Lightly rubbing the soft supple fabric of the gown Khadgar was handed off, he glowered down at the nearly satin like feel of what was deemed 'casual' by the handmaiden who'd fetched the article for him. Turning the gown over in his hands, peaking at the v-neck, three quarter sleeves and subtle lace that trimmed both neckline and arms, Khadgar was beginning to figure worrying about the faint yet very feminine shade of pale rose was the least of the concerns with offering his warlock friend the dress and the dress only to wear.
Standing before the door Khadgar raised his left hand, hesitating momentarily before wrapping his knuckles against the oaken frame, "Come in." Fain's voice stifled behind the heavy door ushering him in. Though the man had been in the washroom with her only moments before, horrible flashes proceeding the last interaction he had with Fain in the wash tub days before and accidentally dousing the poor woman's face unannounced.
"I know you're not going to like this but..." entering through the slightly squeaky hinged door, Khadgar was head shy to show her what the women insisted she wear.
"It's a dress," Fain's blurb bypassing the color or femininity of the gown surprised Khadgar.
"Well, yes. Uh the handmaids insisted you wear what the Queen would like at dinner." He edged closer, waiting for the signal to go find something else to suit the image Khadgar assume Fain held.
Sunk down in the claw foot tub only the tops of Fain's shoulders and the rest of her neck leading up to her swept back wet hair and damp face were visible. Some suds clinging to her hairline around the woman's ears as Khadgar had come back mid face wash. Blonde eyebrows pinched a little and her slate eyes looked over the folded fabric in Khadgar's hands, "I'm supposed to wear a dress? Isn't that only for important people?"
"Huh?" Fain's concern caught Khadgar off guard, he'd prepped the entire walk back to the washroom to tussle with the spellcaster over color and lace not over the correlation of clothes to their wearer, "I mean, no? Women wear dresses."
"No, doesn't only the queen wear those type of things?" Fain shook her head disagreeing with him.
"What? No, heavens no, is that what you think only royalty wear fancy clothes?" Khadgar understood finally and was a little flabbergasted at her perception. Without pause and gown in hand he approached the tub. Producing the dress to the woman sitting in the tub Khadgar let the fabric unroll as he held it up to her, "It's what someone would wear if they were to say eat a meal with the Queen and King. But I persuaded the woman that you wouldn't stand anything too fancy."
Curious Fain scooted to the edge of the tub, hanging her arm over the side she leaned in examining the beautifully delicate seam work put into such an unpractical item, "Your kind wear this?" Fain looked from the dress up to the man holding it, "It's so...inefficient, you couldn't do anything wearing it."
"Well, its not battle armor my dear," Fain's ogling of the dress made a smile creep along the mage's red lips, "It's for pretty, not fighting."
Mouth a little agape her eyes returned to the man holding the gown, "....wouldn't it look bad on me?"
Speechless Khadgar's jaw dropped and he glanced at Fain in the tub, to the dress then to her, "Are you kidding me?!" Fain confused to his sudden outburst, "You would look radiantly gorgeous in this gown."
"Radiant huh?" a dusting of pink scurried on Fain's cheeks even as she sunk back into the tub trying to hide her blush, "...would you like it if I wore it?"
Khadgar had been folding up the gown, sure she was sold to at least try it on, when her quiet inquiry sprung on him without warning, "Well...I mean," self-conscious on how to answer her, Khadgar took his time with his back to her. Setting the gown down neatly on the marbled counter top. Fluffing it up and making the corners of the folded gown crisp and pristine. Holding out on his answer Khadgar could feel Fain's eyes burrowing into the back of his head the longer he didn't answer.
Taking a deep breath Khadgar gathered his thoughts as coherently as he could and swiveled on his heel back to facing her. Fain remaining leaned over the edge, both arms out now as she rested her chin on crossed arms gazing over at him, "The clothing doesn't matter you're beautiful no matter what."
A cop out of an answer, even from another world Fain rolled her eyes and sunk into the tub a bit, "That's not what I asked you mage." One arm draped over the edge of the bath while the rest of her relaxed back into the side of the warm water filled tub.
Like any man Khadgar knew that didn't get him out of the question. Chewing his pouty bottom lip he cast his brown eyes back over to the woman who'd moved back to lounging in the tub. A relief not to have her eyes boring on him but Khadgar knew he needed to reconfigure his answer.
Ambling over the man glanced at the woman soaking in the tub. Then moved to scoot the only chair in the room to beside the head of the tub. Unlike other powder rooms in the royal keep this one wasn't as large, which was fine since Khadgar knew the luxurious add ons to the royal family still irked the warlock and all he really wanted was for Fain to get washed up. Peaking an eye open Fain watched Khadgar seat himself beside her. Briefly not close enough so he scooted the wooden chair closer even with the gnarly sound the chairs feet made on the stone. Khadgar winced thinking he'd disturbed her but Fain remained unfazed in the same position.
Leaning over with his elbows propped on his knees, Fain was startled when Khadgar took the hand she'd left waving over the lip of the tub. Not moving she did open her eyes to peer over at what he was doing. Bent over she watched and felt him lace the longer fingers of his right hand between hers and then clasp his left hand over their entwined hand. Sitting up a little in her tub Fain was unsure what he was doing.
Instead he shifted those brown eyes over to her in the water and beamed a big goofy smile in her direction, "Of course I would like it if you wore it, but not for the reason you may think."
Quizzical, Fain's right eyebrow shot up and earned a slight chuckle from the mage, "What is the reason you'd like it?"
Turning the tables on his companion only made the mage's infection grin spread wider, "Well don't you know?"
"Know what?" Fain suspicious of his smiling mood she stayed still only because of the lulling feeling of his fingers dancing slowly over her knuckles rhythmically.
"So you don't know?" His smile shifted int a devilish grin, dark brown eyes twinkling with mischief as Fain unconsciously squeezed his hand and moved closer to the edge of the tub in his direction.
"Khadgar what are you talking about?" Fain's grey eyes narrowed and the second time she squeezed his hand it was more of an attempt to squash his grip.
Of course that only earned a snicker from the grown man. Raising her hand to his lips, Khadgar's eyes shut as he laid a butterfly light kiss on the top of her knuckles, "Eating Azeroth's food, watching sunsets and sunrises, now even wearing the clothes." His words stop when he let down her hand, not letting go, and adoring dark eyes looked back on at her sitting in the tub, "You would look beautiful here in Azeroth. Here at home in Stormwind. With Lady Taria, the King...me."
Heat flushed on both of their faces as Khadgar's answer hung in the air between them. Taken by surprise Fain tightened her grip on the man's hand and looked down at their fingers tangled up together, "...me, living in Stormwind...what a silly notion." Her eyes moved from starring at their clasped hands to easing close while Fain leaned back in the tub hand still holding onto Khadgar's, "A warlock....a member of Gul'dan's army...living in the human's world." A defeated snort left the woman's pale lips and her eyes remained shut, "A home anywhere."
"A home here with us," Khadgar let his thought slip out without refining it. That was met without much reaction as Fain lay motionless in the tubs lukewarm water, "...with me." He babbled only softly into her hand as the mage leaned forward holding more firmly onto her hand.
"...I regretted it the moment I did it," Fain divulged without clarification.
"What?" Khadgar shifted his eyes over to her to find Fain's head turned towards him as her eyes studied every detailing feature of the same scruffy man she'd seen multitudes of times since leaving her world.
"The moment I couldn't wake you up, I regret it. I'm upset over it, I'm.." Fain closed her eyes for a long pause, Khadgar not realizing her need to choke back the tears, "I'm sorry I ran...It wasn't you I ran from, or the kiss. I just, I thought I was running out of time." Khadgar had connected the dots to what she meant. Recalling her usage and lie that drove the spike between them made the man tense a little. Still an issue he let the incident with the Amani trolls overshadow why they were away from Stormwind in the first place. Fain's tender voice bringing back up what he'd made an effort to drop.
"I didn't want to chance, well, you know," she made a small gesture with her shoulders even with one hand held down a bit with Khadgar holding it, "Looking at you, looking at the clock, it all just went so fast. All I could think about was Athrikus taking me away. All I wanted to do was stay right then and there."
Her words pricked something in him, Khadgar sat up a little and fished in past his pleated tan vest to his tunic with his left hand. Fain's words faulting as she watched him pluck something out of his pocket. Not letting go of her hand Khadgar unfolded it with a hand and a half. Exposing the side of the paper Fain had scribbled her little note on the night see snuck into his room.
"What does this mean?" Khadgar presented the paper that said 'I can stay' to his friend and Fain's blue eyes hovered on the parchment, "You wrote this right?"
He could hear her long breath leave her and the slight twitch of her hand tightening in his, "Yes, I wrote it for you."
"What does it mean?" Khadgar uttered again without giving her a moment to talk.
"It means exactly that, that I could stay," Fain's fingers slipped from between Khadgar's, he grabbed to keep her hand in his a moment longer but she pulled it back just as she moved to lever herself out of the water.
Modest about her move from sitting in the tub to standing, stepping out and then sitting down on the lip of the heavy metal tub, Khadgar found it hard to keep his eyes on anything aside from her naked body. Aware that this was in fact the longest time he'd seen her disrobed as well as the only time it seemed mutual between the two of them. Fain did not move as she held the paper between both hands and studied her own note unabashed by the fact she was sitting naked beside him.
"Where I come from, spells can be amplified by a sacrifice. Even made more powerful by a sacrifice that is pure of body," Fain brazen about it sat up straight and opened her arms exposing her full self to Khadgar. Who's face was a deeper shade of red than any cherry could be. The man swallowed the tightness in his throat but was able to return his eyes to her face as Fain looked at him, slight blush tracing on her cheeks, but she seemed to brassenly ignore it and slowly folded the paper back in it's small portion he had, "By still being that, Taria I think called it a 'virgin' for people here. I was still physically bound by Gul'dan. Athrikus could have taken my body back to the Master even though I didn't want to." From looking down at the beads of water dribbling down her pale legs, Fain's eyes met back with Khadgar's who at least lost some of the rosy red in his cheeks, "I needed to be impure to stay here. I needed to give it to someone and break the cycle."
Frozen with what to say, Khadgar momentarily forgot the woman perched naked on the edge of the tub, "That was your first time too?"
"What? You hadn't?" it was Fain's turn to be confused by what he said.
"No, never. Never in my life I've never-" Khadgar quickly shook his head floored.
"With anyone?"
"No one, ever. But you--?"
"I didn't, I wouldn't have ever-"
"But me-"
Taken back both man and woman starred at each other arms length away stupefied by what had surfaced with just a small amount of communication. Silence hanging in the room before it was Khadgar who popped off.
"Well, that would have been nice to be awake for," nervously the mage reached back and scratched the nape of his neck overcome with awkwardness.
"Oh my god I'm such a fool," Fain shook her head and leaned her elbows down on her knees holding the sides of her head, "I'm so sorry, please, please I didn't mean any harm I just, I didn't know what to do I never-- I mean I don't get it at all- It's so stupid this doesn't make any sense where's the rules or just what was I supposed to do I-"
"Hey," Khadgar's voice made Fain look up at the man standing in front of her. Extended to her was a plush dry towel. Fain a little embarrassed took the towel and scrunched her curls dry first and then shamefully wrapped herself in the towel as she stood up.
Beating herself up silently in her head Fain was about to walk past the man realizing her mistake and not wanting to make it worse. Khadgar caught her in his arms and the bulky man swallowed her up in an all encompassing hug. It took no time for Fain to loop her arms around his chest and chinch her arms tight around him as her face instinctively burrowed itself in his neck. The scruff of his beard on his cheek and neck itching her neck slight as Khadgar did the same nuzzling his face into her warm damp shoulder.
"How about, from now on, you just tell me about all this warlock and fel stuff," Khadgar pressed his face a little more into the woman he realized he had even more in common with, "You tell me about your side of things, and I'll tell you everything I know about Azeroth and arcane." His muffled words making their way to her ear as Fain clutched him tighter and only mustered a shy nod.
She mumbled something into his shoulder but Khadgar couldn't hear it, "What?" He asked, leaning back from the hug a little so he could see her speak up.
"...will you...still show me the light thing you said happens in....in the other city when it's winter," Fain maundered audibly without looking to him even as her arms stayed linked behind him.
"Lights, at winter..." Khadgar's bushy brows furrowed and he had to dig back in his mind to connect what she meant, "Oh! Winterveil in Ironforge!"
"Yes that," Fain's slate eyes lit up a bit and Khadgar's grin returned.
"You remembered me saying that?" He admitted he was amazed.
"I...I remember or try to remember everything you say to me, plus..." Fain let a sly smile linger on her lips as she rolled her head a little and added, "You promised to show me the seasons, so there's that."
Laughing a little Khadgar couldn't hide his smile so instead pressed his forehead against the woman's and closed his eyes tight while he pulled Fain's towel wrapped body closer to his, "I remember don't worry a promise is a promise. But, how about I tell you something to always remember so you know you always trust its me."
Fain returned the tightening hug and she pressed up into him as his warm forehead touched her own, "Tell you about fel you mean?"
"Something like that," Khadgar murmured softly letting go of their embrace and taking her hands between both of his. Matching her right palm up with his left, Khadgar's dark brown eyes moved from their palms pressed together to the slate eyes of the woman standing before him, "I was told when I thought I couldn't do anything, figure anything out, left the Kirin Tor, Medivh had fallen sick to fel and orcs were attacking my home, when I had no answers for anything." His fingers slipped between hers and Khadgar lightly brushed his fingertips over her knuckles without breaking away from her eye sight, "From light comes darkness. And from darkness, always comes light." Confident he wasn't going to shed a tear, Khadgar closed his eyes making sure none snuck by his lashes as the mage kissed the top of the woman's hand in front of him, "Even if fel is dark, there will always be light in you. I saw that light in my dreams and that moment you smiled at me in the royal keep."
It was easy for Khadgar to keep his tears away but when he looked back at Fain, her slate eyes were drowning in tears that washed over her pale cheeks. Cascades of salty liquid dribbling down her cheeks even as she looked right at him, "...you are my light, even in the dark, all I saw was you."
Keeping her hand laced with his Fain leaned into him even with tear stained cheeks and stray tears dripping down her chin, she pushed her lips onto his evenly this time. Khadgar's reaction to squeeze her hand as he moved his weight into the kiss. The mixture of tears and Fain's lips greeting him once more, he missed it as much as he did the first time.
Parting from the soft kiss, mage and warlock pressed their foreheads together and now Khadgar wasn't even sure if he was able to keep his tears at bay. It didn't matter though as Fain wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned into him with her eyes closed. Binding his arms around her back he held her close as Fain sniffled and did her best to quell her tears. Khadgar smiling with a little laugh as one hand reached up and wiped the tears from her cool cheek.
"How do I even put that dress thing on?" Fain's blurb made both smile even wider.
"Come to think about it, I don't know what ties where," Khadgar admitted with a grin. Fain smearing stray tears as she shook her head at him bearing a big fat grin on her lips. Neither of them able to contain their silly banter trying to get the new woman into her very first dress for Fain's very first sit down meal in her new world. With the only friends she'd ever made, even thousands of miles away from what she thought was her only home.