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( continued from here! )
( what? wait — )
hey! who are you two gossiping about?
( ...well, so. in this moment she's recognising what she's asking him, but you know what? she wants this. and him. and she sleeps better at night when he's there even if he sometimes wakes up distractingly shirtless. he's — this is a little nerve-wracking, still. the second text comes a couple of minutes later. he's consistently nebulous, mercurial, and try as she might she can't quite pin him down, but... )
you can say no, if you don't want to.
( what? wait — )
hey! who are you two gossiping about?
( ...well, so. in this moment she's recognising what she's asking him, but you know what? she wants this. and him. and she sleeps better at night when he's there even if he sometimes wakes up distractingly shirtless. he's — this is a little nerve-wracking, still. the second text comes a couple of minutes later. he's consistently nebulous, mercurial, and try as she might she can't quite pin him down, but... )
you can say no, if you don't want to.
our lips are sealed
fish dun kiss and tell
[ except, that isn't to imply he's kissing reddie.
if there's someone he wants to grow closer to, it's... pretty obvious on who that is. even at her words, he feels a whole array of emotions. frustration at her allowing him some proverbial out peppered with an incoming hint of a pout, but also of a warm tenderness he feels at just the idea of her permitting him past the boundaries they may have drawn from their various roles. bodyguard. employer. painter. hunter. there were any number of excuses they could give, so why not use those excuses for the better?
"we got caught up in the moment." no, "i've been thinking about you for a long time."
"i've been waiting."
his cheeks feel a little warm even as he types back. ]
yknow i never heard someone trying to catch a fish like that
if im caught on your line all you need to do is pull me up silly girl
fish dun kiss and tell
[ except, that isn't to imply he's kissing reddie.
if there's someone he wants to grow closer to, it's... pretty obvious on who that is. even at her words, he feels a whole array of emotions. frustration at her allowing him some proverbial out peppered with an incoming hint of a pout, but also of a warm tenderness he feels at just the idea of her permitting him past the boundaries they may have drawn from their various roles. bodyguard. employer. painter. hunter. there were any number of excuses they could give, so why not use those excuses for the better?
"we got caught up in the moment." no, "i've been thinking about you for a long time."
"i've been waiting."
his cheeks feel a little warm even as he types back. ]
yknow i never heard someone trying to catch a fish like that
if im caught on your line all you need to do is pull me up silly girl
( eight hundred years spans so many, many lifetimes, each turn of the wheel brings new tragedy, heartache and loss. this is why most souls forget; it can drive a man mad otherwise.
she looks down at the texts he sends, a bittersweet longing filling her heart, burning in her chest. longing for what?
he's here, witty and joking, but she can't deny the thread of sadness that lingers when the laughter fades, when rafayel looks at her and thinks she doesn't notice. and then there are the dreams, of sea foam and deep magic, when she wakes up in tears and instinctively claws for him, only to be alone with the mists of memory that dissipate in the morning sun. )
i don't want you to be caught on my line
( then more texts, in case he gets the wrong idea. )
it hurts, right?
maybe you can let me scoop you up in my hands
and i can keep you safe
you're going to have to be a good fish and not jump out though
she looks down at the texts he sends, a bittersweet longing filling her heart, burning in her chest. longing for what?
he's here, witty and joking, but she can't deny the thread of sadness that lingers when the laughter fades, when rafayel looks at her and thinks she doesn't notice. and then there are the dreams, of sea foam and deep magic, when she wakes up in tears and instinctively claws for him, only to be alone with the mists of memory that dissipate in the morning sun. )
i don't want you to be caught on my line
( then more texts, in case he gets the wrong idea. )
it hurts, right?
maybe you can let me scoop you up in my hands
and i can keep you safe
you're going to have to be a good fish and not jump out though
[ being caught on someone's line was, admittedly, a miserable fate.
but, even if such a tragedy awaited him, what wouldn't he do to remain at her side? to make good on their past promises. just because he was good at waiting, didn't mean he liked it. didn't mean that it wasn't pure torture. but, even if she knew, he knows himself that he would have just as easily brushed it off.
if ignorance is bliss, then he'd give her that right.
he would tell her the lies he's gotten so accustomed to. say that "not even i'm foolish enough to wait year after year." but, he is every bit that foolish, and just like that he's caught up in her all over again like how the sun rises and sets over the blue horizon. ]
i guess it does hurt a lil
but if youre offering to be gentle for once then i can also be a good fishie
to make sure youre ready for it, i think you should get some practice tonight
[ wouldn't it be totally reasonable to take comfort in one another's warmth on a night like this? ]
but, even if such a tragedy awaited him, what wouldn't he do to remain at her side? to make good on their past promises. just because he was good at waiting, didn't mean he liked it. didn't mean that it wasn't pure torture. but, even if she knew, he knows himself that he would have just as easily brushed it off.
if ignorance is bliss, then he'd give her that right.
he would tell her the lies he's gotten so accustomed to. say that "not even i'm foolish enough to wait year after year." but, he is every bit that foolish, and just like that he's caught up in her all over again like how the sun rises and sets over the blue horizon. ]
i guess it does hurt a lil
but if youre offering to be gentle for once then i can also be a good fishie
to make sure youre ready for it, i think you should get some practice tonight
[ wouldn't it be totally reasonable to take comfort in one another's warmth on a night like this? ]
( but maybe she doesn't want that. maybe she wants to be with him in all the important ways, and shoulder the burden of loss and grief and waiting. how can she let him hurt alone?
but maybe tonight will be a good start. tonight, she can reach for him and he'll be there. )
i like when you're a good fishie for me
i'll be very gentle. what are we practicing first?
but maybe tonight will be a good start. tonight, she can reach for him and he'll be there. )
i like when you're a good fishie for me
i'll be very gentle. what are we practicing first?
im always a good fishie what you mean
[ regardless of if it's true or not, the important part was the next part. ]
oh so you want me to tell you step by step huh?
i think you should come over first
its a very hands on experience
[ listen, fish are naturally thirsty. ]
[ regardless of if it's true or not, the important part was the next part. ]
oh so you want me to tell you step by step huh?
i think you should come over first
its a very hands on experience
[ listen, fish are naturally thirsty. ]
( he remains such a cute fishie! )
well i could show u first then u let me know if im right
also brb ill be a little late sorry
( she won't be replying until the doorbell rings and she turns up 15 minutes late, carrying a bottle of special wine and looking very pleased with herself. she'd gotten distracted on her way here, and had been compelled to follow the trail to an old school winery that sold pomegranate wine — she just had to have it, sorry, raf. )
Hey.
well i could show u first then u let me know if im right
also brb ill be a little late sorry
( she won't be replying until the doorbell rings and she turns up 15 minutes late, carrying a bottle of special wine and looking very pleased with herself. she'd gotten distracted on her way here, and had been compelled to follow the trail to an old school winery that sold pomegranate wine — she just had to have it, sorry, raf. )
Hey.
Edited (omg my typos) 2025-02-03 03:15 (UTC)
[ well, for all intents and purposes she did notify him. unlike the time in the past, where the smell of the hospital's disinfectant still stings his nose, she wasn't anywhere out of his reach. ... and maybe in the slightest, he may have lingered in her mind.
or so he's fuss about, but in reality between him organizing the seafood that's been delivered at his home in bulk for them to enjoy. crabs, scallops, claims, fresh fish, and even one or two fish that remain in a decorative bowl. he looks down at them, talking to them out loud, even as she enters. ]
Should I file a complaint? Already 15 minutes late... any later and our stomachs will collapse into themselves and we'll starve. [ dramatics, per usual. obviously loud enough for her to hear through the door, even as he acts "surprised" when he opens it. ]
Oh, I had thought you forgot the way here since it's been a while.
[ despite his "complaint," he does seem to be welcoming her in by moving slightly out of the way of the door. all the more when his eyes... fall on the wine. ]
or so he's fuss about, but in reality between him organizing the seafood that's been delivered at his home in bulk for them to enjoy. crabs, scallops, claims, fresh fish, and even one or two fish that remain in a decorative bowl. he looks down at them, talking to them out loud, even as she enters. ]
Should I file a complaint? Already 15 minutes late... any later and our stomachs will collapse into themselves and we'll starve. [ dramatics, per usual. obviously loud enough for her to hear through the door, even as he acts "surprised" when he opens it. ]
Oh, I had thought you forgot the way here since it's been a while.
[ despite his "complaint," he does seem to be welcoming her in by moving slightly out of the way of the door. all the more when his eyes... fall on the wine. ]
Who are you going to file that complaint to? A dolphin judge?
( she asks him light-heartedly, admiring the wide array of seafood that he'd been grumbling to, because of course he'd pour his heart out to them, right? still, she holds up the wine she's been holding, because life and fate is funny like that, showing off the bottle to him, hundreds of years on. )
I caught a whiff of this when I was on the way to you. Can you believe that this place has been around for a few hundred years? I was told that their winery's a small family business, and that it pairs quite well with seafood. ( she's admiring the label, then turns back to him expectantly. ) Bold choice, huh?
( she asks him light-heartedly, admiring the wide array of seafood that he'd been grumbling to, because of course he'd pour his heart out to them, right? still, she holds up the wine she's been holding, because life and fate is funny like that, showing off the bottle to him, hundreds of years on. )
I caught a whiff of this when I was on the way to you. Can you believe that this place has been around for a few hundred years? I was told that their winery's a small family business, and that it pairs quite well with seafood. ( she's admiring the label, then turns back to him expectantly. ) Bold choice, huh?
Nah, dolphins are kinda bullies... I don't think it would sit right with the rest of the fish. The second they'd come in, their eyes would be as large as a shrimp's encountering a whale for the first time. [ a common saying in lemuria, probably.
still, he does seem to settle down in the sense that he doesn't push this color narrative he's crafted any further. lets his metaphors die out on the tip of his tongue to make way for the wine, in which she describes emphatically. his lips curve into a small, almost subdued smile. as if it has all the makings of nostalgia, and maybe something else. ]
Are you sure you're here for me and not the seafood? [ thanks for the raf memes.
but, the wine probably would do a decent pairing in more ways than one. it reminds him a lot of a wine couples may share on their weddings night, and it makes him think of the dress and veil is probably keeps in the closet, ready for valentines day or any other holiday to surprise her with. for now, it remains there. ] Buuuut, since you started this bold, it makes me wonder how you'll finish this.
still, he does seem to settle down in the sense that he doesn't push this color narrative he's crafted any further. lets his metaphors die out on the tip of his tongue to make way for the wine, in which she describes emphatically. his lips curve into a small, almost subdued smile. as if it has all the makings of nostalgia, and maybe something else. ]
Are you sure you're here for me and not the seafood? [ thanks for the raf memes.
but, the wine probably would do a decent pairing in more ways than one. it reminds him a lot of a wine couples may share on their weddings night, and it makes him think of the dress and veil is probably keeps in the closet, ready for valentines day or any other holiday to surprise her with. for now, it remains there. ] Buuuut, since you started this bold, it makes me wonder how you'll finish this.
( bullies, huh. that lines up with what she knows about them. but her thoughts aren't on the dolphins now, they're on the way his eyes are focused on the wine, a strange, indescribable. she's never seen that smile before, and in this moment rafayel has never seemed so distant from her, like he's stepped into another world, parallel to her own, present but unreachable.
she tilts her head briefly, before she steps forward and musters a small smile, wanting to breach the distance, and uncover one of his many, many secrets. she sets the wine on the table so that she can be all up in his personal space, delicate and exploring. )
Does it count if it's both you and the seafood? ( a gentle tease, before she reaches up to cup his cheek. ) We'll finish this with a bath, and your favorite candles and bath salts. And maybe I'll warm you better than your bathwater.
she tilts her head briefly, before she steps forward and musters a small smile, wanting to breach the distance, and uncover one of his many, many secrets. she sets the wine on the table so that she can be all up in his personal space, delicate and exploring. )
Does it count if it's both you and the seafood? ( a gentle tease, before she reaches up to cup his cheek. ) We'll finish this with a bath, and your favorite candles and bath salts. And maybe I'll warm you better than your bathwater.
[ the fact that she just gets it, makes him offer her a hint of a smile. a lighthearted sort of laugh at her silent agreement about the dolphins. though, it seems to die out by the time he realizes her eyes are settled on him for a second too long, as if she were on the verge of grasping something he's done particularly well in concealing. hence, he's about to clear his throat, but it looks like she beats him to the punch.
just like that she places the wine on the counter, and she comes in close. he can feel her warmth upon proximity and just like that, he leans into her touch. he gingerly places his hand on the back of hers, nuzzling his cheek into her palms. ] You really have no restraint.
[ he says even when his hand seamlessly slides over her wrist. tenderly, he places a chaste kiss on her fingertips. ]
It is about bath time, you're right. And here I thought I was supposed to be your reminder. [ ... ] But, you didn't forget about practicing that other thing did you?
just like that she places the wine on the counter, and she comes in close. he can feel her warmth upon proximity and just like that, he leans into her touch. he gingerly places his hand on the back of hers, nuzzling his cheek into her palms. ] You really have no restraint.
[ he says even when his hand seamlessly slides over her wrist. tenderly, he places a chaste kiss on her fingertips. ]
It is about bath time, you're right. And here I thought I was supposed to be your reminder. [ ... ] But, you didn't forget about practicing that other thing did you?
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