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POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 7:22:17 GMT

Sénon Game likes this

she blinked - because that was... poetic. it was indisputably lovely and charmingly sweet. cait felt suddenly shy in the wake of his words, realizing that her cheeks were burning with an intense heat. the woman would stare at him, relieved that his gaze was turned as he pressed his lips against the back of her hand.

"okay."

there was a tremor present in her voice and he'd find that her eyes were filled with a certain something, though she appeared both pleased and surprised by his declaration.

"okay."

cait reached a decision that was admittedly a bit rushed, though it made for a bold request that required his consent.

"we should - "

she pursed her lips and hesitated slightly.

"if our time's a bit shorter than we'd like it to be," she said, her words coming out in a rush. "you could maybe come around more often. keep a toothbrush here and maybe a change of clothes. i can get you a key - "

the arrangement was meant to allow for semi-permanence, so he could have the ability to swing by at his leisure; whenever he felt the need to. after all, if the war went south for either of them at least their last days would be spent in relative comfort - with some semblance of normalcy as they languished in their off hours.

'like playing house, i guess. but it won't entirely be an act.'

"just... i think it'd be nice?"

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POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 8:54:42 GMT

There was nothing inside telling him "no." He hollowed himself out mentally, searching for reasons to deny her what she intended. He could only find excuses and immature motivations that equated to holding back.

The man he'd become instinctively rushed into bad things, threats and dangers. Logically, such a person would also pull back from the good things; peace and assurances. Even a wanna-be daredevil had to grow up sometime. Survivor into an age approaching "Middle" had given him wisdom.

If he couldn't think of a real reason to say "No." Wasn't it the right thing to say "Yes."?

If their intentions for one another were pure and they had the patience to ride out the speed bumps, was there really such a thing as going too fast?

The thought of it felt nice and warm. As nice and warm as he felt now. He wasn't dumb enough to think every moment between them would be like this, but when things got rough if she was willing to tend his wounds every time, he was willing to take the blows. "If we keep moving at this rate..." He didn't say it, but it was easy to guess what would come next.

"How do we know we're not just two good but lonely people just getting along for the moment?" Devil's advocating he was asking himself as much as her, but in truth he'd already made his decision. "What do we do if hitting the gas on this thing just speeds us up into a wall?"

● tags: cait alfric
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y o y o

cai

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twenty-three

may 15

fortree

bisexual

herbalist

civilian

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 9:54:02 GMT

his assessment was correct - startling so. they were too lonely people drawn to each other, seeking warmth and validation after having been without for an intolerable amount of time.

"you could be right," she said.

she was silent for a moment as she tilted her head lightly to the side, blinked and then then shrugged with an air of nonchalance.

"but we'll never know if we don't give it a try. what do we have to lose?"

cait had weighed the risk versus reward and found that - even if their ride led into this metaphorical wall - it would make for an enjoyable one indeed.

"wouldn't it be nice not to be alone - even if it's just for a little while?"

she'd reach and gently caress his cheek, a sly and teasing little smile tugging at the corners of her lips as she tempted him in her usual way.

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POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 10:07:54 GMT

At least they were able to sit down and talk things out between the kissy faces and love-lorn hopes for tomorrow.

She trumped his cautious what-if with a what-if of her own.

If she was willing to take the ride even if it meant them going down in flames, he of all people should have been fine with that risk. It made sense what, and it felt right to try.

Suddenly, his face soured. "Are you saying my breath stinks right now?" He hadn't planned on being here for going on two days. There was only so much rag-scrubbing and a deep salt-water rinse could do.

"Don't answer that." His serious expression turned playful. "Just get me toothbrush with charcoal bristles and buy more of those tight lacy-strapy things you wore last night." His eyes looked off to the side as he tried to hide the tickle of telling her what to do.

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cai

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twenty-three

may 15

fortree

bisexual

herbalist

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 11:13:06 GMT

she grinned widely as he mentioned the lingerie she had acquired to entertain him the night prior. cait had been careful with her selection, purchasing them from a local store known for their finely crafted feminine products. and it was well worth the price, sénon having been thoroughly impressed by her lacy garb. the young woman had delighted him by showcasing her experience following her appearance, which left her with the taste of him upon her tongue.

cait laughed lightly at the fresh and delightfully wicked memory, though quickly smothered it in favor of focusing.

"anything you want," she said.

her smile lessened suddenly, the girl appearing to contemplate something in particular.

"let me down for a bit."

once she was on her own two feet, she sucked in a breath.

"another thing before you agree... i need to tell you one more thing. because it's only fair, you know? i want this to work out. but i don't want to keep anything big from you before you - you know - get even a little bit serious with... me."

cait opens her mouth and is suddenly indecisive, as though she is reconsidering her choice to be entirely honest. because she's terrified - and for good reason - that'd she'd lose him.

'it'd be worse if i lied to him in the long run.'

"no one knows about this," she admits. "not the league, at least. and only my close family and - "

she wrings her hands.

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POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 14:44:34 GMT

Without intending to his body sank into her couch a bit as she began.

There was a draft of cold air that seemed to come alive the moment they separated, maybe he was projecting it.

For a while now he'd benn waiting for the other 'shoe to drop'. For some reveal of a secret he couldn't accept or pinpointing some nuanced difference between them that would ultimately lead from their careful dance of courtship to just stepping on each others toes. When something looked or felt too good to be true, it was usually because it was.

He didn't know what to expect of this potential deal-breaking truth. Something with her status as a demi-god? Did she have to turn the occasional non-believer into mulch? Or was it more mundane, something regarding her lands and what she owed to the people who acquired them for her? Could it have been personal, something to do with her last relationship or something to do with just her like a split personality.

Just when she was supposed to be letting it out she froze up as waiting for him to tell her he was ready to hear it.

He wasn't.

"It's not a good sign that you're waiting for me to brace myself." He felt like a child getting a needle for the first time; the apprehension of what was coming growing worse than the sting itself. "Makes me feel like a bomb is falling down on me." It could have been worse; at least he knew where all the exits were.

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cai

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twenty-three

may 15

fortree

bisexual

herbalist

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 14:58:13 GMT

she told him about rocket -

- about how they had hurt her and how they had hurt celebi as well; perhaps irrevocably. how she had lost her ability to purify, how her powers had developed a darker hue.

"i was sleeping. and they came."

cait felt her lips tremble at the memory, her eyes falling tightly shut as they stung fiercely.

"i was too weak to do anything about it. i couldn't protect myself - i couldn't protect celebi. and they did something to me. two years of training in the league and i couldn't do anything to keep us safe."

'inadequate. weak. useless.'

she went on to explain her vague memories of being injected with something. about how she felt strange, how celebi became stranger - how she was unceremoniously returned.

"and i'm afraid to tell the league because - i'm afraid to tell anyone else because - because - "

cait stopped herself abruptly, straightening her formerly slouched position. she'd been violated - utterly violated - and had kept her mouth shut about it. she realized that her makeup would run if she wasn't careful, unwilling to look at senon as she presented him with her personal failures; fearing the look on his face or that he'd take his leave again. so she excused herself with a mumble and promptly moved to her personal bathroom, locking the door behind herself with a quiet click.

'i had to,' she thought, pressing a clean towel to her face. 'it wouldn't be fair to him. it just wouldn't be. lying and carrying on like i'm fine - like nothing happened - when it did.'

a part of her was relieved, the truth eager to spill forth in a rush.

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POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 15:35:04 GMT

He sat quietly for the entire time she spoke. His expression unchanged from the moment he'd spoke about the bomb over his head.

His mouth was a frown and his brows were furrowed in a defensive frustration. What she described was such a unique thing; a travesty likely no one else in the history of the world had ever suffered. But the way she described it. Her body language and the imagery her words painted; it came off as an act far more common and just as evil and more perverse.

In and itself she'd been violated, something put inside her she didn't want and couldn't undo. That was just the surface layer of the onion. Going a bit deeper the act poisoned the bond between herself and the deity that trusted her, that chose her as its gateway, its proxy. She had to feel guilty about that. Going deeper than that it seemed the effects of what was forced on her was changing what she was capable of, and not for the better.

He didn't understand her powers really but the implications of 'losing her ability to purify' was dark enough. Not to mention what it must have been doing to her to carry the secret alone and even more nuanced feelings like helplessness and letting down her family as some failed representative of her clan to their shared god.

By the time she was done his mouth was slightly agape and his frown had hardened. She wouldn't even look at him.

Even calling the memories back seemed to make her relive them, her body language towards him was as if those violators were still in the room. She even turned away her face; she was probably sending herself a million miles away.

She turned to walk away as if giving him time to process and her time to settle herself.

She didn't get far with his hold on her wrist.

From sitting to standing in less than a second he pulled her back into him burying her face in his chest as he caressed her back and clutched her back of her head. He smothered her gently in his embrace, his own eyes resisting a watering urge as each playback of what she shared with him provided more context for his interpretation of the memory as his mind put it together.

He didn't speak at first and he didn't show her his face.

The frown now a scowl and the silent minimal leaking from his eyes in juxtaposition to the vengeful stone his expression had become. The cold draft became even stronger goosebumps formed on the entirety of his skin. Inside, his blood curdling to the viscosity of magma.

It wasn't hugging for the sake of hugging. Until she let it out, really let it out, he couldn't let go.

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cai

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twenty-three

may 15

fortree

bisexual

herbalist

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Nov 2, 2020 16:05:32 GMT

when she had told her parents they could do naught more than weep and seek to comfort her through their words alone. they had been sent away with the ships that carried their people from their war-infested region.

and when she had told her hypno, the pokemon had dipped her head, a rare and somber look twisting at her usually stoic features.

cait had yet to be offered this - a crushing embrace which told her that 'it wasn't her fault' and that 'it was okay. and it startled her, how he had grabbed her and pulled her in as though she was still wanted and cherished. she didn't expect this response; this gesture that was so entirely loving that it caused her eyes to fill with tears.

she wept about her personal failures - about the damnable war - about the corruption that flowed throughout her veins - about how she had felt so alone for entirely too long. and that she just wanted someone - anyone - to hold her; even if it was just for a little while.

and here he was. it was as though lord arceus had decided to grant her a boon and had delivered her into his arms. cait clung onto him like a lifeline, trembling and sniffling. eventually she'd settle, tired and aching as she relaxed fully against him. he could have easily turned away from her, but instead he showed her a rare and sweet kindness. her heart was immediately filled with something that didn't require naming.

"i'm a mess," she mumbled, speaking into his chest.

she chuckled humorlessly, her voice a touch squeaky in the wake of her tears.

"sénon."

cait mumbled his name once and then twice, as though it was a mantra of some kind.

"stay with me?"

only when his arms loosened did she pull back and raise her eyes. they were red but clear, her voice brimming with certainty and adoration. she asked him again - after her confession - and wondered if his answer would change.

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TAG WITH @crimsen