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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 16:37:43 GMT -5
Eira knew the feast would get back to its normal festivities moments later. There were likely people who didn't even know a fight broke out. As well as one brawl, aggressive or otherwise, wasn't exactly means for real concern. Apart from the concern for those that had been involved. When Espen assured that everything was alright however Eira was glad to hear people talking and laughing again as if nothing happened.
With the crowd further behind them and all the noise starting to lessen Eira found it easier to breath. Still holding onto Espen both for support and because it felt nice. Which wasn't something she often thought when it came to the touch of others. Espen was different though and after being so roughly handled by the stranger she needed his familiar hand to reground herself. While she could feel her familiar close by she was curious as to why the little creature wasn't coming to see her. Until she noticed Is trot next to them. Well, that made sense.
"I owe that fox a treat," she stated to no one in particular. Her dark eyes cast up to the stars above them trying to figure out what to say. It wasn't that she had nothing to say it was that she had too much and she didn't know what to start with. "Are you alright?" Eira was certain he hadn't answered her question before. Of course she was sure the new mark hurt but that was to be expected. It was meant to be there. The red mark on his cheek from the table however, was not.
"I'm...really glad you came when you did. I was so scared," that in it of itself was difficult for her to admit. That someone had had that much power over her to terrify her the way the raider had. Still, Eira felt like she could be more vunerable with Espen even if he did tease her for it.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 16:55:52 GMT -5
Espen snorted gently at the notion of Eira giving his familiar a treat. "Don't know if she would like that or not," he chuckled. It had taken him a while to get the animal to take food from him and she still wasn't quite happy taking it from his hand directly. But that fine. He'd sought out a bond with the beast for her natural hunting skills when it came to small game and her sense of smell. Not to mention that a frost fox had the uncanny ability (some would call it magic) to walk on top of snow without sinking in and with barely a trace. Even despite the fact they were not weightless and some snow was mere powder.
"I'm collecting a few new bruises," he mumbled, half teasing, half serious. He wasn't the sort of deny he was hurt, but he certainly was capable of downplaying anything. Roan was well versed in that fact. But Roan had also trained him to seek him out for serious help. And right now, he didn't need serious help, just some rest and maybe something cold. And another drunk. He should have grabbed one before they left. Actually, it was probably better he had not.
He grimaced, glancing over at her an then away as he spoke. "I should've found you sooner. I was..." distracted and busy drinking and having a good time with his friends. Not something he was going to apologize for. "Has that happened before?" He asked, partly still angry and wondering if he needed to be more so, partly not sure how to be comforting after what had happened. He was tempted to hug her, but considering she didn't like being touched and had been a lot recently. Sure, she was holding his hand now, but Espen was sure if he kissed her again, or even held her like he wanted, he would want a lot more than that and he wasn't convinced Eira wanted even the holding and kissing bit.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 17:19:19 GMT -5
Eira knew Is wasn't a tamed pet. Even her familiar was more tame than the fox however, she'd been mostly seeking companionship when she bonded with the little thief. Audun was more prone to eating food from Eira's hand and even tended to demand the woman carry him instead of walking about like he should. Is was neither her familiar nor her pet so she'd never encroached much on the creatures space. Though she'd left out food for her before. A way of showing her appreciation for the fox watching after someone she cared about.
The question on if what had happened at the feast had happened before made Eira wince a bit. "Yes, not with that one, but twice before," it was a subject she'd avoided talking to Espen about for some time for a lot of reasons. It made her feel ashamed and uncomfortable. It wasn't something she wanted to think about. It wasn't something she wanted to concern Espen with. Though she knew he wouldn't like that she'd kept it from him Eira just hadn't wanted to talk about it or cause problems. "It's been quite some time since the last time though," she added quickly. As if there being years in between the last time she was assaulted would somehow make it better.
In all honesty Eira did want to be held. It wasn't often something she felt but she wanted Espen to hold her and tell her everything was okay. That she was safe again and wouldn't be hurt. Between what happened with the raider and admitting it'd happened before she felt...wrong. She just wanted to feel okay again. Eira pressed closer to him as her walking stopped. She knew he wasn't one to touch her as he pleased, even if he was allowed. Even if she'd more or less expressed she was okay with it. The fact that he took her aversion to touch into consideration made her feel safe. That also meant she knew if she wanted some kind of contact from him she had to initiate it.
Eira moved and wrapped her arms around his neck as she buried her face there. He smelled like smoke and ale and comfort and home. He felt familiar and warm and safe.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 17:58:33 GMT -5
Espen had asked the question, but he hadn't honestly expected her answer. "Twice?!" He struggled not to raise his voice, though it was clear he was confused and furious all at once. "When? Who? What happened? Are you...alright?" He couldn't help the words coming out of his mouth despite not knowing how stupid it might seem to ask about history. Physically Eira seemed alright, but clearly he had missed something. He felt...stupid for not knowing. Which at the moment only made him more angry.
So he might have to enact retribution on more than one man in the near future.
As far as he understood it, Eira had never been with a man. And had largely never wanted to. Not that he specifically meddled in her romantic life. At least, he had tried not too until he kissed her. He was a little more concerned about what else he might have missed. Whatever their relationship was, owner slave, friends, lovers, was still her protector and he hadn't been terribly vigilant. A lot of the finer points of all of this was difficult to sift through while drunk, but he was trying. Being angry sort of helped give him focus.
It made him all the more confused when she wrapped her arms around his neck. She'd hugged him a few times before but it was always a it surprising. Still, he found his arms knew inherently what he wanted even before he did. Espen wrapped his arms around Eira's waist and shoulders and pulled her close against him, containing the rest of his frustration and anger for the moment and simply allowing himself to enjoy being close to her, threading his fingers through her dark hair and taking in her scent of smoke and warmth. Feeling her pressed up against him made it difficult not to want more and he couldn't help but press his lips into her hair and attempt to be comforting instead of angry.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 18:14:23 GMT -5
Eira didn't want to answer the questions that were thrown at her. Not now. Didn't want to think about anything other than the safety and warmth she found in Espen. How the feeling of his body pressed against hers eased the anxiety that was threatening to clamp around her heart. How she wanted him to clean away every place that brute had touched her or kissed her. Eira had hugged Espen far more often when they were younger. Especially when she'd crawl into his bed after a nightmare. He was always there to wash away the bad feelings. Granted, as they got older and her aversion to being touched became more prominent she hadn't been so willing to hug him as often. In fact Eira was pretty sure the last time they'd hugged was the night they kissed. Before that was probably after Astrid died, which also wasn't something she wanted to think about.
Feeling his lips press to her hair helped her breath a little easier. It also still made her want him to take away the feeling the raiders lips had left on her own. "Espen," she breathed his name a little uncertainly. In the moment their titles didn't matter. Eira didn't care if she was a slave and he her owner. She didn't care how confusing their relationship was. All she wanted was the feeling gone.
She pulled back a small bit to look up at him. "Can you kiss me again?" The question left her lips before she even had a chance to think about how to ask. Or if she even really wanted to ask. It seemed her mouth had made that decision for her. Under the dim light of the moon and stars her cheeks flushed with a soft blush but she didn't look away from him or let him go.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 18:47:17 GMT -5
Espen could tell just by how she moved that she wasn't going to answer. That maybe he shouldn't ask her to remember that sort of thing right now, but he couldn't help it. He did manage to hold his tongue and not press her again when she didn't answer. She hadn't told him when it happened and he could hardly expect her to talk about it now just because he wanted to. Whatever had happened, he couldn't imagine it was easy. Couldn't imagine it at all, actually.
It was nice to feel her relax a little into his embrace. Espen was very physically affectionate. Whether that was playfully cuddling his daughter, doing his best not to mess with Jesper's hair, playfully wrestling with his brothers and friends or being much more intimate with the women in his life. It made it difficult not to be more affectionate with Eira but he had become used to it. He almost kissed her at hearing his name like that but hearing her ask made him hesitate.
He pulled away just enough to look at her, mouth slightly open as if to ask her a question in return. Espen studied her eyes in the dark, brushing a hand over her cheek before leaning down to kiss her softly, almost like he wasn't sure it was something she really wanted even though she had asked him to. He pulled away just as quickly, not breaking their hug but needing to put some small gap between them. "Maybe we should go back," he said distractedly, embarrassed.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 19:20:44 GMT -5
Eira knew how affectionate of a person Espen was. It was sweet really. There had been parts of Eira that wished she wouldn't feel so uncomfortable with casual touch. With Espen at least she was much more willing and wanting to be physically closer to him than anyone else but she still wasn't as comfortable with it as he was. At times like these, when emotions were high, she did feel the need to be much closer to him. For his comfort, her own, both. The feeling of his hand brushing over her cheek made her instinctively lean into his touch. The feeling of his lips against her own made her breath catch in her throat for a moment. Her eyes closed as the tips of her fingers brushed through his hair.
As he pulled away however, the anxiety that had been washed away for a moment wormed its way back into her system. Eira stared up at him feeling confused and a little embarrassed. Had she done something? Had Espen not wanted to kiss her? Maybe the first time they'd kissed had only been a drunken fluke after all. Before she could speak to make any sort of apology Eira heard him mention heading back. The idea of going back to the feast at the moment made her stomach tie in knots. Her mouth opened a bit to speak but found she couldn't put the words together.
She felt anxious and embarrassed and very silly. "We can but..." What was she doing? Was Eira really trying to embarrass herself more? "Before we go anywhere I need to tell you something," well, she supposed if she was already being vulnerable and embarrassing herself how much worse could she make it?
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about the last time we kissed and I haven't stopped wanting to kiss you again," Eira felt like once the words started she wasn't able to make them stop. Maybe it was the anxiety. Maybe it was her need to be closer to him. Maybe it was a lot of different things. "I don't know if you only kissed me because we'd both been drinking or if it was just a mistake but not knowing is driving me insane because I think...I think I have feelings for you," so admitting that helped anything else she had to say get stuck in her throat. Eira was almost certain Espen didn't feel the same way. "I just...I care a lot about you and I don't want to ruin...whatever we have." Storms, Eira.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 19:52:26 GMT -5
For a moment, he thought maybe he shouldn't have kissed her again. He was drunk and she was terrified and they both weren't thinking straight. But he did know the moment the words left his mouth and Eira tensed up again that she had no desire to go back there. Why would she, after what had happened? He was about to suggest they go...somewhere else, anywhere else, but then she spoke and he listened.
The last time they kissed. That's right. For some reason, none of the pieces had fit. He'd thought she didn't want anything intimate with him after that. She'd never brought it up, never hugged him or kissed him again, to be honest, he hadn't been sure she even remembered it. But then...she had just asked him to kiss her. Again. Admitted to thinking about it a lot, admitted to wanting it again. He felt more than a little dumb. More than normal.
His instinct was to kiss her again. But instead he smiled and let her finish. Partly because that was polite. Partly because he wanted to put together words ineligibly. Espen pulled her closer again. "So...this might sound biased 'cause I've been drinking...but I promise you won't ruin whatever we have." To prove as much, he kissed her again, claiming her lips with his own much more passionately than moments ago, one arm still around her waist, the other slipping around the back of her head and into her hair again.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 20:45:46 GMT -5
Their relationship was a lot of different things. On the surface they were simply a slave and her owner. Beyond that Espen was her protector, they were close friends, confidants, he eased her nightmares, she hoped to ease his stress. Were they also pining for each other without realizing it? Before she could really wonder too far into those questions she felt his lips against hers again. Eira felt her heart pounding rapidly in her chest as her arms wrapped around his neck once again. One hand threaded into his dark curly hair as the other slipped down to brush her fingers over his cheek and jaw.
As his hand reached into her hair and touched the back of her head though she winced a bit as his fingers brushed where her head had hit the ground. Eira pulled back ever so slightly so her lips were only inches from his. Her face felt hot with a blush and her fingers played with his hair. Her lips in fact felt much better than when the other raider had kissed her. Though she didn't want to stop kissing him by any means the slight pain had caused her to pause a bit.
"I'm glad you're a little biased," she stated playfully just loud enough for him to hear. Once the stinging in the back of her head subsided she closed the small gap and pressed her lips to his. Eira tangled her fingers more into his hair as her other hand pressed against the back of his neck.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 22:01:56 GMT -5
It seemed they were both inadvertently hurting each other, her hand on this cheek, his hand on the back of her head. Espen hadn't entirely realized everything that had happened in the fight so he was a bit confused when she pulled away from the kiss but he let her, searching her eyes for a moment. He shifted his hold on her, pulling her hips against his and smiling against her lips as she kissed him this time.
It felt almost like a relief to admit to how much he wanted to kiss Eira and hold her. Perhaps not with words, but with his actions. Espen held her close for a long moment, finally pulling back again to breathe and simply let himself look at her. Really look at her. Like he wanted to for a long time.
"I care a lot about you too, Eira," he echoed her words with a smile, though the was left a bit uncertain where that left them in the moment.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 22:38:53 GMT -5
Though Eira had convinced herself that She'd be fine if Espen rejected her feelings she couldn't help the amount of relief she felt that he hadn't that he was openly returning them. Though there was a part of her that worried he might not feel the same in the morning when the ale wore out of his system. That wasn't something she wanted to worry about at the moment though. That could be something dealt with in the morning if need be. As she looked up at him Eira allowed herself to see more than just her owner. More than just her friend. She allowed herself to really see Espen. The way the light from the moon illuminated him made her heart skip a beat.
Hearing her sentiment echoed back to her made a smile dance across Eira's lips. At the moment she very much wanted to keep kissing. What she really didn't want to do was think about what happened at the feast and she felt as if she'd been waiting forever to kiss Espen again. She didn't want to stop now. "Did you...still want to go back to the feast?" At the moment she still didn't want to return to the festivities. More so she didn't want to return to anywhere that man could be but if she stayed with Espen she was sure she'd be more okay.
Eira also didn't want to keep Espen from a party meant for him. The night was supposed to be celebrating his hard work and rise to becoming Elder. While she wanted to stay close to him Eira also didn't want to stop him from celebrating with his friends and family.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 23:05:34 GMT -5
He'd feel a lot differently when he wasn't so heavily under the influence but he had a hard time imagining he wouldn't still want to be close to the woman in his arms. The thought didn't cross his mind. He felt like he had waited forever to kiss her again and all he could think about was holding her close and taking her to bed with him and waking up next to her, rather than having her walk in on him and tug his sheets away.
Espen shook his head. "I want to take you home," he said softly, though he didn't move them just yet. Just because she was kissing him back this time didn't mean she wanted to go that far.
As for the festivities...it might have been a celebration of his achievements but he hardly needed to be there. He'd spent time with friends and family enough. He didn't want to subject Eira to being uncomfortable just for his own sake. Besides, he wanted to be with her, wherever that was, and could think of other ways he would rather enjoy himself.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Mar 28, 2021 23:33:07 GMT -5
The comment about him wanting to take her home made a shiver run down her back. Eira had't been with anyone before. Had in fact actively fought against anyone who wanted to take her to bed. She was unsure exactly how much farther she wanted to go with Espen at the moment. While she did want to keep kissing him and wanted to be close with him she was still feeling rather nervous. "Let's go then," she offered still.
Eira pulled away enough to take his hand again. There were people at the feast of likely didn't expect to see either of them back. Though she'd probably be badgered by Ingrid about what happened the next day. Eira began pulling him back to the direction of the hut. It would at least be nice to get out of the cold. Even if it was no longer winter it still wasn't nearly as warm outside at night as it was in the morning. Which also wasn't exactly warm.
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Post by Espen Varangr on Mar 28, 2021 23:56:44 GMT -5
Considering what she had just told him and that the fight had knocked a little more sense into him, he wasn't inclined to make her. But being inside the hut, out of the cold, somewhere more private where he could continue to hold her close. It would also be somewhere safe and familiar, that she might be able to relax a bit more.
Espen smiled to himself as she took charge and led the way, at once excited and relieved and amused. They arrived only a few minutes later, the hut empty, the embers in the firepit having burned low and nearly out. Lise was ststing the night with a friend, considering Espen had expected to be out later or otherwise indisposed. Is departed as they entered the hut, not very fond of the building.
He pushed her gently to sit on the bed and sat down next to her, too excited by the prospect of making out with the woman to bother with starting a fire or taking off his coat and really anything else besides tasting her and touching her. If Eira let him, he would press he back into the mattress with his kisses.
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Post by Eira Olsen on Apr 4, 2021 17:47:01 GMT -5
[The Next Morning]
The idea of this becoming part of Eira's "daily duties" made her feel...odd. Part of her believed Espen was joking but she couldn't entirely tell. "Daily? How much attention do you need, Espen?" She teased trying to ignore the butterflies fluttering wildly in her stomach. It also left her feeling a bit strange on where exactly their relationship stood. Things were already a bit odd between them this added intimacy only made things more complicated. She didn't think he'd simply use her but she was feeling a bit confused. At the moment it wasn't really something Eira wanted to think about at the moment so she moved it back with the rest of the thoughts that were nagging at her.
Eira dressed herself with still slightly trembling legs and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. There wasn't really time for her to braid it. At least in her mind there wasn't time to braid it. The comment about Brenna made her pause and chuckle with a shake of her head. It wasn't exactly what she'd meant but she'd rather let him continue being confused than further the topic. Once she was dressed again and felt she could walk normally Eira paused and turned to Espen. She brushed her fingers over his cheek for a moment before moving to leave the hut.
As she moved outside she winced at the sunlight and let her eyes adjust for a moment. There was a rumbling in her stomach that begged for food but she didn't have time to worry about that as Ingrid turned to her. Eira watched the girls eyes widen before running over to her and all but tackling her in a hug. "Eira! I was so worried about you last night!" Eira quickly moved out of her arms on instinct only to get an apologetic smile from Ingrid.
"I'm fine Espen took me home," She stated as Ingrids eyes wandered down to the new marks on her neck. Eira watched a big smile cross her friends lips and mentally prepared herself for what was about to happen. "Did he now?" She asked teasingly.
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