Clarissa looked upon the dark halls of the Vimmark caverns, and she smiled. Through the gloom that pervaded it, the chill that permeated it, and the darkness that infected every inch of it, she smiled.
She didn't really know why. She just did. She'd forgotten how long it was since she smiled- a full, uninhibited expression of happiness that seemed to have eluded her for quite some time. As the peculiar, yet welcome feeling tugged at her lips, she felt her eyes mellow out contentedly and the tension from her surroundings drain out of her, a rivulet of cool, running water rushing past her, taking the worries and the sadness away and replacing them with joy like she never felt it before.
Buckled at her side, the golden sword hummed in harmony, vibrating ever so slightly as if sharing in her hard-won merriment. She looked down upon the glistening metal, then shook her head and chuckled. She must be going crazy.
Well, if this is being crazy, then I want to be stark raving mad. She mused to herself. Her thoughts, laced with curiosity, took a deeper turn, worming into her mind in search for the object, the person that has caught her fancy, won her over, and made her feel happy, of all things.
It didn't take long for her to conjure her face in her mind, a pristine, perfect rendition of everything she loved, cherished and treasured, melding into one and sculpting it into the object of her desire, the apple of her eye, and the one person she pledged herself to.
Bethany.
She rolled her name around, savoring the feel of it on her tongue, marvelling at how a simple word defined her, completed her, and drew out the very core of her for another to freely take.
If there was one thing in this world that could make her smile, it was her.
Opening her eyes slowly, reluctantly as warmth enveloped her, the dank, chilling wind stayed by the arm wrapped around her neck. The small groan that accompanied the disheveled movement of tousled jet-black hair made her turn around, meeting squinting brown eyes that exuded unperturbed calmness and blissful ignorance. She tried to move her hand, only to have her fingers graze over the gentle slope that was Bethany's waist. She felt her snuggling against her touch.
Chocolate-brown eyes met hers fully, all traces of sleep gone.
A smile stretched itself, like a yawning cat, over Bethany's ruffled, yet still gorgeous, features.
"Morning."
Maker, how she wanted every morning to be like that, to have all of Bethany, all to herself, warm body in her embrace, sweet lips not an inch away from her own.
"Someone looks happy." A teasing voice cut in, making Clarissa look sideways and upwards. She shifted slightly as Isabela sat herself down with a long sigh, winking at her as she did so. Her sparkling hazel eyes never left Clarissa as she studiously looked her over. Unnerved, but only slightly, Clarissa grinned and leaned sideways, bumping shoulders with the raunchy Pirate Queen. "Jealous?" She chided, allowing herself to revel in her carefree state of mind while it lasted. Crossing her legs and leaning against the cave wall, Isabela said, "You two are mirror images. You know that? I can't quite fathom how one can be so... happy. And in such a sordid place, no less."
"What can I say?" Clarissa said, eyes taking on a dreamy air. "She is a mage."
Isabela looked at her with renewed interest. "Indeed. I hear mages can be quite... crafty." She nudged Clarissa playfully. "You know, a sliver of electricity here, a little spark there. Just enough fire to keep you burning. All... night... long..." She flicked her tongue for theatricality at the last syllable, making Clarissa blush and struggle to hold back a giggle.
"I wouldn't know anything about that." She answered curtly, even as her thoughts turned... sultry? Carnal? Sensual?
Isabela latched on to the redness that stained Clarissa's cheeks. "Come now! Your very blood betrays you, Hawke. You must've tried it. You wouldn't be as giggling like a maiden with her first love if you didn't."
The redness spread to her dimples, which moved as she gulped. "What if I am? A maiden in love?" She asked. Even though she knew, without a doubt, that it was Bethany herself that had been making her smile, she just couldn't resist the torrent of thoughts that the Pirate Queen so directly infected her mind with. Damn you Isabela!
"In that case, I say you'd better step to and bed that other ravishing young maiden this very instant, just so you know what love-" she licked her lower lip slowly, as if to punctuate the word, "-truly feels like."
"Isabela!" Clarissa swatted at taut, coppery skin, her face practically on fire.
"I kid you not, Hawke. It certainly beats skinning Darkspawn all day." Isabela sighed, smiling all the while. "At least you have the chance. Some of us... Well, we have to take matters into our own hands." She winked at her again, looking downwards suggestively. "Y'know what I mean?"
An outrageous thought hit Clarissa. "There's Varric! He's lonely too, isn't he?" She choked mid-sentence, mirth taking hold of her as laughter bubbled up.
"Hawke, that's disgusting! All that... ughh." Isabela made to throw up, and Clarissa laughed all the harder.
"He is not a logically feasible option. Contrary to popular belief, I do have standards." Isabela held her head high, then giggled like a little girl.
"And who, O Pirate Queen, would you look upon with favour?" Clarissa teased.
"I'm looking at one right now." Isabela's eyes narrowed and darkened.
"Sorry, Izzy. But I am taken." Clarissa mused silently how easily the words tumbled out of her mouth. It was the truth, to be sure, but freely admitting it would take some time getting used to. And she wanted to get used to it.
"Don't be such a drizzle!" Isabela crooned, sidling closer to Clarissa. "I know we're not in love or anything, but you can treat it as an... experiment perhaps." She licked her lower lip again, the glistening moisture catching Clarissa's eye all of a sudden. She felt warmth and comfort cradle her as Isabela's proximity became all the more apparent, the musky scent that shrouded the Pirate Queen slithering through her nostrils, making her face flush and her body tighten. It was unnerving, yet oddly... arousing.
"I can show you the proper ways of pleasuring a woman. Few have mastered the art, and fewer still have experienced it. It'll be... educational. And so... fun. Bethany can join in as well. Her magic would be most enticing." She ran a hand down Clarissa's thigh, making her skin tingle with heat.
Clarissa watched, helplessly, as the curvature of Isabela's frame appealed itself to her like a siren's call, luring the innocent astray with sheer beauty. Her body was as taut as a coiled spring, and her lower half buzzed with familiar sensations. Surely it wouldn't hurt to indulge herself, and did she not say that Bethany could join as well?
"No." The single syllable tumbled out of her mouth before she could scream yes, clearing her thoughts and dousing the fire in her body. A part of her yearned for its return, but she pushed it away hurriedly. "I'm sorry, Izzy, but your fingers should be more than enough to handle yourself." She forced a smile that she hoped didn't look too contrived. A moment of tense silence followed as Isabela visibly froze.
Then she threw her head back and laughed, an unladylike sound only she could produce. It was highly contagious, and soon Clarissa heard herself joining in Isabela's maniacal laughter.
"Oh, Hawke." Isabela managed between lingering bouts of laughing, "She's got you wrapped around her dainty fingers, all right." She fought, failed, and laughed again.
It was a full minute until their display of merriment finally subsided, with Isabela clapping Clarissa on her back. "Oh well, mine dextrous digits," Isabela's hazel eyes drilled with mock seriousness into her right hand, which she held wide open as if examining her fingers, "we shall be seeing each other for quite some time." She announced into her hand, eliciting another guffaw from Clarissa.
Footsteps echoed, followed by giggling and a disproportionately gruff voice proclaiming, "I'm telling, she's that desperate." Faintly muffled, but clearly unabashed, laughter tickled Clarissa's ears, making her heart leap at the familiar sound.
"I wonder to Maker on high as to who they're talking about." Isabela pouted. Clarissa began to laugh again, but was stayed by a hand on her shoulder. Isabela got on her feet and looked downwards intently, meeting Clarissa's confused expression. "Next time, try here," Isabela ran the backs of her rough, but shapely nails down her neck, drawing a flowing line on taut, coppery canvas. "and use this." Her tongue snaked out, slowly accentuating a silent L, licking thin air in place of soft, inviting skin.
"She'll love it. I know I do." Isabela winked at her, then turned and, with sensual struts designed to seduce and disarm the most chaste of both genders, vanished into the darker corners of the camp without a backward glance. As she withdrew further still, Clarissa thought she heard, "Ah, mine dainty digits. We meet again... Where will I be without you?"
That night, pleasured purrs, soft moans and hushed, husky approvals told Isabela all she needed to know.
"Keep going."
/A short one, but one that I hope you enjoyed! I love adding some spice to Christmas. For the whole family, of course.
Before I forget, I have a few more short ones coming up, partly because ze storeh demandz it, and partly because my exams are coming up and my holidays are all confiscated by textbooks and evil, evil teachers. They will be entertaining. I can guarantee you that much, and I hope I have demonstrated that to some extent, I can entertain.
Oh, and Merry Christmas. Guess why I'm not saying Happy New Year as well?/