let your ships roll in

sounds like something that i used to feel

Eloise had grown quite fond of the sun.

As a duchess lounging about had been permissible, but not appropriate for the majority of her time. Her skin was quite pale from her time indoors learning to dance, studying, and attending various functions. The only real time she was ever outside was on her way from one social interaction or another..and then there had been Saiden. But of course that had all been behind closed doors.

Now a proper smuggler, Eloise was as suntanned as the best of them, now more used to walking barefoot than in heels, more used to bikinis (or bits of the sail tied around her body) than ballgowns. Today she wore a breezy white linen dress that billowed about her tiny frame, playful in the wind. Standing with a large sun hat she stared out at the open waters and white half-moons of waves as they crashed just past the shoreline. Feet, bare, and toes ringed with silver, Eloise was now the picture of carefree as she shaded her eyes seemingly considering something.

LOREN

While Loren didn’t like the sun all that much, he couldn’t deny that Torchline was a welcome change of pace from Halo. Perhaps that’s why he was spending an inadvisable amount of time there. He was even dressing more appropriately these days, having ditched his shirt and shoes, going around in just a pair of shorts. Of course he hadn’t tanned—instead his fair skin was sunburned—and he was still a bit too skinny, but both the time and the break was helping him recover.

He was just walking down the coast, Astra in tow, not really looking for anything in particular. Instead his eyes scanned the shore for anything or anyone of interest. Nominally he was here to collect information particularly about issues that might be relevant to Halo, or about medicine but mostly he was lazing about in a way that felt quite satisfying. Taking a swig from one of his flask, he spotted a figure in the distance.

Angling towards the woman, he shaded his eyes against the sun until he was close enough to see her. She didn't look immediately familiar (given all the changes Eloise had been through, that wasn't surprising) so he just gave her a careful nod. "Hello there." His voice was friendly, if a bit cautious.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

sounds like something that i used to feel

Turning towards the sound of the voice, a bright smile flashed across Eloise' lips as she caught sight of the duke. Well, former duke. They were all a former something or other here it seemed, but being a shared former something was a bit of a novelty.

The Loren she'd known had always been a bit thin, and though she'd only wondered about what he looked like with his clothes off once or twice, she couldn't say she was terribly surprised. "Why, Loren Launceleyn." She chimed brightly, plucking up one side of her dress and offering him a mock bow that would have been sure to raise eyebrows back home. But they weren't home after all, and the gesture was meant as a playful mockery of that.

"We had thought we were the only ones who'd arrived here until just recently." Just continued breezily. "Nice to know that there might be some old faces around." Wriggling her toes in the sand as she turned to face him properly, she gave him an appraising once over. Time spent on a ship with a bunch of roguish sailor-types will quickly wittle away a girl's sense of decency after all. "How have you been?"

LOREN

As the woman claimed to know him, obviously Loren looked at her sharply. However, while her appearance might've changed, her voice and the mocking way she greeted him clued him into her identity. "Why Eloise Teralux," he responded, matching her tone and her gesture almost perfectly. Astra, for her part, trotted up to the former duchess and looked at her curiously.

"Quite a few, actually especially in the Hollowed Ground. I didn't know that any of us landed in Torchline, though." As she gave him a once over, he returned it, giving her an appraising look as his gaze swept over her from head to foot. However, his eyes met hers when she asked her question. "Terrible." He punctuated the response with another swig. "You seem to be doing well for yourself." There was a bit of question in his words.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

sounds like something that i used to feel

'In the flesh." Eloise agreed with a mock bow. Glancing at Astra had the former-duchess's eyes widening. Deer were the sorts of creatures almost always thought to be friendly, and given Astra's size it was hard to think of her as a threat. Still, Eloise gave Loren an uncertain look, trying to ascertain approval or understanding as she awkwardly offered a palm for the creature to sniff.

"Just the one who was with me. Saiden Hali, though I'm not sure if your paths would have crossed." Mage vs. Elemental. Commoner vs. Duke. There were any number of reasons.

"I see. Well is whatever is in that flask helping? And are you in a sharing mood?" She raised a brow and then held out her hand; clearing sharing meant the liquor and not his woes.

"Well...Saiden and I found ourselves aboard the Siren's Call. We were out on the sea when...it happened. That's probably the reason we ended up here rather than with you all come to think of it. Sadly she crashed, navigator error, and we were picked up by another vessel."

LOREN

Eyes sweeping over Elose again, taking in her significantly less conservative attire, Loren raised his eyebrows. ”I can see that.” Astra sniffed the woman, then let out a happy bleat. The luxere licked the former duchess’ palm, then trotted forward to rub against Eloise’s side. ”That’s Astra. Don’t worry, she’s much friendlier than I am.” However, even with the joke, he couldn’t keep a slight amount of affection for his companion from his eyes.

Nodding, the healer smirked a bit. ”I see. He was the one with the family drama, right?” Some incident at some party for mages, though the Launceleyn didn’t know the details. There was a subtle irony about him accusing someone else of having family drama, one that was not lost on him.

”It takes the edge off.” Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out another flask and held it out to her. Today’s liquor was rum, which seemed appropriate given the setting.

”Rough.” There was absolutely zero sympathy in his voice. ”Well, a bunch of us Northhaveners got deposited under a weird dome that killed you if you got too close. It got taken down eventually, then there was some nonsense with portals, one of which finally deposited us in Torchline.” He took another swig.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

sounds like something that i used to feel

'Oh, you've hardly seen anything." Eloise chuckled. Normally she wore nothing more than a few strips of cloth tied about her. Being quite thin and lithe it wasn't as if there was much on top to cover up. Perhaps that had helped with the dismissal of her modesty as well.

"Oh." She chuckled, kneeling down to properly appraise the luxere. "Well aren't you just the sweetest thing." Shading her eyes to glance up at Loren, Eloise flashed him a pirate's smile. "Friendly is overrated." She chuckled before shrugging. "And rare, here."

Laughing musically at this, the illusionist fixed the former-duke with a wry smile. "I'm sorry, is that coming from a Launceleyn?" She shot back, the banter coming as easily to her as her crooked smile.

'Not a sharer but prepared. Alright then." Tapping the side of her nose as if having learned a valuable bit of intel about her counterpart, Eloise happily accepted the flask. Unscrewing the lid with ease she raised it to her lips and tilted her head back. Once, she'd have sputtered and coughed as the sticky sweet liquid poured down her throat. After a year at sea though? This was practically water. Running her wrist across her lips to catch the remaining drops she hummed an appreciative note to the summoner.

"Oh right yeah, the barrier? The locals talked about it, but they said it wasn't really worth worrying about given the Grounds was landlocked and boring anyways."

Reaching towards her hip, Eloise stripped off the dress she wore to reveal a body lean and toned if not humble when it came to feminine-assembly, covered by strips of black cloth meant to imitate a bikini. "I came out for a swim, care to join?"

LOREN

Eyebrows still raised, Loren smirked at Eloise’s statement. ”Is that so? Why your grace, I’m positively scandalized.” Sarcasm practically dripped from the words.

Sipping his flask, he let out a huff of laughter at her comment. ”I’ve noticed.” Astra at least kept her friendly, open, and curious nature, and she let out a happy bleat as the duchess kneeled down. The luxere continued to twine around the woman, making almost a full circle.

Eloise’s laughter earned her a wry grin, though one that wasn’t exactly amused so much as acknowledging. ”Takes one to know one.” His voice was dry and had just the barest hints of self-deprecation.

Raising his flask in a toast, he tossed his head back as she did, quite capable of holding his liquor these days. When he finished, he flashed her a humorless smile, more bared teeth than anything else. ”Sharing is as overrated as friendliness. I always found it pays more to be prepared.”

He nodded at her analysis of the Hollowed Ground. ”Definitely landlocked. As for boring, well, I suppose that depends what you’re into.” As she stripped, he didn’t comment, though his eyes wandered over her body lazily. At her offer, though, he tilted his head. ”Such a kind offer.” Then he shrugged and took another drink. ”Sadly, it would require me to know how to swim.”

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

sounds like something that i used to feel

"You'll be a lot more than that if you stick with me much longer." Eloise countered with a laugh.

'Oh it very much does indeed. You don't turn down Max whateverthefuckhislastnamewas to be with a commoner and not have that get around. Then there was the time I was brought to the infirmary naked in the middle of the night..." She might not have the family drama Loren did, but Eloise had done well enough for herself as it was.

'Or," Eloise said with a flirtatious flash of teeth, "perhaps you're just afraid of cooties."

If Eloise minded at all his eyes on her, she gave no sign. She didn't of course and was more than used to it given the company of ship-rats she tended to keep nowadays. Still, a life of being ultra-conservative normally does lead to one going a little wild when finally allowed.

Gasping playfully, eyes wide with shock, Eloise glanced around the beach as if scandalized. "And here I thought that there wasn't anything the Launceleyns couldn't do. Nothing they'd admit to, anyways." Taking another drink from the flask and sighing happily at the warmth radiating through her core, Eloise reached waggled a finger at Loren's shorts. "Come on then. Best you learn before anyone else finds out. Pants off."

LOREN

Snorting at Eloise's response, Loren grinned, a bit more life returning to him. "Looking forward to that." Indeed, his words were almost a little hungry.

Sipping as she recounted her own drama, he let out another huff of laughter. "Like I said before, rough. That must've be so hard for you." Again, he was simply darkly amused at the antics they used to think were actually dramatic.

At her clearly flirtatious response, he smirked. "You want to test how scared I am?" He spread his arms invitingly, raising a challenging eyebrow as well.

"Well I got disowned for my bad behavior, so I guess I'm allowed to do whatever I want." Grinning for real now, he hooked his thumbs into the waist of his shorts. Sliding them down, he stripped fully naked, then stood confidently in front of her. "What's next?"

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

sounds like something that i used to feel

'Don't bite off more than you can chew, now." Eloise warned, though there was more than a bit of invitation hidden in her words.

"Oh yes, so very very hard." She pouted playfully. "Honestly, it makes all these monsters and thieves seem like nothing. At least Northaven's elite prepared me to be around a bunch of cunts and assholes all day."

Oh so he thought he was clever did he. Much smaller than Loren and not only because of how thin he was, the illusionist slunk across the sands to move quite close. Her eyes sparkled with a mischevious light, her button-nose and round cheeks only adding to the alluring juxtaposition of beautiful and tempting. Standing on her tip-toes and looking up into his eyes as if she well might kiss him, instead, she'd reach for the flask he was holding with the hopes he'd been distracted. If successful she'd take it, tilt her head back, and drain it all in one go. If not, she'd merely wink coyly at him for figuring out her plan.

"Oh well then." Eloise chuckled, more than happy to play along with this bad-boy attitude of Loren's, not caring at all if it was for show or now. As he dropped his pants to reveal, well, not nothing beneath, she let her eyes wandering over him for a moment before returning to his face. "Huh. And here I thought you'd just said something about being prepared." She'd obviously been expecting at least underwear beneath, though was clearly not at all disappointed that she'd been wrong.

LOREN

Loren smirked again. "Haven't found anything that was too much for me to handle yet."

As she pouted, he snorted again. "Ah yes, I can't imagine anything more difficult than those endless parties. With all the gossip and dancing you had to do, I imagine Torchline feels like quite the vacation." He definitely did not miss those days.

He watched her approach with hungry eyes. Sadly, instead of actually coming in for a kiss, she plucked the flask from his hand. Laughing, he nodded in acknowledgment and grinned, more than happy to let her have it. However, while she was drinking, he'd try to take the flask he'd given her from her hand using telekinesis. If successful, he'd raise it in a mocking toast before downing it.

As she looked him over, he stood there with that same cocky smile on his lips. "I am prepared. I just never said for what." There was a clear challenge in his voice, and he put his hands on his hips, tilting his head slightly as his eyes glittered with mischief.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness

sounds like something that i used to feel

"I suppose time will tell if you've changed as much as I have." She said with a leading shrug.

Indeed he would be able to take the flask easily—her own ploy working against her—but his antics were only met with an easy and approving grin the coloured her cheeks with a dash of colour that was likely just because of the rum happily swimming through her.

"Touche." Eloise hummed, more than happy to let her eyes troll over him, before strutting forward that he might return the favour. "Come along Loren. Clearly you already know how to pose, now let's work on the swimming bit."

Looking over her shoulder, her hair billowing in the wind and her eyes coyly narrowed—her posture entirely suggesting that she knew exactly the sort of beach-tableau she was creating—she reached out a hand for Loren to take. "Don't worry Loren." She soothed, pretending to see worry on his face. "I'm pretty good at mouth-to-mouth should things go sideways."

LOREN

Letting the flask dropped to the sand (he had more) Loren did indeed let his eyes wander over Eloise now that she was closer. His own cheeks were flushed, and not just from the alcohol if the first stirrings of arousal were any indication. "Don't worry, I can do more than pose." His amused and suggestive tone left little to the imagination. "Looking forward to the exercise, though."

Taking her hand with another smirk, he took a step closer to her. "And what about if things go well?" This time he spoke in a whisper, one that was equal parts taunting and teasing. Still, he took a step towards the water. Then it was his turn to glance over his shoulder at her, eyes narrowed in challenge.

look at how a single candle can both
defy and define the darkness