The Chase of the Sun and the Moon (Part 1 and 2)
Posted: Thu Aug 15, 2024 12:32 pm
(12AUG2024)
A spillover from the night of Julia Winters challenge against the Baron of Cadentia and Old Market, Matt Simon. Whispered words of chaos making Delaney stir in embarrassment and playful banter. As the fight ended, the poking continued and out of the Arena the two went with a burst of playful energy.
With a loud "Sorry!" Takai burst out of the inn and onto the streets. Luckily that door was a push, requiring a lot less momentum to open. His body traveled through the air as his bare feet slapped on the cobbled sidewalk below him, skipping the steps. An unfortunate soul receiving the edge of his shoulder and spinning to the ground, too surprised to make a sound. His feet sped through the street and across to the next sidewalk, his head shifting back with the same devious look he had earlier to see if she was actually in pursuit.
"Coming through!" Takai had covered the apologies for both of them in her opinion. Besides, she wasn't steamrolling through people like he was and tried to give proper warning! Okay, maybe she planted a barefoot onto a chair, hopping up onto a table and running across the length of it before dropping to the other side. Going over the obstacle rather than around it. She shouldered her way through the front door of the Inn and cleared the steps in a single bound the same way he had. She let out an audible gasp when Takai's beefy shoulder took out an innocent on the street. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" It was her turn to pass out the apologies since Takai didn't. Delaney dug the balls of her feet into the sidewalk, pumping her arms with the fabric of her skirt still gripped in one fist. She was in pursuit alright. And it seemed the runt was built for speed.
A look of panic shot across his face as he realized how close she actually was, "Shit." He definitely was no longer fast like he was before he had gotten here. He knew she wasn't a magic user so he wanted to keep the chase fun. His mind raced as he eyed his surroundings, running along a line of buildings. With a loud grunt, he leapt from the ground, his right foot planting into a brick windowsill before he launched himself into the air. The sound of scraping metal against stone screeching out as his arms hooked around a thick metal weather vane. The vane ripped from the wall a few inches above his head, slowly bending to the side under his weight. The muscles in his arms flared, the balls of his feet squeezing so hard into the thick metal, the pipe bent under the pressure. He burst up into the air, his hands slamming around the piping still attached to the side of the house. Like a monkey, hands around the pipe and his feet along the wall quickly shimmied up the wall to the steepled clay tiled roof. With a breath of sharp air, his hands gripped and hoisted his heavy frame on top of the tiles. He could feel them crumbling under his weight as he began to move up the roof.
She heard that curse drop from him and that had a laugh ringing from her in reply. The laughter cut short when he left the ground. "Oh, come on!" She was obviously annoyed that he took the fight above ground, but that didn't mean she was going to stop. She released the fabric of her skirt as she approached the side of the building he had just launched himself up. There were a few soft cracks and snaps of bones that mingled with the sound of her bare feet slapping the ground. It almost looked like she was going to slam right into the wall. Instead, she threw herself at the wall in a leap, extended claws finding purchase where they could. She was quick, the way she found foot holds and places to grasp as she scaled the wall. While Takai had the strength to push and burst his way higher and higher, she merely had to keep plugging away at the wall until she pulled herself up and over onto the roof in a low crouch. "You're about to fall into someone's apartment. Can't you hear the cracking?" Del wasn't one for invading someone's home, but even she had to laugh at the idea of Takai crashing through the roof into someone's living room. Considering she was lighter than him, the roof tiles didn't protest beneath her as much, but she didn't look entirely confident combining her weight with his.
With a heavy breath nearing the top of the roof, his feet shook as he felt the weak clay snapping under his weight. Below a door swung open, angry shouts and confusion on the street starting to pick up after the initial start of the chase. "Maybe you should go back down then, Del." He stalled, his eyes shifting as his head spun to look for an exit, there really wasn't a good one. He felt the roof shift slightly under him as he took another step. "Tch." His tongue clicked as he reached the top of the roof. He watched her carefully, his eyes now piercing yellow orbs again under the moon's light, though not as bright as they were in the forest. They danced happily across her nimble frame, her top revealing most of her midsection to him. With a deepening grin and a light hop, the sounds of breaking clattering tiles could be heard as he slid down the other side of the roof. He wasn't sure if he could make the jump but knew he'd be fine if he couldn't. As his feet neared the edge, his toes dug in righting his body. He leaned forward and leapt, leaving the roof as he plunged towards a second floor balcony across a small alleyway. He had so much momentum, his shoulder met the wall with a loud meaty thud and a short grimace of pain. He quickly built up his momentum again, vaulting to the next balcony and following it behind a blind corner around the side of the building.
Her eyes widened, on full alert when she heard all the shouting. Despite the worry in her expression, her words came out in a light tease. "And let you have all the fun?" Although she did stay in place for now, crouched low to the roof with her claws sunk into the clay tiles. There was no need to go cavorting over to him just yet, not until he was set on his path. Really, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't just a little worried for him. She could hear that shift in the roof when he moved and his tongue click, which had her holding her breath briefly. "Are you peeking again, Takai?" She liked his eyes a lot, for many reasons, but she had to admit the glow to them did make it easier to track when they swept left to right or down.
When he crossed over to the other side of the roof, Delaney was on the move. The tiles didn't protest beneath her quite the same way they did for him. Lighter and faster, she was able to keep herself moving so they didn't have enough time to shift. She ran down the other side of the roof. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She either needed to lean into the leap or bail, but there would be no in between. If she hesitated, she was going to hit the alley floor. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Delaney didn't curse often, but this seemed like a good time to do it. She pushed forward, running straight to the edge of the roof to make sure she had as much momentum as she could muster. A mighty leap, she soared through the air while following the path he had picked, then she slammed into the wall of the second story balcony. Without the added meat to her frame for protection, that got a sharp yelp out of her. Perhaps more out of shock than actual pain. Though it did manage to reignite an ache in those still healing bruises from her own challenge. Her pace had faltered, but she carried on, pushing forward to leap from balcony to balcony until she could turn the same corner as him.
A hundred thoughts probably crossed his mind as he turned the corner. The fighter in him wanted to trap her, the mouse finally standing up to the cat and stopping it in her tracks. The man in him wanted to stand there and wrap his arms around her in a cheesy fashion as she inevitably rounded the corner and collided with him. The wolf in him though, wasn't done being chased. He couldn't remember the last time he had someone chasing him without a weapon or spell in hand or crossing their angry tongues. This was a full blown match of tag and every wolf knew being chased was the best part.
He chose to continue, his hand slapping down on the edge of a light wooden table and tossing it to its side with a loud wooden clatter. A makeshift obstacle for her nimble feet. Hearing her loud yelp, the faintest moment of hesitation shot across his face before leaving his feet. They found their footing against the side of a sturdy stone railing of the balcony, his hand planted between his legs to stop his momentum as quickly as possible. With a light hop he fell, his body spinning simultaneously as he dropped. Quickly his hands gripped the railing before letting himself slip down further until they came level with the balcony floor where they repeated their grip. A second later his bare feet slapped against the cool stone balcony of the first floor, his body dropping quickly into a crouch before hopping and turning once more to the street with a loud grunt of impact. Glowing yellow orbs happily danced up as he stared up to the balcony he had been on with a playful grin, slowly building his pace before breaking back out into a run down the dark back alley way.
Delaney could deal with a trap. The wolf in her would most likely be disappointed if the game came to such a sudden end gathered up in Takai's arms. The woman in her might have a different opinion. This was the most fun she had experienced in a long while. This wasn't dueling fun or karaoke fun. This was animalistic and primal, while still staying on the lighthearted side. This was the sort of game she craved to her bones, but she always struggled to find the right playmate, until now.
After turning the corner drained her speed slightly, she carried on. She smirked at the table that laid in her path. She refused to slow her pace to step around it. Instead she planted her palm onto the rail, bracing her angled body as bare feet ran across the table top to clear it to the other side. Part of her felt bad that someone's property once again got thrown into the mix, but she couldn't deny it was fun! She finally came to a halt at the edge of the railing, peering down over the edge. She was wasting valuable time, but she didn't make it a habit to leap from balconies, despite what her earlier roof jump might say.
Her amber gaze searched out her path and created a plan of action before she was hoisting herself up and over the rail. The same way she had scaled the building, she was making her way down, level by level. It was nowhere close to being as quick or as confident as Takai, but she would give herself a mental pat on the back when she finally landed on bare feet at ground level. She turned instantly, rushing after him in hot pursuit. He had a massive lead on her now because of her hesitation and she wasn't sure if she would be able to catch up, even if she did feel speed was on her side. What's a girl to do?
Suddenly, Delaney's thoughts came to a screeching halt, her nimble pace struggling beneath her as she went crashing to her hands and knees on the alley ground, skin skirting across gravel roughly. "Glass. There's glass, Takai." The words weren't yelled, but she said them loud enough that she assumed he would be able to hear them. For someone who spent their free time getting punched and stabbed as a hobby, the pain in her voice couldn't be masked. "My foot." And if he was able to hear that, she was certain he would be able to smell the sudden tinge of copper in the air. Delaney's blood had been spilled as she stayed in her crumpled position, too injured to proceed.
He knew he had the lead, she was quick but he wondered how many chases, escapes and pursuits she had to concoct in her life. From the things he knew, maybe she had run away at the least after her family's borrowing sprees. He had made good ground, hearing her movement behind him as she descended to the street. The sudden burst of pained words quickly crossed his delicate ears, his pace almost instantly slowing to a halt as he looked back concerned.
He was immediately ashamed of himself as he saw her on the ground, his antics causing the she-wolf to get hurt. "You okay?" His breath heightened from the chase as he sobered up from the fun. He quickly closed the distance as he doubled back to her. He hadn't noticed the glass but as his adrenaline slowed, he assumed his almost hoof-like feet had easily moved across it.
She was aware that he had asked a question, but she couldn't really get any words out. While she was always so bubbly, bouncy, and full of energy... in that moment she looked the part of a wounded animal. There might have even been a few whimpers that escaped her. She sat pitifully in place on the alley ground, not caring that her skirt and skin were getting dirty. Patient as she waited for him to double back and clear the distance between them.
It was only when Takai was within arms length of Delaney that her gaze shot up from her injured foot and wild amber eyes locked on him. Lips peeled back from her teeth and those previously very human canines were replaced by elongated fangs on both the top and bottom. A low rumbling growl deep within her chest was paired with the movement. She had a foot poised beneath her and she put every ounce of energy she had into lunging directly at him. Was it even possible for Delaney to tackle Takai? She thought the element of surprise when his guard was down might work in her favor, but who was she to say? Her arms wrapped his middle and she tried to use every bit of weight she had to drag him to the alley ground. Don't worry, Takai. There's not actually any glass to be body slammed into. Delaney, it seems, had fibbed.
From the start, Takai didn't have posture, he walked over loosely, completely ignorant to the trap. As she waited deviously to deploy her trap, he only closed the distance. Suddenly his eyes opened wide, the yellow orbs in his skull flaring slightly as she dove at him. If this had been a life or death scenario, he probably would have done more than stare in disbelief at the lovely woman. A somewhat blank but surprised look filled his face. Takai actually grunted as he felt her head, neck and shoulder slam into his abs, soft and unsuspecting. He felt her grip tightly around his midsection as the friction below his feet disappeared. He took the full brunt of her tackle, and it worked.
Regardless of how strong someone was, leverage and physics existed in this realm. Unless someone could shove their toes so hard into the ground to cement themselves upward or were perpetually braced for a shock, there was little chance anyone would survive the unexpected surprise un-toppled. With another large grunt as his shoulders slammed into the ground of the back alleyway he lost his breath for a short moment. His lungs quickly filled after the small shock. His face never left hers though, his neck bending as he faced her buried face in his abdomen. The swift intake of air and his mind finally catching up made his stomach tense causing her warm face to rise and fall. He was silent, his head finally dropping with a soft thud to the ground beneath them. "..." She probably couldn't see it but he smiled, admitting defeat in his head as his heavy hand rose and gently dropped on the back of her soft hair, holding her skull with gentle short brushes.
While Delaney didn't always involve herself with the rough housing antics of her cousins, there were plenty of times when they didn't give her a choice. Either she was going to live her life as a flattened pancake, or she needed to learn to use her strengths to her advantage. Once a runt, always a runt, but there were plenty of ways to level the playing field. The wounded animal trick couldn't be repeated often, but she decided to play that ace here and now.
Her body had practically went horizontal as she laid into him, not thinking about the incoming rough landing or the aftermath. Cat and mouse was a win and lose game and she was intent on winning this round. Would there be more rounds to come? She hoped. The pair slammed into the ground and when the dust settled, she was laying on top of him with her cheek still buried against his middle. It was only when the pair stopped moving and he managed to catch his breath that she lifted her head to peer up at him. She was grinning ear to ear as always, but this time around she was still flashing those extended canines. "Gotcha." A single word, soft and carried on an exhale.
She set her chin against his stomach. She had planned on perhaps standing over him to celebrate, but he put his hand on the back of her head and she wasn't willing to give that up just yet. "Uhm, it was just a little..." She lifted her palm, flashing a modest sized cut there on the heel. Blood had been spilled to get the scent in the air, but it certainly wasn't anything serious. "It was nothing bad. Just a little claw scratch. You were really worried. That was sweet." He could most likely feel the way her body shook with silent laughter. Not at him, but the situation as a whole. Or maybe she was still surging with energy. "That was fun. Did you have fun? I hope you had fun." Another giggle followed the words.
As she spoke, explaining the ploy in her own almost cocky words his eyes rolled, manly mental walls returning. "Shut up." He said in an annoyed but still playful tone. Yellow eyes rolled to the side, glancing down the dark alleyway as he felt her warm breath tickle the small thin hairs along his stomach, his fingers delighted at the feeling of her soft curly hair slipping between them. The position they were in caused the inside of his brain to fluster slightly. He was more than strong enough to handle the weight of a hundred Delaneys but he could still feel her sprawled along the inside of his legs. A gentle weight like a heavy blanket. Warmth radiating from her soft muscular and womanly frame pressing against him. "That was dirty, runt." He shifted his vision back to her as his head rose off the ground, looking at her bubbly face resting on his stomach. He felt himself melt under her playful gaze, struggling to maintain the 'over it' look on his face. Going for a low blow, his hand lifted from her head regretfully, as both of his elbows shifted to support his weight on the ground beside him, lifting his torso as he looked at her, "You're not exactly light, ya know?" He didn't want her to leave, he just didn't want to lose unconditionally.
Delaney was obviously on cloud nine at the moment, so she only mirrored Takai's eye roll when he insisted she shut up. "Yeah, yeah." She waved off the words, confident he didn't actually mean them. As her hand waved, there was that familiar crack of bone and pop of cartilage. The gnarled claws she wore proudly, that served her so well tonight, returned to delicate little digits. Delaney knew, somewhere in the back of her head, that she should probably remove herself from him and rise to her feet. Yet no part of her wanted to. He smelled of salt, sweat, and the earth. He was solid and all hard edges. Gruff and glaring. All of that only managed to make her smile that much brighter. "Dirty... or really creative and something you kind of respect about me now?"
She grinned, but it dimmed briefly when he removed his hand from her hair. She should have kept that to herself, but it was an unconscious reaction that happened before she could really control it. Then he dropped that line at her. Brows lifted up her forehead. "I should have used my Dire form and left a Takai shaped imprint on the alley ground with impact. Are you a sore loser? Ew, Takai." She gave a sigh and rolled aside, finally pushing herself up to her feet. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, but she brushed them off delicately like they could maybe be saved. Delaney then held her hand out to him, the one that wasn't cut, an offer to help him up if he accepted.
As soon as her tone shifted, he knew he had said something he shouldn't have but he also knew it was effective. At what cost though? As she left him and her weight relieved, his body craved the sensation once again. His defiant orbs following her as he watched her stand, he couldn't help but gleefully let those tiny full moons dance across her. Everything she did, absorbed into the endless depths of the black circled in each of their centers. She bent to stand, he noticed the arc of her back, the subtle rump in the light dress. She brushed her dress to free it of filth, her shaped smooth calves following down to the soft edges of her heels. Her arm extended to give him a lift up, supple caramel breasts leaning against her satin bralette full of subtle motion. He wasn't some dweeb, of course he looked and he wasn't afraid to make it obvious.
A deep guttural sigh built inside of his chest as his eyes slowly shut, his scent glands filled with her. She almost smelled right. A quick clap sounded, his powerful hands gripping her forearm as he used her to lift himself from the ground. His legs and free hand did most of the work but he still put enough of his weight on her to let her know she helped. He paused as he returned to his feet, his calloused hand barely able to feel the soft, smooth skin of her darkened flesh as his fingers gently slid down the length of her forearm. His digits playfully tickling across her wrists and into her hands as his head rose, eyes meeting hers in a gentle moment of solace and contentment.
Her body ran naturally warm and it was a rather standard summer night in RhyDin, but she would be lying if she said their parting didn't leave her with a chill. Maybe a pang of disappointment. That had been his goal, hadn't it? To get her off him? And she delivered. Then, the complex and ever changing conundrum that Takai was, he openly ogled her all the while. Her expression was pure patience. Why would she rush him when she was also taking inventory?
When his hand gripped her forearm, she wrapped her hand around his in return the best she could and tugged him up. She assumed it would be a job well done and a release. Instead his fingertips grazed her skin and she stilled. Her gaze lifted to his face, amber eyes burning just a bit brighter after everything tonight. Her lips parted, a quiet inhale, like she was readying herself to say something. It's Delaney after all, she always has something to say. But it seemed words failed her in that moment. His fingers moved along her wrist and to her palm. It was Delaney that linked a finger with his. Just one, her pointer, wrapping his. There was obvious uncertainty in her expression, brows creasing gently. Still, she held onto him, even if it was only with one curled index finger.
Takai was a weird one. His mind had been warped from years of terrible events. A seemingly peaceful and possibly even romantic night at a beautiful forest glade? Maybe it was romantic. A back alley tussle in the middle of a night after a fevered chase over something trivial? That was something to him. His eyes shifted down to his hand as he felt her small digits grip him so tightly, a compassionate stare falling across his face. His hand rose slightly as his wrist turned, his fingers forcing their way through hers, connecting and intertwining their hands with a firm grip to let her know he was there. It almost seemed as though his breath had paused, so slow and so quiet.
Maybe he liked the violence of it all. The confusion. The destruction and the chaos. Delaney would honestly look back on this night a lot more fondly than the night by the lake. Sure, skinny dipping by moonlight might seem the way to go for many, but to Delaney it was enjoyable yet rather mundane. But to scale buildings and leap from rooftops? To unleash a ploy of blood and glass to take someone down? So much happened that evening, but it could be summed up so easily. She wanted to play and in him she found someone to play with. At least for tonight. That curl of a single digit was soon answered by his fingers lacing hers and she answered in kind, returning that firm squeeze.
His eyes rose back again to meet her own as he began to move. Awkward short steps, walking with someone between him as he pushed her back cautiously. His other hand lifted to find hers, fingers interlocking hers again. A long few moments of jerky uncertain steps backwards for her, she'd feel a wall against her back, cool unforgiving rock as she was gently pressed against it. He stared at her as he gently pushed her arms against the structure of an unforgiving wall. His knuckles woven through her hands taking the brunt of the leaning pressure as he held her against it.
Takai was on the move and Delaney fell in line with his unspoken urging to step backwards. Their other hands laced and once again she gave a solid squeeze. This one got a soft hiss from her, the fresh cut of her palm being pressed against the rough and calloused terrain of his hand. Not that it made her shy away from the hold. It was when her back bumped into the alley wall that her brows lifted up her forehead. She had played the part of a wounded animal earlier. Now she felt something more akin to being trapped. Yet there was no thrashing or attempt to escape on her part. She walked herself right into this cage and she was going to enjoy every moment of it.
He could hear shouts from around the corner, angry patrons of the neighborhood still angry over the sudden commotions that had ruined the corner of a city block. Broken bottles, cracked chair legs, a useless weather vane, a ruined roof, displaced furniture, it didn't matter. It was all for the love of the hunt and the chase. Takai moved closer, his body sliding into hers in soft upward grind as he slid into her body. Eyelids lowered, hiding the bright eyes of his as his face approached hers. Finally closing as his lips gently rested against hers for a brief moment. A quick pull away only let his mouth connect again with hers firmly, as he kissed her. His weight only shifted against her more as he kissed her, pinning her hands against the wall near her shoulders.
Delaney's gaze flickered aside briefly, unable to ignore the angry shouts of the townsfolk. Would they come with pitchforks and torches, seeking the two beasts raining havoc along their peaceful evening? It got a light smile out of Delaney as she looked back up to Takai. Warm amber and pale yellow. The sun and the moon. When he slid closer to her, she inhaled slowly, a soft rise of her chest and a quiet exhale of warm breath. Then his lips found hers, gently until he thought better of it and came back with fervor. She tipped her chin upwards to meet him, to deepen the kiss what she could from her pinned position. Finally, her leg adjusted, snaking its way out to hook her calf against the back of his thigh. It could have been considered lewd by onlookers, but that hadn't been her intention. It was her way of saying that he might have her where he wants her, but he had been captured by her as well.
A spillover from the night of Julia Winters challenge against the Baron of Cadentia and Old Market, Matt Simon. Whispered words of chaos making Delaney stir in embarrassment and playful banter. As the fight ended, the poking continued and out of the Arena the two went with a burst of playful energy.
With a loud "Sorry!" Takai burst out of the inn and onto the streets. Luckily that door was a push, requiring a lot less momentum to open. His body traveled through the air as his bare feet slapped on the cobbled sidewalk below him, skipping the steps. An unfortunate soul receiving the edge of his shoulder and spinning to the ground, too surprised to make a sound. His feet sped through the street and across to the next sidewalk, his head shifting back with the same devious look he had earlier to see if she was actually in pursuit.
"Coming through!" Takai had covered the apologies for both of them in her opinion. Besides, she wasn't steamrolling through people like he was and tried to give proper warning! Okay, maybe she planted a barefoot onto a chair, hopping up onto a table and running across the length of it before dropping to the other side. Going over the obstacle rather than around it. She shouldered her way through the front door of the Inn and cleared the steps in a single bound the same way he had. She let out an audible gasp when Takai's beefy shoulder took out an innocent on the street. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" It was her turn to pass out the apologies since Takai didn't. Delaney dug the balls of her feet into the sidewalk, pumping her arms with the fabric of her skirt still gripped in one fist. She was in pursuit alright. And it seemed the runt was built for speed.
A look of panic shot across his face as he realized how close she actually was, "Shit." He definitely was no longer fast like he was before he had gotten here. He knew she wasn't a magic user so he wanted to keep the chase fun. His mind raced as he eyed his surroundings, running along a line of buildings. With a loud grunt, he leapt from the ground, his right foot planting into a brick windowsill before he launched himself into the air. The sound of scraping metal against stone screeching out as his arms hooked around a thick metal weather vane. The vane ripped from the wall a few inches above his head, slowly bending to the side under his weight. The muscles in his arms flared, the balls of his feet squeezing so hard into the thick metal, the pipe bent under the pressure. He burst up into the air, his hands slamming around the piping still attached to the side of the house. Like a monkey, hands around the pipe and his feet along the wall quickly shimmied up the wall to the steepled clay tiled roof. With a breath of sharp air, his hands gripped and hoisted his heavy frame on top of the tiles. He could feel them crumbling under his weight as he began to move up the roof.
She heard that curse drop from him and that had a laugh ringing from her in reply. The laughter cut short when he left the ground. "Oh, come on!" She was obviously annoyed that he took the fight above ground, but that didn't mean she was going to stop. She released the fabric of her skirt as she approached the side of the building he had just launched himself up. There were a few soft cracks and snaps of bones that mingled with the sound of her bare feet slapping the ground. It almost looked like she was going to slam right into the wall. Instead, she threw herself at the wall in a leap, extended claws finding purchase where they could. She was quick, the way she found foot holds and places to grasp as she scaled the wall. While Takai had the strength to push and burst his way higher and higher, she merely had to keep plugging away at the wall until she pulled herself up and over onto the roof in a low crouch. "You're about to fall into someone's apartment. Can't you hear the cracking?" Del wasn't one for invading someone's home, but even she had to laugh at the idea of Takai crashing through the roof into someone's living room. Considering she was lighter than him, the roof tiles didn't protest beneath her as much, but she didn't look entirely confident combining her weight with his.
With a heavy breath nearing the top of the roof, his feet shook as he felt the weak clay snapping under his weight. Below a door swung open, angry shouts and confusion on the street starting to pick up after the initial start of the chase. "Maybe you should go back down then, Del." He stalled, his eyes shifting as his head spun to look for an exit, there really wasn't a good one. He felt the roof shift slightly under him as he took another step. "Tch." His tongue clicked as he reached the top of the roof. He watched her carefully, his eyes now piercing yellow orbs again under the moon's light, though not as bright as they were in the forest. They danced happily across her nimble frame, her top revealing most of her midsection to him. With a deepening grin and a light hop, the sounds of breaking clattering tiles could be heard as he slid down the other side of the roof. He wasn't sure if he could make the jump but knew he'd be fine if he couldn't. As his feet neared the edge, his toes dug in righting his body. He leaned forward and leapt, leaving the roof as he plunged towards a second floor balcony across a small alleyway. He had so much momentum, his shoulder met the wall with a loud meaty thud and a short grimace of pain. He quickly built up his momentum again, vaulting to the next balcony and following it behind a blind corner around the side of the building.
Her eyes widened, on full alert when she heard all the shouting. Despite the worry in her expression, her words came out in a light tease. "And let you have all the fun?" Although she did stay in place for now, crouched low to the roof with her claws sunk into the clay tiles. There was no need to go cavorting over to him just yet, not until he was set on his path. Really, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't just a little worried for him. She could hear that shift in the roof when he moved and his tongue click, which had her holding her breath briefly. "Are you peeking again, Takai?" She liked his eyes a lot, for many reasons, but she had to admit the glow to them did make it easier to track when they swept left to right or down.
When he crossed over to the other side of the roof, Delaney was on the move. The tiles didn't protest beneath her quite the same way they did for him. Lighter and faster, she was able to keep herself moving so they didn't have enough time to shift. She ran down the other side of the roof. "Fuck, fuck, fuck." She either needed to lean into the leap or bail, but there would be no in between. If she hesitated, she was going to hit the alley floor. "Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Delaney didn't curse often, but this seemed like a good time to do it. She pushed forward, running straight to the edge of the roof to make sure she had as much momentum as she could muster. A mighty leap, she soared through the air while following the path he had picked, then she slammed into the wall of the second story balcony. Without the added meat to her frame for protection, that got a sharp yelp out of her. Perhaps more out of shock than actual pain. Though it did manage to reignite an ache in those still healing bruises from her own challenge. Her pace had faltered, but she carried on, pushing forward to leap from balcony to balcony until she could turn the same corner as him.
A hundred thoughts probably crossed his mind as he turned the corner. The fighter in him wanted to trap her, the mouse finally standing up to the cat and stopping it in her tracks. The man in him wanted to stand there and wrap his arms around her in a cheesy fashion as she inevitably rounded the corner and collided with him. The wolf in him though, wasn't done being chased. He couldn't remember the last time he had someone chasing him without a weapon or spell in hand or crossing their angry tongues. This was a full blown match of tag and every wolf knew being chased was the best part.
He chose to continue, his hand slapping down on the edge of a light wooden table and tossing it to its side with a loud wooden clatter. A makeshift obstacle for her nimble feet. Hearing her loud yelp, the faintest moment of hesitation shot across his face before leaving his feet. They found their footing against the side of a sturdy stone railing of the balcony, his hand planted between his legs to stop his momentum as quickly as possible. With a light hop he fell, his body spinning simultaneously as he dropped. Quickly his hands gripped the railing before letting himself slip down further until they came level with the balcony floor where they repeated their grip. A second later his bare feet slapped against the cool stone balcony of the first floor, his body dropping quickly into a crouch before hopping and turning once more to the street with a loud grunt of impact. Glowing yellow orbs happily danced up as he stared up to the balcony he had been on with a playful grin, slowly building his pace before breaking back out into a run down the dark back alley way.
Delaney could deal with a trap. The wolf in her would most likely be disappointed if the game came to such a sudden end gathered up in Takai's arms. The woman in her might have a different opinion. This was the most fun she had experienced in a long while. This wasn't dueling fun or karaoke fun. This was animalistic and primal, while still staying on the lighthearted side. This was the sort of game she craved to her bones, but she always struggled to find the right playmate, until now.
After turning the corner drained her speed slightly, she carried on. She smirked at the table that laid in her path. She refused to slow her pace to step around it. Instead she planted her palm onto the rail, bracing her angled body as bare feet ran across the table top to clear it to the other side. Part of her felt bad that someone's property once again got thrown into the mix, but she couldn't deny it was fun! She finally came to a halt at the edge of the railing, peering down over the edge. She was wasting valuable time, but she didn't make it a habit to leap from balconies, despite what her earlier roof jump might say.
Her amber gaze searched out her path and created a plan of action before she was hoisting herself up and over the rail. The same way she had scaled the building, she was making her way down, level by level. It was nowhere close to being as quick or as confident as Takai, but she would give herself a mental pat on the back when she finally landed on bare feet at ground level. She turned instantly, rushing after him in hot pursuit. He had a massive lead on her now because of her hesitation and she wasn't sure if she would be able to catch up, even if she did feel speed was on her side. What's a girl to do?
Suddenly, Delaney's thoughts came to a screeching halt, her nimble pace struggling beneath her as she went crashing to her hands and knees on the alley ground, skin skirting across gravel roughly. "Glass. There's glass, Takai." The words weren't yelled, but she said them loud enough that she assumed he would be able to hear them. For someone who spent their free time getting punched and stabbed as a hobby, the pain in her voice couldn't be masked. "My foot." And if he was able to hear that, she was certain he would be able to smell the sudden tinge of copper in the air. Delaney's blood had been spilled as she stayed in her crumpled position, too injured to proceed.
He knew he had the lead, she was quick but he wondered how many chases, escapes and pursuits she had to concoct in her life. From the things he knew, maybe she had run away at the least after her family's borrowing sprees. He had made good ground, hearing her movement behind him as she descended to the street. The sudden burst of pained words quickly crossed his delicate ears, his pace almost instantly slowing to a halt as he looked back concerned.
He was immediately ashamed of himself as he saw her on the ground, his antics causing the she-wolf to get hurt. "You okay?" His breath heightened from the chase as he sobered up from the fun. He quickly closed the distance as he doubled back to her. He hadn't noticed the glass but as his adrenaline slowed, he assumed his almost hoof-like feet had easily moved across it.
She was aware that he had asked a question, but she couldn't really get any words out. While she was always so bubbly, bouncy, and full of energy... in that moment she looked the part of a wounded animal. There might have even been a few whimpers that escaped her. She sat pitifully in place on the alley ground, not caring that her skirt and skin were getting dirty. Patient as she waited for him to double back and clear the distance between them.
It was only when Takai was within arms length of Delaney that her gaze shot up from her injured foot and wild amber eyes locked on him. Lips peeled back from her teeth and those previously very human canines were replaced by elongated fangs on both the top and bottom. A low rumbling growl deep within her chest was paired with the movement. She had a foot poised beneath her and she put every ounce of energy she had into lunging directly at him. Was it even possible for Delaney to tackle Takai? She thought the element of surprise when his guard was down might work in her favor, but who was she to say? Her arms wrapped his middle and she tried to use every bit of weight she had to drag him to the alley ground. Don't worry, Takai. There's not actually any glass to be body slammed into. Delaney, it seems, had fibbed.
From the start, Takai didn't have posture, he walked over loosely, completely ignorant to the trap. As she waited deviously to deploy her trap, he only closed the distance. Suddenly his eyes opened wide, the yellow orbs in his skull flaring slightly as she dove at him. If this had been a life or death scenario, he probably would have done more than stare in disbelief at the lovely woman. A somewhat blank but surprised look filled his face. Takai actually grunted as he felt her head, neck and shoulder slam into his abs, soft and unsuspecting. He felt her grip tightly around his midsection as the friction below his feet disappeared. He took the full brunt of her tackle, and it worked.
Regardless of how strong someone was, leverage and physics existed in this realm. Unless someone could shove their toes so hard into the ground to cement themselves upward or were perpetually braced for a shock, there was little chance anyone would survive the unexpected surprise un-toppled. With another large grunt as his shoulders slammed into the ground of the back alleyway he lost his breath for a short moment. His lungs quickly filled after the small shock. His face never left hers though, his neck bending as he faced her buried face in his abdomen. The swift intake of air and his mind finally catching up made his stomach tense causing her warm face to rise and fall. He was silent, his head finally dropping with a soft thud to the ground beneath them. "..." She probably couldn't see it but he smiled, admitting defeat in his head as his heavy hand rose and gently dropped on the back of her soft hair, holding her skull with gentle short brushes.
While Delaney didn't always involve herself with the rough housing antics of her cousins, there were plenty of times when they didn't give her a choice. Either she was going to live her life as a flattened pancake, or she needed to learn to use her strengths to her advantage. Once a runt, always a runt, but there were plenty of ways to level the playing field. The wounded animal trick couldn't be repeated often, but she decided to play that ace here and now.
Her body had practically went horizontal as she laid into him, not thinking about the incoming rough landing or the aftermath. Cat and mouse was a win and lose game and she was intent on winning this round. Would there be more rounds to come? She hoped. The pair slammed into the ground and when the dust settled, she was laying on top of him with her cheek still buried against his middle. It was only when the pair stopped moving and he managed to catch his breath that she lifted her head to peer up at him. She was grinning ear to ear as always, but this time around she was still flashing those extended canines. "Gotcha." A single word, soft and carried on an exhale.
She set her chin against his stomach. She had planned on perhaps standing over him to celebrate, but he put his hand on the back of her head and she wasn't willing to give that up just yet. "Uhm, it was just a little..." She lifted her palm, flashing a modest sized cut there on the heel. Blood had been spilled to get the scent in the air, but it certainly wasn't anything serious. "It was nothing bad. Just a little claw scratch. You were really worried. That was sweet." He could most likely feel the way her body shook with silent laughter. Not at him, but the situation as a whole. Or maybe she was still surging with energy. "That was fun. Did you have fun? I hope you had fun." Another giggle followed the words.
As she spoke, explaining the ploy in her own almost cocky words his eyes rolled, manly mental walls returning. "Shut up." He said in an annoyed but still playful tone. Yellow eyes rolled to the side, glancing down the dark alleyway as he felt her warm breath tickle the small thin hairs along his stomach, his fingers delighted at the feeling of her soft curly hair slipping between them. The position they were in caused the inside of his brain to fluster slightly. He was more than strong enough to handle the weight of a hundred Delaneys but he could still feel her sprawled along the inside of his legs. A gentle weight like a heavy blanket. Warmth radiating from her soft muscular and womanly frame pressing against him. "That was dirty, runt." He shifted his vision back to her as his head rose off the ground, looking at her bubbly face resting on his stomach. He felt himself melt under her playful gaze, struggling to maintain the 'over it' look on his face. Going for a low blow, his hand lifted from her head regretfully, as both of his elbows shifted to support his weight on the ground beside him, lifting his torso as he looked at her, "You're not exactly light, ya know?" He didn't want her to leave, he just didn't want to lose unconditionally.
Delaney was obviously on cloud nine at the moment, so she only mirrored Takai's eye roll when he insisted she shut up. "Yeah, yeah." She waved off the words, confident he didn't actually mean them. As her hand waved, there was that familiar crack of bone and pop of cartilage. The gnarled claws she wore proudly, that served her so well tonight, returned to delicate little digits. Delaney knew, somewhere in the back of her head, that she should probably remove herself from him and rise to her feet. Yet no part of her wanted to. He smelled of salt, sweat, and the earth. He was solid and all hard edges. Gruff and glaring. All of that only managed to make her smile that much brighter. "Dirty... or really creative and something you kind of respect about me now?"
She grinned, but it dimmed briefly when he removed his hand from her hair. She should have kept that to herself, but it was an unconscious reaction that happened before she could really control it. Then he dropped that line at her. Brows lifted up her forehead. "I should have used my Dire form and left a Takai shaped imprint on the alley ground with impact. Are you a sore loser? Ew, Takai." She gave a sigh and rolled aside, finally pushing herself up to her feet. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, but she brushed them off delicately like they could maybe be saved. Delaney then held her hand out to him, the one that wasn't cut, an offer to help him up if he accepted.
As soon as her tone shifted, he knew he had said something he shouldn't have but he also knew it was effective. At what cost though? As she left him and her weight relieved, his body craved the sensation once again. His defiant orbs following her as he watched her stand, he couldn't help but gleefully let those tiny full moons dance across her. Everything she did, absorbed into the endless depths of the black circled in each of their centers. She bent to stand, he noticed the arc of her back, the subtle rump in the light dress. She brushed her dress to free it of filth, her shaped smooth calves following down to the soft edges of her heels. Her arm extended to give him a lift up, supple caramel breasts leaning against her satin bralette full of subtle motion. He wasn't some dweeb, of course he looked and he wasn't afraid to make it obvious.
A deep guttural sigh built inside of his chest as his eyes slowly shut, his scent glands filled with her. She almost smelled right. A quick clap sounded, his powerful hands gripping her forearm as he used her to lift himself from the ground. His legs and free hand did most of the work but he still put enough of his weight on her to let her know she helped. He paused as he returned to his feet, his calloused hand barely able to feel the soft, smooth skin of her darkened flesh as his fingers gently slid down the length of her forearm. His digits playfully tickling across her wrists and into her hands as his head rose, eyes meeting hers in a gentle moment of solace and contentment.
Her body ran naturally warm and it was a rather standard summer night in RhyDin, but she would be lying if she said their parting didn't leave her with a chill. Maybe a pang of disappointment. That had been his goal, hadn't it? To get her off him? And she delivered. Then, the complex and ever changing conundrum that Takai was, he openly ogled her all the while. Her expression was pure patience. Why would she rush him when she was also taking inventory?
When his hand gripped her forearm, she wrapped her hand around his in return the best she could and tugged him up. She assumed it would be a job well done and a release. Instead his fingertips grazed her skin and she stilled. Her gaze lifted to his face, amber eyes burning just a bit brighter after everything tonight. Her lips parted, a quiet inhale, like she was readying herself to say something. It's Delaney after all, she always has something to say. But it seemed words failed her in that moment. His fingers moved along her wrist and to her palm. It was Delaney that linked a finger with his. Just one, her pointer, wrapping his. There was obvious uncertainty in her expression, brows creasing gently. Still, she held onto him, even if it was only with one curled index finger.
Takai was a weird one. His mind had been warped from years of terrible events. A seemingly peaceful and possibly even romantic night at a beautiful forest glade? Maybe it was romantic. A back alley tussle in the middle of a night after a fevered chase over something trivial? That was something to him. His eyes shifted down to his hand as he felt her small digits grip him so tightly, a compassionate stare falling across his face. His hand rose slightly as his wrist turned, his fingers forcing their way through hers, connecting and intertwining their hands with a firm grip to let her know he was there. It almost seemed as though his breath had paused, so slow and so quiet.
Maybe he liked the violence of it all. The confusion. The destruction and the chaos. Delaney would honestly look back on this night a lot more fondly than the night by the lake. Sure, skinny dipping by moonlight might seem the way to go for many, but to Delaney it was enjoyable yet rather mundane. But to scale buildings and leap from rooftops? To unleash a ploy of blood and glass to take someone down? So much happened that evening, but it could be summed up so easily. She wanted to play and in him she found someone to play with. At least for tonight. That curl of a single digit was soon answered by his fingers lacing hers and she answered in kind, returning that firm squeeze.
His eyes rose back again to meet her own as he began to move. Awkward short steps, walking with someone between him as he pushed her back cautiously. His other hand lifted to find hers, fingers interlocking hers again. A long few moments of jerky uncertain steps backwards for her, she'd feel a wall against her back, cool unforgiving rock as she was gently pressed against it. He stared at her as he gently pushed her arms against the structure of an unforgiving wall. His knuckles woven through her hands taking the brunt of the leaning pressure as he held her against it.
Takai was on the move and Delaney fell in line with his unspoken urging to step backwards. Their other hands laced and once again she gave a solid squeeze. This one got a soft hiss from her, the fresh cut of her palm being pressed against the rough and calloused terrain of his hand. Not that it made her shy away from the hold. It was when her back bumped into the alley wall that her brows lifted up her forehead. She had played the part of a wounded animal earlier. Now she felt something more akin to being trapped. Yet there was no thrashing or attempt to escape on her part. She walked herself right into this cage and she was going to enjoy every moment of it.
He could hear shouts from around the corner, angry patrons of the neighborhood still angry over the sudden commotions that had ruined the corner of a city block. Broken bottles, cracked chair legs, a useless weather vane, a ruined roof, displaced furniture, it didn't matter. It was all for the love of the hunt and the chase. Takai moved closer, his body sliding into hers in soft upward grind as he slid into her body. Eyelids lowered, hiding the bright eyes of his as his face approached hers. Finally closing as his lips gently rested against hers for a brief moment. A quick pull away only let his mouth connect again with hers firmly, as he kissed her. His weight only shifted against her more as he kissed her, pinning her hands against the wall near her shoulders.
Delaney's gaze flickered aside briefly, unable to ignore the angry shouts of the townsfolk. Would they come with pitchforks and torches, seeking the two beasts raining havoc along their peaceful evening? It got a light smile out of Delaney as she looked back up to Takai. Warm amber and pale yellow. The sun and the moon. When he slid closer to her, she inhaled slowly, a soft rise of her chest and a quiet exhale of warm breath. Then his lips found hers, gently until he thought better of it and came back with fervor. She tipped her chin upwards to meet him, to deepen the kiss what she could from her pinned position. Finally, her leg adjusted, snaking its way out to hook her calf against the back of his thigh. It could have been considered lewd by onlookers, but that hadn't been her intention. It was her way of saying that he might have her where he wants her, but he had been captured by her as well.