nysalogs | We'll journey there where on the air the chords of magic ring

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We'll journey there where on the air the chords of magic ring

Who: Justice (

poolhall_killer)
What: Actual Pillars Quest which is also a date
When: April
Where: Outside of Olympia
Warning(s): Smooches, probably

Justice needs the fresh air, so he jumps at the chance to assist the city by leaving it, even if the goal of the quest isn't strictly justice-oriented. He does his best to not think about why he needs the fresh air. Instead, he focuses on the man he's with. Venom does deserve his attention, after all.

There's no real rush to get where they're going. They have their supplies and plenty of light--and even if they end up staying outside of the city overnight, Justice does not have to sleep, so they will not be hurting for a watchman. So Justice takes the time while they walk to admire the world around him. The flowers blooming on the vines climbing tree trunks, the rustle of small animals running in the underbrush, the breeze on his face...

"Your world will never cease to amaze me," says Justice, as he always feels the need to say something whenever he's feeling particularly awed by the beauty of the mortal realm. "It is beautiful and orderly in a way that my world is not."

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Though Venom's not native to this world, he can definitely appreciate its beauty. It sort of reminds him of the Illyrian countryside, complete with the occasional magical creature scurrying about or maybe a unicorn grazing in the distance. His hair flows freely in the breeze, and he realizes he should have tied his hair back. Ah well. At least it's not too windy.

"What's it like in your world, if I may ask?" He figures they don't have things like trees or animals, but maybe they have something other than spirits.

"Malleable. It changes with mortal memories and dreams, and there is no sense of time, growth, or decay. Spirits and demons can change it as well, but if they lose power or die, then all they created will disappear and be forgotten."

His gaze lingers on Venom. Justice does not have a good sense of whether a mortal counts as attractive or not, but he does like being able to see Venom's face, and the swirl of his hair in the wind seems lovely to him. There's no wind in the Fade.

"There is little consistency there, but it has a charm of its own if one allows it to show. Unfortunately, mortals there encounter demons more often than they would encounter spirits."

"A malleable world, you say..." That would be interesting, if not frightening at times. Venom's past wasn't pleasant, and he's done his best to forget most, save for Lord Zato's role in his life. A demon would probably have a field day with his memories.

Venom tucks his hair aside the best he can, giving Justice an even better view of his face. He's considered cutting it as part of his turning over a new leaf as he doesn't need to conceal his identity anymore. But he's worked so hard to keep it thick and healthy. He'd hate to lose it.

"Are you able to touch or taste anything while in your world?" There's definitely curiosity, but Venom asks in an unintentionally suggestive way.

"In a way, yes."

Justice doesn't pick up on the suggestiveness because he's dense, but the mention of touching does compel him to reach for Venom, slipping their hands together and intertwining their fingers. They've been on a date and danced together. Justice thinks they're at the point where he's allowed to hold Venom's hand.

"But it is like touching and tasting in a dream. You have the impression and little more." Justice runs his thumb over Venom's knuckles. "It is much more intense here, especially with a body of my own. More real."

Venom's a little taken aback by the hand holding, but it's not unpleasant at all. He won't be pulling away as he rather likes the feel of Justice's hand in his. Justice will even get a gentle squeeze when Venom feels that thumb over his knuckles.

"It's like a fleeting feeling, then. There one moment and the next it's gone. I've had dreams about eating a piece of cheese and then the taste vanishing the moment it passes my lips." Those were some of his lightly sad dreams compared to more somber ones. "I take it you enjoy the intensity of the tastes and smells of reality?"

"I do, yes. It took getting used to, but it is worth it." Justice doesn't smile, but when he looks down at their hands linked together, the corners of his eyes and mouth soften. It's almost the ghost of a smile. "I miss many things about the Fade, but the indistinct senses are not among them."

There many things he loves about the mortal world. Justice looks up at Venom's face, cocking his head slowly. "Do you miss your world?" Not the generic mortal world, which they're still in, but his part of the mortal world. The part that was swallowed by the storm.

That softening is rather charming in its own way. Venom continues to walk hand-in-hand with his date, allowing himself to enjoy the company and the atmosphere. Living in the Fade sounds like it would be interesting, and the young assassin finds himself thinking on what it would be like to experience it at least once.

So when the question comes up, he's sort of caught off-guard. "Hm?" He turns to Justice, clearing his mind so he can answer properly.

"I want to say yes, but that wouldn't be completely true. My world was fraught with constant threats and war, and humanity was almost wiped out more than once. I think..." He pauses, his mind on those asleep above. "That is, it's more accurate to say I miss certain individuals more than the world itself." Though that doesn't cover his desire to eliminate himself before he came here.

"I see." Justice nods in understanding slowly. "I suppose I feel similarly. I miss the Fade at times, but I do not miss Thedas. It was a troubled world, and while this world has troubles of its own, they are not as severe."

Justice squeezes Venom's hand, pulling him along at a sedate pace. "Are the people you miss in the pods in the sky?"

Venom's content in the gentle pulling, walking hand in hand with the spirit. He lets himself get lost in the simple contact, briefly forgetting about the recent issues he's had with the attorney.

"Yes. I try to visit as much as I can." He was away from Lord Zato for so long and was ready to be away permanently, but now that Zato's safely sleeping, Venom can't help going back to check in. "I never got to say my proper goodbyes to them after leaving for my final mission." His voice fades a bit, his grip tightening slightly.

"Your final mission?"

Justice understands that usually a tightened grip means that a mortal is seeking comfort, so he squeezes Venom's hand again, keeping their bodies close. He likes the proximity they have.

"What happened?"

Venom's found himself liking the closeness of another. It started in that spring with Peter, and then with Phoenix. Here it comforts him greatly, and he leans into Justice a bit.

"Before I came here, I had a plan to bring my organization out of the shadows. We were to go public, to show our hand in the world's events over the years. And then the Third Illyrian king granted us one of our requests. We could enlist our assassins as soldiers.

My allies wanted to celebrate, but I knew if we didn't produce results, it would have been for naught. I left shortly after that and never looked back." His heart feels heavy, feeling he should have at least stayed a little longer with them. Bid them farewell properly.

"As for my personal mission, I was to find and do battle with the man who previously defeated us. However, stopping him and showing the assassins can be heroes wouldn't be enough. The people wouldn't forgive us so easily. So I planned to eliminate myself in the process. A sacrifice so that my associates could live in the light."

"It was your wish to die for the sake of your companions?"

Justice doesn't know much about what kind of assassin's guild Venom was part of. As a rule, Justice tends to frown on assassination--he much prefers more open and fair methods of killing others if killing is necessary--but he will acknowledge that there are times when their services are necessary for justice.

And it seems as though it was Venom's wish to be a just assassin. Justice allows him to lean, leaning a little back in return. The closeness is more than welcome, even as they speak about grim things.

Venom hadn't told anyone this story, save for those who shared his memories. He curls a bit more into Justice, craving more contact.

"I was that unhappy. I wished to remove myself and spare my heart any more pain. But unfortunately, I never found out if my associates benefited from the act." All he knew was 2cave and a few other assassins didn't feel all too greatly about the new direction.

He looks up at Justice, those big blue eyes peeking out from behind that hair. "Sorry, I didn't mean to reveal so much. I guess I've had it bottled up for so long." It felt good to let it out, and he should be more open, anyway.

"I am from the land of mortal dreams. It is in my nature to know mortals without the facades they show each other. Never feel self-conscious for revealing more of yourself to me."

Justice wraps his arm around Venom's shoulders. He likes the contact, and it seems that Venom does as well. "Do you remain so unhappy?"

Venom indeed likes the contact. He's finding himself growing more fond of the more platonic and romantic forms of it. Whether it be hugging, kissing, or the act of holding someone. Rather, being the one that's held appeals to him.

"I... don't know. I've done my best to put myself on a new path, to push myself to make friends. Yet I fear my past hinders my growth, no matter how much I acknowledge and address it." He remembers how Phoenix treated him after learning about his assassin upbringing. How much it hurt him. He didn't want to feel that rejection again.

"If you have done wrong in your past, that does not necessarily mean that you cannot go forward."

Justice is hard, but he is not unforgiving. If there was no way for wrongdoers to atone, then the entire world would need punishing.

"It simply means that you must find a means to atone for your wrongdoing, and that you commit to never doing it again. It may take a lifetime to atone, but it is worth it to lead a righteous life."

"After what I've done, and after what has happened in this world, I swore to devote my life to helping and healing." Seeing his friends being so sick to the point of delirium shook him to the core. He took all the classes possible and worked on proving himself worthy of healing magic.

"I'm doing all I can do live that life." He sounds sad, and he wants to be held. But he can't bring himself to ask for a hug.

"That is atonement. It is the continual commitment to do better."

Justice can hear Venom's desire, and knowing that he is trying to atone for the wrongdoings he may have committed over his life, Justice feels no hesitation in wrapping an arm tightly around Venom's shoulders.

"It is the right thing to do."

It's what Venom needs to hear. That he is taking the best path to atonement. He gasps when Justice wraps an arm around him, but he quickly settles into the contact. At least the physical embodiment of justice approves of his attempts to atone.

"Thank you," He whispers while giving the older man a kiss on the cheek.

Justice hums softly at the feeling of the kiss on his cheek. It's warm and he doesn't think he'll ever take the intimate contact for granted.

He draws a hand through Venom's hair, leaning into the contact between them.

"You may kiss me on the lips, if you ever wished," he says with characteristic bluntness and shamelessness. He's not embarrassed to make it clear that he is alright with that upfront. He's not embarrassed to open up the possibility, either.

Venom can never fault anyone for blunt honesty. He preferred it, so hearing Justice declare it loud and proud makes him smile. "Well, if you insist."

He pulls the other man in and closes the gap between them in a soft, warm kiss. There should be a little shame in how many men Venom's kissed during his time here, but he's not ashamed at all.

Justice wraps his arms more fully around Venom, returning the kiss without shame and pulling Venom closer against him. Justice's kiss is curious but warm, the kiss of someone who hasn't had many kisses before but is eager to learn.

It's comfortable. It's warm and intimate and Justice still likes it now as he did when he kissed Anders. Justice draws out the kiss, in no hurry to end it and in no hurry to get back to what they were doing before.

The curiosity in Justice's kiss isn't lost on Venom. He too was that curious when he was first kissed. That felt like forever ago when Venom learned the ways of pleasing another person, kissing, touching.

He happily prolonged the contact for however long Justice desired. They had nowhere to be for a while, so why not?

Justice's kiss lingers for a while longer before he pulls away again, kissing the corner of Venom's mouth.

"I have no objection if you wish to do that again," Justice says, honest and blunt as always. He doesn't smile, but the corners of his mouth soften. "I enjoy kissing you."

The physical embodiment of justice itself enjoys kissing him. Venom can't help feeling honored that Justice is open to doing it again. How can he say no to such an earnest gentleman?

"I think we should do that again." For reasons, of course. The former assassin returns the favor and kisses Justice's cheek first.

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We'll journey there where on the air the chords of magic ring

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