[ The first sensation Calhir notes as he wakes is, pleasantly enough, the prickling warmth of sunlight against his eyelids. Less fortunately - a trend that will continue - these are not the first rays of dawn rousing him to peaceful morning, but the weightier light of the fully risen sun, no doubt a few hours into trying to raise him. And he has little time to dwell on the difference as he takes stock of various other sensations - a dull but insistent sense that his brain has taken issue with the confines of his skull, a dry mouth, the slight stiffness that comes with having fallen asleep bent over a piece of furniture.
The last of these does at least lead into the single more pleasant sensation - the scent of Youko. Followed by the sight, as he prises his eyelids apart, of the tangled mess of red that is her hair.
...and as he begins to question how they would have gotten themselves in this state (and why they wouldn't be more comfortably naked, if they'd spent the night together) he remembers. The bet. Three drinks for every one of hers hadn't even felt like challenging himself, back when he's said it, but evidently things hadn't been quite as easy as he'd imagined. Youko had lasted a lot longer than...
Actually, he can't seem to remember how long Youko had lasted. But he must have won, right???
He groans and props himself up on his elbows, taking stock of his companion. ]
[As for her majesty, Youko is still asleep despite the harsh light of day heating her skin, curled up under a sheet half-undressed, hair and half a pillow acting as a cushion for her head, sword within reach as ever.
There is one guarantee that she will be feeling better than Calhir, and it is the gem grasped in her palm, glowing blue, easing away the aura of hurt she should be waking into. The real trick of how she trained up her tolerance and can drink with the monster of En.
His groaning and the feel of him starting to move around is just enough to make Youko uncurl a little, and blearily peek at him from over her shoulder, just green eyes and a frown from within the tangled mop of her red hair. Her first conscious thought is one of confusion as to why he is slung off the bed that way.
Sitting up with some effort, she scoots closer to the wall and further into the shadow the canopy provides, taking all the sheet she is wrapped in with her, and pats the mattress beside her expectantly before laying back down.
It is only after laying back down that she remembers the challenge and entirely too many drinks that led here. But squint as she may at the wall ahead of her, there is a point where her memory falls off. Drink for drink and then nothing. She rolls onto her back a little to look at Calhir, hoping looking at him might jog something, remind her of his face when he had to tap out maybe? But there's nothing.]
[ Another groan, rumbling and disconsolate. But he does rouse himself enough to get his legs under him and then onto the mattress enough to stretch his sorry form out next to Youko and plop unceremoniously back down.
An action that, if this were a water bed or the like, would probably result in the Empress catching way more air than she should be first thing in the morning. As it is, the bed echoes his discontent back at him. ]
...good morning.
[ He looks like he's considering saying more, but then decides that the effort is not warranted. Instead he wriggles in next to her, burying his face in her chest, that being the most appealing available method to block out the light and revive the possibility of passing back into the relative comfort of sleep. ]
[The weight of his crash landing does bounce her slightly, leaving her facing him and slightly pouting about being dislodged from her comfortable little shrimp curl. She stretches her arms and legs all the way out with a satisfied whimper before her chest is unceremoniously turned into a pillow.
She regards him for a moment, watching him hiding from the light in her breasts of all places, and bows her head to give a kiss to his almost certainly throbbing temple, nuzzling her face briefly in his feathers before slumping back. There are curtains on the bed they could draw shut, black out this little space and warn off any curious maids or kirin peeking in, but Youko's arms aren't long enough to reach the ties, and she's not awake enough for long sentences.
Instead, she decides to gently press the warm gem in her hand to his cheek, roll the smooth surface idly back and forth against his cheekbone while it glows and ebbs away his liquor-induced suffering. She also bothers to draw up her knees and untangle some of the sheet from around her legs, draping it around his head and shoulders.
Satisfied he has a little more protection from the light, she hums sleepily, eyes drifting shut again.]
[ It seems entirely reasonable to him to just say 'no'. No matter how sturdy Youko is, she's human and a quarter of his weight. There really shouldn't be any doubt about the outcome. But honesty is the best policy, especially with lovers, and it does help his commitment to that particular principle that she's tending him like this. ]
I... don't remember.
[ He mumbles into her chest, voice even more distorted by the gem pressed against his face. But it's probably understandable enough in the end. ]
Thanks...
[ His wings somewhat haltingly spread out, covering her in turn. He's not in any shape to do anything with the bed curtains, either, but this is a little easier. ]
[He gets a soft hum out of her, acknowledging his thanks as she rolls the jewel slowly back and forth, following along the curve of his cheek and down into the hollow. Even as she moves it, she can feel it lifting all the lingering weariness and nausea off her shoulders, but it returns none of the final score.
With a bit of difficulty, she shifts enough under the weight of Calhir to peek at him under the sheet, and comfortably bend down enough to kiss the crown of his head.]
[ His eyes flick upward in the dim as she wriggles her way in, and he blinks his appreciation at the kiss before he returns it, lips pressing first to the softer skin of her upper chest before he cranes his neck to kiss her collar. ]
What was it again?
[ His feigned haziness is not especially crafty. He just wants to hear her say it, and doesn't care if she knows. ]
[His lips against her chest and neck get sweet, appreciative sighs, and she lets her empty hand roam, seeking out where his fine scales meet feathers, curling her fingertips in the short downy ones. Little touches, little intimacies for now, while she is still feeling the weight of sleep.
What would he win, what was his prize? That's easy, and he knows that too. She poses it like a question, like she doesn't remember the same as him, but recites it like they did get it etched in stone.]
Something about making such a mess of me no one can question who my better half is?
I think there was also an agreement that you'd tell me how you feel during. And I was supposed to defy heaven and father your children?
[ He's just having so many memory problems. Blame the drink. Or that state he's in, same as her, still half in the realm of sleep and unconcerned with hurrying to throw it off. The fingers in his feathers, the banter, they're exciting but it's the kind of excitement that takes its time building.
He does kiss her again though, nosing her head back and planting his lips on her jaw. ]
[She laughs as she feels him nosing her head back, feels his lips find a place against her jawline, the sound soft and giddy in her throat. It makes her squirm under him, shifting enough to pull her thigh up alongside his ribcage, her heel bouncing lightly against the mattress.
A simple morning in bed, playful and sweet, and the very sinful check she wrote being read to her in daylight. Youko pulls her hands gently through his feathers, bringing her palms around to cup his cheeks, cocking her head.]
[ Would it sound mean if he said he loves how... wriggly she is? But it's true. Those demonstrative responses are fun, lively, and she always feels nice moving against him. He shifts over, a little more of his weight on her, pinning her down.
Doesn't stop her hands from arresting him, though, bringing his gaze up to hers. ]
I didn't dislike it. I like the way it sounds. I just wasn't sure what it meant. Was thinking too... practically.
[It would likely make her pout to hear that. Not that there would be much she could do about it when he puts more of himself over her, sinking her deeper into the mattress. Not that she would want to, that additional weight making her hum at him.
His focus on her makes her grin and her hands pull at his face, insistent on needing him closer for what she wants.]
Then—? You do want to hear what I feel while you try to defy heaven?
I want to. If it's fun for you, too. Do you want to sing me praises where the maids can hear?
[ He pushes up towards her, a small distance, but the movement of his body over hers is sensuous, scale smooth but warm over her skin. Mouth close to hers, but he doesn't kiss her yet, in case that isn't what she has in mind. ]
[Sighing, she wriggles the rest of the way in to place, aligning herself to reach him comfortably, and pressing her lips to his, feeling one little waking hunger satisfied. Youko wraps her arms around his neck, rolling her hip enough to hook her leg up along the curve of his side. To better take his weight.]
Maybe not hear it. I don't want others to hear me?
It is right now. Once we get into it I... don't know that I'd notice if that changed. And if you're loud I think people are going to hear whether they want to or not.
[ He has pretty good hearing, even if it's not as good as his eyesight... but distraction is still an issue. Especially the amount of distraction they're lazily planning. ]
I guess we don't... know that you didn't win. You can have your prize too.
If that happens, I'll... make do. If I even notice at all.
[She runs her thumbs up over the rise of his cheekbones, dragging the nails down the hollows, and then restarting the circuit. She presses her lips to his again, humming softly against him. It isn't that she is ignoring the issue of her volume — and it will be an issue — but that she's letting herself steep in his concern on her behalf. She loves him for little things like that.]
My legs might not have the strength for my prize today though?
You're probably not going to get my best effort if we start right now, either.
[ Well, it's Calhir, so barely-coherent fumbling could still mean an hour straight, easily. But he's proud enough that if she tells him to do things like take her hard enough to offend the heavens he doesn't want to phone it in.
Still, the way she's touching him... he doesn't want this to go nowhere, either. Leaving the moment has all the appeal of getting out of a warm blanket on a cold day. ]
[If not the big prize, why not another, smaller one? She interrupts her circuit briefly to nip at his lower lip, to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, and to pull him more fully into a proper hungry kiss. If he can't make her body an affront to Tentei now, maybe they can settle into something softer.
Not feeling particularly subtle about her ideas in the comfort of her own bed, she rocks minutely against him, relishing how he feels against her bare thighs.]
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the bet
The last of these does at least lead into the single more pleasant sensation - the scent of Youko. Followed by the sight, as he prises his eyelids apart, of the tangled mess of red that is her hair.
...and as he begins to question how they would have gotten themselves in this state (and why they wouldn't be more comfortably naked, if they'd spent the night together) he remembers. The bet. Three drinks for every one of hers hadn't even felt like challenging himself, back when he's said it, but evidently things hadn't been quite as easy as he'd imagined. Youko had lasted a lot longer than...
Actually, he can't seem to remember how long Youko had lasted. But he must have won, right???
He groans and props himself up on his elbows, taking stock of his companion. ]
no subject
There is one guarantee that she will be feeling better than Calhir, and it is the gem grasped in her palm, glowing blue, easing away the aura of hurt she should be waking into. The real trick of how she trained up her tolerance and can drink with the monster of En.
His groaning and the feel of him starting to move around is just enough to make Youko uncurl a little, and blearily peek at him from over her shoulder, just green eyes and a frown from within the tangled mop of her red hair. Her first conscious thought is one of confusion as to why he is slung off the bed that way.
Sitting up with some effort, she scoots closer to the wall and further into the shadow the canopy provides, taking all the sheet she is wrapped in with her, and pats the mattress beside her expectantly before laying back down.
It is only after laying back down that she remembers the challenge and entirely too many drinks that led here. But squint as she may at the wall ahead of her, there is a point where her memory falls off. Drink for drink and then nothing. She rolls onto her back a little to look at Calhir, hoping looking at him might jog something, remind her of his face when he had to tap out maybe? But there's nothing.]
... good morning?
no subject
An action that, if this were a water bed or the like, would probably result in the Empress catching way more air than she should be first thing in the morning. As it is, the bed echoes his discontent back at him. ]
...good morning.
[ He looks like he's considering saying more, but then decides that the effort is not warranted. Instead he wriggles in next to her, burying his face in her chest, that being the most appealing available method to block out the light and revive the possibility of passing back into the relative comfort of sleep. ]
no subject
She regards him for a moment, watching him hiding from the light in her breasts of all places, and bows her head to give a kiss to his almost certainly throbbing temple, nuzzling her face briefly in his feathers before slumping back. There are curtains on the bed they could draw shut, black out this little space and warn off any curious maids or kirin peeking in, but Youko's arms aren't long enough to reach the ties, and she's not awake enough for long sentences.
Instead, she decides to gently press the warm gem in her hand to his cheek, roll the smooth surface idly back and forth against his cheekbone while it glows and ebbs away his liquor-induced suffering. She also bothers to draw up her knees and untangle some of the sheet from around her legs, draping it around his head and shoulders.
Satisfied he has a little more protection from the light, she hums sleepily, eyes drifting shut again.]
Did... I win?
no subject
I... don't remember.
[ He mumbles into her chest, voice even more distorted by the gem pressed against his face. But it's probably understandable enough in the end. ]
Thanks...
[ His wings somewhat haltingly spread out, covering her in turn. He's not in any shape to do anything with the bed curtains, either, but this is a little easier. ]
no subject
With a bit of difficulty, she shifts enough under the weight of Calhir to peek at him under the sheet, and comfortably bend down enough to kiss the crown of his head.]
... what if I'm generous and we say you won?
no subject
[ His eyes flick upward in the dim as she wriggles her way in, and he blinks his appreciation at the kiss before he returns it, lips pressing first to the softer skin of her upper chest before he cranes his neck to kiss her collar. ]
What was it again?
[ His feigned haziness is not especially crafty. He just wants to hear her say it, and doesn't care if she knows. ]
no subject
[His lips against her chest and neck get sweet, appreciative sighs, and she lets her empty hand roam, seeking out where his fine scales meet feathers, curling her fingertips in the short downy ones. Little touches, little intimacies for now, while she is still feeling the weight of sleep.
What would he win, what was his prize? That's easy, and he knows that too. She poses it like a question, like she doesn't remember the same as him, but recites it like they did get it etched in stone.]
Something about making such a mess of me no one can question who my better half is?
no subject
[ He's just having so many memory problems. Blame the drink. Or that state he's in, same as her, still half in the realm of sleep and unconcerned with hurrying to throw it off. The fingers in his feathers, the banter, they're exciting but it's the kind of excitement that takes its time building.
He does kiss her again though, nosing her head back and planting his lips on her jaw. ]
no subject
A simple morning in bed, playful and sweet, and the very sinful check she wrote being read to her in daylight. Youko pulls her hands gently through his feathers, bringing her palms around to cup his cheeks, cocking her head.]
You didn't like that last part, I thought?
no subject
Doesn't stop her hands from arresting him, though, bringing his gaze up to hers. ]
I didn't dislike it. I like the way it sounds. I just wasn't sure what it meant. Was thinking too... practically.
no subject
His focus on her makes her grin and her hands pull at his face, insistent on needing him closer for what she wants.]
Then—? You do want to hear what I feel while you try to defy heaven?
no subject
[ He pushes up towards her, a small distance, but the movement of his body over hers is sensuous, scale smooth but warm over her skin. Mouth close to hers, but he doesn't kiss her yet, in case that isn't what she has in mind. ]
no subject
[Sighing, she wriggles the rest of the way in to place, aligning herself to reach him comfortably, and pressing her lips to his, feeling one little waking hunger satisfied. Youko wraps her arms around his neck, rolling her hip enough to hook her leg up along the curve of his side. To better take his weight.]
Maybe not hear it. I don't want others to hear me?
no subject
You suggested I do it.
Do you think... this is private enough, then?
no subject
[She kisses him again, keeping her touch lighter, almost as sheepish as the look she gives him upon breaking apart.]
Coast has been clear so far... so yes?
no subject
[ He has pretty good hearing, even if it's not as good as his eyesight... but distraction is still an issue. Especially the amount of distraction they're lazily planning. ]
I guess we don't... know that you didn't win. You can have your prize too.
no subject
[She runs her thumbs up over the rise of his cheekbones, dragging the nails down the hollows, and then restarting the circuit. She presses her lips to his again, humming softly against him. It isn't that she is ignoring the issue of her volume — and it will be an issue — but that she's letting herself steep in his concern on her behalf. She loves him for little things like that.]
My legs might not have the strength for my prize today though?
no subject
[ Well, it's Calhir, so barely-coherent fumbling could still mean an hour straight, easily. But he's proud enough that if she tells him to do things like take her hard enough to offend the heavens he doesn't want to phone it in.
Still, the way she's touching him... he doesn't want this to go nowhere, either. Leaving the moment has all the appeal of getting out of a warm blanket on a cold day. ]
no subject
[If not the big prize, why not another, smaller one? She interrupts her circuit briefly to nip at his lower lip, to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, and to pull him more fully into a proper hungry kiss. If he can't make her body an affront to Tentei now, maybe they can settle into something softer.
Not feeling particularly subtle about her ideas in the comfort of her own bed, she rocks minutely against him, relishing how he feels against her bare thighs.]