You're so cold
but you feel alive
The change in him compared to upstairs was big enough that she took note of it, and it only heightened her sense of being in the room with a stranger. A good reminder, because they still were. LongHeat had not even reached its peak yet, and though their contact had been rather frequent since she came around the first time, asking for help, it was not a whole lot of time.
Not enough to really know anyone.
Accepting his reasoning with a bow of the neck, Maea strolled over to one of the book stacks and began to pick through them, to see what kind of subjects might interest this particular crowd. She carefully kept her eyes away as he undressed, meant to do the polite, well mannered thing and keep her back turned. But in the corner of her eye, Maea saw darkness splashed over his shoulders, and couldn't help but to look up. The bruises were impossible to miss. They looked brutal, as if he'd been hit with something at least once and taken the full blow without flinching away. She thought of Phoebe, about the way the midwife had destroyed the bar, and wondered to what lengths he had gone to protect the few things that remained. Lusea's lantern, cradled in his hands, came to mind.
But beyond the injuries, what really kept her looking was the inkwork. The feathers that bloomed from the compass needles by the base of his neck and swept down to cover the shoulders. Last time she'd seen him with a bare torso he had been facing her most of the time, covered to the neck in water. Though she had traced the lines over his arms and upper shoulders, this was something Maea hadn't seen before. It was a masterpiece, massive wings that made her fingers itch to touch them. See if blue feathers might sprout from his back, like they had before.
"It's beautiful," she murmured softly, flinching to realize that she'd said it out loud. Biting her tongue, she hesitated a little - but it was already to late to pretend she hadn't been watching him. "Does it mean something, to have wings on the back?" she asked, and turned around, keeping the eyes on the book in her hands instead. Sunjata had said something about the tattoo being for his mother, but Maea didn't know if there was a significance beyond that. If it represented something.
Not enough to really know anyone.
Accepting his reasoning with a bow of the neck, Maea strolled over to one of the book stacks and began to pick through them, to see what kind of subjects might interest this particular crowd. She carefully kept her eyes away as he undressed, meant to do the polite, well mannered thing and keep her back turned. But in the corner of her eye, Maea saw darkness splashed over his shoulders, and couldn't help but to look up. The bruises were impossible to miss. They looked brutal, as if he'd been hit with something at least once and taken the full blow without flinching away. She thought of Phoebe, about the way the midwife had destroyed the bar, and wondered to what lengths he had gone to protect the few things that remained. Lusea's lantern, cradled in his hands, came to mind.
But beyond the injuries, what really kept her looking was the inkwork. The feathers that bloomed from the compass needles by the base of his neck and swept down to cover the shoulders. Last time she'd seen him with a bare torso he had been facing her most of the time, covered to the neck in water. Though she had traced the lines over his arms and upper shoulders, this was something Maea hadn't seen before. It was a masterpiece, massive wings that made her fingers itch to touch them. See if blue feathers might sprout from his back, like they had before.
"It's beautiful," she murmured softly, flinching to realize that she'd said it out loud. Biting her tongue, she hesitated a little - but it was already to late to pretend she hadn't been watching him. "Does it mean something, to have wings on the back?" she asked, and turned around, keeping the eyes on the book in her hands instead. Sunjata had said something about the tattoo being for his mother, but Maea didn't know if there was a significance beyond that. If it represented something.
lay your hands on me
one last time
MAEA
