Chapter 13: Chosen, Chapter 14: Rendezvous at Dawn

Aidan

The Realms

Unknown date (day 4)

Early morning

Mistvale Highlands, en route to Ceallach Macht

"What was that food you gave me?" Brighid asked him a few minutes later when she joined him in the stream. "It was very odd, like nothing I have had before. It was good, though; you were right."

"That, my lady," Aidan grinned at her, "is called a hamburger! It is one of the finest foods ever to be invented in my homeland. The meat from the shoulder of a cow is ground up, then formed into a thin circular patty. That is then seasoned—every cook has their own idea of what spices to use—and fried on a hot griddle or grilled. Once cooked to the desired doneness, it is placed between two discs of light bread and topped with various sauces and vegetables. Terrible for your health, usually, but the ones I was left with are magic, and my Analyze informs me that they're actually healthy. They're also supposed to function as a full day's worth of food."

"And how many more of those do you have? I need to know whether I should be upset that you have not shared before now."

"Unfortunately, I only have two left now. I hope you appreciate what a sacrifice that was!" Brighid handed Aidan a rough bar of soap and her scrubbing brush before she settled down into the stream.

"Indeed," she acknowledged gravely, "a worthy peace offering. I insist that you teach me how to make one when we return to the village. We do not have any cows, but I am sure we can find a suitable replacement." She started to wash her hands in the water to get the grease off of them, but Aidan stopped her.

"My lady, what are you doing? Have you already forgotten that you are here to be pampered? Please, I insist that you refrain from doing any work yourself!" He tucked the brush under his elbow, then lathered his hands. Aidan looked around for somewhere to set the soap down. After a moment of indecision, he got a bright idea and brought his tail around until the flanged tip pressed between his belly and hip. He set the soap down in the makeshift soapdish and was quite satisfied with his solution.

Turning back to Brighid, Aidan took her right hand in his. He diligently scrubbed away the burger grease, rubbing the pad of his thumb firmly across her palm and between her splayed fingers. She had calluses on her pointer finger and middle finger and across the upper parts of her palm. Everywhere else, though, her skin was surprisingly soft for a warrior and blacksmith. He dipped their hands into the water to rinse them, then re-applied soap and switched to her left hand. She had fewer calluses there, and they were on her thumb and towards the bottom of her palm.

"Someone has trained you well," Brighid said, interrupting his thoughts. "I would not expect a man from somewhere without communal baths to be so attentive."

"I did tell you that you weren't my first," Aidan reminded her and moved on to her arms, starting again with her right side. This time he was less surprised by what he found; naturally, a blacksmith would have a well-muscled upper body.

"Did you leave a lover behind when you were brought here?" She asked, gently probing.

Aidan shook his head. "No, my last relationship didn't work out. We mutually decided to stop seeing each other about a year ago." He finished washing her arms and shoulders and moved around behind her to start on her back. He had to gather her hair up and lift it over her shoulder to spill down her chest first, though.

"And in a year, you found no one else?"

"I told you that I don't make friends easily. That is doubly true for romantic relationships. I've been told that I'm too high-maintenance. When I fall in love, I want to spend most of my time with the one I'm in love with. Most of the women back home prefer to be more independent than that, at least at the start of the relationship." Aidan ran his hands up and down Brighid's well-muscled back, doing more than was strictly necessary to ensure she was clean.

"I can understand the desire to have time to one's self, but surely a man as attractive as you could find someone with a similar attitude to your own?" She was watching him over her shoulder but gave no indication that she objected to his extended touching.

"I'm not that attractive," Aidan demurred. "Regardless, I'm sure there was someone who would have been perfect for me; the problem was finding her. Between my dislike of crowds, and my depression making rejection more painful, I didn't spend a lot of time looking. I think I'll do your hair next; don't want to put dirty hair on your nice clean back. Then I'd have to wash it again!"

"That would be such a shame," Brighid murmured, but obligingly bent her head and let her hair fall forward so that he could pour water from his cupped hands over it. Her thick vermillion tresses turned a dark burgundy color as they got wet. Aidan didn't want to use the soap on her hair, so instead, he alternated combing gently with his fingers, working carefully to untangle knots, and pouring more water over her head. Once he was satisfied that her hair was as clean as he was likely to get it, he worked it into a simple three-plait braid and brought it back over her shoulder.

Seeing Brighid's curious look, Aidan explained, "I have a little sister. She was always begging me to braid her hair. I had to learn how out of self-defense. Actually, I would never tell her this, but I enjoyed it. We were always close, and our nightly braiding session was a chance for us to spend time together. Anyway, it's time to wash your front. If I may?"

Brighid rotated her shoulders and arched her back slightly, thrusting her breasts towards him. She smiled devilishly at him and said, "I look forward to it. Wash away!" Her nipples were hard, whether from excitement or from the water cooling her skin.

Subverting her obvious expectation, Aidan started with Brighid's neck, working the soap into her skin with his thumbs in a massage-like technique. He brought his cupped hands up and poured water over her chest, watching the suds cascade over and between her peaks, then slid his hands down past them to her belly. He lathered up again, then firmly scrubbed her abs and down to what would be a human woman's groin. Brighid, though, just had more firm muscle all the way down to where his hands reached the start of her coat. He counted her abs with his fingers as he washed her; she had ten firm abdominal muscles rippling under her skin.

He washed the soap from her skin again, then made to walk around to her flank and start scrubbing. Brighid's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, gently but firmly. "Ahem," she cleared her throat. "I believe you have missed a spot, Aidan." He peered at her with a look of faux confusion and looked her up and down. She reached up and cupped her breasts, bouncing them with her hands to draw his attention.

"Ohhh," he breathed. "Before, you told me that you would not need my help with those. I can scrub them for you, though, if you insist." It was fun being on the giving end of the teasing game for once.

Brighid narrowed her eyes at him, and her nose flared in a snort. "I do insist. Do your job, pet."

"Of course, my lady, as you say." He ran the soap through his hands, building up a thick layer of suds. Then, he locked his eyes on hers as he brought his palms to her breasts. He had been too surprised and uncomfortable to appreciate the experience the first night, but now he had the time to feel their weight and press his fingers into their softness. Somehow, he'd expected Brighid's breasts to be as firm as the rest of her, even though he'd seen how much they bounced and jiggled. That wasn't the case at all; her bosom was luxuriantly soft and supple.

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Brighid closed her eyes halfway and bit her bottom lip as Aidan massaged the soap into her chest. As much as part of Aidan wanted to see exactly how far he could go with this, he also needed to pay her back for how much she had teased him over the last few days. He paid careful attention to her reactions, washing her thoroughly but only lingering long enough to light the embers of her arousal without letting the flame grow hot enough to consume them both.

Brighid's breathing quickly grew heavy and, when Aidan withdrew his hands to rinse her off, she made a desperate mewling sound and started kneading her own breasts. Aidan clicked his tongue in annoyance and barked at her in his best commanding voice, "None of that, now! Arms at your side. You gave me the assignment of washing and pampering you, and I haven't finished yet." Brighid's eyes turned fiery at his tone, but she obeyed.

He scooped water over her breasts, watching with pleasure as Brighid's ample breasts and hard nipples were revealed clearly to him again. He locked his eyes on hers as he lightly drew one finger from the side of her neck to her collarbone, back and forth over the upper slopes of her breasts, then into the valley between them. Her unblinking gaze grew increasingly intense as his finger looped back around under her bust and spiraled upward and inward towards her stiff nipple.

The beautiful centaur inhaled as Aidan gradually closed in on his target, subtly pushing her bosom against his touch. A low, moaning growl rumbled deep in her throat, growing louder as the anticipation grew. Right as Aidan's fingertip caressed the edge of Brighid's areola, however, he stopped, finger still making a tiny dent in her skin, and said, "All clean!" The growl escaped Brighid's throat then, and Aidan could see the muscles in her neck and shoulder tense. He stared her down for several seconds until she shuddered and stepped back a half-step, removing herself from temptation.

Aidan mentally dismissed the prompts and smiled approvingly at Brighid, which just seemed to make her eyes blaze hotter somehow, then withdrew the scrubbing brush from where he had been holding it against his body. "Now, to scrub the rest of you. Gotta get that fur nice and clean and shiny."

As Aidan scrubbed Brighid's back and flanks, the tension slowly left her muscles, and her breathing returned to normal. He wasn't done teasing her, however, and once he finished cleaning the sides of her rump, he tucked the brush back into his armpit and very carefully rested his palm flat against her fur right above her tail. Brighid inhaled sharply, and the muscles near his hand spasmed, but she did not react otherwise.

"I would be remiss if I were to leave your lovely tail unwashed, don't you think?" He asked her, this time actually seeking permission.

"You did say you would wash me—all over," Brighid whispered just loudly enough for him to hear her over the quiet burble of the stream.

Aidan stroked her gently in reply, then swiftly soaped up his hands. The hair of her tail was much coarser than on her head and probably dirtier; he wasn't as concerned about using the soap on it. He rubbed the lather into the base of her tail, then carefully slipped his hand under and encircled it with his fingers, gently lifting it high enough for him to work on. Brighid inhaled again as she felt him lift her tail up, but no reprimand came.

He combed the fingers of his other hand through the coarse hair, stopping whenever he encountered a knot to gently work it free. Once he felt he had all the tangles untangled, he began working the soap into Brighid's tail with both hands. His knuckles dragged across wetness that wasn't caused by the water as he worked, and Brighid's breath quickly grew shallow and ragged. Aidan poured water over her rear and ran his fingers through her tail-hair again and again until no soap remained.

He lathered up his hands again, then lifted her tail up and to the side, exposing her nethers to him and drawing a throaty moan from Brighid. She shifted her stance, raising her rump and very slightly spreading her rear legs. Her equine lower body didn't afford her as much lateral movement as a humanoid body would, but Brighid expressed her permission just as clearly as any human woman.

Aidan pressed his hands onto the firm muscles of her butt and spread his thumbs out to the side, then bent his fingers into claws and pressed firmly into Brighid's fur as he drew them downwards. His thumbs passed around the base of her tail, then pressed lightly against her rear passage before stroking along her nether lips. Brighid's hips moved against his hands, increasing the pressure, but Aidan didn't linger. His palms continued past her most sensitive areas until they slid between her legs and onto the rearmost part of her underbelly.

Aidan scooped water into his cupped palms, then poured it over the top of her rump again. He repeated the motion to be sure all the soap was cleaned away, then extended one finger and circled it around the base of her tail from top to bottom. Brighid moaned in anticipation and lifted her hips up out of the water even more, practically presenting herself to him. Aidan rewarded her eagerness by stroking his finger slowly, oh so slowly, downwards. It passed directly over her asshole, pressing firmly but gently on its way, then down and between her plump outer lips. He didn't push hard enough to fully penetrate her, but he could feel the heat of her arousal, and her wetness clung to him.

When his fingertip reached the fold of flesh at the bottom of her vagina, he couldn't help himself. He sought out her hardened clitoris and circled it with his oily fingertip once, twice, a third time. Brighid's voice rose in pleasure and she thrust back at him, desperately seeking more stimulation. Before she could reach a crescendo, however, he pulled his hand back.

The flame-haired warrior groaned and slapped the water in frustration, but her complaints cut off abruptly as he raised up on his knees and leaned forward, pressing his erection against her rump. She remained utterly still and silent for two heartbeats, then, slowly, hesitantly, maneuvered her hips until his hardness was sandwiched between her lower lips and rubbing against her clit.

Aidan grabbed her rump with both hands, sinking his fingers into her dense muscles, and rolled his hips. She immediately answered the motion, pushing back against him even as her head dropped forward. After only a couple seconds, Brighid was gasping for breath. She raised her hands to her breasts again, but before she could do more than grab herself, and without thinking it through, Aidan raised his right hand, brought it down sharply on her ass, and snarled at her, "Hands! Down!"

Brighid cried out loudly, but to Aidan's surprise, it was a lustful sound, not a pained or angry one, and she locked her hands together behind her back. Her counter-thrusts grew immediately more frantic, and he thrust three more times against her, hard and fast, then abruptly stood up. Brighid continued to push backwards for a moment before her brain caught up to the action, then she turned her torso and neck to glare at him.

"Damnit!" She growled at him. "Why did you stop?!"

Aidan spanked her again and scolded her, "Because the goal is to clean you up, not make you dirty, which is what another ten seconds of that would have caused. Now stand up like a good girl and let me finish."

The centauress continued to look at him with burning green eyes, her breasts heaving with her heavy breaths, for several seconds before turning back around and standing up. Deciding that teasing her much more might be bad for his continued health, Aidan knelt down beside her and began gently scrubbing her underbelly with the brush. He carefully avoided the rearmost part of her underside—after all, he already "washed" that earlier. After that, he scrubbed her legs down, then patted her on the flank.

"Alright, milady, you're all clean. I hope this humble servant's service was adequate."

Brighid turned around to face him, then stepped forward so that her nipples were just brushing against his chest. She stared at him, then licked her lips. She cupped the back of his head and leaned down to bring her mouth to his. She held the kiss for several heartbeats, then withdrew and tilted her head to press her forehead against his. Her viridian eyes bored into his from that short distance, and he nearly lost himself in their depths. There was a well of emotions there so deep that it took his breath away, and that time it was Aidan who raised up and pressed a kiss to Brighid's lips.

When they separated again a moment later, Brighid murmured to him, "I take it back. I am definitely not going to recommend you to my girlfriends. You would spoil them rotten with this style of pampering."

"Does that mean milady intends to keep me for herself?" He murmured back.

"For now," she said with a haughty air. "Who knows when I might receive a better offer?" Then she smiled at him. Another set of prompts crowded his sight, and Aidan quickly reviewed them while Brighid turned and started to walk back towards the shore.

Aidan immediately checked his character sheet, but he was still level 2. How did Eve get to level 4 so fast? He wondered. She must have gotten into a lot of fights, or combat gives a lot more experience than social situations do. Shaking his head and resolving to ask his sister when he logged out next, he quickly finished washing Brighid, then splashed his face with water and followed the centaur back to their camp. A few minutes of clothing and armoring themselves later, and they were once more on their way.

Zurai

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