• This section is for roleplays only.
    ALL interest checks/recruiting threads must go in the Recruit Here section.

    Please remember to credit artists when using works not your own.

Realistic or Modern Summoning Trouble [Closed]

Lore
Here
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( I didn't want to post for the whole course XD )

Esme didn't comment about his shirt and even got an evil prank to pull on him later. Hopefully he would be amused by it rather than annoyed, she'd just have to see. Back to what was scheduled and making sure she kept herself from staring at Kyle longer than necessary and making her appreciative glance obvious she used her phone and checked her e-mail before shoving it into a back pocket. She didn't have any plans to use it while they were doing things today, but she didn't want to go so far as to leave it in their room.

While she doubted anyone would be stupid enough to try and steal it, she figured if she needed a prop to deal with an awkward situation her phone was her best bet. "Part of me worries you have something planned up your sleeve," she commented with a bit of a joking tone before stepping out of their room and waiting for him to join her.

The ship was bustling with activity as people did the various actives that were offered for entertainment. The pool was absolutely filled with people which made it seem less like people swimming and more just sort of wading around in the water chatting. She'd probably wait and see if their hotel on land had a pool and wait to swim then perhaps.

They wove around the ship to get to their destination of the mini-golf which was hosted on one of the upper decks. It didn't have all the crazy stuff other mini-golf coursed had. There were no elaborate waterways or mechanisms and overall it was fairly simple and the course tightly pack to utilize the limited space. That didn't mean that there wasn't going to be any challenges. There were different textured spot, how and low spots, rocks, and other things that could block the ball from reaching the hole.

Esme went to the small cart that serviced people interested in the mini-golf. They most likely stored the cart away when it was closed. It held an assortment of colored balls and clubs of various length so even the tallest person wouldn't have to bend too awkwardly to use the putter. Esme grabbed a red ball and a putter that fit her height and then waited for Kyle to grab his own. She also took a little scorecard and pencil to track their scores. After giving her name and room number to the man - since they didn't want people stealing the equipment - they were free to play the course.

She did her best to explain the rules about the game and how the scoring worked. Honestly, now that they were there she began to wonder if she really did have an upperhand to the game. She was just an average player. Sometimes by luck she'd do well and other times she did horribly. She cleared her throat and tried to push away those thoughts as she went first to give Kyle a better idea and that he should restrain a bit when hitting the ball of he might thwack it out of the course and get it caught in the safety net which prevented stray balls from hitting anyone.

The first hole was very easy with just a few bumps meant to redirect the ball if you didn't hit it down the middle exactly. While Esme's put was a bit off she got very close to the hole and turned to grin at Kyle. "Simple enough right? Also I swear if you hit my ball like this is croquet you'll get a penalty."
 
Kyle just snorted as he placed the rather garishly colored ball onto the mat used to 'tee off' and examined the 'putter' he had selected. It seemed a most awkward implement, and he struggled to find a comfortable grip on its haft that still kept the club face straight in the direction he wished the ball to go. When he thought he had managed, he drew back and delivered a moderate tap to the ball, which immediately headed off to the right hand side of the course, its track resembling the motion of a snake with a broken back, rather than the mostly straight line Esme's had taken. Despite the moderate blow, the ball arrived at the end of the hole with enough force to rebound back over several of the odd hills, finally stopping a third of the way back to where Kyle stood, watching the results of his putt with dismay.

"I don't think that I'm going to be deliberately hitting your ball anytime soon," he said, his tone wry. "It's going to be hard enough for me to stay 'in bounds' it seems."

Esme was trying, largely unsuccessfully, to smother giggles at Kyle's first attempt at putting and despite his neutral expression, Kyle was smiling inside. He could handle a little embarrassment if it put Esme into a good mood. Of course, he couldn't make it too obvious, so he kept a frown of concentration on his face as he approached the ball, carefully lining up his second shot. This time, he moderated the power of his stroke even more, only to see the ball barely make it over one of the little hills before coasting to a stop against the side of the next one. Kyle eyed the ball with distaste, as Esme discarded her attempts at stifling her giggles.

"Well, at least one of us is having fun," Kyle murmured, hopefully too softly for Esme to hear, as he approached the ball yet again. This time he managed to figure out the proper force to strike with, but in doing so he forgot to pay attention to the face of the club, resulting in the ball skittering around the edge of the circle where the actual target hole was. Kyle grinned, carefully keeping his rising frustration from showing, and struck the orb a fourth time. This time it actually approached the hole, stopping slightly closer to it than Esme's first shot had.

"It seems there is a steep 'learning curve' involved here," Kyle said, gesturing to Esme. "And quite a bit of patience involved."

Fable Fable
(Demon will let Esme enjoy the day. Demon will not show frustration. Demon will not show frustration. Demon will not throw the putter overboard.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Figured Esme would win, barely, lol.)

Esme stood there patiently off to the side to allow Kyle to put his ball down the small course, only to have angled it awkwardly and with too much force which resulted in it rolling back slightly. She titled her head to the side as she took in his expression over the less than stellar first swing and she shook her head with a small smile. She was trying to be polite and while she knew laughing at someone was rude, his expression was too much and she ended up laughing a bit.

She tried to take a few deep breaths to calm down her laughter. Honestly, she thought he was going to be a natural at this game and show off. She let him continue tapping at his ball and waited rather than interrupt his concentration. When he finally managed to get the ball close to its intended target she gave him a small golf clap and laughed. "Everyone has it happen to them the first time they ever play this game. The first time I played I hit the ball so hard it smacked into the wood edge of the course, flew up into the air and whizzed by some poor person's face and landed in the water. The rest of the time I was tapping the ball too lightly and not making it even over some of the larger bumps that were in the other courses. I don't remember my score for that game, but it was terrible."

Esme finally approached her own ball and with a single tap it unceremoniously rolled into the small hole with a small clatter. She reached down and picked it up and stepped away and motioned for Kyle to finish. "Best to remove the ball before someone else tries to go for the hole. Most times if there is another ball in it'll call the next ball to bounce back out."

When Kyle finally managed to get the ball into the hole she took the small scorecard and marked their strokes down and then moved over to the next mini-course. Esme did decently, she got two lucky shots that were a hole-in-on which made her always grin triumphantly. The later courses became more difficult as they progressed which resulted in Esme having to take a longer time to determine the best tactic to get past the obstacles. There was one course which particularly frustrated her as unless you hit it at just the right force and angle it wouldn't take the correct path and it would roll back down to where the course started. Eventually she just smacked the ball and it zoomed up the hill with steep bumps and finally managed to roll to the other side where she could finally progress.

There were enough holes at the small mini-golf course that they managed to kill a decent chunk of time, especially given that the courses took a few strokes; some more than others. When Esme hit her ball into the last hole it was sucked down into a tube which would send it so some storage room. All they would have to do is return the clubs and tally their scores. Esme had won; barely. Kyle had improved over time and that one course had taken her forever to clear which had caused her score to suffer.

"I have to wonder if you have any sort of thing similar where you're from," Esme commented, not really expecting an answer as she walked with Kyle to turn over the putters. With that task done they were again left to decide what to do while on a cruise. Kyle probably wanted to do all the things that were offered. Normally the cruise probably would have stopped at some spots on the way to their final destination, but because they were in the colder northern waters they couldn't really do things like the tropical cruises could and go scuba diving or wander around on warm beach.

There were movies that could be enjoyed in a small theater, comedy shows, music, and so on. They had already seen the magic show. Esme wasn't too sure Kyle would really understand the comedy show. She'd check what movie was being shown today and see if it was something of interest and if Kyle wanted to go. Hopefully the cruise wasn't so long that they'd run out of things to do, though Kyle could always just use the time to continue training her.

"You didn't do bad for your first time," she tried to compliment. Honestly, Esme had no idea how to actually compliment someone now that she thought about it. She looked at her arms and tsked at herself. She had forgotten to put on sunscreen and she'd probably have a mild sunburn later. "I probably have to go to the small store they have and get some aloe vera or something," she said. The she paused and glanced at Kyle, "Unless there is something magic can do for an annoying sunburn?"
 
Kyle managed, by dint of much patience and Esme's obvious enjoyment of the experience, to slowly master the rudiments of mini-golf. Esme was obviously more experienced than he was, but there was one hole in particular that she seemed to find rather vexing, which amused Kyle, though he was careful not to let it show. In the end she had won quite handily, though Kyle had managed to par the second half of the course, even making a single hole in one.

"You didn't do bad for your first time," Esme said before looking at her arms and making an irritated noise. "I probably have to go to the small store they have and get some aloe vera or something... Unless there is something magic can do for an annoying sunburn?"

"I have nothing to go on, so I will simply say 'thank you' and take you at your word," Kyle said with a smile. "As to your sunburn, most couldn't do much about it, but I did mention that I am something of a healer. Let's head back to the room."

Kyle offered Esme his hand, which she took, though not without an obvious hesitation. It was painfully apparent that she wasn't fully comfortable with casual contact yet, though Kyle could feel her pulse racing through her touch. There was an obvious internal turmoil going on, and since Esme was trying hard to hide it, Kyle paid her the compliment of not noticing. They arrived at their room without incident, and Kyle motioned Esme to sit on the bed as he closed and locked the door. Her skin was starting to take on a slightly reddish tinge, and Kyle could feel a heat radiating off of it.

"Well, we have two options," Kyle said. "I can go to the shop and get you some aloe, or I can soothe the irritation away. I've got to tell you though, it will require you to allow my Power into your body. I know this isn't the first time, but you're not drunk. And removing a poison like alcohol is a fairly simple process. This will take longer, and be more involved. It may feel odd, and it will require me to touch the affected areas."

Esme weighed the offered options. Sunburns were awful and she absolutely hated them. It sounded like it would be quicker to just use the aloe vera than have Kyle use magic healing. She pondered on this seriously, probably with more thought than a normal person would have because they most likely would have just chosen to be magically healed without a second thought. Eventually she just decided to rip the proverbial band-aid off, "Well, might as well give magic a shot. No Seal on me anymore so it should be alright?"

"If I wasn't confident in both my ability to fix the problem and the lack of external interference, I'd never have offered." Kyle said simply. He gestured for Esme to sit on the edge of the bed, then moved up to stand beside her, being careful not to loom and appear threatening as he examined her exposed skin. It had brightened even more, and as her shirt had shifted, he couldn't make out the exact margins of the redness anymore.

"Can you change into one of those 'tank tops' with the tiny straps?" Kyle asked. "It will make it easier on us both, especially around your neck area."

Esme nodded, but instead of just grabbing a tank top she had packed and changing to it, she used a bit of magic and altered the shirt to what was needed. The fabric around the shoulders shrank and the length of the short got a bit longer as the material shifted from one place to another. When it was done she now had on a thin strapped, but long, tank top.

"Oh, well done ashke!" Kyle said, his voice warm with approval, and just for a second Esme's cheeks reddened even more than the sunburn could account for. "Now, relax and let me take care of you."

Kyle set his hands ever so gently on Esme's shoulders and centered himself. Drawing upon his Power, he turned his attention inwards, letting the power flow through him and fill him until he felt like his skin couldn't contain it all. He was aware of every cell in his body, each tiny bit of life force that combined to make up the whole that was Kyle, and there was another, someone special, with him. Kyle's awareness flowed to his hands, and as his Power flowed slowly into Esme, his awareness flowed with it. Kyle's presence flowed into Esme like a soft, evening breeze.

Esme sat a bit stiffly as she waiting for Kyle to begin. As much as she knew the Seal on her was gone, there was still that tiny little irrational worry that maybe she was 'allergic' to magic. Though that being an actual thing was probably very laughable. She swallowed nervously when she felt his hands touch her warm skin. She took a small breath to try and calm herself, reminding herself she was making a deal of nothing. The cool feeling was pleasant as it relieved the beginning burning sensation from a sunburn.

Kyle let himself drift through Esme, cataloging the differences in her body, examining its inner workings, and listening to what it was telling him. Tingles along certain nerve paths spoke of damage, while the presence of certain chemicals told him of both her excitement and uncertainty at his touch. He kept his awareness well away from the core of identity that was Esme, making certain that he paid attention only to the physical, leaving her the privacy of thought that she so treasured. Once his awareness and Power had filled Esme, even as it filled him, Kyle set to work. Here the layer of her skin that had tried to prevent the damage the sun had wrought, but ultimately had proven unequal to the task. Kyle bolstered this layer, making the cells that made up that layer of skin more robust, more able to protect. Esme could still burn if she wasn't careful, but a day like today would result in a rich, golden brown tan rather than a painful burn. Of course, when she did burn, it wouldn't be comfortable, but he'd make that plain to her. Here the source of the pain. The intense sunlight had actually cooked part of her skin, and her body was flooding the area with its own defenses and scavengers, trying to shield the undamaged skin behind a layer of fluid even as it ripped the dead and dying cells away from the living ones, causing irritation to the undamaged cells. Kyle used his Power to step into the process, carefully excising the damaged cells even as he encouraged the survivors to multiply at a rate many times faster than normal. Where nerves were irritated, Kyle muted their messages, standing between Esme's awareness and the pain messages.

The work was slow compared to most magic, but while he might never aspire to Adept status, Kyle was a Master of Healing, and he devoted all of his skill to setting Esme's body to rights. For a moment he wondered if she truly understood the level of trust in him she was exhibiting. She had let him into her body in a way that was so much more intimate than physical coupling. He could feel every beat of her heart, hear the rush of her blood through her veins. If he had been so inclined, he could have tweaked certain chemicals within her body, making things happen to influence her moods, her desires, but the very thought of meddling with Esme made Kyle sick to the core of his very soul. For all her flaws, for all her faults, he was falling for the Esme who was, not some ideal from his or her imaginations. Even when she caused him pain, he wouldn't change a thing.

Kyle let his hands start to drift across Esme's body, unerringly seeking out the angry red of her burned skin, and where his hands passed the red vanished, replaced by healthy skin that practically glowed with health. Esme seemed to have drifted off to sleep by the time Kyle gently cupped her face, soothing away the last of the sunburn. He had no idea how she managed to remain in a sitting position, but he supposed that his own support as he had worked explained a large part of it. He felt the last bit of damage fade away, and for a long moment he didn't move, just drank in the sight of Esme's face, relaxed and with a faint blush of health on her cheeks.

"How can you not see your own strength and beauty ashke?" he asked softly. "How can I be so lucky than you even consider me worthy of your company?"

Kyle bent to press a kiss, as light as the wings of a butterfly, on Esme's forehead.

"Time to return ashke," he said gently as he withdrew, allowing his hands to slide back down to Esme's shoulders.

Esme tried to focus on the soothing coolness rather than on Kyle's hands on her, though that was difficult considering the relaxing sensations that felt like a gentle massage. At some point she even closed her eyes and her body had relaxed on its own. Esme could have sworn she may have dozed off since when she opened her eyes she had thought it had only been a few minutes, but the clock with the jarring red numbers informed her it had been hours.

Fable Fable
(Demon has got it bad.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( She can't handle compliments right now, lol.)

Esme blinked a few times and fought off a yawn which caused her eyes to water slightly from the forced effort. She raised a hand to rub the palm against a closed eye; trying to rub the sleep out of it. She rubbed her other eye and then double checked the time and confirmed she had lost a bit of time. "I feel asleep didn't I?" she asked with some resigned embarrassment. She glanced at her shoulders that Kyle had his hands resting on to see if her skin was an angry pink color. She found instead a tan rather than an irritated burn that would have annoyed her for days as it healed on its own. Next time she was going to remember to wear sunscreen.

"Thanks for keeping me from being sun-fried," she said as casually as she could. "I didn't snore or anything did I?" she asked with mild concern. She knew she had managed to not drool since she didn't feel any wetness around her mouth. That was one way to leave a lasting impression on someone; doze off and snore while they help you deal with a sunburn. "Never mind, I'm not sure I want to know if I snored or not."

She tried to shove down her worrisome thoughts as best as she could, moving to stand up and stretch out her limbs. How she had managed to sleep sitting up? Then the realization slapped her that she probably had been supported by Kyle when she did. She froze mid stretch when she had this thought and then clumsily forced herself to continue what was once a natural stretch to one more unnatural in movements.

"W-We should probably get lunch or something. I'm going to go take a quick shower and change my clothes," she said quickly and moved to grab some clothes and then went into the bathroom. She was probably sweaty from their time outside. Another reason to be concerned about falling asleep perhaps. She made the shower a quick on, mostly just to rinse off any dried sweat and to change into fresh clothes which were more cruise couture, something that had probably been snuck into her luggage by Ardyr'e.

Esme sighed and changed into the blue dress. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment trying to psych herself up. She knew Kyle wasn't going to mock her outfit. More like she was concerned with being complimented and that ever strange awkwardness that came afterwards. She knew she could just thank him for the compliment, but it felt weird to. She closed her eyes tightly and took a deep breath. Man, talk about a damaged ego the harsh thought crossed her mind.

She peeked her head out first to regard Kyle with a bit of a worried expression before fully stepping out. "Please don't say anything because right now I feel really out of my element." She grabbed the pair of sandals and slipped them on over her bare feet and fidgeted with the dress a bit when she stood once again. She thankfully found the dress had pockets and she put her room card into one of the pockets of the dress.

"I'm ready. Did you want to take a shower and change clothes too?" she asked trying to avoid an awkward silence to take hold of the room. She'd continue rambling to do two things, avoid talking about her outfit and try and ignore her gawkiness as best as she could.

bluedress.jpg
 
"Please don't say anything because right now I feel really out of my element."

Kyle cocked his head to one side as Esme poked her head out of the bathroom and made her strange request. Then she stepped fully into the room and busied herself with finding shoes and her room key, and Kyle understood, sort of. The dress wasn't daring, in fact it was actually quite simple. A pleasant blue with a subdued pattern picked out on it in white shapes. Paired with the sandals Esme was pulling on it made a complete package that was elegant in its simplicity. Esme however, didn't seem aware of that, instead fidgeting nervously with the hem of the dress before slipping her key into a pocket of the dress. Kyle couldn't keep the smile off of his face, or the warm approval out of his eyes, but he choked back the words he wanted to say. Esme wasn't ready to hear them, so they would remain unsaid.

"I'm ready. Did you want to take a shower and change clothes too?" she asked, once she had stopped adjusting her outfit.

"I think that would be wise," Kyle said simply, doing his best to look at Esme as though she were wearing her trademark jeans and tee shirt. "I'll be quick."

True to his word, Kyle showered quickly, then contemplated what he should wear. After a long moments thought, he picked up the clothes he had worn for their little mini-golf outing and concentrated. The detritus of the morning exertions vanished, whisked away on the breath of his Power, then Kyle turned his attention to the material itself. When he was done, Kyle regarded the results with a critical eye, then nodded to himself and dressed quickly. A quick glance in the mirror, and he headed back into the bedroom and the waiting Esme.

"Let me grab a couple of things," he said, and began suiting actions to words.

Moving to their luggage, he rummaged inside for a moment, then pulled out a pair of shoes. These would do. His Power washed over them, and brown loafers became white canvas deck shoes. Kyle slipped them on, then collected his wallet and room card. Turning to Esme, he smiled and nodded. Yes, he had chosen well. Kyle wore a blue shirt in the same tone as Esme's dress, with a complimentary pattern picked out in the same white. His pants were white, held up by a modest web belt that blended into them, and the shoes matched the outfit. All in all, the effect was as though their outfits had been created by the same hand, deliberately made to compliment one another.

"I'm ready," he said, mirroring Esme's words from earlier. "Did you have a taste for anything in particular, or should we just head by the various offerings and stop when something catches our eyes?"

Fable Fable
(Demon can be taught.)
 
Last edited:
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( I'M GETTING A POST OUT EVEN IF IT'S POOR QUALITY DANGIT!)

Esme glanced up at Kyle when he announced he was ready and instantly blushed when she noticed what he was wearing. "W-Wait a second," her protest began. "Did you really, well, you did choose to where that so more like.. pleas tell me your choice was an accident, not some weird couple outfit matching awkwardness." She grabbed her phone and quickly typed in a search for the cringiest example of why couples should not dress in something that could considered to be match on purpose.

It didn't take her long to pull up the image of Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake in their awful matching denim red carpet couple outfit. "I-I'm not... trying to be mean," she quickly added as she showed him the old picture. "But I also don't want to end up... like a meme online."

She was clearly flustered and trying to explain as best as she could why she was pretty much telling him to abort the shirt. He probably thought she was being ridiculous and was full expecting him to say as much to her, but just the whole thing was uncomfortable and attention grabbing. Esme looked at her dress and wondered if perhaps she should just alter it, make is a solid blue that was darker perhaps or just perhaps all white..

No, not all white, she thought as she remember the wet t-shirt contests that happened sometimes at the bars she used to work at or frequent. A white top would be asking for fateful trouble with Esme's luck. Some waiter would spill water or something on her.

Esme's expression shifted as her mind anxiously went on a hypothetical worrying spree and then ultimately she gave a pleading look as she mentally begged for him to consider changing his shirt to something else. Anything else. Except shirtless. That would be a different problem.

"A-As far as what I want to eat, a good sub works," she managed to sputter out trying to reel herself away from jumping off the cliff of worry and getting stuck in a free fall. "Unless you wanted something more fancy."
 
Kyle couldn't figure out Esme's rather, negative reaction to his choice in clothing, but before he could say anything she was flipping through something on her phone before shoving it under his nose. The picture that was on the screen was a good example of a, less than successful example of outfit pairing. What he had chosen was nothing even close to what he was being shown, but somehow the connection had been made in Esme's mind and that appeared to be that. Rather than try and reason with her, Kyle drew upon lessons learned the hard way and kept his peace.

"A moment," he said, turning to the balcony and thinking. After a few moments consideration he gathered his Power and let it wash over his clothing in a shimmering wave. The pattern vanished as the entire shirt darkened, staying blue but now several shades darker than it had been. Pants, shoes and belt all darkened as well, going from white to a pleasant tan color that went well with the deep blue of the shirt. Thinking about the service he had performed for Esme earlier, Kyle also took a moment to darken his skin slightly, as though he had the beginnings of a tan. Rather than seek out a mirror, he turned back to Esme, who was still obviously still bothered by the whole incident.

"A sub will be fine," he said, cocking his head to one side. "Whether or not it will be good will be in the hands of the one who prepares it. Future meal aside, is this something you won't be embarrassed to be seen next to?"

Kyle gestured to his changed outfit, wondering internally why the thoughts and opinions of people they had never met, and probably never would meet, mattered so much. Not for the first time, he prayed for the wisdom and strength to be able to show Esme her own worth. Even as he gave that silent prayer though, he knew it was futile. Until Esme decided she was worthy of being cared for, complimented, and special in her own right, his words would fall upon deaf ears.

Fable Fable
(accommodating demon is accommodating)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Esme self-traumatizing lol XD )

Esme soon regretted her reaction to his outfit choice. Even though Kyle was being accommodating in her weird request to avoid to appear matching, it was probably not as big of a deal as she worried it would be. She just really wanted to avoid attracting attention and she felt they looked similar enough in clothing that it'd draw attention. Kyle had stepped out onto the balcony to alter his clothes after a moment, though she wasn't sure why he had darkened his skin to look tan.

If Esme had been a cartoon character, Kyle's words about her being embarrassed to stand next to him would have been animated a bit like a gut punch. She sighed and raised her hands to just have them slid down her features. "I-I didn't meant to imply you're embarrassing," she began, trying to be sure she covered that first if he had interpreted her words and manner that way. "It's just very awkward to have your clothes very similar or even matching. Even if it's two people who don't know each other it's awkward. Couples who do it are just cringe worthy. It's stuff you see really intense with things like PDA."

She wasn't sure she was doing anything to improve the situation as much as she was trying to explain. She perked up a bit when she got an idea. Nothing would explain it better than him witnessing it himself. Surely there was some couple aboard that fit into this terrible trope that they could observe. "How would you feel about a bit of amateur anthropology? Basically, people watching. Food first though."

The place that offered subs wasn't one of the few restaurants hosted on the vessel but rather the small food place next to the pool so that people could swim and also each lunch there without having to dry off or change clothes to go into one of the restaurants. It had other things that fell under fast food; hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, and so on. Esme ordered her sub and then waited for Kyle to get his own. Their food was wrapped in wax paper and put on a tray along with their drinks.

Thankfully there were enough tables for them to find one which would allow only two to sit at. Esme sat at the smaller table with Kyle and unwrapped her food. She doubted they'd spot a matching couple swimming around the pool, but as Esme's eyes glided over the sea of people she spied a couple setting up their things on some folding chairs by the pool. She nodded in their direction for Kyle to glance at as Esme took a small bite of her food before swallowing.

The couple in question was quite literally wearing nearly the same outfit. The same burnt orange Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. Esme also wasn't the only one looking at the couple as many nearby would sneak glances here and there. The outer clothes came off and what Esme hadn't expected and had nearly made her choke on her next bite was the man's choice of swimwear. What could only be defined as a very tiny speedo. She coughed and looked away as she drank her beverage to help the food go down the correct path in her throat.

The girl wore an thong bikini and a top which was probably way too small for her. It took Esme a moment to clear her throat and turn her attention away from the couple and stare down at her food. Yes, the food was very safe to look at. "M-Maybe I should pick a better spot to people watch rather than the pool," she mumbled in embarrassment.
 
Kyle kept his expression carefully neutral as Esme did her best to explain why she felt the way she did, though he felt she was attaching far more importance to the subject than was warranted. Still, he remained quiet, nodding as she spoke.

"I-I didn't meant to imply you're embarrassing," she said. "It's just very awkward to have your clothes very similar or even matching. Even if it's two people who don't know each other it's awkward. Couples who do it are just cringe worthy. It's stuff you see really intense with things like PDA. How would you feel about a bit of amateur anthropology? Basically, people watching. Food first though."

They left their room, locking it behind them, and made their way to the little food court that served the upper deck. Once they had acquired their food, Esme cast about for a small table, eventually settling on one that only seated two, and began to scan the crowd as they unwrapped their food. She appeared to find what she was looking for, and cut her eyes sideways. Kyle followed the direction of her glance and saw a couple sporting an identical shirt and shorts combination setting their belongings on a couple of poolside chairs. Kyle noticed other people taking surreptitious glances at the matching couple, but personally he saw no problem with their choice. True, their outfits were identical, not the complimentary outfits that he and Esme had originally had on before her objections but he didn't really see the issue. The couple shed their outerwear, revealing their swimwear choices and a faint choking sound pulled Kyle's attention to Esme. She seemed to be having problems with a bite of food that had started down the wrong way, but the faint blush on her cheeks made it obvious that the couple's choice of swimwear had prompted the event.

"M-Maybe I should pick a better spot to people watch rather than the pool," Esme mumbled.

Kyle looked back at the couple, trying his best to understand what had caused such a reaction in Esme. The man was wearing a very small, very tight piece of fabric, 'Speedo' his knowledge supplied, and the bikini the woman was wear was smaller than the one Gloria had worn, much smaller. 'Micro-mini' popped to the front of Kyle's mind. Kyle didn't stare, but neither did he look fully away, keeping the couple in the periphery of his vision as he considered Esme's reaction. It was, odd. Neither the man nor the woman were deformed in any way. Perhaps they were not what the modern world would consider 'model good looks', but neither was overweight, and both were evidently quite comfortable with their choices, despite, or perhaps because of, the looks some of the other bathers were giving them.

"No, I find this quite telling." Kyle said, returning his full attention to Esme. "And I also find it quite confusing as well as a bit hypocritical of people as a whole. Neither of them are deformed, and even if they were, what of it? They have chosen clothing that they are comfortable in. It covers all of the required parts for public modesty does it not? And if it causes thoughts of a prurient nature among those observing them, is that a failing of the couple or of those observing them? They are comfortable in their choices, and comfortable enough in their own self-images that they are willing to show themselves to any who care to look. I would imagine that they wear formal attire with the verve that they are displaying now. What I fail to grasp is why it bothers so many people. Are they in some way challenged by that couple's choice? If so, why? Why is it alright to see far more people wearing far less in 'prime time' advertisements, but not alright when it happens 'right in front of them'?"

Kyle shook his head, obviously thinking hard and not having much success in figuring things out.

Fable Fable
(Demon gets modesty... but doesn't see anything immodest happening. Demon doesn't understand Esme's embarrassment.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Esme trying and failing yet again to relay information. Made post short since Kyle probably going to react/respond. )

Esme's jaw nearly dropped open. Her mind recalled he had arrived nude - eliciting a deeper blush - and his reaction then to her trying to avert her gaze from his person in any way she could. As he continued and mentioned that the couple wasn't 'deformed' and that it covered them enough for public modesty she couldn't help but sigh to herself. He struggled to understand what the issue so many had even though the clothing choice was technically allowed.

"It has nothing to do with a person being deform or not," she began, trying to find some way to make him understand. "There is also nothing technically wrong as long as they aren't committing the crime of indecent exposure. I'm not too sure how to explain this because there are just so many factors into it. It's fine to be body confident, but it's not just that. For me, I don't really enjoy seeing someone pushing the boundaries on their clothing to try and get as nude as possible in public. It feels... exhibitionist."

She took another deep sigh trying to find the right way to relay this information. "The overall consideration for many is it's rude I guess? Improper? Believe me, it isn't a feeling of sexual attraction causing people to get flustered, maybe a few people, but not a majority. Sexuality is something meant to be kept private because most don't want to know about the private sexual matters of others. There are places that those who want to be an exhibitionist and voyeur, something probably like modern day bacchanalias. Those are for people who consent to be involved in those types of things, rather than imposing themselves on those who don't want those things."

"Honestly, I'm probably not making any sense on the subject. What can I say, I'm like the rest of the sheep who aren't a fan of exposing themselves in public. I mean honestly, what if-" and she snapped her mouth shut. She was not going to throw out that hypothetical situation when they were just becoming something more than friends. Also, for all she knew he probably wouldn't care if she was wandering around in something that woman was wearing and getting ogled at. He hadn't been bothered at all about being nude when he had first arrived, so for all she knew nudity in public might be extremely common.

"Just... never mind," she finally said as she took a bite of her food to give herself a reason to shut up.
 
"What if what?" Kyle asked curiously. "What if I chose to dress as that man has? I wouldn't, anymore than you would dress as that woman has. That is not who we are, but it is not for us to say that it is not who they are."

Kyle shook his head wonderingly, trying to make sense out of all the unspoken rules of dress that people seemed to have and that some people seemed to flaunt, but he honestly wasn't having much luck.

"Look, you admitted that their bathing suits are on the right side of decent for legal purposes. Let's say they are, what did you call them? Exhibitionists? Yes, exhibitionists. Rather than get flustered and look away in embarrassment, which would feed their needs, wouldn't it be best to just glance and then look away as though nothing were out of the ordinary? That denies the exhibitionist the reaction they are obviously seeking. If they are not exhibitionists, and are just comfortable enough to dress as they have, isn't it borderline rude to stare and blush and mutter than to just look, then go about your business? By choosing to be affected by their choices, you give them power over you, whether they seek it or not. Your Japanese culture has a saying that translates very well to my world. 'Nudity is often seen, but seldom noticed.' Contrary to popular opinion, my kind do not walk around naked, constantly seeking to seduce all we see."

Kyle couldn't fully suppress the twist of distaste that curled his lip up at one corner. Despite Liz's apparent acceptance of his continued presence, that first evening alone with her had left a mark on Kyle that flared to painful life at unexpected times. When he spoke again, he couldn't quite keep the faint hint of pain out of his voice, but he prayed Esme didn't notice.

"We wear clothing for the same reasons you do. Protection, modesty, adornment, they all come into play. But, we are shapeshifters as well. Clothing, unless deliberately changed, doesn't shift with us. Remember the incident when I forgot to change the shirt I was wearing when I took the 'well endowed' form? Disrobing to change forms, to bathe, whether alone or in a communal bathing house, or to perhaps swim; I was raised in that normality. I have seen much nudity, but noticed... ah, as you say, never mind."

Kyle hoped against hope that the old pain hadn't colored his voice as much as he was afraid it had. Despite his brave words to Esme not so long ago, the memories of loss and pain were still there. He couldn't bring himself to 'store away' those memories, it felt too much like a betrayal.

"But isn't it a betrayal to keep those memories even as you hope to make new memories with Esme?" Kyle asked himself in the deep recesses of his mind. "There's just so much I don't understand, so much I'm afraid that I'll mess up. And if I do... I don't know if I can bear the cost. Should we grow apart, that I can live with. Should I drive Esme away by my own ignorance or stupidity..."

Kyle couldn't suppress the tiny shudder that ran through his body, anymore than he could stop the fear and uncertainty that flashed briefly across his features. He regained control quickly, looking at Esme with a crooked smile.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "It seems that my thoughts ran away from me there for a second. I'm trying to give the 'dark and brooding' theme a rest, I promise! It's just, I've got so much to lose. It's scary."

Fable Fable
(Apologetic demon is apologetic... and all over the emotional map. He's just gotten, really gotten, how much Esme's presence means to him.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Sorry it's an awful post from me, lack of sleep and other compounding factors and I'm just having writer's block it seems. )

Esme shook her head when Kyle tried to give an answer to a question she had stopped herself from asking because she knew it was pointless. He continued to misunderstand what she was trying to communicate and heaved out another sigh as her shoulders slumped a bit. It was weird to deal with culture shock from a non-native person. Usually it was the other way around and they would be the ones feeling uncomfortable, but Esme felt like Kyle could be a bit dense at times on matters... though it could also be her own failing to properly explain.

She had been still looking to the side and generally away since she didn't want to look towards the pool area and also didn't want to look at Kyle as she might find him giving her an annoyed or frustrated expression due to their continued communication struggle. She heard a tinge of emotion in his voice as he continued, though she wasn't able to decipher what he was feeling precisely, but she knew it wasn't something positive.

This felt like another conversation that would nowhere but south the longer it went on. When Kyle apologized and said he really was trying to give dark and brooding a break she smirked a bit to herself thinking of a few jokes she could have said in reaction to that. Instead she kept her mouth shut because she didn't want to risk upsetting Kyle with her messed up humor. "Being dark and brooding won't cause you do lose anything, I don't think," she commented, not really understanding how the two things connected.

"We can probably just end this topic with a 'Kyle doesn't mind nudity, but Esme is prude who does.' Just sort of leave it at that I guess. I was really just trying to explain the why of it to you, but honestly I think I should just stop trying to explain anything beyond how things like a toaster or microwave work at this point. The internet is a better resource than me, though you really can't and shouldn't believe everything that's on there. Otherwise you'd believe silly things like how lizard-people and the Illuminati run the world."
 
Despite their admission of mutual attraction, Kyle felt a moment of despair as he and Esme seemed to talk past each other yet again. He WANTED to understand her, wanted it with every fiber of his being, but he also wanted her to understand him, even if just a little. Every time things seemed to be looking up, reality reared up to deal another blow to the fragile hope that still lived deep within Kyle, despite all of the blows it had been dealt.

"Hope is a funny thing," he thought. "So easy to shatter with a precise blow, but so resistant to destruction. Like a earth-star, diamond the humans call them. Beat them with a hammer all you wish, but unless you strike the exact point of weakness, you will do naught save wear yourself out."

"Oh course," he said out loud. "I don't want to pursue any topic you find uncomfortable unless our lives are directly at risk. Someone else's choice of wardrobe doesn't fall anywhere near that category."

Kyle took a sip of his drink, buying himself time to quash all of the negative feelings that had bubbled to the surface moments before. Esme didn't need to deal with his own emotional fallout when their tenuous connection was obviously unsettling her on some deep level. Or, he could be totally wrong and she was just being herself. Either way, best to let the past lie undisturbed for as long as possible. Meanwhile...

"But, you mean they don't?" Kyle asked, his voice a careful mixture of disbelief and affronted. "The evidence. The shadow government. The men in black. Next you're going to tell me that the mind-control satellites aren't real either. What will I do with all of the foil hats I made?"

Fable Fable
(Demon is trying to lighten the mood!)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Should we have a change in scenery and have the cruise end? )

Emse coughed on her drink at Kyle's comment about the topic of wardrobe not being life threatening. She had laughed at the absurdity just as she went to take a sip of her drink. While she managed to gulp down the liquid in her mouth she coughed a bit as some had gone down the 'wrong tube'.

It took her a minute to regain a bit of composure back as Kyle joked about her comments regarding things you shouldn't believe on the internet. "Please don't kill me with laughter," she tried to say to him with a serious expression, but failed as she smiled. "Honestly, I'd rather not have my obituary read 'Death by Beverage' and be added to some obscure death statistic. As for your tinfoil hats, sell them on eBay I'm sure someone would buy them."

Emse had basically finished her lunch and she felt awkward holding the spot when the area was so packed full of people. Basically they were occupying a prime spot that someone else could actually need to us rather than them just sitting here and chatting, which could be done elsewhere. She gathered the items that were leftover from their food - wrappers, plates, and so forth - and threw the disposable items away while taking the reusable ones to a small collection window.

"Was there anything else you wanted to do while we had the time, or are we going back for more training?"
 
"No," Kyle said, helping Esme dispose of the detritus of their meal. "I rather think that one session per day will do. I don't want you to get frustrated, so take the time to think about what we went over. For right now, I saw something called the 'Virtual Shooting Range' that I'd like to check out. I'd like your company, but if it's not something you're interested in, I understand. And..."

Kyle paused, and Esme could see a faint color tinging his cheeks before he continued.

"I'd like to go see tonight's musical production. It's another semi-formal though. If you don't want to have to dress up again..."

Kyle trailed off, and Esme had to smother a smile. Uncertain wasn't something she was used to seeing in Kyle.

Esme quirked a brow at Kyle let the sentence he was speaking fade off into uncertainty. "Careful, a girl could suspect you might be using these events to prompt her to dress up."

"That's..." Kyle started, then stopped. "You know what, you're right. I like seeing you 'dressed to the nines'. I think you look amazing in anything, but... Well... Ah... And I really want to see the musical."

When Kyle said she'd look amazing in anything two parts of her reared up. One wanted to reply with a teasing comment that was way beyond both their comfort levels; inappropriate Esme wanting to join the party. Then there was the more dominate side of her; the uncertain shy one. Thankfully that side one out or she might have blurted a stupid question, something like 'Even nude?' and that would killed the conversation really quickly with an inferno of awkwardness.

So there she stood for a moment - blushing - and telling inappropriate Esme thoughts to 'fuck off.' "W-Well, I've never been so I guess it could be interesting. As long as it's not some foreign opera and I can understand the words, I'd be up to go."

"Then it's settled," Kyle said, carefully ignoring Esme's blush and stutter. "Let's go see what this 'Virtual Shooting Range' is all about, and I'll make reservations for us at tonight's show."

After a moment's hesitation, he reached out and took Esme's hand, gently leading her towards where the ship map said the range was located.

The rest of the day was taken up with trying various types of 'handguns ', which Kyle found interesting. He was gratified when Esme even picked out a couple of them to try her hand at, though neither one of them turned out to be very good. Kyle thought he could improve with practice, but while Esme had made the effort, she obviously wasn't 'into' the whole shooting range thing. Kyle made reservations for them at 'The Best of Broadway', then they headed out for an informal dinner before changing and heading to the show. Esme had elected for a rather flattering outfit in blue, and Kyle had made certain to choose an outfit that complimented, but didn't match, Esme's. The show had been entertaining, full of bright costumes, excellent music, and energetic performances. Kyle couldn't swear to it, but Esme had seemed to enjoy the show as much as he had. At least, when he suggested they try a different show the next evening, Esme hadn't been adverse to the idea. Once they had returned to their cabin there hadn't been any discussion about sleeping arrangements, they had simply built the 'Great Wall of Periwinkle", though the occasional swung pillow had slowed them. Kyle had given Esme a hug before retiring to his side of the bed with a 'Sleep well ashke' which had caused her cheeks to heat, but she had rallied with a soft 'Good night'.

For the next several days their lives settled into a kind of comfortable routine. Whomever rose first ordered breakfast, then they worked together to erase the signs of their sleeping arrangements. After that chore had been taken care of, Kyle would demonstrate a specific type of shield to Esme, and help her construct it. There were occasional bouts of frustration when Kyle had trouble choosing the right words to get his point across, but Esme seemed to be making an effort to quell her frustration, instead telling Kyle directly that she didn't understand what he was telling her, and he would try again. It didn't always work, but it was progress. They made it a point to try something different for lunch each day, and then their either retired to their cabin, or wandered for a bit, trying anything that caught their eye. Kyle had discovered the arcade, and something called 'Guitar Hero', much to Esme's amusement. By mutual agreement they had tried several different shows, and even attended the formal dinner, though Kyle had worked for that one. All in all, Kyle was pleased and he prayed to all the gods and goddesses he could remember that Esme was enjoying herself. Especially since Esme seemed to be accepting a few small gestures.

They had elected to stay in their cabin, both wanting to be away from the incessant bustle of the rest of the ship. Kyle had purchased a Russian language lesson on a small mp3 unit and was sitting quietly on the bed, absorbing the language. Esme sitting on the couch with her legs curled under her, reading a book that she had brought with her. She reached up to idly brush a lock of hair away from her face, and Kyle found himself staring at her, a warm smile playing across his face as he wondered, not for the first time, what this strong, independent young woman could possibly see in him. They still didn't understand each other, still talked past each other, but the touch of their hands, the occasional unguarded glance that revealed more than friendship... it was all worth it. Esme must have felt his gaze, because her eyes appeared over the top of her book, returning Kyle's gaze. For just a second their eyes held, Kyle trying to express all of the warmth, caring, and admiration he felt for Esme in his glance and smile, but then Esme's cheeks, just visible over the top of her book, flamed brilliant scarlet and the book snapped back up like a shield.

Esme had been focused on her book, while she probably should have been studying from her text books, she more and more felt that she might not be returning to college the longer this took. She sighed as her thoughts began to wander and her eyes did so as well, curiously seeking out Kyle only to spot him staring back at her. She blushed at being caught and quickly tried to use her book to hide herself, trying to pretend like she had been reading and not sneaking a peek at him.

She was tempted to glance at him again to see if he was still looking, but she already knew the chances of that were high and she'd rather resist the urge and find herself staring at him once again, then she'd really have trouble brushing it off and pretending it hadn't happened. Esme wasn't used to this kind of attention and so she wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, so she went with instinct rather than entering into some awkward staring contest from across the room.

Kyle had moved slowly and carefully with their fragile relationship, spacing out small gestures of companionship and affection. He had thought he had gone too far when once, as he was heading out to get something from the ships store he had paused to plant a light kiss on the top of Esme's head before asking if she had needed anything, but despite a furious blush she had rallied with a simple 'No, thanks' and buried her nose in the book she was reading. Now though, they were out of time. They were going to be docking in Russia tomorrow, and the time for lessons and familiarity was at an end. Kyle just hoped they were strong enough for whatever awaited them.

Fable Fable (Not the best timeskip I've ever written. Let me know if I need to do better.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( It's written better than any of my time skips, heh. )

Emse let Kyle take the lead on the entertainment on their cruise trip, though she did interject and suggest things here and there. The virtual range was alright, but she hadn't ever really had an interest in this kind of stuff. She had put in effort when they had gone and while there was some slight improvement with her aim, it wasn't much. Despite having to wear clothes she'd never bothered we before if she could help it, the musicals were actually decently entertaining.

She preferred the comedic musicals over the others, though the more somber ones weren't that bad either. The first show she had at first intently tried to figure out of the cast was simply lip syncing or actually singing, but after a while that thought had faded as she took an interest in actually watching the show. Of course she'd also sneak a side glance at Kyle and did her best to hide that fact.

The times they didn't spend taking advantage of the cruise's entertainment they were training. They still focused on shield and she was slowly improving, but some concepts - or at least the way they were explained - seemed beyond her. She had enough of a grasp dealing with shields that she could utilize them in certain scenarios, but she wasn't sure how well actually using them in a dangerous situation was going to work out for her. It was one thing to practice, it was another to implement it in real life.

Hopefully she'd never have to find out.

She already struggled enough trying to acclimate to their new relationship and figuring that out. Kyle had been the one taking the lead on the little affectionate gestures and Esme on the receiving end. There was times where she had thought of attempting it as well, but she still struggled to find that courage. So she would do her best to reciprocate where she could in those small moments, though she still felt so silly at times being flustered over such things like some high school girl trope.

However, Kyle's patience with her remained, which she was more grateful for than he would probably ever know. Maybe one day she'd tell him, but right now she was struggling with the small stumbling steps of this relationship. Their time on the cruise had allowed some minor exploration of their feelings toward each other, but with the cruise ending she didn't know if they'd have that free time. She worried about that more than she would admit, but she wouldn't voice that to Kyle.

Esme could no longer focus on the words on the pages of her book and with a sigh - only after she believed she had stopped blushing - she snapped the book closed and set it aside. Since they were docking tomorrow she needed to sort out her luggage. She got up and from where she had been lounging and reluctantly began to sort and fold through her clothes back into her luggage. It wasn't that time consuming of a task and soon enough she'd packed pretty much everything except the clothes she planned to wear tomorrow when they docked and stepped back onto dry land.

Honestly, she was ready to step back onto solid ground. While she hadn't been hit too hard with see sickness, when the seas got rough she was honestly wondering if sea travel was a form of torture when the sea sickness did hit her. Even with the medication available to help now, there was only so much to be done when things got so rough that you could feel it on a vessel as large as a cruise ship.

She approached Kyle after she has stowed her luggage back into the small closet, her head tilting slightly as she tried to hear whatever was going on through the earbuds. She didn't want to disturb him, but it was getting closer to dinner time. She gently tugged one of the earbuds out of his ear which caused the sound from it to get slightly louder, enough for her to hear a Russian voice speaking. "We should probably decide where we are going to eat dinner, I do have a suggestion. The Murder Mystery Dinner."
 
Kyle looked up as one of his earbuds was gently tugged from his ear to find Esme standing over him. He reached down to tap the 'off' button as Esme spoke.

"We should probably decide where we are going to eat dinner, I do have a suggestion. The Murder Mystery Dinner."

"Of course ashke," Kyle replied with a smile, plucking the other earbud out setting the MP3 player aside. He reached up and grasped Esme's hands, tugging gently until she was obliged to sit on the bed with him or obviously pull away.

Kyle encircled Esme with his arms, holding her close to his chest, his face buried in the fall of her hair, drinking in her scent.

"Give me this moment ashke," he whispered. "We're about to step into the unknown and unknowable, but for right now... I want to remember this, remember you."

Esme didn't resist when he grasped her hand and tugged her to indicate he was directing her to sit with him on the bed. Sitting next to him in such close proximity quickened her pulse, but when he wrapped her arms around her Esme's eyes widened. With ear to his chest she could hear his heartbeat,, his breathing, take in his scent, and feel the warmth of his body.

If there was an idiom to perhaps describe her in the moment was perhaps 'deer in headlights'; stunned. She heard him speak, but with the fluttering feeling in her chest and worrying she would either garble out nonsense or be passive aggressive - as she is terrible with saying nice things - all she could do was give a silent nod.

Kyle let the moment stretch out as long he dared, feeling the warmth of Esme held so close to his heart. He could feel her heartbeat racing slightly, and he was certain that his was as well, but he chose not to notice. He was certain that if Esme could read his mind she would be 'giving him no end of shit for being melodramatic', but right here, right now, he was content to make her the center of his universe. Rather than keep Esme close for as long as he wished, Kyle reluctantly released her after what was to him far too short a time. He wasn't going to make Esme uncomfortable by being what the humans called 'clingy', but he did have to...

"Thank you ashke," he said softly as Esme sat back upright. Greatly daring, Kyle leaned forward to kiss Esme's forehead, as lightly as the touch of a feather's caress. "With that memory to buoy me, I can face the wastes of the nether-hells. I think that this 'Murder Mystery Dinner' should prove no great difficulty. If you could check to see if there are reservations, I'll finish packing my things."

Kyle began to stand slowly, not wanting this moment to end, but knowing it must inevitably.

Fable Fable (Demon has got it bad. Kind of makes what we both know is coming pretty terrible.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( It will be interesting to see them after the event XD Sorry for the delay, I have appointments every week for 2 months so it's cutting into everything in my normal schedule. )

Esme wouldn't have minded staying that way for a bit longer, but she wasn't going to admit that out loud. Even if she had considered telling him she didn't mind hugs, his smell kiss on her forehead made her slightly flustered so she kept quiet on the subject. Honestly, right now she felt like such a coward as she struggled with saying anything dealing with these feelings she had for him. Instead she just half-smiled at his melodramatic words, "Alright, I'll get the reservations sorted out then."

She opted to stay sitting where she was as she pulled out her phone from a pocket. She flopped back onto the bed with her legs hanging off the edge as she scrolled and tapped across the glass illuminated screen, browsing the cruise's app. Ah modern technology, allowing people to avoid awkward human interaction. With a few minutes she had located the event page of the Murder Mystery dinner and reserved them two seats at a table. The last two seats actually.

"Lucky," she commented to herself before turning the screen in Kyle's direction, though he probably wouldn't be able to see the screen. "We got the last two open seats, it doesn't seem to be a large event thankfully. That'd be chaotic with too many people." It was still hours away which gave them time to kill still and Esme didn't know what to do for entertainment for them. So she rolled to one side of the bed and then to the other side of the bed just because she could.

She sat up when her phone rang and nearly dropped it onto the floor as the sound of the ring cut through the room. It was a call from Ardyr'e and Esme quickly answered the phone, putting it on speaker so Kyle could hear the conversation as well. "I do hope you've enjoyed your little cruise," Ardyr'e greeted. "I figured I would call and check up on you two and share some news. One of my doppelganger teams encountered some coven members. They're mostly unharmed, but you two should be extra careful once you set your feet back on land. Ta-ta!"

Before Esme could ask or even sputter out a question Ardyr'e had already hung up. "She couldn't have elaborated a bit more?" Esme asked to herself since knowing where their doubles had been in contact with a coven would have been useful information. She sighed and tried calling Ardyr'e back, but it went straight to voicemail. After three failed attempts Esme glared at her phone and flopped back onto the bed with a huff of frustration.
 
Kyle busied himself putting the last of his things into the suitcases Ardyr'e had provided, along with all the other items necessary for this little expedition. Esme was busily tapping away at the face of her phone as she sat on the bed, then she turned the face of the phone to him with a look of triumph.

"Lucky. We got the last two open seats, it doesn't seem to be a large event thankfully. That'd be chaotic with too many people."

Kyle chuckled to himself as he finished up with his packing. Before he could return to the bed, Esme's phone rang, startling her into nearly dropping the device. She glanced at the name, then hit the speaker button, allowing Ardyr'es voice to fill the cabin.

"I do hope you've enjoyed your little cruise. I figured I would call and check up on you two and share some news. One of my doppelganger teams encountered some coven members. They're mostly unharmed, but you two should be extra careful once you set your feet back on land. Ta-ta!"

"She couldn't have elaborated a bit more?" Esme asked, before tapping on her phone, presumably trying to call the enigmatic demoness for more information. After several failed attempts, she flopped back onto the bed with an angry huff. Kyle could fairly see the tension radiating off of her. Shaking his head, Kyle made a split second decision to try and break the somber mood Esme was working herself into.

Putting his last items into his suitcase, Kyle turned and took two quick steps then launched himself as high into the air as he could. Esme's eyes widened as he left the floor, but before she could react he reached the top of his arc and began to fall towards the bed. Kyle's flight ended with him landing flat on the bed with a loud 'whumpf', the resulting recoil nearly bouncing Esme off of the bed. She turned to glare at Kyle and he reached out apologetically, meaning to stroke Esme's arm. Unfortunately, Esme's turn caused him to misjudge the distance, and his fingers wound up slipping along Esme's side instead. She flinched away from the touch with an involuntary giggle, and Kyle's eyes lit with mischief.

"Oh ho!" he crowed, turning up on his own side so he could send his fingers dancing along Esme's sides, eliciting a chorus of squeals and giggles. "How the tables have turned!"

The moment she heard Kyle go 'Oh ho!' she knew she was doomed. Before she should squirm away to a safe distance the tickling assault began and she couldn't keep herself from laughing. She squirmed and struggled to defend ticklish sides as best as she could, but it's hard to fight back when you were being tickled so relentlessly and it sapped one's strength.

Her eyes watered from the laughter and after thirty seconds she began to plead for mercy and announcing that Kyle had won this battle this day. There were a few expletives and threats tossed in there for good sassy measure, she wasn't going to surrender without commentary that he attacked unprovoked and with evil tactics that Periwinkle highly displeased with. Of course this was said all in good fun.

Kyle kept up his assault on Esme's ticklish spots until her eyes watered and her face flushed a bright pink from her laughter. When she loudly proclaimed him the victor for the day despite his underhanded tactics and unprovoked assault upon the person of Periwinkle, he finally relented. Esme lay gasping for breath, her eyes shining and her cheeks bright, and Kyle thought that she was the loveliest he had ever seen her. For just a moment, the trials of the future were forgotten in the moment and he saw an Esme unburdened by worry.

"You're beautiful you know," he said almost conversationally as he leaned close, greatly daring, and kissed her.

Esme had caught most of her breath after all that laughter and wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks with the back of her hands. The moment she had pulled her hands away from her face she heard Kyle speak and turned to look at him and saw he had gotten much closer. She was caught off-guard by the sudden proximity between them which gave the daring demon a chance to kiss her.

There was a stunned second when she felt the warmth of his lips pressed against her own. She wanted to enjoy these types of moments, as much as she found herself feeling that wary part of herself ever present in the background. She let her eyes close naturally and softly returned the kiss. There was hesitation because of doubts in regards to being able to kiss someone properly, she was rusty with this sort of stuff after all.

Kyle felt the momentary hesitation, but then Esme was returning his kiss, and everything was alright with the universe. Unlike their first kiss, he let this one linger as he focused on letting Esme know how he felt about her. He worried that he was overstepping, of being awkward, but he pushed those worries to the back of his mind. He had made his decision. He would give her his heart, freely and without demand. Forget the future and all it's possible problems. Forget the past and the pain it carried. They were here, now, and the future would take care of itself.

Fable Fable (Demon is... he just is. He's living in the moment.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Sorry it's short, brain is struggling a bit with insomnia. I wanted to give Kyle a chance to react to this strange turn of events, lol. )

Esme enjoyed this small moment of private bliss between herself and Kyle. For this small moment she didn't think about everything else she had to be concerned about. She somewhat reluctantly ended their kiss. She opened her eyes as she pulled away, her cheeks flushed and her heart fluttering nervously. "That's cheating, using a kiss to distract me from getting revenge," she teased. She was still reserved due to her uncertainty things of this nature. So her mind raced wondering what Kyle was thinking, but wasn't daring or brave enough to ask.

She forced back the urge to apologize if she kissed poorly, though her eyes curiously searched his expression for a sign of a anything that would hint she'd messed up in some manner. She hadn't moved back further though since she had ended their kiss. A thought crossed her mind and she knew if she let it linger too long she'd convince herself to not go through with. So she scooted and shifted closer to him till she was basically cuddling with him. She swallowed a bit nervously and if a joke came to mind she would have said it to try to hide her anxiousness. "J-Just a few minutes like this," was all she managed to say. She just wanted a few peaceful minutes since tomorrow the cruise would be over and for all she knew this might be the only chance she had for doing this.

Eventually her body relaxed and she let out a small contented sigh and she let her eyes close. Thankfully Kyle remained silent as she did this. If he had spoken she probably would have reacted like a startled cat. Well, perhaps that was a bit dramatic, but she probably would have awkwardly removed herself from his person and tried to laugh it off. She stayed there and listened to his breathing, his heartbeat; letting her focus drift away from her worries.

She wasn't sure how long exactly she had stayed that way, but she knew they couldn't stay like this for the rest of the day. Since she couldn't figure out a way to not awkwardly pull back, she decided to take advantage of Kyle's vulnerable position and attacked! She fingers swiftly found her target, his ribs and began to tickle him mercilessly while giving out a mock evil laughter. She knew strength and size wise he could overpower her, so she didn't tickle him for long. She rolled away and off the bed to land on her knees, peering over the edge of the mattress at him.
 
"That's cheating, using a kiss to distract me from getting revenge," Esme teased lightly, making Kyle smile warmly at her. He treasured the moments when happy Esme surfaced, and as she settled against him, he kept quiet, not wanting to disturb her mood.

"J-Just a few minutes like this," she said as she slowly began to relax against him. Kyle remained still, welcoming her presence and treating her with all the gentleness and stillness of a wild, skittish thing. As Esme let out a small, contented sigh, the smile that she couldn't see because of her position threatened to split Kyle's face. He carefully suppressed the urge to stroke her hair or say anything, sensing that any interruption to Esme's mood would shatter the sense of closeness they were sharing. He found himself relaxing as she had, thoughts drifting nowhere in particular as he just enjoyed the moment, which stretched on far longer than he expected.

Kyle's only warning that the interlude was at an end was a slight tensing of Esme's body, then she was attacking his sides with nimble fingers, causing him to spasm wildly at the unexpected assault. Esme gave an evil sounding laugh as she rolled off of the bed before he could recover, only her eyes and top of her head visible as she peered at him. Kyle rolled the opposite direction, peering back at Esme over the expanse of the bed as he spoke.

"Treachery most foul," he intoned. "In the very midst of a peaceful interlude we are laid low by unprovoked attacks. Unleash the dogs of war."

Kyle slipped down below the level of the mattress, slipping out of his clothes adroitly and tossing them up and onto the bed. Let Esme make of that what she would. His Power flowed easily through him, and his form shifted quickly into the familiar form of the wolf. He crouched, letting the tips of his ears show above the level of the mattress as Esme's only warning before he sprang powerfully forward, clearing the bed that separated them in an instant. His unexpected appearance rocked Esme back on her heels, and he took unscrupulous advantage of the situation, giving her face a sloppy lick from chin to forehead before nuzzling his wet nose into the side of her neck.

Fable Fable (Demon unleashes Lick and Nuzzle! It's highly effective.)
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Sorry for the lacking post ;-; )

When Kyle mimicked her movement to the opposite side of the bed, she stared back at him trying to figure out what exactly he was planning. When he dunked under the cover of the mattress which obscured her view, tossing his clothes onto the bed her cheeks turned bright red. She quickly armed herself with one of the plush pillows. It wasn't like she was willing or desired to attack him with the lamp.

She wasn't sure if she should try and flee to another spot to increase her distance from Kyle, so she ducked and didn't see the canine ears appear over the top of the mattress. So needless to say she was stunned when the next moment Esme was pounced upon by a large wolf and nearly fell over. His next attack was a sloppy lick across her face, part of which resulted in her hair getting wolf slobber and sticking a bit up leaving her very frazzled looking.

When he began to nuzzle her with a wet nose she remembered the pillow in her hand and smacked him atop the wolven head. "Oh don't think you can get away with that just because you're trying to act like a cute innocent wolf who did not just slobber all over my face. We're going to have to make some rules here about fair warfare, because I argue that you transforming as cheating."

She lifted up her shirt slightly to use the inside to wipe off the saliva trail that had been left on her face. She was going to have to go take a shower now because she didn't want the saliva in her hair to stay there the rest of the day. Before she could try and continue telling him about how he had cheated there was a knock at the door and Esme looked at the door then back to wolf-Kyle... then back to the door. "J-Just a moment," she called out, mentally slapping herself that she'd neglected to use the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the door for whenever the housekeeping crew showed up.

Thankfully her response halted the maid as just as the door beeped to indicate it had been unlocked there was no indication of the door being opened. "Get dressed," she whispered harshly. "As a human," she quickly added, wondering just how far Kyle would take this joke.
 
Kyle shifted back to human form and grabbed his pants, then cocked his head to one side with a wicked grin. He shimmied into the pants, then held them closed with one hand and headed towards the door. As he moved, a faint sheen of perspiration appeared on his bare upper torso, and his skin took on a faint flush. He looked for all the world like someone who had been interrupted in flagrante delicto as he put a hand on the doorknob.

"You stay there dear," he called. "I'll get it."

Kyle eased the door open just enough to come face to top of the head with a short woman in a grey uniform. The woman's eyes quickly took in the hand holding Kyle's pants closed, then traveled up his body, taking it all in. After a moment her mouth opened and closed several times without making a sound as her cheeks began to flame a brilliant scarlet.

"P-p-p-perdón," she stammered. "No fue intencion interruumpir".

"I'm not certain what you just said," Kyle said in a friendly voice. "But if you could perhaps come back later." He glanced over his shoulder at Esme, who was out of the housekeeper's sight. "Much later?"

"Oh, of course senor!" the woman said. "Later. Much later."

Kyle shut the door as the housekeeper scurried off, his shoulders heaving with suppressed laughter.

"I think..." he broke off with a gasp as a guffaw escaped him, then tried again. "I think our cover as newlyweds is set in stone now."

Fable Fable (It's very short, but I really want to see Esme's reaction. ;) )
 
Tarmagon Tarmagon ( Flustered Esme trying to not oogle the demon.)

Esme had averted her eyes when Kyle went to go get dressed, wanting to avoid any potential danger of seeing him nude... though she already had once before and they thought made her face explode in a fresh blush and she tried to suppress the thought. She saw him get up, though he wasn't fully dressed and was only hold his pants up at his waist rather than securing them. When she saw the sheen of sweat appear on his upper body her mouth fell open. He wouldn't! But when he spoke to her and called her dear she fumbled to try and get up to try and stop him.

She stubbed her toe on the bed frame as she tried to intervene, resulting in her dropping onto the bed holding her foot in silent agony. She glared at Kyle's back with watery eyes full of threatening promise of revenge against him. Right now though she needed her nerves to stop screaming at her over her injured toe.

She heard the poor maid's embarrassed tone and when Kyle glanced over at her she tried to give him an angry expression, but honestly her toe was still throbbing so it probably looked more like a petulant child pouting more than anything. She stayed silent though as he finished the interaction with the maid, but the moment he closed the door a pillow was tossed right at his face. "Honestly," she huffed out as she stared at him, then remember or rather noticed he was still very shirtless and still very much covered in a sheen of sweat.

She swallowed nervously and tried to casually look away. She was distracted him her toe and cleared her throat before speaking again, "You've had your fun, put your shirt on." She crawled across the bed, picked up his shirt and tossed it to him. She wasn't actually upset with him, at least whatever anger had been there had already defused quickly once she was confronted with a shirtless Kyle. She mentally slapped herself as she did her best to not let her eyes wander.

"Poor woman, just came to clean the room and gets greeted by a shirtless demon," Esme laughed out, trying to direct attention away from herself. "You better leave some nice tip somewhere for her after than stunt," she continued to joke.

Then there was silence again and Esme struggled with it. So her mind rummaged around for something, anything. A task, a topic. "Oh! I should see about the train tickets," she blurted out with a higher tone than usual. She patted her pocket for her phone, but found it wasn't there, then proceeded to pat and look around on the bed before finding it buried in the comforter. She could have used an excuse about needing to see about getting the tickets printed, but honestly everything had an app.

Unfortunately though, it was... in Russian and Esme's shoulders slumped. She looked sheepishly at Kyle and held up her phone with the screen facing him, "How good is your Russian?"
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)

Similar threads

Edric Blight
Fandom Magical Expectations [HP 1x1] - Edric and Sponge
2 boys closed harry potter
Replies
45
Views
667
Edric Blight
Edric Blight
Lucyfer
Fandom Devil May Cry: Cold Day In Heaven [Closed]
Replies
2
Views
106
Lucyfer
Lucyfer
fairyfawn
Fandom LEGENDS NEVER DIE // nana and fairy
angst canon characters canon/oc
Replies
1
Views
116
fairyfawn
fairyfawn
Rusting Knight
Fantasy Broken Faith [Closed, w/ Lucyfer]
Replies
3
Views
97
Lucyfer
Lucyfer
moonrise
Fandom ATLA: Archive of Fire [Closed]
Replies
3
Views
122
Lucyfer
Lucyfer
Back
Top