isleofavalon | Summer Sun, Something's Begun | July Catch-All

Entry tags:

Summer Sun, Something's Begun | July Catch-All | Open

🧙 WHO: Darin Altway and YOU
⚔️️ WHAT: July Catch-All with Open and Closed prompts
🕒 WHEN: Throughout July
🗺️ WHERE: All around Camelot! Quests and shenanigans ahoy!
⚠️ WARNINGS: Some ridiculousness? Some fluff? Will update as necessary!

🛡️ SHIELD SUMMER FEVER! 🛡️ - OPEN

[Darin always felt bad for the people who could get sick. Back home, his powers prevented him from falling ill, even to such banal things as a summer cold. But he did have experience as a gofer for his town's doctor, as well as doing errands and chores for the people who fell ill. So, this job was right up his alley.]

[One thing he knew for sure, when you're under the weather, nothing beats a good laugh.]

[With the trusty use of the new EmphaSize spell he nabbed from the traders, you'll find him waddling around with huge, oversized feet as he goes from room to room delivering flowers, teddy bears, medicine, fruit baskets, you name it. If he happens to be entering a kid's room, he'll make a big show of his giant, floppy feet. If its an elderly person's room, he'll sit with them for awhile and ask them about their day or let them ramble on.]

[But it's likely leaving one of the rooms is when you'll bump into Darin. Or trip over his enormous, floppy feet.]

Oh, hey! Easy there! You okay? Sorry, I should get a signal or something for these things...

🗡️ LAVAFT BEHIND 🗡️ - OPEN

[This seemed like a pretty easy task, all things considered. Everyone knew slimes were low-level monsters, even if they had the same temperature as magma. And Darin worked professionally around molten metal all day. If there was anyone who could handle this task, it was him.]

[Though, having someone along in case things went awry was a good idea too. Especially since his blood magic wouldn't really do him much good here.]

[So back to the Diamond Falls Darin goes. He's got a pickax and some mining tools in a pack slung over his shoulder examining the hardened rock for any sign of the slime.]

So, since I know how my luck goes, what's the plan for when we free this thing and it immediately attacks us with the fury of a particularly cranky volcano?

AT THE FORGE - OPEN

[With the reconstruction from his rampage doing well, Darin's back at the forge doing what he loves. He might be down an apprentice, but that hasn't stopped him from taking orders and commissions from those who seek him out! Got something you want Darin to make? His consultations are always free so come on in! Got some gear that needs mending or ideas you want to pitch? Maybe you just need some work? Darin's door is always open! When you step in, you'll likely see him working on something or tidying the place up. If there's one thing Darin can't stand, it's a messy forge! So come on in and let's get to work!]

BAR CRAWL - CLOSED TO KATE

[It's been about a month since he tore through Camelot as a terrifying, familiar-fused monster. Barring his (and everyone else's jaunt) to Celliwig, Darin had largely avoided going into town. And when he did, he wore a cloak with a hood that concealed his hair.]

[Now, a month later and the reconstruction mostly complete, Darin is feeling a little more hopeful that maybe he won't be kicked out of town if he decides to hit a bar for a drink or two. He's still wearing his cloak, but when he settles in at the 'In For a Pound' pub, he slowly pulls his hood back to reveal his very obvious blue mane of hair. He gets a few looks, some of which he's not too thrilled with, but orders a drink and sits at the bar.]

[Unfortunately, the patrons on either side of him scoot away. Fortunately, that leaves space should anyone decide they want to pull up a stool and join him.]

MY DINNER WITH DARIN - CLOSED TO ALLURA

[So, it really only dawned on Darin about a day or so before the date that he and Allura had chosen for dinner that this might actually be a...you know. A date. In a panic, he considered calling her to clarify that this wasn't a date...but what if she wanted it to be a date? What if he tried to clarify and they called the whole thing off? That would be awful! And he'd feel terrible too! She was really looking forward to it! But did that mean she was looking forward to a date with him?]

[No, that couldn't be it.]

[Could it?]

[So, after spending a day laying on the floor and staring at the ceiling weighing his options, he decided that, you know what? He could do this! Even if it was a date! Hell, it was only a date! He could handle that! Even though he'd never been on a date before, much less with someone who was so strikingly beautiful and had spent the last six months worming her way into his every though— NOT IMPORTANT!]

[And so, it was the evening of the big-but-maybe-not date. He'd agonized over whether or not he should dress up and finally he decided on an off-white polo shirt with pink piping around the collar and sleeves (hey, pink goes good with blue, alright?), and some tan slacks. With a menu all set (he did promise it would be an amazing meal) he sets out to begin cooking, listening intently for the door to the forge to open so he could go up and greet her.]

[Everything was set for the evening. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?]

[...Right?]

WILDCARD

[Not seeing anything that catches your fancy or want to do something else? Go ahead and top-level! And if you're not sure and want to hash it out, hit me up on Discord @ Ant#0062 or on plurk @

bitterbearface!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

R... right, yes, I suppose I can... [But then he makes that offer.] ... well, then, would you want to help?

[But she's actually fairly impressed that he's still ready to go. After all, she might not be the most experienced in this department, but she's at least read about these things.] Erm... aren't you supposed to need some recovery time...? You're still... I-I mean, you still have...

[She presses down on the head a bit, just to test how hard he still is. Even if he's not as rigid as moments ago, this is a lot more than she's expecting.]

... Darin, I don't want to accuse you of anything but... this isn't your blood magic, is it?

What...? No?

This is...um...

Because of....you....

[He's very embarrassed but...that's got to be one hell of a compliment, right, Allura?]

[She looks stunned by that. Normally she's not taken by gratuitous flattery, but...]

Even despite how you've spoken about me before, I... I don't think I ever would have expected that I could have such an effect on you... are you sure this is my doing?

[It is, in several senses of the term, hard evidence. And while blood magic still seems like a plausible explanation, she didn't see him cast any sort of spell. If this is trickery, it's very skilled trickery.]

[Still stunned, she gives a small, numb nod.] A... anyway. As I said, did you want to help clean me up, or would that be... erm, a little much as you are?

Edited 2021-09-08 04:23 (UTC)

[Honestly, nerves are starting to get to him more now than ever. He can't deny how attracted he is to her. And with the way this night is escalating...he honestly can't help but wonder if maybe all of this tension needed to be alleviated. After all, they were at each other's throats for months. Maybe all they had to do this entire time was to just...do the deed and get rid of all of this pent up tension between them.]

[But...if he's being truly honest with himself, he's scared this is all one-sided. After all, it's not nearly as obvious looking at her how she feels about him...or how she'd thought about him. Hell, it was only a couple of months ago, she was repulsed by him.]

[To Allura, his almost blank expression must be a hard read.]

It...wouldn't be too much...but...I mean, if you wanted you could go back in and use the shower...I'll give you my shirt to wear...

[The shift in tone is... well, not what she expected. He had seemed so eager not long before, and she thought he would be over the moon at the suggestion — had she said something to discourage him? Is he getting cold feet? Well, the first thing she can try to do is urge him on.]

... really, Darin? Before you can return the favor?

Look. If you want to stop here, I won't force you to do anything. I... I don't want you to get carried away, if you think there's a chance you'll regret it. But if it's because of me...

Because... well, you're scared of me...

... let's talk about it first.

Edited 2021-09-10 07:02 (UTC)

I'm not scared of you...

I'm...

[He sighs and decides to take a seat.]

I'm...scared that I'm imagining more than...what you're actually feeling. I'm scared that this is more in my head than...anything else.

...Look, I've never considered myself someone who is...desired. I've never even looked at another woman the way I look at you and...and no one's definitely ever found me worth a damn for anything...

[That problem of his has reared its head again... and at first, Allura isn't sure what to do. Words and actions really don't seem to be enough to get through to him. And it's not as if she has any way to show physical evidence of her attraction, the way he does.]

[... ... ...]

[But maybe she can give him a different kind of evidence.]

Darin... can I try something? I can't promise that it will actually work, but...

Uh...s...sure?

What is it?

A spell. If you'll hold still for a moment...

[Normally, when she uses telepathy, she never needs to actually contact the person. She can speak into their minds from a distance. But right now, she's trying to share more than mere words. It shouldn't be much different, from what she remembers of using her empathic abilities...]

[But touching was an important aspect of it. Her powers were controlled through the hand, as if the palm was a conduit, and the fingers could direct the flow. It linked the energies of the heart directly to her own senses.]

[And so, she stands up, and she approaches him... getting close enough that he'll feel her body lightly pressing into his own, as if she were trying to let him feel her heartbeat resonating in his own chest. With both hands, she reaches up, pressing the tips of her pointer and middle fingers to his temples, letting her palms rest against his cheeks...]

[And she concentrates.]

[Letting him enjoy the feeling of someone who has completely intruded into his personal space, while she works on that cognitive magic for him.]

Wh...What are...you doing...exactly...?

I am...

I'm trying to share my feelings with you.

[... that clears things right up, doesn't it, Darin??]

Edited 2021-09-10 09:51 (UTC)

...You could just...talk to me...?

Oh, is this an Altean thing? Is this how Alteans share feelings...?

I'm not sure words are enough.

[Whether that's because hers are not adequate, or because he can't be convinced by words alone... it's difficult to say.]

[But she hasn't truly tested the limits of her telepathy before. It was a frustrating one-way communication system, which made it only partially useful for talking to someone from a distance. Now, she's exploring it further, to see if she can reach out and share something directly into his mind, something that transcends language.]

[To see if the warmth in her chest can reach his.]

... ... ...

[He starts to feel something. Something he can't really define. It's a feeling he's never quite understood and certainly has never felt directed at him. It was warm and kind. Like a safe space. A home.]

[But on her end, she might feel something as well. A barrier or...something. Like a cage made of wrought iron chains. Something cold and unforgiving. Barbed and twisted and clearly not of his own making. Something else. Someone else. It was as if his heart were in a barbed prison, an iron maiden of chains and fear and hatred. Hatred of himself. Hatred of a world that never gave him a chance. There's so many frantic emotions swirling around his heart, his core, like a maelstrom. When he reaches out through it, it slices and grinds and tears through his outreached arm, forcing him to withdraw.]

[But even so, she can feel it. He wants this. Wants her. And when she manages to touch him briefly with that warmth, he manages to reply in a shaky voice.]

You really...want me...? Allura, there's so many better— I mean...you've seen what I become and...

[He blinks back tears in his eyes. Is this real?]

[She hadn't expected this sort of feedback. After all, the cognitive telepathy had only ever been one-way, and the only way she could explore the minds of others was when their conscious minds had retreated into the realm of sleep. Is it because of the direct contact? Because of the deep level of what she's communicating to him? Because these feelings of his are so overpowering?]

[A few theories bubble up in her mind, but she avoids acknowledging them — not wanting to let her mind stray too far, lest she send her curious questions over to him and overpower everything else she's trying to convey.]

[She looks up at him, and in moments she's kissing him again. Not the hungry and passionate kisses that they shared before, but something more tender and comforting, calming, nurturing — the kind of kisses you might give to heal a wound. It's too much to hope that this alone could dissolve away everything that's scarring his chest from the inside, but at least he'll feel the intent behind her lips.]

[But she breaks it to give him his reply, clutching him tightly as she speaks.] I have seen it. The many different things you've become...

[Darin doesn't know what to say. Somehow, resolving to be the best person he can be just rings hollow because he knows that he might not have control over that in the long run. He could vow to be what she sees in him but he's not sure he believes he can ever live up to that lofty version of himself.]

[How do you live for someone when you're not even sure if your own life is yours to live? How do you promise someone your best, when your best forever exists in the shadow of your worst?]

[How do you give your heart to another when your heart is shackled by powers and circumstances beyond your control?]

[Despite this, he kisses her. He kisses her frantically, over and over, desperately needed to feel the intent behind her lips, like life-giving air. He holds her against his body, a writhing mess of fears and desires, of wants and needs wrapped in thorny brambles of reluctance. His hands move up and down her bare back, buried in the cloud of her hair as passion slowly begins to overtake him again. And finally, he breaks the chain of kisses to look into her eyes. He can't express what he feels. All they show is a deep, desperate want for her in this moment. That they await her response.]

[She could taste that confusion and doubt on his lips. It's a cold comfort, but her theory was proven right — that it's not that he can't understand her feelings, but that the words alone do little to reach him. They break upon that tangle of pain and self-hatred around his heart like waves crashing upon a rocky shoreline.]

[And while he could feel her compassion, her affection — it's her hope that faces the most direct resistance. Did he not even notice those feelings? Or were they simply undermined from the start, being torn apart by his self-doubt that lay waiting in the spots where that hope is supposed to reside?]

[It's frustrating, but his heart might be a slow puzzle to solve, removing one sharp pain at a time. ]

[For now...]

[For now, she doesn't speak in response to him. Instead, her eyes meet his, large and shining, full of a lonely longing, and an open-hearted reception of his own feelings. An acceptance of him, exactly as he is. And then her eyes flutter shut again, and she kisses him once more, slower.]

[He accepts and returns the kiss, pulling her into his lap fully. He grabs her by her rear and practically sets her down on top of him so that her legs can wrap around his waist. In doing so, she'll feel him pressing into her; her panties being the only garment left separating the two of them.]

[He breaks the kiss to crane his head and slowly kiss her neck up and down, brushing his lips along the lobe of her ear while his hands move up and down her body again, using his magic to once more make her blood flow, working her up. And every time he shifts, she'll feel him grind into her just a bit, unintentionally teasing her.]

[There's a soft sound from her as she feels his lips graze her ear, against more sensitive nerve endings than she ever realized could be found there, awoken by the flush of her elevated blood flow. She can feel it spreading to all her extremities, actually, as if she had just completed some rigorous training — but without any of the exhaustion.]

[And if his goal is to drive her wild, it's working. She gropes at his chest, as if she's looking for something to steady herself — her body is so sensitive that his teasing is setting off a number of her reflexes, and it's all she can do to stop herself from flinching away from it. And that in turn seem to just make it worse, since every time her body draws away, she has to resettle back on him, resulting in her subtly bouncing her hips up and down against his.]

[Well, if he's not going to do it— her hands leave him, and hurriedly grab around for the waist of her own panties, so she can start working them off and get them out of the way.]

[It's that sudden rush of eagerness that gives Darin far more confidence in his actions. It's what causes him to break the kiss so he can not only help her, but watch as the last strip of clothing his pulled off of her.]

[He settles back a bit and places his hands over hers, helping her to guide her panties down, watching as every last inch of her is exposed with an open appreciation. He doesn't pull her back onto his lap fully. Not yet. First, he's going to run his hands along her thighs, first along the outside, then up along the inner thighs starting at the knees. He always stops short from touching between her legs directly though, knowing that if he teases her long enough...well, she'll just take what she wants.]

[And from the look in his eyes, he desperately wants her to show him exactly what she wants.]

[She will, yes. That's a safe assumption. But you're going to have to give her a moment here, Darin, if you're going to let your hands explore such sacred territory.]

[Hasn't she already told him that she's never put herself in such a vulnerable position with another person? She hasn't had any opportunity to build up a tolerance in these areas, and she's already so receptive and reactive before he started making the blood rush through her body — and he's being so brazen about it. His touch on her body makes her nerves scream in torturous bliss.]

[It's more than she can take, which means that his strategy to push her into action works. She rises up onto her knees, heedless of where his hands will end up, and presses her body into his with her chest roughly around the level of his shoulders. A few deep, heavy breaths, just to ready herself — a whisper of his name — and she starts to lower herself down, onto him.]

[... at least, that's the idea. But it doesn't slide on as easily as she thought, and she instead feels the head slide along the wet lips and over towards her thigh. Embarrassed, she hurriedly rises back up, and then tries a second time, with similar results.]

[It's her inexperience at work, of course. But at least she catches on quickly, and the third time she rises up she reaches down to grasp his shaft and position him properly.]

[For the briefest of moments, there's a doubt in his heart. Is she doing this because she feels she has to? Is she doing this for him? But he quickly shakes away that doubt. Allura is not the type of woman to just give herself to another for no reason. She's far too strong of will and of resolve to just let someone have her.]

[So when she rises up and prepares to lower herself onto him, he accepts it. Accepts her. He never thought he'd have something like this in his life and any fears or doubts he had were quickly being tamped down by this overwhelming desire. A desire fueled by the simple idea that she wanted him.]

[As she raises herself up, he moves his hands along her body, as if he were giving worship to a piece of art. How toned and muscular she was and how, despite that, she was still soft. His hands move to her breasts, cupping and kneading them slowly, taking ample time to appreciate each curve. His fingertips go to her nipples, which he gingerly traces and teases, his own arousal growing as he watches her own intensify. Finally, he leans in to kiss at her chest, to run his lips along her nipples eagerly, to lick them and suckle gently before looking up to meet her gaze. And as she grasps his shaft to position him properly, he takes hold of her hips. So that when she starts to lower herself, when she starts to feel his head part her lips and enter her, he can keep her steady.]

[And what a feeling it is, feeling her slowly take his length in bit by bit. He wants nothing more than to pull her down hard, but he decides to savor this; to feel her wrapping around him slowly while she drinks in the sensation of being slowly filled.]

[When she's taken him in almost all the way, he can't fight the urge to buck his hips, to drive in that last little bit. Fully sheathed, he holds her steady before looking up to search her eyes. Was this feeling as amazing for her as it was for him?]

[Before anything else, it should be said: This is an incredibly tight fit. And it's not that she's not excited enough, since it might be that the lips were so well-lubricated that made it so difficult to stop him from slipping past the entrance — but she can't help but wonder if this is a subtle difference of her being made more human, and losing the elasticity of a shapeshifting Altean body — or if this is a testament to Darin's physical prowess.]

[But she endures it, biting the corner of her lip to brace herself against the pressure as she lowers herself onto him. Slowly, cautiously, never taking more than she can handle. Drawing deep but steady breaths, fighting the urge to gasp out...]

[And then, being as cheeky as he is, he pushes the rest in faster than she had prepared herself for. He's rewarded with a startled noise from her... startled, but not bad.]

[So, her eyes don't meet his right away, as she gives herself more time to adjust, flexing and squeezing around him. When she does, she looks — stunned, but keenly aware of every motion from his body, with her cheeks practically glowing red beneath those wide eyes of hers.]

[When their eyes meet, he honestly can't help but let out a small laugh. It's suddenly hitting him how inexperienced she is. How inexperienced that they both are. For six months, sparks had clearly been firing between them and this just almost seems like the natural culmination of how their passions could clash.]

[But there's something more profound here and he feels it. A connection he's never dreamed of having with another person. A connection that, by her own admission, she's never had either. And suddenly, he's just...overcome. A feeling deep in his heart, something he feels in every fiber of his being. He reaches up to cup her cheek, to brush a thumb over the pink mark under her eye, and he leans in and kisses her in a way he's never kissed her before. It's soft and warm. It's appreciative and kind and thankful. It's so full of raw emotion...and he hopes she can feel it as keenly as he does in this moment.]

[It would be so easy to say something cliché in this moment. A comment about how much he wants her, or how good this feels. Maybe something about how beautiful and sexy she is...but for now, they're beyond that.]

[When he breaks the kiss, he only has one thing to say, and it's as innocent as one could expect from him in this moment, as they're about to embark on this new experience as one.]

...Are you ready...?

[As if to reinforce his point, the laughter makes her heart twinge in panic and her face flush redder. Is that a good sign, or a bad one? She feels like she's figuring this out one fumbling step at a time — and she can only be grateful that human anatomy isn't wildly different from Altean anatomy, so what she's learned from biology studies isn't rendered utterly useless.]

[But those concerns melt away at his touch, at his kiss, at every tender affection he shows to her. After all, he understands — not merely because he's as new to this as she is, the two of them standing at equal level, but because he understands her. The effects of her spell from earlier haven't fully dissipated, and so he can surely feel her heart twist with each mistake... and swirl with thrill at his every action, even the caress of his thumb.]

[So the answer to his question should already be clear. But so is the fact that hearing her say it with her words, her own voice, would mean everything to him. So she swallows to clear her throat, gives an almost imperceptible nod, and tells him...]

... yes... yes, Darin. I'm ready for you...

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