[M] A Light in the Dark [Ashen & Midoripickle]

[Ashen]

Mae thought they might have looked like children then. Lochan was dancing much faster and clumsier than she'd expected, but she quite liked following his footsteps. It didn't take her long to learn his rhythm, and when she did, she was even challenging him to go faster. Mae adored the way her dress flared as she moved, and if she pretended enough, she could believe she was at a ball, dancing with a beautiful prince. She looked into Lochan's pale eyes, his sweaty hair threatening to cover them, and she smiled to herself. Close enough.

After a few moments Mae stopped and pushed away from him. "You're a fine dancer," she commented, noticing the way sweat glistened on his bare chest. "You're not graceful, but the kinds of dances you'd be used to seeing wouldn't demand that, I'd imagine. You've got some movement in you, and that will be useful. But..." She took his hands again, this time drawing him close enough that he would feel her breaths against his cheek. "Slow dancing is just as important on the battlefield," she told him. "Let's try a simple waltz. It's almost fitting with the way the birds and the winds seem to be playing for us, don't you think?"

Mae taught Lochan how to dance, starting with soft, slow steps to first demonstrate what he should be doing, then gradually getting faster, forcing him to keep up. She twirled him a few times, reminding him to expect the unexpected, and she laughed lightly when he stumbled. Soon, they were dancing like an old couple at a fancy party, and Mae had to laugh aloud at that. "You know, Lochan," she murmured, "if anyone were to see us now, me in a fancy dress, you with no shirt on at all, dancing the evening away with no one around to see us... What would they think?" She looked to him, batting her eyes ever so softly. In that moment, Mae thought everything was perfect. She couldn't remember enjoying a dance this much since her childhood, and never with another person, least not one as beautiful as Lochan. The gentle song of the forest provided a fabulous soundtrack, and before Mae could stop herself, she reached to Lochan and brought her lips over his, embracing him in a long, ever so perfect kiss.

[Midori-Hime]

Mae looked stunning as they twirled together, her new dress and dark hair floating around her. Seeing Mae enjoying herself was worth making an ass of himself. Though as she pressed away from him, his smile fell a little, panting now to catch his breath. His smile brightened once again at her compliment, brushing a hand back through his mousy brown hair in a attempt to tame it. "Y-yeah... But I never claimed to be." He chuckled breathlessly but listened curiously, wondering what she was getting at.

And then his stormy blue eyes widened as she drew him in to her. His cheeks were already a bit flushed, but the red deepened as his hand was brought to her slim waist, so close their bodies were almost touching. His head was swimming as he tried to focus on her lesson, and not the way her breath brushed his skin, her hand on his bare skin, or the warmth from her chest so close to his.

He did surprisingly well. However, whenever he seemed to realize that fact for himself, he would suddenly trip up his steps. Lochan smiled brightly at her laughter, finding the sound quiet magical and in tune with the song birds. "They'd probably wonder what business that brute has with such a lovely goddess..." He murmured softly, smirking a bit. He was suddenly distracted by the fluttering of her long lashes, and before he could really comprehend what was happening, he felt Mae's soft lips against his.

For some time, Lochan had wondered if that first kiss was simply a mistake, never to be spoken of again. This time however, he was determined to make this moment linger. A soft pleased sound escaped him, his hands instantly winding around Mae's petite frame to pull her flush to him. Yet Lochan was always gentle, never meaning to hold her against her will. One hand held her around the waist while the other brushed up along her spine to play with her dark hair, while his lips tentatively moved against hers. Perhaps this was all a dream and in reality, Mae had knocked him out during their training. But he hoped this was real...

[Ashen]

His compliment lingered red on her cheeks, and Mae found herself leaning into him more. She adored the way his hands crawled up her body, fingers played with her hair. She didn't want this moment to end, this fairytale kiss. Lochan was gentle, so unlike all the men she had slept with, so much better. She didn't feel trapped, as she often did with others; instead, Mae was there, wrapped in his embrace, because she wanted to be, because she felt it was right, and because she loved this.

She began to move her hands along his body, tracing his arms and rubbing his back. She pushed closer to him, giving herself to him. Mae turned her head, kissing him at new angles. She held her kisses as her hands explored his backside, coming up to lightly massage his neck, then his scalp. If nothing else, her experiences with other men had taught her what touches they liked. While Mae didn't want to take advantage of Lochan, not now, she did want to make him feel good, and she knew she was succeeding in the way he drew closer to her and moaned ever so softly. She was loving his reactions even more than she was loving his touch and she thought, in a perfect world, she could do this forever.

But their world wasn't perfect, and Mae stopped when she suddenly heard loud, clumsy footfalls behind her. She broke away from Lochan and located her sword, leaning against a tree a little distance away, where she had put it when they started dancing. She turned to the source of the sound, hiding behind some trees and bushes. After a few minutes, a deer poked its head out, and Mae cursed at it for interrupting them. She turned back to Lochan and sighed. She began to speak, but a distant grumble caused her to stop. She looked down at her stomach and narrowed her eyes. Then, as an idea struck, her eyes lit up and she looked back to Lochan. "What a beautiful time for a picnic," she murmured. She looked up at the sky, where stars were twinkling between trees. "You owe me one after all," she reminded. "What do you say?"

[Midori-Hime]

Lochan let out a soft sigh, shivering softly as her hands trailed over his body, leaving his skin a blaze in their wake. He tilted his head to match her movements, returning her kisses just as eagerly. A soft moan escaped the young man then, as Mae's hand weaved it's way into his hair, loosening it from it's tie to spill over his shoulders. His hands dropped to her hips and tightened their grip, deciding that her touch over his backside might give him permission to attempt the same. One hand dropped tentatively then, carefully giving her body a more intimate feel.

His breath then caught as Mae suddenly broke away from their embrace, thinking that perhaps he'd pushed the boundaries too far. He was about to apologize when he too heard the rustling from the bushes. Seeing her reaching for her sword, his heart began to pound for a different reason. He was weaponless, but he quickly picked up a thick stick from the ground, hoping that his short lesson might make him slightly more formidable.

He stood ready beside Mae for whatever dark creature might be lurking, waiting to attack. However, when the dark being turned out to be a common deer, Lochan let out a huff and dropped the stick back to the ground. A humorless smile spread across his face then and he shook his head with a breathless chuckle. It seemed he just couldn't catch a break...

Hearing a distinct rumble from Mae, Lochan looked to her softly, not sure what to say after all that had just transpired. "A picnic?" He repeated then, surprized by the sudden request. But now that he had a moment to rest, he realized he too was quite hungry after all that... activity. Lochan smirked then and nodded. "I do..." He agreed. "Sure... A picnic sounds perfect." He said before looking to their things and then glancing around them a bit. Spotting a nice grassy patch beside the river, he quickly grabbed his shirt and the pack of food they'd gathered before leaving town. "Hmm... I don't really have a blanket, but I hope this will do." He said, walking over and taking a seat in the lush grass. Since it was getting cooler now, Lochan pulled on his shirt before hurrying to fix his hair once again. Though the thought of why it was so disheveled in the first place brought a warm blush to his cheeks.

He smiled at Mae as she joined him and then he opened the bag, taking a look and deciding what he might want to eat. He pulled out some bread, cutting himself a slice, along with some cheese and began to snack on that. Sitting closer to the river gave them a better view of the night sky and the full moon rising illuminated everything well. "Mm... I could get a fire going for us, if you'd like? But I think the moonlight is pretty nice too, don't you?" He said, looking to Mae then.

[Ashen]

Mae sat beside him on the grass, commenting that they wouldn't need a blanket. She crossed her legs and looked over the food they had. Grabbing for herself a couple slabs of meat and some bread, she set her gaze to the sky. "Don't bother with a fire, not yet," she said softly. Mae carefully pushed her hair behind her ear, showing her whole face, her mangled scar included. If Lochan were to stare, she'd keep her gaze trained on the stars. "The moonlight is so much prettier, and I think I like the quiet."

As they ate, Mae's mind wandered. It was a perfect night, despite the deer, despite anything that could go wrong. She felt comfortable around Lochan, comfortable enough to perhaps even... No, she thought, don't be ridiculous. Do you want him to leave you? A choir repeated the words in her head. Mae shook her head, causing a few strands of hair to fall back over her face. But he deserves to know, said a small voice in her head, young. Mae looked to Lochan, to his beautiful face. He really did have the features of a prince, and he was stuck following around a demon in disguise.

Mae turned away. Her gaze fell from the stars and her sandwich lay by her foot, abandoned. "Lochan," she said quietly. "I'd... I'd like to tell you something." She couldn't bring herself to look at him. The words kept getting stuck in her throat, and for a while she was silent. Every time she tried to speak she got drowned out by the voices in her head. Finally, Mae got fed up with trying to fight her way through words, so she turned to actions instead. She removed the glove from her left hand, revealing a purple, exotic-looking tattoo. Mae cupped her hands and closed her eyes. She muttered something under her breath, and in moments there was a weak, sparkling flame sitting in the palms of her hands.

The mage let the fire dance for a few seconds before putting it out with a swift movement of a hand. There was silence for an agonizing amount of time before she looked up, daring to see Lochan's reaction. "I'm a witch," she said quietly. "I always have been. My father excommunicated me because I can't control it, or, I can't control it as well as I should. I get in trouble a lot, so I keep it hidden, but... I'd be lying if it didn't have its perks." She stared at him, praying that he'd take this well. Magic was outlawed all over the world, and with the Dark One being so powerful, all mages were automatically suspected of working with him. Would Lochan jump to the same conclusion? Would he come to hate her now? All she could do was wait as the uproar of voices told her what a mistake she'd made.

[Midori-Hime]

Lochan smiled to himself, hearing Mae agree with his sentiments. However, as he glanced her way, his smile was suddenly replaced with a look of surprise as she brushed her hair away from her face entirely. He followed her gaze towards the stars, not wanting to make Mae uncomfortable. Though if he was caught staring, it would probably be for much different reasons than Mae might assume. "Yeah... Much more beautiful." He murmured, before peeking over at her softly.

He continued to eat, snacking on some meat and cheese than they had packed. And some dried fruits for dessert. He sat peacefully beside this amazing woman, in awe of this night and her. He couldn't recall the last time he'd had such a fulfilling day. Perhaps they could have done without the undead creature attack. But then, he might have gotten the opportunity for Mae's sword lesson, which then lead to dancing... Lochan's cheeks warmed a little, before Mae calling his name broke him from his thoughts.

He could tell by her tone that this was something important so he looked to her, giving her his full attention. "Sure... Anything. You can tell me anything, Mae." He reassured her softly. He studied the expression on her face, becoming a little nervous himself as he waited for her to finally speak. Lochan seemed a little puzzled as Mae instead removed her glove and then slowly his brows knit together as he looked over the marking on her hand. And then suddenly she seemed to conjure up a flame that she held in her hands. Lochan flinched back in surprise, his body tense and poised to jump up to his feet.

But he stayed put, frozen even as Mae put the flame out. Lochan's eyes were wide as Mae finally looked to him, silent and unmoving. And then as she said those words, he could feel his stomach drop. This amazing, beautiful woman that has been preoccupying his mind since the moment he met her... Was a mage. Just like the Dark One. The Dark mage that had taken his family away from him, and would have taken his life too, if he hadn't escaped.

Lochan got up to his feet abruptly. "I-I... I need a moment." He muttered lowly before turning away. He got as far as the tree line, putting a hand to one of the thick trunks as he leaned against it. Mae was a mage. His whole life he'd been warned that mages were only the servants of the Dark One and were not to be trusted. But Mae was different, a voice in his head suddenly reminded him. Mae was nothing like them, and she had saved his life on more than one occasion from the Dark One's minions. He could trust her... Finally, Lochan's body started to relax, though he still struggled to process what this might mean.

[Ashen]

He'd left her. Mae stared, wide-eyed, at the retreating form of her prince. Why had she trusted him with this? Why had she been such a fool? He was leaving her, of course he was leaving her, she was a demon and she deserved to be dead. The voices in Mae's mind turned harsher, louder, until she could no longer hear Lochan's breaths. She looked down to her hands, unburned, the evil hands that had sparked that fire, that had killed those girls, that had ruined countless lives. She'd been a fool all along, and now, when she thought she could finally trust in someone, she was again proven wrong.

After a few moments Mae forced herself to her feet. They were wobbly, and she took a few seconds to balance herself. She cursed the tears pricking at her eyes. "Shut up," she snarled quietly, but the voices disobeyed. She started walking away, knowing it was better that she did. If she started away, maybe she could kid herself in thinking it was her choice that she and Lochan parted. Maybe she could kid herself into thinking she had any power in determining who she spent her time with.

Her hair fell back over her face. Mae slipped her glove back onto her hand and held her old messenger bag closer to her chest. She had to suppress the urge to page through the pages of her battered book, look for some spell that would end her suffering where she stood. But she couldn't, not now. She would not give up her entire life's mission over some stupid guy. Wiping at her eyes, Mae started off, not daring to look back. If Lochan felt safer away from her, then she would let it be.

[Midori-Hime]

Once he had collected himself, he turned to confront Mae about it finally only to see her walking away. Mae was leaving him. The thought make his heart drop, confirming what he already knew to be true deep down, beyond any of his silly doubts. But of course she was... She had finally opened herself up to him and he stupidly turned his back to her. "W-wait! Mae!" He called out suddenly, his heart racing as he came after her.

Lochan caught up to her quickly, his hand catching her arm to stop her, but he was never forceful with her, just firm in his desperation to keep her from leaving like this. "Wait, please Mae... I'm sorry!" He pleaded. His hand still held her, but his grip had loosened and dropped to hold her wrist, hoping it would be enough to keep her there. "I'm an asshole, I know. I just-... It was a lot to take in... A-and it startled me-" He sighed, dropping his head down to stare at the ground. "It's just that-... It was mages who killed my family. Followers of the Dark One. They murdered my father and then burned down our house, while my mother and little sister were still inside." He explained in a quiet voice.

But then suddenly Lochan would lift his head. "But you're nothing like them... I know this. I asked you to tell me the truth, and the next moment I turned my back on you. I shouldn't have... and I'm sorry." He said, drawing her to look at him face to face. Tentatively Lochan lifted his hands to cup Mae's face tenderly, brushing her hair away from her scarred face. But he never looked away from her eyes, noticing how they were glassy with tears. "Please don't leave me. You're the best thing that's happened to me... in a long time, Mae." He murmured softly, though there was a desperate hint to his voice as he stared into her eyes. His throat moved as he swallowed nervously past as lump, wondering if this would be the end of thier journey together.

[Ashen]

Mae stopped at the sound of her name. She didn't dare turn to face him. What would he want to say now? She urged herself on, to keep walking and spare herself whatever insults Lochan had to hurl, but she couldn't move. A part of her wanted to hear him out. A part of her thought she deserved it, deserved whatever this man had to say about her. Maybe, if she were lucky, he'd take her own sword and put her out of her misery. Or, she thought, maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't attack her at all.

He caught up with her easily, and his hand grabbed at her. Mae visibly recoiled. She didn't turn around still as he spoke, until those two words fell from his lips. I'm sorry. She faced him and stared, wide-eyed, at his face. He was sorry? She didn't understand. Why was he the one apologizing? She stammered for a few moments, but as Lochan started to talk of his family, she silenced herself, and she understood.

Mae felt deeply sorrowful when Lochan talked about his late family, but she couldn't help the excitement that fizzled underneath her skin. Mages? Plural? Mae had never met another mage before. She was under the impression that the Dark One was the only one. Was that still true? If the mages were followers of the Dark Lord, perhaps he had formed them, created them from the corpses of those he murdered, as he often did. But... Was it still possible that there were people out there like her?

Mae had to bury these thoughts. "Lochan, I'm so sorry," she said quietly. She listened to his pleas, to the desperation in his voice, and she clenched her jaw. "Lochan..." She turned away, looking back to her hands. "I was a mage all my life. The abbot knew, when he adopted me, but he thought if he could raise me right, he could train the magic out of me. He never exactly discouraged me from doing it, not until my spells got more reckless. I just... I can't control it, and I don't know why. Whoever made me gave me half-assed powers. I wanted to get better, wanted to control it, so I kept practicing, until I... I practiced the big one..."

Mae slunk to the ground. She opened her book to a doggeared page. On it were mostly words, written in a script Lochan would never recognize. The single picture on the two pages was of a dark purple vortex with a skeletal figure within, caught in an eternal scream. Mae cleared her throat. "I found this one, and it says here, under its name, that it's the most powerful spell a black mage can cast." As she spoke she traced the symbols with her finger. "I thought I could do it, I didn't look at what it said it did, I just wanted to prove to myself that I could control it. I... I couldn't."

Mae slammed the book shut and put it back in her bag. "It was a good thing I'm such a bad mage. The... The Death Chant, I guess that's what you'd call it, it's supposed to kill every living thing in an area. I was lucky. It only killed the animals, every animal in my hometown, all the cattle, my village people's entire farms, and those girls... It was just strong enough to kill the twin girls, the two-year-olds, the only children in town. They died because of me." Mae stifled a sob. She was silent a few moments, but soon shook her head and continued. "I don't blame Father for banishing me after that."

Mae got up again and clenched her fists. "I understand why people are scared of us," she murmured. "I've killed so many people since then, people who will never return to their families. They join me, each and every one. Their voices join the choir in my head, hallucinations Father called them, but they're real, I hear them. They're the voices of the people whose lives I've ended." She looked back to Lochan, her eyes a dark, emotionless hue. "I'm a madwoman, in every sense of the word. I will not blame you if you leave now, but I thought you should know it all before you decided."

[Midori-Hime]

Lochan frowned suddenly as she turned away from it. Was his apology not enough? She was going to leave him, wasn't she? But before he could jump to too many conclusions, he quieted his thoughts to listen to her. He frowned a little as he spoke ill of herself, wanting to tell her she was wrong. But then he what did he know about any of it?

His eyes followed curiously as Mae sunk down, flipping through her book until she found the pages she was looking for. His brows knit together as he looked over the image, which was rather unsettling to say the least. His stormy eyes then flickered up to her face as she explained further. "Black mage?" Did that mean there could be white mages? He'd only even known mages to use their powers for evil. Yet even as Mae explained her dark past and her grave mistake that cost two young children their lives, he could see the regret and remorse in her eyes and the way she sobbed. If there were such a thing as a white mage, Mae would be one. He was convinced.

His eyes then followed her as she stood again, his body tense, as if ready to chase after her if she ran. He frowned a bit then, as she went on. So Mae had killed after all. But she was still different than the mages that came to his home that day. They felt nothing as they took away everything he'd ever held dear. They would have killed him too... And they would not have wept for his loss the way Mae did. And was it not punishment enough to carry the voices of those that she killed, forever in her mind? He couldn't even fathom what that must be like.

"I suppose... that comes with the territory when you wield a sword. Defending yourself against others who also wield swords. Or even those who don't." Had he been more than just a boy... Had he skill with a sword, Lochan would have killed those mages that day. Or died trying... After taking a moment of silence to take it all in, Lochan finally met her eyes. "There's still so much I don't know about you Mae, but I know you enough... to know that you didn't kill those people in cold blood. And I can not blame you for doing what I'm sure you had to do to survive. I also know... You never deserved to suffer through all of that." Lochan then looked down at her gloved hand, slowly reaching out to take it in his.