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Post by Thea on Oct 25, 2021 23:39:33 GMT -5
(( Ventia!!)) The forest was alive. That was what she was trying to tell Jackson as she explained how she used her magic. The place Rikara and he stole away to teach each other had inhabitants that were very much what made it so. But it wasn’t just that, either. The trees, however slow, moved with each breath they took. The river that cut through helped life continue even after death, and the birds and rodents and insects contributed to keeping the beating heart of this ecosystem going. Ever onward. Ever forward. “I don’t know how to describe it,” she said finally, her hands on her knees as she kneeled at the base of a maple tree. She was blessed, truly. Shortly after being banished … after finding Jackson again – no longer the boy she used to play with, but familiar all the same – she found that her powers still worked. Benchizuno, her home planet, worked very similar to Earth. Her brothers’ blessings (the Ground, the Sea, the Sky) called to what Jackson had called “the elements”, and those elements – except for fire – responded in kind. The only difference was that they came regardless of if you asked for their permission or not. When she witnessed Jackson’s form of magic, full of manipulation, she was upset. In her mind, she was rightfully so. These “elements” were the foundation of everything that is on this planet. Even ice cream, her favorite thing to consume, could be traced back to them. It was a privilege to work with them, she had said to him hotly. They shouldn’t be treated like something to use and forget three seconds later. She rose to her feet with a rocking motion, brushing the dirt from her skin and clearing away the vine-colored tendrils that snaked down her thighs. The black … essence, as she called it, that came from her demonic heritage pooled at her feet like a puddle before becoming smaller and climbing up to her torso. Some days, she feared that it would eat her alive; it was a part of her, no matter what she or Jackson tried to get rid of it. It was like shifting into that … beast awoke a shadow that she couldn’t shake. But the banished princess had to admit, it saved her a time or two. “But if you took your hand –“ she reached for the appendage in question, having already asked the tree if this was all right – “and pressed it against the tree, you can feel its heartbeat.” If Jackson let her, she would take his hand and press it against the bark, placing her hand above his and closing her eyes so that she could have her other senses to experience the thu-thump she had felt at the roots.
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Post by Ventia on Oct 26, 2021 12:04:14 GMT -5
Jackson shifted his boots in the dirt, he had taken Rikara here so she could get a feel of the earth and practice a little, but really the girl was clueless in some departments. Jackson sighed, ever so watchful of her, especially when she decided to stop and kneel in front of a damn tree, exposing her backside almost completely to him.
Jackson swallowed the view up, what man wouldn't? Her words barely registering to him, as he obsessed himself with watching the curve of her ass bouncing gently with every sway of her body. The curve of her back, her hair escaping down that delicate back, the swell of her thighs, Jackson shuffled himself again behind her, trying to ignore what she so innocently presented but for a man of his caliber, it was almost unheard of.
Another sigh, he raked his hand through his hair, looking away finally, everything seemed different to him these days, after having tried to kill his father and being unsuccessful. He hadn't thought his mother would place such a spell that would deny him the pleasure of that bastards death. The irony of it all, the lengths his own mother went to, to ensure that birds safety.
“Hmm?” Jackson hummed, turning back around after feeling Rikara moving again, pleased she wasn't kneeling before him again-and half disappointed as well, and watched her with dark eyes. She was looking at him, in that comfortable way he had found himself getting used to, and wondered why she felt she could be such a way with him.
“Alive?” He questioned with a slant of his eyebrow, obviously not really caring, as if it were old news. But he let her take his hand, since it was rare she ever initiated touching him to begin with, because he enjoyed the warmth and softness of her skin on his.
Jackson let her out his hand against the tree, gave it a second, and turned to look at her, with her eyes closed, her calm breathing, Jackson felt she fit perfectly here, in the heart of the woods, nature at her hands and feet, eager to please, eager to serve. He was reminded once again that she was royalty and he was just a dirty warlock.
Jackson closed his eyes, feeling her heartbeat through their hands, her warmth and scent crawled up his arm, trying to dig a home in his chest. Another heart, not his own, echoed alongside hers, bringing a little smirk to Jackson’s lips.
“It's the first time that I was allowed to feel a trees heartbeat. I'm sure it's because you're here and nature doesn't want to let you down.” Jackson knew all living things had souls of their own, hearts and the like, it was taught from a young age, especially in his family, but be as it was, Jackson never felt a delicate connection to them. He learned how to use them to his full advantage, how to take and manipulate, make his own, but never to sit idly by and feel it's core welcoming him. Ah, to be a princess and loved by the elements, to be worthy.
It was one thing Jackson would never have. At that thought, he slipped his hand out from underneath Rikara’s and stuffed it in his pocket, savoring the lasts of her warmth.
“What do you plan on doing now? Have a tea party with the whole lot of them?” He chuckled, walking across to lean on another tree, letting his gaze get drawn back to hers.
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Post by Thea on Oct 26, 2021 21:24:32 GMT -5
Rikara was comfortable in showing her body. Not in a sexual way, per se, but in the Kingdom of Gahal it was not uncommon to see her subjects nearly bare of all clothing whatsoever. She didn’t put as much weight into it as a lot of people around here did. And having never been under such a scrutinous stare, she was oblivious to how Jackson was seeing her now. A delicacy that needed to be savored.
“Yes, alive,” she affirmed, her tone very patient despite his obvious attitude of not caring. Rikara didn’t know how Jackson had been raised, that he knew what she was talking about. How every single thing that came from nature had its own heartbeat. Its very own essence. But she did notice his lack of attention.
He must still see me as a child, she couldn’t help but think. The words were immediate, and the feeling of ice cold water ran down her back. The black … blob that worked its way to drape around her torso shivered as if feeling what she felt. This feeling was new to her … something that she couldn’t quite place and rocked her so hard she forgot what she was doing until he spoke again. Not sadness, not quite anger either.
Irritation. That’s what it was.
When he pulled away from her, she let him. No matter how she wanted to snatch his hand back, to feel his warmth as they experienced the tree’s life force together once more. Instead, she let out her own sigh, letting her hand drop to her side, feeling the absence of him. “No, it is not because of me.” The patience she had conveyed a few minutes before was gone, replaced by a firm tone that she has heard the guards use with each other back home. “This forest knows that I am not from here. And while the energy is very similar to how I connect with my brothers, I am still a foreigner.”
She watched him saunter to the tree across the way, the feeling of irritation flaring up once more. The essence that surrounded her middle tightened as if in anticipation. Subconsciously, her left hand went down to it and made a motion to grab it. Like every other time she’s interacted with it, she felt no solidity. “A tea party?” she asked him, offended. “Like some child’s play?” Before he could say anything, she raised her dominant hand, palm up and fingers splayed, then turned her wrist and brought it down in a knife-slashing motion. Jackson would only have moments to react before a root of the tree erupted from the ground and wrapped around Jackson’s leg.
Her lips had a mind of their own as she watched the tree swept him off his feet and hung him upside down. Rikara was not blind to the way Jackson looked. With his angular features and lean frame, he no longer looked like the boy she stole away to see in the woods outside the capital. And while she didn’t put much stock into how someone looked, she couldn’t deny that Jackson turned heads everywhere he went. Including her own. She would tell herself later that her smile was because of the look of – at the very least – annoyance on his face. It was most definitely not seeing his shirt fall due to gravity, revealing a broad chest and well-defined muscles. Thankfully, the distance between them was great enough that she couldn’t pick out any more details. Not so thankfully, she was told that she had an active imagination growing up.
“I am not some insipid child, needing to be coddled. I swear that to you.”
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Post by Ventia on Oct 26, 2021 23:39:34 GMT -5
“Ah yes, but a very much liked foreigner, look at them, the eager lot prying for your attention.” It was a true statement, the maple tree Rikara stood underneath seemed to have stretched its limbs outwards, becoming bigger and fuller, it's leaves having a extra glow to its fall color, all within the short time the princess stood underneath it. Proud and boasting to the others who swayed in her direction, reaching yet not touching. The wind played with her hair, the smell of the river was fresh in the air as if coaxing her to come closer, and the earth underneath her feet seem pleased with itself.
Jackson rolled his eyes at it, and at her, for her obliviousness of the fact. How the woman could be so smart and dense was beyond him, but then again, it was pretty entertaining at times. Like now, watching her get so riled up from a little teasings. He smiled sweetly at her, about to say something along the lines of how she was too sensitive, when her magic finally took effect.
Upside down, Jackson used his magic to catch the falling phone out of his pocket, he eased it down to the floor and cocked his head to the side, placing a hand to his chin in his thinking form. His brows bunched together in annoyance once he realized how distorting it was to look at Rikara upside down. He much liked it the other way around.
“Touchy touchy, it was only a suggestion, plus I think they'd rather like the idea, maybe instead of a tea party, we should have a picnic? Mmm, yes, I quite like that, I was getting a little hungry anyway.” Jackson shook his head at her, now pointing his finger at the swirls at her feet.
“Good job by the way, try to do it without all the hand motions, might come a day where you're all tied up eh?” He smirked at that thought, at the plentiful amount of images and fantasies that followed, and shook his head to get rid of such erotic thoughts. Later, when he was alone, he'd return to a few.
“Insipid child needing to be coddled?” Jackson let out a chuckle, then another, and had to press a hand to his lips to keep the next couple laughs in.
“I don't think you could ever be insipid, Kara, dear,” Jackson started, once he calmed himself down, wiping unshed tears of laughter away, “but coddled? Well you've been coddled before, so I can understand you not wanting to anymore, not that I'm agreeing with you that I was coddling you, because i do not coddled. Now cuddling? Well that I do, and I think you'd benefit a lot from cuddling, especially if I'm the one doing said cuddling.” Jackson nodded, liking the way this conversation was going.
“Matter of fact, we can ditch the picnic idea and go straight to cuddling, or we can do it simultaneously or one after the other, ah the possibilities, you know, talking about possibilities now, well I could teach you way more than in just the Magic department, like what goes on between a man and a woman, yknow, we can have lessons together in my bed. Or yours, which is still technically mine but either way-” Jackson cut himself short, giving her a wink, and waited for the next blow to come. That smirk still playing on his lips like the jester that he was.
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Post by Thea on Oct 27, 2021 15:43:41 GMT -5
Rikara couldn't help but to look around her, if only to humor him. Then saw that he saw. The vibrancy of the colors, the faint scent of the river nearby. A movement out of the corner of her eye revealed a curious red-breasted bird, hopping from branch to branch, twittering at her. The smile on her face couldn't be helped. She was just as much in awe of the bird as the bird was curious to her. "Be that as it may, what I am trying to explain is that if you put forth the effort into establishing a connection, there is no need for manipulative magic."
How did her plan of showing him how her magic works, and ultimately showing that he could do it too, turn out so ... bizarre?
That's the only word that best describes this situation. A show of force on her end would have had her target realizing, very quickly, that she was more powerful than her countenance portrayed her to be. She ignored the picnic comment, fearing what she would say. "The hand motions are necessary to convey what I want," she said instead. "But I can also give verbal cues."
But there was something about his words - and she ignored how he put emphasis on "tied up" - that gave her an idea.
Jackson's laughter wiped the smirk from her face, replacing it with a confused frown. It was quickly followed by a scowl. She almost didn't register the black essence surrounding her get bigger, lifting from her torso to wrap around her legs and waist. With one hand on her hip, she raised her chin in a way she saw her mother do one too many times to a know-it-all advisor. As he continued to speak about how he didn't find her insipid (that she doubted) and that he wasn't coddling her (his comments about tea parties and picnics begged to differ), she tried being very discreet with the motions she was forming with her right hand. "Cuddling?" she asked, genuinely confused and caught off guard at the phrase. There was no term like that back home.
Then his context clues filled in what it meant.
"Oh, by the Great One!" she said. Embarrassment colored her face from cheeks to ears to neck. She no longer tried being discreet about what she had planned. It didn't matter anyway because three more roots shot from the ground to wrap around Jackson's limbs. Now he looked well and truly trapped. "Do you not remember that I am betrothed?"
She flicked an index finger up, asking for the trees to raise her captive higher to be face to face with her. Obliging, the tree went even so far as to tighten its hold on Jackson. Not knowing (and if she did would she care?) she scooped the sleek black device he called a "phone" from the ground. It was cold to the touch. And a flip upright revealed the time and a few notifications. Squinting did nothing for her when she tried to read what was written across the screen. She can communicate easily with Jackson via a spell, but that didn't mean she could read or write in English.
"Extraterrestrial languages" was not in her curriculum.
"How about a game instead?" With the blush gone from her face, though still warm to her core (she was not thinking about Jackson in that way. Absolutely not), she turned to him, meeting the hazel orbs she never really stopped dreaming of. "You get out of this hold that you are in - very unfortunately, might I add -" she added with a sarcastic glint in her dark eyes - "without manipulation, and you can have your ... phone back."
She backed up without turning around, not being able to contain the mischief vibrating her body and shaking a giggle loose. "Best part? You have to come find me."
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Post by Ventia on Mar 7, 2022 21:52:47 GMT -5
“We’d only be cuddling Rikara dear.” Jackson said innocently enough, ignoring her betrothed comment-she had been reminding him a lot lately, a fact he didn't care to remember despite his superb memory-and as her cheeks reddened, Jackson couldn't help but think about how very much he'd like having her in his bed.
He would just cuddle with her, despite his earlier taunts, would hold her in his arms and allow himself to bring her in closer, a gentle caress along her arms or maybe he would hold her hands and caress his thumb over her gentle knuckles. All while his mind would no doubtlessly urge him to pass over that line, damned the consequences-damned the chance that she would grow to hate him for it.
He had been struggling with his self control, still trying to convince himself how unaffected he was with Rikara, the girl from his childhood. The first. The only. The one he could never have. He had been shown that countless times when he was young, and now, older and wiser, he knew it was so.
Rikara was above his station. And despite her recent dilemma, too good for someone like him. Still, he cherished the time he had with her now. Knowing it would end soon-it always ended too soon once his emotions tried to bud their way into his heart.
As she spoke, as her eyes twinkle with her own unique shine of mischief, as tight and thick veins strengthened its hold on him, making very good restraints he thought dismissively, as she pulled him closer, a challenge brewing in her lovely gaze, Jackson found himself smiling a fraction, one of those real smiles that he only did with people he genuinely enjoyed being with. She was too much, he thought, as she took his phone hostage.
“Without manipulation?” He whined for her, as if it was the most dreaded thing to think of, not wanting to break her game so fast, not wanting to ruin her fun, he watched as she stepped away, those eyes gleaming, the shadows lightening, he felt a urge to chase after her, hunt for her, and claim her as his own.
Even as he thought of it, he began to struggle forward, testing his wooden restraints. But as he guessed, because Jackson knew better, they barely budge a fraction. And why would they? For she was the Princess of the Ground, Sky, and Sea. And she had asked them to keep him still until he asked nicely otherwise.
His little Nature girl. Jackson wouldn't have it any other way.
“You better run Kara, because when I find you, I'll have my own little game to play.” He promised, and for show, once again started struggling against his earthly prison. And what a prison it was, to not run after her and hear her laughter echoing just ahead. Or to not touch her. Listen to her scold him and warn him of the repercussions his magic would one day have.
If Jackson was smart, he would stay prison to this tree until it was safe enough for her to go back home, until she walked out of his life again-to go get married and be Queen. It would do a hell lot better than allowing himself to fall deeper in the hole he already was.
But Jackson was more greedy than intelligent, and he wanted every last second he could get from his Nature girl. His feelings could be dealt with later, as he had done that last time all that time ago.
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Post by Thea on Mar 10, 2022 23:39:25 GMT -5
There was something about watching Jackson struggle. Something that made her breathing hitch. Her heart stuttered as if it tripped over its own two feet down a flight of stairs. A slick heat traveled from her chest to rest in the pit of her stomach, moving languorously like a sunbathing cat. All thoughts of teaching and learning ceased in that very moment. Every centimeter of her body and mind were focused on the man in front of her.
This was Jackson. The boy from her childhood, grown taller and wider and beautiful. But he had changed. She couldn’t deny it. Rikara knew that she wasn’t instigating a game of tag. She felt the need to defend herself against the voice of reason that brought forth the thought. Maybe it was. Because if he did mean his promise, she wouldn’t have instigated it. He was just jesting. She at the very least should have hoped that he was.
But she knew.
Rikara knew that as soon as those roots let go of him he would make good on his word and follow her. Chase her more like. He would hunt her like a predator, even though she was the one to obtain the ability to shapeshift into a beast. It took all of her will to stand still and watch as he moved against his restraints. To ignore the urge to bolt and desire to let him have her. The awestruck expression was quickly replaced by a false bravado. “I have my doubts.”
She deliberately turned around on her heel and walked away from him; her shoulders a straight bridge and hands folded over her phone in front of her. The princess walked as she would at home, with a dignified presence that she hoped conveyed to Jackson that she most definitely doubted his abilities. All the way until she knew that she was out of his sight.
Then she ran.
The wind roared past her ears as she held his phone in a tight grip. Low hanging tree branches and shrubbery reached out to touch her on her way by them. He was right about the forest welcoming her as its own. In her peripheral a squirrel traveled across a highway of branches above her head. Because of her enhanced senses and endurance, she knew the moment he gave up the race. Good-natured laughter followed in her wake like chimes in a breezy summer day.
What first stopped her was her ribs, aching from how fast she was going. Of course, she didn’t go far. Only to the stream that she had heard when they first arrived. But what should have been a thirty minute walk was only a third of that. She surprised herself, to say the least. After a few heaving breaths, she walked with slightly aching feet to the stream that bubbled almost conversationally. Rikara thought it reminded her of the chatting maids and waitstaff of the court as they did their tasks. Her task at hand put at the back of her mind, she stepped into the stream gently, as if not wanting to disturb it. Her smile was bright, showing the top row of her teeth, her canines noticeably beastly. But it seemed that it was the least of her worries, opting instead to turn her face into the sun and wriggle her toes in the stream bed.
Waiting.
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Post by Ventia on May 12, 2022 23:36:30 GMT -5
His mother always warned him that one day his time would come, that the family’s curse would grab hold of him as well. She also warned him that there were some drawbacks from their way of life-their magic. That there was always a risk. It was why when Jackson was still a boy, that she taught him the correct way to practice magic. Give and take, she used to say, and for most her life, his mother did do it that way, only when the occasion called for it would she wield the darkness that the Nox family was famous for.
Jackson on the other hand, had never liked the correct way to practice magic. Too many rules and too time consuming, it was a bore if he was being honest. Even after doing everything correct, the spell would fall short-not work the way he had wanted it to. Just like the rest of his life.
Jackson had decided early on in his childhood that if he couldn’t get what he wanted-that if the curse would come and take away his future happiness-that he wouldn't care about the consequences. So far, there had been plenty, a few close calls, but that never stopped him. In fact, Jackson stopped caring at all, so what if he would die, it would be a momentarily bliss from his life.
Until recently he only had few emotions and cares left, his mother would always be the one exception to the rule, but besides from her, Jackson could watch the world burn in damnation without a care. He would be happy that his godforsaken father would finally stay dead in the ground and everyone else that walked the earth along with him.
But that had changed, not because of his recent visits to his bastard father or the lovely Thea who had made him pause and wish she were someone else-though he was rather fond of Thea or at least, annoying her and watching her grow red with frustration. No, it had to do with the woman walking away from him right now, her royal back was straight and strong, barely glancing over her shoulder to look at him, she continued her slow stroll onwards, the darkness of the forest seemed to creep away from her, casting him in the shadows while still shining down on Rikara.
He watched her leave until she completely disappeared from sight, without warning his chest began to grow tight, he rolled his shoulders as best as he could considering he was still tightly strapped to the tree, hoping the action would ease the tension in his chest. It didn’t. The tension grew, along with his foulness of her leaving, Jackson hated watching her walk away from him, from his life, hated the fact that he cared that much for her, hated the thought that she would be his undoing, that she would be the one the curse took away from him.
He never got close to women, yes he had his urges but maybe it was because of his father, that Jackson made sure to be extra careful while doing the deed. He hadn't wanted to leave any bastard children in his wake, all in all, that left him very little room for that particular endeavor. He could count the women he’s been with, with only one hand. Less even despite what others thought.
It also had a lot to do with the fact that Jackson didn’t want to develop any feelings for anyone, not with the daily reminder of what that did to someone, when their zing left them, as it did for every Nox family member. So why was he torturing himself with Kara again?
He couldn’t seem to stop it, she was in his life again and he shouldn’t have been so happy about it but he was. Every moment with her seemed to be his reason for living these days, every single damn day he wanted to be with her, would make any and every excuse to take her out and spend the day and night with her, it was why he convinced her that she was safest with him. That only Jackson could teach her how to control the darkness, the coldness, the part of her that scared her so. When he knew, that most Nox witches and warlocks could help her as well.
He hadn't wanted that, and kept her to himself. In his room, his bed, his life, his. His. Only his. As his heart thundered against his chest, as his thoughts raged within him, his magic ready to break the restraints, Jackson had to calm himself, Rikara hadn't wanted him to force his way out, she had wanted him to ask the bloody tree to let him go.
He wanted to make her smile, to make her happy, and he had the strangest feeling the tree would tell on him if he didn’t do it her way, and she would be sad because of it. He had seen her cry and hadn't wanted to ever be the reason for such a dreadful sight.
“You wont make me beg now will you?” he asked the tree in question and felt no response from it. Of course not, he thought, stupid tree, stupid woman, thinking he still had some good in him.
Sighing, Jackson concentrated on the tight wooden ropes touching his body, every root and arc that connected to him, he tried to feel for its heartbeat again, forcefully at first but then stalling as he remembered Rikara’s voice. He asked to feel it then, to feel the connection, to gain entry.
Time seemed to stretch on by, slow merciless seconds that tried testing his patience, but Jackson ignored his inner need to hurry to Kara’s side and asked again, the tree was warm and old, rooted to the ground and to its ways, it had felt Rikara’s wishes and had wanted to prove itself to her, it sense his evil and wanted to ward him away within its roots forever, so that the likes of him couldn’t bother the world anymore.
Jackson tried not to get offended by the stupid tree especially since it was making some sense. I am what you say I am, old one. He spoke to the tree through the connection they held. But I swear I will never harm her, she is… Jackson paused, trying to find a word worthy enough of describing what she meant to him.
She is everything. My everything. I cannot be with her but that doesn’t deny the fact that she is mine and mine alone. She will always be mine, even when she marries another, so I beg of you, old man, let me go, let me find her again, let me have all the time I have left with her. Until she's gone from my life forever and I'm damned to wander the earth alone without her. When that time comes, if you wish it old wise one, I will allow you to bind me to your roots and let me sleep for all eternity, since my life wouldn't be the same without her.
His heart twisted from the raw honesty he was expressing, thankful it was only to a tree and he would deny it if the tree decided to tattle tale, and half expected the tree to keep him prisoner despite his true words, but even as he thought it, the roots slowly lowered him to the ground, unraveling from his body like ribbons loosening, the tree whispered its wisdom to the boy before completely reining him free.
Jackson turned to the tree, a odd look crossed his face before he nodded, gave his thanks, and turned in the direction Rikara had gone off. His fate was that way, if Jackson was smart, he would ask the tree to capture him once more, keep him from following fate’s cruel joke, but nothing, not even fate, could stop him from stepping forward and chasing after his dream.
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Post by Thea on Jun 21, 2022 5:07:52 GMT -5
The Great One stood on the dais, looking down at the humans that bowed before him, the throne in splinters behind him. One such as he didn’t need things that represented power. He was power. They knew it, too, his new subjects. He could feel the fear and awe wafting from them, the smell of them tantalizing and delicious. Briefly, he imagined what he looked like to them.
In this form, tied to the physical plane as he was, he stood almost nine feet tall. Beneath his cloak, he had no shape. However, from the chest up, he had on what looked like armor, the color of tarnished gold with two dark jewels centered on his chest and forehead. His head was triangular, with that same armor framing his skull-like face and coming up to a point like horns. If the humans knew of his origin, they would know that his armor spoke of the Old Gods, of whom he was created for the purpose of watching and caring for these people.
Pathetic.
Rinn, his first in command, addressed the crowd for him. As the Voice for the Great One, he spoke with authority, his words bouncing through the high alabaster archways and pillars of the throne room. “My people. We have apprehended the ones that have taken the life of the queen and banished Princess Rikara from the realm. They will be punished with a traitor’s death at dawn by my very hands, and they will be made an example of should anyone have the same sentiment as they. For my word is law, and by dispatching those I have placed to rule in my stead means that you have forsaken me and the care I have for you.
“As of right now, Rikara isn’t here with us.” For a few moments, those in the crowd stirred with murmurs of concern for the missing princess. The same people who thought that Rikara wanted the throne early now worried for her, knowing that that wasn’t the case at all. The Great One knew that; it amused him. “Though we know where she is and are pursuing her as I speak. Fear not. Be joyous, for soon she will be home. And we will celebrate.”
*
Rikara was going to go back for him.
That was her intention after she worried that it was taking longer than it should have. By that time she had played in the stream, climbed a tree and hung from its branch, interacted with a squirrel, and watched as a herd of deer came and went with silent ease. The nature Earth had was beautiful, not unlike the ecosystems Benchizuno supported. The energy was similar; that’s why it took so kindly to Rikara. Jackson was right.
Then it got her to think that he was right about a lot of things. One of which was … himself. Jackson was very open, multiple times, about his own nature. Who and what his family was. How they walked down a very dark path. How Jackson didn’t shy away from it and instead seemed to have embraced it. It warred with the image of how he used to be when they were children. Yet, even then, was what she pictured her imagination?
What wasn’t part of her imagination was how he was with her. If he truly was so callous, so dark, so evil, he would have turned her away the very moment she stepped through the mirror. Instead, he took her in, took her out to experience his world, encouraged and held her when she was homesick. Kept her safe as they looked for ways to get her back to her people. There was good in him. She knew it.
But would the tree know?
Rikara leapt from the tree branch she had been waiting for him on, landing lithely on the balls of her feet. Using the momentum, she kicked off at a brisk walk, urgency sounding off alarm bells of anxiety within her. With every step she took the alarm bells grew louder and louder and louder. Her worry drowned out the connection she had with the world around her, leaving her with the beat of her drumming heart.
She found herself running. Running back to him with the intention of releasing him from his hold. Thinking to herself that she would tear the tree’s roots from him if it hadn’t have let go by the time she got there. The black mass that was connected to her moved against her body as if in agreement with her thoughts, stretching against her torso and solidifying to protect the more vulnerable parts of her. Ready for battle should she decide to.
Then she saw him, making his way to her. Looking as determined as she felt to get to him. So, she slowed to a halt just a few mere feet from him. Taking much needed breaths that she forgot to take when she ran back to him.
“You’re free,” Rikara murmured after a few moments, giving him a smile that was bright with relief and glee. “I knew you could do it.”
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Post by Ventia on Jun 23, 2022 20:51:04 GMT -5
He could track Rikara down to the depths of Hell if he so wished, it was one of the firsts spells he had casted on her, invisible to all but him. He wasn't even sure if Rikara herself knew of it, otherwise she probably wouldn't have started this little game, though he knew she did it to see if he could get out of the tree rather than to see if he could track her down.
But he could, was it the first or second night that he casted it on her, watching her sleep silently with no idea of the danger she was in. The thought of killing her even passed his head, to save him from the pain that would surely come, yet even then Jackson knew he could never. Instead, he bounded her to him, a piece of her that would always call out to him, show him the way to her, a bind, a ribbon, a pathway to his fate.
It glowed gold and red, a thin trail that danced into the trees, so beautiful and bright, just like the woman it lead to. It was a safety precaution he told himself to ease the guilt of casting a spell on her like that, so that in case of anything, he could run to her side and protect her. He was sure he would undo the spell once he knew for sure she was safe, but that nagging voice in his head laughed at him, he would always keep it, and rue the day when it lost it's magnificent coloring, because that would only mean one thing, her being taken from this world.
If all went well, she would live on far longer than he would, and Jackson wouldn't have to go through such a day. At first he walked fast following her trail, until his chest began to tighten again, as it had the whole time of her being gone from his presence. What if something happened to her? Yes she was still alive but that didn't mean she hadn't ran into some danger, Rikara had a nasty habit of finding herself in trouble.
He was jogging then, practically running, how far had the woman gone? He thought annoyed, he would shake her silly and scold her for going so far away from him while he was still tied by a tree. He should have tied her up with his own magic, keeping her hostage until the tree released him, but had a feeling she would coo even his own magic into obedience.
Just when he was about to panic and shift, he saw her coming into view, bright as ever, cheeks warmed, eyes wide, relief flooded them at the sight of him, which only did something to him deep inside. He slowed down as well, the cold in his veins warmed and grew hot, his chest finally relaxed, his eyes running down her body ensuring himself no harm had found her. No harm but him. As it should be, he thought, pausing just before her, watching her catch her breath, the rise and fall of her chest almost in sync with his own.
The approval in her words, in her smile, washed over him, flooding him with a great deep set pride that filled him down to his toes, her being happy and proud of him affected him more than anyone else, even say his own mother that he always wished to prove himself to. He swallowed hard, silent because he was afraid what he would say at this very moment.
Or do...the urge to kiss her took him whole, was it because he had finally confessed to both himself and the tree of his love for her? Of the damnation she would be for him? Maybe it was because they were in Rome, the city of lovers, and even here, away from the city but right in the belly of nature, Jackson could feel the heartbeat of the city luring him to do what his own heart wished the most.
Why shouldn't he? He thought silently, his time with her was ending, he could feel it, feel the storm that was brewing in their fate, this was their one chance. His one chance. It would end in misery and tragedy, as it did for all, but at least he would have a few precious memories. Jackson finally understood why his mother still loved his father, why she would smile reminiscing, and hold no grudge on the bastard.
"Rikara." Her name left his lips in one breath and before she could do or say anything, he stepped forward, his right arm slid easily between her arm and belly, his fingers pressed against her lower back and gently he pushed her closer to him.
Their lower bodies pressed against one another, with his free hand Jackson trailed it up her right arm, only his fingertips brushed her soft delicate skin, until he caught her chin and gently lifted her face so she could see what she was doing to him.
"I warned you I would catch you," He started, brushing his thumb against her lower lip, he watched as her lush lips parted, as she took in a breath of air, the warmth in her cheeks seemed to grow warmer, making him believe that he wasn't the only one feeling some type of way.
"I said I would play my own game but what if this wasn't a game?" He spoke very softly, afraid of her answer, afraid of the words themselves, saying it aloud to a tree was one thing, but to hint at Rikara herself of his feelings for her, was another entirely.
The curse could even show itself at this moment, with her rejection of him, it would kill him on the inside, even if he would try his best to soothe it over as being a joke.
Jackson maneuvered his hand to cup her cheek instead, his fingers brushing back the fallen strands of her luscious hair, he smiled softly at her, leaning down until their eyes were leveled, lip's only a fraction apart.
"Do you understand what I'm saying right now, Rikara?"
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Post by Thea on Jun 24, 2022 1:16:20 GMT -5
Rikara didn’t know about the spell he had cast on her, the one that connected her to him so that he knew where she would be and whether she was alive. But if she did, her reaction might not be what her mother would have thought appropriate. For magic was … rare in Gahal. More easily found in other parts of her world, sure, but it was not the same as what Jackson could do. In her kingdom, specifically, magic didn’t come from within. It came from outside sources and had a set of rules, a lot of which had to do with decorum. Casting spells on folks without their permission or even knowledge was wrong, to say the very least.
But as each day with Jackson passed, the more she found that she could do without appropriateness.
Jackson was like a magnet, pulling her into him with such a force that she couldn’t get out of even if she wanted to. The princess wasn’t sure when she started to see him as more than the boy she met all those years ago, or how her feelings for him had morphed into something more. But as he looked at her as if she were the only being on this planet, she realized she felt the same way. “Yes?”
Surprised flitted through her briefly, floating in her belly in response to being pressed up against him. A week ago she would have broken his hold on her, scolding him for touching her without permission. Two weeks and she would have reminded him that she was betrothed. Today? She didn’t complain. Didn’t think to. The heat from his hand bloomed from the small of her back and traveled outward, sinking deeper into her skin to warm her bones. One of her own hands pressed against the center of his chest, the palm of it taking in his heartbeat, feeling it slam against her begging to be let out of its prison. Her eyes watched his fingers trail up her arm; she swore she saw the Mark for Sky glow beneath his barely-there touch, but before she could investigate, he had captured her chin and made her look at him.
Oh, did her soul ache at what she saw.
Under any normal circumstances, she would have quipped that she let him catch her. These weren’t normal circumstances, however. He had struck her speechless, something that was hard to do when it came to her. Rikara always had something to say. Not right now, though. She was afraid to say anything, for fear of ruining this – what was happening between them. Her hands moved seemingly of their own volition, with one cradling the back of his neck and the fingers of the other entangling themselves into his hair. They anchored her to him, something that she was thankful for because she didn’t trust her legs to keep her standing at this very moment.
Game? she asked herself, the first coherent thought she had since Jackson pulled her to him. It was clear that she was confused by what he said by the way her eyebrows drew together over her heavy-lidded eyes. She felt something catch in her throat, not unlike how it would close before she would start crying. But she had no desire to cry now. It was like the words that she wanted to say were lodged there, dying before she could get them out. Slowly, she shook her head no at his question. No, she didn’t quite understand what he meant by this being not a game. What she felt for him, although she was afraid to name it aloud, was real. He felt real. If that was what he meant, she didn’t want it to be a game. “Show me what you mean,” she managed to eke out, voice thick with emotion, rubbing her cheek against his hand. “Please.”
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Post by Ventia on Jun 24, 2022 8:31:27 GMT -5
Jackson felt his mouth go dry when Rikara didn't resist his touch, when she lifted her hand to press against his chest, when she felt his rapid beating heart and didn't shy away...did that mean there was a chance? Even fleeting, Jackson would take it, he would take everything and anything he could from her while he still could. While she still belonged only to him.
He watched and waited for her response, aware of how hard his chest thudded nervously for her answer, aware of the fear that filled him to hear her rejecting him, aware of just how much he actually cared for Kara and has since the moment they met as kids. How hurt he was when he couldn't see her anymore, when he was casted aside and lost all contact to her. How much he wished that wouldn't happen ever again, even though Jackson knew it would, she was betrothed for goodness sake, a fact she so often told him-a fact he often ignored.
When she moved her hands to entwined them into his hair, Jackson had to close his eyes and take a breather from the pleasure that simple action gave him, just a touch from her made his knees feel weak, a feeling Jackson had never experience with anyone and sensed he wouldn't ever again. She was perfect for him, Jackson thought, feeling a delightful chill run down his spine from where she was touching him. Perfect, he opened his eyes and swallowed hard from the look she was giving him.
He knew in that instant, without her having to say anything, that Rikara cared for him more than just a friend. He wouldn't go as far as saying she loved him, for he still had doubts if he were worthy of such a emotion, but Jackson knew something was there, and that was enough for him. Enough for him to open himself up for what fate had store for him. To be vulnerable and true to his feelings, to his heart.
Her sweet voice only furthered his vow to be true to himself, and in doing so, to be true to her. To fight for what really mattered, for once in his life Jackson would try again and again, do all he could before he would give her up, because now he knew he wouldn't let her go without a fight, fiancé and curse be damned, he would fight for her, for them, for her love...
He rubbed his thumb against her cheek, in awe of how willingly she was responding to him, how sweet and open she was, his brave Kara, he knew she must be thinking all sorts of things, of her responsibilities and oaths, her duty, and yet still willing to take a leap of faith for him.
Jackson eased forward, pressing his forehead to hers, taking a brief moment to breathe her scent in and just enjoy the feel of her so close to him, before he guided her face into the right position and slanted his lips over hers. He kissed her lightly, barely getting a taste, but enough to feel her soft lips against his. A sweetness lingered and he swallowed hard again, this time he pressed his lips full and firm against hers, the hand that had been holding her cheek slivered into her hair, where he coaxed the strands to twirl around his knuckles, his palm on her back tightened his grip on her and began squeezing gently.
Slipping his tongue out and against her lower lip, Jackson got his first real taste of Rikara, sweet and thick, like honey he thought, it drove him wild, sending chills down his spine with each brush of their lips. He pulled back, not wanting to overwhelm her with his need to consume her. But Jackson didn't make it that very far, only a breath away he waited, catching his breath, hoping she wouldn't push him away.
When she didn't, Jackson couldn't stop the way his body seemed to gravitate towards her and then he was kissing her sweetly again, running his hand up and down her spine, petting her hair, nibbling teasingly at the corners of her lips letting her know he wanted more access to her, all while focusing on her reactions towards him, the moment he felt her stiffening up, he would stop-it would be hell to stop, but he would for her.
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Post by Thea on Jun 25, 2022 0:56:30 GMT -5
Rikara had a feeling that this was a “there is no going back now” moment. There was a term for it in Gahal, called sanse, in which an individual is faced with a decision that could forever alter their life. Sanse was rare, and even rarer still that people would act on it, too scared of change that they would be content to live so dully because it was easy or the right thing to do.
She felt sanse once before when she and Jackson were both children and he had asked her to come with him back to Earth. But she had duties. To her people. To her mother. Her kingdom. Her brothers. There was no turning back then, she knew. When he was gone from her life she mourned. Filled with “what ifs”, she never stopped talking about the sun-eyed Son of Night even though she knew she would never see him again. If given a choice to go back in time, she still would have chosen her life as the princess.
But maybe that’s why she felt it once more.
As he pressed his forehead against hers, she closed her eyes and felt her mind buzzing with the thoughts in her head. There was still a chance that Tolor would come to find her. A possibility that her name would be cleared regarding her mother’s death. That she would find whoever did kill her mother and bring them to justice. Even so, she wanted Jackson to be by her side. Now that he was back in her life, she didn’t want him to disappear again. Couldn’t bring herself to think of it. Not now. Not when she felt him so close to her with every fiber of her being.
Rikara let him move her head with no hesitation, heart thudding in her ears, and when she realized that he was doing to her what she saw on television she mimicked his action. The buzzing in her mind was stunned into silence. She moved her hand further into his hair and tightened her hold, kissing him back with just as much firmness. Her toes curled into the dirt of the forest floor in quivering delight and a gasp escaped her mouth at the feel of his tongue against her lip. Without thought, she arched into him, her chest flush against his as if her body didn’t want any space between them. There was no chance of him pulling away from her.
She couldn’t get enough of him. Of the way he caressed her back or ran his fingers through her hair. The way his teeth scraped against the edges of her mouth elicited a small giggle from her, somehow finding that cute. But she didn’t pull away from him. Didn’t stiffen. Instead, she bridged the small gap between them to continue where he left off, almost demanding, finding that his kisses were addicting and that what he was doing with his hands was magic.
She had obliterated the line she probably shouldn’t have stepped over. And she didn’t want to stop.
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Post by Ventia on Jun 25, 2022 4:21:15 GMT -5
Jackson felt himself smiling as Rikara kissed him back, he eased his fingers out from her hair just so that he could wrap them securely around her back and press her even tighter to him with both arms. Hugging her tight, Jackson felt his heart leaping with emotions he used to vow never to feel before, all because of her. He met her kiss with the same fiery passion, feeling almost desperate to show her not in words of how much he craved her, how much he would worship her if she only accepted him and no one else.
Their tongues met in a back and forth dance that stole their breaths away, his hands couldn't be satisfied with just crushing her to him but instead began to knead and palm every inch of her back that he could touch, until even that wasn't enough. Her soft silky skin called out for him, warming under his touch and both pleading and daring him to touch her more.
He was only planning on kissing her, a few gentle kisses, definitely no inappropriate touches and caresses, and maybe a confession, so that she knew where his head was, so that he could at least say he tried and wouldn't regret it later, but she had surprised him by being willing after so many times of denying him. It felt like he needed to mark his claim over her now instead of later, to take away any chances she had of leaving him. She couldn't marry another if she was carrying-
Cold slivered into his veins and Jackson groaned before pulling back, ending the kiss so that they could catch their breaths. He held her close to him still, and nuzzled his face into the corner of her neck, he finally sucked in a breath and her scent sank deep into his belly. He kissed her neck as he released the next breath and began pressing kisses all across her sensitive skin.
His mind was going wild, his hands trembled slightly as they traced in circles over her exposed skin, he felt torn all at once, to continue or to stop, to hold on or let her be with who she chose, was this the curse? Did it make them self sabotage their one chance at love? Was it engraved in their DNA to screw it all up just as it was getting good?
Jackson didn't investigate the curse all that much despite knowing what it had done to both his mother and grandparents. He was used to them telling him that there was nothing that could be undone and that sooner or later it would come for each descendant. He had always believed he wouldn't have to worry about it-because he had thought he would have never met Rikara again. Even young, Jackson had seen who she was and what she was to him.
"Kara..." he mumbled into her skin, his arms easing around her until he was hugging her again and holding her tight and snug against him. Jackson didn't want to let go, didn't see why he should, and that was a contradiction to what he was just feeling. He would have to investigate then, to see why he of all people felt torn in two.
He rolled his head away, letting it rest on her shoulder and allowing him to watch her face, he smiled up at her, "You're so beautiful, you've always been."
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Post by Thea on Jun 28, 2022 2:47:22 GMT -5
The sensation of kissing him was exhilarating in its novelty. Rikara didn’t recall ever coming across such as act back home, even in the tribes. She’s seen it on the T.V. in Jackson’s room but there was a difference between seeing it being played out and experiencing it. Jackson told her that it was what two people did to show how much they cared for each other … most of the time. And how passionate they were kissing depended on a lot on the situation. Until now, Rikara thought it all to be confusing. And it didn’t help that Jackson teased her constantly about it.
She was starting to get it now though. How beautiful and thrilling it was. Jackson really did care for her, she thought as their tongues danced with each other. Her chest felt tight at the revelation, like someone was squeezing her sides with giant-like strength. Of course, she had some idea that he did care enough to take her in. If he hadn’t, she felt that he would have turned her away as soon as she stepped through that mirror. And despite all his teasing and joking, he’s shown her time and again that he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. This, however, felt different.
Suddenly, he pulled away. The tightening in her chest loosened as if a frayed strand was being pulled from a garment, causing it to lose shape. Her arms tightened around his neck, at first afraid that he was going to let go. When it was apparent that he didn’t have any intention of releasing her, she loosened the hold just a fraction and let her full weight drape across his solid frame. She was very aware of him, then. The scent of him was foreign to her yet being around him for so long had her taking comfort in it. It reminded her of the marshes outside of the capitol, where little aquatic animals jumped from puddle to puddle and fish seemed to swim beneath the ground. He felt like home.
The kisses on her neck sent sparks dancing across her skin, and it took all she had not to scrunch up at the tickling sensation. Indeed, her skin was sensitive; she felt every centimeter of his lips brushing against her, every bit of his warm breath moving against the goosebumps that rose in response. His voice seemed to reverberate through her, as well, acting like ripples on a pond. “Jackson,” she murmured in response, chin perched on his shoulder as she closed her eyes briefly. If they were cast in stone like this, she wouldn’t mind.
But it was she that pulled away after a few minutes, taking that time to really look at him due to his next words. Rikara was never one to doubt her appearance. She was confident in her body, in her looks. She was confident in how she acted as the princess. Jackson really didn’t give out genuine compliments, however. It made her pause. “Yes, I am,” she responded, though not in a haughty way. She tilted her head to show her befuddlement, drawing her eyebrows together once more and pursing her swollen pink lips in thought. “What’s troubling you?”
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