"Laundry day is just the worst. The end of the week can't come any sooner: when we head off to the Dominion, I won't have to do this for a while."
Vivian scrubbed at some more of the clothes before passing them off to Kyrie who was rinsing them and then hanging them up to dry. The two of them were taking turns washing and rinsing, and Kyrie had just switched to let Vivian have another turn with the washing. Kyrie didn't really respond to Vivian's comment, but Vivian was rather used to this.
"Just once I'd like to see the masters do their own washing; imagine the lot of them with hands ripped raw from a mixture of water and soap."
Opening up her hands for Kyrie to see, Kyrie really didn't need the visual aid since her own hands mirrored it. Still, her gaze was drawn down to look anyway.
"I think it'd be kind of sad. Their hands always look so nice."
A light tsking noise was heard from Vivian at that, though it was clear from her expression that the mood was still light.
"You don't have a single vindictive bone in your body, Kyrie. It's impossible to commiserate with you for that reason!"
Kyrie just looked a little sheepish at that, which earned a soft laugh from Vivian. As Vivian returned to scrubbing, Kyrie found herself thinking that it really was nice to see Vivian in such good spirits again; Kyrie had missed the constant chatter of her friend in Raine's formative years. It just... Hurt that she'd done something that she knew Vivian wouldn't like. Even if Vivian didn't know about what she'd done, Kyrie knew, and it weighed pretty heavily on her. She was constantly worried that Vivian would think that something was wrong, but the fact that she didn't usually talk much anyway helped immensely with Vivian not making that discovery.
She'd also been making an effort to not purposely avoid Vivian like she was doing with Renard, but that was... Difficult. Her natural tendency was to just hole up when something was bothering her, and especially not confront whatever it was that ailed her. If she didn't want to be found out though, then she had to keep being in the presence of Vivian. Dessi had told her not to feel so bad, to forget about it, but Kyrie just couldn't forget; she kept seeing images in her head of what Vivian's expression would be if she ever found out what happened between her and Renard. It was too painful to just push out of her mind so easily.
Still, she had to try as best as she could to avoid seeing that face.
In an attempt to not appear too distant, Kyrie tentatively spoke up once more.
"I just think that they suffer too, in their own way; I don't see a reason to add more."
"They suffer?"
There was a hint of incredulousness in Vivian's voice, and even though Kyrie made a mumble that made it seem like she didn't want to continue, Vivian pushed her a bit.
"The nobles have always had it so much better than us! Nice living, nice food, plenty of leisure time, where is the suffering in that?"
Kyrie bit her bottom lip softly, wishing that she'd just kept her mouth shut. She hated confrontations; this was barely a confrontation since Vivian wasn't upset, but throwing ideas out like she'd done made her feel put on the spotlight. She certainly didn't want to be in the spotlight, especially now that she had such a black mark on her. In an effort to get out of Vivian's attention, she rushed to get her thoughts out.
"That may be, but we don't have to worry about assassins coming in the night to try and murder us; what the public thinks of us is never something that affects our lives like that. And good nobles, like Lady Dandridge, have countless lives underneath them that they have to account for. They have to be one step ahead of their peers at all times, and they have to gain the loyalty of those underneath them. That's a whole lot of stress for them, I would think. It's not thought about a lot for us because Mae never really shows it, but I remember my old master; he wasn't so stony faced."
Vivian was a little taken aback to hear something so well thought out from Kyrie; she wasn't sure why though. It wasn't that she thought Kyrie was stupid or that she didn't think at all, it was probably just because of the fact that Kyrie so rarely shared her thoughts. It was a little startling when they all came out at once like they just did.
"I suppose that's true..."
Her agreement was reluctant though, and her next statement made it clear why.
"Still, I think I'd rather have a lavish life with their worries than a content life with ours."
Thankful that Kyrie no longer had the floor, her shoulders sagged in relief as she simply shrugged.
"I'm not sure which I'd find better."
Quietly to herself, Kyrie thought about the lady of the house and her daughter. Raine seemed to have no real inkling that the royal family was looked upon rather unfavorably right now, and Mae acted in an almost similar fashion. She went through her daily routine as if there was nothing different about their lives, and yet, the number of guards at the house had grown a little more in the past year. It was strange to see them standing in complete silence at various areas around the manor, and on more than one occasion she'd been startled when she rounded a corner to find piercing eyes staring at her.
The lady didn't draw any attention to them though, and that helped a bit with the unease, but there were still more of them than there used to be. Nothing could change that fact, and the sheer frequency with which Kyrie saw them was enough to make a bit of an oppressive air. Raine must've been instructed not to mind them because she barely seemed to care about their presence. She would usually take note of where the guards were, but once she did that she virtually ignored them. They weren't supposed to do any real socializing when working; they had shifts that got changed fairly often to keep fresh eyes, but Kyrie wasn't sure she'd ever heard them speak.
She may say that she wasn't sure which would be better, but in her mind, being a slave in a comfortable household was much better than being a noble in said household. Kyrie could handle the constant toil of mundane work, but she didn't think she'd be able to handle the stress of watching one's back every single day. She was doing it so poorly with her own secret, after all.
Having been so caught up in her own thoughts, she was only just now noticing that Vivian was talking once more. Apparently her friend's brain had wandered to similar areas.
"--those guards ever smile? Of course I haven't heard one of them talk but even a smile seems to be something that they're unwilling to give. I bet Dessi's heard them talk when she goes off to their little building for who knows what kind of awful debauchery."
It was meant as a bit of a subtle jab to Dessi, but Kyrie wondered if Dessi perhaps provided a bit of a good service there. She'd heard the stories about men going to war yearning so much for a woman that they take lovers while they're on the front lines, even if they had someone waiting for them back home. Perhaps having Dessi around helped them destress and unwind, leaving them better rested for the vigil they had to make the next day? .... What kind of drawing that would make?
Kyrie started at the line of thought she was going down now and almost dropped the piece of clothing she was hanging up on the ground in shock. Just where was her mind going?! Fighting down the blush that was threatening to rise to her cheeks, she fumbled just slightly with the clothespin before properly hanging up the piece of clothing.
"Kyrie!"
Practically jumping out of her skin at Vivian's voice which had risen in volume, she snapped her gaze to Vivian with wide eyes while Vivian just devolved in laughter.
"Oh Kyrie, you just get so lost in your own head! You didn't even hear my question did you?"
Both embarrassed and relieved that Vivian hadn't somehow read her thoughts to get a glimpse at what she was thinking (as ridiculous as that sounded), Kyrie softly admitted that she hadn't.
"I asked if you could pass me that soap over there at your feet."
Looking down at her feet, she was a little taken aback by how mundane the question had been. Leaning over to pick up the soap, when she straightened back up what she saw when she turned to Vivian caused her to freeze.
Vivian was holding out her hand looking expectantly at Kyrie, but that wasn't what caused ice to run through her veins. It was Renard standing behind Vivian, apparently unseen by the other slave for the moment. There was a fire burning in his gaze as he fixed his eyes on Kyrie, one that burned the freeze in her to cause a dull throbbing of warmth. As Vivian's brow began to furrow with confusion from Kyrie's pause, Renard's expression cleaned up to the usual mischievous smile to bring a finger to his lips in an indication for Kyrie to keep silent about seeing him.
She could think of nothing beyond obeying the unspoken command, and simply dropped the soap into Vivian's waiting hand.
"Still a little lost, Kyrie?"
There was laughter in Vivian's voice as she turned back to the wash and Kyrie backed up and turned staunchly back to the clothesline. She could feel her heart beating quickly in her chest, and she only hoped that no one else could hear it. There was no reason for her body to react this way. Silently chanting to herself that the night in the garden didn't mean anything, it helped a little, but she was still acutely aware of the fact that Renard was right here.
A squeal soon made it painfully obvious that Renard was here, and Kyrie looked over to see that Renard had wrapped his arms around Vivian's torso and pulled her up. Soapy water had splashed onto her legs and also a bit onto Renard's from this action.
"Renard! Look at the mess you've made!"
"Oh no. I suppose we'll just have to take off our clothes to let them dry."
Vivian let out a sound of mock outrage and lightly pushed him. As much as she completely would have done that if Kyrie wasn't here, Kyrie was hanging around, and Vivian wasn't about to have sex with Renard in full view of Kyrie. Vivian was outgoing, sure, but not that outgoing.
"Lovely afternoon, Kyrie."
Dipping his head to Kyrie, Kyrie simply gave a brief nod to him, once again defaulting to clamming up.
"And a lovely afternoon to you too, my dear."
Moving his head forward so that Renard could kiss Vivian's cheek, Vivian seemed to be appeased from the upset she had of getting water on herself. Turning around in Renard's arms she gave him a warm hug. Even though Kyrie wasn't obviously watching them, she was doing so covertly—it was her habit after all—and she didn't fail to see how Renard's hands drifted southward, giving a bit of appreciation to Vivian's curves. Vivian either didn't consciously notice this action or didn't care, because there was no reprimand to him for that motion.
Kyrie felt sick.
The love that Vivian felt for Renard was so obvious in her expression and actions, and yet Kyrie had made love to her lover. Renard had touched her with heat that should be only for Vivian, and Kyrie didn't know how she would ever be forgiven. What made it worse was that she could feel her body aching for him even now. As she saw Renard touch Vivian with those slightly sensual touches, she imagined what it would feel like if it was her that he was touching. The mere fact that she was imagining herself in Vivian's position made this all the worse.
She had to get away.
Since Vivian had her back turned to her, Kyrie took this time to look down at the small box of clothespins on the floor. They were running a little low, but they still had more clothes to clean. It was as good of an excuse as any.
"Oh... We're running out of clothespins. I'll go grab some more."
As Kyrie gave one last look towards Renard and Vivian, the almost thankful look that Vivian turned to her with told her everything that she needed to know. Kyrie had done this before, made herself scarce so that Vivian and Renard could have a bit of a moment, but this time there was more to it than usual. Kyrie gave Vivian the slightest of smiles and Vivian hardly waited before leaning in to Renard for a kiss. Kyrie just picked up the clothespin box without further ado and scurried off.
She could care less about the clothespins though. The fact that Kyrie knew that Vivian and Renard were going to be having most likely sex out in the garden made Kyrie's own body burn with want. She wanted this fire out of her blood. She wanted it out so desperately. Bringing a hand up to her mouth she could feel her eyes tearing up a bit. How was it that Renard was doing this to her? It had never bothered her before when Vivian and Renard showed affection in front of her, but now... Now it was unbearable.
Clenching her eyes shut for a moment, when she fluttered them open again the moisture had left them.
Dropping the box of clothespins in the storage cupboard for now, she headed out of the manor, hardly aware of what it was that she was doing. It was only when her hands touched the wood of the entrance to the stables that it fully hit her exactly what she was doing.
Her breath hitched and before her brain could properly tell her body to leave this place, that familiar voice that she loved rang out in the stables.
"Kyrie?"
Once again her heart pounded like a drum, and her breath was coming in quick bursts as if she'd just run here. Was it pounding because of how much she wanted Isaac, or was it pounding because of the fact that she'd just been caught somewhere that she wasn't sure she consciously wanted to be? Seeing how flustered she was though, Isaac immediately put the last of the hay he was working with into the horse stall and practically dropped the pitchfork on the ground as he hurried over to her.
"What happened? What's wrong?"
"N-nothing! I--"
She what? She wanted Isaac to push her down into the hay and make love to her? There was no way she could say that! Yet, when his hands grabbed onto her arms to help steady her in whatever distress she was having, the fire in her blazed further and she had to suppress a shudder of want. What could she possibly say to him? Even though Dessi had told her to bring up something different with Isaac, she just never could broach the subject with him. It had been rationalized by her quietly saying to herself that she would try to gently push him in the right direction, though even there she wasn't sure how successful she was. Having her request sex from him just completely out of the blue would be so unprecedented, and she wasn't sure what the middle ground for that even was.
Slowly, her face flushed a deep red; she was acutely aware of how Isaac's gaze on her turned from worry to surprise. He'd been a bit tense lately thanks to all the escalating unrest in town, so when he saw Kyrie come to him out of breath his brain had thought the worst. Had a mob swarmed the lady's home like they'd done to her oldest brother's town house? Had any more buildings been set on fire? Were the lady's mines all still in order? Had there been another assassination attempt on Lady Dandridge, except this time from the Terra Kingdom? As he studied Kyrie's face though, and took into account her response, he knew that none of these things had happened.
… So what had happened?
Kyrie's sleeves were pulled up and her hair was tied back, though little tendrils of her brown hair had wriggled their way free of their confines. Her hands had remnants of moisture on them, though most of it appeared to have been soaked up by her dress, and he could see her chest moving up and down quickly, her heated breath brushing up against him since he was standing so close to her. To add to this almost windswept look that she had, her face flushed rather appealingly and Isaac couldn't help but stare.
He could feel the stirrings of arousal.
Aggressively trying to ignore that feeling so that he could properly pay attention to her, his slightly wandering eyes fixed back on hers. She had seen it though, she had seen how his eyes had moved along her body in a way that his hands wanted to. Now that his worry was alleviated, the desired effect that she wanted from him was beginning to kick in. It was just a matter of figuring out how to get him to indulge that desire. But... But could she really say something to spur him on?
"I just..."
Still she faltered, and her eyes turned downwards towards the floor.
"Vivian wanted a break so I--"
No, she was doing this all wrong! There was no way she was going to be able to seduce him like this! Her mind went into a bit of shock when she thought about it that way though. Was she really trying to seduce him? She supposed that she was trying to get him to have sex with her through more subtle means, but she never would've imagined... … She trying to seduce?!
If her blush could've gotten any deeper it would've, and Isaac watched her falter with a mixture of wonder and intense desire. She had rushed over here when Vivian expressed her desire for a break simply to stand at the doorway of the stables and not say a word? No, there was more to this. Kyrie wouldn't be so flustered if there wasn't. Then... Had she come here expressly to get his intimate attention? A spark of arousal pulsed through him at that thought, especially so because if there was a surefire way to eliminate his stress and tension it was through intimacy with Kyrie.
He had to test the waters and see if that was what she'd truly come for.
Isaac used one hand to lift her chin up, and she made the softest of sounds as she looked up at him with half-lidded eyes. He'd been intending to give her a soft but rather intimate kiss, but the look on her face as she gazed up at him prompted him in a bit rougher, his lips almost hungrily taking in her own. This was what she wanted though. This was exactly what she wanted. Somehow Isaac had caught on despite her horribly awkward and clumsy attempts at requesting sex from him.
When he broke the kiss, the two of them panted hard as they looked at each other with nothing but lust in their eyes.
"Kyrie..."
Her name was murmured softly by her lover as one of his hands wrapped around her waist to pull her in close while the other gently caressed her lips before moving to the side of her face.
"This is a first. You seeking me out for this, and out in the stable, no less."
Leaning in for another one of those passionate kisses, this meant that the only real response he got from the woman in his arms was a craving hum as one of her hands moved to rest on his cheek as well. When her skin touched his, his body let out a soft tremor. This whole scenario was just so unreal, not only that, but it was so incredibly sexy as well. Kyrie's attempts to get sexual attention from Isaac were nothing short of completely adorable.
Once again breaking their kiss, he let the hand on her cheek wander back over to her mouth and he stuck a couple fingers in there. Letting out a satisfied sound as she began sucking and thoroughly wetting his fingers, Isaac turned her around so that her back was pressed up against him. This allowed a better angle for his hand to slip into her dress and fondle her breasts. The instant that his fingers made contact with the soft and sensitive flesh, Kyrie let out a low moan that was echoed by Isaac as he felt the vibration on his fingers.
Just as Kyrie was beginning to think that this was going so horribly slow, Isaac plunged the fingers that she'd wetted down into her underwear. He found her already ready for penetration, and he fought back a wave of desire that told him to just push her down. Instead, he slipped in the two fingers that she'd prepared for him, and she let out a gasp as she straightened up her back, her body leaning heavily against him.
The fire that had been boiling in her veins was reaching a fever pitch now, and she knew that this wasn't enough. Now her apprehension was dulled by desire though, and instead of fumbling about her words too much she was actually able to get out a message.
"Isaac..."
He gently kissed at her neck to acknowledge the address while his hand began a steady rhythm, and she let out another gasp and panted a bit to try and regain her composure before continuing on.
"Issac, I want... I want you."
There was a soft whimper highlighting her voice, and Isaac just couldn't resist her: there would be no more restraint. Pulling his hand out of her underwear, he instead pulled the fabric down a ways and lifted up her skirt to have complete access to her. Briefly letting go of her to undo his own pants, her entire body trembled with anticipation to know that he'd be penetrating her soon. Still she felt like this was slow though, just too slow. She had to figure out how to fix that, how to get him into her harder. Surely he'd be perfectly capable of that with a physique like his. Yet he held himself back. It was just like Dessi had said. Maybe... Maybe she should find a way to tell him what it was that she really wanted.
Before she could get very far in that train of thought, she felt Isaac's hands grip her hips with a clear purpose as he plunged himself inside of her. Letting out a cry loud enough to cause some nickering sounds in the horse stalls, she reached her arms up and behind her to loosely encircle Isaac's head. It also proved to display her body to him all the more, and Isaac wasted no time in shoving both his hands into the top of her dress and roughly squeezing at her breasts.
She really was a surprisingly sexual creature. He never would've imagined her fulfilling the wild fantasies he had in his brain, yet here was one of them; her coming out to the stables to be fucked by him there. Kyrie was always in his thoughts, when he was away and even when he was home, so to have her enter his reality more often felt good. It felt damn good. Perhaps having Kyrie come out here like this was permission for him to be able to indulge his desires more often. The rational part of his brain told him it didn't work that way, but the part focused solely on his penis urged him on, whispering to him just how much she would love it if he let loose on her.
Grunting softly as he thrust hard into her, she let out an uninhibited moan to feel his member being shoved deep inside of her. Grinding her hips hard into Isaac's every thrust, the fire had swelled now to a more encompassing warmth. It didn't burn nearly so bad now that Isaac was finally beginning to satisfy it. She felt ashamed to have such an intense desire in the first place, but at the same time, it felt so good to have Isaac work her brain into a frenzy of nothing but pleasure.
His hands soon slipped out of her dress, and while at first this began the beginnings of a whimper in Kyrie, it instead gave way to another pleasured moan. Once again gripping her hips so that he could get better purchase, he was able to put more strength and precision into it as he pounded into her. Now that he was focused solely on her bottom half, her torso fell a bit until her hands found a wall of the stable. She wasn't sure which wall this was, and frankly she didn't care, she was just using it as a brace while Isaac caused her smaller body to bounce from his power.
He was pushing deep into her from this position, and it felt like he was brushing against things that were usually left untouched by their lovemaking. It sent waves of pleasure roiling through her, and she knew that she'd be hitting her breaking point pretty soon. Her body was twitching something fierce with each new thrust that he sent into her, every muscle of hers tensing in preparation for her release. Isaac could feel her getting close, but he wasn't quite there yet; he wanted to draw this out with his lover, savor it for as long as he could unlike the last time. How would she handle two orgasms in a row with no break? He wanted to know, he was going to know.
Soon enough she was letting out a final loud cry as her body clenched around his erection. Grunting a bit from the sensation, he didn't cum, but he won't deny that his pleasure increased from the heightened proximity. Kyrie panted as her body twitched in time with her quickened heartbeat, and while Isaac had paused for a moment for her release, he was soon back to steady thrusting. Kyrie's body started at this, her hips writhing in a pleasure overload. She wasn't sure whether she was trying to get away from Isaac or trying to move towards him though; that was always what it felt like just after release, an almost bittersweet indulgence.
Each of his now slower pushes into her caused her to let out a soft cry, punctuated by the occasional whimper. Her whole body trembled as Isaac just continued on, and the sight of her writhing so much like this as her inner walls almost continually clenched around him easily drove him to a faster pace.
"Isaac--"
She barely breathed out his name in between moans, and Isaac leaned over her bent form now, lightly biting at her ear and causing another harsh tremor and gasp to run through her body.
"Feels good, doesn't it?"
His response was murmured into her ear as he gave her a particularly strong thrust, and she responded with another cry of pleasure. Her fingers curled against the wall, seeming to want something to hold onto, and Isaac released her hips for now to let his larger hands lace fingers with hers.
"It'll feel even better when we reach our release together."
The voice he spoke to her with was husky with lust, and a bit more commanding than usual. This whole scenario aroused her to no end, and when Isaac returned his focus back into his body's movement, the pleasure coursing through her ceased all thought in her mind. Moaning freely as Isaac trailed kisses down her neck and gave her new marks to line her shoulder, she felt nothing but good from this whole encounter. The fact that Renard had triggered it wasn't bothering her even remotely at the moment, all there was was the ever increasing sense of release that was coming.
It was coming for Isaac soon now as well. She was so tight after releasing once, and her little motions and reactions were just driving him further and further to his own release. Her every action was just so sexy when they made love, especially so when her own body was at its limit for pleasure stimulus. Pushing into her one last time, going as deep as he could go, he let out a moan into her ear as he felt himself ejaculate deep inside of her. This of course caused Kyrie's own body to tense and tremble with another release, and her shuddering cry meshed with Isaac's moan.
Her entire body trembled something fierce while Isaac remained motionless inside of her, letting her tightening walls coax as much as they could out of him. In the meantime, he gently bit at her neck, once again causing a bit of a squirming response while he reddened a more noticeable part of her. Usually she didn't like this, but somehow it just felt right. So this time, she simply made a pleased sound as he sucked at her skin.
He still didn't actually pull out of her, instead he backed up, holding her close to him as he plunked down onto the simple bench in the stables. This jostle caused her to let out a soft breath of surprise and Isaac hugged her close.
"Every little thing you do, Kyrie. It drives me mad with love, and lust, I'll admit."
Kissing her cheek softly with a small chuckle, he remained with her in his arms for a good few minutes. He was enjoying the feeling of him comfortably nestled up inside of her while she huddled against his torso. It would seem that she was as well, considering she didn't make a move to try and leave Isaac's presence.
She wasn't sure how long it had been since she let Vivian have her time with Renard, but what she did know was that she wasn't in much of a rush to get back to the laundry. Not after what she'd just been a part of in the stables. The fire no longer burned in her, and she was relieved once more that she could still find satisfaction in Isaac's arms. Why was it she kept craving Renard though whenever he gave her a heated look? She trembled a little at the mere remembrance of the look he'd given her out in the garden.
Closing her eyes, she snuggled up against Isaac until her heart calmed and she was simply basking in his protection.
"I love you, Isaac."
Perhaps this encounter would encourage him to be a bit more forward with her; this encounter had already shown her that Isaac was holding back a bit, and she wanted him to let loose more often. She still couldn't bring herself to say it out loud though; that just wasn't something that should be talked about in her mind.
"And I love you, Kyrie."
Leaning down to rest his head on her shoulder, he also didn't feel inclined to get back to work any time soon. He would eventually, but for now, Kyrie had his undivided attention.