Topic: The End of the Day

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:38 EST
((Takes place on the same evening as the events of Break A Leg.))

It had not been the best night of Carina Cox's life. She'd broken the leg of one of the most famous actors on Rhy'Din, fluffed virtually every line in the second act, burst into tears in the middle of her final soliloquy, and now she'd locked herself into her dressing room. "Perfect, just perfect," she ground out from between clenched teeth, hammering on the door to get someone's attention. Hopefully not everyone had rushed to get home tonight, or she could end up in here all night.

Thankfully, a certain half-elf had hung around after the performance was over to walk a certain actress home and make sure she was safe. He knew she hadn't had a very good night and was hoping he could make her feel better somehow. Wasn't that what friends were for" He found her dressing room door just in time to hear her banging on it from the inside. "Carina?" he called from the other side. "Are you all right?"

Of everyone who could have come by in that moment, Carina didn't think she could have wished for someone better than Aran. "I'm locked in!" she called through the door. "Can you get it open on your side?"

"Locked in?" Aran echoed. However had she managed that' Didn't doors usually lock from the inside, not the outside" "I, uh..." he started uncertainly, trying the door, which did, indeed, appear to be either locked or jammed.

"Perfect end to my day, isn't it?" Carina called through the door, stepping back just in case he managed to get the door open. "Locked in my dressing room all night. Maybe I should just resign and become a teacher."

Though she could not see him from inside the room, there was a look of concentration on his face, as he tried to sort out how to get the door unlocked from the outside. He thought it might call for a little bit of magic again, though what kind of magic he wasn't quite sure. Or he could go look for a set of keys. He thought that was probably the better idea. "Stay here! I'll see if I can find some keys!" he called back at her.

"Okay!" As it turned out, Carina didn't even have her key in the room with her. She'd left it in the main part of the dressing rooms, and the stage manager had found it. He met Aran in the corridor, making a guess as to the half-elf's destination. "Let me guess, Carina's locked in," he said in a wry tone, offering Aran the key in his hand. "Tell her to put that on a keyring or something."

Aran nodded his head gratefully as he took the key from the stage manager, closing his hand tightly around it so that he wouldn't lose it. The way this night had been going, one couldn't be too careful. "Thank you!" he said, before turning and hurrying back to rescue his lady in distress. "Carina, I'm back!" he called through the door at his return. "I've got the key!" he added, even as he fit the key in the lock and turned it to open the door.

"Oh, thank gods ..." She rose out of the chair where she had been sitting, dejected and angry with herself, catching the door as it swung open and moving smartly to get out of the room before she somehow ended up locked in there again. "I'm sorry to be a bother."

"You're not a bother," he said, handing over the key. "The stage manager said to put it on a keyring or something," he quoted the man, practically word for word. He had learned a lot about this world since his arrival over six months ago, much of it under Carina's more recent tutelage, and was relieved to know what the man was talking about.

"Oh." She blushed deeply, taking the key from his fingers and tucking it securely into her purse. Of course it would be her own fault she got locked in; that was just the way the night was going. "I, um, I didn't thank you for helping Jon. I should have done. So ....thank you, Aran."

Aran shrugged his shoulders, a recent habit learned and picked up since his arrival in Rhy'Din. He frowned a little, glad he was there to have helped her friend, but wishing she'd thanked him instead for helping her. "I don't know much healing magic, but I'm glad I could help."

She sighed softly, half-turning toward him. One arm looped about his neck for a moment as she hugged her friend warmly, kissing his cheek. "Thank you for being here tonight," she said softly. "It hasn't been the greatest evening of my existence, but it's good to have someone I care about here."

As much as he had secretly been wanting her to thank him in some way, once she had, his face flushed profusely and not because he was feeling too warm. "The play's almost over, isn't it?" he asked, changing the subject so that she might not notice his awkward and nervous embarrassment. "You only have a few more performances, and it's over."

"You saw what I was like after they had to switch actors," she pointed out, turning to lead the way along the hall to the stage door and out. "Virtually everything I said came out wrong. All it took was one mishap, and I forgot everything. Maybe I'm really not meant to be an actor."

"But it was just an accident," he pointed out. "It won't happen every night. You've been doing splendidly up until now," he said, following along beside her, his hands and face animated and passionate as he tried to give her what little encouragement he could. He didn't want her to stay in the theater if she was unhappy there, but he didn't want her to leave him all alone there either.

She smiled at his passionate insistence on it being a fluke, and deep inside, she knew he was right. It had just been a very bad day, and her confidence was suffering accordingly. "You're very sweet to say so, Aran," she told him, sliding her hand into his as they stepped out into the chilly night. WestEnd wasn't the safest place to walk through at night, but they hadn't had any trouble before, probably because they were together. Besides, Carina took every opportunity she had to touch Aran. It was difficult being someone's friend when you wanted to be something more.

"I'm just being honest," he pointed out again, as if he could be anything else. It was almost impossible for him to lie, though he was certainly capable of withholding the truth, especially when it came to his growing feelings for his best friend. "Anyway, it wasn't so bad. The audience seemed to think it was all part of the play."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:39 EST
"I can't believe I cried on stage, though," she admitted reluctantly. "It's so unprofessional. All I'd done was forget my lines, and the prompter was right there to keep me going. I don't think I've ever seen anyone look so panicked as him this evening."

"But it's over. You got through it!" he further pointed out. "You've been doing so well. Everyone thinks so! I even heard Jonathan say you're a natural. That's good, right?" he asked, linking his fingers with hers, as if it was perfectly natural to do so with someone who was only a friend.

"That was before I broke his leg," she countered, tucking herself close to him as they walked. It was a habit she had developed; too nervous of scaring him off to flirt, Carina had started to initiate contact whenever she could - hand holding, resting her head on his shoulder as they walked, that sort of thing. She had no idea if it was working, but it was helping to tone down her near constant wish to kiss him into oblivion. "Obviously, after tonight, everyone knows I'm a mess. Not only that, but I'm a health hazard." Reluctance peppered her voice as she added in a heavy tone, "The only thing I can do is resign."

He listened quietly and soberly while she poured out her heart to him, her head resting easily against his shoulder, just as she always did when she was feeling upset. He had come to like the way her hand felt in his and her head against his shoulder, though he wished she had other reasons for wanting to be close than just needing a little reassurance. Even so, he came to a sudden halt and abruptly turned to face her, a look of shock on his face. "What' Why?"

She sighed. "It's not that I want to resign, Aran, I love acting," she tried to explain. "But you saw what happened tonight. I hurt one of the most famous men in this town so badly he won't be able to complete the run, and it shook me up so badly I couldn't remember my lines at all." There were tears in her eyes as she spoke - all she could see was the dream she'd been working toward for almost a decade going up in smoke because of her own incompetence. "Maybe I'm just not suited to being an actor."

Aran reached for her hands, to hold them both in his own while he tried to convince her how wrong she was. "Carina, it was an accident! It wasn't your fault. And you forgot your lines because you were upset. Most people probably wouldn't have had the courage to go back on stage, but you did! And....your friend will be fine. I'm sure he doesn't blame you. He kept telling you it wasn't your fault!"

She fidgeted, wanting to believe him, but so lacking in confidence after her awful evening that it was difficult to accept. Still, she had enough sense to understand that she was not in the best state of mind to be making big decisions right now. "Maybe you're right," she conceded worriedly. "I'll ....I'll think about in the morning. Maybe it won't look so bad if I get some sleep."

"Carina, you can't quit now. You don't quit because you had one bad night, because a few things went wrong. You don't just-you don't just give up!" His face was flushed again and he realized he might have said too much. He wasn't angry at her; he didn't want to be angry with her. He let go of her hands and turned away, ashamed of himself for his outburst. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Why was this upsetting him so' Was it really just about her, or was there something else going on inside him'

Being scolded was bad enough; to then have him turn away was just a little too much for her to take right now. Carina tucked her hands into her coat pockets, looking down at her feet as she fought not to cry. "I'm sorry," she said, her voice tiny in the darkness. She bit her lip, unsure what to do or say now. She wasn't even sure he still wanted her company now.

"No, I'm sorry," he said sadly, ashamed at himself for getting cross with her. He wasn't even angry really, not at her. He only wanted her to realize that she couldn't give up just because she had one bad day. "Let's not talk about this now," he said, turning back to her, sensing there was more going on with them both than a single bad performance. "Let's-let's talk about it in the morning." If she even wanted to see him anymore.

She nodded, feeling like a child, and not in a good way. "Could ....would you stay with me tonight?" she asked him very softly. "I-I don't really want to be on my own." The look that flickered to him from beneath wet lashes was sad and hopeful all at once, not wanting to push him to do anything he didn't want to, but not willing to say goodbye until it was morning at the very least.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation, touching his fingers to her cheek in a soft caress, his eyes betraying his feelings for her, though he hardly recognized them himself or quite knew how to put them into words. "I'll stay, if you want me to."

The gentle touch gave her just enough confidence to be able to recognize what she was seeing in his eyes, and for the first time all evening, Carina felt something warm light up her heart. Her shy smile made its first appearance of the evening since Jon's accident, and she surged forward suddenly, throwing her arms around Aran and tucking her face against his neck in an embrace that was far more intimate than any they had shared before. "Thank you."

He was perhaps as equally surprised by her surge forward and open display of affection as she was by his caress. "You-you don't have to thank me," he stammered. What was it he'd heard someone say once, not too long ago' "That's what friends are for," he told her, though his heart was longing for more than just friendship and had been for some time.

She drew back a little, looking into his eyes with the same expression he had shown her just a little while before. Writ large in her dark eyes was all the softness and affection she felt for him, with the longing for what it meant to be more to one another. "We're not just friends, Aran," she told him softly, her hand gentle against his cheek. "I'm falling in love with you, and I don't think that you're too far behind me."

His eyes widened as she shocked him once again, this time with a very unexpected declaration of love, and he felt his heart thump in his chest, beating just a little bit faster. There was no one like him in all of Rhy'Din, but she wasn't so different really. She was a half-blood, like him, and the only person he'd met who seemed to really understand him. He'd never expected to fall in love with her, but now that she'd said the words, he understood that was exactly what he was feeling.

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:40 EST
"Carina, I..." He stammered, floundering for words, needing to tell her that he loved her, too. It seemed in that moment that no words would suffice, and he leaned close, close enough to almost touch noses. He touched his fingers to her cheek, gazing deeply into her eyes, deep enough to almost read her thoughts. He hesitated a moment, anticipation tangling his insides up in knots, and then he pushed forward, touching his lips to hers, gently at first, tenderly, lovingly sharing his own feelings without saying a word.

She had never expected him to react like that, so certain that his innate shyness would make him blush and stammer and change the subject. For a brief, heartbreaking moment as he said her name, she thought he was going to tell her she was wrong, anticipating the perfect end to her horrible night. But his lips touched hers, and Carina felt all the tension ebb from her body as she answered his kiss just as tenderly, her lips curving in a soft smile beneath his as her fingers teased into his hair.

In that moment, it seemed they were friends no longer, their friendship changing, becoming something new and different and altogether wonderful. That first kiss was awkward, and even a little bit shy, tempered with the innocence of youth, and yet, there was promise in that kiss, warmth and tenderness that could not be denied. Unsure what to do with his hands, he let his instincts be his guide, sliding them slowly around her waist to hold her close.

Up she rose onto her toes to curl her own arms about his neck as he drew her closer, gently deepening that first, sweet kiss with all the patience she could muster. Was it his first kiss" Was she doing this right' Was she taking advantage of him by telling him how she felt in the first place" Breathing him in, Carina softly drew back, her fingertips stroking against Aran's cheek as she looked into his eyes, her own warm with hope and delight.

His eyes had fallen closed, lost in that kiss as he was, savoring the moment and almost wishing it would never end. He felt warmth flood his body from head to foot, every sensation something new to wonder at. Slowly, his eyes drifted open to regard her, his heart beating hard in his chest, swelling at the very sight of her there before him. Was he dreaming or was this real" It was almost too good to be true. "Carina..." he whispered her name softly. "I've been wanting to tell you..."

"Why didn't you?" she asked him, her own voice just as soft. For these few wonderful moments, it was easy to forget that they were standing motionless in WestEnd, wrapped up in everything that was Aran. Her smile returned, the shyness fading away as she realized that her confession had been answered in kind, if not with words.

"I..." He frowned thoughtfully as he searched for the right words. He'd started opening up a little to her over these past weeks, the fear and the shyness fading away, but it was still hard for him to find the right words at times, to put his feelings into words she might understand. "I was afraid. I thought you might not feel the same, and I did not want to risk losing your friendship."

Her smile deepened, understanding that fear only too easily. "You're still my friend, Aran," she promised him. "You're my best friend. And I love you, as more than just a friend. I didn't think you'd noticed me, beyond wanting my company."

"But..." he started, looking confused again. Things were so much easier with his own people. Had he not been sent away, a match would have been found for him and a marriage arranged. She would likely have been someone of noble blood, though whether she would have been human or elven was unclear. He was the last born of his kind, and the last hope of his people. "We are more than friends, aren't we?" he asked, uncertainly. He was certain they must be more than that now that they had shared something so personal, so intimate, so sacred.

Carina nodded, stroking the pad of her thumb over his cheek once more. "Yes, we are," she assured him quietly. "Do you remember when I explained about romance in this society' I would very much like it if you would consider me your girlfriend, you know."

"Girlfriend," he repeated, with a thoughtful frown. The word seemed so inadequate to describe what she was to him. "But you are a woman and more than a friend," he pointed out, his arms still loosely circling her waist and liking the way it felt to hold her close.

She blushed, a charming spread of rose over her pale skin as she giggled softly. "Well, we're not lovers yet," she pointed out quietly. "And I don't think we're ready to be engaged to be married. It's a silly word, but girlfriend is fairly accurate for what we are right now."

"Then I would be your....boyfriend?" he asked, brows arching upwards, though he was no longer a boy, but not really a man. A half-man, perhaps. Not quite elf, not quite man. Young for his kind, but not so young in human years.

"Yes," she nodded. "Like I said, they're silly words, and they don't really describe the depth of an attachment. But they serve the purpose, until it comes time for the nature of our relationship to change."

"I think I would like that," he said after a moment's thought. "I would like to be your....boyfriend." The word was still a little awkward on his tongue, though he understood the meaning of it. He glanced momentarily at the sky, clear and bright and cold, though he felt none of that cold, so long as she was near. "Do you still want me to stay the night?" he asked, wondering just what might change about their relationship now that they had confessed their mutual feelings for the other.

"Yes, I would," she told him, no need for even a moment of thought to make that decision. "If you would still like to stay. I like spending time with you, Aran, and ....well, now we're being honest with each other, I can admit to wanting to make you breakfast." She offered him a sweet smile, dark eyes sparkling with warm mischief.

His eyes widened again. It seemed she was full of surprises tonight, though thus far, they were all pleasant ones. Why it had taken such an upset for them to finally share their feelings with each other, he wasn't sure, but he was glad they had. He secretly wondered if he should thank Jonathan Granger for unwittingly bringing them closer together. "I would like to, yes."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:41 EST
"I'm glad," she murmured, sliding her hands down his arms as she smiled up at him. It seemed so easy to surprise him, and yet he seemed so comfortable to be holding her, even here, in a very rough part of town. Easing her hand into his, she gently stepped back, turning to draw him along the street once again, toward the city wall, and her own home.

He seemed a little lost in thought for a time as they walked along quietly together, almost as if each was afraid to speak and break the spell cast between them, but at least, he broke the silence, his voice quiet, almost as if he was reluctant to speak. He had told her very little of his past, other than for minor details. "Where I come from, a mate would have been chosen for me at the proper time," he said, though he wasn't quite sure why he was sharing this with her, especially now. Maybe so that she would understand that he wanted to choose for himself and that he had.

Carina looked up at him, her distress at her evening forgotten in the face of their intimate confession. "Wouldn't you have had any choice in it?" she asked. She understood that arranged marriages were still practiced by a few of the cultures within the city, but she couldn't imagine it happening to her.

"No," he replied, with a small shrug and a frown. "I suppose my mother would not have forced me to mate with someone I detested, but..." He broke off, remembering she knew very little about his origins, even of the amulet he wore around his neck. He sighed, realizing this was a very long story without a happy ending and wondering whether this was the time or the place for it. "What are your people like" They seem very different from my own."

Over the past weeks, she had grown used to him breaking off and changing the subject, understanding that there was some pain in his recent past that colored everything else about him. "I don't quite understand what you mean by "my people"," she admitted ruefully. "You know my father is an elf, and my mother is human. They raised me according to Rhy'Din's ways, I suppose, following the human path of development. I went to school from the age of five, got my first job when I was sixteen. They've never made choices for me, but they always have advice that is relevant to what I'm thinking of doing. They'd like to meet you, when you're ready."

"Yes, but..." There was that sigh again, as if he found it difficult to explain himself sometimes, though it was not because of any impatience with her. "There is no one like us back home. I am the only one." And from what she'd told him, it seemed half-bloods were a fairly common thing here. That was what he meant by "her people".

"Oh." That explained an awful lot. "Well, there are a lot of us around," she told him gently. "Rhy'Din has so many races, and so many personalities ....anyone who has the ability to see past what your race is, well, they're bound to find something in someone not like them. There aren't just half-elves; there are half-orcs, half-dwarves. Mags, the hobbit at the cafe, she's dating a dwarf. It's difficult to explain, but people don't put so much emphasis on what your origins are here. They accept you as you are."

"Then it doesn't matter whether I am of half-blood?" he asked, curiously. Back home, there was reason for him to fear for his life, but here, no one had yet seemed to care, and he looked human enough to be able to blend. He was looked on as something of an oddity back home - abomination to some, miracle to others. His mother and her people had sacrificed their lives so that he could live, or so it seemed at his departure.

"No, of course it doesn't," she told him, genuinely shocked that he would even consider that it would matter at all. "I mean, there will always be some people who make a fuss or are just bigoted, but their views aren't the majority, Aran. I've never pretended to be anything but what I am, and I've never had any trouble for it."

"I am proud of my heritage, Carina," he explained further, relieved to know no one would hate him or try to kill him merely for being of two mingled bloodlines. "I never knew my father, but I know my mother loved him well." He wondered if he should explain about the amulet, but it seemed there would be time enough for explanations, now that they had become more than friends.

"You should be proud," she agreed. "You're not the personification of the diluting of two cultures; you're the living representative of the wonderful things that can happen when two cultures set their differences aside. I'm no more human than I am elven, and I am very proud to be my parents' daughter."

If only they could have set their differences aside in his own world. Nothing could be farther from the truth, at least, not there. "I am proud, also," he said, though it seemed strange to actually say that aloud. "I would be honored to meet your parents, one day."

"My mother wants to make you dinner," she warned him, her voice rich with amusement. "She seems to have decided that anyone I'm so fond of needs to be looked after so nothing bad happens to you."

"You've told her about me then," he said, brows arched upwards again. It was not a question, though it surprised him a little.

"Well ....I needed some advice," she admitted quietly, a little embarrassed to have been caught out in this reasonable behavior. "I didn't know what to do - I knew I liked you, and I wanted to be more than friends, but I didn't know how to tell you. Mum's pretty good at giving out advice, and she was very understanding. She told me to be patient, and that if it was going to happen, it would. And she was right, wasn't she?"

"Yes, I suppose she was," he said as he came to a halt just outside the house where she was staying. He'd taken a room in an inn just down the street not long after Mataya had hired him and on Carina's recommendation. It was only a short walk to the theater, and close enough to Carina that they saw quite a bit of each other when they weren't working.

Thankfully, renting in Rhy'Din did not cost an arm and a leg, and with a regular salary, Carina was no longer worried about being evicted. She smiled at Aran, unlocking the door to invite him inside. It was a narrow house, but homely, the ground floor completely open to include the kitchen and living areas. Exposed stairs led up, to the bedroom and bathroom on the next floor. "Well, here we are."

It was not the first time he'd been here, though it was the first time he'd been asked to spend the night, and the first time he'd been here as more than merely a friend. A boyfriend, he reminded himself, with a soft and secret smile. "Hmm?" he murmured, as she drew him out of his thoughts. "You're sure you want me to stay the night?" he asked. "Shall I dash home and fetch a chance of clothes?"

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:41 EST
"Of course I want you to stay," she assured him, enjoying the soft smile that he probably didn't even know was on his face. "And if you want to run down the road to get a few things, I don't mind. I'll leave the door unlocked for you."

"Well, I can always dash home in the morning," he said, reluctant for now to part from her, even for the few minutes it would take him to fetch a few things and come back. The smile had faded just a little, but the sparkle in his blue eyes had not.

"Well ....you should probably come in, then," she told him, the delighted smile on her face touched just a little with shyness as she invited him inside. He'd been in her home before, as her friend. Now he was something far more important than that, and for some reason, she couldn't help worrying that she hadn't tidied the bathroom before leaving the house earlier that day.

"Thank you," he told her politely as he stepped inside, more than a little nervous, though he wasn't sure why. He had never been a boyfriend before and wasn't quite sure what was expected of him. His thoughts drifted back to that first kiss shared between them only a short time ago, and his face flushed hotly at the memory of it.

Shrugging out of her coat, Carina flipped a switch to put the lights on, dropping both coat and bag onto the nearest chair as she moved further into the little house. She turned to look back at him. "I don't really know what happens now," she admitted quietly. "I do know that I'd very much like to kiss you again."

He stepped forward to help her with her coat, as it seemed the thing to do now that they were more than friends, but before he could manage it, she already had it off. When she turned to look at him, his expression was a little troubled that he'd missed the opportunity, though she seemed not to notice or care. He shrugged his own jacket from his shoulders. Since he'd accepted Mataya's offer of employment, she had seen fit to make sure he had proper clothes to wear. It would never do, she'd insisted, that one of her actors walked around in what amounted to rags. "I-I would like that, too," he admitted, somewhat awkwardly.

The smile that rose on Carina's face as he admitted his own wish was sweet and bright. She reached for his hand, drawing him further into the room to sit with her on her couch. "Aran ....I'm not making you nervous, am I?" she asked him softly. "I really would hate for you to be uncomfortable, just because things have changed a little."

"No," he said, mimicking her action to drop his own jacket atop the same chair, before she drew him by the hand further into the room. "No, it's not that..." he started, with a thoughtful frown. "It's just....I, uh..." What was the proper word for what he was here in Rhy'Din" How was it said in the common tongue" "I have never..." He flushed again, that flush saying more than any explanation might.

"Oh, I see." She smiled gently, curling her hands to his cheeks to draw him close. Her lips covered his, surer of herself now she knew that she held all the experience in the room. This kiss was gentle but thorough, easing him from the first brushing contact, through the slow surge of passion, and out through the languid tenderness that finally broke that contact to show him her smile. "I don't mind, if you don't."

His eyes drifted closed as she kissed him again, completely lost to the sensations such a simple touch of her lips elicited inside him. Her lips were warm and soft against his, and seemed him warm him from the inside out, better than any fire might. When he opened his eyes at last, there was wonder in his gaze, and perhaps something deeper.

The tip of her nose circled his affectionately, lips brushing one more kiss to his lips before she gently pulled away, drawing him down onto the couch beside her. "They do say that practice makes perfect."

"I have heard that said," he admitted, as she drew him onto the couch, though not by his people. It was a saying he'd heard here in Rhy'Din somewhere. "Will you teach me, Carina?" he asked, blushing a little with embarrassment at the question, though he wasn't sure just how much more knowledgeable she was about such things than he was.

Her fingers touched his cheek gently, her smile warm, understanding of the embarrassment as well as the wish to learn. "I'm not an expert by any measure," she assured him. "But I'd be honored to teach you what I know, and learn with you what I don't."

It sort of went without saying, he supposed, now that they were a couple, of sorts. He wondered how much like courting this would be like, though he knew very little of that, too. He'd been kept fairly sheltered back home, for reasons he had not yet shared with her. "I would like that," he said, a slightly worried frown on his face.

Carina giggled softly, smoothing her fingers over his brow to ease his frown away. "You need to stop worrying," she told him affectionately. "I love you, Aran. There really is very little you could do that would make me stop feeling this way."

The worry smoothed a little from his face at her caress, though he was still frowning a little. "There are things you don't know about me, Carina," he told her quietly, though he was sure nothing he might tell her would make her love him any less.

"That's part of being in a relationship," she said with a faint smile. "Learning about each other. There are things you don't know about me, after all. We'll tell each other these things over time. But I don't want you to worry about telling me anything if you're not ready to. I like you, Aran. Anything else I learn about you isn't going to change that."

"No, I can't imagine not liking you either," he admitted, looking a little relieved. There really wasn't anything in his past that she needed to fear or that she might find unacceptable in a boyfriend, or whatever it was he was to her now. "Does this mean we might become mates someday?" he asked, using the literal meaning of the word, not the slang for friend.

It was a bit of a leap to go from a first kiss to a lifelong commitment, at least for Carina, but she knew he wasn't that familiar with social interactions in Rhy'Din's society. "Yes, it does," she assured him warmly. "But only when we're ready for it. No one's going to expect you to marry me just because we've kissed, or slept together, for example."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:42 EST
"Slept together?" he echoed, not quite getting her meaning. "But what would sleeping together have anything to do with..." The meaning of the phrase seemed to suddenly sink into his head, and his face flushed hotly. "Oh," he muttered quietly.

"That isn't why I asked you to stay tonight," she hurried to clarify, worried now that he was going to think the worst of her. "I mean, it would be nice, but it's not essential. Some people wait until they're married before they go that fair; a lot of people don't. It all depends on the person."

"I think perhaps we should....practice kissing a little more first," he suggested uncertainly, unsure he was ready to go much farther than that just yet, though time would tell. "I like how it feels to be near you, Carina," he admitted quietly.

"I will always be very happy to be kissed by you, Aran," she promised him, one hand gentle on his knee as she smiled. "I like how it feels to be near you, too. Maybe ....some time when you're ready ....you might think about moving in here with me?"

"Moving in?" he echoed again, well aware of the hand on his knee that was doing strange things to his middle and which only confused him further. "You mean to live?" he asked, needing clarification.

"Yes," she nodded. "Not right away, obviously. But it's a logical step. If we spend as much time together as I hope we will, it would make more sense to be sharing a home." Her face lit up with a soft blush, a little embarrassed by how forward she was being, but again, understanding that she was going to have to be the driving force in this relationship, at least until he relaxed into things.

"I suppose it would," he admitted, turning quietly thoughtful a moment. If he was going to spend more time here than at the inn where he was renting a room, it didn't make much sense to be paying for a room he wasn't going to use, but he didn't want to get too far ahead of himself. "You wouldn't mind my practicing while I'm here?" he asked, as if that was the only bad habit he would be bringing with him. "Practicing for the theater, I mean," he clarified before she thought he meant kissing again.

"Of course I wouldn't," she assured him warmly. "I practice myself, you know. And besides, I like music, and I like musicals, and to be honest, I could listen to you sing all day every day. You have such an amazing voice, Aran. If you sang something even halfway sexy, I'm pretty sure I'd be naked before the end of the first verse."

"Sexy?" he repeated, taking a moment to grasp her meaning. "Oh, I would never use my voice to seduce you, Carina. Not against your will. That is not our way, but..." There was that flush again. "Sometimes, lovers sing to each other. It is a sort of....courting ritual."

"It wouldn't be against my will," she murmured, a little teasing but mostly absolutely sincere. "It sounds like a lovely ritual. But I have to ask ....are your ears sensitive?" Now she really was blushing - it was an idiosyncrasy of her father's elvish race that the tips of her ears were incredibly sensitive to touch. It was a virtual guarantee to get her motor running to kiss her ear.

"My ears?" he asked, lifting a hand to touch the tips of his ears, which were not quite as pronounced as hers, which made it fairly easy for him to blend among the human population. "I am not sure what you mean."

Carina cleared her throat, biting her lip for a moment. "All right." She braced herself. "I'm going to show you something. If you were to do it to me, I would embarrass myself with wanting you." Having explained as clearly as she was going to, she leaned close to him, very gently breathing against the rounded tip of his ear. A moment later, her lips brushed the same spot, trying to find out if he had the same weakness as she did.

Whether it was their shared elven blood or something as simple as desire, he found himself shuddering at the tender caress to his ear, his body reacting in ways he could have hardly expected. The touch to his knee was nothing compared to this, and he had no idea why. Her touch sent a flush of warmth through him, a strange tingling sensation running the length of his spine that was both oddly pleasant and disconcerting. No one had ever warned him about anything like this. He found himself gasping for breath, unsure whether he preferred the touch of her lips to his ear or his lips. He had no words really to answer what she'd just done, turning to her with that look of unabashed wonder on his youthful-looking face.

She drew back before it went too far, smiling at his reaction. "I suppose that answers that question," she murmured softly, gently touching a kiss to his lips, wanting to taste the wonder in him before it faded once again. "I, um, I react quite strongly, myself."

She had not come right out and said it, but he inferred her meaning behind such innocent words and his face flushed hotly at the prospect of creating such a reaction in her, though he wasn't sure if she was expecting him to test that or merely take her word for it. She apparently had more experience than him at the art of love, which brought another small frown to his face. "You must think me very naive," he said quietly, a little ashamed of his lack of experience.

She shook her head, her smile soft and gentle as she touched his cheek affectionately. "No, I don't," she assured him. "You were raised in an elven society, of course you've been sheltered from all this. I've been raised in a predominantly human society, where learning about this is a natural part of being a teenager as you grow. There's nothing wrong with not knowing what happens next, Aran. I think it's rather charming, actually."

"A teenager," he echoed, picking up a word here and there and sorting out its meaning. He had never heard that word in reference to himself or anyone, save humans. Where he was from, age did not seem to be reckoned the same way it was here, but it was a simple enough thing for him to understand. "What was it like growing up here in Rhy'Din?" he asked, curiously, choosing a safer topic of conversation mostly out of curiosity.

"Teenager is what children are called when they are between thirteen and nineteen," she explained, hoping he would be able to pick up the inference from that. His question was a little difficult to answer. She smiled, leaning back against the couch cushions comfortably. "Well, Rhy'Din follows a mostly human cycle," she shrugged. "Right from the earliest I can remember, I was allowed to play with other children my own age, regardless of their race of religion. My parents wanted me to experience as much as I could, so they enrolled me in the most diverse school they could find. Children are children - they'll always find one weak member of the pack to pick on - but because almost all of us were so "different", we didn't really have that them and us attitude to anything."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:43 EST
"Them and us," he mused, almost envious of such an upbringing where people - children even - of different races were raised together without hatred or prejudice. "I did not have such a childhood," he said, though he didn't go into any details.

"The only reason I'm not as sheltered as you is because my mother won the argument with my father," Carina pointed out with a faint giggle. "He wanted to bring me up elven, keep me a child for a few decades, but Mum insisted that I integrate into society as soon as possible. I love my Dad, but I do think Mum had the right idea. After all, if I hadn't grown up the way I did, we probably would never have met."

"That is one way of looking at things," he admitted. If his mother hadn't sent him away to save him from war and death, he would unarguably never have met Carina, but it had been a high price to pay, and he had no way of knowing what had happened to them after he'd left, nor did he know if he'd ever return. "I never knew my father," he told her again, though he wasn't quite sure why he was repeating himself, except to compare his own story to hers. "He was killed before I was born."

"Did your mother tell you about him?" she asked gently, her fingers toying through his, more to keep the contact between them than for any particular reason. "It takes a very special kind of human to capture an elf's heart."

"She loved him, I know that," he said, turning quiet a moment as he searched his memory for more. "She said I look like him, but I do not know how true that is," he mused aloud, his free hand instinctively going to the chain he wore about his neck, though he stopped before he could withdraw the amulet from beneath his shirt, where it lay against his heart.

Carina's smile was sad as she listened. She had never lost anyone close to her, and couldn't even begin to empathize with him for his losses, but she thought that talking about them might help a little. "The important thing is that she loved him," she said softly. "She saw him in you. I think that might have meant more to her than she could possibly express."

"Perhaps," he replied quietly, though he knew she was likely right. How much should he tell her" How much had she already figured out' How much did she want to know" These were questions he'd been pondering since their first meeting, but his was not the kind of story that had a happy ending. "You are lucky, Carina. To have a family who loves you. To not have grown up in a world where there was so much hate."

She was silent for a long time after he spoke. "I know I am lucky," she said finally, watching as her fingers slid in and out of his. "I take what I have for granted a lot of the time, because I don't know anything else. But there's no reason why you can't build a family of your own here, Aran, where there isn't so much hate."

"A family of my own?" Aran echoed, yet again. "You mean children," he said, not quite a question. Wasn't that the whole reason he'd been born, after all" To carry on his bloodline - the race of elves who were no longer able to produce children, until his mother had fallen in love with and mated with a human. Was she hoping he'd have children with her" Would he even be able to have children at all" "I think," he stammered, blushing again and glanced at the tangle of his fingers with hers. "I think that is some time off yet."

"Well, I'm not suggesting you start right away, obviously," Carina giggled softly, sitting up to kiss his cheek. "But if we are in this for the long haul, Aran, I know I want a family. Whether we have children of our own, or adopt some, that is a part of what I want for my future. But what do you want?"

There was that look on his face again - a mix of confusion, surprise, and uncertainty. "I don't know," he replied as honestly as he could. "No one has ever asked me that before," he said, looking back at her, as surprised by his own answer as he was by her question.

"Life is for living, Aran," she told him gently. "You shouldn't spend it just getting by from one day to the next, you should find out what it is you really want to do and do it." She couldn't resist kissing him again, touching his surprised mouth with her own smile.

He really had no idea how to answer that question. His whole life had been planned for him before the way, and he had never really considered what he might want for himself, not even during the six months he had been on his own when he'd first arrived. It had taken all his energy just to learn how to survive here. Even if he did know how to reply, the touch of her lips to his interrupted anything he might have said, though pleasantly so, and he found his thoughts distracted once again by the sensations that accompanied that kiss.

Her fingers stroked against his cheek as she kissed him, sweeping back into his hair to tease against the rounded tip of his ear. Just checking, naturally. Just in case she'd been wrong the first time. Not at all taking advantage of a natural weakness she thought they might both share.

Instead of shuddering this time, he only breathed a soft sigh of contentment, her kiss, as well as her touch, soothing and relaxing him away from his worries and fears. He found himself wondering what it would be like to remain there with her forever, to take her as his wife and raise a family together. What was it he wanted from life" Such a simple, basic question, but one he had never asked himself before. Dare he dream' Dare he hope for a life of happiness and contentment here with her" He gently pulled away from her kiss, only so that he could look at her better, lifting a hand to touch her cheek, letting his fingers drift back through her hair, just barely brushing past the slight tip of an ear.

The effect that barely there touch had on her was almost electric. As his fingers just barely touched her ear, her skin flushed a heated shade of rose, her pupils dilated; she shuddered gently, fingers gripping his shirt as the barest suggestion of an aroused moan fell from her parted lips. That was definitely a weakness, right there, and when taken advantage of by the right person, she seemed to melt.

Her reaction almost frightened him a moment, until he realized what it was, what it must be. She had warned him, after all. Desire, arousal, passion. But was it only because he had accidentally grazed that place where she was most sensitive, most susceptible" Did it matter who touched her there or was it him she desired" Whatever the answer, he was not one to take advantage, no matter how curious he might be or how much he found himself wanting her in return. "I'm sorry, Carina....I didn't mean to..."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:43 EST
She caught his hand, shaking her head. "Don't apologize," she told him, her voice a little breathless. "It's never felt like that before." She surged forward suddenly, kissing him with a good deal more desire than she had dared to show in their previous kisses, curling her arms about his neck as her slender frame pressed close to his. "I love you," was murmured tenderly against his lips, needing to reassure him that her reaction was not typical, not at all.

He was as taken by surprise as ever by that surge of emotion and that impassioned kiss. He made no move to stop her or dissuade her, returning that kiss with equal passion and fervor as his arms found their way around her waist, letting his instincts lead the way.

Somehow, she managed to maneuver them both until she lay on her back on the couch, holding him against her as their lips finally parted. A little breathless, but hardly complaining, she bit her lip, blushing a little at her own boldness. "I suppose I should apologize for that," she murmured reluctantly, "but I really don't feel sorry for it."

"Apologize for what?" he asked, as soon as he caught his breath and was able to form words. Somehow he had ended up on top of her on the couch, his heart pounding in his chest and looking down on her with a face flushed with desire and eyes that were full of wonder and yearning.

Her fingers smoothed into his hair, unable to keep herself from touching him now she had license to do so whenever she wanted. "I might be taking advantage of you," she admitted, still reluctant even as she shifted, a gentle tilt of her hips somehow bringing them even closer as she gazed up at him.

"Among my people, the making of children is..." He was frowning down at her again, worried he'd disappoint or upset her or maybe even push her away somehow. "It is a sacred act between two people, but..." It was an act that had long ago stopped producing children, and hence, was no longer solely about that. He sighed, unsure how to explain it or whether it even mattered.

"Aran ..." Carina sighed softly, aware that things were moving too fast for him to process. Maybe one day he'd be able to complete a full sentence. "We don't have to go that far. We don't have to do anything, if you don't want to. Truly."

"It's not that, Carina....It's just....I am the last and only child born in thousands of years. Who I choose to love will be the mother of a new generation of elves. It is a great responsibility and not something one should take lightly." So, maybe he was taking things a little too seriously. This was Rhy'Din, after all, not home, but he thought she should know that before things went much further.

Her eyes widened for a moment, not entirely sure how to respond. On the one hand, she was ever so slightly insulted that he seemed to be saying that he didn't love her, which she was fairly sure was a lie; on the other hand, she couldn't quite understand why he was being so serious about this. "Um ..." She bit her lip thoughtfully, smoothing her hand over his heart. "Aran, sex isn't just about making babies. It-it's a way of being intimate with someone you love, a way of sharing that love with them. And, um ....well, there are ways to prevent a baby from being made until you're ready for it." After all, her parents were apothecaries; it stood to reason that she would know this part very well.

He wasn't subtly trying to tell her he didn't love her; just the opposite, in fact. He was trying to impress upon her how very important having a child - building a family, as she'd put it - was to someone like him. But all of those thoughts fled his mind as she explained further, his mouth dropped open to gape at her in an undisguised look of shock. "Prevent it?" He'd heard of humans doing such things - they'd even come to them from time to time asking for spells and magic to prevent a child from being born or even expel it before its birth. Such were sacrilegious acts to the elves, where children was considered a rare and precious treasure, but then, they were a dying race and his birth had been their only hope for survival.

The shock on his face was all she needed to know that she shouldn't have mentioned it at all. Sighing, Carina dropped back against the couch, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "It's a temporary act, it doesn't make the woman infertile," she tried to explain. "Sex is a big part of romantic relationships. The human community, in particular, have found ways to be able to enjoy loving one another without worrying that they will bring a new life into the world without the means to support and nurture it, that's all."

"Yes, I know how the human community values life. I see the orphans on the street. The unwanted children they produce without thought, even here. Every child is precious, Carina. No child should be unwanted." He broke off with a frown, realizing too late how his own passions had come to the fore, and that, in his own way, he was agreeing with her. He thought humans were sometimes irresponsible and unthinking when it came to such things. His people had envied them and their ability to reproduce so prolifically, while the humans had envied the elves' long lives, almost to the point of jealousy and hatred. Aran's birth was supposed to bring peace to the lands, but in the end, it only seemed to have made things worse. "I'm sorry, Carina," Aran said with a sigh and an apologetic frown. "Things are different on my world. I do not mean to get angry at you."

"I'm not saying that children aren't precious, Aran," she countered, frowning at his impassioned speech. It was a little difficult not to take it personally. "I'm saying the exact opposite. I would never want to bring a child into the world that I couldn't raise and care for and love for myself. Right now, that's not something I can do. Are you seriously asking me not to touch you or kiss you, or have any intimate way to show you how much I love you until you're ready for children" Is that all a woman is good for, to incubate babies?"

"No!" he exclaimed, just as passionate in return. "No," he repeated, a little quieter. There was that confused look on his face again, more confused about his own feelings, perhaps, than with anything she had said. "I'm sorry, I..." He sighed, rolling off the land on the floor beside her. He bent one leg to rest an elbow against his knee, fingers pushing through his hair. "I have often thought that same thing. Was this all I was born for" To have children" My father died because of me. My people went to war because of me. All my life I have been told that I am the only hope left to my people, but what if I want more than that' What if I want more than just to....to sire the next generation of children? I don't know, Carina. I don't know what I want or what I'm supposed to do. I only know I love you, and that is all I know."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:44 EST
She sighed once again, easing herself to sit up as she let the simmering annoyance ease away. Her fingers gently stroked his hair. "I'm sorry," she apologized softly. "I didn't mean to snap at you. Aran, no one can make the decision about what you want to do with your life for you. It's your life, it's what you choose to do with it that matters. And no matter what you have been told, people don't go to war because of one incident, or one child. It takes a lot for two peoples to make that choice - you cannot blame yourself for it."

He rested his head against his knee and let the tears come. He'd thought he was all cried out, that he had no more tears, no more grief left inside him for his mother, for his people, for his world. He didn't harbor the same hatreds some of the others from his world did, but there was a sadness, an emptiness deep inside him that he did not know how to fill, except with her help. Was he rejecting her" No, just the opposite. He just needed her to understand that this was more complicated for him than it was for her. That was all, but he lacked the words to explain it.

"Oh, Aran ..." Easing herself to the edge of the couch, Carina drew his head into her lap, curling her arms around him as he cried. She didn't know what to do or say to help him, gently stroking his hair as he let out even a little of the pain he held so close inside himself.

He didn't want to cry; he didn't want her to see him this way, to witness his pain and his grief. There were times when he felt so very alone in a world that was so strange, and he had not been there very long. If it had not been for the kindness of Mataya and Carina and the others at the theater, he wasn't sure what would have become of him by now. At least, she wasn't angry with him. He drew comfort from her warmth, her embrace, her understanding. After a while, the storm cleared, and the grief passed, at least for now. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly, his voice ragged with tears.

She drew her fingers against his cheek, wiping away the evidence of his tears with tender touch. "Don't ever apologize for what you feel," she told him, her voice firm but gentle. "There's no shame in it, Aran. None at all."

She had somehow managed to turn him to face her and had drawn his head into her lap. He looked up at her now, blue eyes wet with lingering tears even as she wiped the wetness from his face. He felt like a child in that moment, ashamed by his breakdown, despite her words to the contrary. "I feel so lost sometimes, Carina. It's only when I'm with you that I'm not afraid."

She bit the inside of her lip thoughtfully, his quiet confession telling her a lot more than perhaps he wanted her to know. "Then tomorrow morning, we're going to close your room at the inn, and you can move in here with me," she told him firmly. "I don't want you to be scared, Aran, and if I can help you with that, then I will. We can find out where you want to go together."

"I want to be with you. That I know. I love you, Carina." Tears filled his eyes at the declaration of love, terrified what would happen to him if he ever lost her. It wasn't that he depended on her so much as it was that he had come to know and trust her, ever so slowly opening the door to his heart and letting her see what was inside him. "No matter what happens, I want to be with you."

"Aran, you've got me," she promised him, her smile warm and a little bit shy. "You've had me since we met, to be honest. It's just taken me a while to admit to it, that's all. And I have no intention of letting you go anywhere alone, ever again."

He wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but his heart swelled with admiration and gratitude and love. "May I-may I kiss you again?" he asked, a little tentatively, even timidly, though they'd already shared several kisses already that evening. He felt a flood of relief and comfort to know that she was willing to take him not only into her heart, but offer him a place in her home and in her life.

Carina smiled, leaning down to kiss his forehead. "You can kiss me whenever and wherever you want to," she promised him. "I'm your girl now."

He smiled up at her through the tears, his heart lighter than it had been in days and all because of her. "And I'm your..." There was that confused look on his face again, at least momentarily, as he tried to find a word to define himself. Boy' Man' Elf" Suddenly, he broke into unexpected laughter, not at her but at himself and his never-ending struggle to understand.

She giggled along with him, happy to let the tension ease away once again with laughter. "You're mine," she assured him. "And I am pretty sure you are absolutely a man. We were rather close for a while there, you know."

He sobered a little, though he still wore a smile on his face, soft and warm and just a little bit shy. "Will you teach me, Carina" Help me learn what I need to know, and show me how to love you?" he asked, daring to hope.

Her face lit up in a hopeful blush of her own as she traced her fingertips against his cheek. "I would very much like to," she answered his question with a tender grin on her lips. "Don't be afraid of your instincts, Aran. In this arena, they rarely lead you wrong."

"I would like to make a family with you someday. There is no one I love more than you, and no one I would like to spend my life with more than you," he told her, banishing any doubts she might have of his feelings for her, no matter how awkward or timid he might seem. He caught her hand and touch each finger to his lips. There was no hurry in this, and he wanted to take his time in learning her.

A soft look of quiet astonishment crossed her face. "Aran ....are you asking me to marry you?" she asked very softly, amazed not only at the unexpectedly committed turn the conversation had taken but at her own response. There was a "yes" that really wanted to come bursting out.

"Marry," he repeated the word, which felt a little foreign on his tongue. He understood the meaning of it, and as such, supposed he was, in a way, asking her just that. "I would like to spend my life with you," he repeated, as if that explanation should be clear in and of itself. "I do not know what traditions or rituals are customary here, but I wish to pledge my heart to you forevermore."

Carina Cox

Date: 2014-10-20 09:45 EST
"Yes." And there it was. Somehow, Carina wasn't thinking about what was the sensible thing to do, the reasonable thing, letting her heart decide for once. "Yes, I want that. I want to spend my life with you, Aran. All of it, forever. Together." She nodded vehemently. "I want to be your mate."

"But I should meet your family first," he pointed out. He didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with her family, no matter how much they were in love. "I would like to seek their approval before we are joined." He touched his fingers to her cheek, more carefully this time so that he didn't set off the blaze of passion that had threatened to get the best of her.

She was already nodding even before he mentioned approval. "I know," she assured him. "They really want to meet you, Aran. We should do this properly." She smiled as he touched her cheek, marveling at how gentle his touch was, echoing that caress with her own soft fingertips.

She only had another day of performances left, and then she'd be free. He'd rehearsed as much as he could before opening night and shouldn't be needed to perform until the second half of the run. So long as he got permission from Mataya, it might offer them at least a few days to go meet her family and seek their approval, or so he thought. "After you are finished with the play," he suggested. "We could go then."

Her expression flickered into a soft smile. "Would-would you like to come with me to dinner with them on Sunday?" she asked a little hesitantly. "I really do think you'll get along with them wonderfully. I, um ....I talk about you all the time."

"Do you think they'll like me?" he asked, with a mix of excitement and nervous anticipation. It would be nice to meet others who might understand him, but this was even more important than that. This was about meeting people who could very well become family.

She smiled, nodding once again. "I'm sure they will," she promised him, her fingers stroking into his hair as they spoke. She leaned in close, brushing the tip of her nose to his. "Are you going to get off the floor at some point?"

He mirrored her smile, forgetting himself as her nose touched his, lost in the feelings of happiness that had suddenly come over him. "Oh!" He laughed at himself again. "I suppose I should." He moved easily to his feet, with all the lithe grace of a dancer. "It is late. You should get some rest," he told her as he offered her a hand.

"Come with me?" she asked softly, taking his hand to rise to her feet. "Not to do anything, I just ....I think I'd like to sleep next to you, if you don't mind it." Even asking for something so innocent was enough to make her blush, though it was mostly because she didn't know how he was going to respond.

Now that they had decided on plans for their future, he seemed more confident, more relaxed, more self-assured. Or maybe he was just happy to know she shared the feelings he'd been keeping to himself for too long. "I will," he agreed, taking her hand in his, though this was her home, and he would let her lead the way to her sleeping quarters. "I would like that, too," he added quietly, with a faint blush of his own, even if all they did was lie close all night.

She smiled fondly, brushing her lips to his cheek. "Then that's what we will do," she promised him softly, turning to lead the way up the stairs and to the bedroom above, flicking the lights off on her way. After what had been a truly appalling evening, she could never have imagined it ending in such a wonderful way.

It had been a trying evening for them both, both of them feeling guilty for things that could not have been their fault, both of them drawing comfort from the other, giving and taking in that way people did who loved and cared for each other. They had come close to disaster, close to anger, only to overcome that anger and learn to understand each other better, slowly transcending their differences to appreciate the similarities. They wanted the same things from life, it seemed, and had finally taken the first step toward achieving those hopes and dreams, together.

((You know, I think these two need to send Jon a fruit basket or something for allowing himself to get hurt so they could move their relationship forward! Many thanks to Aran's player!))