• Graded • In Silence

[Elyna]

106 Ashan 716

The day had been…memorable. Elyna felt her cheeks burning as she sat on the window ledge. Her legs tucked up and on the cill as she lent against the window, using the last of the daylight as it twisted through the panes. She was part obscured from the room by the curtains and a strip of linen was wound carefully around her left hand. In her right hand was a needle and blue thread.

Her cheeks burnt with those memories and she ducked her head, hair falling like a sheet to either side and tried to focus on the running stich that looped down the edge of the fabric, taming the edges that threatened to fray. They’d come together in exquisite passion and she’d made a determined attempt to learn all the places on Malcolms’ skin that made him burn. At some point, the stew he’d made the night before had been rediscovered and devoured. She’d never known hunger like it.

The needle slid beneath the fabric, peeking through a few fibres later. She pulled it through, knotting it on the back, circling back around before the stiches then starting fanning out in even lines. Her knot became the centre of a blue flower, the fanning lines the petals. This was her retreat, her only escape from the large physicality of her chosen vocation. Usually it settled her heart rate and helped her head to clear. But every quick glance through the curtain at the man, sleeping on the bed, was enough to quicken her heart rate again.

The bowls of stew were still abandoned on the kitchen floor. She’d teased him about his cooking and he had taken her by surprise, pulling her up from where she’d sat on the chair and into another endless kiss. Elyna closed her eyes and tilted her head back in the final warm rays. She remembered, vividly the sensation of his mouth moving over her throat, being lifted onto the table top, shirt hitched up around her waist and pulled in bunches. Heat rose up the curve of her neck and she let out a sigh of remembered pleasure. It had been a good day. When had they spent themselves? How had they ended up back here, in Malcolms bedroom? The details were fuzzy, a delicious hangover of passion; because they didn’t matter. Her heart, body and soul had been utterly claimed. She lent out from her nook once more to peer at him before hiding once more.

She traced the line of pale embroidery with a fingertip and started anew. The questions long quelled in breathless adventure were slipping back into her thoughts as her mind cleared. What had Malcolm told her? What hadn’t he told her? The needle slipped and poked into her finger, she swore beneath her breathe and lifted the digit to her mouth, licking the tiny speck of blood away. What was it about needle wounds, they stung so badly, but they stopped bleeding so quick?

The skyrider still couldn’t believe he hadn’t gone on Patrol, what would Ben and Heath had said? Would the whole world know? Did it matter?

[Elyna]

Although the Skyrider had finally dozed alongside the captain, Elyna woken. Afterall, she’d spent most of the past trials asleep. So it was even after their busy day that she’d pulled on the nearest shirt, realising too late that it belonged to the dark-haired man. But it was longer than her own and provided more modesty. She’d collected her sewing gear and settled. The line of tiny blue flowers on the strip of linen was complete, so she re-threaded the needle with a soft jade. The needle flashed through the fabric as leaves started taking shape beneath her fingers before suddenly the thread tangled and knotted. She tried to unpick the worst with the tip of the metal implement but with the light fading, set the work aside on the window cill.

Stretching she stood then planted her hands on her hips, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. She was quickly learning that either Malcolm was as exhausted as she had been, or that he could sleep forever. Carefully she pulled the covers over him, to keep him warm.

It was then she dressed back in her own clothes and slid her feet into her boots. She had to pause as a wave of weakness washed over her, but she fastened them and slipped out of the room, through the growing darkness and out the door.
She returned a half break later with bread, and some shredded, roasted meat wrapped in linen cloth. She set the wears down on the table, collected the bowls that had been in disarray and set them to oneside in the kitchen. Finally, she knelt before the fireplace, brushing out the ash and soot so that she could lay fresh kindling and lit it. Her fingers were cold and she struggled to grip the flint block, but never the less, a warm flame licked over the wood and started to burn.

It was odd, to be carrying out the small domestic tasks in someone else’s home. Even now, she half-expected Vanessa to come sweeping in with a pile of books, and guilt tugged at her. She crouched in front of the fire, willing the larger logs to catch and burn. This was the woman’s home, no doubt, and she Elyna had spent the day in reckless abandon with her husband…and she didn’t feel nearly as guilty about it as she should.

[Malcolm]

Malcolm awoke to a warm house and the smell of fresh bread, to his knowledge, there was no better combination, the promise of a feast to come coaxing a smile from his sleep numbed features. The tall mortalborn stretched and rubbed his eyes with closed fists, the crisp, white sheets pulled down to his bare belly, exposing him to the pleasant temperate of the air. He closed his eyes and twisted a dark curl of hair about his finger, savouring the sensation of waking up after a good sleep, muscles still burning with the day's activity. As he rolled to lie on his stomach on the cool sheets Elyna had long abandoned, he wrapped his arm under her pillow and found there the lingering, enticing smell of her hair and caught himself smiling again. Malcolm had known love, but this was something else... complete and utter intoxication.
Up and dressed in a pair of pants that hung dangerous low on his hips, Malcolm followed the clues of Elyna's movements, taking up his shirt from the end of the bed to slip into before he closed the curtain she had pulled open to sit on the windowsill, and with this action would trap some heat in the house for the night to come. It was then he went downstairs in search of the noble woman to seek out a kiss, something he greeted her with. His fingers went through her hair to rest against the back of her neck, kissing Elyna until he was ashamed of his own lack of willpower around her and drew back. "You went out," Malcolm pointed his gaze at the food on the table and took a seat to slice into the bread, carving up enough for the two of them to close the meat in and devour.
As Elyna moved to join him, he took her hand, abandoning the knife, and pulled her against him so that she was all but forced to fall in his lap. Malcolm put his arms around the Skyrider to lace his together against her hip while with his mouth he left a slow, burning trail of kisses across her collar, up her neck, and over her jaw to the ear where he whispered something affectionate, but distasteful, and let her go. The captain sandwiched a piece of pulled meat in a folded slice of bread and torn a chunk out of it before chewing, watching Elyna with a hunger that food wouldn't satisfy. What had she brought out of him in the day that had raced by too quickly? Malcolm hardly knew himself now, the transformation from placid dog to grizzly bear almost frightening.
It wasn't long before a few sobering thoughts that came with wakefulness settled in the back of his mind and eventually found voice on his tongue. "That letter," he pointed with a glance to the folded letter on the floor that had been discarded quickly during one of their feisty romps, "is a summons to Krom to sign away my noble title," Malcolm smiled then as if to say 'can you imagine, a man like Vaughn carrying the title of baron?'. "I will have to leave towards the end of Ashan, and these visits are never quick ones."

[Elyna]

She was pleased to get the fire going and had rested then, watching the flames grow and listening to the sounds of movement upstairs. The endless smile pulled at the corner of her mouth and she turned to greet Malcolm, only to be swept up in his arms once more. Her mouth tingled, lips swollen by the time he withdrew and she rested a hand on the table to steadier herself. Her gaze followed his down to the food. Was it a rebuke? She wondered distantly, before setting the comment aside as simply a comment; a statement of fact. It was shameful really, how he’d reduced her to this, heart quickening in her chest, as though there wasn’t enough air in the room anymore.

The skyrider laughed, settling on his lap before he stole that from her as well, leaving her breathless and giddy. Her nails dragging gently over his shirt. Surely, neither of them had the energy to carry on… To ensure they both ate something, she pressed a kiss to his cheek and returned to the chair opposite. Still she saw desire burning his features and felt the echo in her own eyes. The young woman reached out, pulling thin strips of meat aside to eat, licking her fingers to clean them before reaching for the bread and tearing it into small pieces before eating.

Malcolm mentioned the letter and she made as though to reach for it, thinking he wanted it passed; until the sentence followed and her actions paused. She pulled her outstretched hand back, regarding the missive as though it were a poison blade or spider. She didn’t want to touch it.

Elyna lent back against the chair and fixed her eyes on his shoulder, she pulled the chunk of bread in half again before eating, taking care because it had lost its taste and turned to sawdust against her tongue. The questions lined up and were dismissed just as quickly. How would he travel, surely not alone? As nobility, or as Captain? Would he take the usual crew? Was Vanessa there? Elyna had read so much that his wife had left, but had only assumed she had returned to her holdings. She swallowed the lump in her throat along with the unspoken words. The skyrider had no right to question him. In the eyes of the world, the law, nobility, society – he was visiting his wife. Who was she to ask questions? A silly girl who’d spent the day in his bed. She wet her lips, knowing that she had to say something but unable to work out what.

She would worry about his journey as well, it wasn’t as if he could write to her. That she could know he’d arrived safely. It would hardly be appropriate.

The look he’d given her, half-teasing. Elyna offered a smile in return but the warmth had dimmed, “I’m sure they’ll all be glad to see you,” it was friendly and it was a polite response. It was safe.

A final question burnt the back of her throat and was voiced, “is that what Ben meant?” Her brows knit together in a small frown as she tried to remember the words that had bothered her, “that I’d gone back to Burhan, because you’re summoned to Krom?”

[Malcolm]

"I will be glad to go and see my sons," the man admitted, he hadn't noticed the subtle change in Elyna's mood or that she was being polite rather than speaking mind. "Marcus seldom takes any time away from his work with the navy and I often wonder how he is doing." Malcolm took another bite of his sandwich then, forced to smile at the sight of Elyna's own grin. She inquired about something Benjamin had said and for a time, the captain sat thinking about what that might have been, but kept coming back to his investigation regarding Yoreth.
He finished the food he had been holding and sat back in his chair, working a piece of meat out of his teeth with the tip of his tongue before he spoke up. "I'm not sure, I don't think he knows anything about my trip to Krom, he helped me recently with an investigation but I don't recall bringing up anything about the trip... It's possible I mentioned it in passing, I will need him to assume the role as leader if I am to take some time off." Malcolm was happy to speak openly about the trip to Elyna, but he was less likely to let his unit know too much about his personal life. "I will probably travel with another team on patrol to the bridge and make my way to Krom from there."
As he wedged some meat into another slice of bread, he thought about the burning question he meant to ask Elyna and finally found the courage to do so. "Do you intend to visit your parents in Burhan, perhaps we can plan our travels around about the same time, from Krom I could take a boat to Burhan and accompany you home to Andaris."

[Elyna]

Elyna felt some of the warmth of Malcolm's expression melting the sudden ice around her own heart and her smile extended. He loved his sons, that much was obvious. Marcus reminded her again of Edmund and she felt a twist of longing for the soured relationship with her brother. If he and Marcus sailed together, was it possible he too would be ashore for the end of Ashan. Elyna wasn't sure if the idea made a trip to Burhan more or less appealing. Her ancestral home was caught up with the past, and Yoreth. After the day spent with Malcolm, it wasn't something she wanted to think too hard about.

Sat here, discussing Malcolm's grown children, it was impossible not to be transported back to the day they had met. The tall man before her had been a stranger, and his wife had earnestly hoped that she, Elyna would marry Vaughn. She set the last scraps of bread she had shredded aside, appetite lost.

"Mal... I'm an unmarried noble woman," She looked up at him, running her tongue over her top lip, "what do you think happens if I go back to Burhan?" She let out a slow breath and extended a hand, drawing her fingers over the table, "they've let me be the last few arcs... I think because they realised something had happened, but if I go back... I'm a daughter in need of a husband," she forced herself to lift her gaze again, but it hurt to stare into those green eyes that had so often that day been drunk with desire and passion, "I don't want to go back to Burhan. My mother has far less chance to find me a match if I stay absent. For as long as I can," she found it impossible to hold his gaze any longer and collected the scrap of bread up once more, turning it over in her fingers, "who knows," she grimaced, "maybe they'll decide Marcus will be a better match for me. I'm sure my mother much rather try match me with a Baron."

He had half answered her question about Ben, but at the same time said more in one go than she had often heard him speak. Something was off with his response but she let it go. It didn't make sense though, why would Ben say it about an investigation, unless she had been involved in it? Was it information about the dead man on the steps? But then, why would such details prompt her to return to Burhan? She studied The captain from beneath her lashes, feeling the tension rising again. How quickly they spun from idyllic bliss to unease...they had tried to shut the world away, but it was inescapable.

[Malcolm]

He hadn't considered it in depth, the reasons why Elyna had remained an unmarried woman, she was brave, witty, incredibly attractive, and seemed to know what she wanted from life. Malcolm perhaps had been selfish in pursuing her like he had, and after such a wonderful, and quite frankly invigorating day, he didn't want to dwell on the thought of possibly having to give her up, not on the same day he felt they had finally experienced how intimate their connection could be. Still, the noble woman had a point, she was twenty five now, she could have been married ten years already by Rynmere law, and he was sure her parents were eager to set her up, in fact he knew this to be so for they had pushed for a binding with Malcolm's youngest son Vaughn as much as his wife Vanessa had.
What could he say? It was far too early in their relationship to profess his undying love, besides, that's not the kind of man Malcolm was, for the captain, actions had always said more than word, and he was a man of action. Things were tricky, even if Vanessa were to pass, something he didn't hope for anytime soon but the only way to escape a marriage in Rynmere, he couldn't see himself married to Elyna and raising children for the next twenty years as her family would then expect. However, the woman wasn't just a bit of fun on the side, he wanted to build a life with her which was why he had proposed they move in together, but perhaps that too was just a lovely dream. "What do you want?" He finally asked, but often women didn't know until they had it or had given it up.
Elyna wanted to be a Skyrider, he knew that much, but as a noble and one of the first of her line, she had certain responsibilities to live up to. He tried to imagine her married to his son Marcus and a twinge of envy tightened his jaw, any man would be lucky to have her. "I still think it's important you see them before news of you recent poisoning races you home." Could she imagine it, he wondered? They would probably send a hired team of guards to travel to Andaris and collect her.

[Elyna]

The captains extended silence spoke volumes, unable to remain seated as he formed his own response Elyna crossed the room to stoke the fire and caught a candle alight, returning it to a holder on the far side of the room, pushing back the last of the shadows. The lighting was dim but soothing, gentle in its quiet reach. Night had fallen outside and the city was its usual mess of soft sounds, punctuated by occasional outbursts.

What do you want? The answer rose unbidden and automatic and she looked across at the dark-haired man, unable to disguise the longing in her expression. Surely, after the day they’d shared, that much was obvious. She wanted Malcolm. She, like everyone else in the world, wanted to be loved and simply to be. About to answer she was censored by his continued insistence that she go home. It stung. The young woman lent back against the stone wall, neck arched as she studied the floor.

Why would he keep pushing, even now he knew part of the reasons behind her reluctance? Did he want her parents to arrange a marriage for her with some noble lord? Did he want a line drawn under their time together, now that he’d had his fill? She drew her fingertips over her cheek and down her jaw.

In the trials since he’d told him Yoreth’s betrayal was deeper than she could ever has suspected, that her former lover might still be very much alive, she’d spent time picking through the carcass of her memory. They’d made so many plans to step out from the shadows, she could even remember his eagerness to approach her family and brother particular, but for one reason or another, they had never come to fruition. They were delayed, cancelled, she was encouraged to apply her energy to her promotion in the Skyriders, his trip overseas took longer than it should have and the scant time they’d had together, there had been little time to dwell on the future. Looking back, Elyna realised now that the brevity of their meetings had been deliberate. She had been satisfied in his devotion without need or opportunity for things to be furthered, only day dreams to conjure in his many absences.

But Malcolm was not Yoreth. What did she want? She wanted to be a skyrider. Her heart belonged in the skies, working to protect the people below. Even a marriage couldn’t prevent that. But she wasn’t willing to give Malcolm up.

Elyna fixed her eyes on his and approached. She wouldn’t think of him in the same terms as Yoreth. She felt deflated by his insistence she return home to Burhan, but she would believe that his intentions were good. This was not the day to seek out shadows were there were none. Elyna bowed to press a kiss to his cheek, his stubble crazing the soft skin of her own face, “I just want to be…” she nudged the side of his nose with her own and made a bolder move, settling to sit astride him, leaving her wrists balanced on his shoulders. Her thumbs moved gently against the back of his neck. She studied his expression carefully, “I’ll go back to Burhan…and I’ll see you when we’re both returned to Andaris?” She raised a brow in question. It was difficult to keep her tone even, because she felt fear turning slowly, like a hurricane trying to gather speed.

It was better that he didn’t travel with her. How could they sail together, in such close proximity without anyone noticing and reporting straight back to her family, or his?

Elyna wouldn’t ask him what he wanted in turn, she had a feeling that no matter the answer, it couldn’t dispel the sinking feeling in her bones; and she wasn’t yet ready to give up their day, even if it was night.

[Malcolm]

Elyna didn’t want to go home and Malcolm wouldn’t push the subject anymore, he did not think her a child in need of reminding, but knew the importance of family, or at least how significant his was to him; she couldn’t hide in the city forever and deep down he was sure Elyna knew that. As the noble woman moved bravely to sit with the man, he put his arms around her loosely, his hands finding the small of her back where fingers unravelled the back of the woman’s shirt from the constraints of her trousers to press warm hands to smooth skin.
“Something to look forward to,” he smiled, the thought of returning home to her would make the trip seem shorter than it was to be. He planned to leave for Krom in just under nine days’ time and would return early in the following season of Ymiden, hopefully before the tenth. “Then we will find a place, just for us,” the captain leaned in and closed his teeth against Elyna’s neck in no more than an affectionate nip.

Malcolm, for a time, was content just to sit and drink in the sight of the exquisite creature before him, did she know how beautiful she was, he wondered; had he ever told her? “I have a history class to teach in the morning,” he admitted, though doubted he would be able to sleep anytime soon. With that, Malcolm got to his feet to take up the candle and lead Elyna upstairs where he would continue to get to know her by candlelight until one or both of them passed out from exhaustion.

[Vluharqih]

Rewards

Elyna

Skills
Sewing +2
Business Management +1
Deception +1
Detection +1
Tactics +1
Persuasion +1
Rhetoric +2
Basic Knowledge
The calming effect of Embroidery
Injuries: Needles hurt!
Stew: Good refuel food
Specific Knowledge
Malcolm: Will be returning to Krom
Malcolm: Isn't Yoreth
Adultery: Less guilt than expected
Rewards/Injuries
None

Malcolm

Skills
Seduction +2
Deception +1
Persuasion +2
Investigation +1
Rhetoric +2
Detection +1
Basic Knowledge
Stew makes a good refuel
Closing curtains keeps in heat
Specific Knowledge
Elyna: Eligible Bachlorette
Elyna: Doesn't want to go home
Elyna: Surprisingly good Homemaker
Elyna: Wants to stay a Skyrider

Rewards/Injuries
None



Remarks:
Hey there guys, great job on the thread. I really liked the atmosphere you set up in the first few posts, of the lazy feeling after they'd just spent hours together. I thought you did a good job of slowly sinking into their half-argument, and the feeling both had of helplessness and nervousness. I found it kind of funny that Malcolm was completely oblivious to Elyna growing cold. I look forward to reading more of your threads!