Angela found herself amused with her new companion. “Well you have yourself a strong woman right now. Probably the strongest you've ever had.” She chuckled at his noise as she combed his hair. “My scars have had over one hundred years to get soft again. Once upon a time they were not.” She gave him a smile and frowned. “For many it is. I wish my parents had stopped at two but no they decided on five of us.” 

She returned his smirk and let his name roll off her tongue. “Adraejen Porthyrius. Mmm.” She let it savour in her mouth for a moment while she felt his hands against her and slowly run up her. She was use to how rough a man's hands could be. She was not usually the type to just let a spoiled prince type into her bed or near her. 

She leaned her head a bit as he trailed his fingers down her. She thought about it for a moment and looked into his eyes. She moved her hands to his and moved them to back. It was still rough there and it was rather a large area that had not completely healed. “Time does not heal all wounds completely. Sometimes we pay a price heavily when we fall in love. You decide never to do it again.” Her pain matched his.

For a moment she caught her breath. “I was barely out of my twenties.” She wanted to share her story. She could tell he was hurting bad. “Had met a human. I knew that I would out live him and he knew it too. He told me under no circumstance was I allowed to think about making him long lived. He wanted to see the heavens. So we married and before long.” She trailed his hands to her stomach. “We had a little one. A little girl.” She smiled for a moment but her eyes were full of pain.

“When the tree comes calling you can't say no.. I had a nightmare that night, a vision. It sent me out of control and when you have as much power as a god does you can do something really bad to the things around you.” She let her hands fall. “I.. collapsed the entire cottage killing him and her. I blamed the tree for a long time and for a while I took responsibilities over the dead. Until my friend Moliira came and consoled me. She found me cradling my dead baby. There was nothing I could do but she helped me. Not my proudest moment. I took the mantle of Fertility and Earth not long after we spoke. We buried her in my realm. While I loved Wyatt with all of my heart, and a part of me still does, I can never forgive myself for that child losing her life the way she did. The mark on my back is from a beam coming down into me while I was searching for her.”

She offered him a sad smile. "We all have stories and I'll admit probably only one of my children know that story. They all think of me as their hero and I do try for all of them but my heart still hurts."

His hands tenderly traced the scar that marred her back, and her words somehow made him feel like she knew him better even than he knew  himself. He could see the pain that was hiding in the deep emerald that was her eyes, and the pain that hid in her voice. He fingered her scar as she told him of the man–the human– she had met and fallen in love with, and subsequently married, despite the fact that he would age and she would outlive him by many years. He let her pull his hands to press against the firmness that was her belly, as the story continued about how she had become with child. 

He suddenly felt the overwhelming need to pull away. This story was striking him far too close to home for him to like. How was it possible that their stories could have been so unique but so similar. He felt the anger, the fear, and the pain, the emotions he had buried down so deep inside him all those years ago that he thought he had gotten over them long since them rise back to the surface, threatening to break his otherwise cool and collected exterior. 

He felt her hands fall away from his and he moved his hands from her belly to her hips as she finished her tale. One hand he lifted to caress her face again. 

"I am no hero. Never was, and likely never will be. I am a thief, and a liar, and a scoundrel. I always have been, ever since I was a boy. Some years ago, I met a Duke by the name of Greer. He was a man of extravagant tastes, who dealt in less than legal business, and who had a passion for causing one to suffer. He was looking for someone who would be able to sell illegal goods to people who needed them, and at the time, I was the best one for the job. We became business partners. Greer had a wife… a beautiful, soft, and silently strong woman, who was never able to give Greer what he wanted most: an heir. Because of this, Greer often left her alone while he went on business trips, where often he would try to sire a child in any woman who would share his bed. While he was gone, I often took care of his business affairs, which meant spending time in his wife's company. After some time of this, the two of us became close, and eventually became lovers," Drae divulged, unable to keep the river of words from escaping his mouth. He had to tell her everything. He didn't know why, but it seemed imperative to him that he tell her these things. 

"We kept up the affair for nearly three years, both of us playing our parts perfectly. Until something wonderfully unexpected happened. While she shared her bed with me, she conceived a child. At first, we thought that perhaps we could play the child off as being the Duke's and that he would be none the wiser, but it didn't take us long to realize that the timing of such an event would have us be discovered. So we made plans to run away. Somehow, Greer found out. And he took great pleasure in making us endure terrible torture. That's where I got these…" Drae told her, indicating to the scars that patterned his chest and back. 

"He made her watch as he tortured me, and I knew it was only a matter of time before he turned his blade on her. So, I freed myself from my chains and made an attempt to kill him… But he was ready for me…" Drae pointed to the scar on his neck. "I should have died… I could hear her screams as I collapsed to the ground, my blood staining the ground as it poured freely from this wound… and I could still see and hear everything as Greer tied her up inside a sack weighted with stones, and then dumped me in a bag myself. He had his servants take us out to the bay, and drop us both into the ocean. I watched as she struggled to free herself, and I lost consciousness before she did…" 

The half-elf paused and swallowed hard. 

"As I was suspended in darkness, I heard someone calling out to me. I found myself faced by a hellish being. He offered me power, and a second chance at life. I didn't hesitate, and voluntarily made a pact with this demon in order to receive the powers I wanted to destroy Greer and all that he had done to us… Then I woke up, magic surging from me, burning my bonds despite the water and I freed myself, my wounds healing with the infernal power bestowed upon me. When I reached her, she was unconscious and I dragged her back to the surface. I was too late though… the love of my life, and my unborn child were gone… and there was nothing I could do to get them back…" Drae said, a single tear rolling down his cheek. He brushed it away. 

"I wasted no time. As tired and weak as I was, I went back to Greer's mansion… and I burned it down with him inside."

Drae's sadness melted away, and her smirked again. "That is the tale of my scars, Angela… and you are the only one who shall ever know the truth about me," he added as he placed his hands on her hips and drew her close.

The red haired goddess nuzzled her face against his hand and offered him a simple smile. There was warmth there that she could give. She understood him as he spoke. There was something that comforted her knowing that he had at least in some form understood her deep down. She was not happy he could understand her pain but she was. They had shared something so special with each other that neither could bare to tell another. It was all because he had said he lost a lover. Such simple words and yet they had unraveled similar tales in the two.

Her fingers trailed his scars with her fingertips. She was at a loss for words at that moment but she gave him a smile the same as he did her. “Wyatt was my very first love. His sister was in the academy with me. A year above me before I took classes to advance me out of there. That is how we met. He was a trader's son as weird that sounds.” She chuckled. “If I could separate myself and hurt myself for what I did I would have. I am glad you took your revenge some of us aren't that lucky.” There was still a large amount of hurt in her eyes.

She was comforted as he brought her in. Her arms going around his shoulders as she looked up into his gray eyes. She offered him a smile, “I won't tell a soul I promise. You aren't the only one who is a liar. I keep my promises though. I deal judgment.. Hell I fed a man to a woman the other day for rape. In my position I have to be strong but also I am soft. I am soft to those who need it and those who I admire and like.” She moved her hand of to his face and caressed gently with her thumb.

“And I've taken a liking to you.” She lifted her just enough to lightly kiss his lips. “I can give you whatever you want as long as it's in my power.” Her voice became a whisper. “I could take you from here and let you live in a place where you would not have to struggle or worry about your next meal.” She moved up to his ear. “You would be in my bed.. I would tire you.” Her lips kissed against his ear. “You would be free to do whatever you like in your free time. I could use your skills once in a while. Not everything I deal with is pure and good.”

She pressed herself to him. “You don't have to give me an answer right now but at some point you can tell me what you decide.”

"Revenge didn't make the pain go away. I don't believe that anything can take the edge off of that pain," Drae admitted as he wrapped his arms a little tighter about her as her fingertips traced over the scars on his chest, before her arms found a place about his shoulders. 

He chuckled at her words about feeding a man to the woman he had raped. That was poetic justice. He smiled charmingly as she brought a hand to his face and caressed his clean-shaven cheek. 

"Have you now?" he asked with a smirk as he ran his hands up her back. He breathed in her scent as her lips brushed ever so slightly against his. Soft, like rose petals. He leaned in a little closer as she began to whisper, presenting him with quite the singular opportunity. He growled softly as her lips met his ear and he began nuzzling the side of her face as she pressed herself against him. 
He felt the swell of her breasts against his chest as she breathed, and he considered her proposition. 

Live with a Goddess, have everything he had ever wanted, her powers backing his as he helped do her bidding, but have the freedom to do his own thing when he was not needed. Share a bed with her. 

It was tempting to say the least, so much of it appealed to him. She was giving him the option decide at a later date. He was grateful for that, for at the moment he had much more pressing things on his mind. 

"Do you always make such tempting propositions to handsome young men who help you on the street?" Drae asked her, his voice low as he began to run his hands over her shoulders and up her neck as he brought his face close to hers and kissed her deeply, repeatedly, his lips massaging hers. He moved from her lips to her cheek, and then to hear ear and slowly down her throat, his hands caressing down her sides to her hips where he gripped her firmly and pushed his hips up against her. He nipped softly at her neck. 

"Or am I a special case?" he asked as he trailed his kisses closer to her breasts.

The red haired woman simply nodded to him while she whispered those sweet offers into his ear. She nuzzled him back as she teased him. It would be an opportunity no one would regret and she would never regret giving anyone the choice after all, a god is strongest in their temple.

She decided to hold off her answer as she kissed him tenderly back but soon she was hungry for more and it showed. Though he was more persistent on teasing her then anything else. Her chest raised and lowered with haste as she laughed. “Not normally. You are a very special case.” She loved the way he pulled her close and nipped at her neck.

Angela pushed him back towards the edge of the tub and brought him back closer to her. Her lips were hungry on his as she lift herself up onto him. This was all that they were leading themselves up to. It may have been demanding in a sense that they had teased each other to no end but also at the same time she savored it.

She tired him out just like she had promised and even had to have magi come in to heat the water up. “So what do you think about my offer. You can do whatever you want in your free time even if it's me. Though I do have duties and you will have to live under the roof with my children. Most of them are young adults but I do have a few stranglers at the end still in their childhoods.” Angela rested against him and kissed his shoulder.

“It would be a shame if you did not come. We could bath like this often. I would even take you with me when I go out if you wanted. You could see all of Revaliir.” She stopped herself and laughed. “Except airships and boats. I do not like being off ground.” She shivered a bit. “Unless I absolutely have to.”

Drae breathed deeply as he held Angela in his arms, lightly twirling a lock of her damp red hair about his fingers. She hadn't been lying when she had said that she was one of the strongest women he could have, and that she would tire her. He was pretty sure no other woman he had laid with had taken all of his energy in such a rejuvenating way. He hoped however that it had been as fulfilling and exhilarating for her as it had been for him. 

He smiled and kissed the top of her head as he considered her words, quite seriously, reveling in the touch of her lips on his shoulder. 
"I'd be a liar and a scoundrel if I said your offer wasn't tempting. But then again, even if I told you the truth, it wouldn't change the fact that I am a liar and a scoundrel," he replied. "But there are some things that I will admit do not jive well with me. I'm nothing without the challenge of living. I've had to fight for everything I've built for myself. While the enticement of the luxury living with you is strong, I don't know if my pride could handle having everything given to me if I were to do so," Drae admitted to her. "Perhaps if there were a way for me to maintain my lodgings here, but still be able to come to you at any time…" he suggested softly. 

"I do after all, have a business that I run here," he told her frankly. "But I do want to be able to be with you as you ask. Any man would be a fool to refuse such an invitation…" he said softly as he traced shapes along her bare back and pulled her naked form tight against his. 

It comforted her to have him kiss the top of her head. It had been a long time since anyone had done something like that. It was more of an affection thing than a lustful. “I may lie but when I said you have my word you have it.” She looked up at him and smiled more. Her mind wandered but to the last time that had bit her in her ass. “You are free to come and go. I have arches even here in Pravpora. You see my temple is in my realm and you have to teleport in to get there.”

She snuggled close to his body. “You will have to meet my youngest. She is always with me when I have free time and not being tempted. Otherwise she is off being someone else's pain in the ass.” She chuckled a bit and looked up at him. “She is wonderful though. A little ball of joy that makes everyone smile. Her father was like that too. Even in the late stages of his illness.” She frowned a bit.

“Her father climbed through my trials and asked me to have his first and only child. He asked me to extend his life until he got to hold her. So I made a pact and I never thought I would ever come to regret being so faithful to my words. I let a man I loved die because he told me what would everyone think if a goddess went back on her words. He named her Iva, life. He was too sick though even if I could have saved him his body had already taken a toll. He also told me that Iva needed a mother who everyone knew was strong and had no doubts.” Angela laughed a bit. “Always he thought about her. Even when she was in the womb he wondered what she would be life.”

“If I could tell him now.. I would tell him that she is a little monster who sees many time outs. She is one of those girls who would get in the mud without hesitation and join the boys for a fight. She is strong like he was and caring too. She does has one little thing we did not think of though. The child is a seer and often she scares herself because she doesn't understand what she's seeing. She is far to young to learn to control it.”

Angela watched his gray eyes and smiled. “She is a very special child. She has the curliest red hair I've ever seen.” She laughed and closed her eyes finally. “You will love her. I will introduce you to her when we get there.. if not she will spring herself on you and introduce herself as a mud ball. You would think I created a mud golem instead of a child."

Drae smiled when Angela reassured him that he would be able to come and go from her realm as he pleased. He did value that freedom greatly, and he was glad she was so understanding of his position on the matter. 
"Well then, I think we will be able to make this work," he smiled. 

He held her close as she snuggled up against him in the warmth of the bath water. He looked down at her as she told him of her youngest daughter, and he couldn't help but smile at how she described the child, and her father. He listened, quietly as she described the man who had come to her with a wish to hold his own child before he passed from the world. 

"That you can keep your word, despite the pain it causes you makes you a rare individual indeed, Angela," Drae told her reassuringly. "I will tell you though, I've never exactly been the best with children," he admitted. "I don't think I ever really considered myself the father type. But if she is your daughter, I look forward to meeting her," he added with a smile. "She sounds like a true daughter of Mother Earth," he smirked. He lifted her chin so he could press a kiss to her lips again. 

"I'm sure she is just as lovely as you are," he told her before he rubbed his nose to hers. He began to sit up. 
"Come, we have lingered in the water long enough," he insisted as he took her hands and pulled her towards the shallow end of the bath. He exited the water first and grabbed his robe from where he had discarded it and draped it about his shoulders, tying it about his waist before he picked up Angela's. He draped the soft robe about her and wrapped it snugly about her figure. 
"When do you plan to return?" he asked her as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

Angela gave him a smile. “I am not lust. I have wants but I can override them just as easily as my problems come. My children are most important to me. If that means losing the one I love to protect all of my children.. If it's alright with him I'll do it. Children are the only ones in life who will not leave you unless you make them or raise them to be little assholes. I would like to think I've done neither. I've raised bards, scholars, and many others. I've raised leaders and political figures. They all tell me about their daily lives about once a week. It's like hearing chickens going off at the same time.” She laughed softly.

“Just show her that you care and are paying attention and she will love you unconditionally.” Angela gave him another smile and laughed at him before kissing him back. “Aye that she is.” When he rubbed his nose to her's she took a moment to relish in it. There was nothing pressing them but he was right. She went with him to the edge of the bath and smiled as he helped put her robe on.

“We can return when you are ready. I'm sure Monster Child will still be up waiting. She is stubborn and does not like to listen when I am not home. Her sisters squawk about how miserable she makes them. Always invading their privacy without knocking or sneaking in without being detected and ruining their evenings. You would be surprised the types of trickery a five year old is capable of.” She kissed his cheek in return.

“It would be no problem gating from here to the realm. Just need to find my clergy and make sure what I promised the school has been delivered.”

Drae chuckled. He had to admit, the way Angela talked about Iva, made the little girl sound a lot like him when he was that age, but that was quite some years ago. 

"She sounds just like me when I was that age, except I was a real hellion, and I tormented the village since I had no siblings to speak of," he smirked. He smiled as her kiss pressed to his cheek and he ran his hands through his wet hair. 
"Well, I just need to go and gather a few things before I will be ready," he told her. "I can be ready quite easily within the hour," he said rather confidently. He ran a finger over her cheek. "I'll meet you here when we are all ready," he said before he pecked her quickly on the lips and left the bath. 

He changed back into his clothes in the changing room and left the bath house with a bit of a spring in his step as he headed back to his living quarters. His rendezvous and bath with Angela had definitely reinvigorated him, and he felt like he could face anything. Drae climbed up the stairs to his apartment and pushed the door open. He began gathering up some clothes and other knickknacks that he preferred to keep with him when he traveled. He noticed with a bit of ire, that the shirt and vest he had requested to be cleaned by his neighbor had actually gone so far as to smear ink all over the articles of clothing. Drae sighed and shrugged before he tossed the ruined clothes aside and shoved the rest of his things into a small travel pack. He looked about the room to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything before he turned and left his rather comfortable living arrangements and locked the door behind him, his arcane staff in hand. 

He exited the building and began walking back towards the bath house and inn where he had left Angela. The warm sunlight dried his damp hair as he walked down the clean cobblestone streets, and he found himself taking a moment or two as he walked to look at the shops. 

After making a quick stop, Drae was soon back in front of the inn where he had left Angela, and he stood waiting for her arrival, patting a bulge in his satchel.