The Tired Soul Returns...(Open)

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

TimeStamp: Winter of Era I of the brightening Carmelyana of the cycle 3 of the month Melora Era III of the Celestine Mandate Era XII Post Fractum in the Age of the Darkening

Opelya never thought she'd see this all to familiar place again, the memories she held of Alleria Prime for like the stains on the floor, faded, yet they still remained strong. Simply the smell of mead and sweat could bring them back to her as strongly as if she were there.

And now she was, stepping through the heavy wooden doors of the Crown, instinctively reaching down for an old dagger, hidden deep inside the boot she never quite recalled putting on that morning. Every extremity of her body held a certain numbness that was hard to shake off. The cool feeling of steel between her fingertips was never really felt, she only knew that she must have been holding something. And then she realized that they no longer asked for weapons. Of course things have changed, what’s the difference…put it back before anyone notices.

Opelya wanted to deaden her mind to the cold outside that had wrapped itself around her tighter then her corset was fastened about her stomach. Surely all she needed was food, and drink, and normalcy would once again return. But how long had it been that she held onto that hope? How long had it been since the very word was present in her vocabulary? Far too long…

Somehow she found her way through the crowd and noise towards an empty table at the back. And slowly she sat herself down onto a seat. Her body no longer liked her very much for depriving it of much needed rest, and therefore wasn’t working as well as it once had. A long stay in Prime would probably help to fix that. She waited for a waitress to notice her, and when one finally came over she ordered a simple meal of bread, cheese and ale. As empty as she was, food still held no appeal to her.

The strange dark elf watched the many faces around her, looking for something, or some one, as she was accustomed to doing lately. Wondering how she must seem to others. As tired as she appeared naturally enough, she was still a beautiful creature. Her deep red eyes never dulling, and her face being always pale didn't seem the worser for being even more so. But her black shawl still wrapped around her head, it was hard to see her face…and she liked it that way. Being noticed wasn’t something she desired above all else, she just wanted to observe as always.


ooc: sorry i know this is uber sucky, but I've been gone a while and I've gotten a bit rusty.

[Riconus Xind'ell]

With an entourage of two other men, clad in the same casual manner as himself, and only showing the smallest hint of possible hostility by the longswords sheathed to each man's waist, Riconus decided to get one last drink in before having to rearrange his mannerisms to fit the lifestyle of the winter ball that was soon to happen. He did not particularly dread having to attend, but it would be more of a business venture than a socializing event for he.

It was possible that no one would recognize him, as his hair had darkened significantly since his disappearance so long ago, and instead of garbing himself in the armor of a soldier, he rather sported far more comfortabtle wear, with a overcoat of light brown leather draped over his green tunic and black trousers. The collar on his coat remained unfolded, so that it might hide his thelyri gils where his hair didn't, but his pockets still remained heavy with the fortune that he had built in the mighty Kaldres House.

He didn't quite notice anyone as he surveyed the crowd with his icy blue eyes, only noting a pretty waitress here or there. The only thing he was able to catch amongst the patronage was a set of enchanting red eyes on a heavily draped woman... eyes that reminded him of a girl he would likely never see again. He quickly shook his head to regain composure, joining the conversation started by his two guardsmen, and sharing a laugh or two all the while.

With a pint in his hand from the waitress who passed by, he enjoyed the cold ale wash down his throat, for it would be the last time he would taste it for the next while; come tomorrow, it was red wine in which the only thing stronger would be the ambition of the nobilitas soon to surround him.

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

Opelya felt a slight chill as the door to the tavern was once again opened. Bloody alcoholics...can't they stop opening that bloody door! A person can't think.... She wasn't, of course going to allow the thought that maybe she too was an alcoholic pass through her slowly thawing mind. Admitting to that would be like admitting to being related to psychopaths, as well as being a little on the unbalanced side. Living with denial was something most well bred ladies learned at a young age. Not that she was really all that well bred to begin with.

As she looked up from her drink she saw a rather oddly familiar face. Could it really be? No…. he’d changed too much. He hadn’t seemed to really see her. Opelya couldn’t quite think of what to do besides stare at him for a time. She wasn’t sure of herself or how she must look to him.

Unrecognizable.

A flood of memories they’d never quite finished and so many “what could have been’s” filled her mind as she sipped her ale quietly in the corner. It hadn’t seemed right that it had ended so swiftly, when at the time she was actually doing okay for once. Now even if he knew her just to look at her, he wouldn’t know her mind. But no one really did to be truthful, not even she at times. Where once she might have been able to fake it long enough to get through a weekend, she know longer thought she could make it through an evening.

This is stupid…talk to him.

With a sigh she carefully unwrapped her shawl and laid it down on the table beside her now cooling meal. Her hair was hanging loose about her shoulders; slightly messy from the little care she had taken of it in the last few months. I can’t possibly bother him while he’s with his men. But she had to say something at some point, she couldn't simply let him slip through her fingers again.

Timing was simply everything....

She waved the waitress over. "I'd like to buy a drink for that man over there....strongest thing you have." With this she handed the waitress some more crowns and sent her off.

[Riconus Xind'ell]

Riconus was slightly startled by the waitress who approached him with glass of hard liquor, strong enough that the alcohol could be smelled almost as soon as she left the bar. He was somewhat apprehensive of who might be giving him a drink in a place as crowded as this, considering that no one knew he would be frequenting the Crown that darkening; few even knew that he was outside Lauryl province. It had not been too long after his disappearance into the Gracelands, and so, most all his prior connections and companions were oblivious to his existence.

One of Riconus' guards was the first to take a drink from the goblet, to ensure that it was not hampered in a way that might effect the Syl'rosyan's ability past that of normal alcohol. The burly barbari coughed slightly, rubbing his forehead from the near immediate headache.

"Strong as Aetheria sir, but ain't nuthin wrong with it."

"Who gave me this?" asked Riconus to the waitress, who subsequently pointed to the woman whose deep red eyes had caught his attention before. It was her...... by conspiracy of the gods, the two had met up once more, in the Empire's largest city. What fate was this, that he could again be in the company of the woman he had parted from against his will?

"Get our rooms." commanded Ric of his two guardsmen, taking the pouch of crowns their superior had laid on the table, and rushing off to the Crown's inn. They asked nothing, despite the fact that they had not planned to retire to their quarters until the early hours of the morn. The two men knew well enough that the order was done to get privacy, so they wasted no time in vacating.

Riconus, however, rose from his table to sit at the one currently occupied by the dark elf, her scruffled white hair not hiding the beauty that he remembered from so long ago. He hoped that she recognized him despite the change in his hair color, while he placed his glass on the table, taking a chair without asking; he assumed that his permission to sit was already granted. With a small grin on his face, still amazed that he returned to the presense of the elven maiden, he coined her name for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

"Opelya Kityre'veresi.. it has been too long, m'lady."

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

"My Lord Xind'ell indeed...it has been far to long..." Opelya smiled deeply and gave him her hand. "Riconus" She corrected herself softly, letting the name roll of her tongue in a strange way, as if she never thought she'd say it again. "I see you got the drink...I'm sorry I couldn't resist. The stuff you were drinking..." Here she sighed slightly, amused but not sure why. "Darling, it really just wouldn’t do." She grinned and took a drink from her cup.


The look she gave him was very singular, her dark crimson eyes giving him a once over after he was settled in a seat across from her. "My how you've changed. I wonder why, was it necessary love? Really was any of this necessary. You gave me quite an upset; in fact I don’t know how I’ve managed. I really should have never left Imperia, but I felt I had no other choice. And here you are now….as if a dream. I can’t imagine how this happened.” She said, sounding rather peculiar in her way. As if she were angry at something, just not him. Maybe it was the situation she found herself in. Or maybe it was the shock of seeing him after so long. It had certainly put her out of sorts. The look on her face was almost impenetrable, like a glass dolls. She hadn’t wanted to be mad at him. It wasn’t his fault.

Opelya tilted her head to the side, in a way she had always been want to do. Her eyes holding a hidden meaning in them.”Tell me, how have you been lately? Or what's on your mind? I wish to know everything sire.”

[Riconus Xind'ell]

He could almost feel himself melt inside at hearing her voice for the first time in ages. It clinged around him much the same way she did all that time ago in Imperia, almost inducing a sudden headache of emotions... or perhaps that was simply the strong alcohol that he was trying to consume. Nevertheless, he resisted the urge to grab hold of her, focusing his mind on respnding to her questions instead.

"Thank you for the drink, M'lady. You always had a knact for the strong variety of drinks."

Taking another sip, he continued.

"Was it necessary?... I'm not quite sure, although I can hardly say I regret it. The only thing I regret leaving you all that time ago.

I'm... I'm sorry, but I had personal complications that required my immediate attention."

He could see that she was mad at something, if not him, that much he had remembered for way back when. He nearly lost himself in her mysterious eyes once more, as she asked how he had been. Riconus could not help but wonder if it was appropriate, to tell Opelya that he was just as lost without her. Of coarse, he tried to move past her, drowning himself in his work in the hopes that he may forget... it was hardly even worth trying.

"Well M'lady, I've been quite alright recently. My recent promotion has given me much to worry about, but just as much to be thankful to the gods for. But..." he studdered, different opinions clashing in his head as to what he should really tell her. "But the truth is, that without you for so long, my life has fallen to ruins."

It wasn't like him to accept defeat so easily, but the most he could hope for is that she in some way felt the same. Not that he particularly imagined she would be so outright with her feelings, but it was at least worth a prayer to know what she was really thinking.

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

OOC: good lord two weeks....I'm sorry!!! I apologize if this is rushed. RL yu know...it's been crazy.


"But the truth is, that without you for so long, my life has fallen to ruins."

Opelya nearly fell to pieces when he finally admitted to this. They were the very words she had waited to hear all this time....that she wasn't simply some weak lovesick pup...that she wasn't alone in her feelings. She couldn't take her eyes off his, couldn't pull them away. It was as if she was stuck in slow motion and couldn't compose herself after that admission.

"Riconus..." A thin white hand reached out to find his and squeeze it tightly in her fingers. [COLOR=”DarkRed”]”My darling it’s been pure torment….wondering and worrying where you were and how you were….if you were thinking of me…or if you’d so easily forgotten.”[/color] To long had she waited for this moment. And to long had she held it all back. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and never leave. But she had to keep it together this wasn’t like her. Opelya disliked telling people the full truth, even the ones she loved. It was too easy to get hurt when ones heart was just laying there on the table, helpless.

She liked control. To have control over oneself was an essential to keeping up appearances, especially as a dark elf. The supposed malicious, heartless, insensitive and apathetic of all elven races. Though she was none of those, she still felt the urge to be in command of her emotions at all times.

Yet when she was around him she felt weird, and wonderful, and completely out of control. This was a fact she couldn’t alter and it was there for all to see if they only looked well enough.

”I know one thing is true….I cannot go on living like I do. I’ll end up dying, it’s just how it is Ric…I need a change. I haven’t been taking care of myself since I last saw you. I rarely do…but now I’ve realized I just cannot do it anymore. I need you. I’m so sorry.” Why she was apologizing was more then likely confusing to him. It was just that Opelya thought it was kind of wrong to put so much on some one so soon after seeing them. But she really didn't think she had any other choice. He was all she knew in this town. Ric was her only chance unless Faust decided to show up out of thin air."I can take care of myself...I just need some one to be there, I can't go it alone anymore. Because when I'm alone I just don't care, there's no reason to live if there's no one there to live for." She looked extremely upset, putting a hand to her forehead as if she were in some sort of pain. "I'll be back to normal soon I promise. I promise."

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

OOC: good lord two weeks....I'm sorry!!! I apologize if this is rushed. RL yu know...it's been crazy.


"But the truth is, that without you for so long, my life has fallen to ruins."

Opelya nearly fell to pieces when he finally admitted to this. They were the very words she had waited to hear all this time....that she wasn't simply some weak lovesick pup...that she wasn't alone in her feelings. She couldn't take her eyes off his, couldn't pull them away. It was as if she was stuck in slow motion and couldn't compose herself after that admission.

"Riconus..." A thin white hand reached out to find his and squeeze it tightly in her fingers. ”My darling it’s been pure torment….wondering and worrying where you were and how you were….if you were thinking of me…or if you’d so easily forgotten.” To long had she waited for this moment. And to long had she held it all back. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and never leave. But she had to keep it together this wasn’t like her. Opelya disliked telling people the full truth, even the ones she loved. It was too easy to get hurt when ones heart was just laying there on the table, helpless.

She liked control. To have control over oneself was an essential to keeping up appearances, especially as a dark elf. The supposed malicious, heartless, insensitive and apathetic of all elven races. Though she was none of those, she still felt the urge to be in command of her emotions at all times.

Yet when she was around him she felt weird, and wonderful, and completely out of control. This was a fact she couldn’t alter and it was there for all to see if they only looked well enough.

”I know one thing is true….I cannot go on living like I do. I’ll end up dying, it’s just how it is Ric…I need a change. I haven’t been taking care of myself since I last saw you. I rarely do…but now I’ve realized I just cannot do it anymore. I need you. I’m so sorry.” Why she was apologizing was more then likely confusing to him. It was just that Opelya thought it was kind of wrong to put so much on some one so soon after seeing them. But she really didn't think she had any other choice. He was all she knew in this town. Ric was her only chance unless Faust decided to show up out of thin air."I can take care of myself...I just need some one to be there, I can't go it alone anymore. Because when I'm alone I just don't care, there's no reason to live if there's no one there to live for." She looked extremely upset, putting a hand to her forehead as if she were in some sort of pain. "I'll be back to normal soon I promise. I promise."

[Riconus Xind'ell]

OOC: Was beginning to think you left the game again, lol.

Riconus could not bare seeing Opelya crumble before his very eyes, especially considering the fact that it was in good part due to him. He could feel energy burst through him as he felt her gentle hand touch his for the first time in far, far too long. He placed a gentle kiss on the back of her hand, unaware that it could possibly be misconstrued as submitting to the dominance that all dark elves, for one reason or another, seem to crave.

But for the moment, trying to get the upper hand in their preverse power struggle was anything but a priority to Riconus, who slowly rose from his chair to kneel beside her, yet still remaining at eye level considering the disposition of hieght between the two. Gently, he used his free hand to brush through Opelya's mangled hair, a small smile gleeming off his lips at the thought that he had finally retrieved the mesmerizing maiden from Imperia, all the way on the other side of the Empire. That smile was short-lived, however; after all, he couldn't afford to show too much emotion. But the ability to contain such feelings was met with harsh resistance, and finally, Riconus could not take the seperation any further.

"I cannot suffer through seeing you so frail, Opelya. Please, I beg that you may take rest in my quarters, and sleep well knowing I shall personally watch over you until your wake.

And perhaps, if I am to be so fortunate, you will come away with me later, and I may offer you the world."

His eyes never left hers, not for a second, while eagerly awaiting her response. He remembered how she talked of trouble sleeping in Imperia, and feared that such inconveniences had followed her all the way to Prime. The only hope that Riconus still had is that she might see the benefit in sleeping under a veil of protection that only he could provide.

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

ooc: lol i know but that wont be happening again i promise

Opelya had heard those words before had she not? The world offered to her on a silver plate, if only she'd take it. It was an enticing offer as always, but one that was bittersweet, because she didn't quite trust such a sensuous gift. It had fallen through before had it not? But that was no ones fault, she shouldn't even entertain the thought. Of course she'd accept it, it was what she wanted to hear from his lips. It meant everything to her, Opelya wanted no other. In fact to put it in a very clichéd way, everything he said was music to her ears.

And that kiss on her hand, and that smile on his beautiful face. Those were things she never thought she see, or feel again. It was all she could do to hold herself back, and no doubt he could see it in the way she looked just now. The past pain she had been experiencing was all but completely gone. The power he had to just make it melt away from her was what was ever so addictive about him. If he only knew what he did to her.....But Opelya would probably never let that happen. Just to know of it herself was enough.

She leaned in towards Riconus and placed a light kiss upon his forehead, and then turning his hand over in hers, she kissed the inside of his palm. Just a taste of the immense gratitude and love she felt. "Of course, my Lord, of course. Anything." Where the words whispered softly in his ear. To sleep would be ecstasy, but to have him there to ensure that...it was more then she had hoped for. And this promise, this offer of a different future, going away with him....she couldn't believe it. All her hopes and desires were already met the moment he had come into the Tavern and sat down beside her. She hadn't really couldn't ask for more. But of course she would accept. Soon I'll be myself again, no more the tired child in front of him now. I'll make him happy and content, as before, he'll want nothing more. It will be within my power, I just needed a reason. I wont be a burden.

Opelya smiled at this thought and made as if to rise, still holding his hand tightly in hers. "We may go then?" It was a question not a statement; she wanted him to know it would be his choosing for the time being. He was in control for now, that should please him.

[Riconus Xind'ell]

OOC: No problems
---

It took every ounce of his willpower to suppress his urge to grab hold of her body and unleash his passion for her, made all the more difficult as her lips met with his palm. It was not subdued, but instead delayed for a time where he could focus on something other than her beautiful face and enchanting eyes. After dropping a few crowns on the table to compensate for the drinks, he lifted again to his feet, never letting go of her hand that supplied him with enough energy to protect her for the rest of his days.

"Please follow me upstairs, my beautiful. Your quarters await you there."

Keeping hold of her hand, he lead her up the stairs to the farthest rooms, until reaching The Marquis Suite, as indicated from the gold plaque on the room's mahogany doors. He lead Opelya into a room of porcleain and marble, with a four-post, king-size bed occupying the back of the spacious room. The candles hanging from the grand chandalier overhead provided the only light for the room at the time. Bearing a smile on his face that one could only find on Riconus when he was looking at Opelya, the elven general clutched onto her arms with gentle hands, wondering what to do or say at the moment of entering the elaborately decorated bedchamber. He knew that she indicated in the tavern some sense of power that she granted him over her, but such authority could just as easily be taken away from him by a woman whose race and social background taught her the art of domination over another, even someone as close as he. Not that Riconus should talk, however; such lessons were likely given to him just as often.

Not wanting to give the impression that he would ever hesitate on his feelings for her, he finally planted his lips on her forehead, holding onto her for as long as he could before she retreated from his grasp.

"Rest well, Opelya. Not even the gods will be able to take you away from my protection."

It was not his first choice to let her go, but he thought it best to merely take it cautiously, unaware if she still carried any apprehensions about him after reuniting with him only a short while ago. Of coarse, he would have much rather chosen to share his raw emotions to her, but such expressions would have to wait until she was ready for his love.

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

Opelya followed him up the stairs and into the room, holding tightly to his hand. The Marquis Suite wasn't unlike her room back at home in Har'oloth....minus the smell of blood and the eery feeling of death that clung to every pore of your body. She couldn't help but smile at the dark memory. It filled her with a slight since of foreboding, as if it were a bad omen. But then again she didn't believe in bad luck.

The room was beautiful no doubt, richly fashioned just the way she liked it. A perfect fit for a Lord and Lady. Where anything could happen and you could pretend, if only for a moment, that life was good and the world was well. You could forget your cares, forget everything but this second in time. And she forgot, forgot about the miserable trip here, the pain she had felt, and the sickening feeling of dread that had crept over her body and soul. He was here now, what else was there?


His kiss on her forehead, so sweet. Wake up A distant voice said, but she didn't want to. Opelya moved closer to him instead of backing away, her face barely an inch away from his. Her dark red iris's swirled, and stared into his for a moment, before closing as she kissed him. Her delicate arms wrapping tightly around his neck. Though the kiss only lasted for a instant, it was one of many to come. The dark elf only waited for his cue. For she wasn't in control of him as she had been before, it was his choice. He wasn't just her victim, the powerless bystander. The roles were reversed and she almost preferred this....almost.

Opelya smiled to herself. My ladies would be furious. After all....it hadn't been named Hiya's Kiss for nothing. But she wasn't a priestess, and they were just pallid voices of the past.

Not even the gods will be able to take you away from my protection.

"Oh how I wish it were true, you have no idea my love." She whispered soflty, her head on his shoulder and her lips dangerously close to his neck. You will save me, I will believe it, if only for tonight. And I will make you happy like no other.

[Riconus Xind'ell]

Each tender kiss reminded him of why he was so drawn to Opelya in the first place. But this was no longer the playful little girl standing before him, but rather a mature woman, one that he could see long into his future. As her hands reached his neck in embrace rather than seperation, he returned the urge to hold tightly to the other, clasping his large hands onto her body, with one carrassing her soft hair while the other rested gently on the small of her back.

He only wished that those moments could last forever, with every second next to her giving him the energy to walk a thousand miles or fight a thousand battles. With Opelya by him though, he had no urge to do either. Though there was no aspiration to leave her arms, he forced himself to direct her to the bed on the other side of the room, with just enough light for him to direct her path; even though a dark elf required no help in navigating a dimly lit area.

"Please come with me."

He whispered softly in her ear, before breaking his hold on her, albeit with an incredible deal of difficulty. Never letting go of her hand, he gently guided her to sitting on the large matress and the silk sheets that covered it. Riconus' blue eyes, cold as ice, failed to leave the red ones of his beloved, as he knelt down before her, mesmerized by her beauty and enchantment. For no longer, could he hold his restraint. For no longer, could he subdue his lust for her. Holding both of her hands, he asked what only she could give him.

"Opelya....... please, let me love you."

Slowly, he rose from his knees to land his lips on her slender neck. It was her choice whether she would receive it or not, regardless of how much power she had mysteriously chosen to give to him in the past while.

[Opelya Kitrye'veresi]

ooc:sorry! works been crazy

ic: Opelya could barely control herself as it was when around him, but now, with his lips upon her neck, she really no longer saw the point in trying. Little did he know the dangerous waters he was treading in, where a man could go under and drown at any moment. Surely he knew something of the dark elven way, something of Haya and her servants. If he did he certainly didn't act like he cared, showing no caution in his advances towards her. But then again why should he? Even if anything should happen, it's not like it would have been a horrible way to die right? Not exactly a warlord’s way, but really it wasn't to unpleasant.

She smiled darkly and wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck, pulling him a away from her neck for a moment."Of course...." She whispered again in his ear, lightly kissing it as she went along the line of his jaw, until she found his lips again. And then her caresses were no longer light, but as rough now as the first night they met. She bit his lower lip at first playfully, but then turned as she did to a more controlled and serious act. Teasing his jaw till it released and let her in. And then suddenly she stopped all, pulling herself away from him and leaning back onto the bed.

Opelya stared at him a moment, her eyes alight and glowing an unearthly shade of red. No expression held her face except one of dark amusement. As if she were merely playing with a toy, instead of a full-grown man. It was clear this had become, like all else, purely a game to her. The young eld licked her lips and sighed lightly, as if she were waiting for him to do something and growing slightly impatient. It took a lot of self control to pretend like she was so at ease. Inside she was really about to pounce him and do with him as she liked. He might had been stronger but she knew his weakness and he would....or so she thought....be so easy to break.
"Come darling..." She said softly, in a sickeningly sweet voice. Though she looked as if she were about to go for the kill, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stared up at him. It was apperent she would only wait so long...