* DROP OF POISON .

         While maybe the admission would dissuade someone else,   Camael feels the tension in his chest ease at the time time guilt dissolves.   If that’s the case,   what in the world does he need to feel bad for?   ( well,   there are plenty of things,   his brain is happy to fill in the blank after a moment. ) 

           ‘   That … makes a lot of sense,   ‘   he says after a pause,   sounding relieved and even managing to meet the other’s eye again.   Before,   at least,   cheeks flare dark red again and he holds a hand to his face with a small groan.   ‘   Oh,   gods you’ve been really forward and obvious about this,   haven’t you?   And I’m sitting here acting surprised and making excuses to myself … gods,   I’m sorry I’m so dense.   ‘

                A SMALL SILENCE, followed by a soft giggle, and then another, even as the mage is raising a hand immediately to stifle them. their shoulders are shaking with mirth, though they try their best to gasp out what feels important to assure. “ oh, darling, i’m not laughing at you i promise — i only... “ they trail off, taking a deep breath to compose themself. finally when their laughter abates just sitting up a little more.

☾ 回 heh

muse reaction starters | accepting

☾ = being found shirtless . +  回 = patching a wound .

              FATE, IT SEEMS, LIKES ARTEMIS NOSY. he’d need three hands, at least, to count the amount of times that ill-fated cat and its curiosity has been thrown back in his face. but it’s not as though he means to pry   — he honestly seems to have an accidental knack for being precisely where he shouldn’t, exactly when he oughtn’t. it’s fate, more than his own doing. he stands by that, and enthusiastically blames it, when he passes by what ostensibly should’ve been an empty clearing, and instead catches from his periphery an expanse of flesh — at a glance, what appears to be a bare back.

             he’s about to continue on his way, mind his own business, but there’s something about the way the individual holds themself that seems. well, as though something is wrong. so he stops, the instinct to check and heal briefly overriding his common sense, and instead begins a slow approach. he parts his lips ( ready to call out, truly he is ) when his eyes catch on the shapes of a familiar face.

☽ = wandering alone at night .

muse reaction starters | accepting

☽ = wandering alone at night .

                NORMALLY, ARTEMIS WOULD BE TOO TIRED TO DO ANYTHING BUT MIND THEIR BUSINESS. after such a long day of work, they’re infinitely wiped. and the act of hunching over a desk until long past nightfall has left them sore — and swearing, quite colorfully in fact, under their breath as they clutch their hood over their head and march down the street in the storm they’d so dearly hoped to beat.

               they couldn’t say what made them notice it. maybe an odd flash of lightning, maybe the fact that it’s a shape they don’t recognize. but despite their exhaustion, they see it anyway: an odd figure in what’s otherwise an entirely empty park. at this hour, dark as it is, no one really has any business being out and about. and besides that, they think, as a particularly cold breeze has them shouldering against the poor weather, with it looking this close to rain, why on earth would someone be out here like this anyway ?

               but there they are, just the same. barely silhouetted by gaslight against a roiling sky. and artemis, being as they are, can’t quite resist the urge to check in on whoever it is.

            His hand stills as soon as he feels the faintest touch of their brush his skin and he swallows thickly listening to the tone that feels far too gentle to be directed at him.   Already the briefly touched upon topic from the night before,   the little bit about not having to be 100% honest all the time if it makes him uncomfortable,   is completely out of his minds eye.   

                ‘   I …  um,   more the latter,   ‘   he replies after a moment,   his voice reduced to nearly a whisper as a smile tries and fails to work its way onto his expression.   ‘   You just … you seemed like you were maybe.   Expecting someone else instead.   I  -  I didn’t want  …  it,   didn’t seem right to assume,   ah  …   ‘   that any of it was meant to be directed at him.   Who is he to accept affection meant for another,   after all?   But to voice that specifically,   he can’t get the words out.  

                   AND AT THAT. ARTEMIS IS BROUGHT UP SHORT. well, it isn’t as though they haven’t made their interest clear — usually there’s a bit more song and dance to this whole flirting thing, but. the other’s inexperience puts a bit of a twist on all that, doesn’t it ? not a damper, exactly, but they can’t expect that sort of game out of someone who doesn’t know how to play.

                  and this... is for the best, they realize. better to have this conversation now, rather than later. some things are dealbreakers for people, and this they’re well aware is one of them. 

☁ for Shiloh and Artemis !!

muse reaction starters | accepting

☁ = being caught in the middle a storm with them .

                  ARTEMIS IS MID SENTENCE hands still aloft in gesticulation, when they feel the first raindrop hit their nose. and then another, and another. and abruptly the dreary, early-evening sky opens up and the rain pours down atop them both. they start laughing, immediately shrugging off their coat to hold overhead as they look to the shorter man in open fluster.

if i may be self indulgent....... ♬ for Beauty and the Beast

muse reaction starters | accepting

♬ = singing to them .

                 THEY AWAKEN WITH A START. and it takes them a moment of gasping for breath before they register the lack of weight, of hands at their throat. 

                a nightmare, just... just a nightmare. 

                 pulse still rabbit-quick in their own ears on reflex they stretch out to the other side of the bed, fighting the abrupt sinking in their stomach when their searching fingers find it empty; lacking in even the small, balled-up figure of their cat. they close their eyes and breathe, albiet shakily, and take their time composing themself. calming in increments, until they finally feel stable enough to slide out of bed.

                 they plod downstairs, hands shaking as they undo their sleep braid, and halt at the doorway to the kitchen at an unusual sound. it’s ... soft, so much so that if the rest of the house hadn’t been so quiet they might have missed it on their way to the downstairs bathroom. and they linger for a moment, sure that they must be mistaken.

                 but... no. it’s the low, husky tones of a familiar voice. but rather than chattering to sophie, or cursing softly to himself, adonis seems to be hunched over the stove and singing of all things. it’s a song they don’t recognize, but the sheer novelty of hearing the vampire lost to whatever tune it is has them utterly entranced; leaning against the threshold with a face utterly enraptured as a wave of much needed calm washes over them.

▄ + reversed! ;; nomadiisms bc Medira will never understand humor ever

muse reaction starters | accepting

▄ = telling them a joke . ( reversed )

                ARTEMIS’S LIPS ARE CURLED around the lip of their teacup, setting it down to look at the other with a playful little sparkle to their gaze. “ i feel like i can think of at least one to make you laugh. or maybe amuse you a little, if nothing else. “

                they prop their chin on their hand, nails gently drumming against their cheek as they consider medira. it’s the least they can do, really, in return for kindly accepting their invitation to an afternoon tea. and they can’t deny there’s some degree of joy in the sheer contrast the tiefling’s nature provides against their own much more flamboyant one. “ hm. i definitely have a few terrible ones in my repertoire. so let’s see... alright, what do you call a fake noodle ? “ they ask, the smile widening.

✦ see your boy nicely dressed up

muse reaction starters | accepting

✦ = being well-dressed .  ( reversed )

                THERE’S A SOFT HUFF AS THE FINAL PIN in artemis’s hair is slid into place. it’s an even more elaborate style than usual; the blonde curls meticulously pinned up in a french braid updo, save for the looser lock or two that frame his face. he turns to face the other, red painted lips pulling up into a surprisingly tentative expression.

              “ thank you, again, for helping me. some parts of this are just infinitely too difficult to manage on my own and emerge with my already dodgy patience intact. ”

               he turns to fully face camael for a moment, and it throws the entire outfit into stark relief. the long, slit skirt of the gown that hugs close to long, shapely legs. long sleeves, drawn down to his wrists and a collar that circles around his collarbone to form a collar; over which his usual necklace sits. and enveloping his torso, a dark corset. he takes a deep breath and turns, displaying the loose ties to the other; numerous and made of a green silk. it’s an intricate ensemble, but with an air of professionalism. it is technically a work affair, after all.

         ‘   No,   no,   I wasn’t  –  I just,   ah …   ‘   and yet he’s still hovering and tense,   despite the ease that returns to their posture.   The priest doesn’t just tell himself,   he has to mentally shout and beat his senses over the head to calm down if he doesn’t want to come off as any more of a fool than he has.   It takes an effort to lay back down,   still not quiet as nestled against Artemis as he was prior,   and gods he tries to weakly laugh off the cocktail of emotions twisting his stomach.   

           Another moment passes,   his cheeks are still darkened with embarrassment but with a few deep breaths he calms himself somewhat.   ‘   Sorry.   I’m,   uh,   not used to … sharing a bed with someone.   It’s not uncomfortable,   just …   ‘   he stops again,   this time to feign interest in fussing with his bedhead.   ‘   You can laugh or call me naive,   I just got a bit flustered.   ‘   

                 artemis opens their mouth, and then their lips press together in a small frown. moreso than anything else, they look troubled as they tilt their head towards the priest. their eyes scan over his face, and taking a moment to really truly look at him. a hand rises, slow and careful to ever so gently rest the tips of their fingers over the back of his palm. not trying to halt his hand as it cards through his sleep-mussed hair, instead merely coming to a stop just ghosting over his knuckles.

                 “ i’m not going to mock you for being inexperienced, camael. “ their tone is soft, but carries a sort of urgency to it. “ nobody should. there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being flustered, or unused to interactions like this. ” and their mouth curls into a smile, the littlest peek of their dimples shining through.