Ashencroft

Chapter 7

It was rather late to be weaving; Dia knew from experience that her best work was always done during the day, when the sunlight was bright and her mind and fingers were sharp. But right now her mind was abuzz and she needed some way to calm herself, and weaving was the best way she knew how.

After Councillor Eaton's visit Dia had rushed in to speak with her sister. Ana had been rather quiet through the whole discussion, and it was obvious she didn't approve, but even the thin-pressed line of her lips couldn't quell Dia's excitement. Even the opportunity to do something so grand, so exciting, was more than enough to set her heart racing, even if she didn't accept it. The girl had not yet decided what her answer would be... she hoped that by the time the two men arrived the next day she would know.

The quiet knock at the shop door came as a surprise, and at first Dia thought she might have imagined it, but a moment later the door creaked quietly open and the last person she expected to see so soon entered the shop.

The shafts of the loom clacked together as Dia abruptly stopped her motions, gasping a little in surprise. "Orr! What are you doing here?"

Orr had crossed the room in a few long limbed strides, kneeling by the loom to look up at Dia. "Are you going?" she asked in an urgent tone. "Are you leaving?"

"What-- but how did you know?" Dia asked, her eyes widening further in surprise. "I've only told my sister!"

Orr shook her head. "I just know. Dia, are you going to go with them? Are you going to leave?"

"I haven't decided yet. I don't know. I don't want to leave my sister..."

Orr nodded, eyes still searching Dia's face. "But do you want to go?"

"I think I do. Oh, it's scary, but think of how amazing it would be... and it would help the city, too."

Orr nodded, her expression characteristically unreadable. "I'll miss you. I... might not see you again. Before you go."

"Oh. I didn't think of that..." Dia frowned then, reaching out to lightly touch her fingertips to the woman's cheek.

"Don't. Don't think about me, that's not important." Orr raised her hand to rest it on Dia's knee.

"I've found it hard not to, these last few days," Dia murmured. "It isn't fair."

"No. But... it would be difficult anyway, you and I," Dia reasoned. "I'm away from the city a lot of the time. My visits would be infrequentent and fleeting."

"That would be more than I have now. It would be more than enough."

Orr shook her head, her eyes travelling across Dia's face, to where her own hand lay on her leg, and back to meet her eyes again. "Think carefully, Dia."

"I can't." The words were said not with adolescent frustration or world-weary resignation, but rather as a statement of a fact which Dia herself had only very recently come to realize. "This is all happening so fast. I wish I had more time, but I must make my decision by tomorrow..."

"Do you need me to go? Let you think?"

"No," Dia said quickly, her hand covering Orr's. "Please don't. I'd like you to stay."

Orr stood then, turning her hand in Dia's to pull the shorter woman to her feet.

"Oh," Dia sighed, stepping closer and resting her cheek on Orr's shoulder. "I wish I had met you years ago."

"I wasn't here then."

"Earlier than now, at least."

"Sometimes these things just happen at the wrong time."

"If I stayed here, would you really... come back to see me?"

"It would not be often, Dia, or for long."

"And if I left, I would never see you again? You would not travel sometimes to the place where I would be?"

"I... can't make any promises."

The girl sighed, closing her eyes and wrapping her arms around Orr tightly. "There aren't any promises in any of this, I think."

"I can promise you tonight, if you want it."

Dia pulled back, looking up at Orr with wide, dark eyes. For a moment it seemed as if she might say something, but in the end she merely took the woman's hand, leading her towards the door to the house and blowing out the candle as they passed.

There was no question of tea or idle chatter; Orr hadn't even removed her cloak or boots when the door to Dia's chamber clicked shut behind them. Quickly Dia began to try and undo the clasp of Orr's cloak, her fingers trembling a bit in excitement and nervousness. It was dark in the room, only the light of the full moon outside illuminating the simple chamber and neatly-made bed by the window. Orr backed Dia towards the bed, not really helping Dia's coordination, her head dipping to kiss her face - cheeks, forehead, eyelids, forehead, the soft curls of hair that hung around her face.

Finally Dia managed to undo the clasp and the cloak puddled to the floor around their feet moments before they both fell into the bed, the taller woman on top of Dia. Letting out a shaky breath, she skimmed her fingers down Orr's front, her hands coming to rest at the other woman's waist.

Orr pulled back a moment later, leaning to light the candle by the bed. "I want to be able to see you."

Dia could do little but nod mutely, watching as Orr's face lit up with the golden glow of the candlelight. Though she was nervous, it was obvious she wasn't going to let that interfere with their time together; as soon as Orr returned from pulling her boots off to hover over her she leaned up to kis her deeply. Orr returned her kisses, her movements as calm and controlled as they always were, though no less affectionate for it, supporting herself on one hand while the other reached to cup Dia's cheek, thumb tracing across her skin. With a smile Dia slid her hands around Orr's slim waist, making no move to tug her shirt from her trousers just yet. Instead she merely pressed her palms to the other woman's sides, feeling the warmth of her skin through the fabric of her shirt.

Orr seemed quite content with this, lyring close, her warm body flush against Dia's, head dipping to place kisses along the other woman's jawline and neck.

"Orr," Dia breathed, her fingers bunching and relaxing against her shirt. "Is that your surname? I don't even know..."

The other woman pulled back a little, eyes darting around to take in Dia's whole face as she said, "It's not my name at all."

"Oh."Obviously hoping the woman would elaborate, Dia blinked, her tongue darting out to wet her lips. Orr only shook her head a little, eyes meeting Dia's.

"I wish you could tell me," the young woman said then,her fingers resuming the light stroking motion along Orr's sides.

"I do too," the other woman murmured, her fingers stilling in their gentle exploration of Dia's face, though a moment later her pause seemed forgotten as she shifted to kiss her again, deeply.

If Dia was in any way hesitant about returning the kisses of a near-stranger she didn't show it, tilting her head and opening her full lips to touch her tongue to the other woman's. Orr trembled a little, content to return Dia's kisses, and time stretched out between them, neither one noticing it pass until the other woman, apparently eschewing the idea of a slow, gradual undressing, pulled back, one strong arm slipping around the curly haired woman to lifted her a little to access the laces at the back of her bodice. Dia wrapped her own arms around Orr, her lips moving to the base of her neck to plant a trail of kisses up to the crook of her jaw.

Orr sighed in pleasure, deftly unlacing Dia's dress and sitting back a moment later to pull it off, her hands immediately slipping to the other woman's thighs to push her underdess up. With a slightly nervous grin Dia reached to do the same for Orr, finding the buckle of her belt more complicated than she had expected. After a few moments of fumbling, Dia felt cool, gentle hands come to rest over hers, easing her out of the way to make quick work of the belt buckle. In her kneeling position, Dia swiftly loosened the laces on her vest and shirt, pulling both off over her head in one swift movement.

Suddenly Dia was very glad Orr had lit the candle, as it gave her enough light to cast her eyes over the other woman's body hungrily, following her gaze with her hands. She slid them down Orr's back and up her side, fingers brushing over her flat stomach almost reverentially before working at the buttons at her fly.

"Wait. I want to see you," the other woman repeated. Motioning for Dia to lift her hips, Orr finally pulled her underdress off over her head, her own long fingers skimming down across Dia's torso, gaze darting about as though she was unsure where to look first.

The young woman was not particularly well-endowed in any one area.. normally somewhat plump, the weeks of starvation had shaved away excess fat until she was actually a bit too skinny. Her skin was pale, in deference to the amount of time she spent indoors at her craft, and in contrast to the dark, curling hair on her head and between her legs. Still, she did not seem wholly uncomfortable under Orr's scrutiny, shivering a bit as the woman's light touch raised gooseflesh on her skin.

"You're beautiful," Orr murmured, almost distractedly, her tone frank. It was clearly not simple flattery.

Blushing, Dia leaned up to wind her arms around the other woman's neck, lifting her chin to kiss her. "May I see you, too?"

Nodding, Orr's own hands went to her fly, unbuttoning her leggings and pushing them down over her hips before leaning in to kiss Dia again, squirming out of the trousers as she lay back down on top of her. Much as it had the night before, Orr's closeness inspired in Dia nothing short of a body-encompassing hunger, as it was all she could do not to pull the other woman tightly against her and bury her face in her hair. The delicious sensation of flesh-on-flesh caused her to shiver, and though she made no sound it was apparent by her expression that she felt rapturously happy at that moment.

Orr wove their legs together, pressing her thigh gently but insistently between Dia's, shifting against her, mouth finding hers again. The two women continued to kiss, much as they had when they had both been fully-clothed, though there was a slight note of urgency now. At the steady pressure of Orr's leg between her own Dia found herself squirming and lifting her hips, eager to pursue the pleasure that was already sending shivers through her body.

"Dia," Orr murmured against her mouth, pulling back just slightly a moment later. "When you... that scandal. Did you ever do this?"

"No... no," Dia replied, her fingers sliding up Orr's front to brush the underside of her breasts. "We were young. And caught too soon."

The other woman only nodded at this - if she had had something to add, she had evidently thought better of it. Hesitating moments before she intended to brush her palm's over Orr's breasts, Dia frowned. "Why? Am I doing something wrong?"

"No," One of Orr's rare smile appeared as she shook her head. "At least, not as far as I would know."

"You mean you never have?"

The other woman hesitated. "Not like this."

"I... don't understand." Dia bit her lip, letting her hands come to rest once again on Orr's waist.

"It's complicated," the taller woman murmured, simply closing her eyes now and moving to kiss Dia again.

With yet another strange revelation so soon after the first Dia found herself somewhat distracted, though her body certainly responded eagerly enough to Orr's embraces. Regardless of what Orr's experience might be, she certainly seemed confident enough with the other woman's body, her lips soon moving from her mouth to her neck, kissing down across her collarbone and chest. Soon Dia forgot about the other woman's cryptic utterance, arching her back as she felt her lips on her breast. Desperately she bit back a moan, not wanting to wake her sister and earn her further disapproval or even disgust. Orr didn't rest long in any one place, however, tongue circling briefly around her nipple before fluttering lower, tracing a damp, tingling trail down across the weaver's smooth stomach.

Whereas everything before, while pleasurable, had been more or less within the realm of Dia's imagination, this downward path of Orr's design was something completely new. Opening her eyes, Dia looked down the bed, no longer able to touch the other woman's body with her own hands. Orr didn't halt in her kisses as she shifted to rest between Dia's legs, easing them gently apart as her mouth passed across her navel, and continued downwards.

"Orr," came Dia's hushed whisper, seeming too loud in the quiet room. "Are you sure... what are you doing?"

"Ssshhhh, just relax," Orr murmured with a confidence that sat at odds with her alleged inexperience, her low voice vibrating against Dia's hip-bone as her lips pressed to it. One of her hands was trailing up Dia's inner thigh, now, fingers seeking ever higher.

Though it seemed she certainly ought to protest more, Dia found herself quite unable to as the other woman's lips and fingers soon converged, sending a sudden thrill through her very core. Slipping a single long finger smoothly inside her, Orr closed her eyes once more as her mouth and tongue moved against Dia, almost excrutiatingly slowly.

The feeling was unlike any Dia had ever felt before, understandably so as she was even less experienced than Orr. Her hands bunched the blankets beneath her tightly as she squirmed and shifted, though not in discomfort. Orr seemed to be able to read every reaction on the other woman's part, the only response from her the occasional almost inaudible moan that Dia felt rather than heard. She realised that Orr herself was squirming a little where she lay, thighs slipping against each other restlessly. This realization only served to increase Dia's own pleasure, adding to the steadily-growing wave that threatened to break and wash over the girl at the slightest bit of provocation.

And provocation it got. It seemed like hours later (though she knew it could only be a few minutes) that Dia felt the finger inside her shift slightly in its movements, making a gentle 'come hither' motion. "Oh," came the breathy and somewhat broken moan as she pushed her heels into the mattress and raised her hips, shutting her eyes tightly enough that tiny stars began to dance across the black of her eyelids.

Orr's free arm slid beneath Dia's thigh at this, hand creeping round to rest on her hipbone, at once supporting her, and pulling her harder against the other woman's mouth. Any further sounds were lost as Dia pressed unashamedly against Orr, her hips rising and falling and her toes curling as the pleasure built and ebbed, over and over again. Finally Dia felt she could stand it no longer; and she gasped out a "Stop, please," as the muscles in her stomach and legs began to cramp.

Orr, however, seemed to take this as a signal not to stop, but to redouble her efforts in a final flurry of activity - no more the slow, varying pressure and rhythm but a constant movement towards a suddenly sighted goal. Dia hadn't believed it was possible to feel any more than she already was - however, she was wrong. As Orr coaxed her over the edge she moaned and clutched the bedcovers, forgetting where she was and who she was with as her body succumbed to the overwhelming sensations.

She wasn't sure at which point Orr's mouth broke contact, or when the other woman crawled up the bed to lie with her, but moments later, still shuddering, Dia found herself enveloped in a strong, warm embrace, and felt a damp kiss pressed to her forehead. Trembling, the girl clung to the other woman, her skin damp and warm with sweat. At first she could find nothing to say; when she finally opened her mouth she looked up at Orr and asked in a whisper "Was that magic?"

Again, she felt rather than heard the chuckle deep in Orr's throat, vibrating where their skin touched. "Not exactly. And yes. Yes it was." The other woman drew a shaky breath, and it was then that Dia noticed the slight tremble to Orr's limbs, and the pulse she could see, still racing, in her neck.

If Dia's hands were shaking this time as she moved them over the other woman's body it was no longer from nervousness, but a slight fatigue that was quickly being replied by anticipation and excitment. She was momentarily taken aback by the strange taste on Orr's lips when she kissed her, but even that did not stop her from deepening the embrace as her fingers smoothed down her hip.

Orr's kisses were that bit more urgent now, her tongue flickering against Dia's, hips shifting even now beneath her touch. Desperately trying to remember what Orr had done before. Dia's fingers moved over the woman's thigh, skimming the toned muscle there before rising higher, tentatively at first until she grew more confident that this was the proper course of action. Orr's low gasps and tremblings effectively guided the other woman's touch. She tipped her head, burying her face against the crook of Dia's neck, kissing the skin beneath her lips distractedly.

Enthusiastically now Dia began to stroke and circle her fingers against the other woman, finding this was almost as enjoyable as when Orr had touched her. Orr felt warm, and slick, and clearly not far from a climax of her own as she wrapped her arms more tightly around Dia, almost hurting her, her breath now coming in low, hoarse moans, hips shifting rhythmically against Dia's hand.

When once Dia would have worried about the sounds alerting her sister to their activities, now she could not get enough of them, each of Orr's moans sending a thrill through her that sent her tingling once again. The discomfort caused by her tight grip around Dia was far overshadowed by the pleasure of her warmth and the touch of her lips, and the girl was torn between wanting the woman to reach the height of her own pleasure and hoping to draw it out further.

The taller woman's thighs and stomach were growing increasingly tense, and Dia recognised in this a reflection of her own behaviour only minutes before; this was confirmed a matter of moments later as Orr gave a single strangled cry, pressing her mouth to the skin of Dia's shoulder again to muffle her continued exclamations as her body spasmed against hers. As Dia pulled back a little to watch Orr's face, however, what she saw was yet more unbelievable than anything she'd experienced up until that point - and a good deal more disturbing.

It wasn't Orr.

At least, one moment it was, and at the next moan the timbre of Orr's voice had thickened and depened, her chest was suddenly flat and defined, and her face had changed. It was the face of a young man, fine-boned and clean shaven, a head of sleek dark hair, eyes opening to reveal their amber hue. It was Lord Alyth. Almost before Dia had even had time to register this, however, the face had shifted again, hair lightening to a blonde-white, eyes cooling to a blue and she found herself staring at the man who'd bought cloth from her a week before. Another moment, and the figure was female again, but older, middle aged, voice higher again but thinner than Orr's, huskier. It was at this point that Orr seemed to notice these changes, and her eyes, wide with shock, turned to meet Dia's.

The final change was perhaps the most disturbing. The weaver found herself staring right back at herself, her own chocolate coloured eyes and pale skin, curly hair framing her face.

"Dia, I-" But the figure went limp then, eyes shutting, head relaxing back onto the pillow. As soon as her eyelids had fluttered closed the face before Dia had reverted back to that of Orr, damp strands of her long, straight hair clinging to her face, full lips slightly parted.

Supressing a shriek, the girl scrambled back, nearly falling off the bed in her haste to get away, She knew what she had seen and yet could not believe her eyes; she had to have been imagining it.

Orr's arms, having slackened around Dia already, relaxed easily to allow the woman to break free of them. Indeed, the taller woman did not seem to be reacting to anything. She lay perfectly still on the bed, eyes still closed, head turned to one side, face slack, limbs completely limp.

Wrapping her arms around herself, Dia stared down at the other woman, her heart fluttering in her chest as if she had seen a ghost. Though she was shocked, however, it couldn't override the concern she felt, and finally she leant in, reaching out to touch Orr's shoulder. "Orr? Orr? Are you awake?"

At first there was no reaction, and even when Dia shook Orr's shoulder gently the only effect was to free a trickle of blood from her nose. A moment later, though, her eyes flickered slowly open, focussing eventually on the woman beside her.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered hoarsly.

Frowning, Dia shook her head, leaning down to pick off her shift off the floor. Instead of pulling it on, however, she held it out to Orr. "Your nose is bleeding."

Eschewing the undergarment, Orr simply wiped the blood away with the back of her hand, pushing herself shakily up onto one elbow. "I can try to explain..." she murmured.

"Was that... you?"

"No. Yes." Orr shook her head, shedding little light on what she meant. "Those faces all belong to other people."

Dia pursed her lips, hands moving to fold in her lap. "And this one?"

Orr was silent for a long time. "I don't remember. But this has been the face that I've worn most easily for a very long time."

"Oh." Dia didn't know what to say to this, so she merely stared. It was rude, she knew, but given the circumstances she couldn't help it.

"I'm from... some way away. I came here on the Juniper. As I think you know, now."

"You're the mysterious stranger. You bought my cloth."

"Indeed. You were never supposed to see me like this. I didn't realise it was you when I saved you from that theif."

"And you're Lord Alyth. The one who's taking everyone away." Dia frowned again, oblivious that she and Orr were both still unclothed in the midst of the discussion. "Why didn't you want me to go with you?"

"Because I didn't want you to find out how I had decieved you," Orr said, pushing herself up to lean on her elbows. "And because I didn't want you to come for me. When I return to my people, this..." The taller woman shook her head. "This cannot continue. I would have to see you every day, with nothing between us."

"Why?"

"Because you would be in my employ."

"But there are plenty of people I know... Rose at the tavern, she and the owner are courting..."

"It would be inappropriate."

"Oh," Dia said once again.

Orr's eyes dropped from Dia's. "You know my real name now, at least."

"I do?" the dark-haired girl asked confusedly.

"Alyth." She paused. "But you can keep calling me Orr if you like. It's a name I get a lot. I like it."

"I suppose I'll stay with that, then. If it's all the same."

"Can you forgive me?"

"I... don't know if there's anything to be forgiven," Dia said, biting her lip. "I understand why you didn't tell me."

"I should never have done what I did. I should have left without saying another word. I should never have come back to see you."

"Why not?"

"It would have been easier for both of us, I think."

"Well, I'm glad that you did come back. I've really liked the time I've spent with you."

Orr glanced up again, reaching out a tentative hand to Dia. Hesitantly the curly-haired girl slid her hand into Orr's, though she didn't quite allow herself to be drawn back yet.

"I'm still flesh and blood," the other woman murmured. "Just like you."

"You're far more extraordinary than me," Dia said with a shake of her head. "I'm just plain."

"You're beautiful," Orr said with conviction. "I've seen many faces, Dia. I know."

At this the girl just smiled shyly, dropping her eyes to their clasped hands. "You don't want me to come with you, do you? So that we can still have this."

"I don't know any more. You need to do what feels right."

"I don't know what that is. I wish I had more time."

"You, Dia, have right up to the moment my boat sails, which may be weeks from now. Even if it means taking extra."

"I don't want to delay the others. Some people are very excited," the weaver said.

"We can't leave until I've done what I promised. I have to lift the seige."

"But.. how? Won't it be dangerous?"

"Yes. But I can do it."

Dia opened her mouth to question the woman further, but realized that she probably wouldn't get any more details. Seeing no more reason to press her, she merely nodded and lay down once again, her hand still holding Orr's.

Orr sighed, though this time in relief as she moved closer, pressing herself to Dia's side. "I'll try and make it back into the city a couple of times."

"Only if it won't put you in any danger. I would rather know you're safe than risking yourself to be back here," Dia murmured.

"Don't worry about me."

"I know you can take care of yourself. But that doesn't mean I won't be thinking of you..."

"I'll be thinking of you."

"Really?"

Orr smiled tightly, kissing Dia's shoulder. "Really."

"If you left, and I stayed... I think I might drive myself mad thinking of you. Wondering when you'd return."

"But if you come with me, and we can't be together... could you handle that?"

"I'm not sure," Dia said with a sad little laugh. "I suppose that's what I'll have to decide."

Orr sighed, wrapping her arms around Dia and closing her eyes.

The girl turned to kiss Orr's temple. "Either way, I'm glad we have this."

"I am too. I've never done anything quite like that before."

"Hopefully you might want to do it again."

"I might."

"So might I."

"Although at the moment my muscles ache almost too much to move."

"So do mine. I hope I'm able to stand in the morning. Although maybe I could say I was ill..."

"Well, you have been weak."

"I couldn't leave Ana to do all the work."

"I just want to hold you, now, anyway."

"Will you be leaving at dawn?"

"Just before."

"That isn't long from now," Dia stated unnecessarily.

Orr only nodded, her cheek brushing past Dia's.

The girl said nothing more, only tilting her head once more to kiss the woman's smooth cheek. Though they were once again lying close together, she couldn't help but remember the strange sensation that had been Orr's body changing and shifting into someone else's. Or the sight of her face becoming a face that was not hers, and the wide-eyed, panicked look she had given when she realized it.

"I haven't felt this way in a very long time..." Orr murmured, her embrace tightening.

"Is it a good way to feel?"

"Of course."

"Then I'm glad."