Aidan

The Realms

Secondday, 4th week of the 7th month, Godless Age 597

Morning

Starchaser village, Mistvale Highlands

Aidan woke to a series of kisses being pressed along his jaw, neck, and shoulder. When he opened his eyes, he could hardly see the rest of the room, buried as he was in curtains of crimson hair. Brighid pressed her face into the crook of his neck, then grazed his skin with her teeth before giving him a hickey. Aidan snaked one hand around, slipping it between their bodies and up onto a large, soft [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords], drawing a sound of satisfaction from her.

"Well, this is a pleasant way to wake up," he murmured.

"Mmm-hmm," hummed Brighid, arching into his touch. "Now that you are awake, how about we practice making a [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords]? It will not happen today, but we want everything to go correctly when the time comes, yes?" A warm hand stroked [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords] from his shoulder to his ear. "I think I will need a lot of practice."

Aidan nuzzled Brighid's hair [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords]. "I have to admit the idea has merit."

[content censored by Royal Road authorities]

"Just how many children are you planning on?"

"Human males do not become infertile with age, right? Well, figure out how much longer you plan to live then divide that by 1.5. I go into heat about once every year and a half."

"I think that many children might be a bit much, don't you?"

"Maybe," she agreed, "but it would be fun making them all!" She bit his ear [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords]. The feel of her breath in his ear and her hands on his flesh were clouding Aidan's thoughts. He knew that if he gave into her distractions, they wouldn't leave the bed for hours. A large part of him was eager for that, but intellectually, he knew that his time was limited.

"We do have other things to do today, you know." Aidan murmured.

"They can wait." Her hands grew more insistent.

"Should I tell that to your mother?"

"I will tell her myself!"

"And how about Fionn, Eilwen, and Gerwyn?"

After a moment, she slowed, conceding, "Gerwyn, maybe."

"Uh-huh," Aidan said drily, pulling away from the still-clingy centaur. "Come on, my lovely. We need to get up and face the day. Aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry for your—" He interrupted her with a kiss, then had to push at her shoulders to escape her ravenous response.

"Hungry for food, Brighid. I am, even if you aren't. You don't want me to starve, do you? Up, up." Reluctantly, she followed him as he rose to his feet. Once she was standing, she stretched, her arms raised behind her head and her back arched, thrusting her [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords] out towards Aidan. Then she turned and walked into the kitchen, rump swaying, tail swishing back and forth to offer tantalizing glimpses of what he had just denied himself. He smiled and shook his head at her blatant attempts at seduction. "I promise we'll get some 'practice' in today, love. You know as well as I do that if we start now, though, we won't stop until dinner time."

"I do not see the problem with that!" She gave him a sultry look over her shoulder, but Aidan could see that Brighid was just teasing him now. He decided to tease her back and delivered a stinging smack to her rump. [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords] "I told you before, that is not a very effective means of punishment..."

"Who said I was trying to punish you? There's nothing wrong with being eager for play, so long as you obey when I say it's time to stop." His hand trailed along her spine as he moved to stand beside her. She bent her head to his, and this time he allowed the kiss to linger. When their lips finally parted, he husked, "Do not think that I am immune to your charms, flame of my heart. I love you more than I can adequately express, and I want to do all manner of filthy things to your body." Her eyes widened like prey sighting a predator at the hunger in his eyes. "If four-fifths of the Council hadn't all but ordered me to pay them visits in short order, things would be different. But my future here with you is dependent on them, in more ways than one, and that is not something I care to risk."

"Yes, Sir, I understand." Her words were demure, but Brighid's eyes blazed like the sun.

Aidan

The Realms

Secondday, 4th week of the 7th month, Godless Age 597

Morning

Starchaser village, Mistvale Highlands

After feeding each other a meal of not-bacon and eggs, along with a healthy side of wanton glances and lingering touches, Brighid and Aidan discussed their itinerary. "Which order do you think I should approach the Councillors, love?" Aidan asked.

"Mother first," Brighid replied without hesitation. "We need to get her fully on your side. Even though she was the one who made the petition, I still do not fully trust her. I think that was an apology to me more than anything to do with you. Mother can be ruthless when she feels like she needs to be, and she is manipulative by habit. If we can convince her to help us, however, the others will be much easier."

Quest: Finding Your Place The Starchaser Council will soon decide whether you are allowed to live in the village as one of the tribe or must leave their lands. Take your fate into your own hands. Do what it takes to convince the Council of your worth. Success: More Councillors vote 'Aye' than 'Nay'. Failure: More Councillors vote 'Nay' than 'Aye'. Reward: Improved relationship with all Starchaser centaurs; 10,000 experience. Optional Goal: Convince Ailis Silverhair to help you. Reward: Improved relationship with all Starchaser mages; +1 Charisma; +1 Willpower; +1 level in the Magical Theory Skill. Optional Goal: Convince Gerwyn Wanderhoof to vote 'Aye'. Reward: Improved relationship with all Starchaser crafters and tradesfolk; +1 level in the Appraisal and Haggling Skills. Optional Goal: Convince Fionn Ironhide to vote 'Aye'. Reward: Improved relationship with all Starchaser warriors; 2,500 additional experience; +1 Endurance; +1 level in the Leadership, Logistics, and Strategy Skills. Optional Goal: Convince Eilwen Brighthearth to vote 'Aye'. Reward: Improved relationship with all Starchaser mothers and children; 5,000 additional experience; +1 Intuition; +1 level in the Child-Rearing, Cooking, and Housekeeping Skills. Optional Goal: Convince Anwn Wolfsister to vote 'Aye'. Reward: Improved relationship with all Starchaser hunters and border patrols; 10,000 additional experience; +2 Senses; +2 levels in the Animal Taming, Beast Tongue, Hunting, and Training Skills. Optional Goal: Have the vote be unanimous. Reward: Greatly improved relationship with all Starchaser centaurs; 22,500 additional experience; +2 attribute points. ACCEPT/REFUSE?

The quest was all upside, so he accepted it, then asked, "How do we do that? Should I tell her about Limitless?"

"Absolutely not!" Brighid shook her head vigorously. "That would make her view you as a threat, a tool, or both. She would not hesitate to use you up and then dispose of you. No, she needs to see you as an ally to cultivate. I have an idea of how to do that. Are you willing to follow my lead?" Green eyes stared into his soul, but the answer was obvious.

"Of course, love. I trust you with everything that I am; if you have an idea of the path forward, I will not hesitate to follow." A dazzling smile and a long, tender kiss were his rewards.

"Alright then, we should get dressed and make our way over. I cannot wait to see Mother's expression!" Red hair swirled as Brighid sprang into action. Aidan watched for a moment, bemused, then stood and made his own preparations.

Aidan

The Realms

Secondday, 4th week of the 7th month, Godless Age 597

Morning

Starchaser village, Mistvale Highlands

A quarter-hour later, Brighid knocked on the wooden door of a modestly-sized house, then called out, "Mother, it is me, and I have Aidan with me."

The muffled, but still recognizable, voice of Ailis responded, "Come in; it is unlocked." After giving Aidan an apprehensive but determined glance, Brighid pushed the door open and stepped inside. Aidan followed her inside and closed the door behind him. Ailis was seated at a table with an open book before her and a steaming mug at her side. Brighid gathered several of the cushions centaurs used as seats in a small pile next to the table; Aidan settled down onto the makeshift chair and rested his hand at the small of her back, sliding it up under her shirt. He gave Brighid a smile of thanks, then addressed her mother. "Good morning, Councillor Ailis. Catching up on some reading?"

The corners of the smaller centaur's mouth twitched upward, and she responded lightly, "I am forever catching up on my reading; there is always more to know. And, please, you can just call me Ailis in private." Her eyes flicked towards where Aidan's arm disappeared behind her daughter's back. "After all, it seems we are near-family now. I am not sure that I approve, but," she emphasized, cutting off Brighid's immediate objection, "I do not necessarily disapprove, either. Regardless, it is not my place to interfere between lovers when no offspring can result." Brighid subsided with a huff, but Aidan could still feel the tension in her.

Ailis returned her attention to Aidan. "There are three things that I needed to talk to you about. The first, and of most immediate concern, is to check on your health. When you collapsed during the inquiry last night, I used an Ability of mine to assess your condition, then a spell to calm you. Aidan, however it is that you were able to return to life -- and I dearly want to know more about that—it healed the Wounds of your body, but not your mind. I do not know how much you know about Psyche...?" He shook his head a shrugged; the concept was familiar from Earth, but he had no idea how it applied here. "Not uncommon; it cannot be viewed under typical circumstances. Psyche is essentially the mental and emotional equivalent of Health; it measures the amount of mental pain and anguish you can withstand before risking insanity. You were very, very close to empty last night, Aidan." Brighid whimpered quietly; Aidan slid his hand from her back around her far side and pulled her close.

Ailis noticed the interaction, but instead of commenting, continued, "Fortunately, I have a Beast Magic spell, Serenity, which calms the minds of animals and dissociates their emotions from their thoughts for a time. It is useful for helping animals which have been mistreated, and one of the tricks of Beast Magic is that people are, in the end, just animals who are smarter than average. Unfortunately," she let out a soft sigh and leaned back, taking a sip from her mug before continuing, "I do not have any way to directly heal your Trauma. That would require Cogitomancy, and I do not know anyone with the affinity for it. I can work with you to help you manage and, eventually, hopefully, overcome your emotional pain, but your Psyche may have been permanently damaged."

Aidan met the Councillor's ice-blue gaze steadily and said, "That is not pleasant to hear, but if you will help, I will listen."

Ailis nodded and asked, "May I have your permission to use my Ability on you again? Last night was something of an emergency; you were not responsive, and I needed to address what was wrong then and there." At Aidan's nod, she reached across the table and lightly rested her fingertips on his forehead. Her eyes closed in concentration for a moment, then opened again. Withdrawing her hand, she said, "Hmmm! Your Psyche has recovered since last night. There is still a serious Trauma present, but you are less fragile than you were." She eyed him curiously, looking between him and Brighid, then down to his arm around Brighid's waist. "I would expect some degree of natural healing, but so much in such a short time is unusual. It would appear that your... relationship... with my daughter agrees with you." Her eyes shifted back up to Aidan's, and where before they had been the color of ice, now they were a dark, stormy gray. "Just have a care; break my daughter's heart, and you may wish we exiled you as Anwn proposed."

To Aidan's surprise, Brighid did not fly off the handle at the threat. Instead, she gave her mother a defiant look and declared, "Aidan has already saved my life, Mother. You know I wanted to follow him into Ceallach Macht. My heart is safer with him than it is with you." Ailis flinched as the barb struck true.

Seeking to keep things from escalating, Aidan added, "You may rest assured: Brighid means the world to me. I would sooner cut off my own arms than hurt her. While our relationship has undeniably progressed quickly, we have spent a great deal of time together already, and we have discussed what we expect from each other. I am doing everything in my power to make this work."

At his side, Brighid chirped, "Including convincing me that coming here was more important than staying in bed and seeing how many times he could [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords]" Aidan blinked and looked askance at Brighid. Is this her plan...?

Ailis's eyes shifted to Brighid. A smirk crept across her lips, and she asked, "And how was your first time [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords]?" Aidan felt like he was in an episode of The Twilight Zone. I know they're more open about sex, but damn, right in front of me?

Brighid smiled broadly and placed her hand on Aidan's upper thigh under the table. "Oh, yes. He knew exactly what I needed and how I needed it. Yes, Mother, I am very, very satisfied. And, once we are finished with today's errands, I plan to take Aidan back home and," her hand [content censored by Royal Road's advertising overlords], "take care of any satisfaction issues which may have popped up during the day."

"Well." A hint of red suffused Ailis's cheeks and the sides of her elegant neck. Is that embarrassment or... "I will try not to keep you too much longer, then. There are still two matters I wished to speak to you about, though. First, I have some things I must tell the two of you. Please allow me to finish; this will be hard on all of us, but harder still with interruptions." She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Brighid, when you returned from Ceallach Macht, you and I had an argument, during which you appealed my decision to the Council." Her eyes drifted down onto the table. "That was another manipulation on my part." Brighid stiffened against Aidan's side; he could practically feel the anger pouring off of her.

"I know that makes you upset. It should. I have been... made to realize that I have become so focused on how I must act in the Council that I have been treating everything else in the same way. I am sorry for that. Both of you have been my victims when you did not need to be. Aidan, knowing what I do now, I believe you would have willingly gone and scouted for us without any coercion on my part. Yet coerced you were, forced by the Council, and the Council acted as it did in no small part because of me."

Ailis looked him directly in the eyes, her irises taking on the color of a clear winter sky. "I, Ailis Silverhair, acknowledge a debt owed to Aidan Lostlorn for my actions resulting in his death and continued emotional trauma."

Know this: The centaur Ailis Silverhair has acknowledged a debt of deeds to you.

Reneging on this debt will have grave consequences for her.

Always remember, words have power.