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[runningscams]

Who: Han and Qi’ra
When: Mid-Septeril
Where: River Temese
What: Bonding
Warnings: Sappiness! Romance! Magic!


Han has been agonizing over every little detail of their bonding ceremony. As the witch part of this couple, he knew that it was going to be on him to perform the spell, so he ended up thinking about it quite a lot. The days leading up to the event was filled with a lot of magic practice — and learning the ritual perfectly — had helped him grown into a much better sorcerer than he had been.

The river would be the right place to have their moment together. Being by the water, he thought, would be nice when the sun was setting. Maybe even comforting for Qi’ra considering her connection to the sea.

Han’s had the clothes he arrived in cleaned for the evening. A v-neck dark gray shirt, a black pair of pants with the repeating red stipe down the leg and a well-worn pilot’s jacket wasn’t necessarily the most elegant choice of clothing he could have picked, but it was a quintessentially Han kind of outfit. Since it was so specific to his sense of taste and style, didn’t that make it the best choice in a way?

He would find out, as he walked to Qi’ra apartment to greet her.

Comments

[syndicators]

“I’m good for now,” she told him. In truth she had spent most of the morning getting ready, not even thinking about eating. Qi’ra really had wanted this to go over well. Leaning into him, she could at least sense how content he was in that moment. She was, too.

“I still don’t know how I feel about this place most days, and learning to be half fish isn’t always the easiest. But this feels right.” She knee it now, with certainty. Whatever their life was back home didn’t have to be the same here. That felt like it meant something. It was hard to trust a feeling, but she did trust herself and she trusted herself.

If it stays like it is now, this could work.

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“Now that you bring that up ...” he says, with a more earnest look on his face. “I would like to see you. If you’re comfortable, that is.”

He has to feel like she knows that he wouldn’t be insulting or make her feel down about the transformations, but they’ve so far been something he hasn’t seen yet. He’d be lying if he tried to pretend that he wasn’t curious.

“I think about you a lot, but even more so for the full moon.”

[syndicators]

“You want to see me?” She raised an eyebrow as they approached her street, walking along the sidewalk. His cutiousity wasn’t all that strange. She wasn’t completely self conscious at least. Growing up with other species meant that the two of them weren’t at all surprised to see nonhumanoid beings. “My tail came in last full moon. I don’t think I’ll have any new features now.”

But if he wanted to see her, she would think about it. Perhaps the next full moon they could spend the time together again. “You mean since—“ They had hooked up.

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“I worry.”

Han clarified. The full moon was hard on the monsters, no doubt about that. It wasn’t exactly easy for the wizards, either, with all the energy being given off. Having never seen what happens to Qi’ra during the change makes him that much more worried about her.

Though, through all the concern, there was certainly attraction. He had always been into her and the glimpses of the scales hadn’t changed that feeling.

[syndicators]

“It isn’t the worst thing I’ve had to endure,” she told him flatly, but truthfully. She was lucky it wasn’t particularly painful. It had just made her more feral, drawn to the water and the power it gave her. In truth it was why she had adapted so easily here. She had only just taken over Crimson Dawn back home, but here there was a physical power that came with her changes.

“We’ll have to spend the next full moon together,” Qi’ra offered before stepping up to her door and unlocking it. It looked similar to the last time he was there, though she may have acquired a few more furnishings since then.

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Han visibly winced at the mention of ‘what she’s had to endure’. He knew that she had taken several occasions to tell her she didn’t blame him for what happened, but he’s not sure that he was ever going to let himself off the hook for it.

Still, he couldn’t steep himself fully into regret as the walked into her place, though. He was looking forward to being close. And yes, he was looking around to see if he remembered it being arranged the same way.

“I’d like that.”

[syndicators]

She moved further into the apartment, putting the light down and turned back to him. She had adapted back home just as much as she had here. It was what she did. Giving a nod, she offered for him to sit on the couch.

"Would you like anything to drink or anything?" She was trying to play this normal despite everything that just happened. She just wasn't sure what to expect right now, feeling the apparent attraction between them.

[runningscams]

“No. Everything I need is right here.”

Han sat. The look on his face probably reminded her of the moment they had seen each other again after years of being apart. He keep the look off his face if he wanted too. He felt so much for her that it overwhelmed him sometimes and he didn’t even know what to say.

Right now, even content as he was, he still felt like he wasn’t saying enough or that he should have been doing something. He just didn’t have any idea of what.

“I know we’ve been seeing each other quite a bit lately, but I still missed you when it was time to split up again.”

[syndicators]

It was still hard not to be effected when he said something like that. Only he had a way of making her smile like that, and she couldn't even help herself. She missed having this ease, that knowing she could completely rely and depend on someone, someone who didn't just use her.

Placing a hand on his leg, she looked back at him. "I know. But I know I hurt you, and seeing you reminded me of that," she admitted, mostly because he could feel the regret she had now. It radiated through her easily, but it was clear she knew she had to. She didn't regret her choice necessarily, just only that things could have been different.

And they are here.

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“Why didn’t you come with me?”

He wouldn’t have asked if her couldn’t sense her feelings in that moment. The regret that rolls off of her in waves that he just can’t ignore, now that they were so deeply connected to each other.

He doesn’t know if he can read her thoughts if her wanted too, but he’d rather he just tell him ..,

[syndicators]

"I had a choice, Han," she said looking down at her own hand. She isn't sure how much of this he's going to like, but she knows it was coming. "There would be a vacuum without Vos, and there would be no way they wouldn't stop hunting us down. I knew I could further my career and at least keep you out of all this."

Maybe it wasn't the choice where love saves everything, but it was the one she made. She looked back at him. "I know you won't accept it, but it was the choice I had to make."

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It wasn’t the answer he was expecting, honestly. The fact that she had said it would further her seemed at odds with the feeling that didn’t want to leave him behind. Yet, she hadn’t said that it was something he done, so he took some solace in that.

“Yeah, I suppose not.”

He put his hand over her’s gently and gave it a half hearted squeeze.

[syndicators]

"It's... complicated," she told him. There were a lot of emotions surrounding it, but the regret is there. He took her hand, and her hand curled so that her palm faced up so she could thread her fingers with his.

"But I'm glad we're getting this second chance here," she said. Because at the end of the day, it just wasn't something they could have back home. This place was so different, but that was exactly what they needed. "I'm glad we're here now."

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It feels complicated, so he trusts that is true. He doesn’t hesitate to reach for her hand when she turns it over and she’ll know that she does feel some comfort — either by the words or the gesture — but he doesn’t regret asking.

He needed to know and preferred to find out because she told him. He gets the feeling things are just going to flow between them now and it was better to clear the air now. He sorted his own thoughts, for a moment, wondering if there was anything he wanted to tell her.

“You know I love you, right?” He say, taking a breath he didn’t realize was going to be shaky. “If you didn’t know by now, I figured you should know. I’ve always had feelings for you.”

[syndicators]

"I think I always knew," she said as she reached up to brush some of his hair back, looking up into his eyes. She could feel that from the moment the bond became real. That much she knew for certain, and when he put words to it, she could feel it so acutely.

Things still felt so complicated between them, but she couldn't just let something like that go hanging between them. "You are the only person I've managed to care for, that meant anything," Qi'ra spoke softly. It wasn't that she didn't love him, but the words felt so much more real than everything that was tied up inside of her. He had began to work on untangling it, more than he might have known.

"You're the only person I could see doing this with, that I trust enough. And what happened between us a few weeks ago-- I realized how much I missed having you close." And not just physically, but that helped, too.

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“I can stay close.”

He doesn’t know if it’s too soon to try to offer that, but he can’t hide the fact that it’s what he wants. The moment the words leave his mouth she’ll feel the current of his emotions — deep and hopeful — for a chance to show her just how much that he cares about her.

“Or not.” He says with a shrug, though it’s clear that he’s not hopeful for that answer. “I mean, I don’t want to pressure you, I guess. We’ve taken a big step already.”