After the last run in with a horse during the hunt, Sabriyya is none to anxious to take point on this. "I'll try to help calm it after one of you approaches it." she offers, watching Vasia tear the boards off the wall.
"Stand back and move the goblin bodies - it probably doesn't like the smell." Morgana says since opening the door is a job for muscle.
Using her sword as a lever she starts pulling the boards out of the walls, until the doorway is open, then she opens it slowly talking softly the whole time.
"Hey there. Don't worry. You're safe, come on out."
Vasia continues to try to assist, staying out the way the best she can, but her efforts amount to little.
With the boards removed a mighty black stallion comes charging out of the shed and starts racing around the courtyard. It is easy to see that the horse has been badly treated - he is thin and has a number of cuts and bruises all across his flanks and seems hugely skittish. It isn't until Melody hands Morgana a fistful of dried grass that the paladin can get close enough to calm the horse down. Eventually, after more handfuls of grass and some dried tack the horse slowly calms.
With the horse calmed the final danger on this level is dealt with and you are able to explore the rest of the fort. The cheiftains room is surprisingly well decorated, mostly with horseshoes and furniture that looks like it has come from shipwrecks or junk heaps. Under his pillow is a silver unholy symbol of Lamashtu and a brass key.
Next door is a vile smelling latrine but Sabriyya and Vasia both pick out the tell tale signs of a secret door, to what proves to be the goblins treasury. The large chest opens with Ripnugget's key - triggering a rusty scythe to lash out from the wall! It cuts deep into Melody's side and the dirt on the blade suggests that nothing good will come of this.
The goblins also prove to have a crude armory where a number of weapons can be found. In all, there are 23 dogslicers, 11 shortbows, 80 arrows, 11 suits of studded leather, six light wooden shields, and two coiled whips. On the north wall hangs a single masterwork dogslicer. The vast majority of the weapons are of terrible quality and fit only for raw materials.
Two goblins are asleep in another guard tower but Melody dispatches them swiftly and they die without ever feeling a thing apart from their full bellies - leaving Thistletop goblin free at last!
Amethysts eyes sparkle at the silk gown. ”Ooh, that’s pretty...”
Once all of the dangers have been dealt with, the magus suggests heading back to town to rest. ”If anybody down below comes up to investigate, we don’t want them sneaking up on us during the night.”
"You can go if you wish." Morgana replies, "But I at least will stay here. We need to explore the lower levels in case Nualia is here and if there are reinforcements below then someone needs to be here to challenge them."
She remains adamant in her decision, although very willing to stay alone if need be, and then sets to work removing all the goblin bodies and tossing them from the cliffs into the sea below. This takes a long time...
Melody is worried to her bones and back about sleep in massacre prone forts, "I had a dream where the princess Polli went mad and dreamt of me making up stories about her. It was creepy to have her looking at me." she says for no particular reason as she digs about finding several blankets to stitch together, cutting whatever is left of her rope and weaving it through holes she made in one end. When she is done, she pulls on Morgana's sleeve "We could... stack them on this and drag them all at once... maybe??"
Vasia takes Melody aside and focuses her mental abilities on the halfling's injury.
Once that's done, she examines the injury closer just to make sure that there's no other threat lurking.
"You can go if you wish." Morgana replies, "But I at least will stay here. We need to explore the lower levels in case Nualia is here and if there are reinforcements below then someone needs to be here to challenge them."
"If you're s-staying here then I'm staying too," Vasia declares
"ouch ouch!" Melody squirms as Vasia insists on looking at her slice. "I wasn't paying attention, sorry about making you use more of your magic, that you never have to speak words or move your fingers, why is that?" she babbles her way into a question.
----
"I'm sorry," Vasia, says, relaxing her hold on the halfling's arm. "I wasn't trying to hurt you. I just wanted to make sure that you were ok. That blade looked filthy and things like that sometimes have lingering effects that can be just as deadly as the original injury."
"No, I don't use magic words or gestures. The ... the magic that I do is entirely from my mind. I have to be in a very specific mental place, intellectually and emotionally, and the thoughts take form in the physical world. It can do similar things as magic that a wizard does, but it can do different things as well."
"oh, you just Think and it happens? Isn't that dangerous?" her curiosity grew greater after being watered with an answer.
"I don't think so," Vasia replies, slightly saddened. "It takes a lot of concentration and effort to achieve just a small result. I don't think it'll ever be more than simple parlor tricks."
"Oh... so if I... took the last cinnamon bun, you wouldn't get so cross, you'd actually POOF me out of existence?" her nervous smile brightens a bit and she looks up at the woman who was self-deprecating herself. "You killed a goblin with a skull! With your mind! That's Not 'simple trick'ish. You are BunBun and she is a hero, which means you are too!" it all poured out quickly, this need to defend the lady from herself, which confused the halfling a little and made her cheeks blush at her own outburst.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, there's an urge to take the halfling in her arms and kiss her. Vasia frowns in confusion for a moment before turning to look at her bunica. She takes a deep breath and buries that feeling down deep. Turning back to Melody she forces a smile onto her face.
"No, I wouldn't and couldn't 'Poof' you out of existence," she says. "Throwing apples around and some minor healing is about the extent of my abilities. My Bunica is more of a hero than I am." She nods towards the spectral woman who's watching her the care she's showing the halfling with an approving gaze. "Why don't you go ask her about the bullies she's fought off for me?"
Once Melody heads off towards her phantom grandmother, Vasia wanders over to Morgana. "So we're staying here tonight then," she comments. "Did you bring any books of poetry?" she asks with a grin.
Once Melody heads off towards her phantom grandmother, Vasia wanders over to Morgana. "So we're staying here tonight then," she comments. "Did you bring any books of poetry?" she asks with a grin.
"I'm sorry," Morgana replies with a smile. "If I'd known I'd be romancing a beautiful girl out here then I would have done." Then she stops short and blushes furiously. "Err..."
Vasia blushes as well and looks down. A moment later and she tips her head up just enough to meet Morgana's eyes. "I ... uh ... I still have the book that I borrowed from you."
"Well in that case..." Morgana continues, grabbing the moment with both hands. "Would you like to sit in the tower with me and read some poetry? If we're up there for another hour or so we might get to watch the sunset over the Gulf as well."
She stands and offers Vasia a hand up. Once the spiritualist is standing she doesn't let go.
"I ... uh ... I think I would enjoy that," Vasia replies with a smile. She frowns a moment later and glances at her grandmother. "Can we stay nearby, though? I know Bunica wishes to spend some time with Melody and it takes too much effort for her to be far away."
Jenica watches with silent approval as Vasia walks away holding the paladin's hand. She then turns her attention to the small woman next to her.
She kneels down next to Melody. "Why don't we find a secluded spot not too far away and we can cuddle while you tell me one of your wonderful stories?" she suggests.
Amethyst sits down next to Sabriyya. ”Have you forgiven me enough to spend the evening with me? It’s going to be a cold night. There’s no need to spend it alone.”
Melody's smile brightened followed by a nod and a sliding of hand in hand. Cuddling into Jenica was both cooling and warming at the same time. She tells the story of the queen Thumper finding love with a king of ships, which was happy but sad since the king was not a siren and it meant an ending. For some reason, despite it just being a story it choked the little halfling up. Luckily the sadness was met with pretty eyes and a long kiss one could get lost in forever.
"I ... uh ... I think I would enjoy that," Vasia replies with a smile. She frowns a moment later and glances at her grandmother. "Can we stay nearby, though? I know Bunica wishes to spend some time with Melody and it takes too much effort for her to be far away."
"Of course." Morgana says with a smile. "You're a good person Vasia, to put that much effort into what your grandmother wants."
The paladin has to go and collect the horses first, a task that takes some time to get them each across the long bridge, but blindfolding them helps and by the time they are all secured in the courtyard Morgana is very ready to watch a sunset and enjoy some poetry.
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Vasia relaxes next to the paladin to enjoy some poetry. Some of the poems she's already read, but hearing them in the paladin's buttery voice warms her in ways she doesn't understand.
She's been listening to Morgana for a bit now, watching the sun sink into the sea when the young woman makes a slightly confused sound. As Morgana pauses in her reading, Vasia reaches up to her lips. "Something tastes ..." She frowns for a moment as she licks her lips. "Did we eat ...?" Her eyes then fly open in surprise. "Oh, gods, Bunica ..." A bright red flush covers her face as her hands cover her mouth, her eyes seemingly afraid to seek out Morgana's. She sinks her face down into her hands.
"You can feel that?" Morgana asks, "That must be... awkward. How does..." She stops, clears her throat a couple of times and starts again. "What kind of feelings do you get? I guess Jenica doesn't eat or anything... If she went into the sea would you feel cold? Wet? Or is it just taste?" Her eyes brighten a little. "Does it work both ways?"
"Umm ..." Vasia replies. Waiting for the sensation to pass. "I don't know if it works both ways," she finally says with a sigh of relief as she lifts her face out of her hands. She continues to lick her lips as if still curious. "It's only happened a couple of times before. Just little bits of touch, or sounds. It's never been ... I mean, I've never felt her other senses before or felt them this vividly." She shakes her head. "I'm not sure what would have ..." Her eyes widen suddenly and she pushes her hands into her lap. "Oh, no. No, no, no," she repeats even as her face flushes again and her eyes partially close. "Oh ... oh!"
"Do I want to know?" Morgana asks, and then Vasia makes a throaty moan that makes it quite clear what is going on downstairs and Morgana finds herself looking at Vasia's lips again.
Well... she'd probably appreciate feeling something real right? The voice in her head says. Now be brave and stop hesitating.
Morgana pauses no longer and closes the gap until her lips are a hairs breadth from Vasia's. Her eyes remain open and their is a question in them as she leans over the spiritualist.
Morgana can tell that whatever Vasia is seeing right now is not her. The girl's hands give up trying to protect her virtue and clutch out at ... anything. Her breath coming faster and the sounds rising from her thoat leave little doubt about what's going to happen any moment. One of her hands finds Morgana's and grasps it as if a lifeline. Her lips part and her tongue traces over them as if seeking out a lost sensation.
"I really want to kiss you right now." Morgana admits, looking for something, anything in Vasia's face to tell her that she's hearing her words. "Vasia? Can you hear me? Do you... do you want that too?"
Morgana's call out seems to finally sink through whatever has overwhelmed Vasia's senses and her eyes snap to Morgana's. Her breath is still coming in gasps, but she glances around and it's clear that whatever was flooding her mind has stopped. There's a moment of sincere longing and loss, but it vanishes in an instant.
Her expression shifts a bit and she adjusts herself. "It ... stopped." Releasing Morgana's hand, she finally seems to register that the paladin was asking her a question. "Do I want ... what?" she asks in a confused voice.
"I was asking if you wanted my help." Morgana replies trying her best to keep a straight face. "But if it's stopped then that's good. Are you going to be ok?" Her concern, unlike her composure, is genuine. "That could be dangerous..."
Sabriyya looks over at Amethyst as they approach, doing her best not to show any emotions or betray how she feels. When they sit down next to her, she turns to face them, thinking of her response.
The first thing that comes to her is a quip about no one else here wanting them and coming to her as a last resort, but she doesn't speak that out loud. Instead, she takes a deep breath and blows out a sigh with a nod "I suppose there is no harm. I do not wish to be cold and it doesn't make sense to spend it alone."
"Thank you."
The dancer sits down beside Sabriyya and is silent for some time. Eventually, she turns to regard her companion. "I do not wish you to remain angry with me. What can I do to make up for my earlier mistakes?"
"Help?" Vasia says, her mind still whirling with sensations.
'Gods! What are you doing?'
I'm not doing anything. Melody, on the other hand, is very good at what she's doing.
'Well I'm feeling it as well.'
It was nice, wasn't it?
'No! I managed to stop it. It was very frustrating.'
If you stopped it before you finished then I can see where that would be frustrating. If you ask nice, maybe your pretty friend will give you a hand. Now go away, Nepoata, I have someone else I should be focused on.
Vasia strangles a groan of frustration. Whether it's because of her bunica or the heat she feels elsewhere is hard to tell.
"No ... no, I'm ... I'm fine," Vasia finally answers Morgana's question. "That was just a little ... overwhelming." She reaches up and grabbing the top of her dress fans it against her chest. "It's just a bit warm." Her eyes drop down to Morgana's lips and her thoughts turn to how kissable they look. The visual journey continues down her jaw. The slope of her neck. The angle of her collarbone. The swell concealed by her blouse.
She shakes her head to clear the thoughts that must be from her bunica and looks away.
"I'm fine," she repeats.
"Well do be careful." Morgana replies. "That sort of thong could be really dangerous. What if it started transmitting pain? I don't imagine Jenica feels that but if she takes blows and you feel them that could get you killed!"
Her worry obvious Morgana sits back down again but the mood is gone and the paladin is soon fidgeting badly. "I'd best go and check on the horses." She says soon. "Dont stay up here too long, it'll be cold soon."
With that the paladin flees.
"Uh ... ok?" Vasia says as Morgana makes her exit. Left alone with her frustration, she looks for the nearest distraction. She picks up the book of poetry and it falls open to a detailed illustration. She slams the book closed and growls in annoyance.
Shoving the book back into her bag, she stomps back to where most of the others are making camp, resigning herself to a lonely and aggravating night. The soft sounds of pleasure and contentment coming from where her bunica and Melody hide under warm blankets doesn't help her mood in the least.
As the camp quiets, Vasia seems to be having trouble getting comfortable and even once she's found a spot that allows her to relax, she realizes that she hasn't brought enough blankets and spends the next hour shivering as the ground slowly saps the heat from her body.
Morgana, who can't sleep for a whole different set of reasons, soon realises that Vasia is having trouble and props herself up on one arm. "What's the matter?" She asks and once she receives the answer rolls her eyes.
"I've never slept outside either and I still know to bring a lot of blankets." The paladin says quietly. "Come here." She raises the blankets invitingly. "If we share the blankets then we'll keep each other warm. I'm not implying anything!" She adds quickly, the fiasco from earlier still fresh in her mind. "I just don't want you getting horribly cold over there. Come on."
The slender woman picks up her own blankets and brings them over with her, wasting no time in climbing underneath Morgana's and showing no hesitation in wrapping her cold hands around the paladin's much warmer body. "Thank you," she says, pressing close to the woman.
Being this close and under the blankets, Vasia can't avoid having her senses filled with everything Morgana. She feels that buttery warmth fill her belly again and shifts position to get more comfortable.
While the spiritualist may be enjoying the warmth, Morgana can't help but feel a sense of shock as icy hands slip under her top to warm themselves against her bare skin.
Morgana winces sharply at the cold and manages not to hiss - just about. She folds one of her hands over Vasia's and they glow softly, a gentle warmth chasing away the cold in seconds. "Ok, next time I'm not making this offer." The paladin says in a light tone. "Not until you warm your hands up yourself! They're freezing!"
As Vasia drapes herself right across Morgana, the paladin wraps her other arm around the girls shoulders and can't help but marvel at how natural it feels. There is a warmth in her chest that quickly dispels the chill Vasia brought with her.
"Goodnight Vasia." She whispers into the dark hair on her chest.
The warmth from Morgana's body and the scent of her skin are all immensely comforting to Vasia. She shifts to press herself even closer to the paladin's body and is already half asleep when Morgana wishes her a good night. "Mmm ... goodnigh ..." she mutters in response.
The sensations came to her again that night. Whether generated from her own memory this time or from another dalliance that her bunica was having with Melody she couldn't tell. It didn't matter in the end. What did matter was that it was Morgana's dark hair and then pale skin she saw rising from between her bare legs. The yearning feeling of unfulfillment was so strong and the teasing look on the paladin's face as if she'd brought her to the brink again just to watch her squirm. And squirming was what she was doing, trying to reach that last bit of stimulation to push her over the edge. Morgana looked down at her and whispered ...
And that's when she woke. Her breath coming in deep gasps and that need no less strong. The imagery from her dream was fading quickly, but the need wasn't. She was on her side with Morgana up against her back and curled protectively around her. One of the woman's strong arms held her close and Morgana's scent was strong in her nose from the blankets and the warm body oh so close to her.
The need wouldn't be denied this time, though, so she moved to slip out from the woman's grasp to tend to it in privacy, but as soon as she shifted, the woman pulled her tighter to her which somehow seemed to drive the need to new levels.
Risking the humiliation of the woman waking while she self-pleasured, Vasia clinched her thighs together hoping to provide enough stimulation to push herself over the edge, but it only served to emphasize the need even more. More direct action was going to be required.
As carefully as she could, she tried to move her hand down, but Morgana's arm was in the way. Unwilling to deny her own release this time, Vasia reached down and as gently as she could, she shifted Morgana's arm in the only direction it seemed willing to move - upwards. There, that was ... well it wasn't better, but it was out of the way. The hand gently closed on her small breast and almost pushed her over the edge itself, but it wasn't quite enough. She couldn't hold back any more. Her own hand moved down to where the bottom of her dress had ridden up to her hips and, without any dancing around the issue, she pushed the matter to conclusion.
Biting her lip to restrain herself from making any noise, she couldn't say whether she cried out or not as the pulsing waves of pleasurable relief flowed through her like warm water. The tingling sensation spreading out the to tips of her fingers and ends of her toes. It must have been her imagination that the hand resting on her breast clutched it tightly at the moment of her climax for when she finally became aware of everything else around her again, it had returned to her waist.
Wrapping her own hand over Morgana's, Vasia pressed back into the comfort and safety of the paladin's form as the warmth and pleasure of her climax carried her back to sleep.
It took a little while for her groggy mind to piece together what was going on, where she was and why Wing Commander Gryff was so much bigger than normal and it was only when Vasia relaxed back into her arms with a sigh that Morgana realised where her hand was and, more importantly, what Vasia had been doing for the last however long.
By some sort of divine intervention the massive flow of blood to Morgana's face didn't immediately alert the sated spiritualist but the way the paladin's body stiffened behind her was probably a dead give-away that she was no longer asleep. The fact that said tensing pressed Morgana's hips into Vasia's backside was entirely inadvertent, somewhat embarrassing and, in the short term at least, not Morgana's biggest problem.
'She knows!'
Embarrassment flooded Vasia's slim form. "Ummm ... I didn't mean to wake you," she whispers. "I was just ... uh ..." she begins, but can't think of anything remotely plausible to explain what she was doing. She sighs. "It's not something that I normally do. Please don't think that I'm some freak, ok? I'm not my bunica. I know normal people don't do that so if you could not tell anyone I did, I would take it as a great favor?"
She grows more nervous as the silence continues without a response.
"Look I can see that you think I'm strange and I'll go sleep by myself , but please don't tell the others, ok? That's all I'm asking."
She pauses and looks down at Vasia. "Would you mind terribly if I kissed you right now?" She asks.
Vasia's aggression is a new development and Morgana allows her the lead, letting Vasia plunder her mouth eagerly before counter-attacking and taking the tongue duel to Vasia. As they kiss Vasia's hands roam up Morgana's sleekly muscled arms and the paladin finds herself grinding against Vasia's thigh, while the spiritualist pushes herself against Morgana's in turn.
The kissing becomes hotter and heavier until Morgana breaks their mouths apart and looks down at Vasia with bright eyes in the slowly brightening gloom.
"Not here..." She says breathlessly. "Not now. It's not that I don't want to!" She adds hurriedly as hurt creeps onto Vasia's face, "But if you want to graduate onto the next course after kissing then we're going to do it somewhere much nicer than this!"
She eases off Vasia and out from the blankets before holding out a hand. "Come and see the sunrise with me?"
She looks over at where her bunica is concealed under Melody's blankets before taking the paladin's hand.
She follows the woman to view the rising of the sun, but as they approach the eastern part of the fort, Morgana notices that Vasia is only paying partial attention, her concentration somewhere else. "I don't want Melody to wake up alone," she says when asked about it. "The farther I get away from Bunica, the more effort it takes to keep her physical."
She shakes her head and clasps Morgana's hand tightly in her own. "It's ok, though. I can do both." She watches the sun rise in silence, leaning in to the taller figure next to her for warmth and to feel the closeness of someone.
"Thank you for sharing this with me," she says quietly.
"There's no-one I'd rather share it with." Mrogana replies, wrapping an arm around Vasia as the sun bathes the Varisian gulf in gold and rose.