the draw

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

She shatters against him and he can’t help but to smile at the feeling and the sensation, his lips trailing her collarbones, up her neck, to her jaw bone and ear, as he feels the pressure within him reach the height. He removes himself from her a few moments before getting there himself, and he presses his lips against hers through pleased pants, letting the water wash away the sweat that had begun to build on his shoulders.

But his arms still hold onto her gently as he moves away from the wall, letting her touch herself down gingerly, his strong arms braced about her in case she needs the support. “How was that, mooi meisie?” He hums to her breathlessly with a smirk, reaching up to run a hand through the soap still in her hair.

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

The world slowly began to stop spinning as she caught her breath and her limbs stilled, save for her hands. She lifted her head as Jata placed a kiss on her lips, looking a bit dazed as she smiled at him with half-lidded eyes. Carefully she placed her feet down, her arms dropping to wrap around his waist as she continued to lean against him, light-headed, humming contentedly against his chest.

For a moment, everything felt normal, and it was a reprieve she hadn't realized she needed. "Amazing." she mumbled, not wanting to move from where she stood. "What about you?" she asked, looking up at him.

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

He helps her down and let’s her wrap her arms around his waist, where he places a gentle kiss to the top of her head, before he pauses while waiting for her to respond. His hands reach up to cup the back of her head as his fingertips massage the soap more, and he turns with her to let the water run over her hair. He spends some time rinsing it out and smiling gently to her.

“Great.” He comments in both acknowledgement and his own answer. His steel eyes are soft as he looks to her, cleaning the soap off before grabbing a small amount of soap as well and running it along his arms and chest to start washing himself off. “I think we’ll both sleep well tonight.” He hums to her with a playful wink.

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

She sighed contentedly as he finished washing her hair, feeling a bit like she was on a cloud. And she did have a lot of hair to wash so he probably would find some spots he had missed before. Her eyes closed, enjoying the feel of the water as it rinsed her hair, feeling fully relaxed for the moment. But as his hands pulled back she looked up at him and smiled. "Here, I made you this." she said, grabbing a different soap. It had a cedarwood and musk scent to it, still soothing but much more masculine than her lavender soaps.

Putting some in her hands she reached up to wash his hair, laughing a little as her fingers easily worked through his much shorter hair. "I think I used too much...I'm not used to such short hair." she said gently. But his words brought a blush to her cheeks and she nodded. "Yes I think we will."

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

A brow raises toward her as she mentions she made him something, and that steel gaze follows her as she reaches for a different soap. When she puts it in her hands and begins to massage it into his hair he finally gets a good whiff of it and he gives her a quiet chuckle and a smile. “Lavender isn’t masculine enough?” He asks with an entirely joking tone before he wraps his arms around her and lowers his head for her to continue. “I’m kidding, it smells amazing.”

“The more the merrier?” He gives her a wink, while he waits patiently for her to be done scrubbing it into his hair. Then, he spins with her again, arms right around her as he does so to rinse his own hair out, letting her go to tilt his head back and rinse, while simultaneously using a bit of the soap in his scruff of a beard before letting the water rush over his face to rinse it completely.

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

Her cheeks turned red and brows furrowed in concern, suddenly feeling embarrassed. "Oh no I just didn't think you'd want to smell flowery I..." she started hurriedly, but then she saw the look on his face. She sighed and smiled a bit. "I thought you were actually...offended or something." she said, relieved that wasn't the case.

Phoebe glanced at her hair. Pulled over her shoulders, it easily covered her chest and reached the top of her hip bones. "Well, when I was in finishing school, everyone hated me and teased me. And one time a girl behind me cut off my braid so my hair was about here..." she said holding her hand just under her ear. "I...refuse to cut it pretty much now after that."

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

He gives her a playful grin when she realizes he’s joking with her, after he’s wiped the water from his eyes, his face a bit red from the heat of the water as he focuses on her. “I’ve smelled worse, trust me. Flowery I can do.” He tells her with another wink, smiling gently as he reaches for her again, to hold. But before he can, a snippet of her history shines through.

“That’s terrible.” He says to her with a frien, reaching up with his hands that originally went to hold her, to grab the length of hair that’s draped over her shoulder. With deft fingers, he runs through the blonde tresses before starting beneath her neck and braiding it slowly at first, his gaze drifting to hers to wonder what she might think. “Growing up is rough without having someone there.” He acknowledges. He wasn’t really that guy, he had typically been the other spectrum. But he doesn’t voice it.

“Was she punished for it?” He asks her with a tilt to his head as he finishes the somewhat complicated braid and begins to feed a few strands through the locks to wrap it around her head.

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

She watched as he grabbed her hair and began...braiding it of all things. It surprised her, pleasantly so, especially since it was such a complicated plait. "Well, I had three older sisters and an older brother. But they weren't there. Brahm was off fighting the war. Jenna was married with two little babies at that point. Cora and Bree lived at home still but they weren't in finishing school." she said with a light shrug. She had people to talk to but she had been fairly on her own at school.

She shook her head lightly, but not enough to affect the braid. "I meant it when I said no one liked me. The teachers especially because I was a common girl but I was the top of every class. I was only there because a Duke sponsored me to go." she said. "I was punished because my hair no longer met appropriate length. And they didn't believe that a Duke's daughter would be so shallow."

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

He listens to her story as he weaves her hair, lowly knowing she’ll take it out so it’ll dry, but Sunjata is a man that enjoys showing off, so he doesn’t mind so long as he gets to see the surprise in her eyes at it. “Hmm.” He says with a slight frown, steel eyes focusing on the top of her head where he weaves more rogue pieces in.

It isn’t until the next part when she comments that she was the one punished that had his eyes immediately snap toward her. “Really?” He asks in a flat voice, a brow raised before he clenches his teeth lightly and sighs through his nose. The past is the past and there’s nothing he can do about it, but he was one of those people that had gotten out of things he shouldn’t have time and time again, and perhaps there’s a small spot of him that feels sad for her.

“Children of those in power typically are entitled brats.” He manages to say, eyes softening as he looks to her. “I’m sorry that happened to you lief. And that nobody was there to help you.” He says as he finishes the braid and tucks it in behind her ear. “Was that the end of it?” He wonders if she’d gotten back at the duke’s daughter, or if she had hidden herself away after it.

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

"Yes, really." she said without hesitation, even at the sharp look she got. "Anything they did to me always ended up being my fault one way or another. I was the only common girl the school ever admitted, and I did better in classes than all of them. It was embarrassing for them I'm sure and I was an easy target." she said quietly, looking at her trembling fingers and sitting still so he could braid her hair.

"Does that make you an entitled brat?" she asked teasingly, a smirk on her lips. "It's alright. It is what it is...what does leaf mean though?" she asked, glancing at him.

"Oh no. It was constant. That was just one of many instances." she said, trying to think of some. "One time they put pins in my shoes right before a dance test. And there was the time they all dumped ink on my dress my mom and sisters spent weeks making because we couldn't afford to buy one. Oh and the ball with the boys school and no one would dance with me so I got in trouble. The crowning jewel was when we were presented and I went last and no one clapped for me. The band stopped playing even."

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

He listens to her with a sympathetic nod, recalling those lessons and how he wasn’t much different from them. But he doesn’t tell her this, doesn’t tell her that he was just as likely to toss the first stone like the girl had done to her. And he listens while she asks him if he was an entitled brat and his hands still a small amount as he works the braid to the top of her head, unclenching his jaw and giving her a soft snort of laughter. “Oh absolutely.” He tells her with a smirk, as though it wasn’t obvious enough.

But at her next question his brow raises toward her as he tucks the braid in behind her ear. “Lief means love.” He offers helpfully, thinking nothing of it more than being just an endearing phrase, a pet name of sorts. His arms then wrap around her shoulders as he focuses on her and letting the water rinse away the rest of the soap as he listens to her story and frowns. “Well, they’re definitely a bunch of pricks.” He says to her with a deepening frown. “I'm sure that smart mind of yours showed them all?” He says trying to lighten the mood, trying to keep his mind from delving into the dark and dangerous. “Its hard with prejudices working against you, but I’m proud that you finished it anyway.” He tells her with a soft smile, stroking her shoulders gently.

He can’t comment on the rest of her tale, because he knows he was exactly the type of person that would have done those things. There’s nothing to defend — they had been asses, and he had been one too. He couldn’t even tell her that he would’ve danced with her, because he likely wouldn’t have. Or if he did it would have been for a far different reason. “What happened after that?”

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

She laughed a bit as he agreed he was, smiling up at him. "Probably worse, being an entitled royal brat." she teased. But the translation brought a blush to her cheeks and her eyes widened. "That's...I really like that." she said with a smile at him. More than the other name even.

"Yes. They were. But they didn't know better either." she said quietly, shrugging. "I did, but that was half the problem. Talk about a scandal, a common girl showing up the nobility on their own turf." she said, rolling her eyes a bit. But she smiled at him and reached up to help rinse soap off his shoulders and arms. "I couldn't not finish. It was a great opportunity and it meant I got to learn more. It was a bit tough, apprenticing as a midwife at the same time but it was worth it I think. Thanks for being proud of me though." she said with a soft smile.

"Happened after what? The presentation? Or life in general?" she asked.

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!

SUNJATA

your voice is the loudest shout at the head of the line

your voice is all war

“Oh, much worse.” He winks to her, a slight grin as it fades as the translation reaches her ears. His grin shifts into a soft smile and he nods to her, putting that term away for later as well. But her tale continues and when she rolls her eyes and reaches up to get the remaining soap from him, he reaches up to tap her on the nose with a small half smile. “We really don’t like that.” He chuckles before letting her finish, steel gaze fluttering closed at the feeling of her hands along his shoulders and arms.

He nods to her in response to his pride, before his eyes flutter open and he looks to her now that they’ve all washed off, and he turns to shut off the shower before turning to look at her with a soft intrigued gaze. “Life, after that. Tell me about you.” He rumbles to her, pulling back the curtain and grabbing a towel to wrap around her and begin to dry her off.

and and they love you for it

your voice is breaking but it is holy

boy born for revolution

all you have to do is burn

Phoebe

She smirked back at him and nodded. "I'll be sure to remind you when you get particularly bratty then." she said teasingly. But it was quickly followed by a tap on her nose and a teasing comment in turn. She tilted her head up as those girls used to do, as if she might look down her nose at him. "Well, if you all weren't so inept and made it so easy, perhaps I wouldn't have." she snipped in a cheeky manner before her expeession melted back into a smile.

Life after that? Oh boy. She smiled as he wrapped the towel around her, considering where to start. "Well, I was 16 at that point, and the only girl with no suitor. Noble men didn't like that I was common. Common men thought I would be too high maintenance after schooling." she said with a little shrug. She knew she had already explained how marriage and children worked in her home. "I was already a master midwife though, and I had one of the lowest rates of mother and child deaths in the kingdom so I stayed busy. But the war was getting worse. I don't remember us ever not being at war but there were raids all the time and more soldiers came back on carts than their feet." she said quietly, her expression falling.

"The mages had figured out a way to make a portal to a new place where the kingdom could restart. I was chosen to go because of my age and renown as a midwife, since the purpose really was to repopulate. It was sort of the ruins of another place, rather like this, with a giant wall that kept us from leaving." she explained. "And shortly after I appeared here...so rebuilding again." she said with a sigh. That seemed the story of her life, building, having it all crumble, rebuild, repeat. The stability she craved was hard to find.

"And well...Not too long after I met a Natural boy named Emmett...he was my Lusea." she said quietly, looking at the floor. "We spent LongNight together but...things went terribly wrong. Somehow the monster got into the house and slaughtered his family...we must've been overlooked because we were in a different part of the house. But we had to run in the dark from the house in the Outskirts to the Sanctuary. On the way a monster that...well it looked like my brother in his animal shift - a Miura bull. And it missed me but gored him, and I just barely managed to patch him up using my skirt and drag him the rest of the way, so he could be sewn up and healed properly." she said, sighing a bit. "He survived but it was never the same after that. He had changed. I did too I suppose. Things got better for a moment when I realized I was pregnant, but then I miscarried." she had to pause then, swallowing hard to get through the emotion that welled up in her.

"We broke up not long after...and then he died on a hunt with the Monster Hunter Guild." she said quietly. "And then I met you." she said, glancing at him with a soft smile.

In These Past Few Days When I See Myself
I Seem Like Someone Else

Coding base by Sky/Odd!