A Sinner’s Chance

Since me and Arya were going to be living together for the foreseeable future I made sure to sit down with her after I had escorted Reine back to the manor to discuss ground rules. I wasn't immature enough to think that two people with completely different lifestyles could be put together without any conflicts occurring, especially when one considered the past interactions we'd had.

The most important thing for me was that regardless of what situation happened she wouldn't try to kill me again, to which she of course agreed. Besides that we talked about all manner of things regarding how we were going to live together. Unexpectedly we agreed on how nearly everything should be handled. 

There was only one issue that we had differing ideals on, sleeping arrangements for the night. There was only a single bed, and it wasn't like there was other furniture that could be slept on, unless one considered the bare floor. Had I been forewarned that I would suddenly be getting a roommate-cum-fiancé I would have made a silk hammock to sleep in. I'd been meaning to try and make one but had been putting it off to work on other ideas, so I didn't have confidence I could weave even a basic one without extra tools.

Arya had been confused why we wouldn't share the bed as we were both women. She then worried that it was because I thought she would assault me during the night because of her lower half. That wasn't the case, it was actually the other way around for me. I wasn't a morning person, which meant I was groggy and usually confused when I first awoke. Not to mention that I had a tendency to shift and grab anyone or anything I was sleeping near. It was such a combination that caused me and Reine's sex life to be far more active in the morning than at night.

After a heated discussion we eventually settled on me setting up a web wall dividing the bed in two. It would be somewhat troublesome to clean up later but it solved the issue in a way that was satisfactory enough for the both of us. When I'd first suggested this method she'd tried to wave it away as ridiculous as I hadn't explained where we'd get the webbing. It was around this point that we realized that besides our names and affiliations, we didn't actually know anything about each other.

There was of course around five years worth of time left for us to get to know each other well, but we decided to at least learn the most basic details about each other. Probably the biggest surprise for each other were our ages. Arya had been certain that I was descended from a longer lived race at least since I seemed both level-headed and full of wisdom, not something surprising considering I had memories from before I was born.

As for Arya, while I'd known that Elves aged and matured slower, it struck me as absurd when she said she had turned forty earlier this year. She was considered around fifteen if one were to compare Elven maturation rates to that of a humans, and could be considered an adult in about another decade.

I didn't know how it was for Arya, but sleep did not come easy for me that night. I was restless and couldn't stop worrying about what the future would bring. While Arya was currently amicable, she'd shown no hesitation when it had come to ending my life before, and for all I knew there could be some larger ploy at work.

At some point sleep must have claimed my consciousness as I awoke some time later, the sky outside the window extremely dark with just a small sliver of brightening, indicating dawn was soon approaching. I had awakened not only earlier, but also with much more clarity than normal, probably due to the strangeness of the events from yesterday.

I could hear the even and untroubled breathing of Arya who was still sleeping and glancing over revealed a slovenly yet peaceful appearance that only served to make her more of an enigma. When we were simply dormmates she'd always appeared almost stoic while sleeping, it was hard to reconcile the two images in my mind.

The nightgown she had put on the night before seemed to have been removed and tossed to the side, leaving her bare with the exception of a pair of shorts. I shook my head as I got out of the bed, she was so abrasive and guarded when she was awake, yet she was currently defenseless and completely relaxed. If she was like this every night it was likely going to cause problems down the road. Arya was in the later stages of her puberty, which made her exposed body a feast for my eyes. As long as I didn't see or think about the member between her legs, Arya was definitely the most attractive Elf I'd seen, and I had seen a lot of Elves before the incident with her.

While I hoped that I'd retain my sanity, I could still clearly remember the teenage years of my past life, and there were only two words to describe it. Moody and horny. While I didn't know if this life was going to be the same, I'd already learned that even I wanted to hold back, I was still limited by my body. No incidents had happened recently but I still recalled the earlier years at the duke's estate, how easily I would switch emotions, and how quickly things like jealousy and anger built up despite the reason being irrational.

I sighed a bit as I prodded Arya trying to wake her up, I had a feeling this engagement was going to be rather difficult.