creeping and crawling like the sea over sand (open)

LOREN

Loren couldn't help but let out a huff of laughter at Kalynd's response. Reaching out, the healer would attempt to give the scholar an almost friendly pat on his shoulder. "It's alright. There's no right or wrong way to do it, really. Just what feels good." If he was successful in touching the other man, the Launceleyn would release Kalynd.

Raising an eyebrow as the other man admitted that was his first kiss, Loren grinned. "Oh. I see." Tilting his to one side, he studied the scholar's features. "Well. I wouldn't be opposed to another kiss. But only if you want to. And this time, just...do what feels good to you, yeah?"

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

Kalynd nodded slightly, appeased that he hadn’t committed some grave error. He imagined he wasn’t a very good kisser all the same. Since he’d never really given much thought to kissing and general intimacy with other people, Kal wasn’t particularly disappointed by the idea. It was merely a fact that he stored away for future consideration.

“Well,” Kal said in response to Loren’s second offer of a kiss. “I do feel sorry for you that I am not making it feel very good, if that is the point of the practice. I may not be the best partner for you.” He shrugged, not finding himself hurt by the thought that Loren might want to rescind his offer. Kalynd had lived his whole life without exposure to such activities, and he didn’t mind returning to his state of ignorance.

LOREN

Loren let out a huff of amused laughter. Shaking his head slightly, he smirked at Kalynd. "That's cute, but don't worry so much. Believe me, I'm very much enjoying myself." Indeed, the healer's cheeks had flushed from more than just the alcohol by now, and his eyes glittered with the stirrings of desire.

Leaning forward he studied the scholar's features before the Launceleyn returned his gaze to the other man's eyes. Loren just stared into them for a long moment. "I want you to kiss me this time." It came out in a heated whisper, and he tilted his head slight to one side. "And don't worry about what I might want. Just do what feels right."

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

The other man's words and his laughter made Kalynd wonder if he should be concerned about just what Loren was enjoying. Loren obviously found Kalynd's naivety amusing, but laughter and mockery were two sides of the same coin, and Kalynd was not particularly astute when it came to discerning the difference.

"Well," Kalynd said. "As long as you're enjoying yourself then." He didn't really have any problem with sitting here and seeing where things went. If he felt like he needed an out, he could always just fly away and hope the other man couldn't turn himself into a flying creature, too.

At his request, Kalynd gave a slight nod. He supposed he had enough of an idea what to do from Loren's kiss, so without speaking again he scooted closer and leaned in to kiss the other man, putting one hand tentatively on Loren's shoulder as he did so. Kalynd wasn't used to touching other people, but he supposed if he thought less about what Loren would think and focused more on the sensation itself, he would be less distracted by that.

Trying to remember all of what Loren had done, Kalynd only thought that he should probably move his tongue, so he did so a little hesitantly, not sure how Loren would respond.

LOREN

Smirking, Loren nodded. ”Very much so.” As Kalynd scooted closer and leaned in for another kiss, the healer’s smirk blossomed into a full on grin. Obviously he kissed back. When the scholar's hand found the Launceleyn's shoulder, he hummed approvingly, closing his eyes and leaning a little deeper into the kiss as he did.

When the other man's tongue moved, Loren's lips parted. His own tongue darted out, wrestling with Kalynd's for just a moment before the healer brought it back, inviting the scholar to follow. Simultaneously, the Launceleyn's hand lifted to rest on the other man's shoulder, mirroring their posture. Loren's hand gave a gentle and encouraging squeeze.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

It did feel strange to kiss this way, to feel Loren's tongue in his mouth and the way it moved with his. Strange in the sense that Kalynd had never really imagined doing this with another person, and in the abstract the thought of it seemed so disparate with the act of doing it. But Kalynd was a relatively quick study when he put his mind to something, and even if he wasn't sure how he felt about the sensation of kissing, he could at least let himself study the art of it with relative equanimity.

When he felt Loren's tongue retreating back, at first Kalynd wondered if he'd done something wrong. But the touch on his shoulder and the gentle pressure encouraged him to continue, so he hesitantly followed Loren's example and let his tongue follow. His fingers on Loren's bare shoulder moved across the other man's skin, entranced by how it felt to his touch.

LOREN

By this point, Loren had a decent amount of experience with kissing. So it was easy enough to let Kalynd in. The healer's own tongue tangled with the scholar's, before the Launceleyn sent it into the other man's mouth briefly.

As Kalynd's hand traced against Loren's bare skin, he hummed approvingly. Eyes still closed, he reached up with his free hand to gently guide the scholar's hand slightly lower, down to the healer's pecs. At the same time, the Launceleyn's other hand gave another encouraging squeeze. After that, he let his fingertips trace down the other man's side, feather light, until they came to rest on Kalynd's hip.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

Kalynd felt a little lightheaded, every gasping breath a much needed relief as he tried to keep up with Loren's movements. It was definitely a hands-on training in the art of kissing that had Kalynd feeling overstimulated in a way that confused him--it wasn't unpleasant, but it was a lot to take in, and his mind didn't seem to have room to fit much else in. He tried not to concentrate so hard on the what and more on the general instinct of responding to Loren's movements, following the flow of his tongue in Kalynd's mouth as it darted in and out and danced around his own.

As they kissed, Kalynd only felt vaguely aware of Loren moving his hand down his chest and of the other man's own hand dropping lightly from Kal's shoulder to his hip. Kalynd did let his hand move gently over more of Loren's bare skin stretched over hard muscle, oblivious to anything but the feel of each ridge and groove, fascinating new discoveries for Kalynd's fingers to find.

LOREN

Hearing Kalynd start to gasp for breath, Loren leaned back. His eyes searched the scholar’s features for any sign of distress beyond just needing to take a break from the kissing. ”Everything all right?” It came out quietly. Even as the healer asked, he was leaning forward to kiss the corner of the other man's mouth, the movement both playful and gentle.

Simultaneously, the Launceleyn kept his hand on top of Kalynd's. Loren guided it down his chest further, aiming for his nipple. "I won't break, promise." There was something darkly amused in the comment. His thumb stroked across the scholar's hip for a moment before the Launceleyn grew a bit bolder. His fingers dipped under the hem of the other man's shirt, questing for the bare skin there.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

“I’m all right,” Kalynd responded, grateful for the chance to take a break and breathe freely for a few moments. “It’s just harder to breathe while kissing than I would have thought.”

He felt Loren’s lips at the edge of his mouth and his fingers moving underneath Kalynd’s shirt. His skin there felt ticklish at the sensation of touch, and Kalynd had to choke back a bit of uncontrolled laughter at the fluttery feeling that rose up his side.

“That—kind of tickles,” he said, smiling as he allowed Loren to direct his hand to his chest again. “How does this feel to you?” he asked curiously as his fingers brushed over Loren’s nipple and stroked the skin there like he remembered seeing Loren do to himself.

LOREN

Loren let out a little huff of laughter at Kalynd's statement. Kissing the other corner of the scholar's mouth, the healer grinned a bit. "Sometimes. But you can always pull away if you need to take a breath." The words were soft.

As the other man said it tickled (if the fluttery laughs hadn't been proof of that) the Launcleyn's fingers stilled. Then they started moving again, almost glacially slow. "In a bad way?" There was something slightly amused about his voice.

Letting out a pleased hum as Kalynd's own fingers circled his nipple, Loren released the other man's hand. "Good. Really good" Reaching across his body, careful not to dislodge the scholar's hand, the healer's own fingers found his other nipple. He teased it and rubbed it, before giving it a twist, letting out a gasp as he did so.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

Kalynd nodded. He supposed that made sense. If one simply did what felt natural in situations like these, pausing for a breath seemed like a natural response. Kal would have to think of it that way and not feel quite so at a loss with how to behave in this strange scenario he’d gotten himself into.

Feeling Loren’s fingers move more slowly against his skin, Kalynd shook his head and said, “Not in a bad way. I suppose I’m just not accustomed to being touched,” he confessed. He didn’t think that anything they’d done so far felt bad, per se. it was just new to him, and he couldn’t decide what he thought of this external stimuli that struck such a dissonance between logic and feeling.

Kalynd watched as Loren’s hand left his and reached for his other nipple. He seemed to be teasing it in his fingers, and his reaction was clear to see, enough so to pique Kalynd’s interest. He let his own fingertips rub at Loren’s other nipple and then he tried moving his fingers the way Loren had, curious to see how Loren would react.

LOREN

Nodding as Kalynd admitted the feeling of fingers on his skin wasn't bad, Loren continued to stroke his hand softly against the scholar's hip. "Tell me what you like and what you don't like, alright?" There was still something soft and gentle in the healer's voice even as his cheeks grew increasingly flushed.

As the other man copied the Launcelelyn's movements on his nipples, he groaned approvingly. "Good. Just like that." He twisted and pinched his nipple now, rougher than before. At the same time, the hand he had up the other man's shirt grew bolder. It slid up Kalynd's chest until Loren reached the scholar's nipple as well. However, the healer simply rubbed it gently, watching the other man's reaction carefully.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

“All right,” Kalynd agreed. He wasn’t sure he could define anything that was happening in terms of “like” or “dislike,” however, he found himself very interested in the other man’s reactions. He was clearly invested in his actions, touching himself and making soft, low noises of pleasure as he did so. Kalynd felt his hand against his skin moving up to his chest. Loren’s fingers began to rub at his own nipple. He shifted a little, not sure that he liked the sensation. He shook his head slightly, his own hand dropping a little from Loren’s chest.

“I’m—not sure about this,” he said. “It feels strange.” Maybe he was just unused to it, or maybe he was just different from other people. He wasn’t sure, since he had so little knowledge of this sort of thing.