midnightstar | Shionne and Alphen in Menancia

They've all come a long way since Calaglia, both in terms of distance and... other things. Things Shionne was forcing herself not to acknowledge. Because what would the point be to acknowledge those thoughts when she couldn't act on them - when at the end of this journey, she had no future? Ah... but that was something she hadn't - couldn't - tell the others, who she's begun thinking of as more than just 'tools'.

Particularly Alphen.

It was the hardest to think of him when she knew how much she was keeping from him. Much to her frustration, however, the group had decided to take a break for a little while since Shionne's pace had been pushing the others quite a lot - and they did just gain two new companions. Shionne was avoiding them as much as possible, deciding to go for a walk through the city almost...baffled by how accepting the Dahnans and Renans were.

It was ... nice. But it felt so alien to her, at the same time.

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"Well I am sorry to say I won't stop staring at you at moments like that. Honestly I don't think I can ever stop looking at you just in general~" Alphen shamelessly admitted that simple truth that was both innocent and not so much. He leans up for a kiss right after that, no longer able to resist the urge even as their bodies slowly slid into place, taking them both towards the outcome they both desired so badly for so long.

She shook her head with an embarrassed smile, ".. I don't want you to stop watching me - I always want your eyes on me." Even if she was embarrassed by the attention. Although it amazed her that he was so .. up front and open about his feelings - though come to think of it, he was always that way. It was one of the things that charmed her about him, and she leaned down to return the kiss eagerly, uttering a soft moan of his name the more she moved with him.

"What if I want more than my eyes on you though?" Alphen then cornered her with another question, that shameless pride he held towards his own feelings for Shionne. The answer it seemed would have to wait a bit as she kissed him again and she moved her body on top of his. Gods she was so warm. So soft to touch and warm. IT was an addicting sensation that Alphen wanted to enjoy every single day.

She blushed at the question again, though it was hard to be embarrassed when you were in this particular situation - and it was also hard to be embarrassed when your lover was being so loving. She cradled her hands along the sides of his face, giving him light pecks as she moved with him, almost breathless, "..then you should touch me as much as you want.. because you're the only one I want doing so. "

Oh having his face held by that and kisses back to back no less was making his heart beat so wildly in his chest. Followed up by a skip when she asked him to touch her more and be the ONLY one who touches her like that. What man could hope to endure such temptation? Certainly not her lover. Especially not her lover.

"Don't get overwhelmed then since you asked for this~" He purrs and starts to run those big strong caloused hands along her sides and up underneath her breasts as the two just...explore each other's bodies with everything that they can.

Oh, did she just give him too much 'leash'? ..she didn't mind though, if nothing else, she purred, shivering a little with the touches to more..sensitive parts of fher body. Her hands idly starting to move from his face to wander over his body in turn, , running through his hair with increasing enthusiasm as she grew more comfortable with touching him as much as he touched her. Alas she has but two hands with which to explore her beloved, but she alternated between covering his face in loving kisses and trailing her lips along his neck as they moved as one.

Maybe but there is no better person to entrust with that much liberty over her body. Alphen was keen and just as eager to map out the wonderful body of his lover. Eager to find all the points that would make her sing the most beautifully. The kisses and touches to his face only etching a permanent smile on his lips as he just indulged his beloved to the fullest.

That she knew for certain, she would give him all the freedom he could possibly want to explore with her. And he was -very- talented when it came to finding areas that had her moan and sigh his name the most effectively, just as she sought out his own preferred tastes with a single-minded hunger. Though even she started trailing up from teasing his ears and neck to claim his lips like she were starving for them, letting her hands and hips move with him in a dance they were more than eager to perform ..frequently.

"I love the sound of your voice every day, Shionne~ But the way you sound now. It's so good~" Alphen praised with a reverence and love unlike anything she had ever heard. Yet that was exactly what she deserved and Alphen would more than make up for all those years she didn't hear such praise. No he would do more than make up for all of that time and not just with verbal praise as his hands also roamed all over his beloved's form, as if to paint the most vivid sensation of her in his mind forever more.

"I think Married life really suits you, Alphen," Shionne teased, "I'm not sure I'll ever get enough of how much praise you give me every day, and all I can do is give every piece of me to you in turn. Hearing your voice and being able to feel you, and feel you feel me --" she emphasized her words slightly with a roll of her hips and back as she felt his hands roaming over her body, a pleased sigh slipping from her lips, ".. is ]heaven."

"I can just as easily say that to you, my lovely wife~" Alphen purred just leaning more into her touch and just loving the way she could be so playful and assertive when she was able to just touch him as much as she craved without anything or anyone else getting in the way.

"I am going to spend all of my life reveling in the ways I can love you. So look forward to that, Shionne~"

Just hearing him call her his wife made her wiggle a little bit instinctively - she loved that word when it was used in relation to him, as much as she loved calling him her beloved husband. When she had been so ready to throw her life away for him and the world, and now they could just spend their lives as they pleased, exploring and meeting new people.. she leaned down to kiss him with a soft chuckle. "I will look forward to every new experience I get to have with you, Alphen, I promise you that." Just thinking about everything they'd done so far or everything he's said to her, she felt childishly giddy. And she knew he must know how ecstatically happy he made her feel as a result, right?

"You just keep stealing my words. I guess I should use my actions more then. Though if that makes you steal those too I cannot say I would mind terribly~" Alphen chuckled cheekily, this mischievous side of him coming out much more often since they had their wedding and moved in together. His hand run gently up her sides and then over to her front yet despite the hunger behind his touches he is still so gentle and wanton with her that it's not like he's trying to rush her into anything specific just satisfying that desire to feel more of her body as much as possible before they come together as one again.

She gave him a grin in response, "Well you were the first one to steal with your actions, so it's only fair." She teased, her skin prickling with warmth under his fingers. To think there was a time she thought she would never be touched, let alone like this. And she certainly loved feeling his hands roaming over her body as much as she loved doing the same with him. "I suppose it can' be helped," she purred softly, nuzzling into him closer, "After everything we've been through it's makes sense we share similar thoughts and feelings." She brushed her lips against his lightly with a smile, letting her fingers trace over his shoulders in turn, "Like right now." When she wanted to do nothing more than feel him against and around her, her precious husband. Her beloved Alphen.

Since words were just going to get stolen anyway why bother changing anything he wanted to say. He pulled up closer still until his lips ghosted over hers. Honestly as much as he loved feeling the warmth of her soft body under his fingertips, the moments their lips met, the sweetness of her lips. It carried a delight and pure happiness that he simply could not do without.

"Was I close with this then or perhaps you wanted something, more, my lovely wife~"

For shame, putting such a temptation so close to her lips and not expecting her to taste of it! Or maybe he did expect it. Shionne certainly wasn't going to turn the tempting offer down, not when she knew how happy it made them both. How hard it was to draw away after the first kiss - of course they were married so they didn't need to draw away for any reason other than exhaustion or some rude interruption. And with where they were, it was distant enough from towns that they weren't likely to be bothered often.

"Fufufuu, what a question.. you should know the answer by now." She teased, resting her forehead against his, "You're always close.. but I always.. always want more, my sweet husband~" Goddess how she loved to call him that. She wondered if she would ever grow tired of calling him that -- no, just as quickly as the question came to mind, she knew the answer. She would never grow tired of calling him her beloved husband. As her lips curved into a soft smile, her hand curved up to cup his cheek so that her lips could press against his for that sweet kiss she was so addicted to.

Not unless one of their friends decided to drop in for a surprise visit. AT least ONE of them lacked any ability to read the room so he would often show up at their door with a dumb grin to ask Alphen if he wanted to go out and spar for a bit. usually he would humor them but if they dared show up this time...he would likely just close the door in their face because of how much Shionne had stoked the flame of his own desires.

Feeling her hand gently rest against his cheek during this longest of kisses yet, ALphen felt what little tension and guard he still held up out of instinct, melt away completely as he pushed softly into her embrace all the more.

Shionne would be very upset with her friends and cold shoulder them -- for a little while. Some of the more intuitive of their friends would at least be able to read the room and slip away before the mood was completely killed. The moment now though, that gentle affection and desire between the two of them, she let her body rest fully against his as his guard melted away. Her free hand caressed the other side of his face, pressing slow, soft kisses against his lips before her own parted to invite more intimate kisses, murmuring his name in soft whispers. Who knew he would be so comfortable to lie on in such intimate moments like this? Better than a bed even~!

Helps when he's not inside that hard spiky in places armor he had sported for so long of their time together since the day they met. Though even what casual clothes he had on were getting looser the more absorbed they got in each other as Alphen's chest ended up almost completely bared as his buttons had gotten undone in the moments they had closed their eyes to linger into the kiss. Alphen hadn't realized it until he felt one of her hand press against his chest before they broke for air a again as this last kiss ahd made them both even more greedy.

"I swear I can never be fully satisfied with you no matter what we do. Because...I always find myself wanting more of you."

She nuzzled against his cheek, chuckling softly, ".. now you're stealing my words I see.." she teased. "At this rate, my words are yours, and your words are mine.." She leaned back a little, "Just like my heart," She placed her hand over her heart, "My body-" she slowly undid the fastening, "and-my soul." She finished with a sly smile, sliding the upper half of her dress aside, wanting more than anything to press herself against his strong body- it felt always wonderful when they hugged every day, but the intimacy of skin to skin contact -- nothing could compare. She reached for his left hand with her own left hand, her gaze drifting to their rings.

He didn't think she'd take things THAT far so quickly so he was stuck in awe at the lovely vision that sat atop of him before she lowered her lovely body over his. Alphen only snapped out of that stunning spell of her beauty when he felt her hand take hold of his in a way that brought their rings into clear sight next to each other. Then he saw that look in her eyes and his heart ached in the most wonderful way as he lightly tugged on her hand not to pull his out but to make her come back down to earth from the heavens so he could kiss her as lovingly as he so desperately desired to do.

She would have laughed if she knew his thoughts right then - but she wanted nothing more than to hold him close, even against her skin. Her smile warmed t hat much more seeing that awed gaze from him, her hand tightening on his even as he tugged her closer. She giggled softly, curling close to him and leaning into the kiss for as long as she could manage - but even with that, she exhaled softly, wrapping her other arm around him and nuzzling him softly, "Are you afraid I'm going to float away from you?" She teased. Heck, as high on cloud 9 she was with him, it might happen!

"What if I am? After all it seems heaven dropped its most priceless of treasures in my arms." Alphen managed to keep a straight face as he said something so sappy. Though to be fair it was easier than most might think because a bulk of that sappyness came from his own heart than any potential novels he might have picked up after things settled down with the restructuring of the world, leading up to his and Shionne's wedding.

It always caught her by surprise when he said something like that, so sincerely but it was also so ...sappy? She knew he couldn't have read much when he was a slave, especially with that mask but.. she couldn't help but feel her heart swell with pride, her fingers toying with his hair, "How do you say such things so easily..?"

"Because it can put the warmest of smiles on your lips. It makes the nerves and slight embarrassment all worth it in the end" Because her safety and happiness were paramount in his world. Besides he was alone with Shionne now. So the only one to hear him wax poetic so clumsily (only in his biased opinion really) was Shionne herself and while she might be amused he knew those words also were quite flattering to receive. So really he had no reason to not say such things right to her face. Sometimes it might even fluster her into speechlessness and she had to turn around to hide the blush on her face for a second before remembering all the things they had seen of each other since getting married.