[ the lilt to her voice is familiar. it's reminiscent of the merrow he'd encountered in his dream, the one who he'd feasted on without an inkling of remose.
...he follows even the faintest of sounds. the woman splayed out before him is the alex he knows well, but she is grand and glittering and gleaming — the smile that plays along her lips is a sight to behold, and he finds himself at a loss for a moment, looking clearly dumbfounded. ]
I did. [ a hand moves to scratch at the back of his head. ]
[ His words hit all the right chords in this selfish merrow, his somewhat bashful gestures endearing. She hums, quite pleased. ]
Maybe I should always leave my door open then.
[ A light, playful chuckle. Her tail moves from one side to the other languidly, almost like a cat eyeing its prey. ]
Will you keep me company? Even when I'm like this?
[ The innocence in her tone is betrayed by the intensity in her gaze, a scaled hand reaching out to him, palm open in invitation. She could make him come to her if she wanted, sing a phrase or two, or even simply hum. But many times he's practically offered himself to her, and a part of her can't help but want to see just how much he meant. ]
You shouldn’t. [ he says a little sternly, lips thinning into a line. ] You could’ve gotten hurt.
[ there is a danger about her; the hazard is in her voice, her movements, how enticing the very prospect of her blood was. she acts with purpose, and that doesn’t escape him. but he removes his greaves regardless and crouches before her, a hand settling into her own. ]
When you transform, you lure people in with your voice, right?
[ with a gentle squeeze, his fingers curl around hers. ]
That’s fine. I’ll stay with you no matter how you are. I like you, remember?
[ The scolding doesn't deter her. If anything, it piques her interest. He's gone from cold, to stern, to warm, and soft around her. What other expressions could she see? How many more can she evoke? ]
Only when I sing.
[ Though it's possible that there's still something in the way she speaks that still has some effect.
Her fingers graze over his hand, calloused and scarred, yet so gentle and kind. Her hand slips away from his, only to slowly make its way up along his arm. Her finger tips are cool from the water, the scales probably feeling odd against his skin.
Her eyes stay on him, his words warming her with sweet validation. ]
No matter what I do?
[ Her fingers reach his shoulder, lifting up to comb through the tips of hair, pushing them back as her fingers gently make their way to the back of his neck. ]
[ it isn't asked out of fear, nor is it defensive. it's a straight forward question, and he watches her hand trickle up his arm. there's a flinch the closer she draws towards him, and once her fingers are threading through his hair, he visibly stiffens.
he doesn't break the contact, though. instead, his hand travels to where hers is, gently winding around them as they hover over the back of his neck. ]
Yeah.
[ his gaze intertwines with her own. ]
I'm your friend. I meant that.
[ there's a beat, a steady silence. ]
Be careful when you touch my hair. I... [ i'm sensitive, he wants to say. but something coaxes him to be a little more honest in her presence. ]
[ The way his body flinches doesn’t go unnoticed, the action familiar, as if looking at a mirror. Had he experienced something similar? It was difficult to imagine someone like Nier ever being in a weakened state, or in a position similar to Alex’s. But the man before her right now displayed a vulnerability Alex couldn’t deny. Like her hand was pressed against fine China that she could shatter with the slightest bit of pressure.
It’s the honesty that cuts through the full moon’s haze, even just a little. She doesn’t pull away, nor does she move further. Their gazes lock, his eyes as clear as his sincerity that her own wanted to drink right up. His admittance to fear was not alarming, nor scary for her. If anything, it made his soul all the more alluring and beautiful. ]
Do you think...that I’ll give you more bad memories?
[ Alex on any other day would’ve withdrawn, pulled away, but things have felt different lately and all the more this evening. It wasn’t like before when her desire to toy with people was strong, nor when her loneliness evoked desperation. The moon seemed to enhance yet another set of deeper emotions she hasn’t tapped into. Ones that craved closeness, tenderness, and warmth. All the things that Nier offered so generously.
Her free hand reaches out to take hold of Nier’s other one, bringing it towards her own neck, mirroring herself in a more physical manner. ]
[ there's an earnesty in his voice, in the way it drops in volume, now on the fringes of a whisper. it's more muted and meek, reminiscent of the young boy he was all those years ago. but his eyes harden, as though he's committed to each and every word.
he lets his hand linger there, at her neck. nier lets her take the lead because he trusts her. they've known each other for such a short period of time, he thinks, but he knows her; a feeling deep within his heart, resounding. ]
You're nothing like those people. I know that.
[ a smile, soft, confident, but tinged with the slightest trace of sorrow. ]
[ They may not be bonded, but the sorrow reflected in his eyes was something she could feel down to her core.
Her hand slips away from his neck slowly, moving to cup the side of his face. He's trying. Nier always seems to be. Her thumb brushes over his lips lightly, careful to not scratch him with her scales or nail. Did he ever get tired of having to put on a smile? Did he have to for those people? The possibilities of who they could be boiled her blood, a part of her hoping, yet knowing, that she might know just what kind of people would lay their hands on him. But did she dare ask? No...because being around him seemed to bring her dangerously close to letting everything out in the open. So she will focus on him.
She leans over the tub as much as she can, using both hands to gently guide Nier into a hug, one hand behind his head while the other circled his shoulders. The urging brought by the full moon to selfishly keep him was still there, but was tempered with the strong sense of protection that started to grow for this man. Was it selfish to want to keep him from any more harm? ]
[ as she pulls him in, he does not resist in spite of how foreign the intimacy is; when was the last time he was held by another person? he wouldn't possibly be able to tell you. perhaps when he was a child, and his mother was still alive, and the days were peaceful in spite of what they would eventually become.
the water is warm against his skin; her scales and talons don't faze him in the slightest. the pain is comparable to a pinch and his arms wrap around her, holding her in turn. the embrace is protective and affectionate, the feeling of wanting to keep the other from harm being fully reciprocated. gradually, he settles into the tub.
[ She allows him some movement, though she doesn't quite let go of him. It does surprise her when he slips into the tub with her, clothes and all. The sheepish look on his face is so endearing, and Alex can't help but smile as she looks up at his face ]
I don't mind.
[ It was kind of a merrow's goal to have someone join them in the water after all. ]
Isn't it uncomfortable with your clothes on?
[ She certainly isn't making a big deal out of her lack of clothing, which she rarely does on a full moon. In the water, she's hardly able to control the encouraging tones that blanket her voice either. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
...he follows even the faintest of sounds. the woman splayed out before him is the alex he knows well, but she is grand and glittering and gleaming — the smile that plays along her lips is a sight to behold, and he finds himself at a loss for a moment, looking clearly dumbfounded. ]
I did. [ a hand moves to scratch at the back of his head. ]
I always will, whether or not you ask.
no subject
Maybe I should always leave my door open then.
[ A light, playful chuckle. Her tail moves from one side to the other languidly, almost like a cat eyeing its prey. ]
Will you keep me company? Even when I'm like this?
[ The innocence in her tone is betrayed by the intensity in her gaze, a scaled hand reaching out to him, palm open in invitation. She could make him come to her if she wanted, sing a phrase or two, or even simply hum. But many times he's practically offered himself to her, and a part of her can't help but want to see just how much he meant. ]
no subject
[ there is a danger about her; the hazard is in her voice, her movements, how enticing the very prospect of her blood was. she acts with purpose, and that doesn’t escape him. but he removes his greaves regardless and crouches before her, a hand settling into her own. ]
When you transform, you lure people in with your voice, right?
[ with a gentle squeeze, his fingers curl around hers. ]
That’s fine. I’ll stay with you no matter how you are. I like you, remember?
no subject
Only when I sing.
[ Though it's possible that there's still something in the way she speaks that still has some effect.
Her fingers graze over his hand, calloused and scarred, yet so gentle and kind. Her hand slips away from his, only to slowly make its way up along his arm. Her finger tips are cool from the water, the scales probably feeling odd against his skin.
Her eyes stay on him, his words warming her with sweet validation. ]
No matter what I do?
[ Her fingers reach his shoulder, lifting up to comb through the tips of hair, pushing them back as her fingers gently make their way to the back of his neck. ]
no subject
he doesn't break the contact, though. instead, his hand travels to where hers is, gently winding around them as they hover over the back of his neck. ]
Yeah.
[ his gaze intertwines with her own. ]
I'm your friend. I meant that.
[ there's a beat, a steady silence. ]
Be careful when you touch my hair. I... [ i'm sensitive, he wants to say. but something coaxes him to be a little more honest in her presence. ]
Have bad memories...of people doing things to it.
no subject
It’s the honesty that cuts through the full moon’s haze, even just a little. She doesn’t pull away, nor does she move further. Their gazes lock, his eyes as clear as his sincerity that her own wanted to drink right up. His admittance to fear was not alarming, nor scary for her. If anything, it made his soul all the more alluring and beautiful. ]
Do you think...that I’ll give you more bad memories?
[ Alex on any other day would’ve withdrawn, pulled away, but things have felt different lately and all the more this evening. It wasn’t like before when her desire to toy with people was strong, nor when her loneliness evoked desperation. The moon seemed to enhance yet another set of deeper emotions she hasn’t tapped into. Ones that craved closeness, tenderness, and warmth. All the things that Nier offered so generously.
Her free hand reaches out to take hold of Nier’s other one, bringing it towards her own neck, mirroring herself in a more physical manner. ]
Or do you want to create better ones with me?
no subject
[ there's an earnesty in his voice, in the way it drops in volume, now on the fringes of a whisper. it's more muted and meek, reminiscent of the young boy he was all those years ago. but his eyes harden, as though he's committed to each and every word.
he lets his hand linger there, at her neck. nier lets her take the lead because he trusts her. they've known each other for such a short period of time, he thinks, but he knows her; a feeling deep within his heart, resounding. ]
You're nothing like those people. I know that.
[ a smile, soft, confident, but tinged with the slightest trace of sorrow. ]
So you can touch me. That's okay.
no subject
Her hand slips away from his neck slowly, moving to cup the side of his face. He's trying. Nier always seems to be. Her thumb brushes over his lips lightly, careful to not scratch him with her scales or nail. Did he ever get tired of having to put on a smile? Did he have to for those people? The possibilities of who they could be boiled her blood, a part of her hoping, yet knowing, that she might know just what kind of people would lay their hands on him. But did she dare ask? No...because being around him seemed to bring her dangerously close to letting everything out in the open. So she will focus on him.
She leans over the tub as much as she can, using both hands to gently guide Nier into a hug, one hand behind his head while the other circled his shoulders. The urging brought by the full moon to selfishly keep him was still there, but was tempered with the strong sense of protection that started to grow for this man. Was it selfish to want to keep him from any more harm? ]
no subject
the water is warm against his skin; her scales and talons don't faze him in the slightest. the pain is comparable to a pinch and his arms wrap around her, holding her in turn. the embrace is protective and affectionate, the feeling of wanting to keep the other from harm being fully reciprocated. gradually, he settles into the tub.
well, don't mind the wet clothes. whoops. ]
...Sorry. [ he says a little sheepishly. ]
I got carried away.
no subject
I don't mind.
[ It was kind of a merrow's goal to have someone join them in the water after all. ]
Isn't it uncomfortable with your clothes on?
[ She certainly isn't making a big deal out of her lack of clothing, which she rarely does on a full moon. In the water, she's hardly able to control the encouraging tones that blanket her voice either. ]
Especially if you plan on staying for a while.