Nephthys refrained from rolling her eyes like a polite lady should. She was the farthest thing from polite, yes, but she could act the part in order to keep her hide safely secured to her body. Despite the fact he belonged to the same pride as her parents, she didn't immediately trust him -- shit, she would have been absolutely daft to trust him. The defiance in her actions was based solely on that -- defiance. She did not balk or move away from his touch because she wanted him to know that it meant little to her, despite how unnerved it truly made her. Nephthys was not exactly the most cuddly of beasts to begin with, but with a stranger? Psh, yeah. Hard pass.

She had been pettier for less, though.

"How special, then?" she asked, tilting her head inquisitively. "What makes me so very special to you, Alaric?" The Tollaire was curious to hear what he had to say, truth or not. Go on, then. Tell her what made her so different from the other women. She was dying to know.

code by shelby | art by irish

they lay in one place and they danced a new dance. one where he was cautious, careful, and aware of the fact that she could very well be gone in a moment. it was not so much desire that drove him (though he would never be one to say no to such a feeling, either) but self-preservation. not only could she leave and take his source of heat, but he sensed that she could run and tell stories that would have him in more trouble than he wanted to be. yet. "your tongue," was his answer, with a quirk of his brow and a pause to see how she took that. "and i appreciate that you do not so easily bend." she had fire and spirit and he likedthat. whether or not she took it as the compliment it was meant to be was another thing entirely. @Nephthys

image by moogle, code by koi

Nephthys glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, trying to figure out a man who gave absolutely no hints. He was flirting, that much she could tell, but what was the endgame? What did he expect from her, a girl crying in the blustery winds on top of a mountain? Curiosity was dangerous and she knew she was dancing too close to the flame, but her heart was broken and she couldn't help but crave the warmth. What a naive little fool she was.

"My tongue," she echoed with a dry laugh. "I haven't heard that one before." No one had ever said her words made her special -- mostly they said her words made her a proper bitch. It wasn't necessarily unique, but it was her. As far as bending went, Nephthys turned her head with a single brow raised. "What was I supposed to have bent to, Alaric?" Was he referring to be refusal to shy away from his touch or something else? Inquiring minds wanted to know. "I might bend under the proper circumstances, you never know." She shrugged.

code by shelby | art by irish

It was a shame she had never been complimented on her wit, before - “the world is too soft.” he turned his head to study her more closely with venomous eyes. “too few appreciate a quick wit and sharp tongue.” he shrugged, then, as if he could not be bothered with the ridiculousness of it all. It was a dangerous game she played, as interest sparked in those aforementioned eyes. He shifted again and intentionally pressed closer, his bulk warm and heavy against her side. His muzzle reached, slightly, to bring his next words close to her neck, his breath no doubt hot against the fur there. “and now?” a husky voice and a rumbling purr, his words weighted with desire. He knew it was likely she would tell him to fuck off, but can’t fault a guy for trying right? @Nephthys

image by moogle, code by koi

Nephthys didn't understand the sensation pulsing through her veins. Her heart thudded so loudly against her chest that she was certain Alaric might hear it if he came any closer -- and lo and behold, he had. The ground beneath her claws churned as she dug them in, doing her best to appear as u bothered by his proximity as possible. This was fine. It's not like he was..

Oh.

Her eyes widened as she felt his breath against her neck. Nephthys hadn't realized that area of her skin was so sensitive, but she couldn't prevent the shudder from running down her spine. Still, she tried to maintain control of the situation. "And what are your intentions here, Alaric?" The firebird shifted, pulling away from him if only to turn her head for a better view. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were trying to use me and lose me." She cracked a smirk at that, flicking her tail idly.

code by shelby | art by irish

She was young, the closer he pressed the more he realized this, but Alaric was hardly the gentleman he acted. It was no more than a fleeting thought as he breathed in the scent of her, the howling wind all but forgotten now. Wide eyes and clenched claws told him more than her words, but for now he ignored them and played this little game they had begun. It thrilled him to know he had an impact on her, and he basked in the notion of showing her more than words. But he fluttered his eyes as if shocked by her question, pulling his head back just enough to let her breath. “my intentions, dear lady?” he held that place for a beat, two, before his lips curled once more in a sly smile. His chin tipped down and forward as he tested the waters, moving back in to her space just a touch, “they are whatever you want them to be.” A voice that held a promise he would be unlikely to keep, though he could not say he disliked the idea of bringing her home and making her his in more than just flesh. “tell me,” he purred, “what do you want?” and is it me? @Nephthys

image by moogle, code by koi

Was it a crime to find the game.. fun? Nephthys enjoyed the attention he was giving her, even if it didn't mean a goddamn thing at the end of the day. It was enticing and intoxicating and she wanted more of it, but what sort of woman would she be simply laying with a stranger? There was no doubt in her mind that was what he wanted from her now, particularly with the way he spoke in such a purring voice. How many women had he played this game with? Five? Ten? Fifty? A hundred? It didn't mean she was any less enticed, nor did she believe herself special to him in any capacity.

"What do I want?" Nephthys murmured, pulling her seafoam gaze away from his in order to stare wistfully into the frenzied snow. "I want.." Bhaskar, but he was no longer an option. Her heart was no longer his toy to stomp on, and so what if she fucked this guy? Who did it matter to in the end? Still, the Tollaire wasn't necessarily going to hand herself over. Not yet. "I want you to work for it, if being with me is something you truly desire." Nephthys smirked as she pulled away, peeling her skin from his touch and rising to her paws. "Is that something you desire? To touch me?" She tilted her head innocently, putting a few strides between them. "Am I what you desire?"

code by shelby | art by irish

He didn’t feel the cold, now. Blood pounded through his veins and warmed him from the inside out, he could feel the heat flush across his skin. None of his past conquests mattered or even registered in his thoughts — there was only her. The fiery red women with the eyes that pieced through him. She went from innocent, wide eyed maiden to something far more compelling, and he was fast to his paws after her. A growl, then, in response to her teasing, low and filled with the fire she had started. He very much liked this game. “you are,” he confirmed as he stalked after her, very much the cat after the mouse. His claws flexed and grasped at stone, a scrape that seemed almost threatening in the icy air. “You are very desirable,” he murmured, husky with yearning. A quick movement, then, a few rushed strides in an attempt to bring himself closer. He would seek to sling one paw over her rump and down her hip, claws sheathed, and curl it as if to stop her and pull her to him. “You are all I want.”

image by moogle, code by koi

He moved quickly, but not without a certain grace. Before she knew it, he was upon her and she nearly at his mercy. Nephthys was no simple, dainty little girl, of course -- she certainly wasn't about to be toppled and dragged beneath him simply because he wanted her to do so. Of course there was an instinctual pull to drop below him and let him dominate, but her heart.. her heart was too fragile to let it happen. She allowed him to hold her there but did not buckle, even flicked her tail at his muzzle teasingly. "I'm all you want? Truly?" the lioness moved to shrug off his paw, hoping to put a bit of distance between them once more. "If you want me, Alaric, then you'll meet me here in one week's time. I want to let you stew in your lust," she crooned, glancing coyly at him from across her shoulder. "Is that something you might be able to do? It'll be worth it. You'll be the first man who's ever touched me." Nephthys flashed him a smirk, wondering how such a beast would react to that knowledge.

And whether or not she had the fucking guts to show back up in a week or not.

code by shelby | art by irish

Her tail across his face almost sealed her fate. Alaric gritted his teeth, pulled by instinct, wanting nothing more than to sink them in to the back of her neck and show her what she did. For all that he was, though, and for all the blood he had spilled he was not that kind of monster. Not quite. He does, though, seek to place a quick nip on her haunch as she stepped away, his paw falling to the ground with a thud. He followed her, burning, and growled low at her taunting words. “A week is nothing,” he murmured even as he curled his lip at the thought of waiting a moment more, “for you I would wait an eternity.” It was a lie that fell easily from his silvered tongue and it rang with some level of truth — he would give her the world for a taste, now that she has dangled the prize before his nose. “A week,” he purred, “and I will give you whatever you want.” He aimed to step beside her, to brush his side against hers before he pressed his muzzle against the crook of her neck once more. It was a surprisingly soft gesture, a web being spun by the venomous spider. “It’s a date,” was his husky statement, with a look meant to melt.

image by moogle, code by koi