Arch Surprise

[Deleted]

"Maybe I am." Adrain says teasingly in response to Lucinda's comment about him trying to make the wishes come true. At this point he was curious enough to see just how Lucinda would play this out and act. He grazes his hand against Lucinda's accidentally as he shifts his position. Or perhaps not so accidentally. Who's to say.

"I meant the cloak specifically, but magic can be seen that way too. It is also a gift of sorts, the legend being the Caster granted it to the world against the will of the other gods. If true, one can't help but to wonder what her reasoning was for granting such a volatile power to mortals. Granted one of her titles if Goddess of Chaos too so there's that." he says, explaining the rough legend of where mana and mortal magic supposedly came from.

As Lucinda asked him what he's thinking about, he snaps to attention, his purple eyes glowing faintly to meet Lucinda's azure.

"I apologize, I was thinking a little, that even a few months ago, I never fathomed I'd be spending a night with a beautiful woman looking at the starfall. I was something of a work obsessed person before, but when I played my part in repelling the invasion against Nova, I came close to death more times than I care to admit, and that made me re-evaluate the way I had been living my life, using far too much logic and not seeing the beauty of things." he says, pausing, leaning slightly toward Lucinda.

"So...I am glad I have been able to change that."

[Lucinda Noru]

"If anyone could, it would be you," Lucinda replied, smiling. With everything she'd learned about Adrain so far, it really seemed like he could do almost anything, even if he didn't remember it all himself. When Lucinda felt Adrain brush her hand, she looked down momentarily, thinking. It was only a split second, really, but her mind and pulse were racing. Clearly, it was accidental. But what if it wasn't? What if he was testing her? That was silly, she was just nervous….ignoring it meant she passed right? The real question was, were they friends or something? Oh, she was so unsure! Finally, she seemed to make a decision and deliberately placed her hand on top of his.

Lucinda made a small noise of understanding as Adrain explained what he meant and the legend behind mana. “Admittedly, I forgot the words for it but I also haven’t and an opportunity to use it either,” she says sheepishly, “I knew Caster was the Goddess of Chaos though I haven’t heard that legend before. It would certainly make sense though, magic does cause quite a lot of chaos between people but also when used by people,” she mused. It was such an odd thing, magic. So versatile.

The princess looked rather surprised when Adrain came back to his sense, his eyes literally glowing purple. “Your eyes…” she murmured, quietly, before he launched into his explanation. She’d only ever seen Aria’s glow and his were such a lovely color.

She smiled softly, squeezing his hand a little, as he talked about his revelation. Lucinda couldn’t help but cringe a little though when he mentioned that he’d almost died several times. “They say everything happens for a reason and events like that, they change people. Not always for the better so thank the gods you seem to see the positive in thing,” she said thoughtfully. Adrain had a very good point here. It brought to mind a lot of what had been going on for Aria too and everything the princess had learned since leaving Palico. Life was short, too short for a lot of people. A lesson she should have learned with the deaths of her own parents. Yes, it was important to still do the best one could at whatever job one had. Yes, it was still important to keep up appearances and reputation. But, taking time for oneself, having fun, making friends, basically being happy, those things were important also.


Her pulse picked up slightly as he leaned toward her though, showing in the flush of her cheeks. “I’m just glad you didn’t actually die, otherwise we wouldn’t be here, and I’d have never met you. Which would be a shame as I like you rather a lot, Adrain,” Lucinda admitted, her hand twitching nervously. Slowly, the princess closed the gap between the two of them, leaning into Adrain and then, closing her eyes, gently pressed her lips against his in a very soft and tender kiss. 

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"Then I am at your command milady, let me know thy bidding." Adrain says in an exaggerated, humorous way to the princess, bowing his head to Lucinda. For a moment, he sees indecision and curiosity wash across her face but then Lucinda decided to put her hand on top of his own free hand. He blinks, but does not object to the feel of her soft palm against the top of his hand.

"I'd have to talk to Sage about what words he intended to use on that thing, I forget which combination he used without the inscription on the price tag." he says, then shrugging with indifference as Lucinda acknowledged that one legend making sense. There wasn't a lot more to say about it really.

When Lucinda commented about the eyes, he didn't say anything, just gazing into Lucinda's with the hypnotic, amethyst glow. He listened as Lucinda commented on fate and the changing of people, simply nodding. The statements were general but certainly true. He knew Lucinda was just trying to comfort and reply. At this point he was gazing upon her face, the lights of the aurora and the night sky illuminating it quite lovely.

Then Lucinda took a bolder move, admitting that she liked him a lot. "Lucinda I l..." he starts, but the Princess had pounced, leaning into him to a kiss. Adrain's eyes bug out for a moment, but between the wine, pheromones, and the emotion he gave in to it, putting his glass down and pulling Lucinda closer against him by her waste, stretching out the kiss for a time.

At this point, a pair of evil, feline eyes watch, a glint upon them. Serai had made his way up at some point, prowling and pouncing around with his catnip ball. He saw Adrain and Lucinda, paying them little mind at first, but after a certain point, he watched under his invisibility cloak. A cat was sneaky enough, but one that could turn invisible was impossible to see if one was not ready for it.

Mischief glinted in his eyes, and admittedly the feline sort of liked the idea of Yuki being Adrain's mate mostly because of the attention she had given the large cat compared to Lucinda so far. So he decided to abuse the fact that he was a cat...

And whilst Adrain and Lucinda had just begun to more or less make out, the roll of a ball could be heard approaching them, as Serai pops out of thin air! He pounces the ball, rolls into the couple on the couch pushing mage, princess, couch, and cat falling to the back and after a few moments, he darts off. Serai consciously tried not to hurt anyone, having no claws out, but to be basically the cat equivalent of a douchebag.

Adrain sits dazed for a moment, Lucinda likely on top of him, and after a moment, gets his bearings, helps Lucinda up safely, then hops up and begins conjuring frost blasts, launching them at the cat to try to freeze him.

"SERAI YOU SON OF A GUTTER CAT GET BACK HERE" he shouts, highly annoyed with the tiger's antics, meanwhile the cat darts and weaves around the frost blasts, ducking into a cutout along the edge which was his primary access point to the Headmaster's Terrace.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda giggled lightly at the exaggerated pledge of loyalty. “I’m going to remember that,” she said, playfully. She could tell he had noticed her hand but didn’t remove his and so she smiled. When he told her he’d check with Sage about the cloak, she nodded. “Thank you,” she said simply. For now, she didn’t have much use for it besides being quite warm.

The princess found Adrain’s eyes watching her as she talked and considered everything that had happened in the last year, roughly. They were mesmerizing in a way and absolutely gorgeous. She heard him start to say something right before she kissed him and made a mental to note to ask him about it later.

Lucinda made a little noise of surprise as Adrain grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. The kiss stretched on for a time, creating a warmth that seemed to spread to the very tips of her toes. She shrugged off her cloak as she wrapped her arms around the archmage. Of course, Lucinda never thought that Serai would lurking around. She didn’t even hear the ball as it rolled over but all of a sudden there was a giant tiger plowing into them and the couch, knocking it over.

The princess didn’t even have time to scream as they all went tumbling. She landed on Adrain, of course, looking a bit dazed. Lucinda allowed Adrain to help her up and then watched as he started blasting what looked like frost magic at the cat as he pounced around the room. Lucinda took it upon herself to pick up the empty wine glasses, setting them on a nearby table and filling both.

She held a hand to her head, which was throbbing lightly, and turned to dig around in her cloak. She pulled out a tiny pink vial that she had gotten in the marketplace. The merchant said the combination of the lunar flowers and herbs helped with headaches, which she had started to get more of lately. Lunar Mesquit or something like that. Lucinda poured the contents into one of the glasses then went to place the empty vial back into her cloak, tripping on the overturned couch and falling back on her ass with a small ‘oof’. She sat for a minute, just watching Adrain and Serai and couldn’t help but laugh.

Once Serai left and Adrain stopped throwing frost magic everywhere, Lucinda sighed, looking up at him from the floor. “You know, we still haven’t been properly introduced. He’s a very handsome cat, though.” she said thoughtfully. “Oh, by the way, what were you saying before?”she asked, thinking back to the unfinished sentence before the kiss. The princess then picked herself up off the floor, dusting her skirts off and then picking up one of the glasses of wine. She twirled it a little, thinking. “Adrain. I’m very glad you brought me here tonight. I really am enjoying myself, even with that little interruption. Don’t be mad at Serai, though, please? A little spontaneity in life is good,” Lucinda said, before taking a drink of her wine, which unbeknownst to her, was the wrong glass.

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Once Serai had gotten his furry ass away, Adrain let loose a sigh, then hearing Lucinda had tripped again. He turns to help her up but she had already done so by the time he made a motion to. When she mentions that Serai was a handsome cat, he rolls his shoulders.

"Maybe, but ever since he started hanging around Aria again, he's been extra troublemaking." he says as he picks up the couch and returns it to its place before taking a seat once more, picking up the glass that Lucinda had refilled that wasn't in her hand. "Thank you for refilling the glass." Adrain states, remembering his basic manners as he takes a draw of the drink. He felt a slight tingle, which he initially attributed to the fact he was drinking more wine than he might normally.

"Oh, well I was saying I really have become quite fond of you as well since I've met you, your curiosity and intelligence along with your beauty making for an amazing woman." he says as the tingly sensation began to really kick in. Lucinda looked more and more beautiful by the second as a sense of desire filled the archmage. When Lucinda said spontaneity was good and had sat back down, Adrain smiled broadly as he leaned in to kiss Lucinda once more on the lips, once more puling her close.

"You're right, perhaps we should pick up where we left off then?" he says seductively to the princess.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda chuckled lightly as Adrain said Aria was making the tiger more troublesome. "That sounds quite like Aria. She has an interesting influence on people, and animals as well it seems," the princess agreed. She smiled as he thanked her for refilling, sitting back down once he had fixed the couch. "You're very welcome. I thought you might want a glass after that display of power," she said, teasing him a bit about chucking magic at the cat.

His admission took her a bit off guard, even despite the earlier kiss, hearing it was different. Her face flushed as she looked at him, blue eyes wide and a small, shy smile on her face. Adrain didn't really give her a chance to say anything though as he leaned over to kiss her, pulling her close again. She kissed him back for a moment before he pulled away. Lucinda looked up into his amethyst eyes, seeing the desire there. "You've certainly got a way with words, Adrain." she commented. His next suggestion surprised her a little, his voice taking on an unfamiliar, seductive tone. Though she supposed it was reasonable, considering. "I'd like that, but only if, well...do you mind if I play with your hair?" Lucinda asked, countering his request with one of her own.

[Deleted]

"Oh if you want a display of power, all you have to do is ask" Adrain says coyly, looking at Lucinda mischievously in the response to her comment. As Adrain thought about what he just said, he actually wasn't sure why he said it like that or what he would do if she agreed. Even on some level he knew that he was being a little odd, but just racked it up to alcohol and a date with a lovely woman he feels a deep desire for at this moment. The response from Lucinda as he went to kiss her once more was surprise, and the mage enjoyed the moment of embrace once more,  but he looked just a little disappointed once she withdrew, then asking to play with his hair. His brow raised as he ultimately nodded, only wanting to make Lucinda happy now.

"As you wish my lovely." Adrain says, the potion not fully in effect quite yet. His head still felt fuzzy and warm and if Lucinda were to feel his pulse she would note that it was accelerated moreso than it normally would be. The shooting stars overhead continue to shimmer across the night sky. The mage would seem almost a little restless for a moment, but he patiently would allow Lucinda to have her lead for the moment.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda looked at Adrain curiously after his response. Granted, they'd been exchanging somewhat risque banter but that line was quite a bit more forward for him. But she shrugged, mentally, thinking perhaps it was the alcohol since she'd lost count of the number of glasses they had. The disappointed look he gave her when she pulled away made her smile, which turned into a grin when he agreed that she could play with his hand. She reached back up for another kiss but this time burying her hands in his soft, silver strands. "Oh wow, your hair is soft..." she murmured between kisses, if he kisses her back. 

Her hands brushed his neck as she ran her fingers gently through his hair and she noticed his pulse was racing, which reminded her that her headache hadn't really abated. Lucinda pulled away, looking at Adrain with some concern, thinking about all his odd behavior. "Are you feeling alright, Adrain?" she asked quietly, a slow feeling of dread showing on her face.

[Deleted]

Whilst Lucinda had begun to get back into the macking and the lip smacking, Adrain felt encouraged by the feel of Lucinda's fingers running through his hair, caressing Lucinda's back and sides as he returned the kisses that Lucinda doled out whilst his hands traverse lower to give her royal rump a risque squeeze. Most of his inhibitions about this sort of intimate contact had disappeared quite quickly, but it was pleasurable all the same. How often is it that you get a lovely princess in a romantic setting with full blown affection?

As Lucinda's hands touch his neck, Adrain's body tingles for just a moment as he pulls Lucinda close while she asked if he was alright. He was more than alright, he was amazing! "Lucinda, I'm just perfect right now here with you." he says affectionately, leaning to the side of Lucinda's neck nipping it lightly and teasingly. This would probably give the answer Lucinda was looking for.

[Lucinda Noru]

The princess had never experienced anything like this in her life. Sure, people lavished her with affection and attention, but not like this. Her body tingled where it met Adrain's, his touch on her back and sides leaving trails of heat that seemed to run together and pool in her center. She felt his hand wander lower, squeezing her bum and a thread of surprise ran through her mind coming out of her mouth as little gasp of noise.

Lucinda pulled away momentarily to search Adrain's face, which didn't last long as he pulled her back closer. His answer was definitely not normal nor did she expect him to start nipping at her neck. She moaned a little before shaking her head and pushing him away. "Adrain, stop, listen to me. I think you took my wine glass by mistake and might be having a reaction to a potion I had in mine. I've been having these headaches lately and so I got something from the marketplace. The apothecary assured me it would help. It's, um, Lunar something. I'm so sorry!" she explained, her eyes looking as if she were being tortured. She had moved her hands, folding them against her chest and biting her lip in the picture of anxious princess.

[Deleted]

As Lucinda pushed him away and then explained that he seemed to be under the effect of a potion, it broke him partially out of his haze long enough to listen. When Lucinda said it was 'Lunar-Me-something' a lucidity struck him as he then exhales a deep sigh, closing his eyes and laughing a little.

"...Lunar-Me-Bisquit...haha...of course..." Adrain says, then laying back against the couch, looking at Lucinda in the eyes with a warm, forgiving smile. "That potion, while I suppose it might help some people with headaches, the usual prescription I think is to only take it alone. Reason for that is that it is something of a love potion which makes the recipient very affectionate and cuddly for the first person they look at." he says, then laying back a little.

"Well, we were sort of in the middle of that anyway, but the potion dropped some of my filters that I probably would have had in any case." he says looking at the glass for a moment then up to Lucinda. "Well, it lasts about an hour...I still feel quite attracted to you and that would have been the same without the potion making me a little more...feely than I might be normally." he says as he reaches for Lucinda's hand.

"It's alright...it was an accident. It isn't like I had any plans to make a woman out of you or anything, even under the potion I would hold back before that type of a step. You know, you could drink your glass and we could just enjoy the time together if you want." he says with a mischievous smile, before laying back.

"But...for what it's worth, I'm sorry if I sort of crossed a boundary or something." he says, still a gentleman at heart even if right now he wanted to continue macking out with the princess.

[Lucinda Noru]

Lucinda was still looking at him with a very worried, very apologetic gaze even as he seemed to gain some clarity and even laugh a little. The look he gave her made her relax a little, his explanation serving to further relieve her worries. "I'm still very sorry and I'm glad it's not dangerous for you. The apothecary didn't explain any of this to me, honestly, though he did say take it only at night," she said, when he paused for a bit.

She listened as he continued his explanation on the potion, assuring her that it only lasted an hour. His comment about being attracted to her with or without the potion caused a lovely blush to grace her cheeks and she looked up at him with wide eyes. "So...you're sure I didn't make you feel things you weren't already? or didn't want to? I'm very glad to hear it wears off," she asked, still somewhat anxious, though she lets him take her hand when he reaches for it."Would it have been worse for you if you had drank the other half of that glass?" she asked, curiously.

Adrain's assurances that it was alright and that he wouldn't have jumped her bones were both reassuring and blush inducing. She didn't dare think of such think of such things...and yet, memory of him at the springs flashed in her mind. She could tell he was still feeling the potion when he suggested that she drink the rest of the wine and couldn't help but laugh. She eyed the glass suspiciously. "I suppose I do still have that headache and it wouldn't be fair for you to suffer this alone. However, I'm not sure I would have the same restraint as you," she admitted, musing.

His apology had her squeezing his hand in sympathy. "No, don't apologize, please. This is my fault, I'm the only one with any sort of reason to apologize. You're fine, trust me. You didn't do anything that I did not want you to, Adrain," Lucinda said quietly, looking into his gorgeous purple eyes. She reached a hand up to play with the ends of his hair that rested by his face, gently grazing his cheek in the process.

[Deleted]

"Lucinda it really is quite alright. Yeah it might have been a little stronger if I drank the whole thing, but it wouldn't have gotten THAT crazy I don't think." the silver haired mage states. He squeezes Lucinda's hand reassuringly, gently pulling Lucinda closer to an embrace, but not quite in the feverish making out closeness they were at before. His hands begin to traverse south but he pauses and moves them back up.

When Lucinda says she wasn't sure if she'd have the restraint, Adrain couldn't help but to laugh a little. "Well if you ask nicely, I may be able to find some Mylee's Blue Bells and indulge you." he says in a lighthearted manner, laughing to express that it was only humorous as of right now. He knew that would get a rise out of Lucinda one way or another which was bound to be funny.

As Lucinda apologized and said she was happy with what happened, Adrain nodded, allowing Lucinda to play with the ends of his hair before after a few moments of allowing her to play with the strands, he leans in to kiss her softly once more. "So what would you like to do now?" he says, smiling whilst looking into Lucinda's innocent eyes.

[Lucinda Noru]

"That's a relief. I would hate for you to do something you'd regret. Thank you for not being upset with me," Lucinda says, simply. Finally seeming to calm down from the whole incident and laughing, the princess allowed Adrain to pull her closer once more, snuggling a bit into his chest. She smiled up at him as she noticed his hands start to wander and the restraint he shows.

The princess knew very well what the flowers were for that he mentioned and her face turned a shade of red as yet unseen. "When you say things like that, I can't help but think back to you in the springs," Lucinda admitted, "I know it's inappropriate. I apologize." She quiets for a moment, thinking, her free hand reaching absentmindedly for the nearest glass of wine, her hand grasping at empty air. "It says something about you that you don't keep those handy. The blue bells.," she replied, after a moment, smiling.

Lucinda returned Adrain's soft kiss, sighing happily afterward. When he asked her what she would like to do, the princess turned her eyes up to the shooting stars for a moment, thinking. "I want to know, what you would like to do, actually," she said, curious. "I'm sure there are plenty of options. You could introduce me to Serai, though that might want to wait until after the potion wears off. Seems like a shame to waste something with so much potential, though, I must admit," Lucinda said, somewhat teasing, somewhat serious. She wasn't going to deny that she liked what had happened, even if perhaps it had be escalated by the effects of the potion.

[Deleted]

"How could I be upset with you when you're so adorable?" Adrain says, both still feeling the impact of the drink plus his general desire to fluster Lucinda. As Lucinda leaned into him to cuddle, he smiled as he caressed Lucinda's lower back while listening to her. He let loose a soft chuckle as Lucinda was talking about the fact that she was having thoughts about him while at the springs.

"Well I think about when I saw you at the springs, I rather liked what I saw though I didn't want to make you too embarassed at the time, I assume you wanted me to see on some level since you chose to go without a bathing suit knowing I was there? Hmm? Don't worry about it being inappropriate, as you say a little spontaneity can be a good thing yeah?" Adrain says teasing Lucinda for a moment. "This potion is making me a bit warm, I can take off my shirt if you like. You could feel free to join me" he says, some mix of the alcohol, love potion, hormones, and general desire fueling the comment.

When Lucinda mentioned what to do, he shrugged for a moment. "Maybe another time with Serai, I still want to make him a catsicle." he says with a shrug, then as Lucinda mentioned it'd be a shame to waste the effects of the potion, Adrain couldn't help himself.

"Then drink the other bit and just let loose for a bit, you don't get that many opportunities, and if you have needs I can address them somehow or another." he says deeply flirtatiously and seductively, then smiling and chuckling a little bit to show he was only as serious about it as Lucinda wanted to be, as always respecting her ultimate wishes.

That said, he nips at Lucinda's neck once more as an encouragement of sorts, able to tell that she liked it earlier and in general that she seemed to be enjoying this sort of attention.