The Empire of Zeth/Chapter 11 (Ero): Difference between revisions
No edit summary |
No edit summary |
||
Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
Time moves slowly, and the sword slowly descends. Evy reaches for her own sword, only to discover it's not with her. She tries to call it to her side, but it won't listen! The sword descends further. Evy screams and leaps forward, but the scene moves and she falls flat on her belly. | Time moves slowly, and the sword slowly descends. Evy reaches for her own sword, only to discover it's not with her. She tries to call it to her side, but it won't listen! The sword descends further. Evy screams and leaps forward, but the scene moves and she falls flat on her belly. | ||
The sword hits Ranth's helmet and cleaves it in twain. Evy screams "NOOOO!!!" and cries as she is forced to watch Ranth die, helpless. The uruk-hai hears her scream and turns, grinning | The sword hits Ranth's helmet and cleaves it in twain. Evy screams "NOOOO!!!" and cries as she is forced to watch Ranth die, helpless. The uruk-hai hears her scream and turns, grinning evily at the girl lying on the floor. He stalks towards her, raising the sword that still drips with Ranth's blood over his head and brings it down on her... | ||
... | ... | ||
Line 177: | Line 177: | ||
Ranth didn't dream for once, and woke up peacefully the next morning feeling refreshed. Stretching, he yawned and looked around. Realizing Evy was not in bed, he glanced around the room and saw that she was not there either. | Ranth didn't dream for once, and woke up peacefully the next morning feeling refreshed. Stretching, he yawned and looked around. Realizing Evy was not in bed, he glanced around the room and saw that she was not there either. | ||
Ranth | Ranth levered himself out of the bed with a grunt went to find his clothes, quickly dressing. He was trying to figure out what to do next when he heard light footsteps coming down the stairs. Evy entered the room holding a tray of food. "Oh, you're finally awake." she giggled. "I thought you were gonna sleep till the world ended!~" | ||
Ranth rubbed his eyes. "Very funny..." Evy only grinned at him and set the tray down on her table, plopping into one of the chairs. "I got hungry waiting for you to wake up so I went and snagged some food from the mess hall." She | Ranth rubbed his eyes. "Very funny..." Evy only grinned at him and set the tray down on her table, plopping into one of the chairs. "I got hungry waiting for you to wake up so I went and snagged some food from the mess hall." She grabbed an oat cake and stuffed it into her mouth, then patted the chair next to her. "Cfome jfoin mfe!~" she said with her mouth full. Ranth shook his head and took the offered seat next to her. | ||
He | He picked up a pastry and toyed with it, shredding little pieces off without eating them. "Are you.. okay, Evy? Not.. I don't know, sore or anything..?" he asked in a small voice. Evy swallowed her mouthful and beamed at him, her face alight with youthful spirit. "Nope! I feel great!~" she declared, then took another bite of the cake. "I also haven't slept that well in ages. We should do that every night, tehehe!~" she teased him, poking Ranth in the ribs playfully. Ranth just stared at her, wondering what in the seven hells he's gotten himself into... | ||
"U-Um, I'm glad you slept well..." after a pause he says, "I slept pretty well, too, actually..." Evy grins. "Yay! So it worked for you, too? Neat!~" | "U-Um, I'm glad you slept well..." after a pause he says, "I slept pretty well, too, actually..." Evy grins. "Yay! So it worked for you, too? Neat!~" | ||
Evy | Evy took a swig from a cup containing some kind of fruit juice, then wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "I also feel much better today, so I think I'm all back to normal!~" she declared happily. | ||
Evy | Evy grinned at him again. "Oh, and I cleaned up from last night already so don't worry 'bout that, hehe!" Ranth suddenly realized that the bed had not been wet from all they did, and he hadn't felt sticky or anything. He shrugged internally, assuming she'd used some magic to clean up the mess they'd made on the bed... and on each other. | ||
Catching her eye and holding her gaze, Ranth | Catching her eye and holding her gaze, Ranth stared into Evy's wide purple eyes. Evy smiled, dropping her teasing pretense. Her chin wobbled as she stared back at him. "Th-Thank you for taking care of me, Ranth..." No longer able to bear the strong emotions flowing from her open gaze, Ranth seized her up in a hug and held her tightly, shaking his head to clear the tears from the corners of his eyes he told himself weren't really there. "Of course, Evy... I'd never want anything bad to happen to you and I'll always be here for you from now on. I promise..!" | ||
Evy | Evy hugged him back, and they held the embrace for a time. Finally Evy began to squirm and Ranth quickly released her before she could "accidentally" overuse her strength again trying to get free. He reminded himself to be careful not to make her do that, thinking that it must be hard on her to have to be so careful with her inhuman strength all the time... | ||
Evy | Evy climbed back into her seat and went back to gobbling down her breakfast. Ranth felt his appetite return as he watched her eat, and realized that he, too, was famished. He picked up the pastry he'd shredded and ate it, then helped himself to another, then some kind of salted meat, eggs, etc. He poured himself some of the fruit juice and refilled Evy's tankard for her. They ate in silence for a while before hearing footsteps on the stairs. Turning, they saw Master Garath entered the room holding another food tray. | ||
"Oh, you already got food? I should have know..." he | "Oh, you already got food? I should have know..." he laughed, and set the tray down on the table. "May I join you?" he asked politely, and Evy nodded and patted the seat on her other side for him to sit. Master Garath sat down with a sigh and rubbed Evy's back. She stopped eating and beams up at him. "Evy you know better, stop eating like a wild animal..." he scolded her, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at her cheeks. | ||
Evy | Evy rolled her eyes at him but let him do it. "Mother hen!" she teased him. "I wouldn't have to be a mother hen if you behaved, little one!" he retorted, setting the napkin down. Evy sighed and sat up straighter, eating more daintily without making so much of a mess. "I take it you're feeling back to your old self?" Master Garath asked Evy once she'd finished eating. "Mmm-hmm! I feel much better thanks to Ranth!" she said with an open smile. | ||
Her words | Her words sent a chill down Ranth's spine. She wasn't going to tell him what they'd done surely?? To his relief, it seemed she'd only meant that in the... wholesome sense. He relaxed. | ||
"I'm so happy to hear that." Master Garath said, tussling Evy's hair. Turning to Ranth, he says, "Thank you, Ranth... It pained me deeply not being able to take care of her during her recovery, but I've been in council war meetings almost nonstop since the Infernal Legion began increasing their offensive. | "I'm so happy to hear that." Master Garath said, tussling Evy's hair. Turning to Ranth, he says, "Thank you, Ranth... It pained me deeply not being able to take care of her during her recovery, but I've been in council war meetings almost nonstop since the Infernal Legion began increasing their offensive." | ||
Ranth | Ranth nodded, grateful for Master Garath's heartfelt appreciation... but feeling somehow like he didn't deserve it. "It was no problem." he said. "After all she did for me it was the least I could do." Now it was his turn to tussle Evy's hair, making her roll her eyes again. "I'm not a doll, you two! Stop that!" she said, pouting at them both adorably. The two men only laughed, making her scowl at them and go back to eating her food. | ||
Master Garath | Master Garath helped himself to some of the food, and Ranth poured him a cup of juice. He nodded gratefully and accepted it, downing it in one go. Ranth only now realized how tired Master Garath looked, and wondered when he'd slept last... | ||
After they finish eating, Master Garath | After they finish eating, Master Garath turned to Evy. "Evy... if you are feeling better, High Priest Emery wanted me to pass along a request." Evy sat up, looking at her master calmly. "Sure, master. What is it?" | ||
Master Garath folds his hands in his lap. "He was very impressed with how you handled removing that fel mark from yourself and wishes to instruct you in more advanced holy magics. He thinks you'd be very good at helping us locate and remove sleeper marks from others in the empire." Evy nods | Master Garath folds his hands in his lap, looking at his napkin. "He was very impressed with how you handled removing that fel mark from yourself and wishes to instruct you in more advanced holy magics. He thinks you'd be very good at helping us locate and remove sleeper marks from others in the empire." Evy nods, waiting patiently for him to continue. | ||
He | "I am inclined to agree, though... given all that happened between you two, I don't feel right forcing you to do this... so while I think it would be in our empire's greater interest for you to accept his offer, if you're not comfortable around him right now I would understand, and.. and I think he would, too..." He continued staring at his napkin, not meeting her eyes. | ||
Finished, he waited patiently for Evy to respond. Evy thinks about it for a moment before giving her answer. "No, it's fine... I.. I want to help." she says slowly. "He was just doing his job trying to protect everyone... it sucked, but I get it. If I can help save other people I want to learn how!" she declares, determination in her eyes. Master Garath studies her face, then nods. "I figured you'd say that, but I wanted to ask. You're a good person, Evy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" He hugs her tightly, making the girl squeak and protest, though she doesn't try to pull away. | |||
Master Garath lets her go, chuckling and ruffling her hair again. "C'mon!" Evy complains. "Now I gotta brush it again!" She holds out her hand and the hairbrush on the nightstand flies into her grip. Scowling at her master, she swiftly brushes out her ebony locks until they're straight again. Master Garath hides a smile behind his hand, pretending to be stroking his beard. "Sorry, Evy. Anyways, since you've accepted the training you will report to the Cathedral of Light on the 3rd hour after noon each day for instruction." | Master Garath lets her go, chuckling and ruffling her hair again. "C'mon!" Evy complains. "Now I gotta brush it again!" She holds out her hand and the hairbrush on the nightstand flies into her grip. Scowling at her master, she swiftly brushes out her ebony locks until they're straight again. Master Garath hides a smile behind his hand, pretending to be stroking his beard. "Sorry, Evy. Anyways, since you've accepted the training you will report to the Cathedral of Light on the 3rd hour after noon each day for instruction." | ||
Line 219: | Line 221: | ||
Master Garath watches him go, then turns back to Evy. "You've found a good friend in master Ranth, Evy." he says. "I'm.. overjoyed to see you opening up to someone else." Evy blushes and looks down. "He's very nice... and I like him a lot." | Master Garath watches him go, then turns back to Evy. "You've found a good friend in master Ranth, Evy." he says. "I'm.. overjoyed to see you opening up to someone else." Evy blushes and looks down. "He's very nice... and I like him a lot." | ||
Master Garath chuckles. "Don't be embarrassed, I won't pry - I'm just happy to see you making friends. Which reminds me..." His tone makes Evy look up. Now that he has her attention, Master Garath continues. "In light of what's happened, Lord Tristan of all people persuaded the council that you shouldn't have to hide yourself away from the public anymore, and I very much agree with him." He | Master Garath chuckles. "Don't be embarrassed, I won't pry - I'm just happy to see you making friends. Which reminds me..." His tone makes Evy look up. Now that he has her attention, Master Garath continues. "In light of what's happened, Lord Tristan of all people persuaded the council that you shouldn't have to hide yourself away from the public anymore, and I very much agree with him." He smiled at her warmly. "You can go where you wish now, Evy. You don't need to hide from the public - they will now know a drow walks among them." Evy's eyes widen. "R-Really? S-So... I can go out in the city..? Anytime I want!?" she exclaims, looking very excited. | ||
Master Garath nods. "I won't lie... part of the reason this came about was as a strategic political move. The common folk are terrified of the legion since the fall of Carthidge and worry that the empire will no longer be able to protect them. Letting them know a drow, who's powers are the stuff of legends, is in service of the empire will go a long way to make them feel safe again." | |||
He continues, wishing to be honest with her. "It's... a bit manipulative, but I still think it's a good idea, not to mention good for you. I've always hated hiding you away, especially with all you've done for the empire." Evy nods. "I understand, if this story will make people feel safe then I don't mind. I want to protect people!" She puffs out her chest confidently. | |||
Master Garath goes to mess with her hair again, but before he can do it shadows form around Evy and she shadow steps to her bed. Master Garath looks at her and she sticks her tongue out at him, making him chuckle. "Fine, you win." he says with a smirk. "I'm glad you're okay with this." Pausing, he considers. "The proclamation that a drow serves the empire went out this morning. It'd probably help if people saw you as soon as possible so they believe what we've told them, so you wanted to visit the market..." | Master Garath goes to mess with her hair again, but before he can do it shadows form around Evy and she shadow steps to her bed. Master Garath looks at her and she sticks her tongue out at him, making him chuckle. "Fine, you win." he says with a smirk. "I'm glad you're okay with this." Pausing, he considers. "The proclamation that a drow serves the empire went out this morning. It'd probably help if people saw you as soon as possible so they believe what we've told them, so you wanted to visit the market..." | ||
Evy hops to her feet. "R-Really!? I've always wanted to go to the | Evy hops to her feet. "R-Really!? I've always wanted to go into to the market!~" She scrambles around her room, donning her dragonhide and spell-weave armor and fastening her enchanted rapier to her belt. Next fastens on a black cloak and quickly tosses several things into a well-worn shoulder bag. Within the space of a minute she's all ready to go. "I'll go right now, thank you so much!~" she exclaims, seizing her master in a too-tight hug. "E-Easy, Evy! Don't crush my old bones!" | ||
Evy lets him go, looking sheepish. "S-Sorry!" she mumbles. He pats her shoulder this time. "That's quite all right. Remember to mind your strength, and don't be late for your lessons with High Priest Emery!" Evy hops to the door, and waves to him. "I won't! I'll see you at dinner!~" she says with a whoop, then darkness gathers around her and she vanishes without a trace. Shaking his head, Master Garath winces as his bruised ribs protest, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. Evy could be a bit too enthusiastic sometimes... He hoped setting her lose on the poor city wasn't a huge mistake | Evy lets him go, looking sheepish. "S-Sorry!" she mumbles. He pats her shoulder this time. "That's quite all right. Remember to mind your strength, and don't be late for your lessons with High Priest Emery!" Evy hops to the door, and waves to him. "I won't! I'll see you at dinner!~" she says with a whoop, then darkness gathers around her and she vanishes without a trace. Shaking his head, Master Garath winces as his bruised ribs protest, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. Evy could be a bit too enthusiastic sometimes... He hoped setting her lose on the poor city wasn't a huge mistake! | ||
Groaning, Master Garath walked back upstairs, heading to his office to process yet more intelligence reports... | Groaning, Master Garath walked back upstairs, heading to his office to process yet more intelligence reports... |
Revision as of 21:45, 30 June 2021
Evy spends the next several days recuperating, feeling much weaker than she'd ever felt before in her life after the recent events. Master Garath gratefully accepted Ranth's offer to stay with Evy while she recovered, as he was too busy attending meetings and sifting through reports to watch over her. A cot was set up in Evy's chambers for Ranth to use, as he refused to leave her side to go back to his own quarters to sleep.
Ranth poured Evy water and helped her eat, telling her stories about his youth and time in training with the imperial guard to pass the time. It was getting late, and he was almost finished telling her the story of the time he accidentally locked himself inside a store room as a little boy for an entire day.
"I thought I'd never get out of there. When my father finally came and found me, I was crying in a corner eating field ration packs like they were the last thing I'd ever taste. To this day I still can't stand the things..."
Evy chuckled, enjoying the tale. She yawned deeply, and her eyes fluttered with sleepiness. "Th-Thank you for staying with me, Ranth.." she mumbles, her eyelids drooping.
"No problem!~" he says, patting her on the shoulder as he gets to his feet. "Sleep well, you don't want to be in bed forever!~" Evy sticks out her tongue at him which only makes him laugh. She falls asleep and Ranth prepares to go to bed on the cot. Taking off his boots and shirt, he climbs into the cot and lies down. Glancing back over at Evy, Ranth sees she is already fast sleep. He rolls over onto his side, and tries to get some shut eye himself...
...
Evy dreams once again. She is back on the train, and everything is as it was before. Leg'than Direhammer is standing over Ranth. He raises his sword, about to bring it down on his head. Evy cries out and tries to run to him... but her feet feel like they're covered in honey. Each step is a struggle, but she forces herself on.
Time moves slowly, and the sword slowly descends. Evy reaches for her own sword, only to discover it's not with her. She tries to call it to her side, but it won't listen! The sword descends further. Evy screams and leaps forward, but the scene moves and she falls flat on her belly.
The sword hits Ranth's helmet and cleaves it in twain. Evy screams "NOOOO!!!" and cries as she is forced to watch Ranth die, helpless. The uruk-hai hears her scream and turns, grinning evily at the girl lying on the floor. He stalks towards her, raising the sword that still drips with Ranth's blood over his head and brings it down on her...
...
"Evy! EVY!" Ranth stands over Evy's bed, trying to wake her. He dodges her flailing limbs, remembering what happened last time he shook her while she slept... Evy thrashes and throws the bedsheets off with such force that they fly into the wall on the far side of the room. Her eyes shoot open and she breaths heavily, sweat covering her skin and soaking through her black-dyed cotton night clothes.
It takes Evy a few moments to realize where she was. Her eyes finally focus on Ranth, and they tear up. "R-Ranth?" she cries. Evy leaps out of the bed and seizes Ranth around the torso in a bear hug so tight he swears he can hear his bones creak in protest. Grimacing, he awkwardly pats Evy on the back and she trembles.
"It's alright - you're safe, Evy!" he coos to her. "Can you not squeeze so hard?? You're hurting me.." Evy lets go as he says this. "S-Sorry! S-Sorry!!" The girl locks her arms behind her back. Not meeting his eyes, she goes and retrieves the bedsheets.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Ranth asks as Evy brings the sheets back over to the bed. She nods, still not meeting his eyes. When she struggles to untangle the sheets, he steps forward to assist her. Evy mumbles her thanks and together they put the bed to rights.
Once it's made, Evy sits down on it, dangling her legs off the side. After a short hesitation, Ranth sits down beside her and puts an arm around her small shoulders. She snuggles up against him, still trembling. "Do you want to talk about it?" He asks her softly. Evy shakes her head, hiding her eyes underneath her bangs. "Alright, you don't have to if you don't want to." He sits there for a while, until she stops trembling.
Seeing Evy is calm now, Ranth takes his arm from her shoulders and moves to get up. As he turns and stands up, Evy quickly grabs her forearm. "W-Wait, where a-are you g-going?" she stutters.
"I'm just going back to the cot, alright? You should try to get some more sleep, if you can. Those nightmares can't hurt you - they aren't real, and I'll be right here if you need me." He pats her on the head to reassure her.
Evy still won't let go of Ranth's arm. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asks the scared girl.
"C-Can you... um.. s-stay..." Evy mumbles. It takes Ranth a minute to realize what she's asking. "Are you wanting me to sleep in your bed with you..?" Evy nods. In the light of the candle on her bed stand Ranth notes that the little girl's cheeks are a bit flushed. Does she have a fever?
Ranth swallows, feeling that odd sensation again her can't identify. "Um, alright. If you're s-sure that's what you want." Evy nods rapidly, and pulls him back onto the bed. She throws back the covers and scoots to one side, trying to give him room. While the bed was larger than a child's bed typically was, there still wasn't that much room for the both of them. Ranth lay on his back beside the girl, trying to get comfortable and simultaneously feeling VERY uncomfortable for reasons that had nothing to do with the bed...
Ranth pulled the bed sheets up over them both and they lay there in silence for some time. Evy snuggled up against Ranth, feeling much safer with his large body pressed up against hers. She finally relaxed, and let out a sigh. "Y-You feeling better now?" Ranth whispers. Evy nods, her jet black locks tickling his forearm as she does so. "G-Good..." he mumbles, feeling uncomfortable with the whole situation. At least SHE was comfortable, though...
He lay still with his eyes wide open for quite some time, unable to get his mind off of the sensation of Evy's small warm body pressed up against him. Evy used his arm like a pillow, trying to burrow against him like she was a mole and he was a fresh pile of dirt. Ranth could only lay there, hoping she'd fall asleep soon and he can extricate himself from the situation. Unfortunately, one of Evy's more forceful shifts and turns unbalanced him, and he fell out of the small bed. Ranth threw his arms out to catch himself as he tumbled to the floor.
"S-Sorry!" Evy cried out, holding out a hand to the fallen man to help him back to his feet. Ranth took her hand and let her leaver him to his feet. Despite knowing her strength, it still felt weird to him how easily she pulled him to his feet. "Erm.. Maybe I should just go back to the cot?" he suggested. "You look like you're feeling a lot better..."
"N-No, please..." she mumbles. "I won't thrash, I promise.. just don't g-go..." Ranth sighs and climbs back into bed with her. He'd spent enough time around kids to expect her to not be able to stop herself from doing the exact same things as before. Deciding he'd need be more insistent next time he fell out of the bed, he sat still and let her get comfortable again snuggling up against him.
Despite this, Evy does try not to thrash. She squirms a bit, but eventually she relaxed and fell asleep. Glad she finally passed out, Ranth lay there staring at the ceiling. Evy clung to his arm like it was a favorite toy her elders were trying to take from her, so there was no way he was escaping unless he wanted to wake her up. With a sigh, Ranth resigned himself to his fate and did his best to fall asleep himself. After a lot of trying, he did finally pass into a light slumber...
...
Ranth's dreams are filled with Evy, Evy, and only Evy. He visited some of the scenes from her mind again, and one in particular... the memory of her capture and rape. He was forced to watch her get violated, wanting so desperately to save her.. but being unable to move there was nothing he could do. Nobody saved her this time, and she spent the rest of her life as a sex slave while he watched helplessly...
Waking with a start, Ranth realized Evy has let go of his arm. Turning his head slightly, he saw that she had rolled around so that her back was facing him and was hunched over. She was making some kind of small movements and noises, but he couldn't tell what they are. Ranth squinted, trying to blink the sleepiness from his eyes.
It took him a moment to realize what she's doing, and when he did his stomach did back flips in shock. Evy had one hand up underneath her top, and the other down her pants. She was doing her best to stifle her moans and move as little as possible, but it was that clear the little girl is trying to masturbate with him laying pressed up against her! Ranth swallowed hard - what the hell should he do?? I mean, why was she doing that anyways with him lying here!?
A more worrying though crossed his mind... and he finally accepted what he's been trying to deny to himself since he met her. He LIKED watching her masturbate. He liked HER... The thought gave him goosebumps. He'd never really cared for girls his own age, or even older girls and women before. By age 14 he had been starting to wonder if something was wrong with him. He was reasonably certain he didn't like boys, either... so what was it? Was this the reason why..!?
When Ranth felt something stir under his trousers, he decided he HAD to speak up. Clearing his throat, he whispered to Evy, "Err... Evy, what are you doing?" The girl nearly levitates as she jumped. She lost her balance and now it was her turn to fall out of the bed. Evy leaped to her feet, her face a deep crimson as she wrapped her hands around her chest. "N-Nothing! I w-wasn't.. I m-mean... what??" she hides under her bangs, and her eyes lock with the floor.
Ranth swallows, his mouth paper-dry. He wonders how best to proceed... "Erm, why don't you get back into bed?" He holds out a hand to her. Evy timidly takes it and climbs back into the bed, facing away from him. After a long pause, Ranth can't stand the silence any longer and decides to speak up again. "S-So... did it feel good?" he blurts out, and kicks himself for saying something so stupid. Evy flips onto her belly and buries her head under the pillow, feeling so embarrassed at being caught masturbating.
Awkwardly Ranth pats the poor girl on the back, making her tense up. She relaxes after a moment, and he decides to rub her back instead. "U-Um.. I'm not m-mad, if that's what you're worried about.." he mumbles. "I w-was just surprised... or m-maybe 'shocked' is a better word for it..."
Slowly, Evy partially withdraws her head from underneath the pillow and looks at him. "Y-You're not m-mad..?" she stammers. Ranth shakes his head, and she comes out from under the pillows entirely and turns over onto her back, staring at the ceiling. After another long silence, Ranth asks, "Do you do that a lot?" Evy shakes her head. "Did.. did it feel good?" Evy slowly nods. "Why did you do it tonight..?"
Another long pause. Ranth starts to wonder if she will ever answer, when she squeaks out. "Y.. Y-You never answered my q-question f-from earlier!!" Ranth looks confused. "What question..?" he asks. "F-From before w-we w-were i-interrupted..." he mumbles. He finally realizes what she's talking - she'd asked him if he "liked" her before, and he'd never answered. Swallowing, he croaks, "Y-Yes, I th-think.. I th-think I d-do 'like' you, Evy..."
Evy sits up, the covers falling from her chest. "R-Really? You're not just s-saying that?" Ranth feels very odd. "I m-mean it.." he mumbles, and it dawns on him how true those words really are. Almost too fast to see, Evy leans down and pecks Ranth on the lips, the turns to face away from him, her head in her hands and her shoulders hunched as if she expected him to scold her. Ranth is too stunned by this turn of events to respond, the sensation of her lips touching his, even only for a very brief moment, is burned into his mind forever.
When he doesn't say anything, Evy turns to face him again. Now it's Ranth's turn to blush, which makes Evy grin. "Yay! Then you're my boyfriend now!~" she declares. "Ummm..." Ranth mumbles, sweating at her words. "Nuh-uh! You said you liked me an' you blushed when I kissed you! That means it's official!~" she exclaims with childlike innocence. "F-Fire, b-but keep your voice down! These walls have ears!"
Evy scoffs at him. "Nah, I don't like listening spells... I always break the ones in here. Master Garath gave up scolding me a long time ago about it, since I wouldn't listen and he couldn't stop me... You can't listen into this room, only out of it." she grins at him, obviously very pleased with herself for getting away with defying her authority figure.
"Besides." she continues. "The spells don't seem to pick up my voice anyways. Master Garath had me participate in some study where they tried to figure out why not, but by the end all those old farts were still stumped." She shrugs.
Ranth shakes his head. "Um, if you s-say so... But if you shout any louder I bet they can hear you at the palace!" Evy giggles. "R-Right, sorry..." She lays back down next to him with a plop. Ranth wonders what he just got himself into, fear tricking down his spine. Master Garath would kill him if he thought he was talking advantage of her... b-but he wasn't! This was all HER idea!
Lost in thought, he is jerked back to reality when Evy flips onto her side facing him. "Err..." she mumbles. "Now what..?" Ranth just blinks at her like a lizard. "Eh? Now what?" he says. "Now what do we do?" Evy says. "I've never had a boyfriend before..." Ranth chuckles at this. "Don't look at me, I've never had a.. a girlfriend before, either." Evy looks startled. "R-Really? I just assumed..." she pauses. "Um, I thought you'd know what to do now... What do boyfriends and girlfriends usually do..?" she mumbles.
Ranth gulps. "W-Well... I th-think they spend a lot of time together, and.. umm..." he pauses, unwilling to continue that train of thought. Evy nudges him "And what..?" She looks at him expectantly, her face full of youthful innocence. Ranth sweats, not wanting to tell her... be for some reason he felt like he just couldn't disappoint her.
"W-Well..." he mumbles, his voice audibly shaking. "Th-They.. umm..." Taking a deep breath, he tries again. "Th-They.. h-have..." his voice trails off again. "Have WHAT!?" Evy demands impatiently. Unable to meet her eyes, he started at the ceiling, then says in a tiny voice. "...have s-sex."
"Oh, that makes sense..." Evy says to his profound shock. "So, uhh... l-let's d-do that then." Ranth sits up. "E-Evy, w-we can't do th-that..!" he stammers. Now it's her turn to blink at him. "Why not?" she asks, all innocence. "B-Because.. b-because..." His mind races, searching frantically for a way out of this. She's just emotionally fragile right now - he could never take advantage of her in that state, even if she was asking him to!
"D-Don't you like me?" Evy says. She lift her shift up and shows him her flat chest, making Ranth sweat even more. He had to put a stop to this! Forcing himself to look away from her adorably flat chest (which was no small task), his mind scrambled for something to say to end this before it got out of hand...
A small hand rests on Ranth's groin, making him jump and try to pull away. "E-Evy, d-don't..!" Ranth stammers, trembling. "Wh-Why not? I thought you liked me..." Evy's chin wobbles and she looks like she's about to cry. "D-Did you n-not m-mean i-it?" she whimpers. Ranth grabs her in a big hug, making Evy squeak. "D-Don't cry, please! I can't stand to watch you cry.. I DID mean it, I'm j-just... you're h-hurt - vulnerable. It would be very dishonorable for me to t.. take advantage of you right now!"
From somewhere underneath his encircling arms, Ranth hears Evy mumble, "...You're not 'taking advantage' of me. I've had s-sex before, you k-know." She pries his arms apart and he sits back. Ranth swallows, searching for another tactic. "W-Well... Have you ever h-had... h-had s-sex with someone you actually.. l-liked?" he asks her.
Evy goes still, then slowly shakes her head. "B-But I know what it is... Master Garath explained it to me after.. after that horrible man made me do it..." She shakes her head as if to clear it. "C'mon - pleeeeassse?~" she begs him, giving him the puppy dog eyes. Clearly she was not going to let this go.
Ranth sighs, and decides to try something else. "H-How about this..." he mumbles. "You know how you were... t-ouching yourself before?" Evy nods. "Umm.. It's supposed to feel better if someone else does it.. I think... so what if.. if we did that instead?" Evy looks curious at this. "Huh? It does?" Ranth lets out an inner sigh - her curiosity was peaked, good. Maybe if he just... fondled her a bit she would let it go. Another idea struck him: if he did it badly she might not ask about this ever again!
"What do I do?" Evy asks him expectantly. Ranth swallows hard. "C-Come sit in my lap.." he mumbles. Without hesitation Evy scoots over towards him and climbs into his lap. Ranth can't help but admire her smooth charcoal skin, and noticed not for the first time just how cute her pointed ears were as they poked out from beneath her hair. "A-Are you gonna st-start..?" Evy says after he doesn't do anything for a time.
With an inner though of 'why me...', Ranth sighs and timidly places a hand on the little girl's belly. Evy lifts her shirt out of the way for him, and he places his palm on her skin below her navel. Gulping, he slowly moves it down towards her groin, a part of him unable to believe he's about to do this, even if she did ask for it... Evy pulls her pants away from her hips, giving him easy access. She seemed quite eager...
Ranth moved his hand down.. down... until it reached her smooth pussy. Sweating hard, he runs a finger very lightly along her immature slit. Evy's eyes go wide and she gasps at even that small amount of stimulation. "Th-That f-felt r-really g-good!" she stammers. "D-Do it again.. p-please..?" Ranth promptly forgets his plan to do this badly on purpose, as he feels an undeniable urge to make her happy and can no longer help himself. With a start he realizes that his penis is standing at full mast, and tries to shift his pelvis so that it doesn't poke into Evy's butt.
He had no experience whatsoever with this sort of thing himself... all he had to go on were the boastful tales some of his older and more 'mature' friends had told him about their times spent bedding various women. He remembered what they'd said they did... something about 'foreplay', and a few other half remembered "tips" they'd told him to use. This time he runs his finger along Evy's smooth slit from the bottom up, and stops at the top where he tries to find her little bean.
Finding it, he rubs her tiny clit and the little drow girl trembles and moan in his arms. She presses her groin against his hand unconsciously, and his finger slips and enters her. This makes her flinch gasp. He withdraws it quickly. "S-Sorry! S-Sorry! Y-You m-moved, I didn't m-mean t-to..!" Ranth stammers out, thinking she's going to be mad for some reason. Evy catches her breath, then says, "Why'd you s-stop..? A-Again..." Taken aback, Ranth presses his finger against her slit again and slips it gently into her little hole.
Evy writes and moans as Ranth gently fingers her, and her rump bumps into his erection. Startled, she whips her head around to see what she just hit. "Y-Your.. thingie got big?" she says, surprised. "Does that mean you wanna p-put it in me..?" Ranth curses - not this again! Remembering something else his friends had described to him, he changes tactics. "U-Um, h-how about instead we try something a little.. d-different?" Evy turns around to face him, still in his lap. "Like what..?"
Ranth swallows. "W-Well... one of m-my.. friends said there's this thing you can do where we both use our mouthes on each other.. S-So we both get to f-feel good..." Evy looks curious. "Oh, okay. How do we do that..?" Still sweating, Ranth replies, "F-first we gotta take off our pants..."
Evy nods and stand up on the bed without a word, pulling her pants down to her ankles and stepping out of them. Ranth's blood boils as he gets a full-on view of her hairless pussy just inches away from his face. It's already dripping a bit with her love juices. He quickly pulls his own pants off and discards them. Evy's eyes lock on his erect penis and she stares.
"Evy? You r-ready?" Ranth has to poke her thigh to get her attention. "Hmm? Oh r-right. N-Now what..?" Ranth thinks for a moment. "N-Now... now I lie on my back, and you get on t-top of me, and straddle me with your butt over my face.. I think."
"O-Okay..!" Ranth lies on his back and Evy mounts him, turning around to wiggle her rump over her face. Her pussy is now right over his mouth and he can no longer help himself. "N-Now wh-wha- OH!" Evy's eyes widen as Ranth runs his tongue up and down her cute little slit. "Hahh.. Th-That f-feels.. a-amazing..! B-But wha-what do I d-do?" she stammers. Ranth comes to his senses for a moment and realizes he forgot to give her instructions. "O-Oh... S-So... you use your mouth to, err... suck on my penis. Like it's a piece of candy." Evy mumbles, "K-Kay, I'll t-try..."
Ranth feels her hot breath on his cock as she opens her mouth and timidly engulfs the tip in her small mouth. Ranth lets out a moan as her mouth locks over his dick - it was the best thing he'd ever felt in his life! His bliss is shattered by a bit of pain. "Ouch! T-Try to keep your teeth away, that hurts.."
"Sphworry!!" Evy mumbles without taking his dick from her mouth. Ranth gasps and goes back to giving her his own tongue service, snaking his tongue into her little pipe. Evy writhes her butt against his face as he eats her out, and likewise Ranth unconsciously thrusts his hips up as she bobs on his cock, trying her best to make him feel as good as he was making her feel. She had no idea what she was doing, but at this point it wasn't going to take any great technique to make him feel good.
Ranth's dick throbbed as Evy went down on him. She grabbed his shaft with both hands to hold it still, which only made it feel even better for the young man. A few moments later, Evy moaned deeply into Ranth's dick as she came, her girlie juices spraying into Ranth's mouth. He blinked in surprise, though he should have expected this from what his friends had told him. He just thought.. some part of him maybe thought she was too young to cum? He wasn't sure, and he didn't care - he decided he liked the taste of her love juices and lapped them up. Evy in turn ran her mouth over his dick faster, trying to take as much of it into her small mouth as she could manage, her hips twitching adorably as she rode out her first real orgasm.
Ranth like he was in heaven as Evy sucked him off. Suddenly he realized he felt something coming... Taking his mouth away from her pussy, he exclaimed, "E-Evy, w-wait! If you don't s-stop, I'm g-gonna..!" It was too late, Evy squeezed his shaft and he exploded into her mouth. The girl pulled back in surprise, his dick popping out her mouth, and letting the second splurt plaster itself over her face. To Ranth's relief, Evy giggled as he came on her face. "Your thingie's like those icing tubes the bakers use for pastries!~" Ranth just moans, thinking 'kids...' and slumps back onto the bed.
Evy lets go of his dick and gets off him, then turn around and leaps onto his chest, landing with a small 'thud!' and knocking Ranth's wind out. "That was fuuuun!~" she declares happily. "Can we do it again? Ranth! Hey Ranth, are you listening!?" Ranth didn't respond, as he'd fallen asleep...
...
Ranth's dreams were once filled with blood and horror. He was forced to watch his men die on the train over and over again. He wished so badly to save them, but there was nothing he could do. Each time he failed to save them the nightmare reset and he would try again only to keep failing... The final time Evy was also there but helpless. Ranth strained with all his might trying to save her but he couldn't do anything...
Ranth awoke with a start, breathing hard and sweating profusely. For a second he thought he was back on the train with the bodies of his soldiers strewn around him. Gasping, he shook his head and cleared his mind of the image. He was still in Evy's room, sleeping in her bed with her. Glancing at the enchanted time piece on her bed stand, he noticed that only a few hours had passed. The little drow girl was breathing softly as she slept curled up and pressed up against his body, her head nestled on his shoulder and one arm thrown across his chest in some nighttime flop or other.
Remembering what they'd done last night made Ranth sweat even more. He'd let the girl tempt him into doing stuff with her he really shouldn't have done. What should he do now? Would she tell what happened? What if she had her memories probed again?? His mind spun and his heart pounded as he tried to calm himself down and think. She'd asked him to do those things, right? He hadn't really wanted to.. and it was just foreplay stuff, so it could have been a lot worse...
Evy trashed and moved in her sleep, jarring Ranth out of his panic-ridden contemplations. Ranth held still, not wanting to wake her. Evy's small body ended up lying across his chest with her head on his stomach. The covers shifted when she thrashed and he realized with a start that she was still naked... and so was he.
The blankets had fallen off Evy's back so that her nude form was exposed above the waist. Ranth couldn't stop himself from staring at her butt and he was too acutely aware of her warm body pressing up against his. Ranth felt that funny feeling inside again and his penis swelled up to full mast underneath the blankets as he watched her sleep. What should he do...
Ranth swallows, and tries to tear his eyes away from her body with success. He knew he shouldn't, but... he could no longer stop himself. Deciding he didn't care anymore and that he'd figure this all out later, he hesitantly eased his right arm out from underneath the blankets and gently placed it on her bottom. Evy's only response at the touch was to nuzzle her head up against his body harder, taking a deep breath through her mouth and letting it out through her nose.
Emboldened by her reaction, Ranth eases his hand under the blanket and places his middle finger between her butt cheeks. He slides the finger down between her crack until it touches her slit. Evy's breath catches as his finger lightly brushes her pussy, but she doesn't wake. Swallowing, Ranth begins to gently rim her cunny with his finger.
Evy lets out another deep sigh, and Ranth can feel her hot breath raise the hairs on his chest. He continued rimming her pussy very lightly for a few minutes, feeling the little girl getting wet from the stimulation. Evy had begun breathing a little harder when Ranth's finger slipped on his girl juices it entered her little hole. She let out a muffled half-moan as Ranth froze with the tip of his middle finger now inside her cunt.
Evy wiggled her rump unconsciously as she slept, as if trying to get the finger in deeper. Her arm flopped again as she twitched and this time her hand landed in his crotch, making Ranth's dick twitch. He hesitated, then with her left arm gently repositioned her hand around his penis. As he did so, she squeezed it gently, making Ranth stifle a moan. Ranth began fingering Evy gently as she slept, and her light grip on his cock and her cute little moans of pleasure we really turning him on. He wondered what it would be like to go all the way with her...
"Mmmm... Ranth?" Evy's quiet voice snapped Ranth out of his imaginings. Flinching, he looked down at his chest. Evy's eyes were open as she blinked sleepiness from them. He withdrew his finger from insider her quickly. "S-Sorry, I couldn't h-help myself..." he mumbled, a white hot line of fear shooting down his spine.
"I-It's fine..." she mumbled, yawning. "Y.. you wanna put it in me..?" Ranth blinked at her, scrambling for a reply. Before he could think of one, Evy let go of his penis rolled over on top of him to straddle him, her small body now lying on top of his with her tummy pressed against his belly. "Evy... a.. a-are you s-sure that's what you w-want..? You're not just... it's not just because of what happened before?" Ranth says with a gulp.
Evy nods into his chest and begins grinding her groin against his body. "I'm s-sure. I wanna be with you, Ranth. I really like you..." After a pause, Ranth hesitantly placed his hands on her bottom, knowing he wouldn't be able to hold back much longer if she kept grinding on him like that. "O-Okay, Evy... as long as you're s-sure. B-But you gotta promise to tell me if you w-want to stop, alright?" Evy nods into his chest again, waiting for him to make the first move.
Ranth looks down at the little girl lying on top of him and decides he'll do whatever she wants if it will make her happy. Seizing his throbbing cock with one hand, Ranth pries Evy's small legs apart a bit further with the other and lines the tip of his penis up with her little hole. "A-Are you ready?" he croaks. Evy nods into his chest again. "Y-Yeah. Y-You can p-put it in m-me..!"
Ranth presses the tip against her bald pussy lips, and it slips inside without very much resistance. Evy lets out a muffled gasp as Ranth enters her for the first time. Even with just the tip inside of her snatch Ranth felt like he was in heaven. "Y-You okay, Evy..?" he whispered to her. She nodded into his chest more rapidly. "Y-Yes... y-you can d-do m-more...!" she replied with a squeak. "O-Okay, if that's wh-what you w-want..!"
Letting go of his dick, Ranth grips Evy's slim, well-toned thighs with both hands and pulls her gently down. His man meat sinks into her slowly, making both him and Evy let out moans. He continued pulled her legs down until Evy had taken his entire length inside her dark pussy. Ranth had never felt this much pleasure in his life - she was super tight, so tight he would have been worried he was hurting her.. but while her body trembled slightly in his grip, she didn't seem to be in any pain. "I th-think you're s-upposed to.. m-move now..?" Evy mumbles.
"R-Right..." Gently Ranth lifts her off his cock half way, then lets her fall back onto it, making Evy moan deeply. Emboldened by her moans of pleasure, Ranth began gently thrusting upwards, his cock parting her folds and sampling the deepest depths of her insides. Evy's bottom twitched cutely as he fucked her gently. Evy threw her arms around his neck to hold on. "G-Go f-faster..!" Evy said with another small moan.
Ranth nodded and grabbed Evy's butt with both hands to hang on, picking up the pace. He slammed his dick up into her preteen pussy faster and with more force. Evy cried out softly and came as his dick continued tunneling in and out of her 10 year old cunt, her bottom and hips twitching in his grip as she rode out her first penetration-induced orgasm. Ranth felt like he was gonna pop!
"Y-You're so tight, Evy!" he moaned. "Your p-pussy feels incredible..!" Unable to help himself, he began thrusting into her small body a bit more roughly, slamming her down as he thrust up to force his cock deeper into her little snatch. Evy's tongue lolled out as Ranth fucked her brains out. She panted and moaned as Ranth's cock plowed deeper into her pussy.
"Hahhh... Sh-Shoot that white s-stuff inta-me!~" Evy moans, loving the sensation of Ranth's dick plugging her little hole. She went limp in his arms, hanging on as Ranth jackhammered her pussy faster and faster. "F-Fuck! H-Here it.. c-comes..!" Ranth gasps, and slams her down hard one final time. As his dick plunges all the way inside, he unleashes a torrent of hot, sticky semen inside Evy's tummy. He thrusts into her several more times, feeling her pussy walls clamp down and squeeze his dick even tighter as she milked him for all he was worth.
His strength spent, Ranth slumped onto the bed and felt all his muscles relax. Evy was panting hard, her small chest heaving as her mind slowly cleared of the fog of lust that had swamped her. Ranth's dick was still deep inside her little cunny, and it felt really nice. She felt closer to him now than she'd felt towards anyone before, and not just because their bodies were smashed together in post-coital bliss.
"E-Evy, are you a-alright..?" Ranth asked worriedly. "Mmmm... That f-felt awesome..!~" she mumbles with a sigh. Ranth moves to try and pull out of her but Evy stops him. "N-Not yet... C-Can... can we just lie here for a bit? Please?" Ranth nods and wraps his arms around the girl, hugging her small body tight to his chest.
Evy sighs contently as Ranth strokes her hair. "I love you, R-Ranth.." she mumbles, and passes out in his arms. Her breathing slows and she falls into a restful sleep as Ranth holds her, his no-longer-hard penis still up inside her little womb as they lie together. Before long, Ranth falls asleep as well.
...
Ranth didn't dream for once, and woke up peacefully the next morning feeling refreshed. Stretching, he yawned and looked around. Realizing Evy was not in bed, he glanced around the room and saw that she was not there either.
Ranth levered himself out of the bed with a grunt went to find his clothes, quickly dressing. He was trying to figure out what to do next when he heard light footsteps coming down the stairs. Evy entered the room holding a tray of food. "Oh, you're finally awake." she giggled. "I thought you were gonna sleep till the world ended!~"
Ranth rubbed his eyes. "Very funny..." Evy only grinned at him and set the tray down on her table, plopping into one of the chairs. "I got hungry waiting for you to wake up so I went and snagged some food from the mess hall." She grabbed an oat cake and stuffed it into her mouth, then patted the chair next to her. "Cfome jfoin mfe!~" she said with her mouth full. Ranth shook his head and took the offered seat next to her.
He picked up a pastry and toyed with it, shredding little pieces off without eating them. "Are you.. okay, Evy? Not.. I don't know, sore or anything..?" he asked in a small voice. Evy swallowed her mouthful and beamed at him, her face alight with youthful spirit. "Nope! I feel great!~" she declared, then took another bite of the cake. "I also haven't slept that well in ages. We should do that every night, tehehe!~" she teased him, poking Ranth in the ribs playfully. Ranth just stared at her, wondering what in the seven hells he's gotten himself into...
"U-Um, I'm glad you slept well..." after a pause he says, "I slept pretty well, too, actually..." Evy grins. "Yay! So it worked for you, too? Neat!~"
Evy took a swig from a cup containing some kind of fruit juice, then wiped her mouth on her sleeve. "I also feel much better today, so I think I'm all back to normal!~" she declared happily.
Evy grinned at him again. "Oh, and I cleaned up from last night already so don't worry 'bout that, hehe!" Ranth suddenly realized that the bed had not been wet from all they did, and he hadn't felt sticky or anything. He shrugged internally, assuming she'd used some magic to clean up the mess they'd made on the bed... and on each other.
Catching her eye and holding her gaze, Ranth stared into Evy's wide purple eyes. Evy smiled, dropping her teasing pretense. Her chin wobbled as she stared back at him. "Th-Thank you for taking care of me, Ranth..." No longer able to bear the strong emotions flowing from her open gaze, Ranth seized her up in a hug and held her tightly, shaking his head to clear the tears from the corners of his eyes he told himself weren't really there. "Of course, Evy... I'd never want anything bad to happen to you and I'll always be here for you from now on. I promise..!"
Evy hugged him back, and they held the embrace for a time. Finally Evy began to squirm and Ranth quickly released her before she could "accidentally" overuse her strength again trying to get free. He reminded himself to be careful not to make her do that, thinking that it must be hard on her to have to be so careful with her inhuman strength all the time...
Evy climbed back into her seat and went back to gobbling down her breakfast. Ranth felt his appetite return as he watched her eat, and realized that he, too, was famished. He picked up the pastry he'd shredded and ate it, then helped himself to another, then some kind of salted meat, eggs, etc. He poured himself some of the fruit juice and refilled Evy's tankard for her. They ate in silence for a while before hearing footsteps on the stairs. Turning, they saw Master Garath entered the room holding another food tray.
"Oh, you already got food? I should have know..." he laughed, and set the tray down on the table. "May I join you?" he asked politely, and Evy nodded and patted the seat on her other side for him to sit. Master Garath sat down with a sigh and rubbed Evy's back. She stopped eating and beams up at him. "Evy you know better, stop eating like a wild animal..." he scolded her, grabbing a napkin and dabbing at her cheeks.
Evy rolled her eyes at him but let him do it. "Mother hen!" she teased him. "I wouldn't have to be a mother hen if you behaved, little one!" he retorted, setting the napkin down. Evy sighed and sat up straighter, eating more daintily without making so much of a mess. "I take it you're feeling back to your old self?" Master Garath asked Evy once she'd finished eating. "Mmm-hmm! I feel much better thanks to Ranth!" she said with an open smile.
Her words sent a chill down Ranth's spine. She wasn't going to tell him what they'd done surely?? To his relief, it seemed she'd only meant that in the... wholesome sense. He relaxed.
"I'm so happy to hear that." Master Garath said, tussling Evy's hair. Turning to Ranth, he says, "Thank you, Ranth... It pained me deeply not being able to take care of her during her recovery, but I've been in council war meetings almost nonstop since the Infernal Legion began increasing their offensive."
Ranth nodded, grateful for Master Garath's heartfelt appreciation... but feeling somehow like he didn't deserve it. "It was no problem." he said. "After all she did for me it was the least I could do." Now it was his turn to tussle Evy's hair, making her roll her eyes again. "I'm not a doll, you two! Stop that!" she said, pouting at them both adorably. The two men only laughed, making her scowl at them and go back to eating her food.
Master Garath helped himself to some of the food, and Ranth poured him a cup of juice. He nodded gratefully and accepted it, downing it in one go. Ranth only now realized how tired Master Garath looked, and wondered when he'd slept last...
After they finish eating, Master Garath turned to Evy. "Evy... if you are feeling better, High Priest Emery wanted me to pass along a request." Evy sat up, looking at her master calmly. "Sure, master. What is it?"
Master Garath folds his hands in his lap, looking at his napkin. "He was very impressed with how you handled removing that fel mark from yourself and wishes to instruct you in more advanced holy magics. He thinks you'd be very good at helping us locate and remove sleeper marks from others in the empire." Evy nods, waiting patiently for him to continue.
"I am inclined to agree, though... given all that happened between you two, I don't feel right forcing you to do this... so while I think it would be in our empire's greater interest for you to accept his offer, if you're not comfortable around him right now I would understand, and.. and I think he would, too..." He continued staring at his napkin, not meeting her eyes.
Finished, he waited patiently for Evy to respond. Evy thinks about it for a moment before giving her answer. "No, it's fine... I.. I want to help." she says slowly. "He was just doing his job trying to protect everyone... it sucked, but I get it. If I can help save other people I want to learn how!" she declares, determination in her eyes. Master Garath studies her face, then nods. "I figured you'd say that, but I wanted to ask. You're a good person, Evy. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" He hugs her tightly, making the girl squeak and protest, though she doesn't try to pull away.
Master Garath lets her go, chuckling and ruffling her hair again. "C'mon!" Evy complains. "Now I gotta brush it again!" She holds out her hand and the hairbrush on the nightstand flies into her grip. Scowling at her master, she swiftly brushes out her ebony locks until they're straight again. Master Garath hides a smile behind his hand, pretending to be stroking his beard. "Sorry, Evy. Anyways, since you've accepted the training you will report to the Cathedral of Light on the 3rd hour after noon each day for instruction."
Finished with Evy, he turns to Ranth. "Oh, young master Ranth. Your father wished me to inform you that you need present yourself to the imperial command offices today on the 2nd hour after noon for a thorough debriefing and to receive new orders." Ranth's eyes go wide. "O-Of course. I won't be late!" Glancing at the time piece, he sees that it's less than an hour before noon right now. Ranth jumps to his feet. "I don't have long to prepare! Evy, I'm sorry but I have to go! I'll see you as soon as I can, and good luck with your new studies!" Evy waves to him as he rushed out of the room.
Master Garath watches him go, then turns back to Evy. "You've found a good friend in master Ranth, Evy." he says. "I'm.. overjoyed to see you opening up to someone else." Evy blushes and looks down. "He's very nice... and I like him a lot."
Master Garath chuckles. "Don't be embarrassed, I won't pry - I'm just happy to see you making friends. Which reminds me..." His tone makes Evy look up. Now that he has her attention, Master Garath continues. "In light of what's happened, Lord Tristan of all people persuaded the council that you shouldn't have to hide yourself away from the public anymore, and I very much agree with him." He smiled at her warmly. "You can go where you wish now, Evy. You don't need to hide from the public - they will now know a drow walks among them." Evy's eyes widen. "R-Really? S-So... I can go out in the city..? Anytime I want!?" she exclaims, looking very excited.
Master Garath nods. "I won't lie... part of the reason this came about was as a strategic political move. The common folk are terrified of the legion since the fall of Carthidge and worry that the empire will no longer be able to protect them. Letting them know a drow, who's powers are the stuff of legends, is in service of the empire will go a long way to make them feel safe again."
He continues, wishing to be honest with her. "It's... a bit manipulative, but I still think it's a good idea, not to mention good for you. I've always hated hiding you away, especially with all you've done for the empire." Evy nods. "I understand, if this story will make people feel safe then I don't mind. I want to protect people!" She puffs out her chest confidently.
Master Garath goes to mess with her hair again, but before he can do it shadows form around Evy and she shadow steps to her bed. Master Garath looks at her and she sticks her tongue out at him, making him chuckle. "Fine, you win." he says with a smirk. "I'm glad you're okay with this." Pausing, he considers. "The proclamation that a drow serves the empire went out this morning. It'd probably help if people saw you as soon as possible so they believe what we've told them, so you wanted to visit the market..."
Evy hops to her feet. "R-Really!? I've always wanted to go into to the market!~" She scrambles around her room, donning her dragonhide and spell-weave armor and fastening her enchanted rapier to her belt. Next fastens on a black cloak and quickly tosses several things into a well-worn shoulder bag. Within the space of a minute she's all ready to go. "I'll go right now, thank you so much!~" she exclaims, seizing her master in a too-tight hug. "E-Easy, Evy! Don't crush my old bones!"
Evy lets him go, looking sheepish. "S-Sorry!" she mumbles. He pats her shoulder this time. "That's quite all right. Remember to mind your strength, and don't be late for your lessons with High Priest Emery!" Evy hops to the door, and waves to him. "I won't! I'll see you at dinner!~" she says with a whoop, then darkness gathers around her and she vanishes without a trace. Shaking his head, Master Garath winces as his bruised ribs protest, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. Evy could be a bit too enthusiastic sometimes... He hoped setting her lose on the poor city wasn't a huge mistake!
Groaning, Master Garath walked back upstairs, heading to his office to process yet more intelligence reports...
Chapter 12: Changes