2017-07-25: Oww!

• Log: Oww!!
• Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline
• Where: Gounon
• Date: 25th June 2017
• Summary: Noeline returns an important brooch to Riesenlied, and the commander finds out that... actually, nibbling kinda hurts. ._.

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<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

How ironic that they've come to Gounon again, when it was Gounon that they first fled from.

Riesenlied has decided that the town is sufficiently under the protection of the Veruni to give them some time and a buffer to organise themselves; Kaguya is likely to also enjoy the town, of course, and she rather wants to provide for the girl, having come to a bit of a motherly role. But at this point in time, the commander is seated at one of the inn rooms, shuffling through some papers and notes to try to gather her thoughts together.

Time and time again, she has the tic of placing her hand to her neck -- and maybe finding that something's missing from it.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline has taken a little while to catch up to Riesenlied's flight, citing a desire to further investigate the human side of what happened to Lady Harken - what those fighting against her thought of her unnatural power and seemingly conflicted nature, amongst other things. It's also provided her a chance to catch up with some talk of the Guardians, not to mention learn a little more about the location of a certain Temple that might give her answers about Duras Drum--

--but when she reaches Gounon, the Crimson Noble quietly decides that perhaps her worries and thoughts can wait for later. Gounon's a pleasant town, after all, and even if it's missing the bustle that Noeline needs to truly feel at home, it is at least a welcome relief to know that they should be safe here at least until they need to make tracks to the west.

She knocks - and then immediately sneaks a glimpse around the doorframe, her grin light as she watches that nervous tic occur. When she slips in it's with her hands playfully behind her back, hiding the small box within one detached sleeve.

"... are you alright?" she asks, wasting no time in stepping up to the desk to gently lean upon it, one hand reaching over to brush through the hair at Riesenlied's forehead; here her expression softens somewhat into an amused smile. "Don't overdo it, hm? And-- why did Devit send me a message that it was 'totally cool' we'd adopted someone?" she adds with a scoff of air.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied looks rather -- unsettled, and just a little bit rattled. "Um-- ah," she wisps a little bit of air under her lips, tucking her head further down. "Adoption? I'm-- not quite certain what she is talking about...?"

She taps at the quill pen at her desk, before she remarks, "I am just spinning my wheels here. It is not particularly useful thinking."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

With a chuckle, Noeline shakes her head, a rich sort of amusement laced through her voice. "Oh, I couldn't begin to say myself," she rather smoothly teases, knowing that for Riesenlied it's surely just how she would act towards any member of the Tainted. "If it's Devet, it could be anything at all, hm? Perhaps I'll stop by and see how she's doing, later."

One pause later, and she's lightly bowed her head, her pleased expression falling away temporarily. "... try not to let what has happened weigh on you too heavily. I know it may not be welcome advice, but-- there is only so much we can do, with the information we have. Until Siegfried and Harken are well enough to pursue it, you should take some time to look after yourself, as well."

She pauses, and quietly lights back up. "Fortunately, I am here to help - I have a gift for you," she adds, perked up and clearly somewhat proud of herself.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... might she be speaking of Kaguya? I know Cetiri and the others have taken to her well," Riesenlied has to muse as she deliberates over what it could be. She waves that hand away as she lowers her head to mutter, "I feel we've had more than enough time to look after ourselves. Our opponents are already capitalising on this slip-up, and we can't afford to make any more mistakes."

There's another pause as she raises her eyebrows. "A... gift?" She's placed that hand to her neck again.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"True enough - which is why I have some good news, as well," chuckles the spy quietly to herself, preening at her hair again. "The location of a nearby Guardian Temple, from whence we may be able to commune with them a little and ask some pertinent questions. Additionally, I may have pinned down the location of some of the shrines further out to the west a little more precisely - or have some contacts that I can press for more details, at the very least."

She pauses, and tilts her head with a thoughtful frown. "On top of that, I-- have heard tales of an abandoned hanger on the border between Aveh and Kislev. I have yet to follow the rumour up properly, but it might provide something for us - whether a new home," she deliberately uses the word, as opposed to 'staging point', "Or a means of larger-scale transportation. A vain hope, perhaps, but we hope regardless, hm?" The end of her statement is not upset, nor teasing - more a quiet reminder for the other woman.

"Before that, though-- at least allow me a few happy moments, hm? Close your eyes, and hold out your hands," she definitely teases this time around, what with the princessly wag of her finger.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied -- pauses, and trembles a little at that. "... yes, that will be quite useful. It is nigh long enough that we try to make a concerted effort to attempt to commune with the Guardians to ask them their side of the story, no matter what they say." She's trying to throw a blanket of reason and logic above it, but the quiet twitching and trembling of her fingers is unmistakable still. "... we must still be prepared to destroy those statues, however."

There's a faint and troubled worry as she frowns. "... this time, I'd like to see if I can't make a new home separate from our military installments. I think we require more subterfuge if we are to create another village. I will float the idea further and see if it has merit..."

But-- before she can get too more wrapped up with details, she blinks a little as she... holds out her hands. "Um-- like this...?" She closes her eyes.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"I know," replies Noeline to talk of destroying the statues, her voice quiet and lacking any of her usual teasing. "I am not about to dispute that - but I know that you would wish to talk with them first, and heavens know I have plenty of questions of my own." One of her hands takes one of Riesenlied's, trying to let her presence surpass the light shakes. "I am simply providing what opportunities I can for you to capitalize upon - whether it is talk of the Guardians, or talk of a New Petra. That is my task as second, hm?"

There's an empty moment with a soft rustle that is surely the twintailed spy flicking out her hair, a soft huff - and then a rather unmistakable feeling of Noeline's lips on Riesenlied's. ... it's not like she could pass up the chance to surprise the winged woman with a kiss, after all, especially when it looks like she could be shaken out of her thoughts.

Still, she's not cruel - and midway through the kiss, she's slipped the decorative box and the brooch within it into Riese's waiting hands.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied-- lets out a pip and a gasp, her cheeks rather vibrantly reddening as she feels the Metal Demon's lips upon hers. It's still an unusual delight that she's not used to yet, even after all that's happened. "W-wah..."

She blinks just for a moment, before looking towards the box with a quiet gasp. "W-where did you...? I thought I'd-- I thought it'd been lost...?" Her eyes are wide and innocent and full of wonder and gratitude, awww!

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline lingers against Riesenlied's lips for a long moment, humming in happiness; when she straightens up it's with an almost cattish grin, the spy obviously very pleased in herself but just as pleased in the expression the other demon is showing her. "... surely you didn't think I would let you forget such an important trinket? Cetiri would never forgive me," she teases--

--but immediately softens, dissolving into an amused smile as she picks at her hair. "Though, in truth, I simply happened to catch a glimpse of Mr. Hesoid removing it from a locker back when we travelled through Old Petra. I doubt very much that he knew the weight of what he was taking - in fact, I only realized afterwards what it must be. Fortunately, he seemed happy to return it to its proper owner."

A beat.

"--well, as happy as he ever seems about /anything/."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied's eyes are nearly in tears for a moment, as she bites her lip and embraces it against her with a sentimentality and caution that she... well, actually does for many things, not ever the sort to toss things haphazardly, but still. "I was so addled I'd forgotten it in the wake of everything else, and when I'd checked for it, it was gone."

She quietly lays the box down on the table and opens it, holding the brooch and necklace to the palm of her hand and pressing it to her, for a quiet moment. "... Mister Hesiod did? Ah... hmm..."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline's gaze meets Riesenlied's expression of joy, and for just a moment the spy looks quietly flustered at the sight, fidgeting herself before she lets out an abrupt huff of air. If she hops up and then moves behind the winged woman, then the light blush on her face can't be seen, right?

Besides, it serves another purpose. Gently, Noeline gathers Riese's hair together and away from her neck, taking the utmost care not to tug on it as she clears the way for the other woman to actually put the necklace back on - and the fact that Riese doesn't do this immediately just gives her a fantastic excuse to play with blonde hair in the interim.

"It seems he took it purely out of that boundless curiosity of his, so I thought I would simply ask for it back. Besides... it gave me the chance to thank him for the respect he showed during the ceremony, as well," Noeline points out, and while Riese can't see her face from her current position, the comment is apparently quite well-meant, lacking her usual playful lilt.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... I may come to thank him later, if it came to it," Riesenlied quietly murmurs, before she can't help herself -- she's slipped her hair up to briefly pin it to her head, before detaching her high collar so she can fix the brooch at her neck and lace the chain around under her capelet. My, what a good opportunity to go for a back-neck kiss...?!

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline isn't quite that forward, not when Riesenlied has had such a hard time of--

Well, that's probably an outright lie.

"That looks much better," she admits, almost to herself. The first warning that the winged woman gets is a light and playful touch at the back of her neck, toying with the chain as if to straighten out a kink in it; the second is a terribly amused hum, rather close to her ear, and then the vampire's fingers are drifting through the blonde hair she's still cradling as her lips meet the curve of the demon's neck. You don't need a Fallen Sword to tell that the Crimson Noble is oh-so-pleased of herself at the motion.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied lets out a suckling little breath, just a little bit embarrassed and bashful as Noeline's fingers and lips meet the curve of her neck. "A-ahm..." she stammers for a moment, but she's not exactly moving away -- rather, leaning back on her seat to meet Noeline a little closer, a little more intently. "... I'm... ready to retire for the day if you are?"

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

With a hum, the Crimson Noble lets herself fit in at her commander's back, looking well past the point of 'workplace relations'; what started out as a prideful cackle at her own mischievousness quickly fades to a softer sort of tone that Noeline wouldn't dare show anyone else, and the second kiss at the curve of Riesenlied's neck is slow enough to let her savour it properly.

A pair of hands rest upon Riesenlied's shoulders, knead there slowly, as if to punctuate the spy's next point. "... I believe that would be best. Your frustration is understandable - but haste does not suit you," she points out with a chuckle. "If I can help you find a little more in the way of rest and relaxation, even for just a short while, that is all the better."

After a moment's hesitation she then pauses, slides her arms up and around the blonde's shoulders in a loose embrace, and with her face hidden against Riesenlied's shoulder admits: "... I could probably use the same myself."

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied doesn't exactly pride herself on having an arms' length with Noeline, so it seems almost natural that they're rather intimate and close together at this point. There's another hitched little gasp as the redness from the demon's blush redoubles. It's rather a useful thing to have red blood, so you can blush properly, isn't it?

"... tell me what upsets you ..." she urges, as she rubs her fingers against the surface of the brooch. "That I may be able to soothe you better."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline's laugh is softer this time, for sure; she brings herself cheek to cheek with the other woman, the shape of her arms following Riese's to allow her fingers to rest atop and brush the back of the commander's hands. If it's a means to indicate her desire to share in the past signified by that brooch, she doesn't state that - instead, she tilts to sneak another pair of affectionate kisses, once from the cheek, once at the hair beneath one ear.

"Nothing /new/, at least," she finally admits, and there's a softly amused grin in her tone somewhere. "And certainly nothing worth discussing right at this moment that we haven't tread before. ... I just wanted to be near, and so I am," she admits, the sudden point-blank statement coming after all the flowery language.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

There's something just-- a bit enflamed about the way Riesenlied leans back further and sighs rather luxuriously against Noeline's, holding her hand to hers as they both rest on that brooch. Who wears jewelry to bed anyway? Obsessed people who can't let go of the past? Maybe.

"... I-- want to be near as well. When you're away, recently, I... feel restless, I can't think properly..." she admits, redder and brighter than ever. Someone is basically a living embodiment of shoujo mangas, at this point in time. You paged Leon Albus with 'Oh yeah, Maya/Harken wanted me to pass on that they apologise if they get back late since they don't know how long their school meeting's going to be -- it'll be anytime between now and an hour later'

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

"I hope I have been getting better on /that/ front, at least? A little longer than centuries between visits?" Noeline teases merrily - but seems terrifically content at the same time, her guard perhaps more down than it's ever been with the way she softly sighs and drops the teasing immediately. But then, it's almost cute the way Noeline, of all people, starts to trip over her words: "I-- well, my thoughts do tend to be of you, after all, so it /surely/ isn't that much of a surprise if I say I have been feeling similar--..."

She's grumping adorably by the end of it, her face somewhat aglow. Huffing and trying to avoid Riesenlied's gaze doesn't really work when she's right there up against the other woman.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied lets out a quiet, almost rueful sigh. "... I had thought something bad happened to you, and then you swanned back to my doorstep as if nothing happened." A-aww, is someone still feeling a bit sore about that? She doesn't dwell on it long, however, as she leans further and seems to be intent and coaxing Noeline to sweep her up and bring her to bed. Wow, the Tainted commander is a bit needy...

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

At the very least, Noeline even manages to look a little chastened, heaving out a breath. "I-- I know. I was a rather different person then, and not nearly as aware of-- well, everything, I suppose. ... I am sorry. Truly, I am," she admits, her brow drawn down. "I will do all that I can to make up for time lost."

In a rare moment of inattention - either she's too busy with her apology or else just that comfortable around the other demon - she barely even seems to notice as she's swept up until it's too late, and the surprised pip she makes is priceless, as is the way her eyes widen as she threatens a significant blush of her own. "Wh--" she huffs, and "I--" - before she just tucks her arms around Riesenlied's neck to brush at the skin and chain both, letting herself be carried in that direction without complaint.

On the contrary, she's sneaking another kiss for herself. "I'll stay, of course," she mumbles after it.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

"... it-- I am sorry. There is no need to dwell upon it further, and it is wrong of me to," Riesenlied answers at the space where she's drawn Noeline up with a rather lavish smile, drawing in the space between them and the bed like it's just a pace away. As she lays the Crimson Noble down on the bedding and the sheets, it's with affection that she murmurs, "... I-- I will try my best to not be gripped by the past as well."

She bites her lip. "It would only be fair, wouldn't it? I would not-- want to make you jealous."

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline is laid out on the bed, having long-since kicked away her boots; her hair splayed underneath her, she swallows - struck speechless by the forward moment, and looking rather cute from the astonishment of it all. It takes her a moment to gather her thoughts, but at least she uses the time well, her body instinctively reaching up to hook her arms around the other demon's neck to smile up at her.

"... it is fine to recognize it - and I imagine that most people would suggest I could stand to dwell on my faults just a /little/ more," she finally laughs, more carefree than she's ever sounded before. "Just as you would not be the Riesenlied I know and recognize without that past to guide you. I am not /that/ much a jealous soul!" she adds with another bright snicker--

--never mind the way in which she instantly belies that comment by tugging the commander down, meeting her in yet another kiss.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied murmurs, "It isn't because you dwell on your faults that I am attracted to you," as she remarks quietly with a sigh, as she leans just slightly over her, ashen blonde hair splaying over her as she's tugged down for a more intentful kiss.

"... b-but that's fine... I'm glad." She draws her arms in and clings to her just that slight bit more tightly.

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

The spy's answering laugh is muffled by the kiss, her arms tight around the other woman; she lingers there in every sense of the word, not just in the way the kiss lengthens but in the way she accepts Riesenlied atop her, clearly relishing the closeness as what tension is left in her frame evaporates.

Part of her can hardly believe they've come this far, but is certainly not going to complain; it's the same part that bids her to smile warmly when they part, her fingers lazily tracing circles in the midst of that ash-blonde hair. "I should hope /not/," she mutters privately in return, crimson eyes lit up with adoration and amusement. "I should hope it's the incomparable beauty, or the style and suaveness. ... perhaps the fangs?" she adds playfully.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

Riesenlied blinks just for a few times, as she murmurs, "... your vibrance and love for life. For change. And-- and yes, your beauty and splendour, and..." A pause, as she huffs at that last one as she unclasps the brooch so soon after wearing it, if only so she can undo her collar. "I did ask if biting was a part of the rites you wanted...?" W-wow, is someone seriously still thinking it's necessary?

<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.

Noeline hitches in an almost comical fashion as Riesenlied bares her neck; visions of the racks of Miss Smith's Secret Story Collection dance behind her wide eyes for a moment before she finds her mental footing enough to lift up and place one hand on the other demon's cheek.

"... you-- truly think too much of me," she admits in return with a helpless and affected smile, for a moment looking and sounding like the quiet girl that left Photosphere to find herself so long ago. "But-- I am glad for it."

And then Noeline's back, her crimson eyes glittering as she tries not to laugh. "It is not /strictly/ necessary. But, you know, if you /insist/..." she trails off as she leans up and inwards.

<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.

There's a romantic fade that's possibly crested with roses as Noeline reaches up, cresting her lips closely against Riesenlied's bared skin...

...

"Owww!!"