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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 9:35 pm
"Muuuuch better~" She practically sighed, finding Ace to be very close, right on the other side of the door, in fact. She twirled on the spot, the fresh, clean linen she adorned fanning out around her as she did, and she laughed, a joyful sound that just went to show how little she dwelled on the recent events that had transpired. While she would not forget it, and while those feelings she had for Ace still lingered, she felt she could face it and him with renewed vigour. Speaking of facing him, though... She stopped her twirling and looked at him. Her face felt warm, though more from her exuberance than from any lingering embarrassment. Suddenly, though at a normal pace, she lifted the sheet up and over her head, wrapping it instead around her shoulders, and gazed at him close up. There was no sheet or grime to hinder his view of her face now, and she smiled at him, her cheeks flushed with a pink hue from her exertion. The aches and pains she had felt earlier were already fading, and the memories of what had occurred had seemed to wash away, though images of a shirtless Ace had certainly helped with that. "Thank you." She said again, though this time she was less shy about it, giving a slight dip of her head in a nod. Again she could not help but be overwhelmed by his kindness, how he had invited her on his journey, how he had done his best to keep her safe, and even now, gathering up her clothes to soak in the basin! She followed him from one place to another, though it was hardly very far, and when he finished his task and spoke to her, she felt something in her heart twist. Was the night over so soon? She did not feel tired, still riding high on whatever the vampire equivalent of adrenaline was. Still, her smile never faded though it had grown softer, as did the look in her eyes when he once again offered her the bed. "Aaaaace~," She said, drawing his name out as if to tease him, though the tone of her voice matched the look he was giving him. "If you are going to insist that I take the bed, then I want you to share it with me. I would feel a lot better if I wasn't alone, anyways." Her intentions were purely innocent, of course.
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 11:49 pm
Ace watched her emerge from the bathroom and subtly inclined his head to greet her. When she’d said she was much better he could actually tell that she was, and a sense of relief washed over him. Good. It looked like the strange encounter hadn’t permanently traumatized her in some way. The little twirl drew a soft laugh from the male, a smile lighting up his face, he had a fantastic smile. A point of pride on his part. It struck him as impressive how quickly she’d recovered considering they’d nearly died. There was a resilience there he found admirable and, despite what had just happened, he realized how easy it was to relax around her once they were face to face again and she was... wearing clothes. His expression shifted to curiosity as she stopped, the little holes in the sheet staring up at him. What was happening now? She’d begun to lift the sheet and, as it settled around her shoulders, he felt himself begin to draw a breath that quickly caught in his chest. Her eyes seemed to have a knack for holding him captive, but he could really see the rest of her face now that it wasn’t buried beneath mud and the effect wasn’t any less, in fact, it was amplified. He felt that tightness in his chest as his stomach dropped. She really was beautiful. He found himself using every bit of willpower he had in him not to just cross the short space between them, take her face in his hands, and kiss her. It was all he wanted to do at that moment. Her voice snapped him out of the moment, and he quickly began to wonder if he was losing it, he didn’t even know her, and she was definitely going to think he was a creep if he just grabbed her face and started kissing her. But he felt like there was something there. The blush in her cheeks, the way she said his name, maybe he was just hoping the signs were there and therefore he was seeing them. “Ah, uh.. yeah. You’re welcome.” Smooth. Then the bed again. ********. Ace smiled awkwardly; it was obvious he was nervous. “Ah, look.. I don’t want you to think I’m some kind of deviant, Gremlin.” His expression was one of genuine concern, he was overthinking it. “But, if it makes you feel safer, and that’s what you want, I will.” He flashed her a quick smile and vanished into the bathroom, the door shutting behind him with a click. The shower turned on moments later and Ace undressed, folding his clothes up and setting them aside, he’d need the shirt, but the pants would have to soak. He let the water run over his back, the cross dangling as he pressed his arm to the wall and rested his forehead against it. His eyes opened slowly, the heat soothing against the newly healed flesh, he could do this. He could absolutely do this.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2023 9:51 pm
If there were now any awkward feelings on Gremlin's part for what had happened earlier, she was doing a magnificent job of hiding them. As for any awkwardness coming from Ace, she was either completely oblivious or was doing a magnificent job of ignoring it. However, she still couldn't help but admire his smile and how it lit up his eyes, an easier thing to do unnoticed as long as she hid under her sheet. Before she revealed herself, she'd had to compose herself, lest he catch her dreamy-eyed gaze and be completely put off by it. It seemed as though he was going to refuse to share the bed with her, and she was already preparing herself to be let down and dismayed but did her best to hide it behind a warm smile. There was no ulterior motive to her request, though she now knew that she was harbouring a crush on the man she had made her companion for the evening. She really did just want him to be comfortable, and after the night they'd had, the thought of being alone and so far away from him did not sit well with her. Still, it was fine. She would be fine. She was just about to open her mouth to say as much when he seemed to change stride, and she clicked her teeth down instead, momentarily shocked. And then she beamed, radiant, joyful that he had, perhaps begrudgingly, perhaps not, agreed. "Yes," She said, nodding her head, "That is what I want." In the next moment, he was moving away from her, and out of habit, she began to follow but stopped short when she realized he was off to the shower. Though admittedly, a substantial part of her brain screamed at her to follow him anyways, her face heated, and she threw her sheet back over her head and coughed, and turned away, suddenly humming lightly to herself and swaying as though to music as if that was what she had intended to do all along. She heard the door shut and, soon after, the sound of running water. She smiled to herself, though unbidden thoughts turned toward the memories of Ace's shirtless self, and it was not difficult for her to imagine what he might look like now, with water coursing through those dark locks of hair and over his body... She felt her face begin to burn again and pressed her hands against them, squealing quietly. She needed to stop this! They'd just met! Because she had never had a crush on anybody before, she had no idea whether it was appropriate to act upon those feelings. Flirting was a mystery to her, though she was sure she had seen it in action among family members. Nope. Nope, nope, nooooope. She was getting further away from that bathroom door and heading to the bedroom. Dropping her hands, she took her mind off of him by humming to herself again, her movements graceful as she swayed from one end of the vardo to the other, adding a twirl and a leap near the end that took her to the bedroom door. Giggling to herself, she walked inside and then launched herself at the bed, only to roll over onto her back and spread out like a ghostly starfish.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:21 pm
He didn’t have a lot of time to really let the heat soak into his sore muscles before it had started running out, which wasn’t a big deal, he didn’t need a lot of time to get clean anyway. He wasn’t as coated in mud as Gremlin had been for a start. Ace opened his eyes slowly and watched the tiny trails of water slide down the wall of the shower. The look on her face, how happy she’d been when he’d said yes to her request… Why did that make him feel so good inside? Seeing her that happy? They’d just met and already he felt this twisted up. Women didn’t tend to turn his head like this. Sure, he found them attractive, and there had been plenty of women over the years he could have pursued, hell, there were some recently who had tried to get him to cozy up to them in their Vardo’s. But he wasn’t the type, he found nothing fulfilling in the arms of strangers. Did that make him weird? Maybe. Did he care? No. He just felt no connection to any of them, to Ace the connection mattered. But here, with Gremlin, he could tell it was different somehow. He wanted to feel whatever this was. Maybe it was his fear of being close to anyone, given his past, that kept him from giving in right away. He wasn’t really trying to analyze it that deeply, but the thought did occur to him. He sighed, hardly interested in wading through the muck of old, bad memories to psychoanalyze why he was so conflicted about having feelings for someone. He began to quickly wash, choosing to focus on what needed to be done instead of dwelling on a past he couldn't change. A good rinse and he was clean in no time, snagging the towel from the ledge and drying himself as thoroughly as possible. With a glance towards his clothes, he rolled his eyes. Ah, s**t, no pants. Welp, he’d figure something out. Throwing on the shirt, towel secured around his waist, he gathered up his clothes and slid the bathroom door open, stopping on his way to the bedroom to set the pants in with Gremlin’s items for a soak. He’d have to fix his blue shirt later; the claws had done a number on the back. It was one of his favorites so he wasn't about to just toss it out. Opening a couple of drawers, Ace grabbed a pen and paper and quickly scribbled something down, returning the items to their proper place carefully. The note, now wedged into the frame of the front door, would be easily seen by anyone passing. As he turned to the bedroom, he closed his eyes for a moment and steeled himself. It was fine. She was such an innocent soul; he would be fine. He leaned against the doorframe for a moment, laughing softly at the scene before him. Well, she was certainly ready for bed. “Are you sure you want me to sleep here, little Ghost? You look pretty comfortable. I’d hate to intrude.” He grinned. His hair was still damp from the shower, but it had such a natural wave that it still retained most of its body when wet. He rubbed at the back of his head with a hand towel he'd found on his way, waiting for her to scoot over and let him in.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:52 pm
Ace's shower must have been quick, though given that the hot water supply had been limited, that hardly should have been a surprise. Still, she wasn't expecting to hear his voice so soon, lost in a reverie of thoughts, most of which were actually about him, his smile, and his gorgeous blue eyes. No matter what she tried, her thoughts continued to turn back towards him, unbidden. Those daydreams must have been profound, however, for her not to have heard him approach, and she let out a sound of surprise and sat up abruptly as if in a panic. "Yes!" She called out, an exclamation that slipped out before she could tone it down. "It's a big bed, silly; we can both be comfortable~" She laughed then and rolled over once to make room. Dare she take the sheet off again? She oddly already felt comfortable enough around him that, beyond an odd sense of comfort, she did not feel like she needed it. Besides, he had already seen her (too much of her though she was choosing to avoid thinking about that). Rolling over again, she let herself slip from the side of the bed, landing on all fours to pull the sheet off her head before she straightened. Her hair, still damp, hung long and loose down past her waist. She wrapped the sheet around herself like a blanket, smiled, and then crawled back onto the bedside. Dawn was soon coming. She could feel that down in her very essence, but she still was not tired. She knew that, at some point, she would have no choice but to sleep, though she did not want to. Sleeping would be an ending, and somehow, despite their trials, she did not want this night to end because the next night would surely mean parting. She could not, in good conscience, spend another night away from her family. "Ace?" She asked, waiting for him to be settled in on the bed himself (assuming he would).
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 12:27 am
Ace found himself laughing again, this time at the quick response to his inquiry. “Ah, ok, ok. Easy girl.” He teased, his blue eyes alight with mischief. It was absolutely a big bed, maybe that would make it easier. He wasn’t entirely convinced it would make anything easier. “I’m sure we will be.” He had started for the bed when she suddenly rolled off and onto the floor, his gaze shifted to concern momentarily, that was until she popped back up without her sheet on. Another look at a sheetless Gremlin was enough for the tightness to return to his chest. He had to tear his gaze away. What was he doing? Oh, right, bed. Ace slid himself into the big, comfy bed and stretched. The soreness in his body seemed to be fading, in fact, it was almost entirely gone now. The Elder was tired, but he also didn’t want to fall asleep right away. He wanted to stay up, talk to her, find out more about her. With dawn rapidly approaching he knew that wouldn’t happen, but it didn’t lessen his desire any. He rolled onto his side, sliding the comforter over his body and propping his head up on one hand as his elbow rested across the pillow. Gremlin was making her way onto the bed again, the sheet cocooned around her, she really was a unique little thing. He had to give her that. As she said his name his expression lightened, eyes finding hers as he made a noise of acknowledgment. “Hmm? What is it?” The tone was genuinely curious though a little sleepy. Even if he was fighting sleep tooth, nail, and claw.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 8:29 pm
Once back onto the edge of the bed herself, she rolled over once so that she was securely on her side, rolled up tight in the sheet like a cozy little Gremlinpillar. Staring at Ace from where she lay, she watched him stretch and eventually get beneath the comforter before turning toward her. She wiggled her body a liiiiittle closer and stopped, her eyes locked on his. "Are you comfy?" Yep. That was it.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 8:54 pm
Ace watched the display, laughing quietly as she inched her way into bed. He'd honestly never encountered someone like Gremlin before, there was such a strong individualistic thread about her character that seemed to naturally feed his curiosity. He enjoyed her company. It felt like... well, home, if he could really put the feeling to a single word. Using that word made him apprehensive however, his instinct to block it, but he was too tired to fight how he felt. "Yes." His eyes met hers calmly, holding the moment, really searching them. She really did have beautiful eyes. He smiled warmly, watching her inch a little closer and he wondered if she was just going to sleep in her sheet like some strange, cotton cocoon. More than likely. If it made her feel safe that's what mattered. Even if some part of him wished she were under the covers with him, where he could hold her close. It was easy to see he was growing more and more tired by the second now that he was lying down, comfy, and the weight of the evening was felt in full. "How about you? That sheet comfy enough?" He chuckled a little, finding her attachment to the piece of linen endearing in a way.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:11 pm
She could feel herself falling into his warm gaze again, but this time she recognized it for what it was and did not shy away. Besides, he looked at her just as much as she looked at him, so how could he possibly see her as strange? Because that was what she most feared now, that he would find her impossibly weird, with all her quirks and strangely childlike behaviours. He would grow weary of it, tire of her, and ultimately push her away. She did not want that, but she could hardly change herself for somebody else, either. So, she wiggled closer still, and even though she had said that the bed was big, the space between them had suddenly become relatively small indeed. She fought against an urge to yawn, her eyelids growing a little heavy. "Mmmhmmm," She replied, compromising her urge to yawn to let out a tired sigh instead. "Ace?" She asked again, this time quieter than before.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:25 pm
Ace studied her face as she stared at him, committing it to memory, every curve, every scar, everything that made her Gremlin. Maybe he was a romantic at heart, in fact he knew he was, but he really just wanted to remember her face. Especially if he never got a chance to see her again after tonight. The thought made him sad, in fact, he kind of hated it. But what was he supposed to say? Hey, stay here with me in someone else's vardo? It'll be so romantic. "Good." He laughed softly as the noise of affirmation came. She was closer now, still inching towards him. It was pretty impressive how smoothly she was maneuvering around in that sheet. He wondered how many times she'd done this before. Ace quirked a brow, inquisitive, but didn't make any attempt to move away from her steady advance. Even if he had the energy he didn't want to move, to put distance between them. "Yes?" The word was warm, full of humor. He wasn't sure what other burning questions she had but he was happy to humor her, besides, it got her to talk and he found the sound of her voice soothing.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 10:07 pm
It wasn't a question this time that fell from her lips. Instead, it was simply a statement, her eyes still glittering with positivity that could not be quelled. "I am very happy that I met you tonight, and I just wanted to thank you. You said we would go on an adventure, and we did exactly that." She smiled softly at him, and then took another long, slow inhale and exhale, her eyes going half-lidded. She wasn't tired; she told herself she could fight this and stay awake all through the morning hours.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 10:24 pm
Even through the onslaught of drowsiness Ace seemed taken aback for a moment. He hadn't been expecting that. But it made him feel warm to know that she felt that way about the entire debacle. In his mind it had been a near disaster, they'd almost died, but when she put it like that he reconsidered and realized that if it hadn't turned out the way it did he wouldn't be in bed with her right now, sharing this moment. Somehow it made the horror and the fear and the danger worth enduring. "I do my best to keep my word. Though next time I promise it will be a little more fun. Maybe more dancing and less Werewolves, hmm?" He smiled. "And Gremlin... I'm happy I met you too." His eyes were growing more heavily lidded, he could feel how close she was and it took a lot for him not to just pull her into him and fall asleep with his arms around her, nose buried in her neck or her long, dark hair. The thought made him sigh a little. His eyes trying hard to stay open, to seem alert. He wouldn't be able to fight it much longer.
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Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2023 10:38 pm
She was drawn to him. That much she could not deny now. She was drawn to him when they were still in the city and was drawn to him here, lying in bed just inches apart. A substantial part of her urged her to either move in closer or to pull an arm free so she could reach out and cup his cheek with her hand. She just wanted to get rid of the distance between them, to feel him, but she knew if she did that, she would want more, and she had no idea if he felt the same way. For all she knew, he was just a very happy, friendly, kind gentleman. For all she knew, he could be relieved to be rid of her by the following evening, despite the pleasant words that he offered. Tomorrow evening, they would part. She had already decided as much, despite how much it hurt. And afterwards.....afterwards, who knew? She could hold onto hope. Now she did yawn and offered him a sleepy smile directly afterward. "Dancing sounds nice. I would love to go dancing." She said, giving a tired nod, and then the sun rose, and she was only a very young vampire and a clanless one at that. No matter how much she told herself she could fight it, she most definitely could not. Her eyes slid shut, and she was utterly dead to the world.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2023 1:03 am
The Elder watched as sleep began to claim her and his smile softened. Even though she was quirky, and different, and not like any other vampire he'd ever encountered in his unlife, there was something ultimately precious about her, something he felt both connected to and protective of. But she wasn't his. Despite the hints, which could have easily been those of someone who just wanted to feel safe after something terrifying had happened to them, he wasn't sure if he'd only made a friend or if there was more there. As much as he wanted there to be more he couldn't risk ******** up and jumping the gun. Not if there was a chance she felt the same. "Then it's a promise." He whispered, his arm slipping under the pillow as he nestled his head into the soft material. He didn't let sleep claim him until she'd fallen asleep, his blue eyes filled with affection, a look he hadn't given to anyone in... who could remember how long? Or who he'd last looked at the way he was looking at Gremlin now? No. He hadn't looked at anyone that way before. Only her. "Goodnight, little Garnet." His eyes closed peacefully, falling into a deep and restful sleep just as the sun began to crown over the horizon. As they slept the note he'd written made its way to a trusted member of the Kumpania. The biggest ask, aside from hanging their clothes to dry, was that they check the woods for a white sheet. When they awoke come the evening their clothing would be dry and ready for them, someone had even mended Aces shirt. But there was one thing he'd hoped they could manage above any of the other requests. And they did. Luckily, the Werewolf had torn the sheet off and left it lying across a bush. So, cleaned, mended, and neatly folded next to Ace's blue shirt, was Gremlins ghost sheet.
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