#firstpriick

"I'm sure they don't," is all he can say, confusion etched into his features. His focus had been on the battle that they were preparing for and her comment had caught him off guard. A part of him wondered why some of his other grisha hadn't kept her from bothering him. Maybe it was time for him to talk with the others and remind them just what they were supposed to be doing. There were two that he trusted most of all, but apparently they were busy doing something else. As far as he knew they were there in the palace, but if she had gotten through maybe they weren't. Either way, Aleksander knew he needed to rethink a few things to make certain this didn't happen again. First, though, he needed to know who she was and how it was she'd gotten this far. "Who are you again? And how is it you found your way into my private quarters."

"Chuck," is all she can say, his words hitting her in a way she hadn't expected. While she'd been enjoying the time they spent together, a part of her knew that it couldn't last. How could it? He wasn't exactly human and there was no way he'd want to spend whatever time she had together. It wouldn't be fair to either one of them. And yet she couldn't ignore some of the things she felt when they were together. Chuck made her feel special, loved even, and it had been a long time since someone had done that to her. Steph just wasn't sure what she should do with this new piece of information. She couldn't just confess that he wasn't the only one. Not when she didn't know what they hell they were. But neither could she keep him in the dark. It wasn't fair. "What are we even? I enjoy our time together, but just what are we?"

“And am I supposed to think this is a coincidence?” She challenged, “And not your...irritating omniscience at work, deciding to focus on me?”

Centuries, millennia, had passed. Lives lived but not truly experienced, all flashing before her eyes. It had taken her immense efforts to reach her ( him? ), and now, she took another shaky step forward. “They tell me you go by ‘Chuck’ now,” she whispered, a ghost of a smile forming on her face before she fell to her knees, the effort finally sapping her of her strength.

"I'm fine, dearie," Rumplestiltskin told the other. "Besides, if I wanted a jacket, I could easily poof one up myself."

⸻ loud & deafening silence prompts

Chloe smiled, and nodded. "That's kind of my job. I'm glad you're okay." Sometimes she found it stressful, jumping into the fray like that.