Rope Magic

"Oh, right." She put a hand on his shoulder for support and stepped out of the bloodied shoes.

They walked up another flight of stairs, then through the simple maze of corridors before reaching their room. "Well, let's see what this fancy suite is all about." He unlocked the door, and they were greeted by the most luxurious room Bri had ever visited.

"Huh, I've never seen a fireplace and a soaking tub in the same place." Bri noted as she entered the dimly lit space.

It was large, even larger than an average apartment, and had similar amenities. A roaring fire within an opulent marble hearth helped the soft oil lamps to light the space. Regal fabrics of red and purple accented the dark cherry furniture which was strategically placed about the suite. A buffet table near the bed held a bottle of red wine, as well as two waiting glasses, and a fragrant bouquet of freshly cut wildflowers. Their belongings were neatly placed on the marble flooring surrounding a double-wide soaking tub, likely to keep them from dirtying the brightly polished wood floors that covered the rest of the room.

"Well." Micah replied after clearing his throat. "It's a bit lavish, but at least it will be comfortable." He added his own wine bottle to the buffet.

Bri suddenly realized she had likely intruded on Micah's evening with the pretty elven woman, and guilt was added to her flurry of emotions. "Oh no. I'm so sorry, Micah, I just realized I've interrupted your evening plans."

"Please, you're not interrupting anything. Though I did meet an enchanting woman who insisted I join her for brunch tomorrow..." He said a bit dreamily before refocusing. "So, I'm going to go to the nearest guard station, and we can start clearing this up. Are you good here?" She nodded, and they parted ways.

It took three rounds in the tub before the water started running clear. Her bath was barely cut short by a forceful knock on the door. Bri threw on a clean set of clothes as quickly as she could.

"Brianna Anderson?" One of the three uniformed guards asked as she opened the door.

"Yes?" Bri could see Micah standing behind the guards, failing to look reassuring.

"I'm Lieutenant Argus. This is Mitchell, and that's Garrett. Why don't you tell us what happened tonight?" The Lieutenant pulled out a slip of parchment as the other two began rummaging through the room.

She gave a brief overview of the events from the time she was shoved into room 12, to the time Micah discovered her blood-soaked and shaking outside the door.

"We have several witnesses that claim you asked to go up to his room." Argus remarked.

"Well, yes, but-" Bri tried to explain the turning point of the interaction.

"But you never even got his name?" Garrett pipped up as he examined the fighter's bloody clothing.

"Okay, I hardly see what that has to do with anything." Micah stepped in before Bri could answer.

"We just want to get all the facts straight, for all we know, this started out completely consensual. Maybe you got worried your boyfriend here would find out, and you needed some deniability for your... indiscretion." The Lieutenant leered at her.

Bri was speechless. She stared at the guards, debating if the penalty for striking an officer would be worth it.

"That is so far out of line..." Micah seethed. "Check the sword's enchantment, it was clearly self-defense!"

"Oh, you know what happened? Were you there, in the room?" The Lieutenant asked sarcastically. "No? Then sit down and shut the hell up before we arrest you for obstruction."

Before either of the pair could react, a fourth guard ran into the room and grabbed Argus by his shoulder, whispering something intensely in his ear.

"Well, Ms. Anderson, you have been found clear of any wrongdoing. Thank you for your time and have a lovely rest of your evening." He tipped his helmet as the other guards moseyed out the door.

"Wait, what?" Bri blurted.

"Oh, the man you sliced in half has been identified as a wanted criminal. Apparently tortured and killed a bunch of other prostitutes. So, your story checks out." The Lieutenant looked over to Micah. "Make sure to tip her extra, Mr. Rose, she's clearly no ordinary whore."

Micah continued to glare, bits of elemental energy sparking from his tightly crossed hands. Bri had never seen him like this. Even during the most frenzied of battles, Micah was always the one who kept control between the two of them. But at the moment, he looked as if he was about to claw the guards to death. "Out. Now."

Thankfully, Lieutenant Argus took the cue, and saw the posse out.

"Highmoon," Micah said, snatching his bottle of Evermead from the table. "Upside: damn good wine." He took a sizable swig. "Downside: Dangerously incompetent guards." He passed the bottle over to Bri.

"Upside: Hot water on command." She gestured at the tub. "Downside: The only men interested in one-night-stands are murderous rapists." She followed up with her own hefty sip of the overly sweet wine.

Micah laughed. "Gods be damned, Bri, that is dark..." He dug through his pack, finding a tunic not smeared in bodily fluids. Bri couldn't help but try to discretely watch as he peeled his shirt away from his body. Maybe she was imagining it, or it was the soft glow from the oil lamps, but the past month of strenuous travel must have built up his physique. He was still on the slender side, and of course still wasn't much taller than her, but she was almost certain he didn't have such toned abs or biceps just a few weeks ago. Lucky elf, she bemoaned, as he finished replacing his shirt.

"Well, it's getting late, and I, for one, am completely exhausted." Micah started making up a bed on the sofa.

"What are you doing? You take the bed. You were so excited about sprawling out with all your papers! Plus, you paid for the damn room." Bri argued.

"Point, however, you said this is your first time staying in a king suite. Shame if you didn't get the full experience."

Bri looked at the plush, inviting bed. "Well, that's enough to convince me." She flopped down and nearly melted into the softness. "Upside: unearthly mattresses clearly made for the Gods themselves." She blinked towards Micah. "You have to at least try this."

"If you insist." He stretched out on the other side of the bed. "Holy hells, I shouldn't have let you have this..." He said with a smile.

"Well, this mattress is massive. You probably have enough room spread out your research and drink wine and still only take up half."

"I like the way you think, Bri." Micah grabbed the bottle and his research satchel and placed both on a bedside table. He stretched back out, flipping through a small packet of documents.

Bri rolled over and looked at the calming presence beside her, feeling overwhelmingly glad he was there. She slid up next to him, her face barely resting on his chest, her arms and legs tucked slightly into herself, trying not to interrupt his studies.

The two had embraced before, usually in celebration that they were both alive after a particularly tough encounter. There had also been one unusually frigid night early in their travels where they were forced to share a bedroll or risk freezing to death. That night had been awkward, and they never spoke of it again. This felt much different.

Micah startled just slightly as she touched him. She debated drawing herself back, but his arm suddenly rested beside her as he gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

She settled in, and there was a flicker of tension as she closed the space between their bodies.

"Tell me about your manuscript." Bri suggested, glancing down at the worn papers Micah had placed next to her.

"Hm," he replied, letting his chin rest on the top of her head. "Well, I'm hoping I can complete it after studying the Buried Barracks firsthand. It's going to be a fascinating look into lost cultures primarily using real warfare documents and letters..."

Bri was fast asleep before Micah even finished his thesis.

***

The sound of room's door opening and closing woke Bri up with a start.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to wake you, I figured you would be out and about by now." Micah tip toed into the room. He looked nice; well-groomed and donning a black waist coat over a black tunic and trousers. It was a rather grim yet dashing outfit she had never seen him wear before.

"Oh, shit. Do you need me to be?" Bri said sleepily, the red waves of her hair pointing wildly as she sat up.

"No. You're fine." He said, unbuttoning the waist coat. "She, um, didn't show up." He was trying to sound nonchalant about the whole thing, but there was just enough defeat in his voice that Bri could tell he was very disappointed.

"I'm sorry, Micah..."

"It's fine, really. Probably for the best." He started muttering to himself as he hung his coat up. "It would have been her first time anyway and I don't know if I'm even up for that if I'm going to be gone tomorrow..."

"What?" Bri interrupted his monologue.

"Hm?" Micah looked up at her, as if suddenly aware they were in a conversation.

"You said it would have been her first time... I'm not great at aging elves, but she definitely looked a bit too old to be a maiden..."

"Right, a maiden... Well, all the more reason it's for the best I suppose." He stretched out on the chaise and rested his eyes.

"Did you get to eat at least?" He shook his head. "Wanna order room service?" she offered excitedly.

"Gods yes."

***

Bri finished off the last of their fruit and cheese platter and leaned back up against the headboard next to Micah. "Okay, now let's do one where his wife leaves him for being such an ass."

"Love it." Micah adjusted his fingers slightly, creating another incorporeal puppet on the small illusionary stage he had casted.

They were acting out various unfortunate situations they would like to see befall Lieutenant Argus. Bri provided the voice acting, while Micah controlled the illusionary figures with basic magic.

After completing the final scene, which included mentions of the Lieutenant's acorn-sized cock, ineptitude at his basic job duties, and his shameful lusting after prostitutes, Micah finally had to drop the spell.

"My hands need a break." He said, stretching them out.

Bri was still giggling a bit. "Understandable. Thank you for that, I actually feel a lot better. If I ever run into Lieutenant Ass again, I'll just keep replaying the scene of him getting shit on by a dozen horses."

"I'm glad." Micah smiled warmly at her.

They hadn't directly spoken about the previous evening. But it was the reason Bri wanted to stay in rather than go out and explore the city. She was angry at herself, angry for throwing herself at a man she knew would be trouble. Angry that she was so willing to defy her own instincts for temporary relief of her own loneliness.

She pushed the subject from her mind. "So, after enjoying the food, drinks, and amenities, as well as meeting a handful of locals, I think we can conclude that all the things in Highmoon are wonderful, but all the people are dreadful?"

"Oh absolutely." Micah agreed. "Well, everyone except us. We're a goddamn delight."

"Right?" Bri snickered. She paused. "Did I tell you I got rejected by three separate people last night, before I met that monster?"

"You did not. That sounds awful, yet very supportive of our conclusion about this place."

"True. Though two of them made sense. But the third? He was just clueless. Started telling me about his axe when I said I wanted to try out his sword..."

Micah shook his head and said something in elvish.

"Hey, you know I don't understand that."

"Sorry, it's an old saying. Roughly translates to 'fortune wasted on a fool' I think?"

"...That's the kindest thing you have ever said about me."

"What are you talking about? I compliment you all the time." That was true. He did often praise her ability in combat, or her quick wit, or her survival skills.

"I meant, physically. It's a nice change of pace." Bri stared at him, trying to catch the thoughts behind those striking eyes.

He didn't hide the gaze that drifted down and back up her body. "You never seemed to need it." His voice changed slightly, becoming more serious and slower.

"So, you do think I'm pretty." She smirked at him.

"Brianna, do you think I'm blind?" He asked as he got out of bed.

"Well, no. But you never tried anything! How could I know?"

"I'm sorry if you found my inaction so offensive," he said dryly, "but I'm generally very good at reading people. So, tell me this: if I had tried to pursue any type of physical relationship, would you have reciprocated?" He leaned up against the buffet table and faced the bed.

Bri swung her legs over the bed to meet him. "Well, no, but-" He held his arms open as if he just completed some sort of magic trick. She rolled her eyes. "Look, you pompous dolt, I can see how some women could find you attractive-"

"Oh, you flatter me." He responded sarcastically. "Okay, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I'm not one to beg, or chase, or play any sort of games when it comes to romance. I'm not some lost puppy that needs to prove myself, nor a placeholder when one's previous night didn't go as planned. And despite what you may think, which by the way does not matter at all, this method has left me with no difficulty in finding a suitable partner. Now, I know you to be a very direct person. It is one of the things I like best about you. I would imagine if you were travelling with someone, alone, for a month, and you had any sort of desires of them, sexual or otherwise, you would not be playing coy about it. Am I wrong?"

"No." Bri glared at him. Micah's voice wasn't too far off from the usual intonations he used when explaining something serious. What made her mad about this speech, is that she felt herself becoming relentlessly attracted to him during the course of it. Something about the way he nonchalantly leaned against the table, one leg crossed in front of the other. His black outfit was highlighting every strand of light hair as it came loose during his flurry of thoughts, and the green in his eyes almost sparkled.

"What I was going to say, before you so rudely cut me off," she stepped off the bed and stood nose to nose with him, "is that I had thought maybe my feelings had started to change, even before last night." She gave him the same objectifying glance up and down. "Maybe..." She turned away from him. He drifted over to the sofa, muttering something into his wine glass. Agitated, Bri grabbed a glass for herself before she sat down next to him. "I do think we should see if there's something there. I'm finding you very frustrating at the moment, and I'd like to know why."

"Yes, probably best to unravel the mystery before you end up completely dysfunctional..." he quipped.

"Or before you have to spend another lonely night with only your hand." She grinned at him, awaiting his flustered response.

Micah remained cool, eyeing her from over his wine glass. "We all have our needs. I try to be considerate, at least. But I digress, I think we agree this should be explored."

"And what would you suggest?"

He scooted in and put an arm around her shoulder. She reflexively relaxed into him. "Well, after today, we still have two months of travel. So, we should probably start with something we won't regret, regardless of the outcome."

"Which is..."

"Kiss me." Micah placed a hand on her cheek and turned her to face him.

Their lips met, and Bri swore she felt part of his soul open up. The meek, prudish man she assumed him to be just a few days prior became a starving beast that needed her flesh to survive. Their tongues danced, and Bri forgot how to breathe as she felt herself leaning back into the arm of the chaise, Micah looming over her, his knee between her thighs.

Her hands took on a life of their own, frantically tugging at the buttons of his shirt, popping several in the process. Bri felt him softly groan through their kiss as her hands began to explore his torso. He pressed up against her, inviting her to reach further, as his own hand slid under her tunic. She could feel his fingers, almost electric, examining the curves of her body. It was a torturous process as he continuously ran his palms softly between her breasts, then under and along each side, before wandering down her belly and stopping just before her waist band.

Despite absolutely no direct stimulation, and feeling desperate for it, Bri felt that glorious and familiar heat stirring in her belly. She was close, suspiciously so. She could think of only one explanation.

"Not fair, no magic!" Bri gasped as she forced her mouth away from Micah's. He moved his lips to her neck.

"Trust me, I'm not..." He softly growled in her ear. "Though if you would like me to, that can be arranged."

She felt a rope coil around each thigh, slowly sliding upwards as they tightened to gently press into the spaces right next to her groin. She moaned loudly, fingernails digging into Micah's back. A little tighter and she would be over the edge.

The ropes vanished as he sat up, breaking their connection. He smiled broadly. "Oh." He said, brushing one of her copper tresses away from her face. "I think you need a few minutes to calm down, and then I think we need to discuss what may turn out to be a very beneficial and mutual interest."

Bri had gone temporarily mute, her brain foggy as her body tingled. He strode over to the buffet, poured a glass of water from the decanter, and handed it off to her. "Here. You need to rehydrate." She took it, suddenly realizing how thirsty she actually was, and gulped it down. He plucked the empty cup from her grasp and repeated the process. "Now, shall we talk?" He asked as she slowly finished the second glass.

She had finally caught her breath and watched him walk across the seating area. "Yes... I think we shall. First, what in the hells was that?" She stared at him, still splayed out on the sofa and unsure whether to chew him out or beg for more.

"Are you familiar with rope magic?" Micah asked as he sat in the armchair facing her, legs crossed casually, shirt still open from Bri's groping hands.

"I'm sure you can tell I'm not..." She narrowed her eyes at him and collected herself enough to sit up. "And you know I hate when you ask things you already know the answer to..."

He had no retort, but instead held out his palm to produce a simple woven silk rope. It was semitransparent, like all his basic illusions. "Here, this is exactly what I casted on you." He leaned over and handed it to Bri. She half expected it to come to life like a snake and start coiling up her wrist. Instead, it sat lifeless in her palm.

"Now, that particular binding is identical to any other high-quality rope; except that it is more sensitive to reverberations, and both its movement and tensile strength can be telepathically controlled." She let the smooth loops swim between her fingers. "Now, that's the most basic casting, there's certainly more advanced options. With that being said, you seemed to have a very intense and favorable reaction to such a simple spell." The rope suddenly disappeared from existence, breaking her trance. "And I must say, that pleases me very, very much."

"And why is that?" Bri asked.

He shrugged. "Well, it's rewarding to watch someone writhe in a cage of pleasure you built for them."

"And you take me for the type who would writhe around in any cage?" Bri leaned forward, struggling to maintain her staunch expression.

"I take you for the type who'd be willing to try." He smirked.

She stared at him. Touché. "Well, clearly, you're extremely familiar with this. So, how do we go about testing your little theory?"