#holysln

ARMS ARE WRAPPED AROUND HERSELF - not out of a need to protect herself, or to keep herself closed off. no, tzipporah finds that she doesn't do that with mello lately. (if she was being honest with herself - which she never is - she would find that she never HAS been on the defensive with him, has always found his advances, his good humor, genuine. she thinks she's good at knowing these things.) for a moment, pippa doesn't know what to say. her mouth opens and closes, a little inhale. she shifts her weight.

she feels a little off balance. not because she doesn't return these feelings - of course she does. she thinks it's rather obvious. but tzipporah isn't used to seeing mello like this. not shy - because he sounds sure of himself even now - but the lack of almost performative boldness. like he isn't trying to make her duck her head and flush. just telling her to tell her something real and honest. another shift of her weight. her eyes trail over his face. she's looking at him. she always looks at him. tzipporah finds him beautiful - she wonders if she tells them that enough, or if she should say it more: if he would believe her if she did, or laugh it off and wink at her without taking her words to heart.

a step forward, unhesitant. then another one. one arm unwraps from herself. curls it into the sleeve of his sweater, fingers brushing against his wrist. (she's wearing one of his, too, for clarity and honesty. it's not important to the narrative - but it's important to this.) she wants to kiss him. but she tries to be honest in the same way he is. her voice has more emotion that it usually does; which is to say - SOFTER, TOUCHED, BUT CERTAIN. "i hope you know i feel the same."

@holysln

There’s something that he isn’t saying. Rain wants to know because she’s nosy, but she also has a feeling that he wants her to press further into this. Why bring it up if he didn’t? An eyebrow raises, but otherwise, her expression doesn’t shift.

@holysln

“Why’d you assume it’s my fault?” And it was, actually. The cut is really not that bad, thankfully the scissors they had been using were not that sharp. One second they’re trying to open a box, the next, they’re realizing that they sliced across their palm as well.

They’d grabbed the first thing they could find to hold to it, which just happened to be a handful of tissues. It was really not doing much.

@holysln, from here.

TZIPPORAH ISN'T USED TO FEELINGS OF JEALOUSY. she never had much use for them, there wasn't any reason for her to feel these things - well. maybe some ugly jealousy when her brother or sister were the ones to ne able to sit out of the turing test - but isn't that normal? a survival instinct rather than true jealousy. the jealousy that's been rearing her head with mello isn't anything to do with survival, but just want and love and longing. the need to have and be had. maybe this could be a good thing - pippa is allowing herself to experience these things, and experiences these human things with mello. and there's some safety in this, perhaps. her feeling these things, causing these arguments. in hindsight, of course.

@holysln

The party games had been a bad idea, probably. Maybe going to a party with Mari at all had been a terrible idea, but whenever she asked Forrest for something, he couldn’t say no. And that was how he ended up in a circle with her playing spin the bottle. And then in a dark closet, once the bottle had landed on him.

How kind of the people here, to offer them some privacy.

A SOFT SIGH FROM THE BACK OF HER THROAT, her cheek pressed against the pillow, slender arms shoved underneath it, relaxed and lazy. his covers are strewn and in comfortable disarray: more of a signed of being lived in by two people in love than sloppiness or uncaring. the weight of his chest is warm against tzipporah's bare back - his hands fleeting and comforting, where mello slipped them under her and up, his fingertips brushing against her ribs. tzipporah wonders if he can feel her heartbeat shaking the bones from there. she feels hazy in a way she never has before, warm and flushed with love - skin still sheened and damp with sweat. bare skin on bare skin, and even now - in the after - still no room in between them. no break, no separation of his body and her own. she likes it best this way. she could live like this forever.

HEAVY SIGH, HER BROWS PINCH TOGETHER, AND SHE FEELS AN ACHE IN HER CHEST. tzipporah doesn't want to do that either. a part of her thinks, perhaps, she's overreacting - and that this is the first time she's been hurt like this before, so it feels like the world is ending. a feeling made worse by the knowledge that mello didn't mean to hurt her ( she thinks, not self-importantly but honestly, that mello would rather die than hurt her ) - that just makes her feel guilty for being upset in the first place. shaky inhale. shaky exhale. she stumbles over her words. "i'm ... that's not what ..."

@holysln asked:

“you look as though you’ve seen ghosts.”

Silence for a moment. Mouth slightly agape as her brain processed the flashes inside of it. Her brows knit together at the words as her head shakes softly. It was true, she had in fact but to explain it would be such a strange thing. But then again that was her common.

She looks to the other if only for a moment and then past them. As if something was still there, something was behind them. There was not at least not anymore. The shadow was there but in a different capacity, and she could not make heads or tails of whatever she saw was trying to tell her.

She felt the drip of her nose first and then the words of company reached her. Perhaps she always looked that way, that may be why everyone says something like that. A quick movement to swipe blood away. She hoped Silas had not noticed, but given her mannerisms even if they had she hoped that it was just written off.