#cynicalartisan

lio vc: hot (I hate it here)

@cynicalartisan​

Touch Meme / Not Accepting (Accepting somewhat selectively since it’s old) ➜ Play with mine’s hair

Claws tenderly fidget with the other's blond braid, head tilted to the side in mild curiosity. Despite the sharp talons they wield, their touch is... soft. Gentle. Hesitant? "... seeing your hair reminds me of when mine was just as long. Part of me misses it. Sometimes." A pause.. and they withdraw. "S-sorry. I... hope you didn't mind." Pink eyes glance away as the warmth gathers in their cheeks. "... I couldn't resist-"

Getting through those tall walls that Lio had firmly placed around themselves meant that moments like this were increasingly more common, the two of them simply enjoying the warm weather that was characteristic of spring now that peace had seemingly come across the nation. Although Lio’s home base seemed to be more centered in Liyue, Aether could understand the call that one’s own home nation carried and was more than happy to bring the other back to Inazuma on a return trip for just spring festivities. 

They were in a conversation about the different ores that they might collect before leaving here again, over a small lunch of tea and various finger foods when the traveler felt a careful touch at the end of his braid. He long knew the strength that those claws were capable of - from weapon creation to just plain combat, to say that Lio was soft was an understatement. Yet it was moments like this that he cherished, patient smile over his lips as he simply listened to what the other said. 

“Always miss it when it’s different, right? I haven’t had short hair in the longest, but I gotta admit, I miss having it at times too! This gets in the way sometimes... and washing up can be a tasks sometimes.” He joked, gentle as he watched Lio withdraw. Slowly, he reached forward to take one of the other’s hands in his own and brought it back over to his braid. 

Lio stares at him, clawed talons playing with the ginger's hair idly. A rare calm moment between them. He seems to almost be.. studying him. His facial features. His scars. The freckles that adorn his face, the curl and waves of his hair. This man is... He huffs softly, his cheeks flushing very softly.

"... hm. You're... something else." He shifts beside him, eyes half-lidded as he tilts his head. "... you're quite attractive." A pause. "... until you open your mouth." Ah. There's the sass-

Aias allows himself to be studied with a patient- if a little smug- smile, blinking languidly as his hair is toyed with. Pale eyelashes flutter up and down, up and down, before settling somewhere halfway over his eyes, casting the dull blue into an darker hue.

"I thought you liked my mouth?" he questions 'innocently', arching his brow in a knowing way. There's a reason they woke up sharing a single bed, after all. The dull sting in his bitten lips when his smile widens is only a reminder and his pink tongue flicks out to trace the scab briefly.

The bottle of sake is subtly slid across the table to the Traveler. He won't say where he got it from. And did it truly matter? Drink, Aether, drink! While people aren't looking!

Aether looks left. Looks right. Even Paimon seems to be occupied investigating something shiny she found. That means...

His time has come.

@cynicalartisan​

Ah. The Traveler is resting? Perhaps Lio will join him. Just for a moment or two.

It is nice to sit underneath a sakura tree, especially on such a nice weathered day in Inazuma. With the sun, warm and bright, but not overbearing. A soft breeze coming from across the waves, lapping against the island nation. Yes... it is... very nice... Perhaps he will lay his head against his shoulder a bit too... Just for a few moments... He feels safe around Aether. Just enough to lower his guard... to relax... to... rest...

... ah. It seems Lio has... fallen asleep. Quite soundly, too. His visage relaxes as his breath eases up, the oni sleeping very contently against him.

With the conflicts in Inazuma somewhat resolved - enough for a peaceful lull to come over the nation for the layman, it gave the traveler some opportunity to actually enjoy himself now. Of course Paimon’s first suggestion was to take advantage of all the delicious food that the two of them could purchase now without concern of being whisked away by the Shogunate for simply existing in the city as the outlander who had defied the rule of the Shogun. 

Despite some gentle ribbing from Aether when Paimon’s thoughts went somewhere predictable, he was more than happy to buy just about every little snack that her little heart desired when they made their way back to Inazuma City. Food and drink in hand, it was easy to find a place just outside of the city where the two of them could just sit and enjoy a picnic outside. 

Feeling sleepy after a large meal was pretty natural and he wasn’t even sure when he had properly knocked out for a bit of a nap until he was waking up, with the sun shifted from the position he remembered it being - and a little additional weight on his shoulder due to a certain blacksmith.