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Ish’talla Side
Andr'ial and Ati'yya
Chapter 02 : 01
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The days go by far too quickly and the date of the gathering has nearly arrived. Andr’ial was still having the same reservations he had before; she is not ready for this. Ati’yya would be exposed to the harsh reality of Siren ownership, something he himself had almost fallen into as force is simply how it is done. His uncle would be amongst the many who attend, the same man who bought In’irda for Hir’itel all those years ago, taking what he wanted of her first. He remembers just how young she was when she was captured. His uncle’s own Siren was meek and timid, always too quick to obey for fear of what would happen if she did not. That Siren is the one who started his obsession, that beautiful creature, so graceful and willing, always at his side. Now that he thinks on it, Andr’ial realizes just how unhappy and terrified she had been and still is. He couldn’t see past the stigma of owning one. That is something Ati’yya will never be, as he likes the glow on her face when she smiles and laughs. He had spent the past week allowing Ati’yya to become comfortable with her surroundings, never pushing for contact, of which she would greatly reward him for. Oiling had become a daily ritual she seemed to enjoy and would allow him to explore her form as he wished and he did so, with much respect to her beauty. His Siren was still getting used to clothing and food that was not still living but he is sure it will come in time. She even has begun to understand a few words of his language, proving her self to be highly intelligent and a quick learner. Andr’ial sighs to himself in contentment as he finally allows his eyes to open to the morning suns, his white gaze immediately turning to find his beautiful Ati’yya sleeping, curled up not far from him. Last night was the first time he had not stolen her consciousness for sleep. He was always afraid she would attempt to escape, that she was only biding her time until she could earn his trust then break it. He was pleasantly surprised to see this was not the case, that she slept peacefully beside him. His smile is replaced with a frown as he remembers that she still needs to be branded with his family crest, something else he was not looking forward to having to do. Law required it and he had technically let her go too long without it as she was supposed to be branded as soon as she had an owner, meaning the instant they got off the boat. He just wanted to get her home as quickly as possible but it would need to be done before the gathering otherwise she could be taken from him and he would not stand for that. Hir’itel had promised to allow it done at his residence before others would arrive. While he knows it was quite a spectacle others enjoyed watching, he would not, just as much as he knows Ati’yya would not like it either. He would also ask In’irda to explain what had to be done and why to her, so she does not think him to be cruel intentionally. He would also need her to explain what she would see at the gathering. His cousin’s Siren would become an invaluable resource for him, but he knows there is only so much he can ask before Hir’itel begins to want something in return. Lending Ati’yya is out of the question for him though and his cousin is lucky he even agreed to show up for this in the first place. He smirks, how different this has turned out, but he is very happy for it. He thought training would involve harsh physical discipline; instead, his Siren is training him to be kind and patient. He could push for a reform on how Sirens are customarily trained, but his status would not allow it, he would simply be laughed off. Someone like his uncle could do it, but he won’t, he enjoys the pain and fear he can cause with his own hands, as so many of the other older owners do. Clawed fingers reach out, moving strands of sky blue away from his sleeping Siren’s eyes before brushing lightly over her full lips. How stupid he was, but he is glad he quickly came to his senses on how to treat Ati’yya and that she allowed him this. He can’t even imagine how terrible things would be between them if he had kept on the previous path; she would be as bad off as his uncle’s. A sleepy smile forms on full lips as clawed fingers she knows to belong to the silver haired man trace so carefully over every line and detail of her face. It’s a morning ritual almost that she’s woken to every day since that time they had shared, a gentle touch that beckons her back from the surrounding darkness or her dreams. Ati’yya turns her head towards the warmth behind her without bothering to open her eyes, allowing Andr’ial to continue his exploration and enjoying her captor’s soft touch. She can feel the suns’ heat washing over them, spilling in from the open balcony she knows to be somewhere beyond and even though the cushion beneath her is not the terrain of her home, the increasing familiarity of the softness brings a similar sort of comfort to her just the same. It has been this way since that sunset evening between herself and the horned man, a kind of understanding they’d both seem to come to as to how they should behave. The harshness and violence she’d first been subjected to had completely gone away and in the place of that cold treatment was a male she’s growing fond of in ways she wouldn’t have believed possible. Ati’yya’s blue slitted gaze finally cracks open to find pupiless white staring down from above and she slides her own webbed fingers away from the silken sheets and up over her head, her entire body arching just a little as she stretches her limbs completely out. Andr’ial smiles, moving quickly to scoop his Siren up before she has even finished stretching and climbing off the bed to carry her to her pool. A warmth washes over him as she yawns and curls up against his grip while he walks. Seating himself down on the side of the sun drenched pool, he dips his feet into the chilly water, slowly lowering Ati’yya in to submerse her and allow her to swim free while he stays on the edge, simply watching. Sky blue locks swirl and streak behind the Siren as she moves gracefully beneath the surface, stopping as she circles around to touch at Andr’ial’s feet and laughing when he flinches as it tickles. The musical sound of her voice reaches him from below the water. How different it sounds than when she is above, echoing hauntingly. When Ati’yya has finished swimming and soaking up the water, she resurfaces, wading over to the horned man who reaches down to lift her up and onto his lap as he continues to sit over the edge. He leans in, kissing her gently as she wraps her arms around his neck. Standing, he carries her back over to the bed to continue the morning ritual that has developed over the past week. Removing a bottle of oil from a small cabinet, her sits down beside Ati’yya as she lies face down on the sheets, sighing and stretching again as she closes her eyes. He empties some of the contents into his hands, starting on her feet as he spreads the oil that keeps her skin hydrated, carefully moving upwards and over every part. She can’t help smiling, crossing her arms beneath her head as clawed hands glide across the surface of her skin, the time Andr’ial takes in exploring as if each new touch was his first manages to amuse her a little. She’s learned that this oil he’s been applying since that day he took her from her home was for her benefit and helps to keep her from becoming sick while out of the water for as long as she is. At first she’d hated it, the scent of the perfumes overwhelming and the feel of it soaking into her body made her flesh crawl. But she’s slowly begun to get used to it and she’s reluctant to admit that she does enjoy the way the silver haired man is so careful not to miss any trace amount of her skin. Full lips part just a little, a quiet sound leaving her when his fingers slide over the curves of her thighs before a chirp of surprise escapes when he leans down to leave a kiss at the back of her neck moments before he returns to his task with his hands at the small of her back. Blue slitted eyes slide open and she grins a little slyly against her arms before kicking a long leg up to playfully bump Andr’ial’s rear with the ball of her foot. A devious smile forms over Andr’ial’s lips and he leans in to nip lightly at her back, causing another chirp to leave her and she pummels him with both feet. He laughs loudly as he takes his beating, noting her own amusement as she playfully hits him. Clawed fingers grab on to her waist, flipping the Siren over and holding her ankles still while she struggles lightly. She bucks playfully, accidentally kneeing Andr’ial in the face and sending him toppling over the side of the bed with a loud thump. The world blacks out for a second as the horned man reaches for his head and realizing he’s staring straight up at the ceiling from the floor. His vision is soon filled with wet sky blue locks as they fall off Ati’yya’s shoulders when she looks down over the side of the bed in slight concern. He blows the hair away as it hits his mouth, wanting to laugh but finding his head wasn't quite allowing it. She pulls back and webbed feet quickly climb down off the side of the bed, walking around to his head and sitting down next to him before reaching over tentatively as he moans slightly in pain, unsure of what to do. Clawed fingers reach up quickly, grabbing onto her hands and bringing them to his lips to kiss. “Silly fish… my head is not harder than marble.” Ati’yya tilts her head in the slightest as the one below her slowly pulls her fingers away from his mouth, the concern in her blue gaze growing the longer Andr’ial remains pinned to the marble floor. She didn’t mean to kick him and the fall he took seems to have hurt him in some way, but she doesn’t exactly know what she should do. Wishing to get a better look, she shifts her lithe frame around the moment her hands are freed and swings one leg over his prone form to straddle his built chest. Webbed fingers slip to the tangled strands of silver strewn across his face and begin carefully pushing them away, white eyes closing briefly when she leans over to bring her face in closer. The horned man’s gaze reopens to find his Siren’s perfect breasts practically in his face as her expression is set in concentration while she examines him for any breaks in his skin. Clawed hands can’t help but move to her slim waist and wrap carefully around her body as she traces her own over to the base of his horn before pushing his head gently towards the pristine white stone below only to lean in a little further so she can continue her search for an injury she knows she probably caused. Andr’ial stays still, wondering if she is aware of her actions or where her body parts are pointed, though he does appreciate the concern for his head. He allows her explorations while taking in the full view until he decides it’s just too much for him and he sits up, pulling her into his lap while her arms instinctively wrap around his neck in the sudden movement. The horned man smiles as he leans in, speaking quietly into her lips. “If you keep that up, I will not be able to control myself.” He kisses her softly, shifting her over to his thigh to spare her the sudden rise in anatomy gazing upon her has caused. Reaching back behind, he rubs at the spot behind his head where he hit before bringing it back to see if there is any blood. He shows her his clean hand to assure her that any damaged caused is not serious before using his claw tips to smooth still wet strands of blue from her face and gazing upon her pretty features. Slitted blue eyes close briefly and she tilts her head just slightly towards Andr’ial’s hand, a soft smile forming on her lips. Since that day it has been so peaceful between them… There are still times when misunderstandings are had and the language barrier becomes taxing, but her captor is quick to learn and she’s grateful that he’s willing to try. In turn she has begun to understand single words here and there that he speaks, easier for her to learn his language it appears than he’d be able to learn hers in return. He has also treated her so gently in this time and begun acting as a true suitor would act. There have been no chains and no bindings and she’s realizing that she’s beginning to enjoy his presence as he makes it so easy at times to forget the nightmare she’d found herself in since he’d pulled her from those limestone shores. She has not forgotten what has been done and does not fool herself into believing she is still free, but… the hatred and loathing and contempt she’d felt in the beginning she feels nothing of which now. Reopening her eyes when claw tips travel down to trace along the line of her jaw, her own gaze sweeps over the horned man’s features to take them all in. While his face is still foreign to her and his pupiless eyes so different than her slitted own, now that she has been given time to look upon him without the repulsion that had been there before, she’s begun to see that he really is rather handsome. And though he is not of her kind and her choice to companion with him had originally been forced by his own hand, she’s slowly begun to accept him to be her intended mate in the way In’irda has said he wishes because he has been treating her as such. One of Ati’yya’s hands slips onto the silver haired man’s thigh before her, coming to rest so close to contained flesh and allowing her to brace as she leans up. The webbed fingers of her free hand touch at Andr’ial’s mouth when the closeness of her hand to his body pulls a quiet gasp from inside before she stretches her neck out to touch her lips to his and give him the slightest of playful kisses, meant as an apology of sorts for the bump she’d caused to the back of his head. He smiles at her actions, attempting to ignore the hand that grows ever closer before sliding his arms under her thighs and lifting the Siren up as he stands. He seats himself back down on the edge of the bed, moving Ati’yya to straddle him as the horned man brings her in close, meeting her mouth once more as he gives her an affectionate kiss. “Apology accepted, little fish.” Pulling back slightly, white eyes move over Ati’yya’s face, taking in every part of her. She finally seems… happy and he is very glad for this. He wishes he could understand her better, be able to know what she’s thinking when she looks at him. Perhaps once she understands his language more, he can teach her to write . While he doesn’t know of any Siren to pick up the skill, he also doesn’t know of anyone who has tried to teach it either. Idly, he wonders if her own language has a written form and if he himself could learn it. Andr’ial’s thoughts are interrupted when a faint knock sounds on his door. He smiles deviously and throws Ati’yya over his shoulder while she kicks at him playfully as he walks over. Dispelling his wards, he opens the heavy door to retrieve their meals and carries them back to the bed to set them down before removing his struggling Siren and tossing her on the mattress with a laugh. As has been the tradition every day, he hands her a small bowl of live fish before taking his own plate to begin eating. Also as has been the tradition every day, he brings her a new item of food to try. So far nothing has really caught her interest but today he decided he would offer her sweet things to see if maybe that tasted better to her. The horned man takes a small cake off his plate and places it over near her bowl as she begins spearing the little fish one by one. Watching her eat had ceased to disgust him and now he only finds it adorably amusing. Blue slitted eyes slide over to the confection Andr’ial has set for her and she stares at it with the same curiosity she’s held for each new food he has had brought. The things in which he consumes have all been so foreign and she’s still at a loss as to how he can stomach it all, but he seems determined to find something of his culture’s food that she will be able to enjoy and so every day, she has been willing to try. She has been careful only to taste the smallest amounts since that day she had consumed what he gave her and gotten so sick, but even the tastes of the food alone have been off putting to her as of yet and as she finishes chewing the last of her own meal, she doesn’t see how this new item will be any different. Setting the skeletal remains of the fish back into the bowl and pushing it off to her side, webbed fingers reach down to poke at the cake with the very tip of a delicate claw before she leans down, sky blue locks shifting over narrow shoulders as she brings her face in close. White pupiless eyes watch intently as his Siren repeats the same actions she’s repeated every day since this ritual began –a slight tilt of Ati’yya’s head and a sniff of the food before her tongue slips out to take a tentative taste. Andr’ial’s own movements still as he finds himself caught by her exploration and unlike the times that have come before the look on her face is for once not that of obvious disgust for the offering. A moment later she straightens, her gaze fixed on the confection she’d just licked while her captor stares on hopefully before she scoops it up and pulls it to her mouth to take the smallest of bites. It was the strangest taste she’s ever known and yet the first pleasant thing from his foods that he’s brought her. She takes another small bite once she’s swallowed the first before the widest of grins forms on her lips, her slitted gaze rising to meet pleased white as she holds the bitten cake out to him and chirps happily in delight to let the horned man know that she approves of he’s given her very much. “Wonderful.” Andr’ial laughs. “It is sweets from now on.” He moves forward, tilting Ati’yya’s chin up as she continues to take small bites of the cake and leaning in to kiss her lightly on the forehead. He sits back against the decorative headboard to finish his own meal while watching her slowly devour the small cake and hoping it won’t end up making her sick like the first item he gave her did. It would make life much easier if she could convert wholly to common foods, especially since at gatherings it’s all they have. Most Sirens aren’t given the luxury of a slow transition as most owners would prefer to not have live fish around. He would prefer not to either, but Ati’yya’s wellness was more important. His smile fades as he watches her, afraid that her beautiful innocence will be tainted by what she will see tomorrow. There is nothing he can do to shield her form the harsh reality, one he used to not think was so harsh, but seeing her happy has made him wonder why others would not wish the same. The horned man very briefly thought about returning her but he admits he is too selfish, he can’t give her up. Hopefully she will feel the same about him in time, until then, he will do what he can to keep her happy .
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