Random 58

A smile appeared. "You know, I would rather be next to a warm body. But there's one thing I ought to tell you before," he said before sipping some more tea. "I'm attracted to you, though I doubt that's any surprise to you. I wouldn't prefer the bedroll, but I'd also not try to take advantage unless given sign that it's all right." Another sip. He put the empty cup down. "There. I've said it."

Sylvie looked at the ceiling for a moment, picking her words. "Let me put it like this. I promise to not take advantage if you'd rather have a bit more rest tonight."

For a moment, the wet, silver-haired half-elf looked at her with wide eyes. Then he reached out for Sylvie's hand, hesitantly -- though not because he was uncertain of attraction. "Can I ask for a favour before we go upstairs, then?"

She took his hand immediately. "What?"

"Kiss me."

After a short chuckle, she did.

And after that little show of attraction was done, he blinked again, raising a hand to her cheek. "Well. That was worth the wait." Kai looked around, specifically toward the stairs. And having done that, he gave her another peck on the lips. "Thank you."

She leaned her forehead to his for a moment, and refrained from calling him silly. Then she got up to wash out their cups, and scooped up the sleepy dragon, very quickly moving him to the crook of her arm. He was warm-bordering-on-hot, so one layer of cloth between him and her skin was better than none. She couldn't leave him in the kitchen unsupervised.
He would just have to sleep in the clothes trunk.

Come dawn, or what there was to be seen of one, Kai woke up and startled. He found a warm, naked body against his own naked body. A glance at the sleeping, copperish face and the red hair suddenly hit his mind like a hammer on an anvil. The half-elf remained still for a while before leaning his head against Sylvie's, glad to be warm and next to someone, even though he knew this was going to be another day of solving other people's problems... and only being paid with a handful of affection, or so he saw it.

It was too lonely, this kind of life. And to him, this strange, charming, attractive woman would have been something to cherish -- and that was another reason to feel sad, because he'd felt that way a few times. And always been left alone, for one reason or another, but they all came back to Sebastian, the cunning rogue and daredevil.

He was getting sick of it. Still, Sylvie was next to him. It had been a rough, rough patch, and the support the woman from Eodea had given him had been... well... invaluable. Especially very recently.

Too lonely.

To calm his mind a little and to bask in the feeling that someone, at least, didn't try to mess with his head, Kai snuggled closer to Sylvie, accidentally scratching her neck with his stubble. He would dearly have wanted to doze a bit longer, just to enjoy a body next to him, a body who posed no malicious intent.

Sylvie was, in fact, not out to mess with his head. She worried a little that it was exactly what she was doing, anyway. Just breathing and enjoying the moment a little longer she pushed that worry to the back of her mind. It had to wait until later. Too much of a distraction from goings-on more important than their personal lives. The little voice pointing out that if she minded distractions that much, she should have cut out the flirting went with it. Before idle thoughts could spiral out into something silly like regret, she pushed herself out of her half-dozing state.

"Mornin'?" The first thing she saw in the grey light was white hair an an eartip. She smiled. All things considered, she still felt worlds better for having found someone she trusted enough to get close.

Rain was still drumming everything outside, making it impossible to forget they had work to do.

The next thing to emerge were two green eyes, very much alter. Though he still looked like he had walked through hail and snow and slept badly for the past days, his lips curled into a soft smile. "Morning," he said, pushing his forehead against her head. He, too, was aware of the rain, but it seemed justified to enjoy having rested and having someone nearby. For a while, anyway. "Just a moment longer, please? Then... business."

Sylvie replied with an affirmative hum. She had a dragon to rescue, too, but--

A loud knock on the door made her flinch. "Sylvie, are you up?" That was unmistakably Gemma.

"Not quite yet", she answered, sitting up on the edge of the bed.

"Can you explain the state of the kitchen?"

"Yes. Can it wait a few more minutes?" Maybe they wouldn't have to tell the story several times, then.

"All right." Indistinctly, her retreating steps and muttering were audible.

Kai twitched at the knocks and was suddenly entirely awake. He followed the conversation for a moment, trying to helplessly keep his lips from twitching. By the time Sylvie and Gemma had finished their exchange and the steps had faded, he buried his head into her shoulder and chuckled silently.

By contagion, Sylvie grinned.

"What?" She would have stood up if Sebastian - Kai, she reminded herself - had not been leaning on her.

"I'm sorry. I felt like I was in my teens again," he said by way of explanation, grinning, touching her cheek and got out of the way, fishing for his clothes. "It's a good feeling."

"Hmph. Doors are a wonderful thing. Do you need a comb?" She picked through some of her possessions that she had on the windowsill last night while looking for a bandage for Se- Kai's wrist.

"Oh, yes. To both, please. My kit is back at House Crow, and I think you might guess how much... work this sort of hair needs." He blinked, wincing pathetically as he combed through it with his fingers. It was a little rougher in texture than it looked, but never curled even in the worst of damp conditions. That was at least a blessing. "Would you mind...?"

She'd twisted her own hair up and pinned it in place with the two pieces of kindling she had borrowed from Auker's kitchen and meanwhile smoothed out a bit.

"Bit of help? All right, turn around." She sat down cross-legged on the bed and started near the tips, because otherwise it would have led to impossible to dissolve tangles. "Or I could get a knife," she said, drawing a short line on the back of his shoulder to suggest a more manageable length, but went back to combing right away.

"You know, that might be a bad idea at all. It's starting to get heavy again," Kai muttered, closing his eyes as the comb went through his hair. It was rough, yes, and it was also damn thick. "I like to keep it long, but... well, this is getting a bit ridiculous, isn't it?" He wondered if he should tell the story about why he kept it so long, not that is was much of a story. It was a bit embarrassing.

"Well, it would be more manageable." She was holding a thick strand in her left so it wouldn't pull while she tried to get rid of a nest at its end. "Anyway, if you decide to cut it today, it should be soon." Not after there'd been more time put into detangling it. She was picturing someone right now mopping up the mess they'd left, and did not want to leave everyone waiting long.