Who: Thais Keigwin, Conlan Delaine Where: Vigil's Keep, Amaranthine When: 9:45 - 13/14 Molioris [Witching Hour] Summary: Thais redeems a favor from an intoxicated Conlan. Rating: Mature.
Thais stared at her reflection. She examined the familiar contours, the texture of her skin, the slightly faded pink of her lips. There was a feeling of distance. The reflection was familiar, yet she couldn’t help but feel disconnected. Her blue eyes appeared glossy, almost as if she had permanent tears in her eyes. She picked up a comb and began to brush her hair. As she set about the task, she thought about the past few days.
She thought about Ashya. The mage that was so young, so new to life, yet already outside of the tower. Thais felt vaguely jealous of the girl. Her jealousy made her think about Bethen. The girl seemed to think so differently than Thais did herself. Thais assured herself that Bethen was just naïve about the world, but deep in her thoughts she knew better. The newly recruited Warden was already so far ahead in life than Thais felt she ever would be.
Thais set down the hairbrush. She began to braid her hair. She thought of Constans. Over the past month, she had grown attached to the tranquil. They didn’t interact much, but she watched him, thought of how he use to be when they were younger, of the rumors that surrounded his tranquility. She felt separated from the other mages, but she felt she could be close to Constans. The purely neutral attitude of the tranquil made her feel safe. She didn’t have to worry about him having a hidden agenda, about him taking control of the situation on his own, about Constans becoming frustrated or angry with her. Thais was confident when it came to Constans, she could do things in her own way at her own pace.
It had been many months since she lost Athanael and she wasn’t sure if she had fully let go. Thais realized she should move on. She had tried back at the tower, but it didn‘t work like she thought it would. Yet the more time that passed, the more things changed. She was outside of the tower, on a new part of her life, she knew she had to move on. Thais worried what would happen if she didn’t.
An unconscious part of her had planned to move on with Constans. There would be no chance of an emotionally-charged rejection. The idea that perhaps she would be entirely in control, that there would be no expectations for her to follow through… Yet that was before Constans spoke to her. His formal words that followed such emotionally charged fighting made Thais think. Her placing affections on the tranquil meant nothing more than falling in love with an object. The realization was vague to the woman, but beginning to form. She also realized after the incident how her actions with Constans could very well put her in trouble with the Circle. Thais thought of her reputation, of the people she knew back at the tower and how they would react. How pathetic they would think she was. Thais felt tears at the thought of the disgust and pity she would receive when she returned to the Tower.
She stood up, watching herself in the mirror. The woman brushed away the weak tears. The fabric of her robes were almost sheer, hinting at the lines of her undergarments when under bright candlelight. She pulled at the collar of the robes, inching it down a bit more. The woman surveyed herself for a couple of minutes. She reached up and pulled apart the braid she had just created. Running her fingers through her hair, she let the blond curls fall around her.
Lifting her shoulders back and holding her head up high, Thais glanced at her staff that was leaning beside the bed. She thought for a moment of taking it, but there was no need. The woman did not plan to need it. She opened the door, closing and locking it from the outside. Placing the key in a pocket in her gown, she began down the hall.
It was a long walk. The distance was short, but Thais took her time. She felt a fluttering in her stomach. There was no need to be nervous, she reminded herself, but the attempts of comforting thoughts didn’t soothe the feeling. As she stepped closer to her destination, her pace slowed even more. Perhaps this was a bad idea, the thought repeated in her mind. She took a deep breath, stepping in front of the closed door. It was quiet and dark in the corridor. There were only a couple of candles flickering, almost burnt out. It was late. Perhaps he wasn’t even in his room. Perhaps this wasn’t even his room, perhaps it was someone else’s and she had heard the directions wrong from earlier. Thais continued to stand in front of the door, her mind racing. If the man was in his room, perhaps it would be fate’s way of telling her it should happen, that she should move on tonight. Thais closed her eyes, taking a steadying breath before lifting her hand. The woman bit her lower lip, rapping her knuckles softly against the door. She paused for a moment, then knocked a little bit louder. Maybe he wasn’t there. Thais took a step away from the door, readying herself to go back to her room.
The next second, Conlan clicked his door open, and leaned against it. He had on a loose pair of pants, and his shirt hung off his shoulders, and apparently, when he took "one for the road" it was a full bottle of ale. This shouldn't be surprising, since he smelled like he'd bathed in it. He blinked at her, unsure if he had imagined the woman standing there into existence, he doubted that though. If he had, she'd probably be a redhead. He blinked again, giving a half smile.
"Oh... hi... there... Mage lady...."
The sudden appearance of Conlan at the door startled Thais for a second. She really hadn't expected the man to be there, let alone awake. The woman quickly recomposed herself, clearing her throat. She raised an eyebrow at the strong smell of alcohol. Thais took a deep breath and reminded herself that there was only so much she could expect from a Denerim commoner.
"Hello." She greeted politely. A hesitant smile appeared upon her lips, "Are you... alright?" She couldn't help but ask. It didn't take much experience in the matter to know that Conlan was fairly intoxicated.
Conlnan grinned, letting out a small chuckle, "That's good... I like that. 'Am I alright?' Of course I am. I'm still alive aren't I?" It was a good joke, and Con appreciated the irony. In as horrible shape as he was, he wasn't one of twelve good men and woman who had chocked to death on the floor of the hall. As he laughed, Thais continued to smile, though a small amount of concern was present in her expression.
Once his laughter died, Conlan leaned his head against the door, and looked Thais over, slightly surprised that she had appeared at his door. She seemed rather put off any time they'd talked before, and they weren't close, so it was odd that she would come and check on him. On top of that, she looked... well her outfit was certainly a bit of a distraction. Conlan sucked in a breath and looked toward her.
"What's up?"
The looks she was receiving from the man came as no surprise. That was the purpose of her choice of dress. She glanced down the corridor, before looking back to Conlan, "Remember that favor you owe me?" Thais asked. She was referring to the last conversation that had taken place between them. While her conversations with Conlan were not smooth and they seemed to have a disconnect when it came to matters like humor, Thais reminded herself that chatter was not going to be necessary.
Hardly giving time for Conlan to respond to her query, she placed a hand on the commoner's chest. Thais pressed gently, moving into the room with skill that made it clear it wasn't her first time entering a room without being offered in. She was getting anxious staying out in the hallway.
Con nodded. He had a vague notion of owing her something. But he did always try to remember his debts, if not three sheets to the wind, he probably would have a solid idea of what she was talking about. But then she placed a gentle hand on his chest, and stepped past him into the room, he turned to follow her movement with his gaze.
"Uh... do you want to come in?" He pushed the door closed, but wasn't sure why, and moved to set the bottle down. No longer supported by the door, he had to focus to walk straight, and it showed on his face. He moved to the bed, and flopped down on it. Besides his armor stand and a closet, the bed with the only thing to lean on.
She turned to look at Conlan as he fell onto the bed. Clearing her throat softly, she ran her fingers through her hair. She should have kept it in an braid, she thought absently to herself.
Conlan continued to speak, "So... I owe you a favor? I may not be in the best shape to repay it right now." He wondered what it was she wanted, since the full list of things he could do was; fighting people and... fighting people.
The woman went over to the bed, standing at the edge. She pushed her hair back off her shoulders so it stopped covering her chest. Thais licked her lips, before reaching back and pulling the tie in the back of her gown. It only took her a few seconds and quick fingers before the gown fell at her feet. She stood with a nervous smile upon her lips. Her heart was racing as if she was about to faint at any second. She took a steadying breath before responding, “I am sure you are able.”
Conlan blinked at her for a moment, and swallowed, "...Wow."
After a second he frowned. He tried to focus. This woman was offering herself to him, and that warranted a little bit more of a reaction then 'wow'. He needed to think of something appropriate. He took a breath, and focused, looking at her again. "...Wow." He shook his head a second time and let out the breath. "Okay you're... well... you're... well... you are." He held up his hands, and cast his eyes toward the ground.
Thais gazed at Conlan. He was obviously trying to focus his thoughts. As he did, she glanced down at her own body. She was wearing a set of Orlesian undergarments that were obviously impractical for any other reason than taking them off. The woman bit her lower lip softly. She brought her gaze back to the drunken man on the bed as he began to ramble.
"I don't know that this is... a great idea, I mean... I may have just drank a terrible poison, and I'm not sure what that would do to you, and I... I just got out of this thing with a pirate, so I'm still trying to figure things out. And... getting involved with me is just... " He hung his head and dropped his hands.
"I... yeah.... but... you, look... really nice."
As he continued to talk, Thais rolled her eyes. She moved onto the bed, swiftly placing her knees on either side of Conlan’s legs. Her heels slipped off, falling onto the floor beside her gown. She placed a hand on his chest once more. Her other hand, however, landed on his mouth. She covered it tightly so his words were muffled, “No talking.” Thais stated. She kept a serious expression for a few seconds before a mischievous smile appeared upon her lips. Slowly, she removed her hand and reached down to take off Conlan’s shirt.
Once her hand slid from Conlan's mouth, it hung open. He reached up, and grasped her shoulders, standing as he did so, forcing them both to roll over, so that she was on her back, and he was standing over her. Had he been sober, the move would have been executed in a far more agile manner, instead he was a little rough, and due to all the booze in his system, he was unable to stand on his own, making it necessary to lean up against the bed, and unfortunately, her. He blinked and tried to steel his resolve.
"Uh, okay... we're moving a little bit too fast here. I mean we start off like this, and the next thing you know we're running off to the local chantry.. and getting married... and... yeah. Let's take it easy, right?" Conlan meant to say alright, but his head was a little foggy at the moment, and as much as he tried to be very determined and forceful, he realized at the end of his impassioned speech, that he'd been making it, more or less to her bust, and quickly looked her in the eye.
Thais was taken by surprise at Conlan’s sudden movement. Her eyebrows raised as she fell back onto the bed. Her legs draped over the edge of the bed as Conlan attempted to stand up. The intoxicated man failed, however, having to lean above her. His hands upon her shoulders pressed down, bearing most of his weight. She didn’t mind the strong pressure, hardly listening as Conlan continued to ramble. The woman tilted her head to the side, the mischievous grin still upon her lips. She was amused that his rambling was directed towards her chest instead of at her, and also by the close proximity that Conlan’s torso was to her, due to his inability to stand on his own.
“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Thais purred softly, swiftly lifting her legs and wrapping them around Conlan’s waist. She pulled Conlan even closer to her with the movement. Quirking an eyebrow at Conlan, she continued “I’ll be gentle with you, promise.”
Conlan shivered as he felt their bodies meet. He closed his eyes, and his hands slid from her shoulders to the mattress, balling up into fists as he gripped the covers. He was reminded of Az's sweet words when she pulled him into the bed for the first time. The whispered moans Lu had made into his ear in the back of her merchant's stall. Even Vi's take charge attitude came to mind. One thing was for certain, the women in his life were not afraid to go after what they wanted. And that was the problem, he wanted it just as much. In fact some parts of him wanted more then others.
It would be so easy to fall forward, to fall into Thais, and let all of his tension, anger and sadness from the night slip away in a moment of uncontrolled passion. What would be the harm in that? He started to lean forward, then hung his head, stopping himself. This. Was. Not. A. Good. Idea. he reminded himself. He didn't want the complications, he shouldn't be getting involved with anyone. But without even thinking about it, he realized his hand was touching her shoulder, sliding along the smooth skin, over her shoulder to her collarbone, and then... He snapped his hand back, balling it into a fist. In fact he pushed up off the bed, standing completely.
"I-I-I- I... I really need to... go."
Thais bit her lower lip softly as Conlan’s body shivered in her hold. She lifted a hand, running her fingers along the man's arm as he seemed to be lost for a moment. It wasn't uncommon for intoxicated people to close their eyes and take a break from the action now and then. She continued to run the tips of her fingers along the man's skin, waiting for him to return to reality.
As he moved forward, then stopped, Thais opened her mouth to calm the apparent confusion on his expression but the next second his hand was lifting up. She took a deep breath, glaring at the commoner. He couldn't make this any more difficult, could he?
“You don't need to go anywhere.” She sat up on the edge of the bed. Her legs were still around Conlan, not allowing him to step away. She reached out, grabbing onto the man's shirt. Her impatience was clear in her tone of voice. She was done being coy and she wanted to get on with it. The nervous feelings from before had all but dissipated in the rush of adrenaline from taking off her gown, “You /do/ want to fuck me, don't you?”
Conlan blinked at her sudden aggressiveness. He let his hands drop to the sides, and hung his head, letting out a breath. He bit his lip and thought to himself; "I do... I really kind of do."
With sudden realization, it struck him that he hadn't thought it, but said it out loud. He gulped and looked at her.
"I...uh..."
Thais' frustrated expression faded into a smirk when Conlan thought out loud. She kept a grip on his shirt, her fingers curled into fists on the fabric. "That's what I thought." She responded before pulling the man down towards her. Thais used the swift movement, leaning up to press her lips against Conlan's lips without a moment's pause. She didn't want to give him any more time to hesitate.
Conlan felt her pull him down. Just before their lips touched he sucked in a breath, whispering...
"I wanna go to the special-" And then he was interrupted by the kiss. His body collapsed down onto hers, and before he knew it, his hands were looking for ways to get both her undergarments and his clothing off at the same time. If he'd been sober, he would have hated himself for this. For being so weak as to give in, for not fighting longer, or not refusing based on the grounds that repaying favors with sex was kind of like whoring, and it made him feel deeply uncomfortable. In fact, had he been sober, he would have found something deeply troubling about the whole situation, and in the end, he would really hate himself for saying yes. But that was okay.
He probably would have hated himself for saying no too.