Who: Cidolfus Telamon & Benedikta Harman. Status: Closed. Where: The Roost, The Farplane. What: Cid and Benedikta move to a new house in the Roost. Event stuff later. Warnings: The usual. :)
Logically, he shouldn't. After what happened in there, he woukd be a fool to put himself at risk.
But those cultists, seeing what they were doing... He knows he said it wasn't something they should fully involve themselves in, but it would be a lie to say it isn't concerning.]
[She knows that it is asking for a lot, for him not to go back. But she is terrified, and rightly so. After what happened, how could she not be? And would he not ask the same thing of her, for all the same reasons?
What if he had been alone down there, and that soul had completely taken over and made it out? What if no one else could tell and let it happen? What if he got dragged into the Locker and no one could get him out?
A million different possibilities run through her head, and she shuts her eyes against them, letting out a breath.]
[He knows he's also being unreasonable, unable to make such a simple promise. He can only gently stroke her cheek and then kiss her gently on the lips.]
Frankly I have no deep desire to return, so it's unlikely I will. But if I do, I will remain with the others and not venture past the city. I think I'd want to just to learn a little more about the place itself than be involved in anything else.
[That is about as much as she can ask for. She cannot say that she is pleased with that, but she knows even more that she cannot stop him. Ever the kind of man who helps and wishes to learn, and she hates him for it in times like this.]
I cannot lose you again, do you understand me?
[It's a firm statement, one that leaves no room for objection, against his lips before she kisses him slowly, to be sure that he does understand.]
[A low whisper as he returns that kiss, because he cannot lose her again, either, and... That's also why he takes those risk. Knowing they could be targets, after the were both already taken once in some form, what was something he once thought he could seperate himself from has now changed. What if she had been possessed instead?
Souls that are already meant to be dead...
The kiss deepens at that reminder, as if not wanting to discuss anything further. Or perhaps they don't have anything else.]
[Even if there was anything else, she does not find it within herself to say anything more. Not when he deepens that kiss, and she swears she feels those words being burned and engraved onto her lips. She returns it, fervently, a gentle fire stoked in her. And while there is that passion that burns between them always there, it is warmer. Gentler. Not the flaming heat that so often forms and so quickly, but the kind that is meant to burn for a long, long time.
It is one of those moments where words are not needed because her touch conveys it all for her, as it does for him. There is no urgency, but her fingers are soft and slow, caressing his face and threading through his hair, slipping beneath the clothes that he still wears so that she can help to remove them.
Even then, it leaves her breathless when she parts for air.]
Help me get these off. You smell like the sea.
[Not that she minds it, as she buries her nose into the crook of his neck before she's undoing the laces of his jacket.]
[A low, rumbling laugh at first, a roguish smile appearing as he looks up at her as he works her fingers against his jacket.]
Dangerous words to say to man while in bed like this.
[But he can't say that rest wouldn't be better when he really could use it. Still, the way his hands begin to move over her to start undressing her are teasing.]
[That roguish smile of his does unspeakable things to her restraint, and she treats herself a little by letting her hand move beneath his shirt and over his skin before she's continuing.]
What is life without a bit of risk?
[Tempting as it is, she also does not wish for him to strain himself any further. The tapir and the kirin may have healed them and gotten them cleaned up, but that does not mean that they were fully recharged. She certainly is not feeling so, and he had used up far more than she had.]
When we are both well rested...
[She lets him help her shrug herself out of the leather vest she wore, leaving her in the thin cotton shirt beneath.]
[Once she's shoved off his jacket, it's her turn to work at his belt, deft fingers working with ease and efficiency to tug it open and out to toss it to the floor within moments.]
If that is how long it will take. But do not tempt me...
[Her hands swat gently at his before she's returning that sneaky kiss of his with one of her own, pressing it to his cheek. She rolls away from him, enough that she can slide out of her pants and then help him with his, until they are stripped down to their undergarments. They are quite good at this......]
[She gives him a pointed look as she rolls back over to him, arms going around his shoulders, her eyes filling with fondness and that warm, lasting flame again.]
That is precisely my dilemma.
[Her expression softens, and she gently grazes her nails over his hair and along the back of his neck.]
But I only wish for you to feel better. And rested.
[And honestly? She is growing more and more used to nights like this, where the two of them simply just lay here, curled up in each other's warmth. It was not something she was so accustomed to before, all of it feeling like a crushing weight. At least in the throes of passion, she never had to think about the deeper feelings at the beginning...
But this? She could lay like this and be content. Happy. Especially so because he is here with her, alive and well. She closes her eyes, and there is a brief silence that comes as she listens to his breathing, and his pulse thrumming near her ear, before she speaks with a soft whisper.]
[He also feels the same, just relishing in that warmth they share in this relaxed peacefulness, a warmth that reminds him that she is, too, is alive and well here. Alive and well beside him, where she always belonged. So he just nuzzles the top of her hair like he's always done since they've started living and sleeping together, letting his arm go only so that he can bring the sheets up over them better before holding her closer.
And just as he feels himself start to drift, that exhaustion and fatigue hitting him faster than expected, he hears her voice and it takes him a moment before he smiles.]
[Already, she can feel him drifting, his breathing evening out. Her own body sinks into his as soon as the blankets are over them, and she is wrapped up in his warmth. It's there that she smiles against his shoulder, and he'll feel her press a soft kiss to it. But she does not completely relax yet...
Her eyes rove over his face, taking him in from where she props herself up just enough that she can do so. She cannot remember the last time she has felt so much relief just seeing him lie here beside her, where she can feel the strength of him in the arms that hold her, and in the thrum of his heartbeat beneath where she presses her palm, as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.
After several moments of just allowing herself to look at him, she smiles, and it is tinged with some shyness.]
[There's a momentary flicker in that drowzy gaze. Three simple words that he's heard her say enough times already, but not always unprompted like this. And even no matter how many times he hears it, it will always be like a song in his ears, a jolt to his heart that sends it aflame anew.]
I love you more.
[And so, he's going to be a little playful in his response, his smile carrying a brightness that reaches his eyes as he looks at her.]
[Her expression lights up, a mix of surprise and mirth in her smile as she lifts her head to stare at him, as if he's just said something ludicrous. With her eyes shining, she leans over and kisses him, sweet and soft and filled with yearning.]
[A knowing smile, a shimmer of fire in her eyes with that promise, and with one last sweet, lingering kiss, she allows herself to finally relax. She rests her head in the spot she knows she'll be able to feel and hear his strong, steady heartbeat beneath her, every pulse a reminder that he is here, alive, and safe. It is a much-needed comfort after everything they had been through, with Ultima and now this. She needs the reminder of his heart and the warmth of his skin against her, the feel of his arms as they hug her closer. The fondness in his eyes as they meet hers before she closes them.
It does not take long for her to finally drift off to sleep after that. She'd been holding on for as long as she could, masking that exhaustion with whatever else she could find within herself. She knows he would be disappointed if he ever found it that it was for his sake, but they had enough to worry about as it is, no sense in fretting over something so small and trivial.
And though it is restful, it is not dreamless. The dreams start out wistful—wishes of whisking him away to someplace far, far from here fill her thoughts. To a place where they can finally have the freedom and the peace that they both need. That she longs for... A wish and a place that she knows will only ever come to be in her dreams.
Nothing good lasts forever, and the same applies to dreams. In the middle of the night, she snaps awake to the sound of malevolent laughter and that woman's voice, all of it mixing together until she is not sure if she is hearing her or Garuda mocking her, clawing at her insides and leaving behind scorching marks in their wake. She prays that she does not wake him.
It will take her some time after that to sleep again, which is why when morning does come, it will be some time before she finally does stir from where she is, fast asleep against his chest. It is late into the morning hours when she does, and she is glad for the promise that they had made the night before. Now that they are both rested, they can make good on it, and she can pull her mind away from the things that she saw and heard in her dreams and bring them back to him.
It will be then that she takes these other reminders as well. His touch, his voice and breaths in her ear as he says her name, the heat of his skin under her fingertips and lips. She offers him the same, to chase away the fears and the doubts that might still linger for them both.
And she has every intention to make him feel alive.]
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no subject
Logically, he shouldn't. After what happened in there, he woukd be a fool to put himself at risk.
But those cultists, seeing what they were doing... He knows he said it wasn't something they should fully involve themselves in, but it would be a lie to say it isn't concerning.]
I'll try.
no subject
What if he had been alone down there, and that soul had completely taken over and made it out? What if no one else could tell and let it happen? What if he got dragged into the Locker and no one could get him out?
A million different possibilities run through her head, and she shuts her eyes against them, letting out a breath.]
I would never forgive you if anything happened.
[And how could she forgive herself?]
no subject
[He knows he's also being unreasonable, unable to make such a simple promise. He can only gently stroke her cheek and then kiss her gently on the lips.]
Frankly I have no deep desire to return, so it's unlikely I will. But if I do, I will remain with the others and not venture past the city. I think I'd want to just to learn a little more about the place itself than be involved in anything else.
no subject
I cannot lose you again, do you understand me?
[It's a firm statement, one that leaves no room for objection, against his lips before she kisses him slowly, to be sure that he does understand.]
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[A low whisper as he returns that kiss, because he cannot lose her again, either, and... That's also why he takes those risk. Knowing they could be targets, after the were both already taken once in some form, what was something he once thought he could seperate himself from has now changed. What if she had been possessed instead?
Souls that are already meant to be dead...
The kiss deepens at that reminder, as if not wanting to discuss anything further. Or perhaps they don't have anything else.]
no subject
It is one of those moments where words are not needed because her touch conveys it all for her, as it does for him. There is no urgency, but her fingers are soft and slow, caressing his face and threading through his hair, slipping beneath the clothes that he still wears so that she can help to remove them.
Even then, it leaves her breathless when she parts for air.]
Help me get these off. You smell like the sea.
[Not that she minds it, as she buries her nose into the crook of his neck before she's undoing the laces of his jacket.]
You need to rest, and they are uncomfortable.
no subject
Dangerous words to say to man while in bed like this.
[But he can't say that rest wouldn't be better when he really could use it. Still, the way his hands begin to move over her to start undressing her are teasing.]
no subject
What is life without a bit of risk?
[Tempting as it is, she also does not wish for him to strain himself any further. The tapir and the kirin may have healed them and gotten them cleaned up, but that does not mean that they were fully recharged. She certainly is not feeling so, and he had used up far more than she had.]
When we are both well rested...
[She lets him help her shrug herself out of the leather vest she wore, leaving her in the thin cotton shirt beneath.]
Then you may make good on that threat.
no subject
And then sneak a kiss against her neck as his hands move down her sides to her belt to work it off.]
So the morning.
no subject
If that is how long it will take. But do not tempt me...
[Her hands swat gently at his before she's returning that sneaky kiss of his with one of her own, pressing it to his cheek. She rolls away from him, enough that she can slide out of her pants and then help him with his, until they are stripped down to their undergarments. They are quite good at this......]
You are already making this difficult enough.
no subject
[Whose hands touch whose skin first, hmmm?????
But once they are undressed, he pulls her back to him, eyes shining playfully.]
no subject
That is precisely my dilemma.
[Her expression softens, and she gently grazes her nails over his hair and along the back of his neck.]
But I only wish for you to feel better. And rested.
no subject
[There's still a sly smile...but he knows what she means and his face relaxes a bit, eyes closing at her touch.]
But you need it, too.
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[She puffs a sigh against his lips, looking at him a moment longer before she's nuzzling into the curve of his shoulder.]
And as loathe as I am to admit, I am quite exhausted, too.
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Then that settles that.
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[And honestly? She is growing more and more used to nights like this, where the two of them simply just lay here, curled up in each other's warmth. It was not something she was so accustomed to before, all of it feeling like a crushing weight. At least in the throes of passion, she never had to think about the deeper feelings at the beginning...
But this? She could lay like this and be content. Happy. Especially so because he is here with her, alive and well. She closes her eyes, and there is a brief silence that comes as she listens to his breathing, and his pulse thrumming near her ear, before she speaks with a soft whisper.]
Soon, Cidolfus...
no subject
And just as he feels himself start to drift, that exhaustion and fatigue hitting him faster than expected, he hears her voice and it takes him a moment before he smiles.]
I look forward to it.
no subject
Her eyes rove over his face, taking him in from where she props herself up just enough that she can do so. She cannot remember the last time she has felt so much relief just seeing him lie here beside her, where she can feel the strength of him in the arms that hold her, and in the thrum of his heartbeat beneath where she presses her palm, as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.
After several moments of just allowing herself to look at him, she smiles, and it is tinged with some shyness.]
... I love you.
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I love you more.
[And so, he's going to be a little playful in his response, his smile carrying a brightness that reaches his eyes as he looks at her.]
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... Impossible.
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Guess we'll find out in the morning, hm?
💚💜 fin.
[A knowing smile, a shimmer of fire in her eyes with that promise, and with one last sweet, lingering kiss, she allows herself to finally relax. She rests her head in the spot she knows she'll be able to feel and hear his strong, steady heartbeat beneath her, every pulse a reminder that he is here, alive, and safe. It is a much-needed comfort after everything they had been through, with Ultima and now this. She needs the reminder of his heart and the warmth of his skin against her, the feel of his arms as they hug her closer. The fondness in his eyes as they meet hers before she closes them.
It does not take long for her to finally drift off to sleep after that. She'd been holding on for as long as she could, masking that exhaustion with whatever else she could find within herself. She knows he would be disappointed if he ever found it that it was for his sake, but they had enough to worry about as it is, no sense in fretting over something so small and trivial.
And though it is restful, it is not dreamless. The dreams start out wistful—wishes of whisking him away to someplace far, far from here fill her thoughts. To a place where they can finally have the freedom and the peace that they both need. That she longs for... A wish and a place that she knows will only ever come to be in her dreams.
Nothing good lasts forever, and the same applies to dreams. In the middle of the night, she snaps awake to the sound of malevolent laughter and that woman's voice, all of it mixing together until she is not sure if she is hearing her or Garuda mocking her, clawing at her insides and leaving behind scorching marks in their wake. She prays that she does not wake him.
It will take her some time after that to sleep again, which is why when morning does come, it will be some time before she finally does stir from where she is, fast asleep against his chest. It is late into the morning hours when she does, and she is glad for the promise that they had made the night before. Now that they are both rested, they can make good on it, and she can pull her mind away from the things that she saw and heard in her dreams and bring them back to him.
It will be then that she takes these other reminders as well. His touch, his voice and breaths in her ear as he says her name, the heat of his skin under her fingertips and lips. She offers him the same, to chase away the fears and the doubts that might still linger for them both.
And she has every intention to make him feel alive.]