Taking The Fields By Storm (Open)

koel tryin' to take what's lost and broke and make it right In a weird way, Koel was back in his element. Sure, they’d been transported into some horrifying world which seemed both barren and hostile, and sure his people were terrified (although some were morbidly curious) but exploring unknown and potentially dangerous terrain was something he was well familiar. Whatever terrors lurked out there—and surely there were terrors a plenty in such a blighted looking land—he would find them, study them, and hopefully neutralize them if he could. It would be a bit harder without proper supplies and tools, but he’d manage. For now, though, he was headed towards an area that seemed more promising than scary: there were some fields that he wanted to check out as potential arable land. Although the former Overseer had never really gotten good at agriculture during his tenure, he knew at least a little bit more, and since there were few farmers among them, he was better than nothing. For now, he was making his way on foot; as much as he might want to take to the skies, he felt it best to remain cautious and not expose himself like that until he knew a bit more about what was out there. Unlike many in the group that had come from Northaven, Koel wasn’t a risk taker. Of course, his former position didn’t give him as much authority as he’d hoped, so he couldn’t get everyone to listen to him. That just meant that once again—because really, he’d been one of the few people doing anything useful among the leadership—he’d have to strike out on his own and make do. When he arrived at the edge of the fields, he surveyed them gingerly. However, try as he might to spot danger, they remained placid and normal looking (well, as normal looking as anything in this grey and ashy world ever looked). Still, he refrained from venturing too far into the area, for fear of what might turn up. Slow and steady would have to win this race. He hadn't gotten this far in his life by being stupid; there was nothing to be gained by rushing about and everything to be gained from taking his time. Whatever people might think of this new land they'd been thrust into, the very state of the land told him there was darkness afoot here.

Edy fuck you <3 "You already starting your own society or what?" Came a bright sounding voice. Had Edy been following Koel? Nahhhhhh, she just...you know. Didn't have anything to do. This was all a bit fucked up and as a Launceleyn and a guard the teenager was mostly used to following orders. That she hadn't been given any normally wouldn't have been much of a problem, but in this new place free of routines she found herself a bit uncertain. It wasn't a feeling she liked all that much, as it was. The eagle probably knew she'd been there all along; Edy was no tracker and subtly wasn't really her strong suit (though she could pull it off, when circumstances called for it), but sneaking up on him hadn't really been her intention. Given the last thing she could remember being something which had to do with Koel (and because most of her family had fucked off to go do other things), she didn't bother to question the impulse to follow him. Conveniently she was not dressed in the running garb she had been when she was in fact last with the Overseer. Instead she was clothed in her normal training outfit which was all things considered, a huge blessing whether or not she knew it yet. "Finally making the leap from side character to hero, huh?" Edy quipped arriving at his side with an amused grin. Her attitude seemed completely out of sorts with the fact that they were standing somewhere completely new with absolutely no information about how any of this came to be.

Koel paused as a familiar voice call out to him; he’d been aware he was being followed for a while, but had allowed it as the tail had been obvious and Edrei was a known quantity. It was weird, actually between them—what with what’ they’d gotten up to before they’d been transported here—and the eagle didn’t know exactly where they stood. However, if she was snarking at him, he knew it couldn’t be that bad. He also knew that he could snark back with impunity; they weren’t in Northaven anymore and the rules had gone out the window. Not that there had ever been rules with Edy: the woman had always been wild and free in a way that surprised him. However shocking her behavior might’ve been to her peers, Koel actually found it fun. It was a lot closer to his roots than the stuffy manners he put on for most people. "You caught me. Wanna join? I could use some help with population growth." He winked at her, but there wasn’t actually any heat behind it; as enjoyable as it would be to trade barbs with her—and maybe something more—the truth of the matter was that would be downright reckless. As she came up closer to him, he chuckled at her quip about stories. That had been part of their banter for the beginning and he was grateful for the reminder of something familiar in the face of the strange mystery world they’d found themselves in. Koel wasn’t quite ready to call it a land of opportunity. But it was certainly new to all of them, and he’d make the most of it, even if he was cautious about it. "More like I’m the hero of another story, since we’re apparently in a mystery now. I could use a plucky sidekick though, if you’re up for it." He grinned, and nodded at the fields ahead to indicate that her company would be more than welcome; he preferred having backup even if she’d probably slow him down. koel  ambray Taking the path of most resistance

Edy fuck you <3 "Oh yeah?" Edy replied with a wide grin. Northaven or no, Koel's jest might have tangled the tongues of a good many blue bloods, but not Edy. "Need a refresher on the basics, huh?" Though her smile was smug and her eyes sparkled mischievously, inwardly she did wonder a bit at ... well. The thing that had happened. Or almost happened. Or was starting to happen, or whatever, before they'd wound up here. "Wow. Bold." She cackled with a wink. "Not even just your own story, but this sounds like a series: new world full of mystery and adventure with some sexual education sprinkled throughout?" Raising a brow she regarded him skeptically, but the humour in her dark eyes completely undid the intended effect. "And a sidekick? You sure you're up for that? I mean, we'll have to talk about my contract though. I don't do plucky. as you might have noticed" Glancing around the fields, Edy couldn't help but think that this wasn't all together that unfamiliar. It was a field after all, like any other. Right? Actually she was quite wrong as Koel had already picked up on, but for the teenager, nothing was really setting off alarm bells yet. Stretching her arms out and rolling her shoulders to let her upper back crack deliciously, she looked back towards Koel. "Alrighty hero. What now?"

Grinning, Koel decided not to let any lingering weirdness from the last time they’d seen each other continue to bother him. This whole experience was so surreal and strange that he needed company more than ever; besides, their last private chat had been trending in a direction he ended up deciding he liked, so if she was willing to indulge him he was game. Maybe they could get back to a good place between the two of them. "Basics, huh? Guess that’s all you know. Pity. I thought you were good for more than that." No doubt that would sting the woman’s easily bruised pride: Edrei might talk a good game but Koel remembered what it was like to be that young and hotheaded. He was being gentle with the teasing, but he would make sure not to take it too far. It would be just his look to manage to actually offend her by making one joke too many. "Fortune favors the bold. And it’s about time I get some much needed love and attention." For too long he’d been content to support others in the hopes that they’d throw him a bone. No more: if they were stuck in this new world, which very much seemed to be the case, then he’d play by new rules of his own making and to his own liking. Not that he’d been particularly good at playing by the old ones, but at least he’d made an effort to keep the peace. However, that had all gone out the window—along with their entire society, basically—when they were transported here, as far as he was concerned. His eyes twinkled. If Edy thought a bit of dirty humor was going to fluster him, she’d forgotten who he was. Indeed, he felt he’d already proven himself on that particular front, even if it he’d ended been all bark and not nearly enough biting because they got teleported to this new world before it could progress. "I mean, they are always telling authors to flesh out their characters. That’s what that means, right?" Winking at her for good measure, Koel felt his smile grow as she continued on with the discussion about their respective characters. "I mean, we can talk about it if you'd like, but if I’m the hero that makes you either the sidekick or the love interest, since you’ve already said you weren’t good at and didn’t want to be the villain of this tale." Maybe he was being too bold, mentioning love interests like that, but considering their last private encounter he didn’t think so. If she wanted to be a different kind of sidekick, though, she’d have to bring it up; Koel was done making decisions for people. If they didn’t want to do things that were in their best interests, that was their prerogatives. It did seem, though, that she was willing to follow his lead when it came to the actual scouting mission. That was probably for the best; while Edy was many things, stealthy and subtle didn’t seem to be her forte. While there was nothing necessarily wrong with that—and a lot that was good, since bold and brash had its place—it did make him a bit wary of trusting her to act appropriately in an unknown environment. Still, he wouldn't turn away any help right now. "We quietly check out these fields, try to see if there’s any hidden danger and if they can be used for agricultural purposes." It was tedious work, most likely, but Koel wanted to be certain it was safe out here before he sent non-combatants to farm the land. All the playfulness was gone from his voice and his face now; in place of the flirty and witty eagle was a competent professional who wouldn’t allow any nonsense to get past him. koel ambray Taking the path of most resistance

Edy fuck you <3 Without missing a beat, Edy folded her arms and raised a brow skeptically. "I mean, if I remember correctly–" And actually, all things considered, that was a pretty big if, "–someone got himself a little riled up from just a back rub." Smirking, Edy tapped her fingers against her arm, offering the Overseer one of those stares that lasted just a little too long; the ones that Edy could hold without flinching. "But hey, sink or swim I guess." Actually Edy didn't really guess. As it was now, she sorta had Koel pegged as vanilla as fucking tapioca. Sure she didn't have much to go on and she didn't doubt Koel would probably admirably try to hide whatever shortcomings he had (though he'd all but said that his comings were anything but short). Still, all he'd done was almost kiss her. And that was only after she'd all but told him to. Then again, they had wound up here before anything more could happen, so perhaps he deserved a bit of slack. Didn't mean he'd get it though. Grinning in return as he mentioned fleshing out a character, Edy bit her lip and winked back. The Launceleyn of course knew fuck all about writing, but she could practically feel subtext like a 6th sense; not that this was particularly veiled by any means. The mention of her being the love interest however made the teenager burst out into bright peels of laughter. Not only was love 1. dumb and 2. probably not real, but Edy? If she knew one thing about herself it was that she was unlovable AF. Tolerable was usually the best she could hope for, and lately with her family even that was a stretch. And Koel? Well he'd broken her wrist and then got an understandable boner from Edy's expert hands. Love interest seemed like a huge fucking stretch this early in the book. "Nahh." She said when her laughter had trickled away. "You had one of those remember? She got killed off in the prologue." As the playfulness dwindled from the Overseer, Edy sighed. Of course he was back to business, but that didn't mean she had to be. Trotting behind him, she tried to kick the bottom of his foot as he extended it so that it would shoot forward. He'd probably hear her and avoid it, but that didn't matter. If he turned back to admonish her, she'd merely waggle her finger at him. "Shh! Quiet remember?"

Edrei may have been right about his reaction to her, but she had clearly known exactly what she was doing and exactly where it might lead and hadn’t seemed to mind at the time. Indeed, she’d encouraged him to do so despite knowing that he’d recently lost someone; while even under the best of circumstances he might’ve given into her seduction—which was the opposite of subtle—he’d been emotionally vulnerable and she’d taken advantage of that. Not that he minded either. When it came down to it, he decided that he needed to take comfort and joy where he could, especially in the face of all his sorrow. That didn't mean he was going to make it easy for her. "Gee, that’s funny, cause the way I remember it you crawled into my lap and practically begged me to kiss you." Time to see how she responded to that claim. If he had to guess, it would be with some outrageous comment or another. She didn’t seem capable of responding with anything less. The laughter was unexpected, but so lighthearted that he couldn’t help but grin in return. Of course, that was quickly wiped away by that dig she made about his dead love. While he might be easy-going about a lot of topics these days (which would surprise people who thought they knew him, but hey, they weren't in Northaven anymore and he didn't need to be serious all the time) this was one that was still too raw for him to engage in banter about. Giving her a pointed look—which would hopefully communicate that this subject was off limits, and that the pain of losing Eris was still raw for him—Koel did not smile at her joke. However, instead of getting hostile or defensive, he just sighed. "Let’s not speak ill of the dead." While maybe eventually he’d get over it (especially because they hadn’t ever really been together), he wasn’t there yet. And if Edy decided to push her luck, she’d find the old boring former Overseer would be back. Despite being a Guard in the old world, it seemed that Edy wasn't capable of some basic fieldwork, which was ridiculous. Actually, he completely missed her little trick, since he was so focused on what was ahead of them—and, well, not expecting Edy to be a weirdo and to display at least the bare minimum of professionalism—that her kick came out of nowhere. While he didn’t stumble and fall, since he was far too graceful for that, he did wobble for a moment as his foot shot forward. Turning around, he crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. Seemed that he couldn't trust her and needed to keep her where he could see her. "Guess you can’t handle even the basics, then. Do I need to give your mouth something else to do?" His voice came out level, but his eyes blazed. Whether that was from anger, annoyance, or some other passion even he couldn’t say. Still, Edy definitely knew how to rile him up and get his heart racing, that was for sure. She seemed to have a special knack for getting under his skin. However, that wasn't always a good thing, apparently. koel ambray Taking the path of most resistance

Edy fuck you <3 Begging? HAH. Still, Edy’s grin remained as wide as ever. "I think your memory is starting to go old man.” She trilled brightly with a wink. “Someone said he needed a distraction. Crawl into your lap? Sure. Beg you? Hardly. You were the one leaning forward, all lingering stares and complete lack of initiative.” As her comment about Eris was not taken with the levity she’d intended, Edy sighed. Having never been in anything remotely close to love, the fact that Koel was still upset about it did seem surprising. They were literally traipsing about a forest that was probably in another world for all they knew, he’d just suggested that she was the love interest in this little charade of his, and now Koel was upset about some broad? Men. Or, love. Whatever was the culprit, Edy didn’t think she was a fan. ”Just stating facts.” She said with a shrug, returning Koel’s level stare with one of her own. Shockingly her foot connected against Koel’s, and as he turned around all raised eyebrows and crossed arms, he’d find only a grinning teenager staring up at him. She was proud of herself not only because she’d succeeded against the Overseer who was far faster than she was, but because it was simply fun. There didn’t need to be any more reason than that. Koel clearly didn’t agree though. Peering up at him, her eyes sparkled mischeviously at the numerous implications of his words. He looked...something. A more clever girl might have paired the blazing look in his eyes coming recently on the end of having just defending his lost love as reason to be cautious, but of course Edy was anything but. “I feel like we’ve done this scene already.” She snarked stepping towards him. As cute or playful or whatever all of this was meant to be, it really wasn’t Edy’s style. He clearly wanted to kiss her, or at least, he clearly wanted to be in the metaphorical vicinity of kissing her. His body had wanted her during their last ...uh..meeting, and the way he’d let his arm encircle her and how he’d leaned towards her spoke volumes about where he was letting his mind wander. Again, a more clever person might have suggested that on the heels of heartache Koel might have needed (or just wanted) permission, or coaxing, or whatever it was to dissuade any potential guilt. Trying to close the distance between them, Edy would reach up and grab the fabric of Koel’s shirt to tug him down towards her. Without hesitation, if he’d allow it, she’d press her lips against his.

Edrei would find her grin met by one of Koel’s own: this was silliness incarnate—for him at least—and he didn’t really mind a bit of playful banter, out of place as it felt in this generally barren landscape. Of course, the fields were a more vibrant location than most inside the bubble they found themselves in, and perhaps he was feeling the call of the wild a bit. Or perhaps it was because they’d been rudely interrupted last time, just when it was getting good. Koel had precious little goodness in his life. Therefore, he’d be a fool not to seek it where he could. That didn’t mean he was going to let her get away with blatantly slandering him. ”My memory is fine, but it seems your technique could use a little work.” His voice dropped to a husky drawl as he gave her a lazy wink. ”It’s called foreplay. You’ll learn the value of it once you learn more than the basics.” Yeah, he wasn’t above a little bit of pettiness or above calling back to their earlier conversation. As for distractions, well, she was certainly an effective one. It helped that she was about as subtle as a punch in the genitals when it came to her intentions and her actions. Honestly, sometimes it was refreshing. Other times, however, it was annoying; that was the case with her sullen response to his own closed off reply. Truth be told, he really didn’t want to talk or think about Eris right when they were on the cusp of something here (whatever it was), but Edy seemed to put her foot in her mouth on a regular basis. Koel could sympathize, but on this particular topic he wasn’t going to let it slide. Raising his eyebrows, he gave her that same flat stare, although this time there was perhaps a hint of anger in his voice. ”Is that so?” She didn’t seem to realize that her actions had consequences—and that her words, however unintentional, could be hurtful—but that was probably a consequence of her age. Rarely did Koel feel old, but as he gazed upon her, with all the vigor and fire of youth, he suddenly felt his age and more. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, he tried to ignore his lingering sadness over the death of his love and focus on the here and now. This, here and now, with Edy, was odd but oddly enjoyable. He wasn’t betraying anyone by leaning into it and having a good time. As she spoke of being here before, he found himself agreeing. Yeah, they had, and Koel was tired of waiting. If this was a repeat of their previous encounter, then so be it: that basically gave him free reign to pick up where they’d left off. As she pulled her face towards hers, he let it happen. In fact, he responded in kind. Stepping forward confidently, he pressed his body against her. One hand came to rest on Edrei’s hip as the other cupped her face so he could meet her lips with his for a hungry kiss. If getting transported to a whole new world didn’t give him perspective and encourage him to occasionally throw caution to the wind, he didn’t know what would. Words seemed unnecessary in that moment. koel ambray Taking the path of most resistance

Edy fuck you <3 Edy grinned and immediately shook her head. "Oh you want to talk about foreplay? Tell me more about how you did...anything other than just sit there with a drink in your hand." She chimed brightly, her white teeth snarling through her smile. "Typical man." Edy continued playfully, scrunching her nose at him in mock disdain. "Thinking that getting hard counts as them doing their part." Tsking under her voice the teenager kicked a small rock in her path with the sort of youthful I-can't-be-still-ness for which Edy was known. "mmhmmm." Edy answered easily, missing the annoyance and flare of anger in Koel's tone. Edy might be blunt with her intentions, but Koel was anything but. If he wanted her to stop, he'd need to say so. Having never experienced so much as a crush before, the teenager was woefully in the dark when it came to whatever it was Koel must have been feeling. He was either over Eris or he wasn't, and at the moment his signals were mixed and crossed and all sorts of complicated. Fuck sake. Even his shaky breath was confusing; was the old man having a heart attack or trying to cool his jets? As he moved to meet her Edy felt that familiar and oh-so pleasant rush of heat and adrenaline course through her body. The only thing that ruined the sensation of his lips against hers was the way he cupped her face. The gesture was altogether too delicate and ... romantic for her tastes. With a grin that his lips would easily feel, Edy moved to place her hands on his shoulders, simultaneously swatting away the hand that had come to rest against her cheek. With easy athleticism, Edy pushed down on his shoulders and sprang upwards, meaning to lift herself up into his arms and wrap her legs around his waist. She was light and he was strong, and there was no better combination than that. With no hesitation Edy's movements were fuelled by unfettered and easy desire. There was no slow exploration of her lips upon his, but an immediate devouring of everything that she could get her hands (or mouth) on. Her arms would tangle around his neck and her strong legs would cinch herself against him, as her tongue expertly sought to weave and dance against his, her every action minutely focused solely on riling him up.

The follies of youth were apparent in Edrei: there was no need for him to do anything when she practically (and pretty much literally) fell into his lap. In fact, he hadn’t even been looking for anything when he showed up at her doorstep—quite the opposite, since he’d come to apologize. Then one thing had lead to another, and here they were, bickering and bantering as if they knew each other well. They didn’t, but clinging to anything that felt familiar felt necessary in the face of so much unknown. Plus, if it was true that he’d done nothing, that didn’t exactly reflect well on her. ”A patient hunter knows how to use bait, set traps, and lure his prey to him. A novice actually stalks it.” He could keep turning this around on her. Indeed, Edy would do well to remember his penchant for wordplay. Just because he wasn't educated didn't mean he wasn't clever in his own way. Winking at the woman, he then grinned broadly. ”But let’s say I really was just a useless lump that. If that's the case, you musta been pretty desperate to jump my bones.” A wicked gleam formed in his eyes. ”Did tha roight proper lady want ta roll in ta hay wi’ a commoner?” It wouldn’t be the first time that a blueblood had wondered and wandered; however, in this particular case, Edy was anything but a right proper lady. Actually, if there was something that was the complete and totally antithesis of that, it was her. As she swatted his hand away and jumped up, he easily caught her and held her in his arms, wrapped around her. His palms splayed across her lower back as his fingertips began to trace patterns there; they tightened as he deepened the kiss, suddenly ravenous for more. Perhaps the roll in the hay would be more apt than he realized. The setting wasn’t ideal, but he’d see where this took them. For now, he would simply carry her. She was pretty light—and he was quite strong, even stronger than he looked—which meant he could keep this up for a while, especially since she so clearly knew what she was doing. Her legs around him and her hands and her darting tongue were indeed riling him up; he just wanted to return the favor, if he could, by leaving her hungry for more. It had been a while, but this wasn’t something anyone forgot. koel ambray Taking the path of most resistance

Edy fuck you <3 The hunting metaphor just made the teenager roll her eyes. If this was Koel being clever, she preferred when he was just being his stupid self. "Again, last time I checked, you did come to me. I don't remember stalking much." She quipped, crinkling her nose. His wink however made her grin in earnest, and she beamed up at him. "I seem to remember something about a group called Maybe Edy Needs Some Action?" Smiling ear to ear, she playfully bounced her eyebrows as she shrugged her slender shoulders in a completely feigned display of coyness. "This isn't the 'but you didn't take me out for dinner first', speech, is it?" She joked. The reappearance of his accent had the teenager's face nearly split in two. Even Edy couldn't have quite said why it made her laugh so, but laugh she did. "Nah. You broke one of my bones. Thought I'd return the favour." She continued with a playful trill and toss of her head. Edy arched her back into his hands, happily kneading and licking and biting all that she could get her hands and mouth on. But then ... Something tickled in the back of her mind. Something she couldn't quite name or put a finger on. Edy normally didn't give much thought to situations like this, but there was something she felt– –or rather she didn't feel. Pulling back, colour high in her cheeks and her eyes sparkling slightly, Edy leaned back in Koel's arms to fix him a curious stare. Saying nothing, she just scanned the lines of his face for a moment, her dark eyes narrowing slightly as they returned back to Koel's blues.

It was hard to argue with that. Which is why he wouldn’t; instead, he would change the course of the conversation to something that wouldn’t make him come across as foolish. Or rather, he’d be silly in a different way. ”I came to apologize, not womanize, which you know right well. But I suppose once you decided to tantalize me I decided that the risk of doing something that would scandalize your neighbors was worth it if I got the chance to exercise.” Yes, maybe it was dumb, and yes, maybe she’d claim victory, but the longer he kept this up, the less he’d have to think about the odds they were facing. Survival in this new world was tough, it seemed. Stroking his chin in a feigned thoughtfulness he gazed off to one side to complete the image. ”Hmmmm. Nahhhh doesn’t ring a bell. Don’t worry though. Such a memorable expression nevertheless seems appropriate.” He was particularly proud of that last statement, though it was a lot more subtle than their previous attempts. As she mentioned the usual pre-courtship rituals people usually engaged in, he immediately responded in as vapid a tone as he could manage. ”But you didn’t take me to dinner first!” Even he was surprised by how shallow it sounded, and he chuckled and continued in his regular voice. ”Can’t say I mind skipping straight to dinner.” When she brought up the broken bone that had gotten them into this situation to begin with, he tilted his head to one side—a rather birdlike motion—and grinned. ”Ah. I see. So you’re boning me in return, then?” Again, his wit pulled through for him; he wasn’t good at a lot of things, but turning phrases was always something he’d been good at. He had to be, to get one over on the people he regularly came into contact with. As she pulled away, he growled deep in his throat and his arms tightened for just a moment, hugging her close. Still, he let her go, hard as it was; as they stared into each other’s eyes, he was slightly ashamed and very surprised to find himself panting somewhat. This was the most action he’d gotten in years—close to a decade, even—and having it denied to him at the last moment was almost more than he could bear. In fact, this was worse than not kissing her to begin with. Before he just was imagining: now that he’d had a taste, he was becoming downright insatiable. koel ambray Taking the path of most resistance

Edy fuck you <3 Right, because you were supposed to be broken-hearted, she almost said, but somehow wisely didn’t. “Ahh yes. Exercise, that’s what you were wanting. I could really tell, what with all that leaning back and not moving you were doing on my couch.” Edy rolled her eyes and huffed, but even Koel would know her well enough by now to know that it was all an act. Edy roamed that fine line between being bluntly honest, but also veiling a good portion of her actions. It was only when she really tried that her actions were properly veiled; most of the time her fucking around was blatantly obvious. To that fend, though Koel might have been using the Launceleyn girl as a distraction once again–this time for the nature of how they were going to keep surviving and not the death of Eris–Edy was merely doing whatever she felt like. Would it have been different if she knew that her presence in Koel’s life merely served as a temporary respite? Probably not. But it was fine that she didn’t know. As a blueblood herself and one with access to some of the best tutors (even if she wasn’t the best student), Edy never had to feign cleverness. And so as the odd sentence left the Overseer’s lips, for a moment she just stared at him, her brows knitting together in silent confusion. As it did dawn on her though, Edy’s mouth dropped slightly and her eyes sparkled with delight. “Well shit.” She breathed, her cheeks puffing up in a grin. For the nothing sort of idiot that Koel seemed to like pretending he was, he wasn’t. Not in the slightest. She still thought him a bit of a moron for breaking her wrist (looking back now it did seem decidedly out of character), but for the most part Edy hadn’t really met anyone yet who was as sharply witty as Koel was while still being fun (here’s looking at you, Loren). At his indignation, Edy cackled and shot a teasing hand out to push against his shoulder. “That is not true. I offered you aged and liquified rye in a precise ratio with ice. Which as you know is not easy to come by. It was basically a liquid dinner. So.” Shrugging her shoulders, she tilted her chin upwards defiantly. Who was Koel to say whiskey wasn’t a proper dinner? Though the Overseer took the most obvious route to her joke, Edy raised a brow and gave another one of her boney who-am-I-to-say shrugs. “Guess we’ll never know.” Something was off. Edy still couldn’t put her finger on it, but the way she could feel Koel pull against her, simultaneously feeling the increase in his breathing, made her not want to think about it. Fuck it. Or him. Or whatever. Drawing back close Edy pressed her lips against him with equal parts determination and pleasure. Her body sang against his, athletically coiling around him and pulling and tugging in all sorts of pleasing ways. Her tongue traced curse words inside of his mouth as her hands clawed at the back of his shirt, forcing it up so she could greedily paw at his skin. “Ko–“ She began to moan against him, before she suddenly jerked away. Turning easily in his arms to glance behind her, Edy’s dark eyes scanned the tree line. “Did you hear that?” She asked, not turning back around. Even so, her Chet rose and fell in steady pulses even as her hands continued to mindlessly knead against the muscles of his back.