A Tease and A Strip

"So tell me, Anders," Mira asked, "In what condition do you sleep?"

Anders did not answer right away, perhaps still distracted by Mira's previous statement (and Mira wondered if perhaps a few wicked thoughts of his own raced through his imagination). When he finally realized he had been spoken to he asked, "... Condition?"

"Well, obviously, even the greatest of our Goddess' blessings would not make sleeping in our full armor comfortable," Mira teased, "You must remove SOME articles of clothing. Your shirt? Your... pants?"

Mira darted her eyes downwards to her own state of half-dress as if to indicate the example... though she could see Anders' gaze linger once again on her pale, firm legs. "Oh..." he said, "Well... on colder nights... it's... as you are..."

"But tonight is rather warm, is it not?" Mira asked, the way he had attempted to partially dodge the question giving her an idea of the truth.

Anders nodded and said, "... Yes, but..." Once again, his courage seemed to fail him, his gaze turning away from hers, "is it really necessary to answer this?"

"Yes," Mira replied, "As I've already said, we are going to spend much of this mission in close... contact with each other. And we will need to understand how we are comfortable by ourselves if we are to be comfortable with each other."

Anders shook his head, still refusing to look at her as his cheeks were now so red it seemed as if they would glow. "But," he said, "it's not PROPER to speak to a lady in such a manner..."

Mira laughed and said, "Oh, Sir Anders. You can duel with three cave trolls at once with no fear and yet the thought of telling a woman you sleep in the nude sets you trembling? How adorable!"

"I... I don't do it to be strange!" Anders yelped, his eyes widening as he looked back up, the panic in his voice clear, "It... it feels comfortable! And... I don't know why but when I awaken and say my morning prayers that way to the first rays of the sun I feel like they make me... stronger than if I do them in a more... normal state."

Mira laughed again. "The Sun Goddess must approve of the view if you greet her in such a manner," she said, "and now you've got me curious about what she gets to see."

Anders seemed somewhat surprised by her reaction. "You... don't mind?" he asked, something that sounded almost hopeful entering his voice, "When some of the other men discovered my sleeping habits they'd give me odd looks..."

In truth, Mira was somewhat surprised by how she was acting as well, a small voice in the back of her mind whispering that this was somehow wrong. However, Ander's growing interest, along with the growing tingling of her own body, pushed her onward. She raised her arms, her smile growing mischievous as she replied, "As I said, we must be comfortable with each other. If you are comfortable sleeping in the nude... I am willing to match you.... if you desire it."

Anders nodded, unconsciously licking his lips before slowly reaching out with his hands. He paused just before they touched the material of her tunic, looking up at her eyes in a silent request for confirmation. Mira nodded slightly, her own heart racing in her chest... a chest that was soon exposed as Anders lifted her top, pulling it over her head and letting it fall to the ground.

She could see his eyes drawn to her breasts once they were free, her nipples already hard and erect from the anticipation. His hands, meanwhile, continued to trail down, coming to rest near her hips once again pausing only inches from the last piece of clothing covering her body. Once again he looked up at her and once again she nodded her consent before he slid her panties down, exposing her womanhood, already slick with her desire.

The small voice in the back of Mira's mind called out for her to cover herself, to close her legs instead of letting the young Paladin in front of her stare at every inch of her nudity. The heavy silence that suddenly filled the tent was just as quickly banished as Anders whispered, "... Beautiful. Like the Goddess..."

The awe in his voice sparked something in Mira and, before she fully realized what she was doing, shifted forward to all but pounce upon the young man. "Now..." she said as a wide-eyed Anders fell onto his back beneath her, "it is your turn."

Her hands moved with a speed and confidence she almost could not believe she possessed as she quickly fished his tunic from out of his pants, barely giving Anders time to raise his arms before pulling it over his head and then tossing it to join her own on the ground. She traced her hands over his chest, enjoying the feel of the smooth muscles as she traveled downwards, undoing his belt and reaching in to grab both the hem of his pants and undergarments, preparing to pull them off together.

Suddenly, she paused, a wave of nervousness inexplicably running through her. This would be her first time exposing a man's member of her own free will and, despite her desires, the weight of that was enough to momentarily give her pause. However, she looked up and saw Anders nod to her, much as she had done to him before and any hesitation swiftly vanished as she tugged his clothing off. Her eyes instantly went to his manhood, surprisingly large for his body, which was fully erect and throbbing from his own eagerness, a small trickle of pre-seed glistening on the tip.

She stared at him for a moment longer before pulling him into her arms, letting his head rest on her shoulder as her breasts pressed against his chest and his manhood poked her stomach. Anders reached out to wrap his arms around her sides to steady himself, breathing in the smell of her hair and body.

"The Goddess truly is fortunate to see such a sight," Mira said, "But I am the one embracing you now, Anders."

Anders nodded weakly, a sighing moan escaping his lips. "I..." he said, "I have dreamed of being with you like this, Mira. Despite my devotion, despite my pledges, I... I truly desire to be with you, Mira."

Mira smirked, the pleasure at hearing those words inspiring her to continue.

Marus smirked as well. While their condition of dress at the time had been different, and this had been not the night of his confession, the words the dream Anders had spoken just then were ones pulled from another of Mira's memories. Marus did love sprinkling moments of truth into his illusions, as such truths made them more convincing.

The original confession had resulted in a far more boring reply of Mira admitting to her liking him as well but the two of them realizing nothing could happen between them so long as the war continued. In this dream situation, however, it promised a far more active response.

After all... there was still the matter of "sharing their scent".