Fantasy RPG Forum - Standing Trials

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That idiot was nodding like a goddamned puppy! What was wrong with him?!

Then he accepted the offer, and Qit'ria blinked, unbelieving what was happening. And then when her eyes opened, he was down to his skivvies. How did he get undressed so fast? Qit barely wore clothes and doubted she could've done it so quickly. She saw his body and felt nothing there. He wasn't especially muscular or hairy or anything. Just... average. She shook her head as he posed, reminding herself to stab him later for putting her in this situation.

She pulled off her blouse and shimmied out of her loin cloth, stuffing the clothing into her pack. She walked past Tio completely naked, stopping to shoot a glare at him, before bending down and fetching the outfits from the pack that the man had said they needed to wear. One was blue and green like a lovely Ashan afternoon on a grassy plain. The other was oranges and pinks and purples, reminiscent of the flowers that spring up in that time. Qit'ria flung that one at Tio, hoping to hit him in the face with it.

Holding up her own outfit, she wasn't really sure how to... wear it. There wasn't much to it at all really, not that she was concerned about that. After examining it, holding it at a variety of angles, she found it was a two piece, and one was the barely there bottoms. She stepped into it and pulled it up. It covered her hair up front, but seemed to tuck itself in the crease of her bottom. She didn't care for that one bit, plucking at it. She didn't wear undergarments like the women did in cities, they weren't liberating enough for her pleasure. She wore her loin cloth so that people wouldn't raise complaints when in town, and when it got cold, she wore her breeches over it. Simple, elegant.

This was torture.

She pulled the top piece on. It wasn't so bad. A simple snug band across her small breasts that held itself in place. She would actually wear something like this had she known such a style existed. It seemed practical, comfortable. All in all, she approved. She turned to watch Tio dress in whatever his ridiculous outfit ended up being.

Once he was dressed, she turned toward the crazy Ashan man, one hand on her hip, the other plucking that damn string from her ass. The lunatic was beaming at them, "Just try to follow my moves, feel free to improvise! Whatever makes you think of Ashan, makes you feel him in your heart."

The man then jumped to face away from them, landing on one foot, with a wiggle of his arse at them, as he raised his arms up like a hawk about to take off in one big flap. He then began to make a yodeling like noise for music, echoing all through the tunnels, probably scaring off people with more sense than the two that found him. Qit'ria hopped onto her right leg to mimic him, shimmying her hips as he did, flapping her arms a bit less gracefully than anyone might hope for. But she didn't make the throat song the man was making. She wouldn't even begin to guess as to how he did that.

He then jumped, and twirled, landing on his left foot while holding his arms straight above his head. Qit mimicked the action, though she didn't actually make a full rotation, and landed on a very bent left leg. And so the dance of leaps, hops, and arm flourishes went on around the shrine. Qit was huffing and struggling to keep up. She was not a dancer, barely ever had been as a child and hadn't even attempted since then. But still, she leapt, shook her ass in Tio's face, waved her arms about. And something about it did feel... right.

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Eventually the insanity that was the dance came to a close, Qit'ria's chest rising and falling softly from the exertion. She would never admit it in a thousand arcs, but she had found that she'd quite enjoyed that. She felt loose, relaxed, cheerful. "You're positively glowing darling! Dance always brings out the best in people. Ashan would be most pleased, I am sure." He grabbed some water skins and handed them out, and Qit'ria drank up greedily, eyes falling on Tio. That man might be a few arrows short of a full quiver, but his enthusiasm to join in on this was the right call. It had been... fun. Fun like the trials when she was just a girl back in Desnind. There was even half a smile upon her face that she didn't notice to be there.

How long had it been since she'd had proper fun with other people? In her departure from Desnind over ten arcs past, she'd actively avoided people. But something about Scalvoris continued to bring her to them. They were a... strange people, that much was clear. But this one, Tio, he wasn't so bad. She'd dance with him again, that was for sure, maybe around a fire on a crisp night, under the moons, surrounded by the trees of her forest. That would be beautiful in her mind.

Turning back toward the man, finishing the last of the water greedily, splashing it down her front. "Thank for dance. May can go to frog-ridden shrine now?"

The man smiled, "It would be my utmost pleasure."

Qit'ria quickly peeled off her clothes and dressed once more in her own. She snuck glances toward Tio to watch him change as well, curious about what he looked like without that ridiculous garb. Strong? Lithe? Hairy? She hoped so. Once they were ready, the Ashan follower led them out of his cavern through a back entrance, torch in hand. "I'm not sure who the people that come down to this shrine are worshiping, I just know they don't wish to be seen by the outside world. They always look related too. And well, their style of worship is well... different."

After several bits of walking, he snuffed the torch to just lightly burning embers and began to sneak along. From around a corner, moaning and chanting could be heard. In a whisper, "Follow this wall, and you will be able to see them from the darkness. Determine for yourself what this shrine is. Not sure why it would be forbidden, but it is secretive. I must go. My lover back home will be waiting and dancing puts the froth in my loins if you know what I mean."

Qit didn't know what he meant, but nodded anyways. She drew a javelin out of habit and crept around the corner, moving closer. She could see a four way intersection ahead, the middle road leading to another open cavern, light by torches and sconces. Sneaking forward, the sounds grew louder. In addition to the moans, sounding like both a man and woman, and the chantings of many people, there was also the sound of tinkling, metal on stone. Getting closer to the left hand path at the intersection she ducked inside, only to see it had cut away windows of the large chamber. Looking across the hall, the right hand path looked identical.

Sneaking forward, she slinked beneath the window, then popped her head up near to the corner to see the inside of the cavern. Her eyes grew wide. There was a raised dolmen carved of stone, the base having been carved to look like several sailing ships on waves. Upon the flat, table like surface of the dolmen were a man and woman, naked except for a sash tied around their eyes. They appeared to be having sex, him upon his back, and her riding him. Qit'ria could hear the wet sloshing sounds of their lovemaking from here.

All around the dolmen were people in hooded robes, their faces obscured, holding heavy bags. And each time the woman climaxed in her ecstasy, they threw handfuls of gold nels at them. The pair didn't seem to mind as the metallic coins bounced off them, leaving red marks in their wake, as the throws were not gentle. Qit'ria had no idea what to make of this but couldn't look away. She just hoped that Tio didn't insist that they interrupt and join in like he had earlier.

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Qit'ria truly couldn't understand what it was she was watching. While she'd never had sex before, she'd seen it a few times. When she was younger, she'd seen her parents together coupling. It was a one room house, and her mother was a lot... louder than these two. Qit'ria felt a weird excitement within her at watching this, but she wondered why the others were watching and throwing coins. It was so strange. Did they want their baby to made while worshiping that one Immortal of nels. She couldn't remember its name, nor did she really care. The symbols on the dolmen were boatships though. Boatships and gold nels. She didn't know to who, or what, they were worshiping, but it hardly seemed forbidden. Weird, sure, but not forbidden. And why would worshiping anyone or anything be forbidden anyways? It wasn't anyone else's business who worshiped who. Cities are so silly about their rules. It was among many reasons why she preferred her wilds.

She heard Tio offer for them to leave and she nodded at him. She didn't know what she'd expected out of this whole journey, but it had been mildly irritating. And she was happy to have met Tio. He was funny, even if he was weird. It had been so long since she'd laughed. She gave him the mildest hint of a smile, more than she'd given to anyone else on this island since her arrival. If she had to run into people again, she hoped it was him. She could use more laughs in her life. Her glance lingered on him as she move past him, to sneak on out.

She led the way through, passing back through the shrine with the crazy dancing man, and further on out. She climbed the ladder up through the hatch and waited there, even offering a helping hand to Tio to pull him out. Once there, she gave him a curt nod, and offered her forearm in the traditional Sev'ryn greeting. "Well meet Tail-us Sell-Far. If in forest east of Scalwhoreus Town, I feed you. My forest. You forest." It was her way of opening up her home to him, and telling him how to find her in the future. Again, something she'd never done for another person on this island.

With another nod, she began the trek back to the docks, only to be distracted by an animal rustle in the shrubs. With a feral growl, she took off after it, looking forward to the meal. And while in the wilderness, just barely so, she looked back, taking the time to watch this Taelis one last time, smiling broadly. A friend? Maybe. One more nod before she continued the chase for her meal.