#quastari

[espercr-moved]

𝟏𝟎𝟎 𝑵𝑶𝑵𝑽𝑬𝑹𝑩𝑨𝑳 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ( accepting ! )

@quastari said : ∗ 53﹕ sender buys receiver a drink at a bar . ( from arthur )

❝ - thanks . ❞ it's not her first of the night & with the way things are going , it's not going to be her 𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒕 . he's hardly set the glass down before she's reaching for it - tossing the liquor back so fast she can't think too hard about whether she ought to go back to at least pretending to be a sensible young lady .

with each passing day of their journey , hope has only grown more & more disquieted . her thoughts have been far too loud & far too 𝑫𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑹𝑶𝑼𝑺 . it's become impossible trying to ignore the overwhelming sense of panic her betrothal inspires , at times the weight feels so heavy in her chest she can hardly breathe . driving her even more insane , she can't express any of it . well , she could - but what good will that do ? regardless of her feelings on the matter , she made a promise to her father & the stakes of the situation far outweigh one woman's happiness . . .

even if she's already given so much of herself to others , even if she feels like something inside of her is dying . . . even if she can't stop fantasizing about being a little 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇𝒊𝒔𝒉, just this once .

so here she is , 𝑫𝑹𝑶𝑾𝑵𝑰𝑵𝑮 her worries for at least a short while . the last thing hope wants to do tonight is think - & thankfully arthur doesn't seem all that opposed to indulging her coping mechanism of choice for the evening .

lord , & then there's arthur morgan - 𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 personified . in her inebriated state , hope's lingering gaze has become much less subtle than her typically fleeting glances . while not completely unabashed , she's allowing herself a slight respite from the usual spiral of guilt & shame . besides , it's not a crime to look - is it ? it takes every ounce of self control not to reach out & feel his solid frame beneath her fingertips , hands tightening & bunching up her skirts as an attempt to ground herself . it's not working , she needs a distraction - now .

turning to face him more , a bubbling giddiness present in her voice as the drink 𝑾𝑨𝑹𝑴𝑺 her inside & out , she throws out the first question that comes to mind , ❝ d'ya ever just wish things were . . . different ? ❞

[espercr-moved]

𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒏'𝒕 𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 ( accepting ! )

@quastari said : ❝ i . . . should probably thank you for that . ❞ ( from arthur )

the sun lies low on the horizon , shadows growing long in the golden light . they had set up camp for the night close to a stream , & hope took the opportunity to clean some of her more road-worn garments . she's quite 𝒐𝒄𝒄𝒖𝒑𝒊𝒆𝒅 by the soothing sound of rushing water , the current dragging at her fingertips , & the refreshing chill of fresh evening air . so much so , she doesn't properly register arthur's approach until he speaks up . she sets down her last blouse to dry , turning to look up at the man from where she kneels .

❝ for . . . ? oh , that . ❞ echoes of the struggle from hours prior still ring inside her head , another reason she'd needed to take some time alone with her thoughts & prayers . lord have mercy on her , she hadn't had a choice - & even if she did , she doesn't regret the one she made . hope is not even sure she had time to fully process what was happening , only that if she did 𝑵𝑶𝑻𝑯𝑰𝑵𝑮 arthur probably wouldn't have made it out of that scrap alive . . . so , she pulled the trigger . only hit the bastard in his shoulder , but it had been enough to turn the tables in their favor .

❝ think nothin' of it , y'would've done the same for me , ❞ she offers him a tight-lipped smile & a nod , as if to indicate nothing more needed to be said about it . from what she's gathered thus far traveling alongside arthur morgan , he probably had to work up to voicing his thanks . she doesn't want to push her luck or scare him off - but she does feel a warmth bubbling up in her chest , like . . . 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒅𝒆 ? she's happy to have done something right , to have helped . to be more than a burden to him on this journey .

lips tug into a full grin now , playfulness taking over her previously somber tone , ❝ besides , seeing the look on your face when y'realized who fired was absolutely 𝐏𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 . ❞

[espercr]

𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 ❝ ♡ ❞ 𝒊'𝒍𝒍 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒕𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒆'𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕 !

@quastari said : ♡♡♡

i've def mentioned this to you before , but ! ! ! she falls so fast for someone who can ground her , help her relax , & get her to let them take care of her. someone who can remind her to rest , soothes her mind y'know ? ? helping her sleep is a big one . someone she can lean on , who supports her , keeps her in the present moment : ' )

if they can appreciate making music with her ! ! music is so important to her, so having a partner she can play instruments with or sing with or even just listen to music together is such a plus for her !

someone who trusts her and gives her space when she needs it , who won't make her feel guilty for wanting to have things that are her own & that sometimes she just needs room to fly . don't cage her in !

[imbricare]

" i can’t change your mind, can i? " ( from kaidan for naomi's mass effect verse )

"I'm afraid not, but I appreciate that you'd want to try."

Naomi's smile is a curious thing, etched in What-ifs and If-onlys.

It's not that she's sorry.

It's not that she's resentful.

If anything, wistful might be the better word to stencil in the blank space between her past choices and present-day conundrum. She's not so self-important to believe that she alone can make a difference; but damn if she won't at least try to do her bit.

Even if it means to wear a wolf's pelt among sheep again.

She was twenty-one when she left Cerberus – old enough to make her own decisions, but still young enough to think she can somehow flatten the scars into nonexistence. Joke's on her: An undoing is never quite that. It's a palimpsest of every line of regret, ache and fury etched into her face.

She thinks she covered her tracks well; like most lies, they're best coated in a dash of truth.

"The truth is I can't leave when I feel like I might make a difference. Or, at the very least, keep an eye on everything." The smile turns sour. "If anyone knows how low Cerberus might stoop when they want something, it'd be me."

Meanwhile, Kaidan wears his sentinel armor like a shipshape poster boy. If this were the old days, they might have slapped his face onto an Alliance recruit poster and called it a triumph.

Around them, a concert of crickets – literally. Horizon's insects grow to a size that can fill out a human palm. It makes Naomi's skin crawl to hear them. She wonders how long the Collector swarms went unnoticed by the colonists in their familiar hellish soundscape.

"I hope you can understand." She squints against the harsh light of the star Iera. "Is this goodbye, Kaidan? I'd hate to think of us on opposing sides."

[espercr-moved]

𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒂𝒏𝒔 ( selectively accepting ! )

@quastari said : [ MORNING ]:  sender  wakes  receiver  up  with  sex . ( from arthur )

she  stirs  slowly  ,  eyes  remaining  shut  as  she  hums  happily  in  response  to  the  warm  body  embracing  her  snuggly  from  behind  &  pressing  scratchy  kisses  to  her  freckled  shoulders  .  there  is  no  rush  for  once  ,  no  chores  to  tend  to  or  errands  to  run  for  either  of  them  .  they  had  𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒆𝒏  away  for  an  evening  .  booked  a  hotel  room  to  spend  some  much  needed  quality  time  together  away  from  camp  .  .  .  alone  .

just  for  a  little  while  .  merely  an  evening  &  a  morning  ,  really  -  no  one  will  even  notice  they'd  𝑮𝑶𝑵𝑬  .

come  the  afternoon  they'll  return  to  their  usual  routines  ,  but  that  can  all  wait  a  while  .  at  the  moment  ,  none  of  it  matters  &  there  isn't  a  thing  in  the  world  but  the  two  of  them  lying  closely  intertwined  while  the  first  few  beams  of  𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒏  morning  light  filter  in  through  the  curtains  .

❝  g'mornin'  ,  ❞  hope  shifts  onto  her  back  ,  just  enough  to  tilt  her  head  up  &  offer  him  a  groggy  smile  -  but  arthur  takes  advantage  of  the  newly  exposed  length  of  her  neck  .  a  breathy  laugh  leaves  her  ,  a  hand  quick  to  come  up  &  glide  over  his  shoulder  ,  up  into  his  fawn  colored  hair  where  she  gently  drags  her  nails  against  his  scalp  in  gentle  𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑨𝑮𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻  .  she  is  still  minimally  clothed  from  last  night's  activities  ,  wearing  his  shirt  &  nothing  else  .  so  there  are  no  barriers  between  the  slow  brush  of  his  calloused  fingers  over  the  bare  curve  of  her  hip  moving  lower  ,  past  her  soft  belly  .

a  soft  gasp  catches  in  her  throat  ,  delivered  right  into  his  ear  as  she  leans  further  into  him  .  he  pauses  his  movements  ,  &  somehow  she  knows  that  without  words  he  is  asking  for  permission  -  awaiting  her  𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒗𝒂𝒍  -  to  which  she  nods  with  enthusiastic  consent  ,  a  playful  grin  tugging  at  the  corners  of  her  lips  ,

❝  i'm  all  𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹𝑺  ,  cowboy  .  ❞

[zoanthropiic]

⸻  nothing  will  ever  bring  him  peace  the  way  the  forest  does,  bathed  in  moonlight  and  offering  him  a  quiet  reprieve  from  the  chaos  that  follows  him  as  both  the  hunter  and  hunted.  nature  of  the  beast,  isn't  it?

at  least  he  can  retreat  deep  into  his  occasional  isolation,  lingering  near  his  home  within  the  woods,  though  never  taking  the  risk  of  coming  too  close  to  it.  enough  accidental  property  destruction  has  left  him  cautious  of  where  he  completes  his  lunar  shift.

it's  a  choice  for  him  to  exist  in  his  lonesome,  no  longer  running  wild  and  free  with  his  pack.  as  such,  he  doesn't  expect  company.  he  wants  it  even  less.  his  body  is  tense  for  a  number  of  reasons,  from  the  throbbing  pain  in  his  joints  to  barrett's  sudden  presence;  his  senses  too  aware  of  a  new  scent,  the  footfalls  on  plush  spring  grass.

an  uncomfortably  long  pause  to  let  his  silence  weigh  heavily,  then  he  straightens  his  posture  and  allows  golden  irises  to  glance  over  at  the  other—

"can  i  help  you?"  he  can  only  hope  that  the  answer  is  no.

✧ ⸻ ⊱ @quastari ( 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐭 ).

[espercr-moved]

𝒔𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒆 𝒊 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒅𝒌 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆

@quastari said : distracting your lover from a task by kissing their neck. ( from will )

hope's  freckled  nose  is  buried  deep  into  her  work  ,  𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕  gaze  currently  addressing  one  of  the  several  padds  laid  out  before  her  .  she  pauses  only  long  enough  to  take  occasional  sips  from  her  nearby  cup  of  mint  tea  .

assigned  on  an  away  mission  for  the  next  day  ,  she  has  been  pouring  over  any  relevant  information  available  to  her  ,  trying  to  absorb  all  she  can  manage  before  they  depart  at  0900  hours  .  despite  the  fervor  of  her  𝑪𝑼𝑹𝑰𝑶𝑺𝑰𝑻𝒀  for  a  whole  new  planet  of  flora  &  fauna  to  explore  ,  her  eyes  are  steadily becoming  weary  ,  blinks  growing  slower  &  heaver  with  each  passing  minute  . 

so  enraptured  by  her  research  ,  along  with  the  gentle  steady  pull  of  sleep  ,  she  jumps  about  five  feet  in  the  air  at  the  sudden  𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒎𝒆  at  the  door  indicating  a  visitor  .  while  she  does  not  apparently  break  concentration  on  her  work  ,  a  pleased  smile  does  tug  at  her  lips  .  she  doesn't  have  to  wonder  who  has  come  to  pay  her  a  visit  .

❝  come  in  ,  ❞  hope  calls  ,  inviting  the  commander  to  enter  with  a  teasing  singsongy  tone  .  he  knows  her  well  enough  by  now  to  predict  that  she  would  most  likely  be  spending  the  evening  studying  herself  into  exhaustion  .  the  pair  have  been  here  before  ,  &  she  recognizes  the  game  he's  playing  𝑰𝑵𝑺𝑻𝑨𝑵𝑻𝑳𝒀  -  what  she  doesn't  see  coming  is  how  forward  riker's  strategy  is  going  to  be  right  off  the  bat  . 

she'll  chastize  herself  for  that  later  ,  this  is  𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒍𝒚  like  him  .

'it's  my  own  fault  ,'  hope  thinks  .  sitting  upon  a  small  loveseat  with  a  low  back  ,  she  faces  one  of  her  windows  to  the  twinkling  expanse  beyond  the  ship's  hull  .  it's  nice  to  look  up  every  once  in  a  while  to  admire  the  ever-breathtaking  beauty  of  the  stars  when  her  eyes  strain  from  the  endless  research  articles  .  it  also  leaves  her  in  a  𝑽𝑼𝑳𝑵𝑬𝑹𝑨𝑩𝑳𝑬  position  facing  away  from  the  door  .  what  she  wears  must  only  add  to  the  temptation  he  faces  upon  entering  the  room  .  her  shirt  is  sleeveless  &  form-fitting  ,  it  would  leave  very  little  to  the  imagination  if  not  for  the  loose  hand-knit sweater  layered  atop  it  .  however  ,  the  garment  slid  off  the  shoulder  he  has  chosen  to  hover  over  at  some  point  ,  leaving  her  neck  fully  exposed  to  him  .  her  hair  is  the  last  nail  in  the  coffin  ,  tucked  into  a  high  messy  bun  to  keep  it  out  of  the  way  while  she  dutifully  prepares  herself  .

hope  will  admit  ,  she  is  purposefully  ignoring  him  when  he  approaches  -  but  once  he  makes  contact  ,  she  can't  quite  keep  that  act  up  anymore  .  not  when  achingly  soft  lips  brush  over  her  skin  ,  causing  her  to  𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓  &  melt  near  instantly  .  head  tilts  to  give  him  more  access  before  she  can  have  a  moment  to  think  better  of  it  ,  giving  in  much  more  easily  than  she  had  originally  planned  .  usually  ,  she  puts  up  at  least  a  bit  of  a  fight  ,  but  tonight  she's  feeling  particularly  susceptible  to  his  charms  .

❝  i  knew  you  were  up  to  no  good  ,  commander  ,  ❞  she  hums  ,  setting  down  her  work  in  𝑫𝑬𝑭𝑬𝑨𝑻  .  ❝  come  to  make  sure  i'm  woefully  underprepared  for  tomorrow  so  you  can  swoop  in  &  save  the  day  ?  or  did  you  just  miss  me   that  much  ?  ❞

[espercr-moved]

𝒂-𝒛 𝒏𝒔𝒇𝒘 𝒂𝒍𝒑𝒉𝒂𝒃𝒆𝒕 ( accepting ! ! ! ! send more ! ! ! )

@quastari said : drive and lingerie 😎

drive — how high is their sex drive ? are they hyposexual , hypersexual , or somewhere in between ? does it change depending on the circumstance ? how often do they have sex ?

i would say it highly depends & fluctuates bc of course it does , but like i would say she's always somewhere in between the extremes . like , when it comes to casual relationships she could give or take a one night stand/friends with benefits situation-ship & if she is doing one of those it has more to do with finding a distraction from her emotions than an actual desire for sex . it's very much ic that she will seek out physical activities ( violence , but in most verses it's usually sex ) or drinking to feel something when emotionally numb/in burnout . . . the drinking of course increasing her bad decision making & therefore the chances of her hooking up w/ someone . . . OR it's that she does really like the person but is keeping it casual bc she is scared of commitment lmao . . . i think she consistently leans toward a med-high libido but it really picks up if she's with someone she's crazy about & feels absolutely safe around - even if she hasn't admitted that to herself yet . especially if her life is mostly stable ( not constantly in survival mode ) & if she's with someone she has chemistry with her sex drive is at its highest . but left to her own devices she might sleep with someone on a whim but she's perfectly content to take care of herself - i basically mean she's not like constantly going out of her way for sex , but if the situation arises it's a toss up based on how much pink wine she's had tbh . does that make sense ? ? ? lmao she makes bad decisions sometimes .

lingerie — do they own lingerie ? if so, how often do they wear it ? what kind of lingerie do they like to wear the most ? do they like when their partners wear lingerie for them ?

i have a lot to say about this apparently . i think she probably has one or two sets from her shitty ex in the verses where she dates him during culinary school . like she probably kept at least one of them after the break-up just in case the occasion ever occurred . i don't think she would have had any dedicated lingerie before him - just ordinary matching cute underwear sets in general with bows & lace , cotton garments . the lingerie she has leftover from that relationship def doesn't fit her vibe at all , he picked it out for an idea of her that she's not & so i don't think she ever actually wears it again & eventually gets rid of it . i will provide some pics under the cut of stuff i could see her wearing that she would actually feel really good in & i think she would def love to dress up for her partners for special occasions - or as a surprise . i think if it's for someone she really feels safe to be herself around , she would love seeing how they look at her when she wears something extra for them . she would def feel a rush from the dominance/control of taking things into her own hands & making her partner speechless . . . it would make her feel so powerful & beautiful i think she gets a little drunk on it esp if her partner is extremely reverent about it . to be fair i also think she'd be into a lil degradation - it just depends on the vibe of the encounter tbh . . . like there's the praising 'you're gorgeous/beautiful' & the demeaning 'icb you wore this what a slut' . . . she is here for both but the latter would have to be discussed & she def wants aftercare after power play bdsm-y stuff . . . i'm rambling . . . once again i hope this makes literally any sense .

edit: omg i forgot to answer if she likes her partners wearing it - hope is never gonna complain at getting to see her partners all prettied up for her , it rly just depends on who it is & if that's something that makes them feel sexy . . . like if they are more into it , she's probably more into it herself . it's not a requirement or even something she rly thinks about BUT if it was like a fun surprise she would def be like 'omg just for me ? ? ?'