#thornedeath

** platonic / familial actions.  your  muse  places  a  flower  crown  atop  my  muses  head.

•••

▐│∶x∶; —                             he knew she was still nearby. the aura she carried, the faint scent of perfumes, both still lingered in the air. he'd just stopped paying attention to exactly where she was. so it, admittedly, catches him by surprise when she suddenly glides up beside him.

            ❛ hey, what d-- ❜

something brushes across his forehead. there's a bit of movement right above his left eye, and he swipes his hand at it without thinking. dol's fingers hit something. whatever it is, it's fragile and paper-thin, enough so it feels like he just swatted a feather or something similar. ...and... based on the petals fluttering to the ground by his boots and the near-immediate snort of a snicker that emitted from scarlett's throat... it's pretty safe to say he over-reacted.

dol reaches up, plucking another petal from one of the small flowers now lining his forehead. the stem pulled out of his hair just far enough for him to see that it had been woven into other stems, creating some sort of pollen-infested head piece.

........................ charming.

he flicks it with the tip of his finger, grunting as his gaze slants to her weak attempt at an innocent little smile. if she were attempting to feign innocence at all, that is.

      Scarlett may have rid herself of her heels, but she still had half a foot on Riza. As her hand reaches towards her, Riza seeks out both. And yet, she’s only allowed to take hold of one. Evidently she has other ideas, and Riza is curious where they will go.

      Lips meet hers as Scarlett presses towards her. The hand she hadn’t let Riza take settles against Riza’s hip. Eyelids fall closed soon after Scarlett lowers her lips onto hers. Each kiss becomes shorter. Soon there’s the first nip. Then the second. And a third. The sigh that escapes her nose flutters warmly against Scarlett’s cheek. 

@thornedeath | s o f t ;c;

      Howling wind rattles the window frames behind curtains long since pulled closed. There was no venturing out into this blizzard on a day like today. Scarlett was adamant for them to relax as much as possible, and luckily, Riza was not on duty today. The possibility of her being called in for an emergency loomed over, as usual. Yet the piercing ring hasn’t dared to interrupt their day.

      Riza wonders, really, if somehow Scarlett has been able to scare it from breaking the tranquility.

       Sleep has faded in and out for the last hour or two...she realizes she isn’t entirely sure. She isn’t even quite sure what time it is. She hadn’t noticed the enlacing of fingers, gentle grasp raising her hand up towards Scarlett’s face. No wonder, given they’re surrounded by blankets, leaning against removed couch cushions for further comfort. Hayate is curled at their feet, not too dissimilar from how they’re curled into each other. The haze is pleasant, and Scarlett’s lips are warm.

Words spoken so boldly that they earned nothing short of a thin smile. How riveting it was to learn of a person that did not fear, rather seemed any obstacle as a enemy yet to be routed.  ❝ Such an intrepid expression, yet it inquiries if you can respond in action as well. ❞

Feasibly, it were the drinks bringing forth such words. It was not a matter that needed discussion much beyond her previous sentence. It was an adaptable mindset.

A glass was raised, touching with own lips to taste it’s content. Crimson, such were the wines enjoyed.

❝ So. What has you saying such? ❞

      Some nights swallow her whole, leaving nothing behind but a form and a face that stares blankly into whatever space lays bare before her. Brown eyes barely move. They only blink as the world disappears, as Scarlett’s voice fades into an inconsequential hum that does little to nudge her attention back to her. It’s not her intention to ignore or shut her out. Exhaustion has built over the past few weeks with little opportunity for a straight night’s sleep, leaving her conscience vulnerable to flares of the past and and the haze of a mind trying to atone.

      Riza barely notices Scarlett moving into her line of sight, and only finally looks at her when the taller woman’s arms scoop under her knees and cradle against her shoulder blades. Once satisfied she has a good grip, Scarlett hoists her up and it’s a testament to her lack of focus until now that Riza barely finds it in herself to protest. If she were being totally honest, the warmth of Scarlett’s arms calms her mind.

      She doesn’t want to speak. She just wants to lay in her arms for a little while. Even if it doesn’t completely rid her of shadows and doubts, maybe it will calm them, just long enough, for her to close her eyes and sleep for more than 2 hours at a time.

      Then there’s the warmth of Scarlett’s lips on her own - she’s spaced out once more. But now she’s grounded again, thankful that of any sensation the kiss could possess, it’s a level of understanding and tenderness that doesn’t make her want to shrink away. It’s care and reality, warmth and so much else. Her mind is too preoccupied to find the right words. 

      As Scarlett pulls away, just a fraction, Riza releases the breath she didn’t know she had been holding. 

     ★ What kind of delusional chain of thought was present to request something like this? - while he had watched and observed for what feels like an unaccounted eternity of time, like a shadow following in every step.     " How foolish. "     Like chiding a child would he reply at last. The drawl between them, between the breaths exhaled to issue statement meaning nought to him and that ridicule of an answer he finally deigns to gift may seem endless - yet only heartbeats had passed.

    ★ " I do not pretend. "     For that would mean worth in another person to behold.     " Nor do I care for the sentiments you may place upon yourself. "

    ★ For those who seek to skip the inevitable, are they not just dreamers following a desire that can not be attained { but how much would he even want to say to that? }. It's enough for his head to tilt, the smallest margin of a smile was rather one revealed by a smidgen of mercy than real sympathy. How quaint.     " How high and mighty of you to assume I do. "     As all the reason he was here for; why even Sephiroth had set foot in presence that would bring him little else but a mild bout of entertainment was only the striking boredom felt when first arriving in this world.

    ★ It was always the same. Sometimes his wander brought him to gems yet to be formed out of raw stone { was it the same here? }.     " Alas, do indulge me. "