a/n: About level 4 friendship with Hassian, but you haven't started romancing him yet (you are both crushing though, obviously). This takes place before the events of the Highlands. Also my first fic, so pls let me know how you like it! (And pls be kind <3) I also tried to stay true to his character, but also feed that delulu, yk?
Content: depictions of accident/injury, bit of angst (from Hassian, duh), Hassian x fm reader, Beast is mentioned, Hassian is emotionally constipated, but also such a worrier. Mother peki mode activated.
wc: 2.3k
About 7 months into living in Kilima…
You were exploring the Elderwoods one morning, no goal in mind. Since you had only been here a couple times, you thought you would take today to just explore and familiarize yourself with the new environment. Being in the Elderwoods gave you the creeps but it was also beautiful, in its own dark way. You were in the Deep Woods, deeper than you had gone before, wandering and foraging while keeping out of the way of the Ogopuu. It was gliding serenely from tree to tree when you spotted an odd but beautiful looking flower you had never seen before.
You glide then climb up to the bedrock housing the flower. Excited, you start making your way over to it when the hair on the back of your neck stands up. You freeze. Then you hear a deep and guttural growl, coming from somewhere above you. Instinctively, you whirl around but your foot slips on the slick moss covering the bedrock, and you fall. Your arm reaches out to try and hold on to the rock, but it’s no use. In the blink of an eye, you hit the ground and hear a bloodcurdling scream. The blinding pain emanating from multiple points on your body draw all your attention until you realize that the scream came from you. Sobs escape your mouth as you try to get up from the shallow puddle of murky water you landed in. Another, brighter, flare of pain stills you quickly and your vision begins to fade at the edges.
“Stupid flower” you mutter, before unconsciousness claims you.
_______________________________
Hassian
“Stupid chapaas” he mutters as he hauls the meat and fur from today’s hunt into town for his daily game with Auni. Tau trots happily alongside him, drifting off every now and then to say hello to the humans they pass (and take every single treat offered). Hassian rolls his eyes and keeps walking, hoping no one stops him to “chat”. Eventually he makes his way to the inn, stepping inside. He stops short when he sees the small crowd gathered there. He makes a face and starts to back out of the room but stops cold when he hears your name uttered in a panicked voice. Naio’s.
“I’m starting to really freak out! We agreed to meet up three hours ago and no one can find her!” Naio exclaims.
“That’s not like her” Ashura murmurs, before asking “Has anyone checked her house?”
“I did” Auni says quietly, “But she wasn’t there and The Gardener said she hasn’t been there since early this morning”. A flurry of worried conversation follows.
Hassian was so distracted he didn’t notice someone coming up to stand beside him. He looks over to see his mother. Sifuu looks at him with an uncharacteristically serious expression for a moment before turning to the room.
“Hassian and I will start searching. Does anyone know where y/n was headed this morning when she left?”
Naio hesitated before saying “I think she mentioned something about the Elderwoods, but I don’t know where.”
Shit. Not the Elderwoods, Hassian thought. Out loud he said “Then we will search everywhere. Mother and I will split up to cover more ground.” He turns to Auni, who had been more quiet than usual. “Tau and I will find y/n”, he said quietly, but firmly. Without another word, he leaves his bag of chapaa meat in a corner and turns around heading out of the inn. As he and Sifuu make their way quickly to the Elderwoods, they devise a plan to search different areas and send up a flare if- no. When they find her.
“Tau, find y/n.” Hassian says the second they step into the Elderwoods. Hassian takes a deep breath and tries to stay calm, ignoring his growing panic and the telltale smell of the Elderwoods. Always of damp moss and something else he could never put a name to. Something off putting. Tau suddenly takes off in the direction of the central stables, shaking Hassian out of his thoughts.
“Hassian.” Sifuu’s voice stops him before he could follow Tau and he looks at her, somewhat impatiently. “She’ll be okay, son.” Sifuu says softly, her expression one of concern. He swallows a lump before nodding curtly and turning to leave, splitting off from Sifuu and following Tau quickly. Hassian clenches his jaw as he tries not to think of how familiar this feels. Him and his mother worried over someone who may not come home due to the dangers of the Elderwoods. He shakes his head and focuses on the present, watching Tau track their friend and keeping a sharp and practiced eye on their surroundings, looking for danger, clues, anything. Time goes by as Tau follows your scent all through the caves and into the Deep Woods. He shakes his head at the nonsensical path you seem to have taken today. When I find her, she’s getting a few choice words about how to be safe and sensible in dangerous places, he thinks crossly, letting his anger and frustration drive him for now.
Minutes that feel like hours pass as they search the Deep Woods. Suddenly, Tau barks and takes off in another direction. Hassian follows him, splashing through puddles as he goes. He sees Tau nosing at a dark mass next to some rocks and quickens his pace. As he gets closer, your crumpled form comes further into view. “Dragon” he rasps, “y/n!”
Hassian falls to his knees beside you as his eyes quickly run over your body, cataloguing all your visible injuries, shaking hands hovering over them. He checks your pulse and lets loose a ragged breath before standing and shooting off a flare, hoping his mother sees it. Then he gingerly takes you into his arms and carefully makes his way out of the Deep Woods. He curses silently as he feels how cold you are, your wet clothes doing nothing to protect you against the early evening air. He holds you close and tries not to jostle you too much as he hurries out of the Elderwoods and back towards the village. “Hassian!” Sifuu runs up behind him, panting. “I saw your flare. What happened to her?”
“I think she fell”, Hassian muttered, quickening his steps. Sifuu looked at him carefully before deciding not to say anything more and just follow him silently to the apothecary. As they got closer to the center of town, people were beginning to take notice of the two worried Majiri, Tau, and their charge. But Hassian couldn’t hear their exclaims and shouts over the frantic pounding of his heart.
Finally, they reach the apothecary and rush inside. “Chayne!” Hassian shouts. He carefully deposits your body on a nearby cot as Chayne hurries over. Hassian quickly explains where he found her and what he thinks happened and lets Chayne take over, taking a reluctant step back. But he can’t bring himself to leave or even drag his eyes away from where Chayne is working diligently over you. His hands fist at his sides as a feeling of helplessness washes over him.
Please help her. Please.
____________________________
Ugh. You have the absolute worst headache. It doesn’t help that someone keeps calling your name incessantly. And while you’re trying to sleep? Rude. You frown and try to go back to the dreamless sleep you were having. But someone grabs your hand and squeezes, commanding your attention. You groan. “Y/n?”
Wait- is that? You try to open your eyes but hiss as the afternoon sunlight streaming through a nearby window makes your head throb. You hear footsteps quickly move and the sound of shutters closing. Then you hear Chayne’s voice softly calling your name and you slowly open your eyes. The scene that greets you is…confusing. You’re in the apothecary. Reth is standing by the door holding what must be eight different containers of soup. Tish is comforting a sobbing Jel in a corner. Eshe is standing at the foot of your bed pinching the bridge of her nose as Kenli takes a half-eaten sandwich out of his pocket and asks Chayne if he can give it to you. Elouisa is burning some kind of incense by the windows, muttering something under her breath, and swaying her arms dramatically. And finally, Hassian is sitting at the side of your bed, no longer holding your hand but looking haggard, if not on the verge of losing his patience.
“What-?” You suddenly break out into coughs, not realizing how dry your throat was. But as you cough, sharp pain ripples out from your ribs. You wince as your hand flies to your wrapped midsection. Hassian braces a gentle hand on your shoulder and eases you back onto the pillows. “Easy” he says, his voice quiet and rough. Chayne helps you sit up against the pillows before holding a cup of water up to your dry lips. You take a few small sips before nodding to Chayne that you’re good.
Looking back to the crowd in the room, you ask again “What happened?” You look down at your body and see wrappings around your wrist and torso as well as a sling immobilizing your left arm. Frowning, you reach up with your right and feel gauze on the side of your head too. As Chayne comes to sit on the other side of your bed, you look up at him with a question in your eyes.
He sighs and says “You have three broken ribs, a concussion, a broken collarbone, and a fractured wrist. Not to mention all the bruising you have, well, everywhere else. Do you remember what happened?”
You nod slowly, taking all that in. “I fell. In the Elderwoods.” You choose not to mention what caused you to fall, but instead ask “How did I get here?”
Chayne’s gaze softened “Hassian, Sifuu, and Tau found you yesterday and brought you back. You seemed to have fallen from a great height based off of Hassian’s description. You were very lucky, child.”
Your eyes meet Hassian’s as a wave of gratitude washes over you. Emotion shines in your gaze as your eyes meet. The moment is promptly interrupted as everyone crowds around you, multiple people speaking at once, with Jel even starting to cry again. Your eyes widen slightly as your eyes flit to Chayne for help. He subtly steps in and suggests that you eat at least a little of one of the soups Reth brought. The rest of the day is spent with friends popping in and out of the apothecary with well wishes as Tish feeds you soup, and you relax in your cot. You smile and laugh, eyes sliding over to Hassian every now and then, wishing you had a moment alone to speak. Eventually all the excitement winds down and people start to say their goodbyes with promises to check in on you tomorrow.
As Hassian also stands, you quickly grab his hand with your good one. “Wait-!” You blush and quickly let go of his hand, but ask “Would it be alright if we spoke for a moment before you leave?”
He stutters for a moment before recovering. “Of course,” he murmurs, sitting back down again. Chayne wisely heads towards the back of the apothecary, giving the two of you some privacy.
“I really want to thank you for what you did, Hassian. I know you were just doing what was right, but it really means a lot to me.” You hesitate before gently putting your hand over his. “Thank you for saving me, Hassian.”
The tips of his ears darken, and you fight the sudden urge to touch them. He clears his throat before responding “That’s not necessary.” Then he frowns at you suddenly. “Actually, you should focus on where you’re walking instead of thanking me. Do you have any idea how lucky you got yesterday?”
You wince before saying “Yeah…about that. I didn’t mention everything when Chayne asked what happened earlier because I didn’t want to cause a panic or anything. Well, any more of a panic I guess.” Looking around, you make sure that no one else is listening before you quietly explain the animalistic growl that startled you and caused you to fall. Hassian’s frown deepens as you tell him everything, his hand tightening around yours subconsciously.
Finally, the apothecary is silent as you finish talking and wait for Hassian to say something. He sighs and shakes his head slightly. “Then it seems you were luckier than we thought. The Beast spared your life, y/n.”
You blow out a breath and meet his gaze. “Well, shit. I was really hoping you would say I was crazy for thinking it was the Beast.”
Hassian huffs out a humorless laugh and shakes his head. “Unfortunately not. I need to speak with Mother about this.” He looks over you again and his eyes widen almost comically when he realizes you’re still holding hands. Both of you quickly pull apart and he sputters out “I should…I didn’t- uh…you look-” He stops for a second and seems to collect himself before finally saying “I should go get Tau from Mother and update her about what happened. And you should get some rest.”
You bite back a smile at his uncharacteristically nervous stuttering. Cute. Nodding, you give into the fatigue that has been coming for you for the last hour and carefully lay back down, your eyes already sliding shut. Your mind is swimming in a space between being awake and asleep, so you’re not sure if the feather-soft touch sliding along the curve of your cheek is real or not. But something about it comforts the quiet part of you that was really shaken up from today. And with that, a restful sleep finally embraces you.
OK i caved. he gets a one-shot. I keep editing this so much that idk how many words this fucker has | oral (f receiving), mutual masturbation, cum eating, ass groping, necking, dirty talk, mild pining, fingering (f receiving)
You had been living in Kilima Village for some time now, and had gotten to know most of its residents well. On a breezy evening, you went to the Inn for dinner. You walked into the warmly lit foyer and saw Ashura, fiddling with something behind his desk, but he greeted you when he heard you come in. You came to the bar and sat on a stool, waiting for Reth to come out from the kitchen.
You waited a good while before he appeared from the stock room. “Hey,” he said, “how’s life?”
You shrugged and said, “life-ing.”
He nodded knowingly, then said, “I suppose you’re here for dinner.”
“Yeah.”
“OK. What’ll you have?” You could sense that there was something different about the way he looked at you, something unfamiliar. Something you hadn’t seen in his gaze before…
“Uh, stew, I guess.”
“Fish or vegetable?”
“Veggie,” you said, avoiding his glance, “fish upsets my stomach.”
“Uh-huh.” He paused between syllables and looked at you a little puzzled. “My fish stew didn’t upset your stomach last time.”
You shrugged again, and caught his gaze. There was something almost primal about the way he looked at you, something that made you uncomfortable and a little excited simultaneously.
“Veggie stew it is,” he said, tossing his cleaver in the air and catching it by the handle. He disappeared into the stock room, and you heard some clattering of pans as he prepared your meal.
He worked quickly, and in about 10 minutes, you were slurping up delicious vegetable stew. This batch was better than usual.
“This is amazing,” you said between mouthfuls, “this is like… the best stew I’ve ever had here.”
“Really?” His voice lowered, on the edge of being gravelly. “That’s good to hear.”
You felt a little uncomfortable with how he was behaving around you, but the stew was too good to stop eating. You finished the bowl and looked at Reth. He’d been staring at you the whole time, watching your every movement with almost ravenous eyes. He smiled—not his regular “I may or may not be a member of a cartel” grin, but something more… almost more sinister. “You gobbled that up, didn’t you?”
“Y-yeah.” You sort of knew what he was about now.
He leaned forward on the counter and said softly, “you gobble up anything else like that?”
“I-I should get going,” you said, turning to slide off of the stool. He grabbed your arm, not forcefully, but it was surprising how much he stopped your momentum.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I’ve just been…”
“Stalking me?”
“N-no!” He laughed nervously. “What ever made you think that?! No. I’ve just… oh, you know… OK. I guess I have been stalking you a little bit.”
“You haven’t been watching me sleep, have you?”
“No. I’m not that level of crazy.”
“Not yet,” you muttered.
“It’s just… everytime you come in here, something… happens to me.”
“It’s called a boner, Reth.”
He paused, his jaw slackened, eyes shocked. “No, I know what a boner is,” he said after a long pause, “I mean… besides that. I get this weird… almost warm feeling in my stomach when you walk in here. And I never want you to leave.”
You smiled a little, then said, “really?”
“Really. Why would I lie to you?”
“Because you have filthy secrets that you’d never tell anyone—not even your mother?”
“Well, that kinda goes without saying—but… Look. I…” He went into the stock room and came out into the foyer, took you by the hands. “I… I like you. A lot. Maybe a little too much. But…” He frowned a little, trying to think of something poetic and meaningful to say, but he gave up and said, “you wanna slip into the back room for a lil quickie?”
You were stunned, but not surprised. Nothing he did really surprised you anymore. And, honestly, you’d thought about it before, and… I mean, I wouldn’t say no to Reth….
“You only live once,” you said, shrugging.
That ravenous smile crossed his face again, and he pulled you into the stock room. He put his arms around you and nibbled you on the neck, biting, licking, sucking, kissing. He wasn’t fucking around—he really meant “textbook quickie.” He moaned as he felt your skin in his mouth, on his teeth, under his tongue, against his lips. He slid his hands down your back to your ass and grabbed you, groping your buttocks, moaning even more. You were too surprised at his eagerness to make noise at first, but as soon as those skilled hands of his were planted on your posterior, you fell limp in his arms and started necking him, too.
“This good?” He whispered between bites.
“Yeah.”
He pulled away from you after leaving several bitemarks and a couple of hickies and said, “Honestly, I’m not a boobs guy. I apologize.”
You shrugged. His hands were still on your ass, and you didn’t care---you liked it. “Then what kinda guy are you?”
“Legs, ass…” He kissed you, sloppy, tongue tango-ing with yours, then breathed into your mouth and whispered, “pussy.”
You pushed him away, then said, giggling, “so… anything on the lower half?”
“I like it where the fat collects the most.” He nibbled your ear. “Cuz fat carries the flavor.”
That was it—in less than a minute, he had you seated on a barrel, pants around your ankles, hands on your knees. “Lemme take a look at your forbidden fruit,” he crooned, shoving your thighs apart. He slid a hand up your leg and caressed your sex, gazing hungrily and lovingly at you. “Let’s have a taste,” he growled, "I wanna lick your gravy off my fingers." And ran a finger between your lips. He licked his finger, then closed his eyes and tilted his head back. “Just right,” he said, “ripe and ready for eatin’.”
Reth tickled your labia with his fingers, and you giggled. It felt nice to feel that pleasureful zing on you, and then he slipped a hand inside you and began running a finger up and down your soft skin. You made a surprised little noise, and he grinned hungrily, bringing his thumb into the mix, pressing it to you and massaging you in tight little circles.
You pushed your hips forward to let him finger you more, moaning and leaning your head back, licking your lips at the delicious sensation below. His whole hand was inside you now, stroking and pinching your skin just right.
"There's my gravy," he purred, feeling you become wet. He played with you a little more before he pulled his hand back and licked his fingers, then moaned. "Oh, that's good. But I want more." He dropped to his knees before you and grabbed the tops of your thighs.
He pushed you back onto your tailbone, but before he got to you, he bit your inner thighs a little, moaning as the fat moved between his lips and teeth. He gave you a lingering and hungry lick---one on each side. “I’m gonna give you a thigh job next time we’re back here,” he growled, “cuz these are too good to pass up.”
Before he actually went inside, he gave you a raspberry on your mons pubis, just to get the vibe right. You cried out at the delicious vibration throughout your body, and before you had time to recover, he was sucking on your clit.
“Ooh, this is good soup,” he moaned, guzzling your slick, “this is good.” He moaned into you as he ate, making you come over and over, biting you and raking his tongue and teeth across your delicate skin. This was the best oral you’d ever received.
Sometimes he'd push his nose into your clit, and---if you were lucky---he'd hum a little, until you were sopping like a sponge. The wetter you got, the more he moaned, and the more he ate. "Good soup," he kept moaning, lapping you up like a dog on a hot day.
He kept at you for a good ten minutes---you'd climaxed at least a dozen times---before he paused. “There’s one thing that this delicious pie needs,” he said, pulling his face out of you and giving your labia a kiss, “you know what every good pie needs, don’tcha?”
You gulped back a moan and some drool, then breathed, “I can guess, but I don’t wanna ruin your fun.”
His apron was already off, and soon he had his pants around his ankles. “Whipped cream,” he said evilly, “that is, if you don’t mind.”
You knew where he was going.
“Make some pretty music with me, pussy pie.”
You groaned and threw your head back at his delicious pet name and dug your fingers inside yourself, watching him play with his rock-hard dick. He could hardly stand, moving his skilled hands across his length and head, and you pleasured yourself to the act of him jerking off. Watching his face and listening to his pretty music made you hot, and you couldn't stop touching your sex---the continuous, almost painful throbs were too good to bear, but you couldn't stop.
You were on the brink of an orgasm when he finally pounced on you and jammed his cock inside you, cumming all over and in you. He pulled out fast and, before you could say “Chef, wait!” he had his mouth on you again, and this time his moans were loud.
He gobbled you up like a starving man, biting, licking, sucking---harder and faster than before, and you came over and over again. Oh god it was good. It was so good to feel his teeth and tongue raking across you, to feel the tip of his tongue jam into your clit, and to feel him bite and tug at your pretty little rosebud.
And when he was finished, he wiped his mouth and kissed you, long and hard, his seed pouring down your throat. You shuddered and twitched as he held you by the waist, groping your ass, moaning into your mouth.
“My god,” he said, swallowing, “pie is always better with whipped cream.” He licked some of his seed off your chin and neck and bit your ear, then released you.
You were a little disappointed that he was finished. “Don’t you want seconds?” you pouted.
He flared his eyes at you, seeing how submissive you were being, then said, “upstairs.”
"Pretty sure this is just another excuse to get your hands on me," she teases as she settles against the pillow, arms tucked under her head.
"That a complaint?"
"Not in the slightest."
Hodari's answering chuckle is warm and full of promise, sending her thoughts down decidedly less innocent roads. It's rare they get a lie-in together like this, and sore back or no, she wants to make the most of it.
-
Bry gets home after a job as Kilima's newest Cultural Advisor, and despite being a little worse for wear, wants to show Hodari how much she's missed him.
AO3 link here or click read more below.
Bry wakes slowly, warm and content as a palcat, the sun pouring in through the window at her back. She's still drowsy enough that the usual morning aches haven't entirely pierced through the haze, and she's happy to linger in that cosy, soft cocoon; maybe even sink back into slumber if she's lucky.
After a minute or so though, it occurs to her that something is… off.
She tries to pinpoint it, eyes closed as she sluggishly listens to the waking world beyond the bed. The house is quiet beyond its typical creaks as the wooden beams warm with the sun, expanding like loaves set to rise before baking. Given that it's after dawn, she imagines Najuma snuck to bed several hours ago, probably to emerge sometime near mid-morning when hunger becomes more pressing than sleep. There's a faint breeze from the window left open overnight for some fresh air, but there's nothing abnormal about that. The bedsheets smell the same familiar way they always do - warm cotton, pine-scented soap and a hint of smoke from the smelter running while the laundry dries on the line.
The smelter… that's it. She can't hear it roaring away like it usually does, the routine noise of Hodari getting yesterday's haul melted down before heading into Kilima.
It's about then she notices something else. The warmth at her back, which she put down to the sun, is slightly more… solid than expected. And breathing.
That wakes her up properly, and she smiles.
Her pack is sat by the bedroom door where she dropped it after getting in, the coach from Harvest Meadows running late enough she didn't reach the valley until well into the evening. Hodari had only been barely awake himself, though he'd waited up for her anyway. After equally long days, neither of them had had any energy left for more than a few hushed words and reassuring touches before they curled up to sleep. Now, though, she's feeling a little more up for a proper welcome home. And given Hodari seems to have taken the opportunity for a late morning, maybe he's of the same mind.
Rolling over is a chore - the ride back was tiring and jostled her sore joints to the point she wonders if she'd have had a better time walking. But she's had worse, and settling on her other side to find Hodari awake and watching her with the sweetest, softest look in his eye certainly helps.
"Morning," she murmurs, voice barely above a croak. It sounds strangely loud in the quiet room.
A lazy hand slides over her hip and around her back, drawing her further into his warmth as he presses a scratchy kiss against her forehead.
"Mornin', darlin'," Hodari rumbles back. Bry can't see his face from this angle, but she can feel his crooked smile against her hair. "Sleep alright?"
She hums, nodding as she settles into his arms, letting their limbs lazily tangle as she basks in the feeling of home that glows warm in her chest.
"Passed right out. You?"
"Better than I have been," he admits, not to make her feel bad for going but because he's never been anything but unflinchingly honest about how much he cares - and how much he worries. She burrows in closer at that thought, and he holds her a little tighter.
They lie there for several minutes and she absorbs a dozen little things she's missed while she's been gone. The steady rhythm of his breathing. The warm slide of his hand as he strokes her back. The soft, well-worn fabric of his nightshirt under her palms. She enjoyed working with Jina's colleague from the institute and going through the new set of ruins, her latest in her new role as an official Cultural Advisor. But there's a different kind of joy in this; in reminding herself of all the little familiarities she's come to love.
The only thing marring the moment is her hip complaining. And her lower back. Most of her back, actually - really, she thinks that coach hit every pothole it could find and even made a few new ones on the road back. While most mornings she's stiff and achy, it's a little more pronounced today than normal, a dull, pinching throb as if a ghostly hand is plucking her muscles like lute strings. After the third or fourth time she shifts her weight, trying to find a more comfortable position that won't tug at some muscle or other, Hodari pulls back. He reaches up to brush her hair away from her face as he looks at her with all too familiar concern.
"Sore?"
Bry grimaces, more at being caught than the discomfort.
"A little," she admits, quickly adding, "Not as bad as it has been. I made sure not to go too crazy. But the coach ride was a little… bumpy."
He snorts at that.
"The roads up by Harvest Meadows are damned hellish, always have been." His hand lingers over her lower back, the warm weight soothing the pain a little. Another bristled kiss, this time against her temple. "Roll over. I'll give you a rub down."
Bry smirks, but lets him move back before she does as he asks.
"Pretty sure this is just another excuse to get your hands on me," she teases as she settles against the pillow, arms tucked under her head.
"That a complaint?"
"Not in the slightest."
Hodari's answering chuckle is warm and full of promise, sending her thoughts down decidedly less innocent roads. It's rare they get a lie-in together like this, and sore back or no, she wants to make the most of it.
The mattress shifts as Hodari leans over to the bedside table, fishing through the drawer for the ointment they both get from Chayne for their respective aches and pains. There's a more potent version in the bathroom for the days when her joints feel packed with crushed glass and just breathing hurts, but she's not that bad yet. Finding his prize, he leans back out of her view, but not before brushing his lips against her bare shoulder where her shirt has slipped.
Her stomach still flips a little when he does things like that. It makes her feel silly, like a character from one of Delaila's racy novels. Then again, she doesn't remember much of being in love before this, so maybe she can give herself a pass for acting like a lovestruck teenager.
Her thoughts peter off as sturdy hands press against her calves. The green, herbal scent of the ointment fills her nose, and she lets her eyes slip closed as she relaxes into his touch. He's methodical to a fault, working up one leg and then the other; strong, calloused hands rubbing firm circles moving upwards as he drives every last bit of tension out of her muscles. She didn't think she'd been too active pottering around the ruins, but between his hands and the ointment tingling as it sinks into her skin, she already feels like she's floating.
She gives a particularly loud groan as he moves up her right thigh, hands sliding over the old scarred skin as he presses down on a particularly sore spot.
"Careful," he murmurs, clucking his tongue. "Najuma might be awake."
Bry's pretty sure if Najuma was awake, they'd have heard her by now. The retort dies on her tongue though as Hodari presses down again, hard, on the same spot. She barely manages to turn into the pillow, another noise pulled out of her as she feels the muscle loosen, pins and needles pricking under her skin as it finally relaxes.
She breathes for a moment, savouring the relief in at least one part of her body before finally lifting her head up enough to glance over her shoulder.
"Have I told you I love your hands? Because I really fucking love your hands."
"Ya might've mentioned it once or twice," he replies, but she can see the blush creeping on his cheeks from the praise.
It's tempting to keep pushing and see how far she can take her teasing, but she imagines her intentions must show in her face because he beats her to it, drawing his hands up the back of her thighs until they're bunching up the fabric of her shorts. His thumbs draw maddening little circles against the sensitive skin of her inner thighs and Bry sucks in a breath, a different kind of noise caught in her throat.
He looks at her and she can practically feel him watching, eyes molten and stormy.
"Y'want me to keep goin', I'm gonna need ya out of these," he says, words rumbling through her like thunder and she's all too happy to comply. She eases herself over onto her back to tug at the drawstring around her waist. Lifting her hips, Hodari wastes no time tugging them off, flinging them away to some corner of the room to be discovered later.
His hands are on her hips, sliding under the loose nightshirt, making it ride up until he can lean down, lips brushing against the softness of her stomach. Bry's breath catches in her throat as he draws a meandering trail with his mouth, and she outright squeaks when he pauses to nip at the skin over her hip.
"This too." He tugs meaningfully at the shirt and she laughs.
"Shouldn't it be your turn?" she teases, though she doesn't particularly care either way.
Hodari snorts, rising up to kneel above her before grabbing the neck of his shirt and pulling it off in one motion, tossing it in the same direction of the shorts. He raises an eyebrow.
"Happy now?"
Bry takes a moment to savour the sight of him in the morning light, broad and rough-hewn like the stone he works with and hair askew from sleep. He's gorgeous, though she's not sure he believes her when she says it; thick shoulders and arms and thighs, with some softness round the middle from a fondness for steak dinners. Dark hair dusts his chest and arms, leading down in a trail that disappears below the waist of his own shorts. There's a few scars, of course - hard to avoid them with the job he does - and she knows his leg bothers him at times. But she thinks he's perfect exactly as he is.
A thick wave of feeling swells up in her chest, sticking in her throat. She's told him she loves him, but the words feel small compared to how big it feels; insufficient to describe the way it fills her up and leaves her floating off in a way that's thrilling and terrifying at the same time.
A hand strokes her hip, and she realises she's been quiet a little too long from the way Hodari's eyes narrow a little.
She plasters on a smirk, shoving those thoughts back into their box for now.
"Hmm?" she hums, making a show of looking him up and down. "Oh sorry, just appreciating the view."
Hodari's blush deepens, the tips of his ears turning a darker shade of pink, and she grins.
"Daft woman," he mutters, leaning in and kissing her breathless for a few heady moments before he pulls back, rucking up the back of her shirt. "I think we had a deal?"
She concedes defeat quite happily, lifting her torso up off the mattress long enough for them both to wrangle the nightshirt over her head. It's enough to make something in the base of her back twinge, a bright spark of pain in their otherwise cosy proceedings. It's a reminder of what started this in the first place, and Hodari, sharp-eyed as ever, doesn't miss her wince.
"C'mon, roll back over. M'not done with you yet."
The way his eyes linger on her naked skin doesn't entirely match his words, but she knows better than to argue with him when he's on a mission.
She settles back on her front, this time with a pillow under her to ease some of the strain on her back. And then there's more of the ointment and those frankly wonderful hands working her over and she's ducking her head against her arms to muffle the grateful moans she can't quite swallow down. It's the sweetest kind of torture, her skin tingling and sensitive from the cream and sure, steady fingers kneading and pressing against every little ache and hurt.
The mattress shifts behind her and she can feel him resettle over her legs, straddling her thighs. More importantly, when he leans over her, thumbs digging into the tight knots between her shoulders, she can feel he's just as pent up as she is, half-hard through the thin fabric of his shorts. She moans as much at that as the rub down. Her pulse thrums in her ears, echoing between her thighs and before she can think she's pressing back as much as she's able with her muscles being turned to goo.
Hodari's breath stutters into a startled groan, his hips rolling forward to grind back into her before he stops himself. He sits back, and Bry mourns the loss of contact even as a warm hand strokes down her side to grip lightly at her hip in warning.
"Y'know, I'm gettin' the feeling you're wanting somethin'," he says, and she can hear the smirk on his face before she looks over her shoulder at him. "So how about you come out and say it?"
She fires him a weak glare, because she knows he knows damn well what she wants, just as she knows it's exactly what he's after too. But he likes putting her on the spot and watching her squirm - in more ways than one.
Which makes catching him off-guard all the more satisfying when she does manage.
"I could," she admits as she catches his eye. "But I'd prefer to show you."
The words come out a little more desperate than sultry, if she's honest with herself, but Hodari's reaction is gratifying nonetheless. He curses under his breath as he looms over her, and she gets her arms underneath her, taking the risk to lean up and meet him halfway.
This kiss is messy and more than a little chaotic, the angle resulting in a rushed exchange of heated air and saliva as they try and fail to avoid noses bumping and teeth clacking. She can feel him chuckling before they pull apart, crinkles at the corner of his eyes even as he rasps out his reply.
"M'all yours, darlin'."
He briefly leaves the bed to rinse the cream off of his hands, and she has a moment to try and reign her libido back in before he's back and settling against the mattress next to her. He's delightfully nude now, shorts abandoned somewhere between the basin and the bed, but she hardly gets a moment to appreciate the fact before he's scooped her up like she's made of nothing more than air, draping her over his body like a blanket. He's still smiling as she gets her bearings. From this position, she can feel his warmth pressed against her chest and belly, cock hard against her hip and their legs tangled as much with the sheets as each other.
…On second thought, this is much better.
She braces herself against the mattress, leaning up as if to kiss him again before darting to one side, pressing her lips to the stubbled edge of his jaw instead. Hodari snorts at the teasing, only to suck in a breath as she brings her teeth into the equation. A low noise vibrates through his chest as Bry sets to drawing meandering lines of kisses and nips up the line of his jaw, before following the stark lines of the tendons in his neck. A heavy hand grips her hip - her good one, she notices, Hodari still being so damned careful with her even like this - while the other creeps up the back of her neck. His fingers tangle in her hair, tugging just hard enough to make her shiver as she continues to work her way down.
Getting used to the limitations of her body has been an exercise in frustration and mourning, depending on the day. She can't be as bold or as impulsive with her lover as she'd like to be, needing to weigh up the pros and cons, trying to work out where to hold her weight, how to position herself to best avoid aggravating something while also still allowing them both to enjoy each other. It's a constant case of trial and error. Hodari frets, because that's what he does, but he's learning to let her take the reigns from time to time.
In an ideal world, she'd have done this last night - tired or not, backing him up against the door, kissing him senseless before dropping to her knees and showing him just how much she'd missed him. In reality, her knees probably wouldn't manage the floor at the best of times, and she'd be far more likely to embarrass herself by needing him to pick her up afterwards. So she works with what she has, bracing her weight against the firm foundation of his body and taking her time. It has the added benefit of pressing them skin to skin, where she can feel his chest heave with every breath and his cock twitch against her belly when she tugs one flat nipple between her teeth, before soothing it with her tongue.
"Fuck, that's…" Hodari trails off into a groan she feels from her chest all the way down to her toes. "Keep goin'."
A quick glance up tells her he's watching her every move with heavy-lidded eyes, lower lip already looking sore where he's bitten it. She's tempted to clamber back up and kiss it better, to swallow down the quiet curses and endearments he's holding back. But she has a plan, and she's keen to see it through.
He shifts underneath her, legs bracketing either side to let her settle between them and she thanks him for his consideration by turning her attention to his thighs. The skin here is soft and sensitive - far more than anywhere else on him - and there's something heady about feeling his hips twitch, muscles jerking as she bites and kisses her way from one leg to another. Every noise she draws out of him gets added to the cocktail of having him here, under her, letting her drive him just a little bit mad and what's more, enjoying it.
"Always such a damned tease," Hodari grinds out above her. A glance up tells her his eyes are squeezed shut now, his head thrown back against the pillow and the tendons in his neck taut and flexing with every breath. The hand in her hair is still gentle, but she can feel the tension in the muscles of his thighs, how they twitch under her hands. She can hear the way he's panting and sighing, and all for her. It's enough for her to feel generous - there's plenty of other times to drive him crazy, and she's missed him so much.
The noise he makes when she closes her mouth over him makes her shiver, deep and ragged and loud. Bry pulls back, clucking her tongue.
"Careful," she reminds him with a smirk, before dipping her head once more.
Whatever reply he might have thrown back at her is lost as she sets her pace, morphing into another, only slightly quieter groan as she hums her appreciation against his skin. She enjoys this part - maybe always has, although those memories are foggier. The weight of him against her tongue, the salt of his sweat and skin, the way he shakes under her as she slides up, teasing the head with her tongue before she dips down again. Hodari's free hand alternates between being used to muffle himself and reaching down to touch her. His fingers alight on her shoulder, her face, pushing her hair up out of the way so he can see exactly what she's doing to him. She can feel him watching too and that has her pressing her thighs together, resisting the urge to slip a hand down to touch herself in turn.
Instead, she rests her weight on her good arm and closes her other hand around the base to stroke what her mouth can't reach. He twitches under her fingers, against her tongue, and she can almost taste how close he is.
As if on cue, the hand in her hair tightens, tugging her back and though she whines a little in protest, Bry follows. Rising up to rest back on her heels, she savours the sight of Hodari's lavender skin flushed near bright as a berry and his eyes blown dark as he stares at her like he wants to eat her alive.
She might even let him.
It's easy to let him crowd her back against the bed, their positions reversed as she reclines against the pillows, her skin feeling hot and tight and like she might just combust if she doesn't get his hands on her right this second. Thankfully, he seems to read her mind.
"I'd give ya taste of your own medicine if I had the patience for't," he mutters against her collar, a hand already reaching between her legs. Her mewl at the first touch of his fingers gets swallowed up in a kiss, only pulling back for a moment to whisper against her lips. "Been missin' you too much."
There have been nights when Hodari's spent what felt like hours with his hands on her, in her, teasing her until she felt like a fraying thread stretched taut, ready to snap at the lightest touch. If anything, she's been kind when it's her turn, but arguing the point is the last thing on her mind as he strokes and stretches her. Then his hand leaves her and she mourns the loss before she feels him move to settle between her legs.
She can practically feel his gaze when he leans back on his heels, eyes heavy lidded and wanting. But when his hands settle on her hips, they're gentle.
"Is like this alright? Or d'you need to move?" he asks and Bry bites back the urge to tell him not to worry. She might as well tell him not to breathe, it's just part of his nature. So for that reason, she takes a moment to take stock. Her back certainly feels better than it did, though she knows better than to think she won't still be sore once the ointment has worn off, and lying back like this probably won't help. But she wants to see his face, hold him close, kiss him as she feels him inside of her.
She bites her lip as she looks around, eyes landing on one of the pillows cast to the edge of the bed in their moving around.
"Grab that for me, will you?"
Hodari's already moving, and as she lifts her hips, he realises her plan, tugging the pillow until it sits under the small of her back. Settling back down against the bed, it already feels a little better and she smiles.
"Perfect. Now, c'mere…"
He leans over her, letting her kiss the matching smile from his lips, her fingers creeping up the back of his neck and tangling in his hair. The mattress shifts under his weight until he can lean in closer, and they both shudder as he slides against her core. She's ready, more than ready, and by the feel of it, so is he. But apparently even when he's impatient, Hodari can't help but tease a little.
She arches up a little, trying to raise her hips to encourage him but a heavy hand pins her back down against the bed, continuing to slide against her despite her slightly desperate squirming.
She bites off a curse and feels him laughing where he's pressed against her front, sweat gathering against heated skin.
"Now who's teas-ah!"
Like he's been waiting for it, he shifts his hips, sliding home just as she speaks. The undignified noise she makes gets buried against his shoulder quickly.
"You were sayin'?" he practically croons into her ear.
Bry doesn't bother answering - words were overrated sometimes, and right now, she prefers a little more action. He's solid as a wall over her and about as immovable; thankfully, he doesn't seem to want to drag things out any more than they have.
Caged in by Hodari over and around and inside her, there isn't much more Bry can do but hold on as he begins to rock his hips, filling her perfectly each time. There's a hundred little points of contact between them - his head next to hers, one of her legs hitched up over his hip, her hands grasping the skin of his back. It feels like being caught in a tide, ebbing and flowing. Her senses are filled with him, the sound of skin on skin, his breath on her neck, his sweat on her tongue. Everything she's craved over the last week, feeling like she's left a piece of herself waiting in Bahari Bay.
"Umbra's mercy, I missed you," she breathes against his shoulder. It's not clear he's heard her until he rises up, kissing her hard enough to make her head spin.
"Missed you so damned much, darlin'," he mutters as he pulls back, forehead against hers as his hips snap in harder. "Missed wakin' up with ya, missed listenin' to you and N'juma laughin' or doin' the dishes or - hnn - the smell of your soap in the shower. Missed going to sleep next t'ya ev'ry night-"
He cuts off with a groan, clearly hurtling past the point of words and she can feel it, feel how tense he is through the heady push and pull of his body driving her up along with him. She's clinging to him like a liferaft as the coil winds tighter and tighter in her belly. There's whispered words mouthed against slick skin; hers or his, Bry isn't sure, but it feels unimportant compared to the feel of him holding her, loving her, remaking her from the inside out into something worth loving.
Hodari shudders, swearing against her throat and it's as much warning as Bry gets before she feels him finish with a throb that feels like it echoes through her. Warmth fills her even as her insides clench in frustration and she wraps her limbs around him, holding him close as he rides it out with quiet groans that feel like they're ripped out of the deepest, most secret part of him. She catches every one from his lips, swallowing them down to keep, hidden and precious beyond measure.
It takes a moment for him to catch his breath, and Bry tries to catch hers, shivering a little as she eases back from her peak. She wants to tell him she's missed him too, that as comfortable as the bed at the inn in Harvest Meadows had been, it had been too big and too cold and too empty without him in it. She missed waking up to fresh bean juice and a note in his familiar scribble, catching a quick moment over lunch or relaxing after dinner. Just over a week and she'd spent just as much of those nights thinking about the little daily mundanities she's missed as she imagined his hands on her.
She wants to say so much, but the feeling in her chest feels too big and her tongue too heavy to get it out meaningfully. So she holds him close, kissing him as he softens inside her.
Her quiet whine as he finally slips out of her morphs into a moan as his fingers fill the emptiness inside her.
"Got ahead of m'self there," she hears him murmur, apologetic even as her eyes flutter closed, those magic hands going to work again. "Sorry, darlin', didn't mean to leave you wantin'."
She gasps out something about not needing to apologise, and she means it, he doesn't, even if he wasn't knuckle-deep inside her, fingers curling and stroking just right until she's writhing, keening under the onslaught. There's more to intimacy than getting off, though she certainly isn't going to complain about it.
And still he pushes her higher, lips against her mouth, her cheek, wherever he can reach while he takes her to pieces with his fingers. She can hear the slick noises where he's stroking her, using the heel of his hand to add that much-needed pressure to her clit. Fuck, she can't keep going. It's going to wreck her, break her into tiny pieces like the shattered remains of ships the litter the bay.
"That's it, I've got ya."
She sobs out a breath against his shoulder as the words wash over her, tugging her that last desperate inch towards the edge. Bry shivers, holding her breath as he dangles her over that precipice, her head perfectly, blissfully empty of anything more than how completely and utterly she loves this man. And then she tumbles over.
Hodari keeps going, holding her close as she shakes and whines out her pleasure until she's grasping at his arm and tugging him back from her oversensitive flesh. Lightning zips up and down her legs, her whole body trembling with the aftershocks of her orgasm.
It's quiet after that, beyond the sound of her own breathing slowly returning to normal and murmured nothings she only half recognises. At some point, Hodari's warmth leaves the bed only to return with a damp cloth. They clean up, tossing the spare pillow onto the floor to add to the laundry later before Hodari draws her up to lie against him, head on his chest, held secure by his arms around her.
He's tugging the covers back over them both when she yawns.
"I could doze off again like this."
She grins, feeling as much as hearing Hodari's answering chuckle.
"Go ahead. It ain't that late, and the only plans I've got are fixin' breakfast."
Bry hums at that, eyes closing against the sunlight from the window. He's warm against her cheek, the steady thud of his heartbeat soothing her until she's adrift again in bright, hazy softness.
She wakes later to find herself practically cocooned in the blankets. The scent of pancakes and bean juice wafts from the kitchen, carrying alongside the quiet chatter that means Najuma's up and about too. She stretches slowly, feeling out the aches and accepting it'll probably be a day for using her cane and keeping off her feet. Still, for once, she can't bring herself to mind much.
Reading some of the books you can find in the game, it's so disappointing how short they are. Hell, there's a "book" on Palian etiquette and manners that's just one page long, and that I would consider the introduction to the book, if anything.
So I've decided to take matters into my own hands, and start rewriting some of the books found in the game! Mostly in the library, of course.
You can read the first one here! It's "Astrology and You, Vol. I" if it actually explained things.
No shade to the devs, of course: there's no reason for them to bother writing something long when the average player is never going to read it, but I thought it was fun to think about.
Notes: A 5+1 in the year of our lord 2024? It's more likely than you think. Thank you, thank you, thank you to @yourboyhack for keeping me writing on this one! (And for reading my handwriting, lol!)
One
“Here ya go, ladies,” Ashura says. “A flagon of mead for Sifuu, a pint of ale for Delphi, and an ormuu milk lassi for Delaila. Enjoy.”
“Thanks, Ashura!” Delphi chirps, giving him a bright, glassy smile as he turns to go back to the counter. He gives her a gentle smile and pats her shoulder before he goes, his low chuckle almost drowned out by Delaila’s laughter.
She waits until Ashura reaches the check-in counter before leaning over the table and teasing, “Sifuu, when are ye goin’ to ask him out? Ye’ve been givin’ Ashura eyes for years now!”
Delphi nearly spits out her beer at Delaila’s words, but catches herself and coughs, “I’d like to know the answer, too, please!”
Sifuu’s normally lavender cheeks flush a dusty violet and her eyes go wide. It’s a reaction Delphi’s never seen before, though she does recall through her alcohol-induced haze the retired monster hunter mentioning more than once that she’d been thinking about asking the innkeeper out. She hadn’t realized how much feeling was actually behind her musings.
Before she has to reply, Sifuu’s gaze focuses behind Delphi and she breaks out in a wide smile.
“Well, would you look at what the palcat dragged in!” Her voice is booming as usual, and she nearly overturns her drink waving in the direction of the inn’s entrance. Delphi doesn’t have time to look back before Sifuu is calling, “Hey Hodari! Haven’t seen you out this late in years!”
Delphi feels her own face heating when she hears Sifuu call Hodari’s name. She downs the entirety of her pint, nearly choking when a hand lands softly on her shoulder.
“Hey, Sifuu,” Hodari chuckles, squeezing Delphi’s shoulder lightly. “I was actually out lookin’ for Delphi, here.”
Delaila and Sifuu exchange glances and Delphi’s face goes white hot.
“Went out to your plot, but you weren’t home,” he drawls, seemingly unaware of the gears turning in both of the older women’s minds. “Figured I’d check the local waterin’ hole. Got a minute?”
Delphi coughs, wishing for all the world that she had more beer in her glass. She finally turns to look at Hodari, clearing her throat before replying, “Yeah, I can, uh, step out for a minute.”
She pointedly doesn’t look back at Sifuu and Delaila as she follows him out into the cool night. She expects him to stop at the square, probably to ask for her advice or assistance with Najuma, but he surprises her. He leads her from the inn toward Jel’s shop, then around to the back of the building.
“Hodari, what—”
She's cut off by his gloved hands cupping her cheeks. Her heart races at the contact, the drunken haze clouding her mind dissipating immediately. Her awareness narrows down to the soft smile on his lips, the apologetic tilt to his brows, the gentle circles he trace with his thumbs, and the heat beginning to pool in her belly.
“Sorry to pull you away like this, darlin’,” he murmurs, brushing her bottom lip with one thumb. “I was hopin’ I’d find you at home.”
“It’s okay,” Delphi breathes, willing her traitorous eyes to remain open, despite the overwhelming urge to close them and melt into him. “Is something wrong?”
“Nah,” he chuckles, his blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight. “I’ve just been wantin’ to do this all day.”
He pulls her in closer as he dips his head down, his lips finding her in a tender kiss. It barely lasts a moment, but she feels it like a bolt of lightning. It could be the beer or the cool breeze that rustles her hair and clothes, but she can feel a tingling sensation spread to her fingers and toes. It lingers within her, even as he backs away and bids her good night.
Two
He’s exhausted, knees and back aching, by the time he surfaces from the mines. Cursing under his breath, he realizes he’s lost track of time again. Luna and Ignis are high in the sky, the stars twinkling to the tune of the crickets chirping, but Hodari barely notices any of it as he trudges home. Najuma needs dinner and he still needs to finish up some things in the workshop before he can even think about going to bed or taking a warm bath to soothe his aching joints.
He’s crossing the bridge to the house when he notices the smell of cooking meat and the almost musical sounds of laughter coming from the covered table in the yard. As he approaches, the tension melts from his shoulders and he finds himself smiling.
Najuma sits at the table, chatting animatedly about a new invention while a large pot bubbles on the stove. A familiar figure sits across from her, with pink curls and sparkling violet eyes, listening with rapt attention as Najuma regales her with tales of explosions and collapsed chaapa burrows.
“Well shoot, if I’d known I was comin’ home to dinner, I’d’ve been home sooner,” Hodari jokes, propping his pick against the table.
“Dad,” Najuma groans, rolling her eyes while he chuckles.
“I’m just playin’, Najuma,” he laughs. The warm smile on Delphi’s face as she rises to stir whatever she’s cooking sets his stomach fluttering.
He thought he’d never feel like this again after Leta died, the butterflies in his stomach, the warmth spreading from his chest whenever she gives him that smile.
“Since you asked,” Delphi teases, turning off the stove. “I made sernuk noodle stew. Najuma told me you were working late and I was out hunting, so...”
“It smells great,” Hodari says, realizing for the first time how hungry he actually is. He watches her ladle stew into bowls, filling them nearly to the brim before placing two down in front of him and Najuma.
“Shit,” she hisses, shaking her head. “I forgot utensils. I’ll be right back.”
He watches her jog to the house, curls bouncing and hips swaying.
“Ugh! Gross, Dad,” Najuma scoffs, scrunching her nose in disgust. “I’m right here!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Hodari sighs, huffing out a laugh. He playfully ruffles her hair as he gets up from the table, narrowly dodging her flailing arms when her goggles fall over her face.
He makes his way inside, not quite sure what he’s planning to do, but following his feet as they lead him into the kitchen. Delphi is reaching for something in an upper cabinet, standing on her toes. Her top is riding up, giving him a perfect view of her lower back and midriff. The pinkish skin looks so soft and warm that he finds himself taking his gloves off as he walks over to her so that he can feel it.
He squeezes her waist gently as first, then fully wraps his arms around her and buries his face in her silky, lavender-scented curls. Feeling her warm and soft in his harms, he can’t help the contented hum that escapes his chest.
“How’d you do it, darlin’?” he murmurs in her ear, smiling at the shiver it sends down her spine and filing it away for later. “Najuma loves you, and I haven’t felt like this in years.”
“Like what?” she breathes, her voice almost trembling.
“Take your pick,” he chuckles. He turns her around, resting his hands somewhere between the small of her back and the swell of her ass. With her violet eyes with and sparkling up at him, he finds his words. “Warm? Happy? Completely gobsmacked that you’d pick me?”
Her smile is as bright as the sun as she drapes her arms over his shoulders, and he thinks that smile could bathe even the darkest parts of him in its light.
“Of course I picked you, silly,” Delphi replies. Hodari watches with awe as she tilts her head toward him and draws in close, her lashes fluttering as her gaze drops to his lips. “You’re you.”
His heart soars as she presses her lips to his. They’re just as soft as the rest of her, maybe even more so. And she’s so responsive, opening up for him when he runs his tongue along the seams of her lips, moaning and wrapping her legs around him when he grabs her by the hips and lifts her onto the counter. He’s halfway to lifting her shirt off when they hear a yell from outside.
“Are you two done yet?” Najuma calls. “The stew’s getting cold and I’m starving!”
They look at each other, Delphi’s eyes wide and her lips swollen even as she sucks her lower lip between her teeth. She grins, chuckling, “Guess we’d better get back out there and feed Najuma before she plants a smoke bomb under my bed.”
Hodari helps her down from the counter, handing her the glass she was reaching for a smiling.
“Go on, then,” he tells her. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
After all the blood in his body redistributes properly.
Three
The rain came out of nowhere, the sky clear one minute and dark gray the next. It’s so unexpected that even the sernuk she was hunting didn’t have time to retreat into the forest to take cover. Delphi quickly unstrings and stows her bow before running for the nearest cover she can find. It’s a long run, but she finally ducks into the mine, mud up to her knees and her clothes completely soaked. She leans over, hands on her thighs, in an attempt to catch her breath.
She finally manages, the burning in her chest subsiding and the stitch in her side easing. She finds a rock near the entrance to sit on and begins stripping off her soaked hunting gear. The heavy cotton and leather slap against the hard-packed dirt floor as she drops the gear into an unceremonious heap, already not looking forward to dragging it all back home after the rain clears.
She’s attempting to wring the rapidly cooling water from her hair when a familiar voice calls out to her, surprised delight creeping into the drawl she loves so much, “Well hey, darlin’!”
“Hey,” she laughs, looking up at Hodari with a tired smile. “I didn’t think you’d be here this late.”
He shrugs. “I’ve been fixin’ some of the supports. Almost had a cave-in last week ‘cause some idiot went too deep into one of the walls down below.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah,” he sighs, scratching at the back of his neck. “I threw ‘em out. Told ‘em to come back when they learn how to swing a pick right.”
He sits down beside her, eyeing her piles of soaked gear. He nudges her playfully on the arm and teases, “You fall in a lake or somethin’?”
“Ha-ha,” she replies, unable to hide her grin as she rolls her eyes and nudges him back. “I don’t know if you noticed, doing your best impersonation of a mole down here, but it’s absolutely pouring out there above ground.”
“I’m just messin’ with ya, darlin’,” Hodari chuckles, patting her knee.
“Oh, you’re so warm,” Delphi sighs. She can feel herself beginning to shiver in the cool air of the mine.
He laughs heartily, but wraps an arm around her and pulls her into his side. Hodari gently rubs her bare arms in an attempt to warm her up, smiling as her shivers begin to subside.
“Feelin’ better?” he asks, and feels her nod into his shoulder. “Good. Anything else I can do, darlin’?”
His heart nearly stops when she looks up with wide eyes, cheeks pink, and breathes, “Kiss me.”
And who is he to say no?
Hodari’s smile turns soft as he lifts her chin carefully and lowers his lips to hers. She meets him almost shyly, her breath shuddering as she turns toward him. This lasts a few seconds, but finally he feels her shift. She takes in a deep breath, her lips remaining on his as she rises and climbs into his lap. His hands slide up her thighs, coming to rest on her ass as she groans into him. Her hands come to fist in his hair and he groans as well, encouraging her with a light squeeze. She responds enthusiastically, grinding down against him with a whimper.
This goes on for what feels like hours, her breath turning ragged while the movement of her hips only grows faster and harder. Her hands are snaking down his chest, coming dangerously close to where his shirt is tucked into his gray work pants when a deafening clap of thunder shakes the ground and they both jump.
Their eyes meet for a moment before they both break out into breathless laughter. Delphi pushes her hair behind her ears and sighs, gently extricating herself from Hodari’s hold.
“I should probably get home before the path floods,” she murmurs, bending down to pick up her sopping wet gear.
Hodari clears his throat, adjusting himself, and suggests, “You could come over for dinner? Let your clothes dry out, maybe wait out the storm?”
Delphi’s grin is bright as she nods and says, “Yeah, alright.”
Four
Hodari isn’t sure exactly what the purpose of this gathering at the mayor’s mansion is. The food is usually cold, he’s forced to make small talk with half the village, and there’s never a place he can go wo just sit with his own thoughts, so he usually hates them. But tonight as Badruu is talking his ear off about field crickets getting into his cabbage crop, he finds himself glad he came to this one.
Across the garden, Delphi is laughing at something Reth said, her eyes sparkling brighter than the forest green dress draped elegantly around her. It hugs her curves just right, leaving almost nothing to the imagination. She’s wiping a tear from her eye when she catches him staring at her. She smiles softly, giving him a little wave before she returns to her conversation with the chef.
He endures the rest of Badruu’s rambling before politely excusing himself. He turns to the pavilion where he’d seen Delphi, only to find her gone, Hassian and Tau now in her place. He looks around the garden in an attempt to locate her, but she’s disappeared completely. He meanders into the mansion, seeing Sifuu and Ashura chatting animatedly in the dining room, with Tish and Jel in the library, their heads bent together over a glossy magazine page.
Continuing further into the house, he sees several other villagers before he finally locates her in the front drawing room, chatting with Kenyatta and Najuma. He approaches quietly, placing a gentle hand on her elbow. The smile she gives him when she turns to see who’s trying to get her attention could light up the whole of the village.
“Hey!” she exclaims, turning to him fully. “Najuma was just telling us about a new invention! You should join us!”
“I was actually wonderin’ if I could borrow you for a minute,” he replies, nodding toward the door.
“Yeah, of course!” she responds brightly. She turns to the others and waves, saying, “I’ll see you guys later!”
Hodari gestures for her to lead the way, and before he turns to follow, he catches Najuma rolling her eyes.
They step out into the front courtyard, and Hodari watches her walk down the steps, unable to take his eyes off her hips as she does. She leads him out of the courtyard, just to the far side of the brick wall. Immediately, his hands are on her hips and he’s crowding her against the wall.
“I take it you like the dress?” she giggles, half-heartedly trying to push him away as he begins to press hot kisses into the soft skin just below her jaw.
“Darlin’, I think you’re gorgeous all the time,” he growls into her skin. “But tonight?” A rake of his teeth against her collarbone. “In that dress?” A squeeze to her hips. “You could outshine Embra herself.”
Her hands are in his hair, holding him close as his lips, teeth, and tongue caress and claim every inch of visible skin. He can feel her heart racing, hear her breath becoming more and more ragged. They’re changes he can feel mirrored in himself, nearly unable to think for the rushing of blood in his ears and the fire in his veins.
“Let me take you home,” he murmurs into the shell of her ear. “Maybe get you outta that dress?”
“Not tonight,” she breathes, and it almost comes out as a moan. She turns her head, pressing sweet kisses into his cheek and jaw. Chuckling at his disappointed groan, she adds, “The entire village is inside. Someone will notice if we both leave.”
Hodari drops his head onto her shoulder and sighs. He knows she’s right.
“I’ve already finished my virtues test,” she says, softly running her fingers through his hair. “And Sifuu’s agreed to be my Shepp. My Acceptance Ceremony will be soon, and then we can do this as much and as publicly as you want.”
She gently lifts his head and smiles at him before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.
“I’m gonna head back in,” Delphi whispers. She pats his chest with another smile, then turns and heads back into the courtyard.
Five
“Shh!” Delphi giggles. “Someone will hear us!”
“Who’s gonna hear?” Hodari growls. “We’re in the middle of the woods!”
Their lunch lies abandoned at the corner of the blanket near their feet, a veritable feast for the insects that live in the underbrush. In the soft dappled lights from the canopy over head they lie, a tangled mess of limbs. Their tools and equipment are in a heap under a nearby tree, the light of the afternoon sun reflecting off the glimmering palium blades in rainbows that dance with the breeze rustling the leaves above.
It’s warm and cozy, and she breaks into another fit of giggles when he rubs his stubbly cheek against hers again.
“Auni camps out here all the time,” she gasps when his lips find her neck.
He huffs out at laugh, “Auni’s deliverin’ the mail. And he’s already been through the Bay.”
“And Hassian hunts out here!” she protests weakly, giggling and attempting to curl her legs up between them.
“Hassian went to the capital to sell pelts today. What is goin’ on, darlin’?” Hodari raises himself up onto his elbows, brows furrowed and lips turned down in a frown. “D’ya have somewhere else to be or somethin’?”
Delphi sighs, sitting up to face him. “It’s not that. It’s just...my Acceptance Ceremony is in three days. And you know I wanna do this right. I want to become a full member of Palian society so that there’s no doubt when we finally let everyone know.”
He takes her hand, staring down at it for a few moments before asking, “Doubt about what, darlin’?”
Delphi looks down at their hands, attempting to calm the swirling storm of her thoughts. The sour feeling in her stomach has been eating at her for days, ever since Eshe set the date for her ceremony. She wasn’t sure what it was at first. By all rights, she should be giddy with excitement. But there’s a lingering, insidious thought at the back of her mind. A tiny little shred of an intrusive idea that keeps telling her that maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t truly belong.
She takes a deep breath, exhaling fully before she begins, “I materialized out of thin air less than a year ago. I was told that I’m a member of a previously extinct race and that there’s no way of knowing exactly who I am or where I came from. My earliest memory is Jina’s shocked face while I sat on the ground at the base of the Phoenix Shrine.”
Hodari squeezes her hand lightly, nodding for her to continue. She smiles softly and nods back.
“I’ve worked until my fingers bled to build a life here. I’ve learned all the ins and outs of Majiri society and customs. I’ve made friends and a home, and I’ve found a wonderful, beautiful man with a lovely, brilliant daughter who I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
She raises their entwined hands to press a kiss to his knuckles.
“But at the end of the day, I’m still human. And you’re all Majiri. And as silly as it may sound, I’m still afraid that...someone, or everyone, is going to realize that I don’t belong here. And I just don’t want there to be any doubt that I truly want to be here and that I want to be a member of this community. For myself, just as much as for you and Najuma.”
Hodari looks at her with wide eyes and a slack jaw. He lets out a breath before pulling her into his arms. He holds her for a few moments before he seems to find his words.
“Darlin’, every time I go into the village, someone is singin’ your praises. They all love you.” He gives her a lopsided grin. “Almost as much as I do.”
She smiles softly, winding her arms around him.
“I love you,” she sighs, leaning in when he lifts her chin and lowers his lips to hers in a sweet, lingering kiss.
Plus One
“Oh, Delphi!” Tish gushes, her eyes alight. “It’s absolutely perfect! You look amazing!”
Delphi can feel heat rising in her cheeks as Tish showers her with compliments. She hadn’t even asked Jel to make the dress for her, it had been a surprise gift from him and Tish for her Acceptance Ceremony. But the soft, silky garment is the color of the sunset and drapes so beautifully that she couldn’t not accept it.
“It’s absolutely exquisite,” Jel agrees, turning her around to check the fit. “And I’m so glad we decided to go with the open back. Drawing that bow of yours has truly made you a sight to behold.”
“Thank you,” Delphi laughs. “Both of you. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for this.”
“You don’t have to repay us, silly!” Tish giggles. “It’s a gift! And besides, you’ve helped us both so much already, it’s the least we could do!”
“Consider it payment for everything you’ve done for us,” Jel adds.
“Now that we’ve covered all of that,” Tish says, clapping her hands. “Are you ready to go?”
She’d done well to tamp down the nerves until now. Tish’s and Jel’s attention had kept her distracted from the anxiety that’s been growing within her for days. Since her last conversation with Hodari, she’s been trying to remind herself that she’s made plenty of friends here and that the village is welcoming her with open arms, but reason means nothing in the face of irrational fear.
She takes a steadying breath and nods, letting Tish drag her out the front door with Jel following close behind.
It’s a short walk from Tish’s house to the mayor’s estate. The lights in the garden twinkle merrily as they enter, a cheer going up from the pavilion where Sifuu and Delaila are chatting. Delphi can’t help but laugh, waving at them. Everyone from the village is there, Kenyatta, Nai’o, and Najuma chatting in the corner, Tish and Jel leaving her with smiles and waves to go talk with Reth by the food table. She thinks she can hear Badruu laughing from somewhere inside the house, probably talking with Ashura if she had to guess. Jina, Hekla, and Einar are huddled in a corner, Jina taking notes as Einar and Hekla talk. Hassian and Tau are lurking in a corner, Tau’s tail wagging as he chases moths around the outskirts of the garden. She can hear Zeki attempting to sell Caleri something while Elouisa shakes her head. There’s only one familiar face she’s missing.
She pokes her head into the library, the dining room, and the front drawing room, but she doesn’t see him anywhere. She tries to tell herself that he’s just late or that he’s just in an area of the house she hasn’t checked, but when Eshe comes to find her in one of the wingback chairs in the drawing room she’s a shaking, nervous wreck.
“We're ready for you,” the magistrate tells her, frowning. “But you look like you’re about to faint.”
Delphi sighs, scratching at her arm nervously. “I’m sorry, Eshe. I’ve been freaking out about this all week. But I’m ready.”
“What were you looking for?” Eshe asks, raising a brow at her. “I saw you combing every room of the estate.”
She can feel her face warming at Eshe’s pointed glance and admits quietly, “Hodari said he was going to be here. I’ve seen everybody else, but I haven’t seen him…”
Eshe tuts, taking Delphi’s hand and helping her to stand. “The miner and his daughter arrived just before you did. They were setting up the fireworks for this evening.”
Delphi lets out a breath and nods, smoothing her dress. “Okay. I’m ready.”
Every eye is on her as Eshe leads her into the garden. Sifuu waits on the raised platform in the center of the garden, her smile wide and bright when she catches sight of Delphi approaching. The rest of the village lines the walkway, their smiles just as bright as Sifuu's. Just before Eshe stops her, she finally catches sight of the face she’d been looking for. He’s half-hidden behind Hekla and Jina, but his smile when he catches her eye is warm and reassuring.
Eshe's speech is short and to the point, and when she asks if Delphi will accept Kilima Village as her home, there are tears in Delphi's eyes as she says yes. The assembled villagers' cheers are drowned out by the loud booming of Najuma’s fireworks overhead, their jubilant faces illuminated by the colorful explosions.
Najuma sits near the base of the platform, giving Delphi a thumbs-up and a grin. Delphi’s confusion is cleared up as a pair of hands grabs her by the waist and spins her around. Hodari grins at her, his cheeks rosy and his eyes sparking. He dips his head toward hers and says loudly enough for her to hear over the fireworks, “I’m gonna kiss you now. In front of the whole town.”
“Please do,” Delphi laughs. She throws her arms around his neck, giggling as he catches her by the waist and spins her around.
The kiss is a mess, teeth crashing together and lips bruising as they both laugh, but the way her heart soars and her stomach flips at finally being able to kiss him openly makes it worth it. There’s whooping and applause from all around them, Sifuu’s loudest of all.
Listen, I didn't want to fall in love with this man. I was happy with my shy hunter and my flirty chef. And I DEFINITELY didn't want to imagine being a step-mom. But then I got to know him and his daughter and fucking hell. I'm absolutely feral over him. And I'm absolitely smitten with her. I've got some other things in the works for Hodari AND Najuma, so probably look for those sometime...
a/n: Just a little blurb about the moment that actually made me nervous when I was playing.
Content: insecurity, super nervous reader, Hassian x reader, Ah, young love
wc: 805 (short n' sweet)
Okay. Don’t you dare peki out, you tell yourself firmly. You’ve been debating doing this over and over again for the past month or so and it’s driving you insane. Debating-out-loud-to-yourself-until-The Gardener-tells-you-to-shut up, kind of insane. And you know that something has to give, even if the result won’t be what you want it to be. And your sanity won’t be the thing to give, so today is the day you give Hassian a box of chocolates (does he even eat chocolate??) and tell him how you feel. How you’ve felt for a long time now. And it may be awkward after, but you can deal with that. Probably.
You ignore your growing panic as you get ready, putting on a cute forest-green dress (and mentally hoping that seeing his favorite color will make him at least let you down easy). Worrying your lip, you put your shoes on, grab your bag with the box of chocolates, and begin your walk to Bahari Bay. It’s early enough that he should be leaving his grove soon and you hope to catch him before he does. Kind of.
Greeting and chatting briefly with the few villagers out this early helps to take your mind off what you’re about to do. But before you know it, you find yourself reaching the entrance to Hassian’s grove. You raise your hand shakily to knock when the door suddenly swings open and Tau bounds out excitedly, almost knocking you over. Laughing, you regain your balance and accept Tau’s excited kisses.
“Tau, calm down,” Hassian says, his deep baritone slightly annoyed. Looking up, you meet his gaze. Those vibrant green eyes send a jolt of electricity through you as you rise to your feet, taking a deep breath. Okay. It’s now or never.
“Hi Hassian,” you say with a small smile. That’s good. Just keep your cool.
You can’t keep something you never had, supplies the super unhelpful voice in your head.
“You’re out early.” Hassian says, shaking you out of your insane inner ramblings. “Is there something you needed?”
You nod slowly and say “Uh yeah actually. Do you have time to talk really quick?” Oh Dragon, please say no.
But he only nods and crosses his arms, waiting for you to speak. Well, fuck. Here we go, I guess.
Tau licks your hand in what you’re choosing to take as a gesture of good luck before trotting off towards the lake. You resist the urge to call him back so you don’t have to do this alone and instead turn to fully face Hassian.
You bite your lip as you try to think of what to say. Why the hell didn’t you think of what to say earlier??
You clear your throat nervously. “Um. So I know we’ve been…friends for a while now but lately I’ve been…wanting more?” You look at him, unsure.
He looks at you blankly. Oh this is not going well. Is it too late to run?
You blow out a breath and reach into your bag, pulling out the chocolates. You try and steady your hand as much as possible as you hold it out to him. His eyes widen slightly but he doesn’t move to take them. “I-this is for me?”
“You don’t want them?” You say as you start to pull your hand back, your heart sinking.
“No-I mean, yes! I want them. Hand them over,” he exclaims. You hesitate, mouth falling open a little before you slowly hand them over.
“I didn’t realize you felt-I mean,” he clears his throat. “I…will accept this. For now.” Whaaaaat??
Frowning a little, you say “Hassian, you don’t have to take them.” But he’s already opening the door to his grove and placing the chocolates on a nearby crate with a certain sense of finality. He turns to face you again. “Thank you.”
You press your lips together, unsure of what to say now. You nod before turning to leave. You take a few steps before you suddenly turn and blurt out “Did you want to get lunch sometime?” Smooth.
“I can’t today. But…I appreciate the thought.” You nod quickly and turn to get the hell out of there when he surprises you. “Tomorrow, maybe?”
Your eyes fly to meet his, and maybe you’ve truly lost it but you swear for a second you can see a hint of a smile. “Yeah, tomorrow is good.” You smile at him before you turn and leave, your heart threatening to burst out of your chest.
You fight the urge to overthink what just happened on your walk home. He might decide to return your gift, but as of right now it’s been accepted, and you have a tentative lunch date tomorrow. You let your smile shine through as you float the rest of the way home.
A dream. Obviously. That's where Lyla finds herself, in this make believe world where everything comes easy. With no memories of her real life, and a deep ache in her chest, all she wants to do is get home.
But it's not a dream. It's a game, created by God-knows-who, and it's trapped her here. The only way out? Find whoever needs her most, and help them. Preferably without falling in love along the way.
OR
Hassian does have a heart. It is buried beneath a mountain of defence mechanisms and hides a deep chasm of pain, but it is there, and its beat is strong.
(this summary needs work)
(so does this post formatting actually, this is my first Tumblr fic advert)
Additional Tags: trapped in the game, Enemies to Lovers (if you squint), hes just rude and she wont let him, Slow Burn, Fluff, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Suicide (like it's mentioned, briefly), author is an em dash enthusiast
Chapters: 5/15
Preview below the cut, otherwise click here to read on AO3!
Chapter One: Welcome to Palia
Blinded, gagged, and pushed through a pinhole.
At least, that’s how Lyla felt. Light burned her eyes. Smoke filled her lungs. Heat licked at her skin. It didn’t hurt, but it should have. It zapped through her like electricity and left her buzzing, skin crackling at the edges. Before she had even had time to feel fear, an omnipotent voice rang out — through the roar in her ears, through the bones in her chest.
“Time for you to go out into the world. I have high hopes for what you can accomplish.”
Pressure crushed her — cell by cell — and then vanished like water retreating from the shore. The light dimmed. Her breath returned in stuttering gulps. In front of her, floating in empty space like a billboard in her brain:
! Quest: Help the one who needs you most
She didn’t have time to question it before gravity -— a force she had not yet noticed -— finally took hold, and her boots met stone. She blinked a few more times and her vision cleared, although she wasn’t sure she could trust what her eyes were telling her.
She was standing in the centre of a massive vaulted chamber. White stone walls climbed high around her, cracked and weathered with time. Gold trim still clung to the archways, and four massive braziers roared with flickering purple fire. The space might once have been sacred, but now it felt…forgotten. Overlooked.
A gasp rang out.
Lyla froze, head snapping in the direction of the sound.
A woman — or someone shaped like one — stepped cautiously from behind one of the columns. Her arms, bare and violet-hued, were lifted in a gesture of peace. A white short-sleeved coat hung open over her frame, and her oversized round glasses gleamed with firelight beneath the two coiled buns perched atop her head. Pointed ears poked out from beneath. Behind her loomed a spherical machine, motionless but too large to ignore. Lyla tensed, fists at her sides. If she had to run, she didn’t know where she’d go.
The stranger’s eyes widened.
“Oh. My. Dragon!” The woman’s high-pitched voice echoed off of the walls of the grand chamber, and a delicate purple hand raised to cover her mouth in shock. “Did-did you…just…materialise from nowhere?”
Lyla hesitated. The room was cold, but her skin still tingled with the residual static. She realised with a start that she could understand this strange woman perfectly, despite the clear differences between them. Okay, so we’re both surprised, Lyla thought, resisting the urge to take an alarmed step back.
Several seconds passed. Neither moved.
Then, Lyla forced herself to speak.
“...I honestly have no idea.” Her voice cracked around the edges; her tongue felt like sandpaper. A quick glance down at her own arms — still there, still Human — grounded her with a faint sense of familiarity.
The woman didn’t seem overly concerned. “Right, you probably don’t know any more about your situation than I do. It’s just, none of the other Humans knew either. Which leaves me right back at square one.”
Lyla blinked. Her brain snagged on two specific words. “Other Humans?”
“Yup,” the woman said breezily. “You’re not the first Human I’ve seen in Palia. Just the first I’ve seen…y’know, appearing in a giant cocoon of light.” Reality finally seemed to catch up with her at her words, her eyes widening with recognition. One hand came up to rub at her forehead. “We should slow down.” Her posture softened, and she quickly fished around inside of her oversized coat pockets. Lyla instinctively took a half-step back as she produced a large piece of folded paper. The woman paused for a moment, and then extended the paper with a gentler motion. “Why don’t you take this map and head into town where you can talk to Ashura, the Innkeeper? He’s been helping others like you get settled in. I would help you myself, but I’m working on something here, and I’m this close to figuring it out.” A small smile — rushed, apologetic, and still tinged with excitement — offered Lyla no comfort; just more questions.
Lyla stared. Her eyes flicked from the paper to the stranger, then to the machine behind her. The robot still hadn’t moved, but something about it felt attentive. Like it was watching.
The woman, seeming to either not notice the awkward silence or be deadset on filling it, continued on. “I was so caught off guard — I realise I forgot to introduce myself or explain why I'm here,” she almost laughed, though there was a caution in her tone which gave away her apprehension. “The name's Jina. I'm an apprentice scholar researching these old ruins. And this here,” she waved the map toward the machine, “is my research assistant, Hekla.”
At the sound of her name, Hekla seemed to whir to life - a series of robotic beeps foreshadowed her computerised voice before she gave Lyla a friendly greeting.
! Relationship Status: A Little Shy
The new notification blinked into existence just across Lyla’s eyes — semi-transparent and glowing like the first. No one else reacted. A moment later, it vanished.
She looked around, searching the chamber for anything else strange — but all she saw were creeping vines, worn stone, and a great phoenix statue, its wings curled protectively around the platform on which she stood. The purple flames licked at the air, but there was no smoke.
The woman — Jina — glanced back to Lyla with a friendly smile, braving the last few steps to offer her the map once more. “Be sure to ask her if you have any questions,” she suggested. Lyla took the paper dumbly, almost absently. “I've gotta get back to the grind.” With that, the apprentice scholar’s attention turned once again to the glowing runes etched into the stone all around them.
Hekla said nothing more. Lyla, uncertain and unwilling to push her luck, did not approach.
She looked instead toward the hallway ahead — a massive keyhole-shaped door that opened onto a long corridor, bathed in quiet light. Somewhere at the far end, it opened to the world.
The torches lining the white-and-gold hall burned a warm orange, which somehow felt much safer than the bizarre violet flames of the chamber. The hall opened into a darker chamber below, where time had clearly done its damage — cracked stone, roots twisting through the floor, and collapsed stairs blocked her way forward. But conveniently, a thick wall of vines stretched along the far side of the chamber. They looked climbable. Lyla hesitated only a moment before walking to them.
It’s just a dream, she reminded herself. Nothing can happen to me here that I won’t wake up from.
Still, her breath hitched as her fingers wrapped around the stalks. They were coarse and veined with texture, creaking faintly under her weight. She pretended not to notice. Sometimes dreams are just a little more real.
At least, that’s what she tried to tell herself. With surprising ease, Lyla hauled herself over the edge and stood. Her footfalls were audible across the stone floor, her movements purposeful. When the broken stone of the passage finally gave way to a dirt path, the softer texture was noticeable beneath her shoes. She certainly didn’t feel like she was in a dream.
The sunlight hit her, and she squinted against it painfully as her eyes adjusted to the light.
A waterfall surged down the cliff edge just ahead of her, feeding into a clear lake far below. Beyond that: fields, trees, and — nestled among them — a small village that looked like it had sprung straight out of a fantasy painting. Mountains loomed in the distance, cradling the land between them and the sea.
Lyla stared in awe; in a word, it was breathtaking.
She’d experienced vivid dreams before, but never had her imagination conjured the feel of the sun on her skin, or a landscape that stretched so impossibly wide. The prickling heat of her arrival was almost entirely forgotten at the thought of frollicking in the flowers like a lamb.
Jina’s instructions echoed through her mind: head into town where you can talk to Ashura, the Innkeeper.
She didn’t need a map. She knew that the inn she needed to find would be nestled somewhere in the village, and she could tell even at her great distance that it was a tiny settlement. With the full confidence of a woman who knew she’d be waking up at any minute, Lyla made her way down the path cut into the cliffside.
The carved out tunnel was held up by dubious looking wooden support structures; they’d clearly been there for years, but were still solid enough. The sound of the rushing water over the cliff never lessened as she made her way down the wood-and-dirt path, until finally she came to the final opening; to her left, another, smaller waterfall fed into the same river as the one to her right. Before her, a weathered wooden bridge stretched the gap between the cliff and the stone pathway to the village. Faint birdsong and the rustle of wind could just be heard over the roar of water.
Lyla crossed the worn bridge, its beams creaking beneath her, and turned left toward where she knew the village lay. On the way, she passed a pair of benches and a smouldering fire pit — a cosy touch, like the dream was trying to make itself hospitable. She smiled faintly as a breeze rustled through the trees and the smell of damp soil filled her nose.
Despite the distance, it didn’t take long before she reached the outskirts of the village. She passed beneath a tall wooden arch adorned with a U-shaped carving, and a string of wind chimes that clinked softly in the breeze.
Ahead, signposts marked the roads, although the words meant nothing to her — strange glyphs carved into smooth wood. Lyla frowned at this, but quickly dismissed the mystery; dreams are just like that sometimes.
Colourful lanterns and paper bunting lined the way forward, decorating the gaps between the lightposts that led her into the village centre. The path opened into a wide, triangle-shaped plaza with a broken stone fountain at its centre. It was cracked and overgrown, clearly older than the rest of the town — like it had been left behind by time.
She passed what looked like a library, its roof a bright lapis blue, a book carved over the entryway. To her right, a green building bore the symbol of a chair. A furniture store, maybe. Beyond that, a grocer’s, and past it, a shop with purple banners and a coathanger carved above the door.
And then she saw it.
A large, two-storey building sat proudly near the back of the plaza, with wide stone steps and a deck out the front. Above the door were carved two steins mid-toast, the beer within sloshing out over the top.
That’s gotta be the place.
She climbed the steps slowly, unsure where the sudden nerves had come from. It’s just a dream, she told herself, the words playing over like a mantra in her head. Just a dream.
Then, the sound of laughter — warm and real — as the door swung open, and a man stepped out.
A Human man.
Lyla froze. A sense of relief crashed over her like a wave at the recognition of someone — anyone — familiar.
“Excuse me,” she tried, her voice just a little too high. The man turned, eyes bright and smiling.
“Yes?” he asks, friendly, but distracted as his gaze flicks to the village behind her.
“I’m-I’m looking for Ashura…?” she gestures helplessly toward the inn.
For a moment, the man just blinked at her. Then, understanding dawned across his features, and he laughed. “Ah. New recruit, are ya?”
Lyla wasn’t sure exactly how to respond, so she simply nodded.
“Oh, well, welcome to Palia!” He grinned warmly. “Sorry, I can’t stick around just now — Auni’s challenged me to a bug-catching contest. But, uh, Ashura’s over there-” he gestured behind him with his thumb, “-big, burly cuddle bear. Can’t miss ’im. Good luck!”
And just like that the man was gone, disappearing down the road in a blur of good cheer.
Lyla stood on the wooden deck, heart hammering, unsure whether to laugh or run.
The sounds of the tavern drifted toward her; cutlery clinking, chairs scraping, quiet chatter. Nerves bubbled in her blood, her mouth going dry as she stepped across the threshold.
The warmth hit her first. Not just from the crackling fireplace, but something else. Something homelike.
A wide room opened around her, with its vaulted ceilings and second-floor balcony above. A pair of patrons laughed at a lunchtable, and a tall man poured drinks behind the bar. There was a scent in the air — oddly fresh, vaguely lettuce-like — and yet…not unpleasant.
She tried not to dwell on the fact she’d never smelled anything in a dream before.
A booming, belly-deep laugh echoed from across the tavern, drawing her eye to its source — an older man with a weathered face and a beard that matched the dusting of grey in his hair. He was easily one of the largest men she'd seen since her dream began: broad-shouldered and thick-set, the soft stretch of his belly doing little to disguise the strength beneath. His tattoos — a darker shade of purple than his skin — curled out from beneath the sleeves of his rolled-up shirt as he clapped a customer on the back and sent them off with a grin.
Lyla hovered near the door, watching. The man, now alone, turned and began wiping the table clean. The grin faded. What replaced it wasn’t unfriendly, exactly — but it was hard. Watchful.
Her feet moved before she decided they would. Crossing the room, the tavern felt much quieter than it had. Quiet enough for her to hear the scuffing of her shoes across the wood, as though announcing to those gathered that she didn’t belong. She stopped a few steps short. Her breath caught, her palms began to sweat.
The man looked up.
His face was carved from granite — but there was a flicker in his eyes, a gentle shine. His gaze swept over her face, searching. And then, recognition — soft, almost amused. That warm smile bloomed again like it had been waiting for its chance.
“Welcome to Kilima!” he greeted, his voice gentler than before but still full of life. He stood tall and flipped the cloth over his shoulder, opening a large palm toward her in greeting. He gestured to one of the vacated chairs and offered, “I’m sure this is quite a lot to take in.”
Lyla glanced at the empty seat, but made no move to sit. The idea of settling in -— of relaxing -— felt absurd. Her body was still braced for something to go wrong. She shifted on her feet and shook her head, her throat tightening.
The innkeeper didn’t seem to mind. If anything, his gaze softened further. He kept his large, calloused hands visible as he calmly continued, “I’m Ashura, the innkeeper at Ormuu’s Horn.” He gestured at the aged wallpaper, the high beams, the worn rug before the fireplace. “Unfortunately, there isn’t any room at the inn right now,” he added with an apologetic smile, “but we do have some old plots where you could build yourself a tent. Whaddaya say? You wanna take in the great outdoors?”
Something in her wanted to say yes. Maybe it was his tone — reassuring, unforced — or maybe it was that old dream-logic again, the instinct to just move forward, go along.
But a tent? She hesitated. For a moment she tried to picture her bed -— the one she knew was waiting for her once this dream ended.
Blank.
Her breath caught again. She couldn’t remember what it looked like. Not just the bed — the walls, the door, the street outside. Like it had been folded up and placed somewhere behind her eyes, unreachable. “I’m…not the camping type,” she replied, the words sticking in her throat as she felt her shoulders tense again.
Ashura’s face split into a broader grin, and a chuckle rumbled from deep in his chest — not loud this time, but easy. “I hear you,” he said, unbothered. “I slept in a tent for years while I was a soldier, never quite got used to it.”
A soldier, Lyla thought. That explained the thick arms, the watchful eyes, and the strange mix of tension and ease he carried; like a man who could cause significant harm with ease, but would rather offer a blanket.
He studied her.
Lyla’s back straightened a little too sharply, and her fingers curled into her palms at her side. She wondered what it was that he saw in her.
“...Well,” he began again after she failed to fill the silence, “maybe we can talk to the mayor about getting you in something more permanent.”
Permanent. The word echoed in her brain like a dropped coin.
She blinked. The tavern hadn’t changed -— still filled with a warm light and the scent of something stewing in the kitchen. But something in the back of her mind tensed again. Not fear, not exactly — something quieter. Like a thread pulling taut.
She heard the chitter of an animal. Out the window she could see one of the orange furry creatures which had dotted the field on her walk down, and the sight tugged at her.
She wanted to chase it.
Not because it made sense, but specifically because it didn’t - dreams were for doing, not for waiting. Her subconscious imagination had conjured this world in vivid detail, and she wanted to savour it.
Her gaze dropped again to her hands. They were hers — she knew they were — but there was something oddly different about them. A foreign elegance, mismatched to the small callouses on her fingers that she was sure didn’t belong.
A dream.
Lyla was certain. But there was something in it, in the sheer amount of detail, that made it feel unlike any other dream she’d ever had. This dream was too vivid; it had weight, texture. She could feel the warmth of the wood beneath her feet through the soles of her boots, she had felt the gentle breeze rustle her hair.
Lyla almost laughed. Not a real one — a small huff through her nostrils, startled and unbelieving.
She looked around again; there was no dream-like swirl to her surroundings, no indication that it was beginning to fade. A sunbeam stretched across the room, showcasing the constant swirl of dust motes in the air.
Permanent, in a dream?
A smirk tugged at her mouth as absurdity settled in like an old friend. Around her, the tavern creaked softly, accompanied by the distant clatter of cutlery and hushed voices. She carried that amusement with her as Ashura explained everything — the materials she’d need, the axe he’d lend her, the local miner she’d meet at her new “plot.”
She didn’t question it. Of course she didn’t. That’s how dreams worked.
She spent the rest of the afternoon chopping trees, splitting stone like it was nothing, and chasing the furry creatures through the forest surrounding what her imagination called home. Hodari — the miner — had ensured she knew enough to make the small building on her plot functional as a home. She went to sleep that evening in her makeshift bed, crafted by her own somehow practised hands, knowing that real life waited for her on the other side.
The amusement dried up when morning came, and she found herself still tucked under the itchy green blanket in her draughty, run-down shack.
