A Day Like Any Other

It's not as though he was unhealthy or had a bad physique; but when he went to the Tavern and saw the strong fighters and warriors cheering in their revelry, he couldn't help but feel inadequate by comparison. Surely a beautiful woman such as herself deserved only the best. Much better than him, at the very least.

Alexandra smiled at him a little sadly. Why was this man so self-conscious? Was there something that had made him this way? She wanted him to feel good, better about himself.

She traced a finger down his chest, following it's lines and shapes, exploring it with the sensation of touch, watching his face for each and every reaction, no matter how minor.

The way he scrunched up his eyes and tried to catch his breath when her hand danced around bare skin was adorable- the breathy noises he tried to contain were intoxicating, and she wanted to hear more.

She replaced her fingertips with her lips, her feather light kisses leaving a hot trail up and down his body. She smiled through her work, thoroughly enjoying the reactions she was being rewarded with, each kiss eliciting a gasp from the man, who was biting his lip at the time. Some places produced a louder noise than others, and she couldn't deny that she was having fun. If she let Darolith guide her, and just relaxed and had fun with it, she knew that she would enjoy herself. And even if he tried to deny it, it was pretty obvious that Shintaro was as well.

She moved further up and began to suck on a particularly sensitive spot along his collarbone, and he couldn't help but let out a gravelly moan of pleasure at what she was doing to him, arching his back as he went. He had no idea how she seemed to know how his body worked so well. She knew it better than he did, at the very least. And he had studied human anatomy extensively. She clearly knew what it was she was doing, and he was a willing victim to her every touch.

In a moment of bravery, Shintaro took her chin and dove into a deep kiss, filled with both emotion and lust. With a few easy movements, taking this chance; he moved her in a way that ended up with him above her, now more in control. However, even with his more domineering position, he hung there with his hair covering most of his face, hiding it away from her. It seemed like he wanted to ask something, but couldn't find the courage to do it.

He'd come so far, and she was proud of him for it, but he was still hesitating.

Something was holding him back, and she wished that she could help him to open up and let all of his worries go. When this started it had been him who was worried about her, but now they seemed to have switched places, and she was eager to help him in his quest for confidence, even at the cost of her own pride.

Seeing as though he couldn't bring himself to talk, even having opened and closed his mouth about five times in an attempt; she decided to make a move on her own. Shintaro just gaped at her as she began to pull up her shirt.

Part of her was panicking at how he might react at what he saw, but she refused to show it; remembering Darolith's words to her. She quietly prayed that Shintaro might accept her faults without hesitation.

Her skin was white like ivory, and it looked pale and smooth to the touch. He longed to let his fingers glide along her curves in exploration, but waited in anticipation instead.

As she lifted her shirt off the rest of the way and discarded it on the floor by the bed, she took a long, drawn out breath. She still had a chest wrap on, but that wasn't what concerned her.

Within a few moments of Shintaro scanning her beautiful form, he noticed an obvious scar along her shoulder that rolled onto her back. Most of it was obscured by their position, but he could tell that it was quite large and deep. It looked like it had been made with a blade.

He tried not to react to it in particular, but couldn't help it, having stared for too long while he was analyzing it.

Alexandra's expression dropped as she noticed his gaze focus on the scar. He's going to be like the rest, isn't he? Even after all this time, it's still going to happen. She thought, fighting back the urge to cover herself back up; to hide and cry.

He noted her drop in expression, and quickly apologized for staring. There's no way she would feel comfortable with that,

"Oh, I-I'm sorry... I didn't mean to stare like that.. I just... T-that was rude.. I'm sorry." He trailed off, finishing with another final apology. He really hadn't meant anything by it, and she looked pretty upset by his reaction. Oh, you've really messed up this time, haven't you Shintaro? The voice in his head chastised him for his stupidity.

"It's okay, I'm used to it by now," she said, pain thick in her voice. She continued to avoid his eyes, placing her hand over the little bit of scar she knew was visible from his vantage. "Remember how I told you about Garlan? The scar never healed." She added, voice soft and emotionless.

Shintaro recalled the story she had told him earlier that evening; but what felt like a lifetime ago. It made him mad just to think about. How could a man who had fallen in love with a woman and married them then turn his back on all of that, and act so maliciously, and violently towards those he had loved? The concept was absolutely barbaric to him. The sound of lingering pain and regret was evident in Alexandra's voice, which was usually filled with joy. She was obviously holding herself back here.

"A-are you, alright?" He asked, moving a hand and gently placing it on her cheek, using his thumb to wipe away the tear she hadn't even noticed was forming. "I hope I didn't upset you."

Alexandra seemed to linger on the words, struggling with internal conflict about how to progress. "I... I'll be fine," she eventually spoke, the words less convincing than she would have liked. Seeming to come to a resolution, her eyes found difficulty meeting Shintaro's as she slid out from under him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Her back now to him, the full degree of the scar could be seen. It ran from over her right shoulder all the way across her back to the left side of her waist. The scar, while clearly slashed, seemed to possess an eerie darkness to it, as though the flesh had been burnt in the process. She held herself, arms folded, as if fighting off the nonexistent cold.

Shintaro let out a quiet but breathy gasp upon the scar's full reveal, for a moment he just stared at it and then tentatively reached out a hand and lightly placed two fingers along the side of her scar. She flinched at first, but didn't seem to pull back at his touch.

Pausing for a moment, he slowly dragged his finger along the side of it, examining the scar in great detail, taking it all in. It certainly didn't seem natural, the way it was so dark and callous, like it carried some sort of dark curse with it. Without saying a word, he leant forward and placed a single kiss near the start of the scar, in between her right shoulder and the nape of her neck. "You're so beautiful." He broke the long silence. "All of you."

The reaction to the comment was immediate, as Alexandra turned to back face him, her face a crimson red. "No one's ever said that to me, not since this," a few tears beginning to well in her eyes. She forced herself on him again, kissing him passionately, pushing him back on to the bed. She broke the kiss for a moment, "thank you, Shintaro," was all she added, a grateful smile back on her face; her entire demeanour living up again.

Shintaro breathed in a gulp of air. First having the breath knocked out of him when she pushed him back down and having his only source of air blocked off on top of that made it necessary. As if she didn't take his breath away enough already.

"You're welcome." He said with a smile before returning the favour.

"And you're sweet." Alexandra sniffed, lightly leaning her forehead against his. "Too sweet. I didn't know that guys like you still existed."

At that Shintaro started blushing again. "I-I try" he stammered. Trying his hardest and failing to sound cool.

She giggled. Shintaro's innocence was too adorable, it was such a refreshing change from the usual sleazy personalities she had to endure night after night. His heart leapt bounds when he heard her soft laughter instilling him with confidence

That confidence was all he needed. Even though she hung above him, he was the one who reached up and crossed his arms behind her neck, pulling her down so that their lips could meet again. She smiled into the kiss, pushing herself even deeper into it, letting herself become enveloped by the passion in the moment.

Their kiss lasted a while, before breaking apart with the express purpose of diving back in again. With his newfound courage, Shintaro allowed his hands to explore her torso, sliding up and down the small of her back and along her curves. He really hoped that the way she moved along with his hand was a good sign. She seemed to be developing a bit of a rhythm for it.

At some point one of his hands had found itself near her still covered chest, and lightly brushed along it. He seemed alarmed, not having intended to move that close out of bounds and jerked his hand away apologetically.

She almost had to laugh at this point. His innocence was adorable, to say the least. But she thought that it would be nice if he took some initiative at least. Instead of saying anything to break the mood, she simply sat herself dangerously close to his lap, took his wrist in her hand and guided him into an upright sitting position, looking confused and uncertain of what was supposed to happen next. Still smiling and without breaking the silence, she gently moved his hand to sit on her chest before letting go. The look on his face was priceless.

He glanced at her, then down at her chest. Then back at her, and back down again.

"Go on," she prompted, smirking deviously. "I already touched your chest so it's okay to touch mine now."

"B-but that was!" He objected- not really with reason; she was absolutely right of course. Just thinking about her fingers dancing along the lines of his body sent a buzz through his skin. He supposed, that if he could somehow make her feel like that, too...

Closing his eyes, he gently squeezed. It was squishier than he'd imagined. Not that he'd spent any great amount of time imagining what it would feel like, of course.

She just relaxed as Shintaro slowly built up the nerve to try new things; squeezing a little harder, pushing them together, generally trying to massage them through material. Honestly it was just getting in his way, but she wasn't about to make things easy on him.

"Take it off." She said, a little breathier than she had expected of herself. She opened her eyes to see Shintaro pulling a perfectly stern expression back at her.

"I can't." He simply stated.

"Well if you don't I'm not going to." She responded, giving him a faux pout. "And if you refuse; your pants are next."

His reaction to this turn of events was equally cute. The faces he pulled when she suggested such... outlandish things were her favourite.

With that, Shintaro took a deep breath and dove towards her neck, suddenly planting kisses all around. He worked around her jawline, leaving a light trail of saliva as he went. She gasped as he did this, not expecting such force from him, and arching her neck back both from the reaction and to give him more access. As if spurred on by her gasps in shock and what sounded to him like pleasure; he slid his hand beneath the wrap and in between the gap of her breasts and with a little more force than he'd like to admit it had taken, ripped the garment right off of her. Once he was rid of the cloth, he put both of his hands to work on her chest. Suddenly much rougher than his tentative touches before. It wasn't at all unwelcome, though.

She tried to steady herself by putting her hands on his shoulders, looking for support. But it didn't take long for her head to drop down too, leaning against his chest breathing quickly yet heavily. He continued his work, his mouth now having found her ear. His thumbs gently traced circles around her nipples, before flicking over them to gauge her reaction. Obviously he liked what he heard, because he continued to play with them, flicking and pinching just to hear the extent of her gasps. He gently nibbled at her earlobe, smiling all the while, genuinely pleased that he was able to make her feel as good as she made him feel. He smoothed out his hands actions and let go of her ear, resulting in a seemingly unintentional whimper, almost begging him to stay. He tilted her head up with one finger, a little afraid he'd gone too far.

"You see..." Alexandra said between short breaths, "that was hot. You should take the initiative more often."

Shintaro smiled at her reaction, taking it as approval to continue. "S-sorry." He admitted. "I've never really done anything like this before, so..."

Alexandra simply smiled at him. "You wouldn't have guessed."

Looking down, he saw his hands on her bare chest and his face lit up at the sight of it, noting that the whole time he was touching her, he wasn't looking. He didn't want to chicken out again, so instead he took the next step himself. Bringing his mouth to her breast he began to tease her nipple again, this time with tongue and teeth. He continued to service her other with his free hand, but tried to alternate between them. Her hands found their way to his back, gently scratching while they made their way lower.

Perhaps it was everything else going on or just the heat that seemed to be doing the opposite of rising, but Alexandra began grinding her hips in a slow rhythmic pattern against him. It was more on his thigh at this point but the general area did not go unnoticed. It hardly could, at this point. Shintaro could scarcely bear the friction, truth be told. He really didn't want to lose control of himself yet, though. So he concentrated on his work above belt-level.

Sucking on her breasts now he let himself get lost in what he was doing, trying to keep his mind from... Other areas for the time being.

Her hands however had other plans, as they wandered lower and lower, further around and to the front, and then ever-so-slowly past his belt and down to his thighs. She moved her hands back and forth up his legs in time with her hips, inching closer and closer.

He tried to concentrate on his work, but when her hands just got a little too close, grazing him, he let out a guttural moan against her skin, breaking from what he was doing. He thought maybe it was just an accident but when her hands went past and touched him for a second time, causing him to shudder, he knew what she was working towards.

"A-Alexandra d-don't," was all he managed to stutter out before she went past again. "I-I can't..." He trailed off. He couldn't see her face currently, but he just knew that she was wearing a devilish smile right now. He could practically feel it.

As if to answer his thoughts, she provided a light giggle. Gently she placed her hand over him and lightly squeezed.

"Aah, aaaah~!!" The noise that Shintaro made was honest to goodness not one he'd known he was capable of producing. Settling an octave higher than he usually spoke, and entirely against his will, he got embarrassed just for making it.

"Shintaro," Alexander practically purred his name. "Have you ever considered the performing arts? You have a great singing voice."

Shintaro didn't appreciate her humour quite as much as she seemed to. She was in a better mood now, at least. He supposed that this kind of... activity was good for mental health. He was glad, anyway.

Again at the complete mercy of her, he looked at her with concern. She seemed to enjoy being in control, despite what she said about him taking the lead. He supposed that he was okay with it. She seemed to have much more experience with this kind of thing anyway. He wasn't going to let her get away with ignoring what he was saying, though. As much fun as she was having.

"Please be c-careful," he managed to make out between short breaths. "If you're not careful I'm g- ah- g-going to-"

"What's that?" She cooed playfully, knowing full well what he was trying to say. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she wanted Shintaro to be aware of that too. Without warning, she undid his belt buckle and slipped the piece of leather out from its hold and tossed it too, into the growing pile of clothing on the floor. She grabbed his pants and yanked them down and out of the way, they were still caught at his feet, with him making all kinds of uncertain noises and weakly attempting to back off.

She laced her fingers around the waist of his remaining clothing with the full intent of pulling them further down or removing them entirely, when his hands came down to meet hers, desperately willing her to stop.

"N-no! Don't!" He cried out. She stopped tugging at the hemline briefly to look up at him, his face, hidden by a veil of hair; scrunched in distress. Looking more afraid than anything. "I-" he paused. "I don't want you to."

She smiled at him sadly, fairly certain of where this was coming from.

"It's okay Shintaro," She comforted him. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Shintaro looked less certain. "but I-" he tried to object, before she put a single finger to his lips. It wasn't enough to stop him though, as he hung his head in shame, looking anywhere but at her. "I'm just so..."

"Just so what, Shintaro?" Her voice dropped flat. "So kindhearted? So intelligent? So adorable?" The look he pulled as he glanced back up at her underneath his unruly locks reminded her of a sad puppy.

"You... You really think so?" He spoke softly, uncertainly.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

"N-never!!" He spluttered. "You would never lie!"

"Exactly." She stated. "You however, aren't speaking honestly at all."

He looked offended at first, then confused. He didn't recall lying to her. His expression changed dramatically when her hand travelled back to touch him again without him noticing. Again, he let out an involuntarily high-pitched moan.

"This part of you speaks much more honestly." She grinned deviously. She couldn't get enough of his reactions. The noises he made were both cute and sexy. They made her feel hot all over, and impatient to hear more. "Are you still going to tell me you don't want me to?" She teased

"Uugh, w-well I- ah- AAH!" He was clearly having quite a bit of difficulty containing himself right now. "D-don't know if-ffuh..." his hands moved to the side, giving her free access. If he couldn't use words to get his point across, he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to do. She seemed to understand, at least.

With her newfound 'permission' she laced her fingers back under his hemline and pulled his last remaining guard from the world off and away. He didn't even have time to react to this as she began trailing her fingers over him, with the final barrier now out of her way. She let a single nail drag slowly and gently up, then worked her way back down.

His hands were aimless, clinging to the bed sheets underneath them. He had to hold onto something or he thought he might just explode. Why was she so good at this?

He was a man with a healthy libido; and he was willing to admit that he had tried things before, touching himself. But never before had it felt like this. As she made tantalising motions up and down him, fingers dancing lightly and drawing lines and little circles about the tip, even going so far as to place a kiss; he was trying really hard not to lose it then and there. It was when she finally let her soft hands wrap around him that he finally lost control. "A-AlexANdra I-I-I'm gonna-AH, I-"