Let's make tonight the weekend, I don't wanna wait
The look he catches when the cucumbers finally fall away to let the full weight of her glance through is one his smile tucks away with a similar promise. Tips and such, for the end, as is customary and all.
He supposes he should have expected the answer not to be something so simple as mothers running spas. It's the fate of a whole kingdom after all, and the weight of shouldering it. He doesn't regret the question though, isn't sure he could ever find it in him to not want to know anything and everything about her, even the bits that are surprising. It starts simple enough, and is similar to his own path, the impression of the queen she saw on her no different from the soldiers of his family that surrounded him as a child. Being too young to be seriously considered, that resonates hard with him. "You might be one of the few I've ever heard of that wants it," he muses as wet cloth sweeps over her skin. It's often said that the best ruler is the one that doesn't want it, since the position can provide too much power to an easily corruptible heart, but he's often seen the yoke of leadership nearly choke the life out of someone too. There's something to be said about giving a job to someone who wants to do it, because then they've got the drive to build it up into something stunning, and he thinks Flora has continually proved that.
As she continues though, the complexities start to build, and what had seemed straightforward becomes obscured. He hesitates for just a moment in his process, because it is an odd pairing of present day worship to the song of old wounds. She has gone on willingly though, and he almost thinks that stopping now might make it all land harder, so he keeps the distraction of the touch for both their sakes. His gaze stays on her though, snagging the corner of her eye where she drifts in and out of thought, ensuring he reads her right the whole while. "What the fuck?" he asks sharply when Harper's accusation is retold, the shock of it stilling him for a moment as he bristles on the spot. "He did that just to hurt you," Kaisel breathes, jaw tight as his fingers knead back into her with an extra force, as though it might be Harper's throat instead. "That's not your fault..." he murmurs softer, aware even as he says it that it's already said and done, and that this is just another scar on display, nothing she needs shielding from now even though it still rankles through him fresh and foul.
He does stop now as she shifts, and though the task is finished, he would have halted just at that indication. Moving towards her head, so she doesn't have to strain to see him, he kneels down beside her and props his chin on the edge to hear her out. The confession she lays out is a startling one, to say the least. His gaze widens for a moment as the weight of what she just said registers, and his breath doesn't come for a moment. It's not disapproval so much as disgestion, especially since he'd not seen the way things were then, only now, when the relationship between her and Hadama had always appeared strong, from what little he knew of it anyway.
It's a story of her will more than it is of becoming queen, and at that he can smile, because that is steadfast and strong. "So I'm hearing, that you managed to prove a king wrong, and earn the trust of him and a kingdom enough that now you're able to rule alone without any doubts." He tilts his head a bit near hers, one hand lifting to pull a thread of her golden hair back into the confines of her ear's borders. "Sounds like the best endorsement possible, if you ask me."
He rises with a brief pause to deliver a kiss to the outer corner of her eye, where the smell of cucumber lingers. "Maybe you should ask who wants to rule with you, like he did back then?" Kaisel suggests with a faint shrug as he reclaims the bowl of warm clay. "If that's what really inspire you to stand up, maybe you'll be surprised who answers your call now, especially if you ask all of Caido" Certainly could bring about the wrong sort too, but as long as final say remained in her hands, it could benefit her to see who's willing.
Careful not to get her hair involved in the wash of mud, his fingers gather up the stray strands and hold them to the side. His rusty brush swipes along her nape, and he blows against the clay to help it cool faster so he can release the threads of her crown sooner, allowing him to coat the rest of her back in the earthy tones. "Alright, once that dries, you'll have to hit the showers. I considered an actual mud bath, but I didn't think you'd appreciate me converting one of your tubs into that, The little bit that comes off in the shower shouldn't cause a problem though."
He supposes he should have expected the answer not to be something so simple as mothers running spas. It's the fate of a whole kingdom after all, and the weight of shouldering it. He doesn't regret the question though, isn't sure he could ever find it in him to not want to know anything and everything about her, even the bits that are surprising. It starts simple enough, and is similar to his own path, the impression of the queen she saw on her no different from the soldiers of his family that surrounded him as a child. Being too young to be seriously considered, that resonates hard with him. "You might be one of the few I've ever heard of that wants it," he muses as wet cloth sweeps over her skin. It's often said that the best ruler is the one that doesn't want it, since the position can provide too much power to an easily corruptible heart, but he's often seen the yoke of leadership nearly choke the life out of someone too. There's something to be said about giving a job to someone who wants to do it, because then they've got the drive to build it up into something stunning, and he thinks Flora has continually proved that.
As she continues though, the complexities start to build, and what had seemed straightforward becomes obscured. He hesitates for just a moment in his process, because it is an odd pairing of present day worship to the song of old wounds. She has gone on willingly though, and he almost thinks that stopping now might make it all land harder, so he keeps the distraction of the touch for both their sakes. His gaze stays on her though, snagging the corner of her eye where she drifts in and out of thought, ensuring he reads her right the whole while. "What the fuck?" he asks sharply when Harper's accusation is retold, the shock of it stilling him for a moment as he bristles on the spot. "He did that just to hurt you," Kaisel breathes, jaw tight as his fingers knead back into her with an extra force, as though it might be Harper's throat instead. "That's not your fault..." he murmurs softer, aware even as he says it that it's already said and done, and that this is just another scar on display, nothing she needs shielding from now even though it still rankles through him fresh and foul.
He does stop now as she shifts, and though the task is finished, he would have halted just at that indication. Moving towards her head, so she doesn't have to strain to see him, he kneels down beside her and props his chin on the edge to hear her out. The confession she lays out is a startling one, to say the least. His gaze widens for a moment as the weight of what she just said registers, and his breath doesn't come for a moment. It's not disapproval so much as disgestion, especially since he'd not seen the way things were then, only now, when the relationship between her and Hadama had always appeared strong, from what little he knew of it anyway.
It's a story of her will more than it is of becoming queen, and at that he can smile, because that is steadfast and strong. "So I'm hearing, that you managed to prove a king wrong, and earn the trust of him and a kingdom enough that now you're able to rule alone without any doubts." He tilts his head a bit near hers, one hand lifting to pull a thread of her golden hair back into the confines of her ear's borders. "Sounds like the best endorsement possible, if you ask me."
He rises with a brief pause to deliver a kiss to the outer corner of her eye, where the smell of cucumber lingers. "Maybe you should ask who wants to rule with you, like he did back then?" Kaisel suggests with a faint shrug as he reclaims the bowl of warm clay. "If that's what really inspire you to stand up, maybe you'll be surprised who answers your call now, especially if you ask all of Caido" Certainly could bring about the wrong sort too, but as long as final say remained in her hands, it could benefit her to see who's willing.
Careful not to get her hair involved in the wash of mud, his fingers gather up the stray strands and hold them to the side. His rusty brush swipes along her nape, and he blows against the clay to help it cool faster so he can release the threads of her crown sooner, allowing him to coat the rest of her back in the earthy tones. "Alright, once that dries, you'll have to hit the showers. I considered an actual mud bath, but I didn't think you'd appreciate me converting one of your tubs into that, The little bit that comes off in the shower shouldn't cause a problem though."
Kaisel
Got no reason not to celebrate
Wearing a watery blue, faded and stretched-out sparkling hair tie on his left wrist
