Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird & Ia!)
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Bondage, D/s, S&amp;M =&gt; Bondage: Exotic Solos =&gt; Topic started by: Ia! on 28-03-2012, 01:52:43</h2>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-03-2012, 01:52:43</strong>
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				It had seemed a promising ship from the ground.&nbsp; Her lines were sleek for a merchantman, more sloop than galleon.&nbsp; Its name had appealed to her sense of whimsy: the <em>Gallant Limerick</em>.&nbsp; Even better, the crew seemed to have a lackadaisical attitude towards the cargo.&nbsp; It had been simplicity itself to pry open one of the boxes and slip inside while no one was looking.<br><br>But that’s the point where things got strange.&nbsp; As she’d expected, the box was stuffed with straw, used as packing material to protect the real cargo.&nbsp; Only, dig as she had (and she’d had at least the better part of two hours since they’d loaded the crate with her in it onto the ship) she couldn’t find any cargo.&nbsp; Unless the straw was the cargo?&nbsp; She was beginning to have second doubts about this.&nbsp; A crew so easily cheated by an unscrupulous merchant was far more likely to run afoul of pirates, or fail to deal with them adequately should they encounter any.&nbsp; And while she hoped for adventure, that was a bit too much adventure for her, the Goddess forfend.&nbsp; <br><br>And then there were all the extra crew.&nbsp; A ship this size, she was pretty sure, could be run with half-a-dozen sailors.&nbsp; Peeking through a hole she’d worried between two planks in the crate with her knife, she’d counted at least three times that many, with more up on deck.&nbsp; <br><br>And finally, the ship handled like a dream.&nbsp; With a sharp crackle at the enchantments binding the air elementals, the ship had seemed to leap into the air, as if that were its natural element, as if it were fashioned from cloud and moonbeam rather than timber, brass, and orichalcum.&nbsp; The propellers seemed almost extraneous, though the vibrations they set up in the deck beneath her crate were reassuring.&nbsp; They were in the air.&nbsp; By now, they would be well into the mountainous regions called the Sea of Stones that separated her native Antir from fabled Kaesh.&nbsp; The die was cast and, for good or ill, it was too late to turn back now.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-03-2012, 08:02:24</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia huffed softly as she tried, again for what felt like the thousandth time, to push of the top of the crate that had been her ticket onto the handsome ship. She couldn't help but not that as easy as it was to get into the load of cargo, getting herself out of it seemed an entirely different manner. With a deep breath and a glare at her pine built foe, she pressed at the top of her confines with all of her might, back against the hay-line bottom while her hands and feet did all the work.<br><br>"C'mon old girl, now's not the time to be bested by some silly old timber!" She muttered through gritted teeth, squinting as her disheveled hair slid into her eyes. "Now Heave!" and with those muttered words she put the rest of her strength into one last exertion of force, the violent action not only popping the top off the box but dislodging the box itself from its perch to send her tumbling down in a rain of hay.<br><br>Luckily for her skull, the box's edge had caught on another which prevented it's descent to the ground with her, leaving her bruised bottom as the only injury she suffered aside from some dented pride. Carefully she brought herself to her feet, taking in the cargo bay with a look of curiosity. There were boxes, yes, but they were all the same it seemed. There were no rolls of carpets, no barrels, nothing that she'd heard these great ships carried.<br><br>"Perhaps my books were ill informed.." she tried to reason with herself, taking the moment to put herself to rights. She worn her most comfortable, travel friendly outfit when she'd snuck out from her parents manor, her cream colored high-necked sleeveless shirt tucked firmly into the smooth chocolate-colored cotton skirt. She wore her favorite heavy linen under-bust corset to keep her posture correct even if by a minute amount (as well as accentuate her already lovely hourglass figure - though she'd never admit to it!), buckled straps reaching down the gather the normally calf length skirt to her knees with a short length of layered material hanging from the back of the corset as a kind of bustle. Her legs were shocking unstockinged, Octavia having a strong distaste for the cursed things. However a pair of functional, yet fashionable, pair of low-heeled boots made of thick lacquered leather covered her dainty feet.<br><br>This outfit (http://www.craftster.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/71915_26Sep10_Steampunk_Outfit1.gif) was the only clothing she brought - with the exception of her under garments of course, her small bag packed with only what she deemed was necessary; a brush (because when you have bright scarlet curls reaching to your waist you never left home without one), her books about the surround countries, and a few empty leather-bound notebooks with charcoal pencils for taking notes once she'd found something worth writing about! And, of course, she snuck a bit of dried meat and fruit from her fathers desk as well as the money she'd been saving for her 'marriage'. Ha! Like that was going to happen. After all her parents bloody idea of forcing her into marriage to make her a 'proper lady' is what spurred her to run off in the first place.<br><br>She'd grown tired of her mother's consistent badgering of 'ladies don't consistently have their noses in a book!' and 'really ladies wear silk gown, not cotton workmans clothes!' and her personal favorite 'you'll never hind a husband dressing like a insipid library clerk!'. And her father wasn't any better, wanting to wed her off to the first well-to-do man willing to merger with his locomotive company by taking the 'black sheep' as his bride! She was better than that, better then a ho hum life as a ho hum wife destined to become a ho hum mother! No, Octavia wanted to travel the world, to learn its mysterious and secrets, and that certainly was not going to happen in that oppressing household!<br><br>She took a deep breath, realizing that this was it. She was on a ship destined to who knows where, inhabited with goddess knows who! Adventure was at her fingertips, al she had to do was reach out! Which, as she looped the long leather strap of her bag over her shoulder to cross her chest, was exactly what she intended to do! And that started with a little exploration of her current confines, beginning her careful and quiet exploration of the Gallant Limerick's vast areas.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-03-2012, 22:05:48</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia hadn’t taken as many as a half-dozen steps when she caught sight of another person, standing among the crates.&nbsp; At first, she thought he was just a child, being less than five feet in height.&nbsp; But a second look, her eyes adjusting to the dim light below decks, revealed a wrinkled face, short and extremely curly silver hair, and an amused grin as he looked at her.&nbsp; His skin was ebony, making his eyes and teeth seem to glimmer in the dim light.&nbsp; He was dressed in brightly patterned pantaloons of silk, a broad belt of leather studded with florets of gold, and not a stitch more.&nbsp; Even his feet were bare on the wooden deck.&nbsp; With a start, Octavia realized that he fit the description of peoples who lived in the southern reaches of Kaesh.&nbsp; One of his hands rested on the knobby head of a blackthorn walking stick, and he rapped it once on the deck before offering Octavia a graceful and surprisingly elegant bow.<br><br>“Good day, m’lady.&nbsp; Out for a stroll and took a nap in the wrong place, did we?”&nbsp; His Anitian was oddly accented, with a musical quality to it, but she had no trouble understanding his words.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 02:22:16</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				For a moment all Octavia could do was work her jaw up and down in a motion similar to a beached fish. She was torn between to duel response, her mind unable to decide on one immediately. The sensible part her of said to apologize profusely and beg to not be taken into custody for stowing away on the vessel. But on the other hand, she was face to face with native Bambuti and the part of her that kept her nose in books and head in the clouds wanted to drop to a sitting position and ask him question after question about Kaesh; local customs, the cuisine, the culture and practices, and anything else her mind would give her to throw at him.<br><br>"Gah...ahm...no....ye...maybe?" She felt as each syllable fell awkwardly from her lips, her brain frantically trying to figure a way to keep herself out of trouble. After a few moments of frantic thinking and uncomfortable - though seemingly amusing to the shorter man - silence, the truth tumbled out in a harsh half-whispered rush.<br><br>"I wanted to go and see the world and learn which wouldn't happen in Antir so I decided to hide on this cargo ship and get off at the next port and make my way from there but I'm sorry I wasn't going to steal anything."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 02:57:20</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				((The word to fill the blank in is Bambuti.))<br><br>"Steal nothing, that is, save passage on this vessel.&nbsp; You seem a woman of means.&nbsp; Don't you have coin you could purchase a comfortable cabin, complete with servants to attend your every need, while you make such a journey?"&nbsp; His grin never wavered, and it was clear he suspected the answer already.
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 03:18:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				"Gyah....er...well generally that would be optimal, however trackable all things considered...but I swear to you I'd intended to sleep in a box and not touch a scrap of food on this ship, my word as a lady..." she fumbled through her bag, flipping through the papers and book to dig out a medium sized pouch, with drawling an amount of coin equal to that of a the traveling arrangements that he'd spoken of. She handed him the bit, speaking rushedly as she did so.<br><br>"I only figured that this ship would get me far enough from the radar of my parent that I might have a chance at freedom, after all I've heard the ships of merchants are able to travel distances that the typical transport ship could only hope for..."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 03:45:34</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The tiny man did no more than glance at the coin.&nbsp; "I'm afraid, dear lady, it's far too late for that.&nbsp; You see, this is no merchant vessel.&nbsp; We're not even privateers, though we do sometimes work for certain causes.&nbsp; I'm afraid you've fallen in with bad company.<br><br>"Now, anyone can clearly see that you are not the sort to associate with such rough and degenerate creatures as ourselves, so I'll offer you some advice.&nbsp; You can go back to your crate and hide, but eventually the crew will find you, and they'll take their pleasure of you before selling you into slavery at the next port we stop at.&nbsp; Or, you can offer yourself to the quartermaster, and he'll lock you in a cage where the crew can't hurt you or damage your value, and then you'll be sold into slavery at the next port we stop at.&nbsp; Or, and this is what I heartily recommend, you could offer yourself to the captain, who is enough of a gentleman to let you share his cabin and protect you from the rest of the crew.&nbsp; Then you just need to convince him that he doesn't want to sell you at the next port we come to."&nbsp; &nbsp;
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 04:00:47</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia felt a knot of fear lodge itself in her throat, realization setting in at the other words. Pirates, of all the ships in the port she had illegaly stowed away a pirate ship! She listened to the mans advice with a sinking heart, figuring offering herself to either man would mean the spreading of her legs.<br><br>"Blasts and buttons...a pirate ship..." she mumbled to herself, covering her face with both her hands, tapping her fingertips against her forehead while slowly lowering herself to the floor to sit. She'd wanted adventure, but not the type that was apt to get one killed, raped, or sold for both! She peeked from between her fingers, speaking in tones muffled by her palms.<br><br>"How does one convince a pirate captain to not sell them as a slave?" she pause, lowering her hands, the direness of the situation putting her into a kind of calm shock. "And why are you offering me advice? You don't want to.." she idly waved a hand in the air, trying to find the words.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 04:50:02</strong>
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				"Of course I do," he replied with a chuckle, shifting his walking stick to the crotch of his pantaloons and lifting the tip suggestively.&nbsp; "But a sorcerer doesn't reach my age without a firm foundation of self control.&nbsp; And you, dear lady, are clearly foolish, but not cruel or evil.&nbsp; I cannot save you from all dangers; the path you have chosen is littered with them.&nbsp; But it costs me nothing to show a moment's kindness."&nbsp; He thumps his walking stick back to the deck.&nbsp; "Still, I'd warn you not to take too long making your decision.&nbsp; Every minute you take, the greater the risk that choice will be stolen from you."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 05:28:45</strong>
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				The word 'sorcerer' caught her attention, her demeanour flipping like a switch as she seemed to grab at her bag.<br><br>"A sorcerer?! I have so many..." she shook her head, realizing that interviews in the current time would probably not be the wisest of plans in her situation. "Bugger...no time for that." With a sigh bordering on a growl of irritation she stood, dusting of her knee before setting her mind on the task at hand.<br><br>"So, the top option is to 'offer myself'.." she shivered then with displeasure before going on, "to the captain of this vessel....but how do I get to said captain before being tossed and sullied by the others without your...erm...self control? I reckon I can't exactly just march up to the deck and announce, 'Here I am Captain, all yours for the taking!'" She threw her arms wide for emphasis, the classic 'come at me' pose.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 05:44:45</strong>
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				The diminutive sorcerer snorted.&nbsp; "Well, that would certainly get his attention.&nbsp; However, it might be best if I escorted you.&nbsp; The crew, of course, stand in awe and fear of my terrible power," he said in a way that was so casual it was the height of boasting.&nbsp; "Oh, you wouldn't happen to speak Ravashi would you?"
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 05:49:38</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia stared at him for a moment, believing completely by the casualness in his voice that he would indeed be feared up on the decks. She took a step nearer to him, clearing her throat before responding to his inquiry with a slight stammer.<br><br>"E-er...well....not much really..." she ground the toe of her boot against the board muttering softly, "and by that I mean I know hello. That's it."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 06:35:47</strong>
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				"Then, I suggest, when you get to him, you drop to your knees, kiss his foot, and say, 'Ayndh mra bendeh.'&nbsp; He'll understand.&nbsp; More importantly, so will the rest of the crew."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 06:51:31</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia nodded with a feirce seriousness, whispering the words to herself as she was led by the small man from the cargo hull up the stairs to the top deck. She kept her eyes glued to the worn wood, stepping closer to the bambuti as the cat call began. She did her best to drown out the lewd demands and sexual innuendos with those words that the tiny man had graciously taught her for her safety. She was beginning to be concerned when they stopped before a grand looking door, her companion knocking twice before stepping back. <br><br>Within moments Octavia was staring at a pair of boots that she assumed was the captains. She glanced briefly at the other for a sign of affirmation, taking his slight nod as that sign. Wordlessly she dropped to her knees, pressing a kiss to the toe of his boot before saying with a hint of pleading in her voice.<br><br>"Ayndh mra bendeh."
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 07:15:56</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The boots where grand things, of green felt stitched with soaring hawks in golden thread.&nbsp; The soles were soft leather and the toes pointed and turned up.&nbsp; Above that, she could see black silk pantaloons.&nbsp; <br><br>As soon as she spoke the words, the catcalls stopped.&nbsp; The only sound heard on the ship for a moment were the sounds of the ship: the distant whisper of the propellers, the gasping of the boiler deep below.&nbsp; <br><br>The man, the captain, spoke words in what sounded like Ravashi to Octavia.&nbsp; The shorter sorcerer replied in Anitian, “A stowaway, Captain.&nbsp; She snuck aboard at our last port of call.”<br><br>“And she has no idea what she just said, does she?” replied the Captain.<br><br>“Her command of your barbaric tongue may be somewhat weak...” admitted the short man, in the voice of a horse trader who’s been caught lying about the age of a stallion.<br>“Get the hells out of my cabin, you little devil.”&nbsp; The short sorcerer barked a laugh and fled, closing the door behind him.<br><br>The Captain walked away from Octavia, stopped, then turned back to her.&nbsp; “Get on your feet, woman.&nbsp; Who the hells are you, and what are you doing on my ship?”
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 07:29:58</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The spry young red head was on her feet with a quickness, standing with militaristic straightness with her eyes still turned to the deck as she gave the captain a much more eloquent version of what she told the sorcerer.<br><br>"I want to travel the world and learn what I can, but my parents were intent on arranged marriage so I grabbed my essentials and hopped the first merchant boat I could find since father could find me if I used more legitimate means. I was intending to hide in one of your crates with the rations I'd brought until you'd reached port and I'd sneak away - no harm intended. However..." her voice creaked with nerves here, forcing her to swallow before continuing.<br><br>"However, I didn't expect to find myself on a pirate ship. The small sorcerer found me, gave me my option, and said he'd escort me to you to plead my case more or less." Her explanation ended suddenly, her shoulders twitching as she recalled part of his conversation with her former guide.<br><br>"Er....he told me verbatim to 'you drop to your knees, kiss his foot, and say, 'Ayndh mra bendeh'.&nbsp; That you'd understand as well as your crew - though he stress the importance of their understanding more than your own. What...what did he have me say?" That last bit was practically squeaked out, a crawling feeling telling her she been duped by the shorty.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 07:38:10</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The tension in the room eased at her explanation, and he actually snorted softly with amusement at the bit about sneaking away.&nbsp; He was silent a moment as she finished, and then she could hear the splashing of liquid.&nbsp; He walked to her, and she could see a scarlet sash wrapped about his waist, and above that a naked, very male, belly, and above that, the edges of a black leather dueling jacket.&nbsp; He handed her a silver goblet of red wine.<br><br>“Here, drink.”&nbsp; His tone straddled the line between invitation and command.&nbsp; “You have just, in front of a dozen witnesses, formally begged me to take you as my personal slave.”&nbsp; He poured himself some wine as well.&nbsp; “Where I come from, such things are legally binding.”&nbsp; His didn’t sound as amused as the situation would seem to warrant.&nbsp; He actually sounded a bit annoyed, as if he’d been outfoxed in some way.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 07:59:36</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia was beginning to feel a bit more at ease as the tension subsided, especially at that small expression of humor. She could feel her cheeks brighten at the sight of his bare skin, taking the goblet with a trembling in her fingers.<br><br>She drank a hefty mouthful of the offered wine, only to expel it moments later when he'd explained what that devil of a man had made her say. She was intermittently coughing on the drink while cursing the sorcerer seven ways to Sunday as she tried to stand and catch her breath. She went oddly quiet as her racking coughs lessened to merely raspy gasps. For a moment, one might be concerned about her silence but that was broke as she snapped her head up to look this captain straight in the eyes, an anger only women seemed to be able to hold flickering in the jade depth or her eyes. Her voice was almost eerily calm as she spoke.<br><br>"I'm going to take that mans stick and bludgeon the magic out of him. Than beat him to death, use his on magic to bring him back, and beat him to death again"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 08:09:14</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				The man laughed.&nbsp; “I’d hold him down while you did it, but we need him.&nbsp; If something happens to our elementals, he’s the only one who can prevent us from falling out of the sky.”&nbsp; He had an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, a hawkish nose, and jet black hair, pulled into a bun at the back of his head and held in place by a pair of black lacquered sticks.&nbsp; But the most arresting feature of his face was his golden eyes, a deep amber color like those of a wolf.<br><br>“What’s done is done.&nbsp; We can’t let you go regardless now.&nbsp; And I can’t make you part of the crew.&nbsp; The little bastard is right; this is the only way.”&nbsp; He shrugged.&nbsp; “You should thank him.&nbsp; This is far less unpleasant than most of the fates that would wait you on the other side of the Sea of Stones.”&nbsp; He lifted his goblet to his lips, then stopped suddenly, giving Octavia another look.&nbsp; “You’re not a virgin, are you?”
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 18:06:23</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia was momentarily startled by the captain handsome appearance, taking a moment to shake off her shock to give a - hopefully - more dignified appearance. With a sigh, she had to concede to the idea that the ship not plummeting to the ground below as more important than the satisfaction of beating the life, death, and life again from the midget man's body. She listen to the man say how this was the 'only way' and that she should thank the sorcerer for saving her from other worse fates. She was preparing to agree to that, thanking the other, when he asked her a question that set an expression of dumb-founded confusion.<br><br><em>“You’re not a virgin, are you?”</em><br><br>"Vi..vi..virgin?!" she felt that familiar muscle tic that would set off in her delicately arched eyebrow when she was feeling stressed or confused. "What does my maidenhood have to do with anything here?!" 
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 19:10:53</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				“Virgin female slaves are worth more.&nbsp; You’re not ready for the dangers we’re sailing into.&nbsp; If you’re a virgin, I should be able to find you a safe and comfortable life as a concubine.”&nbsp; He swirled the goblet of wine in his hand, letting the liquid breath a moment.&nbsp; “Yes, Nasil might need another concubine.&nbsp; He’s a bit plump, I’ll grant you, but not cruel, and he entertains well...”<br>
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 22:25:43</strong>
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			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia cleared her throat, trying to keep her composure as he mentioned sell her and dangerous and what not. She didn't want to be sold, much less to some chunky man who was good for a laugh or what not. She let the metaphorical gears turn in her head, trying to figure out the best possible way to convenience him that he shouldn't keep her around.<br><br>"Hm...well, you could do that...but wouldn't your crew be confused at your selling a girl who, through the proper legalities as you said, claimed herself as your personal slave? Also, I'm a lot sturdier than I look, I won't slow you down or cause problems...in fact I could<em> possibly</em> be an advantage for you." she cleared her throat, holding on to her collected and serious face in place.<br><br>"You seem like a reasonable man, Captain, and if I did indeed honestly claim myself as yours I'm not one to go back on my word. So...what can I do to prove to you that I'm <em>worth</em> more than you could sell me for?"
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			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-03-2012, 22:50:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The captain stopped and stared at Octavia for a shocked moment.&nbsp; "Girl, I appreciate your concern for what my crew might think.&nbsp; But can you fight?&nbsp; Or repair a busted drive shaft?&nbsp; Summon and tame a salamander or zephyr?&nbsp; Hunt water buffalo in the jungle?&nbsp; Or even dress the kill?"&nbsp; He shook his head, then gestured at the table behind him, scattered, she could see now, with papers, a few stone tablets, and a large aeronautical chart of the Sea of Stones, the massive chain of mountains the separated the three continents.&nbsp; "Hells, while we're at it, maybe you can read ancient Kahuti?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 00:26:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No, not the former - but I swear to you I can learn damn near anything you would need me to do and more, but as for that language.." she strode over to the table with a look of interests, placing her palms on the surface as she observed the spread of objects and artifacts. Gingerly she lifted one of the articles from his table, giving it a once over before a smile lit in her eyes.<br><br>"I don't know enough to translate this myself..." and Octavia spun then, laying the paper back down before the most charmingly mischievous grin split across her face. "However, I know someone who can and gladly would." She paused then, arching an eyebrow at him and crossing her arms below the push of her corset against her chest.<br><br>"And, should you keep me in your company, I'm sure he'd see you without an expectation of an fee."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 00:34:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The pirate stared at her, his jaw hanging open.&nbsp; “You’re serious?&nbsp; Who is this person?&nbsp; And can he be trusted to keep his mouth shut?”&nbsp; He stepped close to Octavia and gripped her upper arms in his hands, searching her eyes with his strange, golden eyes.&nbsp; “This isn’t a game, girl.&nbsp; Lives hang in the balance on your answer.&nbsp; Including, possibly, the life of this friend of yours.&nbsp; But if he can read these...”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 00:58:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I am many things but a liar is not one of them! Sir, when it comes to the scholarly ways there is no room for games with me. Especially when you are in possession of items that are supposed to be nothing but dust!" she stared hard back into those odd eyes, a fierceness flashing in her own. She pushed at his chest, demanding him give her space with her heated gaze<br><br>"Sir, I'm an unusual creature...a learned woman. My interest is foreign cultures, customs, and lore of past and present, and in my studies I've found myself in correspondence with one Professor Lucian Seppings, currently staying in Baydat to study his area of expertise - dead languages. And for trust sir, I'd trust his with my life and more so." Her eyes narrowed, a determination burning deep in her stomach, now wanting more than her life and freedom but answers, but first she had to gain his trust.<br><br>"Sir, if my Professor can not decipher your items I would just you give up what ever you are plotting unless you know a Kahutian that still walks. " 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 01:13:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He stared at her a long moment, then broke into a broad grin before pulling her to his chest, completely ignoring her pushing back.&nbsp; His strong mouth pressed itself to hers in a fierce kiss, suddenly hot and hungry on her lips, his hands squeezing her arms almost to the point of pain, his warm bare chest pressed to her corset. His scent, male and hot with a teasing hint of some exotic spice, surrounded her, filling her nostrils.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 01:46:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia wasn't entirely sure on how to handle this situation. On one hand, a very handsome rougeish man was holding her tight and hard, his mouth demanding and ravenous against her own. She couldn't deny the intoxicating scent of him filling her with a warm rush edging on the side of wantonness. But again, not ten minutes ago the brute had been discussing using her virginity in order to sell her away!<br><br>After a moments consideration, the sexually repressed side of her was beginning to win the battle - this meant her mind had to nip it in the bud. Thusly, she bit his bottom lip firm enough for him to let go but not enough to harm seriously, her voice low.<br><br>"I'd have you let me go, sir. It's not gentleman-like to lay hands on a woman without even introducing your name, especially after considering sell them."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 06:36:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He grinned at her.&nbsp; “Good thing I’m no gentleman, then,” he replied, licking his bit lip but not letting her go.&nbsp; “You may have transformed my madness into an actual plan.&nbsp; You have no idea...”&nbsp; He shook his head.&nbsp; “I need to reset our course.&nbsp; Baydat, you said? Where exactly in Baydat?”&nbsp; He did release her then, turned to study his charts, picking up a gleaming brass measure and a piece of chalk.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>31-03-2012, 17:25:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She shook of his comment about being no gentlemen, his tone sending an unexpected thrill down her spine. She spied what seemed to be an empty table sitting aside a large bed of sorts, setting her helf to sit on the soft edge while digging through the well-worn bag on her lap. After a moments search she slipped a medium sized book from its confides, flipping the hard bound cover to reveal not bound pages but what seemed to be letter, wrapped up and hidden away in a hole that had been cut from the pages. One paying attention would notice the title of this now unreadable novel printed across the spine was 'Ladies Book of Etiquette, Fashion and Manual of Politeness' penned by one Florence Hartley.<br><br>She diligently flipped through the impressive stack of letters, mumbling what sounding like different names as she hurried through them, forming stack on the table before releasing a soft 'ah-ha', rustling to unfold the odd colored parchment to scan the words written in what looked to be blueish ink.<br><br>"Let's see....this was the letter I receive from him merely a few days ago. He mentions something about researching some ruins outside of a village called Dy'tet; an old temple of sorts from his descriptions. Your best bet would be there, and if he's moved on I guarantee you someone will know where he's gotten off to and that whoever he's told I can find." she returned the letter to it's corresponding envelope, gathering up the rest of its ilk to gingerly stack them evenly as tuck them back away in their unassuming novel.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>01-04-2012, 19:03:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Dy'tet...&nbsp; jalbi...” he muttered, studying his maps.&nbsp; He took a few measurements, marked a line on his map, then dug through the detritus piled atop the table and pulled out a slate.&nbsp; He scribbled on the slate, then dropped it and the chalk to wipe his hands on a rag as he strode towards the door.&nbsp; “Don’t leave this room while I’m gone.&nbsp; Feel free to strip.&nbsp; I won’t be long.”&nbsp; He opened the door and stepped out before she could reply, shouting to his crew, his voice suddenly cut off as the thick door snapped closed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>01-04-2012, 21:39:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Feel free to strip? Why on ear..." she snapped her mouth shut as door closed, rolling her eyes in frustration as she muttered to herself. "Strip...why in the worlds would I strip!?" She did, however, lay back on the deceptively soft bed to stare at the expanse of the wooden ceiling. She couldn't help but recall her mothers last words as her minded wandered.<br><br><em>'Ladies don't go to school or travel about alone! Ladies get married, have children, and make their families proud! Your happiness has no place here, it's time for you to stop being a child!'</em><br><br>Even now she could her the shrill anger in her voice, the woman's usually perfectly styled coiffure mused to a point of fashion destruction. The white hot rage in her mothers eyes matched her own then, and she'd left without speaking a word. That'd be less than a day prior. She played with the idea of sending them a post when they'd reached her dear friend, unlacing the taut strings of her corset. She slipped it off after undoing the buckles at her skirt, but nothing else as she waited the mans return. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>02-04-2012, 23:53:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia could feel a shudder pass through the ship before the sound of the propellers rose in pitch.&nbsp; The ship leaped forward, then tilted into a banking turn.&nbsp; Shadows from the large stern windows of the captain’s cabin crawled across the room and Octavia before the ship righted itself.&nbsp; The ship had acquired a more westerly heading, casting the room into shadow.&nbsp; <br><br>There was a momentary creak of the floorboards before the door opened just enough to allow the captain to slip back in.&nbsp; He shut it and bolted it behind him, before turning to grin at Octavia.&nbsp; “Want me to unwrap my present myself?&nbsp; Well, if you insist,” he stated, striding boldly towards her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>03-04-2012, 19:52:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia's eyes flew wide and the sudden jeering motion of the ship, automatically gripping the beds edge as a wave of anxiety flew through her. Theoretically, she knew she was fine and the ships direct had merely been adjusted - however, having never been on an airship prior, the unexpected sensation of change brought her a feeling of unease. She was in the midst of regaining her emotional bearings when the entrance and words of the grinning captain knocked her right back off them.<br><br>"Excuse me, but what exactly do you see that is a present here?!" the red head, standing to move away from the other and slightly stumbling over her feet in the process. "I am a woman, one who's helping you on whatever venture you're undertaking as well as wanting to know exactly WHAT we're taking to that dear man, and once again you've yet to give me your name!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>03-04-2012, 20:51:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With the grace of a cat, he was suddenly beside Octavia, a steadying hand on her elbow, another at her back, helping her to regain her balance.&nbsp; “Careful there.&nbsp; The sky is easier than the sea, but it hasn’t accepted you yet.&nbsp; And you, dear lady, have the honor of belonging to Rahim Al-Nisra, though I’d be careful where you mentioned that.&nbsp; And since that jackal’s bastard of a sorcerer is not here to properly introduce us, may I have your name?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>03-04-2012, 21:32:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't disagree about the fast that she was unused to passage by air, or that she was greatful for the quickness of his reaction to her unsteadyness. With a sigh and a sharp puff of air to move a subborn curl her her eyes, she reached up to lightly pat his hand on her shoulder.<br><br>"The rat bastard didn't know my name and I don't think I'd have trusted him to give it. Octavia, Octavia Lingley." she wavered as a soft shutter ran through the ship, cursing her legs for their rebellious weakness. "It's a pleasure, Rahim...so now that we're properly acquainted, could you explain to me why you have item on that table that many historians have recorded as 'lost' and 'long since destroyed'?" her voice held no accusations, but was heavy with curiosity.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>03-04-2012, 21:57:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Lovely name, Octavia,” he said.&nbsp; “As for the items on my table, I have them, I suspect, because I can go places your historians cannot, or dare not go.”&nbsp; He put a hand around her waist, gently pulling him against her.&nbsp; “And, as you seem ignorant of the customs of my people, I should inform you that your name is now Octavia abd Rahim.”&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>03-04-2012, 22:27:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Wai..What? Octavia abd Rahim? What does that.." She brought a hand up between them, her palm firmly pressed against the man chest in an effort to keep them further separated. She'd leaned back as far as she was able without looking too foolish, the woman noting with a touch of both nervousness and shameful excitement that his hold on her wasn't one she could breakout of. She felt that familiar twitch of muscle in her eyebrow as she tried to think of a way to change his attention from her to his apparent quest.<br><br>"Ahm..so I know how you have them for the most part, b-but <em>why</em>? What are you after?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 00:49:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He frowned at her question.&nbsp; “We are pirates, mine.&nbsp; We are, of course, seeking a treasure.”&nbsp; He laid a long finger across her lips.&nbsp; “Please, do not ask about it.&nbsp; It’s dangerous enough that you are here, that we go to a friend of yours to seek the answer to questions about it.”&nbsp; He kissed her nose.&nbsp; “I respect your gender too much to blithely toss you in danger’s path.&nbsp; So please, do not pry in this.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 01:16:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She narrowed her eyes, once again being treated as if her gender made her something fragile - like the spun sugar figures in the bakers windows back home. She could feel her frustration begin to bubble out, voice low and angry.<br><br>"Respect <em>my</em> gender? Respect my <em>gender</em>?!" With a strength that she would have questioned had her mind been clearer, she shoved him away from her towards the bed. Her eyes burned with an inner fury of one respect too many.<br><br>"I am sick of being treated as if I am some delicate item to be placed on a shelf! Just because I am a women does not make me weak! I ran from that god forsaken cesspit to stop being treated as if my femininity meant that I was to be nothing more than a idle-minded ninny prone to watery hysterics and child rearing! If you cut me I'll bleed, if you hit me I'll bruise, but I'll be damned if I don't fight back and double the pain I was given!" She began to slowly approach him then, her words quiet be filled with a passionate anger.<br><br>"I don't want you to respect. My. Bloody. Gender. I damn well expect you to respect me as the person who's given you a key in whatever blasted puzzle you're figure out and inform me as to what it is!" She could care less if she'd angered him then, so sick as she was of being treated like a lady.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 01:57:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He stared at her in shock a moment, then snorted and threw up both his hands, babbling out a quick phrase in his eastern tongue.&nbsp; “I was thinking of allowing you to repudiate your words on the deck earlier.&nbsp; I was thinking of letting you go home or stay with your scholar friend.&nbsp; But if I tell you this secret, if I tell you what I really intend to do, you will not be able to do that.&nbsp; If you know this and go home, it will mean the deaths of your family: your mother, your father, your grandparents, your siblings and their children.&nbsp; <br><br>“Once you hear those words, you are committed to the end of your days, and if we fail, that end will be days, perhaps only hours, away.&nbsp; Knowing this, knowing that there is no turning back, do you still want to know?&nbsp; Because there are no excuses, no going back, no getting out.&nbsp; Once you cross this bridge, it is burned forever behind you.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 02:37:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She took in his words with an unchanging expression, the only alteration the light in her eyes fading from raging to serious. She let him finish, clearing her throat in a almost delicate fashion before speaking in a tone the though light - an effort to calm her irritation - was serious.<br><br>"Captain, if I wanted to go home I would have stayed there and not tried to jump a ship in the first place." The lightness lifted then, a firmer tone taking over as she crossed her arms beneath her breasts.<br><br>"And I have full understanding of what your saying, and am not one to make excuses or turn tail when things are dire or dicey. And I sure as hell am not planning on running home. After all.." she chanced a smirk here, one eyebrow quirking up wards, "...I <em>am</em> yours, correct? So tell me; let me help you and when the time comes I'll do whats needed of me, be it death or otherwise."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 03:37:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“So be it,” he agreed solemnly, though his grin returned afterwards.&nbsp; “Though since you are mine, I expect obedience from my property as much as my crew on a voyage.&nbsp; I think you’ll come to regret your words on that count sooner rather than later.”&nbsp; He turned to the table, reaching out to steady her as the entire ship seemed to drop briefly then catch itself before Octavia could even register what was happening.&nbsp; “Turbulence, nothing to worry about.”<br><br>He dug through the clutter on his desk before pulling out a rubbing from a relief carving.&nbsp; It showed a cat-headed warrior stabbing a spear through the chest of a screaming creature that appeared to be part ogre and part living flame.&nbsp; “The Fury of Widows.&nbsp; The ancient spear the Rakshasa hero Sheerak used to slay the prince of the Ifrit who ruled over all of the East in ancient times.&nbsp; A weapon capable of slaying the most powerful of elementals.&nbsp; That is our goal.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 03:53:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A barrage of emotions crossed her face in those moments. Amazement followed by disbelief that bled into a look that clearly read that he had to be out of his mind before going back to shocked awe.<br><br>"You...you're serious?" she covered her mouth with her hand, her brow knit into a look of serious concentration. She couldn't wrap her mind around it, recalling the tale as she'd heard it as a child from her nanny. She used to fight with the woman's son about who would be Sheerak and who would be the prince, both wanting to be the hero of course. It was that caretaker that had inspired her drive to learn, a fact that cause her family to fire the woman not a year after her hire. She gave Rahim a long look, as if measuring his sanity before speak again in very low and soft tones.<br><br>"This is a myth, a children's tale! I remember that from Governess Hani'ah's stories when I was small!" she took a breath so steady herself, shutting her eye tight before looking back at the man. "Ok....putting in the consideration that you have other items that shouldn't exist I feel I can't count anything out. But, please divulge; how do you know it exists? What has fueled your belief that it's attainable?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 05:01:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shuffled through the papers.&nbsp; &nbsp;“Ahhhh... here,” he said, plucking out a battered tablet of clay.&nbsp; “In third and last year of the reign of Lees the Fiery, Khan of Khans, he lead an invasion across the waters into Kuis.&nbsp; The Padishana did not go meeting the invading army herself, sending instead her djinni vizier to lead her army, a man named Shahir.&nbsp; He was a meticulous fellow and catalogued all the treasures taken from the defeated army of Lees.&nbsp; He mentions the spear among the personal treasures of the slain rakshasa.<br><br>“Then... ah, don’t have the original, just a transcription, but here in his journal,” he said, waving a sheet of papyrus at Octavia, “he complains about his mistress’ insistence the spear not be destroyed.&nbsp; And then, a month later, discussion of the construction of a special vault hidden in the desert, at the Padishana’s private retreat oasis.&nbsp; <br><br>“I’m fairly certain that’s where we’ll find the spear, but the details of the place are in the records of the slave master who escaped the purge that killed the entire team tasked with building it.&nbsp; But his words I cannot read.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 05:21:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Which I'm assuming is where the professor comes in?" she questioned lightly, the excitment dancing in her eyes betraying the calm in her voice as she looked over the items again and again. Her voice was more of an idle mutter as she spoke, reading over the journal entry with fervor.<br><br>"I assure, again, that the Professor will have no issue in translation once we find him. He also has no issue with secrets, so don't threaten his life for sworn secrecy as it may tie his tongue on your translation...interesting." she laid the rough paper on the table, moving to sit on the bed as to settle her beg in her lap, shuffling back through the pseudo book of letters. She was quiet as she read back through his last letter, anticipation bubbling in her like she was a kettle. <br><br>"How long till we reach Dy'tet?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 05:30:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I was hoping to not tell him what we expect to find at the place.&nbsp; The slaves had no idea.&nbsp; And I'll admit, the link is still tenuous.&nbsp; There's <em>something</em> dangerous stored there, but it may be another treasure entirely."&nbsp; He stepped towards Octavia, hooking his thumbs in his sash.&nbsp; "If the winds stay favorable, three days.&nbsp; More than enough time to complete what you started." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 05:38:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She looked up at him, obviously clueless at his words of finishing things. She mentally waved it off, turning over the letter she was rereading as she spoke almost absentmindedly, being someone of a one track mind.<br><br>"Yes, sure...three days should be fine. And the Professor likes to ask questions and is a fair detector of malarkey. Knew within one letter that I wasn't the young, studious man I was claiming to be..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 05:52:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“And he didn’t try to dissuade you from your studies?” the captain asked, taking off his jacket to leave his torso bare, tossing the garment across a chair.&nbsp; He was leanly muscled, with a few scars on his left arm, and a few more ugly looking silvery stripes across his back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 06:04:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She finished the letter, carefully folding it and storing it away before answering, giving him a look that was both wistful and a touch tired.<br><br>"No, not at all actually. Professor Seppings was far too impressed by the intricate hoops I'd had to jump in order to reach him. I shan't bore you with the details, but lets just say disguises were involved and I learned a lot more about the local university dean than I desired." she crossed her legs at the knee, resting her elbows on them as to support her chin in the cradle of her hands.<br><br>"We've become good friends over the last few years, it will be quite a shock for him to see me I think..." she brought her eyes to the man in his new state of undress. She could not deny that he brought a shiver of something foreign through her, something that made her her skip. Those scars she knew had stories, painful ones that she bet would make her cringe, but somehow they just adding to his roguish attraction. Suddenly she felt rather flushed, sitting up straighter to undo the button that kept her shirt collar close to her throat. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 06:13:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He sat down to tug off his boots, revealing stockings beneath that he also dragged off.&nbsp; He wiggled his toes as he stood on the thick carpet that covered the decking of most of his cabin.&nbsp; “Even the gates of heaven shudder when battered by a strong will,” he said drawing the ornate dagger from his sash and tossing it atop the table among the relics and papers.&nbsp; <br><br>“So, not a virgin, then?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 06:21:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her expression screwed itself into one of confusion, her mind still running in circles around the idea that they're going after a mythical item that is likely to be real. She looked at him through narrowed eyes, head titled to the side.<br><br>"What..? We covered this earlier, why would you think I'd lie about being my being virginal? Because of the dean comment? Because if that so go ahead and take that thought from your head! As if...wait..." her eyes widened to a surprising extent before once again narrowing, her voice tight and cautious.<br><br>"You better not consider selling me again, because if you are I swear on everything I am.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 06:28:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He barked out a laugh.&nbsp; “No, fear not.&nbsp; You, I’m keeping.&nbsp; But making love to a virgin has to be done differently than a more experienced woman.”&nbsp; He returned to the goblet of wine he’d poured for her earlier.&nbsp; “Would you like more?&nbsp; Or something stronger maybe?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 06:34:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was beginning to wonder if that muscle tick in her eyebrow would ever have the chance to rest around this man. However, the offer for more wine was appreciated and brought a sort of reluctant sigh from the woman.<br><br>"Wine, please and thank you. Today has been so much more involved than I'd ever imagined....I'd still like to give that bloody bastard a firm kick in the pants." she paused while he filled her cup, something from earlier popping back into her mind and finding its way directly out of her mouth.<br><br>"For one so eager to deflower a girl, you sure seemed irritated when explaining what he'd made me say earlier....almost as if he'd outwitted you in something..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 06:41:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He handed her the goblet of wine, then picked up his own, a hint of a blush on his cheeks shocking her with its appearance.&nbsp; “Ah, it’s not normal for a captain and bey to be without female companionship.”&nbsp; He gestures vaguely with the goblet, then takes a long pull from it, nearly emptying it in a single swallow, then refilling it.&nbsp; “So, he, among others, have been after me for some time to take a slavegirl, if not a concubine.&nbsp; They are right; your presence will be good for morale, but...”&nbsp; Again, the vague gesture, his eyes on the windows and the endless rise and fall of stony mountains beyond.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 07:03:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She did her best to repress the grin forming at that little sliver of what seemed to be embarrassment. She took a long drink of her wine as he seemed to grow uncomfortable about the topic. Oh, Octavia was going to ride this as long as she could.<br><br>"But what, Rahim?" she sat the drink to the side, resting on a bedside table as she leaned forward with interest. "Is there a problem with you having a woman? A missus at home, or something of the like?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 07:14:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He turned to her, his lips twisted with amusement.&nbsp; “No, no ‘missus’ at home.&nbsp; At least, none I know about.”&nbsp; He fixed her with his golden eyes and lifted a finger from his goblet to point at her.&nbsp; “Women, especially women like you, my minx, are Trouble.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 07:18:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Trouble? How so?" She took her drink back up, the sweetness lingering in her mouth as she delved further. "I mean, you looked uncomfortable even before you knew that I was a bit peculiar in comparison."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 07:31:26</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“They just are.&nbsp; Women are like...”&nbsp; He cast about for a metaphor, then held up his goblet.&nbsp; “Women are like a sweet wine.&nbsp; The first few sips are heavenly, and they can make a man feel like a god!&nbsp; But the next morning?”&nbsp; He clutched his head and mock-staggered about like a man struck by a heavy blow.&nbsp; “Ye gods, the next morning!”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 07:39:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't help but laugh, not a gentle sort but a hard one. She wasn't sure i fit was the wine or the conversation but this man was gradually getting easier to deal with.<br><br>"So, in a nut shell, your displeasure was at from the concern of developing a hangover of sorts?" She knew she was fishing for the continuance of this conversation, but she was amused.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 17:29:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Of sorts,” he said, his eyes on the floor as he fiddled with his sash.&nbsp; “You going to finish with those buttons, mine, or shall I handle them for you?” he asked with a wolfish grin, his eyes rising to her’s once more.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 17:58:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh no sir, these buttons will stay right where they are." she took another drink, head feeling vaguely floaty as she spoke, "I mean, you did say I was a type of woman that was trouble, hm? Wouldn't want you to develop a hangover, now would we?" She quirked an eyebrow at the man, her eyes seeming heavy lidded.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 18:07:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Too late for that.&nbsp; The hangover’s coming, so I may as well drink my fill.”&nbsp; He whipped off his sash, satin and hissing across each other as the scarlet cloth snapped in the air.&nbsp; He tilted his head back, draining the last of his wine and tossing his goblet aside carelessly.&nbsp; “Now, those buttons...” he said, stepping towards her, the long sash still gripped in one hand, its tails dragging along the carpet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 18:14:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"For someone who didn't even want a woman, you sure seem insistent." She finished her wine, standing to move away from him slowly. Octavia's eyes darted from the russet materiel dragging the gown to his face, a defiant smirk settling on her features. <br><br>"So, these buttons stay right. Where. They. Are."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 18:27:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A smirk of his own, answered hers.&nbsp; “For a woman who is <em>so</em> insistent that I own her, you seem terribly unclear on how the whole being-his-slave business works.&nbsp; Unless you relish the thought of spending some time sewing those buttons back on, I suggest you busy yourself with them, or I <em>will</em> be their undoing.”&nbsp; He took up the sash in his other hand, snapping the the material suggestively.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 18:36:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"And again, for one who seemed so reluctant to take a slave - even to go as far as to sell them off at the next port - you sure do seem insistent for that trouble you'd complained of." she trailed her hands up her shirt, only to re-button her collar as a sign of defiance to his words. <br><br>"And just know, should you decide to mangle my shirt that I won't be much help in finding the Professor seeing as I don't sew and don't run about topless."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 18:43:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“And I am a pirate,” he reminded her with a soft purr, stepping very, very close now, gazing intently into her eyes.&nbsp; “Should needs be, I will steal for you a gown spun from moonlight and shadow.&nbsp; I will pluck the stars from the skies to hang from your ears, and the foam of the oceans will hang as a girdle about your waist.”&nbsp; And with another snap of the material, he wrapped the satin sash about her left wrist.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 19:07:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She wrapped her hand around the sash where it led from his hand&nbsp; to her wrist, fingers gripping the material tightly. Her eyes narrowed, that smirk darkening a bit at his commentary.<br><br>"Pretty words, Captain, but do I <strong>honestly</strong> look like a girl that would wear something as frivolous as clothing and jewelry made from those things? <em>Truly</em>?" she licked her lips, tugging on the material roughly.<br><br>"Lets be honest here, I'm not one to be swayed with flowery talk and not some slip of a girl that's going to bend to your will just because you say so."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 20:13:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				And in a trice, the silk was wrapped about her other wrist, the two lashed together and then lifted over her head, pushing her up against the wall.&nbsp; His thigh was pushed between her’s, his nose nearly touching her nose, his chest just brushing hers.&nbsp; The heat of his body poured down on her like the sun at noon on summer.&nbsp; The strength of his one arm holding up both of hers, his scent, his raw masculine presence completely surrounded her.<br><br>“Then let’s be honest, then.&nbsp; What were you expecting when you snuck aboard a ship, hm?&nbsp; Did you think all the men of the wider world were the foppish, retiring pigeons you baited and talked circles around in drawing rooms and parlours?&nbsp; Do you think we owe you protection as you dare your wild adventures simply because you draw breath?&nbsp; How did you plan to thwart the first man who would take advantage of you, since he would likely be, in fact was, the first man you met?”<br><br>“Every man aboard this ship bends to my will because I am their captain.&nbsp; They do that because they know there’s not a one of them, man <em>or woman</em>, I won’t toss overboard to fall to their deaths against the rocks below if it will save this ship and all the rest.&nbsp; That is what it means to be a captain.&nbsp; It also means that, should the ship be lost, I will be lost with her.&nbsp; She is mine, and I am hers.”&nbsp; <br><br>His finger traced small circles across her belly, gentle but still easily felt through the cloth of her garment.&nbsp; “There is nothing now between you and the world, Octavia.&nbsp; Nothing between you and death, you and pain, you and hunger, you and passion, you and the fire.&nbsp; You will grasp the nettle, or you will be stung by it.&nbsp; Half-measures are for the pale, hot-house flowers of the world you left behind.”&nbsp; And now his chest pressed against hers, the faint hint of stubble scraped against her cheek, and his breath curled across her delicate ear as he whispered, “You have made your choice.&nbsp; The die is cast.&nbsp; All that is left is to embrace the world, or be crushed by it.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 20:48:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia fought a moment against those sudden restraints, glaring at him with a look not completely angered. His scent, something exotic and andric, enveloped her sense, further addling her brain. Her breath was labored, though from the wine or the situation she was unsure. She kept silent as he spoke, showing nothing that would account for desire or defiance as she took in his words. Every word was drawing a raw emotion in her thought, but she refused to let this man see that. Even as his hot breath caressed the shell of her ear with the intensity of his words her expression remained unchanged.<br><br>Her voice was a whisper, slow and rough as she lean her neck forward to speak into his ear, the soft curves of her body pressing against his own.<br><br>"You don't know me, sir, or what I expected to find outside those servile parlor walls. I'm not as imbecilic as you seem to think I am, nor as weak willed. I knew that I would find men like you, strong willed and arrogant, and I know better than to trust them. However, I don't fear you tossing me away, because you know that you need me now, even if just for three days, and you know that I want to find this just as much as you now even if death is the only prize we find. I threw my dice, I watched them fall, and I'm not afraid; I'm not afraid of you or death or anything else that you may threaten me with." her whisper turned softer, the gentle curve of her lip grazing the edge of his ear.<br><br>"But despite having tossed my dice, I'm still angry at being tricked by that little bastard. Which means even if I've sworn myself to you, it doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 21:21:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Easy?” he asked, his nose running along the rippled undulations of her ear, his rough cheek scraping the edge of her jaw.&nbsp; “The gods save me from ‘easy.’”&nbsp; The hand that was tracing small circles across her belly slid back to cup the narrow of her waist, then down to trace the curve of her hip, and back further, to pull her against his thigh between hers, and smooth her skirts over the swell of her bottom.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>04-04-2012, 23:21:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She laughed, the sound breathy and warm as she once again tugged at the fabric encompassing her wrists. Whether or not it was the wine in her belly or just the intensity of the moment didn't matter, she no longer wanted to fight his advances. But despite those feelings she wanted to make him work for it, seeing as this was new and uncharted ground for her - a woman who'd never as much as been courted. She repressed a gasp as his trailing hand cupped the curve of her posterior, pulling her away from the wall. Her words reverberated against the column of his neck, right below his ear<br><br>"Hah...save you from easy indeed, because that's something you're sure not to find in me unless drastic methods are taken." She tugged at her restraints lightly, as if to insinuate that he wasn't playing fair.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 00:02:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Drastic methods?&nbsp; Well, if you insist,” he purred, keeping a firm grip on her wrists, a firmer grip on her ass, and gently taking her earlobe into his mouth, his teeth lightly scraping across the sensitive flesh.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 02:19:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia strained to move away from that deceptively alluring touch. Despite her best efforts to fight it, a shiver ran through her entire being. Suddenly everything was much, much warmer. The wall against her back, his chest against her own, even the sash wrapped tight around her wrists seemed to grow hot against her skin.<br><br>"This...this is unfair you know.." she gasped, feeling her eyes slide shut at the sensations he was sending through her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 02:40:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Pirate,” he reminded her before his lips moved down from her ear to the exposed flesh where neck met jaw, kissing and suckling gently, the play of soft lips, wet tongue, and sharp teeth alternating across her sensitive flesh.&nbsp; The hand holding her wrists relaxed its grip only enough to allow a single finger to trace the lines across her palm.&nbsp; His body pressed hungrily against her, as if there forms could merge into one.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 03:00:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Brigand," she countered, head tilted back and to the side as he explored the overly sensitive bend of her neck. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, something as simple as a touch to her palm sending a sensation of sparks through her. She felt positively lascivious, a small part of her mind that was still trying to cling to sobriety feebly demanding her to continue her protest. She felt her head fall forward as his body crushed against hers in a delicious way, her moan stifled by his shoulder. Her breath has heavy on his shoulder, her mind trying to figure out a reaction to everything that was going on when she bit him. Not as she did earlier when she was getting him away from her, but almost as if it was a natural reaction or an attempt to stay quiet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 03:11:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shivered ever so slightly to feel her teeth sink into the flesh of his naked shoulder, and the salty taste of his skin teased at her tongue, making her mouth water.&nbsp; The hand on her ass slid up to the small of her back, strong fingers mapping the curve of her spine, the soft swell and roll of flesh and muscle.&nbsp; His lips returned to her ear, tracing the curves before finding the lobe once more and sucking it into his mouth, teeth tugging on it playfully while his tongue caressed the slight swell at its end.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 03:38:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia felt like she was on fire, the feel of those enticing flames licking up her sides and settling deep and low within her. She bit harder into the soft flesh of his shoulder, unable to hold back her groan of pleasure at as his hand explored her back through the over-warm material of her shirt. Unthinkingly she wrapped an shapely leg around his own, the heel of her boot pressing hard against him in nearly a demanding manner, as if their bodies still weren't close enough for her liking.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 04:08:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He growled softly, pulling her from the wall, stumbling, half carrying her, then dropping her onto her back on the bed, his own body falling atop her, pinning her down to the mattress that smelled like him, his scent, his musk, his soft heat completely enveloping her senses.&nbsp; His hands slid up her ribs to cup her breasts, squeezing and massaging them through her blouse.&nbsp; She could feel something stiff and rounded and feverishly hot pressing into her thigh through the silk of his pantaloons.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 04:58:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her body no longer seemed to care what her mind wanted, her back arching up from the bed in effort to further relinquish it to his touch, her nipples hardening into tight buds beneath the mixed caress of the silk of her shirt and the force of his hands. She was drowning in the scent of him, her senses filled with a fragrance that was the essence of masculinity; his own exotic smell, ardent musk, and raw arousal.<br><br>She worked the sash loose from her wrists with a frenzied need, running her nails down his back and side to grasp at his hips. She could feel the rigidity of his need against her thigh, thick and pulsing against her, and wanted it pressed against softer things. With little effort she had her legs wrapped around the captains waist, using her thighs to pull him closer until the silk-covered curve of his arousal was pressed flush against the thin cotton of her sex, the feel of the dampness of the material showing him her need.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 05:29:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He growled, and his hands slipped away from her breasts.&nbsp; Her shirt was drawn tight against her chest, then it gave way with a loud popping sound, buttons flying everywhere.&nbsp; His head stooped like a striking hawk and suddenly one of her nipples was in his mouth, warm and wet, the teeth scraping her flesh and trapping the needy stiffness, his tongue teasing at it, sending thrills of pleasure echoing through her flesh.&nbsp; His hands slid down her body, dragging up her skirts, hungry fingers slipping across the now damp cotton shielding her loins, caressing her through the material, forcing her to feel just how damp she was.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 05:45:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her mind absently noted the destruction of her shirt, the loss fast forgotten as he teased the dark rose-shaded tips of her breast, hands moving from his hips to shoulders while she writhed beneath him. A gasp bordering on a cry flew from her as those nimble fingers began to fondle her through the barrier of her further dampening undergarment. Her hips unconsciously moved towards his touch, one of her hands going to intertwine in the thick shaggy mop of his hair as she drew the other one again down his side, her thumb sliding into the band of his pantaloons to tug at the material resting on his hips. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 06:43:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He rolled his hips, helping her to ease down the pantaloons until his manhood flopped free, the stiff hardness of it smacking lightly against her thigh.&nbsp; His lips left her breast and sought out her mouth again as he shifted both of his legs between her, moving one hand under her knee to left the leg up and out so he could slide his root along her cotton-clad sex, groaning into the kiss before taking her lower lip into his mouth and suckling on it.&nbsp; His other hand drifted down, and with a fierce motion ripped her her undergaments from her hips, casting it aside to rub his naked flesh against hers, smearing her nectar across his shaft.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 07:00:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				It was as if her body wasn't her own, her mouth desperately seeking his own as she lifted her hips to grind against the searing heat of his erection as soon as the honey-damp fabric was tossed aside. She broke the kiss, his name pouring from her lips like a prayer, her breath hot and heavy with ample breasts heaving with every needy pant. All she knew in that moment was desire; the desire to feel him deep inside her folds, thick and throbbing with need for her body. One hand still twisted in his hair, the other slid between their stomachs and lower to grasp his arousal, relishing the feel of him hard and wanting in her hand as she moved her fingers over the length of him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 07:05:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He groaned, back arching as she gripped him, his hips pumping reflexively at the feel of her fingers across his most sensitive flesh.&nbsp; His head lowered, teeth tugging and playing gently at the web of skin where shoulder met neck, hips rolling, pushing his hardness through her hand and against her flesh, and her fingers would find him both slick and sticky, his flesh hot to the touch.&nbsp; One hand slid upward to cup a breast, teasing the nipple between finger and thumb, gently rolling and caressing her softness in his calloused hand.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 07:37:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her fingers gripped at his hair, let her head fall to the side to give him further admittance to the pale flesh there. She felt a momentary pang of amazement at the feel of him heavy and feverish in her hand, the darken tip of his sex moving through her fingers to brush the honey drenched folds of her womanhood, the teasing friction of that movement coupling with his ministrations of her breasts and neck bringing her to a point of need-driven cries, her moans echoing in the room around them with half whispered pleas of his name as she moved her hand to lead him nearer to the untouched curve of her womanhood, wanting him more than she could aptly vocalize.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 17:55:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shivered violently, his hips twisting, thrusting, barely able to restrain the urge to thrust himself into her flesh.&nbsp; He groans with the effort of denial, stopping only when his tip brushes her slick petals, letting her guide him, choose the moment of her surrender.&nbsp; His mouth roams across her collarbone, her shoulder, her neck, then across to the other side, insatiable, unable to taste enough of her at once.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-04-2012, 23:02:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His restraint was maddening, Octavia's insistent and burning desire for his body flush against her own invalidating any type of self preservation. She let go to both his hair and sex with a partial frustrated growl, moving to grasp his hips with an urgency that she'd never known. As her fingers ardently pulled at him to go further than merely brushing against the nectar damp folds of her own aching arousal, she lifted her hips in an effort to bring them closer, lost in her own senses only one word forming in her mind well enough to be released.<br><br>"Please!" a single word, carried on a moan dripping with searing shades of desire and voracity.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>06-04-2012, 05:48:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Yes!” he hissed, gripping her with his hands, lifting his torso to line himself up, then pressing forward.&nbsp; His glans slid against her folds, nestled into her opening, then spread her, slipping in, slowly but inexorably, a steady pressure filling her, deeper and deeper by the moment.&nbsp; His hand slide down and around her thigh to grip her hip.&nbsp; The other squeezed at her breast as his concentration was entirely arrested by the sensation of her surrounding him, so hot and tight and slick, the hiss turned into a groan, equal parts delight and need.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>06-04-2012, 07:09:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Gods!" The word was more cried than spoken, her head falling back as she felt the length of him press forward into her most intimate of places. She could feel as he pressed against her innermost barrier, proof of her abstinence, her breath coming out in a rushed hiss as she took the initiative to hasten his entry, reaching down to pull him suddenly deeper into her needing warmth. Her patience had all dissolved beneath the intensity of the encompassing need to feel him sheathed deep with her. She barely registered the sting of him delving past her maiden wall, hips pushing against his hand in with the want of more of his sex, nails trailing from his sides to grasp at his shoulders as she again whispered his name within a moan.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>06-04-2012, 20:39:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He shivered with another groan as he sheathed himself inside her.&nbsp; He held still a moment, relishing the sensation, then drew back, emptying her nearly fully before thrusting in again.&nbsp; Then again.&nbsp; And again, slowly but forcefully, building the tempo.&nbsp; He looked down at her, face and chest flush as his hips moved between her thighs, his hands gripping her hips, legs braced wide as he settled into a rhythm.&nbsp; He gasped with every thrust, every new pleasure fanning his hunger for more, his eyes devouring every motion, the expression that rolled across her face, every time she gasped his name, the shiver that passed through her loose breasts as every thrust sank home.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>07-04-2012, 07:27:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She felt as if fire was running through her veins, every hungered push of his loins sending waves of feverish carnality throughout her every limb. Her fingers were pressed taut against his shoulder blades, eyes closed and mouth slightly parted as moans of his name and cries of her desire poured from her faintly swollen lips. With every stroke of his shaft bearing deep through the dewy clove of her sex, with every jostle of her being from his vigor bringing on stronger feelings of lasciviousness within her.<br><br>Without warning, as once again gravity brought them together with another body jarring thrust, Octavia decided to take a lead. As his hips met hers she growled softly, eyes opening to voracious slits as she used the force of her shoulder to roll him to his back, never once separating from him as she moved to straddle his hips and continue his motions. Her hand were pressed flat against the rigid muscle of his stomach, fingers splayed as she rode him, taking him deeper than before as she moved against him, her hips bring her of of him slowly to where only the barest tip of his cock remained within her folds, teasing for only a moment before greedily taking him back into herself. She felt the soft brush of her curls swaying against her shoulders and spine as her head tilted back, losing herself to the delicious friction of their bodies as she rocked back and forth in a languid but demanding rhythm. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>09-04-2012, 22:13:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He let out a surprised yelp as she rolled them over, looking up at her in shock.&nbsp; The shock turned into an evil grin as he took in the look on her face, and he chuckled, daring her to do her worst as she poised with only the tip of him inside her.&nbsp; The grin wavered, as did his concentration, as she sank around him, the sensation so powerful as she sheathed her tight, hot pussy around his shaft.&nbsp; Groaning in time to her motions, his hands slid up her ribs to cup and massage her breasts, adding the extra pleasures of her taut nipples to the waves of delight radiating through her pelvis, spurring her to greater exertions in search of more potent sensations.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>10-04-2012, 01:47:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The feel of his hands cupping her breasts urged her motions to quicken, her moans coming faster, breathier as she rhythmically moved her hips. With each downward motion she could feel something deep within her burn, a strange fire that she want to encompass her. She felt like a woman possessed, unable to get her fill of the rugged man beneath her, wanting him more than she ever wanted anything. She slowly moved her palms over his chest, stopping right above the crest of his pelvic bone, tightly gripping him as she began to pick up her pace. She could feel something growing tight and hot within her, something that seemed to take over her body with unadulterated need for him as she arched backwards, taking him to his root with every frantic thrust. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>10-04-2012, 21:33:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He matched her frenzied thrusting, until her pelvis and his belly began to slap together.&nbsp; He pushed his hips up off the bed, launching her off her knees momentarily as they came together.&nbsp; His face turned red as he arched, grinding his head into the mattress, mouth opened, panting, eyes unfocused, seeing her only by the joining of their flesh.&nbsp; Moving as one, they each chased their individual fires, bringing them closer and closer together even as they burned hotter and brighter.&nbsp; His hands took up the motion of their hips, caressing as they moved together, squeezing and tugging as they moved apart, creating a counterpoint to the filling and emptying of her sex.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>12-04-2012, 01:12:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She could have swore that in the moment she felt herself let go that everything stopped moving for just a moment, the man below her's face crimson with his release and her body almost insubstantial in it's rapture. The sounds of skin against skin and shaky gasps for air mingled in the sex scented atmosphere, not pausing as she rode him hard throughout her orgasm. She could feel his hands on her hips, further urging the motions she willingly gave.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>12-04-2012, 20:31:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				They remained like that until exhaustion and afterglow brought them to a panting, languid, pleasantly spent denouement.&nbsp; His body was sheened with sweat, heat radiated from his body, and his scent seemed to fill the air and permeate her body. His manhood, shrunk somewhat from the prodigious root that had first taken her maidenhood, remained still stiff enough to nestle inside her aching folds.&nbsp; His hands slid up and down her thighs possessively, eyes devouring her post-ravishment, tousled, sweaty and flushed beauty.&nbsp; “You make...” he panted, “an extremely convincing... argument.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>12-04-2012, 20:52:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was splayed on his chest, cheek resting against his collar bone as she basked in the warm heat rolling off of him. She could feel her hair, frizzy and unkempt, sticking to the sweat damp skin of her back. His sex, though no longer as rigid in its expulsion, gave her a feeling of fullness from its place still within her. She couldn't help but chuckled airily at his comment, pressing a kiss to the bare skin beneath her before replying as her fingers idly ran through his hair.<br><br>"I always did do well in debates, I suppose. Though I'm going to have a hell of a time finding my buttons."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>12-04-2012, 21:31:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Bah,” he panted with a grin.&nbsp; “You’re a pirate princess now.&nbsp; We’ll find you more suitable raiment.&nbsp; Or buttons of black pearl if you insist.”&nbsp; One hand slid up her body to cup her chin long enough to raise her face for a kiss.&nbsp; “And don’t tell me that’s too fine or impractical for you.&nbsp; We’ll dress you properly for the adventure ahead.&nbsp; I’m certain we have more than enough that will fit you.”&nbsp; He pressed his lips to hers, letting the kiss linger, then rolling her onto her back, his body a pleasant weight, pushing her down into the mattress.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>13-04-2012, 01:12:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'pirate princess', indeed going to mention about frivolities when he continued about not saying anything along those lines. She just smirked, a sparkle of mirth in her green eyes as they shared a soft lingering kiss and she was rolled to her back. Her attitude towards him in stark contrast to when she first met the rouge, running her fingertips in light teasing lines down his back and back up to his shoulders.<br><br>"Some how I think that if you have any say in the matter you'll have me less clothed than I am now whenever you can have it so...." she wiggled her hips a bit, the sex-stained material of her skirt bunched up about the indent of her waist being the only bit of clothing left on her scraping softly against their skin.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>13-04-2012, 17:02:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Really?!?” he asks in mock surprise, brushing her hair out of her face.&nbsp; “Whatever gave you that idea?”<br><br>The ship shuddered, bouncing the pirate atop (and inside) Octavia, and he laughed.&nbsp; “The sky seems to approve,” he said before kissing her again.&nbsp; They lingered like this for a pleasant idle, but eventually he grew soft enough to slip out of her (“Damn!”) and he stood up, walking to a wardrobe bolted to one wall.&nbsp; From he took a length of white linen.&nbsp; “Now, open your legs and lift your bum up a bit, please.&nbsp; Should have done this right off, but that would have required getting standing up, and I’m still not sure that was a good idea,” he teased.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>14-04-2012, 00:59:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The redhead laughed with him as they lightly bounced, curious at her bodies reaction to flush lightly as the tender press of his lips to her own. She stretched as he stood, oddly energetic and tired at the same time. She was in mid-arch when he made his request, Octavia letting her body fall from it position to arch a confused eyebrow in his direction before doing as he requested, spreading her thighs just below the point of lewdness, lifting her hips from the rumpled covers which allowed her battered skirt to fall over her stomach.<br><br>"May I ask why?" 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>21-04-2012, 20:34:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“You’re bleeding on my sheets,” he replied with a grin that rendered the accusation stingless.&nbsp; He gently drew the cloth across her nethers and thighs.&nbsp; Her now extremely sensitive flesh could feel the nubbled weave in spite of the incredible softness of the material.&nbsp; As he pulled it away, she could see new streaks of crimson striping the brilliantly white cloth.&nbsp; He turned away from her, opened the door to his cabin just enough lean outside and, Octavia surmises from what little she can see, tie the cloth to the handle of the door.&nbsp; He then slams the door shut and bolts it.&nbsp; “There, that should- “ but he’s interrupted by the muffled roar of a cheer from the crew.&nbsp; Chuckling, he finishes, “That will keep them out of our hair until hunger forces us to emerge from the cabin.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 00:24:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She turned a stunning shade of scarlet, the blush bleeding down her chest with its intensity. She bit her lip lightly as the other cleaned her nethers of any residual blood, resting her hips back on the bed as he swiftly approached the door. <br><br>"What are...?" she cut herself off as he cracked the door, tying the bloodied fabric the the nob and slamming the door shut in his wake, deftly bolting it behind him. She was quirking an eyebrow at his words when a muted roar came up from outside the door, turning a single raised eyebrow into two.<br><br>"Right then, that won't cause question and jeering later." she laughed a little, sliding of the bed to wriggle free of her skirt, tossing it with the rest of her rumpled clothing to stand nude in front of him, looking idly for something to slide on the cover her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 00:39:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Questions?" he asked, wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her nakedness against his, warm and soft and slightly slippery to the touch.&nbsp; "That will answer all the questions most of them would call to mind.&nbsp; As for the others, it will make them assume all sorts of things that's just as well."&nbsp; He grinned as he looked her up and down.&nbsp; "Yes, definitely keeping you," he purred before kissing her lips playfully, nibbling at her lower lip.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 01:45:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"She laughed again, softer, before returning the kiss. <br><br>"I just hope they don't assume the blood means my death and that midget throws another girl he so happens to find hidden away in here. I fear that would be dreadfully awkward." She took the resting her cheek against his shoulder, pressing a kiss followed by a playful bite to the soft curve where flesh and collar meet.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 03:52:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He purred again, a surprisingly feline sound rumbling through his frame as his hands caressed her naked flesh.&nbsp; “They’ve seen a virgin’s blood before, girl.&nbsp; Hells, maybe half of them have made virgins bleed.&nbsp; But they had to leave their girls behind.&nbsp; Bringing a girl along is one of the prerogatives of being the captain.”&nbsp; He squeezed her ass, massaging the globes of it.&nbsp; “Your scholar friend won’t feel obligated to call me out on it, I hope?”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 04:38:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She chuckled darkly, biting down just a bit harder before moving to be nose to nose with the captain, her voice soft and playful. "Oh no, in fact he'll probably be so absorbed in his work and translations that he won't notice you're there unless I physically turn his head in your direction." <br><br>She wrapped her arms around his neck, subconsciously grateful for his strength and her relative lightness as she pulled herself up to wrap her legs around his waist.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 05:00:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He laughed softly, then nibbled at her ear, his hands cupping her ass to hold her in place against him.&nbsp; “Hungry for more, my pretty slave?” he asked.&nbsp; She could feel his manhood, trapped between them, surging back to life, sliding against her belly as it lengthened and thickened.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 05:24:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Mmm, you're a smart man I'm sure you can figure that one out." She shifted a bit against him, his hardening sex pressing against the damping slit of her own as she tilted her head a bit a him. She pressed a slow, languid kiss to him lips - nipping playfully at his lower lip before whispering softly, her mouth brushing against his.<br><br>"Question is: did you wear yourself out, my <em>master</em>?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 05:35:54</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He chuckled.&nbsp; “Not even close, my dear princess.” He lifted her, shifting his hips to slide his hot, stiff tip across her slick folds until it nestled at her entrance.&nbsp; Then he slowly lowered her, impaling her on his stiffness.&nbsp; The feel of her around him caused him to grow thicker and longer by the moment, and he let out a long, deep sigh.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 06:13:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia let her head fall back with a soft gasp at the feel of him entering her, the moist folds of her womanhood and deeper still a touch sore from their previous rumble. The dull ache mixed deliciously with the heady pleasure of him filling her as she wrapped her legs tighter around him, her heels digging ever so slightly into his lower back as she ground her hips against his.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 06:36:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He grunted softly, grinning.&nbsp; "How were you still a virgin?" he asked with amused wonder.&nbsp; He showers her cheeks and chin with soft kisses, letting her just rest there a moment, and then he lifts and lowers her in short, sharp, swift impalements, sort of anti-thrusts as he moves her over him, face turning red, panting as he does so.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 06:58:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ah, quite simple.." she panted as she moved against him "Those 'foppish, retiring pigeons' you mentioned, I wouldn't give them the time of day." The word 'day' was bit off with a sharp moan as he began to move her, hands digging into her hips as they found a deep, swift rhythm that jousted her breasts as she again leaned back, fingertips and nails digging into his shoulder blades she she moved against him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-04-2012, 15:56:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He chortled, the sound a bit distorted by his panting as he continued to move her atop him.&nbsp; "You won't... find many... of their like... out here..." he promised, his body moving faster, with greater urgency as her breasts mesmerized him a moment, losing himself in their union.&nbsp; His eyes slowly closed, head rolling back as the tempo increased, fanning the flames already smoldering in her loins.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>25-04-2012, 03:35:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She move forward, almost nuzzling against his throat as she spoke in a lustily gasp, her voice a bit throaty from her passion as he continued to stroke something deep within her that made her skin hotter and her movements more needful.<br><br>"Well...according to..your cus...gods!...customs...I'm...I'm...spoken for..." she bit down on his shoulder in efforts to stifle a particularly boisterous cry of his name as her clit rubbed against the hard area of his pelvic bone from his acceleration, pleads of more spilling from her.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>25-04-2012, 20:30:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				“Indeed!&nbsp; Mine!” he grunted out as he thrusted into her, his manhood swelling to its fullest extent.&nbsp; His knees bent, bouncing in time to the pistoning motions of his hands on her hips, driving her harder and faster on his shaft.&nbsp; His purr rises to a growl, the rumble of it shaking in her bones and lacing through the blaze growing inside her, and his eyes narrow to slits, teeth bared as his climax approaches.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>25-04-2012, 22:48:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				That tone of possessiveness is what - without warning - pushed her over the edge. She felt a rush of wanton heat making its way through vein, crying out as he thrust harder and faster, feeling as her inner walls clenched tight around him which further flamed her released as she moved her him hungrily against his own as his name flowed from her lips, nails dig into his shoulders pressing tiny half moons in his tanned flesh.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>26-04-2012, 21:48:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The two remained twined, lost in their joining, until the fire of the moment slowly began to ebb.&nbsp; Panting, he settled to his knees, then lowered her to the ground, and himself atop her.&nbsp; He nuzzled her hair, drinking in her scent, and the perfume of their lovemaking, with every panted breath, drinking both deeply into his lungs.<br><br>Biting her ear playfully, he murmured, "Insatiable wench..." then rolled off her, to sprawl beside her on the carpet.&nbsp; Staring up, without his hair, now tumbled loose and free, blocking her view, she could see that the ceiling of his cabin was painted a deep blue and spangled with white and yellow stars, the constellations marked out on them, so that starry warriors and monsters made war and love across his ceiling.&nbsp; &nbsp;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>26-04-2012, 22:18:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She closed her eyes with a contented sound as his teeth grazed her ear, for the first time taking full notice of the ceiling and how lovely it was as he rolled off and only a small bit away from her. Many of the constellations were familiar to her, astronomy having been a point of study for her at one time or another, but a few others were unique and not anything she remembered seeing in her studies.<br><br>"It's beautiful, it it your work?" she motioned with a slightly limp hand to the stars painted above them, idly tracing one of their forms in the air.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 00:00:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hmm?" he asked, glancing at Octavia, then following her attention to the ceiling.&nbsp; "Oh, only partly.&nbsp; I plotted out the stars, so all the relationships are to scale," he said.&nbsp; "But a man who's no longer with us did the actual painting.&nbsp; I have no skill for such things."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 00:18:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"No longer with you...?" she let the question trail, not knowing him well enough yet to feel comfortable prying into his past. I flush stained her cheeks at that, a bit of self anger forming. <em>'So you'll shag him senseless twice, but don't have the nerve to learn about him? Pathetic' </em><br><br>She shook of the irritation and turn to look at him, studying his face as she unconsciously reached up the twirl a lock of his loosened hair between her fingers, noting the softness that proved he took care of his appearance.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 01:01:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He frowned.&nbsp; "Sael died escaping a southern frigate.&nbsp; She had the jump on us, both height and speed.&nbsp; And she was under the command of a djinni.&nbsp; We were lucky to escape with our hides."&nbsp; He glanced over at Octavia and grinned as she played with his hair.&nbsp; "What's your favorite metal?&nbsp; Gold or silver?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 01:10:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I'm sorry.." her apology was soft expression matching until his question threw her off kilter, eye brows shooting up at the questions apparent randomness. She continued to play with the onyx-hued hair as she thought on it.<br><br>"My...my favorite metal? Between those two, silver. For jewelry, I just think it's the prettier metal. Gold's great in alchemy, but always seemed too flashy to me...but honestly? Give me a good, solid brass any day." She reached into her hair with her free hand, working her finger for a second before producing a hand full of brass hairpins, plain and unadorned.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 01:15:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Brass?&nbsp; Interesting choice."&nbsp; He plucked one of the simple hairpins from her hand.&nbsp; "A bit too plain.&nbsp; We can do better than this."&nbsp; Grinning, he added, "And teach you to pick locks with them.&nbsp; Assuming you don't know that trick already?&nbsp; How exactly did you sneak onto my ship?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 01:25:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She coughed a bit on a laugh, releasing his hair to cover her face as she was reminded of her folly.<br><br>"Oh yeah, I did that didn't I?" she cleared her that, uncovering her face to extend them behind her head in a languid, arching stretch, relaxing after a moment limpidly against the floor.<br><br>"Well, it's just say those crates - which were unguarded out on the port by the way - are A LOT easier to sneak into than out of. I think I have the bruise on my back to prove it."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 17:35:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rahim chuckled, his eyes roving her body as she stretched out across the carpet.&nbsp; "We'll have to teach you how to sneak better as well.&nbsp; I suspect that bastard of a sorcerer saw you the whole time, but he'll never admit it."&nbsp; He reached out to run a possessive finger down her arm, along the edge of her breast, then laid his hand flat over her belly.&nbsp; "Among other, vital skills a captain's girl needs to master.&nbsp; Jalbi, you're going to be a very busy girl before we get to Dy'tet."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>27-04-2012, 22:44:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She gave he grin, suddenly moving to straddle him without warning, her hands wrapped around his wrist loosely. "Do your worst, <em>Master</em>. I'm ready for you." The tone in her voice carried a sense of suggestiveness, grin lessening to a smirk as she bent done to give him a quick but fierce kiss before going to stand.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 00:23:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He rolled to his feet with the grace of a cat as Octavia got to hers, his hand slapping her bottom once.&nbsp; "Refill my goblet, girl.&nbsp; I'm sure you highborn Antiran lasses are taught that much, at least."&nbsp; He stepped over to the windows that lined the back of the airship, looking at the rocky, broken terrain below.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 00:53:57</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A startled squeak emitted from Octavia at that playful slap, sticking her tongue out at his as she refilled both their drinks. "Sir, we are taught that and more. Now take your wine, you cur." She gave him his drink with a mischievous grin before looking out the window herself, ignoring the rush of dizziness that rolled through her at the visual of their height.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 01:45:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He put an arm around her waist to pull her gently against him as he sipped his wine.&nbsp; "We're making good time.&nbsp; The winds are with us and our elementals are well-rested."&nbsp; His hand stroked the narrowness of her waist, down to the swell of her hip.&nbsp; Then, grinning, he asked, "So, tell me about this more you're taught?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 02:28:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Well..." her voice was sing song as she leaned against him, taping her chin in mock intense concentration, " us 'highborn Antiran lasses' are generally taught the finer points of feminine&nbsp; arts; knitting, etiquette, dancing....but I'm self taught in other more...well..." she paused to give him a grin, pulling away to take his drink and put it aside before turning his back to the window, pressing a kiss his his collar bone. "more erotic things, thanks to a handy stash of less than scrupulous literature.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 02:59:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He chuckled, sliding his hands down her back to cup her bottom again, then sliding them back up, fingertips tracing the ridge of her spine.&nbsp; "And I doubt you know any proper dancing.&nbsp; Probably that, what do they call it?&nbsp; Where you cling to one another and spin in slow circles?" he asked, tracing small circles across the small of her back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 03:08:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Bah...waltz's!" she scrunched up her face in disgust at the mention of that "I despise waltz's! And Quadrille's and Foxtrot's! Ugh, so dull and stuffy!" She ran her finger across his ribcage, slowly as if trying to commit his body to memory.<br><br>"But yes, that's what I was taught, much to my displeasure. Dancing is supposed to be fun and passionate, not a chore."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 03:13:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Then you will be taught," he insists, pushing her hips to roll one way and then another, "to dance like a fun, passionate slave of the skies!&nbsp; You've got excellent legs and hips for it, I think."&nbsp; He leaned down to kiss both her cheeks, and then her lips, soft and slow, just drinking her in until her lower lip slips between his and his hunger waxes slowly until it utterly consumes them both, lost for an unknown time in the kiss, before her lip slips free from his teeth, and his head thumps softly on the glass behind him.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 03:29:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't help but laugh as he moved her hips to a music no one could hear, making a soft and contented sound as he pressed kisses to her cheeks and then her mouth. Her arms wrap around his waist as the kiss deepens and lingers for an unknown time, Octaiva lost in the gentle pleasure of the embrace. As the kiss finally end and the soft 'whack' of his head thudding against the glass hits her ears she feels an inquisitive eyebrow arch without warning.<br><br>"Are you quite alright, Rahim?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 03:36:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Better than alright," he replied with a smile, eyes opening to gaze down at his Octavia.&nbsp; "It's just... been a long time.&nbsp; A very long time."&nbsp; He caresses her possessively, then his grin grew broad and he laughed.&nbsp; "Damned sorcerer!"&nbsp; Looking back down at her, he asked, "Hungry?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 03:43:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Despite the pleasantness of our new found situation I still intend to bludgeon him senseless for his trickery." she threw her arms around his shoulder, pressing a playful kiss to his cheek before returning that smile. <br><br>"And yes, famished. Though I think what I was wearing when I arrived is a bit worse for wear now I'm afraid."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 04:04:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He smacked her bottom again, but cupped his hand so while the sound was loud, there was no real sting in it.&nbsp; "Get under the sheets in the bed," he said, striding for the door.&nbsp; "I'll be right back, but probably with others."&nbsp; He opened the door just enough for himself, then slipped out, stark naked, onto the deck.<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 04:11:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She wasted no time in diving beneath the blankets, sitting up with the covers pulled over her chest. 'Back with others?!' she thought with panic, wondering exactly who these other might be. 'Maybe he's bringing that stump of a sorcerer here for a proper whomping.'
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 04:35:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Moments later, the door swung wide open and a pair of sailors stumbled in, carrying a fully tub of steaming water between them.&nbsp; They lowered it to the floor managing to not spill a drop.&nbsp; One offered Octavia a wink, a grin, and an overly elegant bow.&nbsp; The other one slapped his ass, they both laughed, and then they ducked out, closing the door behind them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 05:13:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The scene of the men mumbling into the room was comical, her eyebrows raised with impression as every drop of the sloshing water stayed in the tub. She could help but laugh at their comedic actions, giving them a little wave as they made their way out of the room.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 17:47:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A few minutes later, another pair of men stumble into the room, having a much harder time with a large chest of dark, stout wood bound in black iron.&nbsp; After an extended period of, "No, this way..."&nbsp; "No, over here..." The finally settle it down beside the narrow wardrobe bolted to the wall across from the bed.&nbsp; Red-faced and sweating, they lurch out of the room without even acknowledging Octavia's presence.<br><br>Rahim returned a few minutes after that, lugging a basket and a net sack holding three jugs of wine.&nbsp; "Still in bed?&nbsp; Oh, I guess that's what I told you to do, isn't it?"&nbsp; He kicked the door closed then headed for the table.&nbsp; "Slip into the tub while the water's still warm.&nbsp; I'll join you in just a moment..."&nbsp; The man was still as naked as the day he was born.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 19:08:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was quite, wondering about the content of that chest as they tiredly made their way back out of the room. "huh..." She didn't have much time to reflect however, Rahim returning with arms full. She followed his instructions without question, the water welcoming as she slipped into the tub.<br><br>"Oh gods...." she moaned a bit, fully emerging herself in the water. She'd always had a weakness for temperate water.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 19:24:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rahim chuckled softly as he started unpacking the basket.&nbsp; The scents of exotic foods wafted towards Octavia and set her tummy to reminding her just how long it had been since she last ate.&nbsp; While she soaked, he laid a board across the tub, then placed two silver goblets filled with a sharp white wine on the board, followed by two silver bowls of white rice covered in chopped tubers, onions, and bits of roasted bird of some sort.&nbsp; Both goblets and bowls were decorated with small holes pierced into (but, obviously, not all the way through) the metal.&nbsp; The dots formed clouds, soaring geese, and the tops of mountains below.&nbsp; <br><br>After laying out the food and utensils, Rahim climbed into the tub himself, so he faced Octavia across the board.&nbsp; He lifted his goblet for a toast, leaning towards her: "To new lives, new acquisitions, and new hope."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 19:57:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"That smells amazing, I fear I may incriminate myself with terrible table manner fueled by hunger..." she smiled a bit, shifting up as he settled in the water across from her, his leg pressed against her own. She couldn't pause her widening grin as he made his toast, mirroring him in his actions. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 20:21:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"And no need to worry about table manners here, pet.&nbsp; The table's all the way across the room," he says with a chuckle, though Octavia couldn't help but notice that his were quite good.&nbsp; "Let's see, bronze is your preferred metal, what about color and animal?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 20:41:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She gave him a quizzical look, swallowing her food before responding with an amused tone. "What interesting question you have...you'll have to match my answer with your own later." she took a long drink, keeping her eyes on his as she did so. "Color is purple, which in my town is odd for whatever reason. Animal, dogs. No specific breed but big dogs; a dogs loyality is admirable and something I appreciate."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 21:05:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He winced, but grinned as he did it.&nbsp; "Of course, you'd be a dog person.&nbsp; Ah well, we'll have to make do, I suppose."&nbsp; <br><br>The food is excellent: the rice plump and sticky, the tubers and vegetables crisp, the fowl, probably duck or goose, flavorful and moist.&nbsp; <br><br>"The rest we can easily work with.&nbsp; We'll have to wait until we return to civilization before we can find you a proper collar and get your nose pierced, regardless."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 21:15:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You asked my favorite dear, not if I liked animals." she spoke in response to his slight dismay. "I love all animal of all types; doesn't matter if it crawls, runs, slither, and flies." She took another mouthful of the excellent cuisine, eye twitch at the mention of a nose ring, hand going up to cover her nose.<br><br>"Do WHAT now? Collars, I'll deal with. Calling you master, fine. But shoving a <strong>metal</strong> needle through the cartilage of my <em>nose</em>!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 22:14:56</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You've already had them shoved through the delectable lobes of your ears.&nbsp; What's wrong with one in your nose?" he asked drolly, gesturing with his gilded fork.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 22:20:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"The difference is, dear heart," she pointed a fork of her own at him for emphasis, twirling it a bit. "Ear lobes are squishy, soft dermal tissue. Noses are crunchy, tough cartilage." She stabbed a piece of the succulent bird, chewing and swallowing quickly. "And I, though able to take a blunt beating for the most part, have a tendency to scream when gabbed with something sharp and pointy."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 22:23:52</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"It will only be sharp and pointy for a moment.&nbsp; Feel free to scream as much as your heart desires," he responded.&nbsp; &nbsp;"Really, do you think I want you walking about in public with a basket over your head or something?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 22:31:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She gave him a bit of a glare, soften by the fact the the food was delicious and it was hard for her to stay too angry in that case. "Sounds less painful to me. Have you any paint? I could simple draw it on and call it a day."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 22:40:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Ye gods, woman, I think the basket would be less humiliating."&nbsp; He flicked a piece of race at Octavia playfully.&nbsp; When you're done eating, we'll take a look and see if anything in there fits you," he said, nodding to the chest that had been dragged in.&nbsp; "But I'm in no hurry to see you clothed just yet."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-04-2012, 22:47:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"I'll agree to the piercing if I get to give the sorcerer one good smack. The pain may be worth it then." She eyed her now empty bowl, feeling full and content now but not wishing to emerge for the still comfortable water. <br><br>"I'm well and done, but if you remove to empty bowls and board between us I'm sure you'd get a <em>much</em> better view..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 05:23:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hmmm...&nbsp; The lady has a point there, I think."&nbsp; And he rose, water streaming from him, and lifted the board and set it aside, then settled back into the tub, leaning back his head and grinning as his eyes roved over her form.&nbsp; "Yes, a much better view.&nbsp; How are you feeling?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 05:30:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her only answer was a cheeky grin as she slunk forward, the water lightly sloshing against the wall as she moved to drape herself over his chest, her head rest on his shoulder so she could look up at him with playful eyes. Her hands in her movement ran up his chest to tracing down his sides her their flesh became flush against each other, her hands resting against the bend of his hip.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 05:50:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				One of his hands goes into her hair, caressing it, while his other slides up and down her spine, and now she's absolutely certain of it: he's purring.&nbsp; Just like a cat.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:01:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She tried hard not to giggle at the fact the he sounded EXACTLY like one of the contended cats that made residence at her home, eyes closing to near slits at the comforting feel of his fingers tracing through her hair. She draw a hand from the water, letting it dry against his shoulder for a moment, before taking to running her fingers through his loose hair, lightly running her fingers in curve down his scalp that arched around his ear.<br><br>"Should I assume..." she began, her voice soft "that if I asked your favorite animal, the answer would be of the feline variety?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:05:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"That," he replied, eyes half-closing so he could push his head into her caress, "would be a very safe, and completely accurate, assumption to make.&nbsp; It's loud enough for you to hear?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:23:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Indeed, it's very soothing in a way. If were not careful your purr may very well send me to sleep right here in this tub." she widened her arch to make way for the back of his head, gently petting at the nape of his neck with her fingertips.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:26:42</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Mmm..." he let his fingers tangle in Octavia's hair, his fingetips gently massaging at her scalp in time to his purring.&nbsp; "And would that be such a terrible thing?" he asked.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:35:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She relaxed further against Rahim's chest, pressing a kiss to the damp skin there. "At first no, but the the water will get all chilled and we'll turn into pruned versions of ourselves and catch colds." her voice was a soft murmur against him, mesmerized about this feline quality he held. "Plus your men might eventually wonder if I drowned you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:46:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Pffft.&nbsp; My men will be horribly disappointed if they see us again before dawn, and you're not walking bowlegged," he replied.&nbsp; "Though a captain with the sniffles is a terribly pitiable sight.&nbsp; So maybe just a bit longer in the tub, and then out to have more wine."&nbsp; <br><br>The sky through the windows that line the back of his cabin was turning purple by this point, the craggy peaks below stained various shades of rose and pink.&nbsp; Octavia couldn't see any stars yet, but she imagined soon the sky outside would greatly resemble the ceiling above them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 06:56:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Perhaps it would impress them for you just to toss me on your shoulder from an inability to walk..." she muttered, her one hand still playing with his hair as the fingers of the other drew circles on the expanse of his chest. "And too much more wine and we may both awaken with those hangovers you'd complained of earlier!" the murmur took on a playful air, Octavia nipping lightly at his collarbone as she admired the colors being painted across the horizon.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 07:09:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Hmmm... you have a point," he says.&nbsp; "Or crawling at my heel.&nbsp; That would surely impress them," he teased.&nbsp; Or, at least, Octavia assumed he was teasing.&nbsp; At times it was hard to tell with this man.<br><br>"And I think we could both stand a bit more wine.&nbsp; Once you've grabbed the tiger by the tail, after all, you're committed for the full ride."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 07:21:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Sir, you are a fine specimen but I will <em>not </em>be crawling at your heels like an obedient hound." she gave him a bite to his neck for emphasis before returning to her relaxed stance against him. <br><br>"And I guess I can stand a bit more wine, being in such good company in all.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 21:22:49</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He chuckled and pinched her bottom.&nbsp; "You'll do as you're told, Octavia.&nbsp; No, not just for my perverse pleasure, but that as well.&nbsp; As captain of this vessel, I'm responsible for the lives of all aboard her.&nbsp; If I tell you to get down on your hands and knees and crawl, don't hesitate to do so.&nbsp; Your live may depend on it.<br><br>"The same goes for the rest of the crew.&nbsp; They're all experienced skymen, none with fewer than three years in the air.&nbsp; And they won't take liberties.&nbsp; If they do that, they know I'll leave them on some dismal peak to freeze solid in the dry, barren air."<br><br>He hugged her shoulder.&nbsp; "Men were not meant to fly.&nbsp; We do so only at the sufferance of the gods, and even they are not entirely certain how they feel on the subject yet.&nbsp; With time, perhaps they grow used to our presence.&nbsp; For now, we tread softly, and we pick our risks carefully."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 21:34:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She took in his words with an expression that showed that she did take his words seriously. She heard stories of ships such as his crashing into oceans and craggy mountains with no rhyme or reason to their descent. And he spoke of this ship in tones of affection that belied love akin to a wife, this alone told her that he was a good captain to his vessel and that given the opportunity that he would sacrifice all including himself for his ship's well being. She stayed silent in the moment after he spoke, mind churning over many things as she continued to stroke his hair as she'd been doing for some time now while the water grew chilled around them.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 22:36:00</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Rahim reached down to lift her chin and kiss her lips gently.&nbsp; "You are now my precious treasure," he whispered.&nbsp; "And I will keep you safe, but I won't hide you in a chest."&nbsp; Grinning, he added, "I imagine you'd kill me if I tried anyway."&nbsp; The light grew dimmer, the sun sinking behind distant peaks, the room suddenly full of deep purple shadows.&nbsp; "And I should light some lamps," he sighed, kissing her one more time, then shifting to get out of the tub.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>30-04-2012, 23:00:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His sudden tenderness twisted her heart in a curious way. 'Precious treasure' really? But wasn't merely supposed to be his slave, or was she precious because of the information she was able to share to spur his mission further? She let those question fall away to the sight of his grin, playfully popping his him as he moved to shed some light in the room.<br><br>"Indeed, stuff me away in a chest and you had better hope I suffocate or else when I emerge you will be a deeply sorrowful man." She stood in the water herself, the now cold water tracing down her form in small rivulets.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>01-05-2012, 00:02:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He toweled himself off briskly, then tossed Octavia a fresh towel as he set to lighting a trio of oil lamps in the room, filling it with a warm glow, though it turned the windows into a black sheets of impenetrable obsidian.&nbsp; While waiting for her to dry off, he returned to his table, his charts, clearing away more of the scattered papers, books, and relics to draw more lines across the large map, take a few more measurements.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>01-05-2012, 00:14:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She quickly made use of the towel, drying her skin and as much as she could of her hair before wrapping the cloth around her to move to his side. She ran her eyes across the spread of items on the table, watching as he worked on the map with interest.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>01-05-2012, 01:26:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				From what Octavia could work out, he was charting distances between between points in Baydat, then across the central sea to southern Ravash, then back across the sea to south-eastern Kaesh.&nbsp; "It's a crazy, zig-zagging route," he admits, tracing it with his finger.&nbsp; "But," he adds, wrapping his arm around Octavia.&nbsp; "It may be necessary, depending on what your scholar friend tells us."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>01-05-2012, 02:57:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She nodded, wondering idly how her friend would react to her sudden appearance. she press the palm of his hand against his chest as she looked over the path he'd indicated they may have to travel. It was quite...interesting, wondering how rough that route could prove to be on them. <br><br>"The symbols are clear enough that he shouldn't have any issue with the translation..." She murmured softly before giving his a mischievous look. "Wouldn't your men lament to know their heart captain had a woman in his arm and he merely fiddled with a map?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-05-2012, 00:40:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Probably," he agreed.&nbsp; "But they underestimate how much work it is to keep this ship in the air. The map is only part of what I <em>should</em> be doing tonight," he said, leaning down to kiss her briefly.&nbsp; "Why do I get the feeling that this is all I'm going to manage to finish tonight?"&nbsp; He folds her in his arms and pulls her in for a longer, not-quite-so-gentle kiss, his teeth nipping at her lower lip as the kiss ends.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-05-2012, 04:17:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She partially both chuckled and moaned into the kiss, the feel of his teeth against the tender flesh of her lip drawing shivers down her spine. She let's the kiss grow deeper, lingering in the quiet of the room before breaking it to press a kiss to his cheek. "Well if my Master is busy, I guess I should let him concentrate..." she gently turned out of his arms then, her towel tumbling to the ground as she slowly made her way to the bed.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>05-05-2012, 04:51:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He laughed and tossed his chalk down onto the table.&nbsp; "Wench!&nbsp; How were you still a virgin?&nbsp; Are the men of your country dead and senseless below the waist?!?"&nbsp; He caught up with her before she reached the bed, his hand sliding over her belly, up her ribs, cupping her breasts, his lips and teeth nipping and kissing along her shoulder and up her neck, his reviving manhood gently nuzzling the small of her back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>05-05-2012, 22:50:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She giggled as he caught her up, hands explored the front of her body while his mouth pleasant teased over the sensitive skin of her shoulder and neck. She never been like this before she met him, scoffing at the suitors who asked for her hand in dances and to parties - most of whom where several years her senior - where dull and dry people would dally about the dance floors and parlors as if enjoying ones self was either a chore of below them. But Rahid was different, he was passionate and charming and knew exactly what buttons to press. Not even a day gone and she felt more alive than she had in years.<br><br>"Would you believe me if I said none of them would have had a chance, because none of them were you? The words were supposed to come out more playful and flirtatious, but upon their release that sounded tender and very honest.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>06-05-2012, 04:08:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Normally," he breathed in her ear, "no.&nbsp; But in your case, tonight, I choose to believe."&nbsp; And he takes her earlobe in his mouth as his hands slide up to cup her breasts, lifting them, fingertips only just barely grazing the edges of her nipples, and his manhood, coming to full stiffness, gently pressing into her back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>06-05-2012, 04:31:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She had no words to reply with as the heated touch of his hands over her skin drew only a contented wordless murmur from the woman, rubbing teasingly against the arousal pressing against her back. The warm bath from earlier had done wonders in relaxing her muscles and erasing the soreness from her already once-again wettening folds. <br><br>She bit her lip in thought, noting the closeness of his beds edge and deciding to test his reaction by leaning over to press her palms into the soft mattress. As she hoped the movement shifted her body to where his length was press against the slick clef that hide the sweet place of her arousal.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>06-05-2012, 04:44:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He groaned as she bent over, surprise mingled with desire.&nbsp; His hands gripped at her breasts, tugging at them, as his hips ground his hot thickness against the damp folds of her sex, sliding himself along them to paint her waxing lust across his shaft.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>06-05-2012, 04:57:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Just gasped in a bit of surprise herself at the feel of his hands pulling against her breast, the action bring her to grind back against the length of his arousal. She could feel him spreading the nectar of her dripping petals as he moved, craving his touch more and more with every movement.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 01:10:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He pulled back, his glans slowly sliding across her petals, the tip nestling into her opening, then slowly thrust in, parting and spreading her as she sank into her with a soft groan.&nbsp; Bent over her as he was, she could feel the hot breath of his groan caress her spine, and his hands gripped tightly at her nipples a moment as he lost himself in their joining.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 01:25:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The hot breeze of his breath sent a shiver through her, rocking back a bit to press firmly against him as she revealed in the sensation of his girth spreading and filling her. His tight grasping of her sensitive nipple caused the already harden nubs to shoot hot sparks of mixed pain and pleasure throughout her being, her hips twitching a bit with the need for more.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 01:39:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He gasped, hot breath again rushing across her back, as her hips twisted around him, then sighed as he sank to his depth inside her, enjoying the sensation of feeling her all around him.&nbsp; His fingers relaxed, his hands massaging her breasts as he pulled back, then thrust forward, then back and forward again, the motion only slow and gentle at first, then become hungrier, faster, his hands slipping off her breasts to grip at her hips, his pelvis slapping at her bottom.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 01:47:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				As the pace of their lovemaking grew, Octavia found herself grasping the mattress than just bearing her weight against it. The new position was rubbing against new places of sensitivity, her fire burning in a different way as her walls clenched tight and tighter with each passion-driven thrust, his name once again babbling from her lips like a well memorized prayer.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 01:53:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His thrusting redoubled and then his hand came down hard on her ass, the sudden shock of it making her entire body clench, her passage tightening around him at the fullest extent of his thrust, every inch of her squeezing tightly around him.&nbsp; <br><br>"Louder," he gasped, "who's your master?&nbsp; Louder!"&nbsp; And he kept pistoning into her, every word punctuated by his manhood spearing into her, their bodies slapping wetly together.&nbsp; She could feel the heat radiating from his body as desire and exertion brought a flush to his skin, and the scent of him rose from his sheets to curl around her face, suffusing her once more.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 02:03:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The sudden sting of his hand against her soft flesh drew a sharp gasp from the woman, feeling her self contract around his length as he pummeled her. Her mind was spinning as the hot pain melted into pleasure as he continued to roughly take her, her feet spreading to let more of him in her as she shouted what he wanted to hear.<br><br>"You are, Rahim! Gods, you're my master! Fuck, I'm yours Rahim!" She had no care who heard at this pointed, her body bouncing back to meet his quickly pistoning hips with fervor as she felt her need for more begin to reach a crest. She was lost in the sensations of their joining; his scent filling her, the wet sound of their thighs slapped together, the rough sway of her full breasts with every deep, delicious movement.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 17:49:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His already strong, swift thrusts took on a hungrier character as her body welcomed him in even deeper than before.&nbsp; His fingers dug into the flesh of her hips, pulling her harder back as he pushed in.&nbsp; He let out a gasp, a growl, and then soft grunts as his hips slammed into her ass violently, his climax overwhelming him, her cries of surrender still ringing in his ears.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>08-05-2012, 20:53:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She didn't think she'd ever grow tired of this; his body violently bearing into hers, his fingers grasping her as if without her he'd perish. The intensity of his release that followed the new deepness of his strokes set off her own orgasm, rocking back hard against him to grind herself as she cried out 'master'. Each wave of her released need sent sparks in her eyes, feeling her knees try to buckle from the draining of her energy from the intense coupling.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 05:44:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her own orgasm spurs him on, the twitching of her passage milking at his cock causes him to thrust even harder, nearly knocking them both over, until he falls forward, catching himself on his hands on either side of hers, panting.&nbsp; His shaft softened inside her, but remained nestled in her still quivering pussy as heat radiated from his body against her back.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 06:12:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her body was still being wracked with spasms of pleasure when the force of his movement nearly toppled them both, his weight heavy across her back as her caught himself on the beds edge. She couldn't help but laugh breathily, enjoying the feeling of him resting within and on her as they both panted for breath.<br><br>"I...I'm not sure if I can move....my legs feel like rubber..."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 06:51:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He grunted, then shifted a bit, then stood upright, slipping out of her.&nbsp; He stumbled a bit and chuckled.&nbsp; Taking a moment to brace himself, he squatted down and scooped up her legs, rolling her onto her side as she lifted them up into the bed.&nbsp; He took a moment to enjoy the view of her there, stretched across his bed, then leaned towards her.&nbsp; "Now move over," he commanded, swatting her thigh playfully.&nbsp; "Make room for me."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 07:14:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She could help but somewhat flush under his gaze, laughing at the playful smack of her thigh and obediently rolling over to give him room to lay as well. She could slowly feel her energy returning, noting how she felt sore in he most delicious places and very well may have to crawl at his feet come morning! She stretched to try and urge her muscles to behave and gave him a roguish grin.<br><br>"Have I wore you out yet?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 08:38:15</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He returned her grin as he collapsed with a whoosh of breath beside her.&nbsp; He reached out with his hand to stroke her side.&nbsp; "Let me catch my breath, my lovely, and we'll see."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 08:43:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She chuckled again, rolling on her side to capture one of his legs between her own. Idly she began running her fingers across his chest in random shapes and patterns, waiting for her master to regain himself. for a moment's rest she let a question that's be burning in her mind come forth, blunt as a bat.<br><br>"How do you purr as you do? I've never seen or felt anything like it with exception to real felines.."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 20:03:34</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He looked surprised at the question a moment, then chuckled softly.&nbsp; "I hadn't realized I was being so loud.&nbsp; My father is a Rakshasa.&nbsp; I have some of his shape-changing abilities, but, so far, only to feline shapes.&nbsp; A part of me, a very small part, most of the time, is always feline."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>09-05-2012, 22:59:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was a bit wide eyed at that information, grinning after a moment and moving to run her fingers through his hair. "Interesting...I think that you'll easily be able to sway my animal preference; the vibrations from your purring are <em>quite</em> interesting to feel second hand.." There was playfulness in her tone laced with honest curiosity.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 01:39:01</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He ran his fingers through her hair idly.&nbsp; "Here's where I'd normally assuage a girl's worries about spines, but you already know I don't have them," he said with a grin.&nbsp; "Unfortunately, I'm illegitimate.&nbsp; So I'm afraid I have no real title to go with my father's bloodline, just the ghost of his enchantment."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 02:39:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"You're legitimate enough for me." The tender words came out before her brain could pause them, hanging the the air for a moment before she decided going on was a good plan.&nbsp; She shifted up where her cheek was pressed against his shoulder.<br><br>"And I'm quite glad your bits are barb-less, that would have been a very unpleasant surprise and I would have hated to have had to pommel you."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 06:29:40</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He laughed and shook his head.&nbsp; "I'm afraid it's a bit more complicated than I'm letting on, but you can hear the rest of it later," he promised, pulling her close to him.&nbsp; "For now, we have better things to do," he whispered before pressing his lips to hers again gently.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 06:46:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She smiled into the tender kiss, pulling back for a short moment to speak in a matching whisper that brushed against his lips.<br><br>"I'm assuming that your energy has returned?" She didn't given him chance to reply before her lips were once against pressed softly to his own. She pulled him close as she chanced to deepen the kiss, wrapping her arms around him to run her fingers through the silken strands of his hair. She was enjoying this languid embrace, taking her time in tasting and enjoying him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 07:13:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia could feel something, still yet small and damp, but stirring, nestle against her belly as they draw closer.&nbsp; His fingers massage her scalp, his lips hungrily press against hers, his tongue teasingly plays across hers.&nbsp; <br><br>And the purr returns, deeper and somehow greater without being louder, rattling gently through her bones, caressing her entire being.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 07:24:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Something about that deep rumble stirs her passions, the bone deep vibrations running from him through her as she clung with greater need to his form. She let her fingers draw down between them, her fingertips playing against the sensitive flesh of his pelvis and hips as the kiss burned on, each tasting the other as if parched for the other. <br><br>Eventually they had to pull away for air, Octavia wasting no time in moving to the skin of his neck and shoulder, leaving small kisses and bites that left small darkened marks in her wake.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>10-05-2012, 07:30:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He chuckled softly at the little bites and kisses, his hand stroking the small of her back, tracing the curves of flesh and spine, then down to the swell of her bottom to grip the flesh and muscle, then back up slowly, simply luxuriating in her presence, her nearness, her nakedness.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>11-05-2012, 02:47:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't help but sigh contently at those soft strokes of his hands, a warm and pleasant tingle trailing behind every touch. She sat up from leaving her little trail of love bites to simply smile, feeling a bit strange in the fact that just a few hours ago she was hiding in a box in the cargo bay. She took a moment to brush back some hair from his eyes, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead, then cheeks, and at last to press her kips to the gentle curve of his smile.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>14-05-2012, 00:52:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				His lips caressed hers as he gently rolled atop her.&nbsp; His weight and purr and heat settled and pressed her down into the softness of the mattress as he maneuvered his hips between her thighs.&nbsp; She could already feel his manhood sliding down her labia, seeking her entrance once more, clearly not yet sated.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>14-05-2012, 01:08:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				With a cheeky grin she wrapped her arms around his back to run her finger nails up his back to grip his shoulders blades, her legs drawling up to wrap around his legs. Playfully, she squeezed his hips with her thighs to pull him just a bit closer in a motion that was teasing. The tip of his arousal spread the moistness of her folds, her body ready and wanting for more of him.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>14-05-2012, 01:11:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He chuckled as he felt that squeeze, urging him onward, and his tip spread her fully in a single, slow thrust, testing her depth.&nbsp; He'd barely bottomed out in her when he started to pull back, but even for that, this time he was slow, gentle, and he never stopped kissing her, his lips brushing her cheeks, her chin, her nose before returning to her lips.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>14-05-2012, 01:26:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She couldn't stop herself from smile underneath those fluttering kisses, her hips slowly moving with his as she tender run her hands over his back and sides. Whenever his lips met her own she kept him there as long as she could, tasting him slow and deep as if trying to drink him into herself. Every time before now had been so hard, so desperate and deliciously rough - but this, this wasn't just a hungry meeting of flesh. No, as his lips trailed over her cheek to her neck and she leaned up to embrace with with her face press against the curve of his neck she knew that this was more like the term 'making love'.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>15-05-2012, 04:14:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He explored her body with his fingertips, his lips, and his cock, filling her and then emptying her slowly until he knew every inch of her passage, caressing her until he knew how she preferred to be touched, teasing out the sensitive spots, learning her scent and how it changed as arousal waxed to passionate smoulder, and from there to suddenly swell into a slow, rolling orgasm, almost gentle, but no the less intense.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>15-05-2012, 04:50:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The languid motions of their joining lulled her into a mindset that contained nothing but him. The scent of him musky and exotic filling her senses, the feel of the tightly corded muscle beneath his tanned skin. The taste of him filling her mouth, foreign and spiced and utterly addicting as she clung to his kiss like a woman parched. He seemed to know every curve of her body as if he'd know her for much longer than a day, where ever he seemed to caress with finger or lips and every plunge of his rigid sex seemed to stroke the flames of her desire, eventually peaking her to a swelling release that seemed to roll on and on as she whimper his name, soft and needful into his ear.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>15-05-2012, 06:55:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He lay atop her a time, then rolled to his side, drawing her close, just breathing her in, silent but for a soft purr that rolls on and on.&nbsp; He seemed half-asleep, or maybe not even quite awake, gently stroking her hair with slow, lazy fingers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>15-05-2012, 07:36:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia relaxed into his embrace, the soft rumble of his deep purr almost like a lullaby. She lay against him with her arm wrapped around him and resting her cheek against the soft skin of his chest, his heartbeat thudding softly against her ear as she gently ran her fingers over the curve of his shoulder to the base of his neck. Her mind was completely and peacefully empty as she felt her eyelid begin to fall with the type of tired that only the best of relaxation could bring.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>15-05-2012, 21:33:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Octavia was woken by him sliding out from under her.&nbsp; The bed was still warm where he'd been, and still smelled of him.&nbsp; And them, now, the perfume of their sex lingering faintly on the sheets.&nbsp; The room was dark, with only a faint hint of pink glowing in the sky beyond the windows the silhouetted the man who was now her master.&nbsp; He moved easily through the gloom, pulling on his pantaloons and securing them with his sword belt. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>15-05-2012, 22:54:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Her sleep had been without dreaming, leaving her feeling as she she'd merely blinked the morning had snuck in. She watched him quietly from the rumpled sheets, wondering as he dressed if the affection he'd shown at the end of the evening was merely the act of wine working on his system. She couldn't help but admire his form in the faint teasing of morning, remembering very vividly how those legs felt wrapped around hers and how the mucles of his back felt gripped against her fingertips. She shook the memories back, a little voice in her head saying it was too early for arousal, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before sitting up carefully - though she had to note with amusment how sore she really was as she moved. Her voice cut the silence, her tone quiet and a bit teasing.<br><br>"My masters work is never done it seems..." she moved a bit, legs dangling from the bedside with only the sheet wrapped around her as if modesty mattered now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>16-05-2012, 03:00:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He strode over to take her cheeks between his palms, leaning down to kiss her lips.&nbsp; "Get some more sleep if you need it.&nbsp; I just want to do a quick tour, see how the ship is faring.&nbsp; I've never gone this long without hearing before.&nbsp; It's making me nervous," he added with a chuckle.&nbsp; "I'll have them start on heating up some water for a fresh tub as well."&nbsp; He kissed her brow again and headed for the door.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>16-05-2012, 03:42:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She was quiet as he spoke, a gentle smile beaming up at him in the near dark. She reach up to tuck a stray bit on hair behind her ear as he chuckled. "Alright then, I'll be here when your done. Kick that sorcerer for me if you see him." She gave a small grin herself, leaning back a bit as he headed out the door with determination to make sure his ship lasting during their extended romp the day before.<br><br>Her eyes linger on the door frame after he'd went out, raising her fingertips to her lips as she reflected on her new 'master', feeling less like a slave and more like something else. She chuckled just a little to herself before laying back against the mattress with the intention to wait for him but finding herself slipping back into sleep.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>24-05-2012, 04:09:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The creaking of the door nearly woke her, but she didn't really come fully awake until she felt him tugging at the sheet and slipping in beside her.&nbsp; He snuggled up close, wrapping an arm around her and burying his face in her hair, his naked skin cool against hers.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>24-05-2012, 04:16:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The touch of his skin instinctively brought her arm around him in turn, pull him close to press her cheek against his chest as they lay still for a few moments, Octavia enjoying his scent and closeness before speaking quietly.<br><br>"I'm assuming all's well?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>28-05-2012, 20:09:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Too well," he replied with a chuckle, shifting so he could wrap an arm around her shoulders.&nbsp; "If this keeps up, they'll realize they don't need me."&nbsp; He kissed her brow.&nbsp; "Sleep, if you can.&nbsp; Tomorrow will be a busy day."&nbsp; <br><br>She could hear the sounds of the ship around them, the creak of the timbers, the churning throb of the sorcerous engines, the clatter and thump of things being moved about above their heads.&nbsp; The wood was thick enough that she could only hear voices when there was shouting, and even then the words were muffled, indistinct.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>28-05-2012, 23:41:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh they'll always need you...every pirate ship needs a fearsome Captain, even if he purrs.." <br><br>she chuckled a bit, burying herself closer to him as her half sleep slowly became to return to taken her again. The muffled sounds acted like a strange sort of lullaby, their rhythm along his his heart beat lulling her back into a light and dreamless sleep.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>04-06-2012, 19:40:17</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				When she woke, it was due to a loud thumping a soft curse.&nbsp; He was out of the bed again, holding the door open as men with buckets of steaming water refilled the tub.&nbsp; With four of them at the task, it doesn't take them long to manage it, and Rahim let the cloth he'd draped around his hips fall to the ground.&nbsp; He kissed her hair and his face, his manhood dangling before her eyes.&nbsp; "Time to be up.&nbsp; Brunch will be here soon.&nbsp; They've already let us sleep half the morning away."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>09-06-2012, 00:34:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				She been dreaming of something about cats and the color orange when the sudden aural jarring awoke her, her bed arching off the bed and thin sheet drifting below her breasts as she stretched out the stiffness that came with long sleep. As she realized they weren’t alone she hurried with a heart blush to cover herself, smiling as he strode across the room wearing nothing but a smile.<br><br>She stole a kiss of her own before he pulled away, standing as the last of the men left and letting the sheet fall draping from the beds edge to the floor. As she stood she took note of the pleasant soreness nestled in her most sensitive of areas. His mention of coming food set her stomach to loudly announce its pleasure at that, bring another blush to the red head as she approached the tub. She looked towards the window to note the time of day<br><br>"Goodness, they did let us sleep awful late didn’t they?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ia!</strong> on <strong>10-07-2012, 20:28:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				He offered her a hand to help her in to the tub.&nbsp; "I think they like you.&nbsp; Or maybe they just like me not prowling around making sure they don't oversleep in the morning," he replied with the grin.&nbsp; The water was pleasantly hot and had a faintly floral scent, implying the mixture of salts or something similar.&nbsp; He followed her into the tub after making sure she was settled, his warm, soft skin sliding against hers.&nbsp; The tub was only just large enough for two, and pleasantly crowded.&nbsp; He kissed her again after they got settled, then took up a cloth and some soap and set to washing her arm.&nbsp; "You slept well, I hope?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Across the Sea of Stones (Clockwork Songbird &amp; Ia!)</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ineffable Bae</strong> on <strong>25-08-2012, 05:18:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				A small part of her mind was shocked at her comfort around the tanned man, turning in the water to settle herself in his lap and lean her head back against his shoulder as her ran the soapened cloth over her arm. "Mm, yes though best when the bed was shared by you - you are quite warm when you sleep by the by..." her response was a relaxed murmur, shifting and turned her head enough to press a kiss to the soft skin just below his ear. 
			</dd>
		</dl>
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