Rosalind Lutece (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
originallutece) wrote2017-09-22 05:41 pm
originallutece) wrote2017-09-22 05:41 pm
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[Majima rolls up his socks and jams them into the toes of his shoes, then rests them against the inner jaw of the skull. When Ros tells him to turn around, he opens his mouth to question it until her hand goes for her skirt. He quickly spins to face toward the jungle, his feet dangling over the ridge of the skull's teeth.
He looks out over the canopy as he starts to unbutton his shirt. The cave isn't so high up that he can see past all of the trees, but the view is still mesmerizing-- the moon is mostly full over the basin the cave rests in, reflecting down on the water. The light bounces off the surface and ripples across the ceiling, while strange bird calls echo out from the darkness. Majima tosses his shirt over his shoes and looks down into the lagoon. It looks bottomless from up here, and the thought crosses his mind that it might be dangerous, but it doesn't stay there long. He stands up and plants his feet on two separate teeth.]
You good?
He looks out over the canopy as he starts to unbutton his shirt. The cave isn't so high up that he can see past all of the trees, but the view is still mesmerizing-- the moon is mostly full over the basin the cave rests in, reflecting down on the water. The light bounces off the surface and ripples across the ceiling, while strange bird calls echo out from the darkness. Majima tosses his shirt over his shoes and looks down into the lagoon. It looks bottomless from up here, and the thought crosses his mind that it might be dangerous, but it doesn't stay there long. He stands up and plants his feet on two separate teeth.]
You good?
[He's very polite, turning his back the moment he understands why she asks that of him. It's a little rude to return that politeness with an open stare, but nonetheless, that's what Rosalind does, staring with interest at the tattoo that spans his back and creeps over his shoulders. It extends past his trousers, and before she can stop herself she wonders how low it goes.
Which is a ridiculous thing to wonder.
Her stockings are set over her heels, and Rosalind shivers as her bare feet hit the ground. She's still in a skirt and blouse, but she feels dressed down.]
Yes, thank you.
[She doesn't glance over at him as she comes up beside him, very much aware of the fact he's in naught but his trousers.]
Age before beauty, I'd say, but I beat you on both counts. Go on.
Which is a ridiculous thing to wonder.
Her stockings are set over her heels, and Rosalind shivers as her bare feet hit the ground. She's still in a skirt and blouse, but she feels dressed down.]
Yes, thank you.
[She doesn't glance over at him as she comes up beside him, very much aware of the fact he's in naught but his trousers.]
Age before beauty, I'd say, but I beat you on both counts. Go on.
Oh, and now you give me too much credit, Rosalind. Your comfort is of middling concern to me overall.
[At least he's honest. But Ardyn moves then, his flame still going strong in his palm. Circling around to face her properly.]
But I cannot force your hand. A pact may require the consent of two, but to undo it? I'm inclined to believe that only needs the discontent of one.
[Kind of like a real marriage. Not that he would actually know from experience.]
[At least he's honest. But Ardyn moves then, his flame still going strong in his palm. Circling around to face her properly.]
But I cannot force your hand. A pact may require the consent of two, but to undo it? I'm inclined to believe that only needs the discontent of one.
[Kind of like a real marriage. Not that he would actually know from experience.]
Ah. I see. So you suggest dissolving our union because I mentioned my nightmares . . . in case I'd forgotten I could?
[She glances up at him, a slight smile on her face. It's not sweet and it's not nasty. It's simply . . . knowing, perhaps. It's not that she thinks Ardyn is secretly nursing an aching heart for her, nothing like that. But she does wonder if it's discomfiting to him, seeing her like this. An immortal creature so much younger than himself, struggling with these newfound powers . . .
Whether it's for her or for the reminder of himself, she's almost certain he's acting out of something other than idle whim.]
[She glances up at him, a slight smile on her face. It's not sweet and it's not nasty. It's simply . . . knowing, perhaps. It's not that she thinks Ardyn is secretly nursing an aching heart for her, nothing like that. But she does wonder if it's discomfiting to him, seeing her like this. An immortal creature so much younger than himself, struggling with these newfound powers . . .
Whether it's for her or for the reminder of himself, she's almost certain he's acting out of something other than idle whim.]
[She isn't wrong, though he'll not admit it. There is something that feels too familiar, when she mentions nightmares. Reminding him of when he was much younger, suffering through them himself. Before he learned that it was easier to forgo sleep altogether, as immortality allowed him to do -- and to have her mention the same ails her is a bit like facing his past all over again, something which will never sit comfortably in his mind for a long while yet.
Outwardly, of course, he just shrugs.]
If you're implying something, you'd do best to save time for the both of us and just say it outright.
[He clenches his palm into a fist, and the fire dies completely, leaving them in darkness.]
Otherwise tell me of your nightmares. Do they feel like this?
[Swathed in eerie, suffocating night.]
Outwardly, of course, he just shrugs.]
If you're implying something, you'd do best to save time for the both of us and just say it outright.
[He clenches his palm into a fist, and the fire dies completely, leaving them in darkness.]
Otherwise tell me of your nightmares. Do they feel like this?
[Swathed in eerie, suffocating night.]
[She doesn't startle when the light vanishes, though her heart leaps. There's something terribly unnerving about hearing his voice creeping out of the darkness, but she still has a sense of where he is.]
. . . a bit. Though the air is often thicker. And I feel as if I can't escape.
. . . a bit. Though the air is often thicker. And I feel as if I can't escape.
[He remains in front of her for now, easy enough to track in the dark by voice alone.]
And what else?
And what else?
[She isn't in the habit of confessing her fears, much less her nightmares, but it isn't as if Ardyn hasn't experienced this himself. And though she's woken clawing at the sheets and sweat-soaked, her voice doesn't tremble now.]
Sometimes things attack. Monsters . . . I can only assume they're figments of that disease, or victims, perhaps. Sometimes it tears out from under my skin and I become something hideous in turn, mindless and destructive.
And sometimes I simply fade away, my consciousness lost and my individuality gone.
Sometimes things attack. Monsters . . . I can only assume they're figments of that disease, or victims, perhaps. Sometimes it tears out from under my skin and I become something hideous in turn, mindless and destructive.
And sometimes I simply fade away, my consciousness lost and my individuality gone.
[It sounds similar to what he dreams about when he chances sleep, at least. The daemons lurching in the dark that bring him trepidation, where they did not in the waking world. The feeling of being suffocated by the night, as it leaked from skin and eyes and mouth as if he were overflowing and choking on the stuff. The cries of those around him, asking why he could not save them. Twisting into disfigured husks of themselves, then swallowed up by the night.
The feeling of not being himself any longer. But that was no different what he felt while awake, so it did not shake him the way it used to.]
That's not so bad.
[He does move this time, walking forward just enough to barely brush past her. He's gesturing out into the dark, though it cannot be seen.]
It could be so much worse. A hundred times worse, nightmares that seem to go on forever -- and when you awaken, you realize that you're living it anyway. A few dreams of monsters, of yourself dissipating, are negligible. Consider yourself fortunate.
[He turns again, facing her back.]
But as I said, you may sever it if you wish. My feelings won't be hurt.
The feeling of not being himself any longer. But that was no different what he felt while awake, so it did not shake him the way it used to.]
That's not so bad.
[He does move this time, walking forward just enough to barely brush past her. He's gesturing out into the dark, though it cannot be seen.]
It could be so much worse. A hundred times worse, nightmares that seem to go on forever -- and when you awaken, you realize that you're living it anyway. A few dreams of monsters, of yourself dissipating, are negligible. Consider yourself fortunate.
[He turns again, facing her back.]
But as I said, you may sever it if you wish. My feelings won't be hurt.
[She shivers unseen, though she doesn't turn to face him in the darkness. No, she can't imagine that, not really, and she knows it. There's something relentless in his voice, but of course there is. She's having nightmares after a few weeks; she can't imagine having to live with this for two thousand years.
Could she stand it? But that's irrelevant. He has to, regardless of ability or willpower. He can't die, he can't even incapacitate himself, and so the only recourse left is to cope as best he can.]
That wasn't a concern.
[It really wasn't, because she doubts she could hurt his feelings so easily.]
Do you want me to? You keep suggesting it . . . does it make you uncomfortable to see me like this? Immortal and struggling with the very thing you struggle with . . . I'm the first one in an eternity to go through what you've gone through. I'm the only other person in all the worlds who's had a taste of what it is you've gone through.
[Now she turns, though she can't see him.]
You used to be a healer . . . do you want me to free myself purely because you yourself can never do such a thing? Or because you wish to save someone one last time?
Could she stand it? But that's irrelevant. He has to, regardless of ability or willpower. He can't die, he can't even incapacitate himself, and so the only recourse left is to cope as best he can.]
That wasn't a concern.
[It really wasn't, because she doubts she could hurt his feelings so easily.]
Do you want me to? You keep suggesting it . . . does it make you uncomfortable to see me like this? Immortal and struggling with the very thing you struggle with . . . I'm the first one in an eternity to go through what you've gone through. I'm the only other person in all the worlds who's had a taste of what it is you've gone through.
[Now she turns, though she can't see him.]
You used to be a healer . . . do you want me to free myself purely because you yourself can never do such a thing? Or because you wish to save someone one last time?
[How quickly she delves straight into the heart of the matter. Cutting through bone and sinew and piecing into what he truly felt -- how simultaneously frustrating and disconcerting, how keen Rosalind could be. He should be impressed, he would be impressed, if hearing it did not feel as if it exposed some kind of vulnerability in him. Like hands tearing open his rib cage to show his beating heart within.
There's no sound at all for a long moment, just a stillness, not even the rhythm of his breath.]
I should think that I'd prefer that you keep it, so that I can experience what commiseration must feel like, after all these long years.
[It's worded as if it must be a joke, and yet one might parse something more serious in it than that. She's right, that no one else has experienced even a sliver of what he's gone through. That those from Eos would look at him with disdain and hate -- rightfully so -- but also assume that they know what kind of person he is; that is the fastest track to getting under his skin, because they don't know. How could they? They didn't understand.
Rosalind has glimpsed at what ails him, even if it were not the full brunt of he experience. In some ways, this bothers him in ways he didn't expect. And in some ways, he rather enjoys that she may suffer in some similar manner as he.]
My days of healing are long gone, my dear. [The flame in his hand comes back to life, casting its odd shadows again.] My role isn't to save anyone these days. I merely wonder if you understand just what it is you've taken into you, what lives under your skin now. And I'm jealous, admittedly, that you could free yourself from it on a whim.
[Where he cannot.]
There's no sound at all for a long moment, just a stillness, not even the rhythm of his breath.]
I should think that I'd prefer that you keep it, so that I can experience what commiseration must feel like, after all these long years.
[It's worded as if it must be a joke, and yet one might parse something more serious in it than that. She's right, that no one else has experienced even a sliver of what he's gone through. That those from Eos would look at him with disdain and hate -- rightfully so -- but also assume that they know what kind of person he is; that is the fastest track to getting under his skin, because they don't know. How could they? They didn't understand.
Rosalind has glimpsed at what ails him, even if it were not the full brunt of he experience. In some ways, this bothers him in ways he didn't expect. And in some ways, he rather enjoys that she may suffer in some similar manner as he.]
My days of healing are long gone, my dear. [The flame in his hand comes back to life, casting its odd shadows again.] My role isn't to save anyone these days. I merely wonder if you understand just what it is you've taken into you, what lives under your skin now. And I'm jealous, admittedly, that you could free yourself from it on a whim.
[Where he cannot.]
[If Majima feels her eyes on him, he doesn't say anything. He doesn't mind her seeing the tattoo. Not only does she have no idea what it means, he was wearing nothing but shoes and trousers the first time they met, though he had a few more bruises.
When she climbs up next to him, he snorts and tightens his ponytail.]
Tell me how you really feel, doc.
[He would have gone first anyway, to check for danger, even if he's not on the clock. Majima checks for anyone below him, takes a deep breath, then dives from the rock.
The drop is about ten feet, so there's a few seconds for his heart to fly up to his throat before he breaks the surface of the water with a smooth splash. When he opens his eye, all he sees is murk, but the force of his jump propels him deep enough to brush his fingers against the silty bottom of the lagoon. Majima twist in the water and sets his feet down, lingering in the quiet dark. The water is just the right temperature-- cool enough to relieve him, but warm enough to feel like a bath.
It feels like his first still moment in months, and the weight of everything that's happened nearly catches up with him, until his lungs start to constrict, and he swims for the surface. Ros can see him pop up with an over exaggerated gasp before he lets out a breathless laugh.]
C'mon, you're gonna wish you were uglier in a second!
When she climbs up next to him, he snorts and tightens his ponytail.]
Tell me how you really feel, doc.
[He would have gone first anyway, to check for danger, even if he's not on the clock. Majima checks for anyone below him, takes a deep breath, then dives from the rock.
The drop is about ten feet, so there's a few seconds for his heart to fly up to his throat before he breaks the surface of the water with a smooth splash. When he opens his eye, all he sees is murk, but the force of his jump propels him deep enough to brush his fingers against the silty bottom of the lagoon. Majima twist in the water and sets his feet down, lingering in the quiet dark. The water is just the right temperature-- cool enough to relieve him, but warm enough to feel like a bath.
It feels like his first still moment in months, and the weight of everything that's happened nearly catches up with him, until his lungs start to constrict, and he swims for the surface. Ros can see him pop up with an over exaggerated gasp before he lets out a breathless laugh.]
C'mon, you're gonna wish you were uglier in a second!
[She hesitates. It's disgustingly hot and humid, and leaping into that lagoon sounds nothing short of blissful, but she isn't in the habit of doing something so undignified-- especially in front of a man she barely knows. It's one thing for him to leap around in almost thing; it's another thing entirely for her to get soaking wet. Clothes or no, he's going to see a lot more than she usually permits.
. . . but it's unbearably hot, and it's not as if he's been leering over her the past few months. Rosalind glances back towards the camp, but no, no one's near. And it's not as if her actions of last month have had any lasting repercussions-- god, no, she's about to start a business with someone, no one cares, no one cares, so she hardly has to hesitate--
Oh, fuck it.
Biting at her bottom lip to keep from yelling, she slips off the ledge, falling feet first into the water. She sinks immediately, the water closing over her head; for a long few seconds she lingers there, shivering happily. The water feels fantastic, cooling and cleaning her all at once; she reaches behind her, tugging at her braid to loosen it so she can run her fingers through her hair.
When she surfaces, it's with a soft gasp, a counterpoint to his own exaggerated inhale. There's just enough light from the moon that she can see him, and she offers him a wry smile.]
I haven't gone swimming since I was a teenager . . . good thing I still remember how, hm?
. . . but it's unbearably hot, and it's not as if he's been leering over her the past few months. Rosalind glances back towards the camp, but no, no one's near. And it's not as if her actions of last month have had any lasting repercussions-- god, no, she's about to start a business with someone, no one cares, no one cares, so she hardly has to hesitate--
Oh, fuck it.
Biting at her bottom lip to keep from yelling, she slips off the ledge, falling feet first into the water. She sinks immediately, the water closing over her head; for a long few seconds she lingers there, shivering happily. The water feels fantastic, cooling and cleaning her all at once; she reaches behind her, tugging at her braid to loosen it so she can run her fingers through her hair.
When she surfaces, it's with a soft gasp, a counterpoint to his own exaggerated inhale. There's just enough light from the moon that she can see him, and she offers him a wry smile.]
I haven't gone swimming since I was a teenager . . . good thing I still remember how, hm?
[As he treads water, Majima can't help but wince at Ros' decidedly less graceful landing, but he grins when she pops up again. It's hard not to, with the way her hair clings to her like matted seaweed. Even when running from dragons, she'd made herself look painfully dignified at all times.
He swims a bit closer to her, spitting some stray lagoon water from his mouth, trying to rid it of the brackish taste.]
You probably shoulda mentioned that before takin' the one story jump into strange water.
[But that's half the fun of risk, isn't it? He pushes back some loose strands of his own hair and watches her keep afloat, her skirt starting to billow up around her.]
Been awhile for me, too. Got good muscle memory, though. [A bit of sarcasm lilts his voice, but he still smiles.] Nothin's grabbed my feet yet, though, so I think we're in okay shape.
He swims a bit closer to her, spitting some stray lagoon water from his mouth, trying to rid it of the brackish taste.]
You probably shoulda mentioned that before takin' the one story jump into strange water.
[But that's half the fun of risk, isn't it? He pushes back some loose strands of his own hair and watches her keep afloat, her skirt starting to billow up around her.]
Been awhile for me, too. Got good muscle memory, though. [A bit of sarcasm lilts his voice, but he still smiles.] Nothin's grabbed my feet yet, though, so I think we're in okay shape.
Let's just hope if there is anything, they realize you'd make the better meal.
[She's fighting a losing battle with her skirt, she realizes, but she's not about to shed it just yet. Nor will she shed her shirt, though she's a little aware of how it's clinging to her skin right now.]
But come, now. If you're my part-time bodyguard, surely that covers drowning situations. Are you saying you wouldn't rescue me if I'd found I'd forgotten how to swim?
[She's fighting a losing battle with her skirt, she realizes, but she's not about to shed it just yet. Nor will she shed her shirt, though she's a little aware of how it's clinging to her skin right now.]
But come, now. If you're my part-time bodyguard, surely that covers drowning situations. Are you saying you wouldn't rescue me if I'd found I'd forgotten how to swim?
[He falls into step beside her, trying not to smile at her obvious distaste for jungle survival. Not that he was any better. It was far too hot here for him. His clothes were already soaked through with sweat.]
It is still a bit crowded, but there is always someone home. [Which was nice actually to wake up to or come back to at night.] You are welcome to visit whenever you want...once return to Olympia.
[Whenever that would be.]
What was it like in the jungle?
It is still a bit crowded, but there is always someone home. [Which was nice actually to wake up to or come back to at night.] You are welcome to visit whenever you want...once return to Olympia.
[Whenever that would be.]
What was it like in the jungle?
Correct.
[She seems pleased Angel had deduced that.]
What could your Sirens do?
[She seems pleased Angel had deduced that.]
What could your Sirens do?
In what fashion?
[But that's imprecise. She shakes her head, dismissing the question, and instead clarifies:]
Was he a childhood friend, or--?
[But that's imprecise. She shakes her head, dismissing the question, and instead clarifies:]
Was he a childhood friend, or--?
Me? Nah, too gamey. And I fight back.
[Majima turns in the water and starts to float on his back, his arms stretched out from his sides and his feet lazily kicking him by Ros. Even as the water bobs around his ears, he still hears her, and scowls.]
'Course I would. [He'd do it whether he was paid to guard her or not, but he doesn't admit that.] Can't go gettin' a bad rep for the job. But what I don't get-- [Majima stops kicking, and just floats as uselessly as a log around her.] --What do you need a guard for when you can just pop half a mile away?
[Majima turns in the water and starts to float on his back, his arms stretched out from his sides and his feet lazily kicking him by Ros. Even as the water bobs around his ears, he still hears her, and scowls.]
'Course I would. [He'd do it whether he was paid to guard her or not, but he doesn't admit that.] Can't go gettin' a bad rep for the job. But what I don't get-- [Majima stops kicking, and just floats as uselessly as a log around her.] --What do you need a guard for when you can just pop half a mile away?
Not quite.
[She takes a deep breath. It's Lecture Time.]
An atom is one of the smallest building blocks in the universe. It makes up everything: you and I, the fire between us, this music box . . . they clump together, forming different elements, which eventually make up different things. Now, obviously, these things adhere to gravity-- but my theory stated that if I could encapsulate them in light, I could prevent them from being dragged down by gravity. Sort of a shield, if you will.
Still with me?
[She takes a deep breath. It's Lecture Time.]
An atom is one of the smallest building blocks in the universe. It makes up everything: you and I, the fire between us, this music box . . . they clump together, forming different elements, which eventually make up different things. Now, obviously, these things adhere to gravity-- but my theory stated that if I could encapsulate them in light, I could prevent them from being dragged down by gravity. Sort of a shield, if you will.
Still with me?
[She's never heard of a woman visiting a brothel before, though she supposes there's no reason why not. This woman surely goes for-- for other women, Rosalind is certain; she's been peppering her with compliments since they met.
But it's hard to imagine, and Rosalind decides she's best tucking that thought away til later.]
Selling things others can't make.
I'm a genius. While I'd prefer to indulge myself on other things, for the time being, it means I'm useful at inventing concoctions that others might want. Whether it's bug repellent or bullets, I'm decent at putting anything together.
But it's hard to imagine, and Rosalind decides she's best tucking that thought away til later.]
Selling things others can't make.
I'm a genius. While I'd prefer to indulge myself on other things, for the time being, it means I'm useful at inventing concoctions that others might want. Whether it's bug repellent or bullets, I'm decent at putting anything together.
[She turns in the water, keeping him in her sights. But when he asks that, her smile fades. Rosalind kicks her way over to the side of the water, one hand holding on to the wall so she doesn't have to keep treading water.]
. . . you can fight with your hands, but you still carry a knife. Why?
. . . you can fight with your hands, but you still carry a knife. Why?
[For just a moment, he'll see her eyes have gone black once more. It fades with in a second, as does the gathering of energy in her hand, but that's all right: all she wanted was to drive the point home for him.]
I'm not an empathetic person, as a rule. But I think for you, Ardyn, I might just be able to commiserate.
[She says it as tartly as he does, and means it just as much as he does.]
I'll keep it for the moment. And if it should grow unbearable, I'll sever our bond. But I shan't give up on it so easily.
I'm not an empathetic person, as a rule. But I think for you, Ardyn, I might just be able to commiserate.
[She says it as tartly as he does, and means it just as much as he does.]
I'll keep it for the moment. And if it should grow unbearable, I'll sever our bond. But I shan't give up on it so easily.
Beauty and brains, that's a killer combo if I've seen one.
[She takes in her pitch, smiling at the other woman's pride in herself and her skills. Confidence is plenty attractive to her, and the way she speaks of her plans has her in thought as they walk along.]
So you have the talent to create...anything you say? I don't suppose you'd have the means of putting together a decent ship to travel these waters would you?
[How curious. Isabela tries to even think of a potential thing to challenge her to make, but besides the things she'd longed for from home (A decent ship, a nice new sharp set of daggers, enough coin to book the Blooming Rose solid for a month-) she can't think of anything significant. Instead she just shakes her head and shrugs.]
I'm only joking. I imagine that'll bring in good money for you though, with you being smart enough to play the field. [She thinks about making that into its own innuendo for a solid moment before letting it drop. She's teased and flustered the other woman enough, even if she'd been pleased at the reactions so far.] I might even have to drop by once you're all set up, that's certainly a useful skill worth paying for.
[She takes in her pitch, smiling at the other woman's pride in herself and her skills. Confidence is plenty attractive to her, and the way she speaks of her plans has her in thought as they walk along.]
So you have the talent to create...anything you say? I don't suppose you'd have the means of putting together a decent ship to travel these waters would you?
[How curious. Isabela tries to even think of a potential thing to challenge her to make, but besides the things she'd longed for from home (A decent ship, a nice new sharp set of daggers, enough coin to book the Blooming Rose solid for a month-) she can't think of anything significant. Instead she just shakes her head and shrugs.]
I'm only joking. I imagine that'll bring in good money for you though, with you being smart enough to play the field. [She thinks about making that into its own innuendo for a solid moment before letting it drop. She's teased and flustered the other woman enough, even if she'd been pleased at the reactions so far.] I might even have to drop by once you're all set up, that's certainly a useful skill worth paying for.
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