Cassandra Pendragon
"The hard part is to collect and imbue a definite amount of light with your intent," Ahri explained while we were watching beams of starlight dance between the clouds. "Forcing it into a recognisable shape afterwards is pretty easy in comparison, except… I'm decently sure that's where you're going to struggle. And separating the light from Earth from all the rest, of course. Care to explain again why you're set on doing so? Provided there even is enough that's been reflected off one tiny planet I don't know how many light years away." I shrugged.
"I like Earth. And it should be enough. I can taste light, I can tell where it's coming from. It's not much, but it should very well be enough for a dress. A single beam is all it takes, isn't it?" I closed my eyes and opened my mind, inviting her in. I wasn't going to go through the process twice and even though she hadn't said anything I was decently sure that she wanted one as well. I mean, a dress made of light and shadows? Don't tell me you wouldn't be lining up as well. Case and point I didn't have to wait long until her warm, soothing thoughts poured into me, merging with the erratic stream of my consciousness.
Like she had said gathering the materials was a mere wish away. I twirled my fingers and my left hand became shrouded in silver while the right glowed brightly with a fiery red. "How," Ahri whispered in my thoughts, referring to the different colours.
"Intent and association," I replied distractedly, most of my concentration used to keep the fleeting threads from dispersing. "Crimson and silver, you and me. What now?"
"Before you can fix the construct you need to give it its form. Which… Come to think of it, you don't know the first thing about tailoring or cuts, do you?"
"No," I growled. Obviously still metaphorically, but my thoughts conveyed the sentiment well enough. "I'm still done prancing around butterball naked at the most inopportune times, though. Besides… I just need to imagine a shape, don't I? I don't really have to know how to get there."
"True… in that case, look, that's what I've seen in the elven capital. Some of the designs look pretty good." I shuddered when a near endless stream of extravagant dresses appeared before my inner eye, the faces of the wearers blurry while the intricacies of the garments stood out in great detail. Typical.
Admittedly, imagining Ahri in some of the tighter ones was fun, but I didn't want her to look like an expensive escort at a fancy masquerade ball in Venice. Come to think of it, neither did I want to look like one. And some of the more provocative outfits were barely any better than my birthday suit. A scarce few were even worse. Did people really wear that in public?
"Only the nobles and only if they have the clout," she explained with a laugh in her voice… thoughts. "You could pull it off, though."
"Certainly. So could you. But I don't want to be responsible for an unexplainable wave of heart attacks. Everything that's consisting only of straps is off the table. I won our bet anyways, didn't I? Shouldn't I decide what you're going to wear?"
"For a week," she pouted. "And the week's almost up."
"Not even close… still, I get your point. No straps, though. And no frills."
"Your mum is going to be sorely disappointed," she sighed.
"Oh well, she should have gotten used to it by now. She's accepted a maid as her daughter in law, hasn't she?" She used the tip of her tail to whip my butt. Gently. More or less. Before she could argue, though, I added softly: "just wait until she hears that I'm even going to take on said maid's name. My wardrobe is hardly going to matter afterwards." Her thoughts stuttered to a halt until she stammered:
"Are you… of course you are. Why? Just for me?" I leaned to the side and found her lips. When we separated again I lost myself in her sparkling gaze.
"What do you think? I can hardly ditch my last name altogether but Cassandra Arete-Pendragon doesn't sound bad, does it," I finally breathed. Her tails snaked around my waist and pulled me into her embrace. With a stifled yell I just barley managed to keep my concentration on the dancing glow between my fingers, but when she returned the kiss even more tenderly than before the light flickered and vanished into two showers of sparks that mingled beautifully in the darkness before they were blown away by the wind.
Her bright, melodious laughter rang through the night and a surge of joy spread through our connected minds. Together we moved, her ideas, her sense of elegance united with my will and together we called out again. The lights returned and with a flourishing gesture I bound them to our bracelets while Ahri's desires moulded the quivering beams into a tangible form.
For the fraction of a heartbeat we both shone in silver and crimson before dark spots appeared on our flowing, ethereal cocoons. Darkness was nothing more than the absence of light and thus I could manifested black, even though it wasn't a part of the natural spectrum.
Layer by layer the dancing sparks condensed, clothing us in white, crimson, silver and black. The magic quivered and the spell was on the verge of collapse, the intricate nuances of keeping the beams separate without letting go almost too much for my practically nonexistent experience. A jolt of fear surged through me when I already saw the magic unravel, but luckily I wasn't alone. With a twist of my thoughts I allowed Ahri to hold the construct through my power and under her proficient nudging the final outlines manifested. I didn't spare the time to truly look at it, instead I immediately reached out and tied the two amalgamations of magic and light to our respective bracelets. A surge of power thundered through me, fleeting but eternal, and the spells settled gently into the enchanted metal around our arms.
From one second to the next a moonstone and a ruby shimmered under the cold starlight, their facets ablaze with transcendent sparks. "I… did it work," I whispered, afraid my voice might disturb the completion of the spell.
"Only one way to find out," Ahri replied brightly and slithered from my grasp with a snakelike movement. She stood in the air before me, naked and proud and more beautiful than any creature I had ever seen, her arms spread wide, her eyes closed. A crimson glow flowed from the ruby on her bracelet like water and wreathed itself around her perfect figure. A flash of red and white blinded me, but through the glare I saw her outline vanish behind a curtain of crystallised light. I blinked and wrinkled my nose, the smell of ozone had become much too strong to ignore, but then I felt my mouth slowly open, my mind empty accept for the heavenly apparition in front of me.
The remnants of the spell were still dancing around her like a swarm of tiny fireflies, but even their glow paled in comparison to the girl they veiled. I had never truly believed in "clothes make the man", ultimately there was only so much a nicely tailored suit could do for you when you're quite partial to third and fourth helpings of desert, but when combined with her transcendent beauty the effect was stunning. Literally. For a good handful of seconds I did nothing but stare, my mind empty, my thoughts blank.
The basic design was more or less identical to the dresses my mom had had tailored for us when we had first gone to meet Arthur, with a huge slit on the side that went up to her waist and a sleek, almost cropped cut, but the scintillating, interchanging colours, ranging from the soothing violet of dusk to the blood red crimson of dawn made it seem… otherworldly. Combined with her chiselled face and multicoloured eyes she truly looked like a goddess, even to me.
"I'll be damned," I breathed shakily. "I think you've just shattered my understanding of beauty." As if in trance I reached out, my fingers hovering hesitantly in front of her face.
"That alone was worth the trouble," she laughed throatily and spun on the spot. With a sound like ripping silk the hem of her dress flared out and a wave of soft, crimson light illuminated the clouds below us. With a joyous smile she pushed against my palm and allowed herself to fall into my arms. The folds of her dress felt like water when they rubbed against my naked skin, but the sensation soon vanished, carried away by her hot breath on my cheek.
"Your turn," she purred. "Amaze me."
"Your wish is my command." I wasn't overly fond of showing off for a variety of reasons, but when in Rome… I exhaled and allowed my form to collapse into a shower of sparks that was carried away by my lingering breath. A stone throw away I materialised again. The cold breeze caught in my hair and made my tresses dance while a faint, silver glow obscured my curves.
First the frozen beams of light manifested, harsh and silver, like a glowing stream that flowed down my back and split around my wings. It circled once around my thighs and ran up my stomach before it turned into a shimmering, intricate maze around my breasts. A deep hum reverberated through the air and the thin, disseminated lines pulsed in the night like a falling star.
Darkness spread and filled the gaps in my dress like water. With each beat of my heart the light became stronger, brighter, while the blurry, inky spots became deeper. Darker. Seconds passed until I felt a wave of energy caress my skin and tiny, glowing spots appeared amidst the pitch black folds. Like the stars overhead they shimmered, beautiful and distant, and their light turned into a visible nimbus around my form. The sensation that followed was indescribable.
Cool yet warm, silky yet heavy the garment settled around my shoulders. When I moved it followed, when I turned it danced. A genuine smile spread across my face and the laughter that followed was much more childlike, much more… unburdened than I had come to expect. For the first time I actually felt the pure joy of discovering a beautiful dress. Ahri gazed at me in stunned amazement, her eyes bright, and that alone made me feel special, elegant, confident… free.
"What do you think," I asked as I twirled on the spot, my wings and tails spread wide. She cleared her throat and forcefully tore her eyes away from my glowing curves while a faint bush rose to her cheeks.
"You're never going to wear that thing again unless you have your spear in your hand and a spell on your lips," she replied curtly, but the surreptitious glances she constantly cast at me and her deepening blush were a different answer all by themselves. Not to mention the almost whispered: "if I can, I'll make you wear it every time we're alone, though."
"Somehow I know exactly what you mean without snooping," I replied with a lascivious grin. Above the clouds the starry sky was breathtaking, framing her in rivers of molten light and infinite nothingness, but in comparison to her alluring smile even the wonders of creation paled like wilted flowers surrounding a vibrant rose.
In response I felt a tug on my awareness as my vision splintered and I saw myself through her eyes. Joy, pride, love and no small amount of possessiveness were surging through her like a wildfire and when our gazes met my own feelings exacerbated hers as if stoking the flames. I couldn't say if it was her or me who moved first but barely a heartbeat later we were already in each others arms. The smell of pine trees and ozone mixed, her tails glided up my thighs and when our lips met the entire world seemed to stand still. The king of the elves, the merging of the realms, our more than dire future… it didn't matter anymore. For a short eternity we were again alone on top of the world, worries, plans and the future all but forgotten. She deepened the kiss and I closed my eyes, willingly drowning in her warmth.
"Not even a minute," I chuckled breathlessly half an hour later. "For the first time in my life I actually like a dress and I couldn't even wear it for a minute. Sometimes I'm not so sure anymore whether I'm the devil or if you are." She kissed my neck before she replied:
"Fire and flame are more my thing than they are yours, but I've never been a fan of sulphur. It does smell a bit like ozone, though, and you're already wielding a spear. That's half a fork, isn't it?"
"You're right. Maybe I should start using it more often and simply poke everyone who's getting on my nerves in the backside a couple of times."
"That I'd like to see," she whispered in my ear before she gently licked it. Goosebumps erupted down my spine and I almost missed her next words: "speaking of which, what are we going to do with the… guest you asked me to bring? I have to return him by morning, Zara won't be able to cover for us any longer than that. He's still a king, albeit a petty one."
"Where did you put him anyways," I asked distractedly while I tried to regain my bearings. The damned vixen knew exactly which buttons to push and she wasn't too shy to abuse her power.
"A girl needs her secrets," she answered lazily, "but if you've got to know, I'll magnanimously satisfy your curiosity, just this once. I've stored him in my flames." My mouth opened on its own accord again.
"Are you… are you telling me he's been watching the entire time," I asked in a mortified whisper.
"I'm not that cruel, he doesn't deserve to be scarred forever, just yet," she laughed. "No, he's… incarcerated, for want of a better word. Simple explanation, mass and energy are linked and with a bit of practice you can not only store energy in mass, like an artefact, you can also achieve the reversed effect. Once I take him back out he won't even know that any time has passed. I think. I've never tried it before." I frowned.
"But you do know that he hasn't turned into sparks and memories, yet, don't you?" She shrugged.
"Don't worry, I'm almost certain that he's fine. Worst case scenario he's slightly singed… medium rare, tops."
"Yeah, even with a pitchfork I'm no match for you. Please, tell me you aren't being serious."
"Not really. But I truthfully haven't tried it before. The theory is sound, though. Shall we have a look?"
"No… a few more minutes won't make a difference and I have a sneaking suspicion that we should check on our home as soon as possible. Introducing fey, elves and Constantine the friggin Great to the mix is already bad enough, but with most of our friends currently heading north and Reia chock full of transcendent energies and hormones, it's a powder keg waiting to explode. None of them have our patience, after all. And I also have to take care of Lamia. If anything was to happen to the phoenix Reia would skin me alive. You've seen her, she's got it hard."
"How fast she's grown…"
"As if," I interrupted her. "If she was half as mature as she thinks she is I wouldn't worry as much. Hopefully Lamia still has the courage to say no, because I just know the vixen won't know when to stop."