[Mara] Mara heard Carriac, asking if the wagon was on fire and she glanced back at Traveler. "Did he just say that the wagon's on fire?" Quickly jumping down before Traveler could answer her, she ran back behind the wagon, in search for smoke. Not finding any, she threw her arms up in the air, before pulling the door open. Standing there with both hands on her hips, she waited for Carriac to step out. And when he didn't step out right away, she went in after him. "What's this? I don't smell any smoke. And where's the fire? You had better not have caught my bed on fire, or me and you are going to go around." Pushing Carriac to one side, Mara went about inspecting her bed for any burn marks. Not finding any, she turned to catch Carriac looking at her. With a big smile she slowly turned. [Carriac] He couldn't help but stare as Mara barged into the wagon. An image came to Carriac's mind - that of a large horned bull in a china store. She moved with such passion, not really thinking about the consequences of her actions until she was knee deep in broken crystal. It was so very elvish of her. Somewhere along the road of life, he had lost that wild abandon so common in the wood elves of his homeland. He missed it. At times he wished it would return. Times like this. By the spirits, she was beautiful. [Mara] We're near a town called Riverport. I want to stop and shop, but Traveler won't let me. But I know you will," and she ran a finger up and down Carriac's chest. "I think we'll need some more supplies too. All that's left in the bag is a bunch of beef jerky," and she curled up her nose. "I have a few coppers left. Do you think we can find a bakery? I have a craving for those sweet rolls that we saw back at the market," and she bit her lip before turning away. [Carriac] As her finger touched him, Carriac's heart began to pound. So loud was its beating in his ears that he missed exactly what it was she said she wanted in town. It didn't matter. At that moment, he would have given her anything she desired. [Mara] "Come sit up front with me...Please? Travelers being a big grump, and he yelled at me too." Crossing her arms, she started to pout, when she felt the wagon lurching forward. Losing her balance, she stumbled into Carriac's arms. [Carriac] He reached out and caught her as she stumbled. The movement put his face within inches of hers. Her eyes were wide and she was breathing heavily. He could smell wildflowers in her hair. The scent was heady, almost intoxicating. [Mara] "We could just stay here..." [Carriac] His eyes drifted down to her lips, still partially open. He remembered the feel of them. They were so soft.... And then he was tasting them again. The kiss was tentative at first, light and delicate. A tingling sensation spread through Carriac's body - a sensation that turned to fire. The kiss became more passionate, almost insistent. Carriac savored the sensations: the pressure of her lips on his, the comforting weight of her in his arms. At that moment, nothing else mattered. [Mara] The kiss was unexpected, but Mara felt something that she had never felt before, and it felt good. Her arms slowly traced themselves around Carriac�s back as she pulled him into her more. Her lips became moist once again and she felt like she was falling. At long last she remembered that she had to breath and her lips slowly parted from his, though she was fighting it every step of the way. She felt light headed, and she opened her eyes as her mouth stayed half open, her voice refusing to talk, and her heart was racing in her chest. After what felt like days, she caught her breath and she whispered one word as she slowly licked her lips as her ears started to burn. �Wow!� [Carriac] And then the rational side of him pushed its way past his emotions and into his thoughts. How could he do this now? The events of the previous night wormed their way to the front of his mind. Carriac kissed Mara gently on the nose and released her, stepping back to regard her, his face flushed. He noticed the missing buttons on Mara's vest. "Whatever happened to your vest, Lirimaer? You're missing a few buttons." [Mara] Looking down past her beating heart, watching as her chest still rose and fell, she saw what Carriac was looking at and blushed. �I must have lost them last night...� and she bit her lip and looked up, adding, �in my sleep I think. The little Gnome pointed them out to me this morning. He thinks I might have snagged them on the edge of the bed there,� and she pointed to a splintered part of the bed. �I was going to ask you to repair that, but I forgot to...� and she licked her lips and smiled. Smiling up, she slowly started to slip away, as she pulled her fingers up to her lips and touched her lips. Turning back, she stared at Carriac but what seemed like forever, before pulling her hand down. �Carriac?� [Carriac] "A moment, Lirimaer." He reached out a hand and touched her vest. The remaining buttons fell into his hand and the buttonholes closed over, leaving the vest hanging free. "I like it better that way. Now, what was it you wanted to ask." [Mara] "How do you know...� and she bit her lip harder and blushed. �How do you know if you're in love with someone?� Taking a step up, she ran her fingers along Carriac�s cheek, before cupping his face. �What does it feel like? I...I�ve never been with anyone before...� and Mara dropped her hands and turned slowly away and walked to the door. [Carriac] The question hit Carriac like an exploding fireball. It took him a moment to process it. By that time, Mara had moved almost to the door. He hurried to stop her. The shaper caught Mara's shoulder before she could step out and turned her to face him. He stepped in close and took her face gently in his hands. "Love is wonderful, Lirimaer. There is no better way to describe it. Your brain is mush, your heart pounds, your soul is on fire - but it all feels wonderful." He kissed her again, ever so gently, his lips brushing lightly over hers. The fire within him blossomed into a pleasing warmth. He felt her tremble. "Think on _that_," he whispered, and released her, reluctantly, for the second time. [Mara] Mara turned when Carriac grabbed her shoulder and she looked back up, her eyes showing a hint of laughter as she stared into his. She felt everything that he was describing, and a few things he didn�t, such as shortness of breath, and her stomach suddenly feeling like it was being twisted into a knot, not to mention hearing her own blood boiling in her ears, as it rushed by. All this things and more went through her mind once again when he kissed her again. But this kiss was gentle, not like the first, but she still felt the same way as before. Was she truly cursed, or was this love? She was starting to get confused as she heard a voice in her head telling her to step away, that men only want one thing, her body, and her soul. Or both. �No,� she whispered as she dropped her head, looking down as her hands shook, before pulling themselves into tight fist. She stood there for a second or two, as she tried to brush away the tiny voice in her head, like so much dust. At long last the voice died away, and Mara sighed. She was beginning to think that the voice might have been true, but one look back up in Carriac�s eyes and she knew better. �We best see what Traveler is doing. Knowing him he would travel through the town without stopping, just to be mean.� Looking back, her eyes smiled as she stepped out. �Coming...� [Carriac] Carriac's eyes mirrored Mara's as he followed her out of the wagon. "Yeah. If we don't, Traveler's going to think we're plotting against him."
(to be continued...) |