Beyond the Setting Sun

Beyond the Setting Sun

[romance][high elf/blood elf][hetero][oral]

I would have preferred to tell this story from the beginning – of how a high elf meets a blood elf without the two killing each other on the spot, how they come to terms with their differences, how they fall in love. However, I worry that readers would have no patience for me inching through such smut-less dribble, chapters of character development without the hot sex.

So I skipped straight to the hot sex. This is Adultfanfiction.net, after all! I don’t know about you, but I certainly come here with full intentions of reading some good smut! Perhaps, though, if you approve, I shall backtrack to the beginning, or push forward beyond the end of this story. I hope so! Would this story be enough of a teaser, a hook for you? We’ll see, I suppose.

Though written as a one-shot, this story is long. To make things less confusing for you, I had a lot of explaining to do! After all, the [romance] tag is up there for a reason! If you don’t care about that, though, you’ll find the smut at the bottom half of this enormous fic. Just scroll down until you reach hints of the sponge bath scene ;)

If you do decide to read from the very beginning, I humbly thank you!

I’ve written fanfic before, but this is my first time releasing erotic fanfic to eyes other than mine. Therefore, friendly, constructive criticism is welcome and encouraged!

But time for me to shut up. One with the story!

~~~~

Katlayna ran through last night's kiss again and again through her mind, closing her softly glowing blue eyes as she recalled every detail of it. His lips over hers, the slow urgency of his kiss, the sweet taste of him. She had cursed herself later that night as she had struggled with her daily meditation, unable to concentrate. Her thoughts kept straying to the still-lingering aftertaste of him, of his scent—worn leather, sweetened tobacco, and soap, of the feather light touch of his hands over the curve of her jaw...

But was it him that her body yearned for, or the little traces of magic she could sense all over him? Whatever the case, quelling the painful cravings of the diminished Sunwell through meditation had become as difficult as it had been when she had first learned to do it years ago; her body remembered once again what it was missing and desired strongly for it.

She should have known better than to tangle herself so with a sin'dorei-- as quel'dorei, it had become part of her life to battle her permanent withdrawal of the Sunwell head-on, to overcome her body's constant cry of arcane energy with the will of her mind alone. Like most high elves, meditation was her weapon. The rising or setting sun in a quiet place of solitude each morning or evening was her battleground. Being such a strong follower of the Light was her shield, her training as a paladin from her former human lover her strength. For years she had battled this addiction, the fight within herself relentless, but she always managed a step ahead in the struggle. Foolish girl to fall in love with a sin'dorei of all beings, one of those that had turned their backs on their people, their customs, to succumb to their addictions, and all the taint and evil that came with it. She was a survivor of the withdrawal, a champion of it, not a slave to it like her bastardized brethren. But after fighting it for so long she found Barian a sweet, almost irresistible temptation in the faint arcane energy residue she would sense on him from whenever he consumed a small bit of it, his people's way of dealing with the withdrawals. It didn't help that Katlayna also found his looks alluring--silky long, blonde hair, sharp features, soft smile, a gaze that could penetrate her very soul, in a lean, tone body trained for precise, efficient killing. For this paladin of the Light, he was definitely something she had learned to stay away from but couldn't, like a moth to the flame.

So here she was now, nestled in his arms as they shared her weary and sweating mount on their slow journey through the merciless sands of Tanaris to Gadgetzan. Barian, the sin'dorei rogue, sat behind her on the horse, allowing her control of reins, his arms resting casually at her hips.

We were all quel'dorei once, she reminded herself as she tried not to entertain the fleeting thoughts of him gripping her hips tighter, of his hands roaming to places of her body that always brought her temporary relief from her nagging withdrawal. She had known Barian for only a short time before the fall of high-elven Quel'Thalas. He was an accomplished chef hoping to someday earn the favor to cook for House Sunstrider, and she was an apprentice priestess yearning more and more eagerly the warm embrace of her Faith. They were merely friends then, so innocent in their own lives. Oh how life had changed! She was now a paladin, a rarity among what was left of her people, a hardened and seasoned warrior exposed to the fierce wrath of her Faith. Barian was now a rogue. She thought it bad enough that he had become a despicable sin'dorei but he had to be an assassin and shady thief as well.

But behind those captivating fel-green eyes of his, behind the leather armor, behind the many scars he bore was the same Barian she had known of only years ago. Behind her plate armor was the same Katlayna. She reminded herself of this, yet again, as she leaned back against him, wiping the perspiration from her brow and running a hand through her deep red hair, the roots of it damp with sweat.

"It's hot," she commented wearily, wishing she could peel off her armor and hope of the relief of even the slightest breeze in the still air. If he wasn't sin'dorei, he could have accompanied me to much cooler Theramore, she thought grumpily. At least the sweltering heat pulled her mind off of...other things.

"It is," was his simple reply. His voice reminded her of velvet, smooth and warm. It suited him better as a sin'dorei rogue somehow than it did as a quel’dorei chef. "That's usually how deserts are."

Katlayna rolled her eyes, suppressing a smirk. Always a smart-ass. "I kind of figured that," she scoffed. "Just trying to make conversation."

"Hmm, yes, stating the obvious is always a wonderful conversation starter."

"Well, it's working, isn't it?" She tilted her head to the side to manage a glance at him, raising a thin, long eyebrow challengingly. She was met by Barian's grin, which dazzled her even now. She hoped she wasn't blushing as she looked away. She noted that he did not grin nearly as much now as he did when he was still quel'dorei.

"I suppose so," was his final reply.

They rode in silence for a few moments, Katlayna's thoughts drifting to the reasons of Barian's more solemn expressions. She thought of the words he had told her recently, of the dark shadows of his past after the fall of Quel'Thalas. He had told her of how he ignored the magisters' guidance when he first became sin'dorei, ensnared by the alluring trap of fel energy. How he had come to believe that if he absorbed enough magical energy of any type that he would be cured of his body’s constant suffering. How he became so desperate for that constant relief, that euphoric mana hit, that he could not endure the pain of withdrawal for more than a few minutes at a time. How that addiction had begun to change him physically, had driven him mad, had led him to blindly kill someone he held very dear to his heart, a mere defenseless child…

Katlayna closed her eyes against the thought, managing not to grimace. Even now the thought of what he had done disgusted her. She should have hated him for it, the way she had hated him for everything else he had become. However, by the time she had found out about this, she had already fallen in love with him, had already forgiven him his other flaws, had already embraced the ability to accept him as a sin’dorei. Now she only felt sadness for what he had done and pity for his soul.

How was she able to overlook this important detail of him, regardless of how much she loved him? Was it because she knew that that moment haunted Barian with every breath he took? Was it because he mourned the loss of that child’s life even now, years later, and despised himself for it? Would she have been able to forgive him this sin if he didn’t suffer so much over it? Would she have denied her love for him if he did not harbor that incurable pain deep within his soul?

Katlayna knew the answer to those questions, ashamed that she could only love Barian if he suffered. She was determined, therefore, to somehow heal the wounds of his past, and to hope that she would still love him after he had been mended. She was scared of the possibility of her feelings of him changing, scared that she would lose him, but reminded herself every time those fears gripped her heart that it would all be worth it, to see Barian smile more, for him to love himself again.

She allowed her body to relax against his, feeling the rise and fall of his chest on her back, his quiet, steady breathing, and wondered if he was thinking about the little girl now. How often did he think of her?

Katlayna had always assumed that that all sin’dorei absorbed magical energy with abandon. She never realized until getting to know Barian that restraint and control of the Sunwell’s withdrawal existed for their kind as well. As she meditated each morning to control her body’s constant suffering, they absorbed only small amounts of magic, only every so often. Drawing in too much too quickly made them too dependent on the need to always subdue the painful cravings, eventually turning those that could not restrain themselves into monsters, what Barian called the Wretched.

He had almost become one of them, he had admitted to her last night. He had almost lost his mind, body and soul forever to his unsatiable thirst for magic. Thank the Light that he managed to break free of this hold, but not before losing himself long enough to do something unforgivable…

Barian took great pains to make sure he never returned to that pitiful, desperate place between elf and monster again, always rationing in utmost care his mana biscuits and rolled, mana-infused tobacco, constantly counting those rations to make sure he hadn’t consumed too much, timing to the very minute the space between intakes, recording it all in a tiny notebook he carried around. His need to control his feedings was an obsession for him; she had seen him stop to count his rations during the oddest times, like in the middle of battle, crouched in relative safety in the shadows while everyone else fought. Many times before, during calm moments at camp, she had watched him count through it all, record the sum, then after only a few moments pull everything out of his bags to do it again. He never trusted himself with his rations, stating once before that his biggest fear was losing himself to the addiction like he had before.

Should Katlayna have felt so surprised last night when he had dug out every last item that had held any sort of arcane magic and destroyed it right before her eyes? He had shredded his tobacco, grinding the rolls into the wet dirt at their feet, ripped the bread and thrown the pieces into the dark, churning ocean beyond the cliff behind them. How was he to keep control of his withdrawals with all his sources gone? What would he do with nothing to record in his little book? How long would he last this way before he broke down and gathered more sources of arcane energy?

“I’m so tired of living this way,” she remembered him confessing to her, the expression on his face so pained, her unable to tell if he was crying or if it was just the rain against his face. “I hate what I’ve become, I despise what I have to do just to endure living! I do not deserve to love you when my very existence is dictated by this festering taint. How am I to expect your love in return if I continue to live like this? My sun set with the fall of Quel’Thalas. This life now is a darkness I can’t get out of—I’ll never see the sun rise again. I’ll die a pathetic shadow of my former self. I can’t redeem myself to Linese that way. All this time I have only been a coward.”

Linese. That was the name of the little girl he had killed. His best friend’s daughter.

Katlayna tried not to think of those painful bits of the conversation, still so fresh in her mind. Thinking of the rain, however, seemed to give her body false relief against the unrelenting heat. She yearned to think more of the cooling rain, but could not do so without also recalling the rest of those moments. Wanting the relief of the cooling thoughts, her mind pressed forward, if only for a moment…

“If you suffer so strongly over this,” she remembered herself saying to him through the downpour, “if you wish for solice over what you have done, why haven’t you given closure to your friend for killing his daughter? Why haven’t you taken your own life?” She had regretted the words as soon as they left her lips, her nasty habit of speaking her mind still a flaw of hers, and still regretted those words now. She was so tired of the angst Barian bore on himself, of the aura of gloom and pain that followed him wherever he went. If she was so weary over this, she could not imagine what Barian had been feeling on a daily basis. So though she did not want to see him dead, did not wish for him to take his own life, she couldn’t help but wonder why he hadn’t done so already.

Why he didn’t slap her over her careless choice of words she did not know. However, she was glad that he also didn’t turn and throw himself off the cliff after the bread. His expression had been startling then--of solemn agreement, as though he regretted that he could not do what she had stated.

“I had promised someone that I wouldn’t take my life,” was his answer. “I have spent these past years trying to redeem myself for Linese’s death, trying to purify my wretched soul, hoping that I could manage that, if only a little. I live so that when I finally return to Quel’Thalas, when I finally allow Ostus to so deservingly take my life, his daughter’s precious life would have been exchanged for a life of someone a little less pathetic then what he once was. I cannot offer my corrupted soul when hers was so pure. I cannot offer Ostus my life without washing the blood from my hands, her blood, with the blood of the evil and corrupt, like me. I’m a bounty hunter for that reason alone. I will not take my life until enough evil has been slain by me to more evenly level the weight of her death. That was the promise I had made.”

Katlayna did not want to think further into this subject, disliking the fact that he only kept himself alive due to a silly promise. How would she stop him from returning to Quel’Thalas when he felt it was time to offer his life to his former best friend? Would helping him learn to better resist his body’s constant need for arcane energy only draw forth that fateful day sooner? But she could not see him suffer the way he was and he had pleaded to her for help in fighting his addiction. Besides, he hasn’t returned to Quel’Thalas yet. Perhaps I can make it so that he’ll never return…

Katlayna forced her thoughts back to the present, of riding together in the middle of the desert, both of them hot, sweaty, and dreadfully uncomfortable, but never more content. That’s when she noticed a light tapping on her hip, against her plate belt. Barian picked lightly and persistently at the belt with his fingernail, probably unaware of what he was doing. She had noticed his jittery behavior a few hours after he had destroyed all of his mana sources. She suspected this habit would get substantially worse before it got better.

“So, why didn’t you stay with Neralwin?” he asked softly, his breath light against her hair.

Katlayna blinked, having forgotten all about Neralwin. He was the human leader of their small, rag-tag ban of adventurers—they had temporarily disbanded to recoup for the upcoming journey to Northrend, and would be meeting up again in a month. Neralwin was also her paladin trainer, and her former lover. They had broken up years ago, for reasons she did not want to dwell up on, especially while traveling with Barian.

When she had encountered Neralwin again, after years of being apart, he was with his current group, and already friends with Barian. At first she felt thrilled at the prospect of mending issues with Neralwin, of getting back together and living the way they used to. Her heart, however, had not been so determined to return to the past. Still, she had denied it, thinking that choosing an accomplished paladin of the Light as her companion would be the best thing for her, and persisted with that thought even after she realized that she loved Barian, after the kiss they shared last night, all the way up until a few hours ago.

She was supposed to have accompanied Neralwin to Theramore. He was a nice enough person—ruggedly handsome with a boyish charm, a healthy sense of humor, charismatic with a lively, upbeat personality, always holding a positive outlook of life - a true leader. He never laid a harmful hand on her and Katlayna would always cherish those intimate memories she shared with the human--of their adventures and many long conversations, of he being her first lover and all the many passionate nights that followed, of his patience and understanding of her even when she did not show the same for him. As fondly as she thought of Neralwin, however, she did not want to return to the way things were with him. She knew that with finally having time alone he'd try to mend their relationship, to return to being lovers. Katlayna could not see herself in Neralwin's arms, not when she'd rather be in the arms of another. She cared too much for the paladin to betray him like that, did not want to deal with the guilt that would certainly accompany being in the arms of a man she did not truly want to be with. Despite this, she could not bring herself to tell Neralwin the true reason why she did not want to accompany him to Theramore, not wanting to see his heart break.

“If you’re going to try to return to being a high elf, you’re going to need some help,” was her answer to Barian, and her excuse to justify leaving Neralwin. “I…want to see you succeed.” Neralwin's face flashed through her mind, of the long look he gave her when she had told him that same statement only hours earlier, of the blatantly forced smile he gave her, the reluctant nod, the strain in his voice when he told her to go ahead to Tanaris. She wondered if Neralwin already knew of her true intentions of wanting to spend time with Barian.

“I see,” Barian murmured thoughtfully. Perhaps Barian also knew that her decision to accompany him was for more than just to help him fight his addiction.

They rode in silence for a little while longer, the bright sun stifling. Barian had stopped picking at Katlayna’s belt, instead assaulting the saddle. She pretended not to notice. Eventually they broke into conversation, small chat about the weather and anything else obvious. It grew into discussion over their battle plans when their party regrouped, which soon broke into jokes and laughter and conversations about anything and everything that came to their minds.

It felt just like when they were both high elves, Katlayna’s heart soaring over this fact. She found Barian just as easy to talk to as before, just as attentive as before. It was as though they were merely traveling together as high elves from Quel’Thalas, that nothing had changed between them or with their people. She was grateful to be sitting in front of him, facing forward—for taking in too much of the sight of him in his dark leather armor, his daggers sheathed on either hip, his bright green eyes, would have shattered her current state of mind. For now she wanted to think of him as Barian the aspiring quel’dorei chef, not Barian the sin’dorei assassin.

They occasionally shared a canteen of water throughout their talk, their only relief from the sun, and it was during one of these times that Katlayna accidentally allowed a stray droplet to escape from between her lips.

“Shouldn’t waste that,” he said, swiping at the moisture with his finger and bringing it to his lips.

His light touch on the corner of Katlayna’s mouth made her body tingle. She did not know what she was thinking, much like last night, couldn’t fathom the reasons why she allowed her head to drop back against his shoulder, tilting it to the side.

He understood the gesture easily, or perhaps he held the exact same desires at the exact same moment, for his lips were then upon hers, taking her in for a tender kiss.

Oh, how she loved his kisses, as she allowed his tongue to slip between her lips, enjoying the sweet taste of him. His left hand traced her jaw line, fingertips then dragging up and down her neck, while his right hand intertwined with hers beside the horse, those fingertips tracing the lines of her palm. Her body arched away from him naturally due the position she had to take to receive his kisses, her rear now digging against his groin. His thick leather armor would not allow her to feel how this was affecting him, but she guessed it was stimulating enough as he shifted his weight and sighed into her mouth, their kiss deepening, his right hand now running languidly up and down her arm. Her body burned in an inner heat, different from the heat of the sun, yearning for the fire of his touch on her skin. She wished she could feel his palms graze her stomach, his fingers cup and knead her breasts, but even if he did so she would not feel it through her plate armor. She was stuck to the sensual torture of his kisses alone and what little bit of her skin he could touch. Perhaps, though, if they hid behind the shadows of one of the many large rocks around, if they gave the excuse of giving the horse a rest…

As if on cue the horse whinnied softly, its body tilting forward as it began its descent down a hill.

They broke the kiss at once, looking forward to see the spread of Gadgetzan in the distance, at the bottom of the hill.

"Impeccable timing," Barian murmured. Katlayna could feel him straighten his posture behind her, letting go of her hand almost hesitantly. His touch on her arm still burned against her skin, the pressure of his kiss still lingering on her lips. She felt hotter and a little cooler at the same time--the now uncomfortable, sticky tightness of her leggings did not help her already sweat-soaked body, yet she felt chilled without his touch.

They finally reached the town, the shade from the surrounding clay wall offering little relief against the searing heat. They dismounted, Katlayna leading and tying her horse to a nearby water trough next to other mounts, the horse taking in the cool water greedily.

"I just have a few errands to take care of, and then we'll be on our way," he explained as they passed through the gate. "You can accompany me if you'd like."

Katlayna had only been to Gadgetzan once, briefly, through passing. Now she absorbed her surroundings with renewed interest, taking in the small desert town Barian called home. Most of the buildings were small, made of strange tan clay material, dome-shaped and partially buried into the ground, probably to provide more insulation from the heat of the sun. She could see a couple of rickety, skeletal structures of windmills in the distance, probably the town's source of water and the only reason why it prospered this much. For being a goblin town, there was surprisingly a healthy mixture of the races, all milling about doing their own business. She was surprised at how busy it was--Gadgetzan seemed so out of the way in the maps--why would anyone come here? Yet the streets were lightly buzzing with people--merchants selling their wares, shoppers browsing their carts, the occasional clang-hum of whatever contraption the goblins had built operating. The place smelled of dirt, of dried horse manure, of barbecue, all rolled into one, and oddly, the smell was not unpleasant. It wasn't a tidy place--a bit cluttered, with the odd placement of the buildings, of the unsightly metal contraptions scattered about, but not necessarily dirty. Katlayna wasn't sure yet if she liked the town or not--she was used to the formal, trimmed look of alliance settlements.

She watched Barian from a distance as he busied himself with purchasing a bit of food. She wondered further what had happened to split her race apart so completely. He looked so normal and ordinary conversing with the merchants and choosing his purchases, not at all unlike any quel'dorei would do.

She noticed how at home he seemed here--he spoke with the merchants as though he had known them personally for years--and probably did, smiling and moving leisurely about throughout his haggles. She envied and loved his connection with the town at the same time, happy that even someone that liked to detach himself as much as he did with people had a place to call home.

She noted carefully his purchases, satisfied that none of them seemed to hold any traces of magical energy as he finally approached her with a couple of bags full of goods.

"Ready to go?" he started. "We have a bit of a walk ahead of us."

Katlayna blinked, shooting him an inquisitive look. "I thought you lived in town." They began to walk together towards the Western gate.

Barian released a half-smile in response. "I'm an assassin, Katlayna. Living in town would be too dangerous for me."

She frowned. "Well, you seemed awfully familiar with the merchants here. Wouldn't that be dangerous for you too?"

"I chose to live in Tanaris due to the attitude of the locals here. It takes a certain kind of person to want to live in such an unforgiving place as Tanaris. People here have their own shady pasts, secrets they don't want revealed. Locals tend to mind their own business in such matters--as long as everyone tolerates each other civilly and keeps the economy going here, that's all that matters. No one here knows what I do for a living nor has anyone bothered to ask. I'm just a familiar face that buys their wares, that's all. And sometimes I bring back water from the thieves and pirates that plague this place, which earns me special bonuses, perks and discounts in Gadgetzan--every little bit helps when you live in this shithole.

"Despite all of that, living amongst so many people would make me a sitting duck. Eventually someone would figure out where I live, and in my line of work, that would give potential of the assassin being assassinated. I'd rather not live always looking over my shoulder, so I live outside of town. No one knows where exactly I reside and not many are willing to venture the sands of Tanaris to find out."

"Oh." Katlayna did not expect she'd be residing in the middle of Azeroth's hottest desert. Though nothing like Theramore, she had hoped for what comforts Gadgetzan did provide. She tried not to show her faltered spirit, smiling and nodding as though nothing bothered her. "Well, I think we're leaving the wrong gate. My mount is at the North gate."

Barian shook his head." I have no shade, not enough water, no food, and no enclosed roaming area to accommodate your horse. It'll be happier staying here until we're ready to meet back up with Neralwin and the others. I've already paid and arranged for its stay in the stables."

Katlayna looked around, craning her neck in the general direction of the Northern gate. She could see, amongst the crowd, a goblin gently pull her horse along towards the town stables. She felt uneasy leaving her trusted horse in the care of someone else, but for once the animal had actually allowed a stranger to handle it, and if Barian trusted this goblin to take care of her horse...

Soon the hustle and bustle of the town faded to the whisper of the breeze against the sand and their steady footprints. They talked some more during the trek, trying not to think about the heat. An hour had passed before long, their lively conversations helping the time pass quickly.

Barian abruptly stopped by a small rock barely visible over the sand. He looked around in all directions, then turned to the left past the rock, off the worn path. Katlayna followed.

They continued for a while, Katlayna wondering how Barian was able to find his way with no path to guide them until finally, after cresting a small dune, she was met by a tiny hut much like the ones of Gadgetzan in the distance.

"Home sweet home," he announced as they both slid down the embankment of sand.

Katlayna studied the place with interest, always wanting to know how Barian lived when he was not with Neralwin's group. The dome hut was the only sign of life she could see all around her, the mountains stretching to the left in the distance against the aging, flaring orange sky of evening. Approaching the hut she could see how small it was--not that much bigger than a large tent, no shrubbery of any sort around it. The place sported a locked door and a small window on the left side, shutters closed and tight.

"It's...not much," Barian admitted, a little sheepishly. "I normally don't bring anyone else out here."

He fiddled with the lock for a moment, before pushing the door open and stepping aside. "Welcome to the grand House Duskfall,” he announced, referring to his surname. “After you," he added with a gesture and a smirk.

Katlayna rolled her eyes but smiled back, stepping inside.

She had to take a few steps down as the dome was partially sunken into the earth. It felt surprisingly cool inside, probably due to the clay material the dome was made of. Barian stepped in after her, closing the door behind him, submerging them both in darkness for a moment. Her heart raced a little, in an enclosed space alone with a sin'dorei, unable to see him...

Light pierced the darkness as Barian unlatched and threw open the shutters of the tiny window. She did not even hear him move.

The place was indeed tiny--from its center Katlayna could deduce that only a few very large steps in any direction would have her touching the wall. As small as the space was, it did not feel cramped, Katlayna realizing with a quick look around that it was probably due to the fact that Barian did not store many possessions.

In front of her, opposite the door, was a large hammock, blankets and a pillow balanced neatly on top of it. To her right was a small, simple-looking wooden table and two chairs, a small stack of books and papers arranged neatly on top of the table. On the wall above the table was the open window. Opposite the table was a very tiny woodstove, cupboards and a countertop sporting a metal basin and--her eyes widened in grateful surprise, a water pump. On the floor in the center of the room was a large expanse of fur--from what animal she was not sure, a small touch of comfort in the otherwise very plain surroundings.

"You have water," Katlayna couldn't help but exclaim aloud as Barian moved to the pump’s side, setting the bags of food on the small space of countertop between the pump and the stove. She dropped her large backpack, sword and shield by the door next to his discarded packs, grateful to finally be relieved of its weight.

"It took a lot of time to find a secluded source of water, and even more money to hire someone to drill down to it," he explained as he fished a small rag from the cupboard. "And yet more money and a good threat to keep the goblin quiet about it. I suppose it's a good thing being an assassin pays well…in more ways than one."

Katlayna wouldn't have guessed from the simple arrangement of the tiny space.

She watched as he pumped the handle of the pump, giving it several turns before water spurted from its spout. A few more spurts and it became clear. He filled a kettle with it, placing it on the unlit stove, then soaked the rag in another small pump of water. "Not much here, but make yourself comfortable," he suggested as he busied himself with cleaning off the dust that had settled on the countertops with his moist rag. "I'm not here often. Sorry about the dust."

"That's fine," Katlayna muttered, eager to finally climb out of her hot, restrictive plate armor. She removed gloves, bracers, and shoulder guards, placing them carefully beside her backpack. She hesitated for a moment before removing her chest piece, feeling awkward about disarming in front of Barian, but he seemed not to pay attention as he busied himself with scrubbing every part of the kitchenette's surface clean in preparation for their meal. She wondered fleetingly, as she unbuckled the chest piece, if part of his nitpicking was not so much the habit of a good, cleanly chef, but to keep himself busy from his withdrawals. As long as he's not absorbing more mana she assured herself as she placed her chest piece beside the rest of the set, moving to unbuckle her leg plates.

Katlayna wore a thin black shirt underneath, cut off at her stomach, exposing the flesh below her ribcage. Matching black leggings encased her long legs to their entirety, tight-fitting on her. Her body structure was typical of a high elf in that she was thin with delicate features. Her training as a paladin, however, gained her body more tone--firm, flat stomach, a tight rear, shapely legs, and small but full, round, perky breasts.
She was aware of her beauty, evident from the lingering stares she'd sometimes catch from many men and some women. Raised in a church of the Light, such attention made her feel uncomfortable and distracted her from her day-to-day activities.
She made a point to wear her plate armor often, the set as unshapely and unflattering as she could get away with. She felt naked now without her gear on, her nipples puckering underneath the flimsy shirt from exposure to the air.

Katlayna had only ever exposed her body willingly to Neralwin. There were other times later that others had seen her naked form, during her service in the Scarlet Monastery. She could never remember who initiated the racy acts committed to her from time to time behind closed doors or how it all conspired, her memories of those times fogged. She suspected, however, that magic was somehow involved in her memory because she could remember the acts themselves – every touch, every sigh, every sound, every shockwave of pleasure she gave and received to and from those around her. Those memories, of the Scarlet Monastery and of Neralwin, left her many nights in bed with her fingers buried within her sex in a sad attempt to relieve her body of the sensations that meditating could not quell.

She dared not recall those memories now, not with how little she wore and who was alone in such a tiny space with her. She thought about diving into her bag to don something longer, baggier, less revealing, but the thought of Barian's searing kisses of only hours before, of seeing him in that tight leather armor gave her enough courage to stay as she was. Besides, the air felt nice on her body after cooking for so long in that armor.

Katlayna moved to the table, brushing off a layer of dust on the chair before sitting down. She watched Barian for a while, studying the way his armor hugged every muscle of his toned body, liking the way his arms flexed as he moved. She was happy that his back was to her so that she could stop thinking about the fact that he was sin'dorei and just enjoy the delectable sight of him. Remember, you're here to help him battle his addiction, she reminded herself, not to think about how handsome he is, or sexy, or how good he would be in--

She shook her head, forcing herself against these thoughts. She snatched a book, hoping its contents would be enough to distract her from Barian, flipping pages at random, too flustered to really pay attention to what they said.

Barian's movement changed in the corner of her eye and she looked up to see him loosen his bracers. Widening her eyes, she watched as he placed them in a small chest near the hammock where other clothes of his were kept, then straightened to unbuckle the armor encasing his chest. He pulled the leather off of him, the heat and his sweat making his skin cling to it.

He wore only a thin undershirt underneath, sleeves ripped off. Even with it on Katlayna could see how toned his body was. Though he was quite fit, he was not as muscular as Neralwin, having not as wide of a frame as Neralwin's. He was an elf, after all, with frail, almost feminine features compared to human men, but he was not lanky like most--his active, physically demanding lifestyle granted him well-shaped arms, a lean, toned stomach, firm chest... Having only ever been with human men, Katlayna had gotten used to their more rugged features, and normally saw no appeal in elves. But looking upon Barian now she couldn't help but feel attracted to him, even though she knew he wasn't considered the most handsome of his kind in elf standards. His skin bore too many scars, his face and hair too plain, his wardrobe consisting of very little bright colors. Perhaps she was physically attracted to him because of these things, perhaps it was because he did more than read books and hurl bolts of energy, perhaps it was because her love of him heightened his positive physical traits to her, perhaps her biology finally allowed her to see the allure of her own kind. Whatever the reason, she could not help but stare, imagining his naked form pressed against hers, her arousal stirring with these thoughts. His body, hard and firm pressed against her softer curves, muscles flexing with every delicious thrust he made, his rough hands grazing her tender flesh, his long hair spilling around her, teasing her skin, his voice heavy and seductive, thick with passion while uttering erotic confessions to her, his trademark boyish smirk tainted with sensuality, lust burning deep within his gaze...

Barian glanced up at her right at that moment and Katlayna looked away, feeling her cheeks grow hot, but not before noticing the way his gaze hovered on her chest then move down the length of her legs. She hunched over the book, wondering how she could kiss him so easily when they were close, but not be able to look at him without blushing like an adolescent, hoping he didn't notice her discomfort and if he did, to not think it was because of the manner in which she had thought of him.

She could hear him rummage around in the kitchen. "So, what are you making, anyway?" she asked, hoping to pull her thoughts away from sex.

"Breasts and thighs," was his answer, dashing her hopes. He cleared his throat. "Roc breast and thigh pieces in buttered herbs, with a side of wild rice, and to break my coin purse, cheap elven wine brewed by our very own Gadgetzan goblins. Something simple and quick."

It was a battle not to giggle aloud. Katlayna managed to suppress it into a smirk at the book.

"Sorry, it may get a little hotter in here," Barian exclaimed as she heard him strike a match and open the squeaky hatch to the woodstove. A casual glance in that direction determined that there was already a neat arrangement of wood and kindling in the stove, waiting to be burned. Even at home Barian's neat, organized efficiency amazed her.

She moved her attention back to the book, paying attention this time as boredom began to nag at her. She realized it was a cookbook, and couldn't help but smile at this. Even as an assassin, Barian did not completely let go of his past, clinging to old habits. She closed the book and glanced at its spine, "Delicacies of Stranglethorn Vale" and placed it back at the top of the stack.

She rummaged with mild interest through the other books, not interested in cooking itself but very interested in any aspect of Barian's life, whatever would make her know him better. The majority were various cookbooks, among them titles like "Vegetarian Meals the Tauren Way", "Spicy Entrees of Winterspring", "1001 Ways to Cook A Boar", and "Favorite Foods of Orgrimmar". Some pages here and there were doggy-eared, various notes in Barian's tiny, neat handwriting scrawled across many. She wondered if he was still pursuing his dream of being an established chef.

"Thinking of opening your own restaurant?" she asked.

"It's just something to do in my off time," was his reply, never looking away from the counter. Something sizzled in a frying pan resting on the stove, the smell of poultry and herbs soothing on the senses.

A few of the books were atlases of various places, extra maps of all sorts crammed within their pages. Katlayna remembered one of Barian's other interests--travel, and how seeing the world was something he had longed to do. Looking through the maps now she could see that his new profession at least granted him that, as various places throughout the world were marked with dates scribbled beside them.

He hasn't changed as much as I thought he had. Katlayna looked around, her heart warmed over this fact, and the tiny hut suddenly didn't seem so bare and bland as it did a few moments ago. She could see traces of Barian everywhere she looked now--in the way he stacked his books and notes on the table, in the sounds of his cooking and the smells of their almost ready meal, in the way his hammock was arranged just so, in how he had his backpack and gear propped up against the chest holding his clothing, a bit of his chest piece hanging out of the chest's lip, in how the fur rug at her feet was arranged. Without Barian the place was just another hut, but with him it felt cozy and inviting...like home.

Her reverie was broken by Barian placing a plate of food in front of her, sitting down on the other table across from her.

The food looked as good as it smelled and they ate in silence for a moment, each gulping down their meal, hungrier than they had thought. Living in the desert certainly was energy-consuming.

When they were done, Barian showed Katlayna how to use the water pump as they did dishes together, just like they had when they first met, engaging in conversation primarily about life in Tanaris. Occasionally they flicked water at each other, a giggling fest ensuing. It had been a long while since Katlayna felt so playful and she could not recall any time before now seeing Barian so relaxed. But that won't last long, she thought to herself, once the full force of the withdrawal has set in.

So after they had finished their cleanup did Katlayna decide to teach Barian the art of meditation, the sun beginning to sink lazily behind the mountains.

She lit candles around the room, their only source of light in the stark darkness of the desert, the same candles she always used for meditation. She tried to ignore the feelings stirring within her while basked in the warm, soft glow of the candlelight, alone with someone who she found very sexually attractive, someone currently shirtless and sitting on the fur rug, waiting for her.

She moved to sit in front of him, noting the way his green eyes glowed in the dim light as he looked calmly, patiently at her. They faced each other, both sitting with their legs folded, Katlayna rolling her shoulders. "Will your body to relax," she instructed in her softest business-like tone.

Barian obeyed with closed eyes and a long, slow exhalation of breath.

"Now," Katlayna started, her voice soft, "before we can clear the pain from our minds, we must first draw it forth as our only focus."

Barian's eyes shot open. "Focus on the pain?" he quipped, looking a little shocked. "But that will only heighten my cravings. I don't think--"

"It is easier to focus on what your mind should ignore if that is all that's on your mind," Katlayna interjected firmly, resisting the urge to frown. "Trust me on this. It's necessary for a successful meditation session."

She could see the doubt and worry written all over his face, and she wondered briefly how much he did really trust her, but he sighed and closed his eyes, settling back into a more relaxed position.

She watched him for a moment, feeling it wiser to supervise his first attempt at meditation than to engulf herself in it. She doubted that she'd be able to concentrate to do it herself anyway.

It was fascinating and a little frightening at the same time watching Barian's disposition change so quickly before her eyes. After a few moments of quiet sitting, his skin broke out into a sweat, the moisture glistening in the candlelight. His breathing changed from a calm, deep rhythm to quicker, shallower breaths, eventually evolving into gasps of air. His whole body trembled, eyebrows furrowed into an ongoing grimace. Katlayna had coached many high elves in the skill of meditation before, and had never seen any react to the pain of the first step of meditation as quickly and strongly as he. Usually the full realization of the pain came gradually, within the space of several hours. But unlike the others, he is sin'dorei, she reminded herself, who hadn't taken anything to control the cravings in days. He had destroyed all of his mana sources the night before, after going several days without consuming anything magical. He had explained to her before that he only needed to "mana tap", as he worded the unusual ability, once every few days to sustain him.

She dared to think fleetingly of the supply of mana potions she kept in her pack as Barian lurched forward, palms pressing against the rug, panting. He opened his eyes to look at her, the fel-green glow strong but also a little darker than normal, very unusual. "By the Sunwell, this hurts," he gasped, his expression pained. "The craving is so strong. Please...the next step..."

"Focus on relaxing your body," she instructed, trying to sound calm and confident. "I know it's hard, I know it's painful, but try your best. Don't think about ignoring the pain or subduing the pain, just focus on relaxing. Think of your body, every muscle, focus on relaxing each and every one. The goal is to try to think past the pain, not to mask it."

She watched as Barian pulled himself back into a sitting position, clenching his teeth and forcing himself to breathe through his nose, eyes shut tight, nostrils flaring, hands balled into white-knuckled fists. She could see the strain of concentration on his face, almost indistinguishable through the pain.

She passed him words of encouragement for a short while, firing suggestions to help him enter the cleansing state of mind, but his body language indicated no progress as he continued to strain and sweat, groan occasionally and grit his teeth, squirming in place as though trying very hard not to writhe around.

"It's not working," he gasped after a while of this inner torture, "It hurts...so bad..."

"Keep trying," Katlayna urged, though it killed her to see him clearly suffering. She feared she had gone too fast with him, done too much at once, hadn't prepared him enough for this, and had almost gotten up to get a mana potion or two many times. She had assumed, with how well he was controlling himself after days of going without a source of magical energy, that he'd be able to breeze through the meditations and return to being a quel'dorei easier than he had expressed. She hadn't realized how good he was at masking his suffering from her, how hard on his body this really was for him.

Barian leaned forward on his hands, sweat rolling down his arms, off his face. "I need...to feed..." he panted, "a little energy...just a small source...to get through this..."

Katlayna swallowed, forcing herself to keep from trembling. "There is none," she lied, "you destroyed it all last night."

Barian moaned again, swayed, almost collapsing but somehow keeping his body balanced off the ground. "I can sense it," he rasped, "the magic...your backpack..."

Katlayna sucked in her breath. Had he really gone that far along without a mana tap to be able to sense her mana potions? He certainly didn't have that ability before. She began to see why he had been so obsessed with keeping his magic intakes in check. "I thought you said you only go a few days between...feedings." She swallowed hard, dreading his response.

Barian gasped, panted, fought to form the words. "I wanted...to surprise you...please you...I’ve been cutting back...for a while...so much pain...but I can hide it...gotten used to it...it's been...over a month...since my last...mana tap..."

Over a month. Katlayna gasped, climbing to her feet to get to her backpack. No wonder he was this bad off so quickly. High elves needed to meditate every day to function normally. She could not imagine how going over an entire month without that or mana taps was possible, bewildered at how Barian managed it. She needed to give him a small source of energy, enough to calm him down, then start over the meditations with him, more gradually...

"No," he rasped, his voice thick with anguish. "Don't...I need nothing...I must...get through this..."

Katlayna paused by her backpack and gaped, scarcely believing what she was hearing, especially with his poor physical state. "Are you--"

"Yes." His voice quavered, but was firm as he forced himself back into a proper sitting position again. "Can't turn back...must keep going...for Linese...for you..."

They continued the battle for a while, Katlayna offering suggestions on how he should break from his overwhelming state of pain, Barian giving an honest effort, to no avail. It worried her to see him put himself through such suffering, every moan, gasp, and grimace slicing through her heart. But despite the torture, he insisted she did not offer a mana potion, and was almost hysterical when she once offered a touch of her powers of the Light to him, stating over and over that he would certainly hurt her if she did that, muttering about how he'd lose control, just like with Linese...

There were times when Barian had fallen into an almost trance-like state, muttering incoherent phrases over and over, his body rocking and trembling, staring off into space. Her gestures and talking did not seem to register with him during those moments, he making no indication of acknowledging anyone else in the room aside from himself. These trances only lasted moments at a time, broken when he'd suddenly gasp for breath as though holding it for a long while, looking around as though startled awake from a dream, engulfed in pain once again.

This continued well into the night, many of Katlayna's candles almost melted to the bottom when she finally decided that enough was enough. She marched to her backpack, rooting around for her mana potions, mana biscuits, anything that would relieve Barian of the pain.

Grasping a mana potion, she approached Barian carefully, who was a sweaty, moaning mess before her, her body tense in preparation for a fight. "Barian," she whispered, as though talking normally would somehow shatter him, "You need to take this."

He had been rocking back and forth on his haunches, hugging his legs to his chest, his hair a messy curtain around his head. Upon hearing her voice his head snapped up, revealing a pale face and dimly-glowing eyes. His gaze fell upon the offered vial of blue liquid, glued to it, hunger settling into his shocked expression. He shifted his gaze to her for only a moment, then back onto the vial as though looking away for too long would make it disappear. "Damn it, Katlayna," he muttered, though he did not take his eyes off the vial, "I told you not to..."

He swayed, his eyes rolling in the back of his head, almost toppling over from his precarious position. Katlayna started to catch him but he managed to regain his balance, eyes shut tight.

He opened them again to look at her, his gaze vacant, chillingly hollow. Katlayna sensed something wrong at that moment, but it was too late for her to react. Barian lunged at her, catching her off guard for she expected he'd dive for her outstretched hand, not for herself. He knocked her on her back, forcing the vial from her fingers to shatter against the ground as he pinned her.

She fought hard against him, arms and legs flailing as he tried to grasp at her wrists, growling furiously at her. She regretted ever taking off her armor, he too intent on subduing her to really notice her feeble punches and kicks. "Barian, snap out of it!" she screamed, but it was like yelling at a stranger, the look in his eyes unrecognizable to her.

He managed to pin her wrists together over her head with one hand, using his body weight to hold down the rest of her, his free hand clamped firmly around her neck. She gasped, pausing her struggling as a strange, unpleasant tingling sensation overtook her, as though a giant magnet hovered over her, trying to draw out her blood through tissue and skin, her neck hot as though on fire. She realized at once that Barian was trying draw forth her life force. He's mana-tapping me.

With a guttural cry, she managed to wrench one hand free, focusing enough through the pain and distortion of her body's mana flow to concentrate a bit of Holy Light into her fist, solidifying it into a hardened case of energy around her hand. She hurled this enhanced punch as hard as she could muster, her fist colliding solidly with the side of Barian's face. He rolled off of her, his cry a mix between a howl and a croon, pained from the force of the punch but exhilarated from the residue of Holy energy left on his cheek.

Katlayna sat up, the painful pull on her body instantly gone. She stared at Barian for a moment as he wobbled into a semi-crouched position, hoping the punch was enough to knock him back to his senses.

It hadn't as he glared at her, that same hollow expression still in his eyes.

Katlayna turned to lunge for her backpack, to the sword leaned against the wall beside it, but Barian, even at this state, was still faster, managing to grasp her ankle and pull her back, knocking her to the floor.

She shrieked, scratching, punching, kicking, anything to prevent Barian from gaining a grip on her again as he fought to hold her still. "NO!" she wailed loudly into the night as she felt his fingers wrap around her slender neck once more.

This seemed to have an affect as his grip on her suddenly slackened. She watched, frightened and fascinated at the same time, as color immediately sprang back into his eyes, his skin darkened to a more normal hue. He blinked, looked around as though startled from a dream, taking in the sight of Katlayna pinned underneath him, her eyes wide with fright, her hair and clothes rumpled from struggle, bruises on her neck.

His face twisted into that of horror, immediately recoiling from her. "I...I blacked out again, just like with Linese," he moaned, his whole body trembling from shock. "Oh, Kat...I'm so sorry..." He frantically examined himself over for stark-white skin, loss of hair, lumps on his back, any telltale physical sign of becoming Wretched, muttering his apology over and over the entire time.

Katlayna sat up slowly, rubbing her tender neck, her body still tense, an entire arsenal of Holy spells waiting dormant at the tips of her fingers in case Barian decided to attack her again.

He stared, anguished, at the bruises on her neck, taking a step forward, but stopped when he noticed how her body tensed to his movement. “I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “I did not ever mean to hurt you. I wasn't aware! I didn’t realize until it was too late what I was doing, I…”

Katlayna’s stunned silence cut him short, Barian realizing in despair that no apology, no explanation was going to take back what he had done. Trembling, he lowered his gaze, shuffling to the doorway, stumbling outside into the darkness to leave Katlayna alone inside the tiny hut.

She stood as though transfixed for a moment, the sudden silence enveloping her as she absorbed all that had happened, all that Barian had said. Finally, she dropped to her knees, her entire body shaking, eyes welling with tears. She willed herself not to cry, however, to not utter a single sob, for she had vowed to herself to never cry, to never show weakness under any circumstance. Besides, he did not mean to hurt me, she tried to convince herself, Barian’s anguished look, of his despair reverberating through her thoughts, He managed to stop in time. Next time we’ll get it right…

After a few moments to steady her mind and her body she got to work, determined not to give up on Barian, convincing herself that any risk was worth his well being, that he deserved not to limp in the shackles of his sin’dorei calling any more. She first started with herself, applying a hand aglow with holy energy to her neck, healing the bruising there. She then prepared a kettle of water to boil on the wood stove, rummaging around for washcloths and a bar of soap. The ordeal left her hot, sticky and drained—a bit of cleaning would do her some good and she suspected it would probably benefit Barian as well.

She had just poured the last of the water into a large bowl when Barian walked back into the room, looking tired, but a bit better than he had been—his skin had regained some color, his eyes a healthier glow of fel green. No doubt whatever bit of energy he did manage to absorb from her sustained him a little bit. Katlayna could not help but feel a little grateful towards this—she hated to see him visibly suffer, and if offering more of her holy energy would make him feel better she’d gladly do so for him. Since when have I become such a sacrificial sucker? she scoffed to herself. Doing stupid things like that for a man…

“I’ve prepared a sponge bath for you,” she announced, keeping her voice cool, firm like a sergeant suggesting a worn soldier take a breather instead of a wife doting on her husband. She was never very good at conveying her feelings well, especially towards care and affection. “I’ll step out to give you privacy while you—“

“I need you to leave.”

Katlayna looked at Barian, surprised, he staring coolly back at her, narrowing his eyes but unable to hide the sadness in them. “Leave? I thought you—“

“The sooner the better,” he continued, the words like a slap across Katlayna’s face.

She stared at him, dumbfounded, confused as to why Barian would suddenly want her to leave. If anything, it should be HIM leaving, not me! He’s the dangerous one! "If it's the training, I--"

"I'll only hurt you if you stay," he interjected. "It's obvious I can't control myself, that even though I look like sin'dorei I'll never be completely cured of being Wretched." He spat the last word out, his face a grimace of hatred and sorrow over it. "I'll never forgive myself if anything happened to you...I can't bear to lose you..."

She crossed the room in a couple of large, hasty steps, cutting off his words with a tight hug.

Barian's body stiffened, shocked by the sudden contact, unsure of whether to return the hug or push her away. "Katlayna, I'm begging you, please leave," he whispered over her shoulder, his voice strained.

Katlayna hugged him tighter. "Never," she murmured back, her voice soft but stern. "I'm staying right here with you."

"Why?" His voice choked; Katlayna could not tell if he was crying.

"Thank you for caring so much about my safety," she started, "For fighting with your withdrawals so long for me, for loving me enough to want me to leave just to see me safe."

He returned the hug then, his arms shaking.

"However, what kind of love is this if I can't be there to help you through your most turbulent times? You've been fighting this alone for far too long now--I'm not allowing that to happen again. We'll get through this together until there's no worry of you hurting me anymore, until you can get by with meditations alone, then we'll continue to battle our addiction together. I'm not leaving you and you're a fool if you think I will."

Barian couldn't help but chuckle, the sound breaking through from what would otherwise be a sob. "You're too stubborn, Katlayna," he whispered.

She smirked. "I know." She broke the embrace, moving away just enough to touch his face, tracing any small wounds she may have inflicted on him during their struggle with a finger aglow with holy energy. "Besides, my guard was down last time. Now that I know what to expect, I'm pretty confident I can defend myself against you." Her finger sparked for a moment, just enough to leave a light shock against Barian's cheek that caused him to jump.

She snickered over this, moving away as he shook his head at her, smiling lightly. His body still trembled, his skin still a little pale, but the lightened mood did seem to help a bit as he had almost his normal complexion back, carrying himself much more strongly than before.

"Well, no offense, but you reek, so I advice you take advantage of the basin of hot water I prepared for you over there." She pointed for emphasis. "I'll step out for a few minutes to give you some privacy."

"Always the smart ass," Barian commented with a smirk, and Katlayna smiled back.

She paused at the doorway for a moment, concerned, as he did not move very well, almost stumbling to the counter with the large bowl of water. She watched quietly as he dropped a washcloth into the water to soak, grabbing for the dry bar of soap. It tumbled out of his hands, as though he could not mold his grip to fit the object, landing by his feet. Cursing softly, he knelt forward to pick it up before a wave of nausea overwhelmed him.

Katlayna caught this, with the sudden flush to his face, the unsteady jerk of his eyes, the way his weight shifted. She rushed over to crutch his fall, he leaning heavily against her.

“You’re going to need help,” she affirmed to both herself and him as he grunted, blinked a few times to shake off his disorientation before regaining his balance.

“I’m fine,” he protested, “just a little weak still from—“

“Sit on the rug, I’ll wash you,” was her firm command.

He sighed, narrowed his eyes at her grumpily, but obeyed, knowing it best not to argue with Katlayna unless it was worth the effort.

He sat on the rug with his legs folded under him as before while Katlayna gathered the basin of water and other things, setting them all beside him.

“Take off your shirt,” she started before inwardly cursing herself on her forgetfulness. Barian could barely hold a bar of soap, much less undress himself. Without thought she leaned forward to help pull the garment over his head.

She always liked seeing Barian shirtless from the few times during her party’s adventures that she had, liking his tone, his compact, hard shape. She tried hard not to stare as she swallowed, knocking down the feelings that began to stir within her as she crawled to settle herself behind him. His skin glowed softly in the candlelight, every muscle accentuated by the flickering light and shadows all around them. The room was intensely silent save for their breathing and the sloshing of water as Katlayna re-dipped the washcloth.

“I’m going to start with your back, if that’s ok,” she said, her voice throatier than she had wanted. He did not say anything as she began, running the damp cloth across his back.

She could feel his body tremble beneath her fingers, undoubtedly due to the turmoil his body had gone through. She tried to focus on that instead of the feel and shape of his back under her palms as she worked. Arousal stirred deep within her belly, her skin tingled, and she inwardly gritted her teeth against those feelings, shamed by the erotic images of him taking her that flashed through her mind. He's been through so much these past few hours to the point of barely functioning and all I can think about is sex! She did notice, however, as she pushed aside some of his hair to better wash his upper back, that his body was trembling considerably less than when she had started.

"Feeling better?" she murmured. Fingers brushed against damp, bare skin, her light breathing tickled the back of his neck. She could hear him swallow.

"A bit," was his soft answer.

The light strain in his voice was different--Katlayna caught it right away. She quirked an eyebrow, eyeing the back of his head as her mind chewed over a fresh hunch. All this time she had been angry at her body for feeling things during an inconvenient time. Perhaps Barian, despite his condition, had the same feelings. After all, he was male, being pampered by a relatively attractive woman alone in a candle-lit room...

The light pulse of desire getting the best of her, Katlayna decided to test out this theory. Drying off his back with a towel, she then scooted around so that she faced him.

He looked at her with that same calm expression as before they had started the meditation, his intense fel-green eyes studying her face. Katlayna hoped she wasn't blushing as she rose to her knees, climbing onto his lap, straddling his legs.

Barian blinked and raised his eyebrows in surprise, clearly not expecting this bold move from her, his cheeks slightly rosy from blushing.

Katlayna smirked from this, finding his awkward expression adorable. "My apologies," she drawled, though she didn't sound the least bit apologetic, dipping the washcloth in the basin again, "I need to get at your chest next and this way is easiest. Unless you'd rather I just reach across your lap?" She widened her eyes innocently at him.

He stared, swallowed, a little taken aback. He certainly wasn't the smooth, suave rogue Katlayna imagined he would be around women. "No, this is fine."

"Good." She proceeded to wash the front of him, occasionally allowing her fingernails to scrape along the little hair on his chest that he had. Her touch lingered a little longer than necessary along the contours of his belly, her legs spread a little wider than they should be, her face leaned in a little too close to his neck. She avoided looking at his face directly, but she could tell from her peripheral vision how intently he stared at her.

She noted that his body had all but stopped trembling, and appeared to be his normal self again, solidifying her hunch into fact. Her little display was arousing him enough to distract him from his body’s withdrawals, and any distraction, to Katlayna, was a good thing. That's when an idea sprung to her head about a way to help Barian through the rest of the night, something to ease his mind off the pain of withdrawals.

"How is your bath so far?" she asked, satisfied with his chest, as she tilted her body forward to drop the washcloth in the basin beside them. She arched her back just enough for the tips of her breasts to brush against his chest, enjoying the feel of her hardened nipples against him, her face hovering inches from the crook of his neck. Now that he was cleaner she could enjoy the scent of his skin, all she could do from tracing his jaw line with the tip of her tongue. "Are you feeling better? Are you still tired? What would you like from me next?"

Their eyes finally met then, Katlayna's heart skipping a beat upon finding firm intent in his gaze, a decisive fire in his eyes. "Closer," he murmured, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her against him, her hips pressed against his.

Katlayna's mouth fell open ever-so-slightly, desire bubbling within her from his sudden boldness and their contact.

Barian eyed her lips hungrily before swooping in for a heated kiss, his tongue darting forward to claim her.

Katlayna's eyes fluttered closed, surprised and pleased by the sudden kiss. She relaxed her body against his, lightly gripping his shoulders as she returned the kiss, timid yet hungry in its execution.

Barian cupped her face with one hand as they tasted each other, Katlayna's mind slipping further and further into the hazy fog of desire. Oh how long she wanted this, to be alone with Barian like this, with all the time in the world to touch each other without worry of someone from their group barging in. She pressed her body hard against his, yearning for his heat, the feel of his skin against her, her hips grinding against him in the process. He moaned softly into her mouth, wrapping his arms tightly around her to keep her body firmly against his.

She broke the kiss, breathing heavily as he nipped along her jaw line while gently brushing back her curly red hair from her face.

"I..I still need to finish cleaning you," she managed to say, enjoying the feel of his breath against her skin.

"Later," he whispered into her ear as he tugged lightly at her earlobe with his teeth.

She sighed lustfully, almost deciding to just let it go, to allow Barian to have his way with her at that moment. Almost. She had other plans in mind. So instead she shook her head, scooting back just a little.

Barian looked at her questionably, his lips slightly swollen from his attention to her, and she smiled seductively at him as she grabbed the washcloth again.

He quirked an eyebrow but did not say anything as she began on his left arm.

Her work was slower than before, not as firm and vigorous, her leaving a hot trail of kisses along his skin as she massaged downwards. Eventually she got to his hand, lightly wiping it down before tracing her tongue along the lines in his palm, her breath tingling against his skin. Then, without warning she took two of his fingers into her mouth, sucking lightly on them, tongue swirling around them as she gave him a meaningful look, conveying her intentions with him.

His jaw slackened, eyes heavy-lidded with desire. He allowed her to assault his fingers for a few more moments before she pulled them away with a very soft pop.

"Shall I finish cleaning you?" she asked again, licking her lips and raising an eyebrow expectantly.

He could only nod, now in full agreement with her.

Katlayna smiled, "Good," and cared for his other arm in the same gentle, erotic manner.

When she was finished she pushed against his chest, signaling Barian to lean back. He did so without protest, resting his back against the rug.

She rose to her knees, scooting back a bit. She loosened his belt, he lifting his hips for her as she grasped both pants and underwear at once and tugged them down.

She was pleased and a little relieved at what sprang forth before her. She had heard many rumors of how tiny elf men were, and even more rumors about how lousy in bed they were with women. She was pleased to see that, with Barian, one of those rumors proved to be false, knowing that his size would be more than enough to satisfy her.

But it was not that that she focused on at the moment, taking her slow, sweet time to wash his legs. He propped himself up on his elbows to better watch her as she started at his thighs and worked her way down, occasionally sweeping up and around his inner thighs, almost touching the sensitive flesh between them, her fingers just managing to flitter away each time. He shivered, sighed, and gave her a pointed look, her returning the gaze challengingly.

“What?” she asked nonchalantly, though the smirk that tugged on her full lips was anything but.

Finally, after minutes of tortuously avoiding him for so long, Katlayna felt ready to finish cleaning the rest of him. Without warning, she dragged the cool, damp washcloth down the length of his cock, Barian jumping slightly from the initial contact, then sucking in his breath through his teeth. Katlayna rubbed gently, firmly, slowly, cool cloth and warm fingers moving up and down the shaft and spreading over the scrotum. She cleaned the creases between his genitals and thighs, stroking the space between the back of his balls and his anus, Barian all but shuddering over this, biting his bottom lip and leaning his head back.

Finally, with a mischievous smirk, Katlayna set the washcloth down, leaning forward until her face hovered just inches from the head of his sex. "Now to make sure you're clean," she breathed hotly, the sudden, sharp contrast of her heated breath against the cooled flesh causing Barian to gasp. Then, without hesitation, she darted her tongue out against the bottom of his shaft, dragging it slowly upward, swirling it around the head, then down the other side, exhaling heavily the entire time.

Barian moaned, his eyes darkening with lust as he watched and felt this faithful soldier of the Light tend to his "cleaning".

She moved back up his hardened member again, finally allowing the head to disappear between her lips as she took him deeper within her mouth.

Katelayna could taste his precum as her tongue rubbed against the opening there, that familiar salty, somewhat buttery taste of a man. She never cared too much for the taste before, but it helped her now to know that Barian had been cleaned, and as she swallowed that small bead of his seed, she noted a peculiar aftertaste. It wasn't the sweetness of it that she found the strangest, but of how her body reacted as she swallowed. She felt marginally energized, her blood surging with an odd, comforting heat--as though a tiny sliver of the Sunwell's power had penetrated her. She gripped the base of his shaft with one hand, caressing his balls with the other as she took more of him into her mouth, ensuring that she had ingested every last bit of his precum. Traces of all the magical energy he had consumed is in his cum, she realized as she worked more eagerly at him, enjoying the hard, smooth feel of him against her tongue as she bobbed her head and sucked at him, his body quivering beneath her. No wonder the sin'dorei were rumored to be more promiscuous than their quel'dorei counterparts.

Katelayna knew she shouldn't have swallowed that little bit of cum as her soft blue eyes met his intense fel-green ones. She knew it was wrong for quel'dorei to absorb magical energy in any way, that doing so would make her meditations harder for the next few days, would set her back from the goal of eventually not having to meditate at all. However, she liked the way he squirmed underneath the grip of her hands and hot lips sliding against him. His sighs and soft moans, and the insurance of more of that euphoric feeling from the taste of his cum spurred her on. She convinced herself that this would be ok because of the purpose of distracting Barian from his own withdrawals. Surely, there was no harm in bringing the one she loved pleasure and coincidentally receiving a little bit of it at the same time.

Katlayna took as much of him into her mouth as she could, her mouth watering for more of his precious seed. She hummed occasionally, his body tensing over her sweet ministrations. She felt strangely pleased by the delicious wrongness of a quel'dorei and sin'dorei together like this, a paladin and a rogue, as Barian reached forward to tuck a bit of her hair behind her ears and grip the back of her head, whispering to her his encouragement. She knew that none of this was supposed to happen, shouldn’t happen, but didn't care one bit as he fell back against the rug, head tossed back, hips bucking, gasping out his warning to her. She decided right then and there that she would no longer hide her feelings for him, that she would boldly love him, and take on whatever consequences may follow that proclamation. She could feel him pulsate as that thought hovered within her, his seed exploding into her mouth. She swallowed as much of it as she could, dutifully lapping up the rest to ensure that he stayed clean.

She could feel the arcane energy surge within her, and for a few sweet moments she felt almost normal, as though the Sunwell had never been fouled and destroyed.

Her sex throbbed impatiently at her, her leggings uncomfortable against the swollen dampness of her pussy. With her body's brief relief she realized how aroused she really was, yearning to strip off her pants and stroke herself, wishing more that Barian would do it for her, but knowing, through her experience with other men, that it would take a little time for him to recover and return the pleasure she had given him, if he decided to at all. Probably best not to tease herself too soon.

Therefore it surprised her when he reached out to tuck a finger under her chin, coaxing her forward. She crawled over him as he sat up until their lips met, his tongue delving eagerly into her mouth, traces of his cum still there. He tasted himself from her with vigor, Katlayna surprised and a bit amused at the action. Barian didn't seem to mind, however, his kisses enthusiastic and passionate, her body begging for him to touch her, to give her release. Still straddling him, he pulled her body against him, and it was all she could do from cheering aloud when she felt the full length of him, still so stiff and hard, press against her thighs.

"My turn," he whispered as he reached for another washcloth, clean & dry, folded neatly beside the bowl of water. They both sat up for him to help her out of her shirt, his gaze meeting creamy, small, full breasts with smooth, pale skin, hardened, rosy nipples waiting to be touched.

Katlayna blushed, fighting the urge to fold her arms over her chest, hoping Barian liked what he saw. She wondered for the first time what kind of women he was physically attracted to.

"So beautiful," he murmured huskily against her ear, his breath causing the hairs on her neck to rise from the seductive purr to his voice, and then he got to work cleaning her.

Barian was serious with her cleaning, soaping and wiping down her chest, arms, belly, and sides, but moved his hands in an erotic enough manner to make Katlayna’s skin tingle. She relished how his fingers alternated pressure as he dragged the washcloth along the length of her arms, the softness of her belly, the curve of her shoulders and neck. She thrilled on the way his touch lingered at the base of her back, up her spine, along her ribcage and over her hips. She could only watch his gaze followed the movement of his hands, fascinated by how intently he studied her body, his eyes occasionally flickering up to meet her own, causing her to blush.

Katlayna had just gotten used to Barian’s sensual touches, gotten settled into the dull, buzzing pulse between her legs when he suddenly bent forward to take one of her nipples into his mouth, kneading the other breast with his fingers over the washcloth.

Katlayna gasped, pleasantly surprised, dull spikes of pleasure shooting through her as he gripped her nipple lightly with his front teeth, licked and flicked it with his tongue, then kissed the flesh of her breast, using the washcloth to tease her other breast in a similar fashion. She sighed and moaned softly, instinctually arching her body against him. She delighted in the precision of his touch--he toyed with her the right way to make her squirm and grind her hips and sopping groin against him, never feeling so much pleasure from her breasts alone. He moved the washcloth to her back, dragging it up and down her skin as his mouth assaulted the other breast, using his free hand to play with the first. She cradled his head in her arms, digging her fingers into his hair.

He eventually moved up along her collarbone, then her neck, his licks and kisses scorching her heated skin before he returned to her lips, an urgent need imbedded in his gesture. "Turn around," he whispered and she obeyed, climbing off his lap to turn her back to him.

He pushed lightly against the top of her back and she dropped to her hands and knees as he reached around her body to unbuckle the belt to her leggings. He tugged them down slowly, the air around them sweetened with the scent of her arousal. Katlayna sighed contently, relieved of the burden of clothing, as she lifted first one leg then the other for him to completely remove the pants off of her. She wiggled her rear at him impatiently, tired of foreplay, wanting nothing more than for him to bury himself deep within her swollen, moist pussy. She no longer thought of modesty, of his opinion of her body, only caring now about the raging need that overcame her. It had been quite some time since a man had last taken her and she could not recall the last time she had felt so horny.

But he did not, instead using the washcloth to cleanse the skin of her rear, her thighs, her calves.

She enjoyed being cleaned so thoroughly, but did not want to indulge in that at the moment, leaning back in hopes that her begging pussy, naturally almost hairless, would come in contact with something, hoping Barian would just get the hint and ram into her. "Please," she moaned softly as she just barely felt the washcloth graze the edge of her labia, only raging her craving to be touched further. She glanced over her shoulder behind him, her eyes locking on his mischievous smirk before drifting down his crouching body to the prize between his legs. "I want you...just...please..."

She could feel the heat of his skin over her back as he leaned over her to say something in her ear, his hard length pressed against her thigh.

"Do you crave me?"

She felt his fingers tease at the cleaned, puckered entrance of her ass and she moaned, wanting so much for him to push those fingers within those depths.

"Of course," she gasped as he cupped and kneaded her breasts with his free hand, teeth and lips teasing at various places of her back that made her spine tingle with the sensation. How ever did he know just where to touch her, to kiss her, to drive her so crazy? She could feel his sex pressed against hers now, his hips against her rear, but he did not enter her.

The heat of his body suddenly lifted as he moved away, Katlayna whimpering in protest.

"Do you really?" he said, his breath hot against the folds of her sex.

Katlayna stiffened, realizing how close his face was to her sopping pussy. "Yes, just--"

Her words died in her throat, replaced by a low moan as she felt his tongue graze up the length of her slit. She leaned forward so that her head and shoulders rested on the rug, still on her knees with her rear high in the air as Barian assaulted her with tongue and breath alone. She moaned and squirmed, feeling his tongue explore her folds, tease her swollen lips, dip inside her to sample her depths. Occasionally he would flicker his tongue downwards to her clitoris, causing her to gasp, spasm and cry out as he teased on the sensitive bud. She was impressed by his ability to please her, wondering if it had anything to do with his long elven lifespan, Barian having more time to perfect the art of sex, more opportunities to practice it, than a human would.

He put his fingers to work next, his tongue working on her clit as he pumped one, then two fingers inside her. Katlayna shuddered, moaned, writhing under his touch, as he used his free hand to explore her body--brushing up against her breasts and down her stomach, following the delicious curve of her lower back to her rear to flicker against the entrance there, squeezing her buttocks then grazing the sensitive flesh of her inner thighs.

She could feel the impending release, the pressure in her body rising, the pleasure almost too much to bear. "Yes," she crooned, rocking her hips against his hand soaked in her juices, "Almost..."

He pulled away just as she was about to climax, falling just short of going over the edge. She gasped and snapped her head up, her mind a flurry of mixed emotions--surprise, annoyance, disappointment, and reached back frantically for his hand. "Wha...why? Please, just a little more..."

Barian kept from her reach. When she propped her upper body up on her arms to turn her head back to give him a steely glare, he could only smile coolly at her.

She opened her mouth to speak, prepared to express her feelings over the frustration of being denied her orgasm, but Barian beat her to the punch, fingertips grazing over her once again. Her first words of outrage blurred into approving moans, reaching back to hold his wrist in place as she ground against his wiggling fingers.

"You want it, don't you," he murmured, his voice husky with lust.

Katlayna could only manage a nod, then yelped and arched her back helplessly, his fingers inside her hitting a hot spot.

He grinned widely over her reaction, stroking that precious point of her until her body quaked, until she moaned out her sweet, sensuous agony to him.

She could just feel the edges of orgasm begin to crest when he stilled his fingers, the sensation beginning to fall back. She grunted in frustration, moving his hand in and out, struggling to lure back the fleeting explosion, flustered that she could not. “Please, Barian,” she pleaded, fighting very hard not to curse at him instead, “it’s been so long since I came like this. Please…”

She could feel his body over hers again, his breath against her ear. “It feels so good, the pleasure almost unbearable, doesn’t it?” He rocked his fingers within her again.

She could only manage a moan and a nod, pressing her body against his, the heat of his skin combined with his touch only fueling her fire.

“All you need is just enough for that big release, that climatic hit of pleasure.” He paused his ministrations again, Katlayna growling her displeasure over this.

“But no matter how hard you try you just…can’t…” He thrusted his fingers forward with each word, dragging Katlayna to the brink of orgasm, “ever…reach…it…”

He pulled his hand out this time, and it was all Katlayna could do from clobbering him for it. Instead she rose to her knees, turning around to face him, her face flush with frustration and lust, barely able to keep upright on her quivering body. She knew where he was going with this, wanting to compare her lack of release to his experiences absorbing magic as a sin’dorei, but she wanted nothing of his mind games right now. “Don’t toy with me like this,” she snapped, strangely comfortable to the sensation of being so aroused and so angry at the same time. “You can’t just—“

With a calm demeanor, he pushed her, Katlayna falling on her back with a surprised grunt. In one fluid motion, he grasped her legs, throwing them over his shoulders as he drove himself slowly, steadily, to the hilt within her.

Katlayna gasped, eyes widening, her body spasming and arching against his delicious, welcomed invasion.

He did not move, allowing them both time to adjust to him as she swallowed, panted. She looked at him, noting the soft smile playing against his lips, lust-drunk eyes studying her every curve with appreciation. She never felt more beautiful than at that moment with the way he looked at her now.

Barian began to rock against her, slowly at first, giving her body time to grow accustomed to him. Katlayna loved how well he fit within her, how he felt inside her, drawing back almost all the way out then sliding deeply back in again. It wasn’t long before she was swept away by his movements, head thrown to the side, hair splayed out from under her, hands gripping tightly at his arms. She moaned in time to his thrusts, hips bucking to eagerly meet his.

He leaned forward, the back of her knees resting against his shoulders, feet dangling behind him, her hips raised off the ground. She hardly noticed, her body accustomed to being so flexible, too enthralled in the current sensations. He moved faster, drove into her harder, his groans and gasps ringing in time with hers. “You’re…so tight…” he gasped, his hair swaying against her legs, tickling her skin. He pivoted his hips, searching for her hot spot until a cry broke out from her moans, Katlayna mewling her encouragement, her hands running raggedly in his hair.

He complied, driving into that sweet spot again and again, feeling her walls tighten around him, beckoning him to release. She finally did, that first climax rough as her entire body tensed and shuddered, mouth agape but hardly capable of uttering a sound, hands flailing and grasping white-knuckled at the rug. She finally crashed down, gasping for breath, her mind spinning in euphoria. Barian remained motionless within her, biting his lip, caressing her thighs, still hard and throbbing within her. He had yet to release.

He withdrew from her slowly, sucking in his breath through his teeth, struggling for control.

Smirking at him, Katlayna climbed to her hands and knees, wiggling her rear at him suggestively, her pussy swollen and glistening in the candlelight with her juices, open and awaiting Barian’s return.

He did, forcing himself inside her roughly, smirking when she reacted with a low, loud moan. He pistoned in and out of her, encouraged by her approving cries and the way she pushed back against him as though he could never thrust hard enough, never drive into her deep enough, despite him doing both so well to her satisfaction. One hand held onto her hip, gripping so tight it almost hurt her, the other hand grasping a fistful of her hair, pulling back just enough to cause her body to arch, breasts swaying in time to their movements. She thrilled at the sound of skin slapping rhythmically against skin as he rode her, cherished how well his cock stroked the sensitive depths of her, adored the feel of his sweaty skin against her back as he leaned forward and over her.

She gasped and almost came again upon feeling his hot breath against her ear, tongue running along the length of it, exploring its contours. Her human lovers had been, at most, curious about her elven ears, many touching them experimentally, almost hesitantly, a few bold enough to nip at their tips. She never imagined they’d be so sensitive, feel so good when touched the way Barian did, his tongue and teeth finding places along her ear that made her cry out, made her pussy gush, made her body spasm. She assumed that it was because he was an elf, with long ears of his own, that he knew how to drive her crazy from her ears alone, and tried hard to concentrate on where and how he licked her so that she could try to do the same to his ears later.

It did not take long at all for her body to release again, this climax more violent than the first, Barian letting go of her hair to allow her to freely writhe in her ecstasy. Again he remained motionless as she endured the orgasm, his chest heaving, body trembling with the fantastic sensation of her, fighting hard not to release…

Only after she had stopped shaking, after her loud cries had quieted into soft moans did he move back, taking her with him until he sat on his haunches, her straddling his lap with legs spread wide, her back to his chest, he still inside her.

Katlayna’s mind spun as he moved again, amazed at his stamina. He was slow and gentle with her this time, a welcomed contrast to how he took her only minutes before, his hips grinding slowly, firmly in an upwards, circular motion. His hands worshipped every inch of her sweat-slick body, lingering especially at her breasts and clitoris as he tortured her with his touch. She clutched at his arms as his pace deepened, his hands now supporting her legs as he drove himself into her as deep as he could go. She could feel his breath on her neck, feel his body flex against hers, and sighed happily when he began to tease her ears with his mouth again.

He whispered things to her, of how much he loved her, how good she felt, how much he wanted her. She had heard these things before, always in Common. Thus she found Barian’s words, spoken in their native tongue, ironically exotic, his voice soft and husky, saturated with need. It was enough to send her over the edge of ecstasy again, never imagining something so subtle affecting her so much.

As the last pangs of her third orgasm left her, she began to wonder if she was a good lover to him, astonished that he still had not released yet. Determined to see him lost in the throes of passion next, she decided to take charge, moving off of him just long enough to turn around.

She sat back down, guiding him back into her slick, swollen folds, pushing against his chest with her free hand as she do. He fell back against the rug as she began to ride him.

She studied his face carefully as she moved, tilting and grinding her hips in certain angles and motions until she learned what drew gasps from him, what caused him to moan out her name, what made him clutch her hips and cause his body to shudder against her. She leaned forward, experimenting with his ears until she learned the places that made him groan out “Yes,” enjoying being able to bring him as much pleasure as he brought her.

She kissed him deeply, penetrating his mouth with her tongue the way he penetrated her, trying hard to focus on drawing forth his climax but finding it difficult to do so over the fog of her own pleasure. “Give yourself to me,” she rasped in his ear between light moans—his thrusts felt so good! “Don’t fight it…enjoy it…my body craves your release…”

Barian sighed, the gesture almost sounding relieved, and clutched her hips tightly as he drove himself into her. Caught in a sudden orgasm, Katlayna sat up, her body arched exquisitely, head tossed back with her long red hair swaying behind her, breasts bouncing, rear rippling in contact to his hard thrusts. She barely recovered enough to note the low groan that escaped him, the way his own body arched against hers, eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted. He opened his eyes for only a brief moment to look at her, his stare unfocused, feral and hazy from the peak of his release, the glow a light shade of blue.

She gasped, blinked, but he closed his eyes again and she wondered if she had just imagined things. The warmth of his seed spilling deep inside her distracted Katlayna from those thoughts and she slowly rode out his orgasm, too engulfed in their passion to dwell further in that detail.

They lay on the rug together for a while, many of the candles having burnt away as they gazed at and lazily caressed each other in the dim light, basking in the afterglow of what had happened. Barian’s eyes held the same fel-green glow as always, Katlayna scrutinizing their depths for any traces of the blue glow she thought she had seen before, to no avail.

“Thank you,” he whispered after a while, “for your support, for being there for me, and for…you know…”

They grinned at each other, Katlayna touched by his verbal appreciation. It was rare for Barian to express his gratitude towards anything.

They eventually made it to the hammock, designed for only one person, and a balancing act for them both to settle into. They managed, Katlayna’s torso resting above Barian as he lay beneath her, her head tucked at the crook of his neck, their legs tangled together, a light blanket over them.

She thought again about that brief moment when his eyes had glowed blue, confused about how or why it happened, wondering if it even did happen at all. “Barian,” she murmured, finally deciding to mention it to him, and looked up at his face when he did not respond.

He was fast asleep and she couldn’t help but smile, brushing a stray strand of hair from his face. She studied him for a while, for only in his sleep was he, a sin’dorei, no different from a quel’dorei, her mind drifting to memories of him before the fall of Quel’Thalas. In the months that she had traveled with him and the rest of their party since then, she had never seen him sleep so soundly, grateful to bring him relief over what had started as a very turbulent night.

Katlayna drew together a plan of action in her mind of how she could properly help Barian fight his withdrawals, knowing to wean him slowly from his dependence on mana taps, expecting the struggle to be long, rough, dangerous, but so worth it if she could see him smile, see him relax, for him to stop hating himself.

“This life is a darkness I can’t get out of,” she recalled him saying to her the night before in the rain. “I’ll never see the sun rise again. I’ll die this way, a pitiful shadow of my former self.”

Katlayna summoned forth a small sliver of holy energy, forming it into a ball and rolling it between her fingers, something she usually did when she was bored or deep in thought. She mulled over and over again her plan of action for the next few weeks, her only wish to see him endure his darkness, and to stand with him to see his sun rise again.

END?