[Fini] Far From Home [Xenon]

[Vyn]

Poe enjoyed watching Apocalypse. She was usually more of a daydreamer than a people watcher, but here she couldn't take her eyes off him. His mockery of her dreamy tone caused Poe to giggle softly.

"I believe a grin suits you far better than tragedy, Apocalypse." He seemed the sort to smile even if the world really was ending.

Her gaze met his, momentarily, and she was surprised to find a hint of red on his cheeks. What could have teased such a cute look onto his face? Alas, before she could acknowledge it, it was gone and the pale human was launching himself into the water.

Unable to resist the urge to laugh at his antics, Poe gave herself a small boost from her Diamond levitation ability and hopped out into the deeper water as well. When she popped her head back above the surface she would be standing with the water just over her wings but she still had her feet lightly planted on the sandy bottom.

[carcinoGeneticist]

The temperature of the water was a bit of a blessing, because something in her statement deepened the man's blush and stirred something else in him. The cold water snapped his mind out of those wicked thoughts, though he had a moment to dwell on what, exactly, the woman had done to turn his thoughts so grin.

She'd complimented him, in a strange way, but that wasn't new. No, it was something else. Something in the way she said his name, soft and light, unafraid of the connotations that went along with it. She seemed to enjoy the sound of it, and he rather enjoyed the sound of her saying it. It sent his mind to all sorts of dark places, and it wasn't long at all before his blush had returned, cold water be damned. He popped up out of the water with a gasp, throwing his head back, soggy hair flying back away from his face. Then he grinned at the bird, glad to see she was seeming to enjoy herself, as well.

He slowly turned onto his back and kicked in the bird's general direction. Since he wasn't able to see where he was going while he swam like that, his head bumped lightly into Poe, and he angled his face back until he could see her better. "Oops," he commented lightly, reaching up and lightly running his finger across her beak, grinning warmly at her. That blush was still as obvious as ever on his cheeks.

[Vyn]

Humans on land were interesting, so graceful. Humans in the water were no different. Poe's eyes were riveted to Pale, amused by this way his water-laden hair stuck to his face in a shaggy blond mess. Poe couldn't stop grinning either. Lounging in the water, enjoying the cool lapping against her feathers, and taking in the intriguing way he stroked along on his back Poe didn't even think to move as Apocalypse drifted right into her.

Before she could prepare herself he had reached up, hand on her beak to brush away the little droplets of water from her beak. "Oh..." The finch giggled a little nervously and turned her head away, happier than she'd ever been before to have such thick dark feathers. "Hello there." Still blushing, but so was he and Poe could bring herself to say anything about how... wonderfully... close he was.

[carcinoGeneticist]

It was a strange thing for Poe to be so entranced by his human shape, for Apocalypse was equally enthralled by those with an animal form. The main reason for this interest was of course his own lack of one, an unfamiliarity with the differences in movement, in posture, even in the musculature... He spent so much time around those with human forms that this was exciting, in a way, and it took so much self control to keep from reaching out and really touching the beautiful Finch. He wanted to touch her for more reasons than just simple curiosity, of course, but that was a strong factor.

So when he finally gave into that urge, with the cover of a clumsy mistake, he was unable to keep the self-satisfied smile off his face. "Hello yourself," he murmured in reply, letting his hand trace down the edge of her beak, fingertips finally finding where her feathers began, slowly tracing through them.

Soft. Very soft. A low purr boiled up from his chest, and then he forced himself to bring his hand away. He wanted to touch more - across her neck and chest the feathers were much thicker, and they were a sensation he wasn't at all used to. So different from fur, and the way the water beaded on them and then slipped off was fascinating. His blush deepening for a moment, the man rolled in the water so that he was no longer floating on his back, but instead kneeling in the water before her.

"I - ah - you'll have to forgive me. Sometimes it's hard to keep track of where I'm going, and my hands have a mind of their own." He beamed at her, that touch of crimson still coloring his cheeks. "And I seem to be quite the failure when it comes to having a little splash, as well."

[Vyn]

Poe was blushing so hard that she was certain her feathers might light on fire at any second. Luckily, she noted to herself, they had a ready supply of water at hand were that to be the case. His hand sliding through the soft feathers on her cheek should have sealed the deal, should have made that burning blush consume her in a ball of fluttering heat. Also, luckily, it did not.

It did, however, leave her heart pounding like a monstrous drum against the meager cage of her ribs... and that purr, so low she was surprised she heard it at all over the internal thunder in her ears.

Her feathers fluffed up as his hand parted and a little shiver danced over the petite finch's form. "Nothing to worry about, really..." Neither of them seemed capable of kicking their fit of blushing and, inwardly, Poe wondered if this was something along the lines of flirting... "I can't say I mind, and as far as splashes go," this definitely wasn't a little one but... "I'm rather enjoying myself."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Damn. Damn, she was weaving quite the spell, and the man just didn't know how to fully react to it. His instant reaction was to try to seduce her fully. If he really put his mind to it, he was confident that he could have had her in his bed before the sun set. What was confusing him so terribly, though, was that he wasn't sure that was what he had wanted. Poe was innocent. That hadn't stopped him before, but this was something different.

He wanted to know what that something was. His eyes softened ever so slightly as she spoke, her voice making his heart fluttering lightly in his chest. Damn it, what was this? "I've never been so happy to hear those words. I don't know what I would do if I had overstepped a boundary." A smile, a shine in his eyes that betrayed some of his sometimes predatory playfulness. "And I'm even happier to hear that you're enjoying yourself, even if I'm afraid that I'm quite the bore."

The man went still for a moment as he looked her over, his lips sliding shut in an almost serene smile. Then he laughed, looking away from her and running a hand through his water-slick hair. "...I'm sorry."

[Vyn]

Poe laughed a little. There was nothing boring about this evening. It was simple, yes, but simple was wonderful when properly appreciated. "If you've seen Torquehelm then you would understand why something as simple at this - a dip in a lake in a beautiful garden with such nice company - is so special." Poe blushed a little under her feathers as she mentioned the word 'special' but luckily Pale would be oblivious to that. "It doesn't need anything more than what it is."

Her hometown was lovely, yes, and perfectly suited to the mindset of her region and their curse but it was not 'exciting' or even 'stimulating'. It was a sleepy place, like a land from a dream - or a nightmare - that moved at a different pace entirely of its own creation.

Had Poe intended to say more, she couldn't quite say. Something about Pale's serene smile stopped her in mid-thought to admire the human's expression. It had been a long time since she'd enjoyed the company of a human since leaving Vren's tower. How unique they all were, such subtle mysteries to each face. Vren never looked like this, so at peace.

His apology caused her little smile to widen and a small giggle to escape her beak. "You apologize too much, Apocalypse." If it weren't so forward, she might have kissed him for such an adorable habit.

[carcinoGeneticist]

This whole experience was new and exciting, though not for the same reasons as it usually was. Generally, Apocalypse was the one focusing on seduction, on making someone hang on his every word. Yet this... Poe spoke with a practiced ease, and he found himself waiting to hear whatever she would say next. Was this the power of Diamonds, or was it unique to the lovely little finch? The thought sent a small shiver down his spine, and for a moment, his eyes closed. Special. He wasn't something special, not in the slightest - he was a bad person through and through, in all the ways someone could be bad. He'd killed - he'd killed innocents, and enjoyed it - he was far from loyal, and he was inclined to leave a lover before they'd even returned from the bathroom after sex.

And yet, she seemed to think he was special. His eyes opened again, focused on her face. A smile twitched at his lips, and then his facial expression relaxed. The smile was gone, replaced by a seriousness that hadn't been there for the entire time they'd spent. The hand that he'd been running through his hair before paused, then he reached for her, touching her cheek again. What was he going to do, now? His mind was spinning in a way it hadn't done for a long time, making his movements feel graceless. That was something Apocalypse was sure of - he didn't like that feeling. He didn't like this feeling of confusion. There had to be something - something to focus on, something he knew.

I want her.

That was a start. "Then I won't apologize for this," he said, sitting up and leaning close in one fluid motion to kiss her as firmly as he knew how.

[Vyn]

What was that look about? Poe tilted her head a little, studying that pressed expression with a hint of confusion. He'd been so light throughout their meeting, what had brought upon such a serious face? His cryptic words only raised more questions, but Poe had no time to think of any before she was swept into a deep kiss.

Poe was, by all means, a simple girl. She smoked in her dens, she sang in her coffee shops, and otherwise she floated through life as more of a passing specter than an active participant. She had never been 'in love', she had never kissed anyone other than her brothers, and she had surely never experienced this level of intense passion.

In short, she was completely at a loss of a reaction.

There was no escaping his firm kiss (nor could she find any real desire to make it end) but her heart hammered away in her chest and her face burned so hot from the intensity of her blushing that she thought surely her chest would explode or her feathers would spontaneously burst into flame. Neither happened. In fact, before she knew it, Poe's wide eyes had closed a little and she leaned in a little to meet that sudden kiss.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Apocalypse's head was spinning, even as he lost himself further in that moment.

He'd been so confident before this. So sure in his words, in his wants. He'd seen an innocent girl walk into the Court, and he'd decided that he would test his luck with her. If things had gone as they normally did, he would have already finished with her, and she would be on her way home again. She never would have known that he probably wouldn't have remembered her name by the end of the week. But something had gone off the tracks somewhere in their little interaction. Something had distracted him from his original plan, and they seemed horribly ruined now.

But did that matter? He could remember her name - Poe, Poe, and she was moving into the kiss.

His other hand slid up to mirror the one on her cheek, then raked through her feathers until it had reached the back of her head. When he could no longer tolerate the spinning in his head, he broke the kiss, taking in a deep breath. He could feel her heart beating in her throat, and his own fluttering lightly. Slowly, he opened his eyes, meeting hers. A second later, he swallowed deeply, lips still parted. "...Ah... heh."