timeandtides_backup | [Thread; Closed]

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[Thread; Closed]

Characters: Delita and Ashe
Summary: Seeking closure, the pair visit the Farplane to say goodbye to their loved ones.
Location: The Farplane and Guadosalam
Date: A few days after their return to Warjilis
Warnings: Initial angst?

Not lightly had the choice been made. Even as they rode on chocobo back with a half-hour's journey behind them, Ashelia couldn't help but question whether her decision to accompany Delita had been driven by selfishness. This place - the Farplane - somehow granted the opportunity to see images of those loved and lost. Journeying there meant she could see Rasler again, yet this reunion, she knew, would differ greatly from those past. Well, those in Gaia.

Her mind wandered, into the great halls of Raithwall's Tomb where the prince's ghostly form had materialised and gripped her heart. This would prove closer to the form she would find in the Farplane. Without being, a representation only. Yet it would not deceive her, as the Occuria had aimed for those years ago. No longer would she be toyed with, nor Rasler's likeness used undeservedly. In her eyes, this journey held one purpose alone.

To find some semblance of closure, and the will to embrace the future.

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Delita had never felt so relaxed in another's presence. It was so easy to lose himself under those lashes and a smile was beginning to form underneath his notice. Nothing else mattered as he stood next to her.

Her voice broke his trance as he nodded waiting for his words to catch up. He came even closer, prepared to take her hands into his before propriety demanded he desist - a hint of a blush the only remnant of his near breach.

He bent down instead, picking his own blade. As he stood, he brushed against the princess feeling a spark start to grow within him. Voice lost amidst the exchange, he is barely able to fold the whistle. Unsure why he would be so nervous performing this simple task, his hands twitched in response.

After a few missed attempts, he finally speaks.

"Might I join you?

For all her title, Ashe remained a young woman, not exempt from such feelings as nervousness, which came to her in turn upon their unexpected brush together. When had her feelings changed, when had she began to look upon him differently?

Watching him err in folding the blade, she could only wonder whether it was possible... could she, herself, be responsible for his struggle? Mirroring his actions she gradually worked in the folds, until both had succeeded and he spoke. A request she would not deny. For a mere moment she caught his eyes with her own, and nodded.

"Sit with me?"

Standing, they stood out as outsiders upon the great meadow. By lowering herself down to sit among the grass, Ashe felt as part of it. Settling against the gentle slope of the hill felt calming, the nerves temporarily placated. Pursing her lips about the whistle she blew - once, twice, success granted with the third.

Shrill and clear the sound pierced the air, as if declaring, 'I am free, hear me.'

Her presence had indeed caused his fumbles. For once, he was out of sorts and hadn't yet had time to sequester his feelings.

He silently lowered himself to the ground beside her. Smiling he waited until she had worked her own whistle before joining in with harmony. He was sure he could hear her thoughts as beside her, even he himself felt free.

Lazed against the back of the hill, amidst the canopy of the sunset his first thoughts were to her welfare as he removed his cloak without breaking their song and covered her shoulders. It simply was not acceptable for the young woman to experience any discomfort in his presence.

No chill was responsible for her shiver as he reached his arms about her. Ending her note in order to take breath, the feeling garnered from their closeness to one another seemed to swell like a wave. The ripple had begun within the Farplane itself, when he held her and she sensed some change between them.

Never again had she expected to harbour such feelings. Nor wanted to, but it seemed her heart had defied her will. Was this... fear? No, she answered herself. Never could she fear this man.

Ashe lay back against the grass, his cloak wrapped about her, lashes lowering. As if guided, her thoughts found her fallen prince. Not to lament or feel guilt - rather his words at a time of uncertainty. 'I want you to love again. Share your love with another. Don't shut it away.'

With the phrase echoing in memory, she turned toward Delita, breath once more withheld. Her gaze ignored crimson clouds and instead roamed his face as if looking upon him anew.

Delita was unsure how to handle the wave of emotions that had infiltrated his life at the hands of the Dalmascan Princess. It had been clearer with Lord Nabradia near, but with his departure he found his thought consistently centered on his friends.

He knew it was not proper, yet he allowed himself the privilege of her company. It was proving more and more difficult to maintain the propriety her honor and dignity demanded. He struggled to keep his gaze upon the sunset, sure that it would dispel any of these thoughts, but then she turned her gaze back towards him.

He couldn't contain himself, returning the gaze she offered. He struggled to maintain his composure, lest she see his thoughts and determine to depart. Despite his heroic efforts, his cheeks betrayed the growth of the feelings within. Looking upon her, he didn't even dare to hope that she could possibly reciprocate any of the wealth of emotion that she was stirring inside him.

Doubts as to reciprocation also lingered in the princess' mind. No expectations existed between she and Delita, the only limitations forged by their willingness and bravery. How would she ever know his feelings, unless she asked?

That may have been, but words escaped her, hovered somewhere beyond her reach. All she managed was his name in a breath, before the red flush blossoming across his cheeks quieted her entirely. He was blushing, could it truly be?

A soft sound akin to a half gasp, half sigh escaped her lips as their gaze held - and then it came. Instinct lifted her hand, slowly yet surely, until her palm gently cupped the side of his face, felt the warm heat of a cheek, fingers touching soft, dark locks for the first time.

Untouched by the grace of non familial hands, Delita's head curls by instinct into her fingers. Afraid to move lest she withdraw her touch, Delita holds his breath. Time lost all meaning at that moment as he struggled to understand and compartmentalize what was happening this evening.

His own hand rose and fell as rationale thought gave way to emotion. While his hand ached to surround the princess yet again, his mind warred within assuring him that the fates were cruel and this could not be what it seemed.

Knowing that there is no reward without risk, he needed to know. Letting her hand remain where she saw fit, he gazed deep into her eyes determined to know if this was nothing but gratitude or if there was something more.

"Ashelia..." He spoke eyes brimming with an earnest need to know. He would rather she pull away now in embarrassment than risk their friendship with an unwanted hand around the waist.

Pulling away would be an impossibility, as she was caught in the net of his eyes as they searched, intense as never before seen by the princess. Tight felt her chest, a tension which adamantly refused to release until she knew for certain.

Both sought the same answer, yet emotion rendered her silent, even as his eyes pleaded with her own. Ashe swallowed, took a deep breath to gather herself as far as possible, and smoothed her hand into the press of his cheek, caressing so tenderly that her touch may have spoken for itself.

"I..." Her voice came as little more than a breath, afraid of rejection yet adamant not to let this go without knowing. Yet still the words failed, leaving only one option.

Slowly her hand stroked lower, traced his jawline toward his lower lip, all the while she feared him turning away. Feather-light, the princess' thumb brushed the smoothness of Delita's lip, trembling only once in the act.

Delita's heart trembled at her touch. Could it be? Could she really have feelings for him beyond simple friendship. His breath was caught, but he found the courage to raise his hand to surround her waist.

Somehow, this felt entirely different than any previous embrace they had engaged upon. Tonight, he was not consoling or being consoled. Rather he was simply touching a woman for the sake of touching her.

Knowing that both of them were having trouble conveying any semblance of speech, he swallowed hard before answering her question in almost a whisper against her thumb.

"I... do too."

At that, he held his breath afraid that he had misconstrued her actions and would need to pack his belongings and hastily vacate the land he had come to call home. The wait was agonizing to him, yet he held fast determined to see this through.

Those three, simple words, they spoke of another three which both longed so desperately to have confirmed. For Ashe, they were enough. With the release of tension she found the tightness of her chest replaced, by the joyful pounding of her heart.

The boldness of his touch, his arm's embrace all but broke down any semblance of wall which kept the two apart, and she could do nothing less than respond in kind - in a first.

Allowing him time to realise what she meant to do, she leaned in, gradually closing the distance between them until their noses brushed, lips a mere fraction apart. Incredible tension hung in the air as she waited, breathless, praying he would accept the invitation and all it signified. Dismissing him from Warjilis couldn't have possibly been further from her mind at that point, or ever.

"Delita..."

Delita's own chest was pounding. He knew that Ashelia had experience in this kissing department while he had none. It caused an apprehension stronger than he had felt before. The irony was lost on him that where no living man had ever intimidated him, this one living man's intimidation had crossed beyond the grave.

Despite the nervousness, he was determined to feel the softness of the lips that were presented to himself as he held his breath and finished the connection. As they touched, his cheeks grew crimson at the intimacy experienced. It was unimaginable to him, the joy, the closeness, the connection that he felt by this simple act. No longer was he concerned of being compared to Lord Nabradia, as he had enjoyed her touch to much to worry anymore.

As Delita's lips claimed hers for the first time, the most feminine of sounds hummed briefly in her throat. Warmth unrelated to the sunset spread throughout her, elicited by the one act which confessed their feelings more clearly, loudly than words could possibly hope to express.

With tenderness she responded, the kiss heated yet deliberately slow. So carefree, so honest after who knows how long of overlooking her feelings. The daring hand which had helped conveyance of her want smoothed its way into his dark hair, cupping the back of Delita's head.

Once coherent thought returned, she would swear to herself never to compare past and present. Until then, her lips would speak for themselves.

Neither did Delita press forward with the woman, nor did he back off. He was content to simply experience this new sensation. Whatever tension his arms had held, dissipated as they claimed an intimate embrace so natural that even he was mesmerized by perfect she fit.

His eyes closed in a deep relaxing peace as he was overcome by the assault on his senses. Having never heard such sounds before, he was endeared that Ashelia was responding to him with such intimate honesty.

Their kiss endured, felt as natural as the meadow in which they lay, the setting of the sun upon far horizon. Definition of the moment was not as important as the act itself. Guided by womanly instinct her lips press emboldened, if only slightly, wanting to reassure him of her surety.

Any lingering wonderment Ashe harboured as to when she began to fall for Delita drifted away, the cloak obscuring her true feelings had vanished.

She was falling deeply in love.

Delita knew little concerning the concepts and feelings of love, but falling in love was indeed what was happening. He was drawn deeply to this woman and hoped that he was conveying her importance to himself.

Surprised he was to find her lips pressing even harder. He had thought everything complete upon the first touch, but this produced a pleasure beyond his expectation. Having no other way to express himself, he pulled her more firmly into his embrace.

Throughout all they had undertaken and faced together, Delita had persistently done that which he hoped - made her feel immeasurably valued on a personal level, and in reward, her heart had opened its shell to him.

She gasped against his lips upon the bold initiative of his arms, but how fulfilling, how completely right the sensation felt, how daring. Thus she persisted, shifting between gentleness and the harder presses of sheer want. Breath could wait.

Delita was barely breathing as well. His total attention focused upon the princess. During their time together, she was the one person that could cause him to lose his focus and concentrate solely upon herself.

He never wanted the kiss to end, holding it as long as he could. He slowly backed off the princess, only far enough to see her eyes again. There was no hiding his emotions from this woman and the softness of his face belied his care.

Even as his lips parted, his arm refused to release themselves from her waist. Her closeness continued to feed the spark that had been ignited.

With the kiss' inevitable end the princess caught her breath, lips slightly reddened though not on par with the colouration of his cheeks. Ashe lifted her gaze gradually to meet his, noting that his expression hid nothing.

She only hoped hers was as telling, before gray eyes locked with brown and she was utterly lost, drawn into their endless depths. Smoothing her hands from his hair, they travelled around him, returning the bodily embrace.

How badly she wanted to speak, and found breath enough for one question, all the while praying for one particular answer.

"I... Is this truly what you want?"

There was much out there that Delita had no answers for, but this was one question that he was prepared to answer.

"I had not expected to feel this way, yet this is what I truly want."

He knew not where it would lead, but holding her felt so natural that he was ready to take the journey. Pulling on her so that the hug would cease, he freely allowed her to take over all his thoughts. Later, he would think on the change that had occurred but this evening he would simply enjoy her presence.

Away from his warmth she shifted, yet the closeness between them was retained. How her life had changed in this one day... yet like he, Ashe would give time to consider the implications later.

Back upon the grass she lay while the sun sank all the more, their figures awash with the radiant glow. To the side she turned her head, to gaze upon him once more, a hand seeking out his.

"As do I, Delita."

His hand was given freely as he pulled her closer so they could share this first sunset together in an intimate embrace.

Soon they would need depart for Warjilis or find a room for the evening, yet Delita was ill prepared for it to end. It was lost upon him how he was ignoring the beauty of their environment to focus his attentions solely upon the woman at his side.

"Ashelia, I am happy to have spent this evening with you."

His eyes softened accentuating how different he felt this evening. Today had been a huge day for the both of them and he would have shared it with no one else.

The final, vivid red hues of sunlight lingered as if reluctant to give way to the onset of dusk. All the while, hand in his, the daughter of kings lay against the farmers' son in the first vestiges of their newfound relationship.

"And I, with you."

Ashe looked upon him with tenderness, gratitude even, meaning to convey her own happiness firstly through her eyes. Never had she imagined love would come to her again, but... as Rasler had wished it for her, so had it found a way to blossom, opened to Delita, with whom she felt so deep a connection.

"May it be the first of many."

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