Flirting with sleep just enough that Varian would ever so often twitch in Fain's lap before remaining still or reaching back up to find his hand hold in the hem of the woman's sleeve. Almost an hour had passed since the young king to be crawled into Fain's lap, after a polite but exhausted inquire about sitting in his new favorite person's lap. Lothar even twanged with jealousy seeing his only nephew nodding off in the newcomers lap.
"Ok, but I don't understand, there's like a king...but no princesses or princes or queens?" Adariall staving off any onset tiredness by persisting in asking questions about Fain's home.
"Nope." shaking her head Fain looked down as Varian, against the pleasure of his mother, tugged at the thumb in his mouth and wiggled to a more comfortable position on the warlock's lap. Bemused with the little life sleeping on her chest, Fain watched Varian until Adariall's voice reminded her of their conversation, "Oh, no. Nothing like it is here. One person, being I guess, has total control. No one has a say in anything."
"And you were, like part of their army?" Adariall's weft of thick coiling dark hair shifted with her perking question.
Fain pressed her nose into the top of Varian's head, the sweet set scent of the young boys hair tickling her nose as the question hung heavy in the air. This a little more sensitive subject than the young girl just asking simple political questions about where Fain came from, "...I was going to lead one of his armies yes."
"Like uncle?" Varian to everyones surprise had popped his thumb out of his mouth enough to pose his inquiry when trying to understand what Fain was explaining about her world.
Fain's slate eyes shifted over to the King sitting cocked back in his chair across the table. Lothar's green eyes flickered on the woman, the association with Fain's revolting reason for ever coming to Stormwind tainting the mood of the night. Jaw set tense Lothar looked away to his stein disregarding the fact Fain had originally come to Stormwind to over throw the King and his family. Only Khadgar's hand tracing minute circles mindlessly on Fain's shoulder was the only movement in the still room.
"...I think everyone's getting tired my dears," Taria as always was the one to defuse the tense situation. As she rose from her chair the Queen set her hand on her eldest daughter's shoulder and leaned down to kiss the princess's head gingerly.
"But mom..." Adariall awake enough to protest and Varian only grumbling as his hand twisted in Fain's gown and he hid his face in her bosom like it was hide him from his mother's watchful eyes.
"No fits, you're already an hour past your bedtimes," Taria's hand followed along her daughter's shoulder and broke away when she approached the stuck Fain with Varian draped on her chest. Not to the warlocks protests as she enjoyed holding the young boy. Fleeting thoughts of her younger brothers she missed just as dearly as everyone else in her family. Varian had her rooted in her chair and Khadgar wedged behind her. After the meal she'd moved to sit closer to the kids and of course the mage. The kids taking up her attention it was still a sigh of silent relief when she'd sat down next to Khadgar and his hand gently squeezed her thigh throughout the night or he thoughtlessly drew circles along her shoulders each time he'd lean in to hear or speak to the children enthralled with Fain.
"Looks like someone found a new bed," Lothar, who'd been pleasantly mellow much to the delight of Khadgar after watching the King drain a few mugs of brew throughout the meal, grinned over at his nephew hiding his face in Fain's chest like a hiding rabbit. Little arguing came from the boy when his mother looped her arms around him and peeled him off of the woman into her own arms. Beer sitting heavy in the King's stomach Lothar felt as tired as the little prince looked. When his eyes moved from his nephew to the mage sitting beside Fain, uncharacteristically quiet and plucking at his bottom lip in his traditionally stemming fashion, right away Lothar had to throw him some sort of teasing his friends way, "Bookworm, you're quiet, thinking about having one of your own huh?"
"What?" Khadgar's attention a sudden stroke back to the present and away from his thoughts. Lothar's words going over his head until the man processed what he said. Then his reaction much more suited for the male in his twenties, "Oh, oh no no no. Never- Well I mean not ever, just, now no I can't with-"
"Say good night children," Taria as always saved Khadgar from his own bumbling idiocy. Lothar only enjoying the nervous mage twist and try to make something up to say while keeping his brown eyes off the warlock sitting only two feet in front of him, Fain hiding her own dusting of blush at Lothar's implied question.
Grinding exhausted fists into their eyes, Varian and Adariall made the rounds in request of their mother. First to Lothar, who hugged the munchkins tight and kissed the tops of each of their heads while wishing them the sweetest dreams. Then to Khadgar whom they only dipped a shallow bow to. Lastly Fain, which they latched onto her unexpectedly at the same time.
"Oof-" disgruntled in her chair when both bodies slouched into her, Fain did her best to mimic Lothar and embrace them both while sparing each forehead a kiss. Khadgar's brown eyes watching in grand detail, Lothar's question about his own desire something the mage never thought of but now it became harder and harder to ignore the idea as he sat within arms reach of a woman he only admired more than ever after seeing her love the Queen's children without hesitation.
Fain's good night to each sedated the sleepy children as they pulled away from her with tired smiles and allowed their mother to escort them out of the dining room without any complaining.
Plates, glasses and any trace of a meal had been cleared from the table a while ago. Evening sky turning right to an almost moonless night sky. Only giving the candles a warmer hue as they flickered above and around the room illuminating it for the patrons inside. With the children gone it had grown silent between the three adults. One studiously drinking the rest of his brew. While the the other two teetered between awkward glances after Lothar's inquiry about the mage's quietness this evening.
Glancing at both, Lothar pushed himself away from the table with a slight huff, "Now aren't you two pathetic company, liven up a bit."
Fain was the first to look up to the man as he wandered across the room, "I told you my people don't-"
"Ah- Not your people anymore," Lothar held his hand up shaking his head. Only scowling at the visibly tipsy man, luckily not drunk as a skunk but just enough to take the edge off of anything, Fain watched him fiddle with a wooden box she could not identify.
"What is that?" Fain tilted her head confused as Lothar began cranking a brass lever previously hidden on the other side of the contraption.
"A music box," Lothar offer a roguish winked over at Fain.
His explanation meant nothing to the woman. Thankfully Khadgar leaned forward to Fain and explained further, "It creates music, melodies. Like humming but machine made by the holes punched out in the brass wheel inside."
From the woman who could practice her own magic, Fain's eyes grew wide at the description of the enchanted little box. Flicking his emerald eyes over at her enthusiastic look growing on the warlock's face, Lothar tapped a small metallic switch and soon a sweet low waltz of a melody began playing from the wooden box and filled the room.
Elated by this Fain inched to the edge of her chair realizing all of the noise she heard really did come from the box magically into thin air. His boots tapping lightly as he came up, Lothar extended a hand to the woman sat before him.
A slick smile prying on his bearded face, even the corners of his eyes wrinkling up as Fain obliged by putting her right palm in his left hand. Swiftly Lothar plucked her out of the old seat and into his arms radius. A subtle startled noise from Fain as she did her best to match his movements, pairing the hand she'd given him with his own, stepping forward so their hips were parallel to one another and slipping her opposite arm around the King's shoulders as he did the same but around the woman's waist.
"Let me guess, your people never danced?" Coyly Lothar cinched Fain closer. A grin emerging when her fingers slipped between his on the dominant lead hand and Fain tipped her head up to lock grey eyes with his own.
"What do you think human King?" Fain toyed with a abashed but bemused look as she gazed on at the green eyed King. Clutching his hand a tad tighter while her opposite hand behind his head found the loose dark curls of his shoulder length dreads, Fain only smiled pleasantly up to the King as her fingers wove themselves in his hair.
"Then I shall teach you little monster, all proper dignitaries must at least know the basics," Taking a step forward forced the woman back, Lothar's expression a delighted playfulness as he repeated and made Fain's foot work mirror his. Her head dipping down to watch without tripping. After about the third movement the King repeated the same rotation and Fain was able to spare glances back up at him as Lothar's wide smile beamed down at the woman catching on, "Ah, there we go. You're getting it little monster."
Their words butting heads as they spoke lowly between themselves in impish rivalry. But Fain followed the man in suit as she memorized and watched his foot work. Such actions weirdly fascinating to the woman as she bantered with the addled but mellowed King in their dance. Left at the table Khadgar watched with slight peevish intent as his brown eyes honed in on the arm Lothar kept right at the small of Fain's back. Always adjusting and pulling her closer or brining him closer to her face, each step plucking a string in the mage's tense shoulders.
A soft touch alightened on his ridged shoulders and Khadgar gave a startled jump to swivel around and see Taria behind him, "Azeroth's Guardian knows how to dance doesn't he?"
Baffled it took Khadgar a moment to find enough saliva in his mouth to respond, "Ye- Erm- Yes, of course I do My Queen."
"Then please, I haven't had a proper waltz in ages," Taria encouraging him to stand up and play in the merriment.
Taken back by having the Queen request that he give her at least one dance as the music box played, Khadgar rustled around clumsily. Bumping his knee, only to hear a snicker from the intoxicated King across the room. But Khadgar didn't turn around to see his King parading around with the warlock.
Pushing in his chair, only having to realign it once so it was actually out of the way, Khadgar held his tunic to his stomach as the young mage bowed to the smiling queen, "My Queen, please allow me a dance?"
Grinning at his formalities Taria extended her hand to a fuddling young man and kept her laughs to herself as Khadgar starred at her hand before taking it. Less fluid than Lothar who'd stolen Fain from the table, Khadgar reminded himself of the steps and positioning of the lead he'd been taught years ago just in passing to kill time. Taria's pleasant demeanor taking a little nerve off of him but Khadgar could still hear Fain and Lothar chittering away at one another barley audible as Lothar danced the woman around the room in unison with the playing music.
Assuring himself that he had it, Khadgar hesitantly put his arm around the Queen's waist, "Oh heavens, you're fine dear mage, don't let your nerves get the best of you." Taria took and placed his hand on her waist, then took his lead hand and flipped it so she was influencing where the mage stepped in time with her, "Don't let Lothar get to you, he's simply playing." Looking up from their feet Khadgar questioned the Queen's statement but only got a smirk in response and a quiet answer, "They're just competitive, don't worry young Guardian. Just make sure you're her last dance of the evening."
Gulping down a dry lump in his throat Khadgar felt his faintly bearded cheeks lighting up with heat as Taria did not hide it when her eyes traveled over to Fain and then back to the mage she'd asked to dance with with. A slight hitch in his step, Khadgar almost lost his footing when he stepped back into someone under Taria's lead in their waltz.
"Switch!" King and Queen echoed each other with a break away and twirl of their current dance partners, they fell out of the loop only leaving Fain standing before Khadgar.
Cranking the box up for one last run of its chiming song, Lothar set the box to play. Delicate sweet melodies filling the air once more as mage and warlock looked at each other a little dumbfounded like they didn't know how they ended up standing before each other.
Suddenly recalling what Taria's advice she'd sneakingly said to him, Khadgar pushed through his blushing face and offered a slightly tremoring hand to Fain. Met with just as much fraying nerves, Khadgar felt his heart skip a beat as Fain's slender hand slipped against his. Instead of taking up the lead of a duo, their palms pressed together and fingers laced together.
A tiny tug on her bottom lip from over skittish nerves, Fain took a half step to him and felt Khadgar do the same, bringing them chest to chest with one another. The dance lesson both received moments ago flew right out the window as Khadgar put his arm around Fain's waist and she looped her arm around his shoulders to pull him closer, while they squeezed their hands. Candle light dancing on the walls and now kissing their faces in the glow, it was hard to hide the stupid grin growing on both individuals face. Warlock and mage growing dorky smiles the longer they kept eye contact. Forgetting they weren't alone and standing in the middle of the dinning room.
It was Fain who was scared that the kiss she wished for was wrong. Khadgar's adoring brown eyes keeping her from looking down, all she could think of was the few passing kisses they'd shared and how most of them, along with other actions, where just her impulsiveness without thinking of repercussions. Up to this point the woman wasn't entirely sure still how the mage felt about her.
A moments notice and Fain's worries were stomped out the instance Khadgar leaned to her and pressed his rough lips outright against Fain's without a word spoken before hand. The hairs of his upper mustache a bit of an itch on Fain's lip but she didn't care. She pushed into him hard as she put all of herself into that kiss. An entirely different sensation being the one who the kiss was stolen from. Fain fell into the sensation head first only to grab onto the sides of his face and draw out every inch of the kiss he gave her. The man's arms drawing her close enough he could feel her chest swell with a long inhale.
When exhaling did come into question, the kiss was broken achingly slow. The sensation of his warm, scarcely moist lips peeling from hers as Fain opened her eyes to see Khadgar's telling brown eyes gazing on at her. Adrift with nothing to even say Fain stared at him feeling dumb since she was always the one to break the silence with some knee jerk reaction. Now there was nothing to be have but silence at that very moment.
Heavy into his body, Fain closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to his and Khadgar swallowed her in his arms as she tightened her own around his waist. Keeping as little space possible between the two of them as the music twiddled on in the background. Only that same silence keeping the melody company while it took the two spellcasters elsewhere in their minds. Not dancing but not still. They rocked together on the stone floor in the empty space in the dinning hall. Tightly wrapped up together with evening music playing around them.
Neither King or Queen speaking a word as the two spell casters held onto each other and just rocked together slowly. Taria's eyes filled with tears as she looked on at them like it was an old memory of her late husband and herself when they were young. She reached over and squeezed her brother's hand to comfort herself. Taria spared Lothar a tearful look before returning to watching Fain and Khadgar together like a proud mother as well as heart broken lover. The King less teary eyed but watching them both just as closely. An unexplainable pang in Lothar's chest as he recalled the feeling of Fain's lips on his own like a sudden flash. He hadn't recalled that little outburst since it happened. The portent thought was all for nothing as he tried to stuff that fleeting thought back down. Nothing worth it as music played into the night, Taria spilling happy tears silently beside her brother and Lothar....
Lothar wasn't sure, gripping his mug the King tussled with his unknown feeling. Nothing wrong, visibly that he saw, Lothar squeezed his sisters hand like she'd done before gulping down another swig of beer. The more the merrier he told himself as he watched Fain in Khadgar's arms feeling nothing short of an astray ting of resentment.