Evan's breath escaped him as Xavier draped his arm over the captain's knee, sending a surge of heat splashing right into Evan's groin. The captain's face reddened again, as he kind of desperately hoped that Xavier didn't notice the bulge in his pants pulse with the sensation. With luck, it had been subtler than it felt--or, in the very least, the boy had hopefully been too busy dramatically--and fucking charmingly--tossing his hair to catch it.
The hand Evan had resting on the cot beside him curled its fingers tightly into the bedding, as if to help anchor him to the spot. His other hand moved back up to run its fingers through the side of Evan's hair and hook firmly onto his neck, doing everything in its power not to give into the temptation to reach forward and tangle its fingers in Xavier's hair and pull the boy into yet another kiss. Gods, if only they could just skip through the current gods-damned clusterfuck of a situation and get straight to interacting with each other freely...
Evan let out a sigh and pushed himself to his feet, doing his best to emanate warmth and gentleness in his motions despite the stiffness inherent in holding himself back. He took a step towards the front of the tent, but stopped and turned back to the lieutenant afterwards. He knew Xavier had said something that deserved a reply. He just... needed space to actually process the damned words instead of spinning up on how fucking badly he wanted to stop talking and just fucking pounce the boy right back down to where they'd been really just moments before.
Once his brain finally caught up with itself, Evan offered Xavier a warm, if nervous, smile.
"Xavier, you--" hand reached back up to rub at his hair yet again, and his posture shifted slightly to the side as he cast his gaze away briefly before brining it back. "You'd be impossible for me to forget."
Oh gods, was that lame? What if Xavier had just been kidding and was turned off by the serious reply? Some parts of Evan's brain were sure Xavier's tone had carried a subtle plea for reassurance, and by gods Evan wanted to give it, but in the brief, terrible, painfully long moment that followed his reply, the rest of Evan's brain panicked that he had completely fucking misread the situation. Lust, he could navigate, but sentimentality? That shit was terrifying, and he had absolutely gotten it wrong before--plenty.
The warmth-to-nervousness ratio in Evan's smile faded pretty rapidly after he spoke, and his body language admittedly hinted that the thought of darting out before Xavier could even reply at least crossed his mind.
Part 1 (Start Reading Here)
Moderator: On Dreams And Desire
Re: Part 1
Xavier watched Evan's every movement, trying to calculate what they each meant. When Evan reached up to tug on his own neck, Xavier's stomach sank a little. Did Evan think Xavier was holding on too tightly? Did Evan not realize was (at least half) a joke? Arghhhhh.
That feeling got significantly worse when Evan got to his feet. Xavier let his arm fall down against the cot and felt a wave of regret hit him like a wall. He really should have just gone for it! What if everything was ruined now?
But some other part of him assured the rest that, no, everything was fine. Xavier just needed to give the whole thing time. But it wasn't like waiting was going to be easy. Plus, what if Evan, like, got hurt somehow or didn't come back from the goddess' realm tonight? That was definitely a lingering possibility. It didn't seem like she was willing to play fair, not after she had invaded Xavier's real body. Xavier shivered, remembering the sensations of that experience.
And then Evan verbally stumbled a little, and after Xavier heard his own name, he couldn't help but perk up. Evan was still addressing him casually, so, yes, this was good. And what Evan said next wasn't bad either. Xavier's smile returned but was maybe a little slower to make it to his face than was usual.
"Well, then, best not keep her waiting," Xavier said and made a shooing motion toward the tent flap.
That feeling got significantly worse when Evan got to his feet. Xavier let his arm fall down against the cot and felt a wave of regret hit him like a wall. He really should have just gone for it! What if everything was ruined now?
But some other part of him assured the rest that, no, everything was fine. Xavier just needed to give the whole thing time. But it wasn't like waiting was going to be easy. Plus, what if Evan, like, got hurt somehow or didn't come back from the goddess' realm tonight? That was definitely a lingering possibility. It didn't seem like she was willing to play fair, not after she had invaded Xavier's real body. Xavier shivered, remembering the sensations of that experience.
And then Evan verbally stumbled a little, and after Xavier heard his own name, he couldn't help but perk up. Evan was still addressing him casually, so, yes, this was good. And what Evan said next wasn't bad either. Xavier's smile returned but was maybe a little slower to make it to his face than was usual.
"Well, then, best not keep her waiting," Xavier said and made a shooing motion toward the tent flap.
Re: Part 1
Anxiety still ricocheted around inside of Evan, but at least Xavier's reply gave the captain sufficient excuse to externally look relieved, which helped some of the internal sensation follow. He rolled his eyes with a playfully-curled smirk, biting back the urge to comment that it wasn't like he'd get to the goddess any sooner by leaving Xavier's tent. Such a comment would be entirely too true, and bring entirely too much attention to the fact that part of Evan still wanted to just... stay here, with Xavier, whatever that looked like, until the goddess came calling. The way he started heading towards the tent flap but then hesitated might have hinted at the thought, but he shrugged it off quickly and darted outside, hoping that his playful expression before leaving was a positive enough note to end on.
Of course hesitation hit him again outside the tent. He stood still for a moment, glancing back at the flap as it settled back into place. He shook his head to dispel any further thoughts of heading back in, though, and started off into a light jog towards one of his usual running routes, largely without even thinking about it. He just knew he was all tied up in knots right now, and running seemed like the best bet for de-tangling at least to some extent before he had to face the goddess again tonight.
Of course hesitation hit him again outside the tent. He stood still for a moment, glancing back at the flap as it settled back into place. He shook his head to dispel any further thoughts of heading back in, though, and started off into a light jog towards one of his usual running routes, largely without even thinking about it. He just knew he was all tied up in knots right now, and running seemed like the best bet for de-tangling at least to some extent before he had to face the goddess again tonight.
Re: Part 1
As Mizu parted ways with Evan, she headed with a resolute authority toward the tent where Ponderance was being kept. She had put Captain Fujiwara in charge of Ponderance's care since she trusted the captain's ability to handle what was an unpleasant situation in the best way possible. The kid hadn't committed any crime, and they did want to maintain his favor. In fact, after they had settled into this location, they had even untied Ponderance, though he was still under constant guard. Now, however, Mizu wondered if they had, in fact, been careless.
There were two guards posted at the entrance to the tent, and Mizu nodded at them before entering, hoping to find Captain Fujiwara. When Mizu saw the woman, her face lightened imperceptibly. That any amount of relief crossed her face was a sign that something was not right.
"Captain Fujiwara, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please give the order to double the guard here until further notice and accompany me back to the strategy tent."
Mizu kept her eyes from even glancing at Ponderance until she had already spoken. His downcast eyes hardly ever looked up from the floor regardless, however. Though she attempted to console herself that Ponderance had always been that somber, even and especially back when he lived under the thumb of his father, Mizu could not help but have developed a small pit in the center of her stomach about the situation. Giving the order to kill the paladin was one thing, but kidnapping a child? And surely this child was not fit to rule a nation, or even be the figurehead of one. The commander briefly wondered if it would have been better to just kill the boy in the first place. Would he have suffered less, then? Ah, but that was a philosophical question, and she didn't have the luxury of thinking like that. The rebellion had a claim to legitimacy while the boy still lived, and that was what they were protecting. Favor with the common folk.
Washing the slate of her mind clean with the reassurance that they were doing everything necessary to overthrow the king, Mizu waited
for Captain Fujiwara to take action.
There were two guards posted at the entrance to the tent, and Mizu nodded at them before entering, hoping to find Captain Fujiwara. When Mizu saw the woman, her face lightened imperceptibly. That any amount of relief crossed her face was a sign that something was not right.
"Captain Fujiwara, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please give the order to double the guard here until further notice and accompany me back to the strategy tent."
Mizu kept her eyes from even glancing at Ponderance until she had already spoken. His downcast eyes hardly ever looked up from the floor regardless, however. Though she attempted to console herself that Ponderance had always been that somber, even and especially back when he lived under the thumb of his father, Mizu could not help but have developed a small pit in the center of her stomach about the situation. Giving the order to kill the paladin was one thing, but kidnapping a child? And surely this child was not fit to rule a nation, or even be the figurehead of one. The commander briefly wondered if it would have been better to just kill the boy in the first place. Would he have suffered less, then? Ah, but that was a philosophical question, and she didn't have the luxury of thinking like that. The rebellion had a claim to legitimacy while the boy still lived, and that was what they were protecting. Favor with the common folk.
Washing the slate of her mind clean with the reassurance that they were doing everything necessary to overthrow the king, Mizu waited
for Captain Fujiwara to take action.
Re: Part 1
Yukiko liked spending as much time around Ponderance as she could, even if the kid was understandably withdrawn. The goal wasn't to be buds with the kid, anyway; just to be familiar with him and how he worked. Yukiko wasn't against the boy getting a feel for her, too; she wanted him to feel like she was predictable and could be relied upon. As of yet, she felt she was being about as successful at that venture as one could be in a war.
The captain was seated near the front of the tent, humming softly and mending a pair of pants. Much as the incidents of the past few days were a bit unsettling, Yukiko did appreciate how much downtime there had been to enjoy some quiet and catch up on tasks like this. A part of her was restless, and wanted to figure out what was going on as much as the next person, but she trusted her commander and her other compatriots, and was able to content herself with the duty of protecting the child.
She glanced up curiously as Mizu entered, but quickly digested the commander's tone and was up to her feet before Mizu finished speaking.
"Commander." She replied with a nod to indicate understanding. She glanced briefly to the boy before leaving, offering him a subtle reassuring expression. He may not be the most responsive person in camp, but Yukiko always made a point to acknowledge him anyway. She was certainly of the belief that children always picked up on more than they let on, and she wanted him to know he was always in her considerations.
Brief expression offered, the captain went ahead and ducked out of the tent to convey the new instructions to the soldiers stationed outside, then quickly snagged the attention of one of her off-duty soldiers strolling nearby to go find her lieutenant and get two more soldiers assigned to the current shift.
All that done, Yukiko turned her attention to Mizu and nodded again, ready to accompany her commander as requested.
The captain was seated near the front of the tent, humming softly and mending a pair of pants. Much as the incidents of the past few days were a bit unsettling, Yukiko did appreciate how much downtime there had been to enjoy some quiet and catch up on tasks like this. A part of her was restless, and wanted to figure out what was going on as much as the next person, but she trusted her commander and her other compatriots, and was able to content herself with the duty of protecting the child.
She glanced up curiously as Mizu entered, but quickly digested the commander's tone and was up to her feet before Mizu finished speaking.
"Commander." She replied with a nod to indicate understanding. She glanced briefly to the boy before leaving, offering him a subtle reassuring expression. He may not be the most responsive person in camp, but Yukiko always made a point to acknowledge him anyway. She was certainly of the belief that children always picked up on more than they let on, and she wanted him to know he was always in her considerations.
Brief expression offered, the captain went ahead and ducked out of the tent to convey the new instructions to the soldiers stationed outside, then quickly snagged the attention of one of her off-duty soldiers strolling nearby to go find her lieutenant and get two more soldiers assigned to the current shift.
All that done, Yukiko turned her attention to Mizu and nodded again, ready to accompany her commander as requested.
Re: Part 1
Knowing that Yukiko would follow her as necessary, Mizu walked toward the strategy tent, hoping that no one would try to get her attention on her way there. She was in no mood to handle trivial matters, and she didn't want any more bad news.
Though the commander was half-tempted to begin discussing things with Captain Fujiwara before they arrived, the material was sensitive and required discretion. Once in the strategy tent, however, Mizu wasted no time, not even bothering to sit around the map table.
"It's come to my attention that the king is aware of our location. I have no reason to believe that the king is ready to launch a full-scale attack, but he could send further scouts or orchestrate small, calculated heists. I don't intend to move the camp at least until morning when I can make this information more widely known to the rest of the captains, but you should know. I'm most concerned about the security of our... guest." Mizu so rarely faltered with her words that it might have come as a surprise that she hesitated, if only for a moment.
Though the commander was half-tempted to begin discussing things with Captain Fujiwara before they arrived, the material was sensitive and required discretion. Once in the strategy tent, however, Mizu wasted no time, not even bothering to sit around the map table.
"It's come to my attention that the king is aware of our location. I have no reason to believe that the king is ready to launch a full-scale attack, but he could send further scouts or orchestrate small, calculated heists. I don't intend to move the camp at least until morning when I can make this information more widely known to the rest of the captains, but you should know. I'm most concerned about the security of our... guest." Mizu so rarely faltered with her words that it might have come as a surprise that she hesitated, if only for a moment.
Re: Part 1
Oof. Yukiko had certainly been braced for something pretty serious considering Mizu's approach, but the king knowing their location was a bit more alarming than she had anticipated, and it showed in the captain's expression, albeit subtly. She nodded as Mizu elaborated on the situation, and absolutely did not miss the hesitation in the commander's voice when trying to refer to Ponderance.
"Understood, commander. I'll make sure our ward remains securely in our care."
Yukiko hoped offering Mizu a different term for the boy would be welcome, especially slipping it seamlessly into conversation. She herself had had some trouble at first, with how to think about him, but 'ward' had settled in the captain's core nicely; he was in their care, regardless of under what circumstances he had come to be there.
"Is there any other way I can be of assistance, commander?"
If Yukiko was being completely honest, some part of her was fishing for what else was on Mizu's mind. The captain burned to know more about what had truly come of the Shel'ti negotiation--she could tell the full story didn't get passed around--to say nothing of the goddess the old woman had ventured to them to speak about the other day. Truth told, Yukiko had been awfully curious about that, but what with Evan being so clearly interested, and Yukiko having her own duties with Ponderance, not to mention the obvious contentiousness of it all, she hadn't dared touch that situation with a 10-foot pole. But, goodness, she hoped to get at least some glimpse of how all that was developing.
"Understood, commander. I'll make sure our ward remains securely in our care."
Yukiko hoped offering Mizu a different term for the boy would be welcome, especially slipping it seamlessly into conversation. She herself had had some trouble at first, with how to think about him, but 'ward' had settled in the captain's core nicely; he was in their care, regardless of under what circumstances he had come to be there.
"Is there any other way I can be of assistance, commander?"
If Yukiko was being completely honest, some part of her was fishing for what else was on Mizu's mind. The captain burned to know more about what had truly come of the Shel'ti negotiation--she could tell the full story didn't get passed around--to say nothing of the goddess the old woman had ventured to them to speak about the other day. Truth told, Yukiko had been awfully curious about that, but what with Evan being so clearly interested, and Yukiko having her own duties with Ponderance, not to mention the obvious contentiousness of it all, she hadn't dared touch that situation with a 10-foot pole. But, goodness, she hoped to get at least some glimpse of how all that was developing.
Re: Part 1
"No, that will be all," Mizu said and started to turn around to indicate dismissal, but before Fujiwara moved to leave, she changed her mind. "Wait." The commander had hardly parsed that there was more she wanted to talk about before the word was out of her mouth, but she could not deny that she was shaken by all the recent events, not to mention that she had to worry about the eternal consequences of her actions now, as if the present situation weren't enough.
"There's a lot more going on." It was vague, but Mizu had to calculate which parts she was comfortable informing the captain about. Sure, Fujiwara would hear about almost everything in the morning, but if Mizu was being honest, she didn't want to wait that long to process some of what had happened herself. But... how much to tell her now? And what was Mizu really asking of Yukiko?
"There is enough evidence at this point to indicate that the attacks are related to supernatural forces, and the most likely candidate is a goddess." Mizu looked pointedly at Fujiwara to gauge her reaction to this information. At the very least, this would give her practice for bringing up the topic with the rest of the captains later. Hm. It still didn't sound any more believable coming out of her own mouth. "I paid the old woman a visit," Mizu added, making sure that there was at least a modicum of new information in her upfront comment.
"There's a lot more going on." It was vague, but Mizu had to calculate which parts she was comfortable informing the captain about. Sure, Fujiwara would hear about almost everything in the morning, but if Mizu was being honest, she didn't want to wait that long to process some of what had happened herself. But... how much to tell her now? And what was Mizu really asking of Yukiko?
"There is enough evidence at this point to indicate that the attacks are related to supernatural forces, and the most likely candidate is a goddess." Mizu looked pointedly at Fujiwara to gauge her reaction to this information. At the very least, this would give her practice for bringing up the topic with the rest of the captains later. Hm. It still didn't sound any more believable coming out of her own mouth. "I paid the old woman a visit," Mizu added, making sure that there was at least a modicum of new information in her upfront comment.
Re: Part 1
Yukiko had been slightly disappointed when Mizu initially dismissed her, but she obediently turned to leave without a falter--and likewise, obediently paused and pivoted back towards her commander at the sound of "wait". Yukiko kept her expression neutral, but the tips of her ears were warm and buzzing with excitement.
She re-adjusted her posture to fully face Mizu again and waited patiently while the commander contemplated her wording. When Mizu mentioned a supernatural force--indeed, a goddess--it was difficult for Yukiko to keep a grin from breaking out across her expression, but she managed to channel the urge into more of a curious opening up instead; eyebrows raised, and mouth more relaxed rather than grinning. She didn't figure giddiness was a reaction Mizu would particularly appreciate, so Yukiko was sure to keep that fully in check.
She wasn't really sure what she had believed before this moment, but coming from Mizu, Yukiko didn't doubt that there was indeed evidence for supernatural involvement worth paying attention to. Hell, the way Evan had wanted to drill the crone about it the other day had made Yukiko wonder whether he'd experienced something relevant already, as she certainly hadn't known him to be particularly open to supernatural ideas in the past. She'd been dying to ask him about it, but... well, she'd been keeping her distance until he cooled down, and what with a war on and all, that was taking some time, to say the least.
"What she said the other day was true, then? This... 'Queen of Dreams' is looking for someone who can travel to the underworld?"
Some part of Yukiko worried that Mizu would think she was foolish if she was willing to believe that, but with the way the commander had started the conversation, Yukiko felt that being honest about what she was ready to believe would be the best course of action. And, it seemed, she was prepared to believe that, if Mizu said that appeared to be true.
She re-adjusted her posture to fully face Mizu again and waited patiently while the commander contemplated her wording. When Mizu mentioned a supernatural force--indeed, a goddess--it was difficult for Yukiko to keep a grin from breaking out across her expression, but she managed to channel the urge into more of a curious opening up instead; eyebrows raised, and mouth more relaxed rather than grinning. She didn't figure giddiness was a reaction Mizu would particularly appreciate, so Yukiko was sure to keep that fully in check.
She wasn't really sure what she had believed before this moment, but coming from Mizu, Yukiko didn't doubt that there was indeed evidence for supernatural involvement worth paying attention to. Hell, the way Evan had wanted to drill the crone about it the other day had made Yukiko wonder whether he'd experienced something relevant already, as she certainly hadn't known him to be particularly open to supernatural ideas in the past. She'd been dying to ask him about it, but... well, she'd been keeping her distance until he cooled down, and what with a war on and all, that was taking some time, to say the least.
"What she said the other day was true, then? This... 'Queen of Dreams' is looking for someone who can travel to the underworld?"
Some part of Yukiko worried that Mizu would think she was foolish if she was willing to believe that, but with the way the commander had started the conversation, Yukiko felt that being honest about what she was ready to believe would be the best course of action. And, it seemed, she was prepared to believe that, if Mizu said that appeared to be true.
Re: Part 1
Mizu pursed her lips slightly. "At present, we can't rule that out as a possible explanation for what's happening." She paused for a moment, not entirely sure how to go on. She wanted to speak plainly and voice some of her frustrations about Evan taking the situation into his own hands, but she also wanted the other captains to give him the benefit of the doubt. He was, for now at least, operating under Mizu's orders again.
"Captain Rutliff claims to have met with the Demon Queen. The goddess," Mizu finally said, subtly eager to see Fujiwara's reaction. "I have no present reason to doubt his report, and in fact, other sources have confirmed it."
"Captain Rutliff claims to have met with the Demon Queen. The goddess," Mizu finally said, subtly eager to see Fujiwara's reaction. "I have no present reason to doubt his report, and in fact, other sources have confirmed it."