text stringlengths 0 41.4k |
|---|
There would be no celebration feast, revel, or tavern songs tonight. This was a time to say goodbye to the dead. Most of all, she needed to leave and gain distance between herself and the others as the turmoil of emotions within her was not to be trusted. Passing through to their shared room in Elfsong, the faithful ba... |
Once inside the rented room in Elfsong, she moved toward her bed and chest with haste as she fully intended to collect her things and immediately leave. Paranoia gripped her mind as a multitude of worries gnawed at her thoughts. In her mind, her usefulness was at its end; thus, the swing of the executioner's blade loom... |
Scattered upon her bed lay the few personal belongings she owned left behind in the rushed preparation for the final battle. Mixed among those items was a single item she was loath to gaze upon, the simple shell collected from the Emporer’s former hideout. Laying alongside that shell was something that was not hers, a ... |
"Safe travels." Simple, short, and without a signature. Such a gift was not to be trusted, yet there lay upon her bed where few had access. Bottle in hand, she looked to Withers, questioning yet knowing the curious being was unlikely to have gifted her such an item. She could of course, question him and the others as t... |
A quick inventory of what possessions there were made her aware that her mithril dagger seemed to have been lost at the climactic battle and her pendant necklace, which bore spider etchings in the metal. It was the necklace that she hoped might help her unlock the secrets to her past. |
Against her better judgment, the shell and gifted wine bottle were added to her things in her travel bag. As she finished the final details of her hasty packing was startled as something brushed up against the back of her legs. Alarmed, her head sharply turned to cast a baleful stare toward the offending party, only to... |
Kneeling down, she reached forward to gently and fondly offer the dog a final petting. "I’ll miss you," she’d mutter softly, loath to give voice to such honest and heartfelt words. Something about the dog reminded her of her lost past; there was a familiar appeal to the dog that she could not place. |
With the only heartfelt good-bye, she cared to say done, Yvonstra double-checked the secure lashings on her travel back to ensure it was resistant to thieves and then slung it over her shoulder. No one else had yet made it back to the room. Faithful as ever, Scratch followed at her heels, only for Yvonstra to make cert... |
Though exhausted and baring wounds from battle, the day was ending and the amber setting sun offered her the promise of safer travel by night. Alone she walked through the rumble and carnage that remained, pausing only once to briefly look upon a statue of Balduran before departing with a hastened step. |
The journey that followed that night was treacherous, though one made best alone. The broken battlefield remains of the Cults armies cut a path of carnage through the area. For hours she walked through the comforting dark of night, walking parallel to a well-worn southern Coast Way road through to avoid trouble. Withou... |
Eventually, she’d come upon one such small tavern that looked to have been established in some stone and thatch roof barn. Knocking on the rustic tavern door, she hoped that the tavern keep would be awake at such an hour. For some time she stood waiting on the edge of exhaustion, a hand upon the door frame for support ... |
"At this hour, you better damn well have the coin! Or my wife will end us both! What you want?" A man crudely barked from the other side of the door. The tone and manner in which he spoke to her made her lips peel into a sneer of loathing under her leather facemask, which she fought back if only because of her exhauste... |
"I have it, I need a room, five nights, the best you have." All that gold she’d collected in service to the city would not be wasted. |
"You alone?" He responded gruffly. |
"Tonight yes, tomorrow my business partner is arriving with our company, we are scheduled to arrive here. I’ll pay for the two of us to stay, including tonight." A simple ruse but an effective one. Traveling alone with no one to notice when you went missing was a certain way to have a target painted on your back. |
Before another word was said, there was a wooden sliding sound, and then the peephole for the door opened, and his tired beady eyes leered out at her. |
"Awful dark skin you got there. It’s the kind of skin that brings expensive trouble. I don’t want trouble. If you are staying here, you can pay for ten nights and stay five. We got the remains of a garrison here, most rooms are full. Got a lot of hurt and angry men here from the City. So mind your manners, and you can ... |
"Fine." Anger welled up at his words. Yet, she was too tired to argue, counter, threaten, or just stab him through the peephole in the door as he deserved. |
Once the tavern door swung open, she’d dutifully pay him for the room and then retreat to it. Within the humble tavern bedroom, she closed and bolted the door, braced a chair against it, and then collapsed into the narrow, uncomfortable straw rope bed, immediately falling into an exhausted and well-earned slumber. Toni... |
Deep, restful sleep came naturally and easily. It was a slumber without dreams, without visitors, and without the tadpoles gnawing influence. It was the first full rest Yvonstra had since the infection, and upon waking, she did so with an exhausted groan. Everything ached. She could hear the mirth and sounds of an acti... |
Worse, she fell asleep in her armor, too tired to strip out before climbing onto the simple bed. A quick glance about the room confirmed she was still in the tavern, and the room was sparse, though barely adequate for her needs. A single small window provided access to the outside world, although the view outside the w... |
Sitting up in bed, she began the laborious task of unlacing her sleek black armor. Piece by piece, her leather armor fell away. Though much of the blood and gore had been washed away from the plunge into the bay, there were still curious dried bits of horror upon her armor that would need a more detailed cleaning later... |
Free of her armor, she fetched a set of clean civilian clothing from her travel bags and slipped it on: a simple fitted white silk embroidered shirt, and black leather pants. Hastily, she unbound her hair from the locks that she braided it up into for wearing under her leather hood. Free of the braids, her snowy white ... |
At the bottom of the stairs, as she fully stepped into the common room of the tavern, her eyes swept over the scene before her with horror as the tavern fell into silence. The night before the tavern keep had warned her that a battle-worn garrison had taken up residence at the tavern, but in her exhausted state, she ha... |
Various armored men and women of the battle-worn local garrison turned their weary gaze to the new arrival, the lone outsider with skin as black as the night and hair as white as snow. Tankards were set down upon tavern tables, and conversations ended as all eyes fell onto the Drow woman who was yet an unknown: friend ... |
From the back of the room, the commanding Sergeant Arledge of the garrison shifted his attention from his humble dinner to who had disturbed the room. With the heavy losses they had recently endured, he was the last remaining active field leader within the group. It took but a moment for him to assess that few good out... |
It had been days since he’d shaven and enjoyed a moment's real rest. There was nothing more he wanted at that moment for the Drow not to be there, yet there she was. Though travel-worn looking, at least she was not hard to look at by his standards. |
"It’s rude to gawk at a lady wanting a drink just as much as we are! Get back to your food and card games; a round is on me." He’d bark with a bit of mirth in his tone, looking to lighten the mood and defuse the tension in the tavern room. Truthfully he had no experience with Drow, and knew of them only by legend and r... |
At his word, the exhausted collection returned to their meals, muttered chatter, and various card games, content for the time to let her go uncontested. Mindful of his manners and limited understanding of how a gentleman should behave, he rose from his seat at his two-person table and gestured for Yvonstra to join him. |
Yvonstra had remained at the bottom of the stairs, calculating her choices. Outwardly her expression was hardened, while inwardly, she debated retreating to upstairs and leaving the tavern. All the same, the human male seemed as combat-weary as she was, and given his command of the group, it would bode well to earn his... |
Without a word, she stepped forward, strolling confidently with grace befitting her training and race toward the Sergeant. Among the humans, she was taller than most of the females and even some of the males present. Yet the Sergeant was taller than even her, and when she came to his table, she cast an open sweeping ga... |
"Thank you for joining me," he’d offer simply, sitting down after she had taken her seat. |
"Thank you for the invitation," she’d responded. |
There was an undeniable uncertain tension between them as he considered how to approach best the lingering questions and concerns he had. He would need to act fast if she were an advance scout of a hostile force or some other threat. |
It was best to keep her at the table with him, and so he lifted an armored hand, gesturing for one of the serving staff of the tavern to bring him more food and drink. |
"I know the food here is nothing as grand as that found in the big cities, but I assure you the harvest and crops this year were good. The ale is proper, the wine is dry, and old Mary in the back is as fine a bar cook as you might find in a noble’s kitchen." He said while leaning back into his seat, relaxing his postur... |
"Then I look forward to trying it all," These words were accented with a subtle smile. Recalling the conversations she had with the Drow Siblings at the Sharess Caress, Yvonstra suspected perhaps she had more tools than daggers in this encounter to use. "Without a doubt, it will be far better than any of my travel rati... |
"Travels?" His head tilted, brow furrowing with some thought. "Where is it you might be coming from and going to then? With all due respect, we do not see individuals such as yourself in our area often." |
As she answered him, she shifted in her seat, settling and relaxing her posture in a manner that slightly mirrored his. Mimicry of the body language of a target was a clever and subconscious way to disarm a foe psychologically. This was a night where words, not blades, would put to rest an immediate threat. |
"A merchant run," was a simple lie, and yet it felt right. Though her past memories were still obscured, something about it felt....right. "My business partner and I were moving through the area. Though I know the area not, I was to stop at the first tavern along this road and here wait for the arrival of our company." |
"Is that so? And what sorts of things does your business deal in?" He recalled tales of Drow slavers and more. Still, he was mindful to keep his outward body posture relaxed. |
"It’s hard to say; the surface is so....vast. We tend to look for goods to bring back, exotic and rare. Up here, you have a wealth of food, and drink that we could never hope to produce. If I may say so, I have a certain fondness for wine." Her knowledge of surface wine was limited. However, she’d spent a good night at... |
"Really now? It makes sense, but I had not considered such things. Is there a particular wine of ours you’ve come to enjoy?" The question was a simple test of her surface exposure and a point of personal curiosity. |
"Let me see, from the wines I last sampled," she’d narrow her eyes with some tonight. She thought for a moment about the many drinks she’d enjoyed. "Blingdenstone Blush certainly comes to mind as a personal favorite. Then there is also the Chultan Fireswill, but I must admit such a drink feels best suited for a colder ... |
No sooner had the words been spoken did the tavern staff place upon the table near her a simple wooden bowl with a root vegetable porridge and wooden spoon alongside a simple tankard filled with the house ale. At a glance, she knew she would hate the meal, but hunger compelled her to eat all the same. There was an iner... |
"If you would, do you mind?" Sergeant Arledge spoke up, leaning forward in his seat as he gestured toward her food and drink. |
"No, I do not." She responded, not yet certain of his intent. |
With her permission, he reached forward and claimed the tankard and bowl, taking a quick drink from the tankard and a spool full from the bowl. It was as he drank that she realized he was poison-checking the drink for her. A part of her felt an upwelling of condescending regard for such a noble act, while the more temp... |
"Thank you," she offered simply while reaching to reclaim the tankard and bowl. It was not obvious but in that moment, her features softened ever so slightly. |
"It would be rude if we happened to have a guest poisoned on our watch, your welcome. Now, about that wine, I am very sorry to report that no such fine drink is served here. All the same, this road runs north to south, though you would be wise to avoid north, as Baldur’s Gate is in a terrible state. Further south from ... |
She’d nod, affirming his caution. "We had plans to travel toward the northern; however, everything has turned sour. I will consider your suggestion. All the same, it is a shame such wine is not in stock here, I find a bottle to be worthy of sharing with good company." With that said, she took a drink from the tankard a... |
"Tell me though, is this your first trip, or have you much experience in the trade?" He watched her, somewhat amused by the prospect of sharing a bottle of wine with the like of her. |
"It is," she said. The first drink and serving from the bowl comforted her empty stomach. "Though I must ask, my people are very.... meticulous about our grooming. I have had a long trip, and respectfully ask if places like this have baths?" |
Perhaps it was the ale and exhaustion weakening his disciplined nature, but for a moment, he pondered how she’d look while bathing. If given the chance, he would savor peeling off her clothing before slipping into a bath with her. The things he might do... |
"There is, yes, of course. However, I am sorry to report that this fine establishment is located outside and is a standard shared wooden basin with a privacy wall. If I recall, its rain water mostly from the outside barrel. It is better than nothing, but it is the bath for the shared space. Otherwise, I regret to infor... |
"Oh, well, that complicated things, now, doesn’t it?" To this, she’d flash him a playful smile that might lead a man to feel as though she were alluding to something. "I’ll have to think about this...complication further. Excuse me." Her smile and gaze never left him as she collected the food bowl and tankard and rose ... |
"Are....you done eating?" He asked, watching her rise. Uncertain as to how to read her. |
"Perhaps. Thank you for dinner. I hope to see you here tomorrow night." She went to thank him by name but realized that they had not so much as exchanged names. Meal and drink in hand, she made her way through the room, ignoring the questioning side-eye glances of the soldiers. |
Alone, she returned to her room to endure her underwhelming meal alone. |
Time alone meant time to reflect and repair armor in preparation for whatever lay ahead after finishing her underwhelming tavern food. It also meant time alone. With so much of her past life missing, and her only recent memories of being psionically connected to others, the emptiness of the small tavern room was crushi... |
With only the muted sounds of the early morning tavern below as a distraction, she lay back on the bed and gazed up at the ceiling. What a striking contrast it was to be in the posh comfort of Elfsong, and now cast into this....commoners tavern. Perhaps she should have stayed in Baldur’s Gate after all, and there embra... |
Closing her eyes, her mind wandered back through the days leading up to this. Among those private thoughts were the intimate moments that led up to something unspeakable: bedding a haszak. Erotic feelings and passionate moments replayed in her mind, leaving her yearning for more. |
As her mind replayed the memory of his carnal caress, one of her hands slowly snaked across her clothed body, wandering and seeking safe haven between her thighs. Between her legs, she slowly drew her hand along her clothed slot, applying just enough pressure to tease much as he had done. The slow, sensual grind was as... |
Under her shirt, she could feel her nipples harden and grow ever more sensitive with arousal. It was as her first gasp of pleasure slipped from her lips, that she’d slide two fingers from her other hand into her mouth, wet tongue greeting their arrival. Without shame or the satisfaction of pleasing a lover, she sucked ... |
The memory of the sounds of his otherworldly pleasure played out in her mind as she fruitlessly sucked upon her fingers in a moment of passionate reenactment. |
Still, this lonely satisfaction was fleeting and lacked the touch of a lover whose needs were hers. Frustrated, she sat from the bed and rose to her feet, eyes darting to the door to her room. |
There was another option... |
It would take only moments for her to leave her room and begin the walk along the hallways among the room on the tavern’s second floor. She had one room in mind, and it had a bath. |
Sergeant Arledge had remained downstairs in the tavern’s feast hall for some time after the Drow woman had departed. Obligated to keep the company in check, he needed to remain visible, and at least some drunken brawl start over a petty slight during a card game, or worse, they were marshaled to address a threat. Still... |
One tankard, then two down....soldiers retired and slowly, the night crawled on. When finally he could retire, Arledge rose from his seat and made his way through the hall. Along the way, he offered a few affirming shoulder pats and nods in passing the familiar faces that formed his company. They were tired and battle-... |
Alone, he retired to his room, and before closing the door, he reflected on the conversation earlier with the woman whose skin resembled the mystery of the night. Looking at his bedroom door, he decided not to close it all the way, leaving it just slightly cracked as an invitation should she so desire that....bath. Rum... |
Weary, he claimed the only seat in his far more comfortable room and relaxed into it. Letting the weight of duty and battle fall away in that moment. As he waited, hoping that she might be the shadow that opened the door to his room, Arledge began to undo his scuffed and dented armor. Gauntlets were removed first, caus... |
Though he was not a man of any particular faith, he muttered a silent prayer that the Gods would let his hands savor a lover's body one last time before a foe claimed him on the battlefield. |
Gauntlets off, he continued to undo his armor, mindfully setting aside each item so that it was at ready for quickly if he was called to rally. Bit by bit, the armor was set aside, and all throughout the act his eyes skipped between the crack of the door and the only private bath in the tavern. |
It was as hope for the comfort of a companion for the night faded that the door to his room was slowly opened, and from the other side, a familiar feminine voice from earlier that night. "I...must apologize, but am I intruding?" |
"No, come in. You are welcome to close the door behind yourself if....you want." Relief washed over him, and though tired from a long day of toil, he found himself renewed by the fresh prospects before him. |
From where he sat, he watched as Yvonstra walked into the room and closed the door behind herself. At a glance, she appeared unarmed, though he knew better than to trust such appearances. |
"If...you feel we need privacy, you may bolt it." The ale had gone to his head, and normally, such a thing would never be invited. Once she bolted the door, he leaned back into his chair fully, looking upon her without a gentleman’s reservation. |
Yvonstra glanced at him from over a shoulder, considering him in silence and then began to cross the room toward him. Arledge rose from his seat as she walked him toward, uncertain what would happen but welcoming it all the same. Between them, there would be no words as she pressed herself to him, her hands going to th... |
Within that kiss, they explored one another, savoring each other's taste and the unseen play of tongues as lovers first enjoyed one another. When the kiss finally broke, it was only so that she could address him adequately with her needs. |
"You may undress me," she whispered after their kiss broke. Her lips were so close to his, that the words brushed her lips to his. By now, she’d finished unlacing his tunic. His pants would wait. |
Flush from the moment's passion, he regarded her for but a second, unused to a woman giving him orders in the bedroom. All the same, he found a thrill in it. There was a charm to having a lover tell you exactly what they wanted and when. "It would be my pleasure to do so." A slight smirk pulled at his lips as he reache... |
Without a word spoken, he knelt before her and then collected the bottom edge of her shirt into his teeth. Slowly, he rose, using only his mouth to begin the process of pulling her shirt up and off her, until the point where his hands would required to complete the task. With her shirt off he resisted the urge to step ... |
Once more, he stepped to her, pressing his lips to hers, before shifting his affection to her body. From her lips, to her neck, collarbone, and breasts, he left a trail of kisses upon the stranger's body in his room. Each kiss rewarded with a steady panting as her arousal grew. It would be unworthy to have immediately ... |
Kneeling before her, one of her hands slipped into his auburn hair and approvingly combed through his locks. With steady hands, he reached forward, gently strumming his fingertips along the seam of her leather pants, a soft exploratory tease that sought approval before pressing the matter further. Urging him on, her hi... |
He was already uncomfortably hard and wanted free of his pants, but she came first. |
Without hesitation, he made quick work of the front lacing of her leather pants and then began to peel them down slowly. With reverence, his lips found her flesh again, kissing a trail from her lower belly, stopping just shy of the top of her slit. Expectantly, he looked up at her, her gaze meeting his for a moment bef... |
"My bath, now." A simple command, and one he was all too happy to attend to. He leaned back and fully peeled down her leather pants, helping her to carefully step free of them before rising from his kneeling position before her. Commanding men just...came naturally to her. |
As he rose she stepped away, walking toward the tub, noting the magic enchantments on it to keep the water within it warm and clean. Alongside the tub was an assortment of goods for bathing, but those were not her concern. As she walked to the tub, she quickly looked over a shoulder back at him, "You may undress yourse... |
He did not need her permission to undress so much as he wanted it. When he was mercifully free of his clothing, she awaited him alongside the tub, expecting they would bathe together. Of course, with the human male fully nude, she cast a quick and appraising look over him. Offering an unapologetic and judging inspectio... |
Mindful of his role, he stepped into the warm bath first and then held out a hand to take hers. Hand in hand, he guided her into the bath, not that she needed it, but that it was expected of him. While still holding her hand, he guided her to him, turning her so that she came to stand before him, the swell of her ass p... |
He sat down into the bath first, carefully situating himself as to welcome her to join him in the bath. When she finally lowered herself into the bath, the rising warm waters offered the lingering post-battle ache in her body some much-needed relief. Seated in the bath, she found herself carefully situated between his ... |
Lost in the moment of the embrace, she sighed. As her body relaxed with unspoken relief, her hands claimed his and brought them up to her breasts. Slowly and teasingly guiding his curious exploration of his body for a moment before she let one of his hands go to grab from the nearby tray a bar of the soap, which was in... |
She relaxed with his heavy breathing in her ears as his hands slowly washed away her hardships. Breasts, arms, chest, shoulders, belly...he did as ordered with the diligence of a man of great discipline. It was as his hands slid to between her inner thighs that the soap was discarded. With some respectful reservation, ... |
With that unspoken permission granted, he slid a middle finger between her warm folds and gently explored, seeking just the right smoke to evoke an undeniable reaction from her. The moment his finger gently brushed against her clit she left out a hard grasp, physically bracing and tensing with wanton need. The sort of ... |
Carefully he’d begin rubbing her clit, learning the pacing and manipulations to evoke the most pleasure by her reactions alone. He was not the kind of lover to blindly fumble, so much as to learn as much as possible through observation before exploiting that knowledge for their mutual pleasure. With her resting against... |
As much as he might want to fuck her, he needed this tease as much as she did. He needed to feel a lover, to hear someone’s pleasure, to taste someone in the most intimate of ways, to just be present in the moment of passion away from battle. In particular, he loved the way she moaned. It wouldn’t take long for him to ... |
The hand that was cupping a breast moved to her mouth. He thought to cover her mouth to muffle her pleasure....only to be rewarded with an unexpected stab of pain as she bit down onto his hand, muffling the cries of her exhausted climax upon his flesh....drawing blood. Everything about it was electric, stirring somethi... |
The pain evoked a hot, hostile growl from him in her ear, one she found exciting. Still, the hand now skillfully playing with her clit was far from done. With his one hand still captive between her teeth, his other hand continued it’s dutiful work, evoking moans anew, which were now muffled on his wounded hand. No matt... |
The second climax came as a surprise to him, swift and sudden as her body grew rigid and her legs pressed to the tub as to press her back to him in the moment. This time it hit in sudden winding waves of pleasure that made her hands grip the edge of the basin, thighs trembling until last it has passed and he could feel... |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.