No Hand on the Reins

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels Adam laughed quietly to himself at the image of the proud woman being bundled in a net as a bird, but tried to keep it mostly contained. He felt that somehow, Kiada was not the kind who liked to be laughed at too much. As soon as she asked about marriage, he shut his eyes in regret. Why had he brought it up? It wasn't like he liked talking about it. But he'd brought it up, so he couldn't really be mad. "Er...yeah, yeah, for a bit. Few years. We divorced when I was about 24...it just didn't work out." He rubbed the back of his neck, looked off into the darkness. "Sometimes you make mistakes, you know, and you don't realise they were till you look back years later." It wasn't clear if the marriage itself was the mistake, or whatever had led to it's end. But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

KIADA i wish that i could say, i am a light that never goes out. She doesn’t care if Adam finds her capture amusing. Typically, in the Harpy’s fashion, she’d be livid – but here, in this place and circumstance, she realizes that it’s likely his capture was just as awkward and uneventful. By looking at him, she finds it incredibly unlikely that he had an honorable entrapment. Yet she does break a small half smile at his amusement of her capture, shoulders rolling in a slight shrug as she settles in and lets her icy gaze slip up to meet his tanned face. Her question takes him slightly off guard, and Kiada is surprised by it. He brought it up, yet is surprised to know she had been listening – surprised to know she’s intrigued by the idea of him being married before. But he answers, and she nods in response (wondering just how old he was to begin with) before she, too, looks off into the darkness. Perhaps it couldn’t hurt to tell him about her own misfortune – but before she has a chance to, he speaks of mistakes and she huffs a small sound in agreement. Tucking her hands behind her head, she stares at the rocky ceiling for a brief moment before looking over at him again. “I was almost married.” She offers quietly, uncertain how to begin. “Back in one of my worlds, there was a boy. He teased me relentlessly as a child, but we loved one another. One of the gods back then killed him before my eyes as I was being rushed through to another world.” She pauses, a frown crossing her face briefly as she thinks about it more. “Much to my surprise, he was here somehow. He wanted to ask me to marry him – had come out during Longnight to the Rathskeller. I wasn’t there; I had gone to follow the Luxere to find out why they were leaving. And when I came back, I found the note and a piece of bronze from him.” She pushes out a quiet sigh of frustration – her dark brows furrowing together. “I had to deal with the heartbreak of losing him twice, and…” She pauses, wondering if she should speak her vulnerabilities to him before deciding that it likely didn’t matter much. “I’m afraid to do it again.” but i flicker from time to time.

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels Adam was feeling uncomfortably exposed after speaking of his marriage (and subsequent divorce); then Kiada began to share her own story and he felt instantly more like he was speaking to an understanding equal in this situation. Though her story quickly got far darker than his, which was hardly cheerful but had been more of a tale of class and society than death. "I'm...uh, sorry...about that." But her tragedy hadn't finished. Adam had arrived during Longnight, had seen the pain and hurt on people's faces, but had not until now met anyone actually affected by the beasts that roamed the dark. "That's real fucking rough. I mean...you don't gotta do it again, right? I get laid every now and then, but I don't have any intention of getting married. I tried it, it sucked, so I'm done." This kind of easy conclusion made him feel confident, helped him feel that things were easy. Adam laid back down to stare up at the ceiling of the cave, shoulder-to-shoulder with Kiada. "From what I've seen, love is hardly worth it anyway, in the long run." But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

KIADA i wish that i could say, i am a light that never goes out. The Harpy concludes that words aren’t Adam’s strong suit, and she listens as he offers a quiet apology. But Kiada isn’t done yet, she explains the circumstances and instances that caused such a thing to happen, that she had gone out to retrieve Auni – witnessing the poor Luxere murder someone, before she returned to find the monsters had been there too, all along and in wait. She was lucky they let her inside the Rathskeller. Her eyes shift almost distantly as she remembers the night, halfway listening to Adam and sitting in agreement until he speaks of getting laid and she snorts. “I haven’t slept with anyone in quite some time.” She says offhandedly, shrugging her shoulders as she laces her fingers behind her head and glances to him. “I think a few men here are afraid of me.” She responds with a wolfish grin, toothy enough to show her canines before she laughs quietly to herself and watches him settle in beside her. He can move closer if he wishes, but she doesn’t outwardly say it. She isn’t really a cuddler, not the kind to rest her head on someone’s chest without knowing them well. It’s too vulnerable of a gesture – she doesn’t trust easily. Instead, she prefers them to lay upon her, and she’s left room and made it clear enough (in her mind) that Adam could do so if he wished. “Love is fine for a time, and then it’s gone.” She says quietly. “Everyone always leaves. Always. To think they won’t is foolish.” but i flicker from time to time.

Adam Some things you do just to see how bad they'll make you feel Sometimes you try to freeze time 'til the slots are a blur of spinning wheels "I'm not really afraid of you, but I promised this wouldn't lead anywhere. Update me if you want that to change." Adam laughed and winked, but it was clear he was only joking. Half-starving in a cave where he was most definitely awaiting his death was not the sexist atmosphere. He laid down a little comfier, their bodies touching more simply because of the limited space on the bed, but not really a cuddle. Her conclusion on love was depressing, but he couldn't really disagree with it. He had been the one to leave Heidi, but one of them had still left. "Sounds like we should be happy to fucking die, huh?" He laughed darkly. "...Maybe we should just get a nap and hope we go in our sleep." But I am just a broken machine And I do things that I don't really mean

KIADA i wish that i could say, i am a light that never goes out. As he speaks, he laughs and winks to her and she offers a rare grin in response. “Okay, so one out of how many?” She retorts, snorting. “Maybe if we make it out you can come find me.” She leaves it open ended – she doesn’t mind the company. In fact, she finds him entertaining. If they weren’t waiting for the end of their lives, perhaps it would’ve been a much better conversation, over food and drinks. Ah, but beggars can’t be choosers. He settles in, touching but not overly touching, and she quietly breathes deeply. “Yeah.” She responds, shrugging lightly but just enough to bump into him slightly. She rolls onto her side and uses her arm as a pillow, moving a bit closer to him and leaving him room for if he wants to move closer too before she closes her iceberg gaze. “It’s been a pretty nice last night, at least for me.” Kiada mumbles before yawning and settling in to sleep. but i flicker from time to time.