The impossible happened

It was funny. It was funny how she went back to the place that caused this incident to have happened. The very place where she was robbed, an event that would have major consequences later on, it seemed. But how was she supposed to know? How was she supposed to know that merely doing her job was going to get herself into trouble later on? She should’ve pocketed that stupid necklace when she still had the chance. She shouldn’t have listened to her parents when they told her that she should wear it to show other men that she wasn’t available anymore. Yes, she was still available. Available to get robbed and get pestered, that is. Why couldn’t she just have pocketed that damn thing and minded her own business? Her thoughts traveled back to the man she had followed, who she had accused of stealing her necklace. Was it really him who had done it or was it someone else? It didn’t matter anymore. None of it mattered anymore.

Alyssa had ventured to the quiet, abandoned streets of the harbor. A specific street ended up at the water surrounding the harbor. The water was filthy, just like the rest of Ashmoor. But Alyssa had always found some comfort in the filthy, fishy smell that surrounded Port Silverstone. But now she couldn’t. She had an empty gaze in her grey eyes as she sat down. Her hand traveled to her cheek, where blue met purple. It would soon turn to yellow and vanish, but the memories that had caused it would never. If someone would have said to her that this would happen to her, she would have laughed. She always founded herself to be someone who others could look up to. She thought she would have been able to defend herself if something like this happened, but it didn’t. And now she sat there with bungling legs over the edge, feet turned to the water, with a lump in her throat and a bruised cheek.

If she had been born in the Middle or Upper Ring she could’ve had covered it up with make-up, but she was just a poor farmer girl, so she couldn’t do that. She just had to lie to people that she had fallen down while working at the farm. It was a lie she had told to her parents and they seemed convinced. Or maybe they wanted to be convinced because they couldn’t bear the truth.

They couldn’t bear the truth that life in the Upper Ring didn’t differ as much from life in the Lower Ring. That the future they had planned for their daughter was fading to black. That the man they entrusted their daughter with wasn’t in fact to be trusted.

@Malcolm Morris

PEACE IS OVERRATED, IT'S THE FIGHTERS WHO SURVIVE @Alyssa Garcia It had been several days. Malcolm wandered the rings of Ashgard with jingled pockets. He sold the necklace he had stolen from the stupid little girl almost instantly to one of his guys. It had earned him enough money to live a couple of days without making his hands dirty. Now he was back at Port Silverstone again. A chugged down a bottle of rum. Everything was too good to be true. He had slept under the stars several nights, which was perfectly possible without the fear of his throat being slit. He was always afraid when he was in Dawnmire. There was too much criminality to have a peaceful night of sleep. But it seemed to be good around here. Maybe he could stay a little longer. There was plenty of food, a lot of rich merchants. The only disadvantage was the amount of people that walked near the waters. In Dawnmire he could easily take a dive. That was less likely here.
Cheerfully he walked down the quay. He took another sip of the rum and felt how the liquid burned through his throat. As he continued his little walk, he noticed a figure in the distance. He held his head tilted. It appeared to be a young woman who was a little too familiar for him. But the alcohol had made sure he wasn't thinking as clear as normally. And he totally forgot about her thread the last time they met. A small grin appeared on his lips as he approached her. "Still looking for you necklace princess?" he called while nearing her.

MONTY

Alyssa didn’t even tense up when she heard footsteps approaching. Some would have a trauma after what she had been through, but she just felt numb. Her life was about to take a turn for the worst at the end of the year and she wondered what could have been worse than that. She certainly wasn’t afraid to die anymore. She… she even felt like it wouldn’t have been a bad option if someone approached her and just slit her throat. Then she thought about her parents and in what state she would leave them behind and she almost hated herself for having that thought. Luckily her thoughts were the only things she could keep to herself these days, although they made her eyes sting. Alyssa rarely cried or showed emotion around others, but sitting her alone made her feel weak. And she almost allowed the tears to slip down her cheeks, but then the footsteps approached and she forcefully swallowed the lump down.

She didn’t know if her eyes were still wet when she averted them to her right, where she saw the very same man she had accused a few days ago of stealing. He held a bottle of rum in his hand and decided to not pay her threat any heed; he mocked her and Alyssa waited for her temper to flare up so she could dig her daggers out of her pocket… but nothing happened. She didn’t feel anger, she didn’t feel humiliation and the lump in her throat didn’t vanish like she had expected it would. ”No,” she tried to say firmly, but her voice sounded hoarse, like she hadn’t used it in a while. Alyssa knew that the real reason was that it was so filled with emotion that it couldn’t sound anything other than that. But she hoped that the man wouldn’t know about that. ”It doesn’t have many use to do that, right? It’s long gone.”

Then she remembered the bruise on her cheek, but she decided it didn’t matter. She didn’t have any expensive make-up to cover up the blue purplish bruise, so why would she try to hide it? It wasn’t like he would be concerned about her. ”Isn’t it a bit early on in the day to fuck yourself up with alcohol?” she tried to give him a jab of her own, but it sounded nothing like the strength she had in her voice when they first met and Alyssa averted her eyes once more.

Go ahead and mock me; she thought miserably. I deserve it.

PEACE IS OVERRATED, IT'S THE FIGHTERS WHO SURVIVE @Alyssa Garcia Once he got closer he realised that she wasn't in the same cheerful mood as he was. Which almost made him regret the things he said. But he quickly remembered the ways she tried to mislead him last time they met. The fire she had spoken with then was gone. There was no hostile attitude. No more throwing daggers at his kneecaps. She seemed defeated. He tried, he really tried not to get any bad feelings about that. To feel empathy or guilt. She seemed to be hurt a lot more about losing the necklace than he could have thought. And normally he wouldn't care. Hell, he stole whole life savings from people, probably completely ruining their lives and he never even blinked. It didn't matter to him. Then why would she? But he couldn't help but see the blue marks spread all over her ways and he remembered her saying something about her fiance. He shaked the feeling off. She was right. The necklace was long gone. He couldn't change anything about it now. Malcolm had already made his choice. And he didn't regret it. Life was good. And that went at the expense of hers. Oh well, that was life. People were the biggest epiphytes in the history of biology. They take and steal from eachother. One man's meat is another man's poison. Laws of life. Deal with it.
"It's never to early to be having fun," He bit the inner part of his lip. Slightly hesitant he sat down beside her. But instead of letting his legs hang in the water he folded his knees against his chest. No touching water for him today. Not with the girl her. He held up the freshly bought bottle of rum. "Want a sip?" Normally he wasn't the social type. Not at all. But whenever he was tipsy he got like this. Besides, offering her something to relief te pain was the least he could do. "It looks like you could use some"

MONTY

Alyssa closed her eyes, expecting him to mock her. And why wouldn’t he? She had not exactly been friendly to him the last time they had met. She had accused him of stealing, than she had tried to throw her daggers at him to cause some serious damage. And to top it all off, she had threatened to kill him if he would ever come close to her. None of those threats were showing in her attitude today, though. She raised her eyebrows in surprise when he sat down next to her instead of turning around. Was it the alcohol that made him this nonchalant? She didn’t know and frankly, she didn’t care. He was just some guy she had met and if she was honest, she could really use the distraction. She felt like she was on the verge of tears and she didn’t want to show that to him, nor to anyone wandering around Port Silverstone. The lump in her throat disappeared when he offered her the bottle and Alyssa frowned, but quickly concluded that it couldn’t possibly have any poison contained in it. If it had, then he would’ve been dead right now, right?

”So… why the change of heart?” she asked distrustfully, carefully taking the bottle from him. She wasn’t a saint and she had consumed some alcohol before in her life, but that would always be a simple white wine because her family couldn’t afford any more than that. And it would only be on special occasions, like the beginning of a new year or something. She never just casually drank alcohol and never strong stuff like this. She held the bottle in front of her nose and took a sniff; she withdrew a bit, scrunching up her nose, when the strong smell hit her nostrils. She shot him an uncertain look, but then she just shrugged and took a big sip.

It took everything out of her not to spit it out right there. She swallow the strong liquid, feeling how it warmed her insides. ”Fuck,” she cursed silently, holding up the bottle and twisting it around, trying to find a label to see the percentage of the alcohol contained within the liquid. ”How can people just casually drink this and enjoy it?” she complained, but nonetheless she took another sip and passed the bottle right after to him. As she had never drank this kind of stuff before, her insides warmed up in an instant and her head felt a bit fuzzy. The lump in her throat disappeared completely and she felt how her muscles relaxed, a soft sigh escaping her full lips.

Maybe the alcohol and both the presence of the man weren’t so bad. Not that she would ever admit that out loud. There was no way.

PEACE IS OVERRATED, IT'S THE FIGHTERS WHO SURVIVE @Alyssa Garcia He was glad that she accepted the fact that he sat down next to her. For a split second he was afraid she was gonna stab his insides to mush to keep her promise. But she seemed to be a bit less agressive now. Rather depressed honestly. Like she was willing to jump in the cold stinging water and drown. Which he could understand. Now, he didn't know her that well ofcourse. But he could easily guess what the situation was. She got the necklace from her rich fiance. She's a simple woman. Poor farmer girl marries rich abusive snob. Welcome to the world of fairytales. Even if she didn't think of it herself, she was actually lucky. She would have a roof over her head with food and warmth. Without love maybe, but still a lot saver than the outside world could ever be. Yeah, she was more fortuitous than many others.
He laughed shortly and looked down. "Well, for starters, this time you're not threatening to take my life" he said simply. He wasn't gonna tell her he felt actual sympathy for her or anything like that. She might be a little cry baby now, but that didn't make up for the dagger aimed at his legs. Even though it was totally reasonable because he in fact stole her necklace like she suspected.
He watched as she took the bottle from him and took a big sip. It was clear that she wasn't used to strong alcohol like this. He bought strong stuff. He never liked getting drunk on beer or any other liquid that was more similair to water than something that would get his ears to stop ringing. So he always bought the strongest stuff he could find on short notice. He grinned. Seeing how she suffered under the alcohol's burn. Malcolm shrugged. "Doing it often I guess," he said taking the bottle from her again and throwing back a big gulp. He inhaled deeply and shortly closed his eyes letting the alcohol do its thing.

MONTY

Alyssa actually let out a little laugh when he spoke his words. They weren’t necessarily funny and she didn’t really feel the need to laugh, but she still did it anyway. Maybe it was the way she had said them. Or maybe she was losing her mind and she needed to have some distraction in her life to not actually just commit suicide. She couldn’t help the little bitter feeling of hate that started to form in her chest for the situation she was in. And for the blame she put on her parents to make her go through all this, although she hated herself for it. Her parents were getting old and they would not last long with the kind of life they had right now. Blowing off the marriage and continuing like they were doing now would serve their health no justice. She had to sacrifice herself for the greater good and it would be egotistical of her to look at herself and not at them. But still, she couldn’t help but feel pity for herself.

The alcohol wasn’t really doing wonders for her body, it seemed. She hadn’t eaten a lot of food the past couple of days and she lacked a lot of sleep, which made her body take in the alcohol not very well. Her head felt heavy, even after one sip and although Alyssa tried to avoid and fight against it, she had no other choice but to lay it down to avoid passing out on the spot. The closest source to her was the shoulder of the man beside her. ”Don’t think any of this,” she tried to say threateningly, but her voice sounded weak. ”I’m drinking a lot of alcohol on an empty stomach, so you can’t blame me for this.”

She didn’t want to admit it out loud, but this was actually kind of nice. He smelled like alcohol, life out on the streets and like that acrid air that hung around the Lower Ring, but their was also a nicer smell hidden underneath. His own smell, she presumed. A scent they all had and that couldn’t be pinned down to one peculiar scent, but that was still nice to breathe in. And it felt comfortable, like the bone of his shoulder was made just for her.

And she knew she shouldn’t be doing this and she should probably just go away and leave him alone, but this was the safest and most comfortable she had felt in a long time. So she wanted to revel in it a little bit longer, even if it might bite her back later on.

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @Alyssa Garcia Malcolm had to tries his hardest not to care for her. Or not to feel bad about the things he had done to her. He had never really felt bad about stealing from anyone. Maybe that was because he never really knew them. Or he knew enough about them to know that they were nothing better than him. She seemed too innocent for this world. Stupid or naive maybe. Yet, it felt like that wasn't actually true. He couldn't quite wrap his fingers around it. But how harder he tried his best, the worst the gnawing feeling of guilt crept on his stomach. Which was something he never really had. So it felt weird and confusing. Maybe it was because she didn't deserve it. Her life was already bad enough as it was. Yet, all those people he had taken from... they weren't any better. Sometimes worse. He couldn't care less about them. Then why did he feel so terribly drawn to her?
Malcolm chuckled shortly. "I don't blame you," he said softly. "Do whatever you feel comfortable with." he muttered while deeply inhaling the semi fresh air. The water and nature around here seemed to filter the awful atmosphere making it a lot more breathable than the air from the heart of the city. Normally Mal didn't like human touch. He hated it actually. But he was too tipsy to care about it. And maybe it also kinda helped that he was alone. He didn't have any of his few, rare friends around from Dawnmire. And he honestly just wanted someone around to waste his time with. "But if you're already feeling this shit then that was your first and last sip." he said firmly, taking a sip himself. "I'm not in the mood to pull you out of the water of you fall in." If she'd fall in that be catastrophic. There weren't any people around here. So he could jump in after here if she was a bad swimmer, or too influenced by the burning liquid to do so, however that would mean she knew his secret. And he couldn't have that. No fucking way. She knew too much about him already.

MONTY

The thought crossed her minds that if her parents would find her like this, it would be quite disastrous. Her parents were no saints, but they were against being intimate with someone else if she was to be engaged, which she actually was. Alyssa didn’t think if this as intimate… or maybe she tried not to. The fact was that his smell surrounded her, that she noticed it and that she found it to be pleasant, which made her both uncomfortable and embarrassed at the same time. But it also filled her with a different feeling, a feeling she did not quite recognize. It was warm and fuzzy. She blamed it on the alcohol. She hadn’t consumed alcohol in like forever because her parents couldn’t afford it and if they could, it surely wasn’t such strong liquid as this was. So she couldn’t entirely blame herself when she laid her head on his shoulder; neither did he apparently. His voice told her to do what she felt comfortable with and Alyssa tried to suppress it, but she couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth curling up at his words. ”Well, your shoulder is more comfortable than my pillow at him, so don’t mind if I do,” she muttered back. Her mind was too hazed to realize what she just said. And she didn’t want to think about it anyway. Right now, she just wanted to revel in his presence and the fact that for once she didn’t have to be on guard.

Her smile soon disappeared when he spoke his next words, declining her more of the stuff that made her feel all warm and fuzzy. Alyssa lifted her head from his shoulder to give him an impatient look. ”I never said I felt like shit. Quite the contrary,” she spoke. Her cheeks were red, but it wasn’t sure if that was because of the alcohol or because of the fact that she was so close to him. It gave her pale skin a more natural feel to it. She decided to ignore his last words, pressing close to him to reach for the bottle. ”If you don’t give it to me, I’m going to have to try another tactic,” she told him threateningly. Although she could be distant when she didn’t know someone, once she started to feel comfortable, she could be quite bold.

And so she pushed herself up, trying to reach for the bottle once more. She swung one leg over his lap, pressing her knee on the other side of his body to support herself. Of course this wasn’t enough and she almost fell backwards, quickly laying her hand on his shoulder to support herself. She was now half on his lap, half on the ground next to him as she tried to reach for the bottle again. ”Oh, don’t be so annoying and just give it to me,” she spoke with a prickly tone in her voice, losing her balance and having to almost push herself into his lap with her face directed to his to keep steady.

The shade of red started to grow deeper on her cheeks, but Alyssa was too dazed from the alcohol to really realize what she was doing. Or maybe she did, but she just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @Alyssa Garcia Malcolm was drunk. Very drunk actually. Even for his doing. He was on the edge of not having much consiousness left which was dangerous in his case. If he lost his last bit of sanity he could do something stupid. Reveal his tail for example. Which was the most stupid thing he could do. Especially to a stranger. He could count on one hand how many people knew his little secret and he wished to keep it that way. The ones that knew, weren't supposed to. It was already too much. Those people could destroy his life in the blink of an eye. So maybe he should stop drinking. For now. Tomorrow was another day to get wasted. If he took more today it might be too late to stop himself. But making the smart decision was never really his thing honestly. So he took another sip as the girl whoms name he still didn't know rested her head on his shoulder. It felt more comfortable than he wanted it to be. He hated physical touch. But this was actually kinda nice. Weirdly enough. Even though she muttered her words. Malcolm could still understand her. "What kind of pillow did he give you? A fucking rock?" he spat back. His tongue rolled due to the alcohol and it was more muttering back than talking. "I can't imagine my shoulder being that comfy." he sighed. Pillows from the upper class were nine out of ten times filled with the softest feathers. No way this was more comfortable.
Malcolm held his breath as the girl protested and proceeded to climb over his lab to reach the bottle which he only held further away from her. He was speechless. Just because he didn't quite expect her to do this, or maybe it was just the alcohol. She didn't seem the type to sit on a strangers lap. But Malcolm had to much liquor to actually think about it much and decided to just go with it. He might dislike physical touch in general, but he was still a man. "Is this your special tactic?" he said mockingly. "Cause it ain't working." he whispered after it with a grin on his lips. Just as he said that she lost her balance. In a reflex Malcolm laid his hand on her hip to keep her steady. "Steady there, Princess," he muttered to her while looking into her eyes. Her face was awfully close to his. "guess I'm just going to keep being annoying" he said simply. He raised h other hand which held the bottle in the air above his head and didn't break the eye contact. "Come and get it." he said softly to her, the usual grin danced on his lips again.

MONTY

Alyssa felt some kind of emotion course through her body when he spoke his words that she hadn’t felt in a long time: anxiety. He knew. Of course he knew. It wasn’t that hard to put together when she had talked about her fiancé the last time they had met. ”W-Why do you even fucking care?” she spat back at him, feeling how her cheeks got red, the warmth flaring up in them. She wasn’t sure if it was because she felt embarrassed or because she was actually angry at the man for saying those words, but she knew she had to give some kind of reply to hide what she was truly feeling inside. There was no point in denying it; her losing her necklace and showing up with a bruise on her cheeks was quite obvious if you knew that she was engaged and what type of man he was. But still, Alyssa would think that the man wouldn’t care about that. Not when he still could possibly the one who could have stolen her necklace.

The next thing she knew, she was sitting on his lap, her face towards him. It didn’t feel wrong, Alyssa thought when she was acknowledging what she was doing for just a small second. The feelings of anxiety were replaced by a fire within her core she had not felt once in her life, not even when her fiancé had kissed her for the first time. It was a very intimate position to be in and even in a half drunken state Alyssa could recognize that. His hand landed on her hip to keep her steady and Alyssa felt the heath flare up in not only her cheeks, but also her entire body. ”Just give me the damn bottle,” she spoke sternly, but he only kept the bottle more out of her reach. He was taller than her, so she had no way of reaching the bottle, even when sitting on top of him like this. And then she made a mistake.

Her eyes averted to his, finding that he was looking her straight in the eye. He had a grin around the corners of his lips that she found to be fairly attractive and while her hand was still stuck in midair, still reaching for that bottle, her eyes gazed back at him. And then slowly drifted downwards, where his lips were. His lips were fuller than those of her fiancé, she noticed for some reason. ”Special tactic…” she muttered. And she didn’t even know why the hell she did what she did next, blaming it on the alcohol, but his lips looked so inviting and she wanted that bottle so badly that she felt like she could only do one thing.

And so she leaned in, pressing her lips on his, opening her mouth slightly to fully engulf his lips with hers.

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @Alyssa Garcia A lot of emotions were flowing through is body like crazy. Yet, he was barely able to recognise any of them because his head was spinning due to the heavy liquor that was raging in his veins. She was sitting on his lap. From all ways this situation could have ended up in, this was probably the one he had thought to be least likely. His grey eyes wandered over her face for a split second. Her cheeks were flustered red. Her eyes weren't as clear as they were before due to the soft drugs that were entering her body right now. He'd be lying if he said that she didn't look incredibly attractive right now. His hand still laid firmly on her hip. You know, just in case she would lose her balance again. Malcolm felt how a slight tingeling was burning through his arm due to the touch. "No way," he muttered back. She wasn't getting anymore. Not because he was afraid for her safety, but just because he liked this little game they were playing. The thought of the fact that she had a fiancee lingered somewhere in the back of his head, yet it was too far away to hear it clearly. Besides, it wouldn't be the first time he'd steal something from someone would it?
He wasn't sure what would happen next. But he did know that he liked her. There was something about here that was different. She had empathy yet some kind of fire in here. Malcolm was drawn to it. Like a moth towards a literal flame. Only he couldn't quite explain why. And he honestly wouldn't care what would happen next. Nobody could still the exact moment he was having right now. He looked at her face as she tried to reach for the bottle. A soft laugh left his mouth. He was taller than her and had longer arms so there was no way she could reach it from her current position. He noticed how her gaze shifted down from the alcohol towards his face. Their eyes met for a couple of seconds. Malcolm swallowed. He felt how his heart started pumping faster. The woman muttered some words, but Mal couldn't even understand what she said anymore because before he had time to thing about it her lips were entangled with his. He was shocked at first. He didn't expect her to actually go for it. But then he went with it. He lowered his other hand and dropped the bottle on the wooden planks. He placed his other hand on her hips as well. Softly he pulled her closer. He felt how magic flowed through their lips. Literally. His kisses contained merfolk magic which would grant her temporary abilities. Alongside with the magic he tasted the sweet and sour of the alcohol. Slowly the whole world seemed to disappear around him. There was not a single sensible thought left in his mind.

MONTY

Alyssa felt a fire burning in her core she never had felt before, not even when she had shared her first kiss with her fiancé. That had been forced and due to the fact that she didn’t like the situation she was in then, she couldn’t enjoy the kiss as much as she should have. It wasn’t her first kiss; she wasn’t a saint. She had kissed boys before, before she had turned fifteen even. She just hadn’t told her parents everything, secretly knowing that they would never be satisfied if she would have found a man living in the Agrarian Ring as well. Although she knew that, she was still surprised how much they cared about money and how less they seemed to care about her emotions, her feelings. Maybe that was why she did what she did right now with this man. Or… no. She was drawn to him, in a way she would never be drawn to her fiancé. And that was probably why she did what she did next.

The flame inside of her only grew more and more as she felt how he placed his hand on her other hip. That would mean that he would have let go of the bottle and that she had reached her goal, but somehow Alyssa couldn’t find it in her to let go of him now. The alcohol bottle was the last thing on her mind, especially when she felt something she had never felt before. Along with his saliva and his tongue, she felt something else. She tasted something else, something she couldn’t put her finger on it. It didn’t taste foul… it tasted different, like something she had never experienced. A strong fire started to build up in her belly and her heart pumped the blood in her veins with a quick pulsating that she seemed to feel through her entire body.

She slowly wrapped her arms around him and pulled herself closer, if that was even possible. Although she was skinny and on bad days you could count her ribs, she still had some formidable curves, which she didn’t hesitate to press against him. Her legs tightened against his and her breasts pressed against his chest. She wanted to feel every inch of him against her; the alcohol had long been forgotten.

But that weird feeling she just had experienced surely wasn’t. She didn’t want to, but she wanted to question him about it before she would forget it entirely because of the feelings he gave her. So she broke off with a gasp, inhaling deeply to gain some much needed oxygen.

”What was that just now?” she softly muttered, referring to the weird, almost magical feeling he had given her. But it might as well had been applied to everything that had happened so far. She wasn’t too picky about it either way.

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @Alyssa Garcia It kind of scared him. The way the magic flowed between them. This wasn't the first time he had kissed anyone. He was kicked out of his house at 16. He was just a reckless teen who had no roof over his head. He had to share a bed with others more than once. However, he had never felt quite the magic like he was feeling it now. Maybe it was because was always as drunk as one could be. Yet, his thoughts were also overruled by alcohol right now so that couldn't quite be the difference. Altough the kiss had awoken a fire in him which seemed to burn up all the alcohol within seconds. And suddenly he felt a lot more sober than he had felt in a long time.
The only thing he could do was hope that she didn't feel it like he did. But he knew damn well that the taste of magic was strong. Mal tried to ignore his thoughts as much as he could and stay in the moment. He didn't want to waste it by overthinking. Which was much easier than he expected when the girl whoms name he still didn't know moved even closer to him. He tried to take in every inch of her body. He slightly increased his grip. Softly pushing his tumps against her hips. He silently wished he could have moved her even closer. Secretly he already dreamed of doing much more than just kissing. Unfortunately that wasn't quite possible here in the open. Well, nothing was impossible. However he didn't feel like being chased of the Port by some angry merchants. Slowly he moved his hand up to her waste. He could feel her skin tingle under the fabric of her clothing against the palm of his hand. The warmth of her body made his skin prickle with anticipation. Except he knew this was all he was going to get today. Malcolm inhaled deeply when she broke off the kiss. Air entered his lungs again, filled with the smell of the ocean that stretched before them. He locked his eyes at hers. A grin laid on his lips. His hands didn't move from where they were. He saw how questions filled her pupils. Malcolm instantly knew what she meant. He swallowed. Giving himself a couple of seconds before he was going to respond. Either he would tell her the truth or talk over it. He was to drunk to trick her into believing anything else than the truth. But it was worth a try. "I could ask you the same thing," he muttered back at her. As if he had no idea she was referring to the magic that pumped through his veins, and now, also hers.

MONTY

A strong fire was surging through her as they had their little make out session. It had been a long time that she had sat on someone’s lap like this, but she couldn’t deny that it felt just right. Although they hadn’t known each other for a long time, his hands on her hips felt right. More right than the hands of her fiancé would ever feel. A strong sensation was flowing through her, along with a feeling she did not know. It didn’t feel wrong… it almost felt magical, the feeling lasting on her lips even when she drew back to gasp for air. Her arms had found their way around his neck, although she didn’t need to do that to keep herself in place; his hands were doing good enough of a job for that. But she wanted to feel him closer to her and it felt better than just letting them rest uselessly to the side, so around his neck felt like a good place to keep them.

After she broke off the kiss and questioned him, the question was directed back at her and Alyssa tried to search for an honest answer in the deepest part of her mind. She didn’t had enough alcohol to be completely drunk, so somewhere she knew what she was doing and what she was feeling. The alcohol was added to that feeling, yeah, but it wasn’t a prominent thing. Kissing him was something she had done on her own accord and something which she couldn’t blame on the alcohol. Not entirely, at least. She averted her eyes for a few seconds. ”My fiancé is…” abusing me she wanted to say, but was one angry swing at her cheek really enough to call it that or was she just being dramatic? An anger flared up in her eyes and she closed them, shaking her head. No, the question wasn’t about her.

It was about him.

”Be honest with me,” she spoke softly, leaning her forehead against his. Maybe because her own head started to feel heavy. Or maybe just because she wanted to do that. ”What was that just now?” she spoke in no more than a whisper, averting her eyes back to his so she could look at him. Sitting like this on his lap, leaning her forehead to his, it felt far much intimate than the situation would have required. They were barely acquaints, after all. But even though then, Alyssa didn’t want to withdraw herself.

So she stayed right where she was.

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @Alyssa Garcia
Malcolm swallowed slowly, not breaking eye contact with the girl on his lap. He didn't quite know what to say. Apperently she had felt it. Which meant he had some explaining to do. He didn't want to tell her. He refused to. Even though she was different than most others who wandered the streets here, he still didn't trust her. There was always a chance she would call him out. Or just refuse to see him ever again. And even though he wasn't the type to let things become anymore than a one time thing, he didn't want to lose her so quickly. Not like he had lost others. His father for example. Even though that was a piece of shit with the brains of a gold fish and the mentality of a squirrel. If a man was able to rule out his son, aka the only thing he has left of his death wife, just because of what he was. Than anyone could do the same thing, and Malcolm didn't want that to happen again.
"Shhh," he shushed her when she started about her fiance. He wasn't a honest man. This wasn't the time for him to become one and mope around the fact that he helped someone cheat. "He's not important right now." Malcolm whispered to her as she laid her forhead against his, he found some comfort in the gentle gesture. Her fiance was a problem for tomorrow. Besides, it wasn't even quite his problem. It was her fiance, not his. She was the one who evoked all this by sitting on his lap. The blame shouldn't be laid with him.
Malcolm softly bit his lips as he broke eye contact. His gaze glided over her shoulder towards the open ocean which spread in front of them. He wished he could have been honest with her. He really did. However, right now, it was a terrible idea. He locked eyes again. "I don't know what you mean," He said softly. "If you meant the feeling that you felt, it was probably just the alcohol doing its thing." A small smile danced over his lips. His grey eyes wandered over her face and stopped at her now slightly flushed lips. She was irrestible. He slowly leant in, pressing an intimate kiss on her lips. Just shortly. But long enough let the aderaline flow though his veins on an incredible speed. "Now, do you want to hang around, sit on the ground and do nothing all day?" he whispered with a daring look in eyes, hoping she would understand what he was implying.

MONTY

Alyssa closed her eyes shortly when he told her that her fiancé wasn’t important right now. Well, yeah, that was true. He wouldn’t be until tomorrow, when the alcohol was fully out of her system and when she would realize what she had done. She didn’t think she would regret it, though. Even though she had alcohol in her system, it still wasn’t enough to not realize what she was doing. The fact was that she wanted to sit on his lip and that she wanted to feel his presence close to her. Hell, she regretted it that they were out in the open and that the only thing they could do was kissing. She wanted to feel him even closer to her, in every way possible. Sure, his smell was nowhere compatible to the pleasant smell of her fiancé, but she loved the smell the man had on him. She loved the smell of alcohol, streets and a more pleasant smell he had hanging around him that could only be his own. And she wanted to revel in it a little bit more, if that was even possible.

He denied it. Of course he did. She couldn’t blame him, because they only knew each other for like… maybe an hour in total? But still, she felt a bit disappointed. She knew what she was feeling on her lips and it sure as hell wasn’t the alcohol, but she wasn’t going to press him into it. She had no right. She was the one who climbed on his lap when they didn’t even know each other that well and she was the one who kissed him. He kissed her back, yeah, but that wasn’t an invitation to just spill out all of their secrets. So she just nodded, smirking when he spoke his next words. ”I probably know some place we can go,” she spoke softly, her eyes starting to fill with lust. She knew an abandoned farm some place further away. It wasn’t the cleanest place, but what the hell. They couldn’t be too picky anyway.

As she stood up from his lap, she didn’t expect to be so lightheaded. She hadn’t eaten properly in a few days, the alcohol, as little as she had consumed, was still running through her system and the man gave her a rushing feeling she had never experienced in that way. All those factors made her legs buckle from under her. She didn’t fully register what was happening until the world was spinning around her and she was falling. Backwards. A soft yelp escaped her lips right before she hit the water, immediately replacing the warmth feeling she had with a dreaded cold feeling. Adrenaline was coursing through her veins, but now for an entire different reason as it had before.

And as she sunk under water, she noticed something strange. The water didn’t suffocate her like it should have. It was cold and it would probably leave a nasty flue, yeah, but it wasn’t like she would have expected it to be.

Because somehow she was able to breathe under water.

[/i][/i]

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @Alyssa Garcia She agreed to go with him. Which was probably the last thing he had expected from her. Especially considering she pointed her daggers at his throat and threatened to kill him. It was all just weird and hazy now honestly. He almost forgot that he had stolen her necklace. The liquor they were consuming like it was water was bought from the money he earned with selling the piece of jewerly he stripped from her neck the other day. Now he was asking her to go with him for some privacy. And she agreed. And Malcolm genuinely didn't know what the hell was actually happening but he was too drunk to give much fucks about what and how because right now, looking into her lustful eyes, she drove him crazy.
And then a lot happend. The girl stood up. Instantly Malcolm noticed how unsteady she was. Which wasn't that surprising considering she had quite some sips of alcohol which she wasn't used to. His responsiveness was nothing like it should have been. And as much as he wanted to grap her hips again and keep her steady, she was already falling backwards. He felt frozen as if he could only watch in horror how her tender body hit the freezing water without moving a muscle. A yelp came from her lips, followed by a agonising "No!" from Malcolm. Not because he was concerned for her safety. No, the only thing he could think about was that she was going to know. She would figure it out. Either way. In an attempt to avoid the drops of water flying around he backed down quickly, still half sitting. He felt how a cold drop, tiny spat of water fell on his hand. As fast as he could he wiped the drop of with his pants. "Fuck fuck fuck" he mumbled loudly. He held his breathe for a couple of seconds. His eyes swifted back and forth in fear, fear of anyone seeing him change. But the indescribable feeling of the transformation wasn't there. Malcolm slowly let his breathe escape in relief.
He quickly stood up. Still a couple of meters away from the edge of the water. He swallowed. There were two things he could do now. Either face the girl. Hope she would either not noticed the fact she had any ability or he could try and make her believe she was slowly turning into a mermaid herself. Or, what now seemed to be the best and most viable option; take a run for it. However, if she noticed he would only confirm his secret. He chewed on the inside of his cheeks. There was something about the girl that made it difficult to leave. Something inside of him told him to stay. With any other person he would have ran off far away most likely, but instead he slowly moved closer to the edge. His steps were unsteady. He locked his eyes on the water. "Are you okay?" Something he didn't ever hear himself say...

MONTY

Alyssa’s eyes widened as the water swallowed her up whole. She thought she would be scared of the water and to some extent she was, but she hadn’t expected that she could breathe under water. The shock she felt because of that took her fear away and Alyssa took a deep breath, allowing more water to go into her mouth. It didn’t make a lot of difference. She was still able to breathe, as if she was walking on land. It was strange and the water had made her sober again, so she figured out that it definitely had something to do with the boy she had just kissed now. She had thought that she had felt something magical flowing through her lips while she was kissing him, but he hadn’t answered her questions. Now she started to understand why. And as much as she wanted to revel in this feeling a bit longer, she wanted to confront him about this as well. She didn’t know much about magic, but she knew it was forbidden in Ashmoor. And that a death sentence could be hanging above his head if the church would ever find out.

Alyssa kicked with her feet to reach the surface again. Not because she was in need of air, but because she wanted to make sure that the boy was still there. She felt a strange sensation of relieve when she found him near the edge, looking out for her. Her eyes met him and weakly she reached for the dock, pulling herself up with all of her strength. Although she could breathe under water and she hadn’t struggled a lot reaching the surface, she was still tired from falling into the water and she felt dizzy when she finally reached the dock. She laid down on her back, coughing up a bit of water she had purposefully swallowed just a minute ago.

Then her eyes averted to the boy, who was standing a little farther away. ”You’ve got some explaining to do,” she spoke softly. There wasn’t any accusation to be founded in her voice, nor in the gaze of her eyes. She had raised her eyebrows in wonder and something close to admiration was digging itself into the depth of her gaze. Because being able to breathe under water after kissing someone was pretty damn amazing if you asked her.

“Who we are and who we need to be to survive are two very different things.” @TAG Strangly enough his first instinct was to get her out of the water. To help her get back on the dock. Just so his fingers tips could glide along her skin again. Luckily, he managed to behave himself, for once. Even the subtle touch with her soaked skin would make him transform. Even the smallest drop of water could unleash hell over him. It was intimidating the more he thought about it. His grey eyes watched as the girl pulled herself up. There was a small flare of hope within him that wished she hadn't noticed anything. But the girl her eyes were filled with questions. Malcolm tilted his head towards the sky and closed his eyes for a single second. "Oh for fucks sake" he hissed towards himself. Why was he such an incredible idiot.
The girl laid down. Her soaked clothing sticked to her skin. Showing all her roundings. Malcolm was surprised to see how skinny she was. He could count all her ribs. The half-merfolk boy bit his lips, slightly tensed. He felt like an absolute ass not helping her as she laid there. Shaking from the cold. Trying to get all the filthy water out of her lungs. Not that she would drown. She couldn't. Malcolm didn't step any closer. He stayed back a few steps. A hopefully safe distance from the water particles. ”You’ve got some explaining to do,” Her pure voice drilled through his head. Pretend to be stupid as fuck, take a run for it or be truthful none of the options sounded good to him. "Look I don't know what you keep talking about, okay? For your information, being drunk has consequences. That's kind of the whole point princess. It's annoying, I didn't give you alcohol just so I could baby sit you." he spat at her. "This was a mistake," The words came out soft. Almost as if he couldn't quite them out of his throat. But they were just hearable for her. He shook his head and turned on the back of his heels. Well, that hurt more than it should have. He walked away from her. He took a deep breath. Inhaling the air that was filled with smells of all the goods that were brought in at the port here. Just forget it.

MONTY

Alyssa was aware of the way her clothes stuck to her body, showing all the curves she had. Well, it wasn’t much. She was very skinny, but at least she still had the curves of her hips and her breasts, although it wasn’t that much. It would probably be a lot more if she could eat properly, but that was a luxury she couldn’t afford. If she married that ass in the Upper Ring she probably could, but she didn’t want to do that. She didn’t want to depend on his money. But her parents most certainly would and there was no way to blow the marriage off. This would be seen as a huge mistake, but Alyssa had never felt so alive. Now even more now that she knew what kissing him could cause for her. She hadn’t imagined the fact that she could breathe under water and she wanted answers, so her eyes averted to him expectantly.

But he denied it. He snarled like he had done before and Alyssa cocked an eyebrow. Were they back to this point again? To snarling at each other? It was like the kiss from a few minutes ago never happened. But Alyssa would probably never forget the fire that burned in her core when his lips met hers, when she felt something magical flowing from his lips to hers. And now he was denying it all, pretending like it didn’t even happen. ”But…” Alyssa spoke, but she was cut off when he spoke his words.

A mistake.

She didn’t know why it hurt, but it did. A sharp pang went through her whole body and her eyes started to sting, which both surprised and annoyed her at the same time. A lump formed in her throat and she felt humiliated. Her cheeks warmed up from embarrassment and she was all the more aware of how she laid there in front of him, almost exposed because of how her clothes stuck to her body. She couldn’t even say anything as he turned around and didn’t even look back at her, as if the kiss never happened.

She slapped with the palm of her hand on the ground and let out a grunt, turning her head away so that she didn’t have to look at him. Although the alcohol had sobered her up, she was still feeling weak because of the struggling in the water. And so she closed her eyes, waiting for her nauseousness and weakness to settle down good enough for her to stand up and go back home.

Because she was certain she would never see this guy again. And after she finally got up and went on the trip back home, she wondered the whole way back why that it hurt so much.

OOC: Topic uit!