[RQ] dust to dust

FOX

It has not been an easy trip out of the Hollowed Grounds - especially at first. Ascending into the freezing skies to travel across to Torchline wasn't on Fox's to-do list for the season, and there have been more than a couple of difficult moments where keeping warm has been essential rather than preferable. But as the ship breaks through the weather front and enters more tropical climes, Fox thaws - both literally and psychologically.

The company for the journey has been a huge help as well, if he's honest, and now as they're finally walking across the coast towards the haze of heat and bubbling magma of Apopo, he's in high spirits. "Have you spent much time in Torchline?" he asks Kiada, his hands resting comfortably in his pockets. "I'm starting to think I should have left the Grounds and come to live here."

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

Oh it’s been tough taking that trek. So much so that Kiada’s mostly sat in her jacket Deimos has made her and strayed nearer to the little torches on the skyship. And of course, offering what warmth she can to her companion as they traverse and break through the tropical climate of Torchline. It’s a breath of fresh air, really, walking along the coast not covered in snow with the promise of the bubbling warmth of the volcano at the top. “I have, actually.” She laughs lightly, keeping the coat tight around her. “I know one of the Kings here.” Harper, specifically.

She hopes he’s doing alright, but she doesn’t dwell on the man as she turns her gaze up at Fox with a brighter smile now that she doesn’t feel like a slab of cold marble. “There’s still time if you want to.” She offers with a soft laugh before she shakes her head. “My father figure was actually surprised, I think, that I’ve been in the Grounds and not here.” After all, every time they met before it had been in Torchline where she could soak up the warmth the land had to offer.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Oh?" Fox grins at that, and if there's a slight flush to his cheeks out of latent embarrassment, so be it. "You know, I also met one of the Kings the last time I was here. I didn't even know who he was until he said so - makes me glad that I remembered to be polite." He'd met Hadama, of course, so between them they've got all of Torchline's royalty by first name.

Letting his feet sink into the sand as they begin the upward slant towards where Apopo spills into the ocean, Fox casually offers a hand out to help Kiada over the uneven ground. "Mm, that's true enough. But I couldn't leave the people of the Grounds," he admits; it's what has kept him there for this long, after all. "Does your father figure live here as well?"

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

It’s an effect that bounces back toward her as he grins to her, sparking a chime of laughter from her throat as she listens to his story. “Were you worried he would toss you out if you weren’t?” She asks, before a secondary thought occurs to her and she leans toward him as they walk, still trying to stifle her laughter. “Honestly, I can’t imagine you not being polite.” A bounce of her eyebrow seems to suggest she can’t imagine him as anything else but the perfect gentleman, more than ready to please.

And she can confirm that he certainly has.

The muscles in her calves strain as the slope upward starts to take effect and she’s grateful for the hand he offers her, snatching it up as she traverses the uneven ground, using him as leverage to keep her from twisting an ankle at the very least. “That’s a fair point.” She offers to him, looking over to him with understanding as she nearly steps into a shallow hole prepped to twist her ankle, recovering quickly enough to give his hand a tight squeeze, shaking her head at herself despite the smile when she goes to answer his question.

She already knows at this point that Fox knows who he is, so there’s no use in beating around the bush. “No, he’s in Halo.” A place she can’t go comfortably, even if she’s made the trek once with the jacket Deimos had made her. “His name is Deimos.” And she looks at him to await the reaction, iceberg eyes scanning him for everything she expects to see dance across his face.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Well, either toss me out or drown me. I met him in the Torchline canals." And Fox can't actually swim, so that could be something of a problem if Hadama had decided to take offence to him. Flushing further and shoving his hands deeply into his pockets, Fox shoots a playful frown at Kiada. "You make it sounds as though you'd prefer it if I were rude," he says. "I can be impolite if the situation calls for it. Luckily it hasn't, just yet."

She'll know if it does, though.

Giving her hand a reassuring squeeze back, Fox shifts to ensure neither of them fall down any nefarious holes in the rock, helping Kiada hop over a crack between two boulders before they continue on their way. And of course he reacts the exact way she expects him to, his brows rising, understanding blooming in his hazel eyes. "Monster Hunter's Guild Deimos?" he blurts.

"Oh. Well, shit. I mean - he's great - but I didn't-- I mean..." Laughing helplessly and feeling as though he should have had one of those fatherly conversations with Deimos before going anywhere or doing anything with Kiada, it dawns on Fox that it's entirely far too late for that anyway.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

“Oh, oof.” Kiada trills with a very vocal wince, a sharp inhale through clenched teeth while they walk. It’s broken with the huff of laughter that leaves her after, a chimed sound that she doesn’t tone it down when he flashes that playful frown her way. “I would love to see the day, Fox.” She purrs to him equally as playful, as he squeezes her hand back and keeps her upright. They know each other’s clumsiness at least, and it’s a boon as they help each other over the crack between the boulders.

And still, she keeps her hand in his, selfishly not wanting to part them any sooner than necessary. Especially as he reacts just how she wants him to. “Mm, yep, that’s the one.” The Monster Hunter’s Guild inherited from her who had inherited it from Ronin. But he starts to stumble over his words and she raises a brow toward him as she steps over another set of crumbling stones, helping to pull him over them with her. “You didn’t what? Don’t worry, I’m sure he already knows.” The Cheshire grin spreads across her face, because she’d last seen him right after their romp where his mark had sat starkly against her pale, scarfless neck.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Keep it up and you might see it sooner than you think," Fox fires back at her, smiling over his shoulder and slowing his steps so they might navigate the uneven ground together without having to release each other's hands. And it's a good decision, as it turns out, because in the next moment the hunter is thoroughly twitterpated and tongue tied, and he entirely relies on Kiada to help him over the crumbling rock.

"Kiada," he hisses, blushing and grinning only because clearly they're way beyond the point where he might salvage the situation, and eventually Fox huffs out a long sigh and draws her close to let his arm rest around her shoulders, as if they're still huddled on the skyship. "I'm beginning to think you enjoy tormenting me," he murmurs. "So should I expect a really angry giant of a man on my doorstep any time soon?"

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

“Oh?! What do I have to do?” She asks, grinning back at his smile as their steps slow and they remain hand in hand and she selfishly relishes in it, even as she helps him over the rock the second her target hits the mark. The grin blooms more toothy and playful as she barks quite an unladylike laugh, wholly incapable of giving him the innocent look she wants to when he hisses her name. “What?” She teases, despite knowing full well what she’s doing.

He pulls her close and she wraps her arm around his middle, hand resting just above his hip as his own arm slings over her shoulder and she presses her head against the side of his chest. “You should know by now it’s my favorite past time.” She says as innocently as she can, humming a soft laugh before she stills suddenly, almost enough to try and pull him into facing her so she can loop both of her arms around his waist, looking up at him. “Not angry. I think he likes you, actually. It’s rare.” She teases him at the end, despite the honesty she hopes he can pick out from the beginning of the conversation.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"I think you know exactly what you'd have to do, because you're doing it already," Fox says, though honestly, her teasing won't make him impolite so much as a little sassy in return, but if Kiada's into that, why not? And it appears that she's absolutely into that, based on her laughter and her coy response, Fox narrowing his eyes and shaking his head at her. "Nothing at all," he drawls.

Finding her suddenly slowing her steps and pressed against him in a way that makes his stomach flop, Fox is left trying to untie the knots in his tongue all over again. As such Kiada is able to position him however she likes, and he's left offering her a boyish smile for her trouble.

"Rare, huh? I wish I could tell you what I did to earn his favour, but I don't remember." Reaching out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind Kiada's ear, Fox brushes his thumb across her cheek and tries to force his shoulders to relax. "Either way, though, I should probably meet him again and explain things." What things isn't something he can articulate, but he feels the need to do it anyway.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

Oh she adores his sass, and she gives him a toothy grin as he tells her she’s doing it already. “Who, me?” She’s absolutely milking the playful innocence that burns in her words, even as he denies her the satisfaction of answering her question with something more beneficial than nothing at all. So all she can offer is a nudge and a soft “uh, huh,” as they continue to wander up the volcano.

That doesn’t last, not as she stops still and brings him to face her, her hands resting above his hips before she presses in closer, her chest pressing against his as her arms loop to lock around his waist, her amusement clear as she peers up at him.

“You’re kind, with good intentions. What’s there not to favor?” She drawls it off like she’s listing off a grocery list, but like a feline her head tilts into the hand on her cheek, even as her eyes remain on him. Her brow raises slightly as she keeps that smile on her face, this time for actual confusion and innocence to replace the look on her face. “What would you explain?” She asks softly, probing his thoughts as she gives him a gentle squeeze, her tail slinking to wrap around his leg to keep him close enough to respond before they continue their task.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

"Mm, you." Fox bounces his eyebrows at her, as if the fact that she's draped against him isn't enough all on its own to make her guilty. (Not that he's complaining at all, and let it never be said that he is). And a more crooked man might have made a joke about whether or not his intentions were really good at all, but of course Fox can only blush and look away, because she's reading him like an open book.

Lips parting to explain his explanation, his breath catches to feel her spaded tail sneaking around his leg, effectively tethering them together. "Uh," he says helpfully. "Well." His cheeks are on fire and he feels as though he wants to say all of this to the sky rather than to Kiada's face, but he forces himself to lock onto her icy gaze nonetheless.

"I would explain that I have no intention of hurting you," he says slowly. "And that I would do my best to keep you safe while you're in the Grounds. And that you're an amazing woman, and that I feel lucky to have been caught in some spider silk because it means I got to meet you." He raises his eyebrows at her in a how am I doing?

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

It’s one of her favorite things – reading the way his skin flushes when she’s bold in her affections or commentary – and she can only offer a sly smile twisting up the corners of her lips as she feels his breath catch because of just how pressed she is against him, intertwining them with her tail, seeing just how red his cheeks have grown, and if she didn’t know it was her actions causing it (how could she not?) she might think he’s gotten sunburned.

But all that fiery playfulness starts to melt as she meets his gaze and his words start coming out, and it’s one of the sweetest things she’s heard in so long that her chest hurts and her smile softens and her face and gaze do too, even her arms as she drapes against him loosens slightly into a more tender embrace than a forceful one.

Her throat feels tight as she lowers her arms from being wrapped around his neck to slip both of her palms on the side of his face, cupping his cheeks as she clears her throat. “I don’t even know what to say.” She begins with a soft little hiccupped laugh. “But I know I feel lucky too, to have met you wrapped up in spider silk.” Her voice is softer because the emotions that race through her have her feeling like her voice might crack the second she speaks louder. It still sparks a slight amused smile, though, one that has a playful accusatory look given toward him. “You’re just trying to make me cry, aren’t you?” Perhaps it shouldn’t be such a sweet thing to hear, but it’s been so long.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )

FOX

Fox has absolutely no idea what kind of reaction to expect - caught in that awkward in between of being too sweet to be charming and too kind to be wicked, it all comes out a little boyish. Inhaling deeply enough to raise his shoulders towards his ears, it's only as he feels Kiada relax against him that he can soften as well; at least what he's been trying to say hasn't been too hammy (or if so, Kiada's into it).

"You don't need to say anything." He smiles, letting an arm slip around her waist. "Or rather... as long as it's not telling Deimos to tie me up like a pretzel, you can say whatever you like." Not expecting anything like tears to even be close to the harpy's surface emotions, Fox does look a little panicked, quickly shaking his head.

"I would never want to make you cry," he informs her with all the seriousness of a vow.

astra inclinant, sed non obligant

Code blatently stolen from queen of codes, Sky!

troy falls a thousand times // in every dream i dream

Oh, it is too hammy. But it’s been years since Kiada’s heard anything like it in relation to her. She’s overheard conversations others have amongst themselves, or even Deimos when he speaks of Evie, and a part of her hadn’t even thought it would be extended to her again, not after Chuy. So she dives in with it, letting it soothe any worries or fears that perhaps she’s being a bit too much or falling too fast, because his honesty and his want to be with her right now is everything she’s wanted and needed.

So she relaxes into his embrace, as his arm sinks to wrap around her waist and her hands slip back to his collarbones, fingertips toying with the ends of his dark hair. She regards him gently, almost tenderly, and if he wishes for this to be real then it won’t be Deimos he’d have to worry about, but her should anyone hurt him. She’d tear them apart.

His seriousness, however, has a hiccuped laugh leaving her, bouncing up on her tiptoes to press her forehead against his. “A good cry. It’s been… A long time.” She offers him in an equally quiet voice before she pulls back slightly, sinking back onto her heels, recovering her teasing nature swiftly now that she’s processed. “Besides, if anyone’s going to tie you up like a pretzel, it’ll be me.” She winks, her hand cradling his cheek as she gives a Cheshire grin, and withdraws to take his hand again so they can collect what they’re supposed to be out here for.

And because she needs the distraction from pinning him to a rock right here and showing him just how much she appreciated his kind words.

KIADA

( like ashes, like ashes // like a star burning out )