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Fantasy Primacy [Closed]

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Drazhan frowned at Kirsikka as she separated from him, and he followed behind her to the library like a lost puppy. After she had thrown herself willingly into danger, he didn’t want to be separated from her then.

And he wanted to talk about what had happened when she went to that damned library, and which books would be most likely to control her soul.

“Maybe you should try to not piss off our host as much, given that he’s housing and feeding us,” Drazhan said, not entirely too serious about it, as he walked up behind Kirsikka and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Or at least, don’t surprise him with it.”

As if telling him and ignoring the ‘no’ Mikhail was bound to give would be any better.

“How did everything go?” He couldn’t immediately see any injuries on Kirsikka. “I’m a little surprised you didn’t push Malina to the wolves back there.”

~~~

Tamsin moved further into Varick’s side after he wrapped his arm around her. She enjoyed the warmth his body gave off. And his masculine scent. “I know Mikhail would encourage drinking and a performance.” And he would rope everyone else into it if they didn’t want it.

But obviously she didn’t want that. She wanted a willing audience, and she didn’t know if Malina, Kirsikka, or Drazhan were the sorts to enjoy her songs.

“But this may be one of our last times together, all alone.” She placed her hand back on him. “We should enjoy it while we can.” What that entailed, whether something innocent or more, Tamsin honestly didn’t care.

She just wanted to be selfish and have Varick all to herself for a little bit longer, until they went on the road with Kirsikka and Drazhan, and their peaceful time together was interrupted for an unknown amount of time.
 
Kirsikka wasn’t surprised when Drazhan followed her into the library. She began to skim titles for something that would help with the necromancy books and possibility of possession. She grabbed one just before Drazhan wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned back into him as she opened it to start skimming the contents.

“I’m no worse than normal,” she said, focusing on the texts and not really on the question, “We got several books. Malina destroyed some,” Kirsikka sighed, obviously disappointed in that part, still, despite the nature of the situation. “None that I needed, but still.”

The book seemed to be what she wanted. It was about cursed objects in general, but it went into details on types. It ought to be good enough, “I want to read this book, Draz,” she chuckled, “if you want to stay, you need to go find a place we can be cozy.” Though he’d still have to behave. She didn’t really know how we’ll he’d manage such things as that, but she was willing to find out if he could behave, or if she was kicking him out of the library.

She’d put money on the latter.

~***~

Mikhail certainly seemed the sort to enjoy parties, to some degree. Parties that Varick didn’t have much interest in, with all sorts of wizardry tricks. Varick still wasn’t inclined to trust him. Tamsin didn’t have much of a mind to do much practicing, though.

She did seem more inclined to pursue their time alone together, and not in a bed. Varick didn’t mind getting dirty, though he would have at least preferred to have brought a blanket to lay out for them.

Not that he’d let such a thing as that get in the way, as he pulled Tamsin into him and pressed his lips to hers without another word of encouragement. The wilds was better than the house – after all, he didn’t have to worry about damned mages being around, after all.

Not that he really cared what they heard, anyways, as he’d try to guide Tamsin down towards the ground.
 
Drazhan hummed as he listened to Kirsikka recount briefly what had happened. It came of no surprise that Malina destroyed some books, but thankfully ones that Kirsikka didn’t need, apparently. The magic of fire mages were always unpredictable, just like their wielders.

“She was in a prime spot to betray you, and yet she didn’t.” He hated that. It meant that perhaps Malina was truly trying to change and distance herself from the cult. “I still don’t trust her.” And he never would.

Every time he looked at her, he would forever see the body of his former beloved swinging by the noose.

But he distracted himself from the unwanted thought by seeking out a comfortable spot for both of them, a loveseat with just enough room for both of them. Though Drazhan gently coaxed her over to the seat with the intention of dragging her into his lap. He could behave. For a time. “I’ll be good, or as good as you want me.”

~~~

Tamsin was more than pleased with how their outing went, given the issues of the morning. And with no ears nearby to hear them, she allowed herself to make as much noise as Varick drew forth from her.

Later, she rested against Varick’s bare chest, listening to the gentle rhythm of his heartbeat after making sure their horses were still nearby. Thankfully, they were. “Are you glad we took that walk yet?” she asked with humor.

Tamsin was certain he was.

“I think I’m ready to leave. I may ask Malina for one or two more lessons, but after that, I want us to get back on the road,” she stated, eyes focused on the creek a few feet from them. “Besides, we can’t let you get too soft from being idle too long,” she joked, gently poking him in the stomach.
 
“You don’t have to trust Malina,” Kirsikka said as she moved to the loveseat Drazhan found, “you just have to trust her hatred,” Drazhan didn’t actually need to drag or encourage Kirsikka to his lap, she didn’t bother with the other cushion at all, simply took her seat on his lap and adjusted herself until she was comfortable enough to read.

Drazhan could tell her if he needed to move.

She’d decide if she wanted to.

“I want you good, Draz,” she said, the emphasis meant to mean she meant Actually Good, “you don’t want me to come back a hollowed out shell from one of the necromancy books, do you?” it was serious, no matter how much he was playing with the idea of being good. She actually did need to research this to prepare for diving into the texts, even if she was willing to tackle them without the research.

She was always ready to do ridiculously stupid things, like rob the Council of Light of necromancy books, with little to no preparation, after all.

~***~

Varick gave a simple snort at Tamsin’s question, aware they were both familiar with how he preferred this walk, since it was quite a bit more than a walk. He held her near to him as they rested on the grass, “Yes,” he still answered, just to reassure her more obviously. He didn’t need to lead too much to doubt, after all.

It seemed that Tamsin also put some thought into leaving.

He assumed after their activities, as they rested with each other. “If you’re certain,” he didn’t mean to push her, and didn’t want her to feel rushed. “I’m sure Kirsikka can always bring us back here, if we need to return,” he’d allow that as an option, to keep the momentum for leaving, though.

He definitely wanted to leave, and he grunted at her playful poke, and rolled onto his side, facing her, “I suppose we should head back and let them know we’ll only be here a little while longer.” He assumed Kirsikka and Drazhan were ready, but it’d be best to let them know, sooner than later.

Not that he really wanted to leave the grass, “Another week could make me soft, after all,” he said it with a teasing smile, of course, as if that were the most important thing to prevent.
 
Trust Malina’s hatred Drazhan could do.

He could trust that she would annihilate anything in her past to get her vengeance on years of brainwashing into believing lies.

But he didn’t want to think about Malina, not when Kirsikka seemed accepting of sitting in his lap. His arms tightened around her, and he rested his chin on the top of her head, breathing in her delectable scent that only made him want her more.

But the tone in her voice told him to behave, and her next comment solidified her seriousness. “Okay, I’ll behave, because I like you just the way you are, and not a hollowed out shell.” He placed a chaste kiss on her cheek before he settled in, enjoying the warmth from her body.

His arms would remain around her body, and his chin on her head, being good like they needed, until the book in her hands closed.

~~~

Tamsin relaxed as Varick reassured her that they could return if absolutely necessary. She nodded, “I’ll talk to Malina about it, but I feel confident to continue forward.” And not just for his sake. “But I will definitely take the possibility of returning into consideration.”

If Kirsikka wanted to do that.

Or if they don’t do something to overstay their welcome at Mikhail’s place before leaving.

Tamsin shifted as Varick rolled over, making it easier for each of them to face one another. She didn’t want to leave as much as Varick did, even if she knew they should put their clothes back on and head back to the house. Shame. “As much as I would love to just stay here and not move, I guess we should head back.”

Tamsin sat up and stretched her arms up for a moment before lowering them and standing up to put her clothes back on, which were strewn in a haphazard pile. “At least the horses didn’t go too far,” she commented, looking over at them grazing on the grass.
 
Kirsikka could remember plenty of times just reading in Dravon’s arms. Usually they were reading the same book, or he occupied himself with another task he could do. It was familiar, both a positive and a negative.

She shouldn't compare Drazhan to Dravon, and she didn't.

But it didn't stop her from acknowledging this was something she had liked.

Something she had missed.

And, something far too comfortable for it's own good with the little sleep she continued to force on herself. The book never closed, but her grip loosened. Went slack. It slid a bit and a few times she caught herself.

Until she didn't, and then the pages just stopped turning as she dozed against Drazhan’s warmth, page opened with the illusion that she was reading, but everything about her posture clearly indicated that reading had stopped.

This had, also, been a foolproof method to get her to sleep.

~***~

Varick didn't want to leave the moment itself, but he was terrible at lingering when there were decisions being made. It couldn't be normal pillow talk with no pillow, he supposed. They would take action, and he would rise from the dirt to pull himself together and dress to return to the cottage.

And not wonder if Mikhail could spy on them.

“No. Didn't really expect that they would.” Varick agreed. The horses hadn't gone far at all, thankfully, and were easy to get back in order as they began the walk back together. Varick didn't want to ride back when he could linger closer to Tamsin’s side and occasionally let his arm or fingers graze hers.

While he would miss the peace of these moments, he'd still trade it. The confinement was killing him.

They got the horses back in the stable, before heading in. Thankfully, Drazhan was nowhere to be seen, so Varick resisted the urge to leave the area, and instead be present for the conversation with Malina.

He did at least acknowledge Mikhail with a nod. That was polite enough, right?
 
Drazhan could’ve sat there for hours, just enjoying Kirsikka pressed up against him like she was, engrossed in her book while he was engrossed in her presence.

It was clear, though, that she was slowly dozing off, and eventually, she succumbed to her exhaustion.

About damn time you slept. He was too aware of how she never seemed to get enough sleep. She worked herself far too hard, and she didn’t seem to understand that lack of sleep meant she set herself up for easier attacks.

Drazhan hummed to himself as he checked to make sure Kirsikka was truly asleep. Once he did, he gently took her book and closed it, laid it on the sofa next to them, and carefully picked her up, mindful to not wake her up.

Her face was softer in sleep. Less worry and stress marked her features. Drazhan smiled softly at her as he carried her to their bedroom and laid her down on the bed. How I wish you would sleep more often. You need this.

With nothing else to do, the primal took off his shoes and laid down on top of the blankets next to Kirsikka, allowing himself to meditate in the silence.

~~~

Where Varick would let his arm and fingers graze Tamsin, she would eventually grab his hand to hold on their stroll back.

Oh how she hoped Mikhail didn’t know of everything that happened on his magically-protected property.

They got back when there was still plenty of daylight in the sky. Malina was in the main area, enjoying a book and some tea in her relative silence. For a split second, Tamsin actually saw a serene look on Malina’s face before it broke at the unexpected noise. But she held no hostility towards the bard and the primal. Not this primal.

“Malina,” Tamsin said with a polite smile. “Do you have a moment?”

She looked at Tamsin with a raised brow before gesturing to her book and tea. “As you can see, I’m dreadfully busy, but I suppose I can spare a second.” She moved to get up, but Tamsin gestured for her to remain sitting, and Tamsin joined her in a nearby chair.

“I just want to say…thank you, for teaching me, but I think I’m ready to leave. We’re ready to continue our journey to the next stop.”

“You think you have your magic under control?” Tamsin nodded, and Malina scoffed. “Learning about these powers of yours could take years to master, but if your goal is to not hurt someone you don’t wish to,” she gestured with a hand, “then I suppose you’re good to go.”

Foolish, foolish bard.

She held up one finger. “But we will have one more lesson.” Tamsin looked at her slightly startled. “Just one more, tonight or tomorrow morning, then you can go on your way.”
 
Of course, sleep still couldn’t be long, no matter how Kirsikka needed. An hour, maybe two, and she was already stirring from the sleep she got. She didn’t quite register that she wasn’t where she remembered being. She registered the warmth she’d curled around, and considered drifting right back off as she readjusted herself to be a bit more comfortable, draping a bit more over Drazhan.

Probably wasn’t too great for his meditation.

Or for her reading, which she abruptly remembered, as well as being in a library which wasn’t exactly a private location. She sat up all too quickly, and then sighed in relief to see the room around her.

She brushed her fingers over Drazhan’s forehead, and through his hair.

“You should have woken me,” she complained only mildly, and looked for the window to get a sense of the time, and if she needed to run off to Mont Pellinor to do some of her other reading, or if she had more time to work on the non-possession by evil spirits part of the work.

~***~

Varick followed Tamsin to speak with Malina, though of course, he offered no input into the decision, and monitored Malina’s reaction. She didn’t seem terribly upset with this, nor terribly worried, although she insisted on another lesson.

Varick nodded. “We were not planning to leave until at least the morning,” that meant at least one more night. He assumed Drazhan and Kirsikka would at least need a bit of warning.

Which meant someone had to go tell them.

He was not volunteering himself for that, although he’d at least broach the topic, “Are Drazhan and Kirsikka within the home? Tamsin will need to inform them, as well.” They could have wandered off. He mostly wanted to know if they were decent, but he doubted Malina actually knew an answer to that.

Unless her crush on Kirsikka extended to voyeuristic tendencies relating to Kirsikka’s love life. He didn’t need to know.
 
Drazhan stirred into the present as soon as Kirsikka shifted and began to wake up. He tightened his arms around her as she snuggled further into his body for warmth, and he wasn’t about to push her away. How could he? Why would he?

He felt fingers run through his hair, and he hummed as he opened his eyes to look at Kirsikka, lifting his arms to try and get her to lay back down on him. He wanted her warmth back just as much as she yearned for it.

“Wake you up when you desperately need some sleep? Never.” He lifted a hand and gently grabbed hers that ran her fingers through his hair. “Reading can be delayed a few hours. Sleeping may even help you concentrate better.” That was his logic for the entire situation of them in bed. Sure.

“Stay just a little longer,” he pleaded with a slight pout. “A little more rest, then off to do whatever you intended on doing next.”

~~~

Malina hummed at Varick’s announcement that they weren’t leaving until morning. Yes, another lesson that night would be wise, to tie up some loose ends she had with Tamsin’s training.

The girl needed more lessons in the future, but if for some reason she didn’t want to wield her powers as often as mages did, then she held enough control.

Foolish, really.

Tamsin gave Varick a quick look at the mention of her informing them of their leaving, but she didn’t question it. Nor did she argue. She knew why. He needed more time and space away from them before they were forced together.

Malina shrugged, “I know I heard them upstairs earlier, from the direction of the library,” she waved with one hand in the direction of the staircase. “I haven’t seen them leave, so I’m sure they’re somewhere in here.”
 
Despite the suddenness of sitting up, Kirsikka wasn’t awake enough to really have much strength to resist the encouragement back down. She was still tired. And Drazhan was still warm. She knew, of course, that she ought to resist anyways. But she did have some time, and she wouldn’t be alone dealing with possessed tomes, anyways.

Rience probably wouldn’t let her lose her mind, if only because it was a threat to him if she did.

“You’re hopeless,” the words were a bit muffled as she did let herself lay back down over him.

So was she.

“Fine, just ten more minutes,” definitely a lie, but she could pretend she didn’t know that, and so could Drazhan. She’d either fall back asleep, or the activity would shift to something definitely not sleeping, but still in bed.

~***~

Varick didn’t know there was a library, but it wasn’t a surprise. It was a fairly standard thing for most mages to want, so why not have one? Especially when access to the usual, larger libraries weren’t available, given changes to the mage hierarchy.

Although, Varick did wonder if Mikhail was explicitly kicked out of the Council of the Light so that he couldn’t access their library, or if Mikhail would be one they’d try to court into their favor.

Given his sister’s decision, perhaps not any longer.

“I’ll let you inform them,” Varick had likely made that clear already, but he figured he ought to make it clear he didn’t plan to follow her towards that end, either, as he sought a seat in the living room for the moment. He could be silent around Malina, so he figured it wasn’t an issue. The only animosity he held towards her was any unsafe practices she might put Tamsin through – but Kirsikka seemed the only one who did much of that.

Malina was clearly the superior teacher, so he didn’t have qualms.
 
Drazhan smirked as Kirsikka folded so easily to lay back down. One hand decided to wonder, brush over the fabric Kirsikka wore, before traveling underneath the fabric, touching her skin with light grazes.

But he wouldn't be able to initiate anything before a knock sounded at their door.




Tamsin knew she had to go inform them alone. Varick wouldn’t budge on that. So she headed upstairs, first checking out the library, but they weren’t in there. With a light blush, she realized she would have to go to their room, maybe while they were…busy.

Taking a deep breath, she made the short trek, and paused outside their door. She didn’t hear anything uncouth, so she knocked on the door in hopes that one of them was in there.

Drazhan’s hand paused, stilling on Kirsikka’s skin, as the knock resonated in his mind. He lightly groaned at the interruption. Great timing. “Do you wanna get that?” he grumbled.
 
Sleep definitely wasn’t on the agenda as Drazhan’s hands wandered. Sadly, Kirsikka didn’t even get to considering teasing or playing with him, as her mind just started to wake up to the alternative options, when there was a knock. As Drazhan groaned, she could only chuckle at their luck, before she would, indeed, take the initiative to get up and go see what was wanted.

The odds of it being for her, and not Drazhan, were notably higher.

She opened the door to see Tamsin there, looking a bit sheepish, “Do you need something?” it wasn’t asked unkindly, but she imagined Tamsin had to have a reason, or she wouldn’t have come up there – may as well get to the point.

Even without Varick looming over Tamsin’s shoulder, Kirsikka doubted this was a social visit.

Drazhan would just have to sulk in bed now that he knew Kirsikka was awake and up. She may already miss his warmth, but her mind was kicking back into what needed to be done before night fell, and she lost even more sleep.
 
With the time it took for Kirsikka to answer the door, and the fact that she looked like she may have just woken up, Tamsin figured she didn’t interrupt anything too private. She hoped.

Still, the sheepish expression didn’t quite leave her face as she cleared her throat and nodded. “I just wanted to give you two a heads up. If there’s no objections or anything else you need to do, we’re planning on leaving in the morning.” They were all getting a bit too antsy being cooped up in Mikhail’s place, and he may enjoy his solitude once again. She couldn’t imagine there being too much objection to the decision.

She hoped.

Drazhan perked up at what Tamsin said, looking over to the door to glance at Kirsikka. He knew she still wanted to do a few things, but whether or not they could be done on the road remained to be determined by her.

But then they would be on the road with Varick. No more walls separating them. That he wasn’t looking forward to at all.
 
It seemed they were going to be leaving soon. Kirsikka was glad for it, despite all it came with – needing to change her face being one consequence. Regardless, she wanted to get back to moving, and figuring out more about Tamsin’s situation. Sure, she intended to keep doing research, but plenty could be found roaming, too.

“That shouldn’t be an issue for us, right?” Kirsikka glanced back at Drazhan though she was sure of the answer.

He was really only there because of her, wiling away the time until the next part of their adventure. He probably wouldn’t enjoy closer quarters with Varick, but they were all going to have to suffer that.

At least the sooner they figured out the Tamsin situation, the sooner they could split from Varick.

“Do you know where we’re going? I may be able to make us a portal there,” depending on if she knew it well enough or not. Either way, she could get them closer, she was sure of that.
 
Drazhan looked over at Kirsikka and shrugged. “I don’t see any reason why it would be, if you’re ready.” She was the one doing research. She was the one who may need further access to Mikhail’s library. He was just going along with things for now.

He would be more useful on the road than cooped up in an idyllic little cottage.

Tamsin breathed a slight sigh of relief and smiled. “Okay, good.” They would be back on the road the next day.

She could start performing again.

She faltered for a moment at Kirsikka’s question. Where were they headed next? Varick mentioned his siren friend before, and that she may have some answers for Tamsin. If Kirsikka could portal them there, she didn’t see why they couldn’t do that next.

“I need to confirm with Varick, but he has a friend in Tresse who may have some answers we’re seeking.” Should she mention this friend was a siren? Oh well. “Do you think you can get us there?”
 
Kirsikka couldn’t really remember Tresse as any notable place, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t figure it out with a bit of scrying. “It’s by plenty of water,” she knew that much, “that makes it easy to access. So long as there’s a reflection, I can find anything,” and there were always ways to find reflections.

Figuring out Tresse from the thousands of other places was the difficulty, but she wouldn’t admit that right then. That was a problem for the morning.

There was probably a sign, or some locations they could tell her about, right?

“We’ll be ready to leave in the morning,” she confirmed for both of them, “and we can discuss more exacts in the morning as well,” since it seemed Varick had the location. He likely wouldn’t be anymore agreeable in the morning, but Kirsikka would be too tired to care about his mood, so it would work out.

Probably.
 

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