Atria took Karliah's hand, hoping to indicate that the situation didn't bother her and attempted to use a soothing touch to calm the Dunmer. Karliah was still desperately tense, so rigid that she might snap, as she and Atria waited for Brynjolf to join them. At her gesture, Karliah looked at their joined hands and back up at Atria's face. She still wore her mask, so it was difficult to determine if she was questioning or appreciative, but she didn't relinquish Atria's hand. Bryn was determinedly not meeting her eye as he slowly walked towards them, hesitation in every step. Letting go of Karliah, Atria took off the masked hood she'd just donned, and shook out her hair in an effort to maintain some sense of outward calm. A trill shot up her spine as she stood there, the anticipation making her soar.
"Did you have to do this with Mercer and Gallus?" Bryn asked, frowning.
"No, but I'd been a part of the guild for years, we all knew each other. Even if our trust later proved to be misplaced in Mercer, I had no reason to distrust him then.
With her words, Atria understood what was wrong - she was the odd one out. That the Guild hadn't killed Karliah on sight when she came down to the Flagon to expose Mercer was a testament of how much Brynjolf still trusted Karliah. If the situation had played out differently, she doubted that she would have been given as much slack without anyone to vouch for her. The realization dampened her spirits somewhat, but it didn't fully blot out the excited arousal coursing through her. She stepped towards Brynjolf, letting the mask in her hand fall to the ground. Her other hand went back to Karliah's, and she spoke slowly.
"It's me. I'm new and still mostly unknown to both of you. But I don't find Nocturnal's request unwelcome." Atria admitted in a husky voice. "I can give a little trust if you both can." She finished, looking through her lashes at Brynjolf. It wasn't supposed to be seductive, but all of her actions felt loaded, and she liked the duplicity of it. Already she was hiding, shielding her feelings and attraction behind the request, shading herself from any hurt.
Those were feelings she'd have to work out some other time. No one was speaking or moving, as if they were all waiting for the hovering goddess to instruct them, or politely ask them to move it along. When nothing else happened, Atria tried again. Summoning up her courage, she leaned over and kissed Brynjolf, still holding Karliah's hand.
She felt his surprise as her lips brushed lightly against his own, but he recovered, putting an arm around her waist as he pressed back against her mouth with some force. Her fingers curled around Karliah's, squeezing, as Brynjolf began to tease her lips with his tongue. He was all pent-up heat beneath her lips, tongue caressing her own as their kiss grew more feverish with every moment. He wanted her, she could feel it hidden as the control he had over the kiss eroded. Atria nipped at his lower lip before backing away, her heart already beating faster inside of her chest. If she kept kissing Brynjolf, it might just go to her head and she'd forget that they were here for Nocturnal, not her own desires.
This time it was Karliah who disentangled their fingers, slowly taking off her mask. She was more reticent than Bryn, though Atria felt she was just being cautious, not disinterested. Perhaps she'd only had a few lovers since Gallus, or maybe none at all, though that didn't seem likely. Brynjolf moved towards her, raking his fingers through Karliah's brown hair, caressing her face with a thumb as if he were asking a question wordlessly. Karliah closed her eyes with a smile, and he bent his head to kiss her, as Atria stood there, waiting.
A Price to Pay 3/?
"Did you have to do this with Mercer and Gallus?" Bryn asked, frowning.
"No, but I'd been a part of the guild for years, we all knew each other. Even if our trust later proved to be misplaced in Mercer, I had no reason to distrust him then.
With her words, Atria understood what was wrong - she was the odd one out. That the Guild hadn't killed Karliah on sight when she came down to the Flagon to expose Mercer was a testament of how much Brynjolf still trusted Karliah. If the situation had played out differently, she doubted that she would have been given as much slack without anyone to vouch for her. The realization dampened her spirits somewhat, but it didn't fully blot out the excited arousal coursing through her. She stepped towards Brynjolf, letting the mask in her hand fall to the ground. Her other hand went back to Karliah's, and she spoke slowly.
"It's me. I'm new and still mostly unknown to both of you. But I don't find Nocturnal's request unwelcome." Atria admitted in a husky voice. "I can give a little trust if you both can." She finished, looking through her lashes at Brynjolf. It wasn't supposed to be seductive, but all of her actions felt loaded, and she liked the duplicity of it. Already she was hiding, shielding her feelings and attraction behind the request, shading herself from any hurt.
Those were feelings she'd have to work out some other time. No one was speaking or moving, as if they were all waiting for the hovering goddess to instruct them, or politely ask them to move it along. When nothing else happened, Atria tried again. Summoning up her courage, she leaned over and kissed Brynjolf, still holding Karliah's hand.
She felt his surprise as her lips brushed lightly against his own, but he recovered, putting an arm around her waist as he pressed back against her mouth with some force. Her fingers curled around Karliah's, squeezing, as Brynjolf began to tease her lips with his tongue. He was all pent-up heat beneath her lips, tongue caressing her own as their kiss grew more feverish with every moment. He wanted her, she could feel it hidden as the control he had over the kiss eroded. Atria nipped at his lower lip before backing away, her heart already beating faster inside of her chest. If she kept kissing Brynjolf, it might just go to her head and she'd forget that they were here for Nocturnal, not her own desires.
This time it was Karliah who disentangled their fingers, slowly taking off her mask. She was more reticent than Bryn, though Atria felt she was just being cautious, not disinterested. Perhaps she'd only had a few lovers since Gallus, or maybe none at all, though that didn't seem likely. Brynjolf moved towards her, raking his fingers through Karliah's brown hair, caressing her face with a thumb as if he were asking a question wordlessly. Karliah closed her eyes with a smile, and he bent his head to kiss her, as Atria stood there, waiting.