Intertwined Fates

_{English version [Español abajo]}

Night in Bad Land

<sub>[...]
"If you don't do it... you'll wonder how it could have been for the rest of your life..." He was talking slowly, very slowly, tasting the words and with a whispering tone as to mix with the desert night. Menes knew where to stick in his knives, wound where he could do the best damage.
"Yes... " I agreed. I closed up my eyes, losing myself in that chill. "But... I can't... If I do it, I'll go the rest of my life blaming myself"
"It will be worth it..." he assured firmly and his hand took my chin again to make me look at him.

Would it be worth it? But what about him... he...

"No... no... " I resisted. And it was too late to even reach for Dreiden. "I'll be betraying him and I don't..."
"C'mon sweety... " Menes smiled, his breath and his lips almost touching my face. "What happens in the desert stays in the desert..."
"You son of a bitch..." I replied with low voice.
"I love the things you tell me... " he whispered back seducting.

And in that moment there were nothing more. Nothing more than Menes' blue eyes that looked at me closely, tempting. Nothing more than the sounds of the desert and my own raspy breathing. And nothing more than his hands on my neck, pulling me closer to him, and his breath, that mixed with mine when I surrended myself to his lips.

We kissed salvagely, primally, almost hurting. But it was somehow like a relief, a reward of a game that maybe, like some other things, also got out of my control. But I could not think of it anymore, just surrender myself to his expert mouth, his hands that were untying the lacing of my shirt, going down my shoulders, caressing, and his body, that was pulling mine to the blanket that already fell to the floor... [...]

Extract from Shaliara's Journal


Versión en español [English upwards]</sub>

Noche en Malas Tierras

<sub>[...]
-Si no lo haces… te preguntarás el resto de tu vida cómo habría sido… - Hablaba despacio, muy despacio, saboreando las palabras y en tono susurrante, para acompañar a la noche en el desierto. Menes sabía dónde clavar sus cuchillos, herir donde más daño podría hacer.
-Sí... – admití. Cerré los ojos, perdiéndome de nuevo en ese cosquilleo. – Pero… No puedo… Si lo hago… Pasaré el resto de mi vida cargando con la culpa.
-Merecería la pena… - aseguró firme y su mano volvió a tomar mi mandíbula para obligarme a mirarle a los ojos.

¿Merecería la pena…? Pero y él… él…

-No… no… - me resistí yo. Y era demasiado tarde incluso para recurrir a Dreiden. – Le estaría traicionando y yo no…
-Cariño, vamos… -sonrió Menes, su aliento y sus labios casi rozando mi rostro, - lo que pasa en el desierto se queda en el desierto…
-Eres un hijo de puta… - dije con un hilo de voz.
-Me encantan las cosas que me dices… -me susurró seductor.

Y en ese momento no había nada más. Nada más que los ojos azules de Menes que me miraban desde cerca, invitadores. Nada más que los sonidos de de la noche del desierto y mi propia respiración casi jadeante. Y nada más que sus manos en mi cuello, que me arrastraban hacia él, y su aliento, que se mezclaba con el mío cuando me entregué a sus labios.

Nos besamos de forma salvaje, primaria, casi dolorosa. Pero era aquello como un alivio, una recompensa de un juego que quizás, como tantas otras cosas, también se me había ido de las manos. Pero ya no podía pensar, sólo entregarme a su boca experta, a sus manos, que me desataban los cordones de la camisa, bajaban por mis hombros, acariciando, y a su cuerpo que me empujaba contra la manta que había resbalado ya al suelo… [...]

Extracto del Diario de Shaliara</sub>


Oh, lol, I can write pink books nao! xD I'm not very good at this...

Stupid desert nights and stupid desert boooring trip... Too much things to explain in this one... hahaha

Shaliara hated Menes years ago when they met (5 years campaign-time, 8 real-life time). He was a true bastard who didn't care about a thing except for himself... He was the boss of the rogue's guild in the city we were at that time and Dreiden worked for him because he thought Menes, a Tattooed One like him, had some kind of remedy for the Tattoo. But there was no remedy, as Menes just kept killing, he only fled out of the Serpent Society because he got bored and wanted to work for himself. Dreiden wanted to stop killing, but if he did, the Snake Tattoo will kill him instead... But he kept working for him because he needed the money.

Menes eventually grew bored and left the guild to its own... chaos.

Shaliara saw him again 5 years later when she arrived at the Serpent Society. Dreiden had said he "got some help from old friends", so when she saw him there, as a member of the new council of the Society she thought he was one of those old friends. But they did not talk much. Menes was still a good looking guy in his forty and he knew. So they just eyed each other from afar.

Lots of things happened and Menes was one of the few people that stayed loyal. That intrigued Shaliara but she thought sooner or later he'll got bored again and left, so they started talking and arguing. A lot. And in those conversations Shaliara saw the world in Menes' eyes: she hated the fact she was becoming a cynical person like he was and how they were so alike. He liked to point that out. Menes also was discovering she wasn't like the priests he knew: she was a cast away from her church because of her beliefs... but she still kept her faith and gifts and a peculiar vision about it.

Then we mixed there lots of subjects: the siege, the loss of a son and mainly Dreiden's coldness and change into Junre ([link])... Shaliara, wanted to know something more about the Tattoo and then she reached out for Menes, the only tattooed one left apart from Dreiden. Menes was long ago the only one who would listen to her. Well, he was still himself all the time... that happy-go-lucky bastard with little quads about anything... but even Laila liked him in her own manner! So he got benefit from the situation and Shaliara and him started a dangerous game. She thought she had it under control but... She did find him attractive, in a way bad things usually do. And long conversations with him were nice too... So she played his game too, out of frustration, out of curiosity...

And things got A LOT MORE complicated from here, that's why the title...

Meh, I can't write something short even with a gun pointed to my head... More things on the next Cyrene-themed deviation I suppose :3 Ah... maybe someday my boyfriend will write a novel or something (he writes very well) or I swear that I'll do >_<

Working in two great monitors (my laptops)... and then working in the average-quality third one (home pc) made me buy a new one: 23" panoramic, DVI and FullHD Now I work with two monitors and it's GREAT >_< Well, also looking at this pic once in a radiology monitor out of curiosity while working also got me like "OMG..." (5Mpx resolution monitor for radiology diagnosis...).

I cleaned the sketch for once, btw. Printed it in a light blue colour and traced again in cleaner pencil I like the results: now I can can go as messy as I like in the sketch and then clean i that way if necessary I learned this from the last one >_< (Well, that drove me to do this, I just was a bit unwilling to do it, like it was losing some feeling... Funny little things about me...)

OC and PS CS3 for the final touches, no refs... I used levels to clear it a bit more, I tend to paint too darky

Pencils credits:

Pencil sketch: [link]