RP: Aria (lavellanfadewalk) ((NSFW content further down))

[blackwall_fadewalk]

Skyhold. He was back in- but the sky…

Sometimes Sera had the absolute right of it. Fucking magic shite.

Blackwall sighed, choking up a tad on the bit of chair leg. There was the feeling of Darkspawn or other Wardens in the distance. Supposed to be someday he’d be able to tell the difference. Didn’t do him much good now.

The hold was empty. Not even wind to make the trees move. Like the air just before the storm broke. Unsettling.

He paced along the battlements one foot at a time. No one else around ‘less they were sneakier than him. Not like that was hard. His Warden armour made enough noise to cover a snowfleur’s approach. The next tower was the one the Inquisitor had refitted for the Mages. Couldn’t hurt to have a quick look. Some mageling may have hid in there and could tell him what in the Blighted Void was going on.

The west door opened with only a small creak.

Comments

[blackwall_fadewalk]

“Would be poor manners then, to use it. Shame. Always was curious.” He shivered under her touch. Felt like magic, stupid as it was to think. Her thighs brushed against his, knees knocked together. Damn. Her lips consumed him, pressing, demanding, taking, conquering. The sound of her gasping burned through his chest, set him on fucking fire.

He leaned away, heaving for air, wrestled his shield off and threw it in the general direction of the bed. Straps came loose, layers of silverite thrown off, gambeson removed and all his armour chucked out of the way so he could get back to her. One arm around her waist, the other in her hair, her fucking glorious hair. He ran his fingers through, slowly, wanting to feel every bit of it, of her. Happened to brush against her ear and she made a noise. A noise that. That...

“Bloody Void, my lady,” He breathed against her cheek. Needed a moment to collect himself.

He’d heard rumors, about elves and their ears. Sensitive. Very sensitive. He pressed a hungry kiss to her jaw and put his ear beside her mouth. He wanted to hear her. Ran his thumb from the lobe slowly, slowly up to the tip, pinched it. Tugged.

[lavellanfadewalk]

Aria trembled, mouth falling slightly agape with a low, soft moan. His calloused fingers working on her earshell were slowly draining her reasoning, knees almost giving up, arms with a funny, tingling sensation. Desire boiled past her navel, breath catching on her throat at each new gesture of his fingers. The feeling was delicious, enticing. Just like her moans and sighs.

She wanted, needed to feel more of him, desperately, hands fumbling with the hem of his shirt so she could reach his chest, nails lightly scrapping their way up from his sides. But not only skin. She also needed pressure, friction, her hips rolling against his, following the motion of his fingers.

All of sudden, she snapped out of his touch, fumbling with the buttons of her own vest now, desperate to get rid of the clothing layers keeping them apart. She fought briefly with the straps of her trousers and toed her boots off. All that was left, aside from her undergarments, was a simple loose undershirt. She was panting when she stopped to look at him, eyes even darker now.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

The sounds she made went straight to his head. She wobbled and he caught her, held her close. Felt all of her pressed so sweet and tight up against him. Her blunt nails felt sharp against his sides, like lightning, like pure heat. She pushed back, perfect pressure against his hips and his head fell back against the door with a loud thunk and a groan.

And then she was gone.

He reached for her, but she was too busy, pulling frantically at her clothes. She wanted him that much? All that frustration, all that passion, for him? He fell back against the door again, trying to breathe. Watched her shed her layers, watched her make herself vulnerable. Maker, look at her skin. He swallowed so he wouldn’t drool all over the floor.

Her eyes were… Andraste wept, were there words for it? Heat, want, caring, hunger. So fucking hungry. She’d eat him right up. A shudder raced up his spine, his hands trembled a little as he undid the buckles on his boots and toed them off. Only shirt, trou, socks and smalls left, but damned if he didn’t feel naked under her gaze.

“Sit, please.” He motioned to the bed. Stepped in close just to feel the heat coming off her. His face was doing something sappy, he knew, but couldn’t bring himself to care. Too busy leaning in, kissing her softly, backing her up until he felt her meet the edge of the overly-fluffy monstrosity.

[lavellanfadewalk]

Aria obeyed, stepping back guided by him until her heel found the bed, not breaking their kiss. The softness of the mattress and sheets were weird at first, but not bad. She pulled him closer, kissing his hand.

"Okay, I'm sitting."

As she smiled, she planted a kiss on each of his fingertips. She could see glimpses of his insecurity between a caress and another, under his gentleness, but there was his want too, as great as hers. Aria was trying to figure a way to reassure him, to show that there was him, and only him. And he was the one to ever make her feel like a boiling mass of feelings and sensations, all at once.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

She gave a sweet kiss to the pad of each finger and both his thumbs. And on his last thumb that was… that was her tongue. Sweeping over it, pulling it slightly in toward her lush, wicked mouth. Sweet bloody fuck. He swallowed hard, throat bobbing visibly.

“Forgive me, my lady.” Blackwall rasped as he went to his knees on the floor before her. “I am about to presume quite a bit.”

His hands trailed from her hips down over her thighs. Settled on her knees and spread them slowly. Watched her face for any sign, any hint. Licked his lips without realizing it. “If you want me to stop, you need only say.”

[lavellanfadewalk]

She grinned at his words, uncapable of holding a chuckle. "By all means." she purred, biting her lower lip "As far as I understand, I said I wanted to give you everything."

Her hands gripped at the sheets with the antecipation.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

His eyes dilated ever so slightly. Pressed a kiss to the inside of her right knee without looking away from where she was worrying at her lip. Smirked with a hint of teeth.

“Then I should get to work.”

His hands held her knees open as his focus went to her leg. He kissed her knee again, mouth open this time. There was a freckle further up her leg and he mouthed at it. Slightly raised. A mole, then? Blackwall glanced up the canvas of her skin, taking in the art of it. Plenty of them. He resolved to kiss as many as she’d let him.

Wet kisses, slowly pressed to a mole, or the skin between them. Higher up her inner thigh, and his beard tickled her a little and she squirmed. So he threaded his arms under her thighs and grabbed her hips from the outside. Held her still as he worked up to the edge of her smalls.

With the tip of his tongue he traced the edge of skin next to where her smalls covered. Revelled in her scent: spice and musk and an edge uniquely Aria that went straight to his cock. He nipped her thigh, soothed it with a kiss, looked up at her from under his eyebrows. Was this alright? Was this what you want?

[lavellanfadewalk]

Aria sighed and and held her breath at every kiss he planted over her skin, trailing up and inside her thigh. The tease with the tip of his tongue threw her head back, yelp of surprise slowly turning into a ragged moan, dripping with desire.

She could feel her smalls completely damp, wondering if he would notice. Damn Aria, of course he would! She bent to look at him again, one hand reaching for his arm; he had barely touched her and she was almost undone, her pride reduced to nothing but need.

"Please..." was all she could say to encourage him to go on.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

He hummed to let her know he’d heard, and then sat back on his knees. He meant to give her a lazy smile, but the look on her face…

He licked his lips. Turned to her left knee and started over. He was using his tongue more, couldn’t help it. Salt and spice and desire. Fucking delicious. Worked his way up, until he was nearly to her covered cunt. There was a larger mole on the back of her left thigh, and when he gave it its deserved attention it left his mouth just next to where the curve of her ass met her thigh.

He pulled her hips forward, put his mouth on that perfect curve and gently bit down. She jerked, gave the sweetest little mewl and bumped herself against his nose. Wet, so fucking musky and wet and he couldn’t help but moan against her. One of her hands was on his forearm, the other in his hair and she was perfect, fucking perfect.

He rubbed his thumbs over her hipbones, fingers squeezing the little flesh she had there. “You’re skin and bones.” He mumbled as he brushed the bottom edge of her undershirt up with his damp nose. “Don’t tell me they forget to feed you. Need to have words with someone.”

He grabbed the tie of her smalls with his teeth. Pushed one of the ties out of the wrong loop, then undid the knot in one smooth pull. Took a moment to be a little pleased with himself. Then Blackwall took the top edge of her smalls between his teeth and pulled them down. Cheated a little with his fingers. Then he adjusted his grip on her arse and lifted her, pulling the smalls down to her thighs.

He readjusted, free hand pulling her undergarment the rest of the way off her legs. The arm she had a grip on he ran the hand from the small of her back, down the curve of her arse to where it met the plush duvet. Once she stepped out of them, he handed her smalls up to her. “Put them under one of the pillows. Easier to find them later.”

[lavellanfadewalk]

Aria turned to place her smalls under the pillows, laughing at his comments over her weight, dissipating a little of the boiling tension "I'm afraid I'm skin and bones since I can remember, I don't know how much this can change by now."

But when her eyes met his again, settling back on the bed, she could only swallow hard. She was half-naked, yes, but that wasn't making her feel exposed. Blackwall could see her, truly see her, past the Inquisition and the mark, and being the Herald of Andraste, and her magic. The way his hands handled her, his mouth tasting her, his senses drinking all of her reactions. There, his arms around her legs, his eyes darkened by desire, his careful touch... she was just a woman, and there was a long time since she last felt that way.

She wanted, yes, to feel his mouth playing with her, teasing, licking, sulking, to hear all the noises his tongue would produce against her folds, but she also felt an unexplained desire to smile at him, bending and freeing one of her legs from his grip to kiss him, a glimpse of her own taste already in his mouth. His breath near her wet core send shivers all over her body and she settled again, heart racing, aching. Creators... she really had falling for him.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

He laughed and shook his head at her. He could just picture it: tiny little Lavellan, all twiggy arms and knobby knees. Maker’s sake, his bicep was thicker around than her calf. If he didn’t know her so well he’d’ve worried he was going to break her. But he did know her.

And when she bent to kiss him she pulled his hair just a little. Ended up rumbling a groan of pleasure into her mouth and she drank it down. She pulled back and he settled down on his heels again. His knees were going to scream bloody murder at him for this later, but there was an overly plush Orlesian carpet between them and the floor, and Aria was worth every ache and pain.

Speaking of. Just over her hip there was a small pucker of a scar. Had ripped one of her moles in half, and he kissed it because. Well. Because being broken didn’t make it less worthy of love than any of the others. And then he kissed the scar, because he remembered hauling her back to camp after the dragon had caught her with it’s claws, no potions left and Varric’s cursing fit to make a sailor blush. It had healed up neatly. Nothing left of the terror and blood but a raised bit of skin and memories. Blackwall kissed it again.

His freed hand dragged up her side, thumb counting his way up her ribcage. Brushed the underside of her breast. Traced the curve of it while his mouth kissed a line from her navel down to her mound.

He paused, just to drink her in. She had no hair, which threw him for a moment. Made sense though. No hair grows beneath an elf’s nose. Stupid fucking rhyme, but looked like it was true in Aria’s case. He breathed out hard so she could feel it. And she did. Moaned a high, wanton call. Bucked her hips up so his lips brushed against the apex of her sex. He answered with a guttural groan and traced her outer lips with the tip of his tongue. Down one side, up the other, and pressed a chaste kiss over her hooded clit.

“Tell me what you want, Aria.” He pulled away enough to feel her tug at his hair a little. “I want to hear you.”

[lavellanfadewalk]

"What I want..." she took some seconds to think of a way to put everything in words... which was slightly harder thanks to his breath tickling and teasing her folds, causing her hips to roll, seeking his lips. She closed her eyes, focusing.

"I want you to taste me whole, to lick, to bite, to make me weak on the knees with your mouth," she reached a finger to brush his lips, biting her own "to let me come on your tongue so hard I won't be able to move my arms." a grin appeared on her lips, the way his eyes were widening at hers was so adorable "Then it will be my turn to undo and tease you, the way you see fit." she licked her lips, tentatively "And I know this will end with you fucking me senseless, until none of it..." she gestured to the room "...will be here or mean anything for a second. I want your weight over me, to hear you whisper my name as I close around you. Everything... that's all I can offer, all I ask for."

Creators, she wanted him so, so badly.
She blushed at the request, but she kept her eyes on his the whole time.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

He was staring. Mouth hanging open. Bit of drool actually fell into his beard. Didn’t care. She was reciting poetry, the most beautiful he’d ever heard.

“You…” Words failed him, but his hands didn’t. His free hand pulled out from her undershirt and settled on the back of her neck. The one on her hip snaked down and two of those fingers started collecting the dewy wetness on her outer lips. “Yes.” He hissed as he leaned up to pull her into a kiss. Sucked on her tongue as his fingers gently pinched her clit.

“If you'll let me.” He dipped his thumb just to her entrance but didn’t push in. “I want to.” Turned his hand over and ran his thumb in loose circles around her clit. “I want you.” One of his fingers pressed against her entrance. “I want you so much.” He pushed in and she enveloped him.

She was gorgeous as he fucked her. Her head thrown back, mouth open, giving him the dirtiest, most perfect sounds. He kissed down her throat as his finger thrust slowly, then back up to her ear so he could suck on it just a little. She writhed against him. Wanted more. So he pulled out and pushed back in with two.

It was rougher, and he didn’t try to thrust. She was wet- sweet Maker, she was wet! But he’d always had thick fingers, and he had no idea how long it’d been for her. So he licked her earlobe and nibbled his way to the tip and back. He knew he was giving needy little grunts with every flex of her flesh around him. His other hand rubbed her breast through her shirt, pinching her nipple as she moaned.

“I would keep you like this for hours, if I could. Drive you mad with it.” He’d found his words, apparently. “You’ve no idea how perfect you look, how desperate to fucking have me.” He flicked her with his thumb, went back to circling. “The noises you make are so sweet, so wanton, I’m half-afraid you’re a dream. You’re stretching so perfectly for me, my lady. Makes me feel wanted.”

He started to thrust his fingers slowly and crooked them up on the downstroke. Drank her in. “You do want this, don’t you? You want to come all over my hand. Let me make it easier for you.” And the hand that had been toying with her breasts one at a time smoothed down her side. He bent his head to her cunt, moved his thumb out of the way and put his mouth to another use.

[lavellanfadewalk]

For a second, a pit formed on her stomach as he stared at her, speechless. Creators... she hoped she haven't gone too far with her words. Sincere words, yes. Raw too. Maybe too raw. She was thinking of something to say when he managed to push a 'you' out of his mouth, his fingers trailing her wetness and Void, the little reasoning she had collected was abandoning her mind, following the motion of his hands.

She was utter and completely vulnerable, her burning desire damping all other senses. There was only his lips on her earlobe, his breath and grunts filled with want the only thing she could hear aside from the slick, wet noises from her cunt with his ministrations. There was no need to keep her with that pace for long, she was already mad.

Powerless.

And damn, but she wanted even more. She couldn't help but pout, a sad whine leaving her lips when his thumb left her clit, her senses coming back to the surface when his mouth happened. The first slow lap of his tongue over her folds was enough to steal her voice, her breath. Her heart skipped a beat. That was really good. He did it again, her back arched from the bed and a wanton moan left her chest, her fingers gripped the sheets. His beard tickled her inner thighs. Creators.

Aria could feel the strengh slowly leaving her limbs, apparently sucked by his mouth through her clit. His fingers were moving inside her clenching walls, following the same pace. "I'm... I-I'm..." She was on the edge.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

“Let me hear you, love.” He rumbled against her. “Sing for me.”

And he thrust faster, a little harder, rubbing against that sweet spot inside her with every stroke. Wrapped his lips around her clit and flicked with his tongue once, twice, and then suckled. Grabbed her perfect little arse and squeezed. When she screamed her thighs squeezed tight around his head, hips grinding down onto his face. He didn’t stop, laving her with his tongue, trying to get her a second peak.

Her fucking voice! His eyes rolled up in his head and in the darkness it was just her, smell and feel and her perfect fucking voice crying. His. Name.

Fucking Void.

Sweet Andraste, bride of the Maker.

She tasted salty and tangy and sweet, all at once. Juices running down his chin, his wrist, soaking him. He pulled away slowly, watching her shiver with pleasure that he’d given her. Damn. He pressed a wet kiss to her thigh, dry hand rubbing along her side from her waist down to her knee and back again. Blackwall licked his lips as clean as he could, and when he thought she could stand it, eased his fingers free from her still-fluttering grip.

He got a foot under him, and when his knee popped it was with a wet sound and a liquid feeling. His feet had gone numb, and the tingling made him wince. He managed to get up, though his other knee cracked twice and he couldn’t put any weight on it right away.

He leaned over Aria’s prone form, her naked legs hanging off the side of the bed. His dry hand landed in the duvet next to her ribs, and she rolled in that direction a little. She looked dazed. He chuckled, ego thoroughly stroked. She’d be moving again soon enough, so he took the moment to idly kiss some of the moles on her collarbone. There were some on her belly that had been hidden by her undershirt before, and they looked promising, but those precious little keening moans were starting to quiet so they’d have to keep ‘til later.

Fuck. There might actually be a later.

He almost reached for her face with his sticky hand. Realized and stopped himself before he did. Waited until she was looking, then started lapping up his arm and wrist, sucked one of his fingers clean. Fucking delicious. She should know that.

“You are fucking delicious.” And a wicked thought took his breath, so when he put his other sticky finger just above her lips his voice came out in a low rasp. “Would you like a taste?”

[lavellanfadewalk]

The world went blank when the wave of desire struck, clashed against her, so overwhelming that washed away all possible sensations for the next moments. She wasn't the pious type, even after meeting Flemeth eye to eye and know she had Mythal's power. She believed in the Maker even less. But now she had serious reasons to believe she had found out, first handed (and mouthed too), the true meaning of 'rapture'.

Slowly, she left her blissful state and became aware of him by her side, planting kisses over her belly and collarbone. She tried to reach out for him, arms still slightly numb and clumsy, and she stopped in the middle of her attempt, his question hanging in the air. Aria grinned, propping herself up with both hands over the duvet, unrolling her spine in a cat-like way, finally reaching out for his wet wrist.

"I'd love to."

Her voice purred, lustful, as she slowly licked his finger, eyes locked on his face to register all of his reactions. How his throath bobbed when he swallowed hard. How his eyes dilated, almost no blue left. She closed her lips around his finger, sucking and sighing with satisfaction. With the most straight face she could evoke, Aria narrowed her eyes, tapping her chin in a thoughful way "I guess I need more to make up my mind about it." Her hands craddled his face and she kissed him passionately, legs moving to straddle his, pulling her body closer.

"Yea... I don't know what is better yet." she bit his lower lip "I don't know if it's me or this wicked, wicked mouth. Only time will tell."

[blackwall_fadewalk]

Blackwall hummed, idly rolling his hips against hers, staining the front of his trousers in the best possible way. “Could always take another sampling for myself, if you’d like to make sure-” He tried to get his knees on the bed so he could bend her properly in half, but one slipped on the bloody duvet and the other made a terrible noise and gave way. He had enough leverage with his arm to roll himself to the side rather than crush Aria. Landed safely on his back partly on the bed, but cracked his funny bone on the footboard.

“Bloody buggering fuck!” He hissed, cradling his forearm to his chest. Well done, old man. Smooth as sandpaper.

[lavellanfadewalk]

"Oh my--!"

Aria froze for a second, biting her lower lip to stiff a laugh, reaching for his arm. She managed to chuckle instead, hands pulling his arm away from his chest, pressing her fingers here and there, looking for anything broken (probably just his ego). She casted a simple healing spell, only to soothe the pain.

"There you go vhenan." she chuckled and kissed him "Safe and sound."

[blackwall_fadewalk]

His arse was hanging off the edge of the bed, he’d just made a fool of himself, and Aria was laughing at him. He groaned, partly in gratitude for her magic as the numb pain ebbed, and partly from embarrassment. Grabbed the bloody footboard and used it to haul himself up onto the bed proper.

“I don’t suppose you could forget that happened?” He asked hopefully, shifting a bit so that blasted Dawnstone blade’s crossguard didn’t dig into his side. Thought about taking off his sword belt, but after that little display he might as well put his armour back on and leave.

Alright, don’t be so fucking dramatic. You made an arse of yourself. Aria knew that about you already. Turn over and kiss her back, you old fool.

Sometimes his mind didn’t give him terrible ideas. He had to roll over almost onto his front so he wasn’t lying on his sword’s hilt, but the position did leave him braced over Aria’s gorgeous face, so. Not the worst thing could’ve happened. Blackwall leaned down, kissed her deeply. “Thank you.”

[lavellanfadewalk]

"You are most welcome."

Aria smiled against his lips, nuzzling his nose and reaching for another kiss, her hands working to unbuckle his sword belt. "Now now... it's only polite, if there is a half-naked lady in bed with you, that you get half-naked too. You may choose, up or bottom."

No, she would never forget his stunt.
But surely there would be a better moment to tell him that.

[blackwall_fadewalk]

“Er...”

Fuck. Right. Taking clothes off. Rather important at this point. Right after he’d made a spectacle of himself. Letting her see his naked body. Well, might as well give her something else to laugh at. And she wanted him to pick.

There was no right answer.

“Lady’s choice?”

[lavellanfadewalk]

Aria smiled and pulled away, so she could hook her thumbs in the hem of his shirt, palms over his belly. Her hands moved up, smoothing his skin and feeling how his muscles twitched and his breath hitched from her touch, approaching just enough to kiss him while her hands worked. She had to pull away to finish undressing his shirt, tossing it somewhere behind her.

"I was rather curious to see what was behind all those layers." she runs her fingers throught his chest hair, purring "This feels very good. Not like your beard, "she winked "but good."

[blackwall_fadewalk]

His exhale was shaky, and he watched his shirt catch on a swirl that was supposed to be a leaf carved from the headboard. Should’ve cleaned his beard with that. Was starting to stick together a bit as it dried. He shivered and tried to tell himself that the air was cold.

Blackwall wasn’t ashamed of his body, exactly. Hard work and tough fights had built up plenty of muscle over the years, and he had all his limbs and teeth still. An accomplishment, in his line of work. But it wasn’t like when he was a young man. His belly was hard but not flat, his chest strong but not taut, arms thick but the skin looser. Vicious scars were littered across him, cut obviously through his body hair, which there was plenty of. Heaviest on his chest, forearms and belly, more sparse on his back and shoulders. And what his trousers hid was just as bad.

Aria’s fingers started at the bottom of his ribcage. Startled him, and he would’ve pulled in his gut if he hadn’t already been sucking in as best he could. She dug her way up, through the forest of grey-speckled hair curling messily on his chest until she had her palms pressed over each pectoral. She winked at him, said it was good, and that.

That wasn’t a reaction he was used to.

He barked a nervous laugh. Started wrestling his sword out from under him for an excuse not to face that head-on. “Thank you. Sorry, get this out of the way.” He mumbled. Pulled it loose and threw it to the floor next to his shield, which had landed half-way under the bed.

[lavellanfadewalk]

The list of life accomplishments Aria kept on her mind had just gained another item: making a grown up man blush. He had a build of a fighter and the scars his job implied, exposing how many battles he had fough and how gruesome some of it had been. She recognized many of the lighter ones, silvery lines left by healing spells, her healing spells, and she smiled, fondly, glad he was there, by her side, since the beginning.

Her finger traced one on his forearm, from a skirmish against the Venattori in the Western Approach. A scar on his side, from a bear in the Hinterlands. That one, near his collarbone... an arrow which had trespassed his armor, fortunately only the tip entering his flesh. Emprise du Lion, if memory served well. The only time they had shared a tent - with Bull and Varric as well, true - the cold too unbearable to stay apart from the others. Her eyes founds his again and she decided to toss her undershirt to the side too, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug, his skin like warm velvet against hers. "And feels really good too. Damn."

[blackwall_fadewalk]

Her fingers ran over him, slow, firm. Purposeful. It was almost a ticklish feeling as she ruffled through his hair, but thankfully only his feet were proper ticklish so he wasn’t about to embarrass himself further.

She caught his eye and grabbed the edge of her undershirt and before he was sure what she was doing suddenly there was a whole lot more lovely bare skin before him. A frisson of heat ran through him, woke his cock back up. His breathing turned a little more ragged as his eyes traced her collarbone, down her ribcage, where she dipped in a little at her waist, and swelled again a touch at her hips. Her thighs were pressed together, and where they joined glistened in the candlelight with her wetness.

He licked his lips and swallowed, want rebuilding. She wrapped her arms around him, dragged her body up against his and fuck. He groaned right in her ear and that was probably too loud. But fuck. She felt like the smoothest kid leather, Elfroot-spice-storm scent rolling over him like thunder.

He wrapped his arms around her middle and shifted back, sat up against the footboard and stretched his legs out in front of him. Wasn’t as heavily carved, wouldn’t dig in like the headboard would. Shite Orlesian craftsmanship. And it left Aria straddling his lap, held close enough they mostly could only see each other’s faces.

“You’re a flatterer.” He pretended to accuse. Ran his hands up and down her back slowly so he could mark all the little moles he’d yet to enjoy. “Keep that up I’ll turn as vain as Dorian.”