escordvi | closed ⚡🪶 and forevermore, i'll be chasing the storm we had.

[It won't be as much of a problem when her robe slips open, and there's a brush of cool air along with his roaming fingertips that sends a shiver ripping through her.]

Good. Then I will meet you in the bath. And don't forget the food.

[And with that, she grins, slips out from between him and the table, allowing her finger to trail over his collarbone first before she grabs one glass of wine and heads outside again, the robe slipping down and draping around her elbows to reveal her back to him.]

[There's a low laugh as he watches her for a moment, and when he comes out not long after carrying the plate, the wine, and his glass, he'll have taken off his jacket and boots but the rest remains the same.]

Not going to finish the job?

[Her jaw tightens at his question, brow furrowing just a bit with another spike of impatience, but it's all wiped clean as she downs a sip of the wine and spins around, the water rippling around her knees at the sudden, sharp movement.]

If you insist.

[He's taking far too long to get in. So, she's going to stride right up to him and hope that he has a firm grip on the food and his drink because she reaches down, gives a hard yank of his trousers to undo them in a single pull. And she does the same with his shirt, skillfully reaching around to pry it all the way open and shoving it just far enough from his shoulders that it drapes off of them.]

Do you need me to do the rest?

[Well.

That's certainly a way.]

Depends on if I have to continue holding these.

[A light wave of the plate and wine.]

[...

....

Oh, he is really toying with her now.

More glaring before she sets down her glass and takes his and the plate, freeing his hands as much as she's able to. Onto the floor at the edge of the pool they go, and she stands upright, her robe falling a little further away from her as she stares at him expectantly.]

Better?

Much.

[And there's just a gleam in his eye before he's right in front of her, a hand yanking away the sash and the rest of her robe as the other pulls her towards him and crashes his lips against hers.

He had been very, very patient but play time is over.]

[There's a splash as her body and lips go crashing into him, her feet stumbling a little in surprise before she catches herself on the shirt that still clings to his arms... but not for long because she fumbles to tear it away from him with a low, impatient growl against his lips.

Her other hand gives his trousers a hard tug as well.]

Get out of these.

[A low chuckle as he murmurs against her lips.]

So impatient.

[Says the one who threw her robe off and started kissing her.

And after what seems like a longer time than needed, they're both finally in the water, though it would be the heat of their bodies that they feel more keenly than the warmth of the hot spring that fills it, the steam doing nothing to try and hide what they both desire from each other. The tension and build up from the day has finally come to a head and there would be no stopping them from enjoying themselves more than the bath itself.

Hopefully whoever is roomed next door won't mind the sounds...

But in some ways for Cid, as much as he tries not to use their sex as a distraction, he knows that this is exactly what Benedikta is trying to do. Since the moment she burst through his workshop doors and dragged him out he knew she was trying in her own way to get him out of that slump and, though she may not have intentionally thought about it, "cheer" him up. Knew that she had no idea how else to and just used what she was familiar with.

She was not kind nor nice, not conventional at all. But he didn't care because he knew she wouldn't be already. Because even if she wasn't, she also wasn't as "mean" or "hurtful" as she might think herself to be. She was considerate, thoughtful of him. She cared in her own way, and given her disposition, that was already doing more than anyone else could. To push herself in such a way, all because of him.

And in the end, their little impromptu outing had turned into something more of a date, unofficially or not. While there had still been some moments of melancholy, she did achieve what she set to do, which was get him out and pull him out of that slump he had been. He'll still need a bit of time to process missing his daughter again, but at least he won't be overworking himself.

So, how could his feelings towards her not grow? How could he not fall in love with her a little more than before? How could he not consider this as another sign of progress, of a hopeful second chance that seems closer than it did a few months ago? And thus, how could he not want to show that appreciation, that gratitude for what she's done in the only way that means anything to them?

So yes, what transpires in that pool is more than just physical intimacy and release of that build-up. It may be rough, unrestrained, and intense like always, but there is something a little deeper way—more genuine, at least from his end. Whether or not she feels the same doesn't matter much, he knows how she is. All she has to do is receive it. All of it.

Only after some time (and perhaps rounds) have passed do they finally relax, allow their bodies to melt into the water and into each other as he keeps his arm wrapped around her shoulder with her curled up next to him before he holds up her glass of wine to her, a somewhat cheeky smile on him.]

Need a drink?

[If she's honest, this isn't how she expected things to go. Or rather, this wasn't what she intended. She is learning that this is simply the way for them and that, perhaps, it was inevitable in the end, but when she brought him out with the idea of the hot springs, it wasn't to end up here, like this. Kissing him like this. Being with him like this. Now, she realizes, she'd been a fool to think otherwise.

But when she had shown up at his workshop the moment that she could, it was because she knew where he would be. It was a toss-up whether he would be hunched over a bottle of whiskey or his sketches, but what she was sure of was that he would be buried in his work as he is wont to do when the stress comes for him. It was always his way... and she would have to swoop in and wrestle the lines away from between his brow, she would smooth them out with a kiss as she shoved herself between him and his work after a long time away.

And this was no different, regardless of how they have changed both together and individually. Some things just remain the same, no matter how far apart they have grown, or how close they become. Benedikta was never one to offer empty reassurances, especially when they both knew the reality of things, and this—everything that she has done today—was the only way she knows how.

It was never meant to comfort him, that was someone else's job. Rather, to pull him free of that slump that he had sunk himself into. She would drag him out if she had to because the truth is that she hates that version of him. She wanted that Cidolfus that she knows well—the one with the cocky grin and the easy laugh, the one with that glint of mischief always shining in his eyes. The Cidolfus that knows all the hundred little ways to push her buttons and get under her skin. The one that knows how to make her feel something.

She finally found him, and she does not intend to let him go.

If this is the only way that she can hold on, then so be it. Let this be that distraction that keeps him here. It's a language that they both understand. A comfort that they can both lose themselves in and forget for just a little while—something that Benedikta herself needs, too.

A distraction from those pesky feelings that rise up every time she sees that little pang of sadness in those green eyes of his. A distraction from those darker, sadder thoughts that ripple through her every now and again, reminding her that this is the only place where they can be... and if he were to choose to return to Midadol, then...

Indeed, what transpires in the pool is more than physical intimacy and that much-needed release. Whatever it is for him, it is as genuine for her too. She may not ever speak the thought into the world, keeping it to herself, but he will feel it in her touch, her lips, the way she whispers his name... And she receives it from him in a way that is easier for her heart to process. All of it.

She just hopes that he does too.

So when she finds herself spent and relaxed, resting against his side, her head on his shoulder and idly bringing her hand up to let the water trickle over his chest, she lifts her gaze up to his when he finally speaks, that smile he flashes her doing all sorts of annoying things to her heart. She takes it, and lifts it to her lips.]

... I thought you'd never ask. About time we had some.

Edited 2024-01-21 03:13 (UTC)

[A quiet laugh as he takes his own.]

Had more important appetites to take care of first.

[She rolls her eyes gently at him. Yes, that Cidolfus is still here.]

And? Do you feel sated?

Mmm...

[A sip of his wine before he sets it down so he can pick up a chocolate strawberry and press it to her lips.]

For now.

[And she'll lean into it and take a bite, letting the strawberry linger between her lips, her tired yet always hungry eyes meeting his.]

A good thing you brought all this food then, just in case you get hungry for more.

[There's a glint there, and she reaches across him to grab a slice of peach to bring to his.]

[He'll keep the now half-eaten strawberry near her so she can finish it off if she wants while smirking a bit at the peach—]

Not sure they'll be quite as filling.

[—before taking the whole slice, lips and teeth grazing her fingertips before he chews.]

[She licks her lips when he steals that peach before plucking that strawberry right out from between his fingertips, taking the whole thing between her teeth with a grin pulling at her lip as she speaks around the fruit.]

Fairly certain it is not me who does the filling.

[And she'll pull the rest of that strawberry into her mouth with her tongue, washing it down with some wine before she's wading around him, arms going around his waist until she's more in his lap than beside it.]

...But if you do need more...

[While her eyes follow her hand to where it touches his chest, her gaze noticeably softens.]

Edited 2024-01-21 04:24 (UTC)

[A slight rise of his brows as she moves around to settle into his lap, and a smirk grows as he looks up at her, his own arms wrapped firmly around her.]

Hmm...maybe it's me who should be asking you that question.

[And a rough jerk of her hips against him.]

Do you have room for more?

[While she does yield, her hips obliging to the sudden pull of her hips over his, a soft sound tumbling past here reddened lips, there's something deeper swimming in her gaze when she lifts it to meet his.]

... Always.

[It annoys her sometimes how she simply cannot get enough of him. How she always wants him, thinks of him, no matter what they are doing. It's always been that way, though... it's just a feeling she has to get used to having again.]

Or else would I have offered?

Well.

[He pulls her in closer, a little more slowly this time as his face inches towards hers.]

I can't leave the lovely lady wanting, now can I?

[As he leans in, her head spins, and she meets him the rest of the way, pressing a kiss to his lips. But it's different. More tender. Sweeter, and not because of the strawberry, though that probably helps.

But she pulls back just a quick, leaving a tingle behind on both their lips.]

...Cidolfus...

[His name hangs in the air between them, and she breaks that heavier silence with another kiss, arms sliding up so that they're around his shoulders instead. And as they draw small, lazy circles over them, her head tips to lean her forehead to his, and she sighs.

There's been something that's been on her mind, and she's working through how to say it. A rare thing, but she's trying.]

About today...

Edited 2024-01-21 05:13 (UTC)

[He does notice the difference in how she's meeting him. That bit of tenderness and sweetness, one that sends a warmth down through his chest and makes him want to pull her in closer, deeper—and he does. But before he can get any farther than that, she's pulling back. Instinctively he moves forward to catch her, but stops when she says his name. Somehow it sounds...different, almost as if in a question, and he waits only to have her kiss him again.

His thoughts spin briefly, but his hands are already moving from her chest to her hips.]

Hmmm?

[Just an idle hum as really a lot of things happened today.]

[...

Another pause, her lips pressing together, the taste of both him and the strawberry clinging to her, and she almost wants to throw the thought away in favour of simply allowing them to fall into the same old routine again. It would be easier, wouldn't it? To just demand that he forgets about it and kiss her instead...

She does sate herself with a soft brush of her lips over his, not quite a kiss but enough for it to be something.

Though whether it does anything to calm her racing heart or mind remains to be seen.]

Are you...?

[She can hardly even bring herself to ask that question, the words feeling so unnatural on her tongue.]

[Sensing something amiss, he pulls back to look at her with slightly furrowed brows.]

...Something on your mind, love?

[She makes an uncomfortable sound in the back of her throat when he doesn't pick up what she's laying down for him... and what she thought to be plainly, too. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to say it, hoping that she wouldn't have to turn her skin inside out just to be able to be sure...

That she is even wanting to ask is strange enough. He seems to be, but on days like this, he can be as unreadable as the once Lord Commander was... It's frustrating.

So, she takes a breath and pulls herself back into him after he draws away from her, her face burying itself into the crook of his shoulder while she mutters that final word.]

...All right...

[It takes him a moment, both to register what she's asking and process the fact that she's asking. It's such a common question that anyone would ask, yet from her...let alone now...

...

He's silent for a moment, unmoving, before the hands at her hips now move to slowly run up her back, his body relaxing as he leans back against the wall of the small pool. Her breath against his skin is warmer than the steam, and perhaps it's a good thing she's hiding her face so she can't see the gentle glance, the soft smile before he looks back out forward.]

...Much better than before.

[He's not sure if he can really say yes or no, but he can at least truthfully answer like this.]

[His silence only makes it harder for her, and it takes every ounce of restraint she has not to shift uncomfortably in the middle of it. So she remains still, hardly breathing as she awaits his answer, and he'll probably feel some of that tension easing out of her as soon as it comes.

And she doesn't need to look at him to know the sort of look he's wearing. She can hear it in his voice and feel it in the way it makes her heart flutter. Enough that she partly regrets asking.]

You look leagues better than you did before.

[A light joke with the hopes that it will pull her a little further away from those feelings, as her arms tighten around his shoulders.]

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