Copyright 2012 Naoko Smith
For James and with grateful thanks to Fran
*
As soon as Dar Vaie walked into the hotel bar he was aware of Hanya Lein.
The bar room was full of the pleasurable warmth of men and women sharing a beer and a good story after work, perhaps a friendly flirtation, perhaps something more heartfelt. They sat in comfortable groups, golden with laughter in the light of candles on the walls and the tables, some with plates of food, others with just a bowl of beer or wine or spirits.
Slightly apart from a group at his table, clearly on his own, was a big-shouldered lad, blond and soft as butter, round blue eyes lifted briefly and idly to see who had come in the door. Dar Vaie could tell from the set of his shoulders and back that he was another officer; a baby Lieutenant! new commissioned and probably on his first leave away from the troop. The lad's blue eyes dipped shyly aside in the bright candlelight although Dar Vaie had not looked directly at him. Yet.
(Sweet Angels, will you look at that now. A young sweetie of a Lieutenant with muscles still not fully hardened by the summer campaigns and winter manoeuvres, a big-shouldered lovely blushing like a virgin in an hotel bar in Iarve.)
Dar strolled slowly to the bar. His elaborately decorated sword and dagger set swung gently from where they were slung low about his rangy hips against his thigh length brown army boots. He ran strong thin fingers through his reddish strawberry blond hair that was cropped short at the back and sides. The corner of his thin mouth on the side away from the lad quirked in a grin, his grey eyes sparkled with pleasure. His cock stirred soft as a baby bird in expectation in his breeches.
Perfect. He was tired and on the hunt for a bit of fun and relaxation after a long demanding journey from Sietter down through Trattai and Soomara into Iarve, keeping the junior officers and the men always under his keen grey eye. He had begun the work of establishing their current encampment and he had given the four Captains all leave together the previous night precisely so he could get some rest and come out alone on the prowl tonight. He disliked picking up his bits of stuffing in front of his fellow officers and juniors, preferred to go off alone in civilian clothes and see what he could find although if he tripped over anyone worth a quick fuck while taking the juniors out for a merry night of it he never said No.
The lad had nearly finished his bowl of beer. Dar stood with his weight relaxed back on one lean long leg in its thigh length brown leather boot, watching out of the corner of his eye a big blond lovely tilting the last few mouthfuls of beer slowly in the bottom of his bowl, lingering over them in case someone might offer to buy him the next one. Dar ordered a whisky, a good one. The fiery kiss of it always made him catch his breath and think of his beloved brother officer Tashka el Maien and snigger a salacious laugh. He bumped the whisky back, turned and gave the lad the eye.
Oh sweetie! The blush went up the lad's cheek like the Arven River in flood in the Spring. His blue eyes looked wide back into Dar Vaie's narrowed intent grey gaze. Dar sniggered the dirty salacious laugh in his nose and swung on his heel, going for the door beside the bar which must lead into the courtyard out back -- and the stables. At the door he paused and looked back.
The lad had not moved from his seat. He sat there with his big hands, lightly tanned from the early summer campaign, resting on the table. His blue eyes under the head of hair cropped very short in super military style had a yearning look in them but it was evident that he was not going to come and take a tossed favour off Dar Vaie.
Damnation. He was a sweetheart. He was not going to be willing to have a quick one in the stables and melt pleasantly into the night, to be occasionally brought to mind alone in your tent when you were out on campaign and could not indulge in anyone in the troop because they were all your juniors. He was waiting for someone who would talk to him and go out about a few times, someone he could get to know before he decided on a loving long term companionship and perhaps even marriage.
Dar Vaie swung through the back door of the bar with a regretful pout of his thin firm mouth.
Outside it was warm and quiet, bloody ideal conditions for a quick shove against the stable doors, hot and juicy. Dar wandered mournfully to the toilets, had a pee he did not need, staring at his already excited cock in his fingers, and spent an inordinately long time washing his hands.
There were others in the bar of course. Other eyes had lifted at his entrance, had trailed languidly over his lean hard fit body in the cotton shirt and breeches, the highly polished thigh length army boots he was wearing. Any of them would be happy to take a casual panting fuck off an handsome sex-hungry officer like himself.
Dar Vaie went back into the bar and ordered two bowls of whatever the lad was drinking. It turned out to be bloody breakfast ale, weak as rabbit piss. The fiery kiss of the whisky was still singing in his mouth like Tashka el Maien's laughter. Dar carried the bowls over to the lad and sat down opposite him.