- Posting Speed
- Multiple posts per day
- Online Availability
- 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
- Writing Levels
- Prestige
- Preferred Character Gender
- Male
- Primarily Prefer Female
- Genres
- Political intrigue, fantasy, futuristic, sci fi lite, superheroes, historical fiction, alternate universes. Smittings of romance, but only as side plot.
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A single candle lit the space, the orange glow flickering in jittering disposition with shadow. All around, the airship was silent, swaying gently with the rhythm of the engines, the hum of wind beyond the darkened oval window the only sound. The scent of spices lingered in the air, clinging to her from the bath she'd had earlier - a small luxury, but a welcome one after such a long, tiresome journey. She had soaked until the water cooled, scrubbing from her skin the weeks of dust and dirt, sluiced away grime until there was little left in reminder but faint scars and memory. She'd washed her hair as well, and it hung now in slightly damp, pale blonde spirals along her bare shoulders and down to the middle of her back.
Furs lined the mattress she sat upon, warm and musky. She had taken one and wrapped it around her torso, wearing little beneath it but the weight of nervous energy, that peppered her honey-toned skin with goosebumps and a faint pink blush. Outwardly, she seemed a picture of pristine serenity, but inside, her heart hammered, her mind swirling.
She loved him. Deeply. Gravely. Of that, she had little question. He had come into her life and translated her world, and inescapably, she had fallen for him. It had seemed so unlikely before, but inevitable, now… and too many times she had come so close to losing him without having had a chance to tell him what he meant to her. She had pressed up against it in Lauderdine, but ultimately the words had failed her. They had come back together in that way that felt etched now, into the depths of her soul, that revealed to her the capacity of her own heart, but also the reality that to some degree he shared those feelings. But still, she had not been able to say it...
But the words would not fail tonight… Though in case they did, there was always the notion that action often outweighed conversation. Either way, things were only going to grow more dangerous, more threatening… and if she had learned anything it was how quickly someone could be ripped from your life, no matter how much you cared for them… Whatever time she had with Hal Midigan, she wasn't going to waste one more moment of it. She loved him, and she was going to make absolutely sure there was no question in his mind of that.
And so in that small room she waited, forcing herself to breathe, forcing herself not to fidget or pace, or lose her nerve, the words she intended to say rolling through her mind like a prayer… and in a way, perhaps that's exactly what it was.
He had been wandering the halls of the airship for some time, or at least the halls approved for passengers. Events lingered on his mind and while for a time he chose seclusion, he felt in his heart the need for comfort in company. Hal was beginning to feel homesick as they flew further from the Northern Mountains into unknown territory. He caught glimpses of the forests and mountains that divided the Allied Kingdoms from Edros through the windows lining the ship. They had already been through so much, perhaps too much, and yet the journey had only begun.
His body ached and his mind wandered without direction, though his feet carried him to a particular door. Wynleth had been a comforting soul in all the turmoil. She had been at his side with every decision, and now he felt he could not do without her presence. Hal hovered his knuckles over the wooden door that separated himself from her. It was a thin barrier, yet he still felt too distant. This was a feeling he did not understand; a constant desire for another person both emotionally and in presence. His hesitancy froze him like stone suspended in a pose of internal debate. He was not sure how appropriate he was being given their circumstance.
Fingers finally rapping against the door, he knocked and cleared his throat. "Wyn?" he said softly. "It's Hal. I'm sorry to bother you. I was just... restless." He winced at his poor execution, and waited for a response with flushed cheeks.
At the knock, Wyn straightened upright, shifting slowly from her position. In truth, she hadn't yet formulated much of a plan as to how she might approach Hal, but as he had so often before, he seemed to intuitively know her need for his presence. A warm smile twitched to her lips and catching it with the edge of her teeth, she breathed out a nervous chuckle.
"...It's open. Come in."
Hesitancy once again took him in a passing moment of uncertainty. Hal didn't wish to impose himself, nor did he desire to make things awkward with Wynleth in any insinuation of his sudden neediness. His hand gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly to enter.
"Apologies," he began. "I was just coming to see how you were fairing."
"It's no worry, Hal. I… I'm glad you came." Raking her fingers through her hair, she sank back, watching his hesitancy at the door with some curiosity, "...I'm not entirely sure how I am, to be honest. It's… it's been so quiet. I keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing does… and then I'm left with my thoughts, and I'm not so sure that's much better."
"Would you mind company then?" he asked as he stepped into the room. "I've been feeling rather the same, to be honest. And I still can't bring myself to willingly close my eyes for too long."
For a moment, her expression fell, her eyes lowering as she shook her head, "I… I don't sleep much, either, these days. I haven't, since… since the monastery. I was rather hoping you'd come, honestly." Her gaze shifted, falling absently on the solitary candle across the room, her fingers tensing anxiously around the fur blanket wrapped around her form, "I… I wanted to talk to you about something…"
Hal walked over to the bed and sat upon the edge. He looked over at Wynleth with concern laden within his furrowed brow. "I'm sorry you've not been able to sleep," he said, and it was genuine. She had described to him once what had happened at the monastery. To still be burdened with it gripped his compassionate heart. "What is it you wished to talk about?"
"...Everything?" With a soft, shaky laugh, Wyn moved her eyes from the candle over to Hal, not entirely surprised to find her heart rather suddenly pounding against her chest, "Have… have you ever wanted to say something? And you just can't get the words right?" Looking down, she plucked absently at the fur, pooled around her legs, "This… this was all much easier in my head, a few minutes ago."
His eyes turned as well to the candlelight. It was such a small glow in the expanse of the quarters, and the light danced with the hum of the engines muted behind thick exterior walls. Hal nodded his head somewhat as he fixated on the light.
"Aye," he said quietly, and then released his own chuckle in a huff of air. "More times than I'd like."
Breathing out, Wyn moved to the edge of the bed and rose to her feet, taking the fur covering with her. Unconsciously her feet carried her to the small oval window and looking out into the dark expanse, she pressed her palm to the cool pane, "I never had much, as far as expectations went, when it came to this journey. I never actually expected to make it this far.... so I didn't plan for much. The funny thing is, I'm not so sure any amount of planning could have prepared me for how things have gone. The... the way they've turned. That is to say... I don't think I could have prepared for you."
He watched as her silhouette was lined by the flickering light as she moved to the window. A brow raised at her final comment, and he wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants. "Prepared for me?" Hal repeated. "I don't think I follow."
"No..." Smiling dryly, Wyn shook her head, "I don't imagine I'm making a very good go at this." Turning around again, she shrugged, "In Lauderdine... When we were headed for the inn, I told you something... Something regarding your... importance to me?" Rubbing the back of her neck, she turned her gaze downward, "I... I may not have been entirely as clear as I should have been..."
He felt strange being on her bed now. Hal slowly pushed his palms down the lap of his pants before rising to a stand, the movement hitching with a sudden halt as he felt the stiffness of his joints refusing to move in regular fashion. It seemed the events of Lauderdine took its toll in a physical sense as well, and Hal fought back the grunt as he straightened his stance. "What do you mean?" he asked as he quickly recounted the events. Everything felt hazy and blurred and disjointed in timeline, but he could recall a moment or two shared between them that hinted at something that had somewhat haunted his thoughts. Given all she had been through, he dismissed it as his growing feelings running away from him to fill in the gaps of what he did not know or understand. She was a difficult read for him, though most people were when one cares too much about everything.
Color brightened her skin, and looking up, she met his eye with an uneasy glimmer of uncertainty, "I suppose what I'm trying to say is... I never came into this expecting to... to fall for someone. But I imagine it was inevitable with you."
He couldn't help but break a smile, a sheepish laugh escaping him with the affirmation of equal feelings. "Aye," he said as he took a step toward her. "I have thought the very same. I just... With all you've been through... And your friend... Well, I just didn't want to aggravate anything..."
Breathing out, Wyn shook her head, eyes bright and wide, rather suddenly glistening wet with messy, unkempt emotion, "...Oh, Hal. I... I wasn't sure. I thought... Well, no... I didn't think. I was too afraid... and then Lauderdine happened, and I didn't know if I should. But I never told him... Arun... how I felt. And then he was gone. And I kept thinking if I had the chance over again. Then you happened and I could feel it happening all over again, and I couldn't... I couldn't let it. I don't know what'll come of us, Hal. If any of us will make it through this... but I can't, no... I won't go another minute without... The thing is... I love you. I have... for some time, now. That... that's it. And... and I don't have much to offer you... I don't know if you'd even want it. But what I do have is yours. Everything."
Approaching her, Hal smiled softly at her words, fingers brushing over her cheek before combing through her dampened locks. The care and consideration for the woman before him converged, and what he did not understand became suddenly clear ash she uttered her confession. Love in a romantic sense was not something he had ever experienced before, but he was sure this was it. "I love you, too," he said softly in return before bringing her closer. His lips brushed against hers gently as if to savor the tender moment more tangibly.
It was soft, something in between a laugh and a sob, as with all delicacy, gentle lips pressed to her own, a mountain of fear and uncertainty crumbling in that one moment. Trembling fingers brushed along his jaw, and pushing up onto her toes, she propelled herself as close as form would allow.
He brought her closer to him, if he were even capable of doing so with how the distance between them vanished in the moment. Hal was captivated and entranced by the fluttering sparks that propelled the desire within him. He could not force himself to part from her lips, nor did he care to.
A notion shared, ultimately, for Wyn pulled away only when her lungs demanded a breath, though not far, her forehead dropped to his shoulder, her eyes falling closed. Fingers, trembling, wrapped in the folds of his shirt and after a moment, she straightened to meet his gaze, "...Stay with me?"
He gave a slight nod of his head, hands upon her hips above her blanket as he stared down at her. As much as he desired to continue their interlude, he was captivated even by the subtlest movement of her lips as she posed her request. There was a heat upon his skin that bristled to bumps as the chill of anticipation struck through him. Hal could contain himself no longer as he moved back to her lips and guided her slight frame to the edge of the bed.
Collab with @Effervescent[/bg]
Furs lined the mattress she sat upon, warm and musky. She had taken one and wrapped it around her torso, wearing little beneath it but the weight of nervous energy, that peppered her honey-toned skin with goosebumps and a faint pink blush. Outwardly, she seemed a picture of pristine serenity, but inside, her heart hammered, her mind swirling.
She loved him. Deeply. Gravely. Of that, she had little question. He had come into her life and translated her world, and inescapably, she had fallen for him. It had seemed so unlikely before, but inevitable, now… and too many times she had come so close to losing him without having had a chance to tell him what he meant to her. She had pressed up against it in Lauderdine, but ultimately the words had failed her. They had come back together in that way that felt etched now, into the depths of her soul, that revealed to her the capacity of her own heart, but also the reality that to some degree he shared those feelings. But still, she had not been able to say it...
But the words would not fail tonight… Though in case they did, there was always the notion that action often outweighed conversation. Either way, things were only going to grow more dangerous, more threatening… and if she had learned anything it was how quickly someone could be ripped from your life, no matter how much you cared for them… Whatever time she had with Hal Midigan, she wasn't going to waste one more moment of it. She loved him, and she was going to make absolutely sure there was no question in his mind of that.
And so in that small room she waited, forcing herself to breathe, forcing herself not to fidget or pace, or lose her nerve, the words she intended to say rolling through her mind like a prayer… and in a way, perhaps that's exactly what it was.
He had been wandering the halls of the airship for some time, or at least the halls approved for passengers. Events lingered on his mind and while for a time he chose seclusion, he felt in his heart the need for comfort in company. Hal was beginning to feel homesick as they flew further from the Northern Mountains into unknown territory. He caught glimpses of the forests and mountains that divided the Allied Kingdoms from Edros through the windows lining the ship. They had already been through so much, perhaps too much, and yet the journey had only begun.
His body ached and his mind wandered without direction, though his feet carried him to a particular door. Wynleth had been a comforting soul in all the turmoil. She had been at his side with every decision, and now he felt he could not do without her presence. Hal hovered his knuckles over the wooden door that separated himself from her. It was a thin barrier, yet he still felt too distant. This was a feeling he did not understand; a constant desire for another person both emotionally and in presence. His hesitancy froze him like stone suspended in a pose of internal debate. He was not sure how appropriate he was being given their circumstance.
Fingers finally rapping against the door, he knocked and cleared his throat. "Wyn?" he said softly. "It's Hal. I'm sorry to bother you. I was just... restless." He winced at his poor execution, and waited for a response with flushed cheeks.
At the knock, Wyn straightened upright, shifting slowly from her position. In truth, she hadn't yet formulated much of a plan as to how she might approach Hal, but as he had so often before, he seemed to intuitively know her need for his presence. A warm smile twitched to her lips and catching it with the edge of her teeth, she breathed out a nervous chuckle.
"...It's open. Come in."
Hesitancy once again took him in a passing moment of uncertainty. Hal didn't wish to impose himself, nor did he desire to make things awkward with Wynleth in any insinuation of his sudden neediness. His hand gripped the doorknob and turned it slowly to enter.
"Apologies," he began. "I was just coming to see how you were fairing."
"It's no worry, Hal. I… I'm glad you came." Raking her fingers through her hair, she sank back, watching his hesitancy at the door with some curiosity, "...I'm not entirely sure how I am, to be honest. It's… it's been so quiet. I keep waiting for something to happen, but nothing does… and then I'm left with my thoughts, and I'm not so sure that's much better."
"Would you mind company then?" he asked as he stepped into the room. "I've been feeling rather the same, to be honest. And I still can't bring myself to willingly close my eyes for too long."
For a moment, her expression fell, her eyes lowering as she shook her head, "I… I don't sleep much, either, these days. I haven't, since… since the monastery. I was rather hoping you'd come, honestly." Her gaze shifted, falling absently on the solitary candle across the room, her fingers tensing anxiously around the fur blanket wrapped around her form, "I… I wanted to talk to you about something…"
Hal walked over to the bed and sat upon the edge. He looked over at Wynleth with concern laden within his furrowed brow. "I'm sorry you've not been able to sleep," he said, and it was genuine. She had described to him once what had happened at the monastery. To still be burdened with it gripped his compassionate heart. "What is it you wished to talk about?"
"...Everything?" With a soft, shaky laugh, Wyn moved her eyes from the candle over to Hal, not entirely surprised to find her heart rather suddenly pounding against her chest, "Have… have you ever wanted to say something? And you just can't get the words right?" Looking down, she plucked absently at the fur, pooled around her legs, "This… this was all much easier in my head, a few minutes ago."
His eyes turned as well to the candlelight. It was such a small glow in the expanse of the quarters, and the light danced with the hum of the engines muted behind thick exterior walls. Hal nodded his head somewhat as he fixated on the light.
"Aye," he said quietly, and then released his own chuckle in a huff of air. "More times than I'd like."
Breathing out, Wyn moved to the edge of the bed and rose to her feet, taking the fur covering with her. Unconsciously her feet carried her to the small oval window and looking out into the dark expanse, she pressed her palm to the cool pane, "I never had much, as far as expectations went, when it came to this journey. I never actually expected to make it this far.... so I didn't plan for much. The funny thing is, I'm not so sure any amount of planning could have prepared me for how things have gone. The... the way they've turned. That is to say... I don't think I could have prepared for you."
He watched as her silhouette was lined by the flickering light as she moved to the window. A brow raised at her final comment, and he wiped the sweat from his palms on his pants. "Prepared for me?" Hal repeated. "I don't think I follow."
"No..." Smiling dryly, Wyn shook her head, "I don't imagine I'm making a very good go at this." Turning around again, she shrugged, "In Lauderdine... When we were headed for the inn, I told you something... Something regarding your... importance to me?" Rubbing the back of her neck, she turned her gaze downward, "I... I may not have been entirely as clear as I should have been..."
He felt strange being on her bed now. Hal slowly pushed his palms down the lap of his pants before rising to a stand, the movement hitching with a sudden halt as he felt the stiffness of his joints refusing to move in regular fashion. It seemed the events of Lauderdine took its toll in a physical sense as well, and Hal fought back the grunt as he straightened his stance. "What do you mean?" he asked as he quickly recounted the events. Everything felt hazy and blurred and disjointed in timeline, but he could recall a moment or two shared between them that hinted at something that had somewhat haunted his thoughts. Given all she had been through, he dismissed it as his growing feelings running away from him to fill in the gaps of what he did not know or understand. She was a difficult read for him, though most people were when one cares too much about everything.
Color brightened her skin, and looking up, she met his eye with an uneasy glimmer of uncertainty, "I suppose what I'm trying to say is... I never came into this expecting to... to fall for someone. But I imagine it was inevitable with you."
He couldn't help but break a smile, a sheepish laugh escaping him with the affirmation of equal feelings. "Aye," he said as he took a step toward her. "I have thought the very same. I just... With all you've been through... And your friend... Well, I just didn't want to aggravate anything..."
Breathing out, Wyn shook her head, eyes bright and wide, rather suddenly glistening wet with messy, unkempt emotion, "...Oh, Hal. I... I wasn't sure. I thought... Well, no... I didn't think. I was too afraid... and then Lauderdine happened, and I didn't know if I should. But I never told him... Arun... how I felt. And then he was gone. And I kept thinking if I had the chance over again. Then you happened and I could feel it happening all over again, and I couldn't... I couldn't let it. I don't know what'll come of us, Hal. If any of us will make it through this... but I can't, no... I won't go another minute without... The thing is... I love you. I have... for some time, now. That... that's it. And... and I don't have much to offer you... I don't know if you'd even want it. But what I do have is yours. Everything."
Approaching her, Hal smiled softly at her words, fingers brushing over her cheek before combing through her dampened locks. The care and consideration for the woman before him converged, and what he did not understand became suddenly clear ash she uttered her confession. Love in a romantic sense was not something he had ever experienced before, but he was sure this was it. "I love you, too," he said softly in return before bringing her closer. His lips brushed against hers gently as if to savor the tender moment more tangibly.
It was soft, something in between a laugh and a sob, as with all delicacy, gentle lips pressed to her own, a mountain of fear and uncertainty crumbling in that one moment. Trembling fingers brushed along his jaw, and pushing up onto her toes, she propelled herself as close as form would allow.
He brought her closer to him, if he were even capable of doing so with how the distance between them vanished in the moment. Hal was captivated and entranced by the fluttering sparks that propelled the desire within him. He could not force himself to part from her lips, nor did he care to.
A notion shared, ultimately, for Wyn pulled away only when her lungs demanded a breath, though not far, her forehead dropped to his shoulder, her eyes falling closed. Fingers, trembling, wrapped in the folds of his shirt and after a moment, she straightened to meet his gaze, "...Stay with me?"
He gave a slight nod of his head, hands upon her hips above her blanket as he stared down at her. As much as he desired to continue their interlude, he was captivated even by the subtlest movement of her lips as she posed her request. There was a heat upon his skin that bristled to bumps as the chill of anticipation struck through him. Hal could contain himself no longer as he moved back to her lips and guided her slight frame to the edge of the bed.
Collab with @Effervescent