#cryptiique

          caleb is nine minutes and fifteen seconds into casting find familiar when they sense @cryptiique hovering behind them.  they have their coat folded on the bed and sleeves rolled up to the elbows , the bandages wrapped around his arms fully visible , a compromise with his mind to allow for mobility for spell completion.  they shift their weight as they lean forward to draw another sigil on the wood floor of the room and settle back onto their knees as they continue to chant quietly in sylvan.  their spellbook lays beside them , though they hardly reference it , the steps and words burned into their mind the first time they wrote the spell down.  

          the back of their neck continues to prickle , vax'ildan's presence overwhelming but not unwanted , though they stumble in the pronunciation of a word and hope that mistake isn't costly.  caleb uses a cantrip to light the charcoal on fire , and closes their eyes to complete this first quarter of the spell.  the chanting comes to a pause and a few of the symbols are set aglow in amber light.  a few minutes of break in the spell that he can use to carry conversation while still holding concentration.

" mhm. it's part of our charm, don't you think? " his words dance off his tongue with a post-drunken sarcasm. it's nearly funny, that Vax is the one who knows, who see's. That Percy has the opportunity to see him as well. Out of anyone, Vax is the only one willing to face the darkness that nipped at Percy's heels. Perhaps it was because it followed Vax too, casting a shadow over past & present alike. It drives them to fight & survive & do whatever it takes to do so... regardless of any ugliness it took to do so. There were things they needed to do, and ideas to protect.

What macabre common ground to find, illuminated by the fading light of the tavern they had holed up in. It was always a bit odd, to spend time alone with Vax'ildan. Percy mused was like walking a tightrope, deciding which way Percy may want to fall.

Something was thrilling about being challenged. It always made Percy feel too alive, his heart hammering inside of his chest as it threatened to leap out at Vax. It made it hard to breathe, hard to think, hard to distance himself from the heated moments they shared. But just as intoxicating, were moments like this. Familiarity, understanding, it was all hard to come by.

tonight has been entirely too genuine, likely fueled by the drinks Percy kept ordering one after another. it was easier to fuel the momentum when he took the edge off his mind when he didn't want to think twice ( or three times, as he was prone to. ) They had spent to evening trading quips & allusions to the men they were. Infuriating, dangerous & often flawed it was magnificent to observe & be seen. The night was simmering to an end as was the haze that brought on such honesty, but other, clearer feelings still lingered. It was a mess of emotions he couldn't quite place, a draw he felt when he settled too naturally at Vax's side.

" When you know the devil is at your heels, you always want to look at him. see what he's up to. doesn't leave a lot of room to look forward. " the sarcasm slides away as he meets Vax's gaze, looking for the understanding he craves but struggles to ask for. it feels strange, like he's confessing to Vax in a moment separate from the rest of time. it feels like he has to pluck the words from his ribcage, presenting them to harvest. At least Vax knew they may make him sick if he indulges. Perhaps this is why his expression now falls, resenting how easy they were to reach under Vax's presence. Percy lets out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, " But you know that, don't you? "

It was too real. Percy felt just as alive as he did when he & Vax caught one another's frustrated glances from across a room. Maybe more. Sharing sentiments, finding common ground that often feels out of reach when balancing the dynamics around them. True, there was always something worth keeping to their chests but unfortunately, there was just as much worth sharing. Percy liked scanning the metaphorical emotional passages Vax was willing to lay before him, enjoying the opportunity to peer over his carefully constructed walls to see what lies beyond.

But, Percy would be a liar if he claimed he didn't enjoy being nestled in the back of this tavern, shoulder to shoulder, flipping through the pages of one another's life. he's not sure when he leans so close. a breath away, he sees vax - he sees the details of a face tired as his, lovely in its survival. a surge of something close to boldness, maybe the desire, washes over him & he closes the space between them too quickly. a kiss, more eager than he means to be, though he doubts he could define what he means to begin with.

      *      CRYPTIIQUE    (  @cryptiique​  )      /      ft.   orym      —      orym gives his blue boy a smooch.

the quiet of their room keeps out the sounds of the city  —  and their not-so-far-away companions.    being woken by a kiss from his halfling bedmate is a fine way to wake up.  dorian doesn’t know how much he craves this sort of companionship until he finds it with orym.

dorian loves plenty of folk  —  has loved and will continue to love  —  and each love is different.  orym’s is that of a partner, not just a lover  —  what he’s heard of husbands, of marital bonds born of love, brings to mind orym always nowadays.

he knew of the complications with their relationship. how, without a beat skipped, they fell into a pattern that was far from foreign. that unseeable bond they have always had left them drawn to one another's presence. so zagreus can only gaze upwards at death when he appears before life. like a cycle renewed once more zagreus feels calm. a bit more grounded than he has felt prior to their encounter now that @cryptiique is here. " has it truly been that long? " he inquires, " surely you're exaggerating it, thanatos. " gods do not experience the concept of time like mortals do. what could be a second for these otherworldly beings could be years to the lambs of the earth. " i take it you've missed me? "

@cryptiique​ said:

[ GUIDE ]:         in the process of guiding the receiver through a crowded place, the sender’s hand protectively grazes against the small of their back ( from percy! )

prompts that make me go 👀  ( accepting )

ISOLATION TOOK ITS TOLL on elizabeth’s mannerisms in a crowd. the healthy caution most exercise in a dangerous place is lost on her, and something about being immersed in so many bodies sends jitters of excitement and anxiety through her body in full parallel. thank goodness for percy. he knows this place much better than she does; if not for him, she would have been lost twice and swindled thrice by now. besides, dragging him out to the market helps to get him out of his own head for a while. ( even if that’s mostly due to her getting into trouble. ) it’s on her way to a spell component stall, past a labyrinth of food carts elizabeth barely notices in pursuit of her goal, that she feels a set of eyes on her. they belong to someone lurking in the back of his stall behind the counter. there’s something unsettling about his gaze, but it’s hard to put into words what about it makes her uncomfortable. is this one of those social feelings she doesn’t know to match to its name yet? one of the worse ones? for a moment, she’s not sure what to say. that discomfort dries up her throat and muddles her thoughts as if someone’s reached in and tangled them up – would asking what he wanted be interpreted as an invitation or a threat? 

@cryptiique blesses me with the boys