[It is not enough to welcome her there. To Ozymandias, it is far more important that she feel anchored by the return of his embrace more than anything else. Caren moves in close to take her spot with her face buried in his chest and Ozymandias' arms wrap around her tightly. As she steadies herself, he begins rubbing small, slow circles between her wings almost as though he is trying to give her something to focus her breathing on until she manages to regain her composure.]
[Her half-hearted chastising when she pulls back draws out a gentle smile and a soft sound of amusement from Ozymandias. It wasn't the first time she said something like that and Ozymandias felt confident it certainly wouldn't be the last. As she continues, speaking with honesty that likely does not always seem the wisest to give away to anyone, he takes one of her hands into his own and listens without interruption. To some, it might appear as though she is issuing a warning that to care for her is folly and to love her might bring about one's own ruin. But he does not take it that way. Ozymandias sees it as a confession of sorts, an acknowledgment of the layers of armor and protection that exist around her heart that are so very difficult for her to shed. But she is willing to try. In starts and stops. In likely failures intermingling with successes. It is a lifetime that she must unlearn, and although her lifetime may be drastically shorter than his own, that is still no easy feat.]
I've never doubted you or your intentions, [he says. Even as she's tried to create distances or held him at arm's length from time to time. Ozymandias kisses the pads on her fingertips.] But for you, I shall promise that nothing you might say or do in a moment of hardship or even plain weakness will ever blind me to what truly lies within your heart. Only when you speak from it as you do now with such bravery and honesty will I ever take to be the truth.
[He knows how to soothe her. But then, they've spent so much time together, and he is clever when it comes to people. He knows the type of touch that would soothe her, at least physically, so she can gather herself to speak again.
And she knows that hand contact is important to him- if only so he could feel the cat-like pads of her fingers. (She knows it's not that. The idea that he's smitten with her is something she knows but doesn't want to think too much about. It's too easy to become wild shy, to bolt again).]
You should.
[There's that mix of tart and sweet again. There's only a single shake and flick of her tail again. It seems she's more in the mood to advise, rather then outright scold. Maybe the finger kiss helped, for all that she didn't pull away.]
Sometimes Ozymandias...I don't understand why you trust me so. This could all be just a ruse to break your heart, just for fun.
[The Servant, this boy...is so clever. But also so dumb.]
Perhaps, [he says, not believing her toying with him for such an end to be even a remote possibility. Even if Ozymandias doubted the sincerity of her feelings or suspected an ulterior motive, he doesn't think Caren would ever be so foolish as to betray him in such a manner. There is far too much for her to gain that such a decision would be throwing all away. And yet, regardless of whether or not it is pure fantasy, it is one that he would willingly succumb to without a second thought.] But I would prefer to trust you far too much and be a made fool of than to deny what I feel for you. I shall gladly risk my heart whether that is to be for your amusement or not.
Like the romantic you are. You would do that, wouldn't you?
[She could. She really could betray him, and there would be a part of her that would enjoy it...enjoy the hurt she inflicted on him, on herself. Her father would have, in her position. He would have bit Ozymandias' heart like a fruit, just to see the look of horror and despair.
It's a struggle, since there's always a part of her that wants to do that, just to feel...something stronger then a passing amusement.
Not here. Not now. She sighed quietly, and moved her hand up slow, careful, so she could cup his cheek against her hand. He always felt so warm, comforting, even when she could use a break from heat.]
Perhaps there's some merit to such a risk. So- what shall we do, since we've reconciled?
[The touch to his cheek is a welcomed one. Ozymandias' head tips slightly in its direction before he turns his head slightly to kiss at her wrist.]
We have a great deal of time to make up for. [Something he would probably declare even if she had only been absent for a day or two. The next he says more playfully.] And I have perhaps a great deal more to atone for. I think it is perhaps only fair that you ought to decide how exactly it is that I make my amends to you.
[She says it, all too amused with his declaration. He'd likely feel that way if she had been avoiding him for five minutes, let alone a day. While there's a lot in him that's catlike, he's more like a dog in how he pines for those he adores at the drop of a hat.
Not that she needs to tell him that. He knows it, she knows it, right now it's about gentle flirtation that they do so well when they're alone.]
And if I said it was something on the lines of giving you orders for a little while? Just you and I?
[She wasn't going to force him to do something he wasn't comfortable with. This is more for play than to actually atone. He had no way of knowing of what would happen, of what was going through her mind.]
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[Her half-hearted chastising when she pulls back draws out a gentle smile and a soft sound of amusement from Ozymandias. It wasn't the first time she said something like that and Ozymandias felt confident it certainly wouldn't be the last. As she continues, speaking with honesty that likely does not always seem the wisest to give away to anyone, he takes one of her hands into his own and listens without interruption. To some, it might appear as though she is issuing a warning that to care for her is folly and to love her might bring about one's own ruin. But he does not take it that way. Ozymandias sees it as a confession of sorts, an acknowledgment of the layers of armor and protection that exist around her heart that are so very difficult for her to shed. But she is willing to try. In starts and stops. In likely failures intermingling with successes. It is a lifetime that she must unlearn, and although her lifetime may be drastically shorter than his own, that is still no easy feat.]
I've never doubted you or your intentions, [he says. Even as she's tried to create distances or held him at arm's length from time to time. Ozymandias kisses the pads on her fingertips.] But for you, I shall promise that nothing you might say or do in a moment of hardship or even plain weakness will ever blind me to what truly lies within your heart. Only when you speak from it as you do now with such bravery and honesty will I ever take to be the truth.
no subject
And she knows that hand contact is important to him- if only so he could feel the cat-like pads of her fingers. (She knows it's not that. The idea that he's smitten with her is something she knows but doesn't want to think too much about. It's too easy to become wild shy, to bolt again).]
You should.
[There's that mix of tart and sweet again. There's only a single shake and flick of her tail again. It seems she's more in the mood to advise, rather then outright scold. Maybe the finger kiss helped, for all that she didn't pull away.]
Sometimes Ozymandias...I don't understand why you trust me so. This could all be just a ruse to break your heart, just for fun.
[The Servant, this boy...is so clever. But also so dumb.]
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Listen, sometimes INT is a dump stat...]Perhaps, [he says, not believing her toying with him for such an end to be even a remote possibility. Even if Ozymandias doubted the sincerity of her feelings or suspected an ulterior motive, he doesn't think Caren would ever be so foolish as to betray him in such a manner. There is far too much for her to gain that such a decision would be throwing all away. And yet, regardless of whether or not it is pure fantasy, it is one that he would willingly succumb to without a second thought.] But I would prefer to trust you far too much and be a made fool of than to deny what I feel for you. I shall gladly risk my heart whether that is to be for your amusement or not.
no subject
And sometimes they max out on charisma early...]Like the romantic you are. You would do that, wouldn't you?
[She could. She really could betray him, and there would be a part of her that would enjoy it...enjoy the hurt she inflicted on him, on herself. Her father would have, in her position. He would have bit Ozymandias' heart like a fruit, just to see the look of horror and despair.
It's a struggle, since there's always a part of her that wants to do that, just to feel...something stronger then a passing amusement.
Not here. Not now. She sighed quietly, and moved her hand up slow, careful, so she could cup his cheek against her hand. He always felt so warm, comforting, even when she could use a break from heat.]
Perhaps there's some merit to such a risk. So- what shall we do, since we've reconciled?
no subject
Don't judge. It's worked for him well so far.][The touch to his cheek is a welcomed one. Ozymandias' head tips slightly in its direction before he turns his head slightly to kiss at her wrist.]
We have a great deal of time to make up for. [Something he would probably declare even if she had only been absent for a day or two. The next he says more playfully.] And I have perhaps a great deal more to atone for. I think it is perhaps only fair that you ought to decide how exactly it is that I make my amends to you.
comes in way late with a tray of starbucks
This is why he's a bard]Do we?
[She says it, all too amused with his declaration. He'd likely feel that way if she had been avoiding him for five minutes, let alone a day. While there's a lot in him that's catlike, he's more like a dog in how he pines for those he adores at the drop of a hat.
Not that she needs to tell him that. He knows it, she knows it, right now it's about gentle flirtation that they do so well when they're alone.]
And if I said it was something on the lines of giving you orders for a little while? Just you and I?
[She wasn't going to force him to do something he wasn't comfortable with. This is more for play than to actually atone. He had no way of knowing of what would happen, of what was going through her mind.]