evermore

PHOEBE

"Ruled it?" she said with surprise, brows raising. "First Torchline, then the Hollowed Grounds, where are you conquering next?" she said jokingly. It was strange really. She had lived as many places as Sunjata had, yet she had never been a member of government. Never even been approached by the member of a government for anything. Remi and Ronin were also leaders...maybe there was something wrong with her?

"Nope." she quipped with a playful smirk. "Prove it however you wish. I'm not Frey, I don't give quests." she said with a grin. Really she was curious how he would react. What he would say or do...it was the feeling of suspense with Sunjata that had drawn her in before. And it threatened to do so again. But she was older and wiser than she had been all those years prior in the Hollowed Grounds.

The Nightingale watched as he took notes. Then she proceeded onward, appraising the garden. Overall it was very extensive. Then she stepped into the clinic to poke around there.

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

“Here, so far.” He quips back with an amused smirk. As far as he was concerned, he figured it would be the last. After all, he’d taken Torchline from Remi when it had become too much and similarly with Isla to take over the Hollowed Grounds in order to remove any conflicts of interest with her closeness with Remi. Other than that? This safe haven was the only space Sunjata’d truly made from a vision himself, helped along by the people – some of whom are here now – as well as divine intervention.

Either way, her own quip has that scarred brow of his rising, a soft snort leaving him as he shakes his head. He knows he shouldn’t do it, shouldn’t say much of getting close to her, but there was something fun about Phoebe when she wasn’t tearing at his throat for the things he’d done to her that he can’t help but to be equally tentatively drawn in. “I think you know the best way to show it.” He drawls, flashing a wink of playfulness as he follows her through the garden and into the clinic.

The building is well put together, large windows to let light in as well as curtains for privacy – with the main entrance for record keeping and a few smaller rooms for exams off to the side, Sunjata folds his arms across his chest and leans against the doorframe, waiting for her reaction. “What do you think?” He asks softly.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

PHOEBE

She laughed, head tilting back slightly. "Okay. After here. Back to the Hollowed Grounds or somewhere new?" she said, as if the world would somehow be the same when they could finally leave. Imagining a world that they both knew wouldn't exist. But that was the thing about dreams, they didn't need to be real to be.

"I might know what you're talking about..." she started, trailing off. Phoebe turned to face him, leaning back slightly until her hips and bottom pressed against the top of a desk. Honeyed eyes locked onto him, head tilting back slightly as she observed the Flood. She was thinking, toying, calculating. "But are you brave enough to proposition it?" she said with a slight drawl.

Phoebe glanced around the building and smiled after a moment. "I think you did a good job. You should be proud."

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

Her laugh has a rumble of amusement leaving him, enough that he almost wants to believe in the dream that she has – where things might be fine or normal and life would move on. “I suppose it depends on how it looks after this.” Comes an honest enough answer. Would he want power again? Or would the potential terrible fate his husband might face be enough to keep him quiet, picking a space for him and the twins to live in until he could figure out where to go from there.

But in favor of not dwelling on what they don’t know is happening, Sunjata watches as she perches her spot while he still leans against the doorframe, raising a brow as she observes him and calculates and toys. “Hmm.” He hums, as if debating whether he was brave enough to propose it, given that she’s his ex-wife and their history had been… For lack of better terms, rocky and terrible for a lot of it.

Perhaps at a certain point, though, what stays in the safe haven would stay in the safe haven, and perhaps it might be something enough to make their deity smile while everything went down outside of their little bubble of safety.

It also helps that she compliments him, causing him to push off the doorframe and walk toward her, hands finding the desk on either side of her hips as he bends slightly to hover just above her. “I am very proud.” He admits, voice dropping slightly as he flashes her another crooked smirk, the scar on his face twisting with the movement and from this distance, a bit more gnarled than it otherwise appears.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

PHOEBE

Phoebe sighed dramatically and shook her head. "Such a realist. Frey would be both proud and bored." she teased.

"Hmmm." she hummed in response, heels of her hands pressing against the desktop to help her balance. He was making his own calculations. She and Jata made a dangerous pair after all, in all the worst ways. But she longed to feel wanted. And she knew he could make her feel that for a short time. He had always been a beautiful liar.

Her head tilted up to maintain eye contact with him as he approached, then leaned over her. Very proud indeed. "Proud, but can you be principled?" she said in a low hum. Phoebe lifted a hand and pressed one finger to his lips. "No one but the gods know." Another finger unfolded to press against his lips. "You stay distant from my son unless you decide to make me promises." Which she knew he wouldn't. So far all very practical ground rules. A third slender finger against his lips. "Make me feel like a goddess." The third and final purely selfish. She wasn't risking getting burned again for half-assed orgasms.

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

Frey would be bored with it, but luckily he’s only speaking to one of their demigods and not the god themself. It still brings a huff of amusement to his lips, a playful roll of his eyes as he steps toward her and leans over her, hands placed on either side of her hips as he peers down at her with those same steel eyes as before, only ever so slightly different.

He takes a deep breath to respond to her initial question, before she quiets him down with the press of her finger to his lips. The steel still scans her face, taking in the honey-brown eyes as she makes her requests. To be honest, it’s quite possibly the easiest thing that she’s ever tried to get him to agree to. He hums an agreement to the first request, then the second.

She knows him well enough to know that he won’t be making any of those promises – so as far as he’s concerned, a simple little bit of stress relief in the confines of the safe haven where nobody else would know especially given who they were to one another, sounds like a dream. So when it comes to her third request, his gaze darkens slightly, one hand rising to take her hand from his lips, guiding it to his neck while his other hand moves toward her thigh and tugs her closer to him. “All agreeable terms.” He breathes with that same small smirk, leaning in to capture her lips with his.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

PHOEBE

She watched him carefully as each rule was laid out, and then agreed to. With ease no less. Had he become less rule averse over all these years? Perhaps having children had finally taught him the importance of them. It would take something that drastic by her estimation.

Then his eyes darkened, bright steel to shadowed, and she knew they had a sealed deal. And no sooner was it sealed than he was pulling her closer and gods and good sense be damned did their lips meet once more. She melted slightly, but only on the inside. Her back arched to bring her face closer to his, one hand wrapping around his neck, the other around his waist. The Nightingale hummed contentedly as her eyes fluttered closed.

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

The rules were all within reason to Sunjata. Not talking about it, not getting close to her son, and making her feel good were relatively easy things he thinks he can accomplish. After all, who is here that he’d tell anyway?

Her hand wraps around his neck, the warmth drawing him closer as he leans in and over her again, the kiss growing a bit more demanding as the hand at her thigh lowers to reach for the hem of the dress, sliding it up as he lets his calloused fingertips slide against her soft skin. His other hand that had guided hers to his neck now finds her again, slipping through long golden locks as he pulls away from the kiss to gain a breath, nipping at her lower lip. He searches her gaze for a moment before glancing back toward the door and the fact they’re in the main entrance, figuring that if they were to do this and keep it a secret, here wasn’t where they should be doing this.

“Let’s get more comfortable, hm?” His voice is husky, but he waits for her permission before he lifts her against him to bring her into one of the exam rooms where he can shut and lock the door.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

PHOEBE

He nipped at her lip and she was quick to return the favor. He would soon find that she was nowhere near as timid as she had once been. As much as he had changed, so had she. Perhaps for the better for them both.

But he pulled further away, turning entirely in fact. Her brows furrowed briefly. Oh. The wide open door was problematic wasn't it. "Best idea you've had all day." she said with a grin, legs spreading to straddle his waist, second arm raising to wrap around his neck as well. The physicality came so easily, that much had remained the same. And as he shut the door behind them, she reached to latch the chain lock. There. No unwanted visitors. "Now where were we?" she said in a hushed tone, lips whispering against his.

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

The nip of her own at his lip is a surprise to him, but it draws a low rumble of a growl from his throat as he picks her up and she straddles his waist. It’s a quick movement to get into the exam room, to shut the door and let her lock it as she presses her lips back to his. There’s a small smirk that presses back against her in the kiss, keeping her in his arms as she holds on and presses against him as he walks her over to the exam bed, on the way reaching into a drawer for stashed protection.

He sets her down on it, immediately invading her space again as he one hand lifts to glide along her neck, tugging at the shoulder straps of her dress before lowering to palm at her breast through the fabric, while the other slips around her searching for the ties that keep it all wrapped around her. “Something about a goddess.” His accented voice responds, husky and with a fair amount of need, evidenced by the flush that crosses his tattooed neck and the way his pants have begun to tent as he fills out.

Once the ties are undone, he works to try and slip her out of her dress, hands deftly moving along her smooth skin.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

PHOEBE

Phoebe's expression met something of a cross between a smirk and a smile as he reached for the protection stashed in a drawer. He really had thought of just about everything when building this place. Though she doubted he had thought he'd find himself in this exact scenario. It was a surprise, but an oddly welcome one.

The flush of his neck and eager untying of her dress was just the confidence boost she needed. "Something about a goddess, that's right." she near purred as the dress was easily lifted from her person. Without the glamour magic, he would easily see the signs that her body had changed - her hips and breasts were slightly fuller, and faint lines rippled across her abdomen, changes all gained from carrying a child. A brief moment of worry crossed her mind, but it was distracted by her hands running down his chest of their own accord, tugging at the hem of his shirt to pull it over his head.

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

Nothing of her appearance gives him pause, noticing the slight differences but not mentioning any of it — after all, he’s changed a lot too. As he slides her dress off and is able to focus entirely on palming at her breast, his fingers teasing at her nipple, Sunjata only pauses as she tugs his own shirt off as her hands travel across his broad chest. His own is far more scarred and worn, not just the one tattoo dotting his chest anymore, but tiger stripe scars along each of his sides from hip to nearly his armpit, lightning scars that travel up his right arm and cross over his chest toward his heart with little streaks of paler skin, and a carved possessive scar just under his heart are all new pieces of him that Caido had given him since arriving here.

But that’s neither here nor there, given that he leans in, aiming to capture her lips again, trailing the kiss to her cheek and neck and refrains from leaving any marks despite how much he wants to. His freehand lowers now, pressing up in a light stroke against her inner thigh. “I’m pretty sure I can manage that.” Confidence seeps through him, through his voice as he hovers over her, still standing, pressing against her and teasing her.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine

PHOEBE

The scars that litter his chest and torso leave her equally unphased. She had expected them after seeing the state of his arm and hearing how Frey had had to burn Safrin from his being. Besides, they suited him somehow.

That he doesn't hesitate upon seeing the changes to her own body soothes any worries she had, lips pressing against his briefly before he leaves to trail kisses down her neck. Her back arched into his hands, a low hum leaving her throat as her own reached to work at the buttons fastening his pants in place. She tilted her head forward so her lips brushed against his ear. "Then prove it." she taunted with a cheeky grin.

When the static clears

And all is said and done

I will realize that we all need someone

SUNJATA

at another place in time, you were infinitely mine
relatively alright, when berenstein was fine

A rumble of a laugh leaves him as he hears her voice, lips whispering against his ear. His hand trails up her thigh even further, pressing lightly against her folds as she works to unbutton his pants. There’s some relief when she does and he can slip out of them, his length filling out further as he breathes a sigh of somewhat content at the loss of the restrictive fabric.

But his lips find a home on her neck and shoulder, pushing her back slightly to get her to lay back just enough, diving further down to let his lips map a path along her chest as his fingers at her groin press in, lightly stroking along her clit to get her going before he gets there.

at another place in time, only parallel to mine
the universe was alright, when berenstein was fine