[Mahesa]

Yawning and stretching her arms, Mahesa slowly stirred from her mid-afternoon slumber, feeling the soft cotton sheets beneath her rustle and crease as she moved. Sitting up, she ran a hand through her hair, before pulling off the sheet and slipping out of the bed and onto the tiled floor of the Nagra villa. Smiling for a moment as she remembered her last trip there, with her first taste of serious clubbing, and that one boy named... damn. Was she getting so old that she couldn't even remember what's-his-butt's name? Well, it didn't really matter, since he lived in Rome, and wasn't likely to be coming around anytime soon. Yawning again, she padded to her closet, where she picked out a simple light purple cotton sundress, slipping her tank top over her head and shimmying out of her pajama pants, before donning the dress and a pair of copper-colored Grecian sandals, her constant footwear on the island. With a frivolous little twirl and a smile, she pulled her curls, driven insane by the humidity of the island, back into a low bun at the nape of her neck and wandered out on to the back porch, with its splendid vista of the beach. Taking a seat on the whitewashed wall, Mahesa leaned against the sturdy beam supporting the latticed roof of the terrace and rested one leg on the wall, letting the other dangle. Basking in the late afternoon sun, she glanced down, noting that she had developed quite the tan on her extended vacation. Just as long as she didn't get skin cancer, she was fine with that. Idly tracing some unknown pattern on her arm as she observed the activity in the harbor, with sleek, gleaming yachts coming and going constantly, she relived the past few months in her mind. Having decided that she and Ryou needed to get away for a while after her little... incident, she'd dragged him to her family home in Mykonos, knowing that they weren't likely to be disturbed by anyone while they were there. Not to mention it was utterly and completely free of cost, since the Nagra family would be footing the bill. Even if she'd withdrawn herself from the society of her parents, she was still their daughter, and had the privilege of using the family estates and fortune. Not that she'd gone on a spending spree, either, mostly sticking to necessities, such as the occasional dinner out, and a few new outfits here and there, along with groceries. For the most part, though, she and Ryou had kept to themselves, glad to have time to just be together, without random attacks leaving her on the brink of death, etc. Lost in thought, time sped past, until a half hour had gone by, and the sun was starting to set. Remembering that she'd gotten Ryou to promise a walk along the beach with her at sunset, she hopped off the wall and stepped inside, calling aloud as she went. "Ryou? Ryouuuuu!" Maybe if they were lucky they could snag a table at one of those cosy little cafes along the beach, and have a nice, private little dinner. That is, if she could just find Ryou. [[Table by Sanura]] [[Images are Emilie de Ravin]]

[Ryou]

Ryou reached up, running his hand through the now short and black style of his hair. It was different, but necessary, it seemed. He and Mahesa were on vacation, avoiding Elysia to merely get away from it all, and it was more than perfect. A hair change had seemed requisite, as it was bothering him more than anything. He had never wanted to cut it short before, but then it had begun to annoy him, as well as the color had begun to irritate him in a minor way. Despite being roughly 210 years old, he was now considering himself an experienced adult. Someone he held dear to him had nearly lost her life, and that had changed him. Reclining in a chair in the living room of the home he and Mahesa were vacationing in, it only made Ryou think about what would happen when - if - they returned to Elysia. It had come to his realization that he had nowhere to go. The Market Police would have likely closed up his shop due to his sudden dissapearance, and he had never had a home in Elysia, preferring to roam about and occasionally stay in the dragon sanctuary. He was far from anxious to return to Elysia, as he rather enjoyed Greece, but it was unavoidable. This was a vacation; a very nice vacation. Earth was not where he belonged, having to avoid making eye contact with humans other than Mahesa because of his slitted eyes. "Ryou? Ryouuuuu!" Ryou grinned at hearing her calling his name, her beautiful voice trailing behind her through the vacation home. Rising, he flexed his numb arm before silently moving towards her voice, stopping her in mid-step and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. He'd already been dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt, and he could see she had gotten dressed and was ready for the walk she'd managed to talk him into. "Did you sleep well?" he asked, giving her a cat-like grin. She would have to lead the way along the beach; he didn't really know much about the area. [[Table by Sanura]] [[Image is Sean Patrick Flanery]]

[Mahesa]

Accepting Ryou's kiss with a small smile, Mahesa ran a hand through her lover's hair, still unused to the change, even after a few months of it. She was used to long, silver locks that swayed as he walked, as opposed to this short, dark cut that made reminded her slightly of a porcupine. But she wasn't about to tell Ryou that, since she'd reasoned it was his hair, and he'd lived through her auburn phase without complaint. She just missed the smooth texture, that was all. Really, she had much bigger things to worry about. Such as where they were going to eat that evening. Maybe Little Venice? She'd always loved that area, with its overhung balconies and location literally on the water. They'd just have to see how things went."Did you sleep well?"Twining her fingers with Ryou's, she replied "Of course- I need to drag that bed back to my flat when we return!" "That is, if we return." Mahesa added silently to herself. Not that she didn't love Elysia and everything in it, but were they were now was just so comfortable, she couldn't see herself leaving it behind willingly anytime soon. Besides, everything in Elysia for her was undoubtedly long gone by now, from Aithe to her flower shop, and quite probably her apartment. Well, maybe not the apartment, since she owned that outright, but she'd been gone so long it wouldn't be surprising if she had faded from the collective consciousness of Elysia, along with Ryou. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing- she could always return to a blank slate and a fresh start. But tonight was such a beautiful night, she hated to ruin it with such heavy thoughts. Leading Ryou towards the door, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Have you ever been in love?" Yeah, like that wasn't loaded question number two."I mean, to the point of wanting to... What's the dragon form of marriage? Lifebonding? Have you ever wanted to lifebond with someone?" Really, that was much better. Oh well, what's done is done, and Mahesa probably wouldn't have taken that back if she got the opportunity. Surprising how she'd known Ryou for a year plus, and had yet to dig into his past romantic history. Mahesa'd always managed to dig up the dirt on her boyfriends in the human realm, even if it meant listening to hearsay, but she really knew very little about Ryou aside from things they'd gone through together. No one else seemed to know him, either, and it frustrated Mahesa. She wasn't the sort of person to simply trust a person because they seemed trustworthy. She wanted to know everything about that person (Well, according to the amount of trust she was placing in them) before she endowed them with responsibility. Opening the door and calling to the housekeeper "We'll be back around.... sometime!", Mahesa stepped over the threshold and down the walkway, never letting go of Ryou.[[Table by Sanura]] [[Images are Emilie de Ravin]]

[Ryou]

Ryou waited silently, watching her as she gently ran her fingers through his hair as he had done just a few moments ago. He figured it likely she was still getting used to the style of it, as it was very far from similar to the hair Mahesa was used to on the dragon. The smile offered when she answered his question faultered slightly - there was something in him that made him wish he could sort through the thoughts he heard in a whisper now. If he could, he could easily tell if his lover really wanted to return to Elysia. As much as he wanted to stay in their vacation home, he knew he didn't belong on Earth. The slitted blue-gray eyes he saw in the mirror daily reminded him of that. "I'll be sure to sneak it out for you, then," he said with a joking grin, nodding his agreement. He followed her to the door, his long fingers entwined with hers, before stopping short at the question she had asked. Had he ever been in love? Well, he was in love with her, and he had thought she knew that, but perhaps she didn't. . . Believe him? She couldn't honestly think I'd lie about something like that, he thought skeptically before turning to face her once more, lifting his free hand to cup her chin after she continued the question. No, I've never really thought about life bonding, his mind plagued, darting back and forth over the possibility. "No. No, I've never been in love," he concluded simply, locking his eyes on hers intensely. "I've never been in love, Mahesa. I am in love. With you." A few moments passed as he allowed those words to sink in, to float in the air as they stood in the doorway. Slate-colored gaze looked over her as the silence faded and he wondered if she would mind him asking her the same thing. "As for a lifemate. . . No, I've never really given it too much thought. I don't want to rush anything." . . .even if I love you as much as I do. The last part was added silently. "And what about you? Have you ever been in love or considered. . . Err. . . Marriage?" Well, that was incredibly awkward. Mahesa probably thought he was a stumbling-over-his-own-words fool. What was said was said, however, so he followed her out the door and down towards the beach she had somehow managed to convince him to walk around. [[Table by Sanura]] [[Image is Sean Patrick Flanery]]

[Mahesa]

Feeling Ryou's eyes bore into her own, Mahesa couldn't quite return the gaze, the intensity startling her. Blushing violently, she turned her head away, letting a cascade of hair hide her from him. Suddenly she was sorry she'd ever opened this Pandora's box of questions. Mahesa had no desire to hear about his one true love, the one that he would return to someday, once she was old and gray and held his interest no longer. Cynical? Perhaps, but she was merely a human. Eventually she would die, while he would go on to lead a happy life without her, with some other woman by his side instead of her. Depressing thoughts like those were painful, yes, but she needed to remind herself that this happy bubble wouldn't last forever. It was going to pop, and most likely before she turned forty.Compulsively throwing her arms around Ryou, Mahesa answered a powerful need to be held just then. Even if such things were inevitable, she didn't want to think about them- they hurt too much. Burying her face in his chest, she inhaled deeply, taking that wonderful scent of her lover, her love. She'd never purchased him cologne or aftershave, even as a joke, because she loved his scent far too much to hide it. It spoke to her of the perfect man, who had his faults (contradictory, she knew), but instead of detracting from his value, they merely increased his desirability, his wonderfulness in her eyes. Eyes squeezed tightly shut, Mahesa stayed there for she didn't know how long, simply listening to the deep timbre of his voice as he answered her question, and asking her one in turn. Taking a moment to process what he was saying, she couldn't help but smile secretly, while stupidly wondering if he could sense her smile through his shirt."I... suppose. It was more puppy love than anything, though." Thinking back to those heady days of sixteen, so long ago now, she felt her eyes water a bit, and she quickly blinked back the bittersweet tears. And then there was Max, although that was more of a speed bump than anything. "As for marriage? If you mean in the most basic, common-law sense, then yes, and I've already experienced it. But that was a long, long time ago, and very much over." Lifting her face towards Ryou's, she looked at him a moment before continuing, wondering what he was thinking as she spoke. Was he happy? Angry? Upset at the thought of her with someone else? Mahesa wasn't sure she wanted to know. "As for actual legitimate marriage, no, not seriously. We spoke of it, but we viewed it through a hazy glow. And when it came down to it, I couldn't." Suddenly, Mahesa didn't feel like going out. She simply wanted to stay home, where it was all cosy and safe. The house now seemed like a benevolent fortress, built to keep the harsh realities of life and love at bay and the pair's hopes and ideals intact. Turning around, she glided back up the pathway and into the doorway, where she turned and called to Ryou "Let's just stay home tonight, please?" This last line was delivered with a look of such utter vulnerability even the possessor of the hardest heart would have been compelled to wrap her in a soft sweater and cuddle with her in front of a fire.[[Table by Sanura]] [[Images are Emilie de Ravin]]