Nadira and Sethos - Amora Dust + narrative

The Sunbeam and Garden Guardians started to make their way toward the door, the cobra turning to follow them as Nadira’s guilt made her reach out to lay a hand on his arm.

He halted as he noticed it and gazed at her with a despondent expression. It made her shrink back.

After their journey to the Hermit Krul and their first experience with the pesky Amora Dust, they had fallen into some fragile form of friendship. No, they did not hang out for drinks together as they would with their other companions, but Nadira had grown appreciative of his advice and their comfortable silences. And now, the way his shuttered expression looked down at her—she felt her chest constrict—had she ruined all of that between them?

“Please accept my apology, Lord Sethos. I did not mean to insult your integrity,” Nadira said. “I shall supply Gathroo with the instructions of Krul’s antidote.”

Her hand fell away. He nodded tersely and then turned swiftly in the direction of the door once more.

Nadira turned away too as she heard the click of the door’s latch and covered her face in her hands. How could she have let such a foolish presumption ruin their companionship? Was it possible to fix this? Or had she insulted him permanently with—

The sound of the inner bolt falling into place at the door’s jamb made her lift her head.

Then the familiar but still startling embrace of arms being wrapped around her waist from behind…

“Finally, by the gods, I thought they’d never leave.” Sethos whispered huskily against her neck. He pulled her urgently against him and pressed his face to her shoulder, nuzzling her hair.

“Lord Sethos!” Nadira cried, prying his hands away, the same practice she had to do repeatedly in the past. She turned around and his arms secured themselves around her once more, pressing their bodies together completely. Her cheeks burned with color as he smiled wickedly. “You lied! You WERE victim to the Amora dust again!” she scolded him even as he gazed fondly at her blushing countenance.

“Hmmm, so I have,” he replied lazily. He wove his fingers through her dark locks and inhaled her scent. “I was caught in the ravine when the dust was spilled into the inventor’s blower contraption.” He murmured as an afterthought.

Nadira squirmed in his arms though he only adjusted himself to her movements. “Lord Sethos, you must let Maliq and Tarek know! We need Gathroo to prepare the antidote for you too.”

“Of course, Viperess,” he responded without a hint that he was paying attention to her scolding. He brushed his lips over her collarbone and she couldn’t help but shiver in reaction. “Once we get reacquainted. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been without the company of the other guardians.”

Nadira pushed him away and Sethos allowed her to do so. He could see she was flushed with embarrassment and angry with him.

The happy memories of teasing and getting unexpected responses from the viper female during their first run-in with the Amora dust had him looking forward to the next few moon cycles. It would take a while for the ingredients to be found and the antidote required long and intensive brewing periods. He looked forward to pushing their boundaries with their second Amora dust “accident”.

For now, he let her push him toward the door instructing him to go directly to Gathroo’s medicine quarters.

Yes, Sethos was willing to play the fool trapped under the spell of enchanted toxins. His fast reflexes had given him the chance to escape the Amora dust but the idea of being under its influence a second time had its temptations.

Namely a chance to be close to the female he adored in secret.

Sethos quickly grabbed the chance to plant a chaste kiss on the Viper Guardian’s lips before being pushed fully through the threshold and having the door slammed in his face.

Yes, he was certainly looking forward to this.

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Sethos (male Cobra), Nadira (female Viper) = awkward romances galore. More on it's way this year I am assuming.

Thanks for viewing!
-Anante