[ Caligi picked a location that wouldn't be intruded on by anyone that would look for her at out of some sense of self preservation. The last thing she needed was to give the twins or worse, Thancred an eyeful of her naked form before a battle. It's bad enough she already left with only a hastily written note that she'd return in a few days with not much information beyond that - as she felt the others would judge her for leaving to heal Zenos from injuries she caused, only to fight him again naked. She would not hear the end of it from certain people.
She is petite, like all women of her race are, but she is not smooth and soft like some. She is built with shoulders broader and arms are defined with muscles, and her tanned skin littered with faint scars from wounds too much for magic to fully heal. Her body was proof of the effort that she puts into her own strength and she is not ashamed of her own power. Usually, however, it's mostly hidden under clothing or armor - as Caligi isn't one to wander around in stages of undress like her adventurer companions. She stabbed her claymore into the ground and ran a hand through dual-toned red hair grumbling a few curses to herself under her breath.
Today was a bit different, however. The situation was of her own doing and while she had no shame in her own body - not in how it looked at least, (it didn't matter what people thought of it to her,) it was hers and served its purpose. How others viewed her wasn't important - why would it? She wasn't interested in the general majority and those who had it, didn't have the type that would spark any concern about how she looked. It was just her body.
Cal still couldn't deny the building anxiety building that was from what if someone she knew interrupted her clash against Zenos, misinterpreted the situation and how would she explain the state of her undress to them, considering he was to be fully dressed and her clothing were in a haphazard pile under a bag so they wouldn't be swept away by any resulting gust of wind from the force of their clash. She wasn't good with words. Explaining herself wasn't her forte and she knows it.
She cracks her neck and rolls a shoulder to stretch the muscles and prepare them as she tries to refocus on the task at hand.
A fight with Zenos.
The red-haired Au Ra will wait patiently for him to show himself, to prove the point she had made through those texts - that she would wait for him to get ready should he need it. She couldn't bring herself to explain to him why exactly she would through text, the words having failed her in her moments of anger - that the mixture of fear and excitement whenever facing him on the battlefield to her was more than worth waiting for, she's never had someone make her tremble in both awe and rage and pushed her passed her own limits like him.
That alone makes him worth the wait and worth her time. Worth her focus. She knows he's not like her, that he likely doesn't understand that her issue with his nudity during their fight was that she couldn't give him the focus she thought he deserved. Most wouldn't understand that and she wouldn't expect anyone too. It wasn't like a situation where he was nude in a public place where it was completely unacceptable - they'd understand that, she thinks.
Turning on heel and away from the sword stuck in the ground, she goes back to her pack and clothes and squats down to dig through it, tail swishing behind her as she searches for the muffins she stored to snack on for this occassion exactly. It wouldn't do to be hungry while fighting him, anyways. ]
He better not take too much longer. [ she grumbled under her breath before stuffing the muffin into her face, eyeing a monster that looked slightly edible and may be a suitable post battle meal, before standing and moving back to her weapon and sitting down next to her sword like she would as if she were dressed and eating her muffin while she waited. ]
[ The world is vast and replete with locations perfect for two warriors without peer to face off against each other without interference or audience. But most of those locations do require some extra effort taken to reach them. Couple that with Zenos viator Galvus's general inclination to never hurry anywhere, and the suspense has no doubt grown unbearably thick.
But he is making his way there. He intends to keep his own promise, and he is curious if she will keep hers... but not much bothered one way or another if she does or doesn't. Oh, the idea of her throwing herself at him in the nude is intriguing, yes... but it is the garnish atop the meal he was already prepared to devour in its entirety. Whatever awaits him, whatever state his friend is in when he comes upon her, he is certain that he will be pleased. That certainty is what drives him forward at his unhurried pace... an unhurried pace that is the cause of the slow, heavy footsteps approaching Caligi from somewhere far behind her.
Zenos is properly dressed if one were to simply be taking matters of modesty into account, but underdressed by his usual battle-ready standards. No armored coat hanging from his shoulders, no creaking layers of leather. The only things on his person to properly betray that it is him that approaches are his heavy boots and his absolutely enormous gunscythe. ]
Ah! My friend!
[ How... charmingly bestial to find her in the altogether, sitting beside her own preposterously large weapon, stuffing food in her mouth. When she turns to look she will find him smiling in that unsettling way of his, and clad in no more than simple pants and a loose silk shirt.
A flick of his wrist and a shifting of his shoulders and he readies his scythe and his stance. ]
You are in fine form today!
[ It is.... good to be complimentary, is it not? ]
[ She hears him long before he says anything, but it doesn't stop her from jumping slightly from hearing his voice. It's not shock that he's there, it's the whole situation finally crashing into her. Hair raises on the back of her neck and she is acutely aware suddenly that winning here would be imperative. Not only for the agreed prize that she'd never suffer to fight the Garlean naked again - but also because she has no armor and any blow he makes will have nothing to temper it. It excites her in a way typical of most fights with the man do.
For a brief moment, Caligi wonders what he'd do if he actually manage to kill her. She doesn't chase the thought-train much longer before she begins to slowly get to her feet and turn to him to greet him.
Her gaze deadens as red eyes land upon him as she turns and holds a finger up, denoting for him to wait a moment. The small woman swallows her food and glances at the muffin in her hand and then at him. And decides to make no move to unearth her claymore from where she had stuck it. ]
And here I thought you got lost. Nice shirt. [ She stuffs the last piece of the muffin into her mouth, snorting loudly and began to move towards her pack once more and completely ignore his readiness for battle. Her need for minor bit of payback, that was a need that could be put above her urge to grab her sword and just start attacking... Making him wait would be more sweet. ] Are you hungry? I'm still famished, care for a muffin?
[ Perhaps Caligi was a little annoyed for the length of time he left her waiting and really, her nudity wasn't of any consequence to her here, but his comment about her form made her bristle.
She begins to dig around in her pack, producing two more muffins and then moving towards him to stand before the giant of a man in all her glory, hoisting up a wrapped treat for him should he want it. ]
If you're not hungry, I'm still eating mine before we fight, but the other muffin is yours to do what you will with. It's safe, I made it myself. Poisoning you would be a waste.
[ A small act of defiance with a side of an offering to their strange friendship. Friends shared food, after all. Though from an outsiders point of view the sight of a naked Xaela Au Ra casually holding out a item of food for Zenos viator Galvus; who was already prepared for battle, to eat would lean on the more bizarre side of things. One simply didn't stand unarmed before Zenos and normally expect to live - let alone stand there holding up a muffin to him and expect the man to take it like Caligi clearly was.
To her, however, this simple action served both as a function of light retribution and also her own show of good faith. ]
I'M HIDING IN THE BLUE SAFE BETWEEN THE CLOUDS IN THE BLUE WHERE I CAN'T BE FOUND Thread between xonthesun and sharpeyes. RATED ADULT WARNINGS: nudity, sap. Continued from Here
[ Helios smiles sheepishly at his words and she knows he's right. She doesn't need to wait until she's hit her breaking point every time to return to these safe arms around her. He will hold her even if she just asked him on whim in private at any given time and it is a comfort.
One she knows she needs to remember to indulge more often. ]
I did say that I was already ready to come home before my mishap, that gets me some leeway, right? [ She smiles up at him crookedly, but it becomes hidden as she begins to turn to face away from him like he asked. She cups the water in one hands and drains it over the other, just to feel it. ]
Can I do yours after? And be careful - I can't be sure if I missed any bumps or scrapes up there, nothing to worry about so don't give me the face - you know the one - but I'm telling you just in case I did miss a tender spot up there and we both start getting worked up over it.
[ a brief pause, then she whines. ]
I was trying to be careful, you know. The one time I was trying to be careful I do something stupid like this. Don't tell Hades, he'll lord it over me.
[ It is true. He will hold her any time and every time she allows him, really, as it is a pleasure to do so, soothing for them both.
And yes, he is not berating her, more reminding her that not waiting all that long is an option.
A soft laugh, that he tucks his mouth against his shoulder from so he doesn't let go, and does not look away for. ]
You may do my hair whenever you want. And yes, I will be careful.
I believe you, you know. Even usually you are less careless and more... daring, attempting what few would even conceive, let alone attempt. And as nobody has been able to test your strategies before, invariably if something goes wrong, you're the one to bear the brunt of it. But...
You do what you feel needs to be done, and to succeed brings you joy. So I am glad.
[ Her brows scrunch up together as she listens to him, questioning the implications in-between the lines for only a minute before she once again lets it rush away from her so she could instead exist in the moment before them. ]
It's still a little embarrassing for me, you know? How often can I say that I wasn't actually trying to be daring and just wanted to get it done with so I could return home to you? Not very often.
[ Soft, and sweet, and he caresses her skin where his hand is resting with a thumb. ]
You know I don't need you to be able to say that about many times, many adventures. So long as you do come back, that's enough.
Shepherd to the stars and councilor to the people. We know, we both do, that you have many, many other reasons to do all you do. I... we don't need your reason to be returning here. The fact remains that you do.
[ That... That gets an unhappy noise to erupt out of her before she can stop it and she is quick to turn herself in his lap and press him against the wall of the tub.
She gets into his face, red eyes blazing and seeking something on his face, because while she lacks the gift her precious Moon and Stars do, she tries to read them either way. Sometimes with more disastrous results than others. ]
I wanted to come home, Hythlodaeus. You are my home. [ She furrows her brows and damp red and blue hair cling to them as she grabs his cheeks to kiss him hard. ] I don't need to say it, no, but you need to hear it all the same and I needed to let out my grievance with my own mistakes to simply complain. Though, my greatest mistake in this was staying away too long and not listening to my heart when it told me the first time to return to you and Hades, to return home.
[ She pressed her sticky forehead to his and huffed, eyes closing and slowly found herself melting all over again. The water's warmth and the steady feeling of Hythlodaeus against her bare skin both doing its job in melting away any worry she may have had spark about him. ]
You say such selfless things and worry me sometimes, my Moon. Let me tell you how much I missed you so much that it caused a harmless accident and enjoy it without rationalizing it away. Be as selfish as I am for once.
[ He's blinking at her, startled, even as his arms shift to hold her close as they are now and his heart races with how hot she looks and feels to him right now. That makes the immediate reaction of I've done nothing to deserve to be selfish trail off before it leaves his lips, which is a good thing, he decides once he gathers his wits about him a little - it's certainly not what she needs to hear.
Instead, he surges slightly through the short distance between their faces, and expresses his reaction, heated and grateful and so, so loving, with a kiss.
Eventually, he rests his forehead against her sticky one, panting slightly. ]
I merely don't want you to be hurting yourself wishing you were any other way than how you are, that is all.
[ It really wasn't meant as denying himself, or any way hiding a hurt caused by her behavior. He truly is so, so happy that she has come back home. ]
But I didn't hurt myself this time, I wouldn't be so selfish to ask you to take pleasure in my mistake if it had lead to me being hurt. That would only make you feel bad in the end.
[ Her fingers dance towards his hair, carefully allowing one hand to pull his hair tie out so she could begin to fan both hands through the braid and have it frame his face. In the action, she hides the act of slipping the hair tie to rest around her wrist as not to lose it for when they're done.
Her eyes droop as she rests there, forehead-to-forehead with him, long lashes flutter and she kisses him again, long and hard before she pulls back and beams down at him. ]
I would never change myself for anyone, Hythlodaeus, my actions and my current complaints are my own and while I regret staying away too long, we both know I'd do it again because I'm a creature of habit. Just as that habit has brought me to you first, just to recharge before tomorrow I write my reports on your couch because your home is mine.
[ Hythlodaeus lets a soft, sweet sigh at her ministrations, his lips curved up into a small smile.
This is not the kind of hurt he means, and he knows full well that one's own actions, one's own complaints, one's own regrets can hurt, not only once but over a long, long time, but if she's perked up and well, he can't - he won't bring her down. ]
My home is yours. And so am I.
[ And there, that is as simple as these words. True fact, just the way that he is Hades's. Both of theirs, completely and without regrets.
His hand moves, to run his fingertips along her spine, from the nape of her neck to the tailbone and back up. ]
And you are here, all is good. Other than, [ slight smirk, ] what I need to wash off of you, but we can manage that.
[ She erupts into giggles after he's finished speaking, because the trail his fingers take tickle and while she doesn't buck or bow away from him, it's still enough to make her burst out with soft titters. ]
It seems to be dissolving easily, so that's a bonus. [ She raises her hand to her hair and slides it through the mess of blue and red, coming out with a very generous helping of clear slime that she so graciously smears on Hythlodaeus's chest with a snicker. ] Oh no. Whatever have I done?
[ Her giggles are absolutely adorable and he'd keep causing them but he knows tickling has a very specific threshold between pleasant and not, and this is truly not the time to seek it out. Instead, he raises an eyebrow at her gooping him up, though the mirth in his eyes is far too much for the expression to hold any impact. ]
Hmm... perhaps you wanted to share.
[ That's not it, but if the mood is giggly, far be it from him to shift it. ]
LIZARD AND TIRED ASCIAN: THE MOVIE Thread between aredx and ancientspark. RATED: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ WARNINGS: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ probably at least one attempt at yeeting Emet-Selch.
[ Oh dear. Just what do his eyes see. Why it would seem as though the star's esteemed hero is out and about, running errands for those that should be beneath their notice. Should they not concern themselves more with keeping their energy up? Hard to save the world and everyone else if the silly girl thinks to take on every single task some ant sees fit to bring before her.
And now it would seem that there is quite the problem before him. It is clear that she is struggling with the latest round of beasts Caligi has been tasked to bring down. How long she has been at this, going from one location to location, he couldn't say. It isn't as though Emet-Selch is watching the girl at all hours. So the real question is this:
Does he render aid or just watch? Helping the poor, weary hero would announce his presence. Denote that he might actually care whether or not she lives and thrives. Which of course he does, but inly so much, of course... ]
[ She is running on very little sleep in the last 48 hours and later, she will acknowledge that this is her own fault. She should have stopped long ago, should have rested and refueled at the Crystallarium. Yet Y'sholta's words, her words of concern to Urianger about the light aether still ring in her ears and her mind will not shut down and let her stop. There is no looming danger of becoming a Lightwarden if she does not give herself time to process it and truly consider what that could mean for her friends and this world.
That's why she is not thinking straight enough to switch classes to something more suited to survival - she should be happy to relish in her prowess as an Dark Knight, to be the Warrior of Darkness and not of Light for once -- No, her mistake is she didn't want to think more than she had to about easy tasks. Casting and jumping around as a Red Mage, throwing vercure on herself when it was needed, all of it required little thought from her.
Caligi just wasn't expecting that she would find herself surrounded, low on aether for the moment and the exhaustion creeping up on her and nearly out of her stock of potions. She tends off another monster, then another and as she began retreating backwards, she trips backwards over her own feet. She lands on her back, red haired he'd smacking hard against the ground and leaving her dizzy.
In that moment, she is scared. Not in the same way she was scared of Zenos when she first met him, not in the way that she becomes afraid for her people and found family, but scared that there will be no coming back from this. Afraid for what Corona will do when they realize that she's no where to be found and afraid of what she will be leaving behind unfinished. It is a gut clenching feeling, one so foreign to her that she swears to Rhalgr that she's surprised her anger hasn't begun to fuel her immediately.
It does, finally, kick in as she puts a boot hard into a lunging monster and forces it back with a gutteral scream of frustration. She begins to reach for the rapier that was knocked out of her hand by her fall, only to see she's managed to drop it just out of her reach. ]
[ Again, it is quite a pickle, isn't it? Out of supplies. Attacks hitting a bit too hard. Emet-Selch watches it all. He isn't sure what it is that he's waiting on, what he wants to see out of this shattered soul. Maybe he is wondering when they are going to shock him, these insects that play at life. Look at how they struggle. It never ceases. Had they been born with the entirety of their souls intact... This would be nothing.
He sighs. Emet-Selch supposes that he should do something. The girl is important to his plans at least. He waves his hand.
[ She is alarmed by the rapiers sudden appearance in her hand, but there will be time after she dispatches the remaining monsters to find the one creeping on her.
Caligi is fully awake again, hair standing up on the back of her neck because someone was watching her struggle with this. There was a witness to this moment of weakness and they helped her from a distance.
She acts fast in dispatching the rest of the attacking monsters and switches her job crystal in the now down time to Dark Knight. Her red eyes scanning the scenery and keeping her guard up as she keeps herself ready to attack. ]
Show yourself Jackass! I know you're watching me like a creep. [ She yells and while she has no idea whom it was, she trusted the unseen force about as far as she could throw them. ] Get out of where you're hiding and tell me what business you have with me, coward!
[ So he says... From everywhere and yet nowhere at all. Emet-Selch has not managed to continue on this path for so long by being reckless, after all. ]
Forgive me if your sudden change in demeanor does not inspire trust that you will not cut me down.
[ It likely was a sight to behold to watch Caligi's face cycle through visual confusion, annoyance, rage, abject horror at realizing whom that voice sounded to before just looking oddly resigned to the fact that she knows exactly who that voice belongs to. ]
Does being a stalker just run in your bloodline? [ She asks and there's a moment of pure defeat in her whole being, before she switches her job crystal once more to Astrologian to properly begin tending to herself.
She is so, so tired and fighting Emet-Selch right then sounds like she would be better spent pounding sand. He had a very clear chance to have her killed then and there and instead of taking the opportunity to get rid of her, he helped her. ] How about now, Emet-Selch? Or are you just going to make me talk to air for your own amusement while I heal myself?
Comparing me and Zenos does not endear you to me. I say this only so that you are aware of the fact you attract more flies with honey than with vinegar.
[ He didn't need to help her. Thus Hades doesn't really like to be called "stalking." The Ascian is merely managing his assets, thank you kindly. They can't have the girl losing herself before the proper moment. ]
Frankly speaking, hero, I am surprised that you have strength left to stand, lend alone tend to your wounds.
[ It takes all of her willpower not to make a snappy comeback about watching someone from an unseen place did in fact count as stalking and if the shoe fit, he can't say shit about her calling him a stalker like his great-grandson. Instead she just closes her eyes and begins to cast Aspected Benefic on herself as it seemed to be the easiest course of action she had with her minimal reserves of aether left for the moment. ]
If I wasn't so sure of the opposite, I'd almost think you were concerned about me. [ That being said, she does begin to sit down to just breathe. Exhaustion is creeping up against now that she isn't in danger and the adrenaline is fading. ] Thank you, by the way, I appreciate that you did help me for some reason. I do in fact enjoy breathing and you did prolong that, if nothing else.
See, that would be where you are wrong. I am concerned. Very concerned, in fact.
[ But since she thinks to say thank you, Emet-Selch strolls into view. He does so as if he hadn't been hiding at all. The arrogance and slight smirk are all present. Slouching too, as if he doesn't really seem to care about the Warrior of Light at all. ]
That wasn't so hard, was it? Offering a bit of thanks. 'Tis all I really wanted in the end.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
CALIGI + ZENOS - ENDWALKER AU
Thread between
RATED 18+
Follow-up to this.
no subject
She is petite, like all women of her race are, but she is not smooth and soft like some. She is built with shoulders broader and arms are defined with muscles, and her tanned skin littered with faint scars from wounds too much for magic to fully heal. Her body was proof of the effort that she puts into her own strength and she is not ashamed of her own power. Usually, however, it's mostly hidden under clothing or armor - as Caligi isn't one to wander around in stages of undress like her adventurer companions. She stabbed her claymore into the ground and ran a hand through dual-toned red hair grumbling a few curses to herself under her breath.
Today was a bit different, however. The situation was of her own doing and while she had no shame in her own body - not in how it looked at least, (it didn't matter what people thought of it to her,) it was hers and served its purpose. How others viewed her wasn't important - why would it? She wasn't interested in the general majority and those who had it, didn't have the type that would spark any concern about how she looked. It was just her body.
Cal still couldn't deny the building anxiety building that was from what if someone she knew interrupted her clash against Zenos, misinterpreted the situation and how would she explain the state of her undress to them, considering he was to be fully dressed and her clothing were in a haphazard pile under a bag so they wouldn't be swept away by any resulting gust of wind from the force of their clash. She wasn't good with words. Explaining herself wasn't her forte and she knows it.
She cracks her neck and rolls a shoulder to stretch the muscles and prepare them as she tries to refocus on the task at hand.
A fight with Zenos.
The red-haired Au Ra will wait patiently for him to show himself, to prove the point she had made through those texts - that she would wait for him to get ready should he need it. She couldn't bring herself to explain to him why exactly she would through text, the words having failed her in her moments of anger - that the mixture of fear and excitement whenever facing him on the battlefield to her was more than worth waiting for, she's never had someone make her tremble in both awe and rage and pushed her passed her own limits like him.
That alone makes him worth the wait and worth her time. Worth her focus. She knows he's not like her, that he likely doesn't understand that her issue with his nudity during their fight was that she couldn't give him the focus she thought he deserved. Most wouldn't understand that and she wouldn't expect anyone too. It wasn't like a situation where he was nude in a public place where it was completely unacceptable - they'd understand that, she thinks.
Turning on heel and away from the sword stuck in the ground, she goes back to her pack and clothes and squats down to dig through it, tail swishing behind her as she searches for the muffins she stored to snack on for this occassion exactly. It wouldn't do to be hungry while fighting him, anyways. ]
He better not take too much longer. [ she grumbled under her breath before stuffing the muffin into her face, eyeing a monster that looked slightly edible and may be a suitable post battle meal, before standing and moving back to her weapon and sitting down next to her sword like she would as if she were dressed and eating her muffin while she waited. ]
no subject
But he is making his way there. He intends to keep his own promise, and he is curious if she will keep hers... but not much bothered one way or another if she does or doesn't. Oh, the idea of her throwing herself at him in the nude is intriguing, yes... but it is the garnish atop the meal he was already prepared to devour in its entirety. Whatever awaits him, whatever state his friend is in when he comes upon her, he is certain that he will be pleased. That certainty is what drives him forward at his unhurried pace... an unhurried pace that is the cause of the slow, heavy footsteps approaching Caligi from somewhere far behind her.
Zenos is properly dressed if one were to simply be taking matters of modesty into account, but underdressed by his usual battle-ready standards. No armored coat hanging from his shoulders, no creaking layers of leather. The only things on his person to properly betray that it is him that approaches are his heavy boots and his absolutely enormous gunscythe. ]
Ah! My friend!
[ How... charmingly bestial to find her in the altogether, sitting beside her own preposterously large weapon, stuffing food in her mouth. When she turns to look she will find him smiling in that unsettling way of his, and clad in no more than simple pants and a loose silk shirt.
A flick of his wrist and a shifting of his shoulders and he readies his scythe and his stance. ]
You are in fine form today!
[ It is.... good to be complimentary, is it not? ]
no subject
For a brief moment, Caligi wonders what he'd do if he actually manage to kill her. She doesn't chase the thought-train much longer before she begins to slowly get to her feet and turn to him to greet him.
Her gaze deadens as red eyes land upon him as she turns and holds a finger up, denoting for him to wait a moment. The small woman swallows her food and glances at the muffin in her hand and then at him. And decides to make no move to unearth her claymore from where she had stuck it. ]
And here I thought you got lost. Nice shirt. [ She stuffs the last piece of the muffin into her mouth, snorting loudly and began to move towards her pack once more and completely ignore his readiness for battle. Her need for minor bit of payback, that was a need that could be put above her urge to grab her sword and just start attacking... Making him wait would be more sweet. ] Are you hungry? I'm still famished, care for a muffin?
[ Perhaps Caligi was a little annoyed for the length of time he left her waiting and really, her nudity wasn't of any consequence to her here, but his comment about her form made her bristle.
She begins to dig around in her pack, producing two more muffins and then moving towards him to stand before the giant of a man in all her glory, hoisting up a wrapped treat for him should he want it. ]
If you're not hungry, I'm still eating mine before we fight, but the other muffin is yours to do what you will with. It's safe, I made it myself. Poisoning you would be a waste.
[ A small act of defiance with a side of an offering to their strange friendship. Friends shared food, after all. Though from an outsiders point of view the sight of a naked Xaela Au Ra casually holding out a item of food for Zenos viator Galvus; who was already prepared for battle, to eat would lean on the more bizarre side of things. One simply didn't stand unarmed before Zenos and normally expect to live - let alone stand there holding up a muffin to him and expect the man to take it like Caligi clearly was.
To her, however, this simple action served both as a function of light retribution and also her own show of good faith. ]
AZEM + HYTHLODAEUS - PRE-CANON
IN THE BLUE WHERE I CAN'T BE FOUND
Thread between
RATED ADULT
WARNINGS: nudity, sap.
Continued from Here
no subject
One she knows she needs to remember to indulge more often. ]
I did say that I was already ready to come home before my mishap, that gets me some leeway, right? [ She smiles up at him crookedly, but it becomes hidden as she begins to turn to face away from him like he asked. She cups the water in one hands and drains it over the other, just to feel it. ]
Can I do yours after? And be careful - I can't be sure if I missed any bumps or scrapes up there, nothing to worry about so don't give me the face - you know the one - but I'm telling you just in case I did miss a tender spot up there and we both start getting worked up over it.
[ a brief pause, then she whines. ]
I was trying to be careful, you know. The one time I was trying to be careful I do something stupid like this. Don't tell Hades, he'll lord it over me.
no subject
And yes, he is not berating her, more reminding her that not waiting all that long is an option.
A soft laugh, that he tucks his mouth against his shoulder from so he doesn't let go, and does not look away for. ]
You may do my hair whenever you want. And yes, I will be careful.
I believe you, you know. Even usually you are less careless and more... daring, attempting what few would even conceive, let alone attempt. And as nobody has been able to test your strategies before, invariably if something goes wrong, you're the one to bear the brunt of it. But...
You do what you feel needs to be done, and to succeed brings you joy. So I am glad.
no subject
It's still a little embarrassing for me, you know? How often can I say that I wasn't actually trying to be daring and just wanted to get it done with so I could return home to you? Not very often.
no subject
[ Soft, and sweet, and he caresses her skin where his hand is resting with a thumb. ]
You know I don't need you to be able to say that about many times, many adventures. So long as you do come back, that's enough.
Shepherd to the stars and councilor to the people. We know, we both do, that you have many, many other reasons to do all you do. I... we don't need your reason to be returning here. The fact remains that you do.
no subject
She gets into his face, red eyes blazing and seeking something on his face, because while she lacks the gift her precious Moon and Stars do, she tries to read them either way. Sometimes with more disastrous results than others. ]
I wanted to come home, Hythlodaeus. You are my home. [ She furrows her brows and damp red and blue hair cling to them as she grabs his cheeks to kiss him hard. ] I don't need to say it, no, but you need to hear it all the same and I needed to let out my grievance with my own mistakes to simply complain. Though, my greatest mistake in this was staying away too long and not listening to my heart when it told me the first time to return to you and Hades, to return home.
[ She pressed her sticky forehead to his and huffed, eyes closing and slowly found herself melting all over again. The water's warmth and the steady feeling of Hythlodaeus against her bare skin both doing its job in melting away any worry she may have had spark about him. ]
You say such selfless things and worry me sometimes, my Moon. Let me tell you how much I missed you so much that it caused a harmless accident and enjoy it without rationalizing it away. Be as selfish as I am for once.
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[ He's blinking at her, startled, even as his arms shift to hold her close as they are now and his heart races with how hot she looks and feels to him right now. That makes the immediate reaction of I've done nothing to deserve to be selfish trail off before it leaves his lips, which is a good thing, he decides once he gathers his wits about him a little - it's certainly not what she needs to hear.
Instead, he surges slightly through the short distance between their faces, and expresses his reaction, heated and grateful and so, so loving, with a kiss.
Eventually, he rests his forehead against her sticky one, panting slightly. ]
I merely don't want you to be hurting yourself wishing you were any other way than how you are, that is all.
[ It really wasn't meant as denying himself, or any way hiding a hurt caused by her behavior. He truly is so, so happy that she has come back home. ]
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[ Her fingers dance towards his hair, carefully allowing one hand to pull his hair tie out so she could begin to fan both hands through the braid and have it frame his face. In the action, she hides the act of slipping the hair tie to rest around her wrist as not to lose it for when they're done.
Her eyes droop as she rests there, forehead-to-forehead with him, long lashes flutter and she kisses him again, long and hard before she pulls back and beams down at him. ]
I would never change myself for anyone, Hythlodaeus, my actions and my current complaints are my own and while I regret staying away too long, we both know I'd do it again because I'm a creature of habit. Just as that habit has brought me to you first, just to recharge before tomorrow I write my reports on your couch because your home is mine.
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This is not the kind of hurt he means, and he knows full well that one's own actions, one's own complaints, one's own regrets can hurt, not only once but over a long, long time, but if she's perked up and well, he can't - he won't bring her down. ]
My home is yours. And so am I.
[ And there, that is as simple as these words. True fact, just the way that he is Hades's. Both of theirs, completely and without regrets.
His hand moves, to run his fingertips along her spine, from the nape of her neck to the tailbone and back up. ]
And you are here, all is good. Other than, [ slight smirk, ] what I need to wash off of you, but we can manage that.
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It seems to be dissolving easily, so that's a bonus. [ She raises her hand to her hair and slides it through the mess of blue and red, coming out with a very generous helping of clear slime that she so graciously smears on Hythlodaeus's chest with a snicker. ] Oh no. Whatever have I done?
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Hmm... perhaps you wanted to share.
[ That's not it, but if the mood is giggly, far be it from him to shift it. ]
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CALIGI + EMET-SELCH - SHENANIGANS
Thread between
RATED: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
WARNINGS: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ probably at least one attempt at yeeting Emet-Selch.
/rolls up sleeves
And now it would seem that there is quite the problem before him. It is clear that she is struggling with the latest round of beasts Caligi has been tasked to bring down. How long she has been at this, going from one location to location, he couldn't say. It isn't as though Emet-Selch is watching the girl at all hours. So the real question is this:
Does he render aid or just watch? Helping the poor, weary hero would announce his presence. Denote that he might actually care whether or not she lives and thrives. Which of course he does, but inly so much, of course... ]
/wheezes
That's why she is not thinking straight enough to switch classes to something more suited to survival - she should be happy to relish in her prowess as an Dark Knight, to be the Warrior of Darkness and not of Light for once -- No, her mistake is she didn't want to think more than she had to about easy tasks. Casting and jumping around as a Red Mage, throwing vercure on herself when it was needed, all of it required little thought from her.
Caligi just wasn't expecting that she would find herself surrounded, low on aether for the moment and the exhaustion creeping up on her and nearly out of her stock of potions. She tends off another monster, then another and as she began retreating backwards, she trips backwards over her own feet. She lands on her back, red haired he'd smacking hard against the ground and leaving her dizzy.
In that moment, she is scared. Not in the same way she was scared of Zenos when she first met him, not in the way that she becomes afraid for her people and found family, but scared that there will be no coming back from this. Afraid for what Corona will do when they realize that she's no where to be found and afraid of what she will be leaving behind unfinished. It is a gut clenching feeling, one so foreign to her that she swears to Rhalgr that she's surprised her anger hasn't begun to fuel her immediately.
It does, finally, kick in as she puts a boot hard into a lunging monster and forces it back with a gutteral scream of frustration. She begins to reach for the rapier that was knocked out of her hand by her fall, only to see she's managed to drop it just out of her reach. ]
Oh for fucks sake!
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He sighs. Emet-Selch supposes that he should do something. The girl is important to his plans at least. He waves his hand.
Cal will suddenly find her rapier in hand.
Go on now. Take care of these wee beasties. ]
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Caligi is fully awake again, hair standing up on the back of her neck because someone was watching her struggle with this. There was a witness to this moment of weakness and they helped her from a distance.
She acts fast in dispatching the rest of the attacking monsters and switches her job crystal in the now down time to Dark Knight. Her red eyes scanning the scenery and keeping her guard up as she keeps herself ready to attack. ]
Show yourself Jackass! I know you're watching me like a creep. [ She yells and while she has no idea whom it was, she trusted the unseen force about as far as she could throw them. ] Get out of where you're hiding and tell me what business you have with me, coward!
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[ So he says... From everywhere and yet nowhere at all. Emet-Selch has not managed to continue on this path for so long by being reckless, after all. ]
Forgive me if your sudden change in demeanor does not inspire trust that you will not cut me down.
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Does being a stalker just run in your bloodline? [ She asks and there's a moment of pure defeat in her whole being, before she switches her job crystal once more to Astrologian to properly begin tending to herself.
She is so, so tired and fighting Emet-Selch right then sounds like she would be better spent pounding sand. He had a very clear chance to have her killed then and there and instead of taking the opportunity to get rid of her, he helped her. ] How about now, Emet-Selch? Or are you just going to make me talk to air for your own amusement while I heal myself?
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[ He didn't need to help her. Thus Hades doesn't really like to be called "stalking." The Ascian is merely managing his assets, thank you kindly. They can't have the girl losing herself before the proper moment. ]
Frankly speaking, hero, I am surprised that you have strength left to stand, lend alone tend to your wounds.
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If I wasn't so sure of the opposite, I'd almost think you were concerned about me. [ That being said, she does begin to sit down to just breathe. Exhaustion is creeping up against now that she isn't in danger and the adrenaline is fading. ] Thank you, by the way, I appreciate that you did help me for some reason. I do in fact enjoy breathing and you did prolong that, if nothing else.
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[ But since she thinks to say thank you, Emet-Selch strolls into view. He does so as if he hadn't been hiding at all. The arrogance and slight smirk are all present. Slouching too, as if he doesn't really seem to care about the Warrior of Light at all. ]
That wasn't so hard, was it? Offering a bit of thanks. 'Tis all I really wanted in the end.
[ The sad part is that might be slightly true. ]
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Eh fuck it I'm not logging out into Cal just for this tag, straight to Zenos I go
lmfao i'm just slowly getting around
Same man same
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