unyieldingmarch | Aefenglom Log Overflow

It was definitely the drink that was giving Edelgard the courage to speak up and to act. Once this evening is out of the way though, the road is paved for more romantic interludes. For now, though, she's half drunk of Corrin's giddiness and the bond's power, and the rest of the way drunk on the drink she'd imbibed.

She wanted more, and wanted nothing so much as to see Corrin's smile continue to light up like that. So, she did the best thing that she could do and reached for the cloth band with one trepidatious hand. It closed around the hem of it, gently pulling up. It might be easier to do more elegantly with two hands, but given how energized she felt...it was simply easier to force it.

Which...unfortunately...meant tearing it.

"oh! Oh dear!"

Corrin's eyes followed Edelgard's hand, feeling goosebumps forming wherever fingers brushed against her skin. Even with the fumbling, one-handed way El was trying to undress her, it still felt distracting enough that she was starting to let her eyes close under the sensation...

At least until she heard that soft tearing noise. Either Edelgard was stronger than she looked (probably) or Corrin's wrap wasn't as sturdy as she thought (also probably, to be honest). Ah well.

She glanced down at where the rip shifted through the fabric, exposing a bit more of her skin, and then back up at Edelgard, unsure if that 'oh dear' was genuine or silly. But at this point, did it matter?

"...Keep tearing," she said softly. It was just a wrap, she could always get more, and right now it was very much in the way.

It was unfortunately a very genuine oh dear. She hadn't intended to do that. She was still getting used to the vampiric strength she had, and she was also excited. Even if she wasn't sure if she should be, she definitely was.

"If...you are sure," she murmured.

And then the garment was in two halves, as if torn apart with the strength of Edelgard's own desire. It fell away with a ripping sound, and she tossed both halves aside

"I'll just have to give you one of mine, when we are finished."

There was something in that aggressive motion, in the sound of her wrap tearing in half under Edelgard's fingers, that sent a new thrill of excitement rippling through her. A shiver ran up her spine, and she was sure she couldn't blame it on the rush of cooler air that ran across her chest as it was exposed.

"As long as you don't make a habit of it, I think I can afford to replace the occasional wrap," she said a bit breathlessly, the words mingled with something of an excited, nervous giggle. She still had her unbuttoned shirt hanging from her shoulders, but with the wrap gone there wasn't anything actually covering her breasts, her small, dark nipples hardening up in the chill of the air and under Edelgard's eyes.

Only a handful of people had seen her naked in her life, and almost all of those were her servants. And here she was, topless, sitting in her bonded's lap. It was...she didn't know what it was. She could feel Edelgard's excitement and desire still, and that combined with her exposed chest was enough to make her flush, her head tilting down slightly, and she had to resist the urge to bring her free arm up to cover herself.

Edelgard wasn't sure if Corrin was joking or not, but it didn't matter. She was just happy to earn a smile like that. The younger woman was breathtaking, and it was impossible for the Emperor not to stare, just a bit. Her breath caught and she ran a bare hand gently over the warm mound of one breast, her palm just a bit cooler than a normal person's hand.

"You're beautiful," she said in a low, enraptured voice, finally tearing her gaze away from the other's chest.

"I never imagined...doing this with another, but I'm glad to be able to touch you."

Leaning closer, she buried her face in the mane of Corrin's hair, nose and lips snuffling a bit against the mass of blonde to get closer to her ear. She pitched her voice low, hoping to sound like a character in a romance novel, her only real connection to this sort of thing.

"You're breathtaking. Truly...amazing."

Corrin's nervous breath caught halfway between her lips when Edelgard's cool hand settled on her chest, goosebumps forming on soft skin, partially from the temperature but mostly from the touch itself. She wanted to say something back, something clever, but the barrage of feelings from Edelgard and those words, it was enough to completely throw any coherent thoughts out the window.

It wasn't until Edelgard's face was slipping into her ear, and her words and breath rushed over Corrin's ear like a wave, that she managed to center herself a bit. But all that came out, at least at first, was a soft noise somewhere in her throat that was nearly a purr. Having the empress pressed up against her, combined with those compliments, it was...wonderful.

"Mm," another slow, nervous breath, and then another little giggle. "Thank you." It was all she could manage, really. At least verbally. Between then though, Edelgard would feel Corrin's free hand settle against her side then slowly travel up along the outside of her shirt, until it slid between them to brush across the emperor's chest, a soft, uncertain touch. Partially because she wanted to touch Edelgard just as much as she wanted to be touched by Edelgard, and partly because some part of her was curious how she'd react...

Edelgard very briefly stiffened at the contact, the unfamiliar hands brushing against her chest. It wasn't that she didn't want to be touched, far from it, she was just uncertain of how that would go, and her nervousness likely showed through the bond. However, she managed to clamp down on that impulse fairly quickly, relaxing against Corrin and exhaling slowly.

"Sorry...that's another thing I'll have to take slowly," Edelgard explained.

It couldn't be any other way. Not as far as she was concerned. Though, now that something had brought her out of the moment, just for a second, she had the opportunity to consider the situation.

"...I would...like to continue this on the bed. If you don't mind? I can carry you."

It seemed more proper that way.

Corrin's hand froze as that wave of uncertainty nervousness hit her, her body tensing right along with Edelgard's. She knew Edelgard was going to be nervous, she knew they had a lot of walls to push through. Was this the limit, for now? Getting her to show just her hands had been such an effort, and...

And then Edelgard relaxed against her and the emotions faded, and Corrin let out a soft sigh of relief. She would stop, the second Edelgard needed her to, but that wasn't the same as wanting to. Still, her hand remained where it was, pressing in gently again, less a squeeze so much as just a caress through her shirt.

But the talk of picking her up derailed her worry, and she tilted her head so it fell against Edelgard's, her cheek scrunched up against the emperor's hair.

"Mm...well, I can walk, but..."

She leaned back a bit, and her hand slid away from Edelgard's chest then to hook loosely around her neck. The legs stretched out behind the emperor curled in around her, ankles crossing.

"Who am I to resist a request from an emperor, hm?" She said, her voice a teasing whisper, red eyes sparkling with excitement. Bed! Okay. This was a good sign again.

"I think it a reward for your patience."

Edelgard shifted herself, gathered her arms under Corrin despite being unhappy to stop fondling her, and lifted the pair of them up in one fluid motion. Corrin, for all her muscle, felt light as a feather in her hands, and lifting her was simple enough. She stared down into those glittering red eyes with a sharp toothed grin, and then solid legs carried her forward towards the bedding.

Her bed was not an ostentatious affair, but it was large, easily fit for someone that tossed and turned in her sleep. Muscles taut, she moved quickly and laid Corrin down with great care. Then, she climbed up and flopped down beside her Bonded, head lolling over to keep meeting Corrin's gaze.

"That's more fitting. I...some level of propriety does feel important for one's first, I think."

Corrin was expecting this, and yet still gripped more tightly onto Edelgard with a surprised little noise when the shorter woman stood up and carried her like she was nothing. Corrin wasn't heavy but she was muscular enough that she wasn't light either. She had expected...a little strain, maybe? Edelgard was clearly stronger than she thought.

She relaxed her grip only when she felt her back hit the bed, uncurling from around Edelgard to settle into the soft blanket, lifting her arms over her head and giving a long, slow stretch, back slightly arched, before she dropped back down, her arms curling into the pillow above her. Okay. This was nice.

"One's first, hm..." She echoed the words before rolling over onto her and propping herself up on her elbow, her head resting on her hand, some of her hair falling over her shoulders to half-hide her chest as she looked down at Edelgard.

"Now I feel a bit pressured," she said, voice quiet, mostly joking and yet there was still that nervousness there. Edelgard was putting so much faith in her...what if she disappointed her?

As she spoke though, her other hand came out to settle on the center of Edelgard's stomach, fingertips tracing slowly along the buttons of her high-neck shirt, from waist to the base of her breasts and back, as if trying to build up the courage to start undoing them.

"I know you won't disappoint me."

That's the reassurance that she hoped to give, anyway. It was likely spoiled somewhat by the quiver of her lip, and the slight hitch in her breathing when Corrin began touching the laces that held her collar into place.

But, she would press on. She would persevere. But, just in case, she wanted to offer up a warning.

"...You...should know that nobody has seen my chest, back, and stomach since I was a child. It will be scarred. Perhaps...worse than you might imagine."

She can only hope to keep her nerve.

Corrin wanted to reassure Edelgard somehow, that she wasn't worried about it, that it wouldn't bother her, but she didn't know what to say. And frankly, she was worried about it. Not that she would be somehow disgusted by Edelgard, but more just the fact that seeing those scars was probably going to be overwhelming for both of them. Corrin didn't want to imagine that Edelgard had gone through such horrible torture, torture that had left her hands that way and the rest of her body was...just as bad?

It was a genuine worry.

But she also wanted to work through that, to help Edelgard work through it, if she could. Or at least, to give the older woman something positive to feel about it. Rather than say anything, finally she just leaned forward, shifting her weight a bit and dropping her hand to the bed to brace herself as she half-hung over Edelgard and leaned in to press a kiss to her lips.

Her other hand, meanwhile, began the careful work of undoing the laces of Edelgard's collar, as best she could with one hand, at least.

The collar was not done in any complicated knot or anything like that. It was just a simple pull and tug affair. Lucky for Corrin, because Edelgard's hands were shaky at best right now. She clamped one down hard on the blanket, while the other came up, bare fingers flexing against Corrin's cheek. Gentle, but with a kind of subtle desperation to the gesture that one tended to reserve for panic, she held on thinking about the kiss. Just that, making the soft press of lips against her own her sole world for a moment.

When the collar popped open, she almost gasped. Almost. But she held her nerve.

When the next lace came undone, baring her collarbone, she froze, pulled back from the kiss, eyes locked hard onto Corrin.

"...Can you...maybe...straddle me? I'll feel more comfortable if I can just look at you," she finally murmured, voice soft, but not shaking. Not yet.

Each undone spot of made the nerves radiating off Edelgard all the more obvious to Corrin, even as she tried to distract herself with the kiss. So she wasn't surprised when Edelgard pulled away, just drawing in a slow breath as she looked down at her. Her hand was still then, resting against the fabric she had undone, the tips of two fingers resting lightly against the exposed skin of her collarbone.

"I...think I can do that," she answered, amusement and a bit of surprise obvious on her face. She leaned in to place another kiss on Edelgard's lips even as she shifted her weight, rising up until she could slide one leg over the prone woman's legs, shifting slowly until she was stretched out ontop of Edelgard. Slowly she pushed back up until she was sitting on top of of her, knees resting on either side of her stomach, her rear just below El's pelvis.

She let her hands settle on Edelgard's stomach for a moment as she looked down at her, red eyes settling on violet ones. "Better?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side so she could brush some of her hair over her shoulder. There was still a lot of it hanging down her front, covering her right breast almost completely, but she left it for now.

Instead she let her hands slide back up, over Edelgard's chest again, barely a hint of a touch before she reached the lace again and began to slowly undo it.

"Yes."

Edelgard's eyes focused in on Corrin. Hard, sharp, intense. She was not at all going to give in to her fear, not now that she'd come this far. Having something to stare at, something pleasant and warm and comforting dominating her vision made it much easier to focus. The pressure of a body against her legs, the intent and kindness in those eyes...that helped her relax and still her beating heart some.

"Much."

She reached up, unknotting her fingers from the blanket, brushing scarred fingers up Corrin's wrist, as much to reassure herself as her bonded.

"Please continue."

That was all the encouragement Corrin needed, it seemed, as her fingers resumed their work on Edelgard's shirtly, carefully undoing the lace as she moved down along the front, but not opening up the fabric itself. As she untied it, she left it closed, revealing only the barest sliver of Edelgard's skin. She was, in a sense, delaying the problem for both of them. She didn't know how Edelgard would do being exposed and she wasn't really sure how she'd react either.

Her hands moved easily, even with the fingers against her wrist, but after a few inches she paused, her hands moving to clasp Edelgard's, eyes still focused on the face of the woman beneath her as she lifted up her scarred hand and turned to press it palm-first against her exposed breast. An invitation and a request, really...she wanted that connection, wanted to feel the other touching her, even as she suspected Edelgard needed something similar, to distract her.

And then her fingers returned to the half-undone shirt, making short work of the rest of the lace while leaving the garment closed. Once it was completely done, rather than push it aside, she slipped her hand beneath it, letting her fingers trace over Edelgard's still-hidden stomach.

Edelgard didn't have any objection to that, so she let her hand close around Corrin's breast. Gentle, exploratory, but with growing confidence. She liked the warm feeling of the soft mound against her palm, she decided. It was a strange thought, but one that took her mind off her concerns, her troubles, and more importantly...the feeling of cool air against her chest.

The fingers reaching beneath her shirt would find hard, taut muscle more than anything soft, with considerably less scarring on the front than on Edelgard's wrists and arms. There were so few veins and arteries that could be reached there...so it was not as bad as it could be. Those Who Slither in the Dark were concerned more with efficiency than with cruelty, and so her front was spared, mostly.

When Corrin's fingertips grazed a bit higher, she'd doubtless catch several scars...though many of them are at odd intervals, less regular and stratified. Scars from battle, mostly.

"You can take off my shirt, I think. I should...be okay, now."

A little 'mm' slipped out of Corrin's lips when Edelgard began her exploration of her chest, especially on the initial squeeze. Oh that was going to make concentrating hard, wasn't it? Well, she could deal, and she definitely didn't want it to stop.

Her head did roll down a bit, chin almost hitting her collarbone before she caught herself and straightened up with a sheepish little grin, and her hands finally started moving again. At Edelgard's instruction she gave a little nod and her eyes flicked away from her face finally, down to Edelgard's stomach as her hands slid back down to the other woman's waist.

This time as her hands moved up, she let her wrists push the fabric apart, her eyes hungrily taking in every inch of pale skin as it was exposed. She paused only when her fingers hit one of those scars, tracing the tip of her index finger over it once, twice, and then moving forward. And with a finally gesture she pushed the shirt open completely, letting the two sides flip out onto Edelgard's arms and the bed.

The body beneath was what one might expect. Edelgard was pale, she was fit, and she had her scars. The signs of her life as a warrior, as much as the signs of her childhood as an experiment. With her body bared save for the thick cloth wrapping her breasts, she allowed herself a small nod. She was resolved now, she would see this through.

She couldn't, wouldn't, disappoint Corrin. Not knowing how much the blonde wanted her.

"It's not so bad here," she said simply, her thumb finding and brushing against one nipple.

"My back is worse. But...this doesn't...it's okay, yes?"

A note of uncertainty slipped in at that final phrase. Was she too scarred for Corrin? Or...was this okay?

Honestly, Corrin had been expecting it to be worse, so knowing this part wasn't too bad was something of a relief. In her mind there was something more...awful...about scars on the front than on the back. You could see them, you would notice them every time you bathed or changed, a constant reminder...

Well, it didn't really matter. She opened her mouth to say something but the words caught, fading into a soft hiss as Edelgard's thumb traced across her nipple. Right. Focus. Heavens that felt good. But this wasn't about her, not really. And Edelgard's worry and uncertainty, that knot she could feel mixed in with desire, was much more important right then.

She bit the corner of her lip, her weight shifting forward as her hands slid along Edelgard's stomach again, fingers tracing lightly over two of her battle scars. Her eyes wandered after the path her hands traced, until they came to a stop, palms flat against her ribs just below her wrap. And then they flicked up to look Edelgard in the eyes again.

"I think you're beautiful," she said, that smile of hers that was always halfway to a grin tugging at her lips. "Nothing is going to change that."

The thing about false platitudes is that Edelgard had heard a lot of them over the years. She knew what to look for, and when she heard Corrin's voice...saw that grin...she knew that it wasn't something false. The knot began to come undone almost immediately, her emotions flicked from something sad to something much different. Something much happier, more secure, and more firm. She could believe this. That smile, those eyes...

"Then, kiss me. And...please, keep touching me."

Edelgard couldn't help the note of command in her voice. She hadn't intended it to be there, but she had a feeling that Corrin wouldn't mind. And she wouldn't mind being teased about it. She was, after all, the one on her back.

"I want this. And I want you."

The shift in Edelgard's emotions was so intense it actually came over Corrin almost like a wave, setting off a sense of relief she hadn't known she desperately needed. Her smile got a bit wider, and thne turned into a flat out grin at that command from the emperor. She giggled, her fingers drumming softly against Edelgard's ribs.

"Mmm..." It was almost as though she was weighing over whether or not to do as she was told, but finally she sighed. "Well, if Emperor Edelgard insists...."

She teased, before leaning forward to press in another kiss to Edelgard's lips, her hair tumbling down around both of them like a curtain, not quite lying prone against her, but close. She had to leave the space free for her hands to slip upward finally, sliding over the wrap the emperor had across her chest to cup her breasts, fingers squeezing into the material and the softer flesh beneath, before they moved to either side, hunting for the easiest way to undo the fabric.

If Edelgard was willing, Corrin wasn't going to wait!

Edelgard hummed happily when Corrin leaned forward, returning the kiss with a pleasant sigh and a flick of her thumb to steal a quick groan from her Bonded's lips. She was enjoying having that power, she realized.

There was thankfully no great mystery to Edelgard's wrap. It was held in place by a simple thread at the back, a quick tug all that would be required to remove it. And not a single objection from the emperor. Quite the opposite. She wriggled to get her back into a better position for Corrin to take hold and pull.

Corrin laughed into the kiss as she felt Edelgard squirming to make it easier to get her wrap off. Now that the wall had come down, as it were, she could feel Edelgard falling into this as much as she was and it felt honestly wonderful. More so even than the raw desire from earlier. That was still there, but mixed with...a lot of things she wasn't quite sure of the words for yet. Something big, probably. Something to worry about tomorrow.

Instead she worried about undoing the single thread that stood between her and getting Edelgard's wrap off. And the poor thing stood little chance, really, as her fingers undid it quickly and tugged it loose, shifting her weight to push Edelgard flat on her back again as she tugged the wrap aside and tossed it away.

She didn't break the kiss immediately, but after a few more long seconds she did, pulling back with a soft, low sound as their lips slipped apart and then straightening up so her eyes could roam down to Edelgard's now exposed chest, her hands following a moment later to brush over the now-exposed skin, moving along to brush across her nipples. Her eyes flicked back up to watch Edelgard's face as she did so.

Edelgard laughed against Corrin's lips as the cloth finally came away, leaving her bare save for her trousers. Those were a problem for later, and not nearly as large an obstacle. Her legs were just legs, and while they had their scars, they were no more or less bad than her arms and back.

The other's hands against her breasts made her groan, forcing her to pull back from the kiss to take a breath. Those, at least, were largely unscarred. Thanks, no doubt, to her rib cage being in the way of anything vital. She had battle scars, mostly along her collarbone, but nothing like the gruesome spectacle of other parts.

"Corrin..." she huffed out, eyes wide and staring up at her Bonded. "Would you please...from now on...call me El?"

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject