Volcano's edge [Closed] x3

[Satra]

"Boring? Please, I spent nearly a year as a house mate of a Parakeet. Trust me, it's a welcome change. Besides, what's wrong with a Bird of prey?" She put her tea down to carefully take the large, awkward black box. She looked it over. This was the object that made these pictures? It was quite an ugly thing that created such beauty... no, not create. Copy. She had no idea how to even work it, just to be careful with it.

"No, that's not necessary. It's just... yes, it really is quite amazing. You should show me how it works sometime..." she was more interested in his stories now than in this object. Some other time. Hopefully he would welcome a return visit. She chuckled as she added a fair amount of the vodka to her own tea.

"I... may not look it, but I am not a light weight, but I'll keep that in mind," she smiled, taking a sip of her now spiked tea. Her tail was wagging more consistently now. That was good, not only mixed, but he was right. The quality of the vodka itself was... well, she hadn't had anything quite like it since she'd lived in the palace with her dad. She put the cup down and returned the camera, not quite sure what to do with it.

"Thank you for showing me..." she listened to him speak of the Tulgey Wood, "Maybe, but I'm still a foreigner to them, neighbor or not. So, what happened in the Wood?" her attention on him, she smirked, "Who knows? I might share some of my own adventures." She took another sip of her "tea".

[Nathalia]

"Well, I'm glad to hear you enjoy me talikng your ear off...careful, it might become a habit."

He teased, glad that she was reaffirming her desire to stay and spend time with him...he hadn't realized just how much he'd missed it. Dymphna would sit and chat with him sometimes...but she was never this involved. He really had needed a friend, hadn't he?

"I suppose there's nothing wrong with Birds of prey if you can stand our horrible squawking."

He said with a grin, taking back the camera and flipping the shutter open. He then placed it it on the table and went over to the closet, tugging out the camera stand, long spindly black legs with a tiny platform for the camera. Twisting the camera into place he focused it for a few seconds.

"You want to see how it works? Here, I'll show you, it's no problem. Stand over near the window, we'll need the light with this lens, you'll notice that none of the pictures in my books are taken at night unless there were lots of artificial lights around."

He moved over to her and shoved a small couch in front of the window. Gesturing to it, indicating that she should have a seat, he began to fiddle with the camera again, twisting a few knobs so that the strange object clicked quite a bit.

"Ah, I actually hadn't pegged you as a light weight at all. I was just a warning in case you misjudged the content, I've certainly done it before...ask the Queen sometime...I've been found flat on the floor once or twice. I wouldn't worry too much, there we go."

He grabbed up his teacup and took another few sips as he headed over toward her, sitting on the couch and looking up at her with an idiotic grin.

"Come on, make a face, the camera'll go off in a few seconds, see the little red light? Just make sure you're looking in that direction and you'll be facing the right way in the picture. Sit with me, it'll be hilarious, I need a picture of you for the records anyway."

He said it with a slight blush, but he figured she would be the type of person who could just play everything off, she shouldn't be offended.

"Well, if you know anything about me by now, you'll know that I would love to know more about the Bog, anything you can tell me would be fantastic...by all means don't let me monopolize the conversation unless you want me to. Ok, either smile or do something stupid!"

There was a bright flash as the camera went off and then it hissed and whirred for a few seconds, a small slip of grey, wet paper sliding out of the front. Bernard would wait a few moments, then extract himself and grab the small slip of paper, placing it on the bookshelf out of the direct light.

"Ah...the Tulgey. If you ever do go...which I don't recommend, make sure you take an actual Tulgey guide...never rely on maps. I bought a map made by a Tulgey dweller...it was an incredibly dim thing to do. Have you ever seen a Spider? I...I ran into one of those...like your Dragonfly Queen...nowhere near as friendly though. I was nearly eaten...I'm certain, if I hadn't taught the thing a light spell, I'm quite certain he would have eaten me. Cannibal...a monster. The people there are very unwilling to interact with outsiders...ever."

[Satra]

A habit? Well, there were many habits Heilyn had that she enjoyed, why not add another one? He was being just as welcoming as she was. It was nice to have someone she could genuinely open up to. Her ears perked up as she watched him intently as he fiddled with the various knobs on the camera. She shrugged and moved over to the couch as instructed, then sat as he offered. She had to smile. That idiotic grin of his was actually quite endearing. She looked at the camera and saw the red light. Alright, so just look there...? Wait...

"A picture of me... for the records...? Record of what?" People in the Court? Odd things he's seen? She was curious. Normally she'd worry, be she felt she could trust him, especially with that silly little blush he had. She bit her lip, trying not to laugh at him.

"I'd love to share with you more stories of the Bog. My apology for hogging all the enlightenment," she teased, "I'll be sure to share some." Smile or do something stupid? GAH! The picture was being taken now! She did the first thing that came to mind which was to grab the King that was within arm's reach and put a knuckle to his head. Well, if that wasn't stupid (on multiple levels, might I add), she didn't know what was. However, she received a horrible surprise as a very bright light went off quite suddenly. She dropped him in surprise as her eyes shut and ears went back. At least she managed not to yelp. Maybe being temporarily blinded wouldn't get her thrown out immediately for man-handling Bernard. After a pause or two she was able to open her eyes, though still unable to see a whole lot, then chuckled.

"I know you didn't know this, but for the record, the Bog is a very dark place with most of the sunlight being blocked out by the thick canopy of trees. most of the lighting is artificial, and even then, you can only get so much light from lanterns. We're not fans of bright lights. I actually had the lights in my own room modified to be a bit dimmer than they were originally. Just so you know." Her tone was very light. She knew he really didn't know, but, damn, if it was annoying. She blinked a few times. Shapes were starting to make themselves known again. This is good. She scooted a hair away from him, not out of anger, but almost apology. Honestly, what was she thinking grabbing him like that? Oh that's right, she'd done what he told her: do something stupid.

"A Spider? No, never. There's a rumor of one with the Raiders, but only one has claimed to have seen him. What else did you want to know?" she asked, hoping that if he did get offended, this would ease his anger. "Did you want more facts, or would you like me to share more personal stories as you have?"

[Nathalia]

"For the palace records, don't worry, I'll show you the others too...I tend to make them...stupid. Then they're more fun to flip through and people remember who's who better."

He grinned, and saw her smile back...good, he would really love to know more about the Bog...really. He wanted to go there but...poisonous air...he just wasn't sure.

"Good, can't have you getting all the enlightenment...I'd be liable to throw a tantrum." He joked, as she sat down next to him.

His thoughts were interrupted however when the Coyote suddenly grabbed him and yanked him to her, digging her knuckles into his hair and throwing him off balance. The King let out an incredibly surprised squawk. No one had done anything like that to him since...since...

Lin...

He laughed and squirmed slightly, then felt her tense up... Then she dropped him.

"Heilyn? Ummph!"

He began to ask what was wrong before his face met the carpet. It wasn't a long fall by any means, just enough of one to shut him up for a few seconds as he picked himself back up, then he heard her chuckling. With a half smile, he turned back to her and sat himself back on the couch, ready to make a joke...and saw her eyes were out of focus.... What...?

"Oh...oh hills, Heilyn I'm sorry. Are you alright?"

She scooted away from him and he felt worse. Damn, he watched her eyes and was heartily relieved to see her moving them around again as they came back into focus...good god, he hadn't even considered it...

"I had no idea, I really am sorry, can I do anything?"

He asked, putting an arm around her shoulder...hoping she wouldn't take a whack at him..it would be justly deserved... He sighed a little when she didn't and appeared to simply get over it...thank god...

"Well, consider yourself lucky...Spiders tend to be...a little off and, in my humble opinion, frightening. Me? Well, I would love to know how you manage to keep fire around without the entire place exploding..especially now that I've witnessed first hand how well fire reacts with the Bog's gasses. Any personal stories are welcome too, heaven knows I thrive on them."

[Satra]

Her ears honed in on the exact location of his voice, dark spots still invading her vision. She was relieved, however, that he seemed to have no intention of throwing her out.

"Bernard, please! There wasn't anyway you could've known. Well, yes, but that chance was very slim. It's not your--" she was cut off by the feeling of an arm being wrapped around her shoulders. Oh~ She was not sure if this was a good thing or not. Being touched in such an intimate way, platonic or not, had a profound effect on her. Seth was a nice treat, stopping her dry spell from becoming an outright drought, but as infrequently as she saw him....

Alcohol wasn't the only thing she'd have to control herself with this evening, it seems.

She leaned into the touch, scooting back a little closer to him. Her tail gave a stiff wag and her voice softened. "Don't be so hard on yourself. There's not much we can do, 'cept wait." This was too much, really. She gave a stifled laugh.

"So, I get invited back to your room, offered alcohol, get serenaded, now here we are," she put her fingers... somewhere on him, it felt like the ribcage, the gaze of her smile was slightly unfocused, but in generally the correct direction. She paused, she really didn't want to miss this. "Y'know, if I didn't know any better..."

Her vision was coming back. The stories could wait for just a moment...

[Nathalia]

"All right, if you're sure you're ok. I'm really terribly sorry."

He felt horribly embarrassed, the blush erupting slowly across his face...he wished he didn't turn red so easily...the curse of light skin and fair hair...

She moved back in closer, and the King felt a bit better. People didn't move back in if they were angry, unless she was going to shove him off the couch again...but he would survive. Her tail wagged and assuaged that fear, however. Good, he didn't mind waiting for her to regain her vision, so long as she would be ok.

"Don't worry about it, we can just wait a few moments, here, I'll just..."

He made as though to get up, thinking he would pull the drapes closed so that the last of the light from outside would be cut down, dimming the room a great deal.... but the her hand...was um...put on his chest.

".....Close the...drapes..."

And he suddenly found that he didn't want to get up yet.... Her next words startled him back to reality. He flushed a deep crimson and shot off the couch, pulling the drapes shut for something to do and then going over to the camera and closing it and its stand up, to put it away.

"Oh geeze...I-I didn't mean to allude to that. God I'm sorry...I...I've made a mess of this afternoon, haven't I?"

Great...way to ruin a friendship, Bernard. Way to ruin it. She may have been putting it politely, but she was clearly asking the weird old man to back the hell off. It had just been...he had always been a bit of a tactile joker, he hadn't meant to insinuate that.

[Satra]

Her tail wagged happily as he began to relax. Oh, she should not be giving into this, but she knew his intentions were completely innocent. Oh, yes, close the drapes~ She leaned in a little closer.

Her eyes went wide when there was suddenly not a body underneath her. She gave a "Mmrf!" in surprise as she fell onto the couch in a soft 'fump'. She pushed herself up with her hands and searched around the room. Damn. Her sight had not fully come back. Well, the close up of the reaction was quite excellent. Now to try to get him back...

She simply sat on the couch and watched the shadowed figure that was Bernard scurry around and put things away. Her tail was still, she merely watched with eyes nearly half-lidded, almost seeming to ignore his statement. She heard it, and curced herself for saying it. He was getting so comfortable...

"Bernard," she called to him, but not in the usual cold neutrality she used to talk to most other people. There was a softer edge to it, her presence dominate without the use of her magical ability. She reached a hand out, indicating the spot he was sitting before, implying for him to sit. It didn't matter to her that she was offering him a seat in his own room. "If I had thought that was your intent from the beginning, I would've taken your booze and left laughing at you."

"Sit," she commanded softly.

[Nathalia]

Bernard swiveled the camera legs back into their correct position so that it would fold back up and he could shove it into the closet.

He moved quickly and fumbled with the stand, then nearly dropped the camera, unable to notice that Heilyn had fallen sideways after he sprang up. He felt like a fool...a massive, massive fool!

"I...yes?"

He asked when she called his name. He hoped she wasn't about to chew him out...what if she informed her father back in the Bog? What if he had just destroyed his own Court's chances at having great relations with the outer realm by acting like a moron?

He would never forgive himself if that happened...he had to be the biggest idiot ever...

If I had thought that was your intent from the beginning, I would've taken your booze and left laughing at you.

"What? Oh..."

He watched her pat the seat next to her...she didn't seem angry and...wait. Oh hills what was going on? He was either in the presence of an extremely forgiving person...o he had been misinterpreting her statements all night long...

You keep forgetting that you're old, Bernard...you're 53...she's just being nice...

However, he did as she said and sat back down next to her, glancing over at her with a weak smile.

"I...appear to be rather poor at interpreting your intentions, Heilyn...sorry."

He stared at his hands, not sure of what to do...he was supposed to be the King for crying out loud...what was he doing wrong? And what did the Coyote actually want? Hills this was confusing...

[Satra]

My goodness, he was flustered, wasn't he? Her expression became amused. The man clearly was not ignorant of the ways of sexuality... perhaps he was just unassuming? She... was a little unsure of her own actions. She very much enjoyed the friendship that was budding so beautifully between them, but at the same time... there was something about about him that made her desire him... Maybe we're just both so deprived and we're picking up on it, she thought to herself. She returned a slightly stronger smile at him. She scooted in to where their knees where touching and she played with his bangs.

"It appears our respective isolations have affected us negatively in some way. This is the first time in a long time I have been able to open up to someone else. Even back Home, I almost never did that. I would be greatly saddened if I were to lose such a rare person over a silly misunderstanding." Her voice was an unusual softness for her, and her hand traveled to the back of his head and gently pulled his ponytail to the front and she began twirling the blond hairs between her fingers. She let the ponytail fall back down, draped over his shoulder and she leaned onto him on her side and had scooted in the rest of the way to fill the gap between. She looked at him, odd, piercing yellow eyes meeting his softer golden ones.

"This is where we were before, yes?" Not quite, as she was much closer now than before. "Let's forget I said anything stupid that accused you, no matter how jokingly, of something you clearly were not attempting. Does that sound good to you?" her nose was close, and even at the soft level she was speaking, she knew her breath would tickle his cheek. She needed to find another way of going about getting what she wanted. I am going to drive you crazy until you give in.

[Nathalia]

He sighed, trying to formulate something to say to her in his mind...it was as though there was a reasonable explanation on the tip of his tongue...but he couldn't quite put it into words...not words that made sense...

"I'm...uh...H-Heilyn?"

She had scooted further forward, so that their knees were touching, and then she started playing with his bangs...she was...playing with his hair? That...

"I...I'd hate to lose your friendship over something like that too... It's hard for me to open up like this to people without them getting bored or thinking I'm just a little too odd."

Her tone had softened...and then she ran her fingers through his ponytail, twirling it lightly before tugging it forward and letting it fall limply over his shoulder.

His throat had tightened, and he couldn't manage to force any words out...She moved closer, leaning onto him and trailing her fingers over him.

Oh hills...oh hills what now?

She gazed up at him, her eyes yellow, with a slit black pupil...they were pretty...

She said something, her breath tickling his cheek, but he missed what it was she said, just nodding a little and looking over her to the window. He wished...

He wished he knew what he was supposed to feel...

"Why don't you fill me in, then? On a personal story...your turn."

He whispered, unwilling to move from the spot...but wishing that he could...right? He hadn't been this confused in years.