Author: Riatcha
Previous Chapter
(This story is set in an alternate universe. Some characters are portrayed differently.)
Her staff strapped to her back and carrying her leather 'work suit' over one arm, Riatcha picked up the satchel of the rest of her belongings she had brought with her and stepped through the portal behind Atrophus. Both were on their way back to the Exodar to; as Erusi had put it, enjoy their new life together. After a moment it was as though she had just taken one step forward and she was standing in the Draenei city. Atrophus was waiting for her, carrying a larger bag of his own things.
"Are you ready to see to getting our new quarters?" He asked. For a long moment she looked conflicted, but eventually she bowed her head slightly in agreement.
"It will get easier with time," he caught her gaze with his own eyes and she nodded, quickly looking away from him.
"I know," her voice was quiet, and he knew she was still unsure.
"It is this way," he headed in the direction of where the supplies were kept. She followed behind him a few steps, her head bowed. He didn't say anything until they arrived at their destination. Where he explained the situation and what it was they required to the provisioner on duty there. The female provisioner looked at the silent Riatcha behind him and simply nodded, seeing the matching necklaces they both wore.
"I will send someone with some of your belongings to your new home soon," she gave instructions on where their new quarters were located.
"Thank you, sister," Atrophus said. Taking some of the smaller items provided for them in his free hand.
"Thank you," Riatcha echoed him quietly and then followed him out, being sure to stay a few steps behind him as she walked. It did not take long, but it was far enough away from the main centre of the city and the general noise that went along with it. He stopped in front of a door and passed his hand over a panel next to it and the door slid open and he walked into a large but mostly bare room except for a large table and a variety of kitchen type work surfaces and appliances. He set his bag down near another door and turned back towards the door. Riatcha was looking around the room curiously, before looking back at him for a moment. She hefted her satchel in one hand.
"Which room should I put these in?" Her voice was low. He gestured with one hand, picking his bag up again and sliding open the door to what would be their bedroom. She came in after him, still carrying her belongings, going straight to the built in wall closet and drawers along one wall, neatly folding and hanging her clothes in both, before turning around again. And that was when she saw it; the still bare, but big bedframe set against the far wall, certainly large enough for the both of them. Her eyes darted to look at him and then back to the frame and he could almost feel the conflicting emotions racing through her. Her mouth worked for a moment, then closed again, she swallowed.
"I...I should go and speak to the Triumvir now," she didn't look at him as she said it, instead walking back towards the door and almost pushed right past him in her hurry to get out. He turned to watch her leave, she didn't look back at him and as the main door closed behind her he let out a sigh.
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A few hours later Riatcha was trying to carry some plain chairs back to their quarters after meeting the same provisioner on her return from the lake, where she had just been sitting and thinking for a long while after her meeting with the Triumvir. A bag mostly full of books was slung over one shoulder.
"Riatcha?" The familiar female voice called from behind her, Riatcha turned to see Lexa Carabell coming towards her.
"I thought you'd left with the Echoes to help against the Legion?"
"There was a...change of plans," Riatcha replied. Lexa smiled, tucking a strand of her blonde hair behind one ear.
"Well obviously if you're here. I was told that you'd moved to some new rooms by one of the shamans. Want some help moving those chairs there?" Lexa asked. Riatcha thought about it and then nodded, figuring people were going to find out eventually anyway.
"That would be good, thank you," Riatcha adjusted her bookbag and picked up some of the chairs and Lexa grabbed the other ones. Coming up to the door Riatcha passed her hand across the panel to open it, and then again a second time when nothing happened. Setting the chairs down on the floor, she knocked on the door and after a moment it slid open revealing Atrophus on the other side.
"You do not need to knock to enter your own home, Riatcha," his voice held that tone he used sometimes when lecturing people.
"It would not open," she picked up the chairs again, carrying them inside, looking back at Lexa.
"We have a visitor, Atrophus," she set the chairs down by the dining table. Lexa entered the room, with the other two.
"Oh, hello, Atrophus, I didn't expect to see you here," Lexa said, she also put the chairs by the table.
"Good afternoon, Miss Carabell. Welcome to our home," he bowed his head to her slightly.
"Both of your home?" She grinned.
"Hey that's great! I didn't know the Draenei were that open about letting men and women who are just friends live together. Most of the other races seem to think it's some sort of sin," she continued. Riatcha gave Atrophus an awkward look, but again remembering what Erusi told her, quickly looked somewhere else again. Atrophus cleared his throat loudly.
"The Draenei do not have a problem with people doing that at all if that is what they want to do themselves. However..." he tried to catch Riatcha's eyes, but she seemed more interested in looking at anything other than him.
"Riatcha and I are now bonded partners. Or in your races own culture what you would refer to as married," he was still looking to Riatcha, her odd behaviour had not gone unnoticed by him. He looked sharply to Lexa when she took a quick indrawn breath.
"Married?!" Lexa couldn't keep the shock off her face. Her head seemed to have a nervous tick as she looked from Riatcha to Atrophus and back and forth a few times.
"But you...he..." Lexa took a deep breath.
"Why would you want to get married?! You are to young to get married!" Lexa seemed to be panicking for some reason. Atrophus had a bewildered look on his face, not quite sure what to do. Riatcha had been leaning against one of the work surfaces, but stood up setting one of the chairs out by the table.
"Perhaps you should sit down and try to relax, Lexa?" She suggested calmly. Lexa sank; somewhat gratefully into the chair.
"I don't understand why you'd want to get married you are almost as young as I am," she said. Riatcha smiled slightly and shook her head.
"Actually as near as I can work out I am somewhere between my middle thirties, perhaps even forty or older. That is almost half a lifespan of a human," Riatcha opened a water pouch and held it out to Lexa
"Drink, it will help," Lexa took it, taking a huge swallow. Riatcha waited for her to calm down before speaking again.
"A priestess of the light was asked to perform a ceremony of kinship for us. For friends or family who wish to become closer to one another. She mistook the ceremony of marriage for the ceremony of Kinship. So now Atrophus and I are bonded," Riatcha leaned back against the work surface again. Lexa took another drink and then just stared at them.
"Then get a divorce! It's not that difficult!" She exclaimed. Riatcha sighed, glancing at Atrophus; who remained silent for now, before returning her full attention back to Lexa.
"Lexa, it is not that simple. We cannot change what is," Riatcha tried to explain. Lexa turned a glare on Atrophus.
"And you! How could you make her do something like this?!" Lexa stood up, looking like she wanted to hit him. Riatcha walked behind putting both hands on Lexa's shoulders and turning Lexa to face her.
"Atrophus has not made me do anything. He and I both gave our word, we promised to each other and the light that we would do this. This is not something we can change, this promise cannot be broken," Riatcha tried to explain.
"Even if you did not know you were getting married?" Lexa asked. Riatcha shook her head firmly.
"Whether we knew beforehand or not is besides the point, what matters is what we do now. And we...both Atrophus and I have agreed that we will honor the promise we both made to the other and as bonded partners to the light," Riatcha said. Lexa finally nodded agreement.
"It that is what you both want I guess..." she said.
"It is," Atrophus finally spoke up. Lexa looked from one of them to the other, as if trying to judge if either was lying and then her eyes widened.
"Oh! You both probably want to be alone to umm...unpack and talk and...stuff...I should go!" Lexa stood up again, backing towards the door. Atrophus hurried to open it for her.
"I'll visit again soon!" Lexa said as she left. Atrophus looked back towards Riatcha.
"We should rest soon, it has been a long day for the both of us," he said. She nodded, again refusing to meet his gaze.
"I think I will take a bath first," she shruged her right shoulder.
"Of course. There are some items I need to collect from my old room. I will return shortly," he told her. She nodded again, heading in towards the door to the room opposite their bedroom door, assuming it was the bathroom.
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Atrophus had returned about thirty minutes after leaving, Riatcha was apparently not finished in the bathroom yet. He sat on the edge of one of the lightly padded bedroll mat that they had been given after he had changed into his plain, undyed linen sleepshirt. Riatcha quietly entered the room, he looked up at her, she was dressed simlarly only her night shirt was longer than his own. Her long white hair that she usually kept in such a perfectly short, tight braid that barely reached the back of her shoulders now flowed just past the back of her knees. She walked towards him, looking extremely nervous. She stood at the end of the bedroll, doing her best to avoid his eyes with her own.
"Good, you are ready to sleep I was about to turn down the lighting," he said. She made a strange sound in her throat, but said nothing, instead lifting the hem of the nightshirt with both hands, pulling it up and over her head and bowed her head, making her hair fall over both shoulders. Riatcha wanted to fold it neatly and set the garment aside, it fell from her hands and she crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide her nakedness from his sight. He frowned, at first he wasn't sure what to say or do.
"Riatcha, what are you doing?" He asked finally. She shrugged her right shoulder.
"Being available to my husband, like a good wife should..." Her voice was so low he almost didn't catch the words. He tried to hide the somewhat shocked surprise from his face and voice.
"What? Did you read about this in some book?" He asked her. She shook her head.
"No," She replied.
"What makes you think you need to do this for me?" His voice was a little sharper this time than he intended it to be and she flinched slightly at his words. He sighed, picked up one of the blankets off the bed, standing up he limped over to her, gently pulling the blanket across her shoulders and covering her body with it.
"Riatcha, look at me," he waited until she finally looked up at him.
"Where did you hear that this is what you needed to do? Did someone tell you that you should do this?" His voice was softer this time, he could feel her trembling through the blanket he had just covered her with. She broke his gaze again, not sure if she should answer him, but then looked up at him.
"She told me not to say anything. That you would already know these things and would expect me to know them..." she finally gave a sort of answer.
"She? She who...Erusi..." He answered his own question all at once. Riatcha nodded, watching him. Atrophus sighed heavily, stepping back from her, he gestured to the bedroll.
"Please, sit. I think we should talk about some things before we go any further," he to sat down, adjusting his bad leg to be more comfortable. She sat close to him, but not close enough that they were actually touching.
"What exactly is it that Erusi told you," he turned to look at her.
"I should walk a few steps behind you at all times. That every morning I should ask you how I can serve you. I should never disagree with you, because as a man you're opinion is always more important," she mentioned a few more things, in a quiet voice, each sounding more ridiculous than the one before it. And as she went on it became more and more obvious to him just why she was nervous and explained her odd behaviour for most of the day. And he himself was getting a little angry at what Erusi had said to Riatcha, especially after more recent events. He sighed loudly, rubbing at the bridge of his nose.
"Do not listen to what Erusi has told you," he locked eyes with hers.
"You are my partner, as I am yours, we are equal in all things," he waited to be sure she understood. She frowned thoughtfully.
"But...why would she lie to me about things like that?" She asked.
"I believe that she is playing a joke on you, for her own entertainment," he replied.
"Is there anything else she told you that you are not sure of?" He wanted to know everything the dragon had said, so he could set things straight as soon as possible.
"She...said I should always make myself available to you...sexually, no matter whether I wish to do so or not," Riatcha pulled the blanket tighter around herself.
"No," he said. She blinked at him a few times.
"What? I thought that was part of what mar...bonded partners did?" She asked.
"It is usually. But all of this, we both know was not the intention for that ceremony. We; the both of us, need to be very comfortable with each other before we even try anything like that. I want you to wait until you are comfortable with doing anything with me and absolutely certain it is what you want to do first. Only when you are ready," he told her. She looked away from him, picking at an imaginary thread on the blanket, before speaking.
"What if I am never ready?" She looked back at him. He smiled a little.
"Perhaps we never will be and that is okay. You will never have to do anything of the sort with me if you do not want to," he said. She continued to just look at him for a long moment, as if trying to be certain of what he was saying, eventually she smiled a little.
"Thank you," her voice was low.
"Are you ready to sleep now?" He asked.
"Yes, but...I want..." she trailed off.
"What is it?" He urged her to continue.
"I would like to sleep next to you?" She asked quietly. He looked at her for a long moment, wanting to be sure she wasn't asking because she thought it was what she should do, but rather what she herself wanted to do. He gave her a small nod.
"Of course, if you want to," he replied.
"I will be careful of your leg. But may I sleep on your left side?" she was moving her own bedroll mat closer to his as she spoke, glancing up at him she noticed the slightly amused look he was giving her.
"You can sleep on this mat if you prefer and I will take that one," he suggested.
"Oh, no, I am not trying to be funny, it is...well..." she carefully lowered the left side of the blanket, just revealing that shoulder and part of her upper arm that was usually covered by a long sleeved shirt and that had obviously been injured somehow at some point in the past judging by the look of it.
"I will tell you sometime what happened to it, but for now I will just say I do not like sleeping on this side, I will be very careful of your bad leg,"
"Of course," he moved to get under the blanket on the bedroll, she reached for her earlier discarded nightshirt and pulled it on over the blanket and pulled the blanket out from underneath it, then joined him under the blanket on the bedroll.
"I think this is going to take a lot of getting accustomed to...for both of us, yes?" She asked him.
"I cannot disagree with that," He responded.
"Besides there is another reason I think I would prefer to lie facing you," she gave him a mischievious look, that he missed as he reached to turn down the light.
"What is that?" He asked. Instead of answering him she stretched out her feet, touching her icey cold toes against his leg. He just barely succeeded in restraining his very un-Atrophus like Sqwuak of surprise.
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