Interlude 6 - Felicia's Lonely Road pt. 2
Felicia teetered on the lip of her chair, separated from the purple eyed woman by stacks of plates that threatened to spill from the table at any moment. Felicia had never seen anyone put down as much food as the woman had, but something in her told her this was normal behavior- how else was she to maintain her lithe, muscular body but by eating a lot?
Her purple eyed dining partner had introduced herself as Lostariel, a huntress from the frozen tundras to the north. Felicia had to wonder just how someone so fair skinned and soft spoken could have possibly found a husband but it wasn't
impossible
to imagine, especially in a city where everyone seemed so exotic. If she had been born in Mawic tribal lands, people would've thought her sick!
In some ways she just might have been. The poor thing had been traveling for years to find a man who'd ran out on her after getting her pregnant. It was a travesty, but a testament to her courage and desire for justice. Felicia couldn't help but respect that- her mom had 'caught' her father much the same way. Maybe their tribes both shared the tradition.
Now there was a thought.
"I mean no disrespect in asking," Felicia prompted, waiting for the woman to invite her to continue as was Mawic custom with such a statement. When she didn't, Felicia clasped her hands. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend." Apparently she was wrong about shared traditions.
Lostariel's brow furrowed a little bit. "I apologize, it's been a while since I've had a normal conversation." She sipped from her tankard. "Something on your mind?"
"Do you think you can catch up to your husband before he dies? I mean, you've come all this way and so far you've not seen him? You've given your own child to the cause and. . ." The teen picked at the table with her fingernail. "I understand? I just don't think I could be that strong."
Lostariel's odd gaze lingered on Felicia for a long moment with that strange emptiness her father got when talking about her mother. "When you think about it, life is indifferent to your existence- you can die tomorrow and the day after trees will still grow, dogs will still chase cats and the sun will still rise. Not even those closest to you will mourn you forever."
"That's. . ." Felicia frowned. "In my tribe we have a tradition of giving sage to newborns, we make a fan of it and dust the baby with it so that the world can identify him by smell- it's really potent, you know? We also do it at celebrations when we're happiest." When the woman gave her a blank look, she smiled a bit. "You might be right, the world doesn't know we're here, but we can show the world we exist. If only for a while."
In lieu of a reply Lostariel downed the rest of her mead and leaned back in her chair looking at Felicia with a faintly puzzled expression. She didn't look in any hurry to speak and so Felicia waited, picking at her dinner and mulling over her choices; she could still go back to the city. She could stop this madness and snap her father out of his stupor. . .
Lostariel interrupted her thoughts. "Do you think that's what happened with Sarah?"
Sarah. . . Sweet, welcoming Sarah. Exotic, intelligent, intense Sarah.
"No," Felicia admitted. "I think Sarah missed out on a lot of opportunities to be happy and I think she's got something hanging over her that's going to keep her from being happy for a long, long time." After a beat she looked to Lostariel. "But she's not the only one, is she?"
That seemed to strike a nerve. A flicker of something intensely powerful sparked in her dinner companion's eyes but just as quickly it faded and the woman was smiling. It was fake, easy to read even to Felicia. "Where I come from life is seldom gentle on those not equipped to deal with it. It spares no one; you have to take advantages as they come or you go hungry- if you're lucky."
"That's. . . I'm sorry."
Lostariel tilted her head. "You're an unusual breed, I think." She raised her finger. "I know your type. Very respectable to the moral nature of man. You must be in politics. A community leader, am I right?"
"Uh- No, no! No, I'm just a simple farmer. . . Well, I mean I am now? No, I'm kind of not sure what I'm doing any more." Her shoulders slumped. "My father wanted us to be traders, he was a paler man- kind of like you but not as ahm. . . erm. . ."
Lostariel's lips pouted slightly, eyes focused and expectant.
"Uhm. . ."
The woman opened her mouth.
"Beautiful!" Felicia blurted. It wasn't a lie. Not hardly, but it still sounded dangerous to her own ears. "Sorry, sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Lostariel motioned for her to continue and casually rested her elbows on the table and her chin on the backs of her hands, watching the caramel skinned teenager stumble through some vague hand gestures that might have been her trying to reach for words or some bizarre dinner ritual.
"I'm sorry, I don't usually say those things about a woman- not one older- not one- er-" Felicia blushed a furious crimson and scrubbed her face. "Aghhh." She buried her face in her palms. "Can I try that again?"
"No," Lostariel said flatly. "Say what you mean and mean what you say or stop wasting my time."
"I- uhm- I. . ." Why was it so easy to get flustered? Dammit, what had Sarah done to her?! She took a deep centering breath and laid her palms flat on the table. "I'm sorry. I think you're very beautiful. I wasn't- I mean, I really wasn't!- attracted to women as such, but I can see why my mother fell in love with someone from the north. . . So, ah- so there!"
Lostariel watched her a moment longer, face betraying nothing. After a few seconds she chuckled a lyrical sound. "How old are you?"
"Ssss- Nineteen. . . I think? I'm not very good with numbers."
"Or lying."
"Or lying. . . You're right." Felicia swallowed. "Sorry. I'm old enough to walk upright and run a business, own land and take a husband. That's kind of all that matters to my tribe."
"Mmm."
"But, I really should get going. I need to hit the lowlands before sunrise. . ." Of the many parting gifts she should have given to this woman, none seemed more appropriate than something to help her on her travels. Felicia smiled and produced one of the gold coins Sarah had given her. The dragon coiled around a screaming elf woman depicted on the face might have been ominous, but she would have appreciated the gesture all the same. "I know it's been a brief meeting, but I really would like you to have this; for your travels."
Lostariel looked at the gold piece strangely like it might catch fire and then she looked to Felicia. She cracked another forced smile and shook her head. "I don't want your money. . ."
"It's very rude to refuse a gift."
"A gift. . ." The word hung between them like a blade. Slowly, the woman leaned forward. Her silky night shirt hung low, giving Felicia a glimpse of cleavage. She never would've looked before having met Sarah. "A gift is one that gives back to the giver. No, I have a better idea."
"Uh-. . . Y- yes?"
Only inches away, the scent of old sex and sweat was overpowering- her entire body had a strange spicy scent to it that reminded Felicia of pure cinnamon. Her voice was anything but however, and the teen had to struggle to hear her. "What if I came with you and helped you find Sarah? She's heading west. It won't be like anything you've experienced out there. I have. . ." She paused for it to sink in. "You're going to
need
the help."
There were a lot of moments in one's life that could redefine whatever might be left of it, but the looming sense of importance hanging over Felicia when she eyed the woman seemed especially powerful; as if someone was warning her to choose carefully. "You know Sarah. . . That's right."
"I do."
Felicia swallowed. The woman didn't
seem
like she wanted to hurt Felicia, even if she was kind of strange. Who didn't have their eccentricities, though? Besides, if something did happen, wouldn't it have been better to have someone nearby just in case? "Ah, s- sure. . ."
The woman smiled slightly. "Excellent." Almost as if rewarding- or taunting- Felicia, she ducked down in the isle between tables so she could rifle through her knapsack. With her skin tight leggings, it wasn't just Felicia's attention she was getting- the man at the table next to theirs looked over unashamedly at Lostariel's sculpted butt and her thick, powerful legs that looked as if they could bend steel. Her entire body was tight and compact with sinewy muscles born from a life of living in an inhospitable environment, but her hips swelled and her thighs had followed; in her power and grace she was a cat; supple and mysterious and powerful beyond Felicia's comprehension. She bit her lip and felt a new rush of heat burn her cheeks.
"Dear gods. . ." The man breathed.
"The gods had nothing to do with it." Lostariel said as she stood up, tossing a leather vest over her shoulders and grabbing her pack, looking to Felicia. "Are we ready?"
"Uh- Y- Sure."
Lostariel lead Felicia outside. She didn't walk so much as prowl like the cat Felicia had thought her; her hips had a languid roll that was mesmerizing to anyone who saw it and Felicia was no exception- more than watching her muscles ripple and flex, though, there was something ringing the danger bell in the bank of her mind. This was all new territory for her: her parents had always made the choices for her and now she was making them herself. The very first thing she'd decided to do was be seduced by power?
Gods was she insane?
That's when Felicia noticed the small dagger at the small of Lostariel's back. The scabbard had been sewn into the vest along with several other empty ones poking out from odd angles. All of them had been designed for easy access if she was reaching under her clothes or cloak.
What a strange setup
. "Uhm. Nice blade?"
"I made it myself."
As soon as they were out in the early evening sunset, Lostariel stood a bit straighter, though no less enticing. She looked back at Felicia and smirked a bit when she caught the girl watching her butt. Felicia blushed and looked away. "Sorry."
"How is it I run into two women who've designs on my body within as many days?"
"Ah- no, no! No, see uh. . ." Felicia mumbled as she bridled her horse and- with some difficulty- loaded her gear on to his back. She made sure it was far enough back to give Lostariel room to ride. The woman didn't seem terribly thrilled by the prospect of getting on the horse. She actually stood there looking at Felicia for several moments before she let her load be taken and climbed on.
The horse tensed between Felicia's thighs.
"It's okay, I didn't forget you. . . We'll get something to eat at the next town."
