beneath the veil // rivine & sixlikesgore.

[cyx.]

Usually, when a particular warrior wanted to bathe, the thirty five year old had a private tub that could be warmed to her particular tastes. Joined with a decent enough mead, it was relaxing enough to wash away all the stress of the world's weight that constantly clung to the seventy-eighth in line for the Nevarran throne. One quiet dip into an embracing washtub was enough to cleanse her muscles of their stiff aches, and loosen her mind from its twisted coils; not entirely of course, not with a certain Dwarf constantly fluttering in the back of her mind; but enough to give her the facade of complete, peaceful bliss. But that was usually.. This wasn't one of those few luxurious times where Cassandra could strip her armor and melt away in her solitude - far away from their Inquisitor's influencing gaze.

Much like the main rift they had accomplished in sealing before Haven's destruction, it was just as important for the Inquisition - mainly its Inquisitor - to seal the smaller tears into the fade. No one had put their faith entirely in the Inquisition yet, and everyone was currently watching to see what their banners were up to. It helped that they were literally the only force capable of sealing these anomalies, but it didn't make it any less physically straining. And the Hinterlands did little to reward them with shade, or continuously cool breezes. Mix that with the exertion of fighting off demons, and it left Cassandra with a much needed bout of release.

After making the suggestion they stop to set up camp near the Upper Lake, wholeheartedly expecting no one else to take the same train of thought and utilize the lake relatively close by. Not that the hazel eyed woman had paid too much attention after claiming a tent for herself, already feeling the after effects from battle wearing her down, both physically and mentally. With the added sexual frustration that had been building up for months now, it was a wonder how Cassandra didn't end up punching every little thing that disturbed her in any sense (although Varric was always an option).

Retrieving a a dry wrap and her sword, Cassandra abandoned her shield within her tent to make her way up the hill to the lake above. Little to her knowledge, Einar had beaten her to it - and it wasn't until the warrior stripped behind a tree and a few shapely rocks that the thirty five year old took any notice to the Dwarf. Instantly, her eyebrows pinched together in annoyance, and a scoff barely released from the back of her throat. At first, as she leaned her weight into the rock in front of her, barely taking note that it covered little of her exposed chest, her anger almost took control and she damn near blew her cover. But the longer her eyes peered towards the Dwarf, the more her thighs started to slightly shift against one another.

He had always made his interest known - at least, from the types of conversations she'd catch herself falling into with him, that's the impression he gave. But the former Right Hand had never allowed herself to invest heavily into the topics.. or him, for that matter. Despite her abrasive refusals, or obvious remarks about keeping a solid focus on the Inquisition and its progress - not what was between the Inquisitor's legs - it didn't stop her from tossing at night in her cot, alone, with nothing but the blacksmith anvils below her loft to keep her warm. In fact, the more she tried to escape his gaze, the more she felt herself yearning for it to land on her.

Moments passed, and the warrior couldn't separate her eyes from the sight in front of them. It took all of her strength to inhale as deep as possible through her nose and hold the breath as Cassandra forced her way from behind the structures. Coyly, the woman acted as though she hadn't seen him, knowing full well that she could use the nearby waterfall as an excuse for her senses being 'delayed'. As she slowly made her way to the water's edge, and descended within the cool liquid, the breath he warrior had been holding escaped in a slightly shocked groan. The temperature difference on her womanhood was enough to make her teeth suck in her bottom lip, and without thinking, her hazel eyes instantly shifted to lock onto the Dwarf she'd been intent on pretending to wasn't there. "Dammit.."​

 

[Rivine]

The long day had worn on the former mercenary turned Inquisitor, the efforts of sealing rifts and battling the Fade spawned horrors that came through them was beginning to wear on him. Einar had lived on the surface for over thirty years and had seen his fair share of combat since then and before he left the Stone. He had fought battles against darkspawn in the Deep Roads, Orlesian chevaliers to help Ferelden gain it's independence, Templars to help mages that had hired him escape from the Kirkwall Circle and more. But none of those battles had prepared him for the duty that he now found thrust upon him. Every moment of every day the pain of the Anchor was there, throbbing, reminding him of his "duty" to the world. Sure the Anchor was no longer killing him, but it had forced him into a position of servitude more or less. Needless to say, Einar was slightly bitter about the situation, but what was a dwarf to do? He had not shared those feelings with any of his companions, instead opting to exude a sense of determination and stoic resolve. But in his heart of hearts he often wondered what he had done to deserve the wrath of the gods and the Stone, to be cursed and called Inquisitor.

Such thoughts had flown through Einar's mind briefly as he and his companions settled into the camp near the Upper Lake, but he had pushed them away. The day had been hard enough and he realized that he should not allow himself to wallow in feelings of self doubt and pity. The dwarf had quickly claimed a tent that was further toward the edge of the camp, preferring a bit of solitude for the time being. There he had set about removing Inquisition scout armor that he preferred to wear. If he had learned one thing as his years as a mercenary it had been that a leader should not think himself above those he lead, so he wore the armor of the soldiers he commanded, or at least it appeared to be the same. In truth the armor had been altered a fair bit, having had magically enhancements worked into the metal and fabrics that the armor was composed of. The armor had kept Einar safe so far and had helped to endear him to the troops under his command. But as he peeled it off of himself all he could do at the time was sigh, thankful to be free of it's weight for a time. His body was covered in sweat and a bit of blood, his undercoat saturated through with it. He had been wounded more than a few times that day, but the magical mending talents of Vivienne had worked wonders, as was usual. Setting his armor aside the Inquisitor took a moment to stretch, then quickly stripped down to only his underclothes.

Einar's gaze briefly went then to the weapons that he had carried into the tent with him; a sword known as a falcata that was favored by many in Antiva, two throwing axes and a blade of evlen make that craved blood, or at least it seemed to. He considered them, then went over and grabbed his two throwing axes, wanting to not be entirely without some form of protection where he was going. Thus armed and barely clothed, the Inquisitor slipped out the back of his tent and made his way up towards the lake without alerting anyone to his departure.

The dwarf made his way up to the lake, stripping entirely by the shore and leaving his weapons near a couple of boulders with his clothes. As he slipped into the water a content sigh escaped him. The water was cool and refreshing, exactly what Einar needed. He dove under for a moment, then popped up, loving the feel of the water sliding through his copper blond hair and close cropped beard. He was enjoying himself so much that he almost did not notice the arrival of a certain brunette Navarran. He initially caught sight of her out of the corner of his eye as she leaned against the rocks, but he pretended not to notice. Instead, curious to see what she would do, he moved over to a shallower part of the lake so he was only waist deep. He reached up then, pretending to stretch. Einar was still doing so when she slipped out from behind the rocks... naked. His blue-green eyes widened for a moment as he watched her discreetly, already feeling a stirring down below. He turned his gaze forward for a moment, wondering what game she was playing, doing his best to pretend she was not there.

However the perfect opportunity presented itself as he heard her cuss. Acting startled, Einar turned quickly, then paused, smiling. "Well, I was not expecting company... but I certainly don't mind!" the dwarf declared in his deep, mellow voice. Grinning he let his eyes drink in the sight of her for a moment before he took a step towards her. "It has been a long day and I think we could both use a little distraction from our worries. Don't you Cassandra?"

 

[cyx.]

If anything, pride was definitely something Cassandra held in high regard - whether she liked to admit it or not. And it was that very pride that had kept the warrior from turning on her heels the moment she'd seen the Inquisitor already taking up a small portion within the water (the dried blood, dirt, and sweat was definitely enough to make washing up worth almost any situation, as well). But as the Navarran began to descend into the water, seeing him in such a closer proximity - the water droplets that clung to ever muscle clear as day with the help of the setting sun, clinging from his chest down to the muscle-lines that disappeared beneath the water's surface.. Her pride was nearly stuffed away, and the woman had a trace of a thought to turn around to walk away.

But she didn't. How could she, when the sight of those beads of water scoping against Einar's skin made her fingernails jealous?

"Well, I was not expecting company... but I certainly don't mind!" Immediately, the brunette's eyebrows pinched together in obvious annoyance, teeth gritting together at his reaction to her 'sudden' appearance. The warrior's arms came to cross over her chest, hazel eyes narrowing dangerously as the Dwarf took a bold step towards her, clearly able to see when his own orbs dipped from her own, and drank in her exposed figure. A notion that caused her to re-grip her lower lip with her teeth momentarily in hopes that it would subside the flush she had felt crawling over her cheeks. An action that in a matter of seconds, was completely useless to have attempted to hide, given the Dwarf's next string of words - distraction ringing over and over again in her eardrums.

"From my worries?" Cassandra asked, her tone uneven, despite her attempts to keep it her normal abrasive pitch. "Are you supposed to be this distraction, Einar?" Fiery gaze narrowing further, the woman's head tilted slightly to the side, allowing her eyes to dip from his own to slide down his beard, to his chest, until the water claimed most visibility of his body. Slowly, her orbs lifted once more, and as they caught hold of his own gaze, it took all her strength to maintain what little composure she still had. "From the look of you, you've already taken a fair beating today.." was all the brunette could manage to push from the back of her throat, a soft hint in her words that if they were to partake in what he was implying, it wouldn't be a supple, relaxing encounter. "Vivienne's magic is only capable of healing so much."

Releasing her arms crossed stance over her chest, Cassandra's weight shifted within the water, taking a confident step forward. The woman's eyes remained boring into Einar's (Maker only knew that if they crept any lower for a third time, they'd never return back to his gaze) as she moved, a delicate hand coming to rest on the Inquisitor's chest to help shift him out of her way - a motion that the warrior hadn't calculated nearly enough before doing so. The plan had been to push forward, to shuffle past Einar's body to a close proximity, but continue on her way towards the waterfall to initiate her washing. But as her palm enclosed with the man's skin, it was almost as though a torch was set along the insides of her thighs once more, even with the cooling temperature of the water against them. Instantly, what had initially started as a sure movement faltered, and the woman's nails bit into the Dwarf's skin, drawing him closer rather than away. If the flicker in her eyes hadn't been enough to indicate what just touching him had caused to stir within her, her next movements surely would.

In one foul swoop, the remaining hand lifted to grip the man by his beard - abruptly, of course, but not enough to cause him any real pain - and crashed her eagerly waiting lips to his own, quickly dissolving the distance between their naked bodies.​

 

[Rivine]

A confident smile remained fixed upon Einar's lips as he drank in the sight of the woman before him once more. She really was a fine specimen, her body honed by years of combat, yet supple and soft in the places that mattered. He could see where the royal breeding had paid off for sure! He had caught a small glimpse of her here and there over the months they had been together, but never had he been able to see so much. Einar flirted with a fair number of the women around him, but there had always been something about Cassandra, an allure that he could not resist, something hidden that he wanted to discover, and yet he felt that he had not found it. Her physical beauty was as glorious as he had imagined, but he thought there was still more to it.

The color that came to her cheeks as a result of his words did not go unnoticed by the dwarf. No, rather the sight of the blush sent an excited thrill through him. Knowing that he could elicit such a response from the Seeker spoke volumes, at least in Einar's mind. Cassandra had always been a hard ass, since the day he had met her, no nonsense, cold, perhaps a bit brooding. But over time she had seemed to warm to him, even occasionally allowing the hint of a smile at some of his not so lewd comments to her. This however, the unrestrained blushing, this was a big step! Well that and the fact that the Seeker was standing there stark naked in front of him!

"From my worries?"

"Are you supposed to be this distraction, Einar?"

The two questions initially elicited a shrug from Einar. He was used to her brushing him off, so he was not about to back down. "And why not Cassandra? Have you had better offers?" the dwarf countered. Continuing forward a bit he placed his hands on his waist, looking up at her slightly. Though he was a dwarf he was quite tall and barely had to gaze up at Cassandra, so he still cut a somewhat imposing figure, at least in his own mind. Thus posed, looking every bit the well muscled warrior that he was, Einar added, "I certainly haven't found a female so deserving of my... skills."

"From the look of you, you've already taken a fair beating today... Vivienne's magic is only capable of healing so much."

A snort issued forth from Einar when he heard that line of shit. He rolled his eyes and stepped forward again, closing the distance between them. "Cassandra, you talk a tough game, but I have handled women that could put you in your place five times over," he retorted, his tone challenging and a smirk on his lips. He knew how much she loved a good challenge! Einar then started to go on, "Id bet you that I could hump you...

His words faded to nothingness as she moved towards him. Einar braced himself slightly as she reached out, touching him. He had been fully expecting to be shoved, pushed aside, but instead found her... well doing something entirely else. The dwarf was confused for a moment and had just opened his mouth to speak once more when he found his beard being grabbed and her lips being forced upon his. His eyes went wide for a second as his mind tried to catch up.

What jolted him back to the moment was the feel of her body pressing against his. A low growl reverberated in his barrel chest and he surged forward, pressing himself to her as his thick arms wrapped around her. The dwarf's lips pressed back to hers, dancing with them in a frantic waltz of need and lust. Stone help him but he had never dreamed that this would happen! Now that it was though, he was not about to let the opportunity pass. As one hand rested at her lower back, pulling her against him, the other gracefully slid down and took hold of her left ass cheek, squeezing it rather vulgarly as they kissed.

 

[cyx.]

If there was one thing that Cassandra Pentaghast took pride in, it was the fact that not many things could make her falter; on the outside, at least. The talent she had in keeping her composure was one that had granted her the many titles she now sported to this day; without her restraint, or sometimes lack there of, Cassandra knew she wouldn't have made it as far as reaching the late Divine's right hand. That grace, posture, and stubbornness had been harnessed her entire life, molding it into a weapon or a shield that would aid her in any situation. No matter what she faced, there wasn't even a flicker of doubt that would flash within her pupils, and the warrior would charge at whatever obstacle stood in her way.

But Einar..

Since the day she'd met this Dwarf, she knew there was something about him.. something she couldn't anticipate one hundred percent. He had an unpredictable air about him that caused her chest to tighten within her armor; nothing like any other dwarf, or man, she'd come across before. It gave the Seeker reason to pause, to take a few more extra cautious moments to try and calculate her next course of action.. and she couldn't remember the last time anyone had made her feel as though she had to walk on egg shells. But every time she paused to evaluate the situation, Einar would take off in another, completely throwing her off balance, and sending her through another loop of sexual tension, and frustration. It was enough to make the thirty five year old grit her teeth in annoyance.

"Cassandra, you talk a tough game, but I have handled women that could put you in your place five times over," Immediately as the Dwarf stepped forward with that challenge, the pinch between her furrowed eyebrows intensified - if that were even possible - and the glare that had taken hold of her orbs was now amplified even further in Einar's direction. If there was one thing that the Pentaghast hated the most in this world, it was getting told she wasn't good enough in any sense of the word. It didn't matter if what they said held any factual truth.. it was the simple basis of being told that someone, or something, was better than her. He hadn't even needed to use the tone he had for the woman to see it as a challenge to be accepted, and between the infuriating and arousing mix boiling within the pit of her stomach, the leash Cassandra had been keeping on a tight restrain was released.

The moment the Seeker had pulled him into the kiss, an non-tamable fire erupted in the pit of her stomach. To entice her mood more, Einar's growl had vibrated well into the kiss, causing goosebumps to flutter along every inch of exposed skin above the water's surface, echoing within the canal of her mind, over and over again. Never had she heard him so primal before; and the Right Hand found herself wondering what other types of noises she could force to erupt out of the man before her. Battle cries were nothing in comparison to the growl she had missed out on completely hearing, and you could bet your ass that the seventy-eighth in line for the Nevarran throne was dead set on achieving more. Much more.

Molding their bodies nearly together, Cassandra's breathing was quickly growing in speed, causing her breasts to heave firmly into the Dwarf in front of her. A surprised moan pressed in between the kiss as she felt Einar's firm grip slip to her ass, the motion causing her hips to slightly jerk against him in retaliation. The woman's teeth came to grip the Dwarf's lower lip, jerking it roughly for a moment before abruptly releasing it. Catching her breath, hazel orbs came to rest on Einar's; ever sense of the previous glare she had been sending his way was now replaced with lust, and it was amplified nearly five times the emotion. Dipping her lips to man's jawline, her teeth occasionally nipped along his skin, distracting his senses while her hands started to ease their position closer to the edge of the lake, seeking shallower water.

Satisfied with the level of water they were currently in now, Cassandra dropped to her knees with an urgent sense of duty, ignoring the rocks that greeted her knees with a painful jab from the pressure, her mind already focusing on the sight before her. Pressing more hungry, impatient kisses along the man's V-line, her tongue caressed his skin teasingly, just as the woman's right hand gripped securely around the Dwarf's base. The moment her hand encased around his manhood, the warrior had to grip her lower lip between her teeth to withhold the groan it nearly caused to erupt. It'd been quite some time since Cassandra had been this close to a member of the opposite sex, and the warrior didn't want to make it so obvious.

But the eagerness in which the woman's red lips encircled the man's head might've given her away. Especially when her tongue started to drag along his foreskin in a matter of seconds, barely having a chance to taste what little she could of him from his pre-juices. Gripping either side of Einar's hips, the warrior sucked her cheeks in as tightly as possible against the man's girth as the thirty five year old eased his length further into the canal of her waiting, warm mouth.​