Want Need Have
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"What do you mean, I can't work here?" Dawn
growled.
Chadei grinned. "The guild is having your practice
room refurbished. There will be workers inspecting the walls, touching up the carvings,
cleaning soot off the ceiling and repairing the windows. You wouldn't get any
work done here if you stayed."
"Can't I just use another room?" Dawn inquired,
not wanting to be kicked out of the guild for almost a solid week.
"Not really. The workers will be in several other
rooms as well, and the spare places have been taken up by all of our new
apprentices," Chadei explained. "Besides, you've been working too
hard. Relax, sleep in, and stop worrying about it."
Dawn relented under the father-gaze and firm tone of
voice. There was no reason to upset the guild master, and Dawn wasn't going to
try just for the fun of it. "Fine. But I'm taking
some things with me. I can't just sit around and do nothing all week."
"Oh, I doubt you'll do that," Chadei murmured as
he ambled out of the practice room. "Be sure to take all of your personal
items with you. We don't want anything to get damaged."
Dawn scowled but nodded. She packed up Rali's tapestry and
a few carvings she'd collected over the years. An assistant could store the
instruments elsewhere in the guild hall for the time being, and her books were
all safely locked in trunks. As she prepared to leave, she admitted to herself
that a break wouldn't be such a bad thing. She had been working too hard, all
things considered.
"Leaving? Permanently,
perhaps?"
"Bite me," Dawn snarled at Bai.
She loved using the old human insult; it was one of the very few things she'd
held onto over the years. Bai grumbled in return and
stomped off. She couldn't comprehend holding a grudge for as long as Bai had. It boggled the mind.
Her quarters, not surprisingly, hadn't changed in the two
hours she'd been gone. She set the box she was carrying to one side and stoked
the fire. She wasn't tired or sleepy at the moment, so instead of trying to
actually rest Dawn pulled out a sheaf of blank paper and began to write. She
didn't have anything in particular that she had to write at the moment; there
weren't any bondings or celebrations or other kinds
of whatnot that occupied the days of most young masters. Perhaps she needed to
write for herself—start on a new chronicle. She hadn't written one in some
time, and she missed the challenge of it. Maybe she'd get something worth
presenting out of the exercise.
Dawn was so immersed in writing, books spread all around
her as she researched, that she missed the knock on her door. It wasn't until
the person knocking really began to pound that she realized that someone was
visiting her. She jumped up, cursing as she jabbed her dry quill into her
finger. Muttering about the pain, she went over and opened the door—and managed
to catch Rali's hand just as it flew toward her chin. "Good to see you,
too," She murmured, releasing the teacher's fist.
Rali grinned. Iriya had caught her in the act of knocking
on the door—for about the hundredth time. "Did I wake you?"
"Nah. I was writing and didn't hear
you."
"Ah. Should I go?" Rali asked, not wanting to
interrupt her work.
Dawn shook her head. "I was getting near a stopping
point anyway." It wasn't a lie; she had been nearly ready to stop for food
when Rali had started knocking. "Come in, please."
Rali stepped inside the room and closed the door, locking
it. Dawn didn't notice the maneuver because she was looking for a cloth to use
on her finger, which was bleeding a bit from the quill. "Are you ok?"
Dawn looked up. "Yeah. I
stuck my finger on a quill."
Rali reached for her hand. "Do you have any
salve?"
"Somewhere. Have to, with the kinds of cuts
you get from strings," Dawn said, rummaging one-handed through a small
chest on a side table. After a minute or two she located a tin of salve and
handed it to Rali. The teacher dropped her hand and opened the tin, smearing
some of the ointment on Dawn's wounded finger. Dawn frowned as a thought
occurred to her.
"Why are you here? I mean, how did you know I'd be
here?"
Rali grinned. "I stopped by the guild, but your
practice room was in a shambles." Of course, the trip to the guild was
just a formality; she had known before arriving there that Iriya would be
absent. Chadei was an invaluable source of information.
Dawn swore. "They could have told me that they were
going to do work in there; I would've planned around it." Rali shrugged
and replaced the tin. "So, why did
you stop by?"
"Oh, just to give you something," Rali said. So
far she'd only given her courting gifts by proxy—this was the first time she'd
shown up with one, and Dawn was a bit surprised. They'd continued to be very
low-key in public, even after she'd jumped Rali in the forest…although now they
usually stood several feet apart, as a precaution.
"What?" Dawn asked, curious. She didn't see Rali
carrying anything with her. Rali stalked forward, invading Iriya's personal
space.
"Payback," Rali said softly. Dawn's brow
wrinkled in confusion until Rali reached out and pulled her close, leaning into
the musician. When Rali reached up to pull Dawn down for a kiss, she moaned
softly. Apparently Rali had gotten around to talking with Chadei…
Rali applied every bit of her considerable talents at
kissing to Iriya, until the musician was woozy from it. Now that she was more
pliant, the teacher pushed her backwards, walking her to the pile of cushions
and pillows in front of the fire. Iriya went willingly, reaching up to bring
Rali down with her. Rali pushed her hands away, pinning them above her head.
"It's my turn, hmm?"
Dawn's eyes widened. So that was what this was about…She
opened her mouth to say something, but Rali consumed her, brushing her tongue
over sensitive fangs and stroking her lips gently. Dawn bucked up involuntarily
as Rali's hands roamed here and there, pinching and kneading. Her clothes were
suddenly too tight and too warm.
Rali seemed to read her mind, because in the next instant Dawn
felt nimble fingers tugging at the laces of her vest. She used her now-free
hands to do the same for Rali, who didn't bother trying to stop her at this
point. Dawn stopped soon anyway when Rali bent her head down and traced her
collarbone with her lips, sucking softly on the skin there. The teacher
continued that slow, gentle assault as she finished stripping Iriya of her
clothes, pleased to see that she had such an effect on the sensual musician.
Once she was finished, Rali sat back on her heels, taking
in the vision laid out in front of her. Iriya was like a sunset, all vivid red
orange and peach. Smooth, hairless skin stretched over endless legs and a
gloriously curvy body. Just the sight of her made Rali's mouth water. Dawn
shook herself out of her stupor and reached up for Rali, uncomfortable and the
difference in their level of dress and composure. If she was going to be naked
and turned on, then so was Rali.
Rali, though, had no intentions of giving up the least
little bit of control. She caught Iriya in another kiss, pressing her deeply
into the cushions. Once the musician was distracted by that, she started to
undress herself. It went faster that way, since she was well-used to performing
the task on her own. Once she was finished, she lowered her body onto Iriya's,
relishing the gasp the action elicited even as she hissed in pleasure.
Dawn would have thought Rali's ivory skin would have been
cold—it looked like marble, all smooth and luminescent. Instead, though, it was
incredibly hot, burning her wherever they touched, which was pretty much
everywhere. She tried to reach for Rali again, but found her hands pinned above
her head. "As I said before, it is my turn," Rali reminded her. Dawn
had barely nodded when Rali turned into a whirlwind.
The teacher nipped and sucked her way down Iriya's body,
taking extra time to bring those coral nipples to almost painful hardness. She
ignored Iriya's pleadings for mercy and suckled on each one in turn, pulling
hard. Once she was satisfied with her work there, she moved lower, teasing her
navel before stroking mischievous hands down those long legs. She took a moment
to savor the scent of Iriya's arousal, sharp and heavy in the air. It mixed
with her own, filling the room. As much as she wanted
to sink her tongue deep inside that hot, liquid core, she moved on, licking her
way down one leg whilst scratching her nails down the other. Just as she
reached Iriya's toes, she lunged upward, grabbing the musician and flipping her
over.
Rali slid between Iriya's legs, spreading them wide. The
musician moaned softly as the slightly cool air chilled the insides of her
thighs. Rali moved forward, pressing one muscled thigh right against Iriya's
drenched center. She moved her hands up that lovely back to Iriya's wings,
urging the musician to spread them wide open. After a moment, Iriya complied,
letting her wings fall on either side of her body. Then Rali bent down and ran
her tongue down Iriya's back, from the nape of her neck nearly to the base of
her tail. Iriya wailed and arched up, trying to either escape the torturous
sensation or get more—Rali didn't know and didn't care.
Dawn pushed her head deeper into the pillow below her,
biting into it to keep from howling. She knew that few would hear her unless
they were next to the door, but she couldn't help it. Rali was driving her
insane. The teacher knew just where to suck, where to press and had found every
hot spot on her back. When the pale dalhari latched onto a spot right between
her wings and began to suckle, Dawn clenched her fingers and began to shake.
She bucked up; trying to ease the maddening pleasure, but the motion simply
rocked her against Rali's thigh, making her groan louder.
Once she'd raised a mark between Iriya's wings, Rali moved
lower, replacing her thigh with a hand as she bit down on the base of Iriya's
tail. She laved the spot with her tongue, and then drew the tender skin into
her mouth. At the same time she sank two fingers inside Iriya's wet center,
rubbing a third against her clit. Iriya pumped back against her hand and
moaned. Rali knew that had the musician not bitten into a pillow, she'd be
screaming by now.
Dawn couldn't take it. It was too much—she felt her climax
building and pushing at her, clawing its way to the surface. Rali kept thrusting
into her, stretching her with strong, nimble fingers. That mouth, drawing on
the skin of her lower back, nearly brought tears to her eyes. Then she felt
Rali release her to crawl up her body.
Rali could feel how close Iriya was; the tremors racing
through her body couldn't be hidden. She withdrew her hand and released the
flesh she was abusing to lay herself on top of the fiery musician below her.
She pushed one thigh forward, rubbing against Iriya's tender flesh and
straddled one of the musician's own thighs, gaining some friction for herself.
Then she leaned forward, nipping on Iriya's ear as she began to move.
Dawn picked up the rhythm Rali set and pushed back against
the hard thigh rocking into her, straining for that last little bit of contact.
The heat of the body on top of her and the feel of hot wetness against her own
flesh were impossibly arousing. She felt Rali's breath on her neck as they
raced toward orgasm, its raggedness a mirror of her own gasping. Rali scraped
her nails down Iriya's sides, dragging along sensitive flesh. It was just
enough; the musician arched and screamed, ecstasy pouring through her as she
trembled against Rali. Rali rode through her climax before finding her own
breathtaking release. She pushed herself to one side, releasing Iriya from her
weight. Dawn turned onto her side, drawing in deep draughts of air. She reached
over and pulled Rali to her, wrapping her arms around the dalhari and holding
her close. They laid like that for a long time, slowly coming back to reality.
···•••·•••·•••·•••···
"So you talked to Chadei?" Dawn asked several
minutes later. Rali looked up at her and grinned.
"Of course," She said, nipping at Iriya's lips.
"He was rather understanding and supportive. He even moved forward the
date of your practice room's refurbishment."
Dawn pulled back a little. "He did not!" The
look on Rali's face told her the truth, however. "You two are positively
evil." Rali relaxed when she realized that Iriya wasn't angry with the little
manipulation. She worried, though, when Iriya's head suddenly dropped onto her
shoulder. "Now he knows exactly what we're going, doesn't he?"
"I wouldn't say that," Rali countered, pushing
Iriya's head back up. "He's not here, is he?"
"You know what I mean!" Dawn squeaked, laughing as Rali started to tickle her.
Rali finally stopped tormenting the musician. "I
never told him that I wanted to bed his daughter, just that I wanted to court
her," Rali said after a moment. "I think he likes me."
"Of course he likes you," Dawn stated. "The
last person who wanted to court me drove him crazy."
Rali rolled Dawn onto her back, her eyes blazing. "Who?" She demanded, looking a bit jealous. Dawn
grinned.
"One of the guards. Stop being like that, Rali, it's unbecoming.
That was a long time ago," Dawn said. "I was too young anyway."
"Where is this guard?" Rali demanded. She wasn't
jealous so much as worried. She was not going to risk
either of their lives or wellbeing because some irate ex-lover was skulking around.
"Entertaining a farmer?" Dawn quipped. When Rali
didn't relent, she continued. "He's with some yimkia
farmer now, Rali. Don't worry; they're madly in love. It's kind of gross to
watch."
Rali relaxed and lay back down. "Gross, hmm? How so?"
"Let's just say that some people should leave poetry
to writers, ok?" Dawn replied. Rali winced.
"Agreed. You won't see me writing anything
for anyone, ever. Numbers I love, words I do not," She said firmly.
"Fine. You count and I'll play and
neither of us will grow yimkia," Dawn replied.
"I can't believe you don't like yimkia,"
Rali commented. "That's like not liking
water."
"Hey! A person can have their preferences, and I
don't prefer yimkia. It's bland," Dawn retorted.
"That’s why you add verdrin,"
Rali replied.
"There isn't enough verdrin
in Faion to make yimkia
taste good," Dawn said.
"You need to come to La'iv. We cook better anyway,
and our yimkia's excellent," Rali promised. She
sat up, bringing Iriya with her. "We need a bath. Come on."
Dawn picked herself up and followed Rali into the
bathroom. "I don't have any water heating," She warned. Rali just
smiled and started a fire. Dawn busied herself filling the tub and trying not
to be self-conscious about being completely naked in front of Rali.
"That won't take very long," Rali said, frowning
when she head Iriya's stomach rumble. "When did you last eat?"
Dawn thought for a moment. "A few
hours before sunrise."
Rali smacked her arm. "You should have eaten again!
You're too thin."
Dawn smirked. "I was about to when you showed up.
Still think I should've eaten?" The wicked grin on Rali's face almost
scared her.
"Maybe…But that's beside the point." The teacher
dragged her back into the main room, knowing where Iriya kept her food stores.
She retrieved a small bowl of dried fruit and thrust it into her lover's face.
"Eat that. Now."
Dawn shrugged and took the bowl. She wasn't in the mood to
argue over food, and if Rali wanted to feed her, fine. After she finished, they
settled back into the cushions to wait for the water to heat. It didn't take
very long for Rali to start touching Iriya again; she seemed unable to keep
from stroking that intoxicating skin. Dawn simply curled up against the teacher
and let Rali's hands soothe and lull her. By the time the bath water was ready,
Dawn was almost asleep. Rali picked her up easily and carried her into the
bathroom. Dawn roused herself enough to throw several handfuls of herbs into
the bath as Rali poured in the hot water. Fragrant steam rose from the sunken
pool, further waking her.
"Ah…" Dawn murmured as she sank down in the hot
water. Rali stepped into the water after her and pulled the musician into her
lap. The teacher picked up a bowl and soaked Iriya's hair, watching in the dim
firelight as the heavy strands darkened. Once she was satisfied that it was wet
enough, she scooped up some fragrant soap and lathered the stuff. It was
long—well past Iriya's waist—and clingy.
Once Rali started rinsing her hair, Dawn started to turn,
wanting to return the favor. She reached up, unbraiding Rali's wavy hair. She
had never seen it down; the teacher always had it twisted or braided in some
impossibly complicated knot. The long, purple stuff wound around her fingers
like wild vines as she urged Rali deeper into the water. Rali wrapped her arms
around Dawn's waist and sank into the bath, letting the musician submerge her
hair.
As soon as Dawn had begun to occupy herself with soaping
her hair, Rali's let her hands wander. "Stop that!" Dawn snapped, not
wanting to get distracted before she got done.
"Why?" Rali asked, giggling. She slipped one
finger inside Iriya, watching though narrowed eyes as the musician shuddered
and clenched her hands in Rali's hair.
"I'll get soap in your eyes," Dawn warned.
"Just rinse it," Rali replied. To encourage just
that, she sank down into the water, shaking her head to get the soap out. At
the same time she pushed her finger further into Iriya.
Dawn was unwilling to simply let Rali do as she pleased,
however. She wrapped her arms around Rali's waist and lifted sharply, dragging
the teacher up out of the water and against her chest. She moved forward,
pushing Rali onto the edge of the bathing pool. Rali bent down and caught
Iriya's mouth in a rough kiss. Dawn allowed her to devour her mouth for a
moment before pulling away. She sank to her knees and pressed her mouth against
Rali's stomach. The teacher shivered and reached for Iriya's arms, trying to
pull her up. Dawn ignored her and continued down, running a gentle hand over
Rali's quivering flesh. When she bent her head to the teacher's sensitive core,
Rali moaned. Dawn grinned against her flesh before licking over her clit,
laving the swollen bud. It took both of her hands to keep Rali still on the
ledge as she nipped and sucked Rali's center, alternately thrusting her tongue
inside and suckling on her clit. She
barely noticed Rali's hands tightening in her hair as she tried her best to
drive the dalhari completely insane. It didn't take long; within minutes Rali
was shrieking and trembling through another shattering orgasm. Dawn lifted her
off the ledge and submerged her in the water again, not wanting the teacher to
grow cold. Rali lay against her quiescently for several minutes.
"See? No soap in my eyes," Rali commented as she
kissed Iriya. Dawn just laughed at her as they finished their bath.