|Afternoon|93Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEnrXlAs9yx
July•4•xxxx
When Gabriel arrived at the agreed-upon meeting place, he found Asra already sitting on the garden bench. Her legs were crossed and she was propping herself up with her hand as she slouched forward, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Sorry, did you wait long?" Asked Gabriel as he slid next to her.
"Nearly half an hour is not long at all!" She said, rolling her eyes sarcastically. "How long do you think my breaks are?"
Gabriel chuckled and clasped his hands apologetically. "Sorry, sorry, I took so long because I wanted to grab something for you." He raised the bag in his hand for her to see.
Asra's expression softened. "What is it?"
Gabriel pulled the potion out of the bag. "A homemade specialty of mines. I wanted you to try it!"
Asra looked at the bottle curiously. "What's in it?"
"Just some herbs and whatnot. A friend of mine taught me how to make it when I was little. It's supposed to keep you energized and healthy! It comes in handy when you've got super demanding jobs."
Asra took off the lid and raised the bottle to her face. "It smells amazing!"
Gabriel smiled. "I know right! Oh! That reminds me..." Gabriel leaned over and set the bag next to them. He reached in and pulled out some snacks. "It goes really well with apple pie!"
Asra lit up at the sight of the tasty treats, her golden hair fluttered in the wind as she leaned over to examine the apple pie, Gabriel's low murmuring as recited an obscure incantation under his breath, went completely unnoticed as he cut her a piece of the pie. When the violet ends of her hair brushed against Gabriel's shoulder, a memory flashed before his eyes of none other than Avarice the night at the tavern. Asra glanced at Gabriel and flinched, slightly flustered by their proximity.
"W-What? Is there something on my face?"
Gabriel didn't respond right away. He reached over and coiled a strand of her hair around his finger. "It's nothing...you just reminded me of someone..."
Asra frowned as she examined the fond expression on his face. "A lover?"
Gabriel laughed, his downturned eyes finally lifted to face her directly. She could feel her face heating up as she was consumed by the intensity of his gaze.
"No. A friend." He let her hair slip out of her fingers, snickering at the relief in her expression. Gabriel leaned closer to her, sticking a fork into the apple pie and bringing it to her lips. "Here. Let's hurry and dig in!"
Asra was sure that her pale cheeks were bright red by now. Nevertheless, she felt herself getting swept along by Gabriel and took a bite of the pie without a second thought. While they ate, they chatted idly Gabriel learned little things about her that he didn't much care for. Like the fact that she was a descendant of the Jerdanian of Aruma An, or that she was an only child, born to parents who died when she was young and left her in the Summer Isle.
He let her ramble on about her depressing life story, half hoping she'd just choke on a piece of pie and stop talking. She'd pause every now and then, expecting him to speak, but he had absolutely no intention of sharing anything about himself, nor did he care to indulge in her lonesome woes. By the time the pie was gone Asra hadn't even noticed that Gabriel hadn't taken a single bite of it. It wasn't long before she began to feel her body heat up. Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder, which seemed to worsen her condition. It tingled delightfully where he touched her.
"Are you okay?" He asked, his smirk evident in his voice.
"I just...I feel weird..." She mumbled.
Gabriel grabbed the potion and lifted it to her lips. "Here drink something cool. Maybe it'll help."
Asra took a swig of the potion, but it didn't seem to help. She began to sway as her senses were enveloped with dizzying heat. She just barely noticed Gabrielle taking a swig himself. She squinted to make out the bottle leaving his lips. When it did and she could clearly see them, she felt a strange sensation overtake her. She leaned against Gabrielle.
"So cool...you feel...so cool...more." She lifted her head in a haze, eyes firmly planted on what she wanted. "Want more." Asra leaned in towards Gabriel and in a hazy fit of need, pressed her lips against his, moving slowly, but clinging to him fiercely.
Gabriel neither pushed her away nor turned to prevent her from kissing him. In fact, he seemed to welcome it. For a brief moment, Gabriel frowned against her lips. Now that she was so close, her uncanny resemblance to the young Solarian Prince bothered him somewhat. He shut his eyes and wrapped a hand around her head, threading his fingers through her hair as he leaned forward, pulling her towards him. Asra pushed Gabriel back against the bench, slowly crawling on top of him. Her skin was set ablaze by Gabriel's warmth and an electric sensation rocked throughout her body. It didn't take much to keep her occupied so she failed to notice the magical energy that began to swirl around them as the potion began to take effect.
The two of them fooled around for some time before the sounds of idle chatter began to grow louder and louder. The second he heard it, Gabriel pulled Asra flat against him, an action that she all to eagerly welcomed. The maids that walked around the corner froze when they spotted the pair. Horrified gasps echoed shrill in the air as the stumbled back in shock.
"Priestess!"
Asra briefly pulled away upon hearing the shriek. She opened her mouth to speak but her confusion was silenced by Gabriel who pulled her down into another kiss.
"Who's that she's with?"
"Isn't that Lord Cheng's general? The one who was exiled for courting the Priestess?"
"The one who came back today?"
"Quick! We have to tell someone!"
The maids pushed each other away in a frenzy, all the while whispering vile comments about who they assumed was their Priestess. Satisfied with this outcome, Gabriel pushed Asra off of him and got up, swiftly cleaning up their lunches and tugging her along to the maids quarters.
•~•~•~•~•~•~•
Tah Min sat quietly in the prayer hall. She was admittedly still avoiding Ea, whom she hadn't seen since this morning. She had locked herself away in the prayer hall and had been there all day, trying to get her mind off of things. As such, the surge of whispers throughout the Isle had not yet reached her ears. She had untied her hair and decided to soak in the blessed well within the prayer hall. She submerged herself into the pond and sighed. It wasn't long into her soak when a priest walked in with a message.
"Priestess, you have a visitor. General Yiran has returned from exile and is requesting to see you."
Tah Min felt a rush of nostalgia upon hearing the name his name. She glanced over her shoulder with a nod.
"Send him in." She said as she emerged from the pond to throw a robe over herself and make her way over to her chambers.
Moments later, a handsome young man walked into the prayer hall. The small scar on his lips did nothing to mar his beauty. His lips curled into a smile the second he laid eyes on her.
"Tah Min! It's good to see you again."
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