sunseeker | an ill-advised venture (for sarcaskick)

an ill-advised venture (for sarcaskick)

[ It's another frigid night in Ishgard, and M'ahina finds herself arriving somewhat earlier than the appointed hour. She's content to order some wine to at least warm herself as she waits, but in spite of the good drink, she grows bored almost comically fast. Left to her own devices she would probably strike up conversations with other patrons or the like, but in this case, there's a fear it may be somewhat counterproductive to make friends of everyone.

So she simply waits obediently at her own table, idly tracing the rim of her goblet with a gloved finger and a small sigh. Seeing her, one might think she's waited ages rather than several minutes. Keeping to herself is not her forte, it would seem. ]

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[ Given where her hand had been not all too long ago, one would think that her taking his hand wouldn't really have any effect. But that's not a physicality he's used to. When he's touching someone it's almost always to sate one appetite or another, be it violent or otherwise. Something like this, purely seeking his company, it's...

~~nice?~~ unexpected.

He blinks, rewarding her with a brief look of genuine surprise that he's quick to hide. ]

Uh... I mean I can, I guess. For now.

[ A pause. ]

You're not going to ask me to cuddle, are you?

[ That pulls a laugh out of her, like some of her normal energy is starting to come back. What he suggests happens to be one of her favorite things, even, which might be obvious by the sudden brightness in her eyes. ]

I won't force you.

[ That would be a yes, though she's not going to protest if he declines. She's already pushing her luck, she's certain. ]

As if you could.

[ Yeah that's right he'll fight the Warrior of Light big whoop whatever--

But he does... set himself down on the edge of the bed. He doesn't climb on all the way, but at least he's next to her now. It's probably the most she's going to get out of him, this time. ]

There. Happy?

... Uh huh. We'll have to test that sometime. But I am happy, as it happens!

[ There she is again. Much more herself. There's still a strange pit in her stomach she can't seem to define, but that isn't fun and therefore not worth her time to scrutinize. It will get pushed back down where it belongs, so she can focus on better things. ]

You know... They opened a bath house, but recently. Thermal water, open air, and there's a few more private options. It's not as exciting as our tavern affair, I'm sure, but I'm not certain I could handle that again so soon. Besides, I wouldn't want the novelty to wear off.

[ Which is... Certainly one way of putting it. ]

[ He hums briefly at the suggestion, casting his gaze towards the ceiling in thought. It sounds good, and if she's implying what he thinks she's implying then it sounds even better. But there is one thing about going to a place like that which complicates things a little.

... But why spoil the surprise? ]

Are you saying that I need a bath? Rude.

[ He returns his gaze back down to her, head tilting a bit in her direction. ]

But I could be convinced to give it a look, I guess.

Your words, not mine. Though I think it would do me a world of good. I feel.... [ She frowns for a moment. It's difficult to describe, but she doubts she would want to do so anyway, so she ends up meeting his gaze with a grin. ] You did quite a number on me.

Though I was thinking a bit of rest, first. [ She falls back into the bed, and swings a leg out. ] See? Boots are already off.

Edited (Forgot a word rip) 2021-03-08 16:17 (UTC)

Yeah, I have that effect sometimes.

[ A pause - he still doesn't really want to cuddle or anything of the sort, but he also doesn't want to leave? Which is a bit new, but he's not about to overthink it. So after a moment he leans down over the edge of the bed to unfasten his boots as well, setting them on the floor before swinging his own legs up and onto the mattress.

At which point she might notice that his legs are not exactly... standard. ]

Don't stare. I know I have killer legs.

[ She tilts her head. ] Magitek? [ That's ... new. And interesting. She can't deny she's quite curious, but she's also aware that not everyone is keen on sharing such things. ] ... Well, I won't ask unless you feel like elaborating.

[ She'll leave things there, for now. Self-awareness may not be a strong point for her, but that doesn't mean she doesn't do her best to be courteous. Instead, she adjusts now that the old mattress has two occupants, making sure there's enough space for the both of them and rolling to face him again. ]

Thank you for indulging me, by the way.

[ For not leaving. It's not as though he needed to listen to her request. ]

Long story and a real buzzkill. You don't want to hear it.

[ ... Maybe she does, actually, but he's definitely not keen on getting into it right this moment.

He settles into place a bit, stretching his arms up before clasping his hands behind his head; his eyes remain aimed towards the ceiling, though he notices her turning to face him out of the corner of his eye. He's not sure exactly how to respond - because he can't just admit to doing anything for someone else's benefit. ]

Maybe I'm a bit tired, too. Don't overthink it.

[ Someday, she thinks she would, but she's not going to push. It's not her place. Though he is a bit of a handful, isn't he? ..... Not that she's one to talk. ]

Sure. It was a long night indeed. [ She laughs, but it's soft, and more to herself. He can attempt to dismiss her, but she's already drawn the more positive conclusion and doesn't seem inclined to go back on it, like as not. ] A fun one, though.

[ She fluffs her pillow a bit. It smells a bit of... Stale vomit and piss that's survived a couple of washes, and the motion seems to draw it out. Unfortunate. She regrets her sense of smell, at times, but she settles back into it anyway. ]

Well... Goodnight.

Yeah... fun.

[ It was, right? The sex was definitely fun for him, of course, but it's not like everything before it was bad either. The banter, the joking... she's not bad to be around at all.

He's not used to that feeling. He's used to being with people for a very, very brief period of time, and then moving on with his life and cutting off contact. Getting attached wasn't wise or worthwhile, and by and large he honestly didn't think he had the capacity for it - like he was missing some part of himself that knew how. He hadn't spent terribly long with M'ahina, but somehow...

He's still gone the next morning, by the time she wakes up. Old habits die hard. But the mattress where he used to be still has some lingering warmth, as if he had spent the night but gotten out just before she began to stir.

He still has work to do, after all.

Plus, she has his number. ]

[ She's disappointed to find that spot empty, if she's being honest. Unsurprised, but... Disappointed. She does consider asking why he didn't wake her when he left, but what can she do? It's not as though they had some kind understanding. She'd even attempted to ask early in the night and never received a proper answer, which in hindsight was a bit of an answer in itself. Maybe she doesn't have the right to be upset.

Nor does she enjoy moping, so there's naught to it but to simply start her day. She eyes the window for a long moment, but ultimately she does go back down into the tavern simply to apologize repeatedly and profusely--she has friends in this place. Friends who did not need to see a certain side of her. ... Unfortunately, some of the men who had watched are also still present.

Which does lead to a message later on. ]

I ran into your man from the other night. He seemed to think I was for sale, so I was inclined to clear up our misunderstanding. Needless to say, he's off the market now. Sorry.

[ At the very least, he doesn't leave her waiting for terribly long before he responds. ]

that's fine. i found other work. always someone who needs a little muscle thrown the right way.

[ legitimate or otherwise ]</ small>

True! And it seems you were right, that was more satisfying than I anticipated. I usually prefer more of a challenge.

My invitation from before still stands, by the way. I could use the soak.

challenges are fun, for sure, but sometimes you just want an easy win. no shame in it.

i've got one more job lined up today, but as long as it doesn't kill me i should be free after. if it does kill me, i guess i'll be late.

That works for me. I can set some time aside.

Please don't die, though. Then I'd have to find you and beat you up.

threatening a corpse isn't very Warrior Of Light of you

who do i file a complaint with

It isn't? Was I not supposed to fight those necromancers, then?

"dead" and "undead" aren't the same, don't pretend like you don't know that

Only until they become the dead undead! Then they're just dead twice, much as you will be.

are these violent threats common for men you sleep with, or am i special?

What do you mean? I'm simply concerned about your welfare.

strange way of showing it.

work calls. send me the location of the bath house and i'll let you know when i'm done with the job.

Sure thing.

It's in the Firmament district, East Risensong. You can't miss it.

gotcha. i'll keep you posted.

[ It's several hours before he replies again - most of the day, actually, as the job goes sideways about six times and he comes to the conclusion that all of the other hired help is totally incompetent, but good news: ]

i lived. could really use that soak. how soon can you be there?

an ill-advised venture (for sarcaskick)

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