[At that, he can't help but chuckle. The elderly are often given a hard time for refusing to adapt with the times, so what does this say about them? Life's not easy for a ye olde...]
I've heard those things can fall, trapping you within them... Can you imagine? On a particularly hot day, you might simply burn to death while waiting on your rescuer.
[There he goes bitching about the heat!! Hmm, could this be telling...?]
Still, one does need to keep fit even on a vacation. The stairs aren't a bad way to get your paces in.
[Oh, that's gonna get a full-body shudder. Unfortunately she's not picking up on his disdain for the heat, because that sure did just trigger what would be a fight-or-flight reaction, but it's hard to fight an elevator so it'd be more a freeze-or-flight in this case. WOW THANKS SHE HATES IT???]
I'll add that to my list of reasons for avoiding it.
[It's not as easy a response as her earlier ones, but wow we're just not going to think about that at all!!! Shoving any thoughts of being trapped inside a plummeting elevator away, Wave shakes her head slightly. DIFFERENT TOPIC, she's going to latch onto what he said about keeping fit and go from there!]
That all depends on what sort of paces you're talking about, doesn't it? Stairs are sometimes a little too low-key.
[Shameless flirting is a convenient inanity to grab hold of, right?]
[Oh, he'll make a mental note not to tease her over the elevator again... unless he needs to. This is at once a "don't cross this line" and a "use this as ammunition" type of tidbit, but Wave won't give him any reason to tease her so cruelly, will she? Surely not!
For how, he'll allow the topic to change as they make their way down the stairs, humming in thought.]
Too low-key? I suppose so, but the gymnasium here is... [Oh, how does he put this? Kaeya waves his free hand about.] ...Quite a bit different than what I'm used to. So many intricate, complex machines. I wouldn't know how best to utilize them.
[Built she is not, but Kaeya smiles and chuckles regardless. This woman has a fine sense of humor, he can't help but notice.]
Strength comes in all shapes and sizes. You're quite strong-minded, for one thing, and that's of much more benefit than being in peak physical condition.
[Kaeya's lean, but he's not without muscle. Wave will see for herself once they've gotten outside and he's shed his layers, but—]
My work demands that I keep shape, at least to a degree. I'm cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius, but I'm on foot more often than not.
[Strong-minded? Her? Oh, Kaeya just won so many points, even if she doesn't have much of an opportunity to bask in the feeling that sweeps her. (But that's okay, she can hold onto that for a while and examine it more in detail later.)]
I see my joke about you being a knight in shining armor wasn't too far off, was it? [Heh.] A position like that must have taken a lot of work to rise up to. I can certainly appreciate that.
[Appreciate the work ethic, or appreciate the aesthetic ethic... it is a mystery...]
[Oh, Kaeya is humble about it at the very least, simply shrugging his shoulders. As a boy, he had Diluc and his competitive streak to thank for his interest in becoming a knight... That's what he'll owe the honor to, but there's an unsavory truth there that isn't a fit subject for their date. Perhaps another time?
But he will admit to this, laughing as he does—]
Certainly, but I'm not so sure they enjoy following my lead. Seeing the fear in their eyes on the battlefield after being given a particularly rough order... A little fear makes you stronger, but no one relishes being put under my command.
[He's been called sadistic more than once, but it's not like he savors the pain of others. He just has an offbeat sense of humor, that's all!]
[She's got him laughing again, more playful than he has any right to be when speaking of the cruelty he unleashes upon his poor knights. He's going to give Wave one of the... less insidious examples.]
Oh, here's a fun one: just the other day, we were carrying out reconnaissance in the snowy Vindagnyr mountains. The chill wind blows all year round at the mountain's peak, but under conditions like those, you'll quickly freeze to death if you fail to keep warm.
During a supply break, I sent Noelle, a recruit who is working oh so hard to become a fully fledged knight, back into town to fetch some coffee. [Sending a poor girl several miles down a snowy mountain to get coffee isn't the punchline. He's getting there.] But with a proviso: if she could reach the peak without the coffee going cold, I'd sign off on her training and allow her to become a true and proper knight.
[And Wave can guess how that turned out. Poor, poor Noelle. She's nowhere near close to being ready to be a knight and it seems everyone but her is aware of that fact, but unlike everyone else, Kaeya's a little too content to tease her half to death.]
[...hello sir is this really funny???? Like she was expecting on the level of "I sent her into town to fetch some coffee and when she got back we were all sitting in the tent with ours"; not. Giving a girl a false sense of hope and then yanking it away????
Lords, she's gotten softer in her years away from the worlds. Or maybe this example just strikes a particular nerve, who knows? But Wave shakes her head, the small smile not falling from her face.]
I see where you're going with the idea, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Was there actually any way for her to be successful, or were you just making her an offer knowing it was a false hope?
[And then that look turns sidelong, eyebrow lifting in a sort of challenge.]
[Goodness, Wave, your taste! Kaeya's laughing in earnest now knowing full well that he deserves to be admonished for his unabashed bullying, but Wave truly is something else. She's not looking at him like he's a monster at all, but who does that say more about, her or himself? Seems they've both got a bit of a mean streak, but Kaeya can only appreciate that in relation to Wave.]
Not at all. She's a wonderful girl, really, but she's got quite a bit of work ahead of her if she's to become a proper knight. As her superior, all I can do is put her through her paces and hope she learns a lesson or two along the way.
[Oh, but does she really want to hear of all the unspeakably cruel things he's put his poor underlings through? He'd hate to ruin their impromptu date with stories of bloodshed and turmoil, so as they exit into the pool area, he eases back into a grin.]
I've been worse, certainly, but I'd rather not ruin your stellar image of me this early on.
[Hah, as if. But maybe he can distract her with another story if it means he doesn't have to get in the jacuzzi...]
[He's not a monster yet, not in her book. He's a dumbass, clearly, and one who needs to learn better how to align what he's trying to communicate with his bullying tactics, but being an ass hardly makes someone a monster. Especially since it seems that all of the recruits under his command know what they're looking at.]
As long as that lesson isn't that next time she should take a break to piss in your coffee before getting back so that it's warm...
[Blunt, but. You know. He's lucky that didn't happen!
Now that they've reached the pool, it's easy to pinpoint which of the pools is the jacuzzi. He was right about the steam, it seems, and how it wafts up from the heated waters.]
Speaking of warm--shall we?
[Maybe he can distract himself with a story, because Wave's certainly not going to be deterred! Come on, Kaeya, let her see that peacock speedo; Wave herself has the matching swimsuit to go with her outfit and turns back to smile toward him once she's stripped down. READY?????]
Oh my... Let's hope she isn't that creative next time.
[So blunt, but Wave makes a fair point and isn't afraid to say it, is she? It's a good thing Noelle isn't here to take pointers, but she's much too sweet (and easily bullied) for that, so blessings abound.
Alas, all his laughter dries up by the time they reach the jacuzzi. This is how he dies, isn't it... Well, time to commit, stripping out of his layers one by one until he's in nothing but that peacock speedo. He's from fantasy Europe, he's allowed to have questionable taste in bathing suits. As an aside, his physique supports his claims of being a knight, but he's lacking the requisite scars. There are reasons for that, of course, and they aren't a dedicated cocoa butter regiment.]
Honestly, Wave has to choke down laughter when she sees Kaeya's banana hammock--she doesn't want to make him think she's laughing at him when it's just... wow. Oh, wow. There were decisions made to bring them to that moment and all of them were good ones. And yeah, him stripping down is definitely giving her the chance to appreciate his physique, she won't be very subtle about watching. They haven't employed any subtlety so far, why start now?
When he offers for her to go first, it may be the one moment all day when Wave takes a little bit of pity on him.]
All right.
[He can have his moment longer living; Wave is carefully stepping down into the water and pausing on one of the seats, water bubbling up around her thighs, to close her eyes and enjoy the sensation of hot water juxtaposed by cool breeze.]
You were right, Kaeya. This is amazing.
[After a moment more she'll step the rest of the way down, submerged up to her waist as she glances back to him.]
Edited (stop and start are two very different things) 2022-10-28 04:47 (UTC)
[Laugh at the banana hammock all you want, Wave, but he's choosing to focus on her wandering eyes instead, content enough with her appraisal to grin. The pattern on this swimsuit might be garish and distracting, but that's just how Kaeya likes it.
Besides, with her amused and thoroughly distracted, he can get away with letting his eyes wander over her every curve. He's a proper gentleman up until you catch him staring, but good luck with that!]
You're the very picture of contentedness. I'd hate to hog even an inch of that jacuzzi and deprive you of those bubbles.
[...But if he hesitates any longer, it'll be too apparent that he's not at all excited about trying out the hot tub. All of his sighs are kept internal, stepping onto the first level, then the second, to seat himself beside Wave.
[She's only laughing because she's delighted by the sheer audacity of it. It's perfect.]
I think I'd be more upset if you deprived me of the chance to accidentally brush up against you beneath them.
[How's he doing with hiding his true feelings about this? She may have pushed this game of chicken, and she's not ready to back down yet, but she's got her limits, too. It's not fun when it rolls over into pure cruelty.
But that doesn't mean she's not going to let him sweat a bit first. Wave sinks down into the heat up to her neck, leaning back into the jets.]
It makes me think of a town I lived in for several years. There were pools nearby that were heated from below the mountain. ...this smells much better, though.
[Now that gets his brows arching. Frankly, he might be able to withstand this wet bubbling hell pit of only Wave's hands were on him. A man in his little peacock banana hammock can dream, can't he...]
By all means, get as close as you like.
[Kaeya is— not as inclined to lean back and relax, remaining perfectly stationary where he is, buuut draping his arms out over the cement to get some relief from the heat. That leaves Kaeya's arm splayed behind Wave, but she won't mind, will she? Please don't call him out.]
A natural hot springs of sorts? They're popular in Inazuma, but I've yet to find the time for a trip out East. A shame, really.
[Kaeya isn't Ai. He isn't, and Wave isn't looking for--doesn't want--him to be. But there's no denying the immediate warning ping! in the back of her brain as she looks at him, arms splayed out over the cement even as there's an invitation to slide in close to him...
Lords. That's dangerous.
She knows exactly what would inevitably happen if this were a different lifetime, a different situation, and yes, she'd walk into that trap with eyes wide open. She doesn't know if it's a similar sort of trap with Kaeya, not yet, but she's still going into it willingly, settling down next to him.]
I can imagine not, not with how busy you must be all the time. How much free time do you actually get?
[Don't mind her, she's just going to take this opportunity to trace her fingers over his hip. It's definitely just the water jets, in spite of her all but saying she was going to do it. Definitely.]
[The water isn't as unforgivably hot and bubbly as it could be, and that thought is what sustains Kaeya, keeps him from visibly sweating. Thinking is another increasingly difficult task, his answer coming with a moment's delay and a smile he has to fight to keep afloat.]
It depends, really. On a good day, I might get a several hour stretch all to myself to enjoy, but normally—
[—Wave's fingers find his hip, and he knows the jets are not to blame. The heat's clearly begun to take hold, Kaeya's reaction time considerably slowed, but he won't go down without a fight...! Fingertips spidering along Wave's shoulder, he allows them to curl around the tips of her hair, 100% fine and in total control of himself. Oh no, he's not dying at all!!]
...Sorry, where was I? Mm, actually, I'd be more interested in hearing what a woman like you does in her free time.
[Her smile grows, a hint of mischievousness in her expression. Are we having fun yet?]
Several hours to yourself, but normally...?
I'm afraid you'll be stunningly bored by any stories I have to tell. Coriolis has a number of beliefs that some might call positively antiquated.
[Some being her, that is. She probably wouldn't have felt that way if she'd never left it in the first place.]
That's why I came here. [Her hand wanders from his hip, sliding along the line of his abs just above the edges of that beautiful mankini.] I don't intend on going back once this is all over.
[So much fun, if you just ignore the way Kaeya's eye is beginning to swim in and out of focus, each response more delayed than the last. He's just totally relaxed, you know? Nothing to worry about!
Phew. He doesn't catch himself audibly exhaling pants until he is, redder than a lobster. He's aware of those slender fingers playing along his hideous mankini, but that's about it, all those words streaming in one ear and out the other. Her touch makes him bite his bottom lip, a fact he realizes too belatedly to catch and correct.]
...Ah. [Ah. Buffering...!] Then you'll stay here? I'm... not sure our gracious host will let you.
[Alright, maybe he should get out of the water like. Soon.]
[...ah. So this is what happens when you put Kaeya in the literal hotseat, huh? Wave can't help the small laugh that escapes her--she's gotta hand it to him, even after she called his bluff he certainly saw it through. It's enough to make her look on him fondly, reaching up to touch her finger to that bottom lip.]
I met some people a few years back. I'll go to one of their worlds instead.
[But that's all she'll say before she abruptly stands up, turning toward Kaeya to offer him her hand.]
All right, I think you've suffered enough. Come on.
[Ah. He jolts at the touch of a finger on his bottom lip, but blessedly, it brings him back to reality... just enough to take her hand and follow her lead out of the hot tub. Thank gods.]
So you admit you were aiming to make me suffer? [kaeya, you did this to your own dumb ass,] I wouldn't have taken you for a sadist.
[Case in point: he doesn't think twice about letting her lead, so when that decision backfires and he's abruptly hauled into the pool alongside her, he's full of regret?! Oh, wow. He's never experienced a system shock quite like this, coming up for air with his breaths seizing in his throat and his eyes blown wide. Shock is a rare look on Kaeya, so take it in while you can, Wave.]
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She pulls a face when he asks if she's a fan of the elevator, though.]
That's putting it lightly. I would sooner climb from the balcony than take that metal deathtrap.
[And that's really all there is to say on the matter!!!]
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I've heard those things can fall, trapping you within them... Can you imagine? On a particularly hot day, you might simply burn to death while waiting on your rescuer.
[There he goes bitching about the heat!! Hmm, could this be telling...?]
Still, one does need to keep fit even on a vacation. The stairs aren't a bad way to get your paces in.
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I'll add that to my list of reasons for avoiding it.
[It's not as easy a response as her earlier ones, but wow we're just not going to think about that at all!!! Shoving any thoughts of being trapped inside a plummeting elevator away, Wave shakes her head slightly. DIFFERENT TOPIC, she's going to latch onto what he said about keeping fit and go from there!]
That all depends on what sort of paces you're talking about, doesn't it? Stairs are sometimes a little too low-key.
[Shameless flirting is a convenient inanity to grab hold of, right?]
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For how, he'll allow the topic to change as they make their way down the stairs, humming in thought.]
Too low-key? I suppose so, but the gymnasium here is... [Oh, how does he put this? Kaeya waves his free hand about.] ...Quite a bit different than what I'm used to. So many intricate, complex machines. I wouldn't know how best to utilize them.
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I know exactly what you mean. In this case, you might have been right when you said there's an elegance in simplicity.
But I might have to try to figure them out. I like the idea of being stronger.
[She's being honest, but to soften it she lifts her free arm to jokingly show off her bicep. Which. Wave's not built lmao.]
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Strength comes in all shapes and sizes. You're quite strong-minded, for one thing, and that's of much more benefit than being in peak physical condition.
[Kaeya's lean, but he's not without muscle. Wave will see for herself once they've gotten outside and he's shed his layers, but—]
My work demands that I keep shape, at least to a degree. I'm cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius, but I'm on foot more often than not.
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I see my joke about you being a knight in shining armor wasn't too far off, was it? [Heh.] A position like that must have taken a lot of work to rise up to. I can certainly appreciate that.
[Appreciate the work ethic, or appreciate the aesthetic ethic... it is a mystery...]
Do you like leading your men?
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But he will admit to this, laughing as he does—]
Certainly, but I'm not so sure they enjoy following my lead. Seeing the fear in their eyes on the battlefield after being given a particularly rough order... A little fear makes you stronger, but no one relishes being put under my command.
[He's been called sadistic more than once, but it's not like he savors the pain of others. He just has an offbeat sense of humor, that's all!]
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Really? Give me an example of one of those orders; what sort of things are you ordering them to do?
[It's still playful, but she's definitely curious--especially because he's right about fear making one stronger.]
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Oh, here's a fun one: just the other day, we were carrying out reconnaissance in the snowy Vindagnyr mountains. The chill wind blows all year round at the mountain's peak, but under conditions like those, you'll quickly freeze to death if you fail to keep warm.
During a supply break, I sent Noelle, a recruit who is working oh so hard to become a fully fledged knight, back into town to fetch some coffee. [Sending a poor girl several miles down a snowy mountain to get coffee isn't the punchline. He's getting there.] But with a proviso: if she could reach the peak without the coffee going cold, I'd sign off on her training and allow her to become a true and proper knight.
[And Wave can guess how that turned out. Poor, poor Noelle. She's nowhere near close to being ready to be a knight and it seems everyone but her is aware of that fact, but unlike everyone else, Kaeya's a little too content to tease her half to death.]
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Lords, she's gotten softer in her years away from the worlds. Or maybe this example just strikes a particular nerve, who knows? But Wave shakes her head, the small smile not falling from her face.]
I see where you're going with the idea, but the execution leaves something to be desired. Was there actually any way for her to be successful, or were you just making her an offer knowing it was a false hope?
[And then that look turns sidelong, eyebrow lifting in a sort of challenge.]
I bet you've been more creative than that.
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Not at all. She's a wonderful girl, really, but she's got quite a bit of work ahead of her if she's to become a proper knight. As her superior, all I can do is put her through her paces and hope she learns a lesson or two along the way.
[Oh, but does she really want to hear of all the unspeakably cruel things he's put his poor underlings through? He'd hate to ruin their impromptu date with stories of bloodshed and turmoil, so as they exit into the pool area, he eases back into a grin.]
I've been worse, certainly, but I'd rather not ruin your stellar image of me this early on.
[Hah, as if. But maybe he can distract her with another story if it means he doesn't have to get in the jacuzzi...]
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As long as that lesson isn't that next time she should take a break to piss in your coffee before getting back so that it's warm...
[Blunt, but. You know. He's lucky that didn't happen!
Now that they've reached the pool, it's easy to pinpoint which of the pools is the jacuzzi. He was right about the steam, it seems, and how it wafts up from the heated waters.]
Speaking of warm--shall we?
[Maybe he can distract himself with a story, because Wave's certainly not going to be deterred! Come on, Kaeya, let her see that peacock speedo; Wave herself has the matching swimsuit to go with her outfit and turns back to smile toward him once she's stripped down. READY?????]
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[So blunt, but Wave makes a fair point and isn't afraid to say it, is she? It's a good thing Noelle isn't here to take pointers, but she's much too sweet (and easily bullied) for that, so blessings abound.
Alas, all his laughter dries up by the time they reach the jacuzzi. This is how he dies, isn't it... Well, time to commit, stripping out of his layers one by one until he's in nothing but that peacock speedo. He's from fantasy Europe, he's allowed to have questionable taste in bathing suits. As an aside, his physique supports his claims of being a knight, but he's lacking the requisite scars. There are reasons for that, of course, and they aren't a dedicated cocoa butter regiment.]
After you, my dear.
[Just... let him live... a moment longer...!!]
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This is for Noelle.Honestly, Wave has to choke down laughter when she sees Kaeya's banana hammock--she doesn't want to make him think she's laughing at him when it's just... wow. Oh, wow. There were decisions made to bring them to that moment and all of them were good ones. And yeah, him stripping down is definitely giving her the chance to appreciate his physique, she won't be very subtle about watching. They haven't employed any subtlety so far, why start now?
When he offers for her to go first, it may be the one moment all day when Wave takes a little bit of pity on him.]
All right.
[He can have his moment longer living; Wave is carefully stepping down into the water and pausing on one of the seats, water bubbling up around her thighs, to close her eyes and enjoy the sensation of hot water juxtaposed by cool breeze.]
You were right, Kaeya. This is amazing.
[After a moment more she'll step the rest of the way down, submerged up to her waist as she glances back to him.]
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Besides, with her amused and thoroughly distracted, he can get away with letting his eyes wander over her every curve. He's a proper gentleman up until you catch him staring, but good luck with that!]
You're the very picture of contentedness. I'd hate to hog even an inch of that jacuzzi and deprive you of those bubbles.
[...But if he hesitates any longer, it'll be too apparent that he's not at all excited about trying out the hot tub. All of his sighs are kept internal, stepping onto the first level, then the second, to seat himself beside Wave.
He wants to fucking die.]
...It's warmer than I expected.
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I think I'd be more upset if you deprived me of the chance to accidentally brush up against you beneath them.
[How's he doing with hiding his true feelings about this? She may have pushed this game of chicken, and she's not ready to back down yet, but she's got her limits, too. It's not fun when it rolls over into pure cruelty.
But that doesn't mean she's not going to let him sweat a bit first. Wave sinks down into the heat up to her neck, leaning back into the jets.]
It makes me think of a town I lived in for several years. There were pools nearby that were heated from below the mountain. ...this smells much better, though.
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By all means, get as close as you like.
[Kaeya is— not as inclined to lean back and relax, remaining perfectly stationary where he is, buuut draping his arms out over the cement to get some relief from the heat. That leaves Kaeya's arm splayed behind Wave, but she won't mind, will she? Please don't call him out.]
A natural hot springs of sorts? They're popular in Inazuma, but I've yet to find the time for a trip out East. A shame, really.
[Nnnnnnot really, actually.]
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Lords. That's dangerous.
She knows exactly what would inevitably happen if this were a different lifetime, a different situation, and yes, she'd walk into that trap with eyes wide open. She doesn't know if it's a similar sort of trap with Kaeya, not yet, but she's still going into it willingly, settling down next to him.]
I can imagine not, not with how busy you must be all the time. How much free time do you actually get?
[Don't mind her, she's just going to take this opportunity to trace her fingers over his hip. It's definitely just the water jets, in spite of her all but saying she was going to do it. Definitely.]
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It depends, really. On a good day, I might get a several hour stretch all to myself to enjoy, but normally—
[—Wave's fingers find his hip, and he knows the jets are not to blame. The heat's clearly begun to take hold, Kaeya's reaction time considerably slowed, but he won't go down without a fight...! Fingertips spidering along Wave's shoulder, he allows them to curl around the tips of her hair, 100% fine and in total control of himself. Oh no, he's not dying at all!!]
...Sorry, where was I? Mm, actually, I'd be more interested in hearing what a woman like you does in her free time.
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Several hours to yourself, but normally...?
I'm afraid you'll be stunningly bored by any stories I have to tell. Coriolis has a number of beliefs that some might call positively antiquated.
[Some being her, that is. She probably wouldn't have felt that way if she'd never left it in the first place.]
That's why I came here. [Her hand wanders from his hip, sliding along the line of his abs just above the edges of that beautiful mankini.] I don't intend on going back once this is all over.
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Phew. He doesn't catch himself audibly exhaling pants until he is, redder than a lobster. He's aware of those slender fingers playing along his hideous mankini, but that's about it, all those words streaming in one ear and out the other. Her touch makes him bite his bottom lip, a fact he realizes too belatedly to catch and correct.]
...Ah. [Ah. Buffering...!] Then you'll stay here? I'm... not sure our gracious host will let you.
[Alright, maybe he should get out of the water like. Soon.]
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I met some people a few years back. I'll go to one of their worlds instead.
[But that's all she'll say before she abruptly stands up, turning toward Kaeya to offer him her hand.]
All right, I think you've suffered enough. Come on.
[Does he trust her enough to let her lead him?]
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So you admit you were aiming to make me suffer? [kaeya, you did this to your own dumb ass,] I wouldn't have taken you for a sadist.
[Case in point: he doesn't think twice about letting her lead, so when that decision backfires and he's abruptly hauled into the pool alongside her, he's full of regret?! Oh, wow. He's never experienced a system shock quite like this, coming up for air with his breaths seizing in his throat and his eyes blown wide. Shock is a rare look on Kaeya, so take it in while you can, Wave.]
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