They had been out together recently on a hunt together, but that didn't mean they couldn't keep finding time to themselves. Balthier still missed the days it was just him, Azzurra, and the raft. Being alone with her filled him with emotions he couldn't describe. Now his days were filled with responsibilities other than her own care, and maybe he over did it. But as long as Azzurra was safe and happy, he would keep living this way.

After running a midday patrol, he made his way back to the den as the sun was going down. This evening was surprisingly clear given the rainy seasons of Auster and he wasn't going to take it for granted. Before heading straight back to the den he shared with his sister, his paws moved to the storages of the island. Grabbing one of the extra satchels, he placed a bottle of wine inside the bag and threw it over his shoulder. He had never drank alcohol himself but it seemed to be going more to waste in Chimera's hands from The Hallows. He was sure he wouldn't mind.

He headed back to their den, leaving the door opened as he entered. He wasn't sure if Azzurra would be sleeping yet with the sun nearly gone or if she'd be up waiting for him. "Azzurra?" He called out before walking more forward into the room.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

After spending the day attempting to do some real training her legs felt like sore noodles. The walks she did around the beach were slowly starting to feel easier, but she remembered how tired she had been after the hike through the mountainous fajord where she met Satira so she knew if she wanted to do much more traveling she was going to have to work on building some actual muscle and endurance. Today had been filled with winded sprints and climbing up and down on some stairs that led up into one of the near by buildings until her lungs burned. Now she was stretched out in the bed she shared with Balthier, nearly half asleep even though it wasn’t all that late. In reality she had only spent a total of maybe two hours training throughout the day between frequent breaks, but it was a start.

Azzurra was right on the edge of dozing when she heard Balthier enter the bungalow as he called her name. Her ears perked and she blinked open her sapphire eyes, her gaze landing on his gold marked features as he walked into the room. She smiled gently and rolled onto her stomach, her short tail wagging behind her. “Hi Balthier.” She spotted the thing he was carrying and gave a little tilt of her head as she added curiously, “What’s that?”

"Azzurra & Balthier"

He walked in closer to her as she greeted him, but still left the door open behind him maybe to show that he hadn't expected to call it a night. He went to rub his cheek along hers before she noticed the bag, which he didn't open to reveal what was inside. "I guess you'll find out." He spoke with a tempting smirk, not that he was much of a party goer though.

He backed up a step or two to look at her, he was just going to invite her to walk beside him but she seemed a little worn out today. Not that he had really noticed how much work she was putting into herself. "Are you tired? Did you want a ride?" He spoke jokingly but also very serious as he went to turn his side to her so she could climb onto his back. They weren't vastly different in size, but he'd be able to manage her petite form on his more built one. "We can take the raft to shore if you want." They hadn't gone anywhere on the raft recently, so maybe it was a good change for tonight.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Azzurra raised a brow curiously at him when he didn't tell her what was in the bag, instead tempting her with it and giving her a smirk. Between that and the fact that he left the door open behind him she figured there must be something he had planned for her. If she had known she might have held off on starting her training, but now it couldn't be helped. She appreciated the thoughtful things he did from time to time and she certainly didn't want to disappoint him. He stepped back and she started to get up to hop down from the bed, her legs protesting a good bit as she did so, but when he asked if she was tired and if she wanted a ride she shook her head with a smile. "No, I'm okay!" She probably should have taken him up on the offer, but with a bit of her pride on the line she climbed down from the bed and stood beside him with aching legs.

Her ears perked at the idea of taking the raft out and she looked up at him with a grin. "Yeah! We haven't gone out on the raft in so long." They hadn't really had a reason to since they moved into Fenmyre, but that didn't mean she hadn't enjoyed it when they used to use it to sail various places. She walked out of the bungalow next to Balthier, trying to keep herself from stepping to gingerly along the way. At least the path to the raft wasn't too long and she walked out to where it was anchored to the shore next to the bungalow. "Are you going to tell me where we're going? Or is it a surprise?" she asked, peering up at him curiously.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

She joined alongside him instead of jumping on his back which was fine with him. He started pulling the lines on the raft to get it to shore as she asked if he'd let go of his secrets. He smiled and hummed lightly as he looked to her while tugging the raft out to the water. "I've heard of this place where the ocean shimmers." Once the raft was in the water, he held his paw down on top of it just at the shore and waited for Azzurra to step on before pushing it out to sea more.

Once back on the raft, he shook gently and started steering it north, coming across the bifrost and continuing on to the shimmering shores. They could see the castle of The Hallows from the ocean here, he only glanced at it as they strode by, not waning to be reminded of the things that happened there. Though the castle from out at sea was quite the sight.

It was easy to see the shimmering shores as they grew closer to the beach, but once the bioluminescent seas were under them he didn't pull the raft in anymore. He pulled up the sail and let the raft sit where it was before finally revealing the wine bottle out of his bag and cracking open the top to join Azzurra. He didn't take a sip of it yet, only waited to see if she would first. Once he settled beside her, he sifted through the mostly empty bag to reveal a silver bangle with gold, blue, and white swirls painted around it. At first he fiddled, but he didn't really feel like he had to be nervous around Azzurra. He didn't say anything though, just placed his paw over hers before sliding the trinket over.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Azzurra's ears perked with interest when Balthier told her that he had heard of this place where the ocean shimmered and her head tipped to the side with curiosity. The ocean always kind of glittered in the sun, but that couldn't be what he meant since they were making a special trip to see it. With her interest captured she climbed onto the raft, settling down onto her stomach with a contented sigh, relaxing onto the familiar raft while Balthier sailed them on around the northern tip of Auster and around to the opposite coast. She wore a gentle smile while she took in the landscapes as they passed them. The castle that The Hallows occupied loomed over them on a hill top in the distance and for a moment she could almost forget the bad memories she had of the place as she enjoyed the scenic views it created.

They came around until a long strip of beach was in sight and her sapphire eyes widened in surprise at the blue-hued glow that lit up the sands every time a wave crashed into it. "Wow..." she breathed, a grin pulling across her lips. As they got closer she noticed how the water that was lapping at the sides of the raft had the same effect and she reached over the edge with a giggle, her pale paw patting at the water and watching as it glowed around her paw. When she looked at her paw she didn't see any residual glow from it, but it did create for a beautiful backdrop.

Balthier surprised her when he lowered the sail, bringing them to a stand still in the water with the shimmering shore as their view. She smiled and shifted back away from the edge of the raft to lay beside him. He finally started pulling things from the bag he brought and the first thing he revealed was a bottle. She blinked with surprise, asking, "What's this?" He opened it and placed it beside her and she curiously sniffed the top, smelling the sharp and fruity smell of the wine inside. She had never had wine or anything like alcohol before, but she didn't want to turn down any gifts that Balthier gave her so after giving him another curious glance she lifted the bottle to her lips to take an experimental sip. It was a bitter flavor that caught her off guard at first, but after letting herself adjust to it for a moment she was able to take another sip and enjoyed it more than the first.

While she was doing that he dug something else out of his bag and just as she was setting down the wine bottle he pulled out a silver bangle that had patters painted across it that were reminiscent of their combined coloring and patterns. Her eyes widened with awe and she looked between the bracelet and him for a moment until his dark paw shifted to hold one of her smaller, pale paws and he slipped the delicate piece of jewelry onto her leg. "Balthier... It's beautiful," she told him softly as she lifted her leg a bit to turn it one way and then the other so inspect it curiously, her short tail wagging like crazy behind her. She looked up at him with a happy grin, adding, "Thank you, Balth. What's all of this for?"

"Azzurra & Balthier"

He loved seeing her bask in new scene around them, he only admired her as she played with the water and giggled, his own genuine smile on his maw while he looked at her. He slid the bangle over her paw and up her leg, his claws carefully brushing over the skin on her upper leg as he still admired her body. He couldn't tell her how much he loved her, it was indescribable. He could feel it in his chest as he slipped the gift onto her and just wanted to be closer to her.

His paw reached over to caress around the back of her shoulder and his expressions turned gentle while he went to grab her eyes, "I want you to always be reminded about how much I care for you, Azzie." Though he guessed she didn't really need that. He felt like providing for her, finding them a home, holding her at night was all enough to show his appreciation. But also with the back and forth struggles of his own guilt, he felt like he needed more. Maybe he actually thought it would never be enough. Looking over his shoulder, he dragged the opened bottle of wine over and took probably too generous of a swig. He wasn't expecting the bitter taste while he had also never tried wine before, but still took it down with a twinge in his lip and an awkward smile, not that he was uncomfortable around her. He pushed the bottle back over to her, suggesting that she take another drink.

His paw went to move along her ribs as he started to grab around her hip and pull her into him, carefully moving her on top of him in one gentle motion. She was so light in his arms, he felt like if he squeezed too hard she would just break. He just looked up at her with the spurts of starry sky through the clouds surrounding her. The way he looked at her was maybe special if someone had been looking in, but he always looked a her this way. With immense love and admiration for her.

He turned his head while he one handedly took another swig of the bottle, pushing it back up right as he got used to the taste more. He slowly moved his maw up to hers, giving her steady and gentle kisses and not rushing anything, he never needed to rush her at least. What they had was meaningful to him. The taste of wine on her lips was more intoxicating than their kiss. The longer their lips were connected the more he desired her, his hips subtly pushing up to brush against her, but not into her. He wanted to savor every moment of this.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Azzurra looked up at Balthier happily while he slid the bracelet on to her leg till it reached a point where it fit snuggly, but not too tightly, feeling his dark paw brush across her foreleg and up across her shoulder while he told her how it was supposed to be a reminder of how much he cared about her. She tipped her muzzle up to affectionately tap his chin with her nose, replying, "I always know how much you care, Balth. I don't need a bracelet to remember that by. I do love it though, it's so pretty." She didn't have very many things that were just hers or gifts like this so it felt incredibly special, especially since it was from Balthier. Even though things got rocky and uncertain at times she knew he cared and she cared about him too. She watched as he pulled over the bottle of wine and took a much more ambitious first drink than she had and snickered softly when he twinged at the bitter hit of the wine. He pushed it back to her and she willingly took another drink as well, adding to that subtle warmth that had started to spread through her. Since her drinks were more like long sips than anything she took another before she set the bottle back down.

Just as she was about to say something about the wine to him, she felt his strong limb around her waist and suddenly she was getting swept off of the raft to be pulled up on top of him. She squeaked and giggled in surprise, her head spinning a bit as the alcohol started to affect her. She was a small, thin girl and it was her first time every having alcohol at that so even a little bit of wine hit her pretty hard, but she wouldn't have known that until she started to drink. She blinked and chuckled as she settled in on top of him, looking down at him with a little smile. She watched him take another long drink of wine and she was actually kind of surprised that he'd want to drink more of it when she was already feeling a bit wobbly, but she figured he was probably just feeling differently since he was much bigger than her—or at least she hoped so. He'd have to get them back to shore eventually.

His lips found hers and she hummed softly, her mismatched ears flicking as he ignited the fluttering butterflies in her stomach. She returned his kisses, her sapphire gaze flickering closed while she tasted his lips on hers and the bitter tang of wine on their shared palates. The evening had shifted so quickly from a nice trip on the raft to something much more romantic and it caught her off guard a bit. It made her swirling thoughts wonder if he had only given her this bracelet, brought her out here, and gave her the wine just so that he could have this intimate moment with her. She couldn't deny how much he loved her, she could see it in his eyes every time he looked at her, but sometimes it just felt like too much and with how the alcohol was making her feel wobbly on the already not entirely stable surface of the raft it made her hesitant. When his hips pressed up into hers she pulled back from his lips, breathing more heavily as she blinked her eyes open to look down at him. "Are you sure we should be doing this stuff out here? Is it safe?" she questioned, hoping maybe that would deter him a bit.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

He felt his chest and stomach flicker as the wine started to work its way through his body. Azzie’s form against him warming him more as his physical desires grew, he didn’t want to stop. He felt nothing in the movement of the raft, maybe because he was positioned under her with his back on a solid surface.

His lips were forcefully pulled off of hers as he felt broken from the way he had been moving with her, he would have never guessed she was uncomfortable. His paws rolled down her sides as he let her concern come to air, but he could not agree. In one quick motion, he switched them back around so that he was mostly on top of her with his back legs around only one of her own. His paw was unsteady on the surface as the wine had made the rotation dizzy, but he could almost laugh at the way it made him feel. He gave her a contented grin as he looked back down at her, "Is this better?" He questioned curiously before leaning back down for another kiss. He wanted something different, not that he knew what. But really all he wanted was her, in all physical and emotional ways he could imagine.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Instead of deterring him or making him reconsider like she had hoped, he slid his paws down her body and suddenly rolled them over so that she was now on her back and he his body was over hers, pinning her down to the surface of the raft. She gasped softly as she world shifted around her all at once, making her head swim again and she blinked as she reoriented herself to the new position, looking up at Balthier with a bit of uncertainty. The way he swayed slightly as he positioned himself over her didn't slip past her and she worried that if she tried to move from under him or get him to move off of her again he might move too close to the edge. Her concern for him outweighed her insecurity over whether this whole trip had been for anything more than an excuse to sleep with her and she smiled a little when he asked if this was better. "Yes, this is better," she said just to pacify him, slipping her forelegs up around his forelegs just to make sure he stayed steady over her and she could help keep him there, though her still sore muscles protested a bit at that.

He leaned in for another kiss and she wouldn't deny him, returning his kiss and feeling his lips pressing to hers once again. It was hard to deny the way butterflies filled her belly and warmth spread through her when they were like this. Everything about being with him made her want him more and whenever she let her mind shut off so she could just enjoy how everything else she did love it. It was only when her thoughts and concerns crept in that she wondered if they should still be doing this and whether or not this was good for them. She loved him, but as she got exposed to more of the world she was starting to question whether she truly loved him more than she would have any of her other siblings if they had cared for her the way he did back when she needed him most. She was still so dependent on him and she just wanted him to be happy so she didn't put up any resistance as he kissed her, her pale paws holding on to the dark fur on the back of his neck while they made out, letting herself get lost in the physical pleasures of it so she wouldn't have a chance to think about the other stuff.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Balthier wouldn't have noticed her real concerns or doubts even if he wasn't feeling funny from the bit of wine he drank. Maybe it was that he was too naive to see, that he couldn't believe their life wasn't so perfect after their childhood. Or maybe he simply didn't want to acknowledge it. He wanted everything to be perfect and maybe that's why he kept acting like nothing had ever been wrong between them. It wasn't her after all, it was him in his own eyes.

Balthier kept along with their kisses, silently and subconsciously hoping she wouldn't break them again. One of his paws carefully wandered along her ribs and stomach as he became more heated and wanted more of her. He didn't move fully on top of her still, his hips gently pushing against her and showing her just how badly he wanted it. His paw both carefully and strongly grabbed around her ribs as he went to spin her around under him, rolling her into a much more primal position not that he was necessarily craving that. He still just wanted something different.

He nibbled along her scruff and behind her ear before whispering, "I need you Azzie." His paw moved gently in the curve of her back leg into her stomach, almost like he could lock her into him. He was ready to take her.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Azzurra returned every kiss Balthier gave her, mostly giving in to the passion and the hungry desire that Balthier poured into their making out as he held onto her and pressed his hips into her with a familiar need. It felt a bit like she was going through the motions, reacting to him how she always did and clinging to him as she felt like she should. It always physically felt good, but it was sometimes a toss up whether or not she was mentally in the right space for it and right now it was only her body that was wanting him as badly as he was wanting her. Her mind was too preoccupied with the worry that they might fall off the raft, with thinking about how off the wine made her feel, with wondering if this way that her and Balthier were living was good for them or not.

Just as she was finally getting her disjointed thoughts to settle he gripped her around her sides and suddenly rolled her under him so that she was on her stomach on the surface of the raft, his weight heavy over top of her. The movement threw off her equilibrium again and she had to close her eyes while her head spun. Something about the combination of it all was overwhelming and overstimulating, his weight on her and his paws pulling her back into him suddenly felt claustrophobic. It was hard to keep herself from trying to pull away as he nibbled along her scruff, her claws scratching at the wood of the raft under her as she struggled with her own instincts. Part of her wanted to tell him no, to pull away, but another part, an almost louder part, still wanted this. The heat that danced under her skin, the tight need in her core, it was all still there and she still craved what he craved, but it felt strange and strained and she didn't know if that was the wine or the situation itself that caused it.

Even still, when he pressed against her and told her how much he needed her she couldn't bring herself to tell him no. She always still felt like she owed him something for everything he did to care for her and keep her safe and this was the only way she knew how to repay him and make him happy. Her ears flicked with uncertainty as she blinked open her eyes, looking out at the shimmering shore in the distance. She didn't reply, instead just pressing back into him in return, her eyes flickering closed again while she made herself focus on the physical pleasure of it all, allowing that to soothe the other worries while she continued to convince herself that this was all still worth it.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Balthier was still affected in his maybe a little more than tipsy state to notice how much Azzurra was against him mentally, even subtle physical signs he missed only thinking that she would have wanted nothing else more than these moments. He couldn’t believe that she didn’t want the same as him especially while she seemed so willing underneath him.

Not that she could see, but a light smile went across his face as she pushed into him, the paw at her hip brushed up across the fur on her side as his claws gripped around the edge of the raft and he started slow and gently, his breath in her ear while he felt like he could just melt over top over. He wanted to have her as long as he could, and hopefully drown out the feelings at the end.

He released her for only a moment to pull her back so he could face her again, looking down at her chest as they connected again. His paws wrapped tighter on the edge of the raft to get more leverage on her. He felt something inside of him that wanted to be rougher, aggressive, but he held back because he didn’t want to hurt her. He couldn’t ask it of her either. His heated gaze finally made it up to hers because all he wanted was to see her happy pleasures back at him.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

Balthier's paw trailing across her side as he shifted to grip the edge of the raft sent a shiver across her skin and she almost hated how much she liked how all of it felt. There was no denying that she liked the physical act of these moments and the pleasure it brought. That had rung true from their very first time together and the way it made her feel was addictive. Her body revolted against her so often, feeling exhausted and aching with every little advancement she tried to make in herself, and it was nice to have something that actually made her feel better instead of worse. In the moments where she felt lost, sad, hurt by anything she knew if she had a moment like this with Balthier she would at least for a moment be able to ride the high of the pleasure he could give her. It was only the before and the after that seemed to plague them both.

A gasp passed her lips as he joined them together, biting her lip out of reflex even though there was no possible way for anyone to hear them. Her claws gripped at the surface of the raft as well, her mismatched ears folded back against her head while he took her, chasing away anything but the physical pleasure that she loved. She enjoyed the way Balthier reacted when he was taking her and the way he looked at her. That was another big reason she kept doing this kind of thing with him, just for the short period of time where she could savor all of the love he had for her, all of the unbridled affection she saw in his eyes. It was a heady experience that had been made even more intoxicating by the way the world wobbled and spun around her from the alcohol and her lingering exhaustion from her work outs earlier in the day.

Her eyes only flickered open for a moment as the world moved around her again, only realizing that he had moved her again when she noticed that she was looking up at him once more. A breathless sound of pleasure left her as they joined together again. Her head tipped back and her eyes closed once more, her mind helping her to pretend that she was just floating on a cloud as the weightlessness took her over. Shaky, pale paws found him, whether it was the fur on his chest or otherwise she wasn't sure, but she held on to him just to feel like the had something stable to anchor herself to. With the wine, the pleasure, and the rock of the raft on the waves she was having a hard time distinguishing up from down.

"Azzurra & Balthier"

He couldn't help but feel heavy and dizzy from the alcohol as the boat shifted underneath of him and he moved into her. It had almost hit him in phases as time had went on. Now that they were this far, he would have never thought she had doubts before, especially the way she looked at him and grabbed at his fur almost pulling him into her more. She relaxed under him and let him have all of her.

His muzzle pulled down to break nibbles over her chest and neck as he continued, and as he felt the length of their pleasures conclude a paw pulled off of the edge of the raft, placing it just beside her ribs as he looked at her with lustful, pleading eyes, "Azzie," in a huffed tone he felt let he could barely get out, "Look at me." The alcohol had really helped him focus on just their act rather than the guilt surrounding it. But looking at her always eased him more, he loved her seeing him so vulnerable but also seeing the same of her while she was under him.

-Fade-

He had felt more relieved than he ever had, but probably wouldn't remember the full feeling come morning. His paw curled around her shoulder, gently leaning in to kiss her still while catching his breath before flopping down beside her on the uneasy raft. He had been so weighted in his spot above her that all of his vision had spun when he rolled onto his back. He chuckled quietly to the feeling, the fuzziness and feeling of the aftermath. Everything was perfect.

"Azzurra & Balthier"