#valouriism

[ . . . ] the picture comes to her by chance; she’s on her way back to her room, camera in tow, when she stumbles across david in the inner courtyard, the sun filtering down through the glass atrium to paint him in light -- and she just raises the camera and snaps the shot on instinct, and it's almost too late because just as the shutter closes he pushes off the wall and starts across the courtyard ( presumably to greet her mother ) and she chases him with the lens, snapping only a few more shots before he disappears. later, scrolling through the photos, she finds they’re all blurred -- some at the edges, some altogether -- and the only one that captures the moment ( captures david the way she saw him, framed in light and at rare ease ) was the first. 

So here you go; for you, @valouriism. With all our love.

1. Who initiated the relationship?

I’d say the actual ‘relationship’ aspect of the relationship was pretty mutual -- organic, even, in that it seemed to become something understood ( if not explicitly spoken about ) somewhere after the ( first ) interlude in the library and the moment she pressed the key to the lakehouse into his palm. It’s not something they get around to actually talking about for a while, I suspect -- it’s just sort of something they understand, inherently, for the most part. But as for who started the pursuit, so to speak? It was Eve. David was impossibly proper with her, mentor and friend and nothing more -- and it was Eve who pushed at the boundaries of acceptable conduct, who looked overlong and too boldly, who entertained the idea of more first.

2. Who had feelings first?

It’s hard to say?? Because what was between them initially was not romantic -- it was?? Platonic?? Companionable?? It was David, willing to risk his life to protect her, not even a few hours after they’d met; Eve, hesitating to leave him behind and run because he was dying for her. David, unafraid to look her in the eye despite what she is; Eve, telling him in the dark that she chose her name and it belonged to her. David, training her for weeks, months, years; Eve, rising to his every challenge, struggling and striving against him. David, trying to recommend her to another’s instruction; Eve, refusing to be trained by anyone else. It’s David & Eve, sparring and training and keeping company with each other for years, spending time together, both quietly and bickering. It’s David & Eve, knowing each other better than they know anyone else. It’s Eve, twisting and turning alone in her bed; It’s David, being noble and careful and deliberately oblivious. It’s Eve, knowing that if she kisses David, he’ll leave her enough space ( when he retreats ) to run. It’s David ( finding her gone, and a letter in her place ) setting out to hunt her across the world.

Who had feelings first? Probably Eve. But that’s too straight-forward an answer for the complexity of the question. 

3. Was it love at first sight?

Of a kind. Dying for someone leaves an impression. That was love, of one variety. The kind that this question probably means didn’t come until much later.

4. Who was the first to find out about their relationship?

Keeping in mind my commentary about their ‘relationship’ from up there, I’m going to say Lucian, if only because he’s seldom oblivious to anything that happens under his roof, and is ( where Eve is concerned ) particularly mindful. He is the first to be aware of how she tests David’s patience ( and control ) in regard to their boundaries, but he sees fit not to comment on it for a long, long while.  

5. Who has to drag the other onto huge roller coasters?

The amount of time either of them gets to spend at theme parks notwithstanding, I think it would be Eve to choose the rollercoaster -- but she wouldn’t have to drag David onto it. It’s kind of an arbitrary test of bravery and daring, as far as mortals go, but if Eve wants to show him something ‘fun’, David is usually down to humor her. 

6. Who gets flustered after a make out session?

Both of them -- but Eve more so. She’s hot-blooded; moreover, ( at least with him ) she’s very tactile, and once they’re past the point of pretending that nothing has changed between them ( ahem, the library, part one ) she takes shameless advantage and seeks out his kisses, draws them out until they both forget themselves for a little while. ( She likes the way David looks with his hair a mess between her fingers, you know. )

7. What do they have in common?

You mean aside from everything?? Sheer willfulness, read: stubbornness, and a sense of responsibility; an understanding of the legacies they were born to, and the crowns they carry individually -- and together. A love of weaponry, of sword play; the thrill they get from a good fight; a passion for the written word ( and for listening to one another read aloud ). A fascination with sunlight; their shared, sarcastic sense of humor; an underlying wildness they both keep very carefully tucked away. 

8. What makes them different?

Eve is a creature of impulse and instinct; she has been taught and trained and honed to a fine edge, but she is ever-most aware of her feelings, what feels right instead of what seems right. David is logical, precise, intellectual and deadly proficient at whatever he applies himself to; reasoned and careful, willing to put his people above himself. Where Eve is sometimes inclined to run from the responsibilities of the Coven or the Pack, David is always respectful of his role and duties -- sometimes detrimentally so. They balance each other out in that way; she pulls him from the mire of his dedication to work, to the war and to their people when it starts to become too much; and he keeps her grounded, anchored -- a gentle but much needed reminder that she has a home, and a place in the world, and that it need not ever be alone.

9. Who is more dominant?

This question is just??? Like, in bed?? Or?? Ahem. Okay, look, I’m gonna answer this non-sexually because reasons: Eve bows to David’s will in a great many things ( because she trusts his opinions, trusts his intentions ) but will also argue with him ( quietly or heatedly, between kisses, or kicks on the training mat ) about things she believes in, policies or points of contention they don’t agree on. But otherwise?? She’s inclined to follow his lead in most things -- because usually they’re on the same page, and he’s the Elder around here. But also?? Personally, between the two of them, in regards to things that are not matters of Coven affair, or Pack business?? They are an even keel of push and pull, maybe somewhat weighted in Eve’s favor, because David has a hard time saying no to her, in truth -- not unless it really matters. But, honestly, they would give each other anything, so??? Dominance is really a matter of perspective, and the situation at hand.

10. Who is the other’s designated driver?

Drinking and imbibing aside, Eve is more than happy to let David drive anytime, anyplace -- he enjoys it as much as she does, after all. But David also let’s Eve drive too, sometimes, and that’s just?? A sign of trust, of things that don’t bear putting to words, that she can’t even begin to quantify. It doesn’t matter who drives generally, as far as Eve’s concerned; but when it comes to David? She’s definitely his one and only designated driver. 

11. What simple things make them crazy for eachother?

Everything???  Eve likes the little dip that forms between his brows when he’s thinking; likes the way he moves through a room, casually regal, a king dressed down in jeans and a t-shirt. She likes the way he swings a sword, likes the set of his shoulders when he’s relaxed; likes the smooth rumble of his voice when he reads aloud; likes his warm chuckles, or better yet, his startled laughs. 

12. Who practically worships the other?

Eve. David. Both. Literally and figuratively. They are devoted to each other, were in thought and heart before deed; in innocence before romance. There is nothing David would not do for Eve, if she asked; there is nothing Eve would not give David in a heartbeat. It’s not that they think the other can do no wrong; it’s that they believe in each other, so strongly, trust in their partnership so inherently, that they don’t feel it’s a danger.

13. What do they do if the other accidentally falls asleep in their bed? (If they don’t share already that is.)

Lol, accidentally?? Listen, okay -- in the days before they actually share a bed? David would never have stepped foot ( or stayed ) in Eve’s room at the monastery long enough to actually fall asleep there. But Eve, falling asleep in his room? In the days before he starts to ween her of the habit, she visited often enough; hovering in the doorway to ask him what he thought of training that day, or this weapon or that form of fighting; as she got older, he discouraged her from entering, so she had no opportunity to fall asleep there. But the library?? The one in their wing; their library -- there were times when he looked up from sharing the room with her ( the two of them quietly, unobtrusively in one another’s space ) to discover her asleep on the couch across from him, a book laying open beside her. There have been times when he stood over her, watching the rise and fall of her chest, and contemplated how best to rouse her and send her back to her room. There have also been times when he’s stared at her, soft and deceptively vulnerable in her sleep, and lingered in the room an hour or two later until she stirred naturally, and he could quietly ( gently ) send her on her way.

14. Have they almost died for each other?

( hOARSE LAUGHTER IN THE DISTANCE ) Oh, yeah, once or twice.

15. Who is more overprotective of the other?

That’s not even fair???? David. He’s the protector -- the over-protector, if you let Eve grumble loud enough. He puts her safety above his own, above his Coven’s; above everything else -- though he doesn’t make a show of it. Some of the few serious disagreements they ever have are over Eve’s safety, over his prioritizing of her escape over any chance of her joining a battle; over his insistence that she protect herself instead of standing with him in a fight. She doesn’t like it -- what was the point of spending a lifetime training ( of continually training, even now when they are trying to end the war ) if she can’t be expected to stand and fight, if she’s not allowed to fight for what’s hers as much as his? Just -- boy, let me tell you, this is one of those things that they will probably always clash over. He wants her safe. She feels safest ( and deadliest ) at his side.

That being said -- if you think Eve’s not prepared to throw down in the meanest and cruelest ways to watch his back, to be his left or right hand in a fight? Oh, you’re dead wrong. 

16. Who gets jealous?

Oh, oh boy. Both? It’s both, I think, but -- Eve, definitely. She -- listen, okay, she’s not super good at sharing; maybe that’s because she spent a lifetime wanting things ( or maybe it’s because it’s David ) but she doesn’t like when others are so freely and openly inclined to hit on him. The problem with this is, of course, that lycans are obscenely casual about affairs; vampires practically invented sex and betrayal-driven political plotting -- there will always be people who think David ( as an Elder; as a Commander ) is an excellent mark. There will always be someone as attracted to his physicality as his rank, to the snap of his teeth or the even authority in his voice. And those people will sometimes look over their shoulder to find Eve, poised and cool, with too many teeth in the bemused elegance of her smile. 

What I’m saying is: when their relationship is still unfulfilled, when they’re just starting out, she is more prone to low-grade fits of jealousy, but she is better raised ( better taught ) and too aware of the power dynamics of immortals to rise to the bait, to let it guide her where others want her to go. For any claim she feels the need to reassert, David is hers behind closed doors -- and later, beyond them. As the years pass, her jealousy will not be so quick to peak, so fast to burn -- but her desire to claim him ( with her kiss, with her hands, with her body and heart and soul ) will always be as demanding and impossible as ever.

17. Who wants to have fun and who makes lists in their sleep?

Fun-Plotter In Chief: Eve List-Maker Extraordinaire: David.

( But let’s be real honest: David likes to have fun, it’s just his sense of duty and responsibility that keeps him pinned to his desk. Still, she manages to tug him away at least once or twice a month, doesn’t she? B)) David is Deputy Fun-Haver. )

18. Who was in denial over their feelings?

DAVID. DAVID. DAVID.　DAVID.　DAVID.　DAVID.　DAVID.

19. Who is messier?

Probably Eve, if only in the sense that places she stays from any length of time tend to have a lived-in feel to them, as opposed to the austere, orderly perfection that some other rooms at the Coven tend to take on. Her mother would never have allowed the sort of casual disaster that mortals of a comparable age would consider bedrooms, so Eve never formed the habit for real messes, but her rooms tend to be lined in bookshelves, stocked with souvenirs of places she’s beed or things she seen; her camera equipment on one table, a book of photos ( and photos to be added ) on another; whatever her latest project ( translating an old text for fun; trying to diagram one of Lucian’s obscenely detailed weapons schematics ) is usually on what is supposed to be her desk; always, there’s a book ( or three ) on her nightstand. She’s not messy, per say; but her spaces are comfortably cluttered with her. 

David’s room tends to be of a military-grade personalization; there are touches of himself here and there -- a jacket slung over the back of a chair; a half-finished book laid aside; the rumpled sheets where he’d rolled out of bed too early because Eve came knocking -- but generally he is orderly and neat enough to not bear any particular remarking upon: the legacy of an upbringing under a strict father with a warrior’s sense of order.

Still, he too keeps books on his nightstand, and when they start to co-habitate, he probably finds that the lived-in feel of the space he shares with Eve feels more comfortable ( I daresay, more home-y ) than it was before.

20. Would they be good parents?

❛ i’m sorry. ❜  it was all she could think to say – primarily because this wasn’t his problem, or part of his job description, but she couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. but no, that wasn’t quite true, was it? she could have gone some place ( anywhere else, a hotel even ) but the first person she thought of was David. 

it always was.

to be fair, turning up outside his door at 2am wasn’t really ideal; sometimes David let her edge the line of what he considered appropriate between them, but more often than not he was the one to say no when all she wanted was – more. but in this at least, she was fairly sure he wouldn’t turn her away. 

( he was good that way. )

‘ i – i uh, had to leave a party,’  she said by way of explanation, smoothing a hand down the front of her skirt self-consciously. she offered him a small, quick smile – and tucked a curl of rain-dampened hair back behind her ear.  ‘ i was going to go home – but i told mother i’d be staying with a friend for a few days and lucian’s over for the weekend, and…’  she trailed off, unsure how to explain just how much she did not want to interrupt her parents. finally, at a loss, she peeked up at him, only just stopping herself before she caught her lower lip between her teeth nervously.

❛ always. ❜  it’s an answer that she can give without thought, without time for consideration or second guessing. her trust extends to so few people so readily, but chiefest amongst them will always be ( has always been ) him. even with her back to a wall, with a knife to her throat – with the whole world upside down – she would trust David with her life. that this is only a training exercise makes no difference at all.

still, there’s something to be said for the inherent discomfort that comes from not being able to see, from having one of her keenest senses taken from her, even temporarily. but perhaps that was the point of the exercise, as it had been in the tunnels – to make her rely not on her sharp sight, but on everything ( anything ) else.  ruefully, eve brushes light fingertips over the front of the blindfold, and takes a steadying breath, aware of the emptiness of the training hall around them, aware of David – somewhere in front of her, off to her right, she thinks. 

if this is payback for her trick down in the tunnels ( he hates when she goes off script, when she relies more on instinct than instruction, than training ) it’s well chosen. he has not handed her a weapon, and that is almost as disorienting as the lack of vision. standing in the center of the wide open room, there is no obstacle to track herself against, no inherent markers to orient with if need be ( if she’s attacked, if she’s turned around ) – and she is suddenly very acutely aware of the fact that she is at David’s mercy in this. 

a beat of silence, and she hears her heart, steady but loud in her ears. 

David: Eve no

Eve: (ง •̀_•́)ง

David: *sighs*