No Kissing in the Moss Pit
Aaryn's cheeks still burned, less from the heat of the fire and more from the memory of Thea leaning so close, their lips, the lean—
At the events Aaryn had been to, had decorated or organized, they'd never danced this lively before, arms around waists and tugging one another closer than polite, laughing raucously and shouting with glee during exciting spins.
She remembered the stiff arms of the prince around her and shook her head, letting the twang of string instruments keep her in the moment.
Runa yelled drunkenly as she pulled her in with an arm around her neck.
"I don't know this one," Aaryn whined, and Runa laughed, attempting a short tutorial with clumsy feet. They lurched, and a scream of a cackle slipped out as she hugged Runa to her side. Her arm brushed Thea's, and she caught her gaze around the former guard's shoulder.
The dark depths of her eyes were shining with humor and something more intimate, something caught in the light of the fire amongst the dozens of people around them and yet shared just between the two.
Something gone before Aaryn could deduce its source.
"Thirsty?" she asked, and Aaryn nodded.
"Alright, I'll be back!" Thea told them, and Aaryn clutched both Carissa and Runa close—mostly to hold Runa up.
Then she was disappearing into the crowd, and Aaryn was left with her friends.
As soon as she was out of sight, Runa stood up perfectly straight and grabbed Aaryn by the shoulders. "Oh my skies. You two are so cute!"
Aaryn darted a nervous glance to Carissa, worried to speak of such things when her own pain was so fresh—
But Carissa was smiling softly, and though the storm of the recent events hung over her like a cloud, she managed softness and liveliness. It filled Aaryn with admiration.
"She's, like, entirely in love with you," Runa squealed, and shook Aaryn again.
The laughter that burst from Carissa was real and light, and for just a moment they were girlish in their glee at a celebration, and not women living through an upheaval of everything they'd ever known.
"Don't say that," Aaryn said with a laugh, making sure Thea was a safe enough distance away. "That seems… so fast."
"Aaryn," Carissa said, pulling them away from the instruments to somewhere a little quieter. "What is fast and slow in courting when it comes to the mess we're all in? Hm?"
Carissa had a very good point.
"Was it too fast when I decided to follow Rolim here on a whim?"
Aaryn bit her lip. "Well…"
Carissa snorted, gripped her shoulder, and shook her with abandon. "Aaryn. She's going to be your Awakener. You don't just do that for someone casually!"
Runa gasped. "That's hot," she whispered, cheeks flushing with more than all the drink she had.
"Oh, what do you even know?" Carissa drawled.
"I know!" Runa argued. "I've heard things."
Aaryn sputtered, shocked and a little shy, a little titillated, at the thought of discussing… this.
"Oh, yeah? What?" Carissa challenged, and Aaryn was content to let them bicker about it as she burst into flames inches away from their huddle.
"Well—" Runa stuttered. "I know it's intimately enticing magic stuff."
Aaryn's whole body went as pink as her hair.
Carissa laughed and pulled Aaryn close. Runa leaned into the confessional of embarrassing things that Aaryn so very much wanted to discuss but was nervous to do so. Except maybe when she'd lamented about the subject to Starspark, who did not have very much to offer on the topic.
Carissa, however? Who'd just been through her own Awakening?
"You've been learning magic, right?" Carissa asked, as if sharing insider information.
Runa's gaze bounced between them, waiting and eager for the gossip.
"Yes," Aaryn practically whispered.
"Right. So you know how it's all tingly and like—"
"Arousing," Runa guessed bluntly.
Carissa's voice was dry when she confirmed, "Yes, thank you, Runa. That's the word I was looking for."
Aaryn remembered the shivers, the warmth tucking itself low in her belly as magic flickered in her hand, so aware of Thea's presence. What came after. Her cheeks flushed.
"Maybe," she reluctantly answered.
"Well, imagine that, but tenfold. It… burns without an outlet. You'll want someone there to relieve it."
"We're talking about sex, right?" Runa asked, then hiccupped, a high-pitched little noise that made Carissa and Aaryn rabbit trail down oohs and aahs at her cuteness.
"Focus!" Runa snapped, grin wicked. "I wanna hear the sex stuff!"
"Runa!" Carissa whined. "Can you please let me be romantic about this?"
Runa's brow furrowed. "When do you wanna awaken it?" she asked.
Right now. But too much was happening, and Thea needed to be at her best.
"When she gets back," Aaryn said, nodding her head. "From Evergale. With Rolim," she added, nudging Carissa.
"After?" Runa asked, a little frown on her face. "Don't we have a few days? Why not now?"
Carissa shoved her shoulder, a tipsy, teasing grin on her face. "Quit being so horny. The magic takes a day or two to settle, and they'd be exhausted afterwards."
"Plus, I don't want her to be distracted when she's in Evergale, so I'll wait," Aaryn added.
"She said yes, though?" Runa asked hopefully.
Aaryn wanted to bury her face in her hands at the thought. You'll have me, baby in Thea's husky voice was definitely a— "Yes, she said yes!" Aaryn laughed and pressed two hands to her hot face.
They giggled with the brightness only alcohol and the discussion of lovers could bring forth.
Runa's tipsy smile turned to panic. "Oh, here she comes. What were we talking about—hurry!"
Their hushed mumbles for a cover story fell on Aaryn's deaf ears as Thea approached.
Thea, who arched a very attractive split brow at her as she drew closer, hands full of four tin mugs as she rejoined them, arms bared in her smoky blue vest and flexing as she lifted the full beverages.
"What are we talking about that's got Aaryn so embarrassed?" Thea mused, and Aaryn gasped.
"I am not—" But everyone's giggles eclipsed her defense and she found herself laughing too, because she knew Thea knew exactly what the topic of conversation had been. And it just—didn't bother her.
In fact, she swayed a little closer to Aaryn as she held out a cup to her.
Aaryn slid her hand beneath Thea's to take the handle, and their gazes locked for the briefest—and longest—of seconds as the drink changed possession.
And the night went on.
"How did you forgive Thea for lying?" Runa asked quietly, voice barely heard over the pop of burning wood and the murmurs of the quieting party.
"About…" Aaryn mused quizzically.
"Evergale. Being a fake knight."
Aaryn blinked quickly, her nose a bit cold though the fire was warm and pretty. Across from them, through the flames, sat Thea and Carissa, brows furrowed, probably in as deep a conversation as she found herself.
"I don't know," Aaryn finally answered. "I don't think I meant to, at first."
"Oh," was all Runa said, slumping and setting her empty cup at her feet.
Maybe she was looking for more of an answer. Aaryn could manage to provide that, even through the laziness of the mead. "Thea did lie to me at first. But… she had information I didn't. In fact, it's because of her that I'm closer to my dragon than ever before."
As if called, Starspark nudged into her back, agreeing with her sentiment. She laughed softly and reached up so he could nuzzle his snout into her outstretched hand.
If she hadn't left Evergale, she wouldn't have this.
Sure, it could be said that because Thea stole Starspark, it set a motion of events in place that couldn't be undone, but it could also be said that Aaryn leaving was the final straw. "We're all at the mercy of the Great Dragon for the first time, you know," she said, and glanced over.
Aaryn caught the flash of a crumpled expression before Runa's features smoothed out.
"You okay?" Aaryn asked, and pulled Runa close with an arm over her shoulders.
"Yeah." She nodded, but leaned into Aaryn anyway, stiff at first. "Just a lot, recently."
"I know," Aaryn agreed.
They let the flames warm them as the night went long. Someone began strumming a tune, and Aaryn's lids grew heavy. She met Thea's gaze through the peaks of fire lapping at the air, and she blinked—
"Hey," Thea said, and Aaryn felt first the weight of Runa, who roused next to her. "Let's go get comfy."
Aaryn took the hand Thea held out, the world around her seemingly heavy. As she got to her feet, she let the weight of it carry her into Thea, whose arm wrapped around Aaryn's waist to steady her, bicep firm as she caught her, not effortlessly but with purpose.
Cute, Aaryn thought, and laughed.
The fire popped. She heard Runa’s and Carissa's voices, the syllables of their speech slow and dripping with drink and the late hour as they trailed away from the fire somewhat sloppily, and maybe a bit loudly for the calming crowd.
Thea chuckled, warm and syrupy at their antics. Aaryn felt her hand on her waist tighten as the earth dipped into a small incline. With the heat of the fire at their backs, they paused, giggles settling as they caught their breaths.
"Looks comfy enough to me," Thea sang, and pulled Aaryn toward the bed of clover.
Aaryn sank down with Thea. Carissa fell, her cackle a little sharp, choked off with an embarrassed yelp as they dissolved into muffled laughter. They playfully elbowed one another for precious space, and then groaned as Starspark and Stormstrike became the bookends of their little pile.
Once the giggles had passed and a comfortable rest dragged at them, Carissa murmured sleepily, full of mead and honesty, "Thanks for this. I needed it."
Runa, whose shoulder Aaryn felt at her side, stiffened.
Aaryn was equally uncomfortable with the sentiment. "Don't thank us," Aaryn said softly.
"Yeah," Thea echoed. "It's weird."
"Fine. Whatever. You're all terrible. Love you," Carissa muttered, and Aaryn heard the smile in her voice, the “oof” from Runa as Carissa snuggled up to her.
Aaryn's face hurt from smiling.
Something bumped against her hand, and she threaded her fingers with Thea's shy ones, rolling her head to the side to find Thea's eyes all shiny and happy, and she was still sleeveless, because Aaryn was wearing her jacket.
Aaryn was thinking about leaning up but that felt like a lot of work, and her gaze fell longingly to Thea's lips.
Thea read her mind and closed the distance, brushing their mouths together easily, smoothly, with a huff of a laugh that brushed over Aaryn's cheeks. It was silent, sweet, something that made her teeth ache and—
"No kissing in the moss pit," Carissa drawled.
"It's clover," Thea corrected, and separated, smug and satisfied, while Aaryn burned to a crisp at her side despite being no closer to the fire than any of them.
She was a little mortified, but mostly excited, her belly queasy with the flight of a hoard of dragons.
"Goodnight," she squeaked out, and buried her face in Thea's shoulder. They fizzled into bubbly giggles for the last time before sleep claimed them, one by one.