Arcaea/Dining Hall/The Art of Seduction
It had been some time in coming, but she was finally ready. She was wearing an appropriately "demure" dress that was anything but, with the silks clinging to exactly the right places...Her hair was perfect, artfully falling down to her shoulders, drawing the eye to the lines that lead down across her bosom...Makeup masterfully applied...And the letter was ready.
Gerda smiled.
The poor message boy shuddered a little at that smile, drawn towards her far more than he could have imagined, even though a small part of him was crying out...
Soon-to-be Duke Goffrey was resting in Nocaneb, awaiting his new appointment, when a boy ran up bearing a letter with...Edara's seal? Not...quite...He furrowed his brow as he opened it, and blinked at the words.
Duke Goffrey,
You will forgive my presumption, but your appointment seems assured. And...If you are to be the Duke of the place I reside...I think it my responsibility to come to know you better. If, perhaps, you would be willing to grace me with your presence, I would greatly desire to dine with you this evening. I very much want to have more than a passing acquaintance with you, my lord...
Lady Gerda Analise Mayer Kindon Rebane
(OOC--Full disclosure, Matt wrote this fine RP!)
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
"Well Eugen...this is...an excessive amount of space," said Goffrey, emphasizing his point with a long whistle that echoed off the walls of the castles for several minutes after he had stopped.
"Indeed Sire, but I suppose that is one of the perks of being a Duke," said Eugen, standing next to his lord his eyes cast about in wonderment.
Nocaneb castle was far and away the largest structure Goffrey had ever laid eyes, and with most of the staff accompanying Queen Edara to Talex the effect was even more pronounced. It also forced Goffrey to fend for himself in the food department...which was a lot harder then it sounded.
Goffrey stomach was quick to remind him of its current emptiness, protesting the lack of nourishment within it.
As if on que a messenger walked into the room Goffrey had taken up roots in, with a letter in hand. Taking the letter in hand, noting Edara's seal absentmindedly, Goffrey gave it a quick once over, blinked then looked it over again.
"Heh...that's painfully convenient," he said, smiling at the prospect of a decent meal for the first time in what would be weeks.
"Tell me lad," he said, addressing the demure messenger, "Where exactly does Lady Gerda dwell?"
The boy, blinked twice before he realized the Soon-to-be Duke was in fact talking to him, "M-M-My Lord," he began clearly nervous, "She lives in the...western wing of...of the castle as it were...My Lord..."
"Wait hold on a second," Goffrey said, stunning the boy, who dreaded that he had done something wrong, "Your telling me, we live in the same building...and she had to send me a letter to get my attention..."
"Well...yes..." said the boy, before he quickly added, "My Lord."
Goffrey blinked at this, and turned to face Eugen, who was wearing a knowing smile, and before two long the walls of Nocaneb echoed with their laughter.
"Eugen," said Goffrey, as he strode over to the boy and gently nudged him over to his captain, "See to it this lad gets something to eat in him, I haven't had a laugh like that in awhile, and he deserves some kind of reward for that at least."
"As for me, I think I'll take up Lady Gerda's kind offer."
With that Goffrey strode over to a closet esc room off to the right, changing into a semi formal cloak and tunic.
"After all, it's always nice to meet new people."
Eugen waved him off, before taking the boy by the shoulder and leading him off on the comparatively long walk towards the Kitchen. As he walked through the halls of the castle once again, Goffrey couldn't help but feel tiny in comparison to the structure he walked through. It wasn't until he reached the main that Goffrey realized he had no idea where exactly he was going. As luck would have it, he ran into a maid shortly after that who was kind enough to point Goffrey in the right direction.
And so Goffrey found himself standing in front of the doorway, giving himself a quick once over to make sure everything was in place.
"Ok Goffrey, lets try and make a good first impression shall we..." he said, as his hand rose up and rapted against the door.
Richter Massey Marshal of the Tribute Collecting Army
The door was opened by a starchly-pressed maid of middle-years. She curtsied the appropriate amount and led the presumptive Duke into her lady’s chambers.
Gerda had arranged herself on a small sofa; the blue-velvet contrasting nicely with the rose-coloured silks she wore and pointing up her lovely blue eyes. She leaned forward slightly as Goffrey approached and held out her hand to be kissed. The table of dainties in front of the couch left him no option but to step around it, closer to her, in order to take her hand…and affording him a dazzling view of her soft, white décolletage.
“Your Grace…please…won’t you sit?” Gerda patted the seat next to her with one hand whilst the other, still holding his from his greeting, gently guided him down. The sofa was just wide enough for two to sit…if they were friendly about it…and there was no question that Goffrey would be able to feel the warmth of her leg against his own.
“There. I thought this would be so much cozier—and more comfortable—than sitting in a stiff dining chair…and much better for a nice little tête-à-tête. Don’t you agree, Your Grace?” Gerda casually laid her hand upon his knee as she leaned towards the table.
“A morsel for you, my lord?”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
To say that Goffrey was stunned at this point would be a dire understatement.
One minute he was innocently knocking on the door, looking forward to a nice meal and getting to know a new friend, and in the space of a blink he found himself sitting on a couch very...very...very close to his new friend...
Her attire was not helping at all, neither was the alluring way her outfit drew any wandering eye straight to her...
Goffrey reprieve was broken as the lady in question suddenly leaned forward ever so slightly, somehow making the subtle movement hypnotic. Goffrey twitched slightly as her hand found itself upon his knee, with seemingly no intention of leaving...
And to top it all off, Goffrey vexingly found his pants becoming somewhat tighter then they were when he put them on...
So I'm sure you can appreciate why exactly he responded to Gerda's inqurey with a dazed nod, and an dazed "...ok..."
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Gerda’s smile did not alter, but inwardly she crowed: this was going very well indeed. She selected a small venison-filled pastry from the array before her and turned back to Goffrey.
“Here, try this my Lord,” she lifted the confection to his lips, “It’s quite delicately made…yet still full of meat and hearty enough for a man like yourself. My cook is quite marvelous…you should really join me here for all your meals.”
She continued to smile prettily, waiting for him to take the bite from her fingers.
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
Goffrey swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, the prospect of...sharing an evening like this...every night for that matter...did nothing for his nerves.
"Oh," he said sheepishly, a small nervous smile on his face,"I wouldn't want to...impose..."
He stopped as he found the previously mentioned morsel held tantalizingly before him by two delicate fingers. He starred in confusion as it was slowly moved up to his lips, going with his first instinct Goffrey opened he mouth, and gently bit a small chunk form the pastry, hoping that at least it would distract him from...certain...other...thoughts...
'Holy crap...,' he thought as he began to savor the taste, an involuntary moan unconsciously coming from deep within his throat before he could stop it, '...she really wasn't kidding...that was easily one of the best things I've ever tasted...'
Unfortunately the distraction proved to be only, oh so temporary and as he swallowed the tiny bite he had taken, he turned to the overwhelming object of distraction currently enveloping him, smiled a little appreciative smile, sweat already beading on his brow as he finally took notice of how hot it had become during the course of the meal...
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
As the meal progressed, Gerda continued to feed Goffrey bits from the selection before her…it was no accident that all of the food was conveniently bite-sized. She did not leave her hand on his knee, but continuously touched him here and there, quite naturally, as she talked. She drew him out gently in her low, musical voice; and, when he was too stunned to give more than a mono-syllabic answer, Gerda filled the space with amusing stories of court life in Yssaria.
“My dear Lord Goffrey, you are a charming dining companion,” Gerda cooed as they approached the end of the meal, “You simply must agree to take all of your meals here…with me…I insist upon it. You wouldn’t want to disappoint a lady, now, would you? It’s terribly lonely having to eat by myself.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
For the first few moments of the meal, Goffrey was glad at least, for the small amount of personal space allotted to him. The relief did not last long, as the...touching began...
Who knew a human's hand could be so hot... Everywhere they made contact with Goffrey, they left a trail of heat that was almost painful, yet at the same time... oddly soothing...
He stammered through dinner conversation, only partially aware of his surroundings half the time, and the other half too absorbed by all the...touching... to notice anything else.
Goffrey had little time to think when the request was made...and even less wit about him... not to mention it was extremely, ungentlemanly to reject such a heart felt plee.
"...Ok...," Goffrey said simply, a dream like haze clouding his mind...and yet he still had the lingering feeling that he just sold his soul to a rather nasty higher power...
Goffrey Massey Baron of Sasat
Gerda gave a delighted, bell-like laugh and pressed herself against Goffrey’s side for a second in an apparently spontaneous, though appropriately abbreviated embrace.
“My lord…I am so delighted! Since I came to Arcaea I have felt so bereft of good company…I just know that we are going to be the best of friends. You really are a superior sort of gentleman…it is no surprise to me that you are to be the Duke of this Stronghold…this is a place fit only for the finest warrior.”
She rang a small bell on the table, and instantly the proper maid brought in a tray of tiny cakes and fruit.
“Dessert, my Lord Duke? Let me just give you one of these delicious cream-filled ones…your tongue will be in heaven.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
Goffrey blacked out again for a bit as he suddenly found any and all space between the two of them gone for the merest of seconds, all his senses focused on the moment... before it suddenly ended...
He shook his head a bit...an overall futile attempt to clear it... when he found he could see again he found another confection placed before him by a now familiar hand, and almost mechanically he took a bite as he had been doing through out the whole of the meal.
"Wow...," he said, in honest shock at the quality of the taste of the little puff, "...that was...very...nice..."
He sighed contently as he slumped back against the couch, a hazy smile on his face, all care drained out of him as he sat back, and for the first time in a long time, truly relaxed.
Richter Massey Marshal of the Tribute Collecting Army
Gerda did not want to push too hard, too fast, so once the dessert course was completed she rose gracefully from her seat. Goffrey, of course, was compelled to rise when she did.
“My dear Lord Goffrey, I find I am a trifle fatigued now,” she took his hand and led him towards the door, “But you simply must promise that you will break your fast with me tomorrow. I rather fancy having your company to start the day. You will come, won’t you?” She smiled up at him from her delicate, china-doll height.
“You have made my evening such a delight…till tomorrow then?” Gerda stood on tip-toe and gently pulled Goffrey’s head down closer to hers so that she could kiss each cheek, “There, that’s how we say hello and good-bye back home,” she smiled directly into his eyes before releasing him and stepping back.
“I'll see you first thing...”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
Whilst Goffrey was in residence in the Stronghold, Gerda made certain that he took all of his meals cozied up with her in her suite. He was not too hard to persuade as the staff had still not been replenished from the mass exodus with Edara—Gerda could only think that girl must pay ridiculously high wages to have garnered such loyalty—and the meals were astonishingly indifferent. Of course, it was not so astonishing if one considered that she had paid to make certain that they were; Gerda hated leaving things to chance.
When the mad King had arrived for the investiture, she closeted herself in her rooms. She had no doubt that he would discover she hadn’t left Arcaea at some point—he was bound to have spies everywhere—but, she was hoping the war would keep his attention focused in directions other than Nocaneb for a bit longer…and, that if he did find her out…that he would be too busy for a…discussion…any time soon.
After the ceremony, and once Jenred had hurried back to Remton, she sought out the new Duke. Though she hadn’t attended, she had gotten a complete run down from one of her acquaintances amongst the minor nobility. She made a brief moue of discontent before smoothing her features—musn’t wrinkle—she herself would be counted as a minor noble in this company. Not for long though, if things went her way.
“Your Grace,” Gerda curtsied deeply, displaying her…assets…to their fullest potential—once she had found Goffrey in his Hall, “Let me offer you my congratulations and my loyal service to you,” she rose, looking up into his eyes, “I could see that the people of Nocaneb were gratified to have such a strong and valiant warrior to care for them…as I am.”
She stepped closer and put her tiny hand on his arm, “Now though, you’ve been hard at work all day…I think that we should make a picnic…my cook has put up a lovely assortment of all of your favourites...can’t have you wasting away and getting all bogged down in work,” Gerda beamed up at him, “Come and play with me, My Lord.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
Goffrey's first instinct upon seeing Gerda again were to attempt to dissuade her from addressing him so formally. However, the thought died before it be voiced, due mostly in part to the...literally...stunning view Goffrey unintentionally found himself witness too...if only for the briefest of moments.
He still hadn't gotten used to Gerda's intoxicating presence, and he was beginning to believe he never would. Each time was just a little different then the last, quashing any hopes he had of adapting to it.
Which wasn't to say he didn't enjoy the company...more so that he found it all almost...suffocating... And yet...he was rather hungry...and he couldn't just say no to the lady...after all she did go through all the trouble of keeping him feed all those nights...and then to arrange something like this made the prospect of refusal almost non-existent.
"I'd...," said Goffrey, the words coming out as infuriatingly jumbled as usually, "...I'd...like that."
Goffrey smiled sheepishly as Gerda took him by the arm and lead him from the Hall.
'Well,' he thought, in a futile attempt to distract himself from the lady's close proximity, 'At least, outside, there should be a little more room for personal space...'
Somehow, a part of Goffrey just knew this wasn't going to be the case, and another very small part, buried beneath untold amounts of restraints, was excited by that prospect.
Richter Massey (Knight of Remton)
Gerda led Goffrey outside to where she had a small, open buggy waiting. A large hamper was tucked into it.
“You won’t mind driving, will you my Lord? It isn’t terribly far, and we don’t want any company.”
Without waiting for an answer, she held out her arm for him to hand her up onto the front seat and then slid over so that he could join her. In his usual daze, Goffrey followed her lead and climbed up and took the reins. Gerda snugged herself against him, clinging to him at the slightest bump or jostle. The place she directed him to was not far outside the Stronghold proper…a little copse not far off the road…and yet far enough to be private.
When Goffrey alit and lifted his arms to help her out, Gerda managed to slide right down the front of his body. She smiled warmly up at him and then turned and pulled a blanket from the buggy.
“Will you bring the hamper, my Lord? It is far too heavy for me…I wanted to be certain that there was plenty to satisfy you,” and she led him to a sun-dappled glade where she spread the blanket. Seating herself on the blanket, she arranged her gown, managing to reveal a length of fine, white leg before twitching her skirts back over it.
“Just here, my good Lord,” she indicated a spot for the hamper, “And you just here,” she patted the blanket next to her, “Isn’t this wonderful?”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
Goffrey would have called the ride to the glade uneventful...well the parts he remembered anyway...except for the near constant grip Gerda kept on him. He was glad for the well kept even roads of Nocaneb, if they had been in Sasat, Goffrey bore no doubt that he would have lead the small buggy right off the edge of a cliff, as dazed as he was.
Coherency was an ever elusive thing when in the Lady's presence, ever time Goffrey felt himself coming to grips with it, she would do...something...that render it like sand in his grasp, slipping easily from his fingers.
It took Goffrey a moment or two to realize that they had reached their intended destination. Instinctively he offered the lady a hand in dismounting from the buggy, almost regretting he did, when she slid the entirety of soft delicate down his own...
'You know I'm starting to think she's doing this on purpose,' thought Goffrey, before slipping back into the, now noticeably hotter, daze he associated with Gerda's presence.
He set the bag down at the spot Gerda indicated, before taking his offered place next to her, pausing only long enough to appreciate the brief view granted...and the ensuing warm feeling that fallowed. He took a moments consideration to consider Gerda's question, and a moment after that to work up the will power to speak...
"Mhm," he said instead, "...a bit...warm...out though," he said as an afterthought, griping his collar and pulling on in an attempt to alleviate the building heat...
Goffrey Massey Duke of Nocaneb
“Well, no wonder you’re warm in all those clothes…let me just,” Gerda reached over and unfastened the ties of his collar and laid it open, “There…that’ll be a bit cooler.” She let her hand idly stroke the skin of his neck and the top of his chest, “Such a strong, warrior’s body…”
She removed her hand and opened the hamper, “Ah,wonderful…all of your most favourite treats,” Gerda pulled out a tiny meat pie and leaned over, practically laying across Goffrey’s legs so that she could hold it up to his lips. She smiled invitingly at him, “Take a bite, my dear Lord Goffrey…you know you want to.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
It didn't suprise Goffrey at all to find his unbutton collar not cooling him down in the slightest. Nor did it surprise him too terribly much when heat began to spread from the where Gerda had only briefly touched his skin.
It wasn't until Gerda practically crawled over him, to lay across his legs, that Goffrey was, in fact, surprised...
Eyeing the meat pie held up to his mouth by a dainty hand Goffrey tried, ever so briefly, to mull over the possible double meaning of her words, before Gerda's overwhelming presence shattered the thoughts to pieces before they could even form.
"...ok...," he said, nervously as usually, before taking a generous bite from the offered food.
Oh...if only he had known...
Goffrey Massey Duke of Nocaneb
Gerda continued hand feeding Goffrey treats from the hamper, touching him frequently, and leaning against his legs. She gave him sips of wine from a flagon between bites. After several moments of quiet eating and drinking, she paused, smiling.
“There…you always feel better when you’re not hungry. So important to keep your strength up…a warrior such as yourself needs good food,” she stroked her hand into the open front of his shirt, “Can’t let all these muscles wither.”
Taking note of his usual dazed expression, Gerda threw caution to the winds. Subtle was never going to get her anywhere. She slid easily onto his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“My dear Lord Goffrey…must I fling myself at you? I have never met a man so attractive…so virile…you prompt me to be less than a lady, sir…but I cannot pass this moment without letting you know how I feel…”
Then she leaned in and kissed him...full-force...
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
The time the two spent together passed as it normally did, with Gerda idly feeding him one moment, then stroking him in one place or another, all the while Goffrey being only dimly aware of his surroundings.
Until she slid into his lap...prompting Goffrey to discover that it was, in fact, possible to choke on air...
She said something, but Goffrey was able only to focus on half the words, as the rest of his attention partially on the fire raging across his body...and how much smaller his pants were getting...
And then she leaned forward...eye closed...her lips pursed together...seemingly in slow motion...
'Hmm,' thought Goffrey in the half a second before contact was made, 'Something tells me I should have seen this coming...'
And then their lips meet...and the sun exploded in a burning wave of fire ...the sky evaporated...and the rest of the world boiled away in a surge of unbridled heat...or so it seemed to Goffrey anyway...
Involuntarily he opened his mouth to gasp...but only got half way before he felt something worm it's way inside...
23 years of painfully neglected hormones and instinct took over from there, causing Goffrey to kiss back passionately...if somewhat awkwardly...
All the while a dim fire lit itself behind his eyes...and ever so slowly...began to grow...
Goffrey Massey Duke of Nocaneb
Gerda was filled with satisfaction once Goffrey began kissing her. Yes…now they were getting somewhere! She slid her hands up into his hair and pressed herself against him…drawing out the kiss…guiding him to dance with her mouth…
Then…she pulled back.
“Oh…my Lord Goffrey…I…did not mean to be so forward; what you must think of me!” She put one of her tiny hands up to his lips and touched them gently, “You are just so irresistible…but that’s no excuse for my lack of…decorum.”
Gerda sighed prettily and leaned against him.
“I’m not sorry…though…not really. I know that I should be. My dear, sweet Lord Goffrey…I cannot regret such a wonderful kiss. I am so terribly…fond…of you. You must know that by now.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
Goffrey felt as if he were floating and falling all at once...he had been kissed only once before...by Harmony...but that...however pleasant it was...was completely different from this...burning...
And then all of a sudden...it stopped...
He groaned audibly at the lack of contact, as his head fell back, and he gritted his teeth in frustration...
His breath coming out in husky gasps, partially from the after effects of the kiss, and partially from struggling to reel his himself in.
'Damn it...,' he thought as his toes curled and his muscles began to flex from the strain, 'Don't just...stop...'
In the midst of all this torture, having her so close but still out of reach, he still managed to catch her words...
They relaxed him...somewhat...taming the fire in his eyes if only a little...and as Gerda snuggled against Goffrey, he found it within him to restrain himself...however reluctantly...and settle down somewhat.
"I think I do...now at least...," he said sheepishly, an edge of desire still running through his voice.
"You certainly...have a way of...letting me know though...," he joked lightly as a small smile spread across his face...an attempted to mask the need burning just behind the facade...
Goffrey Massey Duke of Nocaneb
Gerda smiled at him, seeing the desire in his eyes and the smile on his lips. Oh…this was going well.
“You are not…displeased…with me then, my Lord? You do not think me shockingly forward? You don’t mind if I…do this again?”
Without waiting for an answer, she pressed her mouth to his once more. Stirring up his longing for her was crucial…figuring out just how far to go was more problematic. Keep him on the edge of desire…but with the prize just out of reach until he took her to wife? Or…take him all the way and count on his gentlemanly nature to bring a proposal with it? What would work best with Goffrey? And what would show results the fastest? He would be leaving for the front shortly...
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
In the instant they made contact again...all the previously repressed urges in Goffrey came back with a vengeance.
He returned the kiss, making up for inexperience with sheer passion...as his arms slipped around Gerda unconscionably, the fire in his eyes grew into an inferno, as his hands griped her back...and began to slide downward...
At first, Goffrey tried to fight it...slowing the decent to a steady crawl...but at the end of the day, he was only human...well a part of him was anyways...
Unimpeded, his hands abruptly reached their intended destination...causing Gerda to jump ever so slightly at the unexpected contact...A low husky growl built in his throat, as he flipped the two of them over to where he was looming over the woman's body, pining in between his arms.
It was here that Goffrey's self control reasserted itself, forcing himself to stop with a level of willpower he did not know he possessed...motionless he held his position...locking his burning eyes with Gerda's...finally with a surge of willpower he was able to give himself a voice...
"...do you want it...," he growled, breathing deeply from the strain...
Goffrey Massey Duke of Nocaneb
Gerda was pleased to feel him engage in the kiss, and even more pleased to feel his hands gripping and sliding. Inside, she exulted…everything was going just as she had planned. Now to lead him gently into…
OH.
His sudden movement…flipping her underneath him and growling…caught her completely by surprise. She caught her breath and stared up at him…his eyes…something had happened to his eyes. She felt a wave of panic rush through her…he was so big and strong…and suddenly…so dangerous. She had thought him completely in her control…and he had turned the tables. It was…exciting.
She looked up into Goffrey’s strange, dangerous eyes and swallowed down her initial instinct to beg him to release her. Did she want this? What a silly question…if this didn’t get her exactly what she wanted, she would be greatly surprised. And even if it didn’t…she had a feeling that it was going to be worth it.
Her voice was breathy—and not, for a change, due to art—but it was clear enough…
“Yes…oh yes, Goffrey.”
Lady Edara Kindon Duchess of Talex
A dangerous smile spread over Goffrey lips, as his mental barriers crumbled around him...
He savored the moment for a few seconds more, before he forcefully kissed the woman beneath him...
He was going to make sure she did not forget this day for a long time to come...
Goffrey Massey Duke of Nocaneb
