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Rise of Darkness (Alvis & Malicious Lullaby)

Alvis Alendran

Alvis Alendran

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Jan 14, 2009
Location
Canada
The tower stood out starkly against the surrounding plains. Tall, heavy and solid, the dark grey granite was clearly visible for more than a mile in any direction. And the tower was a sight that turned around bandits and raiders in an instant. Years ago, they had tried to assault the nearby villages, only to be met by the local mage. As time had passed, he had refined his tower, and it was now held a host of defensive enchantments. And a few tricks to even the odds against large numbers of enemies. The resident mage was a man named Yoristan Gall, a graduate of the great Mage Academy in the far west. Few of the people in the villages saw him any longer, his habits making him more and more reclusive as time passed. But it was common knowledge by now that he was likely unhappy. A mage from the academy had come, and let him know that his responsibilities had shifted, and they were sending an apprentice to him, one that needed the guidance of a more powerful mage. And one that would be staying with him until they were ready for the trials to become a full mage in the eyes of the Academy elders.

There were six villages, all of them linked by roads, and fairly prosperous, merchants knowing that they could rest safely there, the watchful eye of the great tower looming up to keep them safe. It had been a beacon to the lands, and the villages had grown in size. It had not gone unnoticed by the lands around them. And more than merchants had taken an interest in these lands.
 
It’d been like a dream. No, in fact it was a dream. All the years of being buried deep in her books and studies, testing and going through the trials, she was finally landing a big break in her world. A break to further her studies, her skills and improve on her knowledge of this world she loved and was highly devoted in. Brought to the Academy when she was orphaned and trained under the best of the best, she was now being shipped off to train under even more of the best, a mage, with promise of reaching her truest potential.

Packed and ready to go, she went outside where she was to await her means of transportation. She saw an elder being taken off via dragon and her hands released the two bits of luggage she carried, jaw kissing the floor. She was going to fly on a dragon? The look of excitement was ever evident in her eyes and on her face, doing all she could not to just start jumping, eager to meet her new flying companion. So imagine her major disappointment when a carriage rolled up. Well not disappointment but just…okay a little bit of disappointment since she could have imagined her arrival at her new lodgings with a big smile on her face. Oh well, a carriage that pulled itself would be…fun?

Looking around, she saw no one, not even her old teacher. A small sigh escaped from her. She kind of hoped that she’d get to say goodbye to him. Putting her two bags she had in the trunk compartment of the carriage, she was about to climb on when…
“Ewyn!” Turning, she saw with wide eyes, her teacher and bounded from the carriage. He was an older man, much older in fact, but he still had the pep in his step of a man in his early thirties. She ran to him and hugged him full on, nearly causing him to flat out fall onto the ground. It made him chuckle as his arms wrapped around his star pupil.
“You actually thought I would let you go without a proper goodbye, didn’t you silly girl?”
She pulled back from his embrace and looked like she might cry. “No one was here. I-I thought—“
“Shush now.” He wiped the few tears that did escape her eyes away with the pads of his thumbs, his eyes crinkling at the corners as his lips turned up in a warm smile, covered by the bushiness of his beard. It was a heartfelt goodbye, one that left Ewyn feeling still so sullen during her carriage ride. But after about an hour, she pepped up again, her excitement getting the better of her.

Ewyn Conal was always this bursting little ball of energy. Even when she was just a little one, she used to drive her old teacher up the wall because he could hardly contain her energy, it was all too much. Until he learned just what kind of energy it was and just how to hone it. He put her into the school a few years after taking in the little orphan as his own. It took her some time to adapt. She had the attention span of a gold fish but once her energy was put to good use and properly channeled, well she didn’t have the attention span of a gold fish often anymore. She still could. Like right now. It felt like it had been hours on her journey so far when it probably wasn’t even that long and she was having a hard time sitting still.

She had fire in her heart, her hair mirroring a similar color of fire, just a little bit darker and not as orange. It was curly, a mess, often got in the way and she had to tie it back with a green ribbon that her teacher gave her but right now, she let it be free, feeling free like she was at the moment. Although if she were being honest, at this very moment, she felt like a caged animal wanting badly to get out. As if she just might grab the bars on the carriage door window and scream, “Let me out of here!”

It was a journey of sleeping, flopping about inside the carriage and even climbing out of it to sit on the top of it, getting some fresh air. Soon she’d climb back inside and lay half on a bench, half off of it. When she’d sleep, it’d only be until the sun came back. For when the sun was up, so was she. So she must be awake. It was torture!
 
Yoristan looked at the scrying crystal that he had set up. The carriage just kept on trundling on. It was a simple construct, he knew, animated by only the most basic of magics, and only able to be given simple tasks. And thusly that meant it was likely the student. He looked over at the vast red crystal that dominated the observation point. If he deployed it over the tower, he could likely hit the carriage from here. But then he'd likely be chastised for incinerating the student and carriage. And they'd send another one. And that would accomplish nothing at all. He sighed, and ensured that the crytal was still dormant, and turned back to the crystal. The student would be here in a few more hours, though the carriage usually did stop in the village for a few hours to allow the student to freshen up and stretch their legs. Yoristan turned away, and began walking to the living quarters. He supposed he might want to set up the room for her.

The carriage raised some attention as it rolled into the village. Mage carriages were not unheard of, but they rarely came through. Villagers pointed and chattered excitedly. The student would be coming, and many peopel wondered if Mage Gall might appear to greet her here. As the carriage rocked to a halt near one of the inns, the door popped open automatically, and the carriage made a loud bleating noise, as though announcing to the occupant that they were now to get out.

"Boy! Outside to greet the guest!" A voice bellowed from inside the inn. Faryn Locke sighed, and stood up from his table, adn moved outside. The bottom of the foodchain within the place, it was his duty to greet the reasonably high profiled guests, and if a bad impression was made, they might lose the contract with teh Academy, adn that would be a big hit. So Faryn moved outside, and waited for the occupant to emerge.
 
Her patience was wearing thin. To occupy her time for a few short minutes, a lock of her dark red curly hair furrowed over her face and she blew it up. It’d fly and then settle down over her nose, a nice contrast to the smattering of freckles that adorned her nose. She blew it up again and repeated this notion a few more times before huffing loudly and sitting up. Was she there yet?

Moving closer to the little window, she opened the barred little door of it and looked out, seeing nothing more than trees, green and more green. She was taking that as a no. She huffed again and slammed the window door shut and sat back, her arms crossed over her chest, a look of discontent and absolute boredom over her face. Ewyn always could just grab a book to tide her over but it wouldn’t be enough and who knew how long it’d be before she slammed it shut and resumed to huffing once more from her lack of patience.

But finally, it started to slow down. She nearly bounded from her bench to look before the carriage came to an actual stop. She was there already?!
The sound that came made her giggle and she eagerly and easily bounded from the carriage and out into the open air, breathing in a deep lungful of fresh air, after being so cooped up in that confining carriage for what felt like days. She grabbed her two bags and turned to find a boy greeting her. She smiled brightly, thinking foolishly he’d be the one to lead her to her new teacher. “Is he here? Have I arrived to his lodging? Please tell me I don’t need to get into that wretched carriage again.” Her eyes went wide with a laughable seriousness. Overdramatic. “It’s suffocating!” She whispered horrifically.
 
Faryn kept a smile on his face, keeping himself in good spirits. It helped that she was pretty easy on the eyes, he had to admit.
"Yeah, no. This wonderful place?" He waved a hand at the wood walled inn that they stood near. "This is the Raven's Rest, just an inn. It's normal for academy folk to stop here, adn get a bit of a moment to freshen up, loosen up after the trip, maybe grab a bite to eat. And, uh, I'm supposed to be your...guide." He admit. He did have to admit that this looked like it might be a bit more fun than the last passer-through. The girl looked fairly close to his age, and seemed to have an attitude that spoke more of fun than anythign. The last guy had been in his sixties and a grumpy old bastard.

"If you'll come with me, he can get you in a place to relax for a little while at least?" He offered, waving a hand to the entrance of the inn. The common room within was large, able to hold probably close to sixty people. Wait staff were all along one wall, sitting down, adn just keeping themselves ready for when they might have to get back to work. The floors were polished wood, gleaming with long years, even decades of wear, and all of the tables were nicely made, but still bare wood. Likely for ease of replacement if things went poorly on a long night. Still, the place was well lit, and seemed to be cozy enough fr a village inn.
 
She nodded her head eagerly, as if waiting for him to say something magical or something she wanted to hear. Instead, he let her take a peek at the place she would stay for a little before actually arriving to her new teacher. Her smile slowly faded, not as bright but still there, not yet a straight face. Well, at least she didn’t need to be cooped up in the carriage for a bit. “This is lovely.” She forced a smile and tilted her head. “Honestly. And I appreciate the hospitality. And fresh air.” She sighed so contently, like being out in the open was the most heavenly thing. She certainly wouldn’t take free of confines for granted ever again. Never had she thought a carriage ride could be torture. Riding a dragon would have been a lot more entertaining! She’d probably lose her voice along the way because she’d be hollering and whooping so much from sheer excitement, but it all would have been worth it!

Her head poked in towards the entrance of the inn, a sense of hominess to it that actually made her feel quite warm and she smiled a real smile, soft and small as she looked up at the boy. “That would really be quite lovely. I mean it this time.” Walking towards the entrance, she slipped herself inside, holding her bags close to her person. Maybe a good wash would do her in well, some food even, her stomach growling and she only now noticing since her excitement faded a bit. No, she wasn’t any less excited. Her energy just simmered down enough so it wasn’t bubbling, so she wouldn’t literally be bouncing off these walls now that she was free of the cage—er, carriage.

Turning back to him, she nodded her head. “So, if you’re my guide, does that mean you never leave my side?” She raised her brow at him, almost teasingly. “If that is the case, I should probably set some boundaries.” Again, another teasing jest.
 
Faryn smiled slightly as she pronounced the place to be...lovely. Wow, if that wasn't the most polite canned response he'd heard in a while, he'd eat his hat. Of course, he'd need to get a hat to eat it, but oh well. He shifted his shoulders slightly. Faryn was not a huge person, but he was descended from blacksmiths, so he knew his way around physical work. But he would be damned if he was going to chained to an anvil for the rest of his life, like so many other members of his family. So working at the inn a viallge to teh west had seemed like a better plan, until he thought of something else. And now he dealt with wizards and sorcerers, and now...a mageling. At least, that was what he called the student mages. Never to their face of course. That would likely end badly.

He sighed as she spoke about setting boundaries, right after never leaving her side. His tone seemed to be a little forlorn, though his face was deadpan.
"Oh, are you sure? The last few guests needed a hand in the bath, and you're the first guest that I'd actually enjoy helping." He said in a teasing tone himself He came from a large family. A ribbing here and there was part of his daily routine before coming here, when it only got more frequent. She would not find him unprepared for this kind of play.
 
Okay, she hadn’t been expecting that one but it’d go against everything she stood for if she were to stand down from that poke of jest. It’d also make her first teacher and her adopted-father be severely disappointed in her. She was naturally bubbly, sometimes literally, and had the capacity for good humor in her, only for it to be honed by him.

Ewyn turned fully to face him and the corners of her mouth lifted up in a slow grin, amusement eminent in her eyes. “I don’t know. It has been a long carriage ride and I might not be able to function properly because I was confined for so long in that torture chamber.” She blew a lock of her curly hair out of her face, only for it settle over her forehead once more, the ends tickling the bridge of her nose. Stepping to him, she smiled good-naturedly. “Are you fully capable of helping me out? I expect nothing less of…” She paused for a moment to find the right word. “Amazing.”
 
Oh, she liked to play. That was okay. He liked to play too. This was dangerous, he knew that. She seemed like exactly the kind of person to try and call his bluff. And he didn't bluff really. He might have been joking before this, but if she was going to poke at him, try and call him on it, dare him to make good on it, he wasn't one to let that go. He'd make good on it. Aggressively if he had the chance. Which would likely complicate things. Since she wasn't just apssing through, not really. She was only going to the tower, adn if she didn't end up a recluse like her soon to be teacher, she'd likely be back into town. But at the same time, he had his own pride, and he wouldn't back down from a challenge like this. Not for anyone. A slow, almost wicked grin lit his face, his grey eyes sparkling as he did so.

"Oh, I think I'd be able to...give you what you want." He said calmly, but with a bit of an edge to it, a little promise, a little heat to the tone. "I've never heard any complaints." He cocked his head to the side slightly, and reached out a hand, and tucked the errant curl behind her ear. He was close to her, very close. And then he smiled a lot lighter, reaching out to take her bags from her. "So if you'll follow me miss, I'll show you to the room that's been set aside for you." He tilted his head as he spoke, adn moved inside. Fun as it might be to tease one another, he knew that standing in front of the building was only going to raise questions from his boss, and that wouldn't help anyone.

The room he led her to was closeby, only a few doors away fromt he common room, and nicely appointed. A bed she'd likely never actually get to sleep on, and a large wardrobe she'd not need. But there was a large copper tub inside, one that a person could lie in while bathing, and get a good proper soak out of it.
 
There was an edge to his voice and the look on his face, in his eyes, it made her any cockiness she felt simmer away. Her breathing hitched in her throat as he tucked that annoying lock of hair behind her ear. They were so close. Oh goodness, she should be careful but she kind of didn’t want to be. She had never been careful and it only got her into some mild trouble along the way. Mild trouble that she didn’t mind getting in because quite frankly, she wasn’t perfect and with as much energy as she did have in one little body, it made sense she met with trouble often. The amount of times she nearly got kicked out of the Academy for doing some kind of shenanigans or trying to prove something when she never had to. It was exhausting on her old teachers but it was hilarious to her one teacher in particular, her adoptive-father. And to her.

“Good, because I’d hate to be sorely disappointed.” She leaned her face in a little closer so their lips were only a few short inches away. “And with the attention span of a gold fish, it’d be in your best interest not to be a disappointment.” She pulled back, making a big show of stepping back from him before handing her bags over and following to the room. The room was a lot more splendid than she expected. A large bed that she wished she could sleep on, a wardrobe that she could probably fit herself into, it was that big and a bath tub that made her want to strip down right now to seek the comfort of its warm water.

Walking to the bed, she ran her hand over the bedspread and whimpered. So soft…
If she tried to lie down on it right now, there’d be no getting up and chances are, she’d severely piss off her new teacher. Probably not a good idea, considering she already knew nothing about him. So she had no idea if he was as easy going as her adoptive-father or if he was as stuck up at the Grand Headmaster, with a really long pole wedged up his ass.
“Well then, prove me wrong.” Was all she said to him before walking to the bathroom after stepping out of her boots. She untied her short cape that had came mid-back and soon began to untie her bodice in front of the simple green overlay to the crème dress she wore. It wasn’t anything fancy, certainly not made of anything so fine, just a sturdy material that didn’t rip easily considering how she handled things.

After removing the green bodice, she wrapped the green ribbon around her neck and lifted her hair to tie it back. She touched her back to count the many ties to the crème dress and if she could it herself. She had counted ten this morning when she tied it and now she was only counting nine. How had she been able to get that one at the very top when she couldn’t get it now. Huffing a frustrating sigh, she turned and looked him over. “Can you help? I apparently can’t seem to reach it this time. My arm must have shrunk in that carriage…” She grumbled, turning her back to him. But she wasn't really angry now, was she. Not when she could rope him into undressing her. That had some serious advantages.
 
Faryn smiled as he saw her running her hand along the bed. It was a good one, down filled mattress instead of the normal straw. Only the best for the Mages Academy. But she seemed...intent on calling his bluff.not-bluff. There were a few limits to what he'd be able to do, especially if he ended up getting grilled by his boss when it was done. Fortunately the Mages had put a few latent enchantments on this room, sealing it away from sound and intereference. Being so close to the common room had made this seem like a very needed thing. The door to the main room was still open, so he kicked it closed when she entered the washroom. It shut with barely a whisper. Then her half cape was gone, and she strated working on her bodice, and then dress.

O...kay. So she really was going to try and call his bluff. Maybe. Or she was pushing at him to see how far she could get him to go. But then she seemed to have a legitimate issue. He blew out a sigh, and stepped forward.
"I've heard that carriages can do that. Especially magic ones." He drawled. Heavy, calloused hands found the tie, and deftly worked it, as though having done this a thousand times before. His hands were strong, a lot of labour and work having passed though those hands. He let otu a breath slowly through his nose before speaking again. "Is there anything else? Milady?" He asked, using the formal appelation for a member of the Mages Academy.
 
Yes, she really was going to try and call his bluff, but only because he really did ask for it and only seemed fair considering he basically threw a challenge at her. If he was expecting her to back down from it, he thought wrong. She never backed down from a challenge—only those two times because she had been sick but those were legitimate reasons! Usually the way it went was she made the other person back down if they weren’t up to actually seeing through to said details of the challenge. It was the best part. That was foreplay in her opinion.

Her head nodded slowly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. “I wonder if my father did that on purpose for laughs.” She actually did wonder that now, considering he knew how she was. She wasn’t claustrophobic by any means. She had too much energy for one person who was currently in the works to harness it better and not let it consume her, otherwise she’d be hyperactive all the time and probably die way too young, and she had the attention span of a goldfish. Educating her hadn’t been easy. But it had been amusing, no less.

Once he had finished untying her dress, she stepped back from him and turned to face him. She pulled the end of the ribbon in her hair, pulling it loose and letting her hair fall down her back and puff out around her face before she let the now untied dress slide from her body, the thinnest of materials guised as a slip underneath which really left very, very, very little to the imagination. It was sheer white, hugged her slender frame in the glorious way that outlined her figure, accentuated her curves and teased, taunted, all exposed for this guy right here. She almost pouted at his question. “No, I suppose not. I believe it’s clear when a man is not true to his word. Pity. I had such high regards of you. But alas, I must admit, I am very disappointed.” With a sigh that sounded so overdramatic, she walked into the washroom and readied the tub for herself, cold water filling in. And once it filled, she touched the surface of the water and soon saw steam wafting through the air.

Still, even through all of this, she hadn’t put up the partition that allowed privacy from the bedroom to the washroom. Even as she slipped the sheer white slip off of her body to slip her body into the bath tub, sinking in, she didn’t care who saw. The water was divine, not scalding but warm enough that it warmed her entire being and it felt like she was relaxing after being cooped up in that cage—er, carriage—for days. She slid her body further down into the tub, extending her feet and legs and letting out a soft moan from the stretch. Oh, this was heaven. She might never want to actually meet her new teacher at this point.
 
A teasing surrender as far as he was concerned. He'd asked. Anything else. And she'd said no. While she'd left things open for a view, he just siled, and sat down on the bed, waiting for her to finish sinking into the water.
"If you change your mind about needing a hand with anything, I'll be here." Faryn said very calmly, not taking his eyes from the tub. It was a big one. He knew from xperience with one of the maids that there was room for two in one of those things. A different maid had helped him discover that the bed was quite expansve as well. And all he needed was a proper invite so that if he got grilled by his boss, he could honestly say that he'd just been trying to help.

Yoristan looked around the room. Everything a student should need was in place, and he growled faintly. Students. Here. That hadn't been the deal when he'd left the academy, but a new addition to the staff had insisted that his responsibilities expand to include this every now and again. He ran a hand over his hair, hair that was never in place, no matter what effort or even enchantments he tried. He had the thought of simply chaving it off, but he had a little pride in the fact he still had a full head of hair at his age. Shaking his head, he left the room, and summoned the key. She'd need it. And she'd have the only one. He'd give her what privacy he could. He also knew that he wasn't the normal mage teacher that she might be expecting. But time would tell. He was getting hungry, so he began the walk down the staris to the kitchen.
 
The water was heavenly and even as she did stew there rather disappointed from his lack of joining her, once she closed her eyes, she was slowly drifting. She was that comfortable that she could easily take a nap in this beautiful bath, so warmed and so relaxed. She wasn’t too far under that she couldn’t hear him. She heard him and had half a mind to voice out, that she could reach the soap to wash herself up but something told her he was no longer there. There was a lingering quiet in the next room that wafted into the washroom. He was no longer there and she all alone.

Her eyes opened and she looked to the side of her. Damn, that actually would have been a correct assessment. The soap and wash cloth were too far away and she’d have to get out of the tub to get it. Which meant she’d have to get out of the oh so comfortable and warm bath and that was not something Ewyn was looking to do. So she waited, with the hopes that he’d return and come back to assist her a bit. After all, he had offered and that’s what he was making himself available for. And then some. Sitting up, she leaned over the edge of the tub a little bit, to the right and reached for the soap and wash cloth that was well out of her way. “Help…” She whimpered lightly, pouting.
 
This was not the best way to spend an afternoon, Faryn thought himself. Watching a woman in the bath from behind, seeing on the top of her head as she lounged in the water. But then, there were a lot worse ways to spend an afternoon too. He shook his head, thinking about going out to grab her some food, when she shifted, reaching for the soap that was clearly within reach if she pushed herself a little farther. But then the plaintive, whimpering cry reached him, along with the pout. Gods, this was...well it was something, he had to admit. But his job had been clear, assist her in whatever way she wanted. He stood from the bed, smoothing out the place he'd been seated on, and rolled his shoulders to loosen them.

He entered the washroom, seeing her in the tub, leaning forward hiding most of her from his view, and seeing her wet hair hanging down around her as she offered him a pout. He reached out gently to take the washcloth and soap, putting hte bar in the cloth, and holding it above her head.
"Was this what you were after?" He asked her gently, holding it just out of her reach, basically forcing the issue that she would have to either stand up to grab it, or at least lean back to give him a more impressive view of her in the bath. She'd teased him, now it was his turn to return the favour while he had the advantage. He had a smile on his face that showed amusement, and a bit of smug satisfaction.
 
She tried her hardest to keep that pout on her face when all she wanted to do was smile. Aw, how cute, she pouted and he came thither. She should pout more often. Her hand reached out to take the wash cloth and bar of soap from him when he suddenly held it over her head and her pout was gone. She looked up and reached up but he was holding it high on purpose. Her gaze shifted back to him and she was basically glaring at him now, shaking her head. Cheeky bastard… she thought to herself, thinking of what exactly she could do. She didn’t have to totally leave the warm comfort of her tub, technically. Her legs would still be in it. All she had to do was stand and just take what she wanted and in return…

Ewyn put her hands on the edge of the tub and pushed herself to her feet, her body emerging from the warm water, dripping wet. Her hair clung to her skin, not so curly but not perfectly wet and matted down. Just a hot mess really but it kind of worked since it was impossible to tame, wet or dry. Her hand shot up to grab the wash cloth and bar of soap and she tilted her head, fully aware that her entire naked self was on display for him right now. If she could wipe that smug grin off of his face…she’d have accomplished a lot more than she thought possible. “Yes. Now will you be good and actually stay so you can also wash my back or are you going to run away with your tail tucked in between your legs?”
 
This wasn't really how he'd pictured his day going. It was likely going to be another small thing, just a random day at work where he would greet a few people, run some food from the kitchen, help clean up, and likely flirt with some of the maids. It wasn't a bad life, and he admitted to himself that while not grand, it was a fun way to spend his time. The life in the inn was nice. He'd have seriously considered staying here as a keeper if the offer was made, and his employer was hard on him, but also seemed to favour him for extra training in the ways of managing the place. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility.

And then she stood. He knew that she very well could have held her ground until he lost his interest in teasing her, but she'd taken things a step farther adn stood. And..well, it was...quite a view, he had to admit. And she was certainly dialling things up with the way she spoke. He felt his smile deepening a little.
"Oh I can help, but I am rarely, if ever, good. You might keep that in mind." He told her.
 
Soft, supple skin, fair colored with a light smattering of freckles along her upper torso and arms, pert but plump breasts with pink now-hardened tips from the cool contrast over her warm skin and bareness everywhere. Her body glistened from the fact she was wet from head to toe and she carried herself with an air of confidence. As if she loved her body, knew it could please and knew how to use that to her benefit solely. She’d have to have no fear whatsoever to stand before a random man like this. She had no fear, she had no shame, she had adoration and confidence for her self. Her body was a temple. In its most natural and purest form.

Beads of water traveled down the expanse of her body, dipping between her breasts, rolling down her stomach, disappearing in between her legs or down them. She grinned at him and moved closer to him, all while staying in the tub. “Don’t worry, I’ll make you amazing. That’s what I’m here for.” She barely whispered teasingly, taking his hand and placing the wash cloth and soap into his hand. Turning her back to him, exposing her rounded derriere, she knelt down in the tub, sitting up on her knees and pulled her wet hair over her shoulder so he could start with her back.
 
The way she moved, presenting her back to him, there was the very firm edge of wanting to fill his hand with her hair, pushed her down, and take her violently from behind. But then his mind reasserted itself. It might be fun. In fact he could guarantee it would be. He worked up something of a lather on the cloth, and put it to her back, the warm water and soap showing clearly on her skin. He worked on her, figuring she needed it less than she might think, but not going to say no to her either. Still, he had to gfet a shot in or two. He scrubbed at a patch of particularly dene freckles, and sighed.
"Sorry, but there's just these spots that just won't seem to come off." He drawled in an amused tone.
 
It was actually divine. It’s not like she lived a life full of so much taxing labor and work. No, but she did spend a good portion of her days since she could read, hunched over a mountain of books. Her eyes and her back probably took the brunt of it all, it was a miracle she wasn’t hunched back. So this was always nice, plus even as a kid, she always liked having her back rubbed. It was so soothing. It always put her to sleep. Right now, it was making her sleepy, in that good way. She wore a soft smile on her face, dreamy almost.
When he spoke up suddenly, it startled her just a little bit. Processing his words, she perked up immediately and held her hair up to try and look down her back, turning both ways to try and accomplish the impossible. “What? Where? What does it look like? Is it bleeding? Is it bad?”
 
Oh Gods, she'd taken the bait hook line and sinker! He'd expected exasperation, and likely a glare, but not this. He cupped some water, and used it to clean the soap off. He gently moved his hand up and tu=ouched the patch of freckles.
"It's right here." He said calmly, fingers touching along the freckles. There were a fair number of them. "Here. And here. And here. I think they're just stuck, and no, they're not bleeding. And they certainly don't look bad." He ran the cloth lower along her back, working the skin with the heel of his palm, rubbing a tighter spot of muscle that he felt. "They seem to be all over the place." His free hand did dance along, fingers touching along the freckles.
 
She looked confused, not following. Was she marked or something? Turning her head, she looked down and then her eyes zeroed in on the smattering of freckles that did mar her skin. Her eyes widened and her natural reaction was to flip out and maybe push him over, throw him out of a window maybe—it was fun that one time—but instead she found herself simmering down just as quickly as he made her simmer from anger. His touch was nice. Soft, gentle, teasing and it made her arch her back a little bit, pushing her shoulder blades into view when she did.
Ewyn turned a little bit and she looked at him, her face serious, very serious, all trace of amusement gone, even from her eyes. “They are my love freckles.” She looked at him with adorable eyes as she rest her chin on her shoulder, her hands resting on her thighs. “Do you like them?”
 
The way she moved under his hands, it showed that he was clearly doing something right. His mother had been an herbalist, and had studied some fairly different practices to make sure that people got the care they needed. And since her family was being filled with blacksmiths, she'd made sure to know how to ease aching muscles. And Faryn learned well, finding it helpful when he'd started having closer contact with women. They had seemed most appreciative of his learning. He found another knot of tension just to the left of her spine, adn knead it, working the point loose. He looked up from teh top of his eyes, and saw her looking back at him, asking his a question.

"I'd always heard that a person without freckles, was a sky without stars." Faryn said honestly. His fingers traced along her freckles again, and he smiled. "I see a whole field of stars here. Certainly a...clear night." He said idly, honestly enjoying the moment. It was still heated, there was still a certain sexual tension in the air, and rubbing the back of a naked woman would always have that effect, but he felt it was...subtly different now. Less aggressive tesing, and something...different.
 
He found more knots, another one in particular that she hadn’t been able to get out for a while now and he put it out of its misery and tension. She sighed softly, like she could just rest on the edge of the tub or something and let him go to town. Did this count in his services? It should. Anyone with an achey back should get this kind of treatment.
But as he explained about freckles, that a person without them was a sky without stars at night, it made her smile. She always used to hate her freckles. Her father once caught her going at the ones on her cheeks, shoulders and arms with a needle, trying to pick the freckle out of the skin. All it did was make her bleed and she had the scars still. They just weren’t seen because they were…freckles.

“I used to despise them. I thought I looked horrendous. It took an act of something extreme for my father to sit me down and said that they were some special. He used to say I was covered in pixie dust. That a faerie came down when I was a baby and sprinkled it on me, but it stayed in my skin and gave me something unique. That not everyone gets blessed with pixie dust.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I still believe in that story. I like to think it’s true.”
 
Faryn made a faint clucking sound with his tongue.
"Well, that's a shame. I know my sisters would have killed to be blessed with little spots like this." He said calmly. THere were a few tight spots on her back yet, adn he worked them loose, one after another, the soaped cloth taking the layers of sweat from her earned from riding in the carriage.

"The Fae and Little Folk are strange beings. I can certainly believe that one of them might find it good sport and fun to do such a thing." He said with a smile. "There are still a few of them around in the area, living quietly." It was true as well. It wasn't well advertised, but there was a colony of brownies living somewhere around, and those who knew how to entice them could procure excellent cleaning services.
 
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