kat_in_a_box | Something Burns Inside the Heart

Something Burns Inside the Heart

Who: Amon and Lioriley
Where: Spirit World
Summary: Amon finally returns to Lior after a long time away, but not because he was ready to.
Warnings: SEXY TIMES maybe, probably

It had been about two years.

A six-legged salamander spirit carried a semi-conscious Amon on its back, following the glow of the small bracelet dangling from his wrist. The spirit was extraordinarily dubious of the man's connection to Lioriley, assuming he had perhaps stolen the bracelet from her. Still, it was curious, and since the man wouldn't let go of the bracelet, the spirit decided to return the bracelet with the man still attached to it.

It slithered through the barrier surrounding her land and, taking a deep breath that expanded the little pouch under its chin, bellowed out a loud call into the air. "LADY LIORILEY!!"

Amon, in pain from a cut down his chest that had reopened, in spite of his attempts to heal it, groaned at the noise and movement of the loud shout.

"Oh pipe down, ya big baby!" the salamander responded, slithering further into Lioriley's territory. Again, it shouted, and shouted, until it was finally able to get her attention.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Two years was nothing to someone that never aged, that had lived for so long that time wasn't even a factor in her daily life. She had felt his absence though and thought of him from time to time — wondering if he would hold true to his promise to return to her. And while she hoped that he might, she honestly hadn't expected he would return under conditions like this.

She heard name the first time it was called, but distance made sure it took her until the fourth time to arrive to meet him. Concern and confusion furrowed her brows, lips parting to ask what was wrong and why he had appeared so suddenly her domain — but her answer came without her even asking the question. The masked man on the creatures back told her everything.

"Amon!" She hurries to investigate, addressing the salamander when she speaks, "What happened?"

"Lady Lioriley, there you are!" The salamander spirit froze in its tracks though as Lioriley approached, called out a name in recognition, and started fussing over its passenger. "What? You actually know this human?"

Amon groaned and peered up slightly, holding his hand with the little bracelet out to her. He slumped back down, though, as his muscles failed him.

The salamander made a bit of a scoffing noise. "Beats me what happened to him. He collapsed in my home! Inconsiderate human. I thought he'd stolen this bracelet from you and I wanted to return it, but he wouldn't let go of it. So I brought him along with the bracelet."

"I do." She confirmed with a nod, her attention quickly shifting back to Amon once he started to move. Instinctively, she reached out to grasp his outstretched hand in both of her own, worried that he might have just outright died on her. Thankfully, it looked like he was still breathing.

"I thank you for your concern, my friend, but he is no thief. I gave him that bracelet some time ago, so that he may find his way to safety here." Apparently it had worked, albeit not as she had originally intended, "Could you bring him to my home so that I may tend to him? If it is not too much trouble."

She would take him there herself, but god knows she couldn't carry Amon the entire way. The small cabin that she called home was not too far away though.

His vision was blurred and his hearing was weak, but he could see her, hear her, ever so slightly. Amon gripped her hand slightly in return, before falling entirely unconscious, the muscles in his relaxing completely.

The salamander gave her a dubious look, both to her statement and her request. But after a moment of irritated humming, it sighed in exasperation and rolled its eyes.

"For you, my lady. But the sooner I get rid of this human, the better. I still have to get his stink out of my home." Slithering forward on all six legs, it continued to carry the passed out Amon all the way to her cabin, unceremoniously dumping him on the front step when they got there.

With Amon on his back, the damage was more plain to see. The fabric of his shirt was torn, and bloodsoaked, from his left ribs to his right hip.

"I apologize for any trouble that he may have caused, and I thank you again for your efforts. If there is anything I can do for you in the future, do not hesitate to come to me." She made sure to apologize for the duration of the trip to her home, not wanting to offend her neighbor anymore than he may have been already.

As soon as Amon is dropped, the elf is quick to kneel beside him and set to work without any further hesitation. Her hands find their way to his chest, seeping magic from her fingertips and into his skin to heal the massive wound he suffered. What could have done that?

The salamander slipped off once Amon was set down and Lioriley was tending to him, honestly confused about why she even cared.

Amon choked in pain when she touched his chest, jolted awake by the touch of the magic. It soon soothed, though, and he was able to breath regularly again, rather than struggling with erratic breaths from the pain the wound had caused him. He watched her wordlessly. Even if he had something to say, he was too tired to talk.

His hair had grown longer since the last time he'd seen her, pulled back into a high ponytail. Otherwise, he hadn't really changed much. His clothes weren't the same garments he wore way back when, but they were similar - dark in tone, and covering his body from his neck to his toes.

Weak as he was, he reached up to brush some hair from her face, thumb sliding over her cheek. He noted that she looked utterly unchanged. As spirits tended to be.

"Easy." She cooed, letting her hands linger for a few seconds longer, retracting only when she was certain that he was healing properly and that the wound would not reopen, "You are safe now, Amon." she wanted to ask him what happened, how he had ended up in such a state — had it been because he was coming to see her? She hoped not.

A hand raised to rest over his, the other moving to brush over the cheek of that familiar mask, "Can you stand?"

Amon took a few deep breaths, before pushing himself up from the ground to sit upright. He winced in pain from how sore and fresh everything still felt, but he knew the injuries were going to be alright now. Once he regained his strength he'd be even be able to speed the healing himself with his waterbending.

He took a few more breaths, slipping his hand from Lioriley's face to grip the door frame to her cottage. With a bit of struggling, he was able to get himself on his feet, albeit unsteadily.

"I'll be alright. I just need some time to recover..." He glanced at her, eyes tracing the markings on her face, the hair framing her cheeks. "I'm sorry... that I arrived like this. This wasn't what I meant to happen, but I... ran out of options."

She's quick to try and assist him, despite having the physical strength of a twelve year old human; pressing one hand to his back in case he happens to teeter backwards.

"You can stay here for as long as you need to." That probably went without saying, but she makes sure that he knows — makes sure to pointedly look at him as she does so. Stay here, and do not think to go anywhere before you are fully healed.

His apology is met with a shake of her head as she steps to his side, ducking under his arm in case he thought to use her for better support, "Do not apologize, I am just glad you are safe. But how... how did you end up like this?"

Amon just gave a gentle sigh to her only slightly subtle hint that she wanted him to stay here. He didn't want to impose himself, to be a burden, this had just been his last resort...

"I crossed the spirit Koh," Amon admitted quietly, walking with her to move to the nearest chair, which he sank down into almost immediately. "I played a game with him, a contest, made a bet on it... and I lost. Instead of agreeing to the terms, I chose to fight..." He shook his head, taking her soft hand in his and squeezing gently. "It's nothing worth discussing. I'm sorry this is how I returned to you... I wanted things to be different."

At the very least, she made it obvious that she wanted him to stay until he was healed. Venturing out into the wilds of the spirit world while still recovering surely would have been a stupid idea for anyone, especially someone that had already been hurt.

"You did what?" How could he possibly think that was a good idea to begin with? She almost sounds like she's about to scold him, but the elf just manages to hold her tongue before doing so. Maybe he had a good reason? Maybe he really thought he could outsmart the face stealer. Maybe he learned from his mistake, now.

Lioriley sighs, squeezing his hand in return, "It is fine." sort of, "Though not ideal, I am still glad to see you again."

Amon didn't respond to her clear disapproval, distracting her instead by brushing his other hand over her cheek, guiding her face to be level with his.

"I'm glad to see you too. If it weren't for your bracelet, I would have stopped believing you even existed by now..." He didn't move to kiss her - not with the mask on his face. He hadn't wanted to be wearing it around her any longer by the time they saw each other again, but here he was... still hiding.

Amon was silent for a long moment, just watching her, caressing the markings on her skin. "... How have things been, for you? I know you've been safe... but I've been worried that I'd trapped you somewhere you didn't want to be."

His distraction works well enough, and the leans into his hand with a sigh, "I am glad you did not forget me, for I must confess I had worried that you might." Two years wasn't long in her mind, but it was long enough to think that perhaps he had decided not to come back. Most never did.

Her hand raises to rest over his, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, "I have been well enough. My domain is large and many of the other spirits come to visit me often — I enjoy it here, as I always have. There is little more that I need."

Lioriley looks into his eyes as she speaks, her words as sincere as they always are; her voice low. She strokes his mask covered cheek with her free hand, and finally asks:

"I see you still wear this mask. Do you intend to hide from me even now?"

"I made a promise," he replied softly, stroking his fingers through her hair gently. "Though I didn't feel ready - still don't feel ready - I contemplated returning almost every day."

It would have been nicer than spending all his time in the spirit wilds, and especially nicer than spending it around Koh...

He flinched just a little at the touch on his mask, swallowing a bit. "... Around Koh, you understand. I had to wear it for my protection. It's... just a bad habit." Which, Amon felt pretty certain, was a really sad excuse and a lie. But he tried to prove it anyway, perhaps more for his own sake than hers. Taking a deep breath, he reached back behind his head with both hands and untied the mask, pulling it slowly from his face. His hands shook as he set it aside, staring back at Lioriley's face with a steely expression.

"That is... reassuring." She says with a small smile, her shoulders relaxing from the tensed state she hadn't even realized they were in. Hearing him say it aloud eased whatever lingering worries remained, and she could focus entirely on what was happening in the here and now.

Another nod of her head: she understands. Patiently, she watches him as he removes the mask, her expression softening as his face is revealed. As soon as she can, she reaches up to press her palm against his cheek again, stroking over warm skin instead of the cool mask that covered it a moment before. Beautiful, she thinks, just as he was the day that he left her. She doesn't even seem to care about his poor excuse for keeping it on.

"You have not changed much, I see."

Her words stung a little, even if she didn't mean for them to.

"Don't say that," he muttered softly, eyes averted as she touched his cheek. "I'm doing my best not to be the same person I was back then." He curled his fingers against hers, finally meeting her gaze, looking into her eyes. "You're the one who hasn't changed."

She tilts her head, obviously confused by his initial response to her comment. Of course she had been speaking literally — noting how his appearance hadn't changed even in the two years they had been apart. She hadn't even considered what he might be like now, personality wise, morally, emotionally.

"'Tis likely I never will, given my nature." She says with a small laugh, her eyes still focused on his; fingers curled against his cheek, "Now I am curious, though — how have you changed since our last meeting?" has it been for the better? She doesn't know. Honestly, she didn't know much about him to start with, so it was kind of hard for her to judge.

There was something both unsettling, yet comforting, about the idea that she would remain the same as always. Why she even bothered with something impermanent like him, he really didn't know.

To her question, he doesn't answer right away, leaning his face into her hand as he thought about it, his eyes wandering from her gaze.

"I can only say what I've been trying to do. Whether or not I've succeeded, that's beyond me." Amon let out a soft sigh and shook his head, reaching out to her, drawing her into a gentle embrace against his still aching chest. He muttered softly into her ear. "Instead of trying to compare me to what I was, just... see me for who I am now. Then I'll know if I've changed for the better."

She expected those vague answers, and yet she still seemed surprised. He hadn't told her much about himself the last time they met, and she doubted she would learn much more now. But she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious to know more about the man that had all but stolen her heart — what was it he was trying to do, to succeed at? Why wouldn't he tell her without speaking in riddles like this?

Lioriley doesn't voice any of this though, knowing how pointless it may be to pry. So she just leans into him, closing her eyes as she listens to the rhythmic beat of his heart with her ear pressed to his chest, "You seem... softer." Was that the right word for it? Less abrasive, gentler. Maybe she was imagining it.

Softer... He recalls their time together, having gone over it in his head far too many times over the past two years. He remembers worrying about her, shouting at her. He remembers trying to distance himself from her, trying to be cold with her.

Amon could at least acknowledge that he'd moved past that, even if he wasn't well practiced at, well, intimacy of any kind.

He hugged her tighter, squeezing her in his arms, really letting it all sink in that he was really here with her, that this wasn't a dream. He pulled back after a moment, staring at her face, into her eyes, cupping her cheek. With only a moment of hesitation, Amon moved in to kiss her, pressing his lips over hers.

As silence befalls the both of them, all Lioriley can hear now is that soft thump-thumping of his heart beating in his chest. It's soothing, almost reassuring in a way. Her fingers curl into the back of his shirt, gripping tight the fabric there as they just hold one another for a moment.

When he pulls back, she parts her lips as if to say something, but falls silent just as he tilts his head and draws closer. Whatever she meant to say is lost, forgotten when she feels the warm press of his lips to hers. Her eyes fall shut and she returns it eagerly, humming against his mouth as she presses herself against him.

Edited 2016-06-22 02:54 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Something Burns Inside the Heart

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

sorry for the late reply!!!