Kirika gave him a laugh and shook her head. “Not all the time, only some.”  While she watched him enjoy the bath she gave him, a smile remained on her face. She was glad that she was able to do such things for him. He, after all, was more than just her key to freedom at this point. 

From there she turned around and allowed him to do the same thing. She relaxed and even noticed him doing a bit more than just washing her back. It felt good to have someone touch her, she had never felt it quite like that. There were baths as a family but this was entirely different, and she had only heard stories from her cousins.

She jumped a bit when he left her hips. “No, it’s alright!” She jumped around and looked at him. “I – I rather liked it.” She said it in a hurry. “It’s nothing to be sorry about it.” She turned his head towards her and gave him a smile. “I trust you Bryar. I know you won’t hurt me. So why wouldn’t I trust you in everything?”

She rubbed the sides of his arms with a blush going across her face. “I only know what I was taught, but sadly it wasn’t that much about anything. I didn’t hardly see the sun outside of my balcony and that wasn’t freedom. This is freedom though.”

Bryar locked his eyes with Kirika’s as she turned his head back towards her, eventually returning.  He was surprised to hear her say that his accidental touch had been well received, but also relieved.  He had been worried that she would think he was being lecherous or disgusting, when it had truthfully been accidental.  Granted, he did enjoy the brief touch, but he had not wanted to do anything along those lines without her consent.

Her words of trusting him echoed in his mind.  He did not want to betray Kirika’s trust, nor did he have any plans to. He also had no intention of hurting the girl, and it seemed as though she was nearly inviting him to resume his touch, if not more.  He had pledged to her aunt that he would protect her… what would she do if something were to happen and she found out?  Surely Lily had known that sending him off with a beautiful young woman, being a fairly attractive man near the same age, wouldn’t result in something else. He pushed the thought from his mind, finding more ease in forgetting about it as Kirika’s hands ran down the length of his arms.  

Closing a bit of the distance between them, he reached a hand up, carressing his fingertips against her cheek.  “I have made a promise to keep you safe,” he said, his voice taking on a deeper, lower tone than it usually possessed.  His thumb brushed very lightly against her lower lip, his other hand reaching out to slide gently down her side, gripping her hip and gently pulling her closer to him.  “I would never dream of doing anything to hurt you,” he said, his eyes still locked with her own.  

Her last phrase gave him a bit of hope - if something did happen between the two, she would be understanding of his inexperience - but at present moment, he found no trouble in knowing how to position his hands in an intimate yet respectful manner, pulling her even closer to him, their chests merely inches apart.  His hand still cupped her face, and it was clear in his eyes that his thoughts about her were anything but innocent.

Kirika gave a smile and nodded. “I know you did. And you have done a great job so far.” She giggled lightly and kept close to him. She felt his touch against her lips and smiled brightly towards him. A light laugh left her lips as she got closer to him. “I know, I can tell by looking at you Bryar.”

She was glad that they had the same inexperience. It would be wonderful once they fully acquainted with each other. “I should tell you, my people have a way of setting people up. I’ve only heard stories but I imaged the Queen of Love and Lust had plans when she chose to bring you.” She blushed a bit as she leaned up and kissed him softly.

She bent him down and put her forehead to his. “Whatever you want you can have it. I can assure you that I want it as well. I’m not as well adjusted as the others but I have room to learn. I just want to share my happiness with someone… Can I share it with you?”

It gave Bryar pride to hear Kirika say that he was doing a great job at protecting her.  He always took pride in anything he attempted to do, and it pleased him to know that he was doing well.  He was also glad that she seemed to approve of the actions he took in moving her closer to him, causing him to slightly tighten his grip on her waist.  “I am glad that you know this,” he said, his voice still holding the deeper tone it had taken on.

He listened intently to her explanation of Rosenites and their matchmaking, and it dawned on him:  perhaps Lily had requested him from such a far distance not only to protect Kirika from those who would do her harm, but also to be of service to her in other ways.  If it was truly for that reason, he had to give the Queen credit, because he wanted many things besides protecting Kirika.

He froze for only a split second when she leaned up and kissed him, bending to meet her level so her forehead could rest against his own, listening to her as she spoke to him.  “I… would like to have you,” he said softly.  He ran a hand down the side of her face again, speaking once more.  “Your happiness is my happiness, Kirika,” he said, and with that he gently lifted her up in the water, holding her close against him.  He wrapped his hands underneath her bottom, holding her up, and kissed her as she had him earlier, though his kiss held more passion and fire than their first had, fueled by the thought that she was okay with the scenario unfolding.

After a moment he pulled away from her, still holding her up.  “If I was too forward, please tell me,” he said, though he felt he knew the answer before she could give it.  “I want you to be incredibly comfortable with me,” he said.

She chuckled a but more at him as he froze. It was entertaining to seen a man who was older than she was acting this way. “You can have me.” She said it just as softly as he spoke. She laughed as he pulled her up. “I’m sorry, I don’t find this funny I swear.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. 


Kirika kissed him softly and slowly it filled with the fire both of them had. It was a slow build. She looked disappointed as he pulled away from her. “You weren’t, I want you as much as you want me.” She chuckled a bit and wrapped herself tightly around him once more. “I want to enjoy our moments as much as possible. We’re going to travel the whole world together and someday when I’m ready… I want you there with me when I call on my court.”

She chuckled softly and kissed him quickly. “It must sound silly like some girl’s silly little dream.” She  kissed him again and again. Sure it was a bit sloppy at first but the two of them figured it out. By the end they were laughing and laying against the stone wall of the bath. She snuggled into him. “You promised me you would shift at some point. Will you shift on the outskirts of town for me? On the outskirts of Abed. I want to love every aspect of you.. or at least get to know them.”

The notion that Kirika wanted him just as much as he desired her fueled the fire within him even further, and soon the two were involved in much more intimate activities than just kissing.  Things were of course not perfect and there was a lot of figuring things out, but by the end they were both happy and pleased.  

Bryar wrapped his arms around Kirika as they lay against the edge of the bath, holding her close to him.  Her words from earlier about his being with her when she would call on her court caused a warmth in him unlike anything he had ever felt before.  “It’s not a silly dream,” he said, heading back to the topic from before they had diverted off in another direction.  “I would be honored to be at your side for such an event… and for everything else in your life,” he said, with a smile.  He kissed her on her forehead.

He laughed as she mentioned the fact that he said he would shift in front of her.  “We can,” he said, laughing softly.  “But perhaps we should find an inn for the evening, and save that for tomorrow?” he suggested.  They had ended up spending quite a bit more time in the bathhouse than he had anticipated, and sleep was beginning to sound good to him, especially with the prospect of getting to spend more time close to Kirika.  “We can see the city by day tomorrow, and then at dusk we will head to the outskirts and you can see me change,” he said.  ‘How does that sound?”

Kirika found herself much smaller than the werebear she was with. Her blue eyes closed and she seemed happy as she relaxed against him. A smile came to her face as he told that her dream wasn’t in fact silly at all. It was the perfect dream for the two of them in the end. She tangled her fingers with him and laughed slightly. “I love it.” She snuggled into him after he kissed her forehead.

She was all too excited about him shifting in front of her to realize that she might have tired him out. She nodded a bit and smiled. “We can do that too.” She kissed his forehead now in return and gave a smile. “Sounds like a good plan to me.”

She reluctantly pulled herself away from him and got out of the bath. “We should go to the inn. I promise, if you wish, that we can get naked there again.” Now Kirika was teasing him as she pulled the fine robe back over her body and laughed. “I never thought I would be saying those words.”

After they were dressed, paid for, and left for the inner city, Kirika found herself enthralled by the city at first glance. “This is amazing Bryar.” She had the words almost breathless from her lips as she spoke. “Oh, right inn and tomorrow we get to see the city.” She chuckled at him as she found them the first inn she seen.

Once they had a room she shut the door behind them and pulled him onto the bed. Laying there with him she put her head on his chest. “Lay like this for a little bit okay? It’s nice. Only for a little bit though.”

He smiled with contentment as Kirika snuggled into him, her fingers intertwining with his own.  Truth be told, this had not been what he expected was going to take place when he was enlisted to travel to Sularia, but he had no complaints on how things had ended up.  In one way, he was just as alone as Kirika had been, though he had not been confined to one room for the entirety of his life.  They both had many things to experience, and he was looking forward to experiencing these things with her.

When she agreed with his plan for the evening, he let out a bit of laughter at the realization that she seemed to have forgotten the events that had taken place between the two of them just a few minutes ago.  When he felt her lips brush his forehead, his smile broadened even a bit further.

“Mmm.”  He made a contented sound at the thought of what she mentioned happening when they found an inn to stay at.  His smile switched to a frown when she got up and covered herself, but he laughed a bit at her incredulity.  “Nor did I,” he said, reclining for a bit longer before standing himself up and covering himself as well.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to exit the bathhouse after redressing and paying for their time there.  When they stepped into the city, Bryar laced his fingers into Kirika’s, both in order to keep her near him and to have some sort of physical contact between the two.  “I promise I will show you the city tomorrow, but if you want me to be able to protect you and… other things…” he said, pausing for a moment.  “Then we must retired for the evening.”  He gave her a small smile as they entered the inn and got a room.

When she pulled him down onto the bed, he laughed, pulling her close to him as she laid her head on his chest, the thin fabric the only thing between the two of them.  “Alright,” he said as he obliged her request.  His hand lazily trailed up and down her side, his fingers just barely touching her.  “I never thought of this as a possibility,” he admitted, speaking of course about the activity that had taken place between the two of them.  “But I am not disappointed,” he said.

From seemingly out of nowhere, he grabbed Kirika and flipped her around so he was positioned on top of her, an almost feral growl escaping his mouth - a result of the were side of him.  He leaned down and kissed her hungrily, his hands trailing down her sides once more, his intent clearly stated that he did not want to just lay quietly in the room before they went to sleep.

Kirika gave him a smile. “I know and I trust you to show me everything.” She chuckled at him when he mentioned other things and kissed him gently even if they were out in the open, it wasn’t like most Rosenites would care. 

Once they were in their room at the inn she appeared happy as she laid on him. His fingers tickled her sides and she let out a light giggle as he moved him. “I’m glad you aren’t disappointed if you were I would be sad.” She gave him a smile once more.

She squeaked as he flipped her and laughed. The growl that came from his lips did little to deter her. It was sexy in a way to her, and she remembered he was a shifter it was in his nature to growl. Wrapping her arms around him she kissed him back, she tried to keep up with the wild side of him. It was much easier to maneuver in the bed than the bath.

Quickly it seemed to escalate and the two were found in a fury once more. She was quite honestly sure that many people had heard the new lovers. After everything was done she curled up on him and held him dearly close. “Don’t ever change, I mean it. I don’t know what Lily’s angle was when she sent the two of us out but I imagine we will find out.” She played with his hair and gave a yawn.

“Whatever Lily’s plan is… it’s obviously working, if this was it,” Bryar said, lazily.  “But I don’t know that I care… whatever plan she had has brought me to you and… and this,” he said, hugging her tightly.  “I don’t want to jeopardize this, so we will go along with whatever it is,” he added, his words beginning to jumble together as he began to feel tired.  “Perhaps we can discuss it further in the morning… as for now, I am content to fall asleep with you here in my arms,” he said, his voice becoming deeper the more sleep began to take over him.

He leaned over and planted his lips on her forehead in a soft kiss.  “Tell me… where do you want to go when we leave Abed?” he asked.  He merely wanted to hear her voice, but also had a curiosity as to whether or not she had thought anymore on where their travels would take them next.

He found himself wondering on what Kirika had said to him.  Had Lily really recruited him to be more than a bodyguard?  Was she looking for a companion for the young to-be queen?  He didn’t care, for now that he had experienced what it was going to be like, and he couldn’t think of a better way to spend his time, whether it had been arranged or not.