An invitation?

To a ball no less.

He had asked the innkeeper to read the letter that had found its way into his rooms and had asked the man to send one in return - asking the man to have his own invitation delivered to the Lady Alairia, inviting her to accompany him to this ball, if she was so inclined, after all he had enjoyed her company at the last one.

The wonders of the Hanging Gardens and the event itself was sadly lost to the blind young man; Raith had no concept of the sights he walked through as he entered the lowest level. It was here that he stood, hand behind his back; awaiting the arrival of Alairia. In truth he did not know whether she would accept his invitation; given the length of time between receiving this one and sending his own she really hadn’t been given a chance to respond in return - Raith had attended regardless, a hope that she would come lingering in his otherwise empty heart.

Quite what it was about the woman that intrigued him so Raith had yet to understand; though that was partly the reason for him asking her to join him - since meeting her at the Celestial Ball he had found it difficult to go even one day (if not one hour though he dare not think on that too much) without his mind drifting to thoughts of their first interactions. Even now he could perfectly recall the feeling over her skin under his hands - the minor calluses from her work easily distinguishable upon her otherwise perfectly silky smooth skin; even the sweet stickiness of the lingering apple juice could not detract from that.
He closed his eyes (out of habit rather than necessity) as he took in a slow, deep breath, exhaling through his mouth. Even now he could imagine her scent filling his nostrils above the foul stench of heavily perfumed bodies barely masking their own stinking body odour. Fat. heavy, sweating nobles whose blood pumped too loudly within their overweight carcasses as their heart struggled to keep beating within their meaty chests. They wouldn’t even make a decent meal, had he been so inclined, too much fat and not enough actual meat worth tearing from their bones. The Gods only knew how any of them remained upright let alone found a way to dance!
No. Alairia’s sweet scent had overpowered all of them; a mixture of honeysuckle, fresh morning dew upon cut grass and the alluring scents the Spring breeze carried, that had hidden the rotten smell of the rest of the disgusting attendees that night… some of whom Raith sadly could smell even now. Naturally they were in attendance tonight as well; few nobles missed out on the social occasion of the season.

The thought of it brought a dark sneer to the man’s face, one lip curling to reveal an elongated canine as a look of distaste and revulsion became evident beneath his mask. Sighing he relaxed his features and opened his eyes once more; silver filmed emeralds staring blankly at the people jostling into the lower level of the gardens while he remained slightly to one side awaiting the refreshing scent of the woman he hoped to escort for the evening.
His outfit was elaborate and beautiful and only served to make the man look more handsome and all the more grandiose. Several scores of giggling women had approached him since he had taken his position by the entrance; their perfumes cloying and as repulsive as their voices were atrocious to his ears. He had been polite, at first, but after one said group had tried their luck once again he had shown his true nature to them. They had dared to try and pull him away from the entrance; saying that the girl he was waiting for was not as worthy as they and clearly not very bright to leave a man such as he waiting… sadly for them they had insulted Alairia and without understanding why that had struck him and he had snapped. Snapping his arm roughly out of their grip (so hard and so swift that he actually hurt the hands of the two that had hold of him) he had leant forwards and snarled darkly at them that even if she never arrived they would never be half the woman she was nor ever worthy of his attentions nor of any decent man that did not have rotten breath and snort like a pig in bed.
They had gasped and cried and hurried away from him and Raith had taken some satisfaction from that. He could charm when he needed but he did not suffer fools.

No. He was here to meet with one woman and one woman only… if she deemed him worthy of her attention.



Raith’s outfit

Alairia's Dress

Butterflies felt as if they were having a field day within the stomach of the nervous healer elf as she made her way towards the newest social gathering being put on for the citizens. Delicate fingers lightly touched the edge of her white masquerade mask that was trimmed in elegant gold filigree. Her mother had helped select the ensemble for that evening. Teu had been quite surprised at the request for help for that evening considering she had never seen Alairia as nervous as she was. The mother had her own plans with her fiancée, but to find that her daughter had been invited on a date was quite exhilarating. Now, Alairia had been, on many occasions, invited for dates. This was the first time that Alairia had been anxious for.

The daughter and mother pair had selected their dresses out carefully. Each had used their sewing skills from the healing rooms to make some alterations that would fit their desires. Now, Alairia was being delivered to the Hanging Gardens. The young half elf felt it was more of a delivery because she was not the one directing her movements. Clutched between her hands was the invitation that had been forwarded to her from Raith. She had gotten one with her name on it, but the one with his name upon it had given her slight chills. There never be a denial that a smile had accompanied the shiver along with a blush.

Raith was not like anyone she had met before. He was afflicted with blindness. Yet, the man had turned it into an asset. Alairia was not gifted with special blood like her adoptive family to allow her certain traits of heightened senses. She could sense a darkness around him. Even so, it was seductive in a ‘bad boy’ vibe way that she had read in some books. Alairia blushed even deeper as she hid her face with her hands in the carriage that was bringing her to the gardens.

Finally, the carriage came to a stop to allow her out at the entrance. The door opened to allow her to exit. As she stood to look at the throng of party goers walk up to the main entrance, Alairia smoothed out her white dress. It was simple. The straps connected behind her neck in a halter top style, and gave the illusion of layers along the straps down to the waist. She hoped that the dress would be appropriate for the party.

Gathering the hem of her dress, she moved towards the entrance where she was to meet Raith. She fell into line with a small group that were making their way as well. As her partner for the evening came into view she also saw some women attempting to convince him to leave with them. Alairia remained quiet to watch from a short distance away to see how it would come to conclusion. Her fingers gripped his invitation a little tighter. A dark side of him flared to drive the women away. The half elf should have been upset at his display….she wasn’t. There was a small smile on her lips that just refused to fade. She carefully touched her long blonde hair that was in a loose bun that was wrapped at the base of her neck.

Alairia made it through the people to lightly touch Raith’s elbow. ”Hey stranger,” she said softly, knowing he would be able to hear her over the noise that surrounded the pair. ”Can we move to somewhere else? I am not big on crowds.” This time, Alairia laughed softly while pulling slightly on his arm while linking together their arms to move away from the main entrance. Once away from the main part she was able to get a good look at the man who had invited to join him for the night. She was glad he was unable to see her cheeks heat up. Her pale skin gave away her emotions far too easily. ”You look quite dashing tonight, sir Raith. Thank you for the invitation to join you. It was unexpected, yet welcomed.” Her hands gave his arm a light squeeze, though she could feel the heat rising up her neck from sheer embarrassment to saying such things.

There.

That unmistakable scent. 

Even with the hundreds of people crowded into the gardens for the event he could pick out Alairia's distinctive aroma with ease and it caused his heart to skip an unfamiliar beat - she had accepted his invitation, that warmed his heart far more than he had ever anticipated that it would. It brought a genuine, warm, smile to the man's face for a brief moment as he breathed it in, inhaling deeply and allowing it to envelope his senses. Eyes closed with pleasure, a habit that even a blind man could not break, it was an involuntary twitch after all and one that would betray him to her if he did not recover some of his decorum before she reached his side. The man turned in the direction of her scent; his head cocked slightly to one side in that odd way that blind people tend to have when using their hearing to locate someone in the lack of being able to see. 

As she spoke he smiled once more; again it was that genuine smile for he was incredibly happy that she had attended and accepted his invitation to join him. After all she could have come on her own or with someone else if she had wanted to but she had come tonight because he had asked her to. "Of course." He smiled, relishing in the feeling of her hands on his arm as she steered him away from the entrance. "And I share in your dislike of big crowds; while I may have learnt to turn them out quite well they can still become disorientating after a time and I would much rather you have my full and undivided attention." He spoke softly and for the first time in his life he meant the words he spoke - when he had first met Alairia he had spoken with charm and poise to catch her attention, to create a bond of interest between them - what he had not expected in doing this was for her to catch him also. Now when he spoke it was not to entice her into his web, not to mislead her so that she could be of further use to him later it was because he enjoyed her company in a way he had not thought himself capable of. 
He chuckled and bowed to her with a flourish. "I am glad that you accepted it Lady Ria; I have to admit that I did doubt that you would come if I asked you to… but I hoped that you would; especially after I enjoyed your company so much at the last ball." He smiled; unseeing eyes looking straight through her. It was not often that he left his eyes un-blindfolded and it was even less often that he cursed it - of the afflictions he had been cursed with at birth his lack of sight had never been one that had bothered him; he hated his mother but he had to admit that she had proved to him and taught him that his blindness could be an asset rather than a hinderance… but now, now he hated it, he despised the fact that he could not see how beautiful she looked, could not see her smile… 

He turned his head slightly, listening to the sounds of the others in attendance. "Do they light something?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly as he took a deep breath and smelt the smoke and wick of candles. "I can smell candles; there seem to be more being added over time, I can hear the flicker of the flames and the smell of wick." He spoke softly. 

The young healer was still surprised that she had been invited to such an event by Raith, by anyone really. Alairia was used to having a few callers, but none that she had felt to take seriously. A few times she had gone with them for a meal out; no further action had taken place. They had been nice enough gentlemen. She had found little interest in them. Then there was Raith. Upon their first meeting she had felt something stir in her chest. He had an aura around him that the half elf could not quite place. Even with that aura around him she was exhilarated to be at his side once more.

Her nerves set on end just as she placed a gentle hand upon him. There was still that smile from when he had shooed away the prior admirers. Gaze shifted to see the women gathered off to the side whispering to one another. Alairia stifled a laugh linking arms with him to find a more suitable place for them to speak. ”I prefer the quiet as well…and your attention,” she replied and in turn felt the heat up her back. The sheer daring to speak such words had no basis in her normal personality. There was something about being around the man that made her want to behave in a different way. She wanted to be around him to the point of not knowing where one began and the other ended. Another embarrassed flush heated her cheeks that made her want to hide her face away from her escort. Ria knew that her mother would merely laugh and encourage such things. Teu was quite excited for this meet up, and wanted to know all the ‘juicy’ details later.

In truth, she was unsure why he had come up to her at the first Ball. Alairia had found some time away from her family to finally eat some food that did not take a special procedure to consume. An apple had been enjoyed, and then a handsome man had joined her for the rest of her evening. Now, he bowed in his usual gentleman fashion to then flower her with words that only made her heart beat faster. Alairia returned the flattery with a curtsy. Even though he couldn’t see it, she was sure he could feel the air movement of her dress. ”There was no way I could allow myself not to accept. I enjoy your company.”

Hazel gaze lifted to look into the silver filmed green eyes of his in an effort to read him. Though he couldn’t see, he still had an expressive face. As the crowds got thicker she put her hands back upon his arm to keep the distance close between them. She smiled to herself as they were closer as the crowds were a good excuse as to why she had to be nearer. Alairia glanced up at him as a group passed to see the frustration on his features. For a moment the young elf thought carefully. Carefully, she moved to hold both of his hands in her’s lightly. ”Here. I did some studying, and I found this helps with understanding the surroundings.” The healer lifted his hands to place them on her face. She was blushing furiously, but wanted him to ‘see’ her for the first time. There was nothing else that could be done to help.

Alairia wasn’t sure how long it would take for her blushing to subside. The only thing that could be done was to put her concentration on something else besides his warm touch upon her. ”They are lighting ceremonial lanterns. Your senses are quite astounding, sir. I’m beyond impressed every time.” For a split second she almost rested her head upon his arm while watching couples lovingly take part in the activities. ”So umm…do you want to light one of the lanterns? I can go get us one.”

He smiled at her answer. "Then for that I am extremely glad, and even happier that I dared to invite you to accompany me." Raith said softly, his expression full of the genuine happiness he felt at having her near to him. He felt the crowds drawing nearer seconds before Alairia's hand found it's way to his arm again to lead him to a quiet spot once more, her body closer to his now. He had to admit that having her so close to him made his heart beat harder within his chest, his skin electrified at her smallest touch. Having her pressed against his side made Raith want to slid an arm around her and hold her closer, to embrace her and encircle her so that they were the only two people in existence. 

Raith cocked his head to one side as she took hold of both his hands; a quizzical look upon his face as he felt her lift his hands upwards. As he realised what she was doing he smiled and gave a soft chuckle. "It can indeed… it allows me 'see' you. In other words it lets me form a picture of you in my mind based on what I can feel with my hands… it's as close to seeing you as I will ever get… never in my life have I regretted my lack of sight more than now that I have met you." He said softly, his words barely more than a whisper. Gently he explored her face; his fingertips brushing against her soft skin as he traced every contour of her face - committing it to memory as he formed a picture of her in his mind.
Deep down he doubted that the image he perceived would do even the remotest justice to the true beauty of the woman before him but as this was the closest he would ever be able to achieve he was at least grateful for this small gift… anything was better than nothing. His thumbs brushed over her eyebrows - following their arch before gently running over her eyelids and eyelashes. As his fingertips found her lips he smiled slightly, letting his fingers linger there a moment, trembling with excitement and anticipation. A soft sigh left his lips as his own eyes closed and he bowed his head slightly; the sadness was obvious on his face as he let his hands fall away from her face, offering her a small smile. "Thank you, I know that it's a rather intrusive thing to allow someone to touch you with such intimacy." 

He laughed, his mood lightening once more as the subject changed. "I hope I can continue to impress you my Lady though I fear my parlour tricks will run dry one day." He chuckled. "Yes, why don't we? You will have to explain the ceremony to me and why they light them. Back in Myna we used to light candles and place them on rafts created from flowers at the year's end. Some were to honour the dead, some to honour the lives to come and others were to carry the wishes of those who put the raft into the river. I assume it's a similar sort of occasion - though the invitation seemed to suggest the event had something to do with lovers. A wish for ever lasting love sent to the heavens upon the breeze perhaps?" 

Alairia noted her ever bolder behavior, but did not stop herself from continuing to establish where her intentions were. She knew not where the feelings that were swelling for Raith had come from. All the young healer knew was that she wanted to move forward with them if he was open to receiving them. It was as if her existence had been waiting for his to meet. There was an unnatural draw towards the blind man that could not be explained. Alairia didn’t care to explain them. Instead, all she wished for was to be washed over with the warmth.

The lack of sight was not a disability in the mind of the healer; it was a mere difference than the norm that most of society was afforded. She hadn’t noticed it being a hindrance for Raith, even though she did wish that he could see the dress she had picked out just for him. When the thought struck her to try what she had read there had been little hesitation. The woman had not fully realized the intimacy that was being allotted to allow him the touch of her face. Her face split into a bright grin as he affirmed what had been read in her studies.

Eagerly the half elf moved to allow him easy access to map out her face. Cheeks heated the longer he took. Even as he slowly traced the contours of her face, Alairia watched his features. Hands were clasped behind her back while she felt the light touches along her skin. As Raith continued, Ria closed her eyes to enjoy the light contact. Fingertips touched her lips to linger there. Without thinking, she lightly kissed the tip of his finger before he pulled away. Heat flared intensely in her cheeks at such an action taken. Boldness, indeed, she thought to herself. It took every bit of her will power not to hide her face in her hands and run away from the embarrassment. His words broke through the embarrassment. Hands lifted to wave in the air frantically to brush away his words. ”Don’t worry about it! I trust you. I also want to afford you whatever I can to know your surroundings.” She stumbled over her words slightly knowing that they didn’t quite piece together properly.

Listening to him speak made Ria relax and smile. Even his voice was handsome. As he spoke the last bit about the invitation she stiffened. It had taken that moment to make her realize that the entire invitation had not been read. All that had been registered in the woman’s mind was that a handsome young man had invited her to join him for the evening that she had been quite intrigued by. The humiliating moments would not end for her. Instead of backing down from it, Alairia took Raith’s hand in her’s to pull him towards where they could find their own lantern. She was not convinced he wouldn’t be able to feel the heat radiating from her hand.

”I have not looked into the meaning of the lanterns, but they are pretty. If they happen to have a deeper meaning….I think we can let that be.” Alairia couldn’t look up at Raith out of caution of the blush that seemed to be making a permanent residence on her cheeks. She finally came to a stop near where a woman was handing out the lanterns. Though there was no need to hold his hand any longer, Ria refused to release his grasp. Without a word the lantern was handed over pre-lit to the young couple. A knowing smile was on the woman’s face before she turned to the next couple that wanted to retrieve their own lantern.

”I’ve never done something like this before. Do we just release it into the air?” she asked up to her companion for the evening.

Raith had felt the heat from Alairia’s cheeks as his hands had found their way across her features; he had said nothing and had no intention of embarrassing her further by pointing out that he had felt the flush across her cheeks even if he could not physically see it. A small smile flickered across his face as he felt her lips press against his thumbs; it was a bold move on her part but he wondered if it was intentional or instinctual given where his touch had lingered.
He laughed slightly at her dismissal; his head tilting to one side as he gave her a fond look, an expression of affection linger upon his handsome features. Why did she make his heart race so?

As she took his hand and led him away he smiled once more; the touch of her hand to his own was almost electric and his whole body was on fire with excitement. He felt her keep a hold of his hand and the smile widened slightly as he maneuvered his own to entine their fingers together, keeping a firm but gentle grasp of her slender hand. He could feel how soft the skin was and once again could feel the small calluses forming from her work as a Healer - these were not flaws in his eyes but a mark of just how wonderful this woman was… though quite how she had enchanted him in this fashion he had yet to figure out.

With the lantern now in their possession Raith slid his hand free, allowing himself to find her waist so that he could pull her against his side, his palm against the small of his back as he felt her slight frame against his own - he could not hide the shiver of pleasure that ran through his body at having her so close to him and there was no point in denying it now… smiling at her he put his free hand onto the lantern next to her’s, allowing their fingertips to brush against one another.
”May this lantern take my wish to the stars; that this flame remain lit as it reaches the heavens just as you have set alight the flame in my own heart.” He whispered, gently pulling her fingers away from the lantern to release it, his hand finding her face in order to lead him to her lips. He hesitated a moment before pressing his own to her’s, pulling her closer as he embraced her tightly - the lantern now long forgotten.

There was no hiding the emotions on her face or even in the way she carried herself. Alairia had never been one to control her emotions when around others. If she was happy, everyone knew it. If she was angry, everyone definitely knew it. There was certainly no gambling done by the half elf when it came to the needing to bluff. Her brother would take advantage of her inability to conceal her reactions whenever he could to further get a rise out of his sister. Alairia did what she could to pretend to not see the reactions on Raith’s handsome features. She was not sure if he found her flustered ways endearing or amusing to the point of not being ‘cute.’

To keep from thinking on that thought pattern the elf lead her companion through the crowd with hands held together. She was in front of him to move the crowds out of their way, but as his fingers moved to interlace with her own Ria glanced over her shoulder in surprise. The young woman made sure to keep up her pace, but there was no hiding the smile that was pulling at her mouth. Lips were pressed hard together in an effort to bring some sort of control back to her face. His hand was large in comparison to her own. They were rough from battle or hard work she knew that there was little they knew about each other; that appeared to matter little. Ria could not deny the attraction that she was feeling towards the man that trailed behind her. She wanted to know more about him. She wanted to feel him closer. The warmth of his hand held her mind settle a little from the craving that was gnawing at her constantly since they had met once again.

Alairia wondered about her own hand in his. There were callouses that she had earned over the years in her work. Cuts that had not healed properly since they had to constantly be used despite the necessary rest that she was supposed to take. Healers were the worst patients.

A small whimper escaped her as his hand released her’s, but soon was to place upon her waist. Her back went ridged for a moment, before relaxing against his touch. Alairia found that subconsciously that her waist leaned into his hold in an effort to be closer. She smiled at the lantern that was now in both of their grasps. Brows lifted in surprise at the reaction that he had of her against him. At least she was not the only one feeling something!

”Oh! The lantern lifted into the air, but her attention was on only the man holding her. She had no inclination of what direction that lantern was going. She was sure that it was heading towards the heavens just as Raith spoke. Heart pounding so loudly that it was in her ears as his lips lowered to meet her’s. Alairia closed her eyes instinctually while resting her hands upon his chest to press her body against him. How had she never done this before? She had hoped to have kissed him before. Longer before. Was it possible to want to meet someone before they had actually met?

Alairia felt that the inexistent distance between them was too much. Her lips responded to his own. There was no practice from prior experience since this was her first one. Gods, was she joyful that he was her first one. She was head over heels for this blind mystery man. Even the darkness that surrounded his existence mattered nothing to her. Raith was the one she felt she was to be with and could only plead with the gods that he felt the same. From the way he was holding her, she was sure in that moment he did.

The time passed as they immersed themselves in one another. Finally, Alairia had to pull back to allow herself a breath. All the anxiety welled up in her chest at releasing his lips. Hand lifted to lightly cup his cheek and trace the lines of his face in a similar fashion that he had done to her earlier. ”You constantly surprise me.” Her voice was hardly above that of a whisper. It was as if she spoke louder it would shatter the quiet world that they had created for themselves. Alairia knew that there were other’s there, but she denied their existence.