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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A few minutes? I can go now, if you'd like.

[ She isn't not rearranging her whole schedule to make time she doesn't actually have... ]

now would be good. meet you there.

[ She'll probably arrive before him - he's not in the area just yet, and he needs to swing by his place briefly before heading back out. It might be obvious why when he does arrive, sporting a fresh bruise on his jaw and a cut near his hairline - not deep, thankfully (honestly, he was more worried that it might ruin his hair).

He raises an arm in a lazy wave once he spots her, fighting back a wince in doing so - the minor wounds on his head aren't the only ones he suffered. ]

Oh, my darling, I have had a day.

[ Oh but good news! He's still got a mouth! ]

[ She's sitting at the bar and has changed into a bikini, in spite of the faint bruises on her back and the extremely obviously teeth marks down her neck. She even has a drink; fruit juice this time, rather than alcohol. She actually brightens at the sarcasm, though it fades to a frown as she takes in the sight of him. ]

... You look terrible. I'm not much a healer, but I can at least close that cut, if you'd like?

[ She's already reaching before she receives an answer, though she'll back off if asked. ]

[ It's impossible not to notice some of the marks marring her skin, especially given that they were entirely his fault. Admittedly, he likes to see them. The marks on his own skin were from a far less entertaining endeavor, so he isn't as fond of them - and yet he reaches up to catch her wrist before she can perform any magic. ]

I like to let things heal on their own. Pain's a good reminder not to make the same mistake again.

[ A pause. ]

"You look terrible"? Gosh, you have such a way with words.

Hmm. Suit yourself.

[ She's not certain she agrees with the philosophy, but he does seem to be a glutton for pain. She won't press. As for the rest, she shrugs. ]

Oh, sorry, I guess I was supposed to say it makes you look rugged and massage your ego and so forth. Are you at least going to tell me what happened?

[ What? Mercury might not have an altogether healthy mindset towards life and living? Perish the thought. ]

Yeah, exactly. Apology accepted.

[ Accompanied by a crooked grin, letting go of her wrist to rest his hand on his hip. ]

Risk of business - when you're hired onto a group project, things go south fast when some people don't pull their weight. [ A beat. ] Things go south faster when some of them just flat-out run away.

But if you're asking what the job was, let's just say I was doing my part to lower gang violence in the community. Like an upstanding citizen.

... Ah. Happens too often, doesn't it? [ Suffice to say, she knows the feeling of carrying whole ventures on her shoulders and then some. It's rarely appreciated, either, though she has learned to live with it. ] I'd be careful, though. I'm sure you know what you're doing, but there are people here who don't take kindly to outsiders.

[ To put it mildly. Then again, he seems he might enjoy that bit, unlike her, always trying to find friends in unlikely places. If whatever's happening between the two of them didn't make that painfully obvious. ... Ah well. She pulls herself to her feet for the time being; they can continue the conversation as they walk. ]

People don't usually take kindly to me in general. I'm doing fine anyway.

[ ... Excluding present company, apparently, but that goes unsaid. He walks beside her as she gets up to head towards the bathhouse proper; he'll still need to change, of course. Clearly, she's a bit more ready than he is. ]

But your concern warms my heart, really.

... Really? I can't see why.

[ It isn't sarcasm, either. He can certainly be a lot, but he doesn't seem so bad, to her. Then again, it takes quite a bit to really get under her skin, and they don't know each other all that well yet. Maybe she'll start to recognize more with time.

The bulk of the place is a fairly large heated pool; she continues a little further down where there's some smaller little hot tubs that allow more privacy. It's still technically public and they can see out into the mountains, but it's much quieter here and they're less likely to be bothered. ]

What do you think?

[ He doesn't respond to her first remark - truth be told, he knows why. It's because there's something about her presence that makes him... act better, maybe. Which is hard to imagine, given what he coaxed her into just last night, but given that his original intent was to go there and start a tavern-wide brawl for the sake of getting the target? She hasn't seen him at his worst.

Which he... usually is.

But rather than dwell on that he looks out at the view, breathing out a content sigh before nodding. ]

I think I'm overdressed.

[ He'll just go on and... start fixing that, then, wasting little time in unzipping his jacket to peel it off. Is there a proper changing area? Probably. Who cares. ]

[ The motion catches her off guard somewhat, but she ends up laughing. It's not strictly frowned upon--there's the odd naked or towel-clad person around, especially near the steam room, and they're so nestled away from view in this particular spot there's not much of anyone to raise a brow anyway. She steps down in the water, herself, fully submerging herself before poking her head up with the most contented sigh. It's much hotter than a typical bath--closer to a man-made hotspring, and it feels wonderful. ]

Did you know I helped build this place?

Warrior and architect? What don't you do?

[ His shirt goes next, tossed to where he set his jacket down. There are some more fresh bruises on display, one on the left side of his chest, another further down towards his abdomen, and a bandage wrapped around his upper right arm indicates a wound there as well. There are also quite a few less-than-fresh marks marring his skin, scars of various shapes and sizes. Some seem to have been from cuts, some from punctures, a few small burn wounds.

Comparatively, the bruises aren't really much to care about. ]

[ She has a response to that, but the full sight of him stops her short. It is a lot to take in. It's a small wonder she's not covered in old scars herself, but she never did seem to scar easily. This seems a bit more, especially compunded with his legs. And that he mentioned he doesn't care much for healing magic. ... It worries her a bit, if she's being honest. There's many questions in her eyes, but she attempts to bite them down. ]

It seems you've been through a lot.

[ But who hasn't, truly? ]

[ He stops midway through unfastening his boots, glancing her way with a pause. ]

Like I said. Risk of business.

[ ... Though most of the scars predate his days as a sellsword but that's a story for another time. Or maybe never.

A shrug, as he gets back to undressing to take his boots off and start working on his pants. ]

I'm sure I'm not the only one. Bet you've got stories.

Hmm.

[ She'll have to be satisfied with that answer. She wants to know more--much more--but how long have they truly known each other? There will be time. At least she thinks (... hopes) there will be. ]

Too many. Sometimes I start hearing stories about myself that even I didn't know. Think I could be sleepwalking?

Or you have a particularly overzealous fan.

[ Say, a minstrel. Who composes ballads. Something like that, maybe.

His pants are soon down and off, fully revealing his Magitek legs and a pair of plain black boxer-briefs. His hands go for the waistband of his underwear, but he hesitates. M'ahina is in a bikini, after all. It's not like he's shy, but-- ]

I don't have to wear these, right?

[ maybe

just maybe

he's trying not to make this awkward for her ]

[ She winces, which should answer that suggestion on its own. Overzealous fan, indeed. One day she's going to take that man's harp and--

The question makes her blink. Is he considering decency after last night? ]

Whichever you want. [ She gives him a wry smile. ] It's not as though I haven't already seen. [ ... Or touched. It really makes feeling shy about it a bit difficult. ]

Aw, I was hoping you'd be a bit more eager. "Ooh, yes, please take them off, let it all hang out!"

[ So... okay. Maybe not so much on the whole decency thing after all.

Speaking of, there go the undergarments, dropped atop the pile of his clothing that he has done nothing to fold or organize. He doesn't waste another moment before stepping down into the tub, which he... obviously doesn't feel right away, what with the legs and all, but once he sinks down far enough there's a content sigh leaving him; it isn't long before he's sank down to his shoulders, head resting back against the tub's edge. ]

I'm not getting out. Ever. I'm going to die here, and you can't stop me.

Yes, yes. I'm quite eager to observe your limp manhood. Very attractive.

[ Joking aside, however, she does keep watching as he sinks into the water. Call it curiosity--she saw bits and pieces the other night, but this is her first time taking in the the full sight of him.

She ends up arching a brow. ]

No?

[ She sinks back into water for a moment, shifting. And popping back up to insert herself at his side, beaming. He'd mentioned he doesn't care much for cuddling, but if she can use it to get on his nerves a bit, she's certainly willing to try. ]

[ He's so lost in the pleasant heat seeping through his aching muscles that he nearly misses her little journey, only taking note when she's abruptly resurfaced right beside him. His head turns to glance at her, cocking an eyebrow. ]

No. You'll have to literally throw me out.

[ It might sound like a challenge if his tone weren't so lethargic. ]

[ She does take it as a challenge, but not a direct one. Throwing him out or trying to chase him out immediately doesn't sound terribly fun when she's quite relaxed in here herself. No, she'd rather see what she can get away with before the breaking point. ]

No complaints here. I take that to mean you won't care too much if I settle in?

[ She shifts against him a bit more. It's the unbruised side, at least. ]

[ ... Ah. That's her game. On the one hand cuddling is definitely not in his wheelhouse - physical affection in general falls under that umbrella, and no, sex doesn't count. But he's tired, and sore, and the water feels so good, so...

He shrugs against her, tilting his head back again to rest on the edge of the tub. ]

I know you can't keep away. Go on, indulge.

[ She is, admittedly, not the worst person to be huddled up against. ]

What can I say? You're fun to be around.

[ It's the truth. She supposes if she's going to be doing what she wants anyway, there's no harm in in indulging his ego a touch. She lets her head sag into him a bit and lets out a content sigh. This is quite nice, actually. ]

I hope you realize I'll have a difficult time taking no as an answer, after this.

[ Indulge her once.... ]

[ She thinks so, does she? A part of him wants to believe it. Another part of him is sure that she just enjoys him in these small doses, and that being together for any lengthier span of time would find her feeling quite differently. People don't really attach to him. It simply isn't done.

She rests her head against him, and he reminds himself that he doesn't attach to others, either. ]

I hope you realize that I could say the exact same thing.

[ Under the water, one of his hands brushes against her thigh. Not actually making a move towards anything obscene ~~yet~~, he's still drained from the day's work. Just... making a point.

Indulge him once... ]

[ Her eyes drift closed for a moment, contemplating. An action unlike her; the truth is she likes to drown out the sound of her own her own thoughts as much as she possibly can; they always seem to spiral into discomfort. Discomfort she neither needs nor cares to indulge.

This could too, if she cared to unpack it more, but the truth is she doesn't mind casual sex. ... Or at least, not between friends. She's never used it as a tool to simply get off. She could wonder if that's truly what's happening here, or something else, but...

It would seem she's not prepared to consider that quite yet. ]

... I don't mind. [ A pause. ] So long as there isn't any undue flattery.

[ Any lies. It's not as though she's completely naive to the potential fallout from all this. But for the time being, it's... nice? Different than what she's used to, and one might even call that exciting. ]

an ill-advised venture (for sarcaskick)

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