fun scary

Imogen's chest rises and falls with the heaviness of her breaths. The air around them smells like electricity. Imogen's eyes, wide and wild, dart around before finally focusing on Laudna's. Another moment passes and she registers the sensation of Laudna's cold hands on her cheeks. Laudna stares at her with a furrowed brow and worried eyes, and Imogen's hands rise to take Laudna's and gently squeeze them.

"Did it work?" Everything around them still feels so chaotic even though the fighting seems to have stopped. She looks down at her feet, still in the ankle-deep water she stood in when she threw a bolt of lightning at it in an attempt to take down an enemy. Her gaze drifts past Laudna and lands on the badly burned body of their attacker. She overhears Fearne checking in on Orym and breathes a sigh of relief when she also sees Ashton, Chetney, and Fresh Cut Grass nearby.

Finally, her eyes return to Laudna and the distraught look on her face. "I know, I know. It was stupid—" She winces. She's badly burned, too; but at least she fared better than the other guy. "I'm so sorry I scared you." She pulls one of Laudna's hands toward her face and presses a gentle kiss against it. "I'm sorry." Imogen knows that no amount of 'I'm fine' or 'Don't worry about me' is going to work. She was reckless, and if things turned out poorly, Laudna would have had to live with those consequences. Imogen knew how awful that felt.

"I won't do it again, sweetheart. I promise."

The air smelled of that familiar ozone, one that she grew to love from time traveled alongside Imogen. It mingled with the unpleasant odor from the fried flesh that lay across from them. There was no room to question it, nor was there hesitation, Laudna quick to dart into shallow waters. Palms pressed against her face out of love, worry, and an attempt to regain her focus. As their gazes met, this pit of worry began to lessen just the tiniest bit. The feeling of their hands together causes her to step closer, that urge to never stray growing stronger by the second.

"They're taken care of," she quietly responds, their stare faltering as the sorceress looks around the battlefield. Laudna was proud of her, how could she not be? The display of power was quite a marvel to behold, yet she had to put that aside, realizing what the cost could have been. Imogen nearly died for her actions, and that was damn near close to breaking her.

Her lip fails to conceal how that terror was truly eating away at her, it wobbling as she fought the urge to cry. She was so close to following up that statement, yet that grimace was enough to stop the words from flowing, at least for the time being. Gods, she couldn't even begin to imagine the pain she must be in as she took in the burns that decorated her skin. The apologies, while appreciated, do little to calm her heart, but a faint smile cracks with the feeling of Imogen's lips, a sweet balm to numb the ache. "You better not," Laudna speaks as that same emotion begins to bubble within her throat.

Laudna let's go of her hands and immediately wraps her arms around Imogen, mindful of the injuries she sustained while allowing herself just this moment to be selfish, to feel that her love was still alive in her embrace. "I can't bare the thought of losing you, Imogen. I... I was so scared as I watched your own lightning consume your body, it was foolish." A whimper can be heard as she dares to hold her closer. "I don't have the means to bring someone back like Fearne and Letters. If it was just us..." The words die on her tongue as she briefly rests her head into the crook of her neck. "...stay by me next time, please."

Each word from Laudna had Imogen's undivided attention. Her smile covered Imogen in warmth and love, and she wished to be powerful enough to freeze time, so they could live in that moment for eternity. If their little bubble of happiness could only last until the morning, though, she would cherish every second of it. Laudna's confirmation that they were on the same page made Imogen take a deep breath, relief and adoration taking over her.

It felt like a small, private miracle to see Laudna blush. It was almost unnoticeable, but Imogen was watching close enough to see the faintest bit of color appear. As Laudna glanced down to their hands, Imogen kept looking at her. "It is just as new to me, Laudna, dear. I have never had anything even close, and I have never wanted to be with someone, not until I met you. It might be foolish of me, but those feelings they tell stories about, I never knew people actually felt this way."

This feels right, she said. The words danced around in Imogen's mind, much like the melody of Laudna's thoughts when they first met. Imogen held on to that feeling, to that fact. In the middle of all chaos and uncertainty, when the skies above seemed ready to fall, this felt right.

She barely gave Laudna time to finish the question before answering eagerly. "Of course, Laudna, always. You can tell me anything, any time, and I will be here for you, no matter what happens, or in what way you need me to be. Together either way, remember? I always want to know what is going on in your heart, whenever you want to share." She raises Laudna's hand and gives it a soft kiss, only the lightest brush of lips, with her eyes still focused on Laudna's face.

Her eyes follow as Imogen raises her hand, an odd yet welcoming warmth spreading through her chest at the feeling of the gentle kiss. That purple deepens ever so slightly as she looks back into pools of lavender. "Together either way," she repeats with a small nod.

Imogen was too good to her, always willing to hear her out, to stand by her side no matter what. Nearing three years ago, it was hard to believe back then that she'd be where she was at now. Having a best friend, one that became her other half, her true love. Minus all the moon shit and Delilah potentially coming back, she was lucky all things considered. Her girl had truly saved her in more ways than one, and if it meant she ended up right back here by her side, she'd do it all again.

There was brief hesitation, expression softening yet keeping her focus on the woman next to her. "...remember when I told you back in Bassuras how I haven't accessed that part of my brain? I wasn't lying then. I had written love off for myself since I was practically a teen. With how everyone treated me back then, and after, throughout my years of wandering, I honestly thought no one could ever love me in that sort of way."

Laudna lightly pulls Imogen's hands towards her chest, holding them close to her heart. "Then you came into my life, and my perspective on it all began to change. I thought I couldn't love at all in any capacity but you showed such generosity and genuine care towards me, you easily proved me wrong." She leans forward, resting her forehead against the sorceress's, relishing in the contact, letting it ground her. "And once you asked if you could kiss me, and after it... it made me realize just how much I truly love you, and what I've been denying myself all along. Just like you said dearest, I never desired having someone either, and I don't want anyone unless it's you."

( Soft cottagecore AU || Imogen Temult ft. Laudna || @macabrepuppet )

The early sunlight passed through the window, illuminating the sorceresses in the small kitchen. It made Laudna's contrasting colors seem like a classic painting, and Imogen caught herself staring. She picked an apple from the bowl of fruits that took most of the center of the table and tried to remember what she was about to say. "You know, I'd been thinking, now that the interior of the house is mostly done, maybe we should get some friends for Pâté. He needs some enrichment." After all this time, Imogen was quite fond of Pâté, but gods, did that little guy have energy.

She watched Laudna's reaction, happy to have a reason to keep her eyes on her. "As long as Sashimi wouldn't get jealous, of course. I would hate to give them a crisis. I hope they're more of the sharing type, but I could be wrong." Before she started to ramble too much, Imogen took a bite of the apple and shared the main thought on her mind. "You look lovely in the mornings, Laudna. To be fair, you look lovely all the time, but this light really suits you."

Mornings were one of her favorite times of day, the calmness of night settling into the dawn. Most importantly she loved the softness it gave when the two awoke in their bed, sharing loving stares and simply enjoying each other's presence. Birds could be heard chirping outside their little home as the rest of the creatures began to rise, and Laudna was looking out that exact window as she sat at their small table. She cocks her head towards Imogen when she speaks, excitement visible with a melodic laugh following. "That's a wonderful idea! We could go out later this week and find him some new friends." Her grin widens as she turns more towards her, the filtering light now hitting the profile of her face. "Sashimi will be fine, I'm sure she'll be just as pleased to have some new friends to chat with."

Purple soon radiates across her face at the compliment, shyly looking away towards the wooden floor, that grin fading to a small smile. Bony fingers go to card through strands of black and white, needing something to occupy her hands. "That's so sweet of you to say, Imogen," she responds, still not used to how easily the other said such lovely things. Finally Laudna focuses on her once more, arms falling back to their sides, and she couldn't help the pleased sigh that managed its way out. "You know you look absolutely radiant in the morning too. Though I think all the various forms of light compliment your beauty." Her left hand then reaches out, taking hold of Imogen's free one. "Perhaps we could go outside and watch what's left of the sunrise?" She asks, knowing full well that it won't have the center of their attention.

An Imogen shirt AND Laudna dice on the same day… amazing!

( You can hear it in the silence || Imogen Temult ft. Laudna || @macabrepuppet )

The quietness had been a stranger to Imogen for a long time. Even as she got some level of control over her powers, the thoughts that surrounded her would still leak through to her mind. It made crowds insufferable, friendships overcomplicated and her feelings for Laudna all the more distressing. They had been inseparable for over two years, and Imogen had been in love with her friend for nearly that long. She couldn't consider saying or doing anything about it, though, not when she could read Laudna's thoughts and know she was thinking of anything but that. Not when she would have immediate, unfiltered access to a possible rejection. So she locked those feeling inside and focused on appreciating her luck to have met Laudna in the first place.

The circlet changed everything. Her mind was her own again, and she could choose to have privacy, and to give it to the people around her. When she first got the item, on a race to get to the Malleus Key in time, she had only started to appreciate what it meant. Then, chaos rained down on Bells' Hells and they were thrown to different continents. During the time they spent apart, Imogen could barely stand the thought of losing Laudna again. She needed to find her better half again, and she would take her shot if she could. If Laudna only wanted her friendship, Imogen would gladly move on (or try her best to), without having to hear the reaction in her own mind. She loved Laudna in more than one way, after all, and nothing could take that love away.

As soon as they were alone and free to talk, Imogen said those terrifying words, and Laudna said 'yes'. Laudna said 'yes'. Not only that, but, after their first kiss, Laudna kissed her again. Her Laudna. Her beautifully scary best friend, her savior, her tether. The world was possibly ending and Bells' Hells were jumping from one crisis to another, but that was the happiest Imogen had ever been. Watching Laudna glow in her new outfit on the way back to Zhudanna's, she would risk assuming she was not the only happy sorcerer around.

When they finally got to their shared room at Zhudanna's, the closest they had to a home, she couldn't stop smiling. Maybe she should take it slow and not overwhelm Laudna, but she didn't know when they would be by themselves again. This one peaceful night in their old room was a gift, and Imogen wouldn't take it for granted. She took Laudna's cold hands in her own and guided her dearest friend to sit by her side on the bed. "I just have to make sure, Laudna. Did you... Did you mean it? Did you want to kiss me as bad as I've been wanting to kiss you? I don't want you to ever feel pressured to do or feel anything that doesn't feel right for you."

Love had always been a complicated subject for Laudna, even way before her first death back in Whitestone. She only had the experience of familial love through her parents. None of the townsfolk cared much for her, and once she became what she was now, it helped to solidify the fact that romantic love was not a thing she could give, nor receive, writing it off for the rest of her undead life. That all changed with Imogen. Sweet, caring, and brilliant Imogen. She always loved and cared about her since the first day they met, she just never realized how deep that love ran until she asked to kiss her.

Even now as they entered their old room, her heart still felt like it was going to leap out of her chest. The warlock could remember every detail from earlier in the market. From the way Imogen's eyes carried so much hope and joy to the way her lips felt against her own. The warmth they held was overwhelming in the best way. It felt like a dream, to know someone could love something like herself, and of course it would have been Imogen. They had an unexplainable connection and deep down she believed that their souls were forever intertwined.

As they sat together hand in hand, Laudna couldn't help but smile in return, the other's happiness infectious. She allowed herself to take in that gorgeous smile, wanting to memorize the dimples that formed, the way it made her other half shine. Maybe for tonight they could pretend that the doom Ruidus carried was no longer a threat.

The moment she spoke, blackened eyes widen just the slightest yet never left her sight. It takes her a second to speak, needing to find the right words to say. "...I did. I wanted to kiss you more than anything," she confesses, suddenly feeling like she was going to float away. The faintest blush colors her cheeks as she glances towards their hands for a brief second. "This is all so new to me, but this feels right. Though... can I be honest with you, Imogen?"