Northbound Pilgrimage II

Chapter LXXIX - High Society Conduct

The next couple of hours were much more pleasant than those before.

Bishop and Aeyrin didn't separate for the entire time – neither of them wanted a repeat of the situation before. They tried to ignore all the nobles plotting and gossiping around and enjoyed the ball the best they could together. It didn't prove that hard in the end. With the spiced wine, good food, and surprisingly pleasant music, it was easy to get lost in the atmosphere. Especially when they avoided everyone else.

They spent the evening in the most shadowy corners they could find. And the more the wine flowed, the more the mood shifted. Bishop certainly had a knack for distracting Aeyrin effectively and he did begin to take advantage of Aeyrin's dress more and more. She felt strangely exposed with nothing underneath her gown whenever he touched her. He was always close and soon his feather-light teasing touches became bolder and firmer.

It was exciting, at first, but it was bordering on frustrating as their subtle flirtations turned more serious. Bishop even asked Aeyrin to dance, much to her amusement, although she knew what that meant. Neither of them actually wanted to dance. They just swayed in the corner in a tight embrace, constantly kissing and roaming their hands over each other.

Aeyrin was starting to feel impatient. Usually it was Bishop who was the first to try and find an opportunity for them to relieve some tension, but that night he seemed to be enjoying teasing her a little too much. She had trouble concentrating on anything else. And the alcohol certainly didn't help. She had been feeling boiling hot for so long now with her face constantly flushed bright red. And Bishop only seemed more and more amused by her squirming under his touch.

That was it. She'd had enough teasing. And the alcohol helped her be a little bolder. But before she could even think about how to resolve her predicament, Azshan found them in their recluse. Much to her dismay, he insisted that they come join him and Gisli and some other people that they didn't know at one of the tables by the side of the room. There was apparently going to be a musical performance and it would be rude not to act as an attentive audience.

It could not have been a worse time for something like that.

Bishop and Aeyrin begrudgingly followed Azshan to one of the tables and sat themselves down, side by side, facing the rest of the group. They didn't know anyone at the table, aside from Azshan and Gisli, but that didn't matter. Fortunately, nobody spoke at all as a bardess marched into the center of the ballroom and began singing, accompanied by the other minstrels playing instruments.

Bishop didn't even protest about being forced to sit there, although if he had already known what Aeyrin was planning, he would definitely not stand for it. And maybe it wouldn't be the worst thing for Aeyrin to cool down a little.

The table was filled with plates of delicious-looking treats set on silver platters and an embroidered silk tablecloth, but again, nobody touched any of them. So instead of thinking about the ridiculousness of it, Aeyrin opted to scoot her chair a little closer to Bishop and lay her head on his shoulder comfortably. Bishop squeezed his arm between her back and the chair in turn and placed his hand on her hip. It was nice. And definitely calm enough to help her get over her heated mood, but unfortunately, Bishop wasn't really planning on letting her.

When everyone was concentrating on the performance, he squeezed his hand on her hip a bit and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "That bard's got nothing on your singing, sweetness," he smirked. "Though you know when your voice is the best?"

Oh Gods, she knew where this was going. She barely even managed to cool down a little and he was starting again.

"I can't wait to hear you moan under me again," he groaned into her ear, sending shivers down her spine. His voice took up the familiar low tone that always got her more excited and his hand moved a bit lower on her hip as he squeezed her once more. "Fuck, you have no idea how much I want to throw you on this table, roll up that dress and just take you, over and over until your voice gets all hoarse and you can't even catch your breath."