A villian.... or a hero?

[Relairah]

His name sounded powerful, like he was. She listened as he spoke of himself. Well, duh, she thought to herself when he said he wasn't normal... and that exactly what he was wasn't particularly obvious. Though perhaps more than he thought. She was smart, and she had picked up on a few clews. His eyes, his tail, even if she had only really seen the end, and the smoke were pretty big hints alone. But the way his voice changed, that also gave some away. At last, he asked her a question. The Guardians of the Night. Yes, she had heard stories, though it was vague. More like childhood tales in the orphanage. It had been a very long time since then.

"With everything I've seen, I would not be surprised if they did. Yes, I have heard some stories, though to be honest it's rather vague. I heard those stories a long time ago." In her travels, she had encountered many types of beasts, and with his question, it solidified her suspicions then and there. She looked into his eyes with her own, fascinated, drawn in. "You are from them...?" she asked, then "I would not be opposed to being reminded of the stories."

[Xenoxice]

Zenithe listens to her words as he nods to her in acknowledgement. "It is nice to see there is at least one who can vaguely remember stories of them. The Guardians of Night were a race of dragonkin who dwelled in the night. They made their homes in caves of the mountains in the country or in caves near oceans. They were considered 'Guardians' due to their ability of being able to sense the presence of evil in other creatures and destroy them and their tendency to leave those of innocence to their own actions, watching them from afar, waiting to see which, if any would stray from that path. Their numbers dwindled over the centuries, but in the end they split up from what was once one colony living together into smaller packs. Usually families of them." He paused only for a few moments. But during those few moments, loud cracks and pops could be heard coming from directly behind him.

"They have survived for thousands of years and even now, a few still exist. Some, looking to populate their race again. Others, seeking the peace they once upheld so long ago." As he spoke, his voice became fluid, smoother than river stone and his words flowed forth as though they were spoken directly from his mind. Not only that, but very large objects began to form behind him, slowly taking on the shape of wings with bone-shattering cracks. Easily the total size of each one being more than five times the size of his whole body. "My parents.... were two of them." He thrust the wings outward to expand their full length. Easily from one tip to the other was equivalent to the size of a fairly large sized room in a building. "I am a direct descendant of the Guardians. One of the few who are still alive. And one of the even fewer, who seek out both causes, rather than one or the other." At this point his voice may as well have been pure as a crystal. Smooth and clear. Strong and commanding. Yet beautiful and pure in its own rights. "That, Jolene, is who I am. What I am."

[Relairah]

As he began to recount the legend of what the Guardians once were, Jolene had mixed feelings. She remembered as a child thinking fondly of such tales, imagining one of the guardians watching her from afar and protecting her. But they had been wiles of a lonely, abandoned child and nothing more. None had ever protected her or really loved her, she had always taken care of herself. And that had been enough. She had those companions several years back... but in all honesty, she felt she had a greater attachment to them than they had to her.

But this was different. She was held somewhat in awe as he began releasing his wings, and she knew within herself that this was something special. She had a gut feeling this was not something just anyone got to see or that he would reveal. She was not afraid, more amazed and captivated in a way something material had never captured her attention before. She couldn't help but take in the magnificent wings which hovered above them, almost like they were lifeforms of their own. Such power, like the greatest shields and also the greatest gifts. She all of a sudden had a strange feeling of puniness as if she had transformed into a cat, she would be very small indeed - about the size of a common tabby cat. But the feeling did not last but mere seconds as Jolene had never been the type to feel little of herself. She was confident in her own strengths and not easily intimidated by anyone. After all, being a cat gave her many advantages in life.

As he finished his words, she stepped toward him once again, a strange desire to touch him within her, perhaps out of her curiosity, perhaps out of her fascination. That was another thing that she'd always had - a desire to touch anything which caught her attention. "You're magnificent," she said sincerely, perhaps the nicest thing she had ever said to anyone in her whole life. Suddenly, she wondered what he looked like in his true form. But at the same time, she felt patient to discover it in due time. "May I?" she asked, looking into his eyes, glancing at his wings, then back at him. She stood quite close now, only inches from his face.

[Xenoxice]

Observing her expression and reaction to him having revealed more of himself than anyone before her had ever seen, he couldn't help but feel a certain warmth in his heart. There was something about her that entranced him and strangely, made him trust her. Never... not a single moment before in his entire life except when he was a child had he let anyone so close to him. And her words only made his gaze grow softer than ever. 'You're magnificent.' Those words resonated through his mind again and again. Nobody had ever complimented him before, let alone with such strong words. He had a plethora of different feelings running through him as she stood so close, gazing back and forth between him and his wings. This was quite a new experience to him and one that he certainly would never forget. And in his mind.... in his heart what he felt for the first time, an experience he wished would happen more than just this once. The feeling of care and concern. Of wonder and excitement. The thrill of something new and being able to speak with someone who wasn't speaking out of fear or on strict to-the-point business. But someone who was speaking to actually communicate. To poke and prod to learn.

Hearing her words when she asked 'May I', his eyes gazed into hers deeply. It was almost as if he was looking inside her soul. Searching for something.... Even as he did so, he gave a small bow of his head, never breaking eye contact and replied only with the words "Yes. You may." To him, his family and his kind, to let one of the opposite gender touch a part of your true form is to give that person your full trust. To let them know you mean no harm to them and you accept them. It was never have known to happen except between their own kind when they accepted another as their mate. And here he was, allowing her to do just that. Even folding his wings slowly to surround them both and break the cold wind that was blowing at the height on top of the roof. He never once broke his eye contact with her and wondered just what she would do. How she would react when she felt those smooth, snake-like scales upon his wings. How she would react upon feeling how seemingly fragile the webbing of his wings were as though it were very old and thin paper only to find it remarkably strong and near unbreakable.

[Relairah]

As he pulled his wings in to surround them, she couldn't help but gain a slight feeling of intimacy. She wasn't sure if it was just him, or what was happening. But she liked it. He gave her permission... and carefully, she reached up, her fingers gently touching first the bone, then tracing downward across the scales and webbing. Her touch was soft and with great care, like she handled so many rare artifacts in the past. She guessed his wings would be strong and sturdy. But she was still fascinated with each texture beneath her fingertips. Never had she felt or seen anything like it.

As she was reaching the edges, her gaze, which up to this point held wonder, turned and met his eyes fully. "Will you let me fly with you?" It was strange she realized after saying it, for her to ask such a question - or perhaps not so surprising. She realized that the thought of a cat flying was quite silly - but then maybe not. After all, cats are not typically afraid of heights and are able to make great leaps - almost as if soaring from one surface to another. But this, if he took her, would be quite different indeed. Her eyes were searching his, not failing to notice the way that they had softened. Her heart beat in her chest, not from exertion but from anticipation. Somehow, she suddenly had a desire to know him. Everything about him, past, dreams, thoughts. Like her companions before, only different, and stronger. Yet she didn't ask those questions just then. Only stood, her fingers having left the surface of his wings but her eyes never wavering from his own.

[Xenoxice]

The moment her fingertips touched his wings, he couldn't help but feel.... close to her. Closer than anyone had ever been. Sure, his parents held him when he was a child, but nobody... not even his own parents have even came close to laying hands upon a part of his true form. Why did he trust this stranger so much? Why did he want to know about her every detail? Past, present, future dreams, intentions, likes, dislikes, favorite places to go.... almost as if he felt a need to know her better than she knows herself. But then... she asked that one single question. 'Will you let me fly with you'? His eyes widened at her request but at the same time he smiled and felt his heart jump for joy and above all, he felt... happy for the first time since he remembered his parents being alive. He looked deeply into her eyes and simply stared into them with a smile. "Yes. You can fly with me." He gently took her by the arms as he unfolded his wings and moved with her until he made sure she was standing at the corner of the roof, facing towards the center of it.

If he was going to allow her to fly with him, he figured he would give her the full experience. Showing her what nobody else before her had seen. He kept walking backwards until he was in the center of the large roof and looking towards her. Suddenly he dropped to his hands and feet as his wings seemed to grow just a bit larger. His tail shot outwards towards the very edge of the roof behind him, much larger and wider than before. Very loud pops and snaps rang through the night as his body seemed to change shape from his legs up. His legs bending and reforming into those similar to the shape of a dogs. Only much larger, more defined with sheer muscle, bone and large tendons. At first he looked weird beyond any description with a tail that was nearly ten feet long, and legs that were nearly four time his own height. But more rapidly his body changed. His hips snapped and popped into a new form to accommodate his legs new shape. His torso expanded exponentially in size as his neck began to grow and his head changed shape. His skull cracked with the change of its shape and size and his teeth grew to be well near 8 inches in length, slight serrated edges on the back of each one. Overall the shift only took a matter of maybe 30 seconds but to one witnessing it, it must have seemed to last much longer. All the while his clothing seemed to become a part of him during the shift rather than tearing off and shredded into pieces.

When his shift was complete, his back alone stood as tall as a two story building and his length just a little longer than his height. His neck and head itself rose probably another 8 feet from his back. He stood in all his glorious new form, staring down at her. His eyes alone probably as large as a burly mans fists. They glowed vibrantly in the dark with a sort of brilliance and tranquility even in their bright red color. He took two steps closer towards her as the roof creaked a bit under his weight. He leaned his head down so the front of his muzzle was a mere foot away from her face. His eyes looked directly into hers as his voice seemed to chime once again as pure as a crystal as it did once before. "Climb on." he simply said as he lay himself down and swinging his body around a bit, folding his wing down for her to climb up to help her onto his back. What seemed strange is his mouth did not move but he spoke words. Could it be he has limited telepathy in this form? Or was the experience of this whole moment playing games with ones mind?

[Relairah]

She followed his lead when he grasped her arms, though stepped back a little as he began transforming further. He was huge, though perhaps his size would not be so surprising for anyone who knew what he was. It was over quickly, which was a good thing because all of the crackling of bones changing would have seemed excruciating had it been longer.

In his fully glory, she looked over him, taking in each feature across his whole body, finally gazing once more upon his face. It was strange how his entire form was different, and yet his eyes were nearly the same except significantly larger. He spoke... or... was it in her mind? Another curious thing for her to discover, but now she didn't waste time dwelling on the question. Instead, she did as he said, easily mounting his back.

It took her only a short moment to figure out precisely where to sit and what to grasp to keep herself steady, but she indicated when she was ready by saying so. Then, she waited, excitement and adrenaline pumping through her. If she didn't know better, she might even think this were a dream. It seemed so strange that all of this had happened in a short while. Where would they go? What would it be like? She knew in only seconds she would find out...

[Xenoxice]

Waiting for her to get situated upon his back, even in this form he could still smile. And now it was obvious when he did. The closest roof was behind them, but in front of them over that edge, the closest roof had to have been no less than a few hundred feet below. He strode over to edge so that his front claws were wrapped around the edge to place themselves upon the front of the building. The wind seemed to pick up just at this moment. He only waited a few moments as his voice seemed to ring once again saying another two words. "Hold on." With that, he pulled himself forward gently with his front legs and leaned over the edge of the building, soon his entire neck and half his front body was over the edge, freely above the buildings below. It wasn't even a split second later she would feel herself free-falling upon his back as his entire body left the edge of the building. His wings folded in to nosedive and gain speed. The roofs below seemed to get closer and closer very rapidly. A terrifying sight to anyone without wings.

Roughly half way down to the roofs below, he spread his wings and pulled up with his body, causing him to level out and gain even more speed. Still pulling up, he got to the point he was almost vertical, but not entirely so as to make it easier for her to hold on. Up and up they ascended with mighty thrusts of his wings to keep gaining the altitude. But even as they went higher and higher, The air didn't get colder.... instead it got warmer. As though there was this pocket of air around him that countered the decreasing temperatures in altitude. It wasn't long before he was flying through and beyond the clouds above. Slowly he stopped the flapping of his wings and caught a stream of air, leveling out far above the clouds. His own eyes turned towards the moon in the sky, no longer inhibited by the night sky clouds, but a part of the night sky itself. Appearing much larger than usual at such a height. The pocket of warm air seemed to cool down a bit, but never dropped below what would feel like a warm spring afternoon. The city was almost a feint speck below, its lights could be seen but they seemed like tiny ants.

While his head was turned to look at the moon his eyes turned further to gaze at her upon his back. "Beautiful.... isn't it?" Even with the wind rushing by, his voice was uninhibited by its sound. It was as loud and clear as ever. Even with a tranquil and calm tone to it as he was in his natural element. The air. The sky. Complete freedom. Unrestrained movement. His head and his gaze turned to look down at the world below. Everything the moons light shone upon could be seen. Mountains far off in the distance. An ocean beyond them. Forests far to the left and different cities below. he turns his gaze to her once more to see her reaction. he was curious since he knew she had never experienced anything like this, and no had he ever done this for anyone before in his entire life.

[Relairah]

For her, it was like everything happened in slow motion, well at first. He moved toward the edge, almost as if taunting the great distance below. It certainly was a very long way down. She wasn't afraid - heights didn't bother her. But she didn't look down either. No, instead she was looking outward, skyward, every part of her tensed, anxious, anticipating what would come. She felt as though every fiber of her being was suddenly alive in a new way and as the wind picked up, it rippled through her hair, some of it blowing about her face. It carried many scents with it.

Then he leaped off the building. Okay, she had definitely not been expecting the sudden free-fall and while one on hand she was exhilarated, another instinct to leap and prepare herself for a landing seized her. But she also remembered she was sitting on top of a huge beast and if they did crash, he would most definitely absorb the impact. She calmed, pulling her eyes away from the rapidly approaching city and instead focused on his wings, watching as they moved inward and then suddenly burst outward in strength, catching the air and hoisting them into the sky. They rose higher and higher, pushing up through the clouds and she was surprised as the air was warm, almost in a welcoming way of their flight. She reached out her fingers, briefly as they passed through one cloud, recognizing it was only moisture which she felt but yet somehow expecting more. She had always wondered about clouds... Then they were rising again, higher and higher leaving the clouds below by several hundred feet, probably, though in such a vast expanse the exact distance was not so easily discernible unless to a trained eye. She looked around, taking it all in. Truly, as he said, it was beautiful. Breathtaking, even.

Her eyes couldn't help constantly trailing from one place to the next: the moon, the clouds, the ocean, the city, the distant landscapes which now seemed not so far away as she knew they were from traveling on foot. When he looked at her face, he would say she was clearly blown away, awed, and simply taking it in as fast as she could. This was certainly out of her element, but she didn't feel uncomfortable but rather at ease. Partially, it felt surreal, but she knew it was reality.

She nodded in response to his question, turning her gaze to meet his at last and smiling. "It's more than I ever imagined. I'm speechless." She paused, looking away at the scenery. "Thank you." Jolene shifted slightly, partially lying forward over his back though still hanging on. She was glad for her extra-dose of good balance. She wondered if it was like this for him every time he flew. Or if he had gotten used to it. "I suppose the world seems small to you since you can get anywhere pretty quickly... right?"

[Xenoxice]

Observing her reactions, a smile could be seen coming over his face. He looked down at the world below with his eyes and shook his head slightly, still smiling from the moment he was sharing with her. "The world is not so small as you would think, even when I travel as fast as I can. Some places take me hours to get to even gliding at my top speeds." With that comment he looked around as he still felt the wind blowing past them. Right now he was very clearly in a relaxed flight, nowhere near as fast as he could be going. But also with that thought, he looked back at her a bit mischievously. "You might want to hold on tight." With those words, he gave her a few seconds to prepare herself. Only a few seconds after she would, he sent into a near straight plummet. Although he was still going down at forward angle.

Down and down they raced as his wings folded in. Their speed seemed to only increase the further they traveled towards the ground. Wings folded in, his neck was stretched straight out and the air was moving by them at incredible speeds. Very slowly his wings began to unfold and they gradually and gently pulled from the dive without losing any speed. It wasn't long before they were flying straight, maybe but a few hundred feet from the ground as they were on the roof of that building, occasional flaps of his wings insured that he maintained his speed while staying straight. The ground and objects below seemed to blur past them. One would be hard pressed to see a clear image of anything on the ground. He simply looked back at her to see how she enjoyed traveling at such speeds through the sky.

[Relairah]

At his words, she couldn't help laughing, the sound full. "Yes, hours for you that would take days, or even months of travel for others." She shook her head, her laughter calming to soft snickers here and there. Her orange eyes were bright, feeling true happiness as she hadn't in a long while. Suddenly, he spoke, a warning to hold on. She immediately gripped him tightly, her instincts becoming aware. Then! He took off in a dive, once again freaking her out slightly though this time she wasn't as caught off guard. Aside from the fact that she knew not to fret. Clearly he was in control.

So this was what it was like for him to travel so fast? She was impressed, awed. To him, anyone else's pace must seem infinite, she thought! She couldn't help the squeal which had initially escaped her lips though now she had a wide grin as her hair whipped about her. She now wished she had tied it back as it would be a pain to brush out the tangles later. Such a thought did not dwell on her mind, however. She didn't try to look at the swiftly passing surroundings. Instead, she focused on him, allowing herself to enjoy the ride and take in his features, almost as if trying to memorize them.

At one point, she looked up, an idea flitting through her mind. A smirk came to her lips, a certain look flashing in her eyes and slowly, she began loosening her grip on the dragon beneath her. Carefully, she positioned herself to grip him with her legs and she bent back slightly, tilting her head back also and spreading her arms. Initially, she had considered standing on him, but had decided it would be better to try that another time. Mainly because, she highly doubted her cat claws digging in between the scales would really hurt him, but didn't want to try it without inquiring first. The last thing she wanted to do was to anger or hurt him and end up in a horrid situation.

Nevertheless, the wind racing past her felt glorious and she closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. She would do this until he slowed once again, laughter having been escaping her on and off and continuing once his flight was less intense. "How amazing!" she would exclaim, shifting once again to grip him with a hand once again. Her breath was coming slightly short, only because of the extreme speeds and how it affected her oxygen intake. She definitely wasn't used to it and it would take time to adjust. "Perhaps you will take me more in the future," she murmured, her body pulsing with adrenaline.

[Xenoxice]

Even upon his back, Zenithe was able to feel how she moved her body, what she did to adjust herself and even hear her words, as if she was speaking them right in his ear. Looking ahead at the upcoming surroundings, Zenithe smiled widely, banking to the left a bit. After a few seconds he let his torso drop a bit as he leaned back and slowed down drastically in speed. He couldn't have been more than just a hundred feet from the ground now as he slowly glided between some trees to land. The ground here looked odd... or rather the water nearby did. He would then lay himself down awaiting for Jolene to slide herself down from his back. Upon her doing so, he would stand up and begin the process of reverting back to his more human form. A much smoother process than shifting into his form and much quicker. His entire body enshrouded in a black smoke to the point nothing could be seen of his body. The smoke itself wrapped in upon itself and shrunk down in size as though it was condensing. It wasn't long, maybe just a matter of ten seconds before the smoke had formed more of a solid dome. Just a few moments after, the dome would burst and revert back to smoke rapidly dissipating, emitting a small shock-wave upon doing so, at least strong enough to cause the nearby trees to bend back noticeably.

From a kneeling position, Zenithe stood up and looked over towards Jolene, his eyes still as vibrant as ever as he held out his hand for her to come towards him standing next to the glowing water. With a hidden smile he gazed upon her and began explaining why he had brought her here. "This lake, is one of the few in the world that glows at night. You usually would only find things like this in the deepest and darkest trenches in the oceans. But somehow the glowing lifeforms have developed here as well." If she had taken his hand as he held it out, he would have continued to hold on to hers gently. If she had not, he would have let his hand fall to rest on the hilt of his sword. He simply gazed into the water as the watches the light dance across the ripples. Greens, blues, purples and oranges could be seen deep at the bottom but bright enough to radiate throughout the entire lake and been seen clearly above the water. "This is one of my favorite places..... it always has been. It's rare to find such a serene beauty in nature...." His eyes as well as his head turned to Jolene slowly, his voice growing soft and quiet, still easily heard however in the silence of the night in the forest with nothing more than the small splashing of the lake against the ground. "And even more rare... to find someone to share the moment with..."

It was more than likely obvious at this point form his tone and his actions that there was something about Jolene that made him soften infinitely more than he had before. He could feel emotions swell within him where he never could before. Emotions he only remembers as a child that he held behind a wall inside his heart but were now starting to flow over. The wall he had built around those emotions eroding away rapidly in her presence. If she had taken his hand previously, she would feel him squeeze it a bit tighter as if he didn't want to let it go. If she had not, she would notice that his hand was inching its way towards hers.

[Relairah]

When he landed, she slid off with ease, only a soft stir in the grasses from her boots. She took a slight step back as smoke began to envelope him, somehow not failing to see clearly and finally he was once again in his human form. She had to admit that was another thing about him that was different and made her curious. The way his clothes were like a part of him. When she transformed into a cat, her clothes became a mass weighing her down while when returning to human, she had to scramble into them to avoid being seen all exposed. It was somewhat embarrassing, actually. She wondered if there were a trick behind it, or it was just because of what he was?

She watched him curiously as he rose, reaching his hand out toward her. She hesitated only a moment before taking his hand. It was warm, a stark contrast to the night's chill and followed his lead, listening as he spoke. At this point it was obvious that he had captured all of her attention. She was baited on his words, eager for whatever was to come next. It was like in his presence, that sense of stubborn pride she carried around others - dominant, demanding, strong and independent - it melted away, knowing she could trust him, rest when he was there. She knew she needn't fear or be on guard. It was such a strange thing for her. Her whole life, she had always been her own protector, provider. In his presence, she didn't have to do it all alone.

She looked up at him, taking in what he said. The way he said it... it made her feel like the most important thing in the world. She blushed fiercely, something she was not accustomed to and looked down toward the lake, focusing on its serene surface. "It is beautiful." She was curious why he in such a short time had shown her so much. She had lived, traveled, explored everything around here, as far as she knew - and yet had never discovered this little secret of glow in the night. She knelt, still letting her hand be in his grasp, though the hand that was free reached toward the lake's surface, touching it gently, perhaps to see if her touch disrupted the glow. It was her nature, after all, that strange desire to touch things which drew out her curiosity.

She tugged slightly, but his grip tightened and she looked up once more, searching his face, trying to read his expression. She remained kneeling, her arm extending upward with her hand still in his. "What are you thinking?" she inquired, her voice as soft as a kitten's purr. At this point, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to stand or sit or lie in the grass. Perhaps it didn't matter so long as he was beside her. Suddenly she found her eyes tracing over his features, a stir of desire rising in her chest. Her orange gaze lingered on his lips only briefly before locking on his eyes, awaiting his response.

[Xenoxice]

Zenithe couldn't help but feel a fire in his chest and stomach. Usually there was always a fire there, his body emitted far more heat than the average person. But it was different now. It's as if the emotions that had been held back for so long and now coming forward was like pouring gas on the fire. The way her eyes looked, her body and figure, who she was, everything about her entranced him. He couldn't help but feel as though at any moment he would find himself saying something he never would have spoken before. How soft her hand was in his... it was so different as he had never held anyone's hand but his mothers when he was but a mere toddler. He heard her words... she had asked him what he was thinking. What -wasn't- he thinking would have been a better question. His mind was all over the place. Thoughts and feelings racing through his being as he stood so close, hand in hand beside her. he simply smiled behind his cloak and spoke without even thinking. "Many things...." A momentary pause came form him but then he finished his sentence. "All about you."

His eyes clearly showed that he was.... or rather already has fallen for her. His mind was blank and it was as if for once in his life his heart had completely taken over his body and did what -it- wanted him to do. His heart showing not only him but her, what it has desired for so long but was blocked behind an iron wall that has melted away. His free hand reached up and pulled his cloak and hood down. As well as pulling his hair free from being hidden behind his cloak. It was very long, reaching down past his waist, thin and straight while silver in color. The front of his hair fell to either side of his face in long streaks reaching to his collarbones. He simply looked into her eyes as he knelt down beside her.

With his eyes staring into hers he smiled lovingly at her. The features of his face were soft and refined. His eyes a stark contrast to his skin tone and hair, his skin not being entirely pale, but not very tan either as though the sun he did get while flying about in his dragon form affected him in his shrouded human form. He gazed into her eyes in silence as his free hand now slowly reached up. Without saying a word he gently placed his hand upon her cheek and caressed it with his thumb. It was very clear, more than anything else in his gaze that he longed for her. Slowly.... very slowly he started to lean towards her. This whole experience, all the way from the chase on the rooftops until now, was a completely new experience to him. There was something.... romantic about this lake. The way all the colors shone through from the bottom to the top and danced across the ripples and waves on the surface. The water itself was crystal clear and cold. And yet to him, the lake held nothing against the beauty that was on front of him. Inch by inch he leaned closer and gazed at her. Eventually..... closing his eyes as his hand remained upon her cheek caressing it.... and his lips met softly with hers.

((OOC: For the hair, think Sephiroth from FF7.))

[Relairah]

Now that she thought about it, perhaps her question had been silly, searching for something for some conversation between them. But his answer was equally vague, revealing nothing in the category of actual thoughts or detail. In some fashion, it gave her the urge to prod, inquire further. But she didn't. Instead, she watched his every movement, not missing even the smallest twitch of a muscle. She was speechless when he pushed back his cloak. It wasn't something she had been expecting at all. He was handsome, perhaps a certain beauty even in his features. She felt almost plain and undeserving in comparison, though the feeling quickly evaporated. Clearly he saw her worth, and she had never had any reason to feel poorly of herself before either.

Almost subconsciously, she reached up, tucking a few loose strands of her wavy brown hair behind her ear. The way he was looking at her, it turned her cheeks pink - again. But this time, she couldn't tear her gaze away. She didn't even realize she was holding her breath, still following his every motion. As he leaned closer, his name escaped her lips in an even softer whisper than the words she had questioned him with before. "Zenithe..." His hand was upon her face. It was warm, and somehow a soothing feeling. Never in her entire life had she let anyone even close enough to be able to touch her in such a fashion, let alone actually touch her. It was so new, but yet somehow inviting. Her orange eyes were more brilliant than ever, a myriad of emotions coursing through her, seemingly one with the quick pulse in her veins.

And then she felt his lips on hers. She felt as though all at once, her heart stopped, and yet was racing faster than ever before. She closed her own eyes, feeling as though some sort of electric shock had flowed through her at the touch of his lips. It was her very first kiss, and it was not something she would ever forget. He was so gentle, something so stark contrast to the one anyone else might think he was. A thoughtless mercenary, a powerful and elusive enemy of the guards. But here and now? Her breath released slowly as she kissed him back, daring to push her arms against his body. She didn't want it to end.