Taj and Aero: Advent of the Feather King

Well, he got to cop a feel and didn't get slapped! That was great! Although, now Oriana appeared to be extremely freaked out and slightly disgusted, but that was hardly his fault. She was the one that had decided to invade his personal space, after all. A grin was plastered to his face, admiring the way that his coat was stuck to Oriana's wet skin before she went and hid herself by a rock. Disappointing, but not much that he could do about it. "Hey, now that my coat's all wet, what are you going to do?" He knew very well that she couldn't stay in that coat all night, and her regular clothes wouldn't be dry for a few hours yet. The glare that she was shooting him was just too cute to pass up.

“I will sit here. And wait.” She answered, honestly not having any other options. “And if you have a sense to live you will go back to camp before I work back up the urge to stab you.” She warned, hiding herself further behind the rock and then sat down. “If you come over here I will make the threat rather real.” She peeled the wet jacket from her body and sat with her knees drawn up to her chest. Damn him if he thinks that she would give in to wet clothing. She sighed, what a time not to have spare clothing...

Alex rolled his eyes and shook his head, smiling slightly and stood out of the water, looking around. "My clothes are over there." He pointed to the rock that he had set them on before diving into the water as quick as he could. "The shirt should cover you well enough. But if you get my pants wet, I will walk into camp without them." After all, he had nothing to be ashamed of, and if he could diffuse the situation a bit, all the better. Not like he wasn't having fun taunting her, or anything. Oh boy, what would Ilario and Tristan say about this most recent development? "But you really should had back first." He added in all seriousness, sinking back into the water. "A man has a hard time concentrating on bathing when there's a naked woman afoot."

Oriana sighed. “I will stay here until my clothing is dry and camp. You can tell Rose that for me. And I am not going back wearing your shirt…” She turned a few shade darker as she started it mumble. Just thinking about the reactions she could get from literally everyone in the camp seemed like a terrible idea that she wasn’t going to chance. “No. I will wait it out here.” She said again rubbing her arms and then holding his coat from out behind the rock. “Here. Sorry…” She mumbled again, honestly more sorry for herself that she was now without clothing.

Was she really stubborn enough to freeze to death? Yes, apparently Oriana was. Alex heaved a heavy sigh, looked down at himself and groaned inwardly. Cold water was not helping all that much, though it was worth a try. With a grumbled he headed back out of the water, happy to not be so cold but devastated that he would have to put his pants back on. He flicked off as much water as he could, then made his way over to where Oriana was sitting, walking up on her from behind as quietly as he could. When he got close enough he draped his shirt over her shoulders and crouched down behind her. "Your pride is not worth you dying." He whispered, rubbing her shoulders before standing once more.

Oriana looked down when he came on, a deep blush on her face that she refused to acknowledge as he slipped his shirt over her shoulders and then rubbed them. She grumbled a little bit, but put the shirt on, happy for the little bit of warmth it gave her. She stood she looked down at herself. The material only came down to her mid thigh and showed off a good bit of her shapely legs. She looked back desperately. “I honestly can thank you for the offer…but…” Her annoyed blush came back, “I can’t go back to camp like this…” If the wind wanted to kick up even a little her lady parts would be showing hard-core.

Aside from saving Oriana from catching a cold, Alex really was pleased with the decision to offer her his shirt. She had nice legs, as he had already noted when she was wearing that dress from earlier, but it was always nice to recap such things. A smiled tugged at the corner of his lips, and he tried hard not to laugh at the predicament that she was in. "Well, I could give you my pants as well, but unfortunately that would leave me naked without any clothing. Unless you wish me to go ask Ilario or Tristan if they have any extra shirts they'd be willing to lend…" Truthfully, he wanted just one good gust to whip by before Oriana could do anything about her lack of dressing options.

“ I don’t need you strutting around in nothing…” She sighed, coming around the boulder and leaning against it now that she was a little more comfortable this whole thing. She didn’t like the idea of having to go back to the group being so exposed and telling them why she had to change clothes. “I’d rather not ask someone else for /more/ clothing anyway…” She already disliked having to use Alex’s and the smile on his face only made it that much worse for her.

"Mmm, and that's just the problem, isn't it. I can hardly leave you out here to freeze all night while you wait for your clothes to dry. And unfortunately, you've already turned down my offer to keep you warm by other means." Very unfortunate indeed, but hardly unexpected, given her character. And wasn't that why he was so enthralled by her? She just didn't give up without a good fight… "So somehow, we've got to get you back to camp without anyone noting that I'm missing my shirt and you're the one wearing." He tapped his chin thoughtfully, looking Oriana up and down. "Any ideas?"

“I doubt much that I can stay out here for the night?” She added a bit of hope to the end of her sentence that she knew wouldn’t come true. If it were Tristan or Ilario with one of their women then perhaps no one would go looking but it being her and Alex she couldn’t imagine being out here for much longer before someone came looking if they weren’t already.

As if on cue, Tristan came from out behind a rock with an insanely stupid look on his face. “There you are.” He looked down at her lack of pants, and then to Alex giving him a really cheesy thumbs up. “Oriana, my cousin, you aren’t wearing pants. …You finally gave in!”

“What?! No, I-….I honestly hope you die in the most painful of ways Tristan.” Oriana said as the dark stain of a blush she was getting used to come back. “Seems problem solved Alex.” She said moodily and pushed Tristan out of her way so she might get back to camp.

Tristan waited until she was out of earshot and grinned at Alex. “She finally gave in, good job.” He said before turning himself and heading back. He had volunteered to go look for the pair while he convinced his brother to keep Ryleon and Rose from coming after him.

~*~*~*~

Oriana walked back into the camp, made eye contact with on one. “Ask nothing.” She growled, and went into the tent not wanting to talk to a single person about the lack of her clothing. She wrapped herself up in her sleeping bag for warmth and fully prepared herself to snap at anyone who decided to poke their head in and ask.

"If only everything you are thinking had come true…" Alex mumbled with a little sigh, following Tristan back to camp after gathering up his wet coat. Upon arriving back at the campsite, he was met with a grinning Ilario, who walked over and slung his arm around his bare shoulders.

"So, I see you finally tamed the shrew?" He had seen Oriana's sour look upon entering the camp and her pantless state, and had jumped to the same conclusion that Tristan had. The fact that Alex was sauntering in with a bare chest only seemed to further support his idea.

"Not just yet." Alex replied quietly, the barest hint of a grin flicking over his face. Ilario's face feel slightly, and he looked a little confused. "But… perhaps you could distract Ryleon for me…?

"Oh…" The grin returned to the elder twin's face, and he patted Alex on the shoulder again before disengaging himself from Alex and drew his sword, walking toward the fire where his cousin sat. "Alright Ryleon, we've been neglecting you for far too long. Draw!" Ilario fell into a ready stance, the tip of his sword hovering perilously close to Ryleon's person.

Happy that Ilario had been quick on the draw, Alex then wandered to Demetri's side and bade the man be quiet for a moment with a raised hand. "Say Demetri, could you help Rose out a bit? She's looking rather lonely without Oriana to keep her company." With a wink, Alex left to walk toward the tent, Rose's eyes following him like a hawk tracking a mouse.

Ryleon jumped back away from the raised sword and then a few more leaps away from the fire. “Why right now?!” He figured he wasn’t going to get much of an answer and drew his own sword. His sparring match only got worse when Tristan jumped in from the side saying something along the lines of it was tiem for practice with more than one foe. He wasn’t the one needing practice! He parried one hit to spin and block another. If Alex was moving anywhere, Ryleon wouldn’t be able to notice in his current state of concentration.

Demetri blinked at Alex. He was up to something but shrugged and stood from where he was sitting and sat in front of Rose, blocking her sight from Alex. Now that he was sitting in front of her his mind sort of went blank. He didn’t really get far in planning to keep her company. “….Are you feeling better…?” That was the only thing he could really think to ask, the woman had been staring at Alex before he walked over. He really was up to something.

Oriana sighed and rolled onto her back in the sleeping bag. It suddenly got rather noisy out there for some reason and she felt like she didn’t want to know.

Rose was just about to get up when suddenly her vision was blocked by a familiar face. She blinked at Demetri, confused by his actions. "Am I feeling better…?" It took a moment for her to realize what he was talking about, then she blushed hard and quickly averted her gaze to her hands. "Oh! Yes, yes, I'm doing better now, thank you. Talking about it… that really helped put my mind at ease."

Alex entered the tent silently, looking for the bundle that had to be Oriana. He kicked off his shoes outside the tent and then moved to her side, kneeling next to her in all of his shirtless glory. "Well, don't you look all bundled up and comfy?" His voice was warm, soft. He didn't know what was driving him to act so gently as he reached out and famed her face with his hand then bent down and placed a kiss on her exposed forehead.

“That is good to hear.” He said as a sudden memory flashed in his head of Rose telling him that she loved him. He sighed, how much of that was the drugs and how much of it was herself, he asked himself. He knew her obvious infatuation with him and her honest want to help him but- he decided to forget it and rolled his shoulders. Women were complicated creatures…Or to Demetri they were.

~*~*~*

Alex was probably the one person she wouldn’t pounce on in her current state of annoyance, partly because she already had earlier and it ended in a rather embarrassing manner for herself…and partly he had known what happened and wouldn’t ask questions like the others. Before she was able to respond to his question he leaned in and with infinite gentleness kissed her forehead. She turned a dark red but didn’t move away from him. “I was…” She admitted her voice caught somewhere in between annoyance and embarrassment. Oriana sat herself up fully, sitting in front of him as the dark locks of her hair fell in around her face. She had to at least get his hands from her skin, she had felt her face go rather hot and if it wasn’t so present there (which it was) then he would be able to feel it. “A bit early to be turning in for you, isn’t it…?”

He couldn't help the smile that tugged at the corner of his lips, feeling Oriana's face heat up under his palm. She was so easily embarrassed, though she liked to pretend that she was all barbs and no heart. How easily that was all taken away when the right buttons were pushed… "It's never too early when there's someone to keep company." He whispered back, letting his hand fall to her neck, enjoying the feel of her soft skin before simply leaning forward and brushing a kiss across her lips, unable to resist the urge to do so any longer. How was it that a girl with such a gruff personality could be so soft and inviting on the outside? It was truly a quandary of nature.

“Uh huh…” Was all she got out before Alex made his next move. Oriana was stunned into just starring at him in surprise. She felt her stomach flip as he brushed a kiss on her lips and he hovered just inches from her face with a faint smile on his face. He seemed so gentle with her, “Alex…” She said his name and then rather gently put her hand on his chest as she leaned in and placed a longer kiss on his own lips as she closed her eyes. She had no idea what she was doing, and knew Alex would hold it over her later but at this moment in time, she didn’t care.

It was the second time that night that Alex had suspected that Oriana would do one thing, then turned around and did something he never could have accounted for. For a split second he was stunned by her kiss, then he got himself together and replied in full, pulling her closer with his hand on the side of her neck. With his other hand Alex moved aside the bit of sleeping bag covering her hip and slipped it under the loose shirt he had let her borrow, placing his palm on her bare hip, the warmness of her skin seeping into his cooler fingers. He inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of her into his lungs in an attempt to never forget the moment, caught in the fleeting time of small passion that she showed.

Lost in her own bit of passion, Oriana only took notice of Alex’s cooler hands with a small chill up her spine. Besides that she relaxed in his hold, moving her hand from his chest and slowly slid it up to his shoulder, as she got closer to him. Her entire body felt warm despite her lack of clothing and Alex's cooler chest was like little shocks under her fingers. She wasn’t going to take the time to think about what she was doing and nibbled ever so lightly on his bottom lip as a tease.

The press of Oriana's small frame was a welcome relief for his cold skin, especially since she hadn't apparently figured out how to keep the shirt that she was wearing closed. He could feel the soft swell of her chest through the thin fabric, and if he had his eyes open would have been afforded a lovely view of her cleavage. His hands abandoned her neck and hip, finding more favorable purchase around her waist, drawing her body closer to lay fully against him, absorbing her body heat as much as he could. Alex opened his mouth for her when she nipped at his lip and tasted Oriana's lips with his tongue, his hands sliding around back and cupping her rear firmly, drawing her up to his height.

Oriana easily moved against him, and another chill was set up her spine as she was fully lying against Alex’s bare chest. She effortlessly slipped her tongue against his lips and ever so slowly into his mouth tasting him. She moved against him when he grabbed at her rear and would normally slap him for it but in her current state it only drew her further into it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, letting her hands hang down his back, further rubbing herself against him. She hadn’t really remembered just yet that she wasn’t wearing anything underneath Alex’s shirt.

Alex allowed Oriana to do her exploring, glad that she was so willing to mold her body to his. There was only one problem. Well, two, really, but they were along the same line. Unfortunately for him and fortunately for Oriana, he still had his pants on, which was restricting him in all the most uncomfortable ways. The way that he had pulled her slight body against him had put her legs on either side of him, essentially straddling his hips with only the barest of spaces separating her warmth from his bulging front. Alex groaned involuntarily, wishing that it were the other way around with the pants and shirt thing, but unfortunately that was not reality. To content himself, he maneuvered his hands to slip down closer to Oriana's thighs, letting her settle down completely on his lap.

Oriana had moved a few times now with Alex’s will and this time was no different, or so she had thought. When she settled down on him she felt a large bulge rub against the junction in her legs and involuntarily she let out a low, small moan. It was then that she realized what she was doing and pulled herself back from him suddenly, her eyes wide. How could she let herself do this?! Her blush returned ten fold as she put a hand to her mouth. “Alex….I’m..sorry…” She almost felt like she was teasing him, she knew he was always trying at her but it was never the other way around. Looking down to the bulge in his pants she covered her face and groaned.

If Oriana didn't quit playing right into his hands, Alex had half a mind to strip off his pants and continue this little show with more action and less playing. However, it seemed that she had finally regained her senses, which was both a relief and a massive disappointment. "Sorry?" He grumbled, confused by the apology. It dawned on him a little late, but he managed to figure out that she was sorry for kissing him, a most alien concept to him indeed. "For this?" His voice was low, dangerous, his dark eyes made even more black by the darkness of the tent and the rise in stimulation that the two had been building for the last few minuets. He set his hands firmly on her waist, pressing her body hard against his hips, reliving some of the ache that had been building in his lower extremities for quite a while, but also made him want more. "I wouldn't be." His lips dropped her her neck, leaving faint kisses all the way to her collarbone.

Oriana looked up to Alex when he spoke. Was he…angry? His dark look confirmed her thoughts but didn’t tell as to why and that confused her completely. She didn’t have any time to dwell on it though as he pushed her into him and couldn’t hope to stop the next moan dragged from her throat. “Alex…?” The kisses he placed from her jaw down to her collarbone left little trails of fire as he went. What just happened?! She could have sworn a moment ago that she was apologizing for her behavior, a rare event, and now they were back to where they started.

Alex ground Oriana's hips against his own before releasing her, one burning question in his mind as he let his hands wander up her sides underneath the thin shirt. He wrapped one arm around behind her, his other palm pressing into the soft mound on her chest, nipping at her collar bone and raising that dark gaze to meet Oriana's confused blue eyes. "Why didn't you stop me?" He ground out with that same soft voice that only just bordered on danger. He pressed her body closer to his and down, reminding her of the bulge in his pants just incase she had forgotten about that.