👔 Pull the receiver in for a kiss by their collar from ei to yae miko :3c
"Oh my." There was only one person in the world the Guuji would allow to grab her like this and it was the very same person whose lips were against her own in this moment. Perhaps Raiden Ei considered herself to be courageous, to finally follow what her heart desired, but Yae Miko was quick to turn the tides and take control of the kiss. It was clear her God wanted this as much as she did and finally dared to take the first step the kitsune had been waiting for.
A hand ran of over Ei's shoulder and stopped at the back of her neck, her other hand pulling her closer by the hip. "When did you become this bold?" Her warm breath could be felt against lips before she selfishly pressed them together again with a bit more passion behind it. The Shogun should know better than to play with a fox~
"Happy birthday to me." Yae released Ei from her grip and kept seductive eyes on her, her thumb running over the other's bottom lip. "And to you."
@svpernovae asked: "Now is this how one thanks someone who just rescued them from death?" Lohen holds between his gloved hand the tip of the spear from the other's polearm. It's sting would have made anyone wince, but he's still reveling in the adrenaline from fighting off the wild hunt. He gazes at Illuga, a smile upon his face.
"A thank you would suffice. Though, I won't deny, I do appreciate this more." And with that he pulls his own spear, clashing against the other's with a loud clank as he tries to throw Illuga off his stance.
His uniform is familiar- that much Illuga catches. A knight- though not one he's come across before. Small, quick, savage. It would be impressive, if the rest of the impression he gives weren't so off-putting. But a hand against the Wild Hunt is a hand against the Wild Hunt, and Illuga isn't going to turn one down —
— though as that hand becomes a metaphorical knife at his throat, he reconsiders the estimation.
"I would be thanking you for your help, if I hadn't already realized your intent to keep fighting." It would have been more difficult, Illuga thinks, not to notice the bloodlust aimed at anything and everything in sight. Himself included. He's not the kind to take that kind of thing personally, usually- sometimes, it's easy to get lost in a fight, and on more than one occasion, he's been known to be a bit... jumpy too soon after a fight. Most of his subordinates know better than to approach him too soon after a battle. He has no doubt this knight should know better too, given his apparent experience.
What a pity he doesn't seem to have the sense to back up his skill in battle.
Illuga's response, when his spear is met with another, is not to disengage, as might be wise. It's to take a cheap shot. Aedon's light flickers bright as it cuts through the gloom between them- a flash meant to blind. Illuga ducks his head as it passes, waiting for the chance- and when the knight's eyes go hazy from the brilliance of his companion, one of his hands leaves his spear. It compromises his stance, forcing him to one side- but that lets him disengage, bringing his spear down as his hand goes up, catching a handful of mossy hair and dragging.
Shoving the haft of his spear between the knight's legs, he uses that and the grip in his hair to throw him off balance instead.
Taking proper hold of his spear as they both hit the ground, he plants the heel of one foot on his shoulder. The other presses a knee into his stomach, driving the oxygen from his lungs. Holding the tip of his spear against his neck, Illuga gives a warning press, eking out a line of scarlet, eyes narrowing. Aedon hovers behind his head, glow dimming slightly, visible only faintly behind Illuga's head, shadowing his face, making the bright ring at the center of his eyes all the brighter in the dark of it.
"Now, how about we try this again? Thank you for your help, Knight of Favonious. As commander of the Nightmare Orioles, you have my gratitude for assisting in clearing this outbreak of the Wild Hunt. Though next time, if you're planning to attack a Lightkeeper... please understand that it will have considerable negative repercussions for the working relationship between our organizations." Illuga's spear is pressed down a little harder, dragging along Lohen's skin a little more meaningfully. He smiles, and it's as pointed as the tip of his spear. "I'll make sure of it."
hands placed upon lower belly, gentle as if holding something dear. eyes cast mydeimos way, flush painted upon cheeks, be it from the question itself or the embarrassing thought — all is valid in the eye of embarrassing mydei. a circular caress over stomach, " i'm already pregnant with your child, mydeimos, take responsibility ~ "
Giovanni places a blanket over Carmen's sleeping form. Taking a seat next to her as he absently peruses through her notes only vaguely catching what they may be about as he mumbles. "You sure work hard..."
She raises her head softly as she hears the voice next to her, a smile creeping onto her drowsy face as an eyelash flutters open. "...I have to. We're getting so close.."
It couldn't be that far away now, the world they all dreamed of. Their future. Carmen snuggles into her arms with a tiny yawn. A few more steps, it was all coming together...
「 HELP 」 : for sender to help receiver undress mynaxa
❝ i'm perfectly fine, ❞
the protests leave anaxa's lips with a quiet insistence, his arms crossing over his chest as he stands before the crown prince of kremnos. his posture is defensive, but not hostile. like a barrier more than a blade, a hedgehog bristling, but not yet retreating. ❝ this place is awfully loud, ❞ he mutters, as if the noise alone is the only reason for his discomfort. it is not. ❝ it will do you good, ❞ mydei meets his gaze head-on, unfazed, undeterred. anaxa has long since learnt that these quills do not wound the prince. mydei knows how to handle them, knows when to sidestep them, and when to press forward. most of the time at least.
❝ you're cold; the warm water will help warm you up, ❞ mydei continues. it is a reasonable argument. anaxa cannot deny that the warmth would be welcome, but still, he hesitates. he is not self-conscious. he harbours no illusions of imperfection. and yet — he knows the truth of what lurks beneath his skin. knows what should be there, and what isn't. a titan's coreflame in place of a heart, a body unravelling. ❝ i'll only draw more attention to myself, ❞ he admits at last, the words quiet and reluctant. it is not a thought he likes.
❝ it's a private bath, ❞ mydei counters, predictably.
❝ tell that to the guards. ❞
the prince does not immediately push further, though anaxa can feel the unspoken retort waiting to be spoken. he steels himself for the inevitable, but mydei does not take the path of force this time. instead, his voice shifts. ❝ i'll be leaving for kremnos soon, ❞ anaxa does not flinch, but the words land all the same. ❝ to hold off the black tide, ❞ as if anaxa needed the clarification. as if he hadn't already considered the inevitability of mydei's departure. ❝ this might be the last time we get the chance. ❞ the silence that follows is not long. anaxa is no stranger to mortality — not his own, not mydei's, not the cruel uncertainty that lingers between them like a second shadow. there is no promise of return. there never is. and so, at last, he exhales. ❝ fine, ❞ he murmurs, ❝ i'll join you in the baths. ❞
the way mydei smiles at that — triumphant — is almost enough to make anaxa reconsider. almost. fingers reach for the fastening of his clothes, and anaxa slaps them away with a glare. ❝ i can undress myself, ❞ he grumbles. ❝ i know, ❞ mydei says, unbothered. and yet, he continues anyways. anaxa allows it — if only this once.
the layers fall away one by one, pooling at his feet. he stands there, utterly bare, and yet it is not the exposure of skin that unsettles him. mydei's gaze does not waver, does not recoil. there is no trace of pity — only quiet appreciation. as if anaxa were still whole, still unmarred. it is humbling in a way that makes his fingers twitch at his sides, unsure what to do with the weight of it.
then fingertips brush too close to his eyepatch. instinct moves faster than thought, and his hand rises, swatting mydei's away with a sharp but careful precision. ❝ it stays on, ❞ he says, voice leaving no room for argument. ❝ everything else can come off. not that. ❞ for a moment, mydei simply looks at him. then, with a small nod, he concedes.
together, they move towards the baths. the first step is met with an almost imperceptible shiver. too cold, at least for his liking, but tolerable. he settles beside mydei, feeling warmth seep into his limbs. though not entirely from the water itself. the quiet presence beside him is steadying in a way that few would believe of the kremnos prince. but anaxa knows better. the barest shift in movement brushes their skin together.
he thinks to speak, but no words come. what is there to say? that he is not sure how to part with mydei? that he resents the prophecy, the necessity of duty, and inevitability? that this moment, fleeting feels like he should treasure it before it slips through his fingers?
perhaps this is what it feels like when strife and reason are forced apart.
then he hears the elevator going up. anaxa tenses, every nerve abruptly aware of himself, of mydei, of the world outside the bath. he knows before he sees them. perhaps this was a mistake. perhaps he should have never— but before the thought can settle, arms loop around his middle. lips claim his own, firm and possessive, a body caging against his own. a hand smooths over his hip, fingers tracing over bare skin with a lazy familiarity, and the taste of pomegranate lingers between them.
this, too, is a side of mydei that few have seen.
one of anaxa's arms lifts, finger curling loosely around the back of mydei's neck, nails barely grazing skin. he meets the kiss halfway, his own tongue flicking against the other's in quiet defiance. a scholar refusing to be outmanoeuvred in even this.
the footsteps linger, then fade. the kiss does not.
when at last mydei pulls back, anaxa's eyes are sharp, half-lidded, amusement curling at the edges of his lips. ❝ that was awfully bold of you, ❞ he murmurs, a whisper against mydei's lips. he understands the reason. understands that, for all its brazeness, mydei had moved to shield him, to keep prying eyes from wandering where they should not. a soft breath, barely a sound. a murmur that tastes like gratitude. and then he reclaims mydei's lips once more.
perhaps words like goodbye, stay safe, and farewell are beyond them in this moment. perhaps they are better left unspoken. this will have to be enough. then his own words thrown back at him: ❝ that was awfully bold of you. ❞
Sakura petals fly freely, unhurried in their descent from the sacred tree. Ei stands beneath, gazing towards the fox head as she awaits for the head of the shrine. The woman doesn't even have to make her presence known before Ei mutters to the wind.
"It must have been lonely." Even if to Eternity herself time is nothing but a soft breeze, it's passage can be unkind to beings like Yae Miko. In her mind they are six, they happily share tea between them unhurriedly like the sakuras. That however, is not the same for the kitsune, who has always been waiting, always faithful for her god who slumbers in the sword. To curse Yae Miko into half a century of waiting, speaking with a ghost that is and is not herself. Ei finds that she too can be cruel like the breeze.
"But I commend your resilience. The shrine is unchanged." She has never been good at praising, always the fighter. Makoto was the one who had a way with words where Ei let her sword speak. And that is why she had once been the archon, and that is why Ei finds herself struggling to show gratitude to the one who stands beside her even now.
"You have done splendid."
Footsteps were quiet when Yae Miko gracefully stepped towards the sacred tree. Laughter could be heard as she saw the twins standing underneath the blossomed tree. Makoto was holding a young pink fox and Saiguu scolded Miko lightly for teasing Ei once again. Yet that vision was as quick to disappear as it took form at the words her God had spoken.
It must have been lonely.
For a moment, the Guuji halted her movements and felt her heart clench as if it had been pierced with the sharp truth. Perhaps Ei was muttering to herself but the kitsune's hearing was good enough to pick it up. To finally be understood after half a century of watching everything around her change, the people, the city... It was a lonely battle indeed.
Taking a breath, Yae Miko put up a mask, her smile as sly as her personality when she finally joined Raiden Ei by her side. "What are you mumbling to yourself about?" For her own sake, it was best to pretend she never heard a thing.
"If I were anyone else, I might have thought you were cursing the shrine." With a hand slightly covering her mouth, she chuckled. "Let us head inside. I shall prepare you some tea."
