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1.7 Two Fools
I’nara had chosen to return to camp wearing clothing more conservative than what she’d left in, after they’d stopped at a pond to wash up on the way back, and she’d noticed just how… enthusiastically… her lover had marked her pale skin.
“Seven hells, Raha!”
He looked up from where he crouched in the shallows at the edge of the pond, splashing water over his arms. “What’s wrong?” His ears pulled back when he saw her examining herself more closely, his tail twitching.
“What’s wrong?! I look like I lost a fight with a primal!”
G’raha lifted an eyebrow. “Have you ever?”
“Lost to a primal?” Her head cocked to the side as she thought about the question. “No. And Azeyma and Hydaelyn willing, I never shall. But seriously…” She looked down at herself, then up at Raha, her eyes wide and cheeks tinged pink with a flush of embarrassment. “People are going to… know. You know?”
He kept his expression neutral, but as his eyes swept over the proof of their exertions, he felt himself beginning to stir once again. Good, he thought to himself. Let them see. Let them know that you are mine! He wasn’t sure what to say to her about it, though, so he said nothing. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to need him to say anything.
“I can’t wear this back into camp, that’s for sure.” She strode past him with purpose, up out of the water, stripping out of her clothes the whole way. It was both amusing and perplexing that she seemed so uninhibited about her nakedness… but the idea of being seen bruised, or otherwise damaged, made her self-conscious. He suddenly had the sense that there was some manner of commentary about her to be found in there, somewhere, but was immediately distracted from it by the sight of the woman of his dreams standing in the middle of the wilderness, stark-naked, rummaging through a saddlebag, completely oblivious to the effect she was having on him.
His eyes followed the curve of her hip to the sway of her tail that unconsciously teased the treasure that it hid just beneath the swing of the soft, auburn fur. He licked his lips, the urge to grab the base of her tail and haul that delectable ass back onto his aching cock suddenly taking him, and for once, the voice in his head was not expounding a litany of reasons why he shouldn’t.
The soft susurrus of grass and a low growl were I’nara’s only warning before Raha’s strong hands were gripping her arms, his jaw clamped firmly upon the flesh at the crook of her neck. He didn’t bite, but simply held her there, waiting, his tail thrashing from side to side.
I’nara froze in place as the hands and teeth gripped her, and immediately, a bolt of levin shot through her, straight to her core. The bundle she’d pulled from the saddlebag dropped from her fingers, and she softened her posture, allowing herself to be pliable beneath his hands. Her tail curled back to wrap around his leg, and she whimpered, a desperate, needy sound, that prompted an immediate response from her mate.
His teeth released her, one hand moving to pull at the laces that loosely held his leather breeches upon his hips. One moment of tenderness, his lips brushed her shoulder as the leather fell around his ankles, and his turgid cock sprang free. Raha’s teeth grazed the shell of her ear, and then one hand pushed against her shoulder, while the other roughly gripped the base of her tail and tugged back and up.
I’nara’s breath punched out of her in a sharp hiss, and she went down on her hands and knees, pushing her backside up, offering herself to Raha.
“I need you,” she gasped, and when he looked down at the perfect, round globes of her ass cheeks, below and between them, he saw that she spoke true. Her folds glistened where her juices ran thick upon the tender, pink flesh. Already, her heady scent filled his senses and made him feral.
Still pushing I’nara’s head and shoulders down with one hand, Raha dropped to his own knees, releasing her tail with his other hand in order to grasp his swollen prick and guide it to her opening. As soon as the drooling tip touched upon her slick heat, he growled and thrust hard into her.
There was no elegance in their coupling. No romance. This time, the joining of their bodies was fueled by pure lust and the raw newness of their relationship lent it a feral nature. His heavy balls slapped against Nara’s pussy as Raha hammered deep into her core over and over again. Once he started, he had no need to hold himself, so the claws of one hand pricked into the skin of her hips as he dug his fingers into her supple flesh. The other hand gripped the base of her tail, tugging on it with each deep stroke into her molten heat, the lewd sound of their bodies slapping together echoing through the trees and rocks of their surroundings.
Each thrust of his hips into her round ass bounced her forward, his grip on her tail yanked her back onto him and I’nara’s wordless cries grew louder and wilder.
Despite the forceful nature of their joining, I’nara herself was not without agency. Each rough yank on her tail was met with near-bruising force as she thrust herself back even as he pulled. Her tits hung beneath her, pendulous, swinging back and forth almost painfully with the brutal pace that G’raha set, and yet still she goaded him on, wanting more, wanting… no, needing it rougher. She craved the punishment of this new, and wild… fucking.
“M-more, Raha! P-please! Harder!” Her ecstatic cries rose in a fevered pitch between beastial grunts as they fucked like animals in the grass beside the pond.
G’raha’s moans were punctuated with grunts of his own and a sheen of sweat glistened over his body as he pistoned in and out of his lover’s wet cunt.
“Mine,” he growled. “Let them see how I have marked you, claimed you,” he panted, though she did not hear him as she shattered beneath him, her orgasm ripping a primal scream of pleasure from her throat.
Her pussy clenched and rippled around his cock as it rammed into her repeatedly, and he groaned as his balls churned and clenched. With one final, savage thrust deep into her core, his seed painted her walls. He held himself tight against her ass, as he shot his load, filling her with rope after rope of his thick cum. His hips jerked and twitched in response to her body’s paroxysms of orgasm.
Raha’s arms and legs shook and he pulled out of her and shifted to the side, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her down with him and against him as he collapsed onto his side in the tall grass. He held her tightly to himself, her back against his chest, his face buried in her hair as the two of them fought to regain their breath in the aftermath of their exertions.
The remainder of the walk back to the expedition camp was full of quiet, if unsubtle, flirting between the two lovers, but the steadily increasing proximity to the site had a dampening effect on their open displays of affection for one another.
Before reaching camp, I’nara had taken the time to dress properly, and her wardrobe choice irked G’raha. That small part of himself that craved the status of nunh wanted every one of his marks on her body on display, to warn off any threats to his claim, but the more sensible (if pessimistic) part of his mind knew that was a ridiculous expectation. His eyes trailed over her clothing, lingering on the small area of her neck and collarbone where his marks were still visible. Perhaps it would be enough. Or, perhaps no one would even notice, and other males would try to take her from him. He withdrew into himself and brooded over the possibility.
I’nara’s own thoughts turned to the Crystal Tower, and what might await her inside. While she had noted G’raha’s shift in mood, when she struck up conversation about ancient Allag and the great crystalline edifice, he responded eagerly, volunteering a wealth of information about its history and purpose. She reached out and took his hand as they walked, lacing her own fingers with his, and it was as thus that they entered camp. Coddywomple plodded along beside them, dragging a stag-meat laden travois, which they delivered straight to the provisions tent.
Cid heard the commotion of their arrival before he saw them, but when he did, the mottled splotches of color at I’nara’s neck were among the first things that he noticed as he crossed the grounds to meet them.
His concerned gaze swept over the rest of the diminutive Miqo’te woman, searching for further sign of injury. Seeing nothing obvious, he became aware that something had changed between I’nara and G’raha. He paused to watch as they worked together to unload the chocobo’s travois. The two chatted amicably between themselves and the provisioners, but there was now something between them… a dance, almost. Cid marveled at the way they seemed to orbit one another, caught in each other’s gravity. They moved fluidly, independent of one another, but in sync and it was a phenomenon that they seemed oblivious to. The longer he watched, his suspicions turned to certainties. The small touches between them, the way their tails each would curl and sway towards each other. The way that they oriented themselves around and in relation to each other.
Cid had hoped the two would become friends, but this… this was more than he could have ever hoped for, and he couldn’t imagine two people more deserving of such happiness. He eyed the puce markings on I’nara’s neck, and briefly entertained the idea of pulling G’raha aside and warning him against breaking the Warrior of Light’s heart. Ultimately, though, he decided that might be out of line, let the thought go. He joined them as they finished unloading the bundles of fresh venison.
“Good hunting, then?” Cid grinned knowingly at G’raha and gave the young scholar a wink.
“Well enough to keep us off dried meats for a few days,” I’nara responded, oblivious to that fact that Cid wasn’t referring to the stag. “And it won’t cost the expedition a single gil for provisions.”
G’raha blushed, but his tail curled towards I’nara possessively, and his eyes dipped to the markings on her neck. He couldn’t quite hide a smug grin of pride over those marks of claim.
“Well done,” Cid nodded to the warrior, his expression neutral once again. “It’s good you’re back. Rammbroes has called a meeting to discuss expedition matters, now that you’ve been cleared by the chirurgeon. Join us in the meeting, both of you, when you’re finished here.” The two Miqo’te nodded in unison, and Cid turned away.
Rammbroes’ eyes swept over those standing around him as he gathered his thoughts, making a mental note of each of those present.
“In the course of this, our first foray into the grounds of the Crystal Tower, we succeeded in neutralizing the structure’s outer defenses, before proceeding to secure the maze surrounding the base of the spire. According to I’nara’s account,” he dipped his chin towards the Miqo’te warrior in acknowledgement, “the labyrinth’s defenses were most emphatically active. Disturbingly, her report also mentions a violent encounter with a sentry heavily augmented by Allagan technology…”
When Rammbroes paused in his analysis, Cid picked up where he left off. “In short,” the engineer said, “our misgivings were well founded. The Crystal Tower was not simply thrust above ground by the chaotic shifting of earth —it has somehow been re-awoken. If, as seems increasingly likely, the tower’s secrets should prove too dangerous to share with the world, we will have no choice but to contain them. Short of leveling the place, this will almost certainly involve returning its mechanisms to a state of dormancy. To do that, however, we will first need to address the question of how they work —the answer to which must surely be waiting for us inside the tower itself. In conclusion, that is where we must go.”
I’nara dropped her chin and lifted a finger, avoiding G’raha’s eyes. “Does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?” She glanced at the red-haired scholar, her expression abashed. “Sorry, G’raha, but… it bears discussing, right?” She shrugged and looked from Cid to Rammbroes and back. “If the popular opinion is leaning towards the tower being dangerous and that we should lock it down, then wouldn’t it be counter-productive to bowl through all of the perfectly-working defenses like an enraged behemoth? These defenses have held this long… If the goal is to keep this technology from Garlean hands, this almost feels like we’re shelling nuts and leaving the meat out for whosoever wants a snack!”
Cid nodded thoughtfully. “I hear what you’re saying, but the tower is awake. It’s active, rather than just sitting there, decorating the landscape. If it were dormant, sure. Leave well enough alone. Unfortunately, since it’s awake, we’re not sure what, exactly, that means. What is it doing? What is it up to? We’re in the dark, on the outside. We need to figure how to put it back to sleep, so it can’t do anything, whatever the intent might have been. And beside,” the man grinned at G’raha, “sheer curiosity begs that we take a good look around while we’re there, you know?”
I’nara’s lips twisted ruefully. “You’re seriously going to make me address the cat-shaped elephant in the room and bring up that old saying about curiosity and felines…” She shook her head in mock disgust. “You have no shame, Cid.” He chuckled at her, and she sighed heavily. “Okay, fine. I can’t help but feel like this isn’t going anywhere good, but I have to admit, even I’m curious.” The muffled snickers of Biggs and Wedge made her roll her eyes. “Oh, shut it, you two.”
Amusement glinted in Cid’s eyes, but his question for I’nara was serious. “Is this feeling Echo-related?”
She waved a hand as if to brush the idea away. “No, no. It’s purely based on past experience.” I’nara sighed again. “I suppose you have a point, though.” She turned to gaze thoughtfully at the tower. “I guess if things end up going pear-shaped… well, that’s where I get to earn my keep.”
Abruptly, I’nara’s posture shifted. Her decision made, all of her doubts and concerns seemed to slough from her shoulders, and that subtle shift in her presence and demeanor gave her an air of confidence and power that transmitted itself instantly to those gathered around her. Cid watched as I’nara’s surety lent an aura of infinite possibility to the expedition team, and understood that it was this ineffable quality that made people love this woman, this beacon of light and hope. This was what made people want to follow her, no matter where she might lead. And nowhere was this simple truth more apparent to the Ironworks’ guild master than in the expression of the young red-haired scholar who stared at her with his heart entirely in his eyes. Cid schooled his expression as I’nara turned her fiercely determined gaze upon him.
“Alright,” she said. “I’m in. What’s next?”
“Next step is to enter the tower, clear the dangers, and take a look around,” he responded.
“A task rather easier said than done, if the perils of the Labyrinth are any indication,” G’raha interjected.
He was torn, now. On the one hand, G’raha had been concerned that I’nara would stop the expedition and keep him from learning more, but on the other, he was worried for her, knowing the most dangerous, life-threatening parts of the expedition required her life to be the one threatened. He half-wished she had stopped the expedition. He cared for her more than he wanted to confess, for fear of scaring her off. They hadn’t known each other that long. Was it too soon to have fallen head-over-tail in love with her? He was afraid she’d break things off if he proclaimed his feelings so soon. This… whatever this was… it couldn’t possibly last long. He was dead weight to her. A diversion while she was stuck here with the expedition, to be cast aside once the job was done… wasn’t he? Self-doubt ate at his heart, and his mood soured. He cursed himself for getting so attached so quickly.
Rammbroes crossed his arms and frowned. “In that case, I move that all further exploration of the tower be delayed until such time as an exhaustive analysis of the structure’s defenses has been completed. Master Garlond, may I entrust this task to you?”
Cid nodded once in acknowledgement. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Don’t forget about us!” Wedge chimed in, gesturing broadly in typical Lalafellan fashion.
Biggs made a fist with one hand and lightly punched his other’s open palm, eager to get started. “It’s like you said, Chief! We founded the Ironworks to make sure that technology was used for the right reasons, and that means making sure it’s not used for the wrong ones. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs if we didn’t see this through to the end.”
Cid’s smile was filled with pride. “Lads… well, I hope you’re ready for some back-breaking chores!” The three men laughed together.
The eagerness of the Ironworks’ crew eased G’raha’s heart somewhat, and a sudden plan sprang to mind. “Well, everything seems to be in hand here, so I shall take my leave of you for the present. If I am to witness this valiant tale unfold with my own eyes, I must needs hone my martial skills ere we ascend the spire!” Training is what I need, he thought to himself. Training and perhaps some distance so I can get control of my feelings before I make a complete arse of myself.
“You’ll do nothing of the sort, G’raha,” Rammbroes turned a frown upon the Miqo’te. “Your knowledge may prove useful to Master Garlond’s investigation.”
Frustration spiked up the scholar’s spine, and his tail bristled in rebellion. “As an observer, I am not, strictly speaking, subject to your authority,” he groused stubbornly, but immediately relented. “However, I’d be happy to make myself available to Master Garlond for consultation as needed, certainly.” He huffed out a sigh, and glanced towards I’nara, burying his insecurity and frustrations in the face of responsibility to his duty.
“Pray, do not mistake my intent, I’nara. I am well aware that I shall never be a match for one with your innate talents, however hard I train. Be that as it may, pray do not allow your own skills to rust from disuse during the coming pause. We will need you fighting fit if our subsequent forays are to prove as productive as this one. Mark me: we have not yet caught more than the briefest glimpse of that which time has obscured. Soon, however, we shall cast off the veil, and gaze upon the glory of the Allagan Empire!”
A cheer went up around the tent at those inspiring words, but I’nara’s gaze dropped to the ground as she considered the less inspiring ones.
When G’raha spoke of leaving, disappointment had passed over I’nara’s face like a shadow cast by a cloud covering the sun. She felt a sudden shift in his demeanor towards her, as palpable as a sudden change in air pressure. Quickly, her Warrior’s mask slid into place, ensuring that she maintained her outward composure, while inside, her stomach twisted painfully. Was he mad at her? That had to be the explanation for this feeling that came from him. He was upset that she had expressed doubts about the expedition. But surely he must understand that the lives and well-being of the expedition members would be a priority over a few musty old bits and baubles from a dead civilization… especially one that was so morally bankrupt as to condone slavery!
I’nara shook her head as if to clear it of such dissonance. G’raha was not the sort of person to put knowledge before the safety of others. Still, this expedition was so important to him, and she could ruin it all for him. Suddenly, she wondered if she was already ruining it for him. She’d been getting in his way during her convalescence, and now that she was healed, she couldn’t expect to monopolize his time away from the expedition. It was foolish of her to think that whatever had been growing between them was aught more than a fling. Silently, I’nara berated herself for having gotten so attached to the handsome, charming, sexy scholar. Ugh! Stop it! You can’t keep fawning over him like a love-sick kitten. Even if you have fallen in love with him. She sighed. He had his work to do and she’d already interrupted enough of that. Hot shame flushed through her body and settled in the pit of I’nara’s stomach like a lead weight. She had been so selfish… was being so selfish! Perhaps some distance would be a good idea. Tears pricked hotly behind her eyes, and I’nara had to bring all of her self-control to bear to keep her composure.
“I, too, will take my leave, then. I should check in with the Scions and see what chores they’ve got waiting for me.” She tried to smile, but the expression felt alien and forced. “If anyone needs to reach me, I’m but a linkpearl chat away.” She had directed that statement to Cid and Rammbroes, but as she turned away, she caught the twitch of G’raha’s ears, and a faint flicker of hope kindled in her breast. Maybe he’d miss her enough to call? Don’t be clingy, Warrior. You’ll scare him off.