#rorali

The most recent and overall a large majority of the art works that incorporate this character are portrait shots of her face. Far more pigments are used for her images, demonstrating her pink colored skin, violet strands and colored horns that curve around the back of her head in the shape of a ‘c’, mirroring those of a ram that are colored by an ombre of indigo that fades into a charcoal black. Her face is etched into parchment in an assortment of different poses, expressions and angles with ever changing backgrounds. Her hair is also drawn in different styles and lengths, both up and down, neatly secured with ornamental pins and hastily tied up with old elastic bands and twine. 

Strung up like twinkling stars in the night sky are assortments of trinkets and small hand crafts. Glass and crystal beads of assortments of natural hues and vibrant colors sit side by side on string and twine and are laced into intricate shapes to make forms of small animals and reptiles while some pieces are simply nicely assorted bracelets and necklaces. Tassels of bundles of feathers and furs that look like they could be looped or clipped into the ends of weapons or used to decorate spell casters’ staffs and focuses are little across the floor of the cell that is cluttered with ceramic sculptures and hand drawn maps. From the ceiling a wooden wheel covered in a thick layer of bright green moss hands and from it dangle stained jars and terracotta  pots secured by thick cords of rope. From the containers sprout medicinal herbs and plants, some planted in soil and home are hydroponic, floating in just a water solution. 

As the wheel creaks and the bottles and pots clink as it turns ever so slowly, rocking from the force of the magical hits from outside the stone walls of the cell. It’s complaints sound softly along with the repetitive ‘tink’s that sound from the a mallet hammering against a smaller, fine metal tool with a flat head, pushing framing pieces of silver below the raised edges of purple and blue fragments of crystals, securing them to the leather cover of an age journal. The jagged and raw edges of the gems shone and radiated between colors in the rays of stun streaking through the barred, stained glass window that casted colorful refractions that danced across the walls and floor of the cell. The journal, it’s leather now soft and pliant from age, stood tall off of the ground. Already a very thick book due to its bent and worn out spine and separate pieces of paper with notes written on them, dried plants and flowers and whatever else is thin enough to close the pages around, the inclusions of the crystals only made it’s stature more mighty. 

Hunched over the journal, sat with crossed legs just before it with a focused expression was the scrawny frame of a tiefling male with short little horns that licked over the back of his purple tuft of shaggy hair then flared back up at the crown of his head. From him originated the off-count humming as he paused his leather working to lift the journal from the makeshift workspace he made by laying out the forest green fabric of his cloak. Warm brown eyes surrounded in a yellow sclera stand out against the sunken skin of his face as they study his work. His spindly hands hold the journal at different angles, flashing it in different rays of light before letting out another hum and placing it back down on his cape. 

“Alright now… Just a few more finishing touches.” The man spoke to himself as he pushed his glasses made of a thin gold frame and shards of colored glass up onto the bridge of his nose where they sat crooked because of the dents and bends at the bridge and ear pieces that they have developed over the years. He shifted from his seated position, moving only as much as necessary to reach the adventuring pack that he had discarded in one of the corners of the cell and searched through it, pulling small, bright yellow pieces of a calcite like crystal and an old and bent box that looked like it was about to fold in on itself. Quickly he went back to pressing the pieces of crystals into the cover of the journal, continuing to hum and mutter to himself as he worked. Again he studied his craftsman shift, judging to see if his efforts were up to standard, running a hand through his grown out, scruffy beard that was littered with stray gray hairs as his eyes scanned over the cover. 

His hands carefully secured the journal closed by pulling the elastic ribbon over the pages inside and snapping the leather strap extending from the back cover into place on the front. Handling the book between his hands, he gave it one last look over before he stood, picking up the box of chalk that was tossed to the side while he worked. As he stepped away from his station his previously upbeat and eccentric demeanor shifted a more serious and critical one. He approached a uncharacteristically clear space in the clutter of the cell, an assortment of different runes and arcane drawings etched into the wall, a majority unfinished and smudged. The box strained as the man opened it and dug into the very bottom, carefully picking out the smallest sliver of multicolored chalk that radiated with a disorienting glow, creating a feeling of vertigo if one looked at it directly for too long. “Quickly now Asair, you’ve spent too long fiddling about, she’ll be here soon.” He hissed under his breath as he quickly sketched the shape of an oval onto the wall, about two foot tall and a foot across. As his outline transferred onto the stone, it began to glow with the effect of light refracting through a clear prism, its intensity growing stronger and the rays stretching further across the cell as the man brought a palm to the center of the shape. He let his tired eyes fall closed as he spoke in a foreign language under his breath, a familiar sensation of warm, glittering energy growing and balling up in his chest and flowing down a line down his arm and splitting off into separate branches in the pads of his fingers. As his murmurings progressed, his volume and intensity behind the words he spoke grew as he progressed towards the end of a spell, underneath his fingers appeared swirling orbits of the light and environment of another world. The swirls span and grow with a tearing sensation as they rip apart the fabric of reality to create a one sided mirror and portal. Because of the urgency that the man had while casting the spell, rushing it as much as possible without causing any detrimental side effects, the image that appeared was blurred and cast in shadows. Light sources shown too bright to be able to see clearly and cast a severe flare across the image and shadows were a murky, indiscernible mess. From his hurried glance he was able to make out the scene of a group of travelers gathered in a shared camp. A majority danced in pairs around a blazing bonfire while a handful stood out from the festivities, playing different instruments together to strike up a musical tone that was rung in muffled beats through the magic of the spell. Immediately, a short figure caught his eye and filled his heart with a sweet fondness and love as he watched her cloaked figure stumble through the fast steps of the unfamiliar dance. She seemed to bicker and fight with her partner, even taking a few ineffective strikes against him as his attempts to swoon her persisted even with her clear disdain for him. 

“Oh my dear…You are quite a character.” He chuckled as he pulled his eyes away from the mirror and looked down at the journal in his hand, “I hope this finds its way to you safely…I double and triple checked my math, but I will admit it is not my strong suit.” The portal surged as the leather bound journal was raised to its surface, a few cracks breaking into the surface, from which crackles of white magical energy snapped from. The man filled his chest with air, feeling the twisting and turning ball of energy grow in potency. He took in a second big breath, pushing the energy through his arm and to his hand yet again as his murmurings picked back up. The mirror shot out more sparks of energy as more power filled it, straining as the man forced the journal through it causing it to collapse in on itself the moment the object passed all the way through. A blast of air brushed through his tousled hair as the corners of the oval he had drawn rapidly shut down towards the center like a force of gravity had pulled them in, a fiery ‘whoosh’ sounding through the cell as it did so. 

The sound of a heavy metal door slamming shut just down the hall followed by the heavy footsteps of heeled feet echoed into the cell, along with the quiet murmurings of a posh and noble voice. A seed of dread began to grow in the pit of his stomach as the sounds reached his ears. He pushed himself to stave off the disheartening feelings with a smile and heavy sigh as she let his fingers drop from the wall where his spell was once cast, the remains of arcane energy uncoiling from the center of his chest and dispersing through the rest of his body where they lay dormant until use. He took a moment to himself with his back turned to the door of his cell as the footsteps neared, their volume growing loud enough that it was all that he was able to hear. He again pushed up the frames of his glasses, ran a hand through his hair and dusted off his clothes and put an easy going, welcoming smile as he turned on his heel, greeting the figures that cast looming shadows into the room. 

Down the hall to the right hand side of the main lobby, she stood with her back leaning on the wall, just around the corner as the hall bent into a shorter, room lined corridor. She had split off from her fiery companion, leaving her to handle the booking of their room, of which she can easily hear their muffled murmurings, accompanied by the crackling and roaring of a fireplace. As their conversation trailed on, Rorali found herself more and more impatient, shivering off the growing chill of the empty air that started to claw at her skin and shuffling her feet in discomfort, the creaking and ruffling of her leather garb able to be heard clear as day in the silence, much to her shock. 

A booming laugh, that was still much too loud for the obvious effort that was put into muffle, was her ringing bell of salvation as it signaled that Valorie was finally wrapped up in her small talk and formalities. Rorali grimaced as her leathers creaked again in response to peeling herself from the wall she perched herself against, curing under her breath as she realized she had to oil them again. The footsteps of her partner echoed through the lobby  and into the hallway as she approached, her large and bold frame turning the corner, and her warm eyes finding the much shorter frame of Rorali quickly. Overtime, as the two of them went on more missions with each other, she became accustomed to her devilish partner parking herself in what she liked to call ‘Rorali spots’ until she came to collect her. Frequently, she places bets with the other party members on where she will find the tiefling, so when she accurately guessed Rorali’s hiding spot this time around, she couldn’t help herself from grinning brightly as she rounded the corner and laid her eyes on Rorali. Her grin though, was cut short as she noticed the bitter scowl that rested on her partner’s face, well, more bitter than usual, as well as her curse. 

“What’s wrong?” She asked, raising an eyebrow and bringing a ring heavy hand up to the top of Rorali’s head, placing it in the space between her horns and giving her neatly tied back violet strands a playful ruffle. Sure, Rorali was moody, but there is a very distinct difference between her angst and her being upset. “Are you cold?” Being a tiefling and thus having demonic heritage, Rorali is able to withstand much higher temperatures than most creatures, and quite enjoys hotter climates- but this makes her much more susceptible to the cold, and it just so happens that desert temperatures at night frequently reach below freezing. Rorali often expressed her disdain for being cold, and is usually the first to cover up when it comes to chilly weather, so when Valorie rounded the corner and saw her all bundled up in her cape with her arms pulled into her chest under it, the math seemed easy. 

“Well, yeah. But that’s not what I’m bitching about. I have to oil my fucking gear again.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah… I’m getting really fucking tired of dealing with this old shit. It’s worn down and can’t keep its moisture so it keeps getting creaky.” 

“We’ll have plenty of money to get you new leathers after we finish this job. Come on, you’re getting cranky.” 

“I was waiting on you, prince charming.”

“Oh, what, are you jealous now?” 

“Very. Now move you oaf.”

Another booming laugh echoed through the staircase as Rorali gave the taller woman a small, but forceful shove up the stairs, which the tiefling quickly hissed out a shush for undoubtedly waking up a couple visitors, and then hid the hot flush of her cheeks under the cover of her cloak as they continued to climb. 

The pair continued to travel up staircase after staircase in relative silence until they reached the third and final floor of the inn, where they then began searching for the smudged and faded writing of their  room number on the tag attached to the key they were given. Valorie clomped through the hall, passing room after room as she checked for their number while Rorali gave a quick scan of the area and swiftly located their door, giving Valorie a hushed shout as she walked over to it. The fire genasi woman jumped at this a bit and looked back over her shoulder in shock, blinking at the tiefling in disbelief before she looked at the number posted beside the door she was stood beside and then back down at the faded ticket and confirmed that the number 76 matched the both of them. 

“How do you do that?” She asked, shaking her head as she let out another chuckle and walked towards Rorali, who shrugged in response. “Aww, you’re sleepy huh?” Valorie snickered, looking at the short woman out of the side of her eye fast enough to catch the flood of color to her cheeks before she could hide it, and soon there was a new motivation behind her grin. 

“Open the door you fucker.” The little one snapped after she fixed her surprised expression into an icy glare, confident that she composed herself in time for Valorie to not notice how her coy comment affected her. “Alright, alright! And I was just starting to think that you were finally tired enough to stop being so mean!” Valorie hummed as she filled with the lock of the door until it let out a satisfying ‘click’ which prompted the genasi to pull it open, allowing for Rorali to slip into the room in front of her, which Valorie knew she would do anyway. A creak sounded in the hall as Valorie pulled the door shut behind them and then a final ‘click’ as she locked the door. 

As they stepped into the room a blast of bone chilling cold hit them both first, causing them both to gasp and turn to each other in shock before splitting off on a mission to find a way to heat up the place. Rorali was the first to find their complementary box of matches and go around lighting the candles and Valorie took up camp at the fireplace and went to work assembling their kindling and firestarter. In a short time the dark and frigid room was comfortably lit and warm and they were both dropping their heavy gear. Soon the room became cluttered with heavy packs, a multitude of blades, belts and other attachment pieces, Rorali’s leathers and Valorie’s metal plates and the two of them finally felt the comfort of being just in their day clothes for the first time in a long while. Only once they were done stripping off their cumbersome adventuring garb and Rorali found an oil lamp which she then lit up, did their attention turn more pointedly to their surroundings, most importantly for Rorali, the single bed that filled the tight space. 

The tiefling’s face lit up in a bright flush as she realized this and she felt her heart jump into her throat, forcing her to swallow it and steady herself as she did a quick one over of the room, hoping to prove herself wrong and find a door that she didn’t initially notice that led to a separate room or a couch pushed against a wall. Her stomach dropped as she crushingly found no such signs. 

“Uh… did we not… get another bed?” She asked, watching as the Valorie fell back against the bed, the frame creaking and rocking back against the wall as she did so. 

“Nope. Cheaper this way, or that’s what Alxid said.” The genasi sighed, stretching her arms above her head and let out a big yawn, doing her best to conceal her smug excitement. She knew that this was planned by the dragonborn from the start. The whole party knew about the growing tension between the two women and were both sick of it as well as very invested in the potential relationship, and it was not the first ploy they tried to pull to get them together, but it was the first successful one. 

“Why do you not want to share a bed together?” She sneered, rolling onto her side to look more directly at the still stunned tiefling, watching her shuffle shyly. For so many reasons, it was entertaining for Valorie to watch the ever so steady and stealthy Rorali who always knew what to do and executed whatever she was doing so perfectly not know how to handle herself. The satisfaction of watching her carefully curated facade of cold professionalism crumble and reveal the true Rorali that hid behind it. She was enchanted by the sweet, blushy Rorali that was addicted to her attention and praise. She dreamt of the soft and tender Rorali that she could hold and talk in hushed whispers to while the shorter one worked dedicatedly on a warm, heartfelt breakfast for the both of them. When she closed her eyes she saw the glimmering, bright smile and heard the sweet laugh of the rare friendly and humorous Rorali that sat beside her at a diner booth, their elbows and hips touching as she slung harmless insults and jokes over the table to the party members across from her. Valorie’s life has revolved around the devilish girl since they both almost collided at the rundown bar downtown of the city plaza, and now she lay in a warm bed with an empty space beside her, smiling expectantly at her love.  

“No, It’s not that… I just- Is it not a little bit awkward?” The pink skin girl spat, the rose colored tint filling her cheeks once again, but this time it was much too strong for her to fight back or brush off as she was caught in the pursuing gaze of Valorie’s hot honey eyes. 

“What do you mean? The bed is plenty big enough, why would it be awkward?” Valorie hummed in an amused tone, pushing an arm under herself to sit up and scoot towards the edge of the bed closest to Rorali. 

“What, do you just share beds with everyone you meet? You really are easy huh?” Rorali huffed as Valorie neared, her response prompting the genasi to raise her eyebrows up at her with a chuckle before extending a hand towards her. 

“C’mon, we have an early rise.” Valorie spoke softly, most of her rousing tone now gone from her voice as exhaustion began to take over as she responded to Rorali’s hesitant turning of the gesture by wrapping her fingers around her small and boney wrist, guiding her with a gentle but firm touch onto the bed. It creaked and rocked again as Rorali climbed onto it, which caused her to instinctually freeze for a moment before she was soothed out of it by Valorie with a small chuckle and hum. The genasi pulled back the old sheets so the tiefling could crawl in as she was undoubtedly still quite cold, especially without the extra layer of insulation from her leather armor. She quickly followed after, covering herself in the layers of blankets and shifting around until she found a comfortable sleeping position. She lay on her back, one arm lifted over head and tucked under her pillow, the other draped over her stomach over the sheets, glancing over to her side where Rorali laid on her side, back facing the genasi and curled into a tight ball that would be sure to leave a series of aches by morning. 

“Comfortable?” Valorie hummed, trying not to chuckle at the silly sleep position that Rorali took up, and listened for her quiet ‘yeah’ in response before letting out a heavy, tired sigh through her nose.

 “Good, talk to ya’ in the morning.” 

“Talk to you in the morning.”

Silence fell over them as the crackling of the fire filled the air, which was soon accompanied by the peaceful sleeping breaths of Valorie, who was able to easily drift off. Rorali however, fought to keep from tossing and turning in the creaky, shitty bed and waking up the adjacent genasi. Sleep was already a difficult task for her as she could never seem to easily get herself to fall asleep when she actually wanted to, but struggled to keep her eyes open when she needed them to be. Since she started living with her mentor, she had found herself awake at early hours of the morning after giving up on trying to trick herself into slumber hoping to either distract herself from the dragging feeling of sleep deprivation or tire herself out. Medicine seemed to be the only relief she could find, but every kind would make her devastatingly ill after taking it. Most would make her debilitatingly nauseous and sleep hungry, unable to shake off the powerful and convincing hands of slumber, especially since all of her waking hours would be spent bent over a toilet emptying her stomach. Others would make her delusional, causing her to see terrible illusions of shadowy figures and hear alarms and shouts that were never there. Sometimes herbal teas can provide her with some relief, but most times they create a tormenting feeling of a yearning need for sleep that can never be satisfied. 

Usually she tries to not think about her lost hours of sleep and unwind doing simple tasks like reading and doodling in her journal until she can get some shut eye, but that didn’t seem like it would be an option with the woman beside her in the bed. Her heart still pounded in her ears relentlessly as the sound of her blood rushing muffled her surroundings, making her feel like she was dunked underwater. Her mouth was dry and her throat holding her breaths captive as she lay on her section of the battered mattress like a freshly dropped fawn, waiting for the minutes, and her threats to pass. 

She couldn’t shake the image of Valorie closing in on her like a siren to an enchanted sea captain, calling her bluff in the most earth shattering way as she caught the hand that the tiefling extended without her own notice. The warmth of the genasi’s palm encasing her chilled digits and fighting back their icy bite posed a feeble distraction for the body of fire that Rorali watched herself be pulled into. Valorie’s comforting eyes collected her ghostly ones with confidence, casting a warm embrace that surrounded her small frame that pulled her worries and doubts from her head like dead hairs. The sequence replayed over and over across her sight until she found herself painfully aware of the present, frozen now more in awe instead of fear. She wondered to herself how she managed to get herself into a situation like this. What part of her thought that this was okay? Every moment she spent baring her heart to the genasi beside her was a moment of her accepting the degradation of everything she spent years to build up. Her cold demeanor, calculating and critical mind, lack of attachments and strings to hold her back and complicate her life- it was all being thrown in the fireplace that was burning its heat into her back… and she was letting it. 

Before she knew it she found herself untangled from the comfort of the bed and its sheets, her violet locks tousled and let loose from their confines of her day-time updo hung down over her shoulders and neck. Encased in a personal cocoon made from the comforter that she swiped from the top of the bed, which Valorie’s sleeping form didn’t seem too disturbed by, she sat huddled in front of the fireplace that tormented her. Its flames licked at her nose and cheeks, puffing its hot breath as she used a fire poker to prod at the charcoal left by spent kindling. Its light flashed before her eyes like sparks as she stared intently at the red hot glow of the flame’s heart. Its roaring filled her ears and drowned out her spiraling thoughts and she was content to spend her time feeding and nurturing it until she found herself tired enough to sleep through the night and forget that any of this ever happened. Her prayers that she would retire before the genasi behind her roused and noticed the absence of her partner beside her were not answered however as she heard the rustling of a few thin layers of moth bitten cloth and a half-asleep yawn.

Valorie woke slowly and easily as she rolled onto her side, reaching down to pull up the comforter that she remembered falling asleep with, but was confused to find that all she could grab handfuls of was the dainty undersheets that kept getting caught up in her legs. She sat up a bit at this, rubbing her eyes that were still full of sleep so she could better look for the warm blanket, haphazardly patting around the mattress until a shadowy figure perched at her feet tore her attention away from her search. Her heart jumped into her chest and she quickly reached down by the side of the bed for a handy weapon of reflex before her eyes focused properly and she recognized the familiar form of Rorali. Relief flooded through her system as she let out a heavy breath, laughing to herself and bringing the hand that snapped for a blade to the center of her chest, feeling the hurried beats hammering against it. 

“Fuck Rore, you scared the shit out of me!”

“Oh, sorry.” 

“Like seriously, I need to get you a bell or something- I didn’t hear you get up.” 

“That’s… the point?” 

“I know, I know, but damn- you’re scary sometimes.” 

Silence returned Valorie’s banter, but filling the space was a fond smile that made Valorie’s chest fill with pride graced Rorali’s berry tinted lips as she laughed to herself in response, shaking her head and turning her eyes back to the fire that she was apparently tending too. As the humor of the situation faded, Valorie found herself curious to what caused the tiefling to leave the bed instead of turning over and jabbing her in the side to bark at her to toss a couple pieces of wood into a dying flame because she was cold. Her eyebrows knitted together as she watched over Rorali’s swaddled form, her movements uncharacteristically unpurposed as she meaninglessly bothered the fire with a prod. The genasi just assumed that the tiefling had just recently gotten up and the initial noise didn’t wake her right away, but after judging the situation more closely and waking up some more, it appeared that the Rorali had been awake for quite some time…

“Hey,” She spoke quietly, noticing how the girl very slightly turned her shoulder towards her in response and a faint grimace pulled at the corners of her mouth. “What’s up?” She asked, beginning to peel back the frankly embarrassing cover of sheets from her body, all remains of slumber dispelled at the sight of an upset Rorali. “Why are you up?” 

Rorali didn’t respond at first as she watched out of the corner of her eye as Valorie got out of the bed, moving with the urgency of capturing a dazed bird that just hit a window, intent to not startle her. A slew of gentle prodding questions were laid out on her shoulders that she instinctively put up to protect herself, and she remained silent as the familiar heat of her partner's hands came to rest on the peaks of bone. At first it was a feather light touch, wary of snapping that last thread that she could be balancing onto. The flinch that came from the tiefling was expected from Valorie, and she felt the usual rise of knotted muscle against the palm of her hands as the girl resisted the infiltration of her comfort. A concerned sign fell from the genasi’s mouth at Rorali’s response to her touch, which the pink skinned girl felt fan over the nape of her neck, sending a shiver she wasn’t able to conceal down her spine. Valorie noticed and with a shake of her head she began to push her thumbs into the tense balls of muscle that pushed against her hands in a massaging motion. Rorali always did this… She would jump, flinch, cuss and hit whoever was brave enough to touch her to try to convince them to leave. It never worked on Valorie though, she always saw the yearning looks that followed after her fits, making it clear that her little demon was really just a little girl who wanted love but never learned how to accept it. 

“I couldn’t sleep.” Rorali eventually confessed, her face filling with color as she felt Valorie’s hot thumb pads move from the backs of her shoulder blades up to the pressure points on the sides of her neck, digging in firmly and causing her to wince at the phantom of pain that ghosted over her skin. 

“What do you mean?” Valorie responded easily, becoming more focused on breaking apart every cluster of bundled cords of muscle that she came across while she waited for the tiefling to continue. 

“I…I’ve always had trouble with it. That’s why I’m always awake before the others. Usually I wake up and can never really fall back asleep, so I just start doing something so I don’t drive myself crazy in my cot.” Valorie’s eyes widened at this and she stopped massage to instead get a better grip on Rorali as she leaned over her a bit more, looking down at her with another concerned expression. “Really? I just thought you were an early riser?” She murmured, her now more critical eyes locking onto the deep shadows etched into the planes below the tiefling’s misty eyes. She had begun to question Rorali’s sleep schedule early on into their affiliation, but the woman never seemed too disturbed or distracted during their missions or even in simple day to day interactions… so she just never really worried about it too much. 

“I’m guessing that’s why you’re always taking those power naps, hmm?” She chuckled, trying to bring a bit more humor to the conversation so Rorali didn’t feel like she was getting a scolding for something that was out of her control and she evidently felt pretty ashamed of. She didn’t really wait for the woman’s response, knowing she wouldn’t get a lot back and released her jailing hold on her shoulders. 

“Why didn’t you ever tell us about this Rore?” She hummed again as her hands followed a dreamy trail up the back of the tiefling’s neck, knotting her fingers into her rarely free locks and sliding her finger tips against her fevery skin with a small grin pulling at the corner of her mouth as got to feel the shiver that followed. “We could have helped you, y’know?” She was a little surprised that Rorali had let her do this much without some sort of protest or attack, usually she would have gotten too flustered by now to handle the tingling sensation of the blazing trails of heat that her fingers left as the started to comb through the tousled locks.  

“There’s nothing any of you could have done.” “How do you know that? With five heads put together I’m pretty sure we could have come up with something.” 

“I don’t know…” 

“It’s not like we don’t care enough to try and find some remedy for you. We’ve done crazier things for less Rore. You know we’d do anything for you, right?” 

“Yeah-I know.” 

“Okay.”

Val decided to provide some relief to the no doubt flustering touch she was subjecting the tiefling below her to as their conversation became a bit more serious, responding to the way that Rorali began to cave into herself in a way that she had barely been lucky enough to catch brief glimpses of in the past. Rorali really did her best to hide it when she began to withdraw, and for the most part, she accomplished her goal. It was clear to all party members that the tiefling wasn’t used to having friends, so they did their best to accommodate her when she started to struggle in the social situations. Sure, she is able to swindle and seduce most people with her tactical charms and persuasion, but she isn’t good at coming out from behind the curtains at the end of the show. Most times she didn’t know what to say, so she opted for silence. Her jokes usually come out as insults because she isn’t good at managing her tone and her nerves make it even more difficult, so she throws them out like daggers to cut out the middle man. When people pursue her, she pulls back, and when the party resting around the campfire gets rowdy, she gets overwhelmed and usually finds a way to slip away into her own world of solitude. She always did her best to not let her facade of confidence and aloofness crack, so seeing the seconds of panic when her emotions flooded her chest too fast and made her scramble for a reaction always made Valorie’s heart ache for the poor girl. All the genasi wanted to do was be able to wave her hand and make all of Rorali’s troubles disappear and somehow, someway be able to convince her that she is in fact, lovable. 

“Hey, will you let me try something?” She sighed, her hands coming to first rest on the soft nape of Rorali’s neck that was bared to her, then fall down to the small of her back. The tiefling’s spine curved upwards as the burning palm of Valorie’s hand slid down each of her vertebrae and found its perch between her shoulders, where no one has ever friendly touched her in years. 

“What is it?” Rorali struggled to croak out as she started to lean forward out of the reach of Valorie’s hand, only guiding her into the correcting embrace of the one that she stuck out to catch her. She kept her head forward, staring directly in front of her into the fire as she felt her upper body be gently coaxed into leaning back further than it was previously, her shoulders and neck colliding against the hips and lower stomach of the genasi behind her. 

“I used to have trouble falling asleep when I started traveling too, you know.” Valorie spoke, letting out another sigh that sounded a bit different than the others. Rorali was able to catch the slight hitching of Valorie’s breath and how the ones that followed after were hurried. “It was being in new places all the time and sleeping in beds that weren’t mine… It made it really hard for be to get comfortable enough to sleep peacefully, so I went back home one week and I told one of the medicine dealers about it, and she ended up giving me this oil made of her- Now, will you give that fire a rest?” Rorali glanced back over her shoulder as the fire pokers she had been harassing the fireplace pulled away from her with a chuckle, and hung up with the other hearth tools. Even in the tense moment, the tiefling was able to crack a small smile, huffing out a quiet ‘fine.’ as she let her fidget be taken from her before Valorie’s fond retelling of her story resumed. “It’s made of lavender and chamomile and… other stuff- I don’t really remember what all it has in it but you’re supposed to take some and rub it on your pressure points like on your neck and under your ears. It usually worked for me. Do you want me to put some on you?” 

Rorali was suspicious when Valorie started talking about the oil. She had tried many products just like it before and none of them did even a little bit to fix her problem, unless there was some secret spell or wonder that Valorie’s medicine dealer put in it, the same blend of herbs that every sleep aid used wasn’t going to do anything different. As the genasi spoke however, the heat that was radiating off of her into the sore and tight muscles of Rorali’s back lulled her into a state of mind that was akin to a trace, where she could think deeply about everything that had transpired that evening without spiraling into dread. The more that she thought while listening to the words of the genasi that became background noise, the more she could put the care that Valorie was providing into perspective. 

Rorali had done everything she could to get Valorie to leave her- to stop trying and give up on her, label her an apathetic bitch and move on with her life. Even with all of her efforts, Val persisted in her pursuit, refusing to be shaken by Rorali’s act. Day after day, Valorie was there, handing out unreturned kindness and empathy, knowing that one day, Rorali would finally let her in and understand what all of it was for. There really was nothing more that she could ask for from the genasi, and in every way possible she did everything she could to help and support Rorali. Here and now, Valorie was asking to help her, so why should she say no? 

“Yeah. Go ahead.” The tiefling hummed, bringing her hand out of her encasing of comforter to lay it on her strong thigh that was supporting a majority of her weight and used it to sit up, looking over her shoulder at the elemental behind her. “How do you need me?” 

Valorie didn’t expect Rorali to agree so easily to her offer, so she was shocked when she already started moving to let her put the oil on. She actually jumped a little when she felt Rorali use her leg to push herself up from her already very shockingly relaxed recline against her. “Oh, um- just turn around to face me, I just really need your neck.” She replied, almost stuttering way too much for everything that she pulled that night as she rushed to turn around and crouch down to her discarded backpack. She hurriedly rustled through the pockets and a couple of separate, smaller bags that held some spare jewelry, food rations and other not really essential items. In short time she located the small vial of oil and happily exclaimed in a hushed voice as she held it up for the tiefling behind her to see as she worked to reorganize and close her pack with her free hand. 

“Found it!” She hummed as she stood up, buzzing with excitement as her shock and nerves were melted away by a feeling of euphoria at the realization that a moment she has dreamed of has become her reality. She studied the container of oil as she approached Rorali, giving it a small shake before holding it up to her. The oil was for the most part clear, but it had gained a slight purple tint to it from the lavender blooms that have been suspended in it for an apparent long period of time. Along with the lavender flowers and stems were other herbs that she couldn’t really identify from first glance. She could pick out chamomile flowers, however a lot of the plants and spices that were included in the mixture were foreign to her. “Okay, I’m just gonna- Uh- I’m going to be touching your face and your neck a lot… is that alright? It should be quick- don’t worry, it shouldn’t be really weird or anything.” Valorie stammered, feeling suddenly much more shy once she caught herself looking a little too intently at Rorali's pretty face, which made her train of thought puff away from her like smoke and her cheeks to dust with heat and a shade of pink.  

“Yeah, that’s fine Valorie.” The tiefling responded easily, nodding her head as she reached behind her to push her purple strands off of her shoulders, tucking her side pieces behind her pointed ears. “Okay! Good- Um.. Let me just- get it open really quick.” Valorie laughed nervously, her face becoming even more red as Rorali revealed the skin of her neck, the moonlight streaming in from the thin curtains covering the windows cast it in an angelic frame. Her fingers fumbled with the cork plugging the oil a couple times, almost dropping onto the floor after she succeeded in pulling it,where it would inevitably roll off into the darkness, never to be seen again. The genasi had started off so strong and with so much confidence, so why was she struggling now? Why was she so flustered? Valorie tried to shake off her nerves as she dropped off the bottle cork on a bedside table, collecting herself so she could get through the next steps without cracking. 

“Okay…” The genasi breathed as she took rocking footsteps back over to Rorali, more focused on tapping out the proper amount of oil onto her fingers than her pathing. The dominating scent of lavender, citrus and other scents that she still couldn’t identify flooded Rorali’s nose as Valorie closed in on her. Some of the scents had an earthy, more mellow smell that was sort of similar to the chamomile that she saw when Val first showed it to her, others had a spice to them that left a tingling sensation in her nose and throat when she breathed them in. “Strong huh?” Valorie chuckled, noticing how Rorali started to take smaller breaths once she got close, “I know, that’s what makes it work so good though. You’ll get used to it quick, I promise.” The tiefling nodded at this, her eyes following Valorie’s hands as they started to come to the sides of her head. “Are you ready?” The genasi asked her, checking in on her partner by catching her eyes and waiting for a hum from the girl before she smiled and continued. 

“Alright, it might be a little cold.” Valorie spoke as she used the knuckles of her middle and ring fingers to push back some more or Rorali’s hairs, careful to not spread the oil into her clean strands. Her finger pads came to the temples on the side of the tiefling’s head, starting off with an initial, quick tap on her skin to transfer a dab of the liquid that was soon followed up by a more firm, circular circular motion that rubbed the droplet into the pink skin, leaving a thin and shining puddle behind. Valorie’s fingers slid down the sides of Rorali’s face creating a trail of goosebumps that mirrored their path down her spine and sent shivers to wrack through her body. The genasi’s digits stopped as they dropped just below her ears and Rorali felt another flick of eye contact between the two of them as the taller hesitated for just a moment before she slid her fingers forward into the pressure points that sat just behind her jaw. By no means did Valorie put nearly the amount of pressure that would cause any discomfort from this action, but it still left both of them feeling vulnerable and flustered, Rorali going tense and the genasi’s fingers to stop and go, struggling to evenly rub in the oil. The silence between them was thick, hanging from their chests like a heavy chain, clicking with every little movement. 

Soon Valorie had reluctantly moved on from the pressure points, resisting the urge to let her fingers linger on Rorali’s hot and soft skin. The longer she let herself stay in one place, the more enticing it became to let her hands run free and greedily capture every addicting trait of the tiefling. She was running low on oil after already finishing applying it to two spots but she couldn’t bare to pull her hands away from the paradise that was Rorali. She accepted the feeling of her control slipping away from her as her hands drifted lower yet again, now at the curve of her jaw, pressing at her lymph nodes. She felt Rorali lift her head slightly as her knuckles knocked against the sides of her face in a quick jolt, almost a flinch. Valorie was opening her mouth to apologize for startling her when she felt the unmistakable burning sensation of Rorali’s eyes staring into her. For most people, it was hard to tell where the girl was looking without her physically moving her head or gesturing to them because of her lack of pupils or irises, but Valorie had grown to be able to tell exactly where her attention was focused based on the suffocating and predatory feeling they cast. When Rorali stares, it feels like you are being hunted or cursed and whatever she is looking at feels like it is being erupted into flames or torn apart. That being said, her gaze doesn’t always feel like having tea with death itself, usually it is just that tingling feeling that people get when they feel like they are being watched by someone they can’t see, but a little more intense. This sensation however, was foreign to her- something she had never felt, but it also carried an undeniable meaning. Its heat was tantalizing as the tempting ombre of sensations throbbed across her body. It licked at her like flame to firestarter, an easy and comforting warmth guiding her into the more passionate and intense heart that almost felt like too much. 

The heavy spice notes of the oil caught Valorie’s nose and spread out across her cheeks as her breath started to pick up, going unheard as her blood started to pound in her ears, drowning out the sound. Rorali’s stare hovered at the base of her neck, between her collar bones, then began to travel upwards. She felt her eyes scan up the length of her neck until they reached her face where they lingered on her plush lips for a handful of seconds, almost like they were stuck there, before they broke their hold and then raised to lock their eyes together once more. Valorie stood frozen under Rorali’s observing eyes and heavily avoided the ignition of eye contact by staring in a straight line to where her fingers hovered over the sharp plane of her jaw. Her eyes felt like liquor as she poured over her, spilling across her skin and making her head spin. Her face rushed with liquid fire as her cheeks blazed with a potent and undeniable cherry red, her hands still floating just a few centimeters above Rorali’s skin until she felt small hands capture her wrists and guide her hands into her skin. 

Valorie’s lips parted in reaction to the tiefling’s action, but no sound or words followed except for a shaky sigh and a labored gulp. Her eyes were still locked onto the graceful curve of Rorali’s jaw, feeling the hammering pressure of the girl’s eyes burning holes into her eye sockets, evading the tense connection in fear of losing what little control she still had over herself. She continued to fumble, applying what little oil she still had, struggling to manage the amount of pressure she was using as her body screamed at her to indulge herself with long, lingering and intense brushes of her fingers. Rorali’s hands slowly began to creep up her forearms, igniting hot trails that ripped through her skin and flashed behind her eyes, her thumbs dragging behind as she slid her hands up and up and up… Soon the tiefling had tight grasp on a handful of her loose, cream colored night shirt and was pulling on it with a strength fueled by hunger. 

“Valorie.” Rorali spoke and it came out like a demand that pushed every thought out of the genasi’s brain the moment it reached her ears, putting the tiefling that looked up at her with heavily lidded eyes at the center of her world.

The floorboards creaked as the girl began to rise, curling her fist further into Valorie’s shirt like a claw as she used it to help her stand, causing the genasi to be pulled down just slightly further down. She finally managed to catch Valorie’s eyes as she stood, keeping them captive in their shared gaze, enticing her to hang off of every word she said and move like a siren’s song. The space between the two of them soon filled, their bodies slotting together like a knife to its sheath as Rorali heaved her body up. Their chests collided with a force that pushes a breath out of each of them and Valorie feels the lean muscle of Rorali’s figure slide into place along the front of her body. The tiefling’s warmth radiates like a kiln as her hard and pointed build infiltrates her defenses and as it presses into her even more deeply and reveals a softness to the curves of her body that she doubts that anyone has ever had the pleasure of feeling. A fiendish hand starts on a trail starting from the tender lip of her lower belly and glides up along the flesh of her upper hip, catches the muscled and firm side of her body and then dives back into the front of her body once it reaches the top of her chest. Valorie feels a rake of barely outgrown nails against the side of her neck as they sink around to her nape, concluding the journey of Rorali’s inky black palm. Right in front of her ear, a thumb brushes against her skin as the hand that cradles the back of her neck closes against her skin demandingly and causes pinches to ignite across her skin as nails dig into her, sending sparks down the elemental’s spine. 

Silence hangs between the two figures, the symphony of their heavy breaths filling the air as they stand, mashed against each other in waiting for the other to act first. Their eyes stay locked together with a desperate hunger, each of them fighting to keep their composure while the angry buzzing of desire persuades them to submit. Their hearts beat against each other through their ribs, drying both of their mouths and igniting their fingers with wanderlust. Through the haze that covered her eyes and cast the world in an alluring light, Rorali is able to clearly pick out Valorie’s flushed face that stared back at her with a sheepish expression. The sight made the corners of her lips curl evilly, flashing her bright, fanged teeth with an airy chuckle. Her nails sunk even deeper into the hot skin under her hand and she slowly untangled her grasp from the thin fabric of the genasi’s shirt, leaving a big clump of wrinkled cloth in its memory. 

“You’re such a fucking pussy.” She murmured, her voice filled with a tormenting humor that was followed by a muted cackle. Valorie’s brain was deaf to the subtle movements of the tiefling’s hand as it drifted from her chest, blinded by the intoxicating fragrance that floated from Rorali’s head and neck, its intensity increased incredibly because of their proximity. She came to as she felt those devilish fingers wrapped around the meat of her forearm, smoothly catching the edges of her sleeve as they moved, sliding the clothing up in time with her palm. Rorali dragged her nails across her skin as she brought her hand back down to catch the mass of her wrist, guiding the genasi’s hand the sway of her lower back. “You tease me and rile me up all day and night, but when I reciprocate…You don’t know what to do and stand around like a shy teenager?” The tiefling purred with pride, her feline grin growing with every word before another chuckle over powered her voice. “I’m not that upset about it though, you’re pretty cute like this.” 

Once her hand came into contact with the sweet space of Rorali’s back, Valorie’s hand took to action. Her fingers splaying against the skin and digginer into the flesh, pulling the tiefling flush against her front, her hands moved unconsciously as if they were jumping at the chance to act upon a desire that has tempted them for years. Rorali’s teasing feel upon deaf ears, the sound falling to the background of her mind as fire filling her veins, compelling her second hand to slide itself onto to the back of the tiefling’s neck, mirroring the smaller girl’s hold. From the corner of her eye, as she looked over the girl’s shoulder, she was able to catch the flickering shape of Rorali’s tail curling and swishing in response to the touch. 

“I was just trying to get a read on you Rore…” Valorie finally hummed, letting herself be pulled down a few inches further by the bossy tiefling below her, their lips closing in on each other rapidly. “You can be pretty hard to follow, y’know being so moody… aggressive… the last thing I would ever want to do is upset you.” 

The floorboards creaked again, followed by a shuffling of clothing as Rorali rocked onto her toes, putting the two even closer together than before. When she spoke, her breath brushed over the genasi’s lips, “Oh that’s bullshit and you know it Val… You know me better than anyone else and I know that you are well aware of that.” 

Valorie smiled at this, the hand that she had on Rorali’s neck sliding up into the strands at the base of her neck, the tips of her fingers brushing against the backs of her ear. “I do?” She responded easily, raising a coy eyebrow at the girl looking up at her. 

“Fuck you’re such a prick.” Rorali spat with a laugh, the volume of which cracking through the quiet air of the room, louder than any noise she had made at all that night. For a moment the tension between the two broke as joy filled swelled in the chests of the both of them. Valorie watched with bright, hopeful eyes as Rorali laughed against her, the vibrations from the girl rumbling into her chest. Her hold became softer, cradling her form as she gazed down at the tiefling. Her laugh rang in her ears like music and the orange light from the dying fire behind her lit up her face like a sunrise. Her shoulders fell up and down with each of her laughs, her small face pulled tight into a smile so genuine it pulled at the genasi’s heart strings. Rorali put more of her weight against Valorie as she laughed, leaning into her as she curled her upper body against her, resting one of her cheeks against the center of her chest, the fast beating of her heart sounding against her ear. Adoration so pure it was almost too sweet to fill the smile that Valorie cast down at the girl pressed against her chest as her hands moved to catch her in a warm embrace. Her cheeks began to ache as her grin grew impossibly larger as Rorali returned the hug by wrapping her arms around her waist like a thorn bush, snagging her fingers into the loose fabric of her shirt and sinking into her front like a cat settling for it’s nap in the sun. 

“I am?” Valorie hummed into the top of Rorali’s head as she craned her neck down to meet it, beginning to run her hands up and down the girl’s back, “I sincerely apologize for my behavior.” She chuckled, loosening her hold on the tiefling as she felt her begin to stir and began to adjust to her movement with ease. As Rorali lifted her head away from the genasi’s chest and sent a playful, but dirty glare up at the genasi, Valorie responded by shifting her hands to rest on the small of her waist, returning the glare with soft, unbothered eyes. The two held the contact for a moment until Rorali dropped her front of annoyance with a roll of her eyes, leaving the two of them standing against each other, in each other’s hands in a sweet silence. 

“Oh, I bet you do.” Rorali was the first to break their silence from where her head found its place against Valorie’s chest again, a glint in her eye as she studied the genasi’s jaw- a glimpse of the taller girl’s face being too difficult to catch from her angle. Valorie felt her devilish claws begin to dance across her skin once again as Rorali spoke, and caught the swishing movements of her tail and her heart kicked up in response. Her smile filled with an intent that matched the intimidating sparkle in the tiefling’s eyes and her hands shifted to take a more capturing hold on the pinch of her waist. 

“Oh I do, you don’t believe me?” 

“Hmm… I don’t know, you do seem pretty full of apologies, but not a lot of bite.”

“Are you calling me a fraud?”

“No, that’s not the right word to describe you.”

“Okay…Then what is?”

“Maybe a flake.”

“A flake?!” 

“Mhm, you make promises that you never make good on.” 

“Oh really? When have I done that?”

“Just a few minutes ago when you were about to kiss me and then wimped out.”

Valorie was shocked by Rorali’s boldness as she purred that last sentence into the crook of her neck, a toothy grin flashing behind her soft lips as she spoke. Her cloudy white eyes never left Valorie’s when she looked down at her once they started speaking, though her cheeks became dusted with a pigmented red haze as the words fell from her mouth lacking a bit of grace, telling the genasi that she wasn’t totally unphased. Valorie took a few seconds to be able to reply to Rorali properly, resetting her mind with a couple of blinks as she fixed her face back into a grin that betrayed the tone of her reply. “Well Rore, I got a little distracted-” She hummed, her own face growing hot and rosy as her eyes fell down to the pouty lips that stared back at her. 

“Are you still distracted?” Rorali tutted, lifting her head again as her nails sunk into the open landscape of Valorie’s back, running up her spine and pulling the bottom of her shirt up with them, allowing for her to slide her hands under it and press against her bare skin. Her eyes raised to meet Valorie’s in time with her cheeky maneuver, smiling up at the woman who was quick to shut up after she got interrupted. The tiefling arched an eyebrow as she again lifted herself onto her toes, lessening the distance between the two and again Valorie caved to her touch as she compliantly leaned down in return. 

“No. Not anymore.” The genasi whispered as she fell to the demanding pulls of Rorali’s hands to satiate the girl’s hunger so that she could get the upperhand in their duel of composure. She shivered as she felt the chilling tracks that Rorali’s nails left in the skin of her back, laughing to herself as the sensation lit a fire in her belly that spurred her to catch the tiefling’s chin in her fingers. It was not Rorali’s turn to squirm from the lock of eye contact that connected the two as she felt her chin be lifted by Valorie’s hand, which would then slide down her jaw to cup her cheek. She tried to play it cool and not lose herself in the swarm of butterflies that burst from her belly and danced through her veins, managing to push a coy grin to her lips past the lit of skin of her face though it was clear that Valorie saw through her ploy like an open window. The genasi stared back down at her with a confident smirk, boasting her victory as Rorali hung on every second of silence, waiting for her next words. 

“Rorali.” The name rang in the air like a bell that would silence a classroom even though it was whispered like a bad name. 

“Yeah?” Came a just as quiet response, hesitant and careful as if it would cause the world around them to crumble if it were said wrong. 

“Will you let me make do on my promise to kiss you?” There was a rustle of fabric brushing against self as Valorie leaned her chest back and away from Rorali, dipping her chin and running her thumb across the tiefling’s soft skin. Her amber eyes bore into the fog that stared back at her as she left the question hanging in the air.

“If you insist.” Came the meek response, clearly trying to appear unbothered but failing in a way that made the two of them chuckle and blush. 

“I do, dear.” Valorie breathed, struggling to manage the rate at which her heart was hammering against her ribs. Her hands strained to tremble and flutter over Rorali’s body from her insecurity and nervousness as she stared down at the angel smiling back up at her. The girl was both her greatest weakness and her biggest strength, shaking her to her core but providing the comfort and compassion to soothe her doubting mind. Like the flame of a candle, Valorie’s eyes flickered to Rorali’s berry colored lips. She had a pouting bottom lip that was more round and full than her sculpted and tempting top, and her smile caused her impish fangs to poke at the pillowy platform below them. She felt clawed hands strain against the stitching of her shirt again, letting her know that she had taken too long in her observation. 

Eyelashes fluttered across the peak of Valorie’s cheek as she connected their lips. Locked in a stunning ray of awe, the genasi was unable to mirror Rorali’s peacefully closed eyes and instead lifted the hand that caressed the valley of the sway of her back to capture her free cheek. Her finger tips tangled in the loose locks of violet strands and pulled the girl closer to her, deeping their kiss. Her breath was stolen from her chest, leaving her gasping against Rorali’s lips for a mere second before she responded with a breath that filled her lungs. All structures of composure and restraint broke in the two of them, crumbling between their fingers like loose chalk. Valorie’s hands grabbed tighter at the sides of Rorali’s head, caressing her face and brushing her fingers through her soft locks like she would never have the chance to again. Rorali raised her hand to hook around the back of the genasi’s neck, hanging on it as she used it to pull herself even just a bit higher up. The hand that doodled mindless shapes into Valorie’s back previously now shifted to catch a chunk of her muscled obliques, her grip fierce as she dragged her nails across the skin. 

The first thing that Valorie was able to feel was the softness of Rorali’s lips as they pressed against her’s. She was able to taste the desert pear scented balm that she always used as they parted for a fraction of a second before reconnecting. Then she could smell the shampoo that she used to rinse her hair from far between rivers and oases that they came across on their journeys. She could smell the spice of the cider perfume she gifted Rorali when they first started traveling together that she sees her apply every morning. Everything about the tiefling washes over her senses, drowning and suffocating her- and she loves every moment of it. She dives further into the kiss, chasing every crumb that Rorali will give her and is only spurred on by the feeling of a lithe tail curling tightly around her ankle and shin. 

Rorali is engulfed in the flames that burn from Valorie’s hands. The hot trails they leave in their wake as they greedily move across her body makes her head spin and takes her breath away. Behind her closed eyelids all she sees is a bright spark of white that almost stings as it encompasses her sight. Her body moves beyond her control as she melts into the powerful waves of the rapids of their matched movements. She pushes herself impossibly closer into the thankful frame of the genasi, her heat spreading over her body like a sunray as she demands more attention. 

They move in a balanced dance that replaces every moved touch, leaving no uncovered land between the two of them. As their kiss deepens more and more, the initial sparks that jumped from their connection died down and melted into a more refined wave like a sparkler that crawled its way down to the bottom of its stick. After it was proven that time wasn’t a variable that would be pulled from them at any moment, their hunger and urgency slowly evaporated into the air that filled their little bubble of bliss. Their lips now lazily and softly moved against each other’s and their breaths fell roughly from their chests. Rorali now lay back against the sturdy hold of Valorie’s arms as they caged her frame. Their smiles found time to return to their lips, pressing the lines of their grins that they couldn’t control any longer into each other. They began to break from the kiss to gaze at each other fondly before returning to shorter and more playful lip locks. Soon the two held each other in another embrace and Rorali’s head had found its place on Valorie’s chest. The genasi pressed comforting kisses to her temple and forehead and murmured sweet nothings into her hair as the two of them rocked and swayed against each other tenderly. 

Hours later dawn had started to stretch its arm across the evening sky, painting striking streaks of vibrant orange and pink as a pale sun peaked its head over the horizon. The early light was easily able to filter through the thin curtains that had been strung across the window pane doors that opened into a sandstone balcony overlooking the barren land of sand that reached out as far as the eye could see. Valorie’s eyes cracked open as desert birds and bugs began to chirp and buzz, filling the air with the background noise she had long been accustomed to. She raised her head from her dusty and flattened pillow with a sigh as her eyes eagerly searched her side from the girl she remembered falling asleep beside earlier that night. She was pleased to see that the tiefling still slept peacefully in her arms. 

They both laid on their sides, Rorali’s back pressed to Valorie’s front, her waist snagged in the line of the genasi’s arm that ran her fingers over her stomach and hips. During the night the smaller girl’s night shirt had shifted up, only aided by the investigative hands of Valorie as she was quick to take advantage of the revealed skin to capture it with her warm palm. The curing lines that came to sharp edges of the tattoos that were inked into the skin of her lower stomach and hips were traced mindlessly and Valorie smiled sleepily at the sight of Rorali’s slumbering form still contently curled against her. Her lips pressed a feather light kiss to her abdomen and her smile grew when she felt the hard muscle contract in response followed by Rorali’s own  tired sigh. Valorie lifted her head as she felt familiar nails graze the side of her head and back of her ear, watching as Rorali opened her eyes that were still filled with sleep. 

“What are you doing?” The tiefling murmured as she stretched, raising her arms above her head and pushing her back up and off of the bed with a heavy breath. Her movements caused her shirt to move out of the way of the sight of similarly inked designs to the one on her hips etched just below and to the sides of her breasts and Val brought a hand up to trace as well. Her touch guided Rorali back into her arms, now laying on her opposite side, curled face first into Valorie’s chest. “Don’t worry about it, I was just loving on you.. Go back to sleep, Rore.” Hummed the genasi as she tangled their legs together, no reply sounding as the girl quickly fell back to slumber, her little breaths puffing against Valorie’s ear and neck. A laugh rumbled through Valorie’s chest as she propped her chin on the top of Rorali’s head, running her palms over the bend of her elbows and upper arms where the last patch of ink lay left on her skin. 

A few more hours later the sun had climbed further into the sky and the sounds of quiet voices, footsteps and doors closing accompanied the chirping and buzzing of the city of sand. The inn was waking up for the day and looking out through the open windows of the balcony there could see the figures of farmers already working in the fields. Rorali was awoken by the smell of  a familiar blend of herbs and spices being brewed. As she opened her eyes and sat up from under her mountain of blankets, she quickly found that Valorie had abandoned her place in the bed and instead was setting out two plates full of food at the table across from her. In the center of the wooden structure was a metal kettle that was the source of the aroma that roused her from her sleep, growling as the water in it raised to a boil and concentrated the already powerful collection of herbs. Rorali rubbed her eyes before wordlessly shrugging off the blankets that wrapped around her form, hissing as her feet came into contact with the chilled wooden floor beneath her. 

“Good morning Rorali.” Valorie hummed, turning to smile at the girl as she stalked up to the table, pouring out a cup of the tea that had been brewing and set it next to her plate. “Morning.” Rorali smiled back, her chair scraping the floor as she pulled it out, taking her seat and before she had the chance to slide it back in, Valorie was there, pressing another kiss to the top of her head and she pushed in the tiefling’s chair. The two of them enjoyed their breakfast and tea quietly, listening to the calm backtrack of the sounds of daily activities and feeling the cool brush of early morning air that casted in from the window that Valorie had opened. 

Two figures stand a ways down the wide hallway created by looming towers and buildings that had been shoddily patched up by mud and thatch when they started to fall apart by the eolian erosion that was constant in the city of dunes. From where Rorali and Valorie walked side by side, both seeking cover in their cloak and shawl from grains of sand that pelted them with every wagon loaded with produce that tore by, their figures were fairly easy to make out. The scaled and pointed head of a red dragonborn peered through the shadow that he and the scraggly form of a much shorter green goblin hid within. Both were uncharacteristically draped in dusty, torn cloaks that they loaned from a stray skiff travel service and were apparently getting increasingly antsy as the two women approached them. Valorie raised a hand and waved at them and gave a friendly shout that barely rouse above the creaking and squeaking of wagon wheels, the heaving of wooden boards and cement slabs being hoisted to the tops of buildings under construction by lifts and the calling of merchants trying to entice the busy street goers to buy from their stands. The two figures seamlessly slid from their hiding places, stepping into the fast pace bustling of the streets.

“Took you guys long enough.” Alxid hissed, looking over his shoulder at Rorali and Valorie, “We thought you would never show.” 

“Oh don’t be so dramatic, we’re not even late! You’re just impatient.” Valorie hummed, kicking out a foot to catch the small body of Bur, the goblin as she made a move to jump out and swipe a piece of produce from a stand that they passed and grab him by his sides and dump him onto Alxid’s shoulder that wasn’t covered by his huge ornamental shield and sword. 

The group continued to walk down the city road, dodging the unloading of crates and barrels of minerals, spices and produce and the moving of heavy farming machinery, often dipping into the frequent fractures of the main road into twisting and turning alleyways that always circled around and dumped them off back at the main road. They made good time down the street, and once they approached a stand selling cooked and seasoned cobs of corn with a very familiar blonde elven merchant that gave them a wink Alxid raised his hand and began to turn back over his shoulder to give Rorali her signal to split off, but as he turned his head the tiefling had already disappeared from Valorie’s side. The genasi just laughed at his surprised face, even though he should be more than used to this phenomena by now and tossed her head to the side, leading the dragonborn’s gaze to the building that her sly frame had already begun to summit. Soon the shadow of her cloak trailed behind her as she dashed across the top of the building and disappeared behind an old raised sign of a saloon. “What did you expect?” Valorie snickered, moving up in her positioning in the bunch to walk side by side with Alxid. “I don’t know.” He huffed, shaking his head, “Could’ve let me have my moment though…”.

The trio didn’t get much further down the path before a tense and knowing silence filled the air between them, only making Valorie’s smug, shit eating grin grow across her face. Alxid forced out an awkward cough and tried to waste time by hitting some dust out of his cloak. 

“So… How did it go with you and Rorali?” He asked, sending a glance at the genasi beside him out of the side of his eye, “Did you guys make it work?” 

“Oh, we made it work.” Valorie replied quickly, confidence filling her booming voice as she began to dig in her pockets, pulling out two silver pieces which she then slapped into the palm of the dragonborn. “That’s the change left over, thanks for covering the room.” She laughed as she quicked her pace, moving to break away into her position into the city with the jingling of a bell held by a mage hand cast in a purple hue peeking out from an alley head on the right side of the street. 

“Hey! Where’s the rest of it? You should have a gold piece left over!” Alxid called after her, shaking his head as she pocketed the change. Valorie snickered to herself as she turned on her heel with a twirl, now walking backwards as she shrugged at the dragonborn, “I bought us breakfast from the inn!” She responded, “You see, unlike you Alxid, I am chivalrous and take care of my women.” As she turned back around to walk into her alley branch, the hood of her shawl fell from her head a bit, revealing a dark bruise imprinted into the space under her ear.