(SE) running red lights

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

If Kiada had the choice, she’d be doing the same as he is. To live in her mountains and never have to leave, to be able to grow old and die within the very same snows and auroras that danced above the mountain tops, to spend her nights wasting away in the hot springs, overlooking a lake that never froze. But she didn’t have that luxury, not as the worlds she’s fallen into have been taken from her – ripped from her every essence.

It was difficult to get attached to anything now, and perhaps that’s what made her different from everyone else. She expected everything to disappear just as soon as it had arrived – the fact she’d been here three years meant nothing to her when she’d done the same in world after world before it too had thrown her from their realms.

So his question, the wary gleam to her gaze, the slowness with which he speaks has her pulling the paper back and leaning down to scribble on it. I might off myself if I have to sleep next to the pig farmers again. She writes easily, shooting him a small half smirk. I prefer to train while rested enough, hard to do when people talk all night. She slides the paper back, bracing her hands flat along the table – leaning a bit more toward him as she angles her head up to scan his face again, lingering on the bright blues of his eyes, the sharp cheekbones, the dark head of hair that seemed messy yet just right all the same.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

Korbin had no difficulties getting attached. To people, places, routines and habits. It just hurt too much when they were taken away again, so he actively rejected any of those things. To protect himself. Keep himself whole, and sane. It wasn't the same as hers, but similar enough.

He huffed a quiet smile of amusement when her answer came; it was far less dramatic than many things she could have said, and sadly punctured any hopes he might have harbored of sullying the Warden's name. Not today, it seemed.

Even standing up, he had to look down to meet her gaze. The way she looked at him unnerved the young raven; he felt measured, assessed, and wasn't sure if he met whatever standards she was used to. Whatever it was she looked for. "Fair enough. There are rooms open. This way."

Stepping around the counter, he gestured for her to follow along to the staircase. It led up to the second floor, where a corridor was framed on both sides by closed doors. A few were occupied, already taken for the night, but several were not. He pointed them out, then stood back.

"Take your pick. You can settle the tab when you are ready to leave again." No fear that she might dine and dash - the Portal was closed, and the Citadel small. She would have nowhere to escape to, even if she was so inclined.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

Well, that was an easy barter. She still doesn’t even know what she has that might be good enough to trade for the drink and room she’s managed to snatch tonight, but if it were errands or something to help out she supposes it’s not the end of the world. So she collects her book, sticking the pen behind her ear, collects the furs she’s removed and follows him diligently up the stairs to the second floor. Her icy gaze scans all of the rooms around them, the ones he’s pointed at that have been left slightly ajar. And she picks the furthest one from the entrance, spying a desk within and a comfortable enough bed. It sure beats what she’s been sleeping on back at the Palace.

But she’s not quite done with Korbin yet, and she tears out a paper from the back of the journal, pulling the pen from behind her ear to write on it. Thanks. Come find me when you’re done with your shift if you want a night to remember. She writes it out, placing the pen back in the span behind her ear where it melds into dark hair, before she’s stepping toward him.

This time, however, she doesn’t show him the paper. She presses it to his chest, looking up at him with a feline smirk and a wink, the air of confidence despite being anything but, before stepping into the room and closing it with a soft click of the handle, moving to set her things down and get comfortable — wondering if he might actually take her up on the offer.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

That was that, he thought, rather pleased to have done a good job. Snared them a customer that shouldn't even have to be there - Weaver would no doubt think he was thawing to the place at this rate.

Korbin had been meaning to leave, but Kiada scribbling in her journal made him pause. Expecting some additional request perhaps, or... But as she tore off the note and approached, his apprehension grew. The smile she leveled at him made his blood heat up, the way she pressed the paper into his chest fairly singing his skin. Taking the scrap of a note, Korbin stared after her as she sauntered off into her room, closing the door behind her.

Dry at the mouth, he glanced down at what she'd written. The message was direct, blunt even, and the implications brought a flush of color to his face. Well, that was certainly... not how he expected the day to go.

Hovering in indecision for quite a while, he eventually headed off back down the stairs. He made his way down them in a haze, barely seeing where he was going. What was he gonna go? Take her up on it? Decline? Gods, not even he knew what he wanted to do here. It was hardly the first time he'd been invited to exchange pleasantries with a girl, but none of them had been this random, haphazard...

And he'd never been this much of a mess at the time either.

Somehow though, when his shift ended, he found himself making his way up the stairs rather than out the door. There was a bottle of something strong in his hand, and not a thought in his head. Had he ever made any decisions? Not really... and when he tapped lightly on her door, Korbin realized he had no fucking idea what he was gonna say.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

It wasn’t the first time she’d taken someone home from the bar. Her night with Ezra comes to the forefront of her mind — and since then? Nothing. A night spent with Harper talking of their pasts and nothing more, but there were times were Kiada simply craved the heat of it, no strings attached, a release to hopefully keep her mind on track. And while she was quite a flirt, she was nothing compared to her aunt who could go and bring anyone she wanted home. Kiada didn’t boast that confidence, didn’t know where to start.

And she half expects it to fail like all the other times.

So she gets comfortable, removing the furs until she’s left in nothing but a tank top of sorts, enjoying the warmth of the room, settled at the desk with her legs tucked up beneath her as she focuses on the journal again and writes out what she has learned, as well as moving into her training regimens to write out the plans for the next coming week. It takes some time, but she closes the journal when she thinks that he’s probably denied her offer. Which is fine, she expects as much. So she blows out the little lantern along the desk, leaving just the one on the nightstand by the bed when she hears the light tapping against the door.

Her mind flickers for a brief moment, a sort of ‘holy shit it worked’ before she's striding to the door, opening it and spotting Korbin there with a bottle — still in that sort of dreary, moody cloud of his. Perhaps she could change that, get to know him a bit better, and she offers a bright playful smile his way, stepping aside to allow him in before closing the door behind them, a brow raised at the bottle in his hands almost as if she’s asking if it’s something additional she has to pay for.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

Tongue tied, mouth dry, the seconds that dragged by before she opened the door seemed endless. He nearly bolted several times, changing and rechanging his mind - he hadn't even decided anything, remember? - and when she finally did open, he just gazed down at her. Silent, questioning... was this going the way she planned?

As she stepped aside, Korbin strode into the room. He, like his sister, had a way of owning every space they set foot in, an air of belonging no matter how out of place they were. It didn't exactly matter that they did indeed own this particular place; it was more in the way of how he carried himself, how he mutely held out the bottle to Kiada. An offer, a gift; something to take the edge off. Korbin sure as hell needed it, he felt as tightly wound as one of his lutestrings.

It was hard not to stare at her. Bundled up in furs she had been pretty. Like this, dressed down to the comfortable bare minimum, she was lovely. But somewhere, Korbin still wasn't sure that he had interpreted that message correctly. Many things could make a night memorable; he rather hoped he wasn't jumping to conclusions here.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

Perhaps there’s an edge of surprise and nervousness he might feel through the bond, now that she’s loosened it in the confines of her own room. She still doesn’t know he can feel it, but it’s an air of relief not having to keep it so hidden here — assuming he’s likely abandoned or accepted, it doesn’t even register. It doesn’t really matter in the end, does it? But he carries himself well, and she closes the door and turns to him as he hands out the bottle, a playful smile winding its way along her lips.

She closes the distance between them, taking the bottle, a lingering touch of a scar flecked hand brushing by his as she steps by him and opens the bottle. Two glasses sit on the desk, and she keeps her back toward him — a bit more expanse of the scars to her back seen before they dip below the fabric of her tank top. Accompanied with them, puncture scars that mirror each side, like the one she’d shown him earlier but on the other side, smaller ones beneath them from her time in the Rift when her armor was embedded into her spine and where it had pierced her flesh upon using it.

She pours two glasses, setting the bottle on the table before she leans against it and turns toward him, one hand outstretched with his glass, the other in her free hand as if she’s aiming to toast to this — that similarly feline smile crossing her face, almost as if she’s beckoning him to come closer.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

She didn't say anything. If he'd only had his eyes to guide him, he would have thought her surpremely confident about this. Like it was something she did every time, whenever fancy struck. So sure of herself, carried with the poise and majesty of... well... not a cat, really. Nothing so fickle. No, what came to mind for him was the dragon he'd once seen summoned. Or the other he'd conversed with - attuned or no, it had still been a dragon and that's what Kiada reminded him of.

So seemingly sure of herself... and yet he felt the quiver in her emotions through the bond. Was surprised that she remained so open, even without knowing that he could sense her. The nervousness in her eased his own uncertainty bit. Confidence boosted by the knowledge that he wasn't the only one whose hands were shaking - or maybe that was just the brush of her fingers against his, when she took the bottle.

Looking at her, Korbin was fascinated by what he saw. His gaze trailed slowly over the scars littering her skin as she turned her back to pour the drinks. Followed the jagged lines of them from the slender neck and down to where they dipped beneath the hem of her shirt. He watched her quietly even as she turned, flint-blue eyes dark in the faint light. Hard to read.

When she held out the glass, he approached. Closed in on her on wolf-sure feet, soft and silent. Reaching for the drink, he caught her fingers around it too, a slow smile starting to play at his own lips.

"Cheers," he said, very quiet - though only she would know that it was - and broke the stillness. Only slowly did he relinquish her hand to take the glass, raise it to his lips. He kept studying her as he took a sip. Wondering if she would like it; one of his sisters better experiments. Sweet and rich with the taste of salt and caramel, though packing quite the punch all the same.

If she weren't craving sweets before tasting it, no doubt it would leave a craving for more once the flavor was on the tongue.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

His gaze is hard to read, but that’s fine by her. Her own is made of ice and glaciers, not unlike the sea of glass here, but it softens as soon as he approaches to take the glass. Her head tilts up to follow his line of sight, hand still outstretched to give him the glass when he deigns to take it. He approaches, and she can see the hint of a wolf in the step, a predator that fights against the scavenger within her and her own predator skins, but the adrenaline it pumps is worth it. Her heart thuds a bit more, stronger now as his fingers brush by her own — so slow, calloused from both weaponry and something else she can’t distinguish.

The time seems to stand still when the warmth of his hand fills her own, until it’s empty and he offers a cheers, quiet and rough that has her smirking from behind the glass she lifts to her lips, her empty hand reaching out to his chest now to write something back. Cheers. And when the liquid hits her lips, it’s both sweet and wonderful, so reminiscent of the bakery that she’s taken back a moment by it, the flutter of surprise paired with a glance up toward him with that very same smirk.

How did he know?

The first sip is delicate, to try it out. The second is a bit more to absolutely enjoy it before she pulls the glass away and gives him a wolfish smile, the hand at his chest lingering as she debates between tangling her fingers into his clothes and pulling him to her or if it would be too forward. So instead, it lingers there, head tilted back to look up at him, leaning back a small amount more against the desk and tilting her head a brief amount with a bit more expanse of pale skin revealed.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

He didn't shy away from the touch as she moved to draw a reply on his chest. The fabric of his shirt was thin but warm, long sleeves and high neck hiding away all of his skin; it did little to muffle the feeling of her finger however, and he felt the traced patterns tingle even as she moved on. The warmth of her hand was negligible compared to his own, but still Korbin felt it keenly.

The smile on his lips widened as he saw and felt the surprise when she tasted the alcohol. It really wasn't very difficult to figure out what people might like based on what they ordered in the bar; it was his job to know, to guess, to be a step ahead so that he could provide the best possible service.
It was a bit sweet for his tastes, to be honest. But he drank it all the same, and was bolstered by the burn of the alcohol as it hit his stomach, spreading like heat through the veins.

Taking another step closer, the young wolf paused, hovering barely an inch away from her. He leaned in even further, reaching past her to place his empty glass down on the desk behind her; his gaze traveled down, sough her eyes to read what was going on in her mind.

"You sure about this?" he asked, voice a soft rumble; offering a chance to back out, even as his hand closed in to touch gentle fingers to her spine.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

The smile widens when he approaches her and she takes a deep drink of the liquor. It helps to soothe her nerves, appears to help soothe his too, and she can’t help but to give him a brilliant smile as he enters her space, leaning down a small amount as he goes to place the empty glass behind her. Her hand remains on his chest, eyes lingering up at his face, finding a smile quite charming on the pale expanse.

The question is a soft rumble, and she can’t quite decide whether or not to speak it or nod — not right away anyway, so her hand tightens along the fabric of his shirt, tongue sweeping along her lower lip as she focuses on him. “Yes.” She replies, audibly, but her head bobs in a nod, turning slightly to drink the rest of the glass she poured, setting it somewhere along the expanse of the desk behind her, and returning her hungry gaze onto Korbin.

The hand along his shirt remains tight with a grip, her other hand moving to run calloused hands along his shoulder, to his neck, delicate tapping of fingertips along the fabric hiding the skin beneath it. She presses up against him, closing that small gap, head tilted up, debating between pulling him down to meet her and her trying to get as close as she can before he does it on his own.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

He didn't have to hear to understand the reply. It was in the tightened hand on his shirt, in her hungry eyes, the way she closed the gap between them. With the glasses safely set aside and her hand snaking up to his neck, Korbin let his doubts drown in the tingling feel of her touch.

"Good."

Strong fingers firmed on her back, his other arm joining in to embrace her, pull her more firmly against him as he leaned down. Didn't have to be coaxed, or pulled along. His mouth found her cheek and brushed a soft kiss to it, a quiet 'hello' before he moved on, sought her lips in a way that was neither shy nor awkward.

Thoughts kept trying to intrude, tell him how recklessly foolish this was, but Korbin firmly shut them out. There were a lot of stupid things he could lose himself in, and this seemed perfectly harmless compared to most of them. And far, far nicer.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?

i wanted to be ruined —

a little more than i wanted

— to be loved

The quiet command laced into his voice is enough that her blood starts heating, a smirk curling around the edges of her lips as the alcohol swims within her stomach, drowning out any of the nerves she might feel. It’s been so long, over a year now, since she’d indulged in this. And it’s seen in the way that his hand firms along her back and she nearly purrs with the sensation, back arching a small amount to help with how he wants her pressed against him.

His lips find her cheek, soft and sweet, before he finds her lips and she gives into it, pressing back against him with her own hunger laced into the movement of her lips. This is a game of passion, of nothing more, of strangers partaking in a particularly cold and lonely night, and she can’t help but to vibrate beneath it — sending that anticipation and need down the unknown bond toward him.

She breaks the kiss briefly, hands tugging at the fabric that hides his skin from her, shifting in her stance a bit to invite him in further as her hands slide down atop the fabric to the hem of his shirt by his hips, aimed to remove and discard if only to feel the soft skin beneath it.

KIADA

KORBIN

Remember when I swore
That you and I would never die

Impatient, wasn't she? Korbin was quite content with savoring the feel of her mouth under his, with taking his time to enjoy this unexpected treat. He was in no hurry; the way he smiled against her lips said as much, and he didn't give in to the tug on his shirt. He grazed his teeth over her lower lip, not sharply but reassuring; just wait. He wasn't going anywhere.

That didn't mean he wasn't indulging in her, himself. Quite the opposite; his hands stroked the slender curve of her back and snaked curious fingers in beneath the fabric of her top, exploring the patterns of the many scars, while a calloused thumb traced the arch of her ribs. The softness of her skin made his hands ache, greedy to grab and hold, conquer and lay claim... But slowly. Softly. He didn't know her enough to give in to impulse, wary of being too rough, of getting too hot and hasty.

It had been a while since he did this too. There was no doubt about the way she affected him, his own need kindled by her eagerness, her willingness; it would be so easy to just let himself go and be swept along.

Remember when you swore
we had it all?