[If they were simply two fellow Expeditioners, acquaintances on the verge of becoming friends, Verso might have cracked a tease here about how he'll get the Grandis to hook her up with something for their second date. Stuff like that is only fun for him when it doesn't feel like there are any stakes, though. Or when, perhaps more accurately, the tease isn't more likely to twist at him than to make them both smile.
So, instead he lets out a soft laugh, still enamoured by her brightness.]
Trust me, there's no missing him.
[On account of the massive red beret, but where's the fun in revealing that detail upfront?
He has a much better time pointing out the details of the landscape, where colours peek out from the snow and ever-burning fires cast their own pink-orange glitter across the ground, where stories can be read into the shapes of rocks, where mountains kiss the stars, guiding Sciel on a languid tour of the world before them, even as the cold bleeds deeper and deeper into his bones.
Lest he spoil everything that awaits them past the station, Verso stops cautiously short of revealing too much, letting the landscape keep its secrets for now as he ushers Sciel ahead into the train. An opulent passenger car, it combines marbled black and gold with gold accents – all sharp angles and straight lines – and plush, purple velvet seating, both in booths and in chairs. Still-lit crystal empire chandeliers line the roof, casting a warm glow onto everything, and a small, black, wood-fired caboose stove sits off in the corner aside a well-disturbed stack of firewood.]
Welcome aboard. [He offers after a moment.] Would the lady care to choose her seat?
[Shocking development: the train nerd enjoys train roleplay.]
[ She can ask him to lead her to the fashion-minded Grandis when they're back at the Station proper, when their miniature expedition is already a memory. But she's unwilling to give up the present for thoughts of the future when she's surrounding by something so incredible now, so Sciel listens attentively as Verso maps out the landscape. He describes it in the evocative language of a poet, leading her to believe that, had they never made it to this spot, he might have been able to describe it in vivid-enough detail to nearly bring her there on his words alone. There's also the feeling of this being a very familiar place, for him to pinpoint exactly the ways in which it's beautiful, unless it's just in his nature to be observant in such minutiae no matter where he is.
Whatever the case, it's incredibly engaging (both the bits he points out, and the way he goes about it). Even more so when he finally leads them into the train car, stepping aside so she can take it all in.
The interior is dazzling, but in a way that is wholly distinct from the snow-blanketed world outside. She steps further in, glancing around with a dreamy sort of smile, because it does all feel like a dream. Most things like this that were pre-Fracture are...well, fractured. Only fragments of whatever they used to be with undeniable beauty, but incomplete nonetheless. Which is why getting to experience something like this is a very rare occasion indeed.
Gold and black again. She chuckles faintly, cocking her head at the walls. There certainly was a popular design scheme back then, given how much they've seen it crop up... ]
Oh, yes. 'The lady' would. [ With an excited little lift of her brows turned in his direction, she moves ahead, glancing around at the plush seats before settling into a booth.
Sciel immediately glances out of the window as if drawn magnetically again to the snow, but before long she extricates her attention so she can return it to Verso, patting the surface of the table in front of her. ]
Is there someone else who can manage the train so the conductor can keep his passengers company? [ There's the usual twinkle in her eye as she regards him, waiting for him to sit opposite.
In the meantime, the deck of cards appears in front of her with a small flash. ]
So...have you decided on your question? Or 'questions,' if you couldn't choose. I'll be lenient.
[With Sciel distracted by the view out the window, Verso heads off to get the stove started. Temperatures may be more bearable now that the wind barely reaches them, but they can still be better, cosy in ways precious few places on the Continent are. He finishes around when Sciel speaks up, wiping his hands off on a nearby cloth, left unused since the Fracture, before moving to slide into the seat across from her.]
I suppose that can be arranged.
[After he sits down, he closes his eyes for a slight while longer than a blink, taking in the long-gone yet still-familiar feeling of heading off on safer adventures than those he usually gets up to, these days. If only he could get the train to whistle, now; if only Sciel could get a sense of how it feels to speed across the Continent, or a feel for how the track rattled beneath them as they went.
Not that what they're doing feels secondary to that kind of experience. Quite the contrary; there's a different kind of anticipation working its way through him, a separate sense of adventure than the kinds he usually seeks out. The sight of the cards before him reminds him of the one he's keeping his pocket; reaching inside his jacket, he slides it free of its leather sleeve, revealing that it's mostly clean and well-kept, then gently tosses it onto the table with the others before leaning back against the seat and fixing Sciel with a look of contemplation. No extra thought is necessary, really – the question he'd come up with back during their game hasn't left him – but he does need to build himself up to its asking.
He laughs a bit at her comment on being lenient, hoping she means it.]
Well, I was thinking. It helps to know someone before guiding them, right? So, I want to know what they have to say about me. You know, generally speaking.
[It's a question that opens him up to interpretation; he knows and accepts this. However wary he feels about that, it's better than pretending to have a question about his future when it's been decades since he's left his path open to interpretation. Besides, he still has a great amount of trust in Sciel. He's sure he'll be fine. Probably. He's sure he'll probably be fine.]
[ Sciel follows the card as he produces it, sliding it across the table. Her smile twitches upward as she quickly assesses its condition (totally fine), and then it's back among its fellows in a flourished shuffle. ]
"What the cards say about you..." [ Unconventional, but interesting. She chuckles, cutting the deck a few times.
Someone else -- someone with her level of control over the cards -- might manipulate the deck to produce tailored results. That wouldn't be a true reading, of course, and she respects both the art of tarot and the man she's reading for too much for anything like that. Besides, Sciel is both naturally insightful and straightforward; if she wants to know something, she'll ask. If she wants to say something, she'll say it.
Wordlessly, then, she works her magic. Out of the deck comes the first card and it surprises another laugh out of her. ]
The Fool again! Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself: we're looking at the cards' assessment of you over the past, present, and future. Sort of an overarching opinion for a more complete picture. So this represents your past.
[ He'll remember that the card isn't an insult, but she contextualizes it further: ] The cards paint a picture of a free spirit. Someone who felt they had everything they needed, who was comfortable where they were. The white rose in the image represents a level of innocence, and the dog at his feet is a symbol of loyalty. Again: there are challenges on the horizon, but those aren't the Fool's concern, at least for the moment. Where he is, he's able to really relax, and enjoy life as it comes. Though we can see that those times are coming to an end...
[ The language she uses doesn't directly make specific assumptions about his past and life before, so she peeks up again with an inquisitive glint in her eyes, studying his expression. ]
So...they're basically saying things were a lot easier for you back then. Pre-Fracture? [ Back when he could ski and play music and drink the night away.
[The first card reveals itself and Verso's laughter joins Sciel's, though not before he gives it a look like he and the card have become rivals, despite its not-unflattering meaning. Both are partly expressions of nerves – it'll take him a bit before those fade more – but that doesn't really ring clear. He comes across as casual, comfortable. As if he's man without more reality-devastating secrets than any one person should ever bear.
Which is perfect, really, because Sciel begins her reading and Verso finds himself in need of all the composure, all the armour, all the poker-faced interest that he can summon forth.
At the time it was true – he had thought he was exceptionally fortunate. Even with the imperfections of his life, even with the strains of being a Dessendre, even as he struggled, sometimes, to figure out the paths he wanted to walk, he had enough sense to know that his life was a good life, fulfilling in most of the ways he needed it to be.
Now, though, it's still true in the sense that he carries those feeling inside of him, but learning the reality of the world and his place within it has caused them to warp and discolour, and he considers what Sciel is saying in that light more so than the other. Someone who was set up to have everything they needed. Someone who was created to be comfortable. Someone whose ignorance was a form of innocence and whose loyalty to the woman who's caused all this suffering remains in place to this fucking date, even if that loyalty is different from how she'd ever have wanted it to be.
He swallows down a sigh and offers up a response.]
Pretty much, yeah. The world was my oyster and all that.
[Except that there were no pearls to find because that was his role, granted to him by his mother. Another sigh is lost to his stubbornness; another reply is offered in its place.]
[ Sciel doesn't overly stare at her companion, instead glancing politely away to take in more details of the train, only occasionally glancing past his face as he chews on her reading. She's running a hand over the plush velvet of the seat when he indicates they should move on, nodding once before drawing the next card and laying it beside the Fool. ]
Ten of Wands, reversed. [ She frowns slightly, idly tapping a finger on the table. ] ...Wands generally are associated with strength, determination. Inspiration. And fire, which-... I don't think I need to tell you the kinds of things associated with fire.
[ Helpful, or destructive. Symbolic of everything from enthusiasm to sex. She doesn't make use of the opportunity to flirt since she's at least trying to provide as legitimate a reading as possible, as promised. ]
So, the Ten. [ He'll see on its face that it features a man trying (struggling) to carry an unwieldy bundle of sticks. ] Reversed. The cards say...you're taking on too much by yourself. Neglecting the resources around you, burning yourself out under the weight of it all. [ There's a pause before she adds, lightly -- and while keeping her eyes to the card -- ] Sometimes this is because the burden is private, and you don't feel like you can share it, even if you wanted to. But...if it's any consolation, however you handle it, it won't last forever. You'll be able to set it all down before too long.
[ Finally she looks up, sharp green eyes rising to meet his, should he look back at her. ]
This is the kind of 'dark and personal' I was talking about, by the way. [ Her features soften again: she isn't pressing, only joking. Sciel is well aware that readings, even done for fun, can stir up some things that were for the recipient to sort through, and not for her to poke at.
[Fire. Of course it's fire. If Verso didn't know any better he'd think that Sciel was reading him rather than the cards, but of course that isn't possible, so he tries to maintain a look of calm contemplation even as his lips try to curve into a frown and his brows threaten to furrow.
Still, he crooks a halved smile and shoots a halved shrug, both saying you have no idea in a language he doesn't expect her to understand, a language shared between himself and his other.]
Yeah, I'd say I've dealt with enough fire to last a few lifetimes.
[Said easily, as if there's no greater meaning to it than needing fire to stay warm, to light the night, to prepare meals. As if the only flames that have ever harmed him are those cast his way by the Nevrons.
As Sciel continues her reading, Verso leans further back, crossing an ankle over a knee, maintaining his unbothered affectations, an ever-increasingly difficult prospect as her insights keep landing on target, resonating through him blow after blow after blow. It's the last part that hits him the hardest, though, the thought of setting everything down before too long. A trickle of relief works its way through him, a shudder of dread making its own presence known, though only to himself. He does not want to live. He does not want anyone to die. If only both were possible.
All the same, the way she throws them back to the whole dark and personal thing earns a genuine laugh, light and soft, rooted in something incredulous though, again, he's able to mask it in time.]
You're never going to let that go, are you?
[The tone of his voice suggests that he doesn't mind, even if he remains a bit wary. His masks may have started chafing around Sciel, but they're still comfortable, still familiar, still things he's reluctant to shed. Even if he suspects that she's intuitive enough to see right through them.
Those thoughts find him fidgeting with his thumb, but it's slight enough that he barely notices it himself.]
[ Maybe it's a little odd, the way he phrases the bit about fire, but not so much that it generates any thought beyond the initial, mental "huh." Sciel instead responds to his question, smiling innocently and offering a one-shouldered shrug. ]
Not yet. [ Maybe someday! But probably not.
Speaking of the future... She flips a final card, laying it beside the Ten of Wands in the line so that his past, present, and future are all neatly displayed between them. ]
Queen of Wands, reversed. [ There's an interested little 'hmm' at that. ] The deck really associates you with this suit, then. [ Sciel files that little tidbit away, as a point of curiosity. ] Right. This suggests...you'll reach a point of confidence in the future, one where you're more secure in your personal truth than you are now. You'll be aware of how others feel, or what they stand for, but those opinions won't sway you. At this point, there'll be a clear idea of 'success' in your mind, but it may not be one that you share with others.
[ ... ]
...It can also mean you might withdraw a bit more than usual, spending some time...reflecting. More of a bystander or a spectator while other things are in motion. It's this time apart that'll help solidify the confidence I mentioned, and...to help you really figure out who 'you' are, outside of others' expectations. Whatever those may be.
[ There's a pause for the requisite gravitas of a tarot reading, and then she leans back in her seat with what's intended to be a reassuring smile, though with a curious glance his way. ]
So...the cards think you were someone who used to live with a lot more freedom of spirit than you have now, who's since taken on quite a lot of...burdens, if not responsibilities, which you're slow to share with others. And that, soon, you'll be able to set those things down and feel secure in doing so, even if you're the only one who feels that way.
[ Sciel doesn't ask what he thinks about it all. She merely summarizes, returning both hands to her lap and giving him a minute to chew on the reading as he will, allowing her attention to drift to the train's decor and its cozy, warm interior.
...Well, maybe it isn't her attention that drifts: just her eyes. Because she's very much still thinking about the cards, and about Verso, and about how it all might fit in her assessment of the man thus far... ]
[Verso's hands itch to steeple over his nose, to rub over his eyes, to cradle the whole of his face in their palms. Almost like he's the proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand, free from having to actually reflect on what Sciel has shared so long as he doesn't see the spread of cards between them.
Having come into this with few expectations beyond that original it'll probably be fine has left him at a bit of a disadvantage. Maybe he ought to have considered the possibility that the cards would lay out the trajectory of his life with the simplicity of describing the sky as blue and dirt as brown, but then he might have talked himself out of this and gone for something dumb and inconsequential like whether he'd ever exact his vengeance against Serpenphare.
And besides, Sciel isn't wrong; he does owe her something more than another flippant skirting of the dark and the personal.
He owes her more than a downplaying of the reading, too, so he doesn't try to deny anything she says, acting like the cards have missed their mark, perhaps cracking an obnoxious joke about how he must be a mystery even to them. Still, it's hard for him to outright admit that the reading resonates with him, never mind how deeply, so he hints at it instead, still a bit of a coward when it comes to revealing the parts of himself he doesn't think he could ever explain.]
Okay, now get them to tell me where I left my book of sheet music. The one with the purple leather jacket.
[But even if the words feel safe, they don't feel right. So, he shifts back into something more upfront, more sincere.]
No, seriously, it was insightful. I can see why you turn to them for guidance. But you got me curious about something else, so I want to seek some of your wisdom, too: Being associated with... Wands, right? Is it noteworthy or nah?
[He hasn't forgotten about the dual reading; he owes it Sciel to not simply rush past his and into hers as well.]
[ She hardly minds the joke. There's an amused little smile in reply, one fueled further by the idea of a purple leather jacket. ]
Sadly, I think that lies beyond their abilities. [ He does seem appreciative of what had come from the reading, though, taking it to heart in what's honestly the most appropriate way: acknowledging, weighing the words, but holding them at a distance. Fortune is fickle, and such things should guide a person's life, not rule it. ]
Noteworthy? Hmm. [ Sciel cocks her head as she considers the question. ] It depends what you mean. They seem relevant to you in the context of the reading. Any other meaning...is really given to it based on how you internalize what I said. Know what I mean? Each suit has its own unique associations, but they can all be significant to a person, or in a given situation. So: I think it sounds like it aligns well with what little I know of you, but people aren't one-dimensional. If I'd drawn two cards from Cups, I'm sure we could draw conclusions that made sense there, too.
[ There's always meaning to be found in these things, no matter the result. For someone well-practiced in the art, anyway. ]
I guess I owe you some of what these cards have to say about me, then, yeah? [ Her hand hovers over The Fool for a moment before she pulls it back to rest on the edge of the table, gaze drifting again to the window.
Sciel has no problem revealing most of herself, when it comes up, but there are some things...she still holds close to her chest. ]
...The Fool's an easy one for someone's past since it's tied to beginnings. [ Her head turns again, focus returning to the card in question, which she picks up and holds between two fingers. ] But, since it has no number like the rest of the Major Arcana, it can also represent the entirety of a person's journey through life. Useful, no?
[ As for what it says about her history... ]
It could honestly work for a lot of things. Marriage, teaching, setting off on the expedition. [ The card flips back and forth as her fingers twitch; Sciel is clearly lost in thought, drifting back through time a bit and not seeing the beautiful train car around them, or the man who'd brought them there. ] It suggests a leap of faith. About...taking the next step even when you don't feel ready.
[ The card is often associated, too, with free spirits, as many would consider her to be. ]
I think it sums up well a lot of my life. It's natural to worry about a big change, but you should just go for it. That's this card's suggestion, anyway. And everything'll be okay. [ ... ] ...No, that's not it. Everything...will work out the way it will.
[ Not a comforting distinction for everyone, but she seems perfectly at peace with it. ]
I wouldn't be here, otherwise. [ Is how she wraps up this section of her dual reading, seeming to return to the moment with the warmth of her expression now turned his way. ]
Verso thinks he understands what Sciel is saying – that it's more about the sequence than the suit – which finds him nodding along by the end, a little tentatively given his inexperience, but not in a way that might come across as being lost or confused. Still, he holds back from seeking that little bit of clarity through confirmation or correction. The way she answers his question has made him realise that he doesn't really want to know. That little bit of mystery gives everything more depth for him to sink into. It reasserts how comfortable he is in her presence.]
Right. That makes sense. [Is what he offers in the end.] It's a feeling, not a formula.
[Another reassertion comes as she transitions into her own reading: he is still very curious to learn more about her. A desire that does soften, somewhat, over the way she almost seems to hesitate, how her gaze travels away. Not because he doesn't want to know about her own darkness, her own personal secrets she doesn't often share, but rather because the tone of his anticipation has necessarily shifted into something less intrigued and more present.
A feeling that lingers as she continues speaking, half wandering somewhere that Verso can't follow her into.
When she corrects herself, though, some of that newfound tension dissipates. Maybe it's not the most universally comforting notion, that things will simply be and that being won't always mean better, but Verso finds it resonates more with him. He's grown too weary of fantasy, too familiar with the kinds of harm it causes. He'd rather buy into the notion that everything has its end.
Her final observation gives him pause, though. Here can mean a great many things. And so without really thinking about what he's asking – thank you, long-dormant social skills – he just goes ahead and speaks.]
[ It's a simple reply, a short one, but there's something that's difficult to discern there. Sciel has fixed him with her full attention, expression particularly relaxed. She often appears at ease, but this is one of those times where the daily difficulties and dangers they face truly feel as though they've been left at the bottom of the mountain, and they can just...live.
The interior of the car is now cozier than ever, and the wonderland outside continues to glisten with ethereal beauty. If a person were a romantic, they might recognize that things have naturally played out such that it's an ideal scenario to test certain waters. ...Sciel is still primarily occupied with completing her own reading, but she lets herself (again) unabashedly appreciate Verso's many attractive features where they exist in front of her. What ties them all together in a particularly-appealing package are the moments of zeal she's seen from him as they've talked more, when he lets his guard down a little to enthuse about his past, his passions, the things he wants to be able to show her in the world.
Those playful eyes return to the cards. And though she would never manipulate the cards, there's no harm in adding flavour to the reading that may help with her increasingly-appealing ulterior motive, should the opportunity arise. ]
Ten of Wands. [ With a small flash of Chroma, The Fool returns to its place in line, and the card representing her present appears in its place between her waiting fingers. ] Well, to be honest, this probably works for any expeditioner. "Share the load with others, don't go at it alone." I think I'm alright here, but it's a good reminder. [ Easy to fall into the trap of trying to take on too much to keep the burden off others' shoulders, particularly with Maelle, who they all so desperately want to keep safe.
There's another pause as she realizes another of the implications of this card that she'd ascribed to him, and which would be, perhaps, hypocritical to keep from herself. So she chooses her path at the crossroads, adopting a tone that suggests she's willing to say as much, but not elaborate: ] ...Like everybody, I've got some...things from the past that are still weighing on me. That's no surprise.
[ He knows she'd had a husband who'd died. He knows about Gustave, obviously, and the rest of the 33s. Any one of those things alone would be enough to warrant the assessment, even without...
The Ten of Wands is encouragement to share those painful memories, and so begin to heal. But when she imagines telling Verso...
No. It's too soon. The idea makes her feel sick. ]
It may also be a sign to purge that which isn't serving you, which I'm taking to mean I need to go through my bag and declutter a bit.
[ Now who's being flippant and evasive? ]
Edited (when you notice a typo the second you hit submit :l) 2025-11-16 16:20 (UTC)
[That with you could also mean a great many things – even more than here did on its own if he lets his heart wander away with his imagination – but Verso thinks better than to keep pressing, not wanting to disturb the aura of peace she has about her, not wanting to challenge the way he relaxes in turn, though there's a prickling at the edge of his conscience that once again calls what he's doing into question.
It's left to prickle as he catches her observing him again; this time, it's not shyness that dominates his reaction, but rather intrigue and interest, a new kind of light brightening his eyes.]
It is a very nice train car.
[And the company even better. The tone of his expression shifts as she continues her own reading but it doesn't lessen; in fact, it blooms when she follows up with the darker side of the implications, though it dims as well as the distance to her voice registers. An acknowledgement, then, and not an invitation. This time, Verso holds himself back from asking.
And maybe that final sentiment is a bit flippant, but Verso meets it with gentle laughter, unbothered.]
Yeah, well, let me know if you do; I'm running low on just about everything.
[Life on the Continent do be like that.
Now, he leans forward, elbows on the table, hands folded, chin resting on his thumbs. Though his lips are a bit obscured, there's no hiding how he smiles, amused and content and curious, awaiting whatever tidbit she'll offer up next.]
So. Confidence now, right?
[Said with his own confidence, perhaps a bit out of place considering how little he actually knows about the cards. But whatever. He still wouldn't mind being corrected.]
[ Oh. He leans in, prompts her to continue with a set of words she finds particularly compelling, and she wonders if she might be on the right track after all. ...Possible train pun unintended.
(Maybe it should be intentional, though. He'd probably like it.) ]
Right. [ Sciel replies slowly, and this time she sets the Ten down manually and replaces it with the Queen, holding it upside down to indicate its reversed state. ] I know myself, and I need to use that personal comfort to make my next move. To take action with the security that it's the right thing for me, no matter what other expectations may exist.
[ For example: it's probably ill-advised to get involved in anything remotely in this arena as an expeditioner, given the not-unrealistic chance she's killed tomorrow, or in a few days, or next week. But...hey, if the cards are saying fuck it, then fuck it, right?
This reading of her future says "you're too focused outward; look within." And when she does, it's no surprise, really, what's waiting for her. So she sets the card down again, sweeping a hand over the line to disappear all three, laying the surface between them bare.
Confidence now, right? ]
...I like the little stove, [ She remarks, apropos of nothing. Her eyes are not on the stove, though, and are instead locked to his...before drifting deliberately down to his lips, and then back. ] But I could be warmer.
[ Sciel feels her intentions are clear, but that would remain to be seen. He might needed it spelled out further, which she'd happily oblige. He may also not be interested, which...she realizes will have its pang of disappointment, but she'll get over it. Whatever happens, she's enjoyed their time together so far. But...to not seize the opportunity that this reading has afforded her would've been a waste.
[Verso may have his moments of social obliviousness – naturally, of course, given the depths and extents of his isolation – but he's not wholly hopeless. As Sciel picks up one hand of cards – in a manner of speaking, anyway – she lays down another that he finds a lot more readable than tarot. An abbreviation of what the last card says. Talk of making moves. That look, that goddamned look in her eye as her focus trails to his lips.
Subconsciously, his tongue slips out to wet them. His own gaze never leaves her eyes, though, if only because he's too captivated by how she looks at him to be able to bear looking away.
It's her comment on the stove that drives everything home, that fills him with unignorable bursts of nervousness and excitement and a kind of adrenaline that he hasn't felt in entirely too long. An obnoxious voice at the back of his head tries to get him to question whether she just means to have him add more wood to the fire, but he latches on to that I like it, but... with rare fervency. It means something, he thinks and feels and wishes and dreams, that only the weakest of his doubts can deny.
He leans back again, his expression almost shifting into one of deep concentration. He is a weak, weak man, though, and it's been a long time since anyone's hinted at the kind of interest Sciel has – fuck, he hopes he's not misreading things – so it's a bit more wild than not, brimming with freedom.]
Mm, we can't have that. Allow me.
[An offering he makes as he slides himself out of the booth and scoots in beside Sciel. Who, he observes, doesn't look at him like he's lost his mind, or try to pull away, or do anything that might signal that he's got the wrong impression. His heartbeat thunders all the more in his chest, but he's able to maintain most of his composure.]
I've been told I run hot, you know.
[Proximity can only accomplish so much; they both know that, and Verso's not going to sit back like a coward and lean on Sciel to confirm that proximity alone isn't going to be nearly enough. Ever increasingly emboldened, he hooks a finger under her chin and brushes his thumb across her lips.]
But, I could stand to be warmer, too.
[Soon, very soon, that graze of his thumb makes way for the press of his lips, and his breath goes forgotten in that first moment of contact, the kiss sure and yet unsure, eager and yet patient, featherlight even as his free hand moves to the back of Sciel's neck, fingers gently curling around the dangling strands of her ponytail as he holds her just a bit closer.]
[ Tarot is not about predicting the future, she asserts. It's only guidance. But it's strange: thinking back to that early meeting at the cliffs, where he'd initially asked what drew her to it...hearing all the stories about his life pre-Fracture and the facets that had brought him so much joy... Well, it's easy to say such things with hindsight, but part of her does feel as though this had been inevitable.
Eyes don't lie. Her mantra. And when Sciel sees the subtle change in Verso's expression, she realizes that they are, in fact, on the same page about this. Her own features shift a little in turn: eyes widening slightly, brows lifting in pleasant disbelief, lips pulling upward. It's somehow unexpected enough that just the sustained eye contact, followed by the slight (perhaps unintentional) flick of his tongue, has her pulse quicken a little with anticipation.
No, she hasn't gone without this type of thing as long as her immortal companion, but there's still something to the way the prospect makes her feel that's more akin to the butterflies of a more inexperienced lover.
...Maybe it's to do with the setting after all. The snow, the train...the setup from the reading...it really is all very helpfully creating the kind of ambiance that lends itself to whatever is about to happen.
Sciel watches him like a hawk as he slips out of his side of the booth and into her own, sitting closer than he ever has. They're usually opposite each other on occasions like these, and if they're side by side, it's usually doing something like standing and staring at the monolith, and always at a respectful distance. But she turns in her seat as he approaches, moving a hand to cup her chin, brushing across her lips, and there is very little that's respectful about what she thinks of it all.
Oh, well done. Though the comment nearly has her roll her eyes, she instead settles on a low chuckle. And then, finally, the moment comes.
He's closed the gap, putting himself a bit on the line even with the confidence that their thinly-veiled flirting allowed, so she'll seal the deal. Communicate without words that yes, absolutely, this is something she, at least, is sure of. So as she returns the kiss, she savours the initial, almost tentative press of his lips for a while before deepening it. Her head tilts just so (carefully, so as not to knock loose his hand at the nape of her neck), mouth parting slightly more to allow him access. He'll feel no questions or uncertainty from her, at this point: only the confidence the cards had laid out for them both and the confirmation that he had, in fact, previously noticed and read her signals correctly.
Her fingers wind into his unruly hair, tangling needily there, though not painfully so. The other hand slips along his jawline, thumbing absently at his beard as she hums against his kiss, committing each new sensation to memory. ]
Mm — I can see why you liked the trains so much. [ She teases breathlessly, in one of the brief periods she surfaces again. ] The service really is something.
[If there is one core benefit to wearing so many masks, it's that Verso can hide away even from himself in moments like this. Later, he might question himself, as is the natural course whenever he lets his guard down around the Expeditioners, but he will also call to mind that look in Sciel's eyes when his realisation first fed her own, the way she took control of the kiss, too, that feeling as her fingers grasped onto his hair and touched tingles across his scalp, the yielding of her mouth, everything, all of it. And confronted with all that, he'll be hard-pressed to condemn himself for this moment of weakness, because even if everything else he says and does is rooted in mountainous lies, this is genuine and real and honest and good.
Besides, he will not do Sciel the disservice of regretting her: a sentiment that asserts itself when the kiss breaks and he lifts his hand from her neck to smooth the hair that's framing her face.
He will, however, do her the disservice of his own train lines.]
Wait until we get moving. [Verso, no.] Any thoughts on where you'd like to get off?
[Verso.
Somehow, though, he says it earnestly, gently. The tone of a man whose loneliness always seems to start him off way too deep, but one who, in consequence, is so very cautious of keeping himself afloat, at her level. So, he catches his breath, and he tests the swell of his kiss-stung lips with another graze of his tongue, and he tries not to think about how close their mouths still are to one another, how easy it would be to lean just a bit forward and kiss an answer out of her instead.]
[ The blatant innuendo is both a surprise and a delight, and she can't help but utter one of her lovely, genuine laughs. It also inspires a yanking feeling below her navel, so disarmed is she by his directness, and Sciel presses her lips together as she considers it, looking both pleased and flirtatious.
She'll largely leave the train jokes to him, given that she has much less material to work with, but she can at least make an initial effort. He's very cute, for one thing, and having a romantic encounter on a train is possibly a dream of his, so why not help to make it all it can be? ]
Mm... I'd like to see how far it can take me, but I'm in no hurry. I might want to ride it until the end.
[ He's so close. It's...nice having him so close. Sciel's love language is touch, and that has always shown in her interactions with the others: an affirming squeeze of the hand, a playful knock to the shoulder, a flurry of affectionate, yet platonic kisses. This encounter is different in some ways, but not in others. It's...an extension of her natural instincts to reach out and grasp his knee during their game of piquet. To be close to those she cares about.
And she does care, of course. Her love may not be as straightforward or traditional as the romance of a fairy tale, but it is present all the same. Right now, that affection manifests in the abject physical desire she feels, now happily certain that she will have an opportunity to dive deeper into the charming enigma that is Verso.
Sciel leans back slightly, but only so she can shed the outer layer she'd manifested; it slips off her shoulders and onto the seat, half-falling to the floor below the table. The stove he lit has warmed her sufficiently from the outside, and the fire he's ignited continues to warm her from within.
Quickly enough, she's back in place, tantalizingly close, moving a hand to splay against his chest and the many layers that separate skin from skin. As she'd said, she's in no rush, but surely he's uncomfortable in the coat, at least? ]
If you wanted to lose some of the uniform, I won't report you. [ To, you know, whoever the conductor's boss is. Her smile goes playful at this, and though she wants very much to close the distance and taste him again, she'll at least let him do away with the jacket before doing so, stealing his lips for another heated bout. ]
Scenic route it is, then. [A pause, then a slight leaning back of his own to take in as much of her as he can, unsubtle and appreciative, like he's taking in a masterfully crafted work of art.] Good choice, by the way. The view from here is already amazing.
[Later, Verso might reflect on how easily Sciel manages to make him feel at peace, how her natural way of being reminds him to embrace his own. This moment is about over-observing and over-thinking; it doesn't find him calling to mind how long it's been since he's felt a lover's touch, or whether he'll be able to live up to whatever exists behind the peal of her laughter or the gleam in her eyes.
Really, he just lets himself watch her undress – even if she stops at her jacket – and he thinks about whether she can feel his heartbeat beneath his chest as he works his own jacket open, a finicky effort with the all the fastening and belts and the sash, but one he's familiar enough with that it doesn't take overly long before he's sliding everything off down arms and onto the floor behind him, letting it pool on the floor.
And he could move on from there, ridding himself of his vest at least, but he has the same idea as she does – that it's been one too many moments since their lips parted – and so he's all too eager to busy his hands with her, one back in her hair, the other resting just above her knee. This kiss doesn't break so much as it moves, Verso trailing wet kisses down to her pulse point where he lingers, rumbling a hum against her skin.]
Now... How much is some?
[Lightly, very lightly, he tests the waters by nipping at her neck, soothing the spot over with another kiss afterward.]
You might have to show me, I'm a bit preoccupied.
[Back up he goes along the slant of her jaw, up to her ear, which receives his attention now, one hand rising up to twirl her hair between his fingers, keeping it out of his way.]
[ Advice that Sciel had recently given to Maelle, after the girl asked for combat pointers, is just as useful here: study how your opponent (or partner, as it were) reacts. Understand them so you can anticipate and adjust. So she takes care to note all the ways that Verso tells without telling her what he does and doesn't enjoy. Notes the way his lips part for her when she presses in for a more insistent kiss, any twitch or inadvertent sound when she slides a hand past his knee to roam farther up his thigh.
All this can help to "survive," in her words to the younger expeditioner, but in this situation, "thrive" is much more apt.
She hums against his mouth before the kiss breaks, after which the sigh-like sound he elicits with his wandering affections is open to the air. Each progression of this dreamlike, snowballing scenario sparks fresh excitement within her, and he'll be able to taste the insistent pulse at her neck as he roams, teasing her with his teeth, balancing it with another series of kisses, butterfly-light. ]
I can manage that. [ He's kindly already done away with the bulky coat, so she busies herself with the fastenings of the vest. Removing it entirely will unfortunately mean he'll need to lean back somewhat, taking him away from where he'd been nipping at her ear and sending a fresh wave of pleasant shivers through the rest of her, but it's a necessary step. Gently, regretfully, she eases him back a little once there's opportunity for it...though, again, she feels no rush. It may as well be that the world outside this train and its surrounding landscape no longer exist, as far as she's concerned right now. ]
Get that off, [ She instructs, indicating the vest, all maîtresse and efficiency. ] and the gloves next, yeah? I want to really feel you.
[ It's a nice start, with the warmth of his fingertips coming through, but not nearly enough.
He can keep the rest of it on...for the moment. One thing at a time, as she drinks up every new view of him while also luxuriating under the heat of his breath, his tongue. ]
I'm especially interested to see how your musical background comes into play. [ There's a bit of a heady look at that as she taps each of the fingers of the hand at his thigh, one by one, against him, as if plunking a rudimentary scale.
She doesn't specify whether it's his dexterous fingers, breath control, or both that she's got in mind. ]
[Everything Sciel does has Verso responding in its favour, little throaty sounds of affirmation, reflexive movements coaxing more, challenges met and accepted, new ones posed in turn. Even when she guides him back there's a fluidity to how he follows through, shoulders already rising so he can shrug off his vest. The gloves follow quickly thereafter, though he does place a little more care into removing the left one, gently loosening the ropes holding the bark in place, then resting the whole glove on the seat behind him. The other glove gets abandoned to the floor, though. Fuck that guy.
He rolls up his sleeves, too – a reflex rather than anything with real intent – before leaning back in to stroke his freed knuckles across her cheek. And it's right there at the fore of his impulses, the thought to go right back to kissing her again, but she mentions his music and he stumbles into a moment of trying to figure out what she means instead. Not a long moment, fortunately, and he laughs as she plays his thigh, ignoring the way his cock twitches and his scalp feels like it's forming constellations at the implication, and taking her hand, kissing the tips of her fingers in a mirror of her scale.]
And I wouldn't mind seeing you dance.
[Despite all the innuendo, he remains too much of a gentleman to encourage Sciel to shed more of her own layers. But he does pull her into another collision of their lips, fingers of one hand grasping a little tighter at her hair, thumb of the other stroking semi-circles over her shirt, just grazing the underside of her breast.]
Get comfortable.
[Said at the next break, tone low and lips still grazing hers as he speaks. He deliberately leaves it open to her interpretation, and he shifts slightly away from her to better navigate their shared space.]
[ Off and away go his vest, his gloves, and her own quick fingers are there to smooth across his chest, slide up and around to his arm: now exposed. It's infrequent enough that she's been around him without the many bits of his uniform present that Sciel pauses here, ghosting a slow back and forth along the well-honed shape of his forearms, drifting along the lines of his palm as if doing another reading. There's another contented sound, after this mute assessment, and she leans in to the graze of his knuckle at her cheek when it presses to her face. ]
I'm confident you'll see some dancing. [ She murmurs. The intercessions of his lips at each of her fingertips earns him a breathy, almost labored exhale; her hands have their share of callouses from the farming days of the past and the fighting of the present, but the brush of his mouth there is unexpectedly tender.
That Verso is as sharp with his flirting as he is with his usual banter isn't surprising, but each return volley in their little tête-à-tête makes her smile all the more. Her eager, vivid eyes drop down briefly to the (lack of) space between them before dragging up again to meet his, head cocked a little in consideration.
The 'suggestion,' in that tone, sends a little thrill coursing up her spine, and her lips part in an a conspiratorial smirk. Without a word -- and without taking her eyes off him -- she shifts back a little in the booth, getting to work. The short jacket has its share of belts and complications, but her nimble fingers make short work of that, and she shrugs it off to fall alongside her coat on the ground below. Next, in a flash, the one glove from her right arm is added to the heap. There's a little pause before a hand sneaks around her back, working effortlessly before returning to pull her cropped shirt over her head, taking the bra beneath with it, and only making a little bit of a show of the whole thing.
Sciel remains where she sits, scooted back against the cool glass of the train window, one knee bent on the seat in front of her. Then, with her usual, mischievous grin, she crooks a finger his way. ]
[More validation comes with her exploratory touches; goosebumps rise along his forearms and he breathes a shiver out of sight, following it with a shy halved smile over how easily she affects him, the starlight in those eyes prickling through his veins. What they have here is gentler than what he's grown accustomed to, a simmer over a low flame, and that's enticing in its own right. Which is probably a dangerous prospect under the circumstances, but he compartmentalises that away.
It's hard not to when she makes everything feel so damned easy.
So, he holds her gaze for a while, then leans back on his hand and makes no attempt to hide that he's watching her undress, that troublesome tongue of his back to perching on his bottom lip.]
Merde, you're beautiful.
[Tanned skin and toned muscle, that tattoo cascading down her chest, that scar almost reaching to join with its linework, that confidence, that wondrous, empowering confidence that makes him want to keep matching her stride for stride, to earn his place here in the train car with her, occupying the exact same space.
Even when she's settled into place, he takes a moment to take her in before he leans back forward, sliding himself in between the leg on the seat and the leg elsewhere. Like this, he grasps that beckoning hand with a lacing of their fingers, then pins it – gently, loosely, to hold in his own and not to keep down – as he lowers himself against her to capture her lips in their Nth kiss of the evening, long and lingering. His free hand makes its way to her waist, resting there in a soft splay at first before moving up to cup her breast, running along it to the rhythm of their kiss, touch grazing her nipple without ever really focusing on it.
He ends the kiss by mouthing his way away, over her chin down her neck, lower, lower, to the neglected breast. His tongue laps an almost-circle around her nipple and the noise that follows is a rumble of contentment. The softness of her skin, its warmth, the way her breast yields even to the light pressure of his tongue – it all has him soon moving for more, kissing and sucking and licking at one breast and maintaining his softer ministrations of the other, brimming with hunger and self-expression and freedom and the kind of humanity he sometimes forgets still thrives inside of him, lonely and beaten down as it's grown over the decades.
Ah, but that's a thought for later, tossed atop the pile of all the other things he can't bear to think about, now. He feels good and all he wants, all that matters, is for her to feel the same.]
[ The tender lethargy with which she's moving through this dance of theirs is unusual for her, too. Most trysts before or after Pierre had been quick and dirty: spending a bit of time finding pleasure in the body of another, wishing them well, moving on. If this encounter with Verso had taken place closer to camp -- an unexpected, reciprocated exchange of interest -- she would've happily, and simply, led him into the woods for some privacy. Unfussy, unattached. Still quite nice.
Things are a little different today, though. The core of her intent, and its casual nature, haven't changed. But...he'd made such an effort leading them here, talking her through all of the elements of their surroundings in way that brought the icing-dust wonderland around them to more vivid life. And the train, of course: it all comes together in a display that had brought her so much joy that it's only fair, she thinks, that she return the favor with an effort, a display, of her own.
If they again find themselves a messy, heated tangle of bodies again sometime, she imagines she'll be very happy with the result. If afterward they never speak of this again, then she'll certainly respect his wishes and move along, as she always has. For now, though...
Verso scoots in closer and she shifts slightly, her bare chest a waiting invitation. An invitation that he accepts without delay, taking one breast into his hand as his lips find hers again, capturing her mouth in easy conquest. Sciel makes a light, needy sound against him as he idly fingers her nipple, which is already hard between the cold that manages to seep in from the glass behind her and his dexterous touch. ]
I've been thinking about what it'd feel like, having those clever fingers on me. [ Sciel says, low, against his ear before he dips farther down. The lathe of his tongue on the other breast earns him a sharp inhale, then an amorous exhale to match. ] And that clever tongue, too.
[ Sciel rarely suffers from self-consciousness, and now is no exception. She utters each sigh and moan as he earns it, unabashedly making it clear that what he's doing feels good, that her body is ever-hungry for more. One hand winds its way again in the tousled curls, gripping with a little more neediness than before, while the other slips down his back, drawing a fistful of the shirt in her grasp. ]
Mm -- you do run hot. [ She breathes, chest rising and falling in a more pronounced way with his affections, her blood hammering just beneath the skin. ] I'm sure you're uncomfortable in all that, yeah?
[ It's up to him what, or how much, he'd prefer to shed next. In the meantime, she begins to find herself increasingly torn between wanting to continue enjoying their slow, deeply enjoyable exploration of each other and desiring intensely to liberate them both from the rest of their uniforms and lower herself onto his lap right now).
She has no idea which part of her will win out, but either way she comes out on top. ]
[He had told her he wanted to see her dance; now, he thinks about how nice it is to hear her sing those little notes of pleasure and the rhythms behind them – rhythms that he's growing (or so he hopes) increasingly attuned to the more he tastes and touches and teases. As if on cue, a curse spills through his lips as her words land against his ear, a little duet between them, and he delivers another gentle nip, trouble for trouble.]
You have, huh?
[Whether his fingers and his tongue have been on her mind for a short while or a longer one, it's a nice thought, the idea that maybe while he was off scouting and she was curled up by the fire – or vice-versa – they were connected by having these shared flames to stoke inside themselves, each giving off little sparks for the other to collect. And being seen as someone other than the whats and whys and lies of his existence is always a good feeling, even if it is one that he often questions whether he deserves.
No questions plague his mind now – or at least none about himself and whether he belongs here with Sciel. Even to him, it's clear that he does, and so he rumbles again at the notion of having to part so he can address his state of dress, hardly wanting to move. The cause is good though – very good – and as he pulls away yet again and starts working himself free of his clothes, the quirk to his smile makes it clear how invested he is in this next step.]
What else have you been thinking about?
[The shirt comes off first and relatively fast owing to its perpetually half-unbuttoned state. Once it's been tossed aside, making an unceremonious landing on the floor, he makes similarly quick work of his boots and his socks. A pause before he takes off his pants, though, thumbs lingering beneath the waistband of both them and his underwear.]
Because, you see, I've been thinking about giving you whatever you want.
[As for what he wants, in this moment it's simple: for this to be the last time he has to pull away from her to handle something else. So, when he does start taking off his pants, the underwear goes with them, and he stands there naked for a moment, unbothered by it as he kicks everything he's shed aside, before he leans back over her again, one hand making its way towards the topmost fastening of her own pants.]
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tableauvivant) wrote2025-09-17 01:14 pm
no subject
So, instead he lets out a soft laugh, still enamoured by her brightness.]
Trust me, there's no missing him.
[On account of the massive red beret, but where's the fun in revealing that detail upfront?
He has a much better time pointing out the details of the landscape, where colours peek out from the snow and ever-burning fires cast their own pink-orange glitter across the ground, where stories can be read into the shapes of rocks, where mountains kiss the stars, guiding Sciel on a languid tour of the world before them, even as the cold bleeds deeper and deeper into his bones.
Lest he spoil everything that awaits them past the station, Verso stops cautiously short of revealing too much, letting the landscape keep its secrets for now as he ushers Sciel ahead into the train. An opulent passenger car, it combines marbled black and gold with gold accents – all sharp angles and straight lines – and plush, purple velvet seating, both in booths and in chairs. Still-lit crystal empire chandeliers line the roof, casting a warm glow onto everything, and a small, black, wood-fired caboose stove sits off in the corner aside a well-disturbed stack of firewood.]
Welcome aboard. [He offers after a moment.] Would the lady care to choose her seat?
[Shocking development: the train nerd enjoys train roleplay.]
no subject
Whatever the case, it's incredibly engaging (both the bits he points out, and the way he goes about it). Even more so when he finally leads them into the train car, stepping aside so she can take it all in.
The interior is dazzling, but in a way that is wholly distinct from the snow-blanketed world outside. She steps further in, glancing around with a dreamy sort of smile, because it does all feel like a dream. Most things like this that were pre-Fracture are...well, fractured. Only fragments of whatever they used to be with undeniable beauty, but incomplete nonetheless. Which is why getting to experience something like this is a very rare occasion indeed.
Gold and black again. She chuckles faintly, cocking her head at the walls. There certainly was a popular design scheme back then, given how much they've seen it crop up... ]
Oh, yes. 'The lady' would. [ With an excited little lift of her brows turned in his direction, she moves ahead, glancing around at the plush seats before settling into a booth.
Sciel immediately glances out of the window as if drawn magnetically again to the snow, but before long she extricates her attention so she can return it to Verso, patting the surface of the table in front of her. ]
Is there someone else who can manage the train so the conductor can keep his passengers company? [ There's the usual twinkle in her eye as she regards him, waiting for him to sit opposite.
In the meantime, the deck of cards appears in front of her with a small flash. ]
So...have you decided on your question? Or 'questions,' if you couldn't choose. I'll be lenient.
[ Says the former teacher. ]
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I suppose that can be arranged.
[After he sits down, he closes his eyes for a slight while longer than a blink, taking in the long-gone yet still-familiar feeling of heading off on safer adventures than those he usually gets up to, these days. If only he could get the train to whistle, now; if only Sciel could get a sense of how it feels to speed across the Continent, or a feel for how the track rattled beneath them as they went.
Not that what they're doing feels secondary to that kind of experience. Quite the contrary; there's a different kind of anticipation working its way through him, a separate sense of adventure than the kinds he usually seeks out. The sight of the cards before him reminds him of the one he's keeping his pocket; reaching inside his jacket, he slides it free of its leather sleeve, revealing that it's mostly clean and well-kept, then gently tosses it onto the table with the others before leaning back against the seat and fixing Sciel with a look of contemplation. No extra thought is necessary, really – the question he'd come up with back during their game hasn't left him – but he does need to build himself up to its asking.
He laughs a bit at her comment on being lenient, hoping she means it.]
Well, I was thinking. It helps to know someone before guiding them, right? So, I want to know what they have to say about me. You know, generally speaking.
[It's a question that opens him up to interpretation; he knows and accepts this. However wary he feels about that, it's better than pretending to have a question about his future when it's been decades since he's left his path open to interpretation. Besides, he still has a great amount of trust in Sciel. He's sure he'll be fine. Probably. He's sure he'll probably be fine.]
literally rng'd this card again lmao
"What the cards say about you..." [ Unconventional, but interesting. She chuckles, cutting the deck a few times.
Someone else -- someone with her level of control over the cards -- might manipulate the deck to produce tailored results. That wouldn't be a true reading, of course, and she respects both the art of tarot and the man she's reading for too much for anything like that. Besides, Sciel is both naturally insightful and straightforward; if she wants to know something, she'll ask. If she wants to say something, she'll say it.
Wordlessly, then, she works her magic. Out of the deck comes the first card and it surprises another laugh out of her. ]
The Fool again! Ah, but I'm getting ahead of myself: we're looking at the cards' assessment of you over the past, present, and future. Sort of an overarching opinion for a more complete picture. So this represents your past.
[ He'll remember that the card isn't an insult, but she contextualizes it further: ] The cards paint a picture of a free spirit. Someone who felt they had everything they needed, who was comfortable where they were. The white rose in the image represents a level of innocence, and the dog at his feet is a symbol of loyalty. Again: there are challenges on the horizon, but those aren't the Fool's concern, at least for the moment. Where he is, he's able to really relax, and enjoy life as it comes. Though we can see that those times are coming to an end...
[ The language she uses doesn't directly make specific assumptions about his past and life before, so she peeks up again with an inquisitive glint in her eyes, studying his expression. ]
So...they're basically saying things were a lot easier for you back then. Pre-Fracture? [ Back when he could ski and play music and drink the night away.
Her expression softens a little. ]
Shall we move on to the present?
the fool will be HEARD
Which is perfect, really, because Sciel begins her reading and Verso finds himself in need of all the composure, all the armour, all the poker-faced interest that he can summon forth.
At the time it was true – he had thought he was exceptionally fortunate. Even with the imperfections of his life, even with the strains of being a Dessendre, even as he struggled, sometimes, to figure out the paths he wanted to walk, he had enough sense to know that his life was a good life, fulfilling in most of the ways he needed it to be.
Now, though, it's still true in the sense that he carries those feeling inside of him, but learning the reality of the world and his place within it has caused them to warp and discolour, and he considers what Sciel is saying in that light more so than the other. Someone who was set up to have everything they needed. Someone who was created to be comfortable. Someone whose ignorance was a form of innocence and whose loyalty to the woman who's caused all this suffering remains in place to this fucking date, even if that loyalty is different from how she'd ever have wanted it to be.
He swallows down a sigh and offers up a response.]
Pretty much, yeah. The world was my oyster and all that.
[Except that there were no pearls to find because that was his role, granted to him by his mother. Another sigh is lost to his stubbornness; another reply is offered in its place.]
Let's.
no subject
Ten of Wands, reversed. [ She frowns slightly, idly tapping a finger on the table. ] ...Wands generally are associated with strength, determination. Inspiration. And fire, which-... I don't think I need to tell you the kinds of things associated with fire.
[ Helpful, or destructive. Symbolic of everything from enthusiasm to sex. She doesn't make use of the opportunity to flirt since she's at least trying to provide as legitimate a reading as possible, as promised. ]
So, the Ten. [ He'll see on its face that it features a man trying (struggling) to carry an unwieldy bundle of sticks. ] Reversed. The cards say...you're taking on too much by yourself. Neglecting the resources around you, burning yourself out under the weight of it all. [ There's a pause before she adds, lightly -- and while keeping her eyes to the card -- ] Sometimes this is because the burden is private, and you don't feel like you can share it, even if you wanted to. But...if it's any consolation, however you handle it, it won't last forever. You'll be able to set it all down before too long.
[ Finally she looks up, sharp green eyes rising to meet his, should he look back at her. ]
This is the kind of 'dark and personal' I was talking about, by the way. [ Her features soften again: she isn't pressing, only joking. Sciel is well aware that readings, even done for fun, can stir up some things that were for the recipient to sort through, and not for her to poke at.
...Much. ]
And...what the cards think of your future?
no subject
Still, he crooks a halved smile and shoots a halved shrug, both saying you have no idea in a language he doesn't expect her to understand, a language shared between himself and his other.]
Yeah, I'd say I've dealt with enough fire to last a few lifetimes.
[Said easily, as if there's no greater meaning to it than needing fire to stay warm, to light the night, to prepare meals. As if the only flames that have ever harmed him are those cast his way by the Nevrons.
As Sciel continues her reading, Verso leans further back, crossing an ankle over a knee, maintaining his unbothered affectations, an ever-increasingly difficult prospect as her insights keep landing on target, resonating through him blow after blow after blow. It's the last part that hits him the hardest, though, the thought of setting everything down before too long. A trickle of relief works its way through him, a shudder of dread making its own presence known, though only to himself. He does not want to live. He does not want anyone to die. If only both were possible.
All the same, the way she throws them back to the whole dark and personal thing earns a genuine laugh, light and soft, rooted in something incredulous though, again, he's able to mask it in time.]
You're never going to let that go, are you?
[The tone of his voice suggests that he doesn't mind, even if he remains a bit wary. His masks may have started chafing around Sciel, but they're still comfortable, still familiar, still things he's reluctant to shed. Even if he suspects that she's intuitive enough to see right through them.
Those thoughts find him fidgeting with his thumb, but it's slight enough that he barely notices it himself.]
Hit me.
no subject
Not yet. [ Maybe someday! But probably not.
Speaking of the future... She flips a final card, laying it beside the Ten of Wands in the line so that his past, present, and future are all neatly displayed between them. ]
Queen of Wands, reversed. [ There's an interested little 'hmm' at that. ] The deck really associates you with this suit, then. [ Sciel files that little tidbit away, as a point of curiosity. ] Right. This suggests...you'll reach a point of confidence in the future, one where you're more secure in your personal truth than you are now. You'll be aware of how others feel, or what they stand for, but those opinions won't sway you. At this point, there'll be a clear idea of 'success' in your mind, but it may not be one that you share with others.
[ ... ]
...It can also mean you might withdraw a bit more than usual, spending some time...reflecting. More of a bystander or a spectator while other things are in motion. It's this time apart that'll help solidify the confidence I mentioned, and...to help you really figure out who 'you' are, outside of others' expectations. Whatever those may be.
[ There's a pause for the requisite gravitas of a tarot reading, and then she leans back in her seat with what's intended to be a reassuring smile, though with a curious glance his way. ]
So...the cards think you were someone who used to live with a lot more freedom of spirit than you have now, who's since taken on quite a lot of...burdens, if not responsibilities, which you're slow to share with others. And that, soon, you'll be able to set those things down and feel secure in doing so, even if you're the only one who feels that way.
[ Sciel doesn't ask what he thinks about it all. She merely summarizes, returning both hands to her lap and giving him a minute to chew on the reading as he will, allowing her attention to drift to the train's decor and its cozy, warm interior.
...Well, maybe it isn't her attention that drifts: just her eyes. Because she's very much still thinking about the cards, and about Verso, and about how it all might fit in her assessment of the man thus far... ]
no subject
Having come into this with few expectations beyond that original it'll probably be fine has left him at a bit of a disadvantage. Maybe he ought to have considered the possibility that the cards would lay out the trajectory of his life with the simplicity of describing the sky as blue and dirt as brown, but then he might have talked himself out of this and gone for something dumb and inconsequential like whether he'd ever exact his vengeance against Serpenphare.
And besides, Sciel isn't wrong; he does owe her something more than another flippant skirting of the dark and the personal.
He owes her more than a downplaying of the reading, too, so he doesn't try to deny anything she says, acting like the cards have missed their mark, perhaps cracking an obnoxious joke about how he must be a mystery even to them. Still, it's hard for him to outright admit that the reading resonates with him, never mind how deeply, so he hints at it instead, still a bit of a coward when it comes to revealing the parts of himself he doesn't think he could ever explain.]
Okay, now get them to tell me where I left my book of sheet music. The one with the purple leather jacket.
[But even if the words feel safe, they don't feel right. So, he shifts back into something more upfront, more sincere.]
No, seriously, it was insightful. I can see why you turn to them for guidance. But you got me curious about something else, so I want to seek some of your wisdom, too: Being associated with... Wands, right? Is it noteworthy or nah?
[He hasn't forgotten about the dual reading; he owes it Sciel to not simply rush past his and into hers as well.]
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Sadly, I think that lies beyond their abilities. [ He does seem appreciative of what had come from the reading, though, taking it to heart in what's honestly the most appropriate way: acknowledging, weighing the words, but holding them at a distance. Fortune is fickle, and such things should guide a person's life, not rule it. ]
Noteworthy? Hmm. [ Sciel cocks her head as she considers the question. ] It depends what you mean. They seem relevant to you in the context of the reading. Any other meaning...is really given to it based on how you internalize what I said. Know what I mean? Each suit has its own unique associations, but they can all be significant to a person, or in a given situation. So: I think it sounds like it aligns well with what little I know of you, but people aren't one-dimensional. If I'd drawn two cards from Cups, I'm sure we could draw conclusions that made sense there, too.
[ There's always meaning to be found in these things, no matter the result. For someone well-practiced in the art, anyway. ]
I guess I owe you some of what these cards have to say about me, then, yeah? [ Her hand hovers over The Fool for a moment before she pulls it back to rest on the edge of the table, gaze drifting again to the window.
Sciel has no problem revealing most of herself, when it comes up, but there are some things...she still holds close to her chest. ]
...The Fool's an easy one for someone's past since it's tied to beginnings. [ Her head turns again, focus returning to the card in question, which she picks up and holds between two fingers. ] But, since it has no number like the rest of the Major Arcana, it can also represent the entirety of a person's journey through life. Useful, no?
[ As for what it says about her history... ]
It could honestly work for a lot of things. Marriage, teaching, setting off on the expedition. [ The card flips back and forth as her fingers twitch; Sciel is clearly lost in thought, drifting back through time a bit and not seeing the beautiful train car around them, or the man who'd brought them there. ] It suggests a leap of faith. About...taking the next step even when you don't feel ready.
[ The card is often associated, too, with free spirits, as many would consider her to be. ]
I think it sums up well a lot of my life. It's natural to worry about a big change, but you should just go for it. That's this card's suggestion, anyway. And everything'll be okay. [ ... ] ...No, that's not it. Everything...will work out the way it will.
[ Not a comforting distinction for everyone, but she seems perfectly at peace with it. ]
I wouldn't be here, otherwise. [ Is how she wraps up this section of her dual reading, seeming to return to the moment with the warmth of her expression now turned his way. ]
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[He really does miss that sheet music.
Verso thinks he understands what Sciel is saying – that it's more about the sequence than the suit – which finds him nodding along by the end, a little tentatively given his inexperience, but not in a way that might come across as being lost or confused. Still, he holds back from seeking that little bit of clarity through confirmation or correction. The way she answers his question has made him realise that he doesn't really want to know. That little bit of mystery gives everything more depth for him to sink into. It reasserts how comfortable he is in her presence.]
Right. That makes sense. [Is what he offers in the end.] It's a feeling, not a formula.
[Another reassertion comes as she transitions into her own reading: he is still very curious to learn more about her. A desire that does soften, somewhat, over the way she almost seems to hesitate, how her gaze travels away. Not because he doesn't want to know about her own darkness, her own personal secrets she doesn't often share, but rather because the tone of his anticipation has necessarily shifted into something less intrigued and more present.
A feeling that lingers as she continues speaking, half wandering somewhere that Verso can't follow her into.
When she corrects herself, though, some of that newfound tension dissipates. Maybe it's not the most universally comforting notion, that things will simply be and that being won't always mean better, but Verso finds it resonates more with him. He's grown too weary of fantasy, too familiar with the kinds of harm it causes. He'd rather buy into the notion that everything has its end.
Her final observation gives him pause, though. Here can mean a great many things. And so without really thinking about what he's asking – thank you, long-dormant social skills – he just goes ahead and speaks.]
Here as in...?
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[ It's a simple reply, a short one, but there's something that's difficult to discern there. Sciel has fixed him with her full attention, expression particularly relaxed. She often appears at ease, but this is one of those times where the daily difficulties and dangers they face truly feel as though they've been left at the bottom of the mountain, and they can just...live.
The interior of the car is now cozier than ever, and the wonderland outside continues to glisten with ethereal beauty. If a person were a romantic, they might recognize that things have naturally played out such that it's an ideal scenario to test certain waters. ...Sciel is still primarily occupied with completing her own reading, but she lets herself (again) unabashedly appreciate Verso's many attractive features where they exist in front of her. What ties them all together in a particularly-appealing package are the moments of zeal she's seen from him as they've talked more, when he lets his guard down a little to enthuse about his past, his passions, the things he wants to be able to show her in the world.
Those playful eyes return to the cards. And though she would never manipulate the cards, there's no harm in adding flavour to the reading that may help with her increasingly-appealing ulterior motive, should the opportunity arise. ]
Ten of Wands. [ With a small flash of Chroma, The Fool returns to its place in line, and the card representing her present appears in its place between her waiting fingers. ] Well, to be honest, this probably works for any expeditioner. "Share the load with others, don't go at it alone." I think I'm alright here, but it's a good reminder. [ Easy to fall into the trap of trying to take on too much to keep the burden off others' shoulders, particularly with Maelle, who they all so desperately want to keep safe.
There's another pause as she realizes another of the implications of this card that she'd ascribed to him, and which would be, perhaps, hypocritical to keep from herself. So she chooses her path at the crossroads, adopting a tone that suggests she's willing to say as much, but not elaborate: ] ...Like everybody, I've got some...things from the past that are still weighing on me. That's no surprise.
[ He knows she'd had a husband who'd died. He knows about Gustave, obviously, and the rest of the 33s. Any one of those things alone would be enough to warrant the assessment, even without...
The Ten of Wands is encouragement to share those painful memories, and so begin to heal. But when she imagines telling Verso...
No. It's too soon. The idea makes her feel sick. ]
It may also be a sign to purge that which isn't serving you, which I'm taking to mean I need to go through my bag and declutter a bit.
[ Now who's being flippant and evasive? ]
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It's left to prickle as he catches her observing him again; this time, it's not shyness that dominates his reaction, but rather intrigue and interest, a new kind of light brightening his eyes.]
It is a very nice train car.
[And the company even better. The tone of his expression shifts as she continues her own reading but it doesn't lessen; in fact, it blooms when she follows up with the darker side of the implications, though it dims as well as the distance to her voice registers. An acknowledgement, then, and not an invitation. This time, Verso holds himself back from asking.
And maybe that final sentiment is a bit flippant, but Verso meets it with gentle laughter, unbothered.]
Yeah, well, let me know if you do; I'm running low on just about everything.
[Life on the Continent do be like that.
Now, he leans forward, elbows on the table, hands folded, chin resting on his thumbs. Though his lips are a bit obscured, there's no hiding how he smiles, amused and content and curious, awaiting whatever tidbit she'll offer up next.]
So. Confidence now, right?
[Said with his own confidence, perhaps a bit out of place considering how little he actually knows about the cards. But whatever. He still wouldn't mind being corrected.]
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(Maybe it should be intentional, though. He'd probably like it.) ]
Right. [ Sciel replies slowly, and this time she sets the Ten down manually and replaces it with the Queen, holding it upside down to indicate its reversed state. ] I know myself, and I need to use that personal comfort to make my next move. To take action with the security that it's the right thing for me, no matter what other expectations may exist.
[ For example: it's probably ill-advised to get involved in anything remotely in this arena as an expeditioner, given the not-unrealistic chance she's killed tomorrow, or in a few days, or next week. But...hey, if the cards are saying fuck it, then fuck it, right?
This reading of her future says "you're too focused outward; look within." And when she does, it's no surprise, really, what's waiting for her. So she sets the card down again, sweeping a hand over the line to disappear all three, laying the surface between them bare.
Confidence now, right? ]
...I like the little stove, [ She remarks, apropos of nothing. Her eyes are not on the stove, though, and are instead locked to his...before drifting deliberately down to his lips, and then back. ] But I could be warmer.
[ Sciel feels her intentions are clear, but that would remain to be seen. He might needed it spelled out further, which she'd happily oblige. He may also not be interested, which...she realizes will have its pang of disappointment, but she'll get over it. Whatever happens, she's enjoyed their time together so far. But...to not seize the opportunity that this reading has afforded her would've been a waste.
À toi de jouer, Verso. ]
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Subconsciously, his tongue slips out to wet them. His own gaze never leaves her eyes, though, if only because he's too captivated by how she looks at him to be able to bear looking away.
It's her comment on the stove that drives everything home, that fills him with unignorable bursts of nervousness and excitement and a kind of adrenaline that he hasn't felt in entirely too long. An obnoxious voice at the back of his head tries to get him to question whether she just means to have him add more wood to the fire, but he latches on to that I like it, but... with rare fervency. It means something, he thinks and feels and wishes and dreams, that only the weakest of his doubts can deny.
He leans back again, his expression almost shifting into one of deep concentration. He is a weak, weak man, though, and it's been a long time since anyone's hinted at the kind of interest Sciel has – fuck, he hopes he's not misreading things – so it's a bit more wild than not, brimming with freedom.]
Mm, we can't have that. Allow me.
[An offering he makes as he slides himself out of the booth and scoots in beside Sciel. Who, he observes, doesn't look at him like he's lost his mind, or try to pull away, or do anything that might signal that he's got the wrong impression. His heartbeat thunders all the more in his chest, but he's able to maintain most of his composure.]
I've been told I run hot, you know.
[Proximity can only accomplish so much; they both know that, and Verso's not going to sit back like a coward and lean on Sciel to confirm that proximity alone isn't going to be nearly enough. Ever increasingly emboldened, he hooks a finger under her chin and brushes his thumb across her lips.]
But, I could stand to be warmer, too.
[Soon, very soon, that graze of his thumb makes way for the press of his lips, and his breath goes forgotten in that first moment of contact, the kiss sure and yet unsure, eager and yet patient, featherlight even as his free hand moves to the back of Sciel's neck, fingers gently curling around the dangling strands of her ponytail as he holds her just a bit closer.]
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Eyes don't lie. Her mantra. And when Sciel sees the subtle change in Verso's expression, she realizes that they are, in fact, on the same page about this. Her own features shift a little in turn: eyes widening slightly, brows lifting in pleasant disbelief, lips pulling upward. It's somehow unexpected enough that just the sustained eye contact, followed by the slight (perhaps unintentional) flick of his tongue, has her pulse quicken a little with anticipation.
No, she hasn't gone without this type of thing as long as her immortal companion, but there's still something to the way the prospect makes her feel that's more akin to the butterflies of a more inexperienced lover.
...Maybe it's to do with the setting after all. The snow, the train...the setup from the reading...it really is all very helpfully creating the kind of ambiance that lends itself to whatever is about to happen.
Sciel watches him like a hawk as he slips out of his side of the booth and into her own, sitting closer than he ever has. They're usually opposite each other on occasions like these, and if they're side by side, it's usually doing something like standing and staring at the monolith, and always at a respectful distance. But she turns in her seat as he approaches, moving a hand to cup her chin, brushing across her lips, and there is very little that's respectful about what she thinks of it all.
Oh, well done. Though the comment nearly has her roll her eyes, she instead settles on a low chuckle. And then, finally, the moment comes.
He's closed the gap, putting himself a bit on the line even with the confidence that their thinly-veiled flirting allowed, so she'll seal the deal. Communicate without words that yes, absolutely, this is something she, at least, is sure of. So as she returns the kiss, she savours the initial, almost tentative press of his lips for a while before deepening it. Her head tilts just so (carefully, so as not to knock loose his hand at the nape of her neck), mouth parting slightly more to allow him access. He'll feel no questions or uncertainty from her, at this point: only the confidence the cards had laid out for them both and the confirmation that he had, in fact, previously noticed and read her signals correctly.
Her fingers wind into his unruly hair, tangling needily there, though not painfully so. The other hand slips along his jawline, thumbing absently at his beard as she hums against his kiss, committing each new sensation to memory. ]
Mm — I can see why you liked the trains so much. [ She teases breathlessly, in one of the brief periods she surfaces again. ] The service really is something.
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Besides, he will not do Sciel the disservice of regretting her: a sentiment that asserts itself when the kiss breaks and he lifts his hand from her neck to smooth the hair that's framing her face.
He will, however, do her the disservice of his own train lines.]
Wait until we get moving. [Verso, no.] Any thoughts on where you'd like to get off?
[Verso.
Somehow, though, he says it earnestly, gently. The tone of a man whose loneliness always seems to start him off way too deep, but one who, in consequence, is so very cautious of keeping himself afloat, at her level. So, he catches his breath, and he tests the swell of his kiss-stung lips with another graze of his tongue, and he tries not to think about how close their mouths still are to one another, how easy it would be to lean just a bit forward and kiss an answer out of her instead.]
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She'll largely leave the train jokes to him, given that she has much less material to work with, but she can at least make an initial effort. He's very cute, for one thing, and having a romantic encounter on a train is possibly a dream of his, so why not help to make it all it can be? ]
Mm... I'd like to see how far it can take me, but I'm in no hurry. I might want to ride it until the end.
[ He's so close. It's...nice having him so close. Sciel's love language is touch, and that has always shown in her interactions with the others: an affirming squeeze of the hand, a playful knock to the shoulder, a flurry of affectionate, yet platonic kisses. This encounter is different in some ways, but not in others. It's...an extension of her natural instincts to reach out and grasp his knee during their game of piquet. To be close to those she cares about.
And she does care, of course. Her love may not be as straightforward or traditional as the romance of a fairy tale, but it is present all the same. Right now, that affection manifests in the abject physical desire she feels, now happily certain that she will have an opportunity to dive deeper into the charming enigma that is Verso.
Sciel leans back slightly, but only so she can shed the outer layer she'd manifested; it slips off her shoulders and onto the seat, half-falling to the floor below the table. The stove he lit has warmed her sufficiently from the outside, and the fire he's ignited continues to warm her from within.
Quickly enough, she's back in place, tantalizingly close, moving a hand to splay against his chest and the many layers that separate skin from skin. As she'd said, she's in no rush, but surely he's uncomfortable in the coat, at least? ]
If you wanted to lose some of the uniform, I won't report you. [ To, you know, whoever the conductor's boss is. Her smile goes playful at this, and though she wants very much to close the distance and taste him again, she'll at least let him do away with the jacket before doing so, stealing his lips for another heated bout. ]
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[Later, Verso might reflect on how easily Sciel manages to make him feel at peace, how her natural way of being reminds him to embrace his own. This moment is about over-observing and over-thinking; it doesn't find him calling to mind how long it's been since he's felt a lover's touch, or whether he'll be able to live up to whatever exists behind the peal of her laughter or the gleam in her eyes.
Really, he just lets himself watch her undress – even if she stops at her jacket – and he thinks about whether she can feel his heartbeat beneath his chest as he works his own jacket open, a finicky effort with the all the fastening and belts and the sash, but one he's familiar enough with that it doesn't take overly long before he's sliding everything off down arms and onto the floor behind him, letting it pool on the floor.
And he could move on from there, ridding himself of his vest at least, but he has the same idea as she does – that it's been one too many moments since their lips parted – and so he's all too eager to busy his hands with her, one back in her hair, the other resting just above her knee. This kiss doesn't break so much as it moves, Verso trailing wet kisses down to her pulse point where he lingers, rumbling a hum against her skin.]
Now... How much is some?
[Lightly, very lightly, he tests the waters by nipping at her neck, soothing the spot over with another kiss afterward.]
You might have to show me, I'm a bit preoccupied.
[Back up he goes along the slant of her jaw, up to her ear, which receives his attention now, one hand rising up to twirl her hair between his fingers, keeping it out of his way.]
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All this can help to "survive," in her words to the younger expeditioner, but in this situation, "thrive" is much more apt.
She hums against his mouth before the kiss breaks, after which the sigh-like sound he elicits with his wandering affections is open to the air. Each progression of this dreamlike, snowballing scenario sparks fresh excitement within her, and he'll be able to taste the insistent pulse at her neck as he roams, teasing her with his teeth, balancing it with another series of kisses, butterfly-light. ]
I can manage that. [ He's kindly already done away with the bulky coat, so she busies herself with the fastenings of the vest. Removing it entirely will unfortunately mean he'll need to lean back somewhat, taking him away from where he'd been nipping at her ear and sending a fresh wave of pleasant shivers through the rest of her, but it's a necessary step. Gently, regretfully, she eases him back a little once there's opportunity for it...though, again, she feels no rush. It may as well be that the world outside this train and its surrounding landscape no longer exist, as far as she's concerned right now. ]
Get that off, [ She instructs, indicating the vest, all maîtresse and efficiency. ] and the gloves next, yeah? I want to really feel you.
[ It's a nice start, with the warmth of his fingertips coming through, but not nearly enough.
He can keep the rest of it on...for the moment. One thing at a time, as she drinks up every new view of him while also luxuriating under the heat of his breath, his tongue. ]
I'm especially interested to see how your musical background comes into play. [ There's a bit of a heady look at that as she taps each of the fingers of the hand at his thigh, one by one, against him, as if plunking a rudimentary scale.
She doesn't specify whether it's his dexterous fingers, breath control, or both that she's got in mind. ]
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He rolls up his sleeves, too – a reflex rather than anything with real intent – before leaning back in to stroke his freed knuckles across her cheek. And it's right there at the fore of his impulses, the thought to go right back to kissing her again, but she mentions his music and he stumbles into a moment of trying to figure out what she means instead. Not a long moment, fortunately, and he laughs as she plays his thigh, ignoring the way his cock twitches and his scalp feels like it's forming constellations at the implication, and taking her hand, kissing the tips of her fingers in a mirror of her scale.]
And I wouldn't mind seeing you dance.
[Despite all the innuendo, he remains too much of a gentleman to encourage Sciel to shed more of her own layers. But he does pull her into another collision of their lips, fingers of one hand grasping a little tighter at her hair, thumb of the other stroking semi-circles over her shirt, just grazing the underside of her breast.]
Get comfortable.
[Said at the next break, tone low and lips still grazing hers as he speaks. He deliberately leaves it open to her interpretation, and he shifts slightly away from her to better navigate their shared space.]
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I'm confident you'll see some dancing. [ She murmurs. The intercessions of his lips at each of her fingertips earns him a breathy, almost labored exhale; her hands have their share of callouses from the farming days of the past and the fighting of the present, but the brush of his mouth there is unexpectedly tender.
That Verso is as sharp with his flirting as he is with his usual banter isn't surprising, but each return volley in their little tête-à-tête makes her smile all the more. Her eager, vivid eyes drop down briefly to the (lack of) space between them before dragging up again to meet his, head cocked a little in consideration.
The 'suggestion,' in that tone, sends a little thrill coursing up her spine, and her lips part in an a conspiratorial smirk. Without a word -- and without taking her eyes off him -- she shifts back a little in the booth, getting to work. The short jacket has its share of belts and complications, but her nimble fingers make short work of that, and she shrugs it off to fall alongside her coat on the ground below. Next, in a flash, the one glove from her right arm is added to the heap. There's a little pause before a hand sneaks around her back, working effortlessly before returning to pull her cropped shirt over her head, taking the bra beneath with it, and only making a little bit of a show of the whole thing.
Sciel remains where she sits, scooted back against the cool glass of the train window, one knee bent on the seat in front of her. Then, with her usual, mischievous grin, she crooks a finger his way. ]
S'te plaît?
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It's hard not to when she makes everything feel so damned easy.
So, he holds her gaze for a while, then leans back on his hand and makes no attempt to hide that he's watching her undress, that troublesome tongue of his back to perching on his bottom lip.]
Merde, you're beautiful.
[Tanned skin and toned muscle, that tattoo cascading down her chest, that scar almost reaching to join with its linework, that confidence, that wondrous, empowering confidence that makes him want to keep matching her stride for stride, to earn his place here in the train car with her, occupying the exact same space.
Even when she's settled into place, he takes a moment to take her in before he leans back forward, sliding himself in between the leg on the seat and the leg elsewhere. Like this, he grasps that beckoning hand with a lacing of their fingers, then pins it – gently, loosely, to hold in his own and not to keep down – as he lowers himself against her to capture her lips in their Nth kiss of the evening, long and lingering. His free hand makes its way to her waist, resting there in a soft splay at first before moving up to cup her breast, running along it to the rhythm of their kiss, touch grazing her nipple without ever really focusing on it.
He ends the kiss by mouthing his way away, over her chin down her neck, lower, lower, to the neglected breast. His tongue laps an almost-circle around her nipple and the noise that follows is a rumble of contentment. The softness of her skin, its warmth, the way her breast yields even to the light pressure of his tongue – it all has him soon moving for more, kissing and sucking and licking at one breast and maintaining his softer ministrations of the other, brimming with hunger and self-expression and freedom and the kind of humanity he sometimes forgets still thrives inside of him, lonely and beaten down as it's grown over the decades.
Ah, but that's a thought for later, tossed atop the pile of all the other things he can't bear to think about, now. He feels good and all he wants, all that matters, is for her to feel the same.]
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Things are a little different today, though. The core of her intent, and its casual nature, haven't changed. But...he'd made such an effort leading them here, talking her through all of the elements of their surroundings in way that brought the icing-dust wonderland around them to more vivid life. And the train, of course: it all comes together in a display that had brought her so much joy that it's only fair, she thinks, that she return the favor with an effort, a display, of her own.
If they again find themselves a messy, heated tangle of bodies again sometime, she imagines she'll be very happy with the result. If afterward they never speak of this again, then she'll certainly respect his wishes and move along, as she always has. For now, though...
Verso scoots in closer and she shifts slightly, her bare chest a waiting invitation. An invitation that he accepts without delay, taking one breast into his hand as his lips find hers again, capturing her mouth in easy conquest. Sciel makes a light, needy sound against him as he idly fingers her nipple, which is already hard between the cold that manages to seep in from the glass behind her and his dexterous touch. ]
I've been thinking about what it'd feel like, having those clever fingers on me. [ Sciel says, low, against his ear before he dips farther down. The lathe of his tongue on the other breast earns him a sharp inhale, then an amorous exhale to match. ] And that clever tongue, too.
[ Sciel rarely suffers from self-consciousness, and now is no exception. She utters each sigh and moan as he earns it, unabashedly making it clear that what he's doing feels good, that her body is ever-hungry for more. One hand winds its way again in the tousled curls, gripping with a little more neediness than before, while the other slips down his back, drawing a fistful of the shirt in her grasp. ]
Mm -- you do run hot. [ She breathes, chest rising and falling in a more pronounced way with his affections, her blood hammering just beneath the skin. ] I'm sure you're uncomfortable in all that, yeah?
[ It's up to him what, or how much, he'd prefer to shed next. In the meantime, she begins to find herself increasingly torn between wanting to continue enjoying their slow, deeply enjoyable exploration of each other and desiring intensely to liberate them both from the rest of their uniforms and lower herself onto his lap right now).
She has no idea which part of her will win out, but either way she comes out on top. ]
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You have, huh?
[Whether his fingers and his tongue have been on her mind for a short while or a longer one, it's a nice thought, the idea that maybe while he was off scouting and she was curled up by the fire – or vice-versa – they were connected by having these shared flames to stoke inside themselves, each giving off little sparks for the other to collect. And being seen as someone other than the whats and whys and lies of his existence is always a good feeling, even if it is one that he often questions whether he deserves.
No questions plague his mind now – or at least none about himself and whether he belongs here with Sciel. Even to him, it's clear that he does, and so he rumbles again at the notion of having to part so he can address his state of dress, hardly wanting to move. The cause is good though – very good – and as he pulls away yet again and starts working himself free of his clothes, the quirk to his smile makes it clear how invested he is in this next step.]
What else have you been thinking about?
[The shirt comes off first and relatively fast owing to its perpetually half-unbuttoned state. Once it's been tossed aside, making an unceremonious landing on the floor, he makes similarly quick work of his boots and his socks. A pause before he takes off his pants, though, thumbs lingering beneath the waistband of both them and his underwear.]
Because, you see, I've been thinking about giving you whatever you want.
[As for what he wants, in this moment it's simple: for this to be the last time he has to pull away from her to handle something else. So, when he does start taking off his pants, the underwear goes with them, and he stands there naked for a moment, unbothered by it as he kicks everything he's shed aside, before he leans back over her again, one hand making its way towards the topmost fastening of her own pants.]
Now who's overdressed? May I...?
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