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i guess my wings have flown too close to your sun. ( CLOSED )
Who: rey (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
purpose) & kylo ren (warfares)
When: during lunasa.
Where: the city.
What: bond forging.
Warnings: none currently, will update if needed.
[ The festivities endure into the night. A fortunate turn of events when sunlight has weakened her, kept her home and restless in the cottage they share — and unable to defeat that feeling of missing the pieces of herself that have been snatched away.
There is something to be said of their splendor of the celebrations as darkness falls, at the very least. A magical quality that is only amplified by her first step outside since dawn began to color the sky, fireworks bursting and shattering across the sky in ways that only serve to remind her why she's here at all.
Ben.
She moves through the crowd to find him not once, but twice — intercepted on both attempts and made to bear witness to the weddings and shared vows of strangers. It's beautiful, she thinks, in spite of that — heartfelt and true, a happiness that plucks at her until she's aching with wistful envy.
Eventually, she manages to wriggle away from one enthusiastic brother of the bride, flushed from the exertion of dancing. Flowers skew through her hair like she's run through a forest and snagged herself on bramble, rather than any deliberate placement; a finger brushes across the petals, as if checking to see if they remain, when she finally pushes — with no lack of scornful looks at her lack of manners — through the crowd to snare his elbow, impatient. ]
I tried to find you. They kept dragging me away.
[ Contrary to that announcement, she glows from the joy of it. Content, distracted from the changes that have been forced upon her, though she sobers just slightly as she moves to untangle the ribbons tied within her hair. A selection she had made on her own for their ceremony, advised on what she hoped their bond would represent. Blue to embody patience, sincerity. Pink, for its unity and the importance of truth. White and its emphasis on peace. Each bun at the back of her head unravels with it, falling loose around her shoulders.
Lifting her hands, she presents the ribbons to him. Bearing witness to the intimate moments exchanged between strangers has brought to her attention how on view they'll be, uncertain how she feels that their own might be intruded upon, but there's a greater concern pressing at the front of her mind. ]
Do you still want to do this?
[ Now that he knows the worst of her thirst. It probes him, seeking out any regrets or hesitation. ]
purpose) & kylo ren (warfares)When: during lunasa.
Where: the city.
What: bond forging.
Warnings: none currently, will update if needed.
[ The festivities endure into the night. A fortunate turn of events when sunlight has weakened her, kept her home and restless in the cottage they share — and unable to defeat that feeling of missing the pieces of herself that have been snatched away.
There is something to be said of their splendor of the celebrations as darkness falls, at the very least. A magical quality that is only amplified by her first step outside since dawn began to color the sky, fireworks bursting and shattering across the sky in ways that only serve to remind her why she's here at all.
Ben.
She moves through the crowd to find him not once, but twice — intercepted on both attempts and made to bear witness to the weddings and shared vows of strangers. It's beautiful, she thinks, in spite of that — heartfelt and true, a happiness that plucks at her until she's aching with wistful envy.
Eventually, she manages to wriggle away from one enthusiastic brother of the bride, flushed from the exertion of dancing. Flowers skew through her hair like she's run through a forest and snagged herself on bramble, rather than any deliberate placement; a finger brushes across the petals, as if checking to see if they remain, when she finally pushes — with no lack of scornful looks at her lack of manners — through the crowd to snare his elbow, impatient. ]
I tried to find you. They kept dragging me away.
[ Contrary to that announcement, she glows from the joy of it. Content, distracted from the changes that have been forced upon her, though she sobers just slightly as she moves to untangle the ribbons tied within her hair. A selection she had made on her own for their ceremony, advised on what she hoped their bond would represent. Blue to embody patience, sincerity. Pink, for its unity and the importance of truth. White and its emphasis on peace. Each bun at the back of her head unravels with it, falling loose around her shoulders.
Lifting her hands, she presents the ribbons to him. Bearing witness to the intimate moments exchanged between strangers has brought to her attention how on view they'll be, uncertain how she feels that their own might be intruded upon, but there's a greater concern pressing at the front of her mind. ]
Do you still want to do this?
[ Now that he knows the worst of her thirst. It probes him, seeking out any regrets or hesitation. ]
no subject
( there were the obvious parallels to be made, of course, in which case dancing and feasting were not off the table. even without a much larger affair there would doubtless be ample opportunities ㅡ if there was one thing this city did, and did well, it was celebrate.
but her request is far from an unreasonable one. starting their partnership in such a way seemed fitting, for all the thought of his company being welcomed was still a novel one. he covers the hand tucked against his sleeve, warm fingers against chill flesh. )
That should be easy enough to arrange, though I'm sure you'll tire of my presence soon enough. ( a joke, for the most part. )
no subject
[ She can recognize the lilt of his joke, but she refutes it quickly — sternly, too, tearing it out by the stem before it can grow roots. ]
You're my partner. I wouldn't have chosen just anyone.
[ Insisting survival and familiarity hadn't factored in would be misleading, but ignoring the desire for companionship does her a disservice. Taking responsibility for him is a bigger commitment than she believes he knows, but it's her hope in him that had been the most convincing factor.
Her fingers wrap loosely around his as they brush her own. ]
If you're the one having second thoughts about this, just tell me.
[ That's his final chance. No takebacks. ]
no subject
No, of course not.
( a small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth and gives physical expression to the absolute relief he feels that they have managed to resolve this so quickly and cleanly. kylo gestures to their surroundings, to the flowers and the frolicking couples. )
Though we might have to allow for at least a little dancing.
no subject
[ Similarly with their instructions of seduction and their lessons on colorful flower arrangement for courting, welcoming her with that knowledge without the judgment she had received from so many others in this world. Among the festivities, she can understand the need to impart those customs on anyone willing to learn.
And now she has a reason to share those with him. Her expression brightens back to its enthusiasm — smile widening as though even her mouth is surprised by the sudden appearance of it and the sheer wattage of her expression. ]
Do you know how to dance? [ Eyebrows raising, she looks at him sidelong, mischievously amused. ] You don't look like you do.
[ Pure, blunt honesty. Kylo Ren is a broad, looming powerhouse, but she has to wonder if Ben Solo had ever been encouraged toward it. ]
no subject
I'm particularly interested in what else the women at the brothel taught you. ( leaning into her space, the words carry a simmering heat to them that suggests that it's not merely the dancing he'd interested in. )
no subject
And everything to do with the clenching deep and low in her abdomen, nearly as overwhelming as the pit that settles in her stomach when she hasn't fed for long. The collar of the gown disguises the flush that stretches vines across her cheekbones, pooling red-warmth into her skin, but the parting of her lips and dilation of her pupils — however slight — is equally revealing.
A swipe of her tongue doesn't clear it, doesn't fend off the feeling. It only draws her attention to the plush curve of his own, dropping there before raising back to his eyes. ]
They had a lot to share.
[ It's a better retort than the oh her mind wants to give, bursting from her in breathless astonishment that he wants her in that way. That the hedge had not just been an isolated incident, fueled by the need to pacify her or pure instinct he had come to regret. Or, worse yet, the product of a game they had been playing. She doesn't think she could continue allowing him to touch her if it had only been a way to pass the time for him rather than anything meaningful — like the hut, tense and electric, before Luke had disrupted and dispelled the moment.
His interest is too overt, now, for Rey to question it. As charged as that night in its anticipation, filled with fascination and coalescing heat stifling the air, making it difficult to draw oxygen without breathing him in. ]
About seduction. [ And more. It hadn't felt useful to her then. ] That's a different dance than the kind you were just asking for.
no subject
( which is another kind of admission. one that might offer some insight into his earlier caution with her — it had never been a lack of interest, rather it had been a lack of experience. )
If you don't mind.
( and it's not that he's embarassed, per se. shame was not something he ever ascribed to this particular deficit of knowledge — there had never been the time to see it addressed, and when there had been time the inclination had settled into something less pressing, until it had disappeared entirely.
he hadn't cared, then. had seen the danger in opening himself to someone else.
snoke would not suffer rivals. but snoke was not here, not able to interfere, and perhaps now he could allow himself to take, purely for himself, for once. )
no subject
[ A laborious task, like sifting through rusted wreckage for a glimmer of value in the heap. The perplexed offense she projects is, for the most part, on his behalf; he must know by now that she isn't one to suffer what he could or would do to her in silence.
If she didn't want his hands on her, he would know it.
More than that, she concentrates there instead of admitting she doesn't know the steps in application. In theory, yes, from stories that had spread on Jakku and tittering whispers in the brothel itself. From instructions and advice, freely given and without shame in The House of Virtue, from women and men that hadn't judged her for her confusion or for the changes developing within her. From old, wanton holos and lovers that hadn't cared to disguise their frantic need to have one another in seedy corners.
But never herself.
Confessing to it feels significant, a need rising up to remind him he isn't alone. But it isn't the time or the place to be openly vulnerable in a crowd, and Rey has better ideas of putting words into action. She takes a step inward, recalling what she had been shown — and what she had been told — during those lessons, and smooths her hands over his chest.
Time to prove a point, and put flirting into practice. ]
You're plenty capable.
[ For a second, she considers he might run off like a frightened animal, but. She's yeeting, regardless. There's only a flicker of tentativeness before she leans in, breath washing over his face, and lets her voice drop an octave. Private, intimate, filled with innuendo as her gaze sweeps over him and back up again. ]
You look like you can handle it. Maybe you could try handling me.
no subject
but he's also an intelligent man. capable, as she insists. and more than a little motivated. )
I'd like that.
( a hand sneaks around to her side, letting his fingers brush against the fabric and finds it to be as soft and warm as it looks. like honey and spun sunlight. )
I want to know you ㅡ all of you.
no subject
You're supposed to flirt back.
[ From what she'd seen of the scenes acted out in front of her, that's how this is supposed to progress. The statement is tinged by a laugh, ignoring the twisting in her stomach that's pleasantly surprised her attempts had yielded any results.
And, beneath that, overlooking her desire to admit she hardly knows herself. A hand between her legs had never erased the loneliness of Jakku, but it had allowed her to forget for a time, restless and hasty in the hollow skeleton of her AT-AT. What she knows of intimacy has been self-exploratory, and that self-exploration had been limited at best. Quick, perfunctory, and always focused on the end goal or the nebulous concept of being wanted, of belonging.
Rey barely knows herself in that way, but he's given her cause to believe they can learn together. Unlike Ben, the thought doesn't cause her any performance anxiety. She wants it, had wanted it the moment their fingers had touched and gifted her certainty of their future, of their place; if nothing else, she's only buzzing with impatient, anticipatory energy. ]
no subject
( the look he gives rey is enough to suggest that he has no earthly idea where to even begin. compliments, in general, as such a foreign concept already without delving into the fact that they're meant to entice.
he can feel heat crawl up his neck that has nothing at all to do with the heat. )
I didn't want to stop, in the maze. You were warm and soft and tasted far sweeter than I expected.
( granted, he's still trying to decide how he feels about the rest of it. the blood-drinking is an issue, of course, and one that hasn't been tabled so much as set aside for the moment while they tackled more pressing issues. )
It felt ...right.
no subject
He radiates more sincerity than she had anticipated, braced herself for. It's nothing like the exhibitions the brothel and its instructors had given, equipped with generic comments and dripping playful innuendo to reach an end goal.
Bit by bit, Rey's expression softens with an open vulnerability that reveals he has gone beyond her expectations, offered her a piece of himself too genuine for Rey to consider continuing with lessons on flirtation or mischievous teasing. ]
It did feel right. [ No, wait. ] It does feel right.
[ She can't dispute that. Half the fear is how right any gesture between them feels: every touch, every taste, every minute of companionable silence or confiding to each other in whispers. If she wasn't so certain of Ben Solo's trajectory, of the belief he is on her side, she would think of it as potentially dangerous. ]
They're still waiting for us. [ The curling line to her mouth is gentle, light, but not forced. Before any of it, they need to complete the Ceremony. She squeezes his hand, leading him with her into the Coven's headquarters. ] And after they're done, you won't have a reason to stop.
[ Not as he had in the maze. There will be nothing holding either of them back tonight, once they've Bonded. ]
no subject
it’s much like what they’d been told in that class, though there’s more deliberation behind it. more intent.
like a marriage.
he swallows back the urge to point out that, bizarrely, he’d never considered that this would ever feature in his future, not wanting to tarnish the mood when she had already picked up on lingering nerves once already. offers the witch a nod that says he understands, then shifts his attention back to rey, where it’s safest. )
I'm ready.
no subject
'You came prepared,' he tells them when he's done, and nods approvingly. 'Very good. Now, we shall start with the vows.' ]
Vows? [ Her brow knits, bemused. The Ceremony has been shrouded in such secrecy that she hadn't known what to bring beyond what the festivals had dictated. The weddings they've prepared today had been filled with them — but this isn't a wedding, and Rey has no knowledge of how traditions are meant to work. She tries not to feel any awkward pang because of it while on the receiving end of the Witch's increasingly perplexed stare. ] I didn't bring any vows. Sorry — we're new to this.
[ Expectantly, she looks to Ben. As if asking him to reaffirm that, or spare them both by miraculously informing her he came with his own equipped. ]
no subject
rey appears at least as startled as he does, her earlier confidence dissolving in the face of the officiant’s request. she’d brought the ribbons, though. had invested enough thought into this already to have selected them carefully.
clearing his throat: ) I promise you only all of myself — to be present — to be supportive, enthusiastic and loving.
I will be there for you, always. ( his eyes are fixed on hers, warming to the subject. as he speaks, he can feel the weight of the words. the way they hum with a power that prickles the hairs on his arms and neck.
magic. )
I will shield you from the wind, cover you from the rain, and make a home for us inside my heart.
I enter into this life with you without reservation or fear, without confusion, but with a clear and trusting heart.
no subject
The gravity that drives them only validates that faith. The words pour through her like blood, teaming with life force and heat and an otherworldly suggestion of something more. A spirituality, a completion, a key sliding into a lock. A fulfillment, more than that; already, she can feel that familiar tug of a connection return.
It's everything and nothing like what the Force had forged between them.
She's still gaping a little when the officiant clears his throat and nods to the ribbons in her hands. Rey moves quickly; this part, she can do, relying on the skills Jakku had given her to link them together in secure knots. ]
I chose blue. To give us patience with each other and the world. [ Her tongue feels heavy in her mouth as she connects it to the pink. ] Pink, for us to stand together and find the truth. [ Next, she loops it around the white. ] And white — to make peace.
[ Joining their hands together, she slips the knotted ribbons around their wrists, the silk touching their skin delicately. It's all they need, it seems; the officiant gives them a civil, approving smile, and informs them the Ceremony is complete. ]
no subject
the colors are wound together in a soft braid that pulses with its own heartbeat. eventually, the circle they are standing in begins to dim and then fade entirely, a signal of the ceremony's conclusion. )
How long are we meant to — ( he lifts their bound hands, a question posed to the officiant since neither of them are knowledgeable enough to answer it themselves. the coven really should look into putting out a pamphlet, or something. ) I'd like to take my partner dancing.
no subject
[ Rey interjects with no shortage of amusement. It's a good question, regardless; these traditions are too unfamiliar to her to feel confident in slipping free within seconds, even if the compulsion is there, unable to care enough about custom to abide by it and its inefficiency. Binding them spiritually is fine; restraining her hands and forcing them to include the other in every second of their day would just be trouble.
The officiant shoots her wry look, and proceeds to shake his head. 'It's symbolic,' he says. 'You have the choice to free yourselves, but the ribbons should remain unbroken.' Easy enough for Rey; wriggling free in tight spaces had been a distinct part of her routine on Jakku. Smaller than his, her wrists slip free with only some effort, leaving it in-tact. ]
We should keep it. As a reminder, or a token. [ She urges, looking down at the ribbons as she goes to work them off his hands. ] Don't break it.
no subject
( the ribbons are wound carefully around his fingers and then tucked away into one of the pockets of his new robes. he'll have to look into something better, more secure, at a later date, but that should suffice for now.
the sense of completeness left in the wake of the ceremony settles. it's not the same bond they had known, perhaps, but that had been a bond that had occurred inexplicably while this had been one they had chosen for themselves. with intent. that made it just as precious and valuable. )
And I won't.
no subject
Don't try to steal it. It belongs to both of us.
[ If it's a token purely for himself he wants, he'll have to ask for it — though Rey's lizard brain insists he'll have one by the end of the night. Less tangible, but just as significant for the parts of herself it makes vulnerable.
Free to tangle between his own, her fingers return to his hand. ]
I'll let you steal a dance.
no subject
( he ducks his head, sheepish. truthfully, he hadn't even considered how it might have seemed to her — that she would think he was trying to keep it from her. but she's right, of course. the braid belongs to them both. )
Once we return to the cottage, we can find somewhere safe to store it.
( rey laces their fingers together, palms pressing together, and he allows himself a smile. )
At least one.
( though he intends for it to be more. it's not every day one binds themselves to another on the metaphysical plane. at least one dance was only to be expected. )
no subject
Like his physical presence has been, seeming to conquer the space he occupies. Rey won't let him similarly consume her by surrendering too much ground. ]
We didn't get the chance to practice much during lessons. There was one night where they wanted us to invite partners to prove what we'd learned, but you were ... — we were busy.
[ Finding ways to keep her alive and nourished. Rey doesn't say it, but it fills the empty space. So does the implication that she's felt like a burden, to some degree, to have struggled with surviving on her own. She should be able to do that without him, but it had taken his insistence — and his help — to wrangle a live source to feed from.
At the very least, she hasn't slaughtered any of the livestock they've been practicing with. It's a start in learning to become more comfortable with, and in exploring her capabilities. But she slips from those thoughts a moment later, leading him toward the square. She doesn't quite reach the center of it, maintaining her distance from the lively, swaying bodies. A little corner of the street that Rey has carved out for them.
With her hand tucked inside of his own, she uses the other to guide his hand to her waistline. A furrow occurs between her brow, concentrating. ]
no subject
( though this is really more of a general observation than a comment on her dancing skills. she'd picked up things quickly enough on starkiller — even if desperation and necessity had lent her aid.
she'd lead him a merry chase, regardless.
his hand settles at her waist, and his gaze lifts to catch the furrow of her brow. )
What is it?
no subject
[ The tone she takes with him, not quite biting or dismissive enough to fully become a scolding, suggests he's interrupted that process. More than that, he's large — broad enough that she has to wonder if they can even make a dance work.
Still, she sweeps aside the uncertainty before it can latch on — or before Ben can latch onto it and question her further. Her hand finds his shoulder not long after, surprised to find that it settles there without strain. She does, however, have to angle her head back in order to properly meet his eye in their current proximity and position. ]
You're supposed to lead.
[ According to what the women had said of men, at any rate. It doesn't feel like it should matter, to Rey, who leads. As soon as she's said it, she's already pulling on his hand and stepping back to lead him in a waltz, deliberately choosing the simplest of the dances she'd learned. ]
no subject
( the movements are stilted at first, uncertain, but grow in confidence as they move across the dancefloor.
the other couples give them a wide enough berth once it becomes clear that at least one of them is inexperienced ㅡ though he does catch a few amused looks being thrown their way.
he huffs, head shaking, banishing any lingering thoughts that aren't of her or of maintaining the careful rhythm. )
It's like a training exercise. Each step leads into the next and then the next.
no subject
Rather than let it spur her into pulling away, she finds his gaze again and tightens her jaw, a determined set that matches the surety of her next step back — and then to the left, taking him with her and narrowly avoiding colliding with a pair across from them. ]
I don't think training exercises are meant to be fun. [ She says, flat but wry. It swiftly gives way to the concerned, curious wrinkle of her eyebrow. ] Haven't you ever learned anything just because you wanted to? For fun?
no subject
( though she can be forgiven for thinking otherwise. from what he’d gathered, luke hadn’t gone out of his way to inspire much confidence, much less endear himself.
some things never truly changed.
still, her question is enough to give him pause. head canting slightly as he reflects on his limited recollection of recreation time. )
I flew.
( perhaps this didn't count either, however, but he'd learned to fly as much for his own sake as for his father. what had begun as a way to maintain at least one connection with the man had blossomed into something else, something more. )
no subject
[ She hadn't had the same access to a ship. Envy pings through her at the image presented to her by an overactive imagination: a smaller version of the man across from her, saddled in the cockpit of the Falcon, bright-eyed and clinging to his father.
Her smile wilts just slightly. ]
It's more like flying, I think. [ That's the similarity she draws, at least. Training carries different connotations, makes it sound limited to passive education rather than the desire for it. The passion of it, the rush of excitement that pounds in her when she spins into him. ] There's no right way to do it. You just follow where your instincts lead you.
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( a rare compliment. one not given lightly. he's tempted to expound, to make mention of his father's ship — hunk of junk that it is — but refrains. she loves that ship like she loves his father, with an enduring ferocity that promises an argument if he so much as thinks of taking the conversation that direction.
so he doesn't.
instead, they manage to pull off a fairly decent twirl. rey's skirts flying just slightly as she turns. )
And more than a little passion. I envy you that.
no subject
[ Exertion renders her breathless when she returns to him, bumping solidly into his chest. The closeness of it makes it impossible to even want to right herself — and so she doesn't, relishing the thudding drum of his heartbeat against her sternum.
More the point, she has felt the yearning of his mouth, tasted the adrenaline in his veins. Ben hasn't given himself due credit — or perhaps he prefers the impression that he is coldly reserved and detached, rather than prone to pouring his intensity into every avenue.
A man so intense cannot be anything but passionate, Rey reasons. All the more reason to anticipate what's to come. ]
Or are you telling me you're not feeling passionate about dancing?
[ They can change that. Rey forms her own rules, doesn't adhere to tradition; breaking from the steps, she settles a hand at the nape of his neck, urging him to bend so she might press her forehead to his. ]
no subject
Just that it's different.
( or perhaps it's really not that different from dancing in the ways that count. instinct is key as much as footwork. so where rey leads, he follows, and they're close. close enough that they're practically sharing each other's breath.
probably far too close for this kind of public venue, bond or no bond, but it's a different sort of thrilling all the same. adrenaline buzzing through his veins. drunk on his feelings and on her. )
no subject
[ Her probing is deliberate, a means of coaxing out what he isn't telling her. His meanings have often been too layered in meaning for her to do the guesswork alone, but the desire stems from more than just needling until she gets to the truth. It's a deep-seated need to share in honesty, in the vulnerability he has goaded from her.
The tip of her nose brushes his, purposeful in how close she gets, before she pulls back to spin. It's half-hearted at best, reluctant to escape the warmth radiating from him, but that hardly deters her from the teasing nature of it. That's the intention, they had said, of these dances — another symbolic meaning of courtship, representing the chase and catch. ]
no subject
that he might want that.
except.
except that he does.
so when rey spins herself out, he's there to reel her back in, holding her close as the final strains of the dance concludes. some of the couples depart the dance floor, seeking out family and friends — or perhaps other, more private pleasures — while others remain. )
Another?
no subject
[ He has missed the point, she thinks, if he assumes she is speaking of his combat prowess and not the intensity with which he commits himself. More than that, it's a lesson she should mind herself; each slip of her restraint here feels like an ominous warning of control over her bloodlust.
Even now, the wild thud of his heartbeat causes her to salivate. Feeding recently hasn't erased the intoxicating nature of his scent, his taste. Rey presses impossibly closer, ignoring the chiming warning at the back of her skull, and tries valiantly not to inhale too deeply to keep some semblance of sanity. ]
I promised you one dance. [ She reminds him, playful rather than exasperated. She tilts her head into his chest to watch as others disperse, giggling and mirthful. It's tempting to follow suit, even as she sways in time with the soft notes. ] Do you really want another?
no subject
( it's tempting, so very tempting, to stretch out this moment as long as circumstances will allow. rey, soft and warm in his arms, smelling of wildflowers. the music drifting on the air.
it's something almost too perfect to be real. )
I confess I've never been one for parties. ( shocking, no doubt. he might be the son of a princess but has never possessed what one might consider courtly wiles. too much his father's son, even in this. )
no subject
[ The sarcastic bite — more of a nip, truly — prevents her from considering his time in the First Order. There is no allotted time for parties, after all, when they're too occupied with oppressing the galaxy. When Snoke has demanded the entirety of his life, his time, his energy — until he has devoted his very essence to him.
But no longer. He'll be returning with her once they've been pulled back into their own galaxy, free from the shackles of that overbearing darkness. Still, the thought pulls at the corners of Rey's mouth, chasing away the brightness of her amusement. She buries the sight in his chest, listening to his lungs inflate and release with every rhythmic breath. ]
There's still more that I promised to teach you.
[ And she is impatient in that regard, anxiously buzzing with energy. Distracting her with dancing when he is this warm and solid and close had been a fool's errand. ]
no subject
( eventually, they come to a stop. the arm banding her waist drops but the one holding her hand remains. he squeezes her fingers, an unspoken reminder that they were in this together now, whatever that entailed. )
Let's head back to the cottage.