Private Endless Night | Rexanne Renoux

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

The night was cool. It always was on Jaemus. Raze still scolded himself for his part in what was going on in the forest each night. Had he not stumbled upon his mentor training with Rexanne Renoux he would certainly be getting a lot more sleep at night. He had lost the man prematurely. War had taken a lot from every house, and it certainly demanded all the more from the Justicars. Raze knew this, and he still lived out the creed, loyalty to house above all.

It was what made being out so late with Roxy dangerous. Ulysses had not wanted his daughters training to be Justicars. Knowing how to fight should they need to was one thing. Roxy was not content with knowing how to defend herself. She wanted to know the art of war, and the finesse with which a Justicar took a life in the name of their patriarch.

They were some ways from the Ironhold and Duke Renoux’s palace. They could not risk being caught. While Roxy may get away with little punishment, Raze would likely pay with his life for defying the Duke. He was well aware that everytime he met with Roxy it was against his oath, but he had also promised his own mentor that he would finish her training. Besides, it was not the greatest of his betrayals to his oath.

His feelings for the woman were.

Each night Raze came dangerously close to letting his guard down further than what was wise. Even their previous training session with the rest of the Justicars had seen him stealing glances when he was certain she was not looking. She was the type of woman who likely knew anyhow, but still he said nothing.

“I take it you had no problem slipping your detail?”

The question came as he heard the familiar rustling of the foliage around the clearing where they trained. It was a testament to her skill that the Justicars assigned to her were unaware of her nocturnal activities. Ulysses had demanded his daughters have the best, and Raze could not ignore that order. He still answered to the Prime, and even he was unaware of what the two of them were doing. At least Raze was sure of it.

He stood from where he had been meditating, or at least pondering their training session for the night. Raze had told Rexanne it would be a longer session than usual, which meant they had little time to waste. There were certain lessons she needed to learn now that the houses were at peace. This was new territory for them all, but the soldier did not expect it to last. Still, keeping the peace on Jaemus would feel like a vacation. It would also have its unique challenges, which was what they had to prepare for.

“Now that it is finally just us… what do you make of what has transpired in recent weeks?”

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

HEAVY IS THE CROWN​

Her father just loved making life difficult for her.

Why did she have to have the best detail? It wasn't like she was inept. Although, it wasn't like her father really knew what she really was capable of. So she probably shouldn't blame him for sticking some security on her.

It was just difficult shaking them, sometimes.

But she'd managed it.

Raze had managed to tell her earlier that it would be a longer session, so dallying wasn't exactly an option. She wasn't the only one not getting a lot of sleep with this. How long had it been since he had taken over her training from the old man? She'd lost count. But it was paying off.

She slinked through the woods toward their usual meeting place, her mind running away from her some. Yes, they had been training for a quite a while now, but somewhere it had become a bit more than just mentor and mentee. By all intents and purposes, it was just that, but under the surface lurked the truth and it seemed neither of them had the courage to speak it out loud.

It was probably better that way. It was extremely dangerous territory for them to just train like this already. Anything more would just be inviting trouble with open arms. It made her hate her position in the House that much more.

A gilded cage.

Not even free to admit her feelings to someone that is not of nobility.

Her face was set in hard lines as she approached the clearing, but softened slightly as she looked ahead. She could see the moonlight shine onto his tall frame through the trees. It made her heart even heavier that she couldn't even openly admire the scene. Not that he gave her a chance, anyway.

“I take it you had no problem slipping your detail?”

She moved through the underbrush into the clearing, trying to shove those thoughts way back into her mind.
"Not at all. It's not like they watch my windows 24/7." she told him as she approached. "And don't you dare tell them to, or I'll take your head myself." she added with a teasing smirk.

“Now that it is finally just us… what do you make of what has transpired in recent weeks?”

The smirk slid from her face like water from a duck. She looked away from him as her nose wrinkled in disgust.
"I don't know who they are trying to convince that there's peace - the populace or themselves." she said. Then she looked back at him. "The collateral is opening trade routes." She laughed cynically. "It's volatile, this peace. A single spark and the whole keg blows. And my brother was stupid enough to fall into the dragonspawn's painted clutches instead of doing his duty, placing this entire House at risk." She closed her eyes as she turned away from him and drew a deep breath to calm herself, hands on her hips. Her mind was a maelstrom of worry. And of all of it, there were two things she feared, even above war.

One of them, she had courage enough to ask, albeit barely.

"Raze, did my father have Lord Draco killed?" she asked him softly as she still faced away from him, hoping the words wouldn't actually reach him.

It could get them both killed if the wrong person heard it..

 

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

"Why would I tell them to look into your window at every hour? If anyone is going to be doing that…" Raze stopped himself before he said anything that would cross whatever unspoken line the two of them had created.

Neither of them said anything about what the sessions had become. While Raze was spreading himself thin, he had come to look forward to their nightly training sessions as the best part of his day. He should not have allowed himself to get that place. There were certainly other women among the Justicars who would have made for a suitable match to keep his affections away from Rexanne Renoux.

"You know if I gave you a lazier detail your father would know, the prime would know. You just have to continue being creative in slipping them so they do not catch on."

She was capable of it. The banter between them faded with his next questions however. Peace was a topic they had to discuss at some point, and he knew Rexanne would see it as she did. Raze was simply giving her the outlet to express her thoughts so that holding them in when she had to would be easier.

Her question came as a surprise, and yet, it did not. This time his smile faded. His usual stoic expression took its place as the Justicar took several steps closer to the auburn haired woman. He could see the curiosity in her eyes. The moon was reflected in it all, but even the beauty of it, her beauty, could not hide the desperate need to know the answer. Roxy wanted the truth, and she did not want to be shielded from it. Raze knew that better than anyone.

"No."

It was a short answer, precise and quick. The truth was Raze had no knowledge that House Renoux was behind it. That meant they were not. Had Ulysses given the order for it only four people would have known. Raze was one of them, because the task would have been his to oversee in order to keep the Spy Master and Prime innocent of such things. Raze would have been the scapegoat.

"It would have fallen to me, and I can assure you we had nothing to do with it."

Raze hoped his answer would give her some form of peace. For himself, it generated more questions, and put him on higher alert than was normal. He did his best to not let it show, but the pair had trained with each other too long to miss even the most subtle of changes in body language.

"Peace will put us in more danger than war. At least with war you know what to expect. This will invite threats and enemies we have never faced. We must be ready for what we cannot anticipate or expect."

It was also a time for them to be honest with each other, but on that matter Raze remained silent for now. Everything was so fragile about their new situation. He could not be the reason House Renoux was put at jeopardy, yet the newfound peace was just the disruption their old way of life needed. He was torn, and Rexanne would see it.

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

HEAVY IS THE CROWN​

There was little that they could hide from one another.

She had picked up on him nearly crossing their unspoken line and he had picked up on her deep worry.

She could feel his approach and she turned to face him, incapable of hiding her desperation for the truth from him as she looked up at him.

"No. It would have fallen to me, and I can assure you we had nothing to do with it."

Relief washed over her in such a crashing wave, that she exhaled the breath that she didn't know she was holding, in a shaky rush as her head rested briefly against his armoured chest.
"Thank you." she said as she stepped back, a handle on her composure once more.

She looked at him properly then and saw the tenseness in his face and frame.
"What is it?" she asked.

"Peace will put us in more danger than war. At least with war you know what to expect. This will invite threats and enemies we have never faced. We must be ready for what we cannot anticipate or expect."

She drew her fingers through her hair as she tried to comprehend what he was saying.
"How do you prepare for what you can't yet see other than honing our skills even more? You and I both know that when a threat does arise, it will be a knife in the dark, not upfront. Poison in my father's food, a handmaiden driving a knife into my sister's heart while she gets dressed." She shuddered. "I'd rather be on the frontlines than sit with this uncertainty, fear and crumbling trust." She wasn't some fair court lady that could deal with that. She hated subterfuge with a burning passion.

Her heart was heavy as she paced in front of him. Her walls had started crumbling now that she had the opportunity to speak some of her mind to someone she trusted.
"I envy you, Raze." Some of the truth leaked from the cracks before she could stop it. But it was out there now. "You can't be used as bargaining chip..." A shaky breath. "You're more free than I will ever be." she then said softly. I can't even act on my feelings for you...hung unspoken in the air. This move towards peace has shaken her courage greatly and had started chipping away at her strength of will.

She hated it.

She drew in a deep breath to try calm herself. To try to get rid of the hopelessness she felt - that was weighing her down ever since the peace talks. There was a constant knot between her shoulderblades now. The only time it receded, was when she was driven hard during training by the man in front of her. But afterwards, in her bed, it would all come flooding back and knot again. And by looking at him now, she realised she wasn't the only one struggling with everything. They both needed to come clean about their troubles - trust one another, as they couldn't trust anyone else - or the weight of it all would drag them both down during their daily duties.

But how do you say it out loud?

 

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

The more they talked about the challenges ahead of them the more Raze could feel the tension building between them. It was a constant dance of what they did and did not allow. Even as Roxy laid her head on his chest for the briefest of moments, the warrior fought with every ounce of his strength to keep his arms still. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and hold her close. It was the one place he knew he could keep her the safest.

But it would have been wrong…

…or so they continued to convince themselves.

All they could do was keep training. Rexanne was correct that the best they could do was to perfect their skills to the point that nothing could harm them. Still, it was the unknown, the things they did not know which posed the biggest threat to them. Even that was a lie. The thing which threatened them more than anything else was the secret they harbored, the thing they silently agreed to never discuss.

Raze cleared his throat, and yet said nothing. How was he supposed to answer her envy? Did she truly envy him, and if she did, why? Roxy knew Raze was not truly free. His life was bound by duty to another, to a house and a Duke. The privileges Rexanne enjoyed were foreign to the Justicar. While Ulysses Renoux provided his warriors with clothing, armor, food, and shelter, they could not simply come and go as they wished. His prison may not have been the same as those of the noble daughter, but it was a prison nonetheless.

“...and you will never be used as a scapegoat for the misdeeds of your father.”

Had it been anyone else, Raze would not have uttered the words. There was a safety and comfort with Roxy that Raze did not feel with anyone. He knew his sentiments would remain between them. It was why the blonde warrior should have been able to trust her with his feelings for her, to vocalize them. They would endanger her, however, and in his own mind he was protecting her by keeping them to himself.

Yet, just as well as he could read her, she could read him.

They both knew.

They both said nothing.

“My prison is one of my own making,” he finally said, venturing even closer to a confession. “At this moment I am free to reach out and take the one thing I want. No one would know. Yet, like a coward I hide behind the demands of duty as teacher and protector.”

It was the closest Raze had ever come to expressing what he had wanted to so many times. He could have lingered on it, but he did not. Rather he called his weapon to his hand.

“I believe Aito was right. If I am going to treat you like the others, I should train you like the others. No dummies, no drones, just me.”

He grinned.

“Best me if you can.”

Raze was changing the subject. It was up to Rexanne if it would work.

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

HEAVY IS THE CROWN​

“...and you will never be used as a scapegoat for the misdeeds of your father.”

The words hit her like a fist to the gut. He was right, of course. They both had their shackles.
"You're right. I'm sorry." she sighed. They could always give each other brutal honesty - save for one thing.

But then he surprised her by venturing to the edge.

“My prison is one of my own making. At this moment I am free to reach out and take the one thing I want. No one would know. Yet, like a coward I hide behind the demands of duty as teacher and protector.”

His words left her almost breathless. She felt both hot and cold at the same time.
"Raze..." but even as she started, he summoned his weapon as if shoving aside what he had said.

His taunt sparked an anger within her - anger and hurt. In answer, she jumped forward, her own training weapon jumping into her hand just in time to clash against his.
"Duty?" Her voice was frigid, yet he'd be able to see the hurt in her grey eyes in the moonlight. "That's it?" Just as she had done during the training exercise, she allowed the Force to flow through her, highlighting strike lines for her. Ducking low, in one movement, she spun around him and struck toward his kidneys before continuing to move, expecting him to keep moving as well. "Why not let Aito lift your burden?"

She kept dancing. She was smaller, lighter than he was. Yet, she knew how he could move as well. So she wafted like air, striking at a leg, an opening to the midsection, parrying, in and out, back and forth. Trying to allow the physical exertion to chase away the hurt, the unfairness of the entire situation.

Why did it have to be him that had stumbled on her training all that time ago?

 

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

He felt the pain in her gaze. Whether it was because he had hurt her, or the situation caused the injury, it did not really matter. Duty demanded he hold her at arm's length, and yet he was already hiding their training. He should have refused her, and yet his duty and loyalty to his own mentor saw him risking everything. If only that was the reason he continued. It would have been easier to end it if it were. They both knew why he did not, and they both knew it was not duty.

Raze turned to meet her blade as she struck for his kidneys. They had sparred long enough that he anticipated the fight to be quick. She relied on her size and agility as an asset, which they were. He could not move as fast as she could, so his challenge was defending against her aggression with minimal movement.

"It is not a burden he could carry."

The burden was because of his feelings, not because he stumbled upon Roxy and his mentor training in the woods that night. His desire to ensure she was safe, combat ready, fully trained, and cared for, was a result of the love that had grown for her over time.

She continued to strike, and Raze continued to defend. Her words seemed to strike him harder, penetrating the armor which he wore to keep from letting her past his defenses. Perhaps the new paradigm of peace had left Raze spread thin, but the more they fought the more he found himself getting tired of holding it all at bay.

"What would you have me do," he asked as his blade came overhead, crashing down toward hers.

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

HEAVY IS THE CROWN​

Back and forth.

Not just with blades, but with words, dancing ever closer to the edge. Giving and taking. And ever was the clash of blades to accompany the ever fraying tension that had been built up to a dangerous place for a long time.

She knew what he meant when he said that another Justicar couldn't take over training her. And the selfish part of her didn't want anyone else to take up the mantle. This was their space, their time. For the longest time they had simply been content with these training sessions, never speaking about their feelings. But it had become ever more difficult and it was as if the sudden shift toward peace had crashed into that unspoken wall, sending cracks all over it and since then, it had been crumbling - fast. And with that crumbling came frustration and anger.

Their blades met with an intensity that was out of ordinary for them.

Him wanting to stay put in the training he was giving her, had her striking at him with a vehemence with each movement she made. His blade was fast, but because of size, his movements were limited. In their dance, she used that against him as she struck high then low, then at impossible angles for him to reach without moving.

Until that overhead.

Being far bigger and stronger than she was and with his ability to catch her offguard with it everytime, she had no choice to try and meet his blade as it came crashing, both hands on her hilt. His words drove his blade down harder than it usually would come down.

"What would you have me do,"

The strike coming down onto her blade had her staggering backwards. Breathing heavily, she watched him, her arms pins and needles.
"I would not have you do anything." she told him. Then she jumped forward once more with a diagonal strike that he would likely meet. "It would be nice, though, if you could at least be fully honest with me." Her blade would change direction at the last second, when she was sure he took the bait, to arc toward his neck, stopping an inch from it.

Chest heaving from the exertion, she stepped back.

"I don't want to be just a duty to you."

The honesty was raw.

The overhead had broken down the last resistance she had.

 

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

The fight was something Raze could get lost in. There was something about the purity of combat which washed the weight of life away. When Raze focused on the battle in front of him the others fell away. If this one had been a single battle perhaps he would have not been pulled back to the reality that the one thing he expected to never change was. This time the fight brought them both to edge of their unspoken truth, and it seemed both were about to fall off the ledge.

At least they would fall together.

Raze moved to parry her attack as the words landed on his ears and stabbed him in the heart. Did she truly think he saw her as his duty? It caused him to make a mistake. He should have known she would attempt to deceive him with her movements. Raze should have anticipated it. As the heat of her training weapon came precariously close to his throat he relented.

"I never said you were my duty, but that duty is what I hide behind."

He had managed to bring his weapon close to her. His mistake would have cost him his life, but her need to press closer would cost hers as well. Raze tapped her waist with his training blade. The small spark of heat and energy would tell her that while she would have relieved him of his head, he would have cut her in half.

A sigh escaped him as he let his blade fall and retreat to the cylindrical hilt. He slowly placed the weapon on his belt. His eyes never left hers, even as he took 2 steps back. She wanted honesty, and Raze had to weigh the risk of letting her have it. Their dynamic would change the minute either one of them spoke what they already knew to be reality. As long as they said nothing, nothing would be different, yet with everything around them changing, the security of their lie was beginning to fail them.

Her vibrant eyes demanded an answer. She would not be content with letting him brush her request for honesty aside with some platitude that would allow the strength of their silence to hold. Raze looked away, unable to bear the weight of the moment. He was going to give in, but it struck him that he could face an army without flinching, but here he still looked for a way to hide.

There was much at stake once the truth was uttered.

"You would have me cast aside the lie which keeps us safe to embrace the truth that would only put everything we hold dear at risk? I have never seen you as my duty, only as my joy. There is something within you that is fierce and demanding, something even the best of our warriors lack. I do not come here at night to train you. I come here to be with you. Even if the fight is all we can have, I would rather cling to it and have some you, then have none of you at all."

Raze could have said more, but had likely said more than what would have been wise. If he was being honest with her, then his hope was she would be with him as well. That was the risk, after all. Enough had been spoken they would never be able to go back to their silent retreat. They would either agree they could never speak of it again, or it would propel them even closer to a place they could never return from.

Her response would determine what happened next.

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

VENEFICIUM​

Once again an impasse.

Both with blades and words. They were both dead in battle. And they both fell over the edge.

As they watched one another, the silence worked like a double-edged sword. The exertion of their spar, as it settled on her, had cleared her mind at least a bit. They both needed to air some things, but the truth - the real truth - was far more dangerous.

But Rexanne was still her father's daughter.

She always teetered on the edge of danger. It's where she felt most alive. Most free. She lived in that twilight zone. But would revealing the truth allow her to continue living on the edge, or would it set things in motion that would change everything?

Yet, it seems, Raze's resistance crumbled faster than hers.

His confession came as close to the truth as any one of them dared. It hit her in the gut harder than any crushgaunt ever could. To him, she showed her true face, not hidden behind masks and visors. And right now, all fires within died down at his revelation. If only for a moment.

He said it without saying it.

Her blade retracted into the hilt and then hung uselessly in her hand as they stood paces apart, both breathing heavily, weighing up the consequences. No matter which way they turned, a sword hung over their heads. How do you hide something that was pushed into the open? It was impossible. Due to her blood, she would get off light, but he'd be sentenced to death. And that was something she could not abide with. Like him, she would rather have at least something than nothing at all.

But for how long would they be able to hide it?

Her blade sprung to life again, but her eyes were on the ground.
"How different would it be if we actually said it? We're already toeing the line." she said, still not looking at him. Her mind raced. What she said next would define their way forward. Did she want to risk it? But what living was there in the shadows?

Her grey eyes found his blue ones.
"What is it that we do best?" she asked him instead, one soldier to another. Her heart was in a knot, not sure where to go. But the tactician that came from the blood of Renoux, took the wheel. She was far more calm than she had been since she had stepped into the clearing. The Galaxy could implode, but right now there were two combatants that didn't know how to express their emotions. A battle that needed a conclusion.

He wanted to overthink it? She could play that game.
She sprung to action again. The blade struck at his legs.
"We conquer obstacles." she answered for him as her blade arced toward to his midriff in one fluent motion. "You want to keep this bubble of normalcy?" Her blade once more arced to the left and towards his neck. "Then we keep it." It changed direction, instead heading to his kidneys as she twisted. Then, she blasted a pulse from the Force into his great body. "But in this clearing, it's us." She expected him to recover from that and meet her blade in time. He was a battle-hardened warrior after all.

Yet, she halted her attack.

"This is the one place you and I have." she said. The blade retracted to its hilt, to return to her belt. "If you and I can't trust one another here, how can I trust you to keep me and my family safe when tribulation comes?" she asked him as she stepped back. Yet she could still feel the heat wafting from his training saber.

From him - his body. It was like a drug.

She loved him. She truly did. Their trust transcended one of Lady and protector. Yet, she cared for her family just as much. Her brother, her sister, Ressa. Her father. Ulysses controlled all their lives, but he didn't do it do it in such a way that she could resent or resist him for it. He hadn't done anything yet to her, personally, that could warrant her devotion or desertion. He was a target as the head of House. That was it. But she loved her father, despite all their political differences.

But that wasn't the main focus between her and Raze. It was them - the two combatants.

She should stop hiding.

As she retreated from him physically , her truth lashed out, ever so gently.
"You are my normal." Those four words would define her. Spoken softly, almost reverently, barely audible. "You are who I want to be." she added just as softly. It hurt her more than any physical wound to say the words. But Rexanne pushed through.

She knew she would cross the line.

But she stepped forward with resolve, nonetheless.

"We don't have to talk about it again." Her voice was definite. The green flecks returned to the grey of her eyes. "But you are my heart." Her final honesty...for the moment.

Once more, she jumped forward with her her training blade - both an escape and a curse, but with vehemence nonetheless.

 

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

His words hung in the air between them for what seemed like an eternity. Both of them simply looked at each other, chests heaving from their exertion and the weight of what they were about to confess. Their eyes were locked, until they were not. Roxy looked away as she weighed her response.

The question came with a factual statement. It was though she answered her own inquiry. Raze knew better. Toeing the line was not the same as crossing it. They could live with that, unchanged. Were they caught now, Raze would be punished, but his life would be safe. If they crossed the line and Ulysses discovered it, that would be the end. Rexanne knew his prison in this matter had a secure lock, one they would never be able to replace if they chose to cut through it.

Her blade came alive again as she spoke, this time luging for his legs. It seemed she could not say what she wanted without fighting. Fine. Raze would meet her in this battle and would parry and counter everything she threw at him.

He leaped over the first strike, bringing his blade down to block her second. An upward slash kept the heat of her blade away from his neck for a second time. It would not save him from feeling the wall of force energy which moved him several meters. His recovery had to be quick to counter the final attack. Their blades locked and held for another eternity before Roxy pulled away.

Their struggle was over it seemed, at least this one, for now.

“You know I would do anything for you and your family, even if we did not have this space,” he answered, his blade recalled once more. “That is not what troubles you, because you already trust me.”

He was direct, but gentle. Raze knew she was trying to connect what happened in their space to what happened outside of it. She knew him better than that. They both trusted each other, and it was that faith which allowed them to train and remain silent. The confidence the other would remain silent was what ensured Raze would always be in the position to protect the house, to protect her.

“You are my normal.”

He stepped closer as she stepped away.

“You are who I want to be.”

Another step would bring them face to face as she reclaimed the ground she had retreated. His eyes almost pleaded with her to stop with that sentiment, but she did not. He closed his eyes as her final words danced across his ears. A truth that had been held silently between them had now been spoken aloud, and Raze felt the weight of it, and the need to respond.

She did not leave him the time as she jumped forward again. Her blade once again screamed to life. This time Raze would not engage. Stepping to the side he let her attack pass him by as a dome of force energy enveloped him. The barrier would protect him from whatever attacks she would attempt, the warrior choosing to let the woman tire herself of trying to break him down.

Could she not see she had already won?

“We do not have to avoid it anymore either,” he said once he was certain she had finished.

The force barrier came crashing down, and with purpose the Justicar stepped into Rexanne’s personal space.

“You have no reason to be me when the woman you are now is the woman that I want.” It was time for his own truth. “You have my heart. You have had it for some time now. That is why you know I will protect you and your family. It is why you know I would give my life if it meant you would live.”

Raze leaned in, stopping ever so close. His lips dared to push them further than their words could ever take them. It was one thing to admit what they had kept silent between them for so long and another to act on it. Rozy had been right about one thing. They were warriors. They conquered obstacles.

His lips would capture hers unless she countered his attack.

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

VENEFICIUM​

She had no fight left.

The vehemence died down faster than a candle being snuffed. Her strikes at the Force barrier got weaker every second. But he let her get it out. Until she just stood there, chest heaving as her arms hung uselessly at her sides. The blade retracted and returned to her belt as she looked at the ground.

Defeated.

When he spoke, her eyes found his again. He was just as defeated as she was. Their proverbial armours stripped completely away to leave two raw individuals that were too tired to avoid the omission that was keeping them both safe any longer. It was both a comfort and a curse that he didn't want to keep avoiding it. If his strength failed in this, what hope was there for her to resist?

And then he stood right in front of her.

His closeness and his words stripping away the last sliver of resistance she had. They wrapped around her like a warm blanket. She wanted nothing more than to disappear into the circle of arms, to allow his strength support what he was saying to her. She did take an involuntary step forward, closing the last of the space between them, when he beat her to it, disarming her with finality.

She could have resisted.

She should have.

They had passed the point of return.

But his warmth and the exertion of their very long fight had her meeting his lips. The weight of everything fell away in that one defining moment. Her hand rested on his strong chest as she melted into the kiss, the confusion and frustration channeled into sweet, releasing fire between them. Her vulnerability, that she only showed to him, got chased away by his enveloping strength. She felt small and safe with him and she knew this was where she belonged.

He was home to her.

She finally pulled away but remained standing where she was, breathless. She looked him in the eye then, the moss green flecks in hers shining brightly against the grey.
"I won't let you die. You hear me?" she told him. "Not without me. We're in this together." Her head rested against his chest again. She knew that she would get off lightly if they were ever caught, but she couldn't bear the thought of remaining in the mortal realm alone. It scared her.

She didn't want to think about the way forward. She wanted to remain here, in this warm bubble of peace, and not return to the real world where dangers were very real. They would have to be very very careful and that thought had her tired already.

"Can we stay here, please?" Softly, still against his chest.

 

[Raze]

H O U S E • R E N O U X​

Wearing: xxx
Tag: Roxy Renoux

She did not counter. Rexanne embraced him. This was the moment they had been fighting all night, and many nights before. Whether this was because of the newfound peace, or it had been their excuse to finally be honest, the night had worn them down. His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as she melted into him. His kiss was returned with another of her own, and for one timeless moment the warriors stood in each other's arms.

Rexanne was beginning to make promises as she pulled away. All Raze could do was shake his head. She knew that there was nothing she could do to control whatever outcome or consequences resulted from the decision they were making. Both of them were mature enough to understand that they had to accept what this meant, the reality of it, and the challenges crossing their unspoken line created.

Raze smiled as her head rested against him. His arms wrapped around her even tighter as though he had finally won something of great value that he refused to let go of. He closed his eyes as he breathed in the scent of everything around him. They were both tired of fighting, but at least one battle was finally over for them. The battle they now faced could wait for another day.

Tonight it was just them.

“We can stay, but you know this means we have to be even more diligent about being back on time.”

It was something that could have gone without saying were it not for the fact they ventured into a place where they could never get caught. Roxy knew it, but Raze had to say it.

“If you truly wish to keep me alive, you will never ask me to stay longer than what we know we can allow.”

This would be his only condition. What was now open between them had to remain a secret to everyone else. It meant there was a limit to their time and their space. The clearing was theirs for only the hours they religiously clung to. That was how they would stay safe, how they would not get caught.

Raze kissed her again as she began to unfasten her armor. If they were going to be open and vulnerable, if they were going to give in, if they were giving themselves over to each other, then Raze wanted all of her.

He broke his kiss.

“Promise me that you will be gone before sunrise.”

 

[Reggie Rau]

STORM
FOREST PLAIN | JAEMUS
TAG: Raze

CAUGHT IN THE FIRE​

It was a relief.

How long they have fought against it. And here they were. Finally. She wanted to be nowhere else and the way she was held told her that he wouldn't let her go.

Yet, reality had somehow found a way into the perfection.

He stated the obvious. They both knew it. But saying it aloud had her hold more tightly to him so as to chase the words away. But she nodded against his armour nonetheless. It was an unavoidable truth.

But then his condition.

She looked up at him, knowing the truth in his words. It was up to her to keep him alive. The weight of it scared her with a haunting intensity. Every moment had to count between them. The fear sparked a fire that raged through her. It had her meet his lips with an intensity and need to make it all count. To savour every moment like it would be their last.

Her hands had found the fastenings of his armour when he broke off the kiss briefly.

“Promise me that you will be gone before sunrise.”

Breathlessly she weighed the promise she was to make. The unfairness of the entire situation added anger to the already raging fire. But it was the only choice they had. The only choice she could make. The sacrifice to keep him alive. Fear and anger burned under her skin and boiled into her words.
"I hate it. But I promise." she told him. And she meant it. It was extremely important to remain careful.

They had only these moments. These few stolen hours. They had to be cherished and not risked. Not for the first time, did she wish that she wasn't the daughter of the Duke. That she was a normal person free to love who she wanted and not sneak around about it. The gilded cage restricted ever more around her. The danger that she put him in just because of who she was. The weight of it crushed down heavily on her.

And it fueled the fire.

She pulled him down to capture his mouth with hers once more, letting the burning rage between them. At least for tonight they could forget about the outside world.
"Just love me." she whispered against his lips as pieces of armour fell away.

The sword over their heads both ignored as well fueling them.