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+---- Thread: [SE] dreaming of far away (/showthread.php?tid=10095)
dreaming of far away - Isla - 09-05-2024
[say]"I just really needed to get away,"[/say] Isla is saying as they walk towards the House of Midnight, the Remedy shifting her overnight bag on her shoulder and smiling up at Ever. She should be telling him about everything Remi had said. They should be making a decision about the infection still flooding his veins, about the possibility of someone stealing him away under the guise of a cure, when in reality it's just to test the new properties of Halo's healing springs. And yet as soon as she'd seen the aviator, she'd made an executive decision that the two of them are in need of a vacation, and now here they are in King's End.
[say]"I hope you don't mind,"[/say] she adds, a touch sheepishly; it isn't often, after all, that Isla is insistent on something, not unless her bloodlust is running close to the surface, but this really couldn't wait. [say]"We don't even need to take advantage of the whole... well, of how the rooms work here. I just wanted a change of scenery."[/say] Somehow, though, she's under the impression that Ever might have other ideas.
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 09-05-2024
[say]'Of course I don't mind."[/say] Ever replies immediately, once again trying and failing to take Isla's bag from her so that he might carry them both. With an affectionate huff, he slides his hand back into hers and gives it a little squeeze. What he thought about the Remedy's sudden decision to want to go on vacation, combined with the fact that when he'd shifted in her apartment to fetch his ball he'd clearly smelled the Bastion's scent, he kept to himself. On the outside he'd happily agreed, suggesting the House of Midnight so long as it wouldn't bring Isla any undue stress.
Smiling slyly over his shoulder and merely nodding vaguely about whether or not they'd use their room for its intended purpose or not, Everest hums thoughtfully under his breath before glancing over his shoulder. [say]"So, if the rooms become whatever it is you desire them to be...do you think that works even if you can't mentally explain what that is?"[/say] Frowning, that had been a poor way of phrasing it, Ever laughs under his breath, and, shaking his head, tries again. [say]"I mean, say I wanted our room to resemble being on the moon, even though neither of us knows what that would actually be like.
Do you think it could do it?"[/say]
RE: dreaming of far away - Isla - 09-05-2024
Happy to have the minor and affectionate argument over keeping her own belongings, Isla eventually grins back at the aviator and gives his hand a warm squeeze in return. As for the House of Midnight, the place hasn't caused her stress in quite some time now - even less so now that she's very much in love with Everest and more interested in what the establishment can do for them rather than her friendship with its proprietor.
Completely unsurprised to hear Ever's question - she's both accustomed to it and expecting it, these days - Isla hmmms under her breath as she considered. [say]"Well,"[/say] she says as they approach the grand doors of the House, [say]"we all have imagination. I suppose even if we didn't know for certain, the room would take our best guesses and create something around that. But if you really want to test it out, we'll just have to try it ourselves."[/say] Not the moon, though. Isla can take or leave the moon.
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 09-05-2024
It's one of the things Ever loves most about Isla—her ability to talk to him about whatever strange things come into his mind without batting an eye. Now being no exception, he's nibbling at the inside of his cheek as he releases her hand in order to reach for the door. [say]"I suppose if it's about creating the sort of environment you want, accuracy doesn't have to be a priority."[/say] He reasons, holding the handle of the doors but clearly too lost in his own thoughts to multitask. [say]"Because if you knew what you wanted, that's what you'd get. And you wouldn't be able to tell what the room was missing if you didn't know it existed in the first place."[/say]
Raising his eyebrows as if to say right? it's only then that he realizes that they're still outside, and with an apologetic smile and a flush spreading over his cheeks, Ever finally tugs the door open and gestures for Isla to go inside.
Things are as familiar within as the aviator expected them to be, and while his mind isn't so tightly knotted these days, it's still a relief to know what to expect. Even so, given that Isla was the one who'd booked their accommodation, he's more than happy to let her take the lead inside.
RE: dreaming of far away - Isla - 09-05-2024
[say]"Mm, that's what I would think as well. The room would be giving you what you wanted to the best of your ability to imagine what that was. Because if you knew, it would have created it exactly,"[/say] Isla agrees with a sunny smile and a nod, patiently waiting outside the House of Midnight as if this isn't the first time they've been caught in the middle of a task only for a hypothetical discussion to take over. (Because it isn't).
And so when Ever does inevitably notice, she gives his bicep an affectionate squeeze before slipping into the House with a murmur of warm thanks. It looks exactly as she remembers it too, if not a little busier, a little more lived in, neither of which are bad things. And some of those within the establishment recognise both Remedy and aviator, though for markedly different reasons. Whilst the receptionist who comes to meet them greets Isla with the familiarity of almost a colleague, one of the workers lingering at the bar offers Ever a salacious wink and a raise of the eyebrows as if to congratulate him on his apparent bedmate for the evening.
Meanwhile, collecting the key to their room, Isla glances back to Ever and tinkles it at him. [say]"Shall we find out for ourselves, how good the rooms are at what they do?"[/say]
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 09-05-2024
Returning the wink rather proudly, not because he was trying to take credit for being with Isla but because of how much they'd all helped him accomplish while he was here training and studying with them, Ever raises an invisible glass in a toast before turning back to Isla and stealing her overnight bag from her shoulder while she was engaged in polite conversation and couldn't stop him.
Grinning at her, the aviator nods, trailing along behind her down the warmly lit hallway. [say]"We certainly could, but, if what you wanted was a change of scenery, we could try and incorporate that? We could read our books beneath blankets on a mountain top? Could have the waters of the Greatwood swirling around while you take a bath? Could order in food and eat it beneath the ocean?"[/say]
If left up to him, presently the room would simply be plastered with mirrors and spotlights trained to follow the Remedy's each and every movement. It had been seasons since he'd been back to the House of Midnight, but memories of his time flooded back with such force that his cheeks were already more than a little flushed before they'd even reached the door.
RE: dreaming of far away - Isla - 09-07-2024
Isla's protest dies on her tongue as Ever successfully snipes her bag from her shoulder whilst she's busy, the Remedy shooting him an affectionate glare for his trouble. Still, now that he's succeeded in his gentlemanly game, she at least takes the lead and wastes little time in heading up the stairs and down a corridor towards their room for the evening. [say]"Oho, now that is an idea,"[/say] she agrees, smiling proudly over her shoulder only to spot the tell-tale signs of his being flustered, raising her eyebrows in a touch of challenge as if to ask what else their room might look like.
[say]"I think I know exactly what I want to do,"[/say] she says suddenly, pausing at their door and taking a slow, deep breath before unlocking it and clicking it open.
It's true that Isla has only been to Halo once since being in Caido, but that had hardly been her first time seeing snow. And as they step into the room, overhead the world becomes encased in a glittering dome of glass; a transparent igloo outside of which the sky is dark and snowflakes fall heavily onto a mountainside littered with evergreens. Within the dome, a firepit stokes the room to a more than comfortable heat, and plush furs, blankets and pillows cover the ground.
[say]"This is about as different as you can get compared to Torchline, wouldn't you agree?"[/say]
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 09-10-2024
Meeting her gaze, while Ever's smile is apologetic, his shrug is entirely boyish. He'd challenge anyone not to stumble over themselves in Isla's presence, least of all when standing in the House of Midnight with all of its subtle and suggestive ornamentation. Anyone who could do without blushing clearly wasn't worshipping the Remedy the way she deserved, clearly didn't think highly enough of her.
Silently raising his eyebrows, eager to see what it was that awaited them, Everest follows Isla into their winter wonderland. Lifting his gaze to take in the dome-like ceiling and the imagined vastness beyond, a slow smile spreads across the aviator's lips as he turns in a small circle. [say]"And then some."[/say] He agrees, setting down their bags next to their bed whose head and footboards made it look like a giant sleigh. Reaching out a hand toward one of the walls Ever was relieved not to feel the chill of the imagined world outside; while he might have toyed around with hot and cold play during his time here, no part of him wanted to risk Isla's safety just so that they could feel a little bit farther from home.
[say]"The season I spent in Halo, I spent most of my time indoors."[/say] Walking over toward the fire—the heat from that was real enough—he smiles at Isla over his shoulder, holding out a hand for her to join him. [say]"My mother told me briefly about the risks of frostbite, but after doing a little reading on my own..."[/say] His smile grows crooked if not a touch self-deprecating. [say]"I became so concerned about hypothermia and other cold-related injuries that I'd panic every time the door was opened."[/say]
RE: dreaming of far away - Isla - 09-12-2024
Grinning over her shoulder at Everest as she meanders further into the space, the sleigh-styled bed catches her eye and she can't resist a raise of her eyebrows at him - they both know that regardless of their prior discussions, odds are quite good that they'll be using the bed later, and not for sleeping. As he heads for the fire and beckons her along with him, of course she's not long to follow, stretching her arms above her head before settling in at his side, leaning against his warmth even as the flames light up her cheeks.
[say]"Well, frostbite and hypothermia are very real dangers if you live in those sorts of climates. I would say you were just being cautious."[/say] It's easy for Isla to say such things when Everest is a) a grown man now and b) infected cured of the vast majority of his anxiety, and she flashes an easy smile up at him before her head tips back to admire the snowfall pattering over the glass dome above them. [say]"I think we'll probably be alright, though,"[/say] she adds.
If the room doesn't keep them warm, they'll likely manage it between them.
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 10-02-2024
As Isla's arms stretch above her head, the aviator is quick to wrap his own around her waist, helpless to resist the pronounced hourglass of her figure. It still takes him by surprise that he's able to just reach out for her, to touch and hold a woman so truly remarkable that she consistently steals his breath away with nothing more than a smile. But here she was, warm and real against him in a room as unpredictably perfect as she was. [say]"Have I told you today how beautiful you are?"[/say] He wonders, his hands fitting around the small of her back to encourage her against him.
As for the dangers of the cold, Everest can only grumble his complete agreement. [say]"I have heard that after the initial stages of hypothermia set in, it's a very peaceful death if you do end up secumbing to the cold."[/say] A morbid thing to say, perhaps, but given his company the aviator didn't think it was terribly out of line.
Ever's hands ghost up from Isla's lower back toward her shoulders, his fingers unconsciously seeking out any knots or places of tension. [say]"What would you like to do now? I could rub your back while you read, or we could sit by the fire?"[/say] Glancing over his shoulder toward where he was sure that one of the doors led to an ensuite bathroom, his blue eyes returned back to the Remedy. [say]"Or I could run you a bath?"[/say]
RE: dreaming of far away - Isla - 10-03-2024
Unable to stop the laughter that spills from her lips to find herself caught in Ever's arms, Isla of course is far from complaining, leaning against his chest and letting her arms loop casually around his shoulders. [say]"I think you might have,"[/say] she admits, [say]"but I appreciate hearing it every single time."[/say] Rising up on her toes, she smooches a kiss against his cheek and soaks in the warmth of his body even with the fire before them; suitable, she thinks, given the discussions around hypothermia.
[say]"I have heard the same,"[/say] she agrees. [say]"Granted, if I get too cold I turn to stone, but if that ever happens I will let you know - hopefully - whether it is peaceful."[/say] Or she supposes she can just ask an Ancient to whom such a thing has happened, but science and all that.
Nevertheless preferring not to spend their time in the room testing such a thing, Isla hums a note of utter bliss to feel Ever's fingers press against her shoulders, following his gaze to the ensuite and raising her eyebrows. [say]"We could take a bath together?"[/say] she suggests, cheeks flushing as she is reminded, not for the first time, of their date at the hotsprings in Stormbreak.
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 10-03-2024
[say]"Over my dead body."[/say] Everest murmurs, the words whispered against one of the Remedy's cheeks. The aviator would carve himself open to keep Isla warm if it ever came to it such that if she ever did turn to stone in his presence, it would have to literally be over his dead body. [say]"Remind me again, is it fire that would bring you back? Or being dipped in blood?"[/say] He thought it was the former, but something about the latter seemed so fitting with what he was learning of the Ancients that he could quite shake it.
Letting his lips travel down toward her neck, the aviator hums his agreement, similarly reminded of their time in the Eye. [say]"We'll have to see how large the tub is. It might be a tight fit."[/say] He cautions, though the smile in his voice suggests that he doubts if either of them would mind. Straightening, Ever presses a kiss against Isla's forehead before parting from her to head toward the bathroom. [say]"While I get started on this, do you want to see if you can find a bottle of wine?"[/say] No doubt there likely was one in the room somewhere, but if not the Remedy was more than clever enough to procure one by other means.
Disappearing into the bathroom—the tub filling nearly half the room—Ever chuckles under his breath as he turns on the hot water before rooting around in the cabinets for something to add. Finding both bubbles as well as lavender lavender-scented Epsom salts, the aviator opts to add both. Quickly the room fills with steam, the scent of peppermint and lavender almost tangible in the air.
RE: dreaming of far away - Isla - 10-03-2024
[say]"It will never come to that,"[/say] Isla says sweetly, though the steel edge beneath her words suggests she is all too serious about it. They are both gentle by nature, and though Ever's mettle hasn't been tested in that arena (yet), Isla has proven that she can be as morally grey as is necessary when it comes to those she cares about. Letting out a long sigh as if to deliberately release that line of thought, Ever's question does wonders to distract her. [say]"Both, if you can believe it. Between the two of us, though, should I ever be in need of it, I would prefer the fire."[/say]
Smiling and tilting her head against the kisses that drift down her neck, Isla has no doubt that they can mould the bathroom - like everything else in the room - to fit their needs, but if Ever wishes for them to have to squeeze into the tub, so be it. [say]"I can do that,"[/say] she says of the wine, letting him go with reluctance (but absolutely enjoying watching him leave) and setting about finding refreshments.
By the time the aviator has found his lavender and peppermint scents, Isla will appear in the doorway with two glasses of deep red wine. She's also procured a fluffy white robe which, evident by the loose tie at the waist, has replaced any clothes she was wearing a moment ago. [say]"I think this will do nicely."[/say]
RE: dreaming of far away - Everest - 10-29-2024
No doubt Isla will have come to know Everest well enough to see the tension that has forced his shoulders to round forward, will see the way his arms are folded tightly rather than comfortably across his chest, and how his jaw continually feathers. All of this while staring intently at the water pouring from the faucet. Something inside of him has awoken. At first it was only a tingle: an irritation in his fingers as he turned the taps on that slowly became an itch that roamed up his arm as the bath began to fill. The gentle bubbling of the water as it hit the ceramic tub made him want to flinch, the sound like scuttling feet that had entered through his ears and was now working its way down his nasal cavity and into his sinuses.
Biting at the inside of his cheek, it's with a distracted glance that he looks over his shoulder at Isla, hardly noticing the robe she's put on or the wine she's found. [say]"I..."[/say] Returning his gaze to the water, the level now slightly beyond the point where it should have been turned off, Everest can only tighten his fingers as they wrap around his elbows, frowning deeply.