regency au } { of adjustments and hell freezing over

[wildkingdom]

Kate: [Being a self-possessed woman, she made her own judgments when it came to public practices and when it came to the idea of public bathing, she thought it was far more harmless than everyone else made it out to be. Which is why, when she found out that the summer castle was actually fairly close to the beach, she made a point to spend a lot of it on it. And one day, if he happens to come in search of his wife, Peter might find a pile of clothing in her place and a very naked Kate in the water. Swimming is very healthy. She's simply trying to keep her girlish figure.]

Peter: [which of course he does because it's almost lunchtime and he sees the pile of clothes and stops, looking at them a moment before just sighing] My lady, lunch is being served. [and looking anywhere else but his naked wife]

Kate: [her head pops up over the water but that's all that's visible at the moment and she smirks] The water is lovely. Care to join me?

Peter: I am without the proper attire.

Kate: That hasn't stopped me.

Peter: As I have noticed.

Kate: [smirks as she treads water] Relax - no one will see you but me. Your neighbors hate the summer sun.

Peter: [strolls down the beach, keeping eye contact] Perhaps, but I'm not fond of thinking of fish mistaking me for a large worm.

Kate: [her eyebrow raises] I think you'll be safe, my lord. Anything with the gumption to take on your "worm" usually stays further out to sea.

Peter: [smirks] Still, it is lunch time, Lady.

Kate: [a very put upon sigh] Very well. [and she will make her way back to shore to find her robe and slip it on, but doesn't really make any effort to cover herself prior to that]

Peter: [and he is going to keep his eyes on the shoreline, not watching. He has better manners than that]

Kate: [doesn't really approve of your manners, Peter, but what can you do. Once the robe is tied and everything is back to being hidden from prying eyes, she'll address him again] I'll clean up and be down in a moment.

Peter: I will see you there. [nods and goes to head off]

Kate: [and not long after she is bathed dressed and joining them all for lunch. She still smells like salt water but most of the obvious signs of her adventure earlier are gone]

Peter: [since it's the summer castle, the kids eat in the kitchen but lunch is served on out on the tile and clay patio balcony. He looks up at her and smiles a bit before nodding to the servants to serve them] I'm glad you are enjoying the beach at least.

Kate: It's always been one of my favorite places. [goes and settles into one of the seats with a sigh] I just don't always get to swim as often as I'd like.

Peter: Well, you will have all the time here, until at least the winter. You may not want to be on the beach come then. [smirks a bit]

Kate: [laughs] I'll take up the appropriate winter sport that discourages my gender's participation.

Peter: And what would that be?

Kate: I want to say hunting, if only for the fact that I'd rather have the bow than watch a man wield it.

Peter: Well, I assure you in Norway, hunting game is not regulated to just men. [he looks at her though, because hunting GAME] I normally leave it to the knights, but if you wish to do that while here, I have no reason not to disagree.

Kate: [smirks] Relax, husband, I lost the taste for werewolves a long time ago.

Peter: [a tiny huff, but in an amused way] I'm sure there is a good weapon smith in town. You should be able to find all you need. And perhaps a tailor to help make you a bathing suit for your daily swims.

Kate: [makes a face] Those heavy weighted things? I think I'll pass.

Peter: [sighs] Then design something that will work for you, but not put you on display to any passing person.

Kate: [glances over with a raised eyebrow] Are you more concerned with my modesty or your reputation?

Peter: I'm concerned about your safety. Not that I know you can't handle yourself if needs be, but we are on the road along the coast. A traveling party that comes along may prove too many for you to handle.

Kate: If a traveling party was going to accost me, it would not matter at all what I was wearing.

Peter: [takes a deep breath] Fine, do as you please, Kate.

Kate: [she watches him for a moment] I think you underestimate how many men consider "being a woman" to be reason enough to take what they believe they're entitled to.

Peter: [and he's going to just finish his lunch in silence. He's in a pissy mood now]

Kate: [she wasn't trying to make him pissy, she was just trying to get to what he was actually after. but she will take being pissy as a sign that it has nothing to do with her ability to take care of herself. Still, she'll eat in silence, opting to only engage him if he engages her.]

Peter: [and when he finishes] I'm going to go into town and talk with a few tutors for the children. I should be back by supper.

Kate: [she nods] Hopefully you'll find someone quickly.

Peter: I hope so. [and he's going to leave at that, heading into the city to reconnect with people, and interview two possible tutors]

Kate: [and she ... may go wander in the library for a bit, just because she's nosy]

Peter: [she will see on his desk a journal of his that he had left. Closed, but there are ribbons sticking out of it on certain pages. It's the journal he wrote in while courting his pervious wife. There are small flowers, drawings, and the words flow differently than the man that she knows.]

Kate: [she'll open it, just the once to see what it is, but once she figures it out, it's closed again, leaving it exactly as he left it. As nosy as she is, she's not really interested in reading it at the moment]

Peter: [there is one shelf that are journals, the spines written in a metallic guild with the dates. Above that are large tomes that just have years etched into them, and there are at least two shelves of empty tomes with no dates that are just blank books purchased in advance. Beyond that, the books range everything from science, medicine, history, and fiction more towards the window.]

Kate: [which is where she will be heading until she grabs herself a slice of fiction and a couch to sit on which will probably lead to her falling into a nap with the book open against her chest but she had a pretty active morning]

Peter: [and when he returns, he will find her there like that. He will smile softly, going over to quietly put the book aside after marking her page, and then finding a light blanket to lay over her]

Kate: [sighs as he shifts onto her side as the book is taken]

Peter: [his fingers will gently shift her hair out of her face, watching her a moment before slowly standing up and going back to his desk. He sees the journal, and goes to walk it back to his shelf, kissing the leather gently before sliding it into it's place]

Kate: [eventually him moving around will rouse her, one hand coming up to rub at her eyes gently]

Peter: [softly] You can keep resting, m'lady. It's just me organizing things.

Kate: [hums softly as she exhales, and she resettles, but doesn't drift back off quite yet] Am I in your way?

Peter: No, you are not.

Kate: Mmmm. [eventually her eyes open as she goes to find him] Did you find a tutor?

Peter: No, not yet. One was not used to handling their age, and the other had a very unwelcoming opinion on the education of girls.

Kate: Good riddance, then.

Peter: My thoughts exactly. Luckily, Cora will help get Liam up to Malia's level by the time I find someone.

Kate: Good. He's fairly well spoken, hopefully it won't take much.

Peter: I will admit he learned quite a bit on the tournament circuit. He also learned a lot of bad habits, I'm learning.

Kate: How bad are we talking?

Peter: Some petty theft, a bit of gambling...

Kate: Is he any good at the latter?

Peter: [laughs] I'm not sure. Derek has hauled him from the knight's quarters a few times from what I heard.

Kate: [laughs] Maybe we should put him to work. See what he manages to dig up.

Peter: Put him to work gambling? [confused]

Kate: Gambling knights gossip like little girls.

Peter: [chuckles, but nods. He remembers those days] That is true.

Kate: Might be good way to get some information. If we needed it.

Peter: [thinks] He would make an excellent spy.

Kate: Might as well put some of those bad habits to use.

Peter: Well, he technically is Parrish's ward. It will be his decision. But Laura does know the value of a good spy.

Kate: Then I guess it might be something worth mentioning when you speak with your niece again.

Peter: That I will do. I think we will be seeing her in a few weeks, in fact. I hear that the Duke is holding a tourney and Parrish was invited to joust as the reigning tournament champion in the country.

Kate: Lovely. I love a good joust.

Peter: I also hear he has sent a letter to your niece to invite her to shoot in the archery contest.

Kate: [very pleased] Smart man.

Peter: The Duke has a very strong Viking history in his family. It was why our family felt this was a good land to stake a claim long ago.

Kate: I like him already.

Peter: He and I go way back. I'm sure you get him drunk enough, you'll hear about interesting times from before my marriage.

Kate: [smirks] I'll make a note of that.

Peter: Good. And I will make note to remind him that I have just as many stories of him that his wife would enjoy hearing. [grinning]

Kate: [she laughs] You never let me have any fun.

Peter: Again, get drinks into him and he won't give a care. Until the morning.

Kate: Mmm-hmm.

Peter: Well, we have a few hours before supper. You are welcome to stay. I put your book there and marked the page that was open when I took it from your chest.

Kate: [glances up and reaches for the book] Thank you.

Peter: [and he will go to work on checking the letters that have arrived, approving the ordering from the kitchen, and then starting on his own letters to write]

Kate: [and eventually Kate finishes her book and makes her way closer, starting to get nosy again]

Peter: [he's getting used to her nosiness and finds it both frustrating and endearing] Are you out of distractions for the day, my dear wife?

Kate: Just curious about the family business.

Peter: [looks up at her a moment] If you want to be more involved, I can give some of this to you. [which, a control freak giving up control is a very big offering]

Kate: [eyebrow raise] Really? [she's curious how much he's going to trust her with]

Peter: [he nods] I know that it will take both of us to run a household. My wife was gone before I learned how to work as a team, and while Laura was the alpha and I went to her with major choices, the everyday stuff was on me. I never had someone at my side to take on anything. If there are things that interest you, we can see how we can divide responsibilities to make us both happy, as well as give us some time with the children. [being Malia and Liam]

Kate: [takes a breath, before nodding] It'd be good to have something to do.

Peter: And for once, I would actually enjoy some free time, so I am glad to give it. [he moves to the side, showing her the things that he had been working on] I'm still master of coin to both households, as well as our other property in Wales. It is the home our human cousins primarily live in, but I control the family fortunes from here.

Kate: And what are the family fortunes in exactly?

Peter: [smiles] Well, we are an old family, and we have many trade agreements with different nations. However, our currency tends to come from our mineral mines that are under our lands. We have veins of emeralds, silver, and Larvikite... also known as moonstone.

Kate: Ahhh. Good to know.

Peter: We then also have taxes from those who live in the villages along our land. Some work at the mines, of course there are farmers, and then those who have markets. The typical landowner taxes but we can keep them low since we don't usually need much in the way of possessions.

Kate: [nods again] Makes sense.

Peter: [he shows her the letters and bills and the organization of the three households and how much money goes out and how much comes in]

Kate: [and she takes it all in, still pretty sharp, all things considered]

Peter: [he has no doubts of it] It is a lot. I would normally suggest if you wanted to take over the more household side - the ordering of the supplies from the markets, linens, and taking control of the staff here? [smirks] And while we do not have knights here, we would need someone to evaluate the weapons we do have in the castle and see what needs to be replaced.

Kate: Sounds easy enough.

Peter: And we can go from there and see when you feel you've hit your limit of how much you can take before you are driven to drink.

Kate: [she smirks] Well, you have dealt with my family. I have a pretty high threshold.

Peter: You used to be the edge of my threshold when dealing with your family. [chuckles, shifting to put the letters of requests into two piles - one for him, and one now for Kate to deal with]

Kate: [she laughs] Guess you're going to have to push that a little higher now.

Peter: I think the constant exposure has helped. [smiles a bit]

Kate: Good.

Peter: [he looks over at her a moment, and then reached over to rest his hand on top of hers] I'm sorry about earlier.

Kate: [she pauses for a moment, before turning to face him, leaning so that her weight is resting against the edge of the desk] Going to tell me what that was about?

Peter: I'm fully aware you can take care of yourself, Kate. I will never say otherwise. But part of my nature makes me inherently protective of those in my family. That now includes you. It's a hard line to walk with you without insulting you.

Kate: It wasn't your desire to protect me that I took issue with. It was your assuming that certain aspects of my behavior would leave me vulnerable.

Peter: I understand that now.

Kate: Good. [she straightens a bit] And I am careful, Peter. Even if it doesn't seem like it.

Peter: I just want to make sure you're safe, Kate. [sighs, then chuckles] Believe it or not, I just may be growing fond of you.

Kate: Well. Hell may have just frozen over. [smirks]

Peter: [snorts] Good thing I'm already used to the cold then.

Kate: Indeed.

Peter: [stands up, taking a deep breath] Try as I may to resist it, we do tend to make bonds after a while. [smirks]

Kate: [straightens a little more so that she's almost eye level with him] I suppose that means we're getting used to each other.

Peter: Hell really must be frozen.

Kate: [she smirks] Giving all those poor souls a little reprieve.

Peter: I will only worry when the devil comes to call.

Kate: Smart man.

Peter: [he smiles, looking at her a moment] So how was the water this morning anyway?

Kate: [she grins a bit at that] I told you. It was lovely.

Peter: Perhaps I will join you tomorrow. [though in his suit]

Kate: [she nods] I'd like that. [she'll be disappointed about the suit]

Peter: [she will have to work on him a bit more.] Good.

Kate: [oh, she will] Good. [she'll then turn to pick up the letters] I should get started on this.

Peter: I will leave you my desk to work on, since the ledger is here. I'm going to go spend time with my daughter. I will see you at supper?

Kate: [nods] I will see you then.

Peter: [and he will go down to find where the children are all hiding]

Malia: [and they are literally hiding because they're playing hide and seek]

Peter: [wolf scent = cheating]

Malia: [Dad, that's rude, but she's hiding in one of the closets under the stairs]

Peter: [and he's going to sneak down silently and... reaching in and start tickling her] Found you.

Malia: [squeaks as she tries to squirm away from him] You're not it!

Peter: No, but I found you and I'm keeping you!

Malia: [there's another squeak as she continues to try and get away, but eventually she realizes it's a no go before slumping back against him dramatically] If you must. But you're ruining the game.

Peter: Would you rather play the game or spend time with me?

Malia: [she makes a face at that because that is an unfair question] I don't want him to think he's won.

Peter: Well, he didn't win. I interrupted the game, so he will have to try again later.

Malia: You have to make sure that he knows that.

Peter: [clears his voice] Liam, I am invoking the right as Lord of the Manor to end the game. You will have first turn next time.

Liam: [looking down from the stairs] Fine. But can I come play too?

Malia: [glances back to her father] What are we playing now?

Peter: How about tag in the forest?

Malia: [grins before looking up at Liam]

Liam: That works! Lady Cora, we're gonna go play Tag! [running down the stairs]

Cora: [peeks her head over the side of the bannister as well] Does that mean I have completed my role as tutor for the afternoon?

Peter: Yes, it does. You are welcome to come play tag if you wish.

Cora: I think I will read in my room. But thank you for the invitation.

Peter: Alright. Kate is in the library if you are planning to go there. [and he's going to take the kids out to the forest for a great game of werewolf tag]

Malia: [yep, and he will proceed to wear them both out completely, until the two of them are laying in one of the clearings in the woods, Malia's head resting on Liam's stomach]

Peter: [and he will be amused, and pick them both up, carrying each over a shoulder back to the castle and the smells of dinner awaiting them]

Malia: [best dad ever]

Peter: [and then after dinner, the kids are off to their rooms, and he goes to retire to his room with his wife]

Kate: [and she will be there, getting dressed for bed]

Peter: [and he's going to grab his clothes, debating about going behind the partition to change, but instead he's going to just change on his side of the bed, going quickly, but if Kate looks, she will get to see him half naked two separate times]

Kate: [oh she's totally going to look, thank you very much. But she won't draw attention on the off chance she spooks him]

Peter: [and then climbing into bed with his book, making sure there is plenty of room for her]

Kate: [and she will climb in as well, and scooch in close because she can]

Peter: [looks over at her] Are you going to read, or heading right to sleep?

Kate: [she shrugs] It was a long day. I was considering sleep.

Peter: Will the candle bother you? [his arm goes to wrap around her shoulders. He's gotten used to them being in bed and snuggling]

Kate: [shakes her head] I'll manage.

Peter: [and he is just going to read his book quietly, his hand gently stroking her arm as he does so]

Kate: [and she will curl up into his shoulder and close her eyes, dropping off pretty quickly]

Peter: [and soon after he will give up reading, putting out the candle and sliding them both down to sleep more, keeping Kate close]

Kate: [and she will happily curl into him more, instinctively rolling into the big warm pillow next to her]

Peter: [and soon morning will bring sunlight into their room and over the bed, making Peter groan softly and shift his head more into her hair to hide from the light]

Kate: [she's not fond of it either, and she shifts to curl into him] That window needs curtains.

Peter: Window or the bed.

Kate: Either. Both.

Peter: [chuckles] Well, that is something you can work on with the servants today.

Kate: I will do that.

Peter: [and he will open his eyes, seeing how close their faces are as they try to use each other to block the sunlight] Good morning.

Kate: [opens her eyes with a smirk of her own] Morning.

Peter: [and he's going to look at her a moment, and it just feels right. He leans in and gently kisses her]

Kate: [it catches her by surprise, but she doesn't fight him, nor does she push him further. She just kisses him back, letting him take it where he wants it]

Peter: [it was just the last few days, how they were starting to find that sync, and the admitting he was becoming fond of her, and he finally was comfortable enough to try and take it a bit more and find something closer. When she reciprocates, he will shift to make the angle easier on his neck, his hand going up to run along her hair gently]

Kate: [as he shifts, her hand moves to his side, letting it rest there gently to keep that connection with him]

Peter: [and he's just going to kiss her for a while, deepening the kiss, making it more intimate than he's been in a long time]

Kate: [will happily sink into it, before she'll test the waters and shift slightly, rolling onto her back and seeing if he'll follow her]

Peter: [and he actually will, because she was right... it was something he had been denying himself for far too long, and the wolf in him craved the affection and needed it so badly]

Kate: [and she will take that cue and inch a little bit further, deepening the kiss and seeing if she can pull him in a little more]

Peter: [he will move, pulling himself up to lean over her more, his hands bracing himself over her a moment. Finally, he needs air and pulls back, just a hair, his breath against her lips]

Kate: [as he shifts over her, her legs move to bracket either side of his hips, and when he pulls back she looks up at him, eyeing his face carefully. She doesn't want to break the silence, almost as though it will in turn break the spell he's under and make him pull away]

Peter: [his eyes are looking into hers, and he doesn't see the sarcasm and aloofness in them. He just sees the woman he was coming to know beyond her family name, beyond the barbs. The woman who was more than that. And that was a woman he could come to love, and that realization makes him kiss her against, more needy this time, his body shifting to fit against hers more]

Kate: [she closes her eyes and sinks into the kiss again, meeting him in that need and letting her fingers curl against his shoulders, using them to gather the material of his night shirt. She holds it there for a moment, before tugging at the material, trying to draw it up and over his head]

Peter: [he hesitates, if only for a moment as he debates on it, and then relents and shifts a bit to help her get it off.]

Kate: [she lets the material drop to the floor, before her hands move back to his skin again, roaming over his chest and back as she leans in to kiss him again]

Peter: [since her hands are roaming, he's going to slowly let his roam as well, along her ribs, hips, and then thighs as he shifts her a bit more to get comfortable]

Kate: [lets him move her as he wants, curling her legs over his hips to pull him tight against her, forcing the material of her night dress gather over her hips]

Peter: [and as he does so, his hands meet bare thighs and his fingernails gently scrape along her skin]

Kate: [she shivers at the scrape of his nails, her own dragging against his back in return, teeth nipping at his bottom lip]

Peter: [he groans against her lips, hands sliding up a bit more. A moment later, he takes the initiative to work the dress up a bit more, his fingers running along her stomach]

Kate: [she arches up into his hands, giving him permission to touch as much as he likes, her fingers continuing to drag over his skin]

Peter: [and it isn't long before he goes to press the dress up higher, and his fingers run along the side of her breasts before they go to cup them]

Kate: [at that her head falls back from the kiss, dropping back against the pillow for a moment to catch her breath. Her hands leave his shoulders, pulling her own dress up over her head and letting it fall to the floor, leaving her completely naked under him]

Peter: [and when she pulled her lips away to move the dress, his own shifted to her jaw, and then neck, kissing along the flesh until he could feel her pulse with his lips]

Kate: [her head tips back, offering her neck to him and knowing what she's doing, offering it all the same.]

Peter: [he'll kiss her there a moment, and then slowly kiss her lower, his hands massaging her breasts before one hand lifts one to his lips and his teeth pull on a nipple]

Kate: [that draws a sharp sound from her, fingers sliding easily into his hair]

Peter: [he smirks, his body picking up the cues again even if it's been over a dozen years. He lavishes his attention on one breast, and then the next. His arousal is starting to become more evident, pressing into her stomach.]

Kate: [she lets her hand wander lower, brushing against his side gently before one hand wraps around him, picking up a firm, steady stroke]

Peter: [that gets a good groan from him, his hips pressing against her hand as he pulls on her nipple]

Kate: [her hips press up to meet his on that, but she keeps the pressure against him steady, dragging more of those sounds out of him as she does]

Peter: [and he will move up to kiss her again, harder this time. One hand slides down between them, feeling for that space between her legs and letting his fingers find the hard little bud there to rub]

Kate: [moans as her hips lift to meet his hand rocking against him as she tries to pull him closer with her legs]

Peter: [there is a part of him who wants to stop. To be true to his mate, never taking another again. But he knew that she wouldn't want that for him in some way, and Kate was right - he only hurt himself in denying himself the good things in life and moving on. So he didn't stop, just shifting closer where her hips guided him, kissing her through her moan as his fingers rubbed, and then slid down to test her, a finger sliding inside]

Kate: [she gasps, her hips rocking up towards his finger and she's more than ready for it, hips flexing and encouraging him to take it further]

Peter: [he's more than ready, even with his mental debate. But biology soon won, and instincts and need took over as he shifted to position himself to guide his shaft into her.]

Kate: [she gasps and there's a pleased noise as she shifts to help take him in, moving her hands to his back and drawing her fingers up lightly until his hips are flush against hers]

Peter: [once he's nice and deeply inside of her, he will adjust himself and start a slow and steady thrusting while kissing along her jaw]

Kate: [her head tips back to give him better access, rocking her hips up to meet each thrust, taking the time for him to find one that works for both of them and get comfortable. There's part of her that wants to turn the tables, get him under her and take control, but she figures for right now, since it's his first time out of the gate in a while she'll let him call the shots to not scare him off]

Peter: [and since it has been a long time, he knows he's not going to last long. But his fingers are still working her little nub to get her to the edge with him]

Kate: [it doesn't take much to keep her in pace with him with that kind of attention, and she can feel herself starting to tense around him, dragging his lips back to hers as she starts to fall over the edge]

Peter: [and he can feel it, smell her arousal peaking and it isn't long after she is over that he joins her, pressing himself deep inside of her as he filled her with his seed, and instinct made him keep close to try and keep it in. Wolves]

Kate: [usually this is the part where she shoves her lover off her so she could go on her way, but here, she actually doesn't mind. There's a part of having him there that's almost comforting, so she just closes her eyes and enjoys it]

Peter: [and she will find that with wolves, this is the most intimate time - more so than the sex itself. As he settled back down, he just nuzzled her cheek, keeping her close and warm]

Kate: [she hums softly, tipping her cheek back against his. Eventually she can't handle the silence any longer and she smiles softly as she glances over to him] You know, I thought I was going to have to work a lot harder for that.

Peter: [chuckles, looking back at her] You have been doing more than you were aware of, I think.

Kate: [she hums in response, tracing her fingers against his shoulder] Well, why don't you enlighten me?

Peter: [he thinks a moment, and the necklace with his mate's ring hangs between them.] You may not believe it, but I do listen when you speak. And you were right... All I am doing in denying myself if hurting myself... and I don't think she would have wanted me to do that.

Kate: [nods once as she reaches up, her fingers brushing against the necklace] And do you feel better now? [aka do you feel good about this?]

Peter: I do. [he watches her a moment.] She would want me to move on. To find someone I can be with.

Kate: And you think that person is me?

Peter: Well, I did agree to marry you, after all. [a small smirk]

Kate: [she laughs] That you did.

Peter: [he reached up to stroke her cheek a moment] And you're a lot easier to talk to when you're not trying to press all of my buttons at the same time.

Kate: Mmmm. But when I do press your buttons, the end result can be a lot more fun.

Peter: [rolls his eyes] You are going to continue to be insufferable, aren't you?

Kate: It is my lot in life. [her fingers curl into the necklace as she used it to pull him closer, his lips a breath away] Unless you're going to stop me.

Peter: I'm sure I can find a few ways to shut you up. [and he's going to kiss her again, hard]