[ Y'tajha frowns at the slip in his message, and the correction that quickly follows. Well, if that wasn't entirely too telling... ]
G'raha, why are you hiding in there?
[ Why is he hiding from her? She of course has no idea that he is wine drunk on the floor, but she has some idea that he's in a state that he doesn't necessarily want her to see. And considering the number of predicaments they've seen one another through already, that in and of itself is odd. ]
Please let me in.
[ Unconscionable or not, he is her friend, godsdamnit. ]
[He has to pause. Only what? Hmm. Hmmmm. He thinks this pleasantly, and that was precisely the point of the wine: pleasant thoughts, the rest of it on pause. It's terribly irresponsible of him. It's also gotten him through a few nights he'd otherwise have trouble with, over the years.
Ahh. The rest of it on pause!]
On holiday. Just a quick holiday. Back before morning. You mustn't worry!
[But then it occurs to him that he has only ever taken his holidays alone.
...]
I could invite you along.
[A tentative suggestion. He'll let the door open up if she really wishes it. All he's doing is sitting on a rug, with a cup of wine and a spread of books lying open before him. Field guides, mostly. Some maps.]
[ She's halfway done with a response telling him that he's clearly inside the room whose door is barring her way right now, which is not, she might add, a vacation - they're still within the Crystarium, after all - when the tentative invitation comes through, stopping her in her tracks. And so the next few moments are spent erasing letters, the worried expression on her face changing into something softer, perhaps a little sadder.
The years have really changed you.
With a small sigh, she pockets the strange device once more, and this time just knocks on the door directly. ]
Let me in, G'raha.
[ It's her way of telling him that yes, she will join him on whatever strange at-home vacation he has dreamed up for himself. ]
[Among his books and maps--on his holiday--the Exarch gives his own small sigh. He looks down at his spread and then shifts around some of the books, as if to rearrange them more presentably. He looks down at himself, too. Well, no helping that. While he takes his cup to his mouth with one hand, he takes his staff with the other; he lifts it up a few ilms from the floor and gives it a shake with his watery arm. That's that.
The door unseals and opens up.
Here is the Crystal Exarch; here is his wine; here is his holiday.]
Ah, [he says. He spreads his arms slightly in welcome, then pauses to put his cup back down. His spirits don't seem to be low--he's milder, even tending toward content--but when he looks again at his maps and travelers' diaries, he purses his lips.] This must look silly. [It's not a downtrodden acknowledgment, just a simple one.]
[ Y'tajha watches the door open with a small smile, although the expression quickly becomes one of confusion when she sees him amidst all the books and maps, a cup of what smells distinctly like wine in one hand and his staff in the other. He looks a little more unkempt than normal, besides.
When he speaks, she shakes her head and crosses the floor towards him, her expression softening into a smile. ]
Not silly. But... should I be concerned?
[ After all, most would not exactly consider alone time with books and wine to be a vacation. A cry for help, perhaps. But certainly not a vacation. Especially when...
She frowns as her brain pieces it together without her: the text messages, slip ups and all, requesting she stay away; the cup in his hand; the smell of wine in the air. ]
A simple enough request. I will see you soon, my good sir.
[ By the time Y'tajha arrives, dressed in a casual sweater against the cold chill of Dragonspine, it's with the ingredients needed for a proper alpine breakfast— strange fare perhaps for the time of day, but any semblance of a properly-timed meal went out the window at the mere thought of Daniffen's Joy-spiked hot chocolate. And besides, who doesn't love the idea of breakfast for lunch— or dinner— or any time, really?
As always, she knows where to find Haurchefant without asking, seeing herself to the intercessory after delivering the ingredients to the on-duty chef. She announces herself with a knock and a call of greeting— although admittedly she wonders if by now he recognizes the rhythm and weight of her knuckles on the wood as she would his— before pushing open the door and slipping inside.
And she smiles at him, cheeks rosy from the cold air, expression bright and warm. ]
In my haste, [ she admits, ] I did not keep track of time as accurately as perhaps I should have, in the name of my experimentation. But I dare say that the result is clear nonetheless: traveling on chocoboback from the Shroud makes for a faster journey than I had expected, but a slower journey than I would have liked.
[To say that he's eagerly anticipating her arrival would be an understatement.
The servants of the manor would witness Lord Haurchefant Greystone as a veritable whirlwind of activity in the hours before. He temporarily abandons his experiments to ensure that the beds are made up with fresh linen, that there will be a change of warm, clean clothes awaiting Y'tajha when she arrives, and that the chefs have been apprised and are well prepared to jump into action the moment she gets there.
When she enters the intercessory he's already had the fire built and is stood by it as it flickers warmly. The cold chases her in through the door, as briefly as it's opened, and he answers her bright expression with a brilliant smile.]
But you made it, and in one piece as well, and I believe that is all I could have asked for.
[He moves swiftly across to her and takes her hands.]
[ How like Haurchefant to ensure a change of clothing is prepared for her. Y'tajha is no stranger to the feeling of the cold dampness of her traveling garments against her skin; she can and has put up with it on many an occasion, but when her stop at the kitchens sees her met by a servant with clothing in hand, she's more than pleased— and perhaps just a little charmed by his efforts.
Her fingers, caught gently in the circle of his, curl to grasp his in return, a smile on her lips as the room's warmth wraps around her like the embrace she so longs to steal from his arms.
Instead, she stands on her toes— and then jumps a few ilms into the air— to press a kiss of greeting to the sharp line of his handsome jaw. A playful smile tugs at her lips, in the same key as her words, bordering on flirtatious as she settles back against the grey stone floor. ]
My lord, have you begun dabbling in petty larceny? I believe you stole the words from my mouth before they could find my tongue.
[Oh, but she is so sweet when she has to jump up like that to reach him. The Elezen laughs, and he leans down to close that distance with one hand against her cheek and kisses her warmly.
A kiss - another thing stolen, he supposes, if one would like to look at it that way. His eyes are glittering with mischief and the sheer pleasure of her company when he straightens up again.]
Then I shall be glad to have invited you here, since the delight is mutual. [Not that he would have doubted, or expected anything else from her. Her presence is always welcome, always wanted, and that has only grown more and more true the longer they have known one another. He worries for her when she's away, when he hasn't heard from her for a while, and having her in front of him settles his heart like nothing else.]
Come, let's get you warmed up. You must be freezing.
[ Y'tajha's content is hummed in response to the press of his lips, her mismatched eyes glittering with her own delighted amusement in response to the mischief in his. He is, as ever, a sight for sore eyes, the person to whom she always looks forward to returning, when there is a moment or two to spare.
If someone had told her that her quest to find and defeat the eikon Garuda would end in this, she would never have believed them. And yet here she is, smiling up at him, her fondness all too evident on her face. ]
Oh, I am much warmer already, my lord. Though allow me to say that if this is simply your sly way of inviting me to a more private location, I am of course unopposed.
[ She lifts an arm to link it through his. Though she knows the way well at this point, decorum has her follow beside him. (That, and as someone whose day to day life involves so much action on her part, sometimes it's nice not to be the one in charge.) ]
I will, as a gentleman, of course entirely deny anything untoward in my offer.
[But, of course, it was definitely his way of steering her to a more private location and with her arm linked through his he does just that, taking her from the main area of the intercessory and into a small, and certainly warmer room off to one side. This room, used mostly for more private and intimate meetings between higher-ups, is something he clearly thought of ahead of time as the fire in here is built up as well.
With the weather of these lands being so cruel and biting these days, a good fire can often feel like the most welcome thing in the world.
When the door is closed he's quick to pull her to him, hugging her close with far more open fondness and concern than he would have when they were in danger of being walked in on. More for her than for himself.]
Something essential is truly missing from my life whenever you are gone from my side. [He tells her with utter adoration, allowing her just enough movement so she can look up at him.] I missed you terribly.
[ His response is met with a gentle raise of Y'tajha's brows— there's no denying to either of them that she can see right through to the truth of his comments, but until she has a more private audience, she won't allow herself to tease him further. Instead, she accepts his arm and allows him to lead her to a smaller, warmer room, and she smiles and raises herself on the tips of her toes to wind her arms around his shoulders once they're safely ensconced within, yelping as she is pulled so firmly into his hold that her only freedom is to look up at him.
She doesn't mind it. Rather, it only has her tighten her own hold, a sweet smile on her lips as she shakes her head. ]
All you need do is say the word, and I will give up my adventuring ways forever.
[ Unfortunately, the both of them know how impossible that is. As someone recently named by the people of the star as a "Warrior of Light", her destiny lies somewhere else, not able to be held in one place no matter how desperately she might wish it.
[It would be like someone asking him to cease being a knight - it's in his blood, part of who he is, just like adventuring is part of who she is, and he would not try to prise her away from it even if it would make him the happiest person in this world if she would remain at his side.
Perhaps, some day. It could be something to look forward to.
He lowers his head down to kiss her, more full and deliberate than the chaste press of lips that he gave to her earlier. This time he holds her close, wrapping an arm around her back, and he pours how much he missed her into those few moments of contact.]
Make yourself comfortable. I'm sure we should have a fine meal to enjoy within the hour.
[ Y'tajha sighs her content into his kiss, and her arms tighten around him as she returns it, the fingers of one hand stroking up and into his hair to tease across his scalp. While she cannot give up her destiny or her dream for him, what she can do is give him the her that's here right now, right now and every other time she visits him until the day the threats are over and she can stay for good.
He murmurs words against her lips, and the miqo'te breaks the kiss just slightly to peer up at him, her mismatched eyes crinkled in tender amusement. ]
Mm, make myself comfortable? But ser, I do believe I am already quite as comfortable as a woman can be. Unless you would prove me wrong?
[ As if to heighten her point, Y'tajha's free hand creeps around Haurchefant's back, dipping to run over his behind as she smiles, an innocent expression on her face completely incongruent with the way she gropes him so openly. ]
[The physical response to her teasing is immediate. The small hairs on the back of his neck prick up and a pleasant little shiver runs down his spine, and the movement of her hand down his back only makes matters worse.]
Would you like to take a seat, or are you more at ease with your hands on my backside?
[He does not object to either and though he fights it for a moment a grin spreads across his face as he looks down at her innocent expression. That isn't fooling him for a second.]
[ Y'tajha chuckles, an open and fond sound pressed into his mouth. While she's not exactly wanting to stop touching him, taking a seat is certainly appealing, and is there not a way she can— kind of— have the best of both worlds? So she unwinds her arms from him and nudges him towards the nearest chair, having him sit before she deposits herself in his lap, a wicked smile curving her lips. ]
Well, I think I may have found the best seat in the house, my lord.
[ Her arms wind again, this time around his broad shoulders, and she leans to press a teasing kiss to the corner of his mouth. ]
[Oh, well how can he say no to that? Haurchefant smiles broadly as she slides into his lap and sets both of his hands against her waist, thumbing against the jut of her hips. Just how did he get so lucky to have this kind of attention?]
I believe that you may have, at that.
[He chases after that kiss when she pulls away, still smiling as he moves one hand to slide it up her back and draw her back in.]
How is it that I never realise how keenly I have missed you until I have you back in my arms again?
[ She knows it to be a rhetorical question, and of course there is something equally sweet she could say it reply, but Y'tajha is nothing if not witty with those whom she loves best (and of everyone, she loves him the best), and so instead her expression turns into something almost offended, mock-exasperation on her features as she raises her brows at him. ]
I'm unsure, ser. How is it that you are not waiting each and every moment for my return in the most poetic of agonies? Am I truly so forgettable that my absence is not noticed until it is over?
[ She raises her eyebrows and waits, face schooled into the perfect image of her most displeased self—
well, near-perfect, because the corners of her lips keep trying to twitch into a smile. ]
I can assure you that your absence is the most exquisite of tortures, my love.
[He knows better than to think she is really angry at the thought that he might not miss her every waking hour. Haurchefant does, of course. There is scarcely a moment that she shifts out of his thoughts. But one simply cannot be in his position and spend all their time lingering on how keenly they miss their beloved.]
If you wish me to prepare a ballad describing it for the next time you visit, then you have but to ask.
[While he isn't that much of a poet, at least as far as writing them goes, he's sure he can come up with something.]
[ There's no way to protect herself against the delighted shudder that courses down her spine in response to his words, a smile quite naturally finding her lips, happy even though she had to earn the words by teasing them out of him.
After all, is there is anyone who understands how little he can afford to spend all his time pining, it is she. If she spent all her waking hours thinking of him... well, she would have lost her life by now after one too many missteps on the field of battle.
But that doesn't mean she's going to deny the chance at a lovelorn ballad, either. She laughs, her forehead tilting against his cheek (even with her seated on his lap, he remains far taller than she is), and the smile on her lips is a contented one. ]
Then consider me asking. I do so enjoy hearing your voice on a normal day. To have a ballad composed would be delightful~
In that case, I shall begin my work on it immediately.
[And no doubt have it finished by the next time they are able to see each other again. It isn't as if he doesn't spend enough time thinking about her to have at least three odes to her beauty and strength half-finished in his mind at any one time as it is. How it is that he became so utterly obsessed with her is sometimes viewed as a mystery to those who do not know him well... but his brothers and father understand well enough just why his sights are so keenly set on this woman.
As if mimicking her previous movements he slides his palms down her back and cups them both against her ass, taking the opportunity to pull her in closer to him as he does so.]
But for the time being... I find myself entirely at your disposal. Mind, soul, and body, any way you may wish to have me.
[Oh, he truly is devoted. It's a wonder he holds himself to stay in Coerthas while she is away.]
[ She chuckles in response to the promise; no doubt he'll keep it too, even though it is one made only in jest. It's not as if she truly needs a ballad composed, but she's also not going to complain about having one written for her, not when it's by him.
But— yes, for the time being, there are other things on which she would prefer to focus. Like the way his hands cup her ass and pull her closer, leaving her to hum lowly against his cheek before she reaches, cupping his face in her hands and tugging it, gentle, until his mouth is level with hers. ]
What if my answer is "all of the above", my lord?
[ Her eyes sparkle with playful adoration. When so much time passes between each of their visits, can anyone really blame her for wanting everything he'll give her and more? ]
It wouldn't do any harm, I imagine. But it still seems a waste.
[ He, of course, does not know that this confusion is happening at all. Really, this just sounds like an attempt to make excuses and get out of the game.
Which is fine in itself, but now it's his turn to doubt himself. Is she not a fan of climbing on things? Who doesn't like climbing on things??? ]
See, now he's gone and challenged her. And Y'tajha can't back down from a challenge. Not even when she's not sure that he's misunderstood the assignment. (Or that maybe she has.) ]
Please, you talk as if I were Alphinaud. Of course I feel up to the challenge! Give me two and a half bells.
[ And some, naturally, she primly hops from object to object, laughing the whole way. Ah, if only he were here to see—
She does, though, stop in the center of the room. ]
You speak truly of this table. One could almost mistake it for a boat.
It was good advice this time. But will it always be? Has it always been? We both know that our interests lie on different sides of this conflict, at the end.
Would our lack of alignment on goals not be its own warning? And, so mistrustful of me. Really, what must I do to earn even the faintest scrap of trust?
[ She would ask what it is exactly about her that makes him think her mad, but she puts that aside for now in favor of answering his statements.
Perhaps it's a discussion they can have later over drinks. ]
I suppose I had not thought it fully through, no.
But if we are to drink in private to save the residents of the Crystarium thinking me mad, I know my friends will not choose to judge me, however "scandalous" you may choose to see it.
Leaping first and then looking, how terribly surprising.
[ there's a loooooooooooooooooong pause before the next text ]
It is not that I doubt your perception of your friends [ it is ] but I imagine the doubt and mistrust for yours truly is no small hurdle to cross.
[ he doesn't care to know their names, even if he does and he's going to take great pains not to refer to them as such, but y'shtola, thancred and urianger especially he doubts being thrilled to see him clinking wine glasses with the WOL. how fun. ]
At least it promises to be quite entertaining. Where, by the by?
[ Despite herself, she can't help but laugh at the message she receives from him. His humor is droll, dry, and while it is indeed at her expense, there's something about it that makes her smile.
Perhaps it's just that she's tired of everyone else thinking that she can't possibly do anything wrong. Isn't she just as fallible as any other?
The next message she sends can only confirm that. ]
My room at the Pendants has a reasonably large dining table. I can fetch some wine and snacks from the Mean.
Is there anything to which you are particularly partial?
[ Is she playing the fool? Surely nothing about this can be wise, and yet here she is, proposing it as readily as she would any other misbegotten adventure. ]
are there any foods their azem would have liked that world's most pathetic man could bring
[ As it is, he can create anything he wants, anyway, and he doubts very much that wine from here with its oversaturation of Light would taste like anything other than ash in his mouth, but at least he has the presence of mind not to say it. ]
In a bell, then?
Tell me, what do you intend to tell your friends? Or do you not intend to tell them? Our little secret.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
for interceded
[ Y'tajha frowns at the slip in his message, and the correction that quickly follows. Well, if that wasn't entirely too telling... ]
G'raha, why are you hiding in there?
[ Why is he hiding from her? She of course has no idea that he is wine drunk on the floor, but she has some idea that he's in a state that he doesn't necessarily want her to see. And considering the number of predicaments they've seen one another through already, that in and of itself is odd. ]
Please let me in.
[ Unconscionable or not, he is her friend, godsdamnit. ]
thank you!! captcha please
[He has to pause. Only what? Hmm. Hmmmm. He thinks this pleasantly, and that was precisely the point of the wine: pleasant thoughts, the rest of it on pause. It's terribly irresponsible of him. It's also gotten him through a few nights he'd otherwise have trouble with, over the years.
Ahh. The rest of it on pause!]
On holiday. Just a quick holiday. Back before morning. You mustn't worry!
[But then it occurs to him that he has only ever taken his holidays alone.
...]
I could invite you along.
[A tentative suggestion. He'll let the door open up if she really wishes it. All he's doing is sitting on a rug, with a cup of wine and a spread of books lying open before him. Field guides, mostly. Some maps.]
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The years have really changed you.
With a small sigh, she pockets the strange device once more, and this time just knocks on the door directly. ]
Let me in, G'raha.
[ It's her way of telling him that yes, she will join him on whatever strange at-home vacation he has dreamed up for himself. ]
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The door unseals and opens up.
Here is the Crystal Exarch; here is his wine; here is his holiday.]
Ah, [he says. He spreads his arms slightly in welcome, then pauses to put his cup back down. His spirits don't seem to be low--he's milder, even tending toward content--but when he looks again at his maps and travelers' diaries, he purses his lips.] This must look silly. [It's not a downtrodden acknowledgment, just a simple one.]
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When he speaks, she shakes her head and crosses the floor towards him, her expression softening into a smile. ]
Not silly. But... should I be concerned?
[ After all, most would not exactly consider alone time with books and wine to be a vacation. A cry for help, perhaps. But certainly not a vacation. Especially when...
She frowns as her brain pieces it together without her: the text messages, slip ups and all, requesting she stay away; the cup in his hand; the smell of wine in the air. ]
Seven hells. Are you drunk?
for @yoursmileisbest
A simple enough request. I will see you soon, my good sir.
[ By the time Y'tajha arrives, dressed in a casual sweater against the cold chill of Dragonspine, it's with the ingredients needed for a proper alpine breakfast— strange fare perhaps for the time of day, but any semblance of a properly-timed meal went out the window at the mere thought of Daniffen's Joy-spiked hot chocolate. And besides, who doesn't love the idea of breakfast for lunch— or dinner— or any time, really?
As always, she knows where to find Haurchefant without asking, seeing herself to the intercessory after delivering the ingredients to the on-duty chef. She announces herself with a knock and a call of greeting— although admittedly she wonders if by now he recognizes the rhythm and weight of her knuckles on the wood as she would his— before pushing open the door and slipping inside.
And she smiles at him, cheeks rosy from the cold air, expression bright and warm. ]
In my haste, [ she admits, ] I did not keep track of time as accurately as perhaps I should have, in the name of my experimentation. But I dare say that the result is clear nonetheless: traveling on chocoboback from the Shroud makes for a faster journey than I had expected, but a slower journey than I would have liked.
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The servants of the manor would witness Lord Haurchefant Greystone as a veritable whirlwind of activity in the hours before. He temporarily abandons his experiments to ensure that the beds are made up with fresh linen, that there will be a change of warm, clean clothes awaiting Y'tajha when she arrives, and that the chefs have been apprised and are well prepared to jump into action the moment she gets there.
When she enters the intercessory he's already had the fire built and is stood by it as it flickers warmly. The cold chases her in through the door, as briefly as it's opened, and he answers her bright expression with a brilliant smile.]
But you made it, and in one piece as well, and I believe that is all I could have asked for.
[He moves swiftly across to her and takes her hands.]
It brings me such joy to see you here.
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Her fingers, caught gently in the circle of his, curl to grasp his in return, a smile on her lips as the room's warmth wraps around her like the embrace she so longs to steal from his arms.
Instead, she stands on her toes— and then jumps a few ilms into the air— to press a kiss of greeting to the sharp line of his handsome jaw. A playful smile tugs at her lips, in the same key as her words, bordering on flirtatious as she settles back against the grey stone floor. ]
My lord, have you begun dabbling in petty larceny? I believe you stole the words from my mouth before they could find my tongue.
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[Oh, but she is so sweet when she has to jump up like that to reach him. The Elezen laughs, and he leans down to close that distance with one hand against her cheek and kisses her warmly.
A kiss - another thing stolen, he supposes, if one would like to look at it that way. His eyes are glittering with mischief and the sheer pleasure of her company when he straightens up again.]
Then I shall be glad to have invited you here, since the delight is mutual. [Not that he would have doubted, or expected anything else from her. Her presence is always welcome, always wanted, and that has only grown more and more true the longer they have known one another. He worries for her when she's away, when he hasn't heard from her for a while, and having her in front of him settles his heart like nothing else.]
Come, let's get you warmed up. You must be freezing.
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If someone had told her that her quest to find and defeat the eikon Garuda would end in this, she would never have believed them. And yet here she is, smiling up at him, her fondness all too evident on her face. ]
Oh, I am much warmer already, my lord. Though allow me to say that if this is simply your sly way of inviting me to a more private location, I am of course unopposed.
[ She lifts an arm to link it through his. Though she knows the way well at this point, decorum has her follow beside him. (That, and as someone whose day to day life involves so much action on her part, sometimes it's nice not to be the one in charge.) ]
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[But, of course, it was definitely his way of steering her to a more private location and with her arm linked through his he does just that, taking her from the main area of the intercessory and into a small, and certainly warmer room off to one side. This room, used mostly for more private and intimate meetings between higher-ups, is something he clearly thought of ahead of time as the fire in here is built up as well.
With the weather of these lands being so cruel and biting these days, a good fire can often feel like the most welcome thing in the world.
When the door is closed he's quick to pull her to him, hugging her close with far more open fondness and concern than he would have when they were in danger of being walked in on. More for her than for himself.]
Something essential is truly missing from my life whenever you are gone from my side. [He tells her with utter adoration, allowing her just enough movement so she can look up at him.] I missed you terribly.
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She doesn't mind it. Rather, it only has her tighten her own hold, a sweet smile on her lips as she shakes her head. ]
All you need do is say the word, and I will give up my adventuring ways forever.
[ Unfortunately, the both of them know how impossible that is. As someone recently named by the people of the star as a "Warrior of Light", her destiny lies somewhere else, not able to be held in one place no matter how desperately she might wish it.
But she can wish, can she not? ]
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[It would be like someone asking him to cease being a knight - it's in his blood, part of who he is, just like adventuring is part of who she is, and he would not try to prise her away from it even if it would make him the happiest person in this world if she would remain at his side.
Perhaps, some day. It could be something to look forward to.
He lowers his head down to kiss her, more full and deliberate than the chaste press of lips that he gave to her earlier. This time he holds her close, wrapping an arm around her back, and he pours how much he missed her into those few moments of contact.]
Make yourself comfortable. I'm sure we should have a fine meal to enjoy within the hour.
[Until then, though...]
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He murmurs words against her lips, and the miqo'te breaks the kiss just slightly to peer up at him, her mismatched eyes crinkled in tender amusement. ]
Mm, make myself comfortable? But ser, I do believe I am already quite as comfortable as a woman can be. Unless you would prove me wrong?
[ As if to heighten her point, Y'tajha's free hand creeps around Haurchefant's back, dipping to run over his behind as she smiles, an innocent expression on her face completely incongruent with the way she gropes him so openly. ]
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Would you like to take a seat, or are you more at ease with your hands on my backside?
[He does not object to either and though he fights it for a moment a grin spreads across his face as he looks down at her innocent expression. That isn't fooling him for a second.]
I'll leave the choice to you.
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[ Y'tajha chuckles, an open and fond sound pressed into his mouth. While she's not exactly wanting to stop touching him, taking a seat is certainly appealing, and is there not a way she can— kind of— have the best of both worlds? So she unwinds her arms from him and nudges him towards the nearest chair, having him sit before she deposits herself in his lap, a wicked smile curving her lips. ]
Well, I think I may have found the best seat in the house, my lord.
[ Her arms wind again, this time around his broad shoulders, and she leans to press a teasing kiss to the corner of his mouth. ]
What do you say?
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I believe that you may have, at that.
[He chases after that kiss when she pulls away, still smiling as he moves one hand to slide it up her back and draw her back in.]
How is it that I never realise how keenly I have missed you until I have you back in my arms again?
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I'm unsure, ser. How is it that you are not waiting each and every moment for my return in the most poetic of agonies? Am I truly so forgettable that my absence is not noticed until it is over?
[ She raises her eyebrows and waits, face schooled into the perfect image of her most displeased self—
well, near-perfect, because the corners of her lips keep trying to twitch into a smile. ]
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[He knows better than to think she is really angry at the thought that he might not miss her every waking hour. Haurchefant does, of course. There is scarcely a moment that she shifts out of his thoughts. But one simply cannot be in his position and spend all their time lingering on how keenly they miss their beloved.]
If you wish me to prepare a ballad describing it for the next time you visit, then you have but to ask.
[While he isn't that much of a poet, at least as far as writing them goes, he's sure he can come up with something.]
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After all, is there is anyone who understands how little he can afford to spend all his time pining, it is she. If she spent all her waking hours thinking of him... well, she would have lost her life by now after one too many missteps on the field of battle.
But that doesn't mean she's going to deny the chance at a lovelorn ballad, either. She laughs, her forehead tilting against his cheek (even with her seated on his lap, he remains far taller than she is), and the smile on her lips is a contented one. ]
Then consider me asking. I do so enjoy hearing your voice on a normal day. To have a ballad composed would be delightful~
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[And no doubt have it finished by the next time they are able to see each other again. It isn't as if he doesn't spend enough time thinking about her to have at least three odes to her beauty and strength half-finished in his mind at any one time as it is. How it is that he became so utterly obsessed with her is sometimes viewed as a mystery to those who do not know him well... but his brothers and father understand well enough just why his sights are so keenly set on this woman.
As if mimicking her previous movements he slides his palms down her back and cups them both against her ass, taking the opportunity to pull her in closer to him as he does so.]
But for the time being... I find myself entirely at your disposal. Mind, soul, and body, any way you may wish to have me.
[Oh, he truly is devoted. It's a wonder he holds himself to stay in Coerthas while she is away.]
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But— yes, for the time being, there are other things on which she would prefer to focus. Like the way his hands cup her ass and pull her closer, leaving her to hum lowly against his cheek before she reaches, cupping his face in her hands and tugging it, gentle, until his mouth is level with hers. ]
What if my answer is "all of the above", my lord?
[ Her eyes sparkle with playful adoration. When so much time passes between each of their visits, can anyone really blame her for wanting everything he'll give her and more? ]
for diamondhands
[ Does it clear things up?
No. No it does not. Y'tajha finds herself squinting at the reply as if the meaning will jump like magick from between the words, but it does not. ]
What if it were something relatively unimportant? Say, an Allagan tin piece or two?
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[ He, of course, does not know that this confusion is happening at all. Really, this just sounds like an attempt to make excuses and get out of the game.
Which is fine in itself, but now it's his turn to doubt himself. Is she not a fan of climbing on things? Who doesn't like climbing on things??? ]
Do you not feel up to the challenge?
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See, now he's gone and challenged her. And Y'tajha can't back down from a challenge. Not even when she's not sure that he's misunderstood the assignment. (Or that maybe she has.) ]
Please, you talk as if I were Alphinaud. Of course I feel up to the challenge! Give me two and a half bells.
[ And some, naturally, she primly hops from object to object, laughing the whole way. Ah, if only he were here to see—
She does, though, stop in the center of the room. ]
You speak truly of this table. One could almost mistake it for a boat.
for clutterbitch
[ A pause. Quite a decent one, if Viktor is counting the minutes. ]
...You have macarons?
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B U T if you're too busy, i suppose i can bear to enjoy them all by myself...
B U T if you're too busy, i suppose i can bear to enjoy them all by myself...<s/pan>
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[ At least, that's the plan. Viktor receives another message within minutes of the first. ]
When you say colorful, do you mean that there are different flavors?
for geriatric
Yes, but surely you realize I have a reputation to uphold...
it's np!
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But true enough. They align for now, so it does not serve me to attempt to lead you astray. Is that not enough?
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when they no longer align, will you do me the courtesy of warning me first that your advice will not be in my best interest anymore?
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Within reason, of course.
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She supposes it's a fair question. And given their tentative alliance thus far... ]
Mayhap this will sound to you like I've gone mad, but:
a good first step would be to share a drink with me.
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Have you thought that through all the way? While I can hide myself from prying eyes, you will look quite mad speaking with nothing.
Unless, of course, you meant the more scandalous option of in private.
honestly that kind of dilemma is my life story
Perhaps it's a discussion they can have later over drinks. ]
I suppose I had not thought it fully through, no.
But if we are to drink in private to save the residents of the Crystarium thinking me mad, I know my friends will not choose to judge me, however "scandalous" you may choose to see it.
hahahaha
[ there's a loooooooooooooooooong pause before the next text ]
It is not that I doubt your perception of your friends [ it is ] but I imagine the doubt and mistrust for yours truly is no small hurdle to cross.
[ he doesn't care to know their names, even if he does and he's going to take great pains not to refer to them as such, but y'shtola, thancred and urianger especially he doubts being thrilled to see him clinking wine glasses with the WOL. how fun. ]
At least it promises to be quite entertaining. Where, by the by?
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Perhaps it's just that she's tired of everyone else thinking that she can't possibly do anything wrong. Isn't she just as fallible as any other?
The next message she sends can only confirm that. ]
My room at the Pendants has a reasonably large dining table. I can fetch some wine and snacks from the Mean.
Is there anything to which you are particularly partial?
[ Is she playing the fool? Surely nothing about this can be wise, and yet here she is, proposing it as readily as she would any other misbegotten adventure. ]
are there any foods their azem would have liked that world's most pathetic man could bring
[ As it is, he can create anything he wants, anyway, and he doubts very much that wine from here with its oversaturation of Light would taste like anything other than ash in his mouth, but at least he has the presence of mind not to say it. ]
In a bell, then?
Tell me, what do you intend to tell your friends? Or do you not intend to tell them? Our little secret.