( 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

[motivation]

( do they need to put a label on it? it's supposed to lead to fucking, but right now, the sense of urgency dutch often feels, the urge to make sure that whatever happens, she gets off first because if she doesn't, she might not at all, that's missing. not all of her bed partners have been as considerate as jim is.

she follows him down easily, resting her cheek against his shoulder for a moment before pushing up on an elbow and moving in for another kiss, just as languid as before. it's easy, right now, to let him be gentle. to be gentle in return. she wasn't created for gentleness, but that doesn't seem to matter right now. )

[willrevile]

[ He doesn't think she's fragile or in need of coddling - obviously. Deliberate tenderness might be patronizing, even; but this is something else. He feels relaxed and open and wants to share in that feeling with her.

(Before it fades? Jim's not thinking about time.)

Kissing feels more important than it usually does. But the rest of it, despite the languid pace, is familiar, Jim's attentive, thorough attention very much a part of him and sex no matter the kind.

He links their fingers together, unthinking. ]

[motivation]

( she isn't fragile and she isn't in need of coddling — and ordinarily, she'd take any hint of either as patronising even if it isn't meant to be, but right now? right now, she enjoys the softness, the gentleness, the openness of his kisses and his hands on hers.

sex, for dutch, isn't about a connection. it's about physical pleasure, pure and simple. this? this is more of a connection than she's let herself feel with anyone but those she considers hers. johnny, d'avin, alvis. right now, with jim, kissing back isn't about chasing pleasure and it isn't about urgency.

he links their fingers together and she reaches up with her free hand, letting her fingertips wander over his jaw, the shell of his ear, down his neck, over a shoulder, back up again. )

[willrevile]

[ It's softer than it's ever been between them, but softer doesn't mean a lack of pleasure, even for two people whose coupling has always been frenetic. Jim keeps them on their sides, as if something in his subconscious finds merit in them being symbolically equally, though perhaps it's just that it's comfortable and cozy like this. He kisses and touches her for a long time before he hitches her closer so that he can press inside of her, sighing, his hand beneath her knee keeping them tightly connected. ]

[motivation]

( it's a slow affair; more so than usual. it's slow and it's warm, comfortable and soft. these are not words dutch would usually think of during sex, but they fit now and when he finally presses into her, her moan of pleasure is soft, acknowledgement of pleasure and a homecoming more than anything else.

she curls her hand over the back of his head and draws him in for another kiss, a little unfocused because her hips roll in slow waves. )

[willrevile]

[ Breathing against each other, kissing softly, rutting languidly - it's achingly intimate, and Jim's mind is a blurry glow of yes, good. Still, he has the habits he's worked hard to turn automatic, and it remains important for him to make sure she comes first. (Though it may be a near thing, today, for how relaxed he is.)

Speckled sunlight slips in patterns over them like a kaleidoscope as a gentle breeze somewhere above them shifts the leafy canopy overhead. Broad daylight out in a veritably public area, and yet there's no risque thrill about it, because he's not thinking of it that way. ]

[motivation]

( there's no urgency, which makes it feel less like a progression from a to be and more like she's treading water, admiring the scenery instead of trying to get somewhere. which means that when she comes, it's a surprise rather than something she's worked toward. for a moment, there's tension — but her muscles slacken again soon and she sighs against jim's shoulder as pleasure courses through her, not overwhelming but all-encompassing. )

[willrevile]

[ Feeling her orgasm in the midst of something so peaceful is like a moment of electricity-- but even then he doesn't push much harder, doesn't tighten his grip and fuck her quicker like he might usually. Jim just keeps on, presses a brief, messy kiss to the side of her mouth, then leans their foreheads together.

It's like a wave breaking when he comes, without trying for it, just letting it wash over him. ]

[motivation]

( he comes, too, a little after her, and dutch makes an encouraging noise and slides her hands aimlessly over his shoulders, neck, into his hair, just touching for the sake of it. more than she might usually, or at least more softly. )

Mh. ( it's just a pleased hum. the non-verbal equivalent of this is nice. )

[willrevile]

Mmhm. [ Non-verbal agreement. Jim has just enough presence of mind to use one hand to grope around for - either the towel or his shirt, who knows, to do perfunctory cleanup so they don't congeal together horribly. But after, he ends up not moving, laying with her spaced out and warm.

Honestly if the Khali people didn't want visitors to bang in their sacred forest they shouldn't be giving folks so much fairy weed, so this is probably fine. ]

[motivation]

( it's probably fine. it feels fine, at any rate. dutch isn't worried and most of that might be the fairy weed, but some of it is also just the fact that she doesn't give too much of a shit about propriety on a good day.

slowly, she drifts off —

only to wake some time later to something soft and a little wet nosing at her. literally nosing. it's an animal nose. )

[willrevile]

[ Jim slips easily from asleep to awake, too used to having to leap out of bed on off-shifts to handle this or that (and too used to escaping angry uncles and step-parents in the life before), so when the world stirs around them, he's already blinking muzzily.

Uh.

He assumes this must be a dream, at first, puzzled bleary eyes taking in the large creature huffing and sniffing them, but then the large, rhino-like head drifts over to shove its soft nose into Jim's bare hip and--

The noise he makes isn't a yelp. Definitely not. It's manly and not at all embarrassing. ]

[motivation]

( totally a manly and not at all embarrassing noise, yes. dutch, fortunately, has better control over her noise-making or at least has been trained not to make a sound unless she wants to.

she does sit up a little, eyeing the creature sniffing at them. it seems friendly for now. no visible teeth. could probably trample them to death. okay then. )

[willrevile]

[ Captain Squeaky is groping around for something to cover himself with, not quite frantic but still somewhat alarmed. ]

Good morning, [ he says, vaguely affronted. The creature heaves a wet sigh, and continues sniffing. It has flowers growing on its head. ]

[motivation]

Move slowly. ( dutch suggests, very casually. the creature seems friendly so far, but that doesn't have to mean anything. dutch knows all too well just how deceiving appearances can be, and the ease and happiness of the fairy weed have dissipated, leaving all that knowledge at the forefront of her mind again. )

[willrevile]

So it thinks I'm an edible plant? [ he grunts, but it's clearly just sass. Jim eyes the animal, but it seems fine, and glimpses he catches of its eyes suggest more than just dull cow intelligence. Not sentient, but something.

He yawns, ] I think I have grass where there shouldn't be any.

[ The creature shifts back a bit, and Jim's eyes go wide for a second as it moves awful quick-- but it's just sitting down with a great whump. It rests its head between them, wedged against both of their legs.

It makes a happy-sounding noise. ]

[motivation]

So that it doesn't get scared and accidentally tramples us to death. ( but dutch doesn't sound all that worried. the creature seems pretty docile and not too easily scared. dutch figures if she was that size, she wouldn't be, either. not that she is now, considerably smaller in size than the animal but pretty damn sure of her own abilities regardless. )

Whose idea was this, anyway.

( yours, dutch. it was yours.

slowly, she reaches out to touch the creature's big head, shifting her leg a little away from it. not petting the thing. not poking it, either. just. touching. whatever. )

[willrevile]

If I take the fall for this, does it earn me any bonus points? [ Since yes, it was Dutch's idea. Not that Jim's strictly opposed to semi-public sex even when he's not stoned, but. Fair is fair. (Negotiating is also fair.)

The animal makes a rumbling noise and tilts its head, but doesn't brush her hand off. The mannerism is almost like a dog trying to encourage pets.

Lightly, ]

Hopefully we're not in a zoo.

[motivation]

[ dutch gives it a moment's thought. glances sideways at jim and flashes a grin. ]

No.

[ dutch never had a dog. she's never had a pet at all, except for that brief period of time when khlyen had made her raise a rabbit only to demand that she kill it. it had been a step before demanding she kill people.

the creature is docile for now, at least, and so dutch pats it a little. there, there. ]

What, you don't think we'd be the main attraction?

[willrevile]

Then I regret to inform you that it was your idea, [ he drawls, and shifts around a bit so this giant thing doesn't make his foot fall asleep. On his side, he reaches out and gives it a gentle pat. He's not a pet person, either. ]

Mm, not that kind of zoo.

[ That sounds more like a flesh market or red light district. ]

[motivation]

You don't regret shit.

[ he sounds zero percent regretful and dutch is not above calling him out on it because he's calling her out on it having been her idea. gotta keep things even. ]

[willrevile]

Why would I regret anything? [ Yawn. They fucked and it was good, like it always seems to be between them.

(Different. But still good.)

The animal snuffles, shifts around to get more comfortable, half-rolls and wiggles its ears. ]

[motivation]

You just said you did. [ a figure of speech dutch took too literally deliberately.

but he makes a fair point: she doesn't regret it, either. she doesn't regret any of it, even if she doesn't let herself linger on how light she'd felt, how happy. how she doesn't usually feel that way. ]

This thing's really just a big puppy, isn't it? [ a puppy with flowers growing on it. what the hells. ]

[willrevile]

[ She doesn't have to linger on it - neither of them do. It's just something that they can have and remember, when it suits them. No reason to make it weird or spoil it by delving into conversation neither of them will like. ]

Guess so, [ he says. ] Looks like a rhinoceros-shaped garden. Kinda cool.

[ Jim scratches a little in its soil-like skin, which the animal seems to enjoy. Pink and purple flowers almost seem to come to life as it sits with them. ]

[motivation]

[ she's good with not talking about it. she's maybe less good at not lingering on it. but for now, the rhino-garden serves as a neat distraction. ]

What's with the flowers? [ is she asking jim? is she asking the rhino? who knows. ]