." Her chuckle turned into quiet giggling as he shot her an indignant look.
"I know that," he said, slightly riled at the attack on his intellect.
The mage giggled again. "Calm yourself, warrior. I merely jest." She smiled at him. "This is my spell book. It teaches many things. Including how to harness and control Arcane, Fire, and Frost magics. As well as our history and lore."
He raised an eyebrow. "And you do this reading because it's required of you?"
Again, she giggled. A musical little laugh that caused him to shift in his saddle. "No . . . well . . . yes, it's required of my, but also because . . ." she paused, blushing because she knew this sounded strange to him. "Because I enjoy it," she finished quietly.
He pondered this strange young creature for a moment. She had surprised him by her soft and gentle spirit as the mention of her books. Yet again, there was the ferocity with which she'd defended herself against . . . him. He looked away from her. He really had been uncouth. He grimaced inwardly as he thought of his earlier actions.
"I . . ." he sighed. "I'm . . . sorry."
The mage was startled by his sudden apology. "What?"
"I'm sorry," he said again. When she only questioned him with a look, he supplied, "For earlier . . ." Again, she simply looked at him. He gave a ragged sigh. This was going to be more difficult than he'd thought. Raking a hand through his hair, a blast of air escaping his lips, he elaborated. "I'm sorry for forcing myself on you earlier," he gut out.
"Oh," she whispered. Memories from earlier flooded her mind. Her pulse quickened when she thought of how close he'd been to her. A warm knot formed in her core as her body remembered the pressure of his against her. Jinny glanced sideways at him. "You are forgiven, Darreek."
He stiffened at the sound of his name on her lips. It stirred something deep within. Emotions that hadn't been to the surface for a long time. He shook himself mentally. Those could just stay where they were. "Thank you," he mumbled, and brooded in silence until the little light there was started fading.
Thalassian Pass loomed above them as they left the road and dismounted. Jin'ala secured the mounts as Darreek gathered wood and started a fire. She walked over and handed him a bundle of bedding. He murmured thanks and went to set up his bed for the night. A light beyond the fire caught his eye and he spun, startled, to see what it was.
The mage stood there, her eyes closed. Her hands holding and turning an imaginary ball in front of her, it seemed. Light engulfed her hands. Her lips were moving in a silent incantation, when suddenly she threw her arms into the air, arched her back, and opened her eyes in one fluid motion. He noticed her eyes had a blue glow to them as she finished the spell.
He gave her his half smile as she handed him the conjured food. "It may taste a little different than what you're used to, but it nourishes the body and fills the stomach." She smiled kindly at him. He nodded his thanks and took the proffered food.
Jinny watched with a playful light in her eyes as he examined the conjured brownie. He looked from the brownie back to her. "I suggest a small bite at first to get the pallet accustomed."
He scoffed. "Oh, well, It can't be that bad . . ." The smile on his face quickly faded as he took a rather large bite and chewed a few times. A hearty laugh escaped from her throat as he grimaced and spat out the brownie. The warrior coughed and sputtered and Jinny laughed again.
"Oh, come now! It's not that bad," the mage scolded.
He sputtered again. "'Not that bad'? 'Not that bad'?" He paused, looking at her mirth filled face. "If it's not so bad, you eat it, then!"
The mage never took her eyes off his as she moved in slow motion. Opening her mouth, she bit a brownie in half. She chewed slowly as she smirked at him and swallowed, opening her mouth again as proof she'd eaten it.
"Close your mouth, warrior. You'll only catch flies gaping like that," she chuckled, standing up and walking over to her bedsheets. Immediately, he closed his mouth. He looked at the brownie again, took a small, tentative bite and swallowed. It was palatable, he supposed. So the mage was right, came the thought as he chortled softly.
Looking to the female slumbering peacefully on her bedroll, he studied her. She had all the features befitting a Sin'dorei. She was slender with long ears that mirrored her long legs. Her fel-green eyes had flecks of gold in them, unless she was casting. Then her eyes took on an arcanic azure tint. Then there was her beautiful round backside. A smile crept across his lips as he thought of how she'd stalked away from him at their first meeting, her firm bottom swaying as she walked, led by Xannor.
Wincing with regret, he remembered also how he'd planned to bed this elf. That was before he'd realized her innocence. She'd definitely responded like a virgin when he'd pressed against her. He shifted, the memory of his hips pressing against hers causing him to swell. It was her blushing that disarmed him. Darreek wondered if the female even knew how sensual her movements were. Hell, even the way she'd eaten that damn brownie could have been taken as a sexual invitation. There was no doubt about it. He wanted her. But, her purity caused him to restrain himself, though he couldn't understand what was so different about this girl than the other girls he'd made into women. He always knew just what to say to those fresh, young things to make them swoon and fall right into his arms, practically begging him to show them the things they'd never experienced before.
He sighed heavily, dragging a hand through his hair. What the hell was he going to do with her? Standing hurriedly, he stomped over to his own bedroll. Laying so he could face her, he again thought of how close he'd been to taking her right there beside the river. He rolled to his other side, willing himself to sleep.
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It was hard to breathe. It was almost as if there were someone on top of her . . . . Was this a dream? Wait . . . no . . . no, it wasn't a dream. Jinny's eyes flew open as a hand clamped over her mouth.