Familiar faces (Tags: Axiar)

As he pulled her in so that she was being held close to him, she could feel the same urge to be intimate with him and she knew better than to act just yet. They could dance this little dance if they needed to. It would make him feel better to not deflower her for whatever reason. Maybe he thought she would regret it. Noxaura never did anything she didn’t want to do, there was no room for regret.

“You are the one who was doing the running earlier…” So he couldn’t blame her if she wanted out of this place. Whoever he was, whatever he planned to do with his life, he simply couldn’t rely on her being here when he came back, if he came back at all. There was no telling what could happen in the next few months let alone Turns. It could be a very long time till they saw eachother again. She thought telling him he’d have to come looking for her would be incentive in that it was a challenge.

“If you wanted to be treated fairly, you shouldn’t have gotten involved with me at all.” She did not care much whether he agreed with her in this instance or not. Nox knew she was a thief. “You would be better off not to get involved with a thief." She said with a slight smirk, "I could try to steal something you value more than those scrolls.”

Where his breath touched her neck, she felt the barest of tickling sensations. Her breath caught in her throat. The laces? He was thinking about her dress now? Maybe it was a way to distract from the physical attraction they felt. Or at least she assumed he felt. She felt it for him at the very least. “Right. The laces.” She wasn’t all that concerned, as she had been earlier. “Will that require you leaving my company?”

Noxaura felt the briefest moment of dread at that thought. He was going to leave. She knew he had to but he would not leave yet. She had to reassure her nerves that he was still going to be around later on.

It was a good thing about the scrolls then, that it was not he who valued them so highly -though it would be a great disappointment not to return to the Chorong Headquarters with the list of names he'd acquired.

Axiar didn't quite manage to completely stifle the snicker that parted his lips when she teased him about her being a thief. And a good one. So he teased back a little, wondering if he might raise her curiosity a little more, again, "And just what do you think I am? And I know full well what to expect of you now. If you go trying to steal things from me again, you'll get caught. Anyway, there's nothing else in this room of any value." Unless she decided to try and take his sword. But that would be a feat.


Axiar rolled her off of him when she inquired after his need to fulfill the promise about her lacings. "Well I have nothing for you to change into, so you'll have to remain here until I return with the laces. I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea to have someone here to guard the room while I'm gone. I can't leave here without those scrolls -it's important they remain safe."

Getting up from the bed, Axiar reached for his sword and slid it under his belt. "I'll be back soon."

Of course Noxaura would have to stay here if she dind't want to leave without proper clothing; or if she ever wanted her laces, so he didn't fear she'd try running off with the scrolls again.

She whispered, "You are a rebel." Noxaura didn't say it as if it scared her. She was more concerned with not knowing his name. It would be nice to have something of him even if he wanted to leave her with some mystery.

"What we are is not who we are..." She added, knowing he did what he did for some cause that might or might not be something he truly cared about. "I'd argue that there is something of value which I want in this room, even if it is not considered tangible by you." She wanted him. And she would have him, exactly where she wanted him, someday.

Watching him go after being rolled over onto the side of the bed she had originally been on, "See you soon."

She could be patient, at least a little bit. Yeah, that lasted a whole two seconds before she got out of bed and began to scour the room for something interesting but the room was as bare upon further investigation as it had been at first glance. At least the golden eyed rebel had a spare shirt. She put the shirt on and went downstairs where a number of people were drinking and playing dragon poker.

Before she knew it, she'd drunk a pint of ale and was in the middle of a poker game. Noxaura acted as if she had no idea what the game was. She had several volunteers to teach her how to play but the honest truth was she was the only one playing a winning game. Lying came easier to her than the truth and she could act as good if not better than the best.

She was clever. She didn't win every game. Only the games that mattered. After winning a good number of marks off of the men she was playing the game with, she made an excuse to leave. This of course brought on protests. She should stay and drink and play.

Nox however, had what she wanted. She may or may not have lifted a few things off of other people that they had not put on the table. When she made her way up the stairs one of the men had followed her and grabbed her arm as she reached for the door knob into the room that she had been in with Axiar.

"Let me go." She said sternly and when the man held onto her tighter and tried to draw her in, she used her free hand to sock him right in the jaw, and while he recovered from the shock of what she had done, she brought her knee up where it hit a very sensitive mark. As soon as he let go of her arm she rushed into the room and locked the door behind her.

This was followed by continuous pounding on the door. Well she certainly wasn't coming out with that noise going on. Creeper.

Noxaura's declaration that she knew who he worked for sparked no more confirmation from him, the second time around. But of course he wasn't going to admit it aloud to anyone here -even her.


By the time Axiar had gone and come back, Nox had had all her fun, and was hiding away in his room again. Of course, even before he reached the top of the stairs heading to the second floor, the noise from all the pounding on the doors alerted him. Stopping for a moment to listen, it sounded as though the noise was about distant enough to be coming from the location of his room. Or the one across from it, so with caution, he topped the stairs, walking ahead, quickly assessing the situation.

A sigh of relief came silently to him when he learned that there was only one man and that man was not Hold Guardsmen. Still... there was no need to draw any more attention to them. It was without the use of his sword then, that Axiar would have to engage the ruffian at his door.

"Excuse me. This is my room. Is there something I can help you with?"

The men stammered half-inebriated, their voices raised to an uncontrolled volume. "That wench took our-"

Axiar's fist cut him off, landing a solid blow to the diaphragm that doubled the man over; and with the use of the fingers of that other hand, the rebel struck a nerve that would take consciousness from him. Lowering the first man's body to the floor, he might have warned the man to rethink his words if he was going to mouth off in such a way -especially going so far as to call his latest infatuation a wench, but it was too late for that. Axiar knew that Nox was many things, but she was not that.

Stepping over the body, and unlocking the door with the room key tucked away in his pocket, Axiar entered, only to lock it again behind him. Of course, once he'd put his back to the door, he fixed Noxaura with a dangerous glare.

"Nox." Her name was called sternly, but without being raised; that was just like him, with his ever-quiet manner. "What did you do?" Not as coldly as when he'd said her name, the words carried a clear sense of accusation. And whatever she'd done, the smell of alcohol still lingered on her, so he could tell she'd been up to something while he'd been gone, even from the door.

Axiar wondered to himself then, if perhaps she only caused him trouble for fun, at this point. Like a child, she was testing his limits.

She was laying on the bed, fiddling with a lovely necklace, when she heard knocking stop. Stuffing her new prize back into her velvet pouch, she sat up. As seemed to be normal for him, he was not happy. He was responsible for his own happiness, it had nothing to do with her. She personally thought good things came out of her interactions tonight. Free drinks, playing some dragon poker and cheating some men out of their marks and a couple pieces of jewelry. She may or may not have taken a couple of other things but she had paid them with her attention. Surely that was worth something especially since not one of them had been attractive in any way.

“I was left here alone with nothing to occupy my mind. What do you think I did?”

He’d already made up his mind that she had been the one to do something wrong. What about the man outside? Was he innocent? She really doubted that. He only had himself to blame really, leaving her here all alone without anything to do. And why did he care anyway? He was leaving.

Nox leaned back onto her elbows. If he was going to be like everyone else, she could leave. He must have her laces so she could take them and be on her way. Honestly the fact that he seemed angry made her want to leave not because she feared his anger but because he was acting just like her parents when she did something they didn’t approve of. Better to come out with what he was accusing her of and be done with it. She wasn’t going to return anything and there was no point in him lecturing her or ignoring her or whatever he planned to do.

To tell the truth, Axiar wasn't all that concerned about what she decided to do or not do, for the most part. As long as she wasn't going to bring him more trouble. Suspicion of wrongdoing wasn't the reason he shot her the sharp stare. They both knew that neither one of them was innocent. He'd glared at her momentarily for the simple fact that at least he could control himself -when to commit heinous acts, and when to keep himself hidden. Timing was everything. She, on the other hand, seemed to want to bring trouble to his door at the one time he didn't really need it. He was trying to lay low here. Did that thought not cross through her mind?

In any case, she never ceased to amaze him with her wily ways. It was an odd attraction of hers, to him. Yes, if they did continue seeing each other in the future, no doubt she would always keep him on his toes.

Well, he spoke nothing more of her interaction with the men, rather, kept mostly to himself like always. Since the danger in his eyes melted away, Axiar stepped across the room to her and held up the laces; though he didn't give them to her right away. He would ask for a trade.

"My shirt." Indicating that she should remove it before he handed over the laces.

Noxaura didn't particularly mind being thought of negatively by most people, so long as she was thought of. Still he seemed to understand that the best thing he could do was say nothing more about what she may or may not have done. He must know it irritated her when he didn't talk at all. Once again left to her own thoughts, she thought perhaps he was being a little hard on her. It wasn't like he was innocent either.

She sat up again to remove the shirt, "I wasn't going to steal it." She said earnestly as the shirt came up over her head. Holding the shirt out to him, still she sat on the bed. There was no reason fro her to move unless he had it in his head not to give her the laces as he promised her.

He would only do that if he wanted to make her angry with him. Not that she would put it past him. He might be thinking of getting back at her for the man at the door. Well he didn't know what happened so he couldn't blame her for something when he didn't even know the whole story.

Nox thought the room felt a bit cooler without the shirt on and she shivered. "Thank you..." Sincerity was not really her strong point but she was at this point being quite sincere. If he decided not to give her the laces she might get angry.

Taking his shirt from her, it was with the opposite hand that he took her wrist captive. Tossing the shirt over the foot-board of the bed, his golden eyes were sparkling with a smile that would not show itself upon his face otherwise.

"Who said I had any thoughts of you stealing it? I just wanted to see you take it off." The words were spoken in such a quiet, but husky, conspiratorial manner that he seemed not at all joking. And perhaps he wasn't; because after that, he was on the bed with her, drawing her close to him by the pull of her wrist.

Relinquishing his hold on her arm then, Axiar embraced her so that he could remove the cut pieces of lacing from the grommets in her bodice, sliding the garment off her shoulders, and down her arms, leaving her bare of anything but the underpinnings there. But Axiar could faintly see through the thin under layer, letting his eyes appreciate the view of her beautiful, delicate form. Just then, he couldn't help but whisper so softly, more as though to himself; some subconscious thought that had freed itself. "So beautiful."

"So brazen." She said with a hint of reproach even if it was mostly just to pretend she had some honor. Although her first instinct was to raise her hand to smack his cheek but he had a firm grasp of one of her wrists and she decided it would be far better for her not to hit him. However, she did, resist his pull for a moment, since defying him seemed to be the only thing she could do in protest of his familiarity. However she couldn't go on pretending she didn't like him getting closer to her.

Her body reacted to him embracing her in a way she didn't much appreciate or fully understand. Knowing what desire felt like was a new thing for her. Something she had been experiencing around him. Not that Noxaura would ever tell him about any of her feelings where they concerned him.

His words though very soft, still reached her ears. Surely he saw plenty of women and he never had to stick around so no doubt it was easy for him. Nox wanted to believe she was different to him but she couldn't possibly know and she was being less rational around him than she normally was. At least his words sounded honest. For the moment she pretended she couldn't hear him.

"It could be easier with the dress off..." She said, trying to be helpful. "Step father never fixes clothes while they are on a person, only takes measurements and things while they are on..." Easier but maybe less pleasurable, unless he wanted to see her take the dress off too.

Axiar wasn't sure he heard the rest of what she said.. he got lost at the part about taking the dress off. Perhaps a little shocked even, that she'd said it, he thought he had to agree. Though, Axiar never said so, himself. Instead, the rebel thought he might just put that suggestion into practice.

Pulling her dress up and over her head, he was glad their plans seemed to at least somewhat align; whether she expected him to keep all his promises from earlier or not.

"I think I've changed my mind... about waiting for you." Though earlier he never admitted that he'd been completely willing to save himself until the day they should meet again, Axiar was having a change of heart. Not that he wouldn't look forward to their meeting in the future once more, but it was becoming more and more difficult for him to keep his hands to himself where she was concerned. And thoughts of handing over the laces to make her gown complete again, had fled from him. By the way she'd been acting however, there was no great inhibition existing in her mind, either, so he didn't think she'd mind.

Under the surface though, Axiar expected that she might still be nervous or even a little scared, since it was her fist time being with a man so intimately, but he was fully prepared to offer warmth and comfort. And to tell the truth, Axiar desperately wanted to hold her and feel her body against his.

Swallowing in some faint attempt to smother his desire, the rebel put her dress aside, watching her again; and again not quite sure whether or not he should once more prepare to be slapped. Then he referred to her previous comment about his boldness, "If I had to guess, I'd say you like Brazen men."

Pausing just briefly then, he went on, not giving her much time to interject. "Though,...since neither of us is very familiar with trust... nor very familiar with honesty, is it okay to love you in other ways?" He could resort again to love by secret and mystery, but she didn't quite seem convinced of that before, so he suggested now another route, "I could love you like this -with passion."

Leaning forward then, he kissed her lips, firmly and with great ardor.

At least he listened to reason, she thought as he pulled the dress off of her. Though if she knew better, she would know that was practically an invitation for him not to keep his earlier word. She was actually quite lucky that he felt the need to tell her what he thought about their previous decision. Noxaura had never been a particularly patient person when it came to getting what she wanted.

It was her turn to say very little. At first she thought he meant that he would promise to save himself but his eyes were telling her something else. He wasn't saying he would wait for her, he was saying he couldn't wait for her at all. He meant to have her now.

Nox should deny everything even if it was true. She liked that he might be dangerous, that he might not be a holder that he wasn't someone who could be completely honest with her and that he was bold enough to try and take her now. There was a little fear mixed in with the excitement that glittered in her dark brown eyes.

Her passion might well drown his own but she made no mention of her own intense desires. He didn't need to know everything and he already knew much more about her than she knew about him. Her mouth reciprocated the kiss matching his ardor or perhaps even giving more than she was getting.

Noxaura might not verbally have insisted passion would be enough but she made certain that he knew she was allowing it. Not because she believed he had any love for her but because she did want to give in to her own desire and Nox always did what she wanted. So if and when the kiss seemed to be breaking off, she began it again, her hands leaving her sides and roaming under his shirt to feel his skin and the muscles beneath.

Met with a more impassioned response than he'd anticipated from her, Axiar only broke their kiss for the sake of removing his shirt from over his head so that she could feel him with no other interference. He didn't remove the rest of his clothing right away, because he didn't want to rush something as good as this. He'd rather let her enjoy it -just as he would.

It was the same with the nightshift/ slip dress she'd worn under her gown; he didn't make any move right away to take it off of her. Even if she thought that she might insist on doing so due to the rush of passionate desire, he wanted to ease her into it and warm her up to him.

Laying her back on the bed, Axiar kept her warm with his body, half-leaned on top of her while one hand held onto her, caressing and getting to know her body through the thin layer that she still wore. At the same time, his lips obliged with another kiss, hardly giving either of them room to breathe through it.

Noxaura wasn't thinking. Of course she was not all that inclined to think of anything that would stop her from feeling good. She knew enough to know that no one would know about this but her and him. She knew enough to never tell anyone. There was nothing to concern her. She allowed her mind to fill with ideas of pleasurable things.

Her actions were exploratory for the most part. She wanted to know what would happen if he was touched here or there, how his skin might feel in different places. Lust and passion drove the rest of her movements.

The heat from his body was welcome and actually did something to make her more desirous of him. Her mouth did not relent unless it needed to. He had awoken some fire within her and he would be very very busy for quite some time because of that.

She paused for only a moment and it was only to look into his eyes for a moment. Noxaura wanted to remember how she felt in this moment and pausing to allow herself to feel everything was going to give her that. After her small pause she continued as if it had not occurred. If he had any doubts about her desire for him, she was putting them to rest.

He had been the one to suggest waiting earlier. She'd never said that was her wish. Of course she couldn't have everything she wanted. She never got everything she wanted. He had to be someone she could never truly be with in any capacity around her family, friends, other holders. They were never going to be able to be anything but secret lovers.

It was true. They could never be together in any serious relationship; but for now, Axiar would have to be content with that. As long as he got to be with her. Even if just for a while.

Noxaura's hands sent little chills all over his body, wherever she touched him, and eventually he shivered, completely overcome by the sensation. About that time, his lips parted from her own, and he sat up so that he could remove the rest of his clothing; after which, he situated himself over her so that one hand could slide up her thigh, lifting her slip dress with it as he went. As her bare skin was uncovered, Axiar lay a line of kisses along her inner thigh, tracing after them with his breath, which was filled with want of her.

Gradually, he'd made his way to her hip and lower abdomen, gently tickling his fingertips over her soft, sensitive skin while he kissed her there. And for a little while then, let his hands hold her by the hip to rub her there. There was no need for words to pass between them now. His affection for her could be known through the way he treated her now, caring for her with every touch.

She was completely lost in the sensations that were taking over her conscious thought. Thinking was gone, everything was feeling. She did whatever felt good or seemed to make him feel good. It was interesting to see how her touch made him react. After he removed his clothes, he moved to kissing her inner thigh, which sent a light shiver through her.

Nox was pretty sure this was forbidden because it was so enjoyable, which figured, really. As he took to showering her lower abdomen with kisses and touched until he began to run the area, she increasingly felt aroused. It got to the point where she began a soft moaning.

Her body was giving in to his lovemaking though she might never have known what it was like before, she had a feeling ones body knew what was best. He could likely see the signs when she would be ready for him. Ignoring the slight throbbing desire building near her vaginal region, she waited, allowing herself to experience everything as it happened.

[:0 kate's getting racy lol]


Axiar continued working his way up her body, leaving kisses and working his hands over every inch of her body along the way. With each moan that escaped her, Axiar could feel her grow more and more aroused. And when he met her lips again with his own, understanding how deep and longing, almost painful that desire within her was, he finally obliged.

Not knowing how much time had passed, at least it was safe to say that the sun had gone down, because the room had grown almost completely dark since no candles nor glows had been lit; and only the faintest muzzy bar of moonlight now made its way through the window. Appropriate, he supposed, though it would have been pleasant to be able to see her under candle light all the same.

Nibbling her ear for a moment, Axiar was tempted to whisper sweet nothings, beleiving that to some extent, such affectionate sign is what she craved. Only, as he worked his way deep inside of her, all of that breath was taken away in a gasp of pleasure. Finding her lips again and again, he kissed her endlessly, his hard body fighting not to tremble from the sheer, sensual gratification of every stroke.

Not unlike Noxaura, Axiar also felt enraptured by the sensation, all thought and reason beyond reach of him, only to be replaced by a new and covetous voracity.

Axiar was loving her though, not just lustfully desiring. This wasn't just the corporal act of sex,...the periodic, if not faintly controlled trembling of his body only signified that in his mind and heart, he was engaged in much more than that; he was pouring his heart and every passion out to her. There was no doubt about that.

Likely, Axiar was not a man of enough words to have been capable of telling her of such intense feelings. Perhaps that is why he often chose to remain silent. But now that they were exploring his realm -the realm of the physical- much more should become clear to her. At least... clarification of those things that mattered. And what mattered right then, was that he was able to fulfill her wish. The man whom she first shared this experience with really loved her, and there were no make believe feelings involved.

Noxaura did not know a person could experience what she was. There were new feelings and sensations she never thought to feel from areas on her body that had never seemed to be all that special. She wanted to believe what he did was because he had some feeling for her and while she was rather new to all of this she would rather believe that then think otherwise.

They were caught up in their passion so she had no idea how long they were at it but she did know when they were finished she had fallen asleep in his arms. She woke up again though probably a couple candlemarks later and shot up in the bed. Nox was not sure why she woke worried except that she half expected him to be gone.

She didn't know if he actually cared about her or if he was just doing what he felt he needed to in order to seem like he did. Because of her own devious nature, she found it harder to trust him. She relaxed then, when she saw he was still there and laid back down.

Noxaura never felt regret for things she did. Instead she thought she might have been given the chance to experience something she never would have if she followed social rules. Nox very much doubted the regular holder would have been as adept or as passionate as she wanted. OR as bold.

Her eyes were watching his form while he rested. She didn't understand the intensity of her feelings now. Everything happened so quickly but she knew she wasn't simply lusting after him. Maybe it was just the stirrings of love, nothing too serious just yet. Still she had to consider the fear she experienced when she thought he was gone. Maybe it was more. Nox was not ready to admit to any of that just yet.

She scooted closer to him on the bed and rested her head on his chest. Even though she didn't know much about him, even a name, she knew enough about herself to see that she might never find anyone who could compare to him and she better enjoy the small moments now before he was lost to her possibly forever. "I wish I knew what you were feeling." She whispered, thinking he was asleep and could not hear her.

What love they were capable of possessing for one another then, however unaware of it they might be just yet, was glorified in perfect climax. Feeling so completed and absolutely relaxed after that, Axiar held onto her as they both fell to sleep.

By the time she'd awoken though, he'd rolled onto his back in his sleep. Her sudden startle also woke him, but his awakening was more peaceful. When Noxaura laid herself back down with her head on his chest, Axiar was still for a moment longer, though he hadn't anticipated her speaking. Her words though, gave him a little pause for thought, before he finally wrapped an arm around her, holding her against him.

It took a while though, for him to respond, because he was so distracted by the wonderful way her body felt against his. Her warmth and how very soft and smooth her skin was. The gentle scent of her. Axiar had never coveted something like this in his whole life. But Noxaura... he was completely infatuated with her; he just knew that she alone would occupy his every thought. He just hoped that she could feel the same way about him.

As those thoughts crossed his mind, the rebel once more struggled with the want to ask her to leave the Settlement with him. That desire was so strong -and he knew he was turning into a fool in love- that his breath grew a little uneven. But, he thought that if she would be with him like this forever, he could be happy, no matter what else happened. Fool in love, indeed. What had she done to him?

When at last he spoke, it was after he turned himself to face her a little more completely, bringing his opposite arm around her as well. "Thoughts that are probably forbidden. That is what I'm thinking."

With that, though the night's light wasn't enough to probably make out his expression, Axiar's subdued tone, sounding perhaps a little defeated or even saddened, told her what she needed to know. Before going on to elaborate however, he revealed something else to her, which she may not have been expecting. It was some sort of desperation that drove him to it. "Axiar. That's my name."

Another pause, but this time it was hopeful, "I want to ask you to come with me. And if nothing else is enough to persuade you of my heart's commitment to you,... then come with me, and I will marry you. You will keep your honour and I will support you and protect you and everything that is yours. Forever."

He was awake! She was inwardly mortified that he had heard her. After all, she didn't really have any expectation one way or another of how he should be feeling. Noxaura was simply wondering how he might be taking everything that had happened and how quickly it had all seemed to occur. She felt somewhat comforted by his arm holding her where she was. Well at least he wasn't kicking her out.

She did not ask him anything else. There was nothing for her to say that wouldn't come out making her sound like the needy teenage girl she was.

At his mention of forbidden thoughts, a mischievous smirk reached the corners of her mouth. She liked the forbidden. Obviously. Hopefully he was thinking about her as being forbidden. That only made things between them exciting. But he did come off as a bit sad when he spoke so her smile waned. The idea that there were things he could not do because of their separate lives was not lost on her.

Shocked by his admission of his name she didn't know what to say at first about it but he didn't really give her time to comment on his name before he was trying to put her into a more permanent state of silent awe.

He couldn't be serious. Could he?

Apparently she had been successful in winning him over to wanting her more permanently. She had thought it would take more time. She wasn't prepared for him to offer her forever.

"Axiar, you mean it?" She stared into his eyes as if they could not lie to her as well as his mouth could. "You do." She still seemed to be absorbing what he said.

"You love me?" The rest of what he said seemed to be further back on her list of things that were important to her. She didn't think she knew what love was but if it was this then she wanted in.

Watching Noxaura with great anticipation, he thought that she might turn him down right then and there. What he was doing was too much, too soon. They'd barely met two days prior. Yet, there was no denying the strength of attraction there. Axiar knew he'd never find another girl like her. He had to grab for the chance while he could.

"I can't imagine myself loving anyone but you" Embracing her tightly, Axiar whispered the words before they could get caught in his throat. And he held her more tightly just considering then again, that she might tell him no.

Silence passing between them momentarily, and Axiar had to swallow some of his nervousness before going on. He realized he was asking a lot of her, so he thought he should make sure she understood just what she was in for; marrying into the rebel cause might not be an easy thing to do. So, it was only fair that he decided to lay some things out on the table for her to consider first.

"Noxaura," The name was spoken quietly, with affection "I... will answer any of your questions I am able, if it means you'll agree to come with me. So, I guess I should start out with confirming your initial suspicions of me -I am a Rebel, and" he knew none of the rest of what he had to say would probably help his cause in any way -but again, it was only fair for her to hear it, "you know the rebels are considered Enemies of Telgar. Though I want nothing more than for you to come with me and be with me, you will have to leave your family and Telgar River Hold behind. I cannot promise when you may see them again."

Axiar subconsciously held his breath, never knowing what really to expect of her, and finding himself afraid of her rejection. But, for the sake of giving her a little room to consider his words, he loosened his hold on her so that if she wanted to push away from him or look at him or whatever else, she could do so.

Slow to come to terms with his admission, she allowed him to hold her tightly without reproach from her. She wanted to trust him more than she had ever wanted to trust anyone before. Nox had seen people feel the need to trust her just because of what she seemed to be and wondered if she wasn't being taken for a fool. She was a bit of a fool right now though. Bedding a man she barely knew and then seriously considering his proposal to marry.

He had more than his love to his advantage. Noxaura would do just about anything to get out of this horrible place. The Settlement was full of people who were worse than Rebels.They didn't have a side, they weren't loyal to anyone. They believed only in themselves.

"I told you I'd steal something valuable..." She said with a sly glance upwards, her finger circling the area where his heart would be beneath his chest, "your heart." Noxaura on the other hand had made no protestations of her love for him. Did he not want one? He seemed more concerned that she might not come with him. Whereas she was more concerned with how he felt about her. In confirming she wanted to leave with him, he must think she was confirming she felt the same way.

"There was no doubt in my mind that you were." She reached up to touch his jawline. "I don't care. I don't care about this place, I hate it." There was a vehemence in her voice that hinted at her emotional nature. She felt everything strongly. "As for my family, I'd be married off eventually anyway." She shrugged, "And I wouldn't want to stay here and they would try to marry me off to some shopkeeper..."

She didn't find many people in the Settlement the least bit attractive and those who were physically good looking disappointed in other ways. "We're both crazy." She said, sliding up enough that her face was in front of his. "If we were rational people we'd talk ourselves out of this."

She bent her head to give him a quick kiss, "I never want to leave you. Ever. I'm mad for you. I've been fascinated by you since we first met." And she was so happy she had stolen those scrolls from him. Who said being a liar and a thief didn't have its perks?

"Some things should remain a mystery." She said when he urged her to ask whatever she wanted. "Axiar, you've already told me everything I wanted to hear."

Being the type of person who read more into actions than words, Axiar didn't feel the need to be reassured of her feelings through verbal admission, like she did. Though, hearing it from her mouth strengthened his confidence in all of this craze.

Axiar adored the light touching and affection she doted upon him, which made him want to squeeze her up into his arms again tightly; but he refrained, letting her finish her thoughts first. And.. in waiting for that to happen, he thought that she talked entirely too much, even at a time like this; though.. she must have thought the opposite of him a hundred times already.

It made him feel even more supreme however, when she admitted to planning all along to capture his heart. Her words simply made it harder not to snuggle her again.


Listening to the rest of what she would say, he thought to himself that they were not your usual, rational people probably. And likewise, love was no rational thing. Then again however, he kept those thoughts to himself, taking that time to smile when she went on to allow him to keeping some things a mystery.

"Is that a 'Yes', then? Stay with this mystery man forever."

Noxaura thought about making him wait just a few moments longer before answering him. Toying with his obvious need for her to confirm she wanted to be with him. "Yes." Nox didn't stop to consider that she might be reaching for his affection out of loneliness or feeling undervalued by her family. She didn't stop to consider that he too may have deep familial issues which led to him wanting affection as desperately as she did.

"Forever and always."

She kissed him on the lips as if to seal her promise. After she had finished, she rest her head back on his chest. Although she really didn't want to leave his embrace, she found herself thinking of what she needed to do before they set out together.

"When do we leave?"

Returning the kiss, Axiar found himself overjoyed by her answer. His arms continued holding her, but tightly again, embracing her close to his chest. He felt as though he could stay like this forever with her, and be perfectly content. Though, none of it made any sense. They shouldn't be together. She shouldn't want anything to do with him. But he wasn't going to turn away the chance to be with her forever. Still, there was no explanation for the things he felt; which conflicted with the part of him that wanted to be ruled by logic.

Deciding to simply appreciate being here with her like this, for the time being, not to let reason overrule his heart, Axiar couldn't help but squeeze his arms about her shoulders again. In doing so, he considered her question, thinking through what would need to happen for her to move south with him. She was brave for wanting to travel so far, and away from her family, no matter what the situation with her family or her dislike of the Settlement. That made him wonder if all of this were real agian, or if he were dreaming.

"I should prepare a place for us first. If I take you with me now, I have nowhere really for us to go to. But, I will get us a place of our own, at the Cothold, and then return for you. Perhaps that also gives you time to prepare your things here, and warn your parents." Loosening his arms from around her then, he set her back from him enough to see her. When he went on, it was in consideration of her family, and at least trying to maintain some kind of relationship with them. Because, even though he was a rebel, he still had values just like any other human being. Life and death, nor family and friends, were something he took for granted; even if he had killed men before, it was not without purpose. It was out of necessity, not hatred. Axiar did not possess hate, like many people on the 'other side' probably thought that he must.

Noxaura allowed him to hold her quite tightly which she would probably never admit to wanting. She did however enjoy the pressure and the warmth of his body against her own. She didn’t realize she missed human contact so much. Her mother used to hold her when she was little, hug her. Now they had a cold, strained relationship. Only her step sister seemed to have created a bond with her and even then it was difficult to call them close.

Her step sister shadowed her, did what she wanted, pretty much equally starved for the attention she needed and the only one who gave it to her was Nox. But there were times she did think she might love her step sister as her own real, true sibling. She might be the only reason Nox had to stay but it wasn’t a good enough one. After all, they would both be married off eventually and have to part ways anyway. She could be rather practical about her future like that.

Her mind processed what he was saying, causing her head to lift suddenly from his warm chest. There it was, the inevitable thought, he would leave and he had no intention of coming back for her. “You are going to leave me?” She knew there were plenty of good reasons but she did not particularly care for the idea of being left behind. Not after what she had admitted, not after what he had admitted. They should be together from this day until the end of days.

Before he went into any detail or tried to calm or soothe her she spoke, “I mean I understand you want to set things up, make sure I’m comfortable but how do I know you’ll come back or if something happens elsewhere and you are unable to come back. What if you never do? Am I supposed to stay here, holding off marriage offers and living somewhere I hate forever?”

He needed to have a plan. A set amount of time when he could be back or she needed to have some way to decline marriage offers in the meantime because she was of age and she was from a rather prosperous family, as far as middle class holders might go, she was a viable and probably desirable option for a wife.

“I love you but you cannot expect me to never experience life because I’m waiting.” Again, her emotions, her passions would not be contained forever, even if he wanted her to keep them all for him.