Entwined | 𝘠𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘤

Here With You- 3

Dry land had been visible on the horizon for a few days now, but today it was finally time to land ashore. Yami looked over to the island that he used to call home, and puffing out a cloud of smoke, he wondered what to expect once he stepped foot on it again. It was a particularly hot and humid day, so for the time being he was only wearing his trousers and boots.

Charlotte came out onto the boat deck after packing their things up, and holding a scrap of white fabric in her hands, she asked, "Aren't you going to be needing this eventually?"

The bright sunlight reflected off her pale skin and he instantly had flashbacks to their sultry night a few days ago. He also remembered the promise he made her and fully intended to make good on it tonight. She never was able to shake her nausea, but she finally managed to keep small meals down and insisted that she enjoyed living on a boat, but only for one week at a time. He figured she was just being nice about the whole thing.

"Mmmm, will I? What would you rather?" He teased her, taking a long drag on his cigarette. As she approached him, he reached out and lazily ran his hands along the hem of her dress at her chest.

Her light blue eyes stared up at him and all he wanted was to see her looking at him like that while crying and screaming out his name. She traced over his exposed nipple with the tip of her finger, "What I want... would be indecent..."

"Ha, fine, I'll put away your candy," he chuckled as he took the tank top from her hands. Smoke curled out from his lips as he spoke and Charlotte couldn't help herself. She rose up on her toes and gave him a quick kiss, licking his lips provocatively as she pulled away.

"You don't have to just yet..." She gazed at him through her eyelashes, looking like a puppy who was begging for a scrap of meat.

Yami grabbed her by the back of the neck and kissed her passionately, making sure to remind her who was in charge here. His tongue pushed hers around, savoring her taste and delicious moans. He was pleased to see how red her lips were when he was done with them.

"Charlotte, you know I can't refuse those eyes of yours." He tossed the tank top over her shoulder, "But I hope you know what you're getting yourself into tonight."

She smiled back at him, wordlessly walking up to his side and turning her attention to the civilized skyline that was approaching, "You ready for this?"

He took his time answering, putting the cigarette to his lips again and cursing at how bitter it was compared to Charlotte's lips. There were a lot of reasons for him to never come back to this place, but there were also things he wanted to share with Charlotte. Besides, he was the most qualified to be an ambassador for the Clover Kingdom since he knew the language and customs.

"Just don't go looking around without me. You can walk through the hotel but not the streets. I promise I'll take you anywhere you want to go, but you have to be with me," he told her. He noticed her eyes were no longer on the shore, but rather on him. The way she looked at him, like he was the only man worthy of her gaze, it killed him inside. In a very good way.

"Don't worry, I'll be safe."

She knew that even though she was capable of handling herself, the type of magic they used here was different from what she was used to and she could easily be caught off guard. Yami would burn the world down if anything happened to her, and that was the opposite of what they were trying to do here.

"Ayyye, boarding the docks now!" The crew captain's voice boomed as the boat pivoted and glided towards a large wooden plank. They waited as stairs were pulled down and the boat was secured. Some attendants carried their luggage for them and then lead them off the boat towards a carriage.

Upon setting foot on something not floating on the surface of the water, Charlotte unexpectedly stumbled. Yami bellowed out a loud bout of laughter, "Seems you've not only lost your sea legs, but forgotten your land legs as well!"

Even though he was blatantly laughing at her, he reached out a hand to help, which she of course refused to take. She had that stubborn expression on her face and he felt his cheeks heating up in a blush. Shit, she was too cute.

"I'm fine. I know how to walk," she shot at him.

After taking a few more wobbly steps, she eventually grabbed onto his arm. If he was being honest, she handled the whole sea trip much better than he did his first time. But he wouldn't dare tell her that. Watching her try to live up to her own high expectations was too entertaining, and more often than not she achieved her lofty goals, even when he didn't think it was possible. She was too incredible for words to express.

It was a short ride to the inn where they'd be staying at for the week. The buildings were intricately decorated with curving architecture and glossy paints, the main office standing out with several statues perched on the tiled roof. Since they were honored guests, they received top-quality accommodations, which turned out to be a private minka located beside the gardens. It was plainer looking than the main buildings, but inside was spacious and stocked with the essentials.

After setting their belongings in the room, they decided to take a stroll around the surrounding area; the reason being that the next day Yami would be stuck indoors attending a bunch of boring meetings. Charlotte wanted to enjoy being on solid land again, and both of them were hungry. A weird sensation filled Yami as he looked around. Some things had changed, some things hadn't.

"Where is that smell coming from?! My stomach feels like it could eat a whole wildebeest," Charlotte swiveled her head in search of whatever food she was instantly craving. Her eyes locked onto a food stall a little ways down the street, she didn't recognize what type of food it was, but she knew she wanted it.

"Good choice, this is one of my favorites," Yami commented, making his way over to the vendor. He bought four servings of what looked like a tiny grilled squid on a wooden skewer.

At first she was skeptical that something like this would taste good, but after her first bite she knew her nose had been on to something. Munching down happily on her snack, Yami brought her over to the other street vendors. Some sold food, others displayed jewelry and charms, and there was even one selling small bound books.

She had spent some of her time on the boat studying the native language here, but she was only proficient enough to understand basic greetings. However, these books seemed to be at an easy reading level, and the inky artistic paintings on the covers intrigued her.

The person managing this particular tent walked over and said something to her, but of course she couldn't understand. Yami stepped in to converse with them for her, and after exchanging a few words he said, "These are local fables about the gods and demons that are said to have existed here."

"Can I buy one? It'll keep me occupied when you're away," she replied to him, already having picked the one she wanted out and holding it in her hands. He handed the vendor a few coins and she happily tucked the book under her arm.

After that, Yami insisted on buying them some fish-shaped cookies and then they headed back to their room. Having satisfied their ache to get out and walk after being cooped up for so long, not to mention enjoying some local cuisine, they were looking forward to spending a relaxing evening together. Their room was nice and spacious with a small private bath house attached on the side.

Charlotte stretched her arms above her head and sighed, "Aaaaaahh, a bath on dry ground is going to feel sooo good."

This sounded like a very good idea to Yami indeed. He grabbed her waist, making her squeal with delight, and whispered in her ear, "Mmm, then do I get to wash you?"

His voice sent chills down her spine. It was deep and threatening, meaning that he intended to do far more to her than simply rub her down with some soap. She rubbed her thighs together in anticipation.

"Of course," she hummed back, slyly slipping her dress down to expose her shoulder. This time Yami didn't take the bait, he was saving all the good stuff for later.

"I'll go draw a bath. If you touch yourself while I'm gone, there will be consequences," he warned as he let go of her.

Her skin ached at the loss of contact. She looked at him longingly and replied, "I wouldn't dare."