RP:Part II: Testing the Waters : Seductive Shores

Summary: After having an eventful day in Frostmaw, Lanara and Tiber are eager to end their romantic getaway with a night beneath the Northern Lights. The couple realizes that their feelings towards each other have immensely grown and after some candid confessions they seek privacy in their igloo. After three years of being in an off-and-on relationship, the lycan and the witch give into their desire for each other and their love reaches new depths.

Part of the Lunar Tides and Silver Linings Arc

After dinner, the couple had returned to their igloo for a few rounds of ‘Would You Rather?’ and switched into more appropriate gear for enduring the drop in temperature. Lanara is now clad in a few layers of long-sleeved shirts, a pair of leggings, knee-high snow boots, a fur lined parka, and a matching scarf and beanie. She also had snuck a pair of Tiber’s cargo pants from the apartment and slid them over her pants, as Penelope said that she should try wearing the male’s clothes for a change to show dominance and encourage him to make a mating-type move. Lana is doubtful that it will work, but it’s literally been three years of will-they won’t-they and frankly, she hopes that Tiber will show some desire before she kicks the bucket! The witch had foolishly forgotten to bring along a belt, and so the oversized pants keep slipping from her hips and sneaking towards her knees. Lanara hands a pair of enchanted gloves that the pair had purchased at the overpriced gift shop, “These should really keep us warm!” She’s already wearing her pair, as well as a pair of enchanted ankle socks that she hemmed and hawed over, until Tiber ‘loaned’ her the coin. “I’m so excited! The sky is going to be all kinds of colors! And don’t forget to make you wish… Then! I can guide you through the steps so it comes true!” Ever the prankster, she takes a sip of hot cocoa, her chocolate hues glued to the lycan’s face to see if he’s still buying her story. A part of her feels an iota of guilt, and it registers that she truly loves him, because Lana never has second thoughts about pulling the wool over another’s eyes. Maybe she shouldn’t toy with the poor guy? Debating, she sits on the edge of her cot and waits for Tiber to finish getting ready before they step out into the frigid atmosphere to watch the northern lights.

Tiber almost felt an ease after dinner, but ‘Would You Rather?’ might have put him on a flirtier edge. He was still in the mind that Lanara was thinking of you-know-what. Thankfully, it was time for the sky lights to shine, and for wishes to be made. Tiber, please do not be the typical dude and wish for you-know-what. The man, in the meantime, changes into a brown, fur-lined parka, black pants, hiking snow boots. Underneath the layered parka is a mustard-colored knit sweater. The man did not need much, for his body temperature was abnormal, but he figured he would wear the layers for Lanara’s sake. Just in case she needed that good snuggle of warmth to lean into. The man is not really watching Lanara change for the sake of his male instinctual insanity, so he remains with his back turned to her. “Make a wish, perform three tasks, and bada bang bada boom, a wish comes true,” he smirks. Tiberius never really believed in wishes, nor any hopefulness. He played life as it was. Like a board game. Straight forward. Though, he knew Lanara liked fairy tales and dreams, and she was almost in the running pageant for Miss Optimistic--in his mind. The lycan then pivots when he is dressed and turns to face her as she remains sitting on the cot… eyes trail over her attire which lands on his pants. “Uh… my pants? Aren’t those a little… big? And I thought it was the jacket the woman was supposed to wear?” The pants almost swallow her frame whole. His face looks very twistedly confused before he scratches his head. “...need a belt?” With hesitance, he finally pivots, grabs her hand, and they wander off to the view of the northern lights.

Lanara frowns as Tiber scrunches his features in confusion, because Penelope seemed to really know what she was talking about, and the witch is running out of ways to get the lycan to notice that she has ‘needs’ he isn’t meeting. Maybe he only sees her as a roommate that he kisses and cuddles? Was she Nadine’s replacement? Should she sock him in the jaw like her friends suggested, as Catalian’s apparently like it rough? “Oh. Um.” Lana drops her head and looks at the baggy pants, an apology falling from her lush lips, “I just wanted to try something different...” The offer of a belt is met with a glare. Why is life so unfair?! Aunt Sharna was certain that Tiberius Lowell is her soulmate, yet he isn’t attracted in the least?! Thankfully, her hand is snatched and the two make their way outside, being met with a vicious burst of wind and below zero temperatures. Lana gulps some of the air and coughs, fully prepared to turn around and forget the light show, but it’s then that a rainbow glow falls on the area and everyone outdoors lifts their heads to take in the breathtaking sight. “Oh my Goddess!” Parting her lips in awe, Lana leads Tiber to a log bench a few feet from their igloo and she slides onto his lap to watch the show. It’s too cold to rest on the snow covered seat, and the lycan is naturally warm, so she hopes he doesn’t mind. “Look! It’s in the shape of a star! And over there… A heart!” She’s so giddy at seeing the sky light up in a myriad of colors that she forgets the prank, their nonexistent sex life, Alastor, the missing diary, and the fact that she only has so long to live. For now, she’s content to gaze upwards and get lost in the moment, with her arms tightly wrapped about her beloved’s strong shoulders. “I have never seen anything like this…It’s so beautiful.” Smiling, she gives Tiber a sidelong glance, “Admit it… You’re enjoying yourself tonight.”

Tiber is still wrapping his head around the term ‘different’. Did she think men’s pants were a turn-on? Was she still thinking that he was into men? That was a turn-off, but he keeps himself steady, so he can avoid the blows. At least for tonight. Hopefully. As they walk, her coughs have him gazing over her carefully. Was she okay? The burst of cool was different on his own lungs than her own, and with her fragility, it was no wonder the air burned the chest. The glows of the lights reflect in her eyes, and he slowly turns his head to gaze at the swarm of colors in the sky before staring back at her wonderstruck expression. A smile creeps cooly across his face, and the cold touches his cheeks to turn them an actual pink hue. The temperature -was- low, and he could not imagine how the witch might have felt, but his body still produces the heat that it needs to survive. Bestial instincts with a human coating. The man strolls over to sit on the log, and naturally opens his arms for her to sit on his lap. He wraps his arms around her waist before looking up to her pointing. Frostmaw. How had he not seen these lights before? The sky is so open and clear with color. The moment of enjoying an iced breath of life with… her. Silence rains over him and his features are awestruck. Not so much a smile, but his eyes absorbing the moment. There was serenity that washed over him and as she stared at him, he did a double-take. “... I am,” it was a slow confirmation. “I haven’t felt something so pure in a long time…” He admits, but his words are careful. “I haven’t seen you so clear in a long time,” he stares at her for a long moment. One sincere as his gaze sinks into her own. Lanara had been dealing with the dark tide for so long that it was nice to come face-to-face with a small silver-lining. “So… if you could have a wish, besides me, as you cheesily say, what would you wish for?”

Lanara catches Tiber staring and she easily spots the rare blush in his cheeks, which has her grinning from ear to tapered ear. He’s so handsome and she gets lost in his eyes for a few moments, enjoying the view of him, more so than the view of the heavenly show up above. His affirmation of having a wonderful time has her nodding, “I knew it! And… What do you mean by that?” He hadn’t seen her so ‘clear’ in a long time? Did he mean without makeup? Lana feels a little self-conscious and nervously begins to fidget with her hat and tugs on her loose long locks, “I’m a Witch, Babe! I can’t have a wish, remember?” She pauses and stops fixing her appearance, dropping her chin slightly as it in defeat, “If I -could- have a wish…” Lanara’s heart answers before the idea forms in her mind, and she has to take a long moment to edit the parts that could never be. Lanara’s wish is to marry Tiberius Lowell, to become his partner in life, his eternally beloved, and his wolfmate. She wishes them both to be immortal, or at the very least, to be in each other’s arms until they are old and gray and die from natural causes. Even if the lycan never says those three words, even if they never get beyond kissing, she would be okay with forever… As long as she didn’t lose Tiberius. “That’s a loaded question.” A nervous giggle escapes Lana and she knows that she’s stalling, but she also doesn’t want to be dishonest with the man of her dreams. “Um… I would wish for -us- to be together… Forever. But, I guess that’s not really allowed, either? Because it forces my wish on your free will, so I will settle on wishing for -us- living our lives to the fullest and enjoying each other for the time being." Lana's cheeks are a fiery shade of red from the cold and from a heated blush, but she leans in a little closer and fixes Tiber with a curious gaze, "If you could have -two- wishes, as I know you can't tell me your first wish because then it can't come true! So. If you could have a second wish tonight, what would you wish for?"

Tiber inhales before exhaling, “You’ve been in pain. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you glow and forget what happened in Kelvar.” His hands reach to rub her thighs to warm them before blowing on his fingertips. He stares up again before quirking a brow. “Witch or not, I’d like to know,” he says plainly. Like a little demand he cannot refrain from stating. Her nervous giggle has his neck creeping with a hint of red, but thankfully the shadows keep his flush easily contained and not noticeable. ‘Forever’. The man’s expression is now unreadable, for the words of ‘forever’ had him reflecting on the books of lycanthrope. Did she really want him to change her? Was that what was on her mind? Forever. She wanted him forever, and although he could not promise the thought of immortality, he wanted to be with her too. Even if his mind was still bouncing on the idea of marriage or not. “You’re not forcing it on my free will because… I don’t see me pushing you away. I want you by my side as much as you want me. Forever? I can’t promise because time is the only thing that tells that. Life is unpredictable.” He answers her, but he sort of brushes a hand hesitantly against her cheek. “And a second wish…?” The man sort of scratches his head. Perhaps his first wish was for her to be free of suffering; whole again, for his brother had been put on the back-burner all this time. Why should he drag that dead horse? Perhaps that should be down the line of wishes still. “Tonight. A second wish. Well, I have plenty of wishes,” he sort of looks her up and down seductively. A teasing grin, but still in the back of his mind, he was wondering about the pants she was wearing. The turn-off pants. “My second wish is for you to trust me even if you don’t know where you will fall. Where we will fall. Just know, I will catch you.” It was true. Immortal or not, forever or not, he loved her. He cared for her. Her feelings. Her wholeness.

Lanara glances away when Tiber mentions her pain, the past that will forever haunt her dreams and waking moment, from that fateful year spent in Kelvar. “I will tell you everything about my time there… I -have- to and I promise that soon you will know everything. But, I don’t want to tarnish tonight with something ugly. This moment is too beautiful to ruin, and you’re right… I have been hurting.” Would he feel differently for her if he knew that she killed her daughter? Locked up Kelvar for many years, in order to kill off the vampire population that overthrew the elven kingdom? Somehow, Lanara knows that she can trust Tiber with her secrets, and his next statement has her eyes shimmering with tears and reflecting the lights up above, “I do trust you, Tiber. You don’t have to ‘wish’ for my trust, my love, my devotion, or anything like that… You can have me for however much left of forever we have.” The words are breaking her heart, as she knows ‘forever’ is about two weeks away. Lana looks as though she’s about to cry, but all that rubbing on her thighs and those seductive looks are making her think that perhaps Tiber’s wish is a tad more primal and she’s eager to tear off those 'turn off' pants and see where the night takes them. But with 'trust' comes honesty, and so she leans in and flicks her tongue against Tiber's lips, before passionately pressing her mouth against his in a long, slow, teasing kiss. As it ends, she slowly pulls back, "I was going to prank you... Make you streak in the snow, eat some yellow snow, bust into other igloos... But, I don't have the heart to prank someone that I am so head over heels in love with, so... Why don't we move this indoors? Maybe I can grant another wish... Or... We can play another word game if you want... Only one word answers are allowed, and all must be answered!" Lana snuggles closer on his lap and looks up at the sky for a few more moments, letting Tiber decide how to proceed. She had worn his pants and hinted at possibly granting a lustful wish, and so the cards were in his hand.

Tiber gives her a solemn gaze. A gaze of sympathy at her pain, for Tiberius was starting to empathize with the witch. Feel her struggles, and he wanted to feel them. He wanted to be there. The first time he wanted to be there for anyone and take away their pain. Her eyes glimmer, and there is a nervousness that she is, in fact, going to cry, however. That was one thing he hated. Although he wanted to hold her through her struggles, the crying had been the one thing that threw him in a whirlwind. Tiberius Lowell was not used to tears, and adjusting to her own would take time. As Lanara, however, says that she trusts him, there was a bond and a swelling that touched his heart. A foreign twist. Why is she sad? Sad that she loves him so much? Was this what women did? Cry with love? Should he have cried? Should he not say he loves her back if he is not reflecting those emotions? Tiberius Lowell had never loved anyone. Though, soon, almost-tears come with lustful kissing, and the man could feel the heat in their breath. Passionate. Breathless as he drank her in. Then, the prank. He tilts his head. “Rude,” he says flatly. “You’re crude,” there was a stoic stare for a moment. How amused she would be to see him eat yellow snow. “Yeah, thing is if I ate the yellow snow, guess whose lips I’d be kissing?” He smirked. “You’re gross.” Then, her lustfulness is evident. Tiberius Lowell is finally catching the hint, people, as she snuggles into him. Hands slowly slip to glide onto her waist, over her curves, down to her mid-thighs again. His breath runs against one of her ears, “I have a few ways we could keep warm,” pause. He pulls back. “Guess someone is inviting me in on the first date. So scandalous, Miss Banks,” the charming blonde with the wicked grin slowly begins to push her off of him before grabbing her hand to tug her back across the flatland of snow to the igloo. Tiberius Lowell was going to play his lucky hand.

Lanara is thrilled that Tiber is -finally- catching onto the fact that she wants to take things to the next level, as it had taken him a rather long time. The witch wasn't used to making the first move, not because she is a novice to pleasure, but because she thinks it unladylike. Besides, every woman wants to feel -wanted- when they are laying with their lover! As she's gently shooed off of Tiber's lap, she feels the blush in her cheeks spreading through her body, and she huskily replies, "I have never kissed on the first date, let alone done much more... Yet, I'm willing to make an exception for you, Mr. Lowell." It's true, Lana could count on one hand the amount of men she had offered her body to, in nearly two hundred years. Most in the lands favored promiscuity, but Lana prefers to truly trust and care for her partner. (Save for that one night with Desparrow that ended with the witch pregnant!) As they enter the igloo, Lana quickly steps out of Tiber's turn off pants, and slips from her jacket. Slowly, she removes her hat, gloves, boots, socks, scarf, and other gear that had aided in warmth. It's a painstakingly slow process with all of the layers, and the witch is growing a tad shy. Should she make a move? Wait for him to show her his ways of keeping warm? Maybe he just wanted to play a word game? Lanara, eventually, is in nothing more than a pair of leggings and a tank top, and she stares wide-eyed at Tiber. Was this his FIRST time?! Should she ask if he was truly ready? Why was this suddenly awkward? "We should put the cots together, right?" Lanara knows how to be sexy and in this moment she's more fumbling girl-next-door than sassy siren, and she's internally cringing at her attempts. It had been a while since the woman had been intimate with anyone. "You -do- want this... Right?" Nervously, Lana glances over at Tiber as she's bending to lock the two cots. She's hopeful that he desires her as much as she desires him, but she won't force the matter.

Tiber pulls her into the igloo and then she begins to shed layers. The moment was here, and the man is patient as he stares at her figure. Leggings and a tank-top. The man normally had been quick about getting to the point with other women, but with the witch before him, it was different. She was delicate, and he wanted to watch her every move. He slowly slides off his coat, shoes, and the mustard colored sweater. He is bare-chested. Broad. A few scars that marked his chest and back. He lingers in his black pants, and watches her. The Catalian slowly begins to walk to close the distance between them. There is no embarrassment. No hesitation. Confidence, patience, and lust. Tiber reaches out to almost pull her to him to make the next move, but then she is wide-eyed and hesitant. He catches her timid gaze, and that brings up the red flags. Really, the question of pushing the cots together threw him off his game. Her lack of confidence. Had she not wanted this? The witch carries a weight, and it thickens the air in the chilled room. Especially when she asks him to make sure he wants this. He stares at her and his face moves to the side as honey eyes try to read her. Was she scared that he was going to hurt her? Had she not been with anyone since Desparrow? Was she saving herself with her last fiance? “You’re questioning me,” he says slowly and carefully with this observation. She continues to lock those two cots together, and he does not move from his stance where he was about to bring her into him. The sirens were going off in his head now, for really, he just did not want to hurt this girl. The one woman that he did not want to hurt which was not the sleazy street Tiber Cenrilian women have come to know.

Lanara stands up straight, a little breathless, as the mechanism on the cots was tricky and took longer than expected. As Tiber is eyeing her figure, he’d be pleased to see that Lana had gained a few pounds since being back in the lands, and her curves had nearly returned to their flawless design. She is staring at his bare chest now, wanting so very much to trail her fingertips over every sculpted inch of his form, and her breath hitches as he looks at her as though she’s a flight risk. “No… I mean… Okay, so, it’s like this…” Lanara is beyond mortified that they are spending all this time talking about -it- instead of doing the deed, and she begins to nervously twirl the ends of her elbow-length locks. “I just… Khitti and Meri and Penny all gave me advice and I have been using their tips, but you never wanted to have sex with me. And, we sleep side by side every night, we have been together off and on for three years, and you -know- I want to take things to the next level. But you never made a move, and so then I questioned if you were maybe into men? Because you did use my entire jar of concealer! So… Now, I’m just wondering if maybe you’re a virgin?” She is speaking so fast that she fights to catch a breath before she continues, “I just don’t think you -want- me in that way… Maybe you aren’t attracted. Or maybe I turn you off in some way. You don’t want to hurt my feelings, so you’ve never made a move, or taken advantage when I tried to make a move. So… That’s why I want to know if you -really- want this, and want -me- in this way.” Embarrassed beyond belief, Lana lowers her head and mentally kicks herself as she continues, “I don’t feel confident because I haven’t felt that you wanted things to heat up, ever.” A quick glance is given to Tiber, to see if he hasn’t fled the igloo, “I never got any complaints or hesitation from any of my exes, and I just want to make sure that we are on the same page. Because… I -really- do want this with you, and it’s not just ‘sex’ to me.” Nothing was ‘just’ anything with Tiberius Lowell, as the man is quite literally her soulmate, even if they haven’t touched on that subject yet. Will Tiber reject her? Is he angry? Did he still want to touch, to taste, to be one with the woman? “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill the mood. Let’s just go back outside and watch the sky and then we can reenact it and start from there?”

Tiber :: With Lanara’s words, it felt like a hammer clinking into his brain. Her mortification has him stone-like and stoic. He just stares at her with an expressionless gaze now as she word vomits all over him. Several things swirl through his mind, the fact that Khitti, Meri, and the hippie chick all know about their relationship details. Sven forbid what Talyara knew on top of that if three of Lanara’s best friends knew. Next, the man is now pinching his nose with his fingers when she mentions him liking men again, and then that he was a virgin on top of that. Tiberius Lowell. She thought him of all men had not been with a woman? His eyes are now closed in almost a moment of pain, and right now would be the worst moment to go through the details of his past life. Eventually those fingers drop and he is observing the Kelvarian again who clearly is rose flushed and feeling way too self-conscious. Tiber, on the other-hand, has a face clear as day as he listens to her. A very firm stare as he holds an elbow with the other arm and the other hand scratching the stubble on his chin. The man cannot touch base on everything that she is saying to him, for all that he can really think is… Crap. The oblivious blonde had been distant from afar to make sure that he was not on the verge of breaking her. The outcome? He is somehow imaginarily into men and he is a virgin in her head--the pants made sense. That must have been the hippie on that one because both Khitti and Meri were married or had been. With the stoic stare he gives Lanara, he lets her suffer in that silence for a moment as he just blinks at her. Lanara knew him, the man was not a talker, but only one who absorbed the moment and processed things around him. Then, as she begins to apologize and talk of ‘killing the mood’ and ‘starting over’, an instant step is given her way, and he is striding towards her. Not menacing, but one of need, one of control, one of impulse. With a stance of something to prove, a hand would reach up and attempt to cup her face to pull her in to press his lips against hers. His tongue running against her lower lip in the proof of clear want. Heated breath. Heated lust. With a quick brush, he would even move to sweep her off her feet if she would give into that kiss, and if that were the case, he would place her down on the cot before laying down with her. With that sweep of motion, it was only clear what the answer was--Tiberius Lowell had clearly wanted and yearned for Lanara Banks.

Lanara thinks she has royally messed up their little romantic getaway and Tiber’s silence during her speech is terrifying. Why isn’t he saying that she had it all wrong? Assuring her that he finds her desirable? Had she misjudged their entire relationship? The witch is about to offer another apology, or possibly accuse Tiber about being into something other than men and makeup, when the lycan takes a predatory step towards her and she sees that familiar longing in his gaze. As his hand presses against her cheek, Lana leans into his palm, her lips parting on their own accord as she accepts that kiss. Once their tongues touch and the kiss deepens, the male literally sweeps her off her feet and lays her on the cot, only to lay at her side. Their gazes lock, and he will see that any earlier woes are long from those bedroom brown eyes, as the witch is giving into her instinctual wants and needs. It had been too long that she’d gone without being touched, and it had been a constant craving to feel Tiber’s skin flush against her own. Her hands roam over Tiber’s bare upper half, nails lightly clawing at his back as if this slight touch isn’t enough, and she gently nips his lower lip as she moves nearer to his form. She doesn’t want even an inch between their bodies, as she nibbles on Tiber’s jawline and moves downwards to his neck and shoulder. He can feel her smile against his skin as she teasingly taunts, “So… I take it that you would rather do this than play a word game?” Those are the only words she plans on speaking for the rest of the night, as she tugs the male closer and her fingers become lost in his hair and her lips remain pressed against the male’s in a lustful embrace.

Tiber eases when she connects against him and follows his lead. The man knew, now, he could take his time with her again. The lycan really looks at the woman before him on the cot, amber eyes staring into chocolate hues that were partially shadowed by the dim light of the igloo. Lips collide with a lustful, playful intensity while his hand searches her frame over different parts of her curves. Her nails sent tremors down his spine in the moment, and their bodies collided closer, and his lips slowed down at her words before he smiled. “You are such a dork. I mean, if you would rather play a word--” and then he is cut off as she pulls him back in which he does not put up a fight against it, for he wanted her. To be lost within her. To finally have the opportunity of vulnerability, lust, and love until the two fell into an oblivion of sleep in the igloo under the tide of colorful northern lights.