middleofsomewhere | Event: 12 of Beetroot

Event: 12 of Beetroot

It's been a couple of weeks since they had evacuated Osiga. In that time, many of voidtreckers were busy with a project to try and solve some of the many mysteries that surround the train they travel on. By the eight day of Rabbit they've exhausted all avenues, and whilst they have learned quite a bit, there are still some clear gaps.

Just as that investigation comes to a natural end, passengers are woken up by an announcement.

"Attention voidtreckers and passengers of the voidtrecker express. We are travelling to system #2554098133741. I have sent word to the ministry who have arranged recuperation packs for you. You have had a difficult mission and you deserve a rest.

But it is not just for rest. Last time we visited the system voidtreckers shared memories. Though it is understood that many of you did not enjoy the experience it is notable that certain voidtreckers saw memories of this voidcraft. They were memories that this craft had not accessed. It led to more pathways opening up in the operation of this craft.

I have done some research on the system and I believe we can trigger the caves of memory. This voidcraft understands this might be difficult for the voidtreckers and passengers of the voidtrecker express and it is hoped that only those of you who consent to this experiment will take part.

Regardless this should be a time for relaxation also and the dressing room is open for your convenience. We will arrive in the morning.

The dressing carriage is indeed opened for those who go and look. It's filled with swimming costumes, beach ware, summery clothes and sun hats. There's even a cupboard of buckets, spades, rock pooling gear and picnic blankets.

There are also team coloured tents for those who want to go and sleep under the stars for a night or two, though the train is remaining on the island for those for who camping is their idea of hell.

12 OF BEETROOT

RABBIT 9-12 ~ MEMORY CAVES: BONDING ~ MEMORY MAZE: SEARCH FOR THE TRAIN'S MEMORIES
ASK QUESTIONS ~ LOCATION INFORMATION ~ MEMORY CAVES ~ MEMORY MASTER POST

JEMA'GRETHY ISLAND: RELAXATION

The next day the train announces their arrival and they burst out of the void. For those near a window their first view of the island will be of crystal blue sea and white sand. It really does look like a paradise. The train circles down before landing on a grassy ridge, overlooking a beautiful beach of white sand and the ocean beyond. It is warm, but not too hot, a cool ocean breeze cutting through the heat making it pleasant. Behind them is a grassy plain, changing to forest in the distance. There is the sound of birdsong in the purple sky. To the west the land is more craggy, the silhouette of a fortress in the distance.

In a word, it is idyllic. A sense of peace permeates the island.

The place has no people, but it is clearly maintained. The eastern beaches have racks of shallow boats, both canoes and one- or two-person sailing dinghies. There is also a small building in which scuba gear is stored, along with several waterproofed manuals and instructional literature.

There are no living quarters, but there are sheltered sections with basic toilet facilities marked as camping grounds in five different sections of the island - by the hot springs, within the ruined fortress, beside the harbour, on the eastern beaches, and on the northern face of the mountain.

The recuperation packs are found at the closest toilet facilities to where the train lands. They are simple things, small gift baskets with a couple of fragrant soaps, fancier hair products and skin cream infused with herbs to encourage rest and sleep.

There are some sweet fruit biscuits and a cheesy bread. The packs aren't named but there are some suitable for the younger passengers with tiny plush and colouring books. Quite a few designed for teens with a more engaging activity book and components for making a fancy mocktail with a cute stirrer. Adult packs have a small bottle of alcohol- there's a mixture between the packs and what looks like a stone. When placed next to the skin it will either warm up or cool down depending on what is needed.

Exploring, the passengers will find beautiful beaches, ragged cliffs to walk and caves to explore. Where it is more craggy the beaches are made of pebbles, perfect for rock pooling.

A little more worrying is the volcano-like structure in the north. But even a quick glance will show it is not a typical volcano. There is no smoke and the liquid slowly running down it in rivulets is pink and blue.

Ruins of ancient houses are scattered across the island, but the main settlement is built into a rocky section in the north-west that has been secured with ropes and stairways cut into the cliffs, perfect for scrambles and hikes.

To the west are the hot springs. They have both outdoor and indoor areas; the indoor areas being wooden loghouse saunas, changing rooms and storage sheds, whilst the outdoor areas are a tiered series of pools spilling down the side of the mountain and shaded by brightly flowering trees. The waters are hot, mineral-rich and soothing.

MEMORY CAVES: BONDING

Shortly before arriving they will receive some information on their SCA. It will explain how those who once lived on this island went about making life bonds. Both people would bathe in the hot springs and then dress simply, barefoot and walk to one of seven rocks on the island. Their maps will pin point these, which is good because there's no real indication of what makes these rocks different to any other on the island.

Here they must offer their wish to know the other deeper and share food and drink. They can then go about their day. Sometime in the hours after they will receive their first memory, seen through their partners eyes.

However it seems that in envoking the ritual they have woken something on the island. Even those who did not take part or chose to bond to someone find themselves seeing a glimpse of another life.

On the second day they see another memory, through the eyes of their pair. When they come out of it they find themselves in a cave with their partner, chosen or not. The same happens on the third day, except for this final memory both pairs see both memories, watching from the sidelines as it plays out. They find themselves in the cave once more and this time, for many there is only one exit, to leave through together.

Please go here to play out the bonding process!

MEMORY MAZE: TRAIN'S MEMORIES

On the third day the train sends another message to their SCA.

"Activating the caves that share memories has been successful. I know this is a lot to ask of the voidtreckers, but any who wish to assist in discovering what it is that I have forgotten, the path is open now.

Those who wish to may go to the sacred rocks. Please be warned, I do not know how voidtreckers will fare. Please only go of your own free will."

Their SCA's once again show the rocks on their maps and when they get there, this time they are faintly glowing. It doesn't take much. One touch and their minds are drawn away from their bodies, into a labyrinth of caves. For anyone who comes across these people on the island, they look like they are in a deep trance, breathing, safe but far away in their mind.

The labyrinth is made of cool, dark rock. The walls have a glow coming from crystals in-bedded in them, allowing everyone to see as they move through.

At first there's no more to this labyrinth, or so it seems. But then they turn a corner, and they are no longer in cavern as it just was. They may be in their childhood bedroom, or in the middle of a battle they once fought. Perhaps they are not in their own memory, but someone else's. Scenes move rapidly and often merge, one persons into another, mixing to make strange scenes.

These visions don't attempt to ensnare them like some illusions, and those with protection from illusions and such techniques, will be able to find their way forward through the cave, and away from this triggered scenario.

Time barely has meaning. Indeed, when they finally emerge from the caves only a few minutes will have passed. But in that time they will have seen much, and eventually they may stumble across a fragment of memory that belongs not to a voidtrecker, but to the Voidtrecker Express itself.

OOC NOTES

OOC Post ~ Questions
~ You can either write memories in your tags or if they are longer/require a lot of content warnings you might want to write them in this post and link to them. Just start a top level with your character name to keep things organised!

~ For those taking part in the memory share bonding the cave post is here. Characters arrive in the cave after the second and third memory but it is obviously up to you if you play out the conversations after each or both! For those who do decide that their characters will bond- the cave after the third memory will only have one exit for them to leave together.

~ For those who signed up for train memories you will receive the snippet that your character sees- use these in tags as you will. There will be a conclusion post on the 24th which will put all of those memories together!

Art Credits: Header: Tropical Jewel by Steven Power, Thumbnail image 3.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"I could tell." She said. Her cheeks were still flushed, and her free hand was still set across her chest, but she couldn't help but smile warmly at the image of Rezo lying on the seabed, smiling and elated by the ability to breathe underwater. "I have been enjoying myself, too. I ⁠— I always seem to when I am with you, even when things are... odd." and she wasn't only speaking of the incident a few minutes prior, but their argument a few missions back, along with her crying in his arms after Osiga. It had been nice to have him close even then.

Making it back to the beach, she continued to hold his hand all the way to the blanket and umbrella they had placed down earlier, slowly slipping her fingers free only once she felt his loosen. If they loosened. "Can I tell you something, Rezo?"

His heart flutters. There are a number of things she could mean by ‘odd,’ and few of them are probably flattering to Rezo, and yet. She likes being with him.

Maybe that’s why she affects him so deeply. He has been admired, to the point of borderline worship sometimes, he has been sought out for his wisdom and knowledge, earned the gratitude of countless individuals, been declared a Great Sage and honored with titles, donations, property, statues and paintings and poems, all dedicated to him.

But how long has it been since someone has simply liked him? Enough to seek out his company for picnics and swimming lessons and casual conversation?

He knows why it happens so rarely, of course. His life has always been dedicated first and foremost to his research, to achieving his goals, and he’s never had time for idle living. And it’s that same ruthlessness that has torn apart what few personal connections he had picked up over the course of his life. Some of it he genuinely regrets, some of it he can only recognize as immoral by looking at it objectively, rather than out of any human feeling.

It’s likely that, if it weren’t for the unusual circumstances that they have met in, that he wouldn’t have become friends with Lioriley. Especially not if they’d met in the last few years of his life, when he was so desperately obsessed with curing himself that he was willing to sacrifice an entire country if it meant achieving his goal.

Perhaps if they’d somehow met several decades prior, when he’d had time to recover from the loss of his wife, but hadn’t yet done anything that could potentially drive Lioriley away…

Well. Inevitably, the matter of Ruby Eye Shabranigdu would have reared its head, he suspects. And it’s best not to get carried away fantasizing about something you can never have; Rezo himself is a walking cautionary tale about that.

He’s lost enough in thought that he barely notices when they’ve reached the shore, and he thus doesn’t let go of her hand until they reach the blanket and Rezo (lightly) bonks his head on the umbrella. Brooding has its hazards.

Rezo ducks underneath, settling down to sit on the blanket. He’s expecting to hear the rustle of cloth while Lior puts her dress back on; he’s slightly surprised when she speaks instead.

“What is it?” he asks. He’s curious, entirely unsure what she wants to say- and thus, also, a little nervous about it.

He would still hear the rustling of cloth while she gathered her dress, using the few seconds it took to slip it over her head and let it fall over her thighs to figure out exactly what she wanted to tell him.

A lot of things, really. That she liked him ⁠— a lot⁠ ⁠— and every time she was near him she felt her heart hammering wildly in her chest, and a kaleidoscope of butterflies seemed to constantly flutter in her stomach. She blushed and stuttered and lost herself in the rare smiles he offered her; that he was the one she had come closest to on the train and that she wanted so desperately for him to return her feelings.

but what if he didn't? Lioriley assumed as much; and would probably have to tell him in the same breath that she hoped this admission wouldn't ruin their friendship ⁠— and that was the last thing she wanted.

Maybe she shouldn't say anything at all. But he was waiting now. And she couldn't just keep pretending she didn't feel something; keep wondering if he felt the same or if she was just imagining the looks and the soft touches he offered...minus that last, accidental one.

"I know this may seem odd to admit after what just happened, but I assure you it is... not entirely related." Just triggered another awkward interaction that made her question if she should just say something and deal with the consequences later. Better that than letting that odd tension linger. Lioriley sat down beside him, legs tucked under her, fingers fiddling with the hem of her dress. "And I know that the sentiment is likely not returned, and I do not expect you to reciprocate, but I wish to tell you that ⁠— I."

She could stop now, but Lioriley knew she had to push through, even if she felt like she was going to throw up. "I have...feelings for you, of a romantic variety. I suppose I have for some time, but did not wish to make you uncomfortable if you did not feel the same."

The fact that she is clearly delaying it means that whatever it is Lioriley wants to say, it isn’t something light or casual; and that fact means the curiosity slowly drains away and the nervousness slowly builds until the latter very much outweighs the former. He has the absurd urge to bolt like a panicked horse, but when he feels her sit beside him her presence alone is enough to root him to the spot.

Whatever it is, it’s something ‘not entirely related’ to what just happened. But it will sound as if it is?

“...I know that the sentiment is likely not returned…” she says. What sentiment, he wonders. Is it her fondness for swimming? They’ve already established that she adores the water and he has a healthy-respect-from-a-distance for it. He doesn’t think she would bring it up so dramatically now.

And she sounds anxious enough to make him concerned. Almost like she’s going to be ill. Did he upset her that much? Should he apologize again?

Before he can think to try, she presses on.

“I have...feelings for you, of a romantic variety.”

She says something else after that, but that’s about the point his brain stops working entirely. All that he can think is… What?

After a pause of several stupefied seconds, he finally speaks.

“...What?” he says, faintly.

Rezo gawks at her, insomuch as a blind man can gawk at someone. Water drips slowly out of his hair and along his shoulders. He doesn’t notice. He has, in fact, ceased to be able to process anything except that it sounded like Lioriley just said she has romantic feelings for him, and the fact she is sitting right next to him.

Did he mishear? Did he miss some clarification after that point that would nullify what he thinks he heard? Surely that must be it, because…

“Would you… repeat that?” he says slowly. “Please?”

As soon as the words left her lips, Lioriley braced for rejection; sitting up a little straighter as she steeled herself for Rezo's reply, fingers gripping into the folds of her dress.

But that rejection did not come. Instead she was asked to repeat herself, and Lioriley wondered if that was even worse. It had taken everything in her to say it the first time- would she even be able to do it again without crying or stammering so much she didn't make sense?

"I have...romantic feelings for you." She said, just loud enough for him to hear. That lump in her throat was only growing bigger; harder to ignore; her pulse racing so fast her leylines burned white. "I apologize if that is too forward."

Her voice is quiet, but he cannot bring himself to ask her to repeat herself for a third time.

“Oh,” Rezo says. With a weak smile, he admits, “I thought I might have misheard you.”

Even then, his idiotic brain keeps stalling, trying to find places in what she’s said that could possibly be ambiguous, because surely Lioriley couldn’t have romantic feelings for someone like him. But no, her statement is very clear- very forward as she puts it.

“Are you serious-” he begins, because that’s the second possibility that comes to mind, that she’s trying to tease him somehow, but he winces as soon as the words leave his mouth. “No, of course you’re not. You wouldn’t joke about something like this.”

His hand goes to his hair- oh, it’s wet, he’d forgotten about that- to ruffle through it in agitation. “Forgive me,” he says, “You have taken me very much by surprise. I had not considered that you would…”

That she would return his interest.

By the Gods, she returns his interest? His head spins and his heart suddenly goes into overdrive; if he were also a Lunari, his leylines might have burst into flame. For a moment he’s simply ecstatic- but before he can act on his feelings all the reasons he’s been in denial spring to mind, popping up one after another.

His blindness makes him a terrible prospect for anyone; he’s a vessel of Ruby Eye Shabranigdu; he’s done so many things he knows Lioriley would be horrified by if she knew about them; he’s dead; they’re from different worlds, different species…

All of these are very logical reasons why he should firmly turn her down but unfortunately, he’s also terrible at denying himself when he wants something.

Rezo sighs, resigning himself to being an utter bastard. With a serious expression, he drops his hand and turns his attention fully to Lioriley.

“Lioriley,” he says, “Can you tell me if anyone is looking at us right now?”

Their being from different worlds had been one if the primary reasons for her not saying anything before now. But she was confident, on the off chance that this worked between them, that they could figure out something.

Naturally, she didn't know about the other, slightly more...alarming aspects, like him being dead and his status a vessel to a demon king. Even if she had a vague feeling about the latter. None of that mattered right then however. She just wanted him to know - needed him to know so she wasn't constantly hoping for something that would never come, and maybe they could just move past the awkwardness and remain friends. Or, maybe she'd get lucky, and he would reciprocate. It was impossible to tell how he felt just then.

"Um." She looked around to the other voidtreckers nearby. All of them seemed too preoccupied with their vacation antics to concern themselves with the scholars conversing on a blanket. It probably helped that Lioriley had purposefully set them a little ways away to begin with. "No - no one is."

“Good,” he says.

It would be better if they were entirely alone, but they’re close enough, and she’s just confessed her feelings to him. A better opportunity is unlikely to ever come up and moreover, he does not want to wait any longer than he has to.

Rezo carefully reaches towards her- and even now, he can’t help but be vexed by how he has to estimate and hope he’s aiming correctly- until he’s able to touch his hand to her cheek. He slides his fingers under her chin, coaxing her to tilt her head up, facing towards him.

“I have wanted to do this,” he admits, and he lowers his head to press a soft kiss against her lips.

`Good`? Her brows furrowed, mouth open as if she had planned to say something, but ultimately unable to find the words. He was glad there was no one around? The more cynical side of her wondered if it was because he didn't want the rest of the Voidtrecker's vacation ruined when he inevitably told her he wasn't interested and she ran off crying. That would make sense if he didn't want to cause a scene. Alternatively...

Her eyes widened the moment his fingers touched her cheek, her head tilting back slightly, a soft "A...ah?" was the only sound she could make - some noise of acknowledgment and absolute befuddlement that he had wanted to kiss her. And then he did and Lioriley felt her head spin. She sat there for a moment, stunned, and then eventually eased forward to return the pressure upon her lips.

Rezo is afraid, during the moment where she’s too stunned to kiss back, that he has miscalculated. While she may have confessed a romantic interest in him, perhaps it was only a slight interest, and nothing on the level of wanting to kiss him. But then, after that terrifying moment, she leans into him, and he’s able to relax.

Her lips are soft and full, with a surprising pulse in the center. So, she has a leyline extending over her lips? It’s an intriguing discovery. He can smell the scent of the ocean still clinging to her skin, mingling with her natural, vaguely smoky scent. Her skin and hair are still damp- neither of them have bothered to dry off yet.

Rezo doesn’t try to deepen the kiss. Right now, it’s more than enough to relish in the sensations he’s already experiencing, and the fact that not only is he kissing her, but she is actually kissing him back. He could die tomorrow, he thinks, be consumed by the Dark Lord or the void or any number of hazards, and this would be enough. That for the moment, in spite of everything that he has gone through, this person he has been yearning for has wanted him in return.

He lingers for a long time, his heart pounding insistently enough that he thinks she surely must be able to feel it as well. He does not want to withdraw, does not want to face the reality that awaits them both. But he cannot keep kissing her forever and it would be better to tactfully withdraw rather than wait for something to interrupt them.

So he does, raising his head slowly enough that she can probably tell he’s reluctant to do so. And he takes a soft breath.

“There are things we should discuss,” he says quietly. “Serious, sensible things. But I hope that told you something about how I feel for you.”

It was truly hard to tell whose pulse was beating faster once they intermingled. All Lioriley could hear was her own heartbeat hammering in her ears; could hear herself sigh out through her nose with a wave of relief once she was thoroughly assured that the man she had just admitted her feelings to would not push her away; that she hadn't ruined the friendship they had.

She could have stayed there forever, but practicality surely wouldn't allow that, so she eased back as he did, her expression a hilarious mix of elation and mild shock that everything had, for once, seemed to work out in her favor.

"Yes...of course." She wasn't sure she liked the sound of that, but Lioriley couldn't really be upset in light of what just happened. The Lunari reached up to settle her hand on Rezo's shoulder, hoping to keep him relatively close for a few seconds longer. "I am glad you feel the same." surprised, but glad.

Her hand feels rather nice against his bare shoulder and Rezo slides his own hand back up to cradle it against her cheek.

“I have been drawn to you, physically and emotionally, for some time now,” he admits.

“I thought it might be a fluke of some nature. Not because there is anything wrong with you,” the last part is said very hastily, “But because I so rarely feel like this. Towards anyone. To be honest, I had assumed I had lost the capacity entirely.”

He can still remember, if vaguely, how it felt as the emotions that had once come to him automatically and instinctively- affection, tenderness, an interest in other people, love- began slipping away, falling out of his grasp as the archetypal grains of sand, leaving behind only a dark, yawning chasm where his heart had been. He’d retained an ability to go through the motions but even that had become a struggle, when it all felt so very pointless.

“I am not a good person, Lioriley. I have tried to behave otherwise, during our admittedly brief acquaintanceship, and I fear it has given you a false impression of me. In fact, I often doubt that I fully qualify as a person at all.”

Maybe she would have noticed if she had any self esteem whatsoever, but given her nature of constant self deprecation, Lioriley had always just assumed Rezo was being nice. Nicer perhaps than most would be with the way he comforted her while she cried; offered advice instead of berating her for her emotions; looking out for her as best he could.

Lioriley didn't know what he was going to say now that they had moved past the initial joy of their shared feelings, but she was going to try and not fear for the worst, even when Rezo said he wasn't a good person. She...well. She didn't have a feeling that he was a bad person, at least not inherently. And maybe she was in denial — because she always was with people — and didn't care to see the more negative aspects of Rezo's personality. Or maybe he hadn't allowed her to see them. Given his admission a moment before it certainly was a possibility she had no chance to see the other side of him.

"Why do you think that?" She asked, perhaps a bit more blunt than she had intended. But if they were being vulnerable now; if this was going to be anything more than friendship...shouldn't they put all their cards on the table? "To me, you have been nothing but kind — and perhaps we have had disagreements on certain topics, but there is a kindness in your heart that I do not believe could be feigned. Unless you are a very good actor." Her expression faltered slightly, the unspoken end of that thought being — Were you only acting?

Rezo is a good actor; a good liar, more to the point. In Lioriley’s specific case, he doesn’t think his kindness towards her has been feigned. But then, he’s not sure where one fully separates real kindness from feigned kindness. And the fact that he wonders about such things is just one of several reasons he doubts his own personhood.

“...That is not an easy question to answer,” he says. His thumb strokes across her cheek as he thinks. He could give her a numbered list of everything wrong with him. An alphabetized catalog of everything shameful he’s done and has been done to him. It would be painful to recite, but he knows he owes it to her after stealing that kiss.

It would probably ruin her vacation, however.

“It is very easy to be kind to you,” he says. “Especially with the way you treat other people. I still find it hard to believe you don’t already have a lover waiting for you somewhere.”

He’s getting sidetracked. His thumb stills, and he frowns. “...I have a poor track record when it comes to relationships of any sort. I stopped trying to form close connections a long time ago. It wasn’t entirely a conscious decision. I simply decided to prioritize my goals above all else, and those who became close to me invariably paid for that. And there were… complications.”

I had the Mazoku King in my soul. He may still be there. And it would be very easy to blame him for everything hurtful I did, but I know he only works with the darkness that is already there.

Rezo withdraws his hand. “I am selfish, Lioriley. I am blind, obsessive, and I have a sullen disposition. And that is leaving aside the more technical complications between us. But even knowing that it cannot work in the long term, knowing there are numerous reasons why it would be wiser to simply turn you away, I still decided to kiss you the moment I realized you wanted me back.”

Lioriley tentatively tilted her head into Rezo's palm; relishing in the familiar touch — glad that he had done it out of tenderness and (she assumed) a desire to be close instead of trying to magically rejuvenate her.

"I do not often make time for such things." She admitted with a mirthless laugh. "It is not so surprising, should you know how chaotic my world and my life oft is." the train certainly was no better — especially not recently — but it was a little easier to focus on forming such close relationships with people she saw every day on a train, and whom she worked closely with during emotionally charged missions.

'Complications' and 'Selfish' were certainly not the words she wanted to hear. And not for the first time she was glad for his blindness so he couldn't see the concern and hurt in her eyes when he pulled away and started speaking of how terrible a person he truly was; how he already seemed convinced they couldn't work in the long term. Lioriley dropped her own hand down, moving instead to brush along his knuckles even as he retracted.

"I have not seen so many of these facets of you, Rezo. I have seen the diligent, caring, and intelligent man who has gone out of his way to assist others. I know there were some instances where you may not have gotten along well with others aboard the train..." Like the whole thing with Wash, which she was still a bit concerned about. "But that is likely to happen with so many different personalities in one place. And as for the technical side of things — I ...well. I have been considering what could be done. And perhaps I was thinking too far ahead, but I had hoped to find a means to travel the worlds myself, so surely there would be a way."

A beat, her voice lowered; "And even if there is not...I am still glad that we could come even this far."

Ah. Rezo knows chaotic circumstances very well. He does have the foolish thought that perhaps he can be flattered that even in the chaotic circumstances both of them are currently in, Lioriley was still drawn to him.

As for those he doesn’t get along with… He suspects Lioriley is referring to the recent tension between him and Washington, but his mind immediately goes to his great-grandson. But the two of them rarely speak and Zelgadis seems to be unwilling to have anything to do with Rezo, even in terms of seeking revenge. It’s easy to pretend they have no prior connection whatsoever.

When she speaks of traveling between worlds, his heart stutters at thought. It’s a nice fantasy, the idea of sloughing off his old world and personal history, to follow after this alluring woman and see her world alongside her. But he doesn’t think it can be anything more than a fantasy.

But as she says, they are fortunate to have this much.

“I am glad as well, Lioriley,” he says, tilting his hand up so he can entwine it with hers, expression softening. “It was a miracle that we could meet, wasn’t it? All I want is to enjoy this miracle while it lasts.”

And then he tilts his head, in an almost puppyish fashion. “May I kiss you again?”

Lioriley had been investigating the train and its ability to traverse the void to other worlds since the moment she arrived. And while the desire to do so herself had primarily been to assist those worlds, learn their history, and bring it back to Valsheria for other scholars to study as well, now she had a slightly more selfish reason — to find a way to bring Rezo back with her, if he so chose to do so.

"You and I both." She happily squeezed his hand back, gripping just a little tighter than she might have prior; like she worried that if she let go he would retreat from her. Which was stupid, given when he asked a moment later.

Her leylines pulsed quickly against Rezo's palm and around his fingers, and he could probably feel the way she shifted to draw a little closer, her head bobbing with a vigorous nod. "Yes. Please."

Lioriley will see Rezo grin, rather like the way he had earlier, when the two of them were underwater, before he leans in for a second kiss. And when he kisses her this time, he does not think about the fact other people might see them. He even manages not to think about the complications they will have to face, or the things he’s reluctant to tell her.

All he thinks about is how good it feels to kiss her and to be kissed by her; the way her mouth molds and presses against his and how her fingers fit perfectly in his; how his skin tingles all over with each bit of contact they make.

And above all, that in this moment he is simply, and blissfully, happy.

She did not hesitate this time, and even leaned forward and tipped her head back to meet him halfway, lips slightly parted. The close proximity made it so Rezo could probably feel the heat radiating off her; along with the thrum of her heartbeat through the leylines he touched, one of which rested against his lower lip.

Lioriley lingered there as long as he would allow, not daring yet to deepen the kiss for fear of pushing too hard too quickly.

(It was a miracle she had pushed at all, to even tell him how she truly felt)

She pulled back slowly after a few moments, giddy with delight, absently running her tongue over her lip as if to catch the lingering taste of him. "For future reference- you do not have to ask."

Rezo has the urge to bite into her lower lip, taking that pulse between his teeth. He’s able to resist it, taken aback by the direction of his own thoughts, allowing the two of them to separate peaceably after a few moments. He is still quite pleased with what they’ve done, and Lioriley’s offer only pleases him further.

“Are you sure? I may take advantage of that,” he teases. It’s mostly teasing- as Lioriley may be able to guess from his concern earlier over anyone watching them, there are limits to what he’s willing to do in front of other people. Still, the offer and its implications leave him similarly giddy to her.

It occurs to him that this may mean they’re lovers now.

Admittedly, he probably shouldn’t hold her to anything. He hasn’t told her about his circumstances, and when he tries to look at things from a rational perspective, they haven’t known each other long. (Although it has certainly been an eventful span of time.)

But what else can he call this?

Unbelievable. He has a lover now. Him.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. It’s not just for the permission she’s granted him.

"I would not mind if you did." She countered. Unlike Rezo, Lioriley had little reservations about public displays of affection. So long as they didn't go into more lewd territory - not that she ever assumed it would - kissing and hand holding and all that was fair game. If people were disgusted with such things, they might need to reevaluate their lives. Love was so difficult to find; and ever more difficult to hold onto with how chaotic her life truly was. If this was her chance, even if only for a moment, she was going to take and appreciate it.

She smiled, leaned forward again, and kissed his cheek softly. "You do not have to thank me." For anything really. "But you are welcome. Would you like to stay here for a bit longer? I know I stopped our lesson just when we started, but... this is nice."

The affection of that kiss is going to cling to him for a while. As is the likely foolish smile on his face.

“It is,” Rezo agrees. “And we have a few days to practice. I doubt the water will be going anywhere while we’re here.”

Also, he does not think his heart can handle naked Lior just yet. He decides to keep that little detail to himself, however.

“It would be my pleasure to stay with you.”

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Event: 12 of Beetroot

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