August, 12th, 2021

Aveline Needs a Drink

If there was one good thing that came out of the Legion attacking Azeroth in recent history it was this: For once, members of the various styles of warfare came together within their own collectives and put aside the bickering, distrust and years of distaste for one another in a major shared goal. A goal to fight an enemy that was far greater than anything they had deemed troublesome amongst themselves by race, faction or belief system. Among the Paladin of Azeroth this lead to a better understanding among those who wield the light in the most martial of ways. Conversations were started where there had only been silence or outright aggression. Knowledge was sought out and shared for the betterment of their purpose. Understanding was the prevalent choice between the various orders of the Light that had taken shape through the years. There were even some friendships that began to blossom during this time and in a few rare cases even love took hold in it’s own beautiful way.

Due to the amount of time and effort of their cause, a particular group of Paladin who had shared the highs and lows of such an endeavor had continued to stay in contact with each other even after the world had gone back to it’s ways of war and political strife between the Horde and Alliance. Through coded missives, private messengers, and quiet conversations on neutral territories the group had managed to plan and fund an excursion. They would meet up in a neutral space and share the joy of one another’s presence yet again in an effort to cleanse the unease of the past few years with the warmth of their fellows.

On an island in the crystal clear waters off the south-eastern coast of Pandaria, a small resort known as The Jade Ember was set to be where they would gather. It was a beacon of rest, relaxation and the finest delicacies and indulgences that the staff and merchants had to offer. There had been an overall sense of joy at seeing each member of the groups arrival to the island as they waited in the tavern with drinks at the ready. Human, Dwarf, Draenei, Blood-Elf and Tauren were all together once more. Two days had passed since their arrival and there had been many moments of laughter, drinking, feasting, storytelling and relaxation in a place that would not judge them and only value the coin that was being spent for their time while there.

In the evening of the third day of their stay, the group had decided to get together for snacks and drinks in one of the various hot-springs reserved for private use. As the night passed on and the drink and late hour took their toll, several members of the group excused themselves to return to their cabins for the night. Only two remained behind by the time midnight came to pass. Overall, between the drinks and the hot waters that tingled across the skin that sense of friendship only seemed to grow stronger.

“A difference? Don't be so absurd, Kalec. Pray, tell me that is just the alcohol talking and not that infamous Thalassian self-importance,” Aveline said as she sat up from her reclined position on a bench in the spring and took hold of the wooden tankard from nearby. It was lifted easily, and the cool Pandarian ale within was gulped down quickly to the last drop.

“I’m absolutely serious. There is a clear distinction between using the Light as a bulwark and using it as a broadsword. Your head must be about as fat as your tits if you don’t understand that,” Nihil shot back as he looked over from where he was seated.

Okay. Perhaps friendship is too strong of a word in this specific instance. Let’s go with friendly enemies…frenemies if you will.

Aveline looked across the small table that sat atop the stone pedestal in the middle of the hot spring at the Blood Knight who sat with a slight smirk on his face. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned further forward to put the mug down. With a quick swipe of her hand she took up one of the delightful crispy pork spring rolls from a small plate and broke it in half before she popped it into her mouth and ate it. “The Light is the Light. It’s a force of compassion, comfort, and righteousness. It fills the empty with hope and gives strength to those who call upon it’s benevolent aid. It doesn’t conform to some template…and don’t think I didn’t notice you staring at them between cute little comments tonight, Sunwhisper. What’s the matter, feeling a bit pent up because you didn’t buy some company for the night?”

With a shake of his head, Nihil planted his feet on the stone below the bench and stood up. The steamy water rippled out from his movement and leveled out to just above his navel. “Oh, I see how it is. Attack the guy who has a different opinion and use the fact that he’s got gold and helped to fund this little get-together against him by claiming he likes to hire prostitutes. Real classy, Aveline. What’s next, you want to insult my mother? Maybe question my heritage with that of say a goat or cow?” Nihil turned and stepped up on the bench he had been seated on, then raised his leg up to the edge of the pool and climbed out.

This gave Aveline an eyeful of the strong muscles of his back, the shapely curve of his ass, and the various marks and scars across his skin as he walked out of the light from the poolside down the small wooden ramp. For the few moments her eyes looked over him she saw something more than an annoying conversation partner and a thought entered her mind to ask about how he got that bite-mark scar on his shoulder before she snapped back to her senses and ate the other half of her spring roll. The distance between them had filled with steam from the water which left her view of him blurry as it wafted about. The only thing she could see clearly was the glow which came from the tattoo on his arm, which struck her as being similar to something she had seen upon the Lightforged. “Aww, leaving so soon?”

“No. You’re not that lucky,” came the response as Nihil made his way over to a table that had been laid out with mugs, cups, small containers of sake and a small keg of the Jade Ember’s house ale. He took one of the mugs and tilted it as it went under the spigot from the keg tap and gave the top a slight twist. The sound of the reddish colored ale as it filled up his cup soon followed. There was a glance back over to Aveline and he was about to say something when a foamy splash of beer fell onto his bare foot and he looked down to find the beer had poured too fast and a considerably foamy head had spilled over the edges of his mug. With a grunt of annoyance he turned the spigot off and the gurgle of the ale leaving the keg came to a stop.

“Well, it looks like you got some head after all tonight, Sunwhisper!” The laugh that followed wasn’t mean but Aveline did enjoy having a bit of ammunition to throw his way after all. She reached for her mug to get a drink then turned it a bit to the side to look inside as she realized it was empty. “You think you can pour another one and not waste it on your feet?”

Nihil tipped the mug in his hand to the side to push away the foamy head of the brew so that he could take a drink without it giving him a bubbly moustache. A quick sip and a nod of approval followed as he turned to to face her in the pool, “I mean I could, but that would mean it’d be wasted on you right? What’s wrong with your legs that you can’t get over here and get one for yourself?”

“I just thought you’d be a gentleman and not make a lady have to get up from her comfy spot. Then again I forgot who I was talking to,” Aveline put her feet to the floor of the pool and stood up before she walked around the small table towards the way up from the water. As she got closer and the steam that rose from the water cleared before her she was better able to see where he stood as he drank from his mug. Most of the elves, those that weren’t women at least, that she had experience with were slim in build but he was certainly not that. His chest was hard, his arms were thick and strong, and his stomach looked like it could double for an anvil if someone was willing to try. She’d seen other’s that looked like he did, but they were few and far between. What flustered her the most, though she didn’t want to admit it to herself, was that his impressive looking length hung thick and heavy between his legs but hadn’t seemed to start to rise to the occasion even after she’d caught the looks he’d made at her. The simple fact that she couldn’t get a rise out of him only to turn it into a jab at his ego frustrated her.

“If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re the one staring now,” Nihil commented as he leaned to the side and put an arm up over the top of the keg to lean against it as he took another drink from his mug. “Look all you want, I don’t mind. We’re all friends here right?” there was a soft laugh at those last words from him.

“You’re lucky I don’t throw this mug at you,” she said with a gesture in his direction. As she stood at the edge of the pool and watched him, she then let out a soft huff of breath that almost sounded like a sigh before she adjusted her footing to get out. As Aveline planted a foot on the bench and then stepped out of the spring, she let a hand raise to one side for balance as her foot slid a little upon the old smooth stone ring of the pool. Careful steps were made so as to not fall over and splay on the grass nearby, as the thought of giving Nihil any sort of ammunition to tease her with was even worse than her prior moment of admiration of his physique. When she felt that her footing was steady, the raise of an eyebrow and a slight smirk graced her face as she walked over to him with a slight sway to her hips on purpose.

Try as he might, Nihil’s eyes did lower slightly as she came towards him. The glint of the water on her skin only served to highlight the thick curves of her hips and the hard definition of the muscle packed onto her frame. He’d seen many nude women, but few were built as strong as she looked and even he had to admire that about her. The soft glow of the light from the lanterns almost gave her a holy glow as she walked out of the steam towards him and he took a steady breath to quell a small surge of excitement that tried to force its way through his mind. The sway of her hips, the bounce of her breasts, the way her stomach tensed as she breathed, even the wispy snow-white traces of her bush were just a distraction. She was after all more than capable enough to get some good hits in if she tried to beat his ass between her fists and her words. A moment of quiet appreciation for all of that passed before he looked back up at her and gave a slight nod. “Well well. It looks like the lady can get up off her giant-ass to get herself a drink. There’s hope for you yet.” He gave her a nod and then a grin crossed his lips as she got closer. “So are you ready to admit that my thoughts about how we use the Light have some merit?”

Aveline balled up a fist and playfully punched him in the chest, though she didn’t pull her hand away immediately and let it rest against him as she subtly felt the strong muscle beneath. She shoved her empty mug forward against his stomach, which he grabbed at quickly with his free hand, and looked up at him with a defiant glint in her eye, “Yeah yeah…pour me a damned drink already and I’ll think about it.”

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