View Flat HTML
View Metadata
Search Post
Aldaras lets the university have hold of the necklace again so they can finish learning everything about it. He'll start molding it when the Dean's learned all of its quirks - trying it now could accidentally make some aspect of it worse. Besides, it takes time, it's not like he can manage any progress in the time that it'll take for the Dean to identify anyway. Best to know where he's going when he starts going there.
News spreads pretty quickly about the knife's new location at the bottom of the ocean. Aldaras and Sintre become celebrities, along with being rich. Sintre is nigh-impossible to find in his hermithood. Aldaras - is not. The necklace is his. The mission to go encase the knife in concrete was organized by him. He's now deemed to be an important person, and as bewildering as that is, he works to roll with it.
He ends up invited to a party. It's the type of party with lots of important, famous people attending. He can bring one guest with him.
Right, he knows who he wants to bring, but first he has to ask her. Time to go find Annie.
+ Show First Post
touchedinthehead
keep_busy
She drops her face into her hands and sobs. "That's - I - it's not even like - the necklace is right there -"
touchedinthehead
"You can," he says softly. (Please, he almost begs, just touch it, I love you, I hate seeing you like this, please I just want you to be safe.) "I'm - trying to offer other options, because I love you."
keep_busy
"Did the Dean say if - if reciprocal necklacing requires looking at the person?"
touchedinthehead
"No. He didn't get the chance to study it more in-depth. I - that's an option, too, we can try that if you need your mind guaranteed safe right now."
keep_busy
"I could barely even trike here I was so -" She takes her sweater off and wraps it around her head, over her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I just -" She gropes blindly for the box.
touchedinthehead
"It's okay," he assures, gently. He steers the box towards her hand, and - and then she touches the necklace. It feels like nothing at all.
keep_busy
She clenches the strand and then lets go.
She flops back in her chair.
She takes a deep, shuddering breath.
And says, "I don't seem to have had to look at you."
She flops back in her chair.
She takes a deep, shuddering breath.
And says, "I don't seem to have had to look at you."
touchedinthehead
"Oh."
(Don't kiss her, don't kiss her, don't you do it, Aldaras, don't you do it.)
keep_busy
She nudges her cardigan off her head and unties its sleeves and puts it back on.
And she looks at Aldaras, and she smiles, just a little.
And she looks at Aldaras, and she smiles, just a little.
touchedinthehead
He manages a little sad smile back.
"What do you want to do?" he asks, softly.
"What do you want to do?" he asks, softly.
touchedinthehead
He opens his mouth, and then closes it. "... Yes, I can shoo her?"
keep_busy
"...I mean, unless you had something planned for nowish that makes progress on the - catching the thimble person, because - that should probably be a higher priority, but - um."
touchedinthehead
"I didn't have any plans for it, I'm - a bit stuck, honestly, I'm really built more for organization and setting other people up to chase down a thimble-snatching terrible person." Pause. "I'll go shoo her."
He gets up, opens the door to Zevaia's room, and calls, "Zevaia, can you - shoo for -" Pause. He looks at Annie. "... A while?"
He gets up, opens the door to Zevaia's room, and calls, "Zevaia, can you - shoo for -" Pause. He looks at Annie. "... A while?"
cut_and_dried
"A while?" wonders Zevaia, as she gets up to leave. "How specifi-"
She sees Annie. She looks at the obviously open necklace case. Oh.
"... Right, leaving for a while now, bye."
She sees Annie. She looks at the obviously open necklace case. Oh.
"... Right, leaving for a while now, bye."
touchedinthehead
"Bye," he says, and then the door closes behind her and she's officially out of the apartment.
touchedinthehead
For a few delicious, wonderful seconds, all he does is kiss her the hell back. And then his head is annoying and gets in the way. He carefully extracts himself from the kiss, breathing heavily, and murmurs, "How - close are your preferences and thoughts now in comparison to before...?"
keep_busy
"How much detail do you want about my previous thoughts?" wonders Annie in a murmur.
touchedinthehead
Oh this is going to be difficult. "I. As much as - whatever you'd like to give me...?"
keep_busy
She giggles, then shakes her head and says, "Mostly intact apart from the obvious. And it's not like I didn't like you before. And what would you do if I were wildly different, kick me to the curb?"
touchedinthehead
"No. No, I don't think I could manage it," he admits.
Right. Mental morality checklist?
- She said before she was touched to just - roll with what she wants after.
- Her personality and preferences are 'mostly intact' aside from being in love with him.
- He offered other options and she went with this one despite his genuine efforts to convince her otherwise.
- She kissed him before she was necklaced.
- He is not, actually, capable of breaking up with her and trying would only cause pain and torment to them both.
- She is right there, she just kissed him, and between the two of them he's pretty sure he technically has less consent than she does, considering.
Fuck it. He's good.
He kisses her. Like he's drowning and she's his air, like he's starving and she's his sustenance, like he is fucking touched by a really thorough love necklace and he's been resisting it for ages and doesn't have to anymore.
Right. Mental morality checklist?
- She said before she was touched to just - roll with what she wants after.
- Her personality and preferences are 'mostly intact' aside from being in love with him.
- He offered other options and she went with this one despite his genuine efforts to convince her otherwise.
- She kissed him before she was necklaced.
- He is not, actually, capable of breaking up with her and trying would only cause pain and torment to them both.
- She is right there, she just kissed him, and between the two of them he's pretty sure he technically has less consent than she does, considering.
Fuck it. He's good.
He kisses her. Like he's drowning and she's his air, like he's starving and she's his sustenance, like he is fucking touched by a really thorough love necklace and he's been resisting it for ages and doesn't have to anymore.
keep_busy
She is entirely on board with this project. Well, insofar as trying to move it along a bit past Step 1 counts as being on board as opposed to something else.
touchedinthehead
Ha!
Aldaras is totally fine with this development and is pretty happy to help.
Aldaras is totally fine with this development and is pretty happy to help.