DISCLAIMER

Sorry for the rather blatant announcement, but there's a very good reason for that.

When I first posted this story, I was almost as nervous about this part as I was when I posted my very first story. Very nervous indeed...

The reason for both? This story contains a love scene.

Now, I've basically done this scene on a dare. It's tasteful (if I say so myself), I've adhered to the code of conduct by putting up these warnings and I've obviously kept to Silrana's Bikini-Rule, but still, the scene is steamy and erotic, but the meaning of the scene is to convey their emotions and to show much these two love each other (hence, the simple title;) ).

If love-scenes aren't your thing, you can skip it by entering "+ + +" in the search-function of your browser when you encounter the first triple plus. That should breeze you through the scene entirely.

In the dim light of the restgiving Mithrest Inn, the party was having a late-night dinner, while discussing their plans for the problems currently plaguing Imnesvale. Lasalla had asked Laska for a week off to spend some time with her daughter on a trip to the countryside, and the elf had granted the request immediately. Unfortunately, merely a day had passed and the house was already turning into a sty... A sty without any dinner on the table.

"So, what's the battle-plan for the Imnesvale situation? Suggestions?" Laska offered when she took a bite from a chicken drumstick. Beside her, Korgan was devouring a piece of mutton in record time. Rose's inn served very good food and was quickly making a name for itself among the gourmands of Athkatla... sadly, this was wasted on Korgan.

"We go to Imnesvale, and kick the evil butts of..." Minsc thought for a moment. "EEVILLLLL! And then, Delon and his friends can live there in peace and joy!"

"That's," Viconia sighed, "a hell of plan. Did you think that up all on your own?"

"I had help from Boo," Minsc smiled.

"Nevertheless, Minsc," Keldorn said, "young Delon's descriptions of the victims definitely struck me as something a child should never have to see."

"What?! Boo is outraged! See his fury! It's small, so look close. Trust me, it's there," Minsc raged.

"Oh, it looks like you're getting angry, Minscey," Jan chuckled. "I think it'd be sader for all of us if you give Boo to the nice gnome here. Just for sade-keeping, you know."

Minsc gasped and quickly withdrew from the gnome, shielding his precious hamster in his hulking hands. "You will not steal my Boo again, naughty gnome!" he spoke. "He is still recovering from the last time you took him out fishing. You let him swim in the lake and he almost became food for the fishes!"

"Hey, how was I supposed to know that lake was infested with Dragon-Trouts?" Jan retorted.

"Wouldst thou please shut thy trap?" Dynaheir added. "Delon described that the victims were 'turned inside and out' and 'went all mad.' This is serious matter." As soon as Dynaheir spoke those last words, Korgan broke into the conversation with a cataclysmic burp.

"What's this about the rumors of strange beasts in the Umar Hills?" Laska asked.

"You know," Viconia chuckled. "If you hadn't eaten that moldy sausage, you would have paid attention the first time we talked this over."

"Yeah, yeah, mom," Laska muttered and took a long draught from her tankard of fresh ale. "What's this about the completely mad survivors. They die and then their bodies disappear?"

"Apparently so," Viconia said. "I'm not sure without actually examining the remains of the victims, but I suspect Undead creatures are involved in this."

"Ach!" Korgan grinned, his mouth full. "I be lookin' forward ta be slicin' me axe through some shambling bone-bags. Bring 'em on, I be sayin'..."

"Imnesvale," Keldorn said while swallowing his last piece of bread. "Is a good ten hours away by horseback, barring any unforseen circumstances. So if we leave early in the morning, we should make good time and we will arrive just before nightfall... And seeing all attacks took place at night..."

"So we have time to figure out what is going on before just jumping into the fray without knowing what's going on," Viconia said, casting an accusing stare at Laska and Korgan.

"Right," Laska said as she finished her meal. "It's settled then," she said, "we leave in the morning."

"I suggest we all get a good night's sleep. We will need our energy tomorrow," Keldorn smiled.

"You guys go on ahead," the tattooed elf smiled. "I want to finish some more ales before I go to sleep..."

"Just don't make it too late this night," Keldorn said. Laska nodded in turn and sipped her ale as her friends slipped from their seats and headed towards the door, leaving Laska to pick up the bill.

An hour later, Laska decided she had enough, paid her bill and moved through the dark streets headed back home. Dealing roughly with the occasional mugger, Laska entered the Temple district to find her home darkened. Apparently, everyone had gone to bed already. Even Korgan had seen the wisdom of getting some shut-eyes before embarking on a big quest. Laska just shrugged, slipped her key into the lock and entered her house.

The tattooed elf found no one in her large living room, which was disappointing to her to say the least. Usually, when Laska was to embark on an adventure, Rose waited up for her.

"Rose?" Laska tried, but there was no answer. Relying on her elven sight and the light of the moon shining through the windows, she navigated through her now increasingly messy house and headed to the kitchen, hoping to find Rose grabbing a late-night snack from the larder. Unfortunately, she was disappointed once more.

Letting out a defeated sigh, the tattooed elf moved towards her bedroom, hoping Rose would still be awake.

"Rose?" Laska whispered as she entered her bedroom. Her elven eyebrows shot into the sky as she noticed the bedroom was completely darkened, the only light coming from the moon outside... and about a score of lit scented candles placed strategically to create a mysterious setting. The play of the light was augmented by her elven vision, giving the whole room a very sensuous appearance while the scent of cinnamon tickled her sensitive elven nostrils.

But the most spectacular view was offered to the utterly captivated elf in the form of her half-elven lover. Rose was standing in the middle of the room, dressed in a simple red two piece set of lingerie, which left very, very little to the imagination. An impossibly thin transparent cloth robe was draped over her shoulders. Her deep green eyes captured the light shining through glittering strands of her loose strawberry-blonde hair as she gazed upon her lover.

"I've been waiting for you," Rose whispered as she slowly walked towards the smitten elf, stopping just a few inches short of her lover, and softly brushed her fingers across Laska's upper arm, exciting shudders from the tattooed elf. There was no mistaking the tone in Rose's soft voice... It carried her meaning all too well.

Their dance started with a brush of lips, a kiss which was soon deepened as the two lovers embraced briefly. As soon as Rose pulled away, Laska undid her vest and slowly let it slide from her arms and to the floor.

"You are so beautiful," Rose sighed as she gazed upon her elven lover.

"I love you," Laska murmured in return as they continued their game of love with a soft embrace. The sweet smell of Rose's hair as it brushed her was overcoming enough, but the half-elf was also softly biting the nape of her neck while her soft hands roved over Laska's elven body. Completely defenseless against the sensory overload of her lover's erotic assault, the elf threw her head backwards to give Rose better access to her neck, while letting out a low throaty moan.

Being happy to leave Rose to leading their passion for now, Laska would never know how she suddenly found herself lying on her bed with her lover's half-elven body crushing hers. Their passion continued unfettered, every single brush of lips, every single touch, every single sweet caress they shared conveyed more love between the two women than a thousand lines of love-poetry ever could. In between the ocean of physical expressions of their love, they slowly, agonizingly slowly, removed the final scraps of clothing that were left on their bodies.

The dance began in ernest now, the stakes high and all boundaries passed. Laska smiled happily as she noticed Rose started playing the same game she usually did : Spending more time kissing and caressing places on her body that were tattooed. It always drove her crazy... and Rose knew it... The half-elf smiled mischievously as they locked gazes while she was kissing the snake-tattoo on Laska's left knee, before slowly moving on to the tattoo of the moonblade on her upper right arm.

Laska braced herself now, for she knew what would come. The tattoo of the symbol of Elven Longevity covered up the single scar on her body, situated just above her navel. A magical scar, left by Sarevok's blade, a small piece of flesh which had always remained very sensitive... And as Rose left a trail of kisses leading towards the tattoo and slowly started suckling it, Laska's was overcome with the sheer sensual titillation. Her quickly overloading mind formulated that she would have never thought she'd be thanking Sarevok on both her knees for almost killing her last year. Of course, the rapture of the moment quickly banished him from her mind as quickly as he had appeared.

As their sensual adventures progressed, Laska decided it was time to lead for a while, gently clasped her arms around a smiling Rose and softly lay her on her back, after which Laska started her own exploration of her lover's body while Rose ran her hands through Laska's long dark hair. Rose's presence was more intoxicating than anything the tattooed elf had ever experienced. Her warmth, her breath, her kisses were divine...

The dance continued without end, every moment being an eternity... During the whole of their rapture, both partners led in turn, their hearts pounding in their chests as they continued to consume each other's passion and drank from the love they shared as the night progressed.

Finally, after an eternity of dancing, the music stopped and the dancers slowly parted, gasping for air as if rising from the depths of the sea. The lovers lay spent in their bed, embracing each other as beads of sweat, testaments of their earlier exertions, made their bodies glisten in the dying light of the equally spent candles.

"That was... intense," Laska gasped, bringing forth the very words being an almost impossible feat.

"Mmmmm," Rose sighed, her eyes closed as she used her lover's chest as a pillow. "That should convince you to come back to me quickly..."

"Are you kidding?" Laska smiled and gently kissed the top of Rose's head while tickling her cheek with the tips of her fingers. "I'm never going to leave now..."

Rose opened her eyes, raised her head a little and rested her chin on the valley between Laska's breasts. "Good," she smiled while she snaked one arm around her lover's shoulders and rested the other one across Laska's midriff, shifting her body so she could look into her lover's dark eyes. Their legs lay intertwined as Rose rested her head on the pillow next to that of her lover, softly kissing the nape of her neck. "There's still a few hours in the night for sleep," Rose whispered. "You need your strength for the ride to Imnesvale..."

"You've completely drained me," Laska murmured back. "I'll be surprised if I'll be able to walk tomorrow.."

Their eyes locked, and set the stage for the conclusion of the perfect night, consisting of one last, deep and passionate kiss before the pair of exhausted lovers sank into an even deeper sleep.

"So, are we ready to go?" Dynaheir asked as all the adventurers were standing in the living room with their gear ready, their weapons sheaved and their lunches packed.

"All but one," Viconia chuckled. Near the dinner-table, Rose and Laska were in a passionate embrace, liplocked.

"Do they nay need ta be breathin'? HAR!" Korgan chuckled.

"Okay, somebody get the hose or we'll be here all week," Viconia grinned.

"I wish I had a hose three years ago," Jan sighed. "My cousin Aphrodite Jansen once took home three handsome gnomish sailors. Arg, the grunting, groaning and creaking went on all night, and..."

"Sir gnome," Keldorn sighed. "I am not in the mood for your tales of debauchery. We should be on our quest already."

"Who said anything about debauchery?" Jan replied, scratching his chin to emphasize his point. Aphrodite and her beaus were all avid and champion trampoline-jumpers and she had one in her room. They were jumping and whooping on that creaky think all night, keeping us good Jansens awake all night!"

"What would you need a hose for, then?" Keldorn said, knowing he was going to regret his question.

"Because the damn trampoline would rust and break, of course," Jan chuckled. "Use your brain for something else than smiting for a change, Keldy..."

"Well," Keldorn sighed. "I walked into that one with both my eyes open..."

Obvious to the commotion around them, Laska and Rose finally broke off their kiss, but definitely not their embrace. "Last night was incredible," Laska whispered.

"I'll miss you," Rose smiled sadly, staring into Laska's dark eyes.

"OY! BREAK IT UP!" Sounded from the doorway, but neither of them paid it any mind.

"I love you," Laska replied and kissed the tip of the half-elf's nose.

"I love you too," Rose smiled. "Now, get going before I change my mind, chain you to the bed and keep you prisoner for the rest of your life."

"Ohhh," Laska smiled, "Is that an offer?"

Laska was answered with a playful smack against her forehead. "Be safe..."

With a last parting, and a final 'bye, bye' from Risa, who was also standing in the room to say goodbye to her friends, the party left the house. In the end, Rose was left staring at the door, with Risa by her side.

"Well, kiddo," Rose smiled. "It looks like we have the place to ourselves tonight."

"Sucks, though," the half-elven girl with the reddish hair pouted sadly. "A whole week free from school and, except for one, all my friends are out of town. Viconia even took Khittix with her..."

"Oh, we can have fun too," Rose smiled and tousled Risa's shaggy hair. "Say, how about I'll be making some dinner tonight. And how about if I teach you how to paint?"

"Great!!" Risa smiled. "Do I get my own brush and paints?!"

"Sure," Rose replied. "Say, how about we go to the market?"

Waukeen's promenade was looming in the distance, and Rose was wearing a lovely green dress while the delighted Risa was skipping about her. Then, Rose put down her shopping basket and brought her hands to her hair. Usually, Rose were her long strawberry blonde hair in a pony-tail, even in her inn, and she usually only removed the band keeping her hair in place for romantic reasons. But this time, Rose tousled her hair, making sure to completely cover up her ears.

"Rose?" Risa said, ending her skipping about. "Rose, why are you hiding your ears?"

Impressed by the girl's perceptiveness, Rose sighed and knelt to one knee so she could look Risa in the eye. "You... you haven't met... unaccepting humans yet. If you're an elf, it's okay. But if they see your half-elven ears, you're a half-bred mongrel in their eyes. Especially on the market where so many different people meet. Some are accepting, but more are very rude and mean..."

"My mother always said you shouldn't hide and be afraid of what you are," Risa said, being dead serious. "There ain't many half-elves in this city, so we're unique!" the girl smiled. "It's fun being unique, too! You don't have to be afraid of yourself. And when someone says half-elves are stupid, like that dumb Tommy Ysbrady, I just punch him in the face... POW!" the girl threw a couple of shadow-punches for good measure.

Rose said nothing. She smiled in return as she realized Risa was wise beyond her years. Immediately, she retied her hair into a pony-tail, picked up her basket, and the two of them continued on their path.

Walking across the market with her ears exposed was easier than Rose had expected. Oh, there was the occasional stare, but mostly it was a less difficult that she had thought. Nobody suddenly raised prices or refused to serve her, quite a delight for her. She bought fresh fish, fresh mushrooms and fresh fruit for the making of tonight's dinner. Also, she picked up some brushes and paints for little Risa to play with later.

"My daddy was a brave elven warrior!" Risa said as they made their way from stall to stall. "He's killed many orcs and only left us because he had this big quest to go on..."

"You were luckier than we were," Rose muttered. "My father was a dog of an elf. He told my mother he loved her and would marry her, but as soon as she was pregnant with me, he dropped us like a soggy hankerchief... Never saw him again... I never knew him and I never want to know him," the half-elven lady sighed bitterly.

"My daddy would come back for us," Risa smiled, "my mommy said so. I... I hope he will be able to find me now that mommy... is dead and I live somewhere else..."

Rose smiled. She hoped Risa would be luckier than she had been, but she didn't have the heart to tell the tiny half-elf that it was probably just a story her mother made up, so she would not feel sad... But in the end, she didn't know what was crueler : The Truth or the Lie. One day, Risa's fragile dream would be shattered.

"Oh, yeah," Risa continued, "he's a big elven warrior with fiery red hair, deep brown eyes, very tall and he fights with magic and two swords and..."

Rose's breath caught in her throat as she came to a complete stop and listened to Risa's complete description "...and there's a tattoo resembling a unicorn on his forehead. The symbol of his Order?"

"Yes!" Risa giggled. "How did you know?"

"Does he wear green elven chainmail, with the insignia of a unicorn on his chest, just above his heart?" Rose asked gently as she once again bent to one knee.

"Yeah!"

"Risa... so... so was my father," Rose stammered. "We... we're sisters..."

"WHAT?!" Risa giggled. "No way!"

"Yes way," Rose sighed. Apparently, Risa was dealing with the shock better than she was herself. The girl was definitely excited now, and started skipping around the still stricken half-elf.

"This is so cool!" Risa giggled.

"Well, it seems," Rose managed a half-smile, "that there's an elven dog of male who visits Athkatla often and has a fetish for human women..."

"Say," Risa smiled, "now that we're sisters... Could we have a pillow fight when we get home?"

"Sure," Rose laughed and tousled the hair of her half-sister.

"Such a vision of loveliness! Oh, did you see her?!" Oberon ShineFast, paladin of Helm, member of the Order, said as he saw the loveliest lady he had ever laid his eyes upon pass along through the market in Waukeen's promenade. "Those ankles! That smile! That Strawberry-colored blonde hair! And she is of elven blood! Oh, I simply must woo her! I must quest for her! I must sweep her of her feet and carry her home in my arms! This... this is a woman of virginal perfection a holy warrior would fight a dragon for! She even already has a tiny squire walking beside her!"

"'cuse me, sir."

Sir Oberon looked down to see a little boy tugging at his armor. "What can this holy warrior quest for you, little boy. Are you lost? Must I quest for your mother?"

"No, no, my mom is right here, but... why are you talking to yourself, sir?"

"Little boy, I am talking to Helm, my god, my liege, my armor polish in distress!" Sir Oberon smiled. "Oh, dear, I see that in the time that I talked to you, little boy, that my Lady has moved from the marketplace and out of my sight! I must quest to find her immediately so the wooing can commence! Little boy, I must go to quest to uphold justice... and stuff!"

"Nutcase," the boy whispered as the paladin tromped off.