God’s Garden was every bit as beautiful in the late summertime as she remembered it to be, and while she wasn’t really ready to depart back for Boreas, she was definitely needed the opportunity to get out of Hearthstone. And of course, she was happy to bring Quill along with her. To spend some time with him outside the scrutiny of her family, intentional or not.

With a confident stride, she led them away from familiar paths and towards a less explored direction- or at least, she thought she had been there before. Memories flooded back to her as she walked, each step bringing her closer to the familiarity of her youth. But it wasn't until they reached the edge of a clearing that was only vaguely familar that her excitement truly ignited. A large opening in the ground manifested before her, beckoning her forward with whatever lay in its depths. "Do you see that?" Talyssa asked Quill, her tone light and intrigued as she gestured eagerly towards the discovery ahead. The anticipation of what lay inside pulsed through her veins, igniting a spark of adventure within her. One she was happy to indulge.

Talyssa didn’t hesitate in approaching the edge of it. Testing the ground’s ability to bare weight with each ginger step as she peered down below. The way the angle of the sun shone into the cavern illuminated the entire space- bleaching the stalagmites in an ethereal glow. There was a more gradual descent on the opposite side of the opening. However, the lake below had her entirely entranced. “Whoa, I don’t remember this.” She murmured- and she certainly would have had this not been her first encounter. “I wonder how deep it is?” She mused aloud. But of course, the drive for experimentation was already churning in her mind. Looking along the rim of the pitfall, she noticed a rather large rock. Closing the distance between herself in it, she couldn’t help but tumble it off the edge.

It fell for several seconds before proceeding by a very large splash. The entire surface of the lake was cast in ripples. But even still, she thought she could see the gentle sway of the small boulder’s shadow as it drifted down to the crystal clear bottom. She wasn’t quite satisfied in her result, but for the first time she looked up to Quill, searching his expression for any sort of clue as to what he was thinking. And if it was anything similar to what she was thinking.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

They explored because it made her happy. Quill could take it or leave it, but he enjoyed it because Talyssa enjoyed it. He just enjoyed her, really. What was so different about this girl? There had been quite a few before, but they had all been eager to lift their tails for him. There was very little substance there. Talyssa challenged him mentally, prompting him to see the world in color rather than black and white. Perhaps that was why he was so very drawn to her.

The duo made their way to the Gods Garden, Talyssa flitting about to look at this and that and Quill plodding quietly along behind her, a silent guardian. He listened to every word, but had little input. He wasn't that much of a talker, but he put in a word here and there for her sake. It wouldn't do for her to just talk to herself, eh?

In time, the woman's gasp brought his attention fully to her and he walked to the edge of the precipice with her. They looked over the edge, exchanging glances with one another. Tal toed a rock over the edge and they watched as it plummeted downward, eventually splashing and sinking. Quill thought that he could see the rock sink all the way to the bottom of the clear pool. There didn't seem to be any stalagmites sticking up from the center of the pool. They were all situated towards the walls. It reminded Quill of a big cenote that he'd seen on his travels. Being summer, the water was likely to be tepid, or at least not freezing.

"You wanted adventure," he told her in a rumbling drawl, turning his side to the edge of the cliff. Extending his neck, the maned behemoth gave the golden fae a kiss for good luck. ... And then he promptly tilted sideways, falling over the edge and towards the water below.

"Quill Klein"

She wasn’t anticipating the sudden kiss he caught her with. His lips were warm and comforting against hers, and for the split second of contact, she forgot to breathe. It was the simple fact that he had taken her by surprise that he managed to interrupt all of her other thought processes. She didn’t have time to register his words. And as it turned out, his kiss wasn’t his only surprise.

Talyssa's pale gaze widened as Quill disappeared over the edge. She rushed towards the precipice, her heart in her throat. She hadn't expected this type of adventure--the danger of it, the sheer thrill that came with a heel-of-the-paw moment. Below, a splash resounded, echoing up the cavernous walls of the Crystal Cathedral. The tinkling of water droplets against stone sounded like faraway chimes in a windstorm, eerie and beautiful.

Her eyes scanned the ripples on the water's surface, searching for any sign of Quill. Then he surfaced, his muscular form cutting through the water with ease, his dark silhouette a stark contrast against the luminosity of the pool beneath. His large head broke free from the crystal depths, water cascading off his coat as he tread water. “Are you crazy!?” She yelled down at him, her voice carried away by the echoes of the cave.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

To say that it was rush would have been a bit of an understatement. Quill was trying hard to look cool, calm and collected as he toppled over the edge of the precipice, but on the way down he was second guessing his actions. Ah, the prices that men paid for love. And love it was. The more time he spent with Talyssa, the more he never wanted to spend any time away from her. Perhaps he was smothering but she hadn't said anything about it just yet. If she wanted her space, well... she probably wouldn't get it.

Quill plummeted downward, his massive body finally meeting the water below. The water definitely wasn't warm and it was a shock to his system, but he recovered quickly and paddled back to the surface. His nose broke the seal and he took a deep breath, powerful front paws moving languidly through the water. He cast his gaze upwards, eyeing the small dot that was Talyssa. Her words called down to him, echoing within the chasm. The brute chuckled, his own deep tones reverberating off of the stone before he called up. "Perhaps..." He kept his gaze on her, still treading water, "But can you match that crazy?" It was a tease, a dare. Would she answer it or would she chicken out and take the safe path down?

"Quill Klein"

Talyssa stared down at Quill incredulously from her perch atop the precipice. "You are out of your mind!" She shouted, her voice echoing through the cavern. But even as she said it, there was a glint in her steel-blue eyes, a spark of mischief that matched Quill's own. She glanced back at the rocky path that led down to the water. It was a safer route, yes. But safe wasn't always fun. With a final glance at Quill, Talyssa took a few steps back.

Then, she ran forward, her heart pounding in her chest as she reached the edge. Without a moment's hesitation, she leaped off into the unknown, hurtling through the air with a wild yelp of exhilaration. She plunged into the cool water below, her body submerging before she kicked up, breaking the surface with a gasp.

Her wet golden fur clung to her shivering form as she looked around, spotting Quill a few feet away from her. A broad grin spread across her face. “So, did I match the crazy?” She called out while surging toward him in a playful attack- she moved through the water like she was born to it. Having always been a strong swimmer it was easy for her to tread water, and she’d take any advantage she could get.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

Talyssa made her decision that he was indeed insane. The waterlogged brute grinned, easily treading water as he looked up at her. The woman disappeared out of view and Quill frowned. Was she going to disappoint him? No... apparently she wasn't.

A golden form rocketed over the edge of the cenote, an adrenaline filled whoop leaving her maw before Talyssa plummeted into the chilly depths of the water. As she resurfaced, Quill was already laughing. The big brute pushed backwards through the water towards a ledge of stone that they both had narrowly missed. Hind paws touched down and, as Tal came barreling towards him, he wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her good and thorough.

Tongue and teeth fed at the mouth of the fawn colored fae and Quill made his desire for her no secret as he held her tightly against his submerged body. As he broke off the kiss, a rumble of desire passed through the grey and white giants chest. "Never have I wanted anything more than you, my adventurous Carpathian Princess."

"Speech"

Feeling Quill's arms tighten around her as her playful assault was halted, Talyssa's laughter bubbled up, her wet fur pressed against his form. Then she felt his lips on hers, and her heart pounded in her chest. She reacted instinctively, kissing him back, her arms wound around his neck in the water- as the bottom of the cenote from where they were positioned was just beyond her reach. The coolness of the water enveloped them, contrasting with the heat that spread between them with their fervent kisses.

Feeling the intensity of his longing, Talyssa's heart raced. Her eyes fluttered open for a moment to meet Quill's pale pink gaze - filled with desire and something deeper she couldn't name. Each passionate kiss fueled her, amplifying their shared thrill and excitement. The breathtakingly beautiful cavern around them shimmered in the ambient light, forgotten as their world narrowed down to each other.

She broke away from their passionate entanglement, her chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath. Her steel-blue eyes rested on Quill's rugged face, the mischievous glint in them mirroring his own. "Why, Quill" Talyssa teased, her voice breathy and husky from their surprise exchange. “You certainly know how to make a girl feel special." Her voice carried an undertone of genuine warmth, her own heart fluttering at his heartfelt words.

With that, she gave him an affectionate nudge and pushed away from him in the water, gliding a little way away- back out toward the center of the cenote. Not entirely sure of the game they would play, but wanting to play one no less.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

Talyssa spoke and Quill chortled softly. "I doubt that any woman before you would have said the same," he informed her. Quill had been a cad. A bad, bad man. Very "love 'em and leave 'em." That was why everyone that knew him was surprised to know that he'd found a woman to devote himself to. Revenant had been surprised. His mother had been surprised. He couldn't blame them. Quill would be the first to admit that he had been a bastard for a long portion of his life. That was different now. He was different now.

As the blonde fae pushed off of him and floated back into the center of the stone cavern, Quill moved in the opposite direction, stepping backwards on the stone shelf until the water was shallow enough that he could sit, though his upper half floated in the water. "Let's play a game," he suggested, his low voice bouncing off of the cenote walls. "I ask you a question and you have to either answer truthfully or you can pass, but you must do a task that I ask of you. We'll take turns. Do you accept?" Once Talyssa agreed, Quill grinned.

Lazing in the water, the big brute tilted his head one way then the other, considering. He would start out easy. "What is your favorite color?" This would come in handy in the future, but there was no real risk to the question. They'd get into riskier things as the game went on.

"Quill Klein"

Talyssa's heart pounded with anticipation as she listened to Quill's proposition. A game of truths and dares, it seemed. The idea was intriguing, a thrilling challenge of wit and bravery. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, her tail swishing playfully in the water as her gaze met Quill's. "I accept," she declared, a grin dancing on her lips as she swam towards him, arching a golden eyebrow in his direction. “Your move, sir," she teased, holding his gaze as she tread water before him. A glint of daring shone in her steel-blue eyes, the subtle curve of her smirk suggesting she was more than ready for whatever he would throw her way.

Talyssa's lip curled into a wry smile at his question. A simple query, but it set the tone for the game. "My favorite color," she mused, her eyes fluttering toward the stone ceiling as if the answer was inscribed there, before settling back onto Quill, her tail curling around her lithe body. “Would have to be lavender purple.” she responded, her gaze never leaving his. Her voice was soft, almost wistful, clearly transcending the playful banter of their game.

With a playful flick of her tail, Talyssa nudged Quill's side. "Now it's my turn," she said, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. "What's the most reckless thing you've ever done?" She asked, skipping past the easy, basic questions and getting straight to the ones of more substance. In doing so, she felt a ripple of excitement as she waited for his answer.

"Talyssa Carpathius"