Sure enough, Teal soon found himself struggling to keep up with the rules that Delba and Ralen had inflicted on him which consisted of a multitude of hand gestures that competed against each other. If he lost, he had to drink. Only Teal had the sneaky suspicion the pair kept changing the rules to get him drunk. After several shots of the strong spirit and his guard sufficiently down, Teal was indeed beyond making intelligent conversation or decisions.

Delba it seemed, was only going to use it to her advantage.

"Did you enjoy yourself the other night with the Empress and Emperor?" she asked. She had one arm draped over the back of the rock bath her fingers slowly scratching the nape of Ralen's neck her breasts completely exposed in her new position.

"Yes," Teal answered, slurring.

"So," she continued, her voice silky and smooth. "I heard that when you were with Jale for the first time, your Presence appeared?"

Teal tried to sit up, something in the back of his mind warning him of possible danger if their conversation continued in this particular direction. It might have even come from his Presence itself.

"Yes," he replied, carefully trying to push back the fogginess of his drunken haze.

"I'm curious," Delba said. "Did it appear when you were with the Emperor and Empress?"

"No," Teal answered slowly only dawning on this fact himself. Confusion flooded through him. Why was that so?

"Interesting," Delba said. She took a long sip of her wine watching Teal carefully. Ralen didn't come to his defense. He instead held an interested expression on his face. Delba continued, "I wonder why that was. I thought your Presence only appeared when you were scared or afraid."

Teal blinked unsure of what to say. He hadn't even known that Delba was aware of his Presence. Maybe Jale had mentioned it? Teal shook his head, trying to clear it further. He still held some distant worry as to what had caused his Presence to surface that first time with Jale.

"I think the Presence," Teal paused trying to gather his thoughts and an idea suddenly came forward, one that may just help him in this tricky situation. "I think the Presence emerged with Jale because it was the first time I had lain with someone other than my friend, Cokrin."

Delba seemed to think on this for a moment. "Hmm, maybe."

Something caught Ralen's attention and at the same time, Teal sensed Jale standing behind him. He turned. Jale was still in his clothes and completely dry. Teal's vision swirled, but he managed to spy Lana only a short distance away.

"I think he's had enough, don't you think?" Jale stated, sounding annoyed.

Delba only stared slyly up at Jale. "Oh, come now, Jale. You get to play with him every night. Now it's our turn."

Jale's glare deepened, and it was enough to silence Delba completely. Her expression however, showed she had enjoyed the exchange that had occurred.

Ralen, still with enough of his wits about him, took to remedy the situation. "Have another drink," he said to Delba. "And stop trying to cause trouble."

Delba sighed and decided to move her attention towards Ralen. She moved seductively closer and placed a suggestive kiss on his neck, whispering something in his ear as she did so.

"Good idea," Ralen replied.

"Do you mind?" Jale asked, waving to Teal. "So he doesn't drown while you're both in each other's arms."

Ralen nodded and pulled out of Delba's hold to stand and scoop Teal into his arms. He passed Teal easily to Jale who just as easily hoisted Teal up and threw him over his shoulder. Head swaying and blinking hard in drunken surprise, Teal caught an upside-down glimpse of Delba climbing into Ralen's lap. Ralen leaned back and reached for his cup of wine. He took a mouthful while his other hand ran down her neck, her breasts and to her stomach.

Teal let his body flop and relax into Jale's hold. He was vaguely aware of being lowered onto a sleeping mat. He tried to focus on the stars, although it was very difficult when they kept blurring and joining together until darkness finally succumbed them.

*

Several hours later, Teal stirred. There was a nice bodily warmth at his front and a soft aromatic smell filled his nostrils. He frowned, still not having opened his eyes while he tried to place the fragrance in his fuzzy state. Roses and lilacs; a smell he wasn't unaccustomed to having so close to his nostrils.

"Lana," he whispered and breathed in more of her delicate scent.

Without disturbing her in his arms, Teal turned his head to look over his shoulder and take in his surroundings. He had no memory of how he had ended up on the soft padded floor. They were still outside on the balcony, soft lanterns glowing, murmurs and moans of sweet seductions only a short distance away was indication enough for Teal to know it was still the middle of the night.

Through the mesh curtains and sleeping nets that had been erected to protect their skin from lurking insects, Teal made out Delba's voluptuous curves underneath the Emperor coupled together in their own semi-private net. He watched for a moment longer, and his eyebrows rose in surprise when he saw Ralen's figure emerge inside their tent too, naked as well, Delba's hand wrapped around him. Teal swallowed down his sudden arousal. He heard the sound of someone's weight shifting at his feet. On a wooden chair, Jale sat, wine in one hand, pipe in the other.

Teal rubbed his face with his free hand, only now vaguely remembering the drinking game he had played with Ralen and Delba earlier in the evening.

"Oh, he stirs," Jale drawled.

"I'm awake," Teal grumbled in agreement. "Just."

A moan from the other net reached their ears. Teal glanced in the direction, but Jale simply ignored it.

"You passed out very early."

"Ralen made me play his drinking game," Teal explained, trying to keep his voice soft to not disturb Lana.

"I'll be having words with him tomorrow," Jale said. He nodded towards Lana. "Are you comfortable?"

Teal tried not to scoff. "You can be humorous when you want to be, can't you? Of course, I'm comfortable. Jealous?"

Jale snorted. "Quite the opposite actually. She is by far my preference for you over who else is on offer."

Teal took a while to decipher Jale's meaning. He glanced down a Lana's still form, contemplating.

"Trust me," Jale carried on. "If you're wanting to experiment with any of the female consorts, Lana here would be your most ideal choice."

"She is beautiful," Teal said. "And the Emperor has told me about how wonderful her touch can be, and I am curious..." He paused afraid to ask. “What about you?”

"No, well not by myself," Jale said flatly. "The female form has never enticed me in such a way. I have joined the Emperor on occasions mostly when Lana is present, but my preference is certainly for the male form. It certainly looks like the female body entices you though." He nodded towards Lana. "I have indulged in one or two of Lana's non-sensual massages. She is quite apt at working out knots so I'm sure she has quite a natural talent at turning her fingers into building pleasure. The Emperor surely never complains."

Teal turned his head back to Lana, tempted by the sight of her. "Hmm," he said thoughtfully. "I have always thought breasts were very interesting, but I don't feel comfortable talking about her in such a manner when she is not awake."

Jale was starting to look bored. His tone was certainly starting to be tempered by impatience. "Oh, never fear, Lana is no longer the innocent creature she came to us as. Why don't you wake her up and ask her? You might be surprised by her response. Although, I should warn you," he continued, "Lana has great skill at pretending to be asleep when she needs to be, so she's probably heard all of our conversation already."

"He speaks the truth," Lana mumbled. For Jale she spoke louder, "Let the poor boy be and let him make his own decisions."

Jale faked a gasp. "That's not what you said to me earlier! You said that if you had Teal all to yourself you would never be able to leave him be."

"You traitor!" Lana laughed. She eased herself out of Teal's arms and pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Instead, I will leave you both be and let the two of you seek your pleasures together."

"No," Jale and Teal both said in unison.

Lana paused and turned slowly towards Teal. "You are very warm and comfortable Teal, but make sure Jale isn't playing any games. He is known for his jealous streak."

Jale's voice took on a condescending tone. "The boy is interested. I seek to work it out of his system that is all. And you my dear, Lana. I have always held you in the highest of regards."

Teal remained quiet, his head going back and forth between the two bickering until all of a sudden, Lana sighed. "You need to speak up Teal so I know what you want. Remaining quiet is not going to help you at all."

"What do you want?" Teal suddenly asked, surprising himself with the directness of his question. "Was Jale telling the truth?"

"My dear, Teal," Lana said, reaching out and stroking his cheek. "I think I would rather enjoy you."

Teal took in her features, soft and delicate, the milk color over her eyes glimmering with the glow of the lanterns such a beautiful captivating sight she would never witness. "You're beautiful," he whispered and edged closer. "Can I kiss you?"

Lana nodded ever so slightly, and Teal closed the distance between them. His lips landed gently on hers, and he could taste her scent, the smell of the roses and lilacs, as if they were part of who she was. He pulled away, wanting to delve further but conscious of the extra eyes upon them. He cast a look at Jale.

"What?" Jale exclaimed. "It's your first time? I watch Lana and the Emperor all the time, I can give you some pointers."

Exasperated, Teal leaned back. Jale could not be serious. Lana only began to laugh.

"He's joking, isn't he?" Teal asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not and with the way he is so infatuated with you..."

"Infatuated!" Jale scoffed.

"Yes, infatuated," Lana repeated. "....Teal, he's going to make sure you don't enjoy yourself too much."

"I doubt that is possible," Teal said, his breath catching in his throat. He let his fingers graze over her shoulder and slide down her arm. She warmed to his touch and eased towards him.

"So sweet and gentle, Teal," she murmured, lifting her hand to find his head. Her lips grazed back over his and she murmured, "I could tell that about you from the first moment I met you. I could always sense it in you." Her kiss deepened and Teal pulled her closer, his hand wrapping around her torso. She nimbly swung her leg over his and straddled his waist sitting in his lap with her back now towards Jale. The broke apart, breaths all of a sudden hot and heavy.

Lana cupped Teal's face and paused. "Your bone structure is unique," she said, her breath soft on his skin. She took a moment, her thumbs gliding over his cheekbones and Teal could feel the change in her touch. It was gentle, but she was also reading every contour of his skin. "So, unique," she whispered, and she leaned back in to kiss him again, her mouth open and accepting of Teal's tongue. Teal pulled back and gasped as he felt her grind slowly against him.

"You sure you don't mind Jale being present?" he asked, ducking down slightly so he could kiss the length of her neck, sliding his tongue along the skin he found there. A gentle moan escaped Lana's lips, and she tipped her head back to give him more access, her hips taking on a slow but persistent pace. It sent shots of eagerness through Teal's body.

"I don't mind," she mumbled again and drew in her breath as Teal's lips continued further down to her collarbone. Her hands went instinctively to her dress pulling it up either side of her thighs. Teal gasped with the pressure of her gentle weight against him. He eased her dress off her shoulders and down her body. He was enraptured, curious and amazed. His fingers touched first, shaping gradually around the soft flesh of her breasts. He lowered his lips and flickered his tongue over one of her nipples.

"Are you sure this is your first time with a woman?" she asked with a soft delighted chuckle.

"Yes," he said against her skin, leaving behind moisture from his breath and causing her nipple to become hard. "But what can I say, I've had a great teacher."

Teal lifted his head, and his eyes met with Jale's over her shoulder as he continued to kiss over her flesh. Teal's eyes narrowed, and he pulled Lana closer to him by the hips, but the only reaction from Jale was the long pull on his pipe and the swirl of smoke that he expelled from his mouth.

There were too many things going on now. Her hands were working on the tassels of his shorts to loosen them, and Jale's piercing gaze that Teal couldn't read, not when he was this aroused. Lana eased back once the tassels were free and worked the material off Teal's hips and gently over the top of his erection. She tossed it to the side and ran her hands over the length of his body, taking in the whole scope that she had not been able to do so before in such an intimate way. Before long, she was back in his lap and her lips were on his again. Teal's hands ran to the material of the dress she was still wearing although it was merely a garment of decoration around her torso. She wore no under clothing, and as his hands glided over her buttocks, he felt the wetness in between her thighs.

His breath caught in his throat and he sought permission, guidance, he didn't know who from. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jale set aside his drink and pipe. Their eyes met again and with a single nod from Jale, Teal pushed Lana back, his one arm around her in support as he lifted her up and laid her on her back.

She landed softly, his strength ensuring so and he settled himself in between her thighs and across her chest. Her leg came up and wrapped around one of his hips.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

"More than okay," she answered. "But I'm wondering when you're going to invite Jale over since your attention is forever wandering over to him."

"I'm sorry," he whispered, fearing offence even though he had heard none.

"I don't mind," she said.

Teal didn't even need to look up to know that Jale had risen and was now approaching. He also didn't need to look up to know that Jale was already naked, as his clothing suddenly appeared in his peripheral vision in a pile on the sleeping mat.

"You took your time," Lana said, turning her head in Jale's direction. "Much longer than I thought you could hold out."

Jale didn't respond but knelt down beside them. He took Lana's hand fleetingly and then turned his attention to Teal. "Fuck her," he said.

Taken back by his directness, Teal paused.

"You heard me," Jale said. He moved one of his hands, gliding it down Teal's back and over his buttocks. "Fuck her while I get you ready so I can fuck you."

Teal took a shaky breath. He looked down their bodies and as if she could read his mind, she took him in her hand.

"Let me guide you," she breathed and then all of sudden, he was inside and drowning in the pleasure of warmth and wetness all around him. He became lost in it; the feel, the soft moans from Lana beneath him and Jale, his fingers coated in oil when Jale found him. The pleasure, it was inside of him, all over and around him and with the pleasure, were two people who only wanted to deepen it.