Maelstrom and Mage, Ashmael/Vaysh, Post 7
Feb. 19th, 2008 08:06 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thrihyrneI suspect that any of you reading this who have come here from Wraeththu fandom don't know my HP writing, but I am mostly known as a slash writer there. Within the canon Wraeththu series, aruna tends to be described primarily in euphemistic terms, but with my background, I wanted more detail. My smut muse really wanted a chance to have fun with these two, so I'll admit there's not loads of plot in this post. Thiede and Arahal show up again after this, never fear. They're talked about a lot instead! Continued from post 6, here.
Title: Maelstrom and Mage, Desire Thine Darkling
This post Rating: adult
Warnings: slash, mention of a threesome, explicit aruna
Word Count: 4,249
Disclaimer: Ashmael, Vaysh, and the harish world all belong to Storm Constantine; I'm merely playing with great abandon in her sandbox.
Pairings: Vaysh/Ashmael
Summary: Genesis. Paradise. Illumination. Exodous. Before they went to Immanion, before Thiede manipulated their destiny, before death and despair, Ashmael and Vaysh knew and loved each other. This is one way their story may have been told.
We returned twelve days later, hastened with the help of our newly improved routes. Rumour, gossip and theories of all kinds had apparently run rampant about the mysterious appearance of Thiede and Arahal. Their sensational materialisation at Castlegar with two barely-alive hara, on horses that defied gravity and a slew of other usual laws of physics, had caused quite a ruckus. The ceaseless questions to which no-one had answers eventually died down, helped in no small part by the discovery that Ahalenia, one of the Colurastes, was carrying a pearl.
Kyrgian was in the welcoming party at the stables where we left our horses in the fine hands of a few stablehara. He seemed rather perturbed at Thiede's non-answers to his questions during his brief visit, and elaborated as we walked back to the centre of town.
"I asked Thiede about birthing spells and incantations," Kyrgian said, frustration in his voice. "He just waved his arms and said, 'Oh, think on it for a few days. The answers will come to you. You're a har, don't worry, it'll be just fine.' I don't know where he came from, but I'll admit it, I was impressed. How could you not be? But you, Ashmael, you'd never be as vague as that about something so important," he declared, and I had to agree.
"Opequon has been writing down the thoughts and visions that have come to him in dream states and in meditation," Cloudblaze informed me as our weary group headed to the dining hall. "We need books, or need some way to teach our spiritual and magical understandings with more structure than we do now. But we're all so new!" he laughed, and I couldn't help smiling at the incredulity in his voice.
"And I guess come early January we'll have a brand new harling," I said. "I don't know that I can stand to watch. That should be a private matter."
Cloudblaze gave me a piercing look. "You don't seem to shirk from fighting; you can't tell me that you're squeamish."
I couldn't suppress my shudder. "I'll do whatever's necessary to protect our community, but I'd far rather be in combat with a crazed human than at the feet of a crazed har with his legs spread, other hara yelling at him to push!"
A secretive smile of remembrance lit Cloudblaze's face. I saw Vaysh catalogue the serenity in the former hoobuk, and I could almost feel his tremour of acceptance. He would never pressure me, but an ember had been lit in him; Vaysh had heard the Siren call. He wanted to travel with me to that weave and weft of souls, to nurture and cocoon a son who would be uniquely ours. I sensed Cloudblaze's knowing gaze and turned back to him. He was thoughtful enough not to say anything, though I believed he'd intuited Vaysh's silent hopes. He instead chatted about general topics, and the miraculous recovery of the new hara, easing his arm through his chesnari's to place their clasped hands in Firestorm's large front pocket.
"Vox, Polaris and Jaffa will have a grand time making plans for this year's solstice," Vaysh mused as we walked down the gravel path, past slumbering stone buildings and toward the cheery lights of the dining hall. "There's so much to celebrate— Mabast may try to convince them to let him double the size of the kitchens so they'll have room to properly cook and bake for a huge feast."
"It's hard to believe it's our second winter up here already," I said, shaking my head. My nose was running from the cold and I reached into my back pocket to get a cloth. "And in other ways these past few years are like several lifetimes."
"Not since you met me, though," Vaysh said archly, putting more swagger into his steps. "If you want to keep the peace, you'll say that our time together has passed far too quickly."
I squeezed his shoulder, though the gesture was done through layers of glove, coat and his wool tunic. "There was no time in my life before you, was there?"
"Absolutely not. I'm your alpha, your genesis."
"And so modest!"
He cuffed me playfully on the back of the head as we went in through the doors and were absorbed into the din of the evening meal. Not surprisingly, Vaysh took a seat with Ahalenia and Eleu; Zain and Llembara were also close by the Colurastes. I wanted to know how Thiede's brief appearance had affected our mountaintop hara, so I placed myself next to Polaris as I was sure he'd share his thoughts— and as town gossip, he'd share the prevailing sentiments of everyhar else. He didn't disappoint.
"With clothes and an ego like that? Thiede'll be back for our solstice party," Polaris declared, pouring me a full glass of wine and a refill for himself.
"I think he'll be too busy having his own grand fete in his own lands," Vox countered. He fingered a couple of fuscous, fuzzy fruits on a small platter before selecting one and beginning to peel it. "He's from Megalithica, originally, but I listened carefully to what he didn't say, and I've figured out he's set up a new realm for himself across the sea." He looked quite smug and pleased with himself as he uncovered the bright emerald flesh of the kiwi fruit.
"You're glad he went back so quickly, too," Polaris said, puncturing his chesnari's bravado and garnering a murderous look. "It's true! He was fucking scary. Gorgeous, freakish, angelic, those purple boots… 'dear' this and 'darling' that, and he could probably have killed any of us with just a whisper of a thought while buffing those long fingernails. Flamboyant and flaming in all senses of the word, even if that word's meaningless now," Polaris mused. He dipped a piece of pineapple in some melted chocolate in a chafing dish above a flame and, much to my surprise, placed it in my mouth, intrigue flickering briefly in his eyes.
"That silver-haired one, Arahal, he oozed power, too, and was sexy as hell, don't get me wrong," Polaris went on as though no current had passed between us. Maybe I'd imagined it. "I could tell he thought we're a bit rustic, but he seemed nominally impressed. They were both so composed, so self-aware and confident," he reflected, swirling another sunny chunk of fruit in the chocolate.
"Is all of this fruit out of Jaffa's greenhouse?" I asked, looking down the long table and noticing there weren't that many dishes of it after all.
"Jaffa and Firethorn," Opequon said admiringly from his seat across the table. "They're potent influences on each other, even though Firethorn's still young."
Once he had my attention, Opequon asked me several questions about our travels and what plans we had for the future in regards to continuing our mapping. As we spoke, I was struck at the lush health emanating from him. The distinctive vivid green in his hair shone amidst the black, which he currently wore long with decorative, complex braids on one side and a strip shaved above his left ear. At one point he made a sweeping gesture, and my gaze fell on a jewel-coloured scarab tattooed on the inside of his right forearm. It seemed familiar, but it took me a while to remember why. Once I did, several niggling puzzle pieces all snapped into place. Ondin and Wyngarr had identical art, having asked Wycker to do the tattoos when they'd pledged their affections to each other. At a lull in our conversation, I stretched out my hand and let my fingers smooth across the bright aquamarine and jade inked on his skin. My suspicions were confirmed when his coltish, often severe expression softened and one side of his lips quirked a smile.
"We were going to approach Kyrgian because we thought you'd be out scouting and mapping for a couple of months. Since you've returned and will be here for the solstice, well…" He looked apologetic. I almost didn't recognise the sentiment for what it was as I'd never seen it on his face. "You've been close friends with Ondin for many years."
"Let's just call it forever," I agreed with an inviting smile.
"Right. You know that I was still in bad shape when Vaysh managed to make contact with Monarch and we first joined your clan. I'd been pretty crazy about someone, and mourning him and his death consumed me for a long time. I'll never forget him, of course, but Ondin and Wyngarr, just as the cliché goes, gave me a reason beyond revenge to want to live."
I tilted my head and poured myself some more wine. I was no longer certain where this conversation was heading. "I've been glad to see your healing, and Vaysh is, too. I know you two have had your differences, but—"
"He's always respected my opinions," Opequon said quickly. "He's taken on the roles required of him, but he's been fiercely protective of all of us."
"So. The tattoo?"
They secretly fascinated me. Once I'd succumbed to the humbling truth that I wanted to share everything with Vaysh, to the end of time and beyond, I'd thought of going to one of our resident artisans to ink something on me in commemoration. The thin sliver of the romantic in me wanted to see, of course, whether or not I could convince Vaysh to do the same.
"Symbol of immortality. You know why Wyngarr and Ondin have theirs. Well, their hearts are large enough to have invited in a third, and we want to mark this formally. We'd like for you and Vaysh to perform a blood-binding ceremony for us at the solstice."
I nearly choked on my wine. "All three? Together?" I asked a bit stupidly.
Opequon's face lit brightly with amusement. "I'd no idea you could be so easily shocked!"
"Not shocked, just… surprised," I hedged. "I'm very happy for you. All three of you."
Opequon's beaming smile reverted to his more taciturn expression, but now I saw the hidden joy behind it. "Thank you."
"Yet another momentous event to celebrate. We'll be eating, drinking and dancing for days," I said, my eyes glazing over for a moment as the logistics began to creep in stealthfully despite my best efforts to put them off until tomorrow.
"You say that as though it's a bad thing." Vaysh's voice sounded behind me and I leaned my head back, resting against his ribcage. He slid his hands down and clasped them across my chest. I covered them with one of my hands, making a low rumbling sound of appreciation. I looked up and saw Vaysh's bemused expression, his porcelain features upside-down. He gave me a nearly imperceptible wink that caused a current of pleasure to snake down between my legs.
"You simply have to be different, don't you?" Vaysh said to Opequon with mock exasperation. "I do have eyes, you know. I've seen what's been blossoming just under my nose."
Opequon's eyebrows raised and he stared defiantly back, his grey eyes eerily similar to Vaysh's own. "You've always said to follow my instincts, especially those of my heart."
"Vaysh, you didn't really council your clan to madness like that, did you?" I asked, reaching out and trying to drink from my decidedly empty glass.
"Of course I did. Look what it got me!" His warm baritone was supple leather sliding on my skin and I decided that any further debriefings and conversations of all kinds could wait until tomorrow.
"Opequon, of all who are dear to me, your happiness now is the most deserved," Vaysh continued, his words simple and heartfelt. Admiration for my chesnari flooded my chest with a warm stain of pride. "You've always been brave, and only now can we see how progressive as well. Who knows— perhaps you, Ondin and Wyngarr are the true future of hardom. Three has always been a sacred, mystical number, after all."
"I quit noting how often images of threes appeared in my dreams," Opequon said with a huffed laugh. "I'm glad to have your blessing, though the ceremony is only a public showing of what already exists, unbreakable."
"Blood-bindings can't be undone. Ever," I cautioned, thanking Polaris who'd poured me some more wine before he and Vox left the table.
"I don't know Ondin and Wyngarr as you do," Vaysh said to me, splaying his hands so they fanned out across my abdomen, "but for all his bravado, Opequon does nothing in haste."
"I was hollow and they both filled me," Opequon stated with a devotion that pierced me to my core.
"Should Wraeththu need poets, you should heed the call," I said without a trace of sarcasm.
A knowing smile drifted across Opequon's features as Vaysh nuzzled the top of my head.
"Let's take advantage of the fact that we're back far sooner than planned. I'd like to sleep on our soft bed, Commandant."
"Excellent suggestion."
Vaysh released me so that I could stand up from the table, downing most of my wine once I was on my feet. "Where are the rest of your partners?" I asked Opequon, who was also readying himself to leave.
"They ate earlier and went to spend time with the new hara. Ondin, as you know, is quite the healer, and Wyngarr has a gift for putting anyhar at ease. Vox and Wycker have him in a steel trap with projects for our upcoming festivities. For all I know, Wyngarr has enlisted these two new to the mountain to carve personalised napkin holders or God knows what else."
I groaned at that image. "Our reputation is going to spread far and wide as being a place to come for days of wild partying."
"It's only once a year," Vaysh countered with an arched eyebrow. "And unless the napkin holders get used to decorate usually hidden parts of our anatomy, they're hardly wild."
Opequon stifled a laugh. "Go enjoy being back in Castlegar," he said, pulling on his woolen coat. "I would like to speak with you in the next few days about sending out another scouting party, but to the south," he continued, tugging his hair out from the collar so it spilled down his back.
"The south? Yes, that's a strategic thought—"
"Tomorrow, Ash," Vaysh said impatiently and Opequon waved his farewell.
I was pleasantly mellow from the wine and willing to be led back to our suite of rooms with no further cajoling.
"As much as I love Arches, I'm desperate to clean her smell off of me," Vaysh declared as we hung up our coats and I got a fire going in our bedroom. "I'm taking a hot bath."
He lit several pillar candles with piney scents as well as two sticks of incense. After our time in the cold wilds, their aromas were particularly delightful. I heard Vaysh filling our bathtub and I stripped down to just my underleggings. I stood in front of the crackling fire for several minutes, engulfed in the scent and sound of what had become truly home.
I needed a thorough wash as well and ambled over to the bathroom, where the door was cracked slightly ajar. I nudged it open and stepped into the humid warmth. In a corner a coil of sandalwood incense let off a thin tendril of savoury smoke. Vaysh stood naked in front of the sink, wrestling with some stubborn tangles.
"May I join you?" I asked, easing the comb from his fingers. He loved it when I massaged his scalp or did anything tactile with his hair.
"Of course." His voice was huskier than usual. I swallowed down his essence as we shared breath until I felt I was lined with velvet; my soul was dressed in raiment of a king. With a low laugh, he said, "You're greedy."
"I'll be generous after our bath," I promised, allowing Vaysh to pull off my underleggings. My ouana-lim had quickened at the sight of his strong, lean form, his refined features a handsome terrain both masculine and feminine.
"You're a gorgeous enigma," I told him later as we soaked in the hot waters.
"Me?" he scoffed, situating himself in the vee of my legs so that I let out a soft groan at the tempting pressure. "I've kept no secrets from you. Ask me anything."
A wispy pall of foreboding skittered across my thoughts and I pulled Vaysh closer to me. His warm skin and the steady rise and fall of his chest chased away my disquiet. Something he'd said months before floated back to memory. "Do you really believe there are no coincidences, or were you trying to sound particularly profound that night by the lake?"
Vaysh pondered the question for a brief time, swirling one hand under the surface of the water. "I think there are patterns that originate far beyond this earth, maybe even this part of the universe. I don't believe that everything has been pre-ordained and is going along some inexorable path, though. I can't shake the thought that we as a race might be a beautiful accident. Even if not, whoever created the first Wraeththu, and those very first ones who created themselves, I think any planning or control has gone awry."
I let my eyes drift closed, ruminating on what he'd said. "I think we're destined for amazing things, Vaysh," I murmured, the faint lilac scent of his freshly washed hair tickling my senses. "I want to know it all, to go everywhere in this crazy world with you at my side. You're my obsession. I don't care anymore that we're supposed to be enlightened and not feel that way— I do. You're everything."
He craned his neck around to kiss me lightly on the jawbone. "And doubtless you had plenty to drink at dinner. But thank you."
"I mean every word," I said stubbornly, easing my fingers down to tease in the soft curls at his groin. I purposefully lit flames of his arousal, letting my fingers stroke his quiescent ouana-lim as he shuddered, pressing back against me. "I want you to prepare yourself with oil. I'll ready our bed and then, well, you'll see."
"You're wicked," Vaysh purred. He let out a breathy cry when my fingers drifted against the folds of his soume-lam.
"I am. Be the sword of air; be ouana," I encouraged him, kissing the side of his head before easing out of the tub.
I dried off and toweled my hair, pulling it back in a tie as I tended the fire and arranged the candles in a pleasing pattern. I was wicked, and grinned at my own plans. I moved our full-length mirror closer to the bed, angling it sideways so we'd be able to see ourselves while taking aruna. More than anything, I wanted Vaysh to see himself in the heated moments of our coupling, his flushed face and wanton expressions.
The room was our sacred bower, inviting and protective, filled with spicy and tree-scented aromas. Vaysh walked in, his skin shining with the oil absorbing into his pale flesh. He'd tied on his leather armbands at the wrists and around his biceps, as well as compelling strips at the top of his thighs. His vibrant ouana-lim jutted proudly, the petals slightly parted, and my mouth watered at the sight. In a nod to his feminine aspect, he'd lined his eyes in regal purple, but he carried himself with the aggressiveness of a warrior. I was undone.
"Com here," I said, my voice gravelly with need.
His grey eyes were warm and loving, like sun-warmed fur; there wasn't a hint of stone. I fell to my knees, paying homage to the altar of his body, hands kneading his muscled legs as I fellated the red-violet spire tantalysingly there for the offering. He gripped my head so tightly I had to ease my mouth from his ouana-lim.
"Gentle, love," I said with a small smile before I again devoured my prize. I teased and sucked at the soft skin over steely length, nudging my tongue to every succulent crevice until I felt his thighs tremble.
With a last kiss to the crown, I eased back and rose to my feet. I, too, had focussed my energies into my ouana aspect, as it was my most natural state. Vaysh had been biting his lower lip and I kissed him, alternately sharing breath and kissing with pure passion, letting the images rest. "Be as loud as you wish," I said. "The walls are thick enough."
"I'm wondering what all you have in mind, you rogue," Vaysh said huskily, frotting against me so the stalks of our ouana-lims pushed together. I groaned at the contact. "Do you want me to tie you to our bed?" His eyes glinted with feral delight.
"Not tonight, though that is intriguing."
I licked his lips, seeking entrance yet again, our tongues dueling as our breath carried across torrents of desire until Vaysh broke away. Breathing heavily, he caught a glimpse of the mirror, pausing to look curiously at it.
"Stay ouana," I spoke low in his ear, moving us over so our torsos and below were visible in the reflection. I stood behind him and wetted my palm before taking the crimson plum organ in hand. He watched, enrapt, as I pulled and caressed him, easing my own hard length between the rounded curves of his buttocks.
"Our bodies are clever enough to know when the ouana-lim isn't in danger of being damaged. I'm going to plunge into your seas, and you'll stay cradled in my hand. Both at once, Vaysh, and you'll watch yourself in the mirror. I'll be in you, around you. It's aruna so powerful; you'll be ouana and soume, all at once."
"Oh my God," he said, voice cracking. He snaked his arms behind my back, grinding himself into my pelvis.
"Your lover. Your acolyte," I rumbled, releasing my hold on him so we could crawl on the bed. I made certain his body was prepared but he was wild, on hands and knees. He tossed back his head, the ribbons of red hair falling down his back. He made demands of me using the harsh, human word to tell me in no uncertain terms what he wanted me to do. With one long stroke, I was sheathed in his grasping heat. I was an eel, swimming in his slippery depths, and also a relentless pleasure, caging his ouana-lim in clenching fingers. He cried out, bucking back and forth, guttural, broken noises rending the air.
"Look!" I rasped, and he gazed wild-eyed into the mirror, entranced at our reflection. I sank into him again and again, quicksilver moonlight dipping in and out of the waves. His mouth was slack, his pale knuckles a stark white where he grabbed for purchase at the bedcoverings. The fire of his ouana-lim glowed; the air around us blazed blue-hot, our energies building to a crescendo with the power of a volcano.
Our rapture burst upon us; the flames of the candles flared up, filling the room with golden shadows. Deep inside his embracing warmth I was a comet, a light striking out and swallowed by the sun. He yelled inarticulate words as his seed fountained over my fingers and onto the bed with the sparkle of a thousand diamonds. My heart was thundering, drumming to the beat of the god of aruna, of little deaths and fiery sacrifice.
Eventually a tranquil peace drifted upon us, and we settled together. He held me closely, like the ivy on the stones of Castlegar. My fingers played idly with the leather plait on the corded muscle of his bicep.
"You're quite a passionate storm, when you want to be," Vaysh said, his fingers carding through my hair that had come loose from its ribbon.
"You inspire me."
I kissed his sternum and then rose up to plant kisses on his eyelids. Easing out of the bed, I padded over to a small cabinet and poured us each a glass of vralsfire. Vaysh discreetly tended to the damp patches on the bed and undid the leather thongs on his legs before we spooned together again. We sat side-by-side, legs intertwined.
"Things are changing," Vaysh said contemplatively, sipping the amber liquid.
"Are you talking about anything in particular?"
"Thiede. Arahal. They'll be back. They were so…"
"Unbelievable?" I took a healthy swallow.
"Yes. But they're like us, hara, as we are. Think about it. And Thiede seemed interested in us. We've got to ask him questions, demand answers as to how they've learned to do what they do. And then there's Ahalenia— I'm going to be there, when he gives birth."
"It's a child in a shell," I said, hearing the whimper in my voice, embarrassed at my fear.
"It will be a harling. Another pure-born, like Firethorn. It's miraculous. I want to be with them when he comes into the world. How can you not want to know what that's like?" he asked plaintively.
"I do, really," I reassured him. "It still seems like a female thing, but I'm working on wrapping my mind around it."
"Try wrapping your heart around it, Ash." Vaysh ran the back of his hand tenderly down the side of my cheek, his face still radiant from aruna. "That might be easier."
Title: Maelstrom and Mage, Desire Thine Darkling
This post Rating: adult
Warnings: slash, mention of a threesome, explicit aruna
Word Count: 4,249
Disclaimer: Ashmael, Vaysh, and the harish world all belong to Storm Constantine; I'm merely playing with great abandon in her sandbox.
Pairings: Vaysh/Ashmael
Summary: Genesis. Paradise. Illumination. Exodous. Before they went to Immanion, before Thiede manipulated their destiny, before death and despair, Ashmael and Vaysh knew and loved each other. This is one way their story may have been told.
We returned twelve days later, hastened with the help of our newly improved routes. Rumour, gossip and theories of all kinds had apparently run rampant about the mysterious appearance of Thiede and Arahal. Their sensational materialisation at Castlegar with two barely-alive hara, on horses that defied gravity and a slew of other usual laws of physics, had caused quite a ruckus. The ceaseless questions to which no-one had answers eventually died down, helped in no small part by the discovery that Ahalenia, one of the Colurastes, was carrying a pearl.
Kyrgian was in the welcoming party at the stables where we left our horses in the fine hands of a few stablehara. He seemed rather perturbed at Thiede's non-answers to his questions during his brief visit, and elaborated as we walked back to the centre of town.
"I asked Thiede about birthing spells and incantations," Kyrgian said, frustration in his voice. "He just waved his arms and said, 'Oh, think on it for a few days. The answers will come to you. You're a har, don't worry, it'll be just fine.' I don't know where he came from, but I'll admit it, I was impressed. How could you not be? But you, Ashmael, you'd never be as vague as that about something so important," he declared, and I had to agree.
"Opequon has been writing down the thoughts and visions that have come to him in dream states and in meditation," Cloudblaze informed me as our weary group headed to the dining hall. "We need books, or need some way to teach our spiritual and magical understandings with more structure than we do now. But we're all so new!" he laughed, and I couldn't help smiling at the incredulity in his voice.
"And I guess come early January we'll have a brand new harling," I said. "I don't know that I can stand to watch. That should be a private matter."
Cloudblaze gave me a piercing look. "You don't seem to shirk from fighting; you can't tell me that you're squeamish."
I couldn't suppress my shudder. "I'll do whatever's necessary to protect our community, but I'd far rather be in combat with a crazed human than at the feet of a crazed har with his legs spread, other hara yelling at him to push!"
A secretive smile of remembrance lit Cloudblaze's face. I saw Vaysh catalogue the serenity in the former hoobuk, and I could almost feel his tremour of acceptance. He would never pressure me, but an ember had been lit in him; Vaysh had heard the Siren call. He wanted to travel with me to that weave and weft of souls, to nurture and cocoon a son who would be uniquely ours. I sensed Cloudblaze's knowing gaze and turned back to him. He was thoughtful enough not to say anything, though I believed he'd intuited Vaysh's silent hopes. He instead chatted about general topics, and the miraculous recovery of the new hara, easing his arm through his chesnari's to place their clasped hands in Firestorm's large front pocket.
"Vox, Polaris and Jaffa will have a grand time making plans for this year's solstice," Vaysh mused as we walked down the gravel path, past slumbering stone buildings and toward the cheery lights of the dining hall. "There's so much to celebrate— Mabast may try to convince them to let him double the size of the kitchens so they'll have room to properly cook and bake for a huge feast."
"It's hard to believe it's our second winter up here already," I said, shaking my head. My nose was running from the cold and I reached into my back pocket to get a cloth. "And in other ways these past few years are like several lifetimes."
"Not since you met me, though," Vaysh said archly, putting more swagger into his steps. "If you want to keep the peace, you'll say that our time together has passed far too quickly."
I squeezed his shoulder, though the gesture was done through layers of glove, coat and his wool tunic. "There was no time in my life before you, was there?"
"Absolutely not. I'm your alpha, your genesis."
"And so modest!"
He cuffed me playfully on the back of the head as we went in through the doors and were absorbed into the din of the evening meal. Not surprisingly, Vaysh took a seat with Ahalenia and Eleu; Zain and Llembara were also close by the Colurastes. I wanted to know how Thiede's brief appearance had affected our mountaintop hara, so I placed myself next to Polaris as I was sure he'd share his thoughts— and as town gossip, he'd share the prevailing sentiments of everyhar else. He didn't disappoint.
"With clothes and an ego like that? Thiede'll be back for our solstice party," Polaris declared, pouring me a full glass of wine and a refill for himself.
"I think he'll be too busy having his own grand fete in his own lands," Vox countered. He fingered a couple of fuscous, fuzzy fruits on a small platter before selecting one and beginning to peel it. "He's from Megalithica, originally, but I listened carefully to what he didn't say, and I've figured out he's set up a new realm for himself across the sea." He looked quite smug and pleased with himself as he uncovered the bright emerald flesh of the kiwi fruit.
"You're glad he went back so quickly, too," Polaris said, puncturing his chesnari's bravado and garnering a murderous look. "It's true! He was fucking scary. Gorgeous, freakish, angelic, those purple boots… 'dear' this and 'darling' that, and he could probably have killed any of us with just a whisper of a thought while buffing those long fingernails. Flamboyant and flaming in all senses of the word, even if that word's meaningless now," Polaris mused. He dipped a piece of pineapple in some melted chocolate in a chafing dish above a flame and, much to my surprise, placed it in my mouth, intrigue flickering briefly in his eyes.
"That silver-haired one, Arahal, he oozed power, too, and was sexy as hell, don't get me wrong," Polaris went on as though no current had passed between us. Maybe I'd imagined it. "I could tell he thought we're a bit rustic, but he seemed nominally impressed. They were both so composed, so self-aware and confident," he reflected, swirling another sunny chunk of fruit in the chocolate.
"Is all of this fruit out of Jaffa's greenhouse?" I asked, looking down the long table and noticing there weren't that many dishes of it after all.
"Jaffa and Firethorn," Opequon said admiringly from his seat across the table. "They're potent influences on each other, even though Firethorn's still young."
Once he had my attention, Opequon asked me several questions about our travels and what plans we had for the future in regards to continuing our mapping. As we spoke, I was struck at the lush health emanating from him. The distinctive vivid green in his hair shone amidst the black, which he currently wore long with decorative, complex braids on one side and a strip shaved above his left ear. At one point he made a sweeping gesture, and my gaze fell on a jewel-coloured scarab tattooed on the inside of his right forearm. It seemed familiar, but it took me a while to remember why. Once I did, several niggling puzzle pieces all snapped into place. Ondin and Wyngarr had identical art, having asked Wycker to do the tattoos when they'd pledged their affections to each other. At a lull in our conversation, I stretched out my hand and let my fingers smooth across the bright aquamarine and jade inked on his skin. My suspicions were confirmed when his coltish, often severe expression softened and one side of his lips quirked a smile.
"We were going to approach Kyrgian because we thought you'd be out scouting and mapping for a couple of months. Since you've returned and will be here for the solstice, well…" He looked apologetic. I almost didn't recognise the sentiment for what it was as I'd never seen it on his face. "You've been close friends with Ondin for many years."
"Let's just call it forever," I agreed with an inviting smile.
"Right. You know that I was still in bad shape when Vaysh managed to make contact with Monarch and we first joined your clan. I'd been pretty crazy about someone, and mourning him and his death consumed me for a long time. I'll never forget him, of course, but Ondin and Wyngarr, just as the cliché goes, gave me a reason beyond revenge to want to live."
I tilted my head and poured myself some more wine. I was no longer certain where this conversation was heading. "I've been glad to see your healing, and Vaysh is, too. I know you two have had your differences, but—"
"He's always respected my opinions," Opequon said quickly. "He's taken on the roles required of him, but he's been fiercely protective of all of us."
"So. The tattoo?"
They secretly fascinated me. Once I'd succumbed to the humbling truth that I wanted to share everything with Vaysh, to the end of time and beyond, I'd thought of going to one of our resident artisans to ink something on me in commemoration. The thin sliver of the romantic in me wanted to see, of course, whether or not I could convince Vaysh to do the same.
"Symbol of immortality. You know why Wyngarr and Ondin have theirs. Well, their hearts are large enough to have invited in a third, and we want to mark this formally. We'd like for you and Vaysh to perform a blood-binding ceremony for us at the solstice."
I nearly choked on my wine. "All three? Together?" I asked a bit stupidly.
Opequon's face lit brightly with amusement. "I'd no idea you could be so easily shocked!"
"Not shocked, just… surprised," I hedged. "I'm very happy for you. All three of you."
Opequon's beaming smile reverted to his more taciturn expression, but now I saw the hidden joy behind it. "Thank you."
"Yet another momentous event to celebrate. We'll be eating, drinking and dancing for days," I said, my eyes glazing over for a moment as the logistics began to creep in stealthfully despite my best efforts to put them off until tomorrow.
"You say that as though it's a bad thing." Vaysh's voice sounded behind me and I leaned my head back, resting against his ribcage. He slid his hands down and clasped them across my chest. I covered them with one of my hands, making a low rumbling sound of appreciation. I looked up and saw Vaysh's bemused expression, his porcelain features upside-down. He gave me a nearly imperceptible wink that caused a current of pleasure to snake down between my legs.
"You simply have to be different, don't you?" Vaysh said to Opequon with mock exasperation. "I do have eyes, you know. I've seen what's been blossoming just under my nose."
Opequon's eyebrows raised and he stared defiantly back, his grey eyes eerily similar to Vaysh's own. "You've always said to follow my instincts, especially those of my heart."
"Vaysh, you didn't really council your clan to madness like that, did you?" I asked, reaching out and trying to drink from my decidedly empty glass.
"Of course I did. Look what it got me!" His warm baritone was supple leather sliding on my skin and I decided that any further debriefings and conversations of all kinds could wait until tomorrow.
"Opequon, of all who are dear to me, your happiness now is the most deserved," Vaysh continued, his words simple and heartfelt. Admiration for my chesnari flooded my chest with a warm stain of pride. "You've always been brave, and only now can we see how progressive as well. Who knows— perhaps you, Ondin and Wyngarr are the true future of hardom. Three has always been a sacred, mystical number, after all."
"I quit noting how often images of threes appeared in my dreams," Opequon said with a huffed laugh. "I'm glad to have your blessing, though the ceremony is only a public showing of what already exists, unbreakable."
"Blood-bindings can't be undone. Ever," I cautioned, thanking Polaris who'd poured me some more wine before he and Vox left the table.
"I don't know Ondin and Wyngarr as you do," Vaysh said to me, splaying his hands so they fanned out across my abdomen, "but for all his bravado, Opequon does nothing in haste."
"I was hollow and they both filled me," Opequon stated with a devotion that pierced me to my core.
"Should Wraeththu need poets, you should heed the call," I said without a trace of sarcasm.
A knowing smile drifted across Opequon's features as Vaysh nuzzled the top of my head.
"Let's take advantage of the fact that we're back far sooner than planned. I'd like to sleep on our soft bed, Commandant."
"Excellent suggestion."
Vaysh released me so that I could stand up from the table, downing most of my wine once I was on my feet. "Where are the rest of your partners?" I asked Opequon, who was also readying himself to leave.
"They ate earlier and went to spend time with the new hara. Ondin, as you know, is quite the healer, and Wyngarr has a gift for putting anyhar at ease. Vox and Wycker have him in a steel trap with projects for our upcoming festivities. For all I know, Wyngarr has enlisted these two new to the mountain to carve personalised napkin holders or God knows what else."
I groaned at that image. "Our reputation is going to spread far and wide as being a place to come for days of wild partying."
"It's only once a year," Vaysh countered with an arched eyebrow. "And unless the napkin holders get used to decorate usually hidden parts of our anatomy, they're hardly wild."
Opequon stifled a laugh. "Go enjoy being back in Castlegar," he said, pulling on his woolen coat. "I would like to speak with you in the next few days about sending out another scouting party, but to the south," he continued, tugging his hair out from the collar so it spilled down his back.
"The south? Yes, that's a strategic thought—"
"Tomorrow, Ash," Vaysh said impatiently and Opequon waved his farewell.
I was pleasantly mellow from the wine and willing to be led back to our suite of rooms with no further cajoling.
"As much as I love Arches, I'm desperate to clean her smell off of me," Vaysh declared as we hung up our coats and I got a fire going in our bedroom. "I'm taking a hot bath."
He lit several pillar candles with piney scents as well as two sticks of incense. After our time in the cold wilds, their aromas were particularly delightful. I heard Vaysh filling our bathtub and I stripped down to just my underleggings. I stood in front of the crackling fire for several minutes, engulfed in the scent and sound of what had become truly home.
I needed a thorough wash as well and ambled over to the bathroom, where the door was cracked slightly ajar. I nudged it open and stepped into the humid warmth. In a corner a coil of sandalwood incense let off a thin tendril of savoury smoke. Vaysh stood naked in front of the sink, wrestling with some stubborn tangles.
"May I join you?" I asked, easing the comb from his fingers. He loved it when I massaged his scalp or did anything tactile with his hair.
"Of course." His voice was huskier than usual. I swallowed down his essence as we shared breath until I felt I was lined with velvet; my soul was dressed in raiment of a king. With a low laugh, he said, "You're greedy."
"I'll be generous after our bath," I promised, allowing Vaysh to pull off my underleggings. My ouana-lim had quickened at the sight of his strong, lean form, his refined features a handsome terrain both masculine and feminine.
"You're a gorgeous enigma," I told him later as we soaked in the hot waters.
"Me?" he scoffed, situating himself in the vee of my legs so that I let out a soft groan at the tempting pressure. "I've kept no secrets from you. Ask me anything."
A wispy pall of foreboding skittered across my thoughts and I pulled Vaysh closer to me. His warm skin and the steady rise and fall of his chest chased away my disquiet. Something he'd said months before floated back to memory. "Do you really believe there are no coincidences, or were you trying to sound particularly profound that night by the lake?"
Vaysh pondered the question for a brief time, swirling one hand under the surface of the water. "I think there are patterns that originate far beyond this earth, maybe even this part of the universe. I don't believe that everything has been pre-ordained and is going along some inexorable path, though. I can't shake the thought that we as a race might be a beautiful accident. Even if not, whoever created the first Wraeththu, and those very first ones who created themselves, I think any planning or control has gone awry."
I let my eyes drift closed, ruminating on what he'd said. "I think we're destined for amazing things, Vaysh," I murmured, the faint lilac scent of his freshly washed hair tickling my senses. "I want to know it all, to go everywhere in this crazy world with you at my side. You're my obsession. I don't care anymore that we're supposed to be enlightened and not feel that way— I do. You're everything."
He craned his neck around to kiss me lightly on the jawbone. "And doubtless you had plenty to drink at dinner. But thank you."
"I mean every word," I said stubbornly, easing my fingers down to tease in the soft curls at his groin. I purposefully lit flames of his arousal, letting my fingers stroke his quiescent ouana-lim as he shuddered, pressing back against me. "I want you to prepare yourself with oil. I'll ready our bed and then, well, you'll see."
"You're wicked," Vaysh purred. He let out a breathy cry when my fingers drifted against the folds of his soume-lam.
"I am. Be the sword of air; be ouana," I encouraged him, kissing the side of his head before easing out of the tub.
I dried off and toweled my hair, pulling it back in a tie as I tended the fire and arranged the candles in a pleasing pattern. I was wicked, and grinned at my own plans. I moved our full-length mirror closer to the bed, angling it sideways so we'd be able to see ourselves while taking aruna. More than anything, I wanted Vaysh to see himself in the heated moments of our coupling, his flushed face and wanton expressions.
The room was our sacred bower, inviting and protective, filled with spicy and tree-scented aromas. Vaysh walked in, his skin shining with the oil absorbing into his pale flesh. He'd tied on his leather armbands at the wrists and around his biceps, as well as compelling strips at the top of his thighs. His vibrant ouana-lim jutted proudly, the petals slightly parted, and my mouth watered at the sight. In a nod to his feminine aspect, he'd lined his eyes in regal purple, but he carried himself with the aggressiveness of a warrior. I was undone.
"Com here," I said, my voice gravelly with need.
His grey eyes were warm and loving, like sun-warmed fur; there wasn't a hint of stone. I fell to my knees, paying homage to the altar of his body, hands kneading his muscled legs as I fellated the red-violet spire tantalysingly there for the offering. He gripped my head so tightly I had to ease my mouth from his ouana-lim.
"Gentle, love," I said with a small smile before I again devoured my prize. I teased and sucked at the soft skin over steely length, nudging my tongue to every succulent crevice until I felt his thighs tremble.
With a last kiss to the crown, I eased back and rose to my feet. I, too, had focussed my energies into my ouana aspect, as it was my most natural state. Vaysh had been biting his lower lip and I kissed him, alternately sharing breath and kissing with pure passion, letting the images rest. "Be as loud as you wish," I said. "The walls are thick enough."
"I'm wondering what all you have in mind, you rogue," Vaysh said huskily, frotting against me so the stalks of our ouana-lims pushed together. I groaned at the contact. "Do you want me to tie you to our bed?" His eyes glinted with feral delight.
"Not tonight, though that is intriguing."
I licked his lips, seeking entrance yet again, our tongues dueling as our breath carried across torrents of desire until Vaysh broke away. Breathing heavily, he caught a glimpse of the mirror, pausing to look curiously at it.
"Stay ouana," I spoke low in his ear, moving us over so our torsos and below were visible in the reflection. I stood behind him and wetted my palm before taking the crimson plum organ in hand. He watched, enrapt, as I pulled and caressed him, easing my own hard length between the rounded curves of his buttocks.
"Our bodies are clever enough to know when the ouana-lim isn't in danger of being damaged. I'm going to plunge into your seas, and you'll stay cradled in my hand. Both at once, Vaysh, and you'll watch yourself in the mirror. I'll be in you, around you. It's aruna so powerful; you'll be ouana and soume, all at once."
"Oh my God," he said, voice cracking. He snaked his arms behind my back, grinding himself into my pelvis.
"Your lover. Your acolyte," I rumbled, releasing my hold on him so we could crawl on the bed. I made certain his body was prepared but he was wild, on hands and knees. He tossed back his head, the ribbons of red hair falling down his back. He made demands of me using the harsh, human word to tell me in no uncertain terms what he wanted me to do. With one long stroke, I was sheathed in his grasping heat. I was an eel, swimming in his slippery depths, and also a relentless pleasure, caging his ouana-lim in clenching fingers. He cried out, bucking back and forth, guttural, broken noises rending the air.
"Look!" I rasped, and he gazed wild-eyed into the mirror, entranced at our reflection. I sank into him again and again, quicksilver moonlight dipping in and out of the waves. His mouth was slack, his pale knuckles a stark white where he grabbed for purchase at the bedcoverings. The fire of his ouana-lim glowed; the air around us blazed blue-hot, our energies building to a crescendo with the power of a volcano.
Our rapture burst upon us; the flames of the candles flared up, filling the room with golden shadows. Deep inside his embracing warmth I was a comet, a light striking out and swallowed by the sun. He yelled inarticulate words as his seed fountained over my fingers and onto the bed with the sparkle of a thousand diamonds. My heart was thundering, drumming to the beat of the god of aruna, of little deaths and fiery sacrifice.
Eventually a tranquil peace drifted upon us, and we settled together. He held me closely, like the ivy on the stones of Castlegar. My fingers played idly with the leather plait on the corded muscle of his bicep.
"You're quite a passionate storm, when you want to be," Vaysh said, his fingers carding through my hair that had come loose from its ribbon.
"You inspire me."
I kissed his sternum and then rose up to plant kisses on his eyelids. Easing out of the bed, I padded over to a small cabinet and poured us each a glass of vralsfire. Vaysh discreetly tended to the damp patches on the bed and undid the leather thongs on his legs before we spooned together again. We sat side-by-side, legs intertwined.
"Things are changing," Vaysh said contemplatively, sipping the amber liquid.
"Are you talking about anything in particular?"
"Thiede. Arahal. They'll be back. They were so…"
"Unbelievable?" I took a healthy swallow.
"Yes. But they're like us, hara, as we are. Think about it. And Thiede seemed interested in us. We've got to ask him questions, demand answers as to how they've learned to do what they do. And then there's Ahalenia— I'm going to be there, when he gives birth."
"It's a child in a shell," I said, hearing the whimper in my voice, embarrassed at my fear.
"It will be a harling. Another pure-born, like Firethorn. It's miraculous. I want to be with them when he comes into the world. How can you not want to know what that's like?" he asked plaintively.
"I do, really," I reassured him. "It still seems like a female thing, but I'm working on wrapping my mind around it."
"Try wrapping your heart around it, Ash." Vaysh ran the back of his hand tenderly down the side of my cheek, his face still radiant from aruna. "That might be easier."
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-19 07:52 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-20 02:58 am (UTC)I'm a polyamorist at heart, and I'm so glad that the threesome part here came across as novel and not the foreshadowing-hit-over-the-head that I sensed it in my head with Cal, Caeru and Pell. Granted, that set of three isn't nearly as equal as I envison for these three in my story.
So very pleased also that you enjoyed the aruna scene. I'm an unapologetic slash writer, though I do like plot with my sex. As you're suggesting, I also love the idea of exploring both/myriad roles, masculine/feminine and all manner of permutations inbetween, all at once! That's part of what seems to freeing for much of Wraeththu, some tribes obviously being exceptions.
Thrilled to have you along!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-18 07:37 am (UTC)This time around I was really struck with your characterization of Thiede as a drag queen. LOL! So good.
"He was fucking scary. Gorgeous, freakish, angelic, those purple boots… 'dear' this and 'darling' that, and he could probably have killed any of us with just a whisper of a thought while buffing those long fingernails."
As usual,a few other tidbits I liked:
on horses that defied gravity and a slew of other usual laws of physics,
that weave and weft of souls, to nurture and cocoon a son who would be uniquely ours.
and as town gossip, he'd share the prevailing sentiments of everyhar else.
voice gravelly with need.
using the harsh, human word
drumming to the beat of the god of aruna, of little deaths and fiery sacrifice.
Cheers
(no subject)
Date: 2008-03-18 01:55 pm (UTC)There'll be a long email coming to you sometime in the next 24 hours. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-20 04:17 am (UTC)I really love your style, you have a way with words that is both refreshing and oh so sensual. you certainly know how to write and I enjoy your fic greatly.
keep writing! and if it goes on this way, who knows? I'd love to see your story become one of the Wraeththu novellas... it's worth it!
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-21 12:41 am (UTC)And the author!! ;)
I'm so thrilled that you're enjoying my writing and the style. I'm emulating Storm, to be sure, and I'm gratified that you feel it's sensual and well-written. I'd of course be over the moon if this were picked up as a supplementary novella, though I wouldn't expect it. Still, how exciting that you feel it should be in such rarified company!! :) ♥
You and Ponclast! Your fascination I find, well, fascinating. ;)
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-22 05:30 am (UTC)my reason for this questions is that I started my own story, years ago already, but I somehow left the writing... the story still goes on in my head but I'd need to write down so many things. I just wish to continue but I fear I lost my muse...
and Ponky, yes I love him. how to explain? he grew on me somehow, there's something about him that intrigues me. I even gave him a journal (with weekly entries) which came from roleplaying him ^^
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-22 04:55 pm (UTC)I've not studied creative writing, but I've certainly written thousands of pages since discovering fanfiction in early 2003!! I did re-discover, however, that I've been writing more than I'd realized, from grade school onwards. I just had a 15 years or so break! What keeps me going? I love the creative process. It's gratifying to be told that others are enjoying the stories that I create, and to know that I'm continuing to evolve and polish my wordcraft, which is a very conscious activity. I used to be a very active beta, and that improved my own writing tremendously. But the bottom line? I keep going because I can't imagine not writing!
I hope your Muse comes back… if you've been thinking about a story for years, one that you started, I'd definitely revisit it. :) Coming from HP and Tolkien fandom, I don't think there's nearly enough Wraeththu fanfic! I'm used to site after site, thousands upon thousands of stories. ;) Ah well. I'm so engrossed in mine and re-reading the original canon that I should leave it well enough alone.
Ponclast. He's not compelling to me, but more power to you! :)
And I love your icon. I'm going to have to buy that book. As well as do some posing of my own as Vaysh.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-20 09:15 am (UTC)This will definitely be one of my most loved chapters from this wonderful story^_^
I love the way you describe the growing relationships within their tribe. Also, I can only congratulate you to the insight on the characters emotions and reactions you devolve with each new part of this story.
What is making me smirk is the way Ash reacts to the new pearl! Snickers and crackles madly^^ He really is still fare away from accepting *that* part of his Wraeththu life...or?
(no subject)
Date: 2008-02-21 12:44 am (UTC)I just figure not every har, especially in those early, early years, would be all ga-ga about harling children. Even the first father of the one with the Kakkahar, as we know thanks to the second set of novels, thought it was all a bit much!! I've had plans for Ashmael, Vaysh and the whole pearl hostling thing, though like so much with their story, it's heartbreaking. But I won't say anything else as it'll show up in the next few posts. Thank you again for your enthusiasm!