The Azra-El Series Ch. 13

A lone ringing of claps turned into a thunderous applause, washing away her fears. She smiled and gave them a slight bow. "Thank you! Does anyone wish to continue with the solo performances?" she responded with modesty.

Blaze wondered if anyone would dare to follow up with another solo performance. But a brave angel from Zara'ard stepped up with a pair of meteor hammers. After asking the musicians for a tune of lute and ocarina, she presented them with a titillating show of a martial dance.

An angel from Kamitochi followed her performance with an elegant fan dance.

After her, Astrid surprised Blaze by stepped into the arena in a pair of black ballet shoes.

"She can dance," Elyssa remarked at Blaze's look of disbelief.

And Astrid danced like a white swan in a black costume, with graceful flowing movements and leaps that defied gravity, displaying her nimbleness and cat like flexibility. Blaze finally understood why she bothered to wear panties – her legs refused to stay together.

But he soon forgot about her sensual attire and his mind focused on the beauty of her movements.

He found his feet tapping to the music and a strange itch to dance suddenly sprouted in his mind. It was almost as if his body was telling him that it knew the moves. He could 'see' his feet moving in his mind's eye.

In the heat battle, he sometimes knew he could do a maneuver despite never having practiced it before. However, he always had a talent for martial arts, but not dancing.

Yet as Astrid's performance came to an end, his itch disappeared along with her exit. He caught her eye, but she only gave him a slight smile before joining her friends.

"I think that ends the solo performances. I sincerely invite all of you to join me and let your hair down. Let's enjoy ourselves this evening," Ila spoke out, reentering the arena.

The angels weren't shy about joining her and soon a mob gathered inside the arena, with more looking to enter when room was available.

***

Blaze and Elyssa found themselves a table and decided to simply watch and enjoy the music.

But their quietude could only last for so long. A few songs and instrumentals later, a busy-bee buzzed to their table.

The angel in the sexy bee costume seemed a little over a hundred years old. Blaze had noticed her before, but the duo had carefully avoided her because of the notepad and quillpen she was carrying.

The costume was a scanty one piece with black and yellow stripes of felt. It hung off her neck from a thin black string whose ends latched on to the cloth at the center of her sternum. The top portion consisted of two narrow flaps hanging from the top of her breasts, barely reaching the lower edges of her areolae and leaving most of her small but rounded underboobs exposed.

A thin perpendicular stretch of cloth traveled down her stomach to connect with a narrow black and yellow skirt. A pair of faux bee-like wings hung from her back, coupled with a pair of antennae attached to a black headband.

"Hello!" she buzzed cheerfully. "I am Clio Elen Mousa, reporter for the Aranyan Weekly. Would you mind if I ask you a few questions? Bzzt?"

"Would you leave if we minded?" Blaze asked her back. Ah, heck! Here comes my Rita Skeeter.

Clio gave him an amused smile, pulled up a chair and sat down with a straight back. She set her notepad on the table and brushed a couple of free locks of light-yellow hair behind her ear. Her hair was held in a casual low hanging ponytail.

"You must be Blaze Er Lokra," she said, setting her gaze on his face. Her slanted eyes were a lucid hazel green and her eyebrows thick and angular. She had a sleek Greek nose and her lips were wide and heavy. Freckles covered her nose and upper cheeks, but they only added to the appeal of her angular oval face. She seemed to be on the shorter side and had a petite frame.

"No, I am Rachel Arianrhod. My mum's a captain of the Cloud 9 division," Blaze replied with a straight face, and Elyssa snorted into her goblet of strawberry champagne.

Alcohol consumption was usually looked down upon in Aranya and the Holy Caledonian Empire, but the Regnbage festival was a slight exception, especially later in the night. Also, the alcohol content of the champagne was quite low.

The reporter was a little taken aback before she realized it was a joke. "Very funny, Ms. Blaze," she giggled. "But the sooner you answer my questions, the sooner you will get rid of me."

"What do you need to know?" Blaze sighed, leaning forward.

"You're twenty years old, correct?

"Yeah. Turned twenty in Second Seed," he answered, quoting his official hatchday and controlling the impulse to joke that he was actually six months old.

"When did you first grow your wings?"

"Six years ago. But I couldn't fly until a few months back."

"Your mother, Ms. Jie Er Lokra. Is she strong?"

"Strong enough."

Clio continued with a stream of questions and he gave her curt answers that gave away little to no information.

"What were you feeling right before the occurrence of the righteous fury?"

"Wr... Anger."

"Are you proud of being a Righteous fury, Ms. Blaze?"

"Not really."

"Why not?"

"It's not really an accomplishment. Also, I am not sure I like all the unwanted attention I am getting," he told her pointedly.

Clio finally set her book aside. "Do you dislike me for some reason, Ms. Blaze?"

"Nope. Me nor my mother like the publicity," he replied, hoping his words would keep the reporters away from Jie Er. He wasn't particularly disinclined towards Clio or reporters in general, but he thought that being curt would keep them from coming back. However, his words seemed to have the opposite effect on Clio.

"Would you like to know how we became friends?" Elyssa interjected, trying to ease the tension.

"Oh yes!" Clio replied enthusiastically, once again picking up her notepad. "I hear you met before she sprouted her wings."

Elyssa was used to reporters and knew exactly what they wanted. So, she spun the tale in a way that gave Clio a story to tell, without revealing too many details about themselves.

Clio seemed satisfied but her hunger for information was not so easily sated. Luckily, Astrid decided to show up before she asked more questions.

"Do you guys want to dance now? People are starting to get tired and you two can be awkward without drawing attention," she chirped.

Blaze turned to Elyssa with a questioning look.

"Let's go. I should let my hair down sometimes. It was nice talking with you Ms. Clio. Until we meet again," she said politely, before the three of them casually walked to the rink.

Clio gave them a curious gaze before hurrying off to find someone else to interview.

***

Once on the platform, Astrid left them to their own devices and joined her more skillful friends. The two of them gave each other a wry smile, linked their arms and started their 'Irish' dance, joyfully laughing at their own lack of grace.

But things changed when the musicians started playing a song of marimba and drums.

Tong Tong Tun. Tong Tong Tun. Tong Tong Tun. Tun Tong Tun.

It reminded him of a song from earth and caused him to have a bright idea.

He unlinked his arm from Elyssa and got into a boxer's guard, skipping back and forth along with the beats.

Ely stepped back and gave him a curious look, and Blaze sent a quick jab at her face. She instinctively leaned back to dodge and wanted to tell him off when realization struck her. They both sucked at dancing, but fighting?

She quickly mirrored his stance and started hopping on the balls of her feet.

Blaze sent her another jab and she leaned sideways. Someone in the audience gasped and Blaze swept his foot at Ely. She hopped back to evade and instantly returned within his range, with a grin on her face.

Blaze sent out a flurry of punches and she weaved her head between them before throwing a lightning fast punch of her own. He easily dodged to the side and her grin widened.

By now most of the angels had stopped dancing and were watching the duo; their silly smiles prevented the audience to assume the worst.

The music made it easy for the two to predict each other's moves - their punches and kicks always in tune.

The musicians watching from the side picked up the pace, and the pair's speed increased.

A left and a right followed by a counter. A left and a right followed by an uppercut. A left and a right followed by a sweep kick. All in tune with the song and never actually landing.

Their faces and eyes lit up and soon their movements became a blur. The song made it seem like they were dancing – a boxing dance, and the angels began to love the performance.

Blaze and Elyssa soon got lost within themselves as they met each other with a barrage of attacks that didn't pull any punches.

Finally, as the song began to end, they put some distance between each other. The concluding tune hit a high, and they ran at each other and jumped with one leg tucked under their thighs and the other flying towards the other. They flew past each other and locked their arms before descending gracefully on their feet.

"You fighting nuts! Learn to dance!" Astrid jeered comically. The audience laughed but it soon turned into a round of deafening applause.

"We should just practice like this. It's so much fun!" Elyssa squealed in his ear.

"Definitely," he replied, sending a glare towards Astrid. He knew she was just playing but he wasn't going to take such an insult standing. Besides, his earlier itch to dance had returned. He decided to trust in his instincts and ran up to the musicians.

He told them the beat he wanted by singing it out, and they soon caught on.

Astrid was good at ballet, so he was going to show her some ballet.

As the slow beat of the song began, he walked up to Astrid and offered his hand with a slight bow. "Would you care for a dance, m'lady?"

"A duet or a duel?" she asked uncertainly, and Blaze gave her a devious smile. She hesitantly took his hand and followed.

The angels moved back to give room, realizing that they may be in for a spectacle.

Blaze took her hand and twirled her body around before pulling her into his arms. She gracefully wrapped a leg around his legs; their bodies close and faces feeling each other's breaths.

"So, you can dance a little?" she taunted him.

"Don't know about that, but I know I can surprise you," he replied, wrapping an arm around her narrow waist and leading her around in a slow waltz.

As the music picked up, Astrid started swaying and twisting around him.

"You know..." She pushed away from his chest, twirling on the balls of her feet and unraveling as he held on to her fingertips. She spun back in as he pulled her towards himself. "It's not a duet..." He turned her around under his hand and stepping back on his left leg, he pulled her back in. "If I am the only one dancing," she breathed.

"Maybe. But I can let you do things that you can't by yourself," he replied, as he once more led her in a waltz to allow her to catch her breath.

"Oh? Like what?"

He placed his hands against the skin of her thighs and lifted her up, making her wrap her long legs around his waist. Holding her by the small of her waist as she arched her head back, he swung her around. "Like this."

"How about this?" she responded, suddenly placing an arm on his shoulder and using the momentum to lithely wrap her body around his back. He held onto her arm and legs and spun around a couple of times before gently letting her down.

Astrid continued and whirled away from his arms, gaining momentum to perform an acrobatic flip around her body that sent her legs in an aerial cartwheel. She landed and finished in a graceful pirouette, arching her eyebrows to challenge him.

He beckoned at her and she ran at him with full speed. She jumped and he caught her by the hips, raising her over his head as she arched her body and spread her arms like a poukai.

The audience gasped but Blaze wasn't done. Astrid was lean and light, and he was strong as a bull. He used her momentum to sashay backwards, making it seem like she was soaring in the air.

Suddenly, he bent his arms and threw her upwards. Putting her trust in Blaze, Astrid simply closed her eyes, felt the wind against her skin and let gravity take its course. Blaze rolled backwards, finishing on one knee, and caught her lithe body in his strong arms. A breathy sigh escaped her lips.

They heard the unrestrained applause of the angels around them but neither Blaze or Astrid were finished. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deeply gazed into his sparkling green eyes as they slowly stood up, their bodies almost glued together.

He felt the warmth of her skin and her sweet heavy breath against his cheeks. A familiar heat surged inside him as he held her tightly by the waist and led her around in a dance.

As her confidence in him grew, Astrid flitted around in exaggerated but fluent jumps, and he caught her each time only to transition her into new movements.

But soon they felt the cry of their muscles and slowed down the acrobatics. Instead, their dance gained a sensual aspect and the music - seemingly influenced by their mood - turned sultry.

Impulsively, Blaze unclasped the black cape from her neck and threw it aside. One hand brushed along her naked upper back and the other creeped into her dress to hold her lower spine. His movement raising her skirt over her butt creases.

Astrid had never been shy about showing a little skin and lost in the heat of the moment, it didn't even register in her mind as their bodies lustfully swayed against each other.

The music once again picked up and their movements gained a fervor that reflected in their eyes and their humid breath. He turned her around and she pasted her back against his chest, swaying and revolving her hips with his. His hands firmly travelled down her stomach, his cheek against hers as his breath flowed down her chest and tickled her skin.

Their audience watched in bated breaths.

Your skin makes me cry, he hummed as he once again turned her around. He held her lightly by the waist as her hips moved against his in discernable waves, swaying with the music. Suddenly, their hips separated, and crashed back into each other like two converging waves - one larger than the other.

His hands caressed their way down her sides, and crept under her skirt to tightly clutch onto her springy butt cheeks. Astrid's neck arched back, and an imperceptible moan escaped her mouth. Blaze couldn't help but be attracted to her slightly moist and pouty lips.

He leaned in and kissed her.

Astrid responded without any inhibitions, her soft lips wrapping around his. Their tongues greedily sought each other out and twirled and intertwined.

But before it could become even more intense, the music came to an abrupt halt. The percussionist, seemingly as lost as them, kept going for a few beats before petering out.

Snapping out of their reverie, the two quickly split apart and an uncanny silence pervaded the gardens. Only the crickets still chirped. It wasn't too unusual for two angels to kiss but there was something off about this particular one. Everyone felt it.

Astrid somehow retained her flighty expression, but Blaze couldn't help but feel like a deer caught in the headlights.

A sudden bout of enthusiastic claps broke the silence. Princess Ila seemed genuinely impressed but none of the other angels responded.

As Blaze started feeling the pressure of hundreds of gazes against him, Elyssa reacted and quickly hurried towards them.

"I am sorry. My friend is young, and she's had a bit too much of the champagne. I think it's time for her to tuck in for the night," she said jokingly and cheerfully, giving Blaze a meaningful look.

Most of the angels seemed somewhat satisfied by her words. Blaze gave Ely a nod and manifested his wings; their pure colors helping him in his plight. He gave the rest of the angels a shy but drunken looking wave, before shooting up into the sky and towards the manor.

"I guess I should make sure she reaches home safely," Astrid said out loud and took off after him.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting dance. I for one can't replicate it or any other decent dance for that matter," Elyssa continued jovially, eliciting some laughter. "Either way, we should continue our festivities."

The music restarted and the angels once more flooded the arena. However, one set of hazel green eyes seemed to be more interested in the departing angels.

oOo

Blaze noticed Astrid following him and slowed to let her catch up. Her wings were long, lean and a bluish white, and made for soaring.

As he watched her, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. He had let his lust get the better of him and implicated her in something that could've become much worse. Thankfully, Elyssa's quick reaction may have helped in abating most of the doubts.

So, when she caught up, he gave her an apologetic smile. However, she did not pause and continued flying. He followed her and quickly realized that she was not heading in the manor's direction. Instead, she slowed down and descended in front of a stone building within the palace grounds. They could see a few dim lights from inside, but it otherwise seemed unoccupied.

Blaze landed in front of her and noticed her neutral expression. "Astrid, I..." he began, but the angel rushed towards him and leapt into his arms.

He instinctively held onto her back and she wrapped her legs and arms around him. She held his face between her hands and started kissing his lips. His eyes widened in surprise, but her passion and hunger made him instinctively respond.

His hands moved down her spine and grabbed her buttcheeks, while his fingers dug deeper. He immediately felt the warmth of her thong. Is she wet from the dance?

Astrid clutched him like her life depended on it. The desires she had been keeping in check since her episode at Cali had been surging since the start of the weekend. The dance had finally overwhelmed her. She ran her fingers through his shoulder length hair and devoured his lips, seeking his tongue as soon as he parted his teeth.

Letting her suck on his tongue, Blaze carefully hustled to the wall of the building and pushed her against it.

Placing his hands against the wall, he moved his lips along her cheek and Astrid turned her head to give access to her long sensuous neck. She breathed heavily down his shoulder and he showered her neck with kisses, while firmly grinding his hips into hers.

"Hah huh aah," Astrid panted and moaned, as heat surged throughout her body and her clitoris rubbed against her thong from his rough movements.

Unable to wait any longer, Blaze reached for her thong.

"Wait!" she muttered, coming to her senses.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"We should go inside. This is the princess's study building. There shouldn't be anyone around at this time," she puffed.

Blaze gave her a knowing grin and without setting her down, he ran up the steps leading to the door. He turned the handle with one hand, pushed the door open with his leg and entered the long and narrow hallway.

"The third room on the right has a nice divan," she whispered into his ear and started nibbling on it, making him hurry to the room.

He quickly opened the door and kicked it shut. A long seven-foot divan and a few sofas surrounded a tea table, and a row of artworks decorated the walls of the room.

He rushed to the divan and fell on it together with Astrid, once again reaching down for her thong.

"Wait!" she cried again.