Masquerade
part 1/3
Author: Lostiawen
E-mail: Lostiawen
Rated: NC-17
Pairing: VM/OB (VM/SB implied)
Archive: Mirrormere, Lirimaer, Aniron, More Than Mates. All others please ask.
Summary: Orli pays a visit to New Zealand during the Two Towers pick-ups for a smutty weekend romp, but things don´t quite go as planned.
Feedback: Yes, please.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, none of this really happened. The author is not associated with or is implying anything about the sexual preferences or the lives of the people depicted within.
Warnings: sap, fluff this chapter.
Author´s notes: Finally, the next installment
in the "Sleeping It Off" universe! I´ll be skipping
around timeline-wise for future installments.
Many thanks to Elizabeth for pointing out who
was present in NZ (which I forgot about during
my first draft. ) *mwah* babe!
Posted Nov. 15, 2003
"We will be landing soon," the pilot´s voice said over the speaker.
Orlando tried to avoid squirming. The flight to New Zealand from Australia was only a few hours, but he wanted to be out of the plane as soon as possible. After far too many months apart, he *had* to see Viggo as soon as possible.
He shifted a bit, unused to the feel of his tight jeans rubbing against his bare skin. He had removed his knickers before he left for the airport, and he was now starting to regret that decision. He had never gone without underwear before, and his arse was chafing a bit.
He mentally corrected himself. He had briefly gone without knickers on the way back from Elijah´s party, because Viggo had taken the thong with him...memories of their first night together rushed back, making his body tingle. Sighing, he dreamily thought about Viggo´s rough hands caressing him, teasing his cock through the soft denim. He felt himself hardening at the picture he had conjured in his mind, and he bit his lip to stifle the small moan rising in his throat.
The pilot´s voice jolted him out of his erotic reverie. "Please fasten your seatbelts as we make our final approach."
Orli complied, fidgeting constantly as the plane touched down. He nibbled on his nails as they taxied to a stop, wishing that he could just leave right now. As soon as the pilot gave the all clear, Orli launched himself out of his seat and grabbed his bag, scampering as fast as he could through the door.
He barreled down the jetway, impatient to be reunited with his lover. Unfortunately, he still had to deal with a few necessities, such as his luggage and finding a rental car. It seemed to take forever before both were secured, and he breathed a sigh of relief once the keys were handed to him.
Orli darted out into the lot and crawled into the car, throwing his travel bag into the passenger seat. He wanted to leave immediately, but one more thing had to be arranged before he arrived on the set. He pulled out his cell phone and found the number he needed.
"Orli?" Liv said as she answered.
"Uh huh," Orlando said happily. The sound of Liv´s high pitched voice instantly brought back memories of New Zealand, and he felt his face splitting into a wide grin.
"Nice to hear from you! How´s the weather in Australia?"
"Actually, I finagled some time off, so I´m in Wellington right now," Orli replied.
Liv´s voice rose to an excited shriek, "You did?! Oh my God, that´s so cool!" She paused and then said, "Hey, why didn´t Viggo mention that you were coming?"
Orli could almost hear the pout on the other end. He said soothingly, "We weren´t actually sure if I could leave. Luv, could I ask you a favor?"
"Sure, sweetie, what is it?"
"Could you tell Viggo that I´m here and then keep Henry busy for about an hour or so?"
Liv tittered. "Should I also hand out earplugs?" She giggled as Orlando sputtered indignantly.
"You´re never going to let me live that barbecue down, are you?"
"Orli, *everyone* for miles around could hear the two of you breaking the bed."
"Viggo and Sean were much worse," Orli said defensively.
"But Sean doesn´t yell as loud as you do, he´s just harder on the furniture," she said sweetly. Orli blushed crimson.
"Anyway," he said, trying to change the subject, "it´d be fantastic if you could let Henry stay with you after dinner. I´m only here for the weekend."
"No problem, sweetie."
Orli almost bounced out of his seat. "Thanks, Liv! You´re amazing."
"You´re welcome. Wait, could you hold on?"
"Sure."
He heard some muffled speech and then Liv´s voice was on the phone again. "Fuck, I have to run, Peter´s calling me."
"Okay, see you at dinner. Bye."
"Bye bye, hon," she replied before she hung up.
Orlando smiled as he ended the call. He missed being around the "Rings" cast and crew, and he was eager to see them again. He again thought about the events that brought him to New Zealand...and caused him to hook up with the most important man in his life.
"You´re one lucky bastard," he murmured, as he reached over to unzip his travel bag.
One more thing had to be done before he left the airport: he fished out a bottle of lube and slipped it into his jeans pocket. He was relieved that they no longer had to worry about condoms, since the three of them had tested clean shortly after they had wrapped.
He pulled out of the car park and drove to the set, mustering all of his control to avoid speeding. It still took longer to travel to the set than he would have liked, and he was vibrating with impatience once he arrived.
As Orlando bounced towards the Cuntebago, he saw the familiar scruffy form of Aragorn approaching.
"Viggo!" he squealed, before he hurled himself forward for a flying hug. He was happy that Viggo was not wearing Anduril at that moment, or he would have otherwise banged right into the large sword.
Viggo caught him easily, pulling their lips together for a fierce kiss. Orlando felt Viggo´s tongue wrapping around his own, drawing it forward. He whimpered softly as Viggo hungrily sucked on the slick flesh, turning his knees to water.
When they parted, Orlando barely let Viggo draw in a breath before he cupped the stubbly cheeks in his hands and smashed their mouths together; his day-to-day life in Australia had dimmed his tactile and other sensory recollections of Viggo, and it was a crime that he was determined to never commit again. He mapped his lover´s mouth aggressively, reacquainting himself with Viggo´s taste, the texture of his tongue, the feel of his firm lips. He thoroughly explored every centimeter, stopping only because they had to come up for air.
Both of them were panting as Orlando pulled back. Spots of colour were rising to Orli´s cheeks, and he burned with a ferocious need. He pressed his hard crotch up against Viggo´s, stifling a moan as he came into contact with a hard lump straining against its leather confines.
"I can´t wait until we get to the hotel," Orli whispered, his beard brushing against Viggo´s ear. "Let´s shag now."
"Peter will kill us if we´re caught," Viggo warned.
Orlando tugged on his arm, "I rented a car with a roomy backseat. Come on."
Viggo said, "But..." He gasped as Orlando rotated his slender hips in a small circle, cutting off any further protest.
"Viggo...I need to feel your hard cock inside of me as soon as possible," he purred silkily, "It´s been ages since we did anything. I haven´t used any of my toys while I was away...think about how hot and tight my arse will be as I fuck myself on you."
Viggo groaned, but he was determined to not let Orlando get the better of him this time. "Angel, just wait a couple of more hours. I promise I´ll make it worth your while once we get back to my room," he tried to say as calmly as possible.
Orli moulded his body to Viggo´s and said, "But Vig, I want you *now*. I want to ride you until I´m screaming your name with every thrust. I want to feel you in me, Viggo, and when you come, I want to squeeze every last drop out of you."
Viggo felt his resistance crumbling. "Orli..." he said feebly.
Orlando slowly licked his ear. "Come on, you know you want to," he said huskily. "Just a quick one in the car park." He reached down and grabbed Viggo´s straining erection, smiling as he heard an incoherent gurgle. "The sun already went down, no one will see us," he continued persuasively.
He curled his fingers around the hard length, flicking his thumb over the head.
With a strangled cry, Viggo grabbed Orli´s arse, grinding fiercely against him. His eyes were blazing as he said thickly. "All right. The car. Now."
Orlando grinned and said, "Follow me," before he sprinted outside at top speed. He pulled the keys out and opened the door quickly.
Orli barely had enough time to scramble in. Viggo abruptly tackled Orlando as he turned around, pressing his shoulders against the passenger-side window.
"Oof!" Orli said. "You´re getting heavy, old man."
"It´s this chain mail," Viggo growled as he started undoing Orli´s jeans.
Orlando batted Viggo´s hands away. He insistently grabbed the firm hips and eased Viggo up, not stopping until the leather-clad crotch was level with his face.
"You´ve been working all day, let me do this," Orli said. His long fingers quickly undid the clasps and he pulled down Viggo´s trousers, murmuring appreciatively as he saw the proud erection springing free.
He wrapped his hand around Viggo´s dripping cock and purred, "Oh yes, I´ve missed the taste of this so much," before he stretched up and inhaled the swollen organ.
"Oh God, Orli!" Viggo cried out as Orlando´s tongue began expertly swirling over his hard flesh. He tried to buck his hips forward, but Orli held him still, suckling him until he felt like he was going to burst.
"Orli..." Viggo said, pleading. Orlando relinquished his prize with a sigh, giving the head one last lick before he pulled back. His eyes were almost black with lust as he locked gazes with Viggo, skimming his hand over his torso before he reached lower and slowly dragged the zipper down on his jeans. His eyes fluttered closed as he reached in and began to stroke himself.
"Damnit," Viggo rasped. "Stop teasing." He scooted back and eased himself into the right hand side of the backseat.
Orli pulled his legs up to his chest and wriggled around so that he could sit properly on his side of the car. He pulled off his shoes and socks before he started wrestling off his stubborn trousers in the cramped space, almost falling onto the floor in the process.
Grinning sheepishly, he tried again, but his jeans had gotten caught on his toe. He squirmed around, trying to get a good angle, but then he stopped when heard a loud "Ouch!" and noticed Viggo rubbing his arm.
"Fuck, did I hurt you?" Orli asked, concerned.
Viggo said, "You just slugged me with your elbow." He reached over and grabbed the denim waistband. "Let me do this, elf boy. If you hit me again, make-up will kill me."
Orli pouted at first, but it faded when he saw the lust burning in Viggo´s eyes. Working quickly, Viggo peeled the offending garment off, pausing to lick his lips at the sight of Orlando´s nakedness underneath.
He moved Orli so that he sat on the edge of the leather seat. Viggo then pulled his legs up to his chest, and squirmed around until he could swing his legs into the area behind Orlando´s perch. He stretched out onto his back as much as he could, but he was still forced to bend his legs at the knees, resting his feet against the window. Viggo shoved his own trousers down to his ankles; looking ferally at Orli´s flushed face, he wrapped his hand around his cock and slowly fisted his erection.
"Come here," he breathed.
Orlando wasted no time in pulling out the bottle of lube from his jeans. He swiftly coated Viggo´s cock and climbed on top, making small noises as he positioned Viggo´s shaft at his entrance.
Viggo pushed slightly upward, breaching Orli with just the tip of his aching flesh. Both men hissed, savoring the contact.
Orlando felt his head spinning as he locked his eyes with Viggo´s. Even though his body was screaming, he wanted to prolong the sensation of Viggo´s cock burrowing into him. Sighing, Orli lowered himself another few centimeters, watching Viggo gasp as his body surrounded his pulsing shaft.
"Orli...more," Viggo panted.
Orlando gritted his teeth and slowly pulled up, moaning as he slid Viggo´s cock out until just the head was inside of him. He gyrated his hips, keeping his movements languid.
Viggo´s eyes were feverish and Orlando leaned forward to kiss him. Viggo crushed their lips together, stabbing his tongue into Orli´s mouth as he tried to urge him on. In response, Orli continued to swivel his hips provocatively, causing Viggo to break contact. He moaned, eagerly pressing upward, but Orli kept him at bay.
Viggo gazed intently at Orlando. He said thickly, "Now, Orli, please." The sheer need in his feverish eyes and his raspy voice sizzled Orlando to the core, burning away his restraint.
Trembling, Orli abruptly slammed his arse down, shrieking as he impaled himself on Viggo´s length."FUCK!" Viggo screamed, convulsing upward. He immediately grabbed Orli´s pelvis and began to thrust frantically, slamming up into the sinful tightness gripping him.
"Christ, you feel so good..." Orli moaned wantonly as he matched Viggo´s furious pace. He could feel himself holding Viggo tightly, and he arched back, his eyes fluttering closed as he buried Viggo deep inside.
Viggo cried out, his fingers digging into Orli´s skin and leaving marks. Orli braced his hands on his lover´s shoulders and thrashed on top of him, screaming as Viggo´s cock glided over his sweet spot.
"Oh God, I´m so close already..." Viggo said between ragged breaths. He reached between Orli´s legs and grasped his leaking shaft, stroking it in time with his brutal thrusts.
Orlando mewled. He couldn´t hold back much longer and he didn´t want to stain Viggo´s costume. Looking at Viggo wickedly, he flexed his internal muscles, clamping down hard like a silken vise.
Viggo gurgled loudly. He jabbed Orlando twice and then he arched up, howling as he came. Orli continued to flex, massaging the pulsing flesh until he felt Viggo slumping down bonelessly.
Orli was still shaking with his denied release when Viggo gently pulled him forward. Orlando eventually ran out of room, and he saw Viggo edging towards his crotch. Trembling in anticipation, he grabbed the handles above the window just as Viggo sat up slightly and swallowed his cock. Orlando keened, thrusting mindlessly into the wet heat devouring him.
Viggo hummed softly around Orli´s twitching shaft, swirling his tongue lasciviously around the underside. Orlando whimpered helplessly and Viggo braced his hands on Orli´s arse, pushing him forward until the hard flesh met the back of his throat. He sucked aggressively, and inserted two fingers at the same time into Orli´s sensitized entrance, rubbing the small bundle of nerves inside and slicking around the fluid from his release within the overheated passage.
Orli almost crushed the handle as his entire body spasmed. He shouted as he tumbled over the edge, each muscle tensing while he arched against Viggo´s mouth, filling it with hot, salty liquid.
He rode out his orgasm and then caught himself before he collapsed. Viggo swallowed all of his release and licked him clean, making him squirm. After tortuous minutes, Viggo finally relaxed his grip, allowing Orli to pop his cock out. Weakly, Orli scooted down until he was sitting on Viggo´s groin.
He bent over and kissed Viggo softly. "Missed you."
Viggo smiled lazily. "Missed you, too," he said, toying with Orli´s curls.
Orli reached around to the front and pulled some wet naps out of his travel bag. As he cleaned them up, Viggo chuckled. "Damn, you came prepared for everything."
Orli stuck his tongue out. "Can you blame me? I was going to tear the set apart if I couldn´t shag you immediately. Of course, a certain someone was bloody resisting the idea."
"Well, I´m happy that you didn´t listen to me," Viggo said, burying his face in the riot of curls. "And I´m glad that you could make it out here."
"Nothing could keep me from seeing you, Vig," Orli said. He snuggled against Viggo´s chest. "Although if Gregor got snarky, I was thinking of pulling some little prima donna act."
Viggo laughed. "He wouldn´t buy it, and you know it. Crazy elf boy."
"Smelly and sticky human."
"Thanks," Viggo said sarcastically, before he kissed Orli again. "I have to get back to work before Peter blows a gasket, though."
Orli braced his hands on the roof of the car and boosted himself up, splaying his legs open as much as he could so that Viggo could reach down and pull his trousers back up.
Orli frowned. "Bugger. How am I going to get my jeans back on without getting out of the car?"
Viggo worked his legs out from underneath Orli and somehow managed to rearrange himself so that he was sitting properly in the backseat.
As Viggo re-fastened the clasps on his costume, he said, "Well, as you said, it´s dark. Maybe you could get dressed in the parking lot before someone sees you."
Orlando snorted. "And it´ll be just my bloody luck that ´Lij will come walking by at that moment with a camera."
Viggo kissed him on the cheek. "You´ll figure it out, angel. I´m sorry, but I really have to go. See you on the set?"
Orli nodded. Viggo gave Orli one last kiss before he crawled out of the backseat. He paused briefly to look back and wave at Orlando before he rushed back to work.
Running his fingers through his unruly hair, Orli began the arduous process of dressing in the confined space. ***
The rest of the day went smoothly, even with Orli teasing Liv about not giving Viggo a proper snog during their kissing scenes. After they wrapped, Viggo announced that he had rented a bus for the dinner party he was throwing that night, and invited everyone to join him.
Orli volunteered to keep an eye on Henry while Viggo was getting his make-up removed. As they went their separate ways, he noticed that Orli´s gait was a bit stiffer than usual.
He decided to ask Orlando about it later, though. He needed to get in and out of make-up quickly so that he could round people up and give the restaurant an estimated head count. By the time the bus arrived, Ian, Liv, and several crewmembers were waiting in the parking lot along with Viggo, Orli, and Henry.
As they were piling into the vehicle, Orli said, "None of the Hobbits are joining us?"
Viggo waited until Henry had boarded before he replied, "Elijah mentioned something about ´not wanting to die of saccharine poisoning.´ And the other Hobbits pretty much agreed with him."
Orli blew a raspberry. "Wimp. Can´t believe he has such a low tolerance for cuddling."
Viggo replied, "I don´t think it´s the cuddling that annoys him."
"Christ, just because you kept sticking your tongue down my throat our first two weeks together..." Orli said impishly. He shrugged. "Ah well, their loss."
Everyone else had filed in at this point. Orlando beamed at Viggo before he climbed into the bus, thrusting his butt slightly backwards as he did so.
Viggo resisted the urge to grab the tempting ass in front of him, settling instead on watching it move as Orlando made his way to the back.
Liv, who was sitting next to Henry, winked at Viggo as he walked by. Viggo smiled at the two of them before he joined Orlando.
Orlando stretched across the seat and put his head in Viggo´s lap, letting out a long, gusty sigh. Looking at Orli tenderly, Viggo reached down to stroke his face, feeling warm as his lover murmured contentedly.
He tangled his fingers in the curly, thick beard and said, "It´s going to take me a while to get used to this."
Orli laughed. "Don´t get too used to it. It´ll be gone by the time I come back."
Viggo said quietly, "So, tell me why you were walking funny."
Orlando grimaced. "I pulled a groin muscle trying to get back into my trousers. That bloody car was just too damn small."
Viggo´s eyes went wide and Orli growled, "One laugh out of you, and you´re dead meat."
Viggo petted Orli´s head. "The thought never crossed my mind. I´m sorry that you hurt yourself, angel."
"The worst part is that walking doesn´t hurt much, but any forward or backward motion with my hips hurts like hell. And I was up for a long night of shagging, too," Orlando pouted. "But that doesn´t mean that we can´t do other stuff," he said sexily, stroking Viggo´s crotch.
Viggo stopped his hand. "No, you don´t. A groin pull is pretty serious and I don´t want you injuring yourself more, especially since you have to ride a horse on Monday."
"But..."
Viggo placed a finger over Orlando´s lips. "It´s all right, I´m happy to just be with you right now." He kissed Orlando softly.
"This is *so* unfair," Orli grumbled.
"Don´t worry about it. Shit happens at the worst times. Remember my broken toe?"
Orli smiled. "Yeah. Sean and I made some grand plans for ravishing you that evening and we wound up playing ´Never Never´ instead." The three of them had gotten so trashed that night that they had all tumbled into the same bed. Viggo grinned as he remembered waking up sandwiched between his two loves. He idly wished that Sean and Orli had done something more than just sleeping, but he was also content with the current status quo.
The bus pulled up to the restaurant at this point. Everyone got out, and Viggo went ahead to greet the host. They were seated promptly and the restaurant was soon filled with the sounds of boisterous conversation.
Orli couldn´t keep still, and he flitted from chair to chair, bubbling over with excitement as he visited with everyone. He became so engrossed in various conversations that Viggo had to constantly remind him to eat.
When dessert was served, Orlando touched Viggo gently on the shoulder. "I want to catch up on things with Henry, and I don´t really want to do it with everyone here. Do you mind if we slip out for some time alone?"
Viggo replied, "Sure, have fun." He pecked Orli on the lips.
After Orli left, Liv turned to Viggo and said, "This must be a world record. Neither of you groped each other at all during our meal."
Viggo looked embarrassed. "We´re not that bad, are we?"
"Speak for yourself, my dear man," Ian said. "Just when I thought that you and Sean had settled down, you decided to start a relationship with our young elf. I swear that the two of you resembled Siamese twins during your first month together."
"I guess being perpetually joined at the hip must have been pretty nauseating," Viggo remarked.
Ian smiled slyly, "I had another region in mind."
Liv giggled as Viggo turned red.
Orlando rushed in at that moment with Henry. "Everyone! You should come out and see the moon reflecting on the river. It´s fucking fantastic!"
Viggo breathed a sigh of relief as he filed out of the restaurant. He wrapped his arm around Orli´s waist and buried his nose in the brown curls. "Your timing is impeccable. I don´t think I could have sat through another barrage from Liv and Ian," he murmured.
Orli grinned broadly as he tugged on Viggo´s arm. "Pure coincidence. But you should really see this..."
As they walked out, Viggo caught his breath. The sky was clear tonight, and silver beams danced on the water´s surface, subtly shifting with the current. Following the path of light, Viggo could see that it led to a small spit of land in the distance.
On impulse, Viggo rolled up the legs of his jeans and waded in.
"Come on, angel," he said, holding out his hand.
"Oh fuck off!" Orli laughed, "There´s no way I´m coming across. It´s freezing as is, and that water´s got to be colder than a witch´s tit!"
Viggo smiled warmly. "Please?"
"Shit, you´re an idiot for doing this, and I´m an idiot for following you...but, what the hell." Orli kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks before he reluctantly dipped his toes in the cold water.
Viggo had already gone on ahead a bit, looking back at Orli with pure delight. Under the moonlight, his skin turned a satiny alabaster, making his wide brown eyes look as dark as coal. The contrast of his dark beard emphasized his flawless cheekbones and his kissable lips.
"You´re beautiful," Viggo breathed.
Orli gave him a wobbly smile and waded in next to him. "I´m nowhere near as deliciously shaggable as you are," he replied, grabbing Viggo´s hand for support.
They slowly made their way across and finally flopped down on the sand. Orli snuggled close to Viggo, trying to keep himself warm.
"You´re insane," Orli murmured.
"It´s your bad influence," Viggo replied.
"Is not," Orli said, sticking out his tongue.
"Yes it is," Viggo said.
Orli opened his mouth to retort, but Viggo cut him off by possessively kissing him, plundering his mouth until they were both breathless.
"Okay, you win," Orli panted. He batted at Viggo´s hair when he smirked.
"Don´t get too smug," Orli said defensively, feeling himself melt as he saw the playful twinkle in Viggo´s eyes. He buried his face into Viggo´s chest, and pressed closer, attempting to meld their bodies together.
Viggo stroked his curls reverently. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" he said.
Orli lifted his head and looked tenderly into Viggo´s eyes, "I could ask the same thing of you."
They smiled and kissed; time suspended as they lazily explored each other, stretching out the moment as long as possible.
"Love you," Viggo said when they parted.
"Love you, too," Orli replied. They lay there for a while, enjoying the sounds of the water gently lapping on the shore.
Eventually, Orli shifted a bit and said regretfully, "We should probably be getting back."
Viggo nodded, reluctantly detaching himself from Orli´s embrace.
As they waded back, Orli said, "So what are we going to do tonight if I´m banned from playing Hide the Sausage?"
Viggo chuckled. "You have a one-track mind."
"And you love it," Orli said happily. "Well?"
"Talk, sit in bed, cuddle. I just want to enjoy you, angel."
"I have a better idea," Orli said mischievously.
***
Viggo said as he stared at his cards, "Tell me again why strip poker is a better idea." He was sitting on the bed in his hotel room in just in his briefs.
Orli, who was only shirtless, replied, "Because I get to drool over your fantastic body while I take you to the cleaners. You never could beat me at this game."
"We´ll see about that, elf boy," Viggo replied. "I´ll have to throw in my underwear now."
"I´ll raise you my trousers *and* throw in my pants."
"Call."
Orli said triumphantly, "Three of a kind."
"Well, that beats my pair," Viggo said, removing his briefs. "I guess we´ll have to stop, I don´t have any more clothes to bet."
Orli grinned, "Not yet, let´s put a prize of our choice into the pot for the next hand."
Amusement tinged Viggo´s next words while he dealt the cards. "Oh really? What were you thinking?"
Orli gazed at his hand. Two pair, not bad. He tossed the odd one out and said, "Give me one card, first."
Viggo pulled the top card off of the deck and handed it over. Orlando tried to control himself from beaming as he looked at it. He now had a full house, whereas Viggo had replaced three cards in his hand. Unless some miracle had occurred, there was no way that he could lose.
He decided to go for the kill. "Well, if I win, you have to spend a week with me in Australia. And you are required to shag my brains out every day that you´re there."
Viggo said, "All right. If *I* win, you have to go out dancing with me in L.A. before you leave to film ´Pirates´."
"Doesn´t sound like much of a bet, old man."
Viggo grinned wolfishly. "You´ll have to go in drag."
Orli´s eyes glinted. "You´re a kinky bugger, Vig, but I don´t intend to be wearing heels." He put down his cards. "Full house."
"Oh well," Viggo said, casually laying out his four of a kind.
Orli´s jaw dropped. "That beard will have to be the first thing to go, elf boy," Viggo said, grinning.
The only sound that Orli could force his throat to make was a squeak.
----
end part 1