though I burn how could I fall?

so much of our lives is just carving through the dark

"You are well on your way to starting something I have every intention of finishing," Isla warns the aviator with a playful smile. It's not much of a warning in truth, since she gets the idea that Ever would absolutely enjoy it if Isla finished for both of them, and as his smile grows strained and his gaze drops away from her own, she gives his hands a comforting squeeze. "Of course," she assures him; infected or otherwise, the very last thing she wants to cause him is any discomfort.

"Indeed," she says of her soft spot for the aviator who had appeared on her doorstep, her tone softly defiant as if feeling the need to defend the man he once was, even if it's to the man he is now. "I know this may come as a surprise to you, but not many people enjoy intellectual conversation in Torchline. You were a breath of fresh air." She winks.

Leaning into the touch against her cheek and rising to her feet quite without realising she's done it until she's settling in Ever's lap, Isla leans in to press a warm kiss against his forehead. "It can't hurt," she murmurs. "Flora mentioned that Rae could heal infections like this, but a meeting with a god like that is next to impossible. If a herald could at least say if there's anything we ought to worry about, that would put my mind at ease."

I will not be great, but I'm grateful to get through

"Well, I won't tell if you don't." Ever counters with a roguish smile, and had the Remedy not soon found herself in the aviator's lap within a few seconds, he'd have lifted her up and placed her there himself.

Welcome her into his lap with literal open arms, Everest sighs indulgently as if the mere weight of the Remedy against him was precisely the sort of panacea required to cure whatever purple infection lingered in his veins. Holding her close, his fingertips slipping beneath the hem of her shirt to splay out across her lower back, the aviator smiled gratefully.

"Of course. I'd say we could go right now, but..." Lifting an eyebrow, Everest shrugs, his expression entirely innocent as if the growing tension in his pants wasn't the sort of thing he could possibly be held accountable for. Not wanting for it to seem as though he wasn't taking her entirely seriously, the aviator bent his neck forward as if in submission, pressing his forehead against her. "I'll do anything and everything that I can to put your mind at ease." He vowed sincerely. "You're welcome to come with me, if you'd like?"

so much of our lives is just carving through the dark

"The secret is safe with me," Isla confirms with a gentle laugh, more than happy to settle herself in Ever's lap, an arm curling around his shoulders and her free hand whispering across his cheek. She has no doubt in her mind that the aviator is taking her seriously, but Isla is no stranger, either, to the effect he has on her (and she on him in return), and so even as he suggests she accompany him, she's already shifting to sit astride him on the chair.

"We can go tomorrow," she decides with a nod. "Thank you, for letting me do this." Poke and prod examine him, though it appears increasingly evident that the aviator has not minded the attention at all. "And for talking to me about it. I already feel better." If nothing else, Ever doesn't appear immediately in danger, and in all the time she's known him he hasn't been a frothing void monster trying to infect others.

And so there's comparatively little concern in her thoughts as she leans in for a kiss, all thoughts of dinner vanishing in lieu of the here and now.

I will not be great, but I'm grateful to get through

The aviator's breath hitches in his throat as the Remedy shifts, leaving Everest to do his utmost to keep both his gaze and the movement of his hands entirely above board. "Of course. You know I'd do anything for you." He says easily, meaning it. If she'd said the solution was for her to kill him and then revive him with his own feather he'd have pulled out a knife without batting an eye. "I'm glad. I'm sorry that it's something that you're going to worry about." Because knowing her, she absolutely was going to keep worrying about it.

"Uh oh...you know what I said about not having symptoms before?" Reaching for one of Isla's hands, he places it against his neck. "Elevated heart rate?" He hazards, raising his eyebrows. "And I certainly feel very flushed all of a sudden." The aviator adds, tilting his head to the side and pretending not to look alarmed.

"Far be it for me to tell you how to do your job, doctor, but I think I might need a complete once over." He says, the serious set of his lips betrayed by the amusement in his blue eyes. "And, just in case it's infectious, I think I'd better do the same to you."

so much of our lives is just carving through the dark

It's true, and she absolutely is going to continue to worry about it, but for at least right this instance, she's more interested in why Everest's hands continue to insist on being so polite, especially given her current position in his lap. "I expect you to do anything for yourself too," she quips, because it has taken a very long time for Isla to get to this point in her life, and if she can cultivate the same sort of hard-won self respect in the aviator, then everyone is a winner.

Raising a brow and allowing him to place her fingers against the side of his neck, Isla's fanged grin is one that promises a very thorough once over for Ever indeed. "It's a good thing I've been teaching you advanced first aid, isn't it?" she murmurs, slipping off his lap and snagging one of his hands to draw him to his feet. "You first. You're the patient, after all." She winks, before ferrying him off to the bedroom for a much more interesting game of doctor than this initial one had been.

~FIN