((This post references this phone call and this voicemail message.))
February 10th
Finding him alone in the evenings was not unusual. This one was no different. Perched on the edge of the desk, with his back to the window and facing the door, he held his dormant phone in his hands. Thumb whisked across the screen, smoothing fingerprints. He'd had time to let Salome's message sink in. Where once he was not concerned about speaking to Lenore, he now felt a slight tightness in the base of his chest. He was sure that waiting around with nothing to do wasn't helping, but the time to leave had passed and venturing out to train now would only leave him distracted.
They each had their habits, tasks to handle and things that had to be done, but they always ended up crossing paths at some point and that time was now. Lenore didn't make a sound on her way down the hallway outside their door even if her disheveled appearance gave her the look of a drunk tottering her way home. Jeans pulled on, a black v-neck tee, her black zip-up tossed over her shoulder and black boots in hand leaving her feet bare. Her blue locks were windwhipped into a lion's mane framing her pale face with her cheeks and nose bitten a light shade of pink. She looked a mess, but she also looked like she couldn't have been happier. Their door is unlocked and she shoves the key back into her pocket while shouldering her way into the room, bright golden eyes burning even brighter when they catch sight of him at the desk. "Crispin," Delight obvious in her tone while she closes the door behind herself and sets down her boots. "I figured you would be gone by now, training. This is a nice surprise."
His own clothing was rarely anything remarkable. His own feet were bare, the black stretch of a Mark peeking from beneath the right cuff of his own dark jeans. Customary thread thin, white shirt on his torso. V neck baring his throat, the shadows of further Marks littering his skin beneath. He looks up at the sound of the door; expectant, excited, and the sight of her does not disappoint. Were it not for what he had to say to her. Easy smile, he sets his phone aside. "It's a bit early for that, I think. Did you enjoy yourself?"
She strolls further into the room to drop her hoodie off on the bed before continuing over to him, hands reaching out to grasp at the fabric of his t-shirt at this abdomen when she's close enough, pawing. The cold hangs off her, staying at the surface and never getting beneath her skin, like oil and water. The warmth that constantly radiates from within her is working as hard as ever to chase away the remaining chill that clings to her. "Is it?" She had her own internal clock, her own little appointments to adhere to, but it failed her when it came to him and his preferred time to train. "That's fine. That gives me plenty of time to try to convince you to skip it for the night." Smile widening. "I did. I've been taking it easy on my hand since the last time and I can tell it's improving. It's still a little tender but not what it once was. What have you been doing? Waiting for me?" She's kidding, really, and she leans forward to nudge to her nose to his chest to accompany the joke.
His smile is just as easy to maintain with the pawing motions of her hands, like she did not know what to do with whatever she was feeling. "I tend to like saying good night first before I spend the rest of the early morning hours away." Palms smooth back over the wild spray of blue framing her face. There's a waterfall of tangles that he's careful to keep his fingers from catching in. His hands find rests at the sides of her throat, in the warm slope between neck and shoulder. "I was, actually. I rarely do anything else when I'm alone."
"It's a habit I like as well, but since I've already admitted I enjoy making your choice to leave a difficult one I couldn't begin to blame you for leaving one night without wanting to deal with my attempted swaying of your better judgement." The petting of his hands across her hair makes a content purr hum at her lips which are angled upward to meet his in a gentle kiss when he finishes speaking. "If that's the case, did you have plans for what you wanted to do now that I've returned? We could go get some food if you're hungry. Or even just some tea from downstairs." Thick lips spread into a sly smile. "Or we can entertain ourselves by witchlight."
Chuckling, "Don't worry. If I feel the need, I'll change my schedule to accommodate your desires of winning me over." He keeps his mouth pressed to hers a moment longer than such a lighthearted kiss would have lasted, cradling her cheeks in warm, callus roughened palms. Nose meets nose after they part. "Tempting... Every offer, tempting. But before we get into any of that..." Drawing his hands down to rest briefly on the lines of her collarbones, smoothing down her shoulders. But there was a slight pressure put against her, to ease distance between them. "I've something to tell you. Sit?" Moving his foot off of the seat of the chair to make room for her.
"It's a wise compromise, though I will still call it a success in my favor and crown myself the victor whether it's by actual winning or not." She speaks so much of them going off and doing anything else but his lips and his hands keep her firmly in place before him, not making any effort to pull away. Instead her nose moves to brush against his in return. That is until he's the one moving, the one making her take a step backwards. The emotions flicker over her features in rapid-fire, so easy to be missed if one wasn't paying attention. Irritation that her comfortable spot against him was taken away, just a little wounded, but the reigning emotion is worry. "Is everything alright?" She huffs immediately following the question, entirely at herself knowing that if she only takes a seat he will explain. Did she want to sit down for this? She looks conflicted now but even so she moves on auto-pilot stepping aside and turning to sink down into the nearby chair, barely settled before she's rephrasing her question. "What's wrong?" Maybe it's not right to assume the worst, but this doesn't feel like a prompt for something good coming her way.
((Thank you to Crispin))
February 10th
Finding him alone in the evenings was not unusual. This one was no different. Perched on the edge of the desk, with his back to the window and facing the door, he held his dormant phone in his hands. Thumb whisked across the screen, smoothing fingerprints. He'd had time to let Salome's message sink in. Where once he was not concerned about speaking to Lenore, he now felt a slight tightness in the base of his chest. He was sure that waiting around with nothing to do wasn't helping, but the time to leave had passed and venturing out to train now would only leave him distracted.
They each had their habits, tasks to handle and things that had to be done, but they always ended up crossing paths at some point and that time was now. Lenore didn't make a sound on her way down the hallway outside their door even if her disheveled appearance gave her the look of a drunk tottering her way home. Jeans pulled on, a black v-neck tee, her black zip-up tossed over her shoulder and black boots in hand leaving her feet bare. Her blue locks were windwhipped into a lion's mane framing her pale face with her cheeks and nose bitten a light shade of pink. She looked a mess, but she also looked like she couldn't have been happier. Their door is unlocked and she shoves the key back into her pocket while shouldering her way into the room, bright golden eyes burning even brighter when they catch sight of him at the desk. "Crispin," Delight obvious in her tone while she closes the door behind herself and sets down her boots. "I figured you would be gone by now, training. This is a nice surprise."
His own clothing was rarely anything remarkable. His own feet were bare, the black stretch of a Mark peeking from beneath the right cuff of his own dark jeans. Customary thread thin, white shirt on his torso. V neck baring his throat, the shadows of further Marks littering his skin beneath. He looks up at the sound of the door; expectant, excited, and the sight of her does not disappoint. Were it not for what he had to say to her. Easy smile, he sets his phone aside. "It's a bit early for that, I think. Did you enjoy yourself?"
She strolls further into the room to drop her hoodie off on the bed before continuing over to him, hands reaching out to grasp at the fabric of his t-shirt at this abdomen when she's close enough, pawing. The cold hangs off her, staying at the surface and never getting beneath her skin, like oil and water. The warmth that constantly radiates from within her is working as hard as ever to chase away the remaining chill that clings to her. "Is it?" She had her own internal clock, her own little appointments to adhere to, but it failed her when it came to him and his preferred time to train. "That's fine. That gives me plenty of time to try to convince you to skip it for the night." Smile widening. "I did. I've been taking it easy on my hand since the last time and I can tell it's improving. It's still a little tender but not what it once was. What have you been doing? Waiting for me?" She's kidding, really, and she leans forward to nudge to her nose to his chest to accompany the joke.
His smile is just as easy to maintain with the pawing motions of her hands, like she did not know what to do with whatever she was feeling. "I tend to like saying good night first before I spend the rest of the early morning hours away." Palms smooth back over the wild spray of blue framing her face. There's a waterfall of tangles that he's careful to keep his fingers from catching in. His hands find rests at the sides of her throat, in the warm slope between neck and shoulder. "I was, actually. I rarely do anything else when I'm alone."
"It's a habit I like as well, but since I've already admitted I enjoy making your choice to leave a difficult one I couldn't begin to blame you for leaving one night without wanting to deal with my attempted swaying of your better judgement." The petting of his hands across her hair makes a content purr hum at her lips which are angled upward to meet his in a gentle kiss when he finishes speaking. "If that's the case, did you have plans for what you wanted to do now that I've returned? We could go get some food if you're hungry. Or even just some tea from downstairs." Thick lips spread into a sly smile. "Or we can entertain ourselves by witchlight."
Chuckling, "Don't worry. If I feel the need, I'll change my schedule to accommodate your desires of winning me over." He keeps his mouth pressed to hers a moment longer than such a lighthearted kiss would have lasted, cradling her cheeks in warm, callus roughened palms. Nose meets nose after they part. "Tempting... Every offer, tempting. But before we get into any of that..." Drawing his hands down to rest briefly on the lines of her collarbones, smoothing down her shoulders. But there was a slight pressure put against her, to ease distance between them. "I've something to tell you. Sit?" Moving his foot off of the seat of the chair to make room for her.
"It's a wise compromise, though I will still call it a success in my favor and crown myself the victor whether it's by actual winning or not." She speaks so much of them going off and doing anything else but his lips and his hands keep her firmly in place before him, not making any effort to pull away. Instead her nose moves to brush against his in return. That is until he's the one moving, the one making her take a step backwards. The emotions flicker over her features in rapid-fire, so easy to be missed if one wasn't paying attention. Irritation that her comfortable spot against him was taken away, just a little wounded, but the reigning emotion is worry. "Is everything alright?" She huffs immediately following the question, entirely at herself knowing that if she only takes a seat he will explain. Did she want to sit down for this? She looks conflicted now but even so she moves on auto-pilot stepping aside and turning to sink down into the nearby chair, barely settled before she's rephrasing her question. "What's wrong?" Maybe it's not right to assume the worst, but this doesn't feel like a prompt for something good coming her way.
((Thank you to Crispin))