Hello, everyone! after dealing with real life and the other nonsense of living, panny and i have decided to bring back war of change. give a round of applause. we’ve worked through all of the information and hopefully improved coherency and cohesion; however, tell us if we missed something. eventually, we’ll announce an event to celebrate the re-opening, so look out for information on that. -RAIDNE, THE HEAD ADMIN
From the moonless night, screams of terror and fear resound, spreading across the world and infecting the masses; however, those sleepless nights occurred years ago. A new era began with the fires of war, and with no end in sight, the residents of Selene Isle trudge through life, basking in the momentary peace. Despite their prayers for continued monotony and peace, a storm brews, stirred to life by the continued presence of Rapture and Wraith. And as we set our sights on the seemingly peace laden isle, we must ask: how shall this tale end?
As the years passed, the number of true pairs increased; however, they continued to live in the shadows, catering to the whims of the mundane. Seven Moons kept watch over them all, instructing them and assisting them, but for many, the attitudes and ideals of the organization were smoldering, suffocating. With Seven Moons and the mundanes, they could not grasp the freedom, the power dangling before their eyes. In the beginning, rebellion was a dream, a fantasy, a figment—developed by the repressed and carried forward due to the nature of humanity. No one expected the call to sound, and no one expected the call to be answered. However, it happened.
the scenery below could only entertain her for so long before her thoughts began to wander. despite a backdrop of concrete, her electric stars brought home memories of real stars.
regel considered herself pretty impartial to life on selene isle. the only thing that saddened her was the light pollution. the stars here were not as bright as they were at home and she sorely missed seeing the dark sky filled with their twinkling presence. the sky here was a lonely one. she pushed the thought down with some frustration. ghosts of the past seemed to follow her like a plague. sometimes, regel wished she could just wipe her mind clean; start fresh with a blank slate. however, she knew she would never want to let go of some things (climbing up onto their roof at night to enjoy the crisp air; falling asleep in empty fields under the watchful stars).
stop it. she didn't want to think about those times. they were precious memories but circumstances had long since spoiled the value of their nostalgia. focus on the present, she reminded herself.
leaning back in the bench, regel shivered when the cold metal came in contact with her shoulders. noticing nimat fidget for a moment, she briefly wondered if he was uncomfortable with the ride (or god forbid, her presence). regel wasn't sure she wanted to find out the answer. instead, she decided to gauge his reactions. groping for a subject of conversation, she fell into a familiar routine.
nimat's train of thought wasn't nearly so sentimental. on the absolute contrary; he kept his head occupied so his heart didn't have to be. focusing his attention out the window he admired the scenery that the stretch of isle provided, picking out relevant landmarks. he noticed he could see sweet briar from where he sat, and remembering the situation from earlier, began mentally mapping out the district. he would probably forget the image within the hour, but if it might prevent another mishap, it was at least worth the try.
sooo... what do you do?
his ears pointed toward her before his eyes did, but he quickly sat back up to face her. he already felt like he should apologize; he had zoned out, as was his intention, but he had zoned out on the wrong thing. being alone like this, the pressure was on to provide some sort of entertainment— the first time they had to totally occupy each others' attention and he had wasted precious minutes of it staring out a window. it was true he had needed a distraction from the contents of his own head, but the distraction was right in front of him. what an idiot.
"oh, i'm a student," he stated what was already painfully obvious in everything he did, "a uh— history major." that part was always harder to get out. there was a lot of pressure to be productive, and if she had any criticisms, it wouldn't be the first time he had been scoffed at for picking a useless degree. the reception was always even worse when he would bring up the fact he wanted to be a teacher, but not everyone was cut out to be a scientist or engineer. at the end of the day, at least he was able to take comfort in the fact that he was doing what he liked.
"i also, uh, work at— ...sweet briar." this one, though, was much harder to admit, made worse even then by how close the place was to his heart. criticisms in this area were the ones that stung. flowers weren't a boy thing, yes. he knew. he could brace himself for that much, but he'd rather not have to. it was quicker and safer to just turn the subject, and that's exactly what he did.
"how about you?"
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: there
tagged: waifu
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it was obvious that nimat had a hard time parting with facts about himself. regel could respect that. she was about to change the topic when he spoke up.
'oh, i'm a student. a uh— history major. i also, uh, work at— ...sweet briar.'
she tried to be encouraging, giving him her brightest smile. deciding to take a shot in the dark, she blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "sounds good. so do you want to teach with that or..?" regel couldn't imagine nimat as a teacher. he was so submissive. rowdy students would try to take advantage of him in an instant. for some reason the thought made her oddly protective. don't touch nimat; she'll fight you for him.
regel wracked her brain for the second part of his answer. "sweet briar is the flower shop right?" it was a vague memory, but she sort of remembered passing it several times while she shopped in gibbous moon. studying nimat for an instant, she decided that flowers suited him very well. her smile widened, "do you have a green thumb?"
"how about you?"
the question made her pause. she hadn't expected nimat to turn it on her. but then again, when she used that line at work, people already knew what she did for a living. regel had never been ashamed about her profession, but she wanted to hide it from the boy. he was so innocent; she didn't want to face his judgement. "i'm a dancer."
his own preconceived notions about how their interactions would progress swayed him in his perception of her. that smile must have been one of amusement, or one that she forced; he couldn't imagine it being anything else. not for the first time, though, she managed to take him entirely off guard with pleasant surprise.
one way or another, she had hit the nail exactly on the head. giving her his most incredulous look so far, he almost asked how she had known that, but the enthusiasm died down quite quickly; what else was there that you could do with a history degree? it was an obvious conclusion to draw, but the fact she gave it enough thought to arrive there was a compliment in and of itself.
"yeah, actually. good guess," she continued to give him the time of day, and it amazed him more and more every time it happened. she was the first person in a long time he could honestly say he found easy to talk to— considering nimat, this was quite possibly the highest compliment he could afford a person. teaching had been the ideal for a while now; the opportunity to share what he loved with other people was something he had always wanted but never had. the idea of it was close to his heart, but he figured it was safe enough with her.
sweet briar is the flower shop right?
after the last part of this piece of conversation, he allowed himself to get a bit hopeful about how she'd respond to these things, but he couldn't help but get a little nervous regardless. he gave a few hesitant nods, as though he was admitting to a crime rather than hinting at a hobby.
do you have a green thumb?
it wasn't even surprise anymore; it was relief. he relaxed against the back of the seat, a small smile making its way onto his face as he talked, by no will of his own. "i don't know if i'd say that," though most other people probably would, "i do enjoy it, though. it's a nice place— it's relaxing. it always smells good."
but enough about nimat.
i'm a dancer.
this did catch his attention. it wouldn't have been his first guess, but he definitely believed it. it made a lot of things make sense; most immediately her injured ankle came to mind, but he also hadn't failed to notice with some jealousy that her muscle mass made him look even more pathetic than he was in comparison. he regarded her response with obvious admiration, if only because he was entirely oblivious to what she actually meant by it. "that's incredible. where? i'd love to see it sometime."
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: are u happy
tagged: waifu
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seeing nimat relax as he talked about the things he did was the most satisfying thing in her week so far. regel doubted anything else could top that. for whatever reason, nimat seemed embarrassed about what he did. once he opened up about the, he seemed to liked them enough; but getting there in the first place seemed to take the boy a lot of effort. regel couldn't think of a reason why. they were both... well, respectable. the exact opposite from her. and besides, she could admire his choices. history was hard; there were too many dates and too many dead white men. and flowers— well, regel couldn't even keep grass alive. she had no place to judge.
he was different. all together the polar opposite of the meat heads she was forced to work with. anyone with an actual brain in their head rather than a dick had her respect.
she wanted to ask him more questions; learn more about him. but nimat spoke up before she could open her mouth.
"that's incredible. where? i'd love to see it sometime."
regel had to work at keeping herself from freezing up. every fiber in her screamed no, no, no, no, no, no— she couldn't let nimat find out. regel never cared what anyone thought of her profession. it brought money in and got her by; that's what was important. she never cared for anyone else's judgement (saiph wasn't here to judge). in that jarring moment, she realized she cared what nimat thought. though she knew (or at least she hoped) he was not the type to leer at her like a piece of meat, 'stripper at blasphemy' didn't exactly give the best impression. the thought that nimat could think less of her filled her with unexpected dread. desperately, she groped for a lie.
"i'm kinda between jobs right now," she said, hoping it was believable.
"i can show you. if you want," she added as an after thought, thinking of her silks. that could be fun. or really awkward. she would cross that bridge when they got there. right now she wanted to turn the topic back to him. "what kind of history do you want to teach?"
everything about this conversation was simultaneously the most natural and unnatural he had felt in a very long time. it had only been days since they first met, and still he found it so easy and comfortable to talk about these meaningless private matters. with anyone else, giving up these simple facts felt like a surrender, but now, he almost would have liked to keep talking. the change of focus was far from unwelcome, though; he wanted to know about her as much as she knew about him.
he wondered if he should have asked, though. he was definitely no expert on body language, but if he had to guess, he'd say she looked uncomfortable.
i'm kinda between jobs right now.
her lie went on all without a hitch. nimat nodded understandingly; the arts were frustratingly undervalued in this day and age. knowing this did throw him for a bit of a loop, though. her injury hadn't gotten her fired, had it? would she be financially stable? these things were absolutely not his business, especially not this early on, but across from her, he worried silently. he was suddenly very aware of the sketchbook in his bag, and the thought occurred to him to show her, but he would keep it to himself for now. to say he understood, as someone who had never attempted to live off of his chosen medium, would make him a liar. he would save it for a less sensitive moment. "sorry to hear that— i shouldn't have asked."
i can show you, if you want.
without hesitation he gave several quick nods. he did want, very much. "yeah— when your ankle has healed. i'd love to see." he was sure it would be beautiful; he had never paid much attention to dance before, but he wished he had. he was genuinely intrigued by the idea of it, but he didn't know enough about the subject to even feel out what questions he should be asking. he assigned it to himself as more homework for the night; he would look into it.
what kind of history do you want to teach?
her question hit him while he was still thinking, but the colliding thoughts mashed together to make some sense. his intrigue was shared. that was why it was so easy to talk to her— because she was interested. to have someone express interest for what he had to say was something he had been starved for. he was so pleased. so, so pleased. it was dangerous.
all at once he was aware of how much value he had begun to assign to her opinion; for now, it was good, it gave her the power to crush him, too. consciously, he struggled to reel himself in, not intending to allow that to happen. his thick skin was what had allowed him to skate through life so far, and he was shedding it much too easily. his answer wasn't anything particularly remarkable, but still he prepared himself before he spoke; she would react however she would react, but he tried to remove his hopes from the equation.
"it's hard to say— i like all of it. i guess it would depend on who i was teaching..." he paused to think for a moment, but made up his mind quickly enough, "probably ancient history— or, world history. or— or people's history. they're all important."
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: talking about hsitory on a ferris wheel is like the least romantic thing ever
tagged: waifu
template by nocturne
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shifting in her seat, regel was suddenly glad that she didn't have her ears. she missed them, but watching nimat realized that they made her something of an open book. at least, that's what she watched now, observing nimat's mood changes in his ears. regel wasn't sure if her observations were entirely accurate, but she had been watching them for a while now. perked up and forward meant happy, that he was in a good mood; flattened back on his head meant that he was put off by something, upset, perhaps insecure. it wasn't the perfect guideline to understanding nimat, but it sufficed.
watching him now, regel could safely say that she didn't know what nimat was thinking. it was frustrating on some level, she was around men with one track minds most of the time; men who she knew how to wrap around her pinky finger. encountering one with some depth wasn't exactly jarring; regel could appreciate the brain in nimat's head. but not having the upper hand was disconcerting. for once she was on equal footing with her conversation partner.
which wasn't a bad thing, regel had to remind herself. she wasn't trying to manipulate nimat into doing anything. nimat was just someone who was kind enough to stop and help her when she needed help. someone who she just happened to make friends with. someone who she was having a friendly chat with. right. now.
"sorry to hear that— i shouldn't have asked."
regel silently thanked him for the reminder. she had a conversation to hold. she hardly had to think before a smile was finding its way to her face again (she honestly couldn't remember the last time that happened). "don't worry about it. it's only fair since you're telling me so much about yourself."
liar. the accusing word came unbidden. as hard as she tried to shoo it away, regel couldn't help but feel guilty for lying.
but it was necessary, she reminded herself.
nimat could never know.
"yeah— when your ankle has healed. i'd love to see."
the thought excited regel. she hadn't shown anyone her silks yet. they were untouched by her profession; pure. finally some dancing that didn't depend on her sex appeal. she shifted in her seat, suddenly unable to keep still, "yeah yeah," she waved his concern off quickly, "i can't wait to show you." regel did not know how much she meant that until the words escaped her mouth. once again, she was taken aback by her eagerness to spend time with the boy. perhaps he was working some sort of witchery on her. even if he did, regel did not think she had it in her to be angry about it.
instead, she found herself nodding along to his career plans, glad that he had taken the bait and accepted her subject change. too quickly, regel realized she was out of her depth. she wasn't smart or anything. when it came to the topics he was bringing up, regel knew next to nothing. keeping this going felt like navigating a minefield. she picked out her next question carefully. "why do you say they're important?" perfect.
it seemed every time he was reminded not to worry, he found cause to worry just a little bit more.
it's only fair since you're telling me so much about yourself.
of course, with nimat, things could never be easy. his tail pulled tight to his body and his ears swiveled back with no deliberation on his part. had he been talking too much? he was probably talking too much. it was startlingly easy to forget that they had only known each other for an accumulative few hours; she had yet to regard him coldly, as far as he could tell, but couldn't help but wonder if he was letting himself get carried away. he wished he could read her better— he thought he was catching on a bit, but it was better not to kid himself.
still, if he had to guess, he'd say she was excited. he hoped he wasn't just projecting his ideals onto her by thinking so.
i can't wait to show you.
even if it was in his head, there was something captivating about seeing the girl enjoy herself. he hadn't noticed the smile when it snuck onto his face, but there it was. she shifted in her seat, and he shifted in his, letting his hands come undone from the knot in his lap and rest more openly and casually at his sides. "i can't wait either."
he wanted badly to ask when— there was a chance these would turn out to be just empty plans, but he had invested himself in them. he wouldn't put any pressure on, but the finality of having a set date in mind would have given him some peace. she had no obligation to him, of course, and he wouldn't press the subject, but he would let himself hope for this.
he wanted to hear more about her dancing, but the subject had turned, and he couldn't say he minded.
why do you say they're important?
depending on how legitimate her interest was, this could have been a very good move, or a very bad one. the first question she had asked him had required some thought, but he set off down the track with this one as soon as the words had left her mouth.
"which part? where should i— i guess it's like— you have to know where you've come from— the patterns, so you can see them going forward, too—" he had begun so quickly and without script that his thoughts mended themselves as he spoke; it made perfect sense to him, but good luck to anyone looking in. "since the dawn of civilization certain trends have consistently appeared and reappeared and— what things worked and what didn't— it's all still applicable now. all of it."
when he had begun, his ears had been pinned nervously to his head again, but in no time at all they were swiveling around excitedly. "and it's important to hear about the people— the regular people, i mean— since that's almost everybody, you know? but— nobody ever— ..."
he had... definitely talked too much. it was the most either of them had spoken at all that night, and it was his uncoordinated rambling about things she probably couldn't even care less about. these were the things that he'd gotten so much ridicule for throughout the years— please don't see him that way. please don't see him that way. "s-sorry. sorry. sorry."
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: i hate history so much
tagged: waifu
template by nocturne
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regel would've been happy to just sit there and think about showing nimat her silks. hearing his anticipation voiced out loud, her mind was already wandering off. regel mentally sorted through her routines. she would show nimat one of the more impressive ones, of course. maybe even more than one. perhaps she should just put together a new routine. she had some new music that she had been dying to use. this would be a good occasion.
and there was the issue of time. as it was, regel was sure that hers and nimat's schedules were completely opposite. he would have to work and go to school during the day. all of her working hours were at night, stretching off into the wee hours of morning. nimat should have the most free time on weekends, she mused. weekends were the busiest days but regel thought she could spare one day to spend time with her newfound friend. yes, she would do that she decided.
she was almost too excited to notice nimat's hesitation in replying to her second question. regel looked up to see his ears pinned to his head. she had hit a sore topic again. if regel had to guess, nimt seemed insecure; so much that she was about to release him from her question. instead, she gave him her full, undivided attention, nodding along to his choppy explanation.
the boy just needed some support. within seconds he was loosening up again, and regel could see just how passionate he was about his subject. his enthusiasm was adorable. but all at once, he came to a halt and switched to stammering out apologies at her. regel felt sad; no one should be so apprehensive about their passions.
"it's okay," she said, trying at once to be simultaneously soothing and encouraging. regel wished she could have reached over and touched his hand or even better, wrap him up in a hug. but she was afraid that that might cross too many boundaries too fast. they had known each other for all of a couple hours, anyway. "that was really interesting, actually. i wish my teachers tried to tell us that. it's a lot better than telling us to memorize a bunch of dead people and dates."
in an attempt to calm himself, nimat had adjusted in his seat once more, dragging the bag from beside him into his lap and wrapping around it. nervously averting his eyes, his attention turned partially to the window once more. they were reaching the top of the cycle again, and the view did bring him some peace.
it's okay.
her words had served their intended purpose, as had other things. he still thrummed with nervousness, but it was almost more frustration than that. his mood had taken him in so many directions over the course of this past twenty minutes or so that it was emotionally exhausting. he was enjoying their conversation, but this type of connection and exposure wasn't something he was used to yet. he wished that there was a button he could press that would calm his mind for him; he was well aware that he was overthinking things, but putting a stop to that was easier said than done. the urge was there to apologize for his own apologies, but he managed to at least prevent that much.
that was really interesting, actually.
his ears swiveled around to better pick up her voice while she voiced her complaints— those insights were more important than anything he had offered so far, and he was pleased that she had bothered to voice them.
as long as she kept engaging him, he would keep responding, but he made a conscious effort to keep himself reigned in; regardless of how she felt about it, it would at least do away with some of his anxiety. "that's a really valid criticism, actually. it's a lot of why i want to teach in the first place," he was off to a bit of a slow start, and progressed even more slowly, pausing to take a breath and formulate his next thought.
"it's not like the dead people and dates aren't important— they are, just— it's context. it shouldn't be the focus. you're not supposed to learn history, you're supposed to learn from it. a lot of people— a lot of teachers— are more interested in feeding you the facts than making you think critically—"
he was interrupted mid-thought by a loud and jarring grind, followed not seconds later by a concerning /clunk/. the ride itself came to a sudden halt, but their carriage, carried by its own momentum, continued to swing forward. slamming him against the back of his seat. nimat had never been on one of these before, but he figured that wasn't supposed to happen.
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: rip
tagged: waifu
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relaxed wasn't exactly the word for it. but watching nimat get comfortable, she could tell he wasn't as unsure of himself as before. regel could live with that. little steps were important. soon enough, she found herself nodding along to his words. nimat's ideas were spot on— things she would have liked to hear when she was younger.
regel's image of him as a teacher was reformatting itself. she still thought that nimat would make a push over of a teacher. but for those students that actually cared, she could see him being a source of inspiration. regel was glad nimat actually calmed down enough to speak to her the way he did now. she felt like he was showing her a different side; the analytical academic rather than the shy, unsure boy. he was captivating and regel felt like she could listen to him for an eternity.
unfortunately, everything must end at some point. the loud screech of metal on metal brought a halt to both her thoughts and his words. eyes snapped away from his face to the window, leaning on the edge of her seat to get a better view.
the world below was darker now, electronic stars brighter now against a backdrop of simple black. from this high up, it was peaceful and calm; as was their little bubble on the ferris wheel. they weren't moving. it felt a little like being suspended in time because for those few seconds, it seemed like only she and nimat were moving.
but then the creaking happened again. regel felt her stomach drop as they jerked downwards. their carriage swung precariously and having already been on the edge of her seat, regel lurched forward with a cry, arms held out desperately to search for handholds. in a frantic search for balance before her face made contact with the ground, regel stood up, arms stretching out for a wall to brace herself on. no dice. the carriage lurched again and she found herself falling forward into nimat.
his focus had turned totally to the window to give himself some better perception of their space, but seeing the landscape sway and rock only served to further disorient him. his knuckles whitened from the grip with which he clung to the edge of the bench, but it wasn't long until they had released again in reaction to something else.
the sound regel made startled him almost as much as the malfunction had, and as he spun his head around to ensure that she was okay, she was already spilling out of her seat. the inclination to help her was immediate, but there wasn't much he could do; he tried to reach out and assist, but with their cabin still swinging, he found it difficult to resist the gravitational force that pinned him to his seat. it seemed as though at some points the compartment was practically vertical, but the thought made his stomach flip and he tried aggressively not to think about it.
as they changed direction again, nimat found himself trying—and failing miserably—to cling to the bag in his lap, rather than reaching out for something to steady himself on like a sensible person. as he began falling forward he did eventually let go, groping wildly behind him with one arm to catch the back of his seat and rooting his feet to the floor. he had managed to secure his position, but regel was still sprawled on the floor, scrambling for something to hold onto.
he couldn't just let her struggle there; he had to make himself helpful somehow, but his windows of time to do so were pathetically small, and he was in the same precarious situation as she was. he would have to think quickly. glancing momentarily out the window, he looked for a landmark to measure their angle with—the drop tower across the grounds stood out—and as they lurched back in the opposite direction, he threw out his arms.
whether she had meant to or not, she fell full-on into his hold. he clung on with what strength he had, hoping it would allow her to stay steady, or at least not land face-down on the floor again. he hoped she wasn't bothered that he was touching her, he would apologize profusely later on, but he wasn't thinking as much as acting; on a basic level, he prioritized their safety over their comfort.
with both of them weighing down this side, the rocking steadied itself much more quickly; it was still sickening on a physical level, but seeing the environment not swing so erratically past the window let him get past some of the panic.
"that's not— that can't be part of the ride, right?" as the carriage slowed to a gentle, rhythmic sway, he tried to get his thoughts together, but for the most part, they evaded him. he was too tired for this. in his haze, it took a while to occur to him that he was still latched onto her like a child.
"i'm sorry— i'm so— i'm so sorry. are you okay?" loosening his grip, he hoped she'd use her freedom to move to sit here instead of there. if she went on to disturb the position of the car again, after all that had already happened, he wasn't sure how he'd hold up.
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: poor idiots
tagged: waifu
template by nocturne
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in the span of seconds, a dozen unwelcome thoughts raced through her mind. maybe the hinges of their carriage was coming undone; maybe the whole wheel itself was falling away from its supports; maybe—
the world swung around her, making her too preoccupied to pay attention to what nimat was saying. their carriage lurched again, and regel could only follow its momentum. without anything to hang on to, she squeezed her eyes shut and braced for impact. but it never came.
or it did. only, it wasn't the painful crash into the carriage's metal walls that she was expecting. regel found herself colliding with a warm body. nimat, she realized. she had little choice but to cling to his arms, dig her feet in, and wait out the rocking. an unexpected turn of events, but regel realized that she didn't mind. she hadn't minded anything that happened with nimat so far and this was actually a welcome interaction. she found herself enjoying the impromptu hug, using the rocking carriage as an excuse to cling to him longer. he smelled nice.
it was only a few seconds, but the time it took for the carriage to slow to a gentle rocking felt like hours and despite the mishap, regel found herself relaxing against nimat. she turned her head and tucked it under his chin to watch the world swing back and forth outside their window. but as they slowed almost to a stop, regel realized she should be pulling away. it was hard to remember she had only just met nimat a couple days ago when being with him felt like the most natural thing in the world.
"i'm sorry— i'm so— i'm so sorry. are you okay?"
she felt his grip around her slacken. with much reluctance, she pulled away. regel carefully eased around nimat and onto the bench next to him. any movement could send them careening again. the last thing she wanted right now was to be on a roller coaster and from the look on nimat's face, he shared her sentiment. "it's okay. sorry for falling into you like that," she told him again. a little voice in her nagged that nimat didn't like the way she clung to him. regel wouldn't be surprised. "i'm okay. are you?"
as regel moved away and deposited herself in the seat beside him, nimat felt a curious lack. while his adrenaline was pumping he hadn't been paying so much attention to the actual sensations, but now that he was calmer and more aware, he noticed certain notable differenced; warm had reverted to cold, security turned back into confusion, and the ghost of whatever shampoo she used was replaced by the unsanitary smell of their compartment. the urge to wrap back around her wasn't one he would even consuder, let alone own up to.
sorry for falling into you like that.
he shook his head, though it wasn't terribly visible in the darkness. had the lights on the ferris wheel gone out? when had that happened? "it's fine," he wondered if he should tell her that he had caught her on purpose. it might have eased some guilt if she were feeling any, but he didn't want to seem like he had any ulterior motive, or like he was looking for praise. decisively he came to the conclusion that he was better off keeping it to himself.
i'm okay. are you?
he nodded, but faced the same problem as before. he could still see her, which made him believe that she could still see him, but that didn't change the fact that he should communicate in a way that didn't involve making vague gestures at her in the dark. "yeah, i'm fine," the words sounded strangely loud to him now that the excitement had died down. he continued more quietly, "are you sure, though? it looked like you hit your head."
just for a moment he turned his attention, just barely, to locate his bag in the corner of his eye. he was pleased to find that it hadn't come open or anything, and everything was still safely contained within its various pockets. still, he was mindful of which side had hit the ground, and he was confident that the food he had hoarded away was essentially flattened. dinner for the next few days was not going to be a satisfying thing.
"i think— i think after this is sorted out— we should go back to elatha's dwelling." this had been enough excitement to last him a year, and he would be glad to leave it behind. "if you weren't planning on sticking around, i mean."
[attr="class","nim"]
notes: gee nimat do u rlly think so
tagged: waifu
template by nocturne
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being away from the warmth of nimat's embrace made her feel decidedly lacking. even if it was accidental, the air had electrified for a second and regel wanted to relive that sensation. regel had to remind herself for what was probably the millionth time that night that she and nimat were just acquaintances. he spent barely an hour helping her get somewhere while she was injured; he has spent barely a second hour with her 'enjoying' the faire. she shouldn't get so familiar so fast. that might put nimat off.
at some point during her panic, the lights of the ferris wheel had gone off. it was so dark in their carriage that regel only thought she saw nimat nod that he was ok. regel was glad for his verbal confirmation.
"are you sure, though? it looked like you hit your head."
though she knew he couldn't see, regel beamed at him. a worry wart through and through. as endearing as it was, regel wished he would stop treating her like a delicate flower. she would not break if someone look ed at her the wrong way.
"yeah i did. you make a very soft landing pad," she teased, trying to lighten the mood. she decided to take advantage of the darkness to inch closer. it was slow, careful going. partially because she did not want the carriage to fly on its hinges like a pendulum again. partly because she did not want nimat to notice. if he did, regel was disguising it as an attempt to get a better look out the window. their arms were touching ever so slightly. it was not enough for regel.
the suggestion of going home perked her up. "yeah that sounds good," great actually; excellent. "sorry this had to happen. seems like bad luck follows me huh," regel had meant that as a joke. but her own words quickly made her feel melancholy. it was much too true. with nimat alone, she had delayed his morning commute, kept him out when he probably had a load of more important things to do, and gotten him trapped with her in this swinging death trap. (of course saiph would want to leave such an ill omen behind.)
regel leaned back, trying to act as if nothing was wrong. please believe her.