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31_days2012-02-05 12:02 am
the--ivorytower.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2012-02-05 12:02 am
[Feb 04] [Warcraft] Fire and Ice 4/29
Title: Fire and Ice 4/29
Day/Theme: February 4: A candle burned on the table
Series: Warcraft
Character/Pairing: Kael'thas Sunstrider, Jaina Proudmoore (primarily); Kylian, students, teachers. Kael/Jaina
Rating: T (kissing, mostly)
Previously: 1 2 3
Author's Note: These fics will be primarily unbetaed, and then reposted on my personal journal at the end of the month.
~ * ~
"I'm going to fail," Jaina declared, slamming her book closed and shoving it away with the same motion that allowed her to bang her head on her desk lightly. "I've never failed at anything before, Kael."
"You're not going to fail," Kael said, rubbing her shoulders lightly. "Even if you were, you're taking advanced conjuration. It's a pre-Archmage course. It's not surprising that you're having trouble with it. Just take a year or two and--"
"No, if I get this done now, it means I can schedule more courses so that I can start preparing for the Magister exams early. If I excel at this, I can spend more time on some of my weaker courses." Jaina gestured around her. The desk was covered in books of various subjects, everything from the elemental planes to Jaina's notes on teleportation. Sitting above them all, though, was a tome about the Guardians. The book had seen much use, and even now, Jaina reached out and touched over its spine for reassurance.
It's not as if Jaina's failed to notice that there aren't any more Guardians, not since the First War. The desire to be one is still an inspiration, the fire that burns within her soul. I always think of her as so bright, so luminous, even if her element is really more ice than fire.
Kael frowned a little. That line of thought had been creeping up more and more. It lurked in the corners of his mind, popping up when Jaina would smile, or when she brought up a particular line of reasoning that utterly departed from the norm and yet made so much sense. Just like Jaina herself.
"Kael?" Jaina looked at him curiously, and Kael realized he was still standing over her. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," Kael said. "And you will be too." He smiled. "I think that at times like this, the best thing you can do is to take a little break and do something that you enjoy. Why don't we go sailing?"
Jaina's expression broke out in a grin. Kael stepped back, and Jaina stood, hurrying to get her cloak. "I know we usually go once around the lake, but I think we should go around at least twice--"
"We'll be out all night," Kael complained, but softly. Somehow, spending the evening alone with Jaina didn't seem like such a bad thing. What can go wrong?
~ * ~
"Isn't she, like, ten?" Kylian asked. He sat perched on one of the lab benches, watching Kael as he paced around. Standing nearby, Kylian's lab partner rolled his eyes.
"She's fifteen and you know that," Kael said. "You met her the day after I did. You taught her to do that... thing. You know."
"Hey, to be fair," Kylian said with a grin. "She probably picked that up from the goblins first."
"Were you actually going to do any work?" Noah Olden demanded. "I swear, they should just kick you out."
Kylian closed his eyes and pointed at his forehead. "I'm going to use my amazing psychic powers--"
"You don't have psychic powers, you're a mage, not a seer."
"--to do all of the lab's write up, until it only requires actual results to be analyzed, which is your job." Kylian pointed dramatically to his satchel. Noah stared at him. "Go on, look."
Noah muttered to himself that Kylian was a lazy bastard, but opened his satchel. "I don't believe it." Noah pulled out a sheaf of papers and flipped through them. "The world is ending, it must be."
"Hey, I work hard," Kylian said. "Ask Kael how hard I work."
"You're a professional slacker," Kael said absently. "What am I going to do? Is this appropriate? Will it ever be appropriate?"
"You suck," Kylian said. "As for appropriateness, she's fifteen. In human culture, girls can start getting married around then, or become apprentices, or squires, or whatever they want. Why don't you tell her how you feel? If she's interested, she'll be happy, and if she's not, she'll tell you to back off."
"That actually sounded insightful," Noah commented. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Kylan'thas Firesong?"
"Bite me," Kylian said cheerfully.
"You'd like it too much."
"Now that you mention it--"
Kael groaned and headed out of the lab. Just come out and say something? Kylian's being ridiculous.
~ * ~
Over the next two weeks, Kael spent much of his time watching Jaina. He set himself a series of limits. He would not intrude on Jaina's privacy. He wouldn't stare. He'd just... glance over at her, while she was in class, or while they were walking. Fortunately, since they spent much of their free time together, it gave plenty of time for Kael to admire Jaina... and just as much time to worry.
I can't do this. I shouldn't. There were plenty of things to consider, reasons why this would go badly, and reasons why it might not. I can't claim that Jaina wouldn't consider an elf as a... romantic interest. She seems more than happy with her Shano'dorei sister, and she's seen other mixed-race couples here. So I can't say she'll find the notion repulsive, but... she's young. Younger than I am, but won't that be the case in thirty or fifty years? She'll always be younger. The question is more along the lines if she's mature enough. Kael paused, thinking about it. Jaina was a young woman now. Bright eyed, with that sparkle of intelligence that made him want to lose himself in her gaze for hours... Alright, so I think that she's mature enough, but does she?
It was crucial that Jaina was interested back. There was always a danger of an imbalance in their relationship. It wasn't just that Jaina was younger, it wasn't just that she might not be as mature, and it certainly wasn't just that she was human. Even if Jaina's never really cared about it, I am still royalty, and I could be considered a mentor as well as a friend. I don't want to be one of those sorts of people. Kael groaned softly. I wish I was allowed to have candy. I could use being a little numb right about now.
"You're thinking too hard."
Kael's eyes widened, and he looked around. Did I miss Jaina-- "Oh. Kylian."
"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming," Kylian said scoldingly. "What's up, you've been moping for weeks."
"...I have not."
"Fine, sulking, whining, making sad eyes at Jaina whenever she--"
"Kylian!" Kael hastily slapped his hand over his friend's mouth. "What if she's around?" Kylian licked Kael's hand, and he made a face. "That's disgusting."
"Hey, don't put any part of your body within licking range, you know me," Kylian said. "Look, would it really be so bad if Jaina knew how you felt about her?"
"Yes. No. Maybe?"
"You're so terrible at this," Kylian said, sighing. "What did I tell you before?"
"...that the trick to deep throating a banana is angle?"
"No, the other thing I told you."
Kael thought back. "...that if I tell her how I feel, and she's interested, she'll be happy, and if not, she'll tell me to back off?"
"Exactly. Look, you can sit here and torture yourself over this for another few weeks, or you can be an adult about this and just talk to her. We build things up in our minds to be a lot worse than they are when we lean on fear and doubt. Reality, no matter what it is, is better, and you might find that it's not so bad."
Kael smiled weakly. "You really are insightful."
"It's all that fantastic sex with philosophy students I have," Kylian said. "It rubs off on me."
Kael rolled his eyes, but leaned in to hug Kylian. "Wisdom is not an STI, Kylian." He paused. "Is your hand on my ass?"
"It sure is," Kylian replied, groping him a few times. "You shouldn't put any part of you within range of being groped, either."
"You're such a pervert," Kael said, and let him go. "Wish me luck?"
"Break a leg, Kael," Kylian said. "Just take deep breaths, and imagine her naked."
Kael flushed to the tips of his ears. "You? Are not helping."
Kylian cackled in reply.
~ * ~
Remember the insightful parts of your conversation with Kylian, Kael reminded himself. He raised his hand to knock on Jaina's door, and then reached for the door rune in his pocket. I do this all the time, it's not weird. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. "Jaina?"
"Kael!" Jaina called back. "I'm in my study."
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Kael said, hurrying to her study. He had to pause in the doorway. Jaina was sitting at her desk, a book tucked into her lap. He smiled warmly at the sight. She's always at her most beautiful when she's reading.
"No, you're not interrupting at all, I was just relaxing." Jaina smiled up at him, marked the page of the book and then set it down. The book was much smaller than Kael expected, and Jaina tucked it aside a little.
"Jaina, what are you reading?" Kael asked curiously. "That doesn't look like the Guardian book."
"That's because it's not, Kael." Jaina met his gaze squarely. "It's a romance novel, from the library."
"I didn't think you liked romance novels," Kael said, picking it up. "I think I've read this one."
"Well, it wasn't bad. The writing was light and shallow, but it had a few key moments in it that made it memorable. It was also detailed in some aspects that I found important."
Kael handed her the book back, and he felt something flutter in his stomach. "Really? Which aspects were those?"
"The... physical aspects of it," Jaina said.
Kael had never known Jaina to be shy or look away unless she was upset, so her eyes were on him, but... Is that a blush? Is this..? "You're... interested in the physical aspects?"
"Yes," Jaina said, meeting his gaze. "Though unfortunately, I feel that while reading about something is valuable, the best way to learn something new is to try it yourself."
"Really," Kael breathed. "It requires a... lab partner, though. A second person to experiment with."
"I know that, and during the process of reading the book, I had to think about who I wanted to be my lab partner, and..."
"And?"
"And I can't think of someone else I'd rather experiment with." Jaina stood up, and her hair was a golden halo, thanks to the glowing lamp on her desk. Kael moved to her, and reached to take her hands. All of the doubts, all of the fears melted away, like ice exposed to a fire. "Let the first test begin."
Kael nodded, and drew her in close, putting an arm around her. He leaned in, and Jaina tilted her chin up. Their lips moved closer together, hovering within a hair's breath from each other. Kael bumped his nose against Jaina's, and she giggled a little. Kael tilted his head a little. If I poke her in the eye with my nose, I will be the greatest failure of elf-kind and Kylian will mock me forever, Kael decided before finding the right angle. Jaina made a soft, impatient noise. "I want this to be perfect," Kael murmured, feeling giddy. "For your first test."
"That's what the next test is for," Jaina replied softly. Her hands came up, rubbing along his back. "And the one after that."
"What if the first one isn't any good?" Kael asked, bringing a hand up to stroke her hair. "What if you don't want to try again?"
"Kael, kiss me."
"Yes, my lady," Kael said, and kissed her. Jaina's lips were warm and soft, and it was kept light at first. After a moment, he pulled back a little. "How was that?"
"I'd say it was successful," Jaina said. "A good scientist doesn't draw conclusions from the first test. You require repeatability."
"The scientific method, of course," Kael said. "The second test might be different from the first in subtle ways."
"Let's find out," Jaina said, and tugged Kael down for another kiss.
[Feb 05]
Day/Theme: February 4: A candle burned on the table
Series: Warcraft
Character/Pairing: Kael'thas Sunstrider, Jaina Proudmoore (primarily); Kylian, students, teachers. Kael/Jaina
Rating: T (kissing, mostly)
Previously: 1 2 3
Author's Note: These fics will be primarily unbetaed, and then reposted on my personal journal at the end of the month.
~ * ~
"I'm going to fail," Jaina declared, slamming her book closed and shoving it away with the same motion that allowed her to bang her head on her desk lightly. "I've never failed at anything before, Kael."
"You're not going to fail," Kael said, rubbing her shoulders lightly. "Even if you were, you're taking advanced conjuration. It's a pre-Archmage course. It's not surprising that you're having trouble with it. Just take a year or two and--"
"No, if I get this done now, it means I can schedule more courses so that I can start preparing for the Magister exams early. If I excel at this, I can spend more time on some of my weaker courses." Jaina gestured around her. The desk was covered in books of various subjects, everything from the elemental planes to Jaina's notes on teleportation. Sitting above them all, though, was a tome about the Guardians. The book had seen much use, and even now, Jaina reached out and touched over its spine for reassurance.
It's not as if Jaina's failed to notice that there aren't any more Guardians, not since the First War. The desire to be one is still an inspiration, the fire that burns within her soul. I always think of her as so bright, so luminous, even if her element is really more ice than fire.
Kael frowned a little. That line of thought had been creeping up more and more. It lurked in the corners of his mind, popping up when Jaina would smile, or when she brought up a particular line of reasoning that utterly departed from the norm and yet made so much sense. Just like Jaina herself.
"Kael?" Jaina looked at him curiously, and Kael realized he was still standing over her. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," Kael said. "And you will be too." He smiled. "I think that at times like this, the best thing you can do is to take a little break and do something that you enjoy. Why don't we go sailing?"
Jaina's expression broke out in a grin. Kael stepped back, and Jaina stood, hurrying to get her cloak. "I know we usually go once around the lake, but I think we should go around at least twice--"
"We'll be out all night," Kael complained, but softly. Somehow, spending the evening alone with Jaina didn't seem like such a bad thing. What can go wrong?
~ * ~
"Isn't she, like, ten?" Kylian asked. He sat perched on one of the lab benches, watching Kael as he paced around. Standing nearby, Kylian's lab partner rolled his eyes.
"She's fifteen and you know that," Kael said. "You met her the day after I did. You taught her to do that... thing. You know."
"Hey, to be fair," Kylian said with a grin. "She probably picked that up from the goblins first."
"Were you actually going to do any work?" Noah Olden demanded. "I swear, they should just kick you out."
Kylian closed his eyes and pointed at his forehead. "I'm going to use my amazing psychic powers--"
"You don't have psychic powers, you're a mage, not a seer."
"--to do all of the lab's write up, until it only requires actual results to be analyzed, which is your job." Kylian pointed dramatically to his satchel. Noah stared at him. "Go on, look."
Noah muttered to himself that Kylian was a lazy bastard, but opened his satchel. "I don't believe it." Noah pulled out a sheaf of papers and flipped through them. "The world is ending, it must be."
"Hey, I work hard," Kylian said. "Ask Kael how hard I work."
"You're a professional slacker," Kael said absently. "What am I going to do? Is this appropriate? Will it ever be appropriate?"
"You suck," Kylian said. "As for appropriateness, she's fifteen. In human culture, girls can start getting married around then, or become apprentices, or squires, or whatever they want. Why don't you tell her how you feel? If she's interested, she'll be happy, and if she's not, she'll tell you to back off."
"That actually sounded insightful," Noah commented. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Kylan'thas Firesong?"
"Bite me," Kylian said cheerfully.
"You'd like it too much."
"Now that you mention it--"
Kael groaned and headed out of the lab. Just come out and say something? Kylian's being ridiculous.
~ * ~
Over the next two weeks, Kael spent much of his time watching Jaina. He set himself a series of limits. He would not intrude on Jaina's privacy. He wouldn't stare. He'd just... glance over at her, while she was in class, or while they were walking. Fortunately, since they spent much of their free time together, it gave plenty of time for Kael to admire Jaina... and just as much time to worry.
I can't do this. I shouldn't. There were plenty of things to consider, reasons why this would go badly, and reasons why it might not. I can't claim that Jaina wouldn't consider an elf as a... romantic interest. She seems more than happy with her Shano'dorei sister, and she's seen other mixed-race couples here. So I can't say she'll find the notion repulsive, but... she's young. Younger than I am, but won't that be the case in thirty or fifty years? She'll always be younger. The question is more along the lines if she's mature enough. Kael paused, thinking about it. Jaina was a young woman now. Bright eyed, with that sparkle of intelligence that made him want to lose himself in her gaze for hours... Alright, so I think that she's mature enough, but does she?
It was crucial that Jaina was interested back. There was always a danger of an imbalance in their relationship. It wasn't just that Jaina was younger, it wasn't just that she might not be as mature, and it certainly wasn't just that she was human. Even if Jaina's never really cared about it, I am still royalty, and I could be considered a mentor as well as a friend. I don't want to be one of those sorts of people. Kael groaned softly. I wish I was allowed to have candy. I could use being a little numb right about now.
"You're thinking too hard."
Kael's eyes widened, and he looked around. Did I miss Jaina-- "Oh. Kylian."
"Your enthusiasm is overwhelming," Kylian said scoldingly. "What's up, you've been moping for weeks."
"...I have not."
"Fine, sulking, whining, making sad eyes at Jaina whenever she--"
"Kylian!" Kael hastily slapped his hand over his friend's mouth. "What if she's around?" Kylian licked Kael's hand, and he made a face. "That's disgusting."
"Hey, don't put any part of your body within licking range, you know me," Kylian said. "Look, would it really be so bad if Jaina knew how you felt about her?"
"Yes. No. Maybe?"
"You're so terrible at this," Kylian said, sighing. "What did I tell you before?"
"...that the trick to deep throating a banana is angle?"
"No, the other thing I told you."
Kael thought back. "...that if I tell her how I feel, and she's interested, she'll be happy, and if not, she'll tell me to back off?"
"Exactly. Look, you can sit here and torture yourself over this for another few weeks, or you can be an adult about this and just talk to her. We build things up in our minds to be a lot worse than they are when we lean on fear and doubt. Reality, no matter what it is, is better, and you might find that it's not so bad."
Kael smiled weakly. "You really are insightful."
"It's all that fantastic sex with philosophy students I have," Kylian said. "It rubs off on me."
Kael rolled his eyes, but leaned in to hug Kylian. "Wisdom is not an STI, Kylian." He paused. "Is your hand on my ass?"
"It sure is," Kylian replied, groping him a few times. "You shouldn't put any part of you within range of being groped, either."
"You're such a pervert," Kael said, and let him go. "Wish me luck?"
"Break a leg, Kael," Kylian said. "Just take deep breaths, and imagine her naked."
Kael flushed to the tips of his ears. "You? Are not helping."
Kylian cackled in reply.
~ * ~
Remember the insightful parts of your conversation with Kylian, Kael reminded himself. He raised his hand to knock on Jaina's door, and then reached for the door rune in his pocket. I do this all the time, it's not weird. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him. "Jaina?"
"Kael!" Jaina called back. "I'm in my study."
"I hope I'm not interrupting," Kael said, hurrying to her study. He had to pause in the doorway. Jaina was sitting at her desk, a book tucked into her lap. He smiled warmly at the sight. She's always at her most beautiful when she's reading.
"No, you're not interrupting at all, I was just relaxing." Jaina smiled up at him, marked the page of the book and then set it down. The book was much smaller than Kael expected, and Jaina tucked it aside a little.
"Jaina, what are you reading?" Kael asked curiously. "That doesn't look like the Guardian book."
"That's because it's not, Kael." Jaina met his gaze squarely. "It's a romance novel, from the library."
"I didn't think you liked romance novels," Kael said, picking it up. "I think I've read this one."
"Well, it wasn't bad. The writing was light and shallow, but it had a few key moments in it that made it memorable. It was also detailed in some aspects that I found important."
Kael handed her the book back, and he felt something flutter in his stomach. "Really? Which aspects were those?"
"The... physical aspects of it," Jaina said.
Kael had never known Jaina to be shy or look away unless she was upset, so her eyes were on him, but... Is that a blush? Is this..? "You're... interested in the physical aspects?"
"Yes," Jaina said, meeting his gaze. "Though unfortunately, I feel that while reading about something is valuable, the best way to learn something new is to try it yourself."
"Really," Kael breathed. "It requires a... lab partner, though. A second person to experiment with."
"I know that, and during the process of reading the book, I had to think about who I wanted to be my lab partner, and..."
"And?"
"And I can't think of someone else I'd rather experiment with." Jaina stood up, and her hair was a golden halo, thanks to the glowing lamp on her desk. Kael moved to her, and reached to take her hands. All of the doubts, all of the fears melted away, like ice exposed to a fire. "Let the first test begin."
Kael nodded, and drew her in close, putting an arm around her. He leaned in, and Jaina tilted her chin up. Their lips moved closer together, hovering within a hair's breath from each other. Kael bumped his nose against Jaina's, and she giggled a little. Kael tilted his head a little. If I poke her in the eye with my nose, I will be the greatest failure of elf-kind and Kylian will mock me forever, Kael decided before finding the right angle. Jaina made a soft, impatient noise. "I want this to be perfect," Kael murmured, feeling giddy. "For your first test."
"That's what the next test is for," Jaina replied softly. Her hands came up, rubbing along his back. "And the one after that."
"What if the first one isn't any good?" Kael asked, bringing a hand up to stroke her hair. "What if you don't want to try again?"
"Kael, kiss me."
"Yes, my lady," Kael said, and kissed her. Jaina's lips were warm and soft, and it was kept light at first. After a moment, he pulled back a little. "How was that?"
"I'd say it was successful," Jaina said. "A good scientist doesn't draw conclusions from the first test. You require repeatability."
"The scientific method, of course," Kael said. "The second test might be different from the first in subtle ways."
"Let's find out," Jaina said, and tugged Kael down for another kiss.
[Feb 05]