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 Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:28 am
She realized what exactly it sounded like when Bereck stopped rubbing, full stop. Heat crept up her cheeks and neck to her ears, head ducking to press at his shoulder.
"Sore hands," she affirmed, bright faced. Then he kept going, eliciting more soft noises, finger half curled. "Nngh, shards. Ah - eight turns ago? ... no, nine. Nine turns ago. Almost ten."
They'd been trying to make the marriage work.
"Guh, keep doing that though."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:42 am
"Mmmmmmm," Bereck replied softly, smirking just a little. He had to admit to being a little smug at the sudden flush of colour her face took on, as presumably she realised just what an interesting noise she'd made. The head back on his shoulder was good; she wasn't leaning too hard, and she was close.
"That's rather a long time," Bereck commented as he turned his attention to the area around her thumb and first two fingers; that had always got sorest from all her writing. "I suppose I shall have to make up for lost time." And there he was being slightly suggestive when a moment ago he had panicked about moving too fast. Was he hypocritical, unstable, or had Berath really just reassured him that much? Just at the moment he didn't really care; she was close, happy, and making interesting noises; Berath had said he should question himself less.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:10 am
"Haven't been married for almost eight and my only human contact is calming down sad apprentices." He used just the right amount of pressure on the knot of tension and she sunk down on the pillows with a low, happy sigh. "And I forgot how ridiculously good you are with your hands."
Another little noise and that's when the innuendo sunk in. Her face splashed itself with full blown pink, Alina attempting to silence her half giggles against him. "Now who's awful? And in public, Ber!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:22 am
"We're quite alone," Bereck replied, his voice dropping to a deep soft murmur; an intimate tone he hadn't used in a very long time. "My little guards will tell me if anyone's coming with earshot." He was tempted, very tempted, to lift her hand and kiss her palm but that did feel like too much; he hadn't set out to be suggestive, he blamed her entirely for the situation. It was tempting though. Nevertheless he resisted at least for now and moved onto the delicate ink-stained fingers themselves, rubbing gently down the length of each digit.
"I have missed you 'Lina," he added in those same deep tones. "I'm sorry if you've been lonely. I'll make up for the turns we've missed, I swear it."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:58 am
Nearly forty-nine. Alina soon would celebrate her forty-nineth birthday but here she sat in the infirmary with Bereck just holding her hand and trying to keep herself from melting and shivering as if it were twenty two turns ago. She bit down on her lower lip to keep anymore questionable noises at bay and, try as she might, could not help the slight hitch in her breath.
But shards and shaff, that voice.
She remembered that voice much too well, could picture his hands cupping her face with low words and stroking thumbs. And...and.
"You are a cruel man," she murmured once she leaned up close to his ear. Alina didn't know how to do low suggestive sultry things, she could not seduce like Bereck. The hand between them rose, her other trapped between his thumbs in the glorious hand massage. To be kind, she returned the favor, her hand resting at the base of his neck where he used to carry all sorts of tension and with the ease of one well practiced, started to rub. "And I'm looking forward to it. I'm quite the high mantinance girlfriend, you know... there may be twice as much to make up for."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:24 am
Bereck closed his eyes and took in an audible breath, holding it for a moment before sighing it out contentedly. "Mmmm, I'll just have to cope with that won't I?" he murmured, now stroking the heel of Alina's hand with his thumb. "That feels good," he added unnecessarily after a moment, "missed that as well." Tension headaches were a regular blight on his life, had been since his teens, and had grown more frequent as he got older, more stressed and more sleep deprived. While he'd been with Alina he hadn't had as many as he had before or since; he didn't know if that was just due to her presence relaxing him in general or if it was the neck rubs. Either way he didn't want the neck rubbing to stop.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:37 am
She smiled triumphantly at his indrawn breath. She kissed his ear, a simple brush of lips, and pulled back just enough to smile. "I've missed you too. In all sorts of way, love." Alina continued to rub, working through the tension slowly, taking her time and, every so often, scraping nails at the nape of his neck. "If you're going to play this game, dear, I'm going to try and play too."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:47 am
Bereck gave a brief little half laugh, a smile tugging at his lips as he rolled his shoulders a bit and settled into enjoying the massage with a bit of a shiver at the light scrape of her nails. "Definitely need to get out of here," he mumbled vaguely, letting go of Alina's hand and leaning into her slightly. Both hands would be nice; he didn't say anything but hoped Alina would recall the non-verbal request from more than two decades ago.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:00 am
He shivered, she scratched oh so gently once again. Alina giggled, any sexy-lady awesomeness disappearing with that. She nuzzled at his ear and shifted so they weren't side to side. It gave her room to turn a little and get both.hands on the back of his neck.
"If it's too hard or hurts, tell me." Her lips quirked into a small smile and Alina kissed his forehead. She wanted to. She could. He let her.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:38 am
Bereck lent forward a bit so that she could reach more easily, but then shifted his shoulders and gave a little hiss. "Mind the back of my left shoulder," he warned belatedly, "I was clawed deeply there; it's just about scarred over but still," he grimaced, "still very tender." As the gentle hands moved away from that sore spot he relaxed again and gave another sigh of pleasure. "That's better."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:52 am
The slices and scars into his skin became very apparently just seconds before he hissed. Alina froze, her fingers on the edges of the wounds, eyes wide. Being told of a mans hurt was quite different than feeling them. Gentle hands moved away as quickly as possible without jarrng him, worked at a spot not littered with wounds from a hungry wher.
"You said the rest of your back and chest are like that too?" Alina leaned in to press her lips to the top of his head, less of a kiss and more like an anchor. "I've never felt a scar like that before, sweetheart."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 12:04 pm
"Yes." Bereck sighed, voice a little subdued again now. "Down my right side as well. It's worst there, two sets of claw slashes crossing over. Around the parts where the wounds cross... still not quite healed over. Still got a couple of stitches in, but those should come out by the end of the week I hope." The gentle press of her lips was comforting, enough to keep him mostly relaxed even as his mind wandered back to things he would much rather forget. "Leg's not quite healed, but the scabs are good now. I was worried about that, puncture wounds being what they are," he went on, having come to the conclusion that she would rather know than be shielded from the facts. "When I first woke up here... at least when I first woke up and was aware I was afraid I'd lose it. Infection was bad there, and on my side and back."
Bereck fell silent then, eyes still closed. After a moment or two he added; "I hope they don't feel too awful to you."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 12:17 pm
She listened, winced when appropriate and kept her fingers moving. He didn't sound despondent or full of bitter anger as he had before. That was good, right? It made her heart clench at the idea of him feeling weak after that - after everything.
"I don't think it's horrible. And - ugh, shells, Ber! I don't know how you could feel weak or less than fantastic after surviving all of that. You are amazing." Her hands cupped his face and tilted it up so he'd have to look in her general direction. "I, just, you're beautiful, sweetheart, all of you, everything, and I can't ever think of you as anything less."
So she kissed him; it lacked the chaste sweetness of before, more adult, passionate, tempered with their earlier teasing. She wanted to make a point, her point, and she needed this kiss and those words. Maybe, hopefully, he did too.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 12:29 pm
He could have jerked his head away from her if he'd wanted to, but he didn't want to. He let her raise his chin and opened his eyes again, meeting her gaze hesitantly but with a hint of a smile. He didn't have a response for her, but it was good to hear - again - that she thought he was wonderful.
He might have thought of a response after she stopped talking, but any words that had started to form coherently in his mind were swept away by her passionate kiss. He hesitated for maybe half a second before returning it fervently, wrapping his arms around her and pressing close.
Her words had been welcome, but as always actions spoke louder.
She loved him, and didn't care in the least what frailties the ordeal at Malvren had left him with. Leaning on her and confiding fears and pain wasn't going to make her think less of him. That didn't make him hate the weakness any less - regardless of what she said he couldn't help thinking of himself as weak right now - but knowing that she thought differently, thought he was strong and wonderful, made him feel safe and less despondent about the whole mess.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 12:50 pm
She loved him and wanted him, wanted this, all of it. Bereck gained his scars while fighting for and protecting his son, their son. Alina didn't care if he limped and had gouges down his entire body from it for life; here was her Bereck and her in his arms. He would be okay. So would she.
And that was all that mattered in her opinion.
Alina let him pull her in closer with a soft noise not unlike those with the hand massage. Her hands slid into his hair, continuing the kiss until she became short of breath. Even then she didn't pull away.
"You need to get out of here," Alina mumbled, dotting a quick kiss on his lips once she took in a lung full of air. "So we can continue this conversation properly."
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