( Mature ) Wondering Wanderings (garrett)

[Deleted]

Now that things were becoming less hectic and it didn’t look like she was going to be executed anytime soon. Aria had time to reflect on the past week; really that had be a fairly close call. She would need to go back to her home; and check on things there. However there was one thing during all of that, which was bugging her. Frankly she didn’t know if she had hallucinated it or not….and it was bugging her….a lot. Did she end up confessing feelings she had been trying to suppress? Did he have similar feelings to? Or did she hallucinate that to….she remembered a bouncy pink dragon and pretty colors….but frankly bits and pieces were somewhat fuzzy.



Of course this was all going through her mind in the middle of the night. Finally she just wasn’t able to sleep. She sat up and looked around in her small but plain room. Located near the servant quarters; it had a nice window at least. Aria got up, her night shirt was hanging off her loosely; and she put on some pants. Barefoot she exited her room and closed the door and walked silently down the hall way. Really she wasn’t sleeping until she at least asked some questions. She shifted her vision to accommodate the dark hall ways, and she shimmered out of view out of habit when walking around at night.



Now out and about she made a bee line to the guard’s barracks. She knew which one Garrett’s room was. Before actually nearing the guard’s barracks she cloaked the sound of her footsteps and grabbed a shield just in case. She then went to his room using once again the silencing spell, then her lock picking one she quietly entered his room with the shield raised. Just in case a dagger came flying. It was better the knocking and waking up other people in the Barracks.

[Garrett Blade]

Even past the midnight hours Garrett was still very much awake. In fact, he was passing the time by working out and keeping his mind focused on trying to do upside-down-bar sit ups. His legs wrapped around a home made metal bar close to the ceiling of his room. The room lit by a lamp and a small fire pit towards the corner of the room.

The lamp and fire stove creating just enough light to expose the sudden change within the room. The door had been opened. Garrett stopped, hanging upside down staring at the door as it continue to slowly open and a familiar red head attempting to sneak her way in. His brows knitted as he crossed his arms and hung there. His torso exposed and bare and covered in sweat from the amount of time he had been building up his core strength. His one eye closing as he grabbed the bridge of his nose. " You know its more polite to knock first before entering. Thats is a thing you know…" Garrett spoke up breaking the silence. His hand moving away from his eyes to his chest where he crossed his arms.

" Well come on in…" Garrett sighed, lifting himself up and grabbing hold of the bar to flip down to his floor below. Landing on his feet and flexing his shoulders to make sure he hadn't strained himself during his exercise training.

" So can't sleep I assume." Garrett asked, moving over to pick up a towel on the back of a chair located near a table that had his daggers spread out next to cleaning supplies and other strange cleaning and sharpening tools. Concern obviously shown on his face as he dried himself off with the towel and sat down in the chair.

[Deleted]

Aria froze when she suddenly was caught, to see a very exasperated….upside down….shirtless…she shook her head and smiled sheepishly over at him. A bit embarrassed she had been caught, she fully and quietly into the room and closed the door. Letting her invisibility spell drop; and placing the shield on the floor. Least she didn’t need it, it was a bit surprising this was the first time she had actually come up upon Garrett in the middle of the night and NOT get something thrown at her. Before she spoke her magic spread across the room, runes glowed for but a second before fading into the wood work. Really if someone was wondering the halls they wouldn’t hear any murmur of voices.

”You have no one but yourself to blame for that habit.”

Aria watched him as he stretched his shoulder, hers was still healing naturally, quickly with the lunar paste but naturally none the less.

”How is your shoulder?”

As he sat himself down, Aria plopped herself right on the floor of where she had been standing. Her mess of red hair long enough to touch the floor as she sat. She looked down at her feet when he asked her if she couldn’t sleep, she shook her head no. Least he knew her well enough to know her habits; she didn’t normally come bug him in the middle of the night.

”No….I have been trouble sleeping since I got fated over….but it’s a lot worse now without Core. He keeps my nightmares in check. I keep expecting to have something pop out at me in the castle. But really that's nothing new I wouldn't bug ya if I was just having issues sleeping. There are actually a few things I need to talk to you about…first”

Aria reached behind her back and pulled out the two Chackrams she had fond. She had cleaned off some of the grime, it still needed polish. But ….the weapons were shockingly familiar. She placed them on the floor looking at them with a troubled expression.

”What do you think it means that I found these at the Moon Temple…..Second thing apparently I’m the newest citizen of Palico, the Princess just wrote to her brother asking him to give me a duchess title.”

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett remained seated as Aria began to speak. His eye trailing her as she gave the excuse that it was him to blame for not knowing how to knock. His brow raised as he scoff quietly to himself at her claim. “Excuse me? If you would have knocked I wouldn’t normally try to throw stuff at you.” Garrett chuckled, trailing down to look at the scar that now branded his shoulder. A quick smirk towards it before reaching over the table to grab some cleaning tools and one of his daggers.

“It doesn’t bother me anymore. I almost forgot it was there, I mean it kind of like an add-on to the rest of the collection.” Garrett chuckled, trying to make light of the scar that Aria had pointed out. His brow knitted in a stern stare as Aria placed herself down on the floor and began speaking again. So she was having trouble sleeping after all. His expression lightening as he laid his head back against the back of the chair.
“ I know this sounds difficult, but try not thinking about him. He can take care of himself and so can you. “ Garrett stopped, no longer pretending to clean the dagger he had picked up. His head no longer resting on the back of the chair. In fact, he had gotten up out of the chair and made his way over to Aria. His knee going down and hitting the floor as he took a knelt-sitting pose and crossed his arms over his right angled knee.

“Aria you are no longer a child, you have grown into a woman. Have you not seen yourself sense the time in Feyerlun? You were strong and bold before you met Core and you still are… Don’t forget that just because you can’t hear that voice at this time.” Garrett spoke softly trying to give some bit of comfort while reaching out to touch Aria’s face. His own heart beat was heavy and nearly as loud as a beating war drum. His own hand trembling as he tried to be strong and not freak out over his sudden actions. However, the next thing to come out of her mouth and what she showed him caught him completely off guard.

Garrett suddenly fell back onto his rear, scooting himself back on the floor for only a few inches before putting his hand over his mouth. He was horrified at the sight of the chakrams, taking a moment to compose himself before scooting back over to where Aria had set them on the floor. However he dared not pick them up as he moved the hand that was over his mouth over the weapons. He waved his hand slowly over them as he gave a deep sigh. “These are ‘Passion’s Embrace’ Vennessa’s house weapon to the pantheon…If you have them, then that only means one thing…” Garrett spoke in a rasped tone, as if choked.

He picked himself off the floor and moved over to the chair he had been sitting in before. Then plopping himself down into the seat as he cupped his forehead in his hands. Which covered over her eyes as he slouched within the chair. “I’m glad to hear of your success.” He spoke in a soft tone.

[Deleted]

Aria smiled sweetly at him, a look of pure innocence.

”But it’s such good practice”

Aria nodded when he said his shoulder didn’t bother him anymore that was good. She sighed and looked down at her lap when he said to try to forget about Core. She knew he could take care of himself for the most part…but he was stuck in the sword. With Claire no less… She worried for him. Forgetting him would be like forgetting those that she left behind in their time. He was family…she couldn’t forget family. She looked up when she heard movement, she was slightly surprised that he actually came closer and touched as he reached out to comfort her. She smiled lovingly at him as she leaned into his touch; placing her hand over his. Well, she knew now that she didn’t hallucinate the confession… and it didn’t seem to screw things up between them.

”I won’t forget it; I do worry for him though.”

Her smile faded as he reacted to the Chakrams….they were apparently on the same page on this one. Aria let out another sigh and hung her head; she was afraid of this. Apparently her worries weren’t unfounded.

”I was afraid of that….”

Aria picked up the chakrams and they melted back into her skin. Aria stood up and walked over to him and gave him a small peck on the cheek and squeezed his good shoulder.

”I’ll find her and find out what happened I promise.”

Aria sat down by his feet; her mind already ticking off ways to track the woman. It also meant she would have to make a certain visit she had been trying to avoid. She looked up at him with concern on her features…this had to be hard on him and frankly she didn’t know what to say to help. So she just sat by him in silence. She also didn’t think being given over to Palico much of a success…it meant she would eventually be made to leave Nova….her home.

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett listened in silence as Aria spoke. He didn’t even budge when she came over to him; or when he felt her lips touch his cheeks. He stayed slumped in his chair. His hand still covering over his eyes in the silence of his room. The light of the fire giving away a glimmer of something clear tricking down his cheek. Even though Aria was at his feet; Garrett tightened the space between his hand and face to hide the tears that he could no longer be controlled or held back.

“Please do Aria… I fear for that woman and what this means. “Garrett spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. His hand rubbing his eye to wipe away the tears that refused to fall. He turned to look at Aria with a sad smile. The evidence of sadness present in his eyes, but he smiled when looking down at Aria. “Is this anything like what you expected? You got to meet the king face to face…. The past all around you…” Garrett suddenly asked his tone somber as he looked down at Aria and dropped his arm lazily over the arm rest. His fingertips lightly touching some of Aria’s fiery hair. His nose wrinkled as if contemplating on saying something that had been on his mind for a while now. He was still taken back by the sight of his mother’s chakrams being damaged and in Aria’s possession. However, there was something more pressing and disturbing that bothered him. And now with this feeling he had… Garrett’s demeanor changed and he stared down at Aria with a completely dead serious stare.
“ So…I have a question of my own….. Are you really a Noru?”

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Aria could smell the salt from his tears, she leaned against his legs as a deep rumble came from her chest. It sounded almost like a purr of a much larger cat. Either way the sound was comforting to her when Serai did it, she hoped it would comfort Garrett somewhat.

”I’m worried for her to…however take comfort in the fact not everything in this time is as it was….there is hope. Plus at least I have the weapons and not someone else. There’s that bit o’luck for her yes?”

Aria looked up at him when he asked if this was anything like how she pictured; despite his smile a frown was etched into hers.

”I believe there are similarities to our past, but it is not the same. Really the people aren’t the same….some are dumb as freaking crackers… and technically I met Noku before sort of… I took their bodies from the basement of doom and buried them in the large flower pots in my room. Which was why I got those flower pots….it was awkward having the bodied in there till I got them… Thought it was indecent to let the rats have ‘em…Plus some mighty wrong stuff can happen if someone gets a hold of a body; especially a Noru.”

Aria sighed.

”Really I have to hope this version of our time was meant to turn out as something different; I’m starting to like Noku…he doesn’t seem so bad. I’d like to get to know him more; definitely seeing the family humor already”

At that she smiled up at him. Though blinked when he asked her if she was really a Noru, wouldn’t he know of all people if she was?!

”Not that I know of, but daddy never told my about my mom. I stopped asking questions about her after the night you told me about what happened to her. But I do doubt he would do anything that would even remotely relate him to Zepon. So frankly I’m going off of that…. We both know I messed with the magic in Cores sword…that and I have Noru blood on my hands…and my luck with having weird ass stuff happening to me. Core, and Bel are close enough to blood kin to me, though I don’t think any of us are actually related… but for why I’m sharing the family curse is beyond me….But it’s on my list of things to look into.”

Really she had soooo many lists, it was a wonder she kept up on all of them.

”That and you don’t smell like your related; usually members of the family give off similar scents to lessen the chances of incest. I don’t think I would find your scent so alluring if you were related, least I hope I wouldn’t…..”

A light blush was on Arias face, it would seem this question had been on Arias mind as well.

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett sighed heavily as he peered through the hidden pocket between his face and hand. He said nothing while he stared down at Aria. The young woman closing the gab between the the two by placing herself down at his feet and legs. His breath became shallow and he jumped a little when she first began to purr like an animal. It was strange, and sadly cats were never really garrett's favorite animal. So to feel the vibrations of what felt like a large feline put him a little on edge. He took a deep breath and rubbed his eye with his hand before letting his arm fall down onto the arm rest. He straitened his posture in the chair and stared down at the red headed trouble maker with a faint smile. His hand resting just above Aria's head, his fingers lightly played with her hair.

" Thank you Aria... The purring is a good gesture, but it isn't needed." Garrett sighed, his blue eyes more vibrant than normal against the small red underlining circles under his eye. He dropped his hand down to pet the top of her head. His faint smile turning into a frown as she spoke about her thoughts on the world and how she was beginning to LIKE Noku.... The very thought made him a little unnerved and sick to his stomach, however Aria had spent more time with Noku than he ever had in his life. What she knew of this man was far more than his own knowledge. Plus now that she could get close by claiming heritage he knew that their time together was short. An the very idea made Garrett horribly unsettled and a little jealous.

He kept his gaze on Aria as she spoke once more about how she didn't know her heritage. His expression blank for the moment as he took this time to think. When she finished talking and explaining how they didn't smell related, Garrett took note of this as well and nodded. His eye catching a glimpse of her blushing and he froze. He swallowed what felt like a lump in his throat. He slid down from the chair and then onto the floor. Scooting Aria and the chair back as he dropped down behind her and rested his head on the back of her shoulder. His hair draping down around his head and her shoulder as he slowly began to wrap his arms around her in a almost hugging embrace. He said nothing for a long time before finally breaking the silence with soft whispers. "

" Please forgive me for being so forward. I.. I have been a coward far longer than I have been anything else. I wanted to ask and thank you for being yourself and nothing more. You are indeed a stronger person than I. " He spoke in a soft voice barely above a whisper.

[Deleted]

She could feel him playing lightly with her hair, she didn’t mind it. Though usually it was her playing with his hair, that and mostly in her bird from. She turned her head up and looked at him, when he spoke, the rumbles in her chest ceasing. She shrugged,

”Purring was always a comfort for me, helps sore muscles and bones to.”

Garrett surprisingly took the fact she buried his two daddies in her room back at home fairly well. She didn’t think she had told him of that before. However judging by the fact a frown had settled on his face, it probably didn’t sit well with him. The frown was expected; but what happened next threw her for a loop. She didn’t know what she had been expecting for a reaction after she had given her explanation, but she wasn’t expecting this.

Aria felt her heart skip a beat as he dropped down to the floor with her. She felt her cheeks flare as he scooted her back and rested his head on her shoulder. She dared not move, else she feared he might startle like a deer. As he settled, she rested her hand on one of his; her mind racing with her own thoughts. While he had confirmed earlier that the whole confession thing wasn’t a hallucination caused by the lunar flowers; he had up until now acted as if everything was still the same between them. But …this was a new development. Which brought up a whole new host of questions she never had let herself entertain before….but then again she could be getting ahead of herself. She frowned slightly at the thought; was going down that line wise? She hadn’t filled him in on her plan if things went south. He’d be furious with her...but if he felt the way she felt about him…this was going to take some thought.

Her ear twitched slightly when he spoke, she was able to hear him fine in such close proximity, his breath tickling her skin when he spoke. This really wasn’t like the other times, neither of them were having a near death moment...or anything of that sorts…It was like the night she had been thrown in bed with him. Though without the fear of him stabbing her when he woke to the surprise. Course she had found she liked being close to Garrett even back then.

”Mine, if anyone is allowed to be forward with me you are….that and I think I like it”

She was glad he was behind her, for she didn’t think she would have been able to say that last part to his face. Aria slowly as to not startle him, she rested her back against his chest. Her blush deepening as it occurred to her he was still shirtless. The warmth from his chest was fairly noticeable with just the night shirt she wore; that and he wasn’t pokey. She wiggled a bit, not sure how to take the compliment. One she didn’t like how he bashed himself, and two she wasn’t use to getting praise. Though she never had questioned herself with Garrett, she always felt accepted by him no matter how off she was.

”You know I don’t think you a coward; I find all your quirks endearing.”

Her thumb traced circles around his hand.

”You know I came here thinking I might have hallucinated the things that happened in the tunnel. I was afraid I screwed things up.”

[Garrett Blade]

Garrett's chest expanded slowly, and his hold on Aria tightened gently as he drew a long, protracted breath, his face buried in her locks. He held it for a few silent moments, then exhaled in the same slow manner, as one does when uttering a mournful sigh in great sadness. The effect of her fingers on his skin created a trembling sensation in the flesh of his arm that terminated in a twitch deep in his muscular shoulder, adjacent his spine, and brought a fresh pulse of blood to his skin, as yet already well-saturated from his earlier exertion. He pressed his face to her neck, repeating the same long, slow breath, but exhaled much more gently. Without retracting his head, he spoke hushedly with warm, smooth tones into the base of her neck where her shoulder formed its particular upward curve. "You may not think it...but, it is true. I have been a coward." His breath was hot from noticeably suppressed emotion, and he refreshed his lungs as before. "I stood by like a soldier, with you in chains in the dungeon and the Gallows, and it was you who prevented that bolt from piercing my flesh. I was appointed to ex-" Here, he heaved a long sigh, and resumed in an unsteady voice: "to put you and the rest of those Fated to death. Others like me. Like us. And I would have done it, Little bird; I would have done what was...what he..."

Garrett stopped short, and threw back his head, breathing a few full breaths before speaking again. "You may have had a point about the scent thing. I should hope the reason the room is spinning isn't some weird desire for my own..." He released his hold on Aria, and righted himself. He paced to the window, and placed his hands wide apart on either side of it, hanging his head. The scant lighting pronounced the darkened appearance of his various scars, imparting on him the appearance of having been freshly scourged. The perspiration of his body glistened, and small dark spots appeared on the stone floor beneath his shoulders, and beneath his downcast face.

He spoke again, as if to the floor "how could one such as you have made things the worse for us? Even amidst all of that, you have always been watching over me, without weakness or fear. I am not worthy to have had your favor."

[Deleted]

Aria felt as though her heart would beat out of her chest as his grip around her tightened. Her head spun rapidly as his face was pressed to her neck; his breath sending shivers down her spine. Did she know that part of herself was that sensitive? How could one become dizzy while sitting still? She wouldn’t have thought it possible till now. She was thankful they were sitting. But his breathing worried her…something was wrong. But wow this was distracting, she had trouble focusing on his words as he felt his lips move against her neck. She took a deep breath of air as he threw his head back, clearing her mind quickly refocusing her previous very un Aria like thoughts.

As he detangled himself from her it took her a bit to register what he had been saying; she had to blink the daze she had been put in away…damn lunar flowers didn’t make her this fuzzy. Garrett probably unknowingly just found a really good way to distract her. She sat there for a while, watching his back, her eyebrows scrunched together in thought.


”…I’m sorry I put you in a difficult position. But I would have told you to have left me there as I did with my second.”

Aria frown; she was feeling both guilty and frustrated…where the frustrated part came from she didn’t understand. She fidgeted a bit, feeling as though her body was a sprung that was to over wound. She let out a sigh and stood. Garrett didn’t normally go into these depressed moods…when he did she found it hard to snap him out of them. But she wouldn't leave him until he was doing better. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back like the night they had spent in the dungeons.

”Mine look at it this way, you still care for me after half the shit I’ve done. You’ve seen me do worse…what makes you think even for a second something like this would make you lose my favor. I love you, there’s no condition to it.”

She hugged him a bit tighter before releasing him; he’d probably stay on this train of thought till she distracted him. Aria looked around the room and headed to the bed, plopping down on it.

”Are you going to stand there all night or lay down, cause I’m sleeping here tonight.”

[Garrett Blade]

Garret stepped to the bed, gripping the frame, and pulling it away from the wall until the beam of moonlight rested on the covers.

"Just a little longer."

He caught her around the waist and drew her close against body, looking down at her with a serene face. He smiled lightly, his eye tracing the curves of her brow and the mess of hair throwing light from the moon softly at the window sill, cradling her face as he reclined next to her.

"I want to look at you with the moon in your hair. The evening breeze is cool, and my head is swimming."

He ran his fingers into her thick hair, caressing her scalp and gently tugging as they passed through the tangles. He selected a small bunch of it between his thumb and forefinger, pulling slowly and admiring its reflections-amber from the reddish hue of the chamber, and silver from the thick, young crescent moon blazing fiercely in the dark sky outside. He rested his fingertips against her jawline, and gently traced around her ear, then down her neck to the collarbone. He opened his hand, and placed the palm over her heart, pressing lightly.

His mind was swelling, his thoughts blurring into vague amalgamations of color, sound, and emotion. Even the bed seemed to melt with the rest of his logic, offsetting his balance as though he had been drinking. The only thing in room that didn't seem to be part liquid was the woman in front of him; the sensation of her figure against him, the heat from her breath, her scent, the color of her hair all seeming more solid, more reachable than the stone walls around them. He gazed into her eyes, examining the intricate overlaying of the striations of color in her irises, then his sight rested on her lips. He felt his face start to burn, his brow damp with perspiration. He placed his left hand onto the small of her back, at the waistline, and his right between her shoulder blades, drawing her up to him. His sinuses even deemed engorged, taking in the full scent of her skin face-to-face, as their noses nearly touched.

"You weren't hallucinating, my dove."

[Deleted]

Woah wait what? She blinked as suddenly Garrett switched from gloomy to…well at the moment she didn’t have a word for it. But it was like a switch went off. It was at that moment she learned something new about Garrett, something that she hadn’t previously thought possible. He was slow to warm up, but like a pebble in a land slide he picked up speed. It was a bit overwhelming but perhaps she liked this change in him; she certainly liked what effect it had on her.

As he pulled her close she rested her hands on his chest, closing her eyes and leaning her head into the touch of his hand. A content happy sigh escaped her lips, her fingers hesitant at first, gently traced along his collar bone. She enjoyed the feeling of his skin underneath her fingers, his scent was strong, her nose nuzzling into the crook of his neck. She lifted her gaze as he trailed a finger along her jaw line, her body shivering in delight as he trailed that finger went lower. Her eyes were filled with desire, and her hands trailed up to run her fingers through his hair. As his hand still traveled a bit lower, he would find her heart beating rapidly in her chest.

Arias arms wrapped around his neck, helping him draw her up closer to him, her legs wrapping around his. One hand was tangled up in his hair as he brought his face closer to hers; her half lidded eyes drifting down to his lips. Her mind was foggy; all her thoughts and senses all focusing on this moment. Even the slight pangs in her head did nothing to distract her. Her head tilted to the side ever so slightly, as she drew a little closer, her lips hovering just over his. Her voice coming out just above a whisper.

”Am I hallucinating now?”

[Garrett Blade]

As Aria's shape pressed against his body, Garrett could feel the heat from her skin matching his own. Her supple form yielded and encouraged his advance, quickening his pulse. He hesitated a moment at her question, tightening his grip slightly, and taking in the scent of her skin. He leaned his face past hers, resting his cheek so his lips stopped just short of her ear, and whispered back.

"I hope not."

His breath was hot from the blood pounding in his chest, and his sense of balance wavered. He crossed his arms around her back, bracing her breast firmly against his, and pressed his lips just behind her jawline in a small, tight circle, giving slight suction. He repeated the kiss three more times down towards her collarbone, stopping halfway down her neck. He raised his left hand from between her shoulder blades and matched the shape of her neck at the base of the skull, tilting her head back and adding a much slower kiss more toward her chin, just before her windpipe. He held her tightly, planting his grip against the curve of her waistline, his thumb resting over her hip socket. His fingertips curled as a shudder ran through him, and he exhaled strongly. He dragged his lips lower until he came to the head of her collarbone, and began to kiss along it as before until he reached her shoulder. He opened his mouth and placed his teeth against the muscle, squeezing gently and massaging with his tongue as he pulled her hips against him.

A gust of cold air made the lamp sputter and go out, making the moon shine more strongly in the dimly lit quarters. The embers of the fire threw a soft amber tint over everything, serving very little to chase off the shadows, and the beams of the moon added a silver border to every nook and cranny it touched. Aria's hair threw off equal portions of both, causing her pale skin to return a nearly perceptible illumination. In the closeness of the room, the bed seemed suspended in a murky abyss; a luminescent island shrouded in secret, like an altar suspending the two forms overlapping underneath the moon's gaze.