[h3]You’re It[/h3]

[@Leidenschaft] & [@Stormflyx]

[hr]

The party had long died down - while their energy was abundant, even Nords had their limits it seemed. The fire, too, was dying down to its embers, and people had either taken themselves to quieter spots to stargaze and share conversation, or taken themselves to bed. The only music to be heard now was a chorus of cicadas and crickets chirping, and a light breeze that ran through the long grass on the outskirts of Falkreath. Somewhere, wolves also sang out to the moon that was watching down upon them all, like a giant pearl suspended in the sky on a string of stars. 

Ivy, the acrobatic Dunmer, was once again weaving through the people as they meandered away to wherever they were going. Flat on one hand was a platter of food. In Falkreath, septims had little value to her than they would have if they were not in the middle of a war, so in place of coins, Ivy had grown used to receiving food as gifts for her trade. Tonight’s platter was rather special. Berries, bread, cakes, and a skewer of grilled chicken which she was very much looking forward to enjoying. She balanced the platter well, while her other hand was reached around to her back, tugging at a hanging piece of fabric, her bandeau was unravelling from underneath her leotard. She pinched at it, trying to wind it around her finger - all the while, balancing the tray and trying to avoid the stumbling drunks. 

As she dotted through the square, she thought of Daro’Vasora and her party. The new arrivals had really seemed to have enjoyed themselves for the most part, but still the woman couldn’t help but feel that beneath the smiles they had managed to find, melancholy still sat below the surface. They were certainly a special bunch of adventurers, that was for sure. Maybe even the ones she had been waiting for, but she’d been waiting for such a long time now and while mostly endearing, there were some… [i]issues[/i] within the group too. 

Her mouth pulled to the side as she finally got a grip on the fabric, only to be nudged out of the way by an Imperial woman - and not by the woman herself, but by the round metal shield that was strapped to her back. It thunked into her tray and before she could tear her arm from her back, instinct had kicked in (literally), and she raised a leg swiftly to catch the lip of the plate on her toes, remaking perfectly balanced despite being in something of a knot. The woman, of course, just carried on her way. Ivy had not managed to save everything, despite her best efforts a sweetroll did in fact fall from the tray and started on its way rolling across the ground, the stickiness of it’s icing did nothing but pick up dirt as it went. She muttered something in her native tongue, watching the useless treat escape her… 

The toe of a boot stopped its advance. Up and up her eyes went until they met Sevari’s own. He regarded the sweetroll by his foot before his eyes went to Ivy’s. He gave a small smirk, apologetic, “We’ll have to get you a new one.” He said, before he offered her one of the cups in his hand, “Until then, I hope this is worthy of you.”

"They're not my favourite anyway," she said with a sigh of resignation before a smile returned at the sight of the stranger she had made her way to more than once. "I thought you might have disappeared away to bed by now, you and your companions must be exhausted, no?" Ivy asked with a twinkle of mischief in her eye. She had a firm hold of the plate again, and so she let her leg fall back to where it was meant to be, and she released the troublesome fabric so that she could take the cup from him. "If it's liquid, I'll take - don't think I caught your name though…?" She added, turning the intonation into that of a curious question as opposed to a statement. 

“Sevari.” He smiled, which for him was but a mischievous uptick of a lip’s corner, “Ivy, is it?”

"Sevari," Ivy repeated, rolling the r at the end. "And yes. Ivy." She would have offered a hand to shake, but they were both full and since Sevari was only part gentleman she supposed he wouldn't mind. The Dunmer took a step forward to carry on walking in the direction she had been headed. "Walk with me?"

“Of course.” Sevari smiled, tipping his head. As they walked, Sevari spoke, “I’ve been here once before. Would you believe me if I told you why?”

He had piqued her interest, and she narrowed her eyes in thought at his question, "I think I would, but you have to tell me first." 

Sevari stopped in his tracks, holding her gaze. In the moonlight she had a beauty about her, and he caught himself staring before he remembered he had something to say. He felt young again, like the tempestuous flings of his past had revisited again. He leaned in close, beckoning for her ear to share in the conspiracy, “An urgent mission for the Empire. Hunt down the Dark Brotherhood.” He said, “It was the height of the war. I needed hide my identity everywhere I went, because my mission was so veiled in secrecy. Its importance perhaps more dire even than the Civil War.”

He held her gaze, leaning back and offering a small laugh, “I kid, I kid.” He said, “Me? An Agent of the Mede Empire?”

“You, though. You are such an impressive person to be in the presence of. There’s so much history in every bit of you and it coalesces into such a rich and storied woman.” He gave her a small smile as they walked, “Tell me one? A tale? Perhaps the one that brought you here.”

His staring did not go unnoticed by the Dunmer and she took a quick step to his side, tipping the brim of his hat again over his eyes before she continued forward. “Watch yourself there, Tiger. You’re going to lose your eyes again…” she cooed at him with a giggle. “You flatter me though, so why would I interrupt you letting me know how special I am to tell the tale of how I found myself here?” Ivy turned on her heel to face him again, tilting her head as she took in the sight of him. She enjoyed how [i]different[/i] he was. He had the look of a man who had carried the weight of the world on his shoulders. She stole a glance at his smile and wondered how long it had been since he had [i]really[/i] allowed himself to be carefree.

“But alright, I’ll indulge you…” she began with a twinkle in her eye. “Would you believe me if I told you I was sent a dream from something higher than us? A dream that was vivid enough that I followed the stars and wound up here?”

Sevari chuckled. He looked her over, his smirk still remaining even after the chuckle faded. The way she looked, the way she carried herself, spoke, moved, everything… “I could.” He nodded, “You have a look unlike anything I’ve seen. What was it? The vision? You give me more things to be curious about with you every time we speak.”

"Oh I can't tell an Agent of the Mede Empire that!" She chuckled, winking at him before she slowly lowered herself down onto her knees, not daring to break eye contact. The plate of food still resting on an open palm. Her bottom followed until it met the grass, and the plate found its way to the ground in front of her. She patted the place beside it expectantly, for him to follow. "And you can speak for yourself about my look," she purred quietly as she flagrantly eyed him up from toe to tip. 

His grin widened a hair as he too sat, and his eyes held hers in turn. He placed a hand to his chest, “Would it loosen your tongue if I told you I was not here on business?” He said, before adding, “Just pleasure. A small vacation from the humdrum of protecting the Empire and all its citizens.”

He allowed himself a wry chuckle, “And now there is a real imbalance of what you know of me opposite what I known of you.” He held his hands up, “No spying. Just an observation of things.”

"Something tells me you're all business and have been for a while Sevari," she remarked, "just an observation…"

Ivy sighed and looked upwards to the canopy of stars and let herself lower further so that she was lying on her side, her head resting in her hand, propped up by her elbow. "But alright, I dreamed of green lights - and then more recently of a group of people who would make them go away. I've been waiting for those heroes here… have I satisfied you with that?" She asked in a coy tone, being playfully selective of her words. 

“Did you get a feeling they might be here now? Because I’ve already died twice, I don’t know if I’ve got another in me.” Sevari smirked. He sighed, then, as if Ivy had seen through him to the man underneath. The one who made a life of killing and lying. “What do you know of my life then, Seer?”

“I think I do,” Ivy’s brow sloped down, as she was momentarily brought to the reality outside of the excitement. She pondered on it for a moment or two, before turning back to Sevari with another smile, her eyes fixed onto his as if she was looking deep into him. “I think you’re a man of depth. I think you put others before yourself. I think it’s been a long time since you just shed all of the weight and let go…”

“There’s a lot of weight,” Sevari gave a rueful grin and a chuckle, “Always thought it was meant to be there. Now that I’m talking to a Seer, I don’t know. I’m never as sure as someone as sure as a Seer.”

He glanced to the side, looking at Ivy after a spell, “I’m a man of depth? What do you see in them?” He asked, shifting where he sat and crossing his legs, clasping his hands at his bent knees, he asked more mischievously, “How will you make me let go?”

Ivy shifted too. Occasionally unsure of whether someone was mocking her, or believing her. She wasn’t without her own insecurities after all, even after all these years.  She brought her hands together and her fingers interlaced as she thought on Sevari’s words. “It doesn’t matter what I see. It matters what you see in yourself, foremost and first.” The Dunmer sat quietly for a moment, a small smile playing on her lips. “Do you [i]want[/i] to let go? I can’t make you do anything – I’m not that powerful…”

Sevari’s smirk grew a little wider, “What if I’m willing to let you be?”

In truth, he wasn’t keen on turning his eyes inward. It was never a place meant to be observed until he was forced to in dreams or quiet moments. And he avoided those as often as possible, lonely mountain passes in the misty crags of his mind he dared not go. “Teach me.”

Ivy let his words work through before so did anything else, truthfully she was thinking of ways to help him shed his weight – the layers. Then it hit her, it was obvious, wasn’t it? She thought of caterpillars that wrapped themselves up into shells – only to literally shed them and become something new. She smirked, taking a strawberry from the plate. She bit down into it halfway, letting the taste savour. “There is a game… Maybe you played it once,” she said quietly and playfully, stealing a glance at him from the corner of her eye. “A game of tag, only tonight I think I can make it more exciting…” Something devilish flickered over her orbs, and she finished the last of the strawberry – watching him closely as her lips touched the fruit.

“I propose a rule. If I catch you and tag you, you must remove something that you wear… If you catch me and tag me, I’ll do the same.” Ivy smirked again, running her hands over the shawl she was wearing that sat over her only other garment – the leotard. “The odds favour you in this game…”

His face changed to surprise, then curiosity, then a devilish thing. He chuckled, “I like this. I’ll warn you though, I’m quick.”

“And I’m hard to catch,” Ivy teased, getting herself to her feet. “But seeing as you’re [i]soooooo[/i] fast…” that was the beginning of another idea. There was a dash of trouble in her husky voice, and her narrowed eyes meant that she was absolutely up to something. “I should have a head start… You stay put…” The Dunmer wagged a finger down at him as she rocked on her legs.

She didn’t run at her countdown; “ten…” She turned away from Sevari, and bent down to place her hands on the ground. “Nine…” Ivy leaned further forwards, completely aware of what she was doing. “Eight…” She stood back up, but not before taking a hold of her ankle. “Seven…” she sighed, raising her leg into the air in a stretch. “Just limbering up for a run… Six…” she giggled. She couldn’t see his face, but that was part of the fun, for her anyway. “Five…” She did the same with the opposite leg on four and three. “Two…”

Then she ran off--

Sevari was left sitting on his ass, memories of hers persisting even after it had gone. When he realized she was suddenly nowhere to be seen he shook himself from his boyish stupor and chided himself at his inability to keep his head level when it mattered. “Shit…” he grunted to his feet and looked around himself, finding only forest dark enough even to thwart his feline night vision after a few paces away. “Shit.”

He decided he’d walk, picking no particular direction and instead of focusing on finding her, would rely on his other senses. He closed his eyes, listening for footsteps or breathing. His own breaths came in through his nostrils and he sniffed at the air, searching for perfumes or any smell that seemed out of place in nature. “Wherever did you go…” he smirked, now amused by the stakes and the challenge. He’d let her come to him, at least then he’d know which direction to evade her, “I can smell you.” He lied, hoping to draw her out.

Sevari would have found himself under a tree, and in that tree was Ivy, just low enough to hang down and tap his shoulder with a light touch. "Boo…" She giggled and flipped out of his way. She would dance circles around him if she had to. "Off with something," she purred, taking slow steps away from him, his figure in the moonlight was hard to turn away from after all. "The hat doesn't count either…" 

His fingers retreated from the brim as he swore under his breath. How could he not have seen her. Immediately, his eyes factored in the tree branches, every shape in them seemed to be her. He smirked, deciding on good humor instead of fretting about a loss. After all, what was there to really lose?

“Oh, I hope I don’t have to wander around naked.” He chuckled as he removed his coat and hung it from a branch, “However will I cope with baring my Gods given gift to the world, to the world.”
She giggled off into the night. Ivy had expected Sevari to enjoy himself, and to loosen up but she hadn't really been anticipating it to be something that [i]she[/i] enjoyed in the same way. Of course, there was excitement… She hadn't really had opportunity for simple [i]pleasures[/i] since she'd been in Falkreath. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought, just like the Ohmes-Raht, she wasn't immune to charm. "Oh Sevariiiiiiiiiii," she sang out - looking around for him again - ready to see him without an article of clothing. Ready to pounce yet again should he get to her first.
[i]Aha![/i] With a quick movement, she pushed herself over into a cartwheel and it was when her feet touched the ground and she came back up, that she this time slapped a hand against his buttocks. There was sadly no time to give it a squeeze. She was off again. 

“Damn!” Sevari was already sans jacket and now he worked at the buttons of his shirt. As much fun as this was, he mentally chided himself. Had he grown this rusty? “I’m going to get you, you know that?”

In truth, he needed to hear it from himself to believe it. He stalked through the woods, again taking this seriously. If Bosmer rebels and even Kilvayne One-Eye couldn’t get him in their own damned jungles, this Dunmer wouldn’t be the first. He took a breath, steadying his senses. He crouched close to the deep roots of an old tree, closing his eyes and listening to everything around him.

It was when he heard a rustling that his ears perked. His eyes shot open and he snapped his head in the direction it came from like a hawk. A hint of movement between the trees. He listened further and when a hand came from around the trunk at the head of careful footfalls, he caught it by the wrist. He gently pulled her into view, leaning close to her surprised visage with a triumphant smirk of his own this time. “One to me.”
He let her go and bounded through the underbrush, making sure to keep quiet and make a hard turn from the trail he’d cut while running, slinking through the forest and again listening to his surroundings.

She threw the shawl off, slightly vexed at him for catching her. She’d have to be sneakier now - it was time to use her skills to her advantage. He was only one tag away from ending the game, not that Ivy would mind that, she was feeling especially frisky now… But this was also a lesson, it wasn’t just about a naughty game. It was time to squash her own desires for the time being. With a shake of her head she took off. Her footsteps were near silent until she reached another tree. To win this game, she’d have to go [i]up.[/i] They didn’t call her Ivy the Spider for nothing…

It took some time, but Sevari eventually made his way back to her. She felt almost like a cheat, but then again - her only rule was that clothes had to come off… It was a sturdy enough branch to hold her weight, and so she got ready to drop. Sure, she’d done it before but this time she had an extra sprinkling of razzle dazzle to add to the mix… If she’d got him from behind the first time, then this would be from the front.

Ivy had to fight the urge to giggle again, but it was easy to find a centre of focus when he was below her. Once more she let herself drop down, her legs holding her weight. She was higher up this time and she brought herself level with his face, setting a hand against his cheek before he’d have time to register. “Hello sweetie,” she purred at him before swinging forward with the slightest momentum to briefly touch his lips with hers. She was almost tempted to let it linger… But while her lips worked their magic - so did her hands, and on her swing away from him there was a bold smirk lighting up her expression. She’d stolen his hat. 

Finding solid ground again, the Dunmer moved a slight distance from him as she pushed his hat onto her head. “Ooooh, I like this,” Ivy remarked, “but not as much as I liked the taste of you Sevari…” Then she was off, again.

the only thing Sevari did when he saw her was give a startled huff from his nostrils and a slight flinch. He was definitely not expecting her lips on his, but just as he tried to reach for her and sink into it, she was off again.

And with his hat.

Instead of frustration, he gave her a sincere laugh and nodded as she posed with his hat, and were he younger, she would’ve left him red-faced with her last remark. He only smirked and bit his lip, “Only one more to me, Ivy, and we’ll have a winner.” Sevari said, scanning the trees and their branches, making abrupt turns and double-backs when he could, “Are you as excited as I am?”

Ivy had the upper hand. Ivy knew these woods, she knew Falkreath, she knew where she was - and where was [i]going[/i]. She only had to lead him there now. She got her bearings back by holding a finger out and feeling the wind, and then a glance up to the sky. She ran straight forwards, not caring if he could see her. Truthfully, she was excited - but the woman was still competitive and not about to lose at the game she’d suggested. 

After a few moments she found herself where she wanted to be. As close enough to her tent - her palace, as she needed to be. Then, something strange happened - she simply stopped running. She was allowing him to catch up, and so instead she began dancing around on the grass. Performing more cartwheels, flips, splits, and spins. Sure, Sevari could see her - and the thrill alone of him only having to lay one more touch on her was enough to rile him up. She didn’t need to run and hide to win this game. She was a master of unpredictable movement. What better way was there to win the game too? Everything up until now had been a warm up. Now she would really challenge him.

He caught on to what this had become. What he had let her lure him into. And he couldn’t contain the grin on himself. He began to limber up in his own way too, stretching his legs and swinging his arms to loosen up his muscles. “Any rules, dearest?”

“I trust you’re not going to cheat, Tiger,” she purred as she bent backwards into an arch, kicking her legs to flip herself over and away. “Come and get me if you think you can,” she smirked, and kept moving around. She wasn’t going to make it easy - but she also still wanted to get that man’s trousers off…

“Only evading, no blocking. A touch still means clothes off.” Sevari edged closer to her, not even assuming any stance, but readying his body to move like a coiled spring, “And I only need to touch you once.”

“I wonder what the winner gets.” Sevari chuckled.

“Oh everyone gets a prize,” she smirked, her feet carrying her across the grass - arms outstretched and her hair whipped around furiously as she began spinning. Ivy moved with the breeze that drawled in from the east, letting it carry her and her spins to Sevari’s side. She was not growing dizzy, but maybe if he watched her closely then he might. She was like a spinning top, the red paint on her skin becoming but a blur. Just like the breeze the caressed Sevari, she did too - just a slight touch of her hand, her fingertips but a tickle on the back of his neck. 

Sevari let it happen. A tingle down below and a mischievous need that grew more and more as the night went on bade him do it. He calmly reached down and unbuckled his pants, a thought thrown to whether his gunbelt counted as a piece of clothing, but he slipped off his pants one leg at a time either way. He smirked, “Even now. One touch between the both of us.” His smirk grew into a cheeky grin, “Of course, we could just touch each other for the hell of it too.”

Ivy twirled all the way to the parted fabric door of her tent, stopping to take a look at Sevari in this form. For a moment her breath faltered, and her lip found its way under her front teeth. "Tell me how it feels to be a little more free…" were the words the Dunmer left him with before stepping over the threshold of her tent. She beckoned him to follow with a slow and seductive curling of her finger.

Sevari shook his head watching her, a slow turning from left to right as he bit his lip in turn, “Mm.” He chuckled to himself, wondering just what the hells he’d gotten himself into with this strange woman, and not disappointed in his choice to humor her as he followed her inside her tent, “[i]Mm[/i] mm.”