I'll rise up for you, for you, for you

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

"No peeking, remember?" Her voice is a bit muffled from behind Sunjata's shoulder as she stands as far on her toes as she can, arms stretched high to stubbornly keep her hands over Sunjata's eyes despite knowing he'd do as she asked regardless. It's an awkward, graceless shuffle through the door of the brothel room, but anyone who catches a glimpse of it is summarily shut out behind its wooden exterior.

Beneath his feet, Sunjata will feel the give of sand immediately, and as attuned as she knows him to be to his senses, the rest will come quickly; the crackle of firewood, faint smoke, an ocean breeze. Only once she has made him wait a few agonizing moments does she release him, hands dropping away at the same moment she kisses his shoulderblade to conceal her rising smile. Okay, you can look.

The bonfire is moderately sized, just for the two of them, and it stands on Torchline's beach regardless of the fact they're hundreds of miles from her shores. Her hand finds the Flood's lower back, idly stroking up and down as she waits for him to take in the rest. A large silver platter full of a rather eclectic collection of food, a blanket already spread out next to the fire, and a skinny black box betraying nothing. The moon is absent in the sky above, and dark hues of aurora are present instead - an intentional thing on her end, not only removing all memories of Safrin but combining Halo's skies with Torchline's sands. A compromise the real world could never know. "Happy LongNight," she murmurs against Sunjata's shoulder, too sure of them both for things like nerves and doubt, confident he would be appreciative of her efforts if nothing else.

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

“I remember.” Sunjata rumbles, unable to keep the slight tilt of his lips from betraying the smile and amusement that the surprise brings. Not only that, but Hotaru’s valiant attempts to keep his vision blocked, the feel of her body against his back as she guides him into one of the magical rooms.

The sound around changes from the idle chatter of the House of Midnight into the dull roar of ocean waves, the ground beneath his feet shifts to a plush, sandy expanse, the crack of the fire he can feel the sudden warmth of. He does oblige her by keeping his eyes closed, even as he feels her hands slip away from his eyes, as she remains close and tells him he can look. He keeps his eyes closed a few more heartbeats before they open, taking in the dusky twilight, the faint breeze of salt and sea, and he’s stunned.

His eyes follow the laid out blankets and the platters, the aurora above that blots out any potential makeshift stars from the room. “It’s beautiful.” He admits in a soft, whisper of surprise, before he whirls to grab her, easily picking her up in his arms without a single moment of hesitation, pressing a kiss to her lips that’s only a fraction of how much he wants to thank her for such a beautiful and thoughtful surprise. Happy LongNight. He hums through the Attuned bond, bringing her with him to reach the blankets pulled out, gently setting her down on them, hovering over her to remain in her space as playful and (albeit somewhat obnoxiously), to pepper her face with kisses. “So, what’s the plan?” Because he knows her well enough to know that she’d not do all of this without a plan.

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

Though she can't see his reaction, the low thrum of his pleasure through the bond is like warm water trickling over her skin, and she doesn't need to see his face to know he appreciates the work she has put into the scenery of the room. Her cheek rests against his shoulder and her eyes focus on the curl of his hair around one ear instead of the views around them, encapsulated in the moment.

She's not expecting him to whirl around so energetically, a startled yip of a sound escaping as he grabs her up and spins her around, forcing laughter from her lungs that is smothered between their lips as her hands grasp at his shoulders. Wherever he deigns to take her she's more than okay with, though she vainly twists her face to avoid his smattered kisses, laughter blooming in her chest in muffled spurts. Her hands move past his shoulders to link behind his neck, thumbs idly playing with the short hairs at his nape.

"Well first I thought we could roast some of the food and see what is simply terrible and what may be surprisingly delicious," she hums, already certain that some of the eclectic options will be rather horrendous and looking forward to figuring that out. "And I have a surprise for the end of the night, but the rest is just this. Relaxing, talking. No interruptions, no party attendees to return to, just us and the beach." The bonfire that had set this all in motion had been less than perfectly private, and now there's nobody else to intrude upon them for the rest of the day if they so choose to languish. Looking into his eyes, framed by the dark skies and aurora beyond, Ru smiles softly. "And maybe I have some ideas to run past you too."

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

It’s comforting to know that he can still pull out these little surprises of his own despite being surrounded by one of her own. So he whirls, picks her up, hums his own chuckles alongside her startled yip and laughter that leaves her in turn. But he gets her precisely where he wants her, laying her down against the blankets as she effectively blocks his annoying spurt of kisses, and when she links her hands behind his neck and toys with the soft short hair she finds there, he pulls back just enough to look down at her to hear what her plans were.

And he knew that she’d have some, even if the night was to go on however long they wished. No deadline, just goals to reach. So he settles comfortably, still blotting out the sky in her view, placing himself dead and center, all steel eyes and freckles and tousled dark hair with grey strands peeking through. “I hope you remember how bad of a cook I am.” He teases her softly, letting another hum of a laugh leave his chest, before his head tilts slightly when she mentions the surprise for the night and his gaze shifts a bit more playfully suspicious. “And you’re going to make me wait?” He feigns the whine in his tone, all for the dramatics before he pushes up and pulls her with him with how her arms are locked behind his neck, situating them so that she can settle in his lap.

He watches the reflection of the fire flicker across her face, reaching up to tug a rogue strand of blonde behind her ear, focusing back on her dual toned eyes at the mention of ideas. “Maybe we should pick some of the options to stick on the fire and you can tell me your ideas while they cook?” He asks, giving in and leaning into her to press a softer kiss to her jaw.

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

There’s no better view than the one she has now, even with this perfect scenery having come straight from her own perfectionist mind. “You’re a dragon, I’m sure roasting things comes naturally to you,” she teases, having taken such things into account - precisely why the food options for roasting were singular to begin with.

Tightening the hood of her hands to better pull herself along as he straightens and guides her into his lap, Ru can’t help the grin on her face at his feigned whining, deciding to enact her own revenge by kissing all over his face in the exact same way. “Patience is a virtue my love, and we need as many as we can get in a brothel.” Though the playfulness is undercut by the warmth of her expression, soft and private, as he tucks her hair behind her ear. It makes her all the more certain of everything sitting unsaid inside her chest.

“Sounds like a plan,” she murmurs, though she likely would have agreed to anything in that moment. The food sits just within reach, though anything she can’t grab is easy enough to summon with a bit of magic or a quiet murmur to Sunjata. She isn’t keen on leaving his lap even for something as simple as fetching a banana - which is her first victim to be roasted. As she skewers it and hangs it over the closest flames to begin roasting, rotating it slowly, she settles with her back against Sunjata’s chest and leans her head back against his collarbone. “I wanted to know what you thought of me moving here. Permanently.” There’s no sense in beating around the bush, but she also doesn’t think she can hold it in any longer without exploding.

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

“My dragon is more prone to electrocution than roasting on an open flame.” He teases her back, humming another soft laugh, pulling her up with him as they resituate themselves to better sit beside the fire amongst the blankets, ensuring that she remains in his lap. At least, momentarily while she enacts her own revenge, returning the favor of smattering kisses all along his scarred face. He playfully shies away, scrunching his face until she’s done, but his eyes are bright with adoration all the same as he tucks her hair behind her ear.

Another soft snort slips from him as he continues his dramatics; rolling his eyes as she mentions that they need virtues in a brothel. “I think we have plenty with or without patience.” It’s still playful, nothing to deny the fact that he could be patient and wait. So he’s content to follow her lead, to give her the options before them, and when she picks the one of roasting while planning he helps her readjust in his lap, his arms wrapping around her middle to keep her pressed against his back, chin and cheek pressing in gently to her golden crown of hair as she starts to roast a banana over the flame.

He doesn’t know what to expect with her plans, but he doesn’t expect this to be the first one. And with it comes the warm, overwhelming surprise through the attuned bond that melts into adorations and appreciation – and underlining it with satisfaction, courtesy of the dragon within him. His head lowers, stubbled cheek pressing against the side of her face as he goes to lay a kiss on her cheekbone. “I would love that, Ru.” He murmurs softly, as if the quieter and more whispered he said it meant the reality of it wouldn’t disappear. “We could… Have a place of our own outside of here, if you wanted more privacy? I was considering making a few more homes around here anyway to make it more livable and connected to the Refuge.” He feels like he’s suddenly talking too much, and so he quiets himself, pulling away his head to scan her for her expression all while his arms squeeze her lightly in an appreciative hug.

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

It’s tempting to let the conversation devolve into playful arguments about electricity and fire, but with Sunjata wrapped around her the way he is, she can’t stop her mind from going back and back and back to the question lying on her tongue. A question she has wrestled with for seasons now, that has only grown in strength the more she visits, the longer she stays. There are strings to tie and boxes to check, but the most important question is whether he wants her here - whether they’re ready for it.

Any fears or worries are dashed the moment the bond alights in a smear of sensory color, reassuring her before Sunjata has the time to find the proper words. He’s far from saying too much, but she can tell by the abruptness of his ending that he thinks he has, and it makes her hide a smile. “I worry less about privacy and more about space. It would be nice to have more space for ourselves, and more clear separation of work and home.” She’d had to do the same for herself in Halo. She’d moved houses after the war, but only after Sah had forced her to stop living in the Academy itself. “So, yes. I’d like our own home.” Something wholly new and solely theirs, with no memories but the ones they would make in the future.

“I would ask Evie or Sah if they would want to run the Academy, so it can still fulfill its purpose. And I would likely remain a student.” Tilting her head slightly, her forehead turns to rest against his jaw, and she closes her eyes to breathe in his scent. “But for as much as I love Halo, I miss you and Flora, and there is more outside her borders than within these days. And Enzo - he asked me to live. The Academy was my own mission, not what he asked of me.” One she still wants to thrive, but which also has the capability of growing beyond her now that she has planted the seeds. “And - though this might seem off topic - I wanted to propose that we could be bookable as a couple in the brothel. Nothing romantic, all of it behind doors for clients, but you expressed that you get many requests and often feel pressured. Would you be open to us only accepting as a pair?” Ru has only ever not worked for a brother because of her own power hungry dreams, but realistically she would likely do well. Perhaps it would help Sunjata feel he was doing more for Frey.

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

Somehow, over the years, the two have been often combined – ruling Torchline out of his own home, living within the walls of the VlamVloed upon occasion when he’d ran it, staying within the Refuge during the war to rule it from there. So it’s with a belated little huff of amusement that Sunjata nods his head, short and abrupt, his cheek brushing against hers in a nod. A new place to officially start over. And with Flowerbirth on the horizon, they can spend the time building it.

“I’m sure you have thoughts on what you’d like it to be like? And once we have everything figured out we can start building it.” Given her affinity to creating her own buildings and businesses and attire, he’s certain she has ideas to put into it, and he’s all ears.

Even as she starts to speak on the Academy, a low rumble of understanding slipping from him as her forehead presses against his jaw and he feels her lashes brush his skin when she closes her eyes. One arm tightens around her middle while the other lifts to run down the side of her arm holding the roasting stick to help her continue spinning it while she isn’t looking at it. “I miss you too when you’re gone.” He murmurs gently, understanding glimmering like a golden thread through the attuned bond.

It's an understanding that thrums a little bit more with intrigue as she continues with a separate topic, his arm squeezing her gently as he considers it. “I have been thinking about it, actually.” He admits, letting the edge of his lips twist in a smile she’d be able to feel. “I am open to it. In fact, Dantalion expressed his interest in us as a pair already.” Hot air brushes against her cheek in the soft laugh that leaves him. “And I… The longer I keep denying those that come through the doors, I feel like I’m skirting my responsibilities.” He was the demigod of the sex deity after all. It’s a thought that coincides with one he’s been thinking about recently, too, which has him readjusting them so that he can better scan her face, trying to pulse the fact that she has his heart and love and adoration down it when he speaks next. “Hypothetically, if there were a time where either of us got a quest from Frey that required solo participation, I am fine with you using the House of Midnight to accomplish that.” But he pauses, waiting to see what her thoughts on it were for him. (And who knows, perhaps with the understanding of it being not romantic and purely for their deity and their main business source, perhaps eventually they could reach a point to maximize it.) After all, they both are intimately aware with how their deity works and how they choose to do the quests they give out. They're both also aware of how Frey wanted people to spend their lives.

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

He may be accustomed to living within his work, but Hotaru is quite content to put an end to that. Though it has taken half her life - and many other lives in other realms before this one - to learn it, balance is becoming rather important to her.

"Less than you might think. Honestly, I'm more overwhelmed by all the options houses have outside of tundra regions." He'll feel the swell of her cheek beneath his own as she grins, staring out over the ocean and envisioning one such thing. "Like a porch you can actually sit on." Deimos has one, but he also has a far more developed level of fire magic. Her Academy blessing is quite helpful, but unless a student is visiting her it doesn't exactly make the situation better for guests.

Leaning into the tightening of his arm around her, Ru closes her eyes and inhales his scent hiding beneath the swell of ocean air and smoke. "I'm glad the feeling is mutual," she murmurs, a smile curling at the edges of her mouth. No matter how she might make it playful, it truly does make her chest swell with love.

Dantalion's name isn't one she's expecting to hear, and it makes her head bounce against his slightly as she emits a startled laugh. "Truly? I'm not surprised - and it would be quite fun to indulge him together." Precisely why there exists such an appeal to the idea of being bookable together. Especially because she knows he feels as if he's skirting responsibilities - though she'd reassure him every time that he was not.

The last suggestion, however, requires a bit more thought. She sits comfortably in his lap, his arms secure around her as he helps her spin the roasting stick in their shared hands, and she thinks. "I think Frey is smart enough to allow us to achieve it together, but if that ever came to pass, I would agree to that." Pulling her roasted banana out of the fire, Hotaru shuffles around slightly to look into Sunjata's eyes, lifting a hand to cup his face and smile gently. "So long as only I have your heart, the rest is meaningless. Though I'd prefer to only entertain clients with you, any strange or rare occurrences we can discuss as they come." And overcome together.

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

He’s never thought about it, her ability to have too many things to choose from. It’s a thought that has a soft rumbling laugh that slips from his lips, giving her a gentle squeeze as he nods slightly, head still pressed against hers. “Mm, well, I guess we’ll have to research all the options. But, I would love a porch to sit on.” He agrees, already imagining the idea of getting (or making) some rocking chairs or a swing bench for it, watching the clouds float on by.

It’s an attainable dream that he’s content with indulging in, until she’s changing the subject and he has nothing but appreciation for the fact she’s thought of his duties enough to think about how they could incorporate it. Being together, though, that’s truthfully the cherry on top.

He’s sure she can feel the smirk that blooms on his face as she mentions indulging Dantalion. “It would be quite fun.” He agrees, giving her another little squeeze as he continues to spin the first item on the skewer as she mulls over his question.

He knows it’s unlikely, but if there were a chance he wants to make sure that everything is in order ahead of time. And he’s patient as she responds and pulls the roasted banana out of the fire, turning and adjusting to face him, cupping his jaw and stealing his whole undivided attention. “It is only you who has my heart.” He murmurs gently, nosing his way in to seal the agreement with a longing kiss. He pulls away after a moment to nuzzle his nose against hers. “Together.”

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

She muffles her laughter into his throat, lips brushing against the stubble there. "We must really be leaving our prime early if we're enticed by rocking chairs on open-air porches," she teases, finding herself far from sorrowful at the idea of forsaking youthful dreams of grandeur and power. An easy life may not be all she wants from her future, but it certainly holds its own appeal.

The intrigue of a roasted banana holds no water compared to Sunjata's eyes on her, unblinking and transparent. An open book that had been shut to her for so long, and now she will never again take for granted the play of understanding and emotion she can see in his arresting eyes. And how can she deny him a kiss when his words hold such power over her heart? It's worth having to close her eyes, chasing after his mouth just enough to let him know he's not getting away from her for long - just long enough to say what needs to be said.

"Together," she whispers back like the closing of a vow, nose sliding against his, intimate and sure. Ru lingers there, feeling no need to pull away. Let the food get cold, there is plenty more to consume. "Though you'll have to find something more than the House to keep me busy if I'm passing the Academy on." An impish smile tugs at her lips. She may not have dreams of toppling governments and stealing riches anymore, but she has never been the type to sit on her laurels and grow old with grace.

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

Her laughter is muffled into his stubble while his own fills the air, sure that she’d be able to feel the playful grin as it spreads across his scarred face. “Oh, my liefde, I left my prime long ago.” Perhaps before the amount of mental problems started to take root and he’d been dead set on self sacrificing and his typical self debilitating behavior. All of that has changed, now, and was it truly so bad to have the want or need to have a smooth sailing rest of forever?

He doesn’t think so.

Nevertheless, the scent of sweet roasted banana fills the air and he continues to keep his gaze on her, feeling and seeing just how his words have an affect on her. Of course, they both have and still do share that heart with others, those others are no longer here. So together it is, just them, the ones standing among the ashes of the many lifetimes they’d lived.

He does still when she closes her eyes and chases after his lips, her agreement like a vow, nose brushing against his that have his own eyes closing, long lashes brushing against her pale cheeks. He takes the stake for the banana and sinks it into an upright position in the sand so it won’t go anywhere or get covered in the stuff, only so he has both hands to tighten around her and angle her more against him, a hot breath of a laugh raking across her face at her taunt.

“I’m sorry, I have to find you something to do?” He teases her in return, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of her lips, against the edge of that devilish smile, before he adjusts to press another to the opposite corner. “The region is your oyster. Whatever your heart desires, we can make happen.” He dodges the question on purpose mainly because he has zero idea where to start. She could make a spa here, she could start a bustling fashion business, she could do so many things that it’s nearly overwhelming for him to try and pick something for her.

Especially when it should be her decision anyway. Something of which he can’t help the slant of his own lips as he centers on her, brushing his nose against hers in a mimicry of the previous few minutes. “I desire you, right now.” He purrs, finally leaning in to claim her lips in a full kiss – knowing she’d had plans for how it would go and yet abandoning the rest of them to focus entirely on her.

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //

Hotaru

Roses are red and I wish I could see them bloom
But all I see are orange hues

Feigning offense on his own behalf, Ru pinches lightly at his cheek, aghast. "I'm accustomed to your defeatist mentality my love, but I'll have to rescind my joke just because you agreed," she laughs, and though they certainly have entire lifetimes to spare in grief and experience, they are young yet in their bodies. Maybe it's never too late - just as it was not too late for the two of them.

Even if she had not been simply ruffling his feathers for the fun of it, his assurance that the region is hers to spread her wings within is enough to have her smiling, preening up into the kisses he presses to each corner of her lips. Until he swallows up her smile completely - though it was always his to begin with - and stokes the embers of a far different emotion in its place.

Her arms come up around his neck, fingers threading through his hair as all thought of food dissolves like sugar beneath the heat of his murmured words. You have me, she assures, too greedy for his touch to pull away even for the length of time it would take to speak it. Always. Everywhere. And on an evening meant to be all about him? Well, how could she tell him no?

Now you’re stuck in my head and I wish I could sing the blues
But all I hear are orange tunes, and all I do is think of you

// call out in the middle of the night
for when else would I hear you? //

A hum of a laugh leaves him as she rescinds her joke, only because of his agreement. It keeps that amusement flickering on his face, even as he starts to tease her over what she could do here. A part of him wonders if she’d be interested in a council position, one that he might bring up when she’s finally done with her Halo duties. As it stands right now, talk of King’s End and ruling it can wait.

And it’s only because he has her in his arms, a warm and roaring bonfire that blooms with food forgotten off to the side (at least it wont burn). And it allows him to take in her assurances through the attuned bond, half shivering with hearing them in such a private way. And so, he dives in, pressing into the kiss easily, deepening it where he can, shifting them ever so slightly so that he can rotate them and lay her back against the blanket that covers the sand they had been sitting on.

It's similar to the very first time they had done this – back in the Grounds, in the basement of the Devil’s Advocate’s. But he tries to not let that thought linger too long, not as he breaks the kiss and trails it to her collarbone, hands warm as they trail up the outside of her thighs to her hips, setting himself between her legs as a shiver races down his spine with her hands threaded through his hair. It’s a shiver that morphs into his most sensitive shift, horns curling around his skull, wings flaring and blotting out the bonfire’s reflection as he uses them mainly for balance, the horned tips sunk into the sand. And likely, because his draconic instincts are warring with him, he can’t hide the way his attuned voice is rougher, the way a quiet yet instinctual claim is made when he says mine.

the flood

// fall out in the cold starlight
i can save you if you do //