Year 3 and introducing a familiar to the Fang

[vneef_healer]

Amazing how time flies, isn't it? It seems like only yesterday that the fang was being formed! But the cadets are returning after their break for their third year of training, and Alia is eager to see her friends who she hasn't seen in what feels like AGES. (Yes, there are letters, but it's just not the same!)

Alia is taller now than she was when they parted, and her deep mahogany hair flows down past her shoulders. She'll have to put it up for class, of course. Which may be DIFFICULT.

She sighs at the mirror in her room, poking futilely at her hair. The briars growing from her scalp and twining through her hair are proof to all Creation of the power and purity in her blood, nothing bad about THAT, but they make styling one's hair a challenge. The briars are beginning to form buds, and Alia wonders idly what color they'll be once they open.

She glances over at her bed. "You do know you're not going to be able to sleep there at night, yes?" she says with a LOOK at her familiar.

Bahlam gives an exaggerated yawn in response, showing fangs easily capable of piercing a man's skull in one bite. The male jaguar continues to sprawl on her bed, occupying most of it as if it is only his due.

She's debating giving up on her hair and going to look for Fajah and the others as she is....

Comments

[infinitest]

Fajah nods, taking Alia's hand and tugging her along: out of the dorm building and across the garden separating it from the male student dorm (one of them, at least). Several cadets stare at the jaguar, but a few have familiars of their own and politely stop Alia to inquire about her 'pet'.

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Alia answers their polite questions and the jaguar preens at all the attention, but they don't stop and chat with any of the questioners for very long.

Both young women are eager to see their friends, an urge the other returning cadets can surely understand.

Finally, they reach the male dormitory in question and Alia sticks her head around the doorway. "Anyone home?" she calls out with a cheerful grin.

[infinitest]

"Nope, nobody, we are all gone..." A familiar voice comes from above outside, and look, there is Malakai, lounging on the edge of the roof.

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Alia looks up at him and smiles broadly. "But how am I supposed to say hello properly if you're all gone?" she asks, teasing.

Hm, how to climb up on the roof from here? Bahlam, being a jaguar, has a much easier time of things climbing his way up on the roof. The jaguar makes an inquisitive noise at Malaki as he lands near him on the roof.

[infinitest]

"Oooh kitty!" Malakai offers scritches, and smiles to Alia. "Well, we could wait until everybody comes back?

From behind, comes the sound of Fajah squeaking; when Alia looks... well, it seems Jusai decided to be improper but the fire aspect does not mind, since they are enthusiastically kissing.

"Quite inspiring, don't you think?" Malakai quips.

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Bahlam makes a pleased rumbling noise and leans into the scritches. Malakai is acceptable, it seems.

Alia chuckles at the sight of the enthusiastic kissing. Alia chuckles low. "Very inspiring." Ah, there we go. A convenient stack of crates that will let her, just, reach up onto the roof and pull herself up.

Of course if Malakai wants to help her reach him, he's more than welcome to! Once she's on the roof, she wraps her arms around him. "It's been ENTIRELY too long since I've seen you," she declares, leaning in to kiss him.

[infinitest]

Of course he helps. "Two months and a few days, entirely too long." And of course he kisses her, guiding Alia to settle on his lap.

"I missed you." Yes he can be serious if the situation warrants.

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Alia settles happily on his lap, the pitch of the roof making it difficult for the casual observer to spot them from the ground. It feels so good to kiss and be close like this, feel his body next to hers.

"I missed you too," Alia replies after the kiss. "Not sure I would have made it without your letters." She's exaggerating a little there, but the month she was visiting House Cynis was long, lonely, and terribly dull.

[infinitest]

"Well, here we are." And together, and it is a nice morning in the month of Resplendent Earth. "You know, we are messing up all the plans our parents put together..."

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A very nice morning. "Oh?" Alia asks, a little worried. "Is your family upset that you're interested in me?"

If Grandmother was upset about her being involved with Malakai, she would have heard so by now. But V'Neef hasn't made any noises about marrying the two of them either, so....

[infinitest]

"Upset, no... after all, you are V'neef Alia, grand-daughter of the Empress herself." She is quite a catch. "And we are Water aspects, we are good at adapting."

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"That's a relief," Alia replies, kissing him again before snuggling even closer to Malakai. "What plans am I spoiling by stealing your attentions for myself?"

She's curious.

[infinitest]

"Well, my House doesn't have the most stellar reputation... plus Uncle Kaizoku is far from happy with losing easy access to the Merchant Navy." Oh, right, politics.

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Ah, politics. Alia nods, then sighs. "Understandable on your Uncle's part. We'll just have to weather any grumbling."

Alia tucks her head under his chin. "I'm trying to convince Mother to invite the Fang for a visit during the break this year, around Calibration. Parties would be ever so much more bearable with you and our friends there and we wouldn't have to be apart for so long."

[infinitest]

"Hmm, Calibration vacation with the most beautiful dragon-blooded lady alive, I like that idea." Malakai nods, shifting a bit to be more comfortable with Alia on his lap.

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"I'm glad you like the idea," Alia says with a grin. "Would give us some real privacy too," she adds with a slightly wicked chuckle.

Being somewhere for very long at the House of Bells where no one is likely to walk in on you is hard to manage. Which may well be deliberate planning on the part of the staff and faculty of the school.

[infinitest]

Probably it is. "Hm, but what would you and me do, all alone with each other?"

Note that his grin likely means he has ideas.

[vneef_healer]

Alia's grin suggests she has ideas of her own. "Oh, I'm sure we'll come up with a few things," she replies, eyes twinkling.

"I've never seduced anyone before, so I'd want to take my time, be thorough."

[infinitest]

"I have never been seduced before, so taking your timer sounds like a great idea." Malakai cups her cheek. "You're the only one who makes me take life seriously."

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Alia cups his cheek. "Am I?" she asks with a small smile. "Fitting, since you make me take life a bit less serious."

They balance one another out. Alia is under quite a lot of pressure, being the scion of a new House and the first in her family to attend the House of Bells. There are always eyes on her, expecting perfection. But with Malakai, she can be silly, relaxed.

[infinitest]

And maybe, the first of the family to get engaged to, and marry, not a wood aspect? Even if there are not many other married V'neef. "Well, I just like t when you are silly and relaxed, smiling." Malakai continues to play with her hair.

[vneef_healer]

Quite possibly! It would eventually be a necessity for the House in any case, unless they only want to form marriage alliances with House Cynis.

Alia's hair is soft and shiny. "Lucky I seem to wind up that way when I'm with you, then," she replies with a grin.

The trouble with having a jaguar familiar is that they are still CATS, and several birds have decided to alight on the roof peaks behind Alia and Malakai. In the end, it's too much for Bahalm to resist and he leaps at the birds, which puts him through and over the two dragonblooded's space.

Oops.

[infinitest]

And then we have a three-way tumble which ends with Malakai hanging from the edge of the roof with one hand, holding Alia with the other, and a jaguar familiar sitting in the grass with an impeccable I totally meant to do that expression.

"...well, that was interesting." And Heroic since he got to save his girlfriend from a nasty fall.

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"You are in SO MUCH trouble," Alia growls at the jaguar.

"Thank you for your quick reflexes!" she says as they clamber back up on roof. She kisses him again. "I would have never heard the end of it if I hurt myself before classes even start!"

[infinitest]

The jaguar makes a comical who me? face... all innocent.

Malakai draws Alia close, almost possessively. "I'd never forgive myself if I had let yourself get hurt."

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Alia likes being drawn close, but she pokes his nose lightly. "That would be silly. We're warriors, getting hurt's going to happen sooner or later."

Deliberately ignoring the fact that she would feel awful if he'd gotten hurt thanks to her familiar.