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The Invitation

Chapter 3: Care (E)

Notes:

Please mind the tags!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

He must have been dreaming.

There was no other viable explanation for the words that just left Alune’s mouth; an open invitation to claim what he had always yearned for. Entranced, he moved slowly; as if one sudden motion would wake him from this, would cause her to slip from his grasp.

“Are you certain?” he murmured, allowing his fingers to trail over the spread of scales on her cheeks before drifting underneath her chin. It lifted for him, easy and pliant, and her grip tightened in his hair.

“Kiss me, G’raha.”

Dream or not, he didn’t need to be told twice.

The first tentative press of their lips was tender and soft while his palm returned to her cheek, grounding himself as his body trembled from head to toe. It was everything that he had ever wanted and more; her sweetness radiating into every fiber of his being. Every onze of suffering, every heartbreak, every lonely night had been worth it to feel the soaring of his chest right now.

And just when he thought the moment couldn’t get more satisfying, she began to move.

Her supple mouth melted against his, slotting over his lower lip and gently sucking on it, slowly working out any apprehension he still held. His eyes had closed at some point; it was all becoming a hazy fog, but they fluttered open for a brief second to check once more that this was real.

Fingernails dug into his scalp, drawing a whine from deep within his throat and spurring him into moving against her as well. Hungrier now, he nipped lightly at her lips, and she took the opportunity to slip her tongue past his teeth and slid it against his own.

The hand cradling her cheek tilted her head for better access as he further deepened the kiss, mouths moving wantonly against each other with a need driven by years of pining, wanting, longing.

Everything was hot, much too hot. The air was heavy around him, and he was suddenly keenly aware of her soft breasts pressing into his chest, of his fingers laying just above the swell of her arse... His brain short-circuited as all the blood in his body rushed south.

They pulled back with a wet pop for a moment to breath, still panting into one another’s mouths. Instantly thirsty for more, he leaned to dive back in again, but she caught his jaw before he met his mark.

“I think,” she breathed heavily, “that I would like to get some fresh air. Would you care to join me?”

He swallowed. “I believe I would be amenable to the idea.”

A sly smile curled across her lips before her fingers intertwined with his, tugging him through the crowd around them. It was only then that he remembered where they were; the song they were previously dancing to had long changed and the moon now shone brightly overhead. A flurry of heads turned as they snaked through partygoers, but now he didn’t just hear her name whispered in the crowd; he heard his own as well.

His face burned as they reached the edge of the ball, turning down a winding set of stairs. “Where are we going?” he asked, breathless, but she only giggled and kept pulling until they reached a shadowed corner.

Her firm hand on his chest pressed him against the wall before weaving into his hair again, the long line of her body pushing into him once more.

“I was feeling a bit overwhelmed,” she admitted, her nose grazing his neck and causing him to shudder. “There were much too many onlookers, though I suppose that was the original intention. I just…”

He cradled the back of her head and ran his other hand soothingly over her arm. “I’m certain they will be fine without you for a spell. Besides, what’s a party without a bit of mischief and gossip?”

“That is true.” She pulled back to smile at him before falling back into his neck. This time, though, he felt the wet warmth of her lips laving against his skin, and he threw his head back with an embarrassingly load moan.

He felt her grin into his neck before continuing her ministrations, lapping and worrying the skin over his tattoo up to the line of his jaw. A wave of heat rolled through his lower half, and he slid his hands down the curve of her waist to press her into him, needing some sort of friction to relieve the ache in his rapidly growing bulge. Mercifully, she adjusted so her hip was leaning just enough to take the edge off, and she swallowed his gasp with another deep kiss.

But it still wasn’t enough.

Wicked white, how he wanted to feel every ilm of her; caress her chest, run his hands further down into that lovely slit in her dress, see what sounds she would make if he grabbed her tail…

Alune must have sensed his restraint, for she broke the kiss and clutched at his collar. “You can touch me, you know,” she panted, lips swollen and glistening with their shared saliva.

Please, touch me,” she corrected, and something inside of him snapped.

A low growl in his throat, he flipped their positions and moved to devour her mouth once more. Though his hands still trembled a bit, his thumbs travelled along the top of her dress, pads running over the upper swell of her breasts. And gods, they everything and more he imagined them to be; soft and ample and begging for his tongue to drag over them.

She let out an exquisite moan as he curved underneath them, giving them a light experimental squeeze. He made a note to return and ravish them later to continue his exploration down to her exposed leg, needed to feel more of her. His fingertips toyed with the hem of her dress to give her space to withdraw if she wanted, but the teeth sinking into his lip urged him to continue.

The slit was wide enough to allow space to roam, and he rubbed the front of her muscled thigh momentarily before shifting to the back of her leg. It hitched around his hip, and oh; the position change allowed for his throbbing length to finally press on her in the way that he so desperately wanted.

He rolled once against her, mewling as her hips shifted to an even sweeter angle to grind her own heat against his leg. His hands returned to her chest, with more confidence this time, massaging the flesh in rhythm with her. When his thumbs brushed over the pert nipples protruding out from her dress, she let out a sound so erotic that his new goal was to draw it out of her again and again, as many times as he could.

He continued pinching the peaks of her breasts while they rocked against one another; the chatter of the party was only a distant memory, leaving the only remaining noise in his ears the wet sliding of their tongues.

There was already a damp spot in his smalls, and he was wound so tightly from the teasing touches all night that his peak was rocketing unabated towards him. Groaning, he attempted to slow himself down, but the friction, her voice, the hands now dangerously close to grabbing the sensitive base of his tail; all of it was too much, too pleasurable, too…

“Oi! Get an inn room, you swivin’ scalawags! This is the fishermen’s guild, not a bawdy house!”

Alune’s leg instantly dropped and they both froze; eyes wide with panic. Thankfully, she was tucked nearly entirely between him and the wall so the disgruntled worker couldn’t see who he had just walked in on.

“Er, ahem.” G’raha cleared his throat, voice coming out an octave higher than he expected. “My sincerest apologies, kind sir. We shall be leaving right away; I am truly sorry for our indiscretion.”

He remained still as stone until he heard footsteps stomping away, muttering more words he assumed were obscenities. Alune clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle a laugh before dragging him once more out onto the cobblestone streets.

Nhaama, can I ever catch a break?” she mused with a shake of her head, clutching his hand tightly. He barely heard her, though; his mind still reeling with both the embarrassment of getting caught and nearly spilling in his pants from merely rutting against her.

Once his head was a bit back on his shoulders, he slowed her a halt once they reached a set of docks overlooking the water.

“Alune, wait,” he started, and she looked up at him earnestly.

“Shouldn’t we… that is to say, what are we doing right now?”

Her hands came to rest on his chest. “I have an old room I used to stay in when I was training with Jacke; I’m positive it’s still unused, and I was thinking we could go there—”

“No,” he interrupted, “that’s not exactly what I meant.”

Taking a deep breath, he willed his racing heart to slow, trying not to focus on the feeling of her fingers close to his own nipples. He was still ilms away from bending her over and taking her right on this very dock, but he could never forgive himself if he rushed into this and hurt her in the process.

“This is all… new, and a lot at once, and I—” I love you, I love you, I love you, “—care about you too deeply to push you into something you don’t feel ready for.” He winced internally at the failed confession, but she only blinked up at him.

“Mayhap we should talk about this when our heads are clearer; it is late, and I’m sure you’re exhausted, and ‘tis clear we have much to discuss.”

Her hands fell and her gaze softened ever so slightly. “If that is truly what you want, then I completely understand; we can go back to the Stones and meet again in the morning.”

She shifted towards the water, the waves lapping near their feet and an ocean mist dusting across their bodies. A balmy breeze brushed through her hair, wafting it off of her shoulders in a curtain of midnight locks. The moonlight was gorgeous as it drifted over her scales; there was an iridescence to them that he hadn’t had a chance to notice before, and he had never been more grateful for the night sky.

“But, in the spirit of being sorely candid with one another…”

Snapped back from his gawking, a pang resonated in his chest when he saw a flash of sadness underneath her long lashes. “I believe we both have had quite enough waiting around, and I for one don’t want to waste a single night more that could be spent with the people I…”

She seemed to roll a few words around in her mouth, before settling on one. “The person I care about.”

Not able to help himself, he swept her into his arms once more for a crushing kiss. He couldn’t make all of the pain, the grief, the loss go away; but he could sure as hells try. She relaxed into him again as he poured all his love to her; the words he could never quite get out right, the apologies for being gone so long, the promises that he would remain by her side from then on.

After coming back to Eorzea, he set her down with reluctance but kept their foreheads pressed together, needing to remain close.

“’Tis up to you,” she whispered across his lips. “I would be more than happy to end on a note like that…” Smiles broke across both of their faces, and he planted another kiss on her temple. “And we can talk about what this means tomorrow; chalk tonight up to a bit of ordinary party mischief.”

He pulled back to look at her, and only saw sincerity glowing in her eyes. She truly was leaving this up to him; but from what he could read...

Her hands tracing random patterns into his neck, her body still burning against his, her tail swishing through the air faster than usual…

She still wanted him too. And he had to agree with her; they had spent too much time waiting. There would always be tomorrow for discussions on their relationship.

Carding his fingers through her silky hair, he made up his mind.

“Our story has never been ordinary, has it?"

 


 

Heart pounding beyond belief with anticipation, she yanked G’raha down the final stretch of the docks to the old guild she used to call home. Mercifully, Lonwoerd was absent; she wasn’t sure what she had planned on saying to him. That, and it allowed G’raha to impatiently grip her hips from behind as she fumbled for her key, grinding into her and leaving a hot trail of kisses down the side of her neck.

“Excited, are we?” she teased as she pushed her back into him, feeling the solid length in his trousers slip between the cleft of her cheeks.

“You have absolutely no idea,” he murmured with a nip to one of her scales.

The key finally turned the lock, and she ducked her head as she led him past the few other rogues still in the main room to her previous quarters. No doubt she would hear it from Jacke and V’kebbe later; but she couldn’t bring herself to care now.

It wasn’t until the door closed behind them in her private room, after she lit a small candle in the corner and saw the light flicker across his crimson eyes, that she realized this was happening. She was going to do this with G’raha, who thought of her as more than friends, who she felt so strongly about that she may well burst.

A flutter of nerves joined the rest of the emotions swirling in her belly, and suddenly he was soothing her once more; tracing lines into her bare skin and pressing sweet kisses to her forehead.

“I have no expectations tonight,” he reassured. “Just being here with you is more than I could ever ask for.”

The swelling of adoration in her chest was nearly painful, and she hugged him close. “It’s just been a while for me,” she admitted; not even fully able to recall the last time she had been intimate with someone else.

A deep rumble emanated from beneath his ribs. “I can assure you that however long it has been for you, ‘tis been longer for me,” he said, humored, but a wave of sadness still threatened to wash over her at the reminder of they years he spent alone on the First.

“We’ll just have to re-learn together, then,” she whispered as she pulled back, gently caressing his strong jaw and playing with the edges of his hair.

His lips slanted over hers again, and it already felt natural, familiar, like home. He knew the exact way to hold her, to touch her that made her trust in him with her whole heart, as if nothing else in the world mattered but that moment right then.

This time, his tongue was the one to press into the seam of her lips, opening her and sending a pulse to her core as the slightly-rough surface licked the inside of her mouth; slow and steady and heated.

Her hands slipped underneath his overcoat, sliding it backwards until he shrugged it off without breaking their kiss. She could now freely feel the ripple of muscle over his upper back, shoulders, arms, and she instantly needed more touch, more skin, more everything.

She undid the top of his collar gently, working her way down until the shirt hung open. He took to thumbing at the button holding the top of her dress together at her neck until it came undone, exposing the top portion of her chest.

Finally able to run her hands along his bare, flushed skin, she groaned as she moved over his solid abs and up to his pectoral muscles. He leaned down to lap at her collarbone and drew another moan from her throat as he bit over the sensitive skin. She felt herself being guided backwards to the small bed in the corner, and plopped down onto it when her shins hit the bedframe.

Looking up at him as he let the rest of his shirt and vest fall off, she nearly went slack-jawed at the sight.

He was bloody fit, the warm candlelight highlighting every swell and curve of hardened muscle; she had thought his arms to look strong before, but it paled in comparison to now.

He scratched the back of his neck as her eyes raked over him. “I-I hope I do not disappoint,” he said hesitantly, and she scooted back on the bed and pulled him down to sit next to her.

“You are positively gorgeous,” she answered darkly, and let her tongue drag a long stripe up the center of his chest for emphasis. His head lolled back and he leaned against his elbows, a mix of curses and praises falling from his lips.

His cock was now clearly straining through the fabric of his pants, reminding her of the own throbbing heat between her legs. The relief granted by rubbing against his thigh had long since faded; her smalls undoubtably soaked from neediness and longing.

Feeling shy again at just how much she wanted him, she laid back onto the pillow, kicking off her heels to bring her feet to the bed as well. He followed suit, taking off his shoes before crawling over her, luscious hair cascading over his shoulder as he looked down upon her.

The compromising position drew heat to her cheeks as he remained still for a moment, eyes questioning if this was still okay. She nodded as her nails scaped down his back, gently pulling him down until the weight of his body was fully flush against hers. Every ilm of her skin screamed for more, hips bucking upwards to press against his length, and he dove back into kissing and nibbling at her neck.

“Twelve, G’raha,” she breathed close to his ear, it flickered wildly while he increased his attention to her neck tenfold. Experimentally, she rubbed the shell between her thumb and forefinger, and he shuddered on top of her.

A wicked grin came across her face as she softly bent it, taking the edge between her teeth and mouthing across the tufts of fur. Her other hand gently massaged the opposite ear, and he keened against her skin.

Her mouth had to let go as he travelled further south, but she continued to switch between rubbing his sensitive ears and dragging her nails through his hair.

Panting, he looked up at her when he reached the top of her dress, still pulled over the swell of her breasts. “May I… see you?” he asked, and she exhaled hard.

Mmm, yes,” she hissed. “You can do more than look, too.”

Carefully, as if unwrapping a Starlight gift, he peeled the fabric down her chest to her waist. Her breath hitched as his fingers grazed over her skin, drawing goosebumps and chills up her spine.

Gods, Alune; that you weren’t wearing anything underneath,” he murmured. “You are trying to ruin me, aren’t you?”

Her giggle quickly turned to a loud gasp as he circled his tongue around her nipple before dragging it into his mouth. She clasped her hand over her face to cover her cries while he worried the peak, flicking his tongue and sucking until she was practically writhing under him.

She tugged gently on his hair when the overstimulation became too much, her core throbbing and aching for some sort of friction. He pulled off with one last wet lave to return to her lips, plunging into her with no more restraint.

The feeling of her bare breasts pressing against his heated flesh was nearly just as teasing, though; and she scrambled with the laces on her corset to finally push down the rest of her dress and kick it to the end of the bed. Now only in her black, lacy smalls, she shivered as he ran his hands up and down the curve of her waist to her hips, touching scales and old scars with such care and love that it almost hurt.

Love.

That’s what was in his shimmering eyes, the perking of his ears, the swishing of his tail; and for the second time that night, everything suddenly made sense. He had said that she was his unbroken thread, his inspiration, his star; but she hadn’t truly understood until now. Hadn’t believed anybody could possibly feel such a way about her, as broken as she was sometimes.

She wondered if she looked the same way upon him.

“Is everything alright?” he questioned softly, squeezing the scales over her hips.

Giving him her sweetest smile, she wrapped her arms around his neck loosely to pull him down to her again. “Everything is perfect,” she said with a trail of kisses over his ear. “And you?”

He moaned in response as she bit down slightly harder this time, the weight of his body on hers igniting all of her senses again. “Perfection doesn’t hold a candle to this.”

Her hand drifted down his back before wrapping around to his front and snaking between them. She stopped at his lower tummy to run her fingers through the patch of soft, red fur there before daring to venture further.

His cry was muffled into her collarbone when she finally grasped the outline of his cock through his pants, brushing her thumb over the wet spot at the tip. Giving it a few strokes and marveling at just how thick he was, she continued mouthing at his ear, wondering how it would feel if she unbuttoned his trousers, shed the last remaining layer between them…

“Alune, ah,” he groaned suddenly with a jerk of his hips backwards. “Gods, you’re going to undo me with that alone.”

“Is that such a bad thing?” she murmured while blinking up at him, swiftly growing intrigued with the idea.

He nuzzled into her chest again, placing soft pecks and open-mouthed kisses across each one, eyes fluttering closed. “It is when I yet want to do more with you.”

The words shot directly to her heat, and her entire body began to tingle with suspense as he worked his way lower. “Yes, oh yes, G’raha, please,” she nearly begged as his mouth trailed over her navel, down to the divot of her hip, and breathed hotly over her clothed core.

Something shifted in him in that moment; she had seen it earlier that night, right before…

“Say my name; I want to hear you say it, just like this,” he rumbled deeply, eyes dark with hunger, craving the name reserved for lovers.

Raha, Raha, please, I need to feel you.”

There was no hesitation needed anymore. His finger slid the edge of her smalls to the side, tongue pressing a wide strip up the center of her folds. Back arched, her hands wound into his hair, desperate for something to hold onto as he began dragging that wonderfully rough tongue around her entrance. She barely bit back a scream as he moved to suck on her apex, toes curling and trying hopelessly to not buck up against his mouth or squeeze his head with her thighs.

He lapped up every bit of her desire, unrelenting and fixated on bringing her higher and higher with each broad stroke. It was so overwhelming she barely noticed he had slipped the tip of his finger into her, and Nhaama, it was thick, too; much thicker than her own, but again it wasn’t enough.

His true name slipped from her lips over and over as she pleaded for more, and he generously obeyed by plunging to the base of his knuckle. She barely adjusted to the feeling before he was slipping in a second finger, and oh, was the stretch delicious. Any slight discomfort was washed away by his gentle pumps in and out, still attending to her clit with sloppy kisses and swirls of his tongue.

Her peak was quickly approaching; she could release at any moment, grind into his mouth and let him take her apart, but the want in her belly was screaming for even more. Tugging his hair to pull him up to her, she drew him in for a long kiss, tasting herself deeply, before dragging away again with a loud smack.

“Raha,” she whispered, playing with the button on his pants. “I want to feel you closer. Could you… Can we…” Words failed her; not able to describe the pressing feeling in her chest.

Every inside joke, every time he stood next to her during a meeting, every brush of hands they shared whilst laughing together at the market; it had all built up in the deep recesses of her mind, and the floodgates were now open.

His forehead fell against hers. “I want to more than anything, but I won’t last, I…”

Cupping his face between her hands, she looked him dead in the eyes. “I don’t care about that, Raha, I only care about you. They’ll be plenty of time for… reacclimating later.”

Her thumbs rubbed over the markings under his eyes, hoping to wipe away all of his worry like he had done for her. Slowly, the crease between his brow softened, and he mouthed the word ‘later’ with a brief smile.

His pants and smalls were hurriedly torn off and thrown to the side with the rest of their garments, freeing his leaking, reddened cock from its restraints. She shimmied out of her smalls in tandem as she gulped at his size; it was even larger than what her fingers had told her.

Pressing himself against her once more, he kissed her softly, flames now igniting between every touch of heated, sticky skin between them. The velvet head of his length grazed across her lower stomach, dragging a trail of wetness down through her curls and against her pearl. Crossing her heels over his back, she rolled against him a few times, chasing the stimulation of his cock dragging between her folds.

When she finally felt his tip press against her entrance, she let out a tiny gasp against his lips. He threaded his fingers into hers, holding her firm on the mattress, but not moving his hips yet.

“I will be slow, alright?” he breathed into her horn. “You just let me know what you need.”

“Need you inside of me,” she whined, and he mewled against her hair before driving forward to push in the first ilm.

She was so wet from his mouth and her own lust that the glide was completely smooth; it wasn’t until he pressed further that she threw her head back from the stretch. But he remained slow and steady; holding in place while her walls fluttered around him, adjusting to his girth as he peppered kisses over her face, neck, horns, lips. He was about halfway in when he started to rock his hips ever so slightly, pulling out only to press even deeper into her, and the movement sent waves of heat down her entire body.  

“Twelve, you’re so tight,” he choked out, “so wet and beautiful and incredible for me.”

A guttural moan erupted from her when his hips finally reached her core, entirely sheathed and deep and full inside of her. He stilled as she squeezed down around him, digging her heels into his back to urge him to move.

The first thrust made her sing; opening her even deeper than she ever could have imagined. His fingers squeezed hers once more before traveling to her clit, circling it in time with his pulses.

She had to force herself to remember to breath as he took her over and over, holding her so lovingly while bringing her closer and closer to the edge. She began to rut back against him as his drives became more urgent, chasing her climax as his cock and nimble fingers increased their pace.

“I can’t hold on, Alune,” he gasped desperately. “I’m going to—oh gods, I’m so close—”

His thrusts were frantic now, hips stuttering against her, and she pulled him in even closer. She was unable to form words as he pushed her past the point of no return, only calling out his name as the waves crested over her, vision turning white.

With one final swive he spilled inside of her, hot spend filling her core and cock twitching as she continued to ride her high, biting down into his neck. It was the hardest she had ever released, and from what she could venture he was in the same boat; clutching at her like she was his last remaining lifeline in a raging sea.

After the aftershocks began to fade he all but collapsed on top of her, still pulsing inside of her heat, pressing sloppy kisses to her jaw and cheeks. Her eyes fluttered shut as she basked in the after-glow, his warmth and presence surrounding and calming her in a way that she hadn’t felt in years.

Only when she felt a stickiness begin to pool between her legs did he pull out, the loss of sensation causing her to wince. He sat up almost bashfully, crossing his arm over his chest and looking around the room. Spotting the door leading to a small bathroom, he entered it and returned with a soft, damp towel to clean her.

His hands ran over her thighs soothingly as he worked, and she only gazed down at him, still speechless. He cleaned himself briefly before returning to sit at the edge of the bed.

“I don’t suppose we shall be returning to the ball,” he started, and his earnestness made her bite back a laugh.

“No, I don’t think I would be able to walk there even if I wanted to,” she finally managed, and he blushed; a small look of pride spreading across his face. His ears flickered adorably, and she sat up enough to wrap her arm around his to pull him back to bed with her.

He obliged; settling beside her so that she could tuck her head into the crook of his neck, one arm wrapping around his waist. A fluffy warmth draped over her hip like it had previously in the night, and she smiled into his skin.

Suddenly stilling under her, his fingers pressed into her side with concern. “Do you need to—um, take something, since I…”

She shook her head, catching his meaning. “I have a contraceptive tincture I take regularly; it helps regulate my cycles.”

He sighed into her hair. “Ah, I see,” he said simply with a caress of her cheek, and her heart swelled at his sweetness.

A snap of his fingers extinguished the candle, and he reached down to pull the quilt over them, wrapping them in a cocoon. She snuggled deeper into his chest, satiated and completely boneless, when she felt a hardness pressing into her scalp.

Sitting up quickly, her hand shot to her head, sighing in relief when the glass flower pin was unbroken. She gently untangled it and reached over him to set it on the bedside table for safekeeping.

“Sorry, I just… I want to be able to wear it again,” she spoke softly as she settled back into him, his ruby eyes glowing as they followed her in the darkness. It meant more to her than just a small token of appreciation now.

“Thank you very much for it,” she continued, “and for coming with me tonight. Though it may look suspicious, I swear to all that is holy that this was not some grand planned-out scheme from our nosy friends.”

She felt his lips press against her forehead with a light chuckle. “I don’t think anyone could have planned this. I was glad to be of service to you, and I—” He squeezed her tighter into his arms. “I can’t wait to continue this, for real, now.”

His eyes drifted closed sleepily, and a sudden wave of exhaustion came over her as well. Securely cradled against him, she let herself doze, grinning lightly to herself about all she wanted to say to him tomorrow. How important he was to her, how he made her feel, how she should have realized it sooner and didn’t want to waste another moment not being with him.

He was safety, warmth, happiness, home… he was Raha.

 


 

The next morning, in the Rising Stones…

 

Alphinaud burst through the main doors to the dining area, startling a tired Y’shtola and Alisaie.

“They’re not in either of their rooms; Twelve forfend, do you think this could be another…” he trailed off, panic writ across his face.

Alisaie kicked one of her legs up. “Whatever are you on about, brother?” she grumbled. “’Tis much too early for such nonsense; speak plainly, or find someone else to grovel at.”

“G’raha and Alune,” he said, slower this time. “They never returned from the ball last night, and they’re not answering their linkpearls. I’m going to call Merlwyb, or see if I can reach anyone who was in attendance; but this does not bode well. Be ready in case I need you both.”

Just as he was about to exit, he stopped at the sound of Alisaie’s fist slamming against the table.

“I knew it!” she declared, suddenly much more awake than moments before. He turned suspiciously back to her, watching in confusion as her hand reached out to Y’shtola.

The older Scion shook her head in defeat, begrudgingly shifting through her pockets to place a stack of gil into her outstretched palm. “This is exactly why I have never participated in such juvenile games, and never shall I again. ‘Twould seem I have greatly underestimated the both of them.”

Alphinaud looked back and forth between the two, opening his mouth and snapping it shut as he tried to work out what was going on. “I don’t understand,” he started as Alisaie happily plopped her winnings into her coinpurse.

“Oh, do not tell me you are that dense, really. I saw it coming from a malm away; there was no chance those two would make it through a night of pretending to be ‘together’ without it actually happening. I suppose I should share my victory with Tataru, though. I only thought to make a bet last night when I caught a glimpse of the outfits she had designed for them.”

His hand flew to his mouth, scandalized, as his face turned beet-red. “Oh dear,” he murmured, turning to back away from the embarrassing situation he had almost gotten himself in.

Y'shtola smirked. "Though I may have lost, I do believe this to be a triumph for us all. If I had to witness one more lovesick expression from either of them, I was bound to truly embarrass poor G'raha."

 

Care

Notes:

Thank you so much to everyone who made it this far, I truly appreciate all of the love and support! Please enjoy a handsome hair-down Raha as a thanks; I know their outfits aren't exactly how I described them but I still thought they looked nice.

Alune is my second OC who I've been really enjoying writing a bit more of recently; my main girl Zala's story is really important to me but it's nice to take a break from the angst for some good old-fashioned fluffy tropes. There will be more fun to come from her soon! I have some spicy ideas I've been cooking up *rubs hands together*

You can follow me on bluesky or twitter for more antics, fic updates, and general screaming!