[Rainbowfox Ari]

Tristanis knew this place like the back of his hand. The humanform Lucain moved easily among the mists and the darkness, hand tightly gripping that of his Bonded, his Xo'keye, as he led them deeper and deeper into the woods, past where any sane Lucain might stop. These woods were often said to be haunted, but Tris had a way with spirits, and he knew they would leave him pretty much alone. If they didn't, he had ways to deal with that, too.

He reached a clearing just as night was starting to fall hardcore, and a mantle of stars glistened overhead. The place was somewhat creepy, pretty stars or not. There was a lake here, covered in mist as was most of the rest of the forest.

"Come on, Xo... Nobody's going to get us here. I don't think anyone could find us here if they tried." Tristanis said softly, finally letting go of the other's hand, and gesturing up. "Look at the stars... There are so many out tonight!"

[SpringsSong]

Xo'keye did his best to keep up with Tristanis, although his tail would occasionally get caught on a rouge branch or bramble.  He, like his Bonded, didn't seem to mind the woods that much--perhaps because his eyesight was far better than that of most Lucain in the darkness, or because he felt safe with Tris there... or maybe, it was both.

"If they did, then they either have serious issues, or are looking for trouble," Xo'keye said with a chuckle.  He looked up as Tris indicated the stars up above, and Xo'keye smiled appreciatively at the sight.  "It's amazing how much clearer the stars are the farther away from more 'civilized' areas you get," he said.  "When I was little... my mother would take my sister and I out to look at the stars.  She'd take us as far away from the city as possible--not that that was very far, mind you; we got... pretty strange looks for our appearances," he added.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

"I suppose I can understand that." Tristanis said, settling down and seating himself on a small grassy outcropping where they could see up into the heavens, and the stars. It was also a great vantage point to watch the moon on the lake. That moon rose serenely up over the trees, full, bright, and beautiful. The reflection off the water sparkled like the stars in the sky. It was a very peaceful, and one might almost say... romantic? ... venue at the moment.

"So... I guess I should tell you what I remember of my other self. The soul that I'm taken from." he said, patting the grass beside him, and leaning back to look up at the stars. "I don't remember much of the time before he was a god, but I know that Tristanis became a god in an unplanned fashion. He sort of... well... 'accidentally' murdered the other God of Death, and thus took his place. I believe it had something to do with a fight breaking out, Tristanis trying to stop it, and winding up shoving a broomstick handle through the previous god's chest. Something like that." he lay back, arms cross behind his head.

"I'm a lot like him. But you can see that already, from walking in my mind. Only thing I lack is the full extent of his powers. I can't take life away. But I can ease a passing. I can't bring people back... but I can aid other gods in doing so. I can't really change my appearance... but I can change the appearance of others if they so desire." he glanced over to Xo. "All in all, I guess I'm a weaker version of the Juridian god. Which means I don't have as much sheer, raw power as he does. But.." he chuckled a bit. "We both love to dance. And we're both..." pausing here for a moment, he shrugged, and just outright said it. "Overtly homosexual, I guess you could call it. Flaming gay? I don't know what the proper terminology is these days."

[SpringsSong]

Xo'keye sat down beside Tris, listening as he began to talk about the soul that his had been taken from.  The first thing that caught his attention as being different than other worlds he'd heard about (and even this one) was that Tristanis had not always been the God of Death.  "So... the Juridian gods are not immortal, then?" he asked.  The next statement--where he spoke of Tristanis trying to stop the fighting, and how the other god of death had ended up with a broomstick shoved through his chest (or something like that, as Tris had said)--seemed to lend credence to that line of thought.

"I wish I knew how to dance--more than what I do know, at least," Xo said after a moment.  "Before my mother left, she taught me some very basic things about dancing.  Listening to the music to tell what kind of a dance would fit the timing better, not looking at one's feet--something I did a lot, apparently--and letting the music flow through you."

When Tris said outright that he was gay, Xo'keye offered a small smile.  "I don't know what they call it these days, either.  But, I never really knew what I was for a long while there.  How could I, when people wouldn't even let me within arm's length to start conversations?  I'm... glad that you weren't put off by my appearance at all."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

"With the way that a Bond works, Xo... I would have run into you sooner or later, even if I hadn't been at the bar tonight, at that particular seat." he smiled a bit, and reached out to brush his thumb over Xo'keye's lips, eyes half-lidding as he smiled at him. ~Because now, I am yours. And you are mine. It would have always been this way. We are two halves of the same whole.~ Switching to mental speak seemed as easy to Tris as breathing, and as he continued, he flipped effortlessly between verbal and mental speech.

He turned onto his side to consider Xo for a moment, fingers starting to explore him. His face, his ears, his horns, his lips, cheeks, down to his neck, across his arms, getting to know him through touch. ~You are beautiful. I pity those who can't see that.~ he sent, a tinge of confusion and possessive reassurance coloring it. "Anyone who tries to take you from me will have hell to pay. I'm sorry to say, Xo, but I'm a very jealous, very protective lover."

Rubbing Xo's arm a little, he leaned forward, and covered Xo's lips with his own. Gentle, soft, but yet at the same time with a passion and a hunger that might be slightly scary if Xo'keye didn't already know Tris didn't plan on hurting him. ~You are mine.~ he repeated in Xo's head, forcefully. ~And I am yours.~ He continued the kiss for a while, tangling his fingers in Xo's hair at the nape of his neck, drawing him close.

[SpringsSong]

"That so?" Xo'keye asked, his eyes closing for a moment when Tris' thumb brushed over his lips.  ~Two halves of the same whole... that's something I wasn't ever expecting to feel, or to experience,~ he thought with some hesitation, having switched to mental speech for the moment as he let the sensation of Tris's touch on his lips.

As the other turned onto his side and began to touch him, Xo'keye closed his eyes and savored the sensations that went through his body at the contact.  When the thought came through, that he was beautiful and Tris pitied those who couldn't see that, Xo'keye blushed deeply.  A slight feeling of... embarrassment?  No... shyness, that's what it was.  When Tris spoke again, he turned to face him, his eyes glistening.

"I... I don't mind that, really," he said.  "It's... I--"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Tris was kissing him.  He was surprised--that much would be evident both in the link they shared and his body language--but he soon relaxed, gently placing one of his hands on Tris's face.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

When he broke the kiss, it was only because he needed to breathe. But during it, he'd somehow wound up pushing the other onto his back, and was sort of hovering over him. One didn't have to think too terribly hard to know what was going through Tris' mind at that moment. Not all of it was PC. ~The things I feel like doing to you right now...~ he sent to Xo, playful-aggressive lust pulsating throughout. His fingers trailed the length of Xo's arm, then back up, settling for making small circles on his chest. He picked up a thought that was on the surface of Xo's mind, and frowned lightly.

~You look beautiful, asi'avi.~ Tris sent. ~But if it means that much to you, I can alter your appearance for others. It's... one of my few powers. I could do that for you. But you have to promise me something.~

He drew closer to Xo, and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. "Please, don't ever.. ever think those thoughts about yourself when you're with me. Because you're wrong. I can see into you, and there is so much more to you than you think. Your horns and your tail don't define you, Xo. You define you." he tugged lightly at the bangs of Xo's hair, and smiled at him. "I can change your appearance when around others, but... I refuse to change it when you're around me. I like how you look. Horns and all."

Without backing up too much, he maneuvered so that he could get a better look at Xo. "As my Bonded, you are entitled to know that I find you incredibly physically attractive. As a matter of fact, it is a remark to my great amount of restraint that I haven't ravished you right there."

[SpringsSong]

Xo almost couldn't stop the thought that seemed to come to the surface, if simply because it was usually one that he thought so often.  The playful-aggressive lust that pulsed through the thought that he sent before his expression changed to a frown colored Xo's cheeks slightly, and he bit his lips slightly as he listened to what Tris said to him.

~Asi'avi?~ he echoed through the link, and after the other had made his offer--and his condition--Xo'keye propped himself up on his elbows, looking intently into Tris' eyes as he smiled, rubbing the back of his neck after a moment.

"I... couldn't," he said finally.  "Normally, I try to keep myself from thinking like that, but... the last time my sister got out and started messing with someone, it..." he shook his head, reaching out in the link and projecting some vague images of that day.  ~It's... not a day I remember fondly, and not because of Ryssa.~

Finally, he shook his head again.  "I couldn't ask you to change my appearance for others.  It... I wouldn't be me then, and I... I need to keep myself from thinking such thoughts."

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Tristanis laughed, both aloud and inside Xo's head. He drew his fingers over the other's lips again, softly. ~Asi'avi means 'beloved of my heart' in a particular dialect of the Juridian language.~ Tristanis' sending was tinged with more than a little amusement, and a touch of nostalgia. ~I think... if I had ever been to Juridia myself, I might miss it. I know my counterpart loves it there. I'm sure you might like it there, too.~

He perked up a bit, and backed up, pulling Xo with him, so that he was about as close as he could get without being on top of the god. "There are things about me... you already know..." he murmured, trailing his hand up Xo'keye's back.. slowly, feeling every section of the spine, playing with the skin over his back. Even without a mental sending, the emotion - the raw and utter arousal - through the link was unmistakable.

"We're alone... totally alone. It's dark... there's nobody around for miles, and the quiet is so complete..." he leaned forward to kiss the place where Xo's horns met his forehead. Then, his nose, and then he was trailing kissing down his lips, and his throat. Eventually, he had to push Xo to the ground, albeit gently. When he had him on the ground, he settled almost on top of him, ear resting on his chest, and fingers playing with the fabric of his shirt. ~You need to be wearing less.~ he thought absently. ~We both do.~

[SpringsSong]

~Beloved of my heart...~ Xo'keye repeated.  ~I like the sound of that... asi'avi.~

When Tris said that there were things about him that he already knew, Xo'keye had already begun to pick up on the raw, utter arousal that was coming from him.  When he said that they were alone, Xo'keye couldn't help but smile slightly.  It was unmistakable; the fact that they were alone was one of the things that was lending to the feeling of arousal.  As the other kissed to his neck, his head tilted back slightly, his eyes closing as a tiny sound came from the back of his throat and into the link.

As he was gently pushed to the ground, with Tris settled almost on top of him with his ear resting on his chest, Xo couldn't help but chuckle at the thought that came across the link.  "Are you... listening to my heart?" he asked curiously.  Wearing less clothing did sound nice, but that could come slightly later--a few minutes, at least.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

"Mmmmhmmm..." Tris murmured, closing his eyes. ~I love the sound. Especially yours.~ His fingers played with the fabric of Xo's shirt a bit more, and he sighed. ~On Juridia, heartbeats are a big deal. I guess I got some of that when Tristanis' soul entered into me. Not that I mind. And you don't seem to mind, either.~ His finger made small circles, and there was that half-static in the background of his mind to show he was thinking about something.

~Your heart is deep, powerful... Makes me feel safe.~ he murmured. ~I can hear your breathing too. Relaxed. Calm. Your entire body is putting me at ease.~ Well, there was also another feeling there. One that was less 'at ease' and far more energetic in certain areas. But Tris didn't mention that part. He'd leave it for Xo to figure out.

~What about you?~ he asked, eyes still closed, still relaxed. ~Do you like... that sort of thing? Does it make you feel relaxed? Or.. excited? Or... I don't know. I guess it's a kind of stupid question.~ he laughed a little out loud, and got a little more comfortable over his chest, eyes still closed. ~Don't... don't move for a little.~

[SpringsSong]

~Ah, I see,~ Xo'keye thought with a small chuckle.  The small circles that Tris was tracing on the fabric of his shirt felt nice, and he closed his eyes as he let out a soft, barely noticeable, sigh.  When he heard the half-static in the background, he listened for the thoughts that would follow.

When he listened to the other describe his heartbeat as deep and powerful, and that it made him feel safe, Xo'keye chuckled as he moved one of his arms behind his head.  When Tris commented on his breathing, and how his entire body was putting him at ease, he could tell that there was another feeling that was decidedly not so much "at ease", he merely chuckled and placed his other hand on the other's back.

~You know... I don't actually know how that sort of thing would make me feel, because I've never been that close to someone,~ he said.  ~It's not a stupid question, asi'avi,~ he reassured him as he lifted his hand to allow the other to get a little more comfortable, and then returned his hand to the other's back.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

~Mmm... you can shorten that if it's too long for you. Just... asi.. or avi... work as well.~ Tris' thoughts were getting less coherent, and more sleepy-sounding. He really was being put at ease, although the edge of something else was right there. If he hadn't been so tired naturally, he'd have definitely jumped Xo's bones right then and there. He yawned, but didn't move from his position, feeling Xo's hand resting on his back. The other could probably feel his breathing from where his hand was resting. Tris was at least two things right now. Tired, and very, very drunk. The edges of his thoughts were starting to blur. Like a painting left out in the hot sun for too long, or spraypaint in the rain.

~Xo.... do you think.... it's okay? Us? Together like this?~ he asked, although the feelings through the sending were muddled, and coherency was a bit of an issue. ~I think I drank too much... the world's spinning. I feel like singing and dancing, but I can't even get up. I don't want to.~

Even though his eyes were closed, he screwed up his face as though thinking hard about something, or trying to understand something. That low-level static in the background of his mind meant that he had very much lost his train of thought. ~There was something else I was going to say... but it left... walked away... no, wait... it... flew?... Slid away... I was going to say something and it vanished. I think.~ There was the sense of Tris mentally trying to shake his head and get his thoughts back into some semblance of sense. Unfortunately, he was a bit too drunk for that. ~I'm sloshed, I think. Is it raining, or is it just my head? Did we do anything naughty yet?~

[SpringsSong]

~I don't think it's too long,~ Xo began, noticing the change in tone of the thoughts--his own thoughts were starting to get a slightly sleepy, less-coherent feel to them as well--~but I will... keep that in mind, too,~ he finished.  He closed his eyes and tried to sort his own thoughts, but soon realized that would be futile with the haze of alcohol still in his system.

~I don't think there's anything wrong with it,~ Xo'keye said after a few minutes.  ~I'm sure there's some who would... disagree, but who gives a shit what they think?  They can't tell us what to do, or that we can't be with each other.  I mean, they could try, but we don't have to listen to them,~ he said.  ~I don't know if I drank too much, or if the world feeling like it's spinning is because I'm not terribly used to alcohol... I don't think I could get up if I wanted to either.~

His eyes were still closed as he heard the low-level static in the background of Tris's mind.  When he said that there was something that he was going to say, but that it had vanished, Xo offered a reassuring chuckle.  ~That happens.  My mother would've called it "losing your train of thought", I think,~ he said.  When the other questions came, he said, ~I... don't think it's raining, no.  And we haven't done anything naughty yet, either.  I think that should wait until we're both more... coherent than this,~ he said, barely moving the hand on Tris's back up and down slightly.

[Rainbowfox Ari]

Tristanis couldn't help a little giggle working its way up and out his throat, while he was still pillowed against Xo's chest. It was the alcohol talking, and right now it was speaking louder than any of his other thoughts. That alcohol was suggesting very, very loudly... that Xo'keye really should be wearing less, and that it was his duty to make that happen. He sat up a bit, and started tugging at the neck of Xo's shirt for a moment, before thinking a decidedly uncouth ~Screw it!~ and holding up one claw for a moment, slitting it right down the middle as easily as a hot knife through butter. After pulling the rest off of Xo, he snuggled up again, ear against his warm, naked skin, seeing absolutely nothing in the world wrong with what he'd just done. He was even making a soft sort of purring noise in the back of his throat.

~I could doctor you up right here and now.~ he thought, muffled a bit by the haze of alcohol in his system. ~I could play with your heart... and you could play with mine. That's a lovely thought.~ He punctuated the thought by licking up the left side of Xo'keye's chest, letting sharp teeth just graze the skin. His fingertips ghosted along the other's pulsepoints, before setting on the throat, where Tristanis licked even harder.