♛ My character will seduce yours. MY Bdy IS REDY (use whichever character ya' want, dude :o ) ((this is teraak btw))
Whitevale was a snowy wasteland, made moreso by the distress within the mobile quarantine nearby. Valkurius still found it comforting in a way, the quiet, the loneliness; these things he was used to, so much that they were familiar friends. The Cassian rocked forward, leaving Malenkov and Blackbriar within as the doors settled closed and locked behind him, and he drew the heavy coat closer about him with a frown. Sooner or later, they would have to make a decision. As much as he desired to save the Matria, perhaps it would be a kinder service to end her and subsequently the Strain’s hold over her.
Bowing his head against the chilly wind, he nearly missed the peek of blue coat and swish of long tail on the other side of a pine. Valkurius gave brief pause, contemplating: Teraak was the only of Ira’s consorts who had been consistent in his concern. It did not take much to see that the larger-bodied Aurin cared for her deeply—perhaps more deeply than she could reciprocate. Although the Cassian did not know the pain of love, he did know the pain of heartbreak.
Silently, Valkurius turned to stride around the side of the towering tree, intentionally crunching snow beneath his boots to announce his presence. Wordlessly, he reached out to swipe fallen snow off the unoccupied bit of boulder before taking a languid seat next to the morose fellow. Gloved hands folded lightly over a knee, and for a time he retained his companionable quiet.
When Teraak turned his troubled gaze onto the Cassian sidelong, he dipped his head to return the glance, golden eyes half-lidded. “It is never an easy thing, to watch the suffering of those we find dearest,” he murmured softly, the snowy mustache of his beard disguising the faint curl of full lips. “Especially when we are unable to assist in their recovery. She is in good hands, Mr. Pinefrost. Doctor Malenkov has overseen my recovery many a time.”
The Mountain Aurin slumped, exhaling a hard breath as he lowered his gaze. “I just wish…”
"We do nothing for her by distressing ourselves over her condition. We may wish and wish, but it draws us no closer to finding her cure."
"What then am I supposed to do?"
Valkurius tilted his head, watching Teraak for a long moment before he reached out to grasp the Aurin’s nearest shoulder with a firm squeeze. “Will her survival, but do not blame yourself and do not linger on her situation. That will bring you only more pain. Love is a painful thing, but even those most enamored may need their own distractions.”
The Aurin’s ears flattened back slightly, and he huffed another breath, trailing his gaze from Valkurius’s hand up to the Cassian’s face. “I don’t—”
The human paused, watching Teraak before extending a hand to curl the tips of gloved fingers against one of the other male’s cool cheeks, head tilted. The smile on his lips was sad even if more obvious, and he exhaled a soft sigh, eyes narrowed to the rise of color on fair skin. “There are times, Teraak, when the best choice is merely to feel.” Without hesitation, Valkurius leaned forward, wrist twisting to gently curl fingers at the Aurin’s chin in a firm but gentle grip.
Ultimately confident, the Cassian pressed his lips tot he Aurin’s own, the bristles of his beard tickling hairless flesh. The touch was brief but firm, a beckoning, a searing heat in contrast to the chill of winter air and the loneliness of an unrequited love. The noise in Teraak’s throat did not deter, and as Valkurius drew back enough to puff warm breath against cheek and chin, he hummed a quiet noise. Long digits slid down the column of the Aurin’s neck before he stood, reveling in the shocked silence and the crawl of flush over the other’s cheeks.
"She is in good hands, Mr. Pinefrost. Trust in her strength and his own." With that, the Cassian turned on his heel, tucking hands into his coat’s pockets as he hunkered down against the wind and moved toward the distant path.