( open ) out of isolation

[motivation]

Who: dutch (motivation) & YOU, thomas nightingale (ettersberg) & YOU
What: a month in the life of a former assassin, a month in the life of the former last sanctioned wizard of the uk
When: may
Where: flona cove and khalo
Warning(s): alcohol and fyrra use, nudity, sex and probably swearing

Comments

[ettersberg]

( for a moment, thomas is still. not frozen, just still. then he tips his head slightly into the touch. )

I suppose that I am. ( he sounds almost surprised at the notion. )

[motivation]

That sounds fun.

( little yalena yardeen would have liked anything better than the royal harem, but she hadn't gotten to leave until the night of her wedding. well, not outside of training with khlyen, anyway. )

[willrevile]

It was.

[ Brief moments of peace in between the dozen moves, the bitters and the abuse, and the last straw, sending him offworld, where there were no ponds at all. For a split second Jim looks more serious than he's ever looked; not dramatic, or grave, just --

like he's not trying to be positive. But he has to keep that up, doesn't he? He flicks more water at her. ]

This is fun, too.

[toten_sie]

[ Randel just nods and smiles, as if to say that that's how it should be and that he's pleased that it is. Then he looks at Thomas carefully. ]

Did you like that?

[ettersberg]

( it is how it should be — but in thomas' experience, things rarely are. or remain that way. still, he can't bring himself to be concerned with that right now. )

Yes.

[impavid]

Some girls like that. Some prefer it when I do all the work. Wasn't sure which you were.

[ Maybe she's neither. Maybe she prefers an equal opportunity struggle. She definitely looks like she could do him some damage if she wanted to, after all. ]

[ettersberg]

It hardly changes where I'm from in that it often rains, but there are different types of rain to comment on.

( the words are not without some sense of self-depreciation. )

Thomas Nightingale. A pleasure, Shell. It's been more than half a year since I woke up here.

[ettersberg]

Nothing much has changed in that regard.

( he doesn't dislike the guard. he doesn't love it, either. his loyalty is to an institution and a country that no longer exist. it hasn't yet shifted, not entirely. )

[toten_sie]

[ Randel turns his hand to cup Thomas's cheek in one glove. ]

Would you like more?

[ettersberg]

( the heat that flares in thomas' stomach at the question is its own kind of answer, but he still takes a moment to consider it. even if, in that moment, he is already nuzzling against randel's hand. )

Yes. If you would.

[toten_sie]

[ He just nods, leaning in to look Thomas in the eyes, feeding the uncommon heat in his own belly. It's been a few years since he was with another man, but Thomas is nice, and handsome and well put together. He knows what he's about.

He runs the glove down to cup Thomas's jaw and runs his thumb along the cheekbone.]

[ettersberg]

( randel leans in, his thumb brushing against thomas' cheekbone. they're such small actions, but they feel like more, anticipation making thomas' stomach clench.

he leans in, closing the last of the distance between them to fit his lips against randel's. )

[toten_sie]

[ He's surprised, but not surprised long enough to do anything but kiss the other man back, kiss and reach over to pull him closer. ]

[poolhall_killer]

Ah.

[Nightingale seemed content enough during their last encounter, so it's nice that he's still getting along well at his job.]

Anything else going on? New hobbies or friends? Perhaps a significant other?

[The smoke is starting to get to him, and Venom inches a bit closer. No touching as he doesn't want to intrude on personal space.]

[motivation]

Yeah.

( she smiles, diving under the water and swimming to where he is, emerging just behind him and putting her hands on his shoulders. almost as if she was going to try and dunk him, except she doesn't try. she's just holding on, for the moment. )

It is.

[ettersberg]

( nightingale has to swallow before answering, clearing his throat while he's at it. )

Ah. No.

( john had been the closest to a significant other he'd come, and he hadn't come that close, really. there hasn't been anyone he'd call that since david mellenby. )

None of that.

[ettersberg]

( thomas moves into it easily when randel pulls him closer, sighing a little into the kiss. clearly enjoying himself. )

[willrevile]

You're a mermaid now? [ He touches one hand to hers on his shoulder when she's in place, though nothing further. ]

I kinda hated being a kid. [ Nefarious skinning dipping aside. Those little moments - swimming, learning to drive motorcycles, getting too drunk on stolen beer at fourteen - they were all just things to distract himself. Constructs made to be happy memories so he has something to think back on besides the truth of it. ]

Nice that it's over.

[poolhall_killer]

Sorry. I didn't mean to take you by surprise with that question. I was just curious.

[He feels a bad for springing such a personal question on him out of nowhere.]

Really, I apologize.

[toten_sie]

[ They're both enjoying themselves. There's a strange sort of insulation the fyrra seems to be giving him, between his guilt and his fear and his worries that's letting him actually feel the pleasure of someone wanting to kiss him, of the kiss itself. He leans into it, hungry for it, and in turn, hungry for Thomas. His hand lifts up to cup his cheek as he deepens the kiss. ]

[ettersberg]

It's quite all right.

( ordinarily, nightingale might say that and it would be an expression of politeness more than anything, the words not entirely genuine. right now, he finds he doesn't actually mind the question, for all that it had surprised him. the loss and sadness that usually come with thinking of david, the wish he could've had more time to see where things would've gone with john both are notably absent now. )

[ettersberg]

(thomas feels that insulation as well: the absence of loss, of the weight of responsibility and duty, the requirements of propriety. he can't remember the last time he's felt quite this relaxed in addition to feeling the urge, need to be closer to randel.

he moves into the kiss — and then, in a move that would surprise even himself if not for aforementioned insulation, he moves to straddle randel, pressing himself close. )

[motivation]

A little of one, a little of the other.

( dutch doesn't know how to be passive, but she's not willing to put in an effort if she gets nothing back, it's that simple. )

So, you coming in?

[motivation]

Yeah.

( she hasn't really admitted to anyone here how much she hated her childhood and early adult years, but the admission comes easily now. ) Yeah, me too. I grew up in a royal harem, you know.

[willrevile]

I didn't know that.

[ Dutch told him ... something, about a prince. That story seems darker now, but through the strange haze of Khalo, he can't remember the details. If there were any.

(Gaila had something similar, he thinks. Didn't she? He hadn't known, until after the Academy. What a dick he was.) ]