#briak

Briak sighed as he stood in front of the waterfall. Sola had just disappeared behind it, stepping through the crashing water and into the cave she had sensed behind it to escape the downpour they were currently stuck in. They were already soaked to the bone, so passing through a waterfall at the promise of a shelter was a worthwhile trade.

They had gotten separated from their retinue when hostile wild life attacked suddenly, and the downpour had begun shortly after. The weather was interfering with their vox signal; while they were occasionally able to hear garbled radio static, communicating their current location and arranging a rendezvous had been impossible. They had attempted to find their team, trudging through the rain and quickly softening ground, but an unceremonious tumble into the stream he was currently standing in had been their snapping point.

Briak waded through the water and braced himself as he passed under the waterfall. For a brief second the water pounded on his body and he found himself wondering how Sola’s bird like frame stayed standing while passing through. Behind the waterfall, he saw Sola crouched in the entry way to the cave. Her long hair clung to her body and face, creating a eerie visage as her pale eyes stared out from behind her inky hair. As Briak climbed into the cave and out of the water, Sola leaned into to his ear to let him know over the roar of the waterfall that cave went deeper, and would be dryer deeper inside. A new chill settled over his body apart from the one that had already settled in his bones from the rain. He was used to it at this point, being her personal guard for so long. In order to see Sola extended an aura of her psyker powers, which meant standing near her often resulted in a damp chill to settle across his skin.

Sola pulled away and the chill left his skin as she disappeared further into the cave. Briak followed, the roar of the waterfall becoming more muffled as they rounded a corner. It was dark, far too dark in the cave for him to see. “Sola, the cave is dark, I can’t see like yeh can.” He said with a clearing of his throat.

“A-ah yes of course, I’m sorry.” Came her timid reply. He heard her footsteps approach and felt her cold aura envelop him once more as she gently grabbed his hand. She led him further into the cave, until the roar of the waterfall settled into white noise. They must’ve entered an opening, as Briak felt Sola straighten to her full height. “There’s ah, crystals here that will provide some light for you… I think.” With that Sola released his hand and Briak found himself standing alone in utter darkness.

“Sola I don’t think-“ Briak was cut off as a bright blue light burst out of Sola’s hand, as his eyes adjusted to the sudden light, he saw Sola’s psykic lighting dancing around her hand as she extended it to the ceiling of the cave. As soon as she touched the crystals that lined the ceiling, the blue lighting quickly spread amongst the crystals, settling into a dim blue glow that barely illuminated the small cavern. She slowly lowered her arm, turning her unseeing gaze in Briak’s direction.

“C-can you see now?”

“Yeah, that works.”

Illuminated in the dim blue light, Sola was even more of an eerie sight. Her eyes seemed to glow the same blue as the ceiling, and her soaked astropathic robes clung to her body, outlining her bony elongated figure. Moments like these reminded Briak just how different she was from him. He was 5’ 10” and built like a ‘brick shithouse’ as his guardsmen peers had described him, but she still towered over him. At 7’8”, she was an imposingly tall figure, but looked as delicate as their Lord Captains gossamer veils.

Briak was snapped from his musings as he noticed Sola’s shivering under her soaked robes. With a grunt he shouldered off his rucksack to the ground with a wet smack, and began rummaging in it looking for their firestarter set. “Yeh should get undressed. It ain’t good fer yeh to be in wet clothes” he said as he pulled out the set. It was luckily contained in a waterproof case, for such instances where the user might fall into water, or find themselves in a sudden downpour. Sola quietly nodded, and through lightly chattering teeth began to peel the soaked cloth from her body. The cavern was small, but it would be enough room for the small fire, and would allow him and Sola to sit close enough to get warm, but not so close as for it to burn them.

Briak focused on getting the fire started as he heard Sola’s wet robes smack to the stone floor. It wasn’t unusual for him to see her in her underclothes, his bed was located in her quarters per their Lord Captain’s request and they’d had to go through decontaminations together after encountering enemies infected with an otherworldly pestilence. Still, he kept his gaze averted, she would step into his line of sight once she was comfortable enough to do so. Once the fire was healthy and burning away on its own, he turned away from the fire and began undressing himself. He sucked in a breath as the cold, soaked clothes left his skin, and for a moment his skin felt colder without them. The warmth from the fire quickly chased away the cold, heating his back comfortably. He had left his underclothes on; they were damp but would dry quickly enough by the fire. Turning back to the fire, Briak saw Sola standing awkwardly near the fire, quietly rubbing her hands and extending them above the flames. Her underclothes were simple, a white band that wrapped around her small chest, and a matching set of briefs. Her inky long hair was still plastered to her face and body, making light dripping sounds onto the floor below.

He let out a quiet sigh as he approached her. She was always timid about being the first to ‘take’ something, even if it was to her detriment to do so. This included taking a seat. He tried to explain to her that she needn’t wait for him to do such things, but something in her astropathic training must have instilled in her a great reluctance in her to do so. “Sit, Sola. Let me get yer hair off yeh.” With a hum Sola sat, her eyes hovering just above the small fire. As she sat, Briak stood behind her; gently gathering the damp strands of hair off her face and body. Using his fingers, he combed her hair towards her back, gently squeezing out the excess water. He felt Sola slowly relaxing as he settled into a seat behind her, continuing his process. She hadn’t told him, and would never dare ask for it, but he knew she enjoyed her hair being groomed. He had to untangle her hair on several occasions prior, and each time she had relaxed significantly during the process. He’d already squeezed out all the water he could, but continued to finger comb as he felt her sight aura slowly leave his body. Briak smiled slightly, she was closing her ‘eyes’, meaning he was doing his job well. Continuing his ministrations, he began quietly humming one of the many cadences he learned while training for the guard.

As he hummed, Briak began to loosely braid Sola’s hair, gently hanging it on a rock to hold the damp hair away from her now warmed body. He shifted to her side, bringing himself closer to the fire, and found himself looking at her as he continued to hum. Her eyes were closed, a rare sight as she usually kept them open wide, despite them not being used to see. Her mouth had relaxed from the thin line she usually kept it clenched in, and her eyebrows had softened from their usual concerned expression. She looked so serene like this. It was a rare sight, and Briak always felt a sense of pride whenever he was able to get her to relax.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t felt Sola’s sight aura slowly creep over him once more. “You’re staring.” Briak flinched when she spoke; she hadn’t changed her expression at all, so he hadn’t been expecting her to speak. “My apologies, my lady.” He said with a chuckle, and turned his gaze to the ceiling, watching the blue light gently ripple amongst the crystals. Moments passed, and he could hear Sola shifting to angle herself towards him. “I-I’m jealous that you know exactly what I look like. I only vaguely know your shape.” She said softly. Briak raised an eyebrow. “I thought yeh could see with yer… powers.”

“I can, but not like you see. It’s hard to describe, but I see you as a silhouette. I don’t get to see the structure of your face or body, just the outline.”

“Do yeh want to feel it then?”

“…W-what?”

Briak moved his gaze from the ceiling back to Sola’s face. Her pale eyes were wide open again, her face scrunched into one of confusion and surprise. “Yeh can’t see the structure of my face, but yeh could feel it. Consider it an apology for staring.” Briak reached behind her, gently unhooking her hair from the rock and unbraiding it, while she continued to look at him confused. Her face calmed into a neutral, albeit slightly nervous expression as he finished combing out her braid, leaving him sat closer to her than before. “I-if you’re okay with it, I’d like that.”

“I already gave yeh permission. Go fer it.”

Sola began to lift her hands shakily towards his face, her eyes wide.

“Ah, hold up there. Close yer eyes, trust what yer hands feel. Also, it makes me nervous to have yer big ol eyes looking at me so close.”

Sola closed her eyes, but Briak still felt her sight aura on his skin. “Both sets Sola.” He said with a chuckle. This pulled a nervous smile from Sola, and he felt her sight leave his skin. He nodded with an affirmative grunt. “Alright, go ahead.”

Sola gently lifted her hands to his face, her long fingers gently settling on his jaw. Her hands were clammy, but they always were. A side effect of being an astropath, she had told him once before. He watched her face slightly scrunch in concentration as she gently dragged her finger tips against his stubble until her right hand hit the scar that jutted up from his jaw and ended halfway up his cheek. A surprised hum came from Sola as she explored the width and length of the scar with her fingers. “Ah, got that one fightin a cultist. They got a piece o glass and slashed me nice and good. Pretty lucky they missed my neck and got my jaw instead.” Briak offered, slightly shifting in his seat. He hadn’t quite considered how close Sola would get when feeling his face, but the cave was small and she quite literally could not see, so it made sense for her to lean in close. He felt his neck heat up slightly from embarrassment, but he couldn’t find it in himself to look away from her face as she explored his. Her fingers moved beyond the scar on his jaw and traveled up to his ears, then his forehead and brows.

Sola’s fingers orbited his eyes, gently pressing in along the bone to understand its structure. Briak briefly closed his eyes to allow her to ghost her fingers across his eyes proper, opening them again once her fingers drifted to his nose. She had drifted even closer now; it must’ve been an unconscious effort to “see” better he figured. Her face had relaxed into one of a serene concentration, and Briak’s own expression softened in kind. Her fingers soon hit the scar that ran across his nose, and as before her fingers explored the length of it, taking in the depth, the texture, and how the old fractured bone had healed. “A cultist?” Sola asked softly, her fingers pausing their exploration for his response. “Ah no, this one is more embarrassin. Was helping train up some recruits on how to hand to hand fight with their rifles and one o the trainees smacked me right on the nose with the butt of his gun. Broke it and busted up the skin pretty good there.”

A small laugh came from Sola. “Did he get in trouble?”

“Nah, it was my fault fer standing in the wrong place. Learned my lesson that day that trainees will do anythin but what yeh expect them to do.”

Sola laughed lightly as her hands dipped below his nose to his mouth. Briak found himself holding his breath as her fingers traced the outline of his lips. Sola’s lips parted slightly – ‘Ah like when the lady in waitin puts on her lipstick.’ He thought. Must’ve been a reflex - or was she trying to get him to relax his mouth? Briak hadn’t realized it but he had clenched his jaw when he held his breath, which resulted in his lips being pressed into a line. Remembering to breath again, he relaxed his face, allowing his lips to part ever so slightly. Sola smiled in response – ‘Yup that’s what she wanted’ He thought with a sense of pride. Her fingers gently swiped over his lips proper, gently pressing to gage the volume. Her fingers slipped from his lips to his jaw once more and lingered there. Briak was suddenly very aware of how hard his heart was beating, and just how close Sola had gotten. He had to angle his head up to look at her face which was roughly five inches away from his, and he could feel her breath barely ghosting across his skin.

Briak’s heart pounded in his ears. He and Sola had been close ever since their first mission – quite literally as he was assigned to be her personal guard immediately after - and while they had to be in situations described as “intimate” before (Briak had argued decontamination was quite literally the least intimate experience ever, but the Rogue Trader has just given him a smirk and a wink) he had never felt his heart pound quite like this. Sure maybe it sped up every time his words made her smile or laugh, but that was just because that was such a rare sight. He only stared at her because she was bad at speaking up for herself, and he had to watch so he could speak up for her when needed. His heart was only pounding because she looked beautiful like this. Backlit with the dim blue glow of the ceiling and half lit by the warm light of the small fire, her face relaxed in a soft smile. Beautiful? He hadn’t thought that before – Briak’s racing mind was interrupted by Sola soft voice breaking the silence.

“Thank you.” She whispered, her hands beginning to slip from his face. Briak’s hand snapped up before he could think, holding one of her hands in place. Sola let out a surprised yelp and he immediately felt her sight wash over him, even though her physical eyes remained closed. He rose on his knees to level his face with hers, and carded his free hand into the hair at her nape. His heart was racing, his mind swirling – he was moving half on instinct. Her expression was confused and nervous, her lips pressed into a line, slightly worrying them with her teeth. “Close yer eyes.” He whispered, and she obeyed. The cold sensation of her sight left his body as he guided her hand he held to his nape, letting go of her wrist to brace himself against the wall behind her. He gently brought his forehead to hers, lightly pressing out the tension there from where she had clenched her eyebrows in confusion. He closed his eyes, feeling her breath against his face and how her pulse fluttered against where his arm touched her neck. “May I?” it was barely a whisper, he wasn’t even sure she’d know what he was asking. “Yes.” She whispered. “Please.”

Briak closed the distance between them, pressing his lips gently against hers. Relief flooded his body as she returned the kiss with a light hum. He pulled away slightly, opening his eyes to look at her. She was beautiful, her lips were lightly parted, a flush spread across her cheeks and ears. “You’re beautiful.” He breathed, leaning in again for another kiss. Sola closed this distance this time, her nails lightly pressing into his scalp as she pressed her lips against his. Briak deepened the kiss greedily as Sola brought her free hand to his back, lightly tugging his body closer to hers. His blood felt like fire in his veins; how had he not realized this sooner? Why had he not realized when others ribbed him when he was caught staring at Sola, or when his heart fluttered every time she shared a rare smile with him? How had he missed her wanting the same? Did she not know until now like he did? When –

His thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the crackle of the vox coming to life, causing them to break their kiss abruptly, Briak’s head whipping towards the rucksack. “Briak, Sola, come in. This is your Lord Captain Essentia Genovega. The storm has finished, do you copy?” The Lord Captain’s voice rang out over the vox. “Some timin.” He grumbled, pressing his forehead against Sola’s one more time before rising to his feet, outstretching his hand to help her rise as well. The vox crackled to life once more, the same message being repeated. Briak grabbed the vox, interrupting the call with his reply. “Yep, we copy. Currently in a cave behind a waterfall-“

“Ooooh am I interrupting?”

Briak took a deep breath. He was used to such teasing from the Rogue Trader and would normally have a quick retort, but this time she was interrupting.

“Oh Emperor on the Throne am I actually interrupting someth-“

“No. Sendin coordinates now.” Briak said through gritted teeth. He read off their listed coordinates as he redressed into his damp clothing. He closed out the call and set to dousing the small fire. Sola had also gotten redressed, and was nervously picking at her nails as Briak finished dousing the fire. He crossed the short distance to her, grabbing her hand on his. “I trust ye to lead the way, Sola.” He said, bringing her hand to his lips. They would need to talk, but that could wait until they were safe on the Rogue Trader’s ship once more. A soft smile graced Sola’s lips as she turned to the dark passage and led them from the cave.

~*~*~*~*~

They were soaked. Again. Taking shelter from a storm behind a waterfall was maybe not the smartest idea, when you’d have to walk through the waterfall to get out. The rendezvous location was close to the stream, so they were still soaked through when they convened with the Lord Captain and the rest of their retinue. Essentia’s own clothes appeared damp, but nowhere near as soaked and He and Sola were. A devious smile played across her lips as she regarded them.

Briak was not going to hear the end of this for a while.