[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.]
To suffer? Not quite. But to see how far you'd go to not admit to bluffing? That, I'd do.
And this-- [And yep, this is where the both of them end up in the pool, Kaeya dragged after Wave as she abruptly jumps. It's cold, it's fucking cold, and she yelps as she goes under--but then she's laughing as she resurfaces, adrenaline racing through her veins.
Seeing Kaeya's shocked expression just sets her laughing harder, even as she starts pushing for the side of the pool.]
How do you feel now?
[She's planning on jumping right back into the jacuzzi, but she's not so sure that Kaeya will want to follow suit.]
[Ah... Saw through him all along, did she? Honestly, Kaeya is surprised. Pleasantly so. It isn't often someone catches onto his nonsense, much less as easily as Wave had, but then again? Perhaps he wasn't subtle with his hot tub hatred. A bit of both, most likely.
Once the shock wears off, he's back in a smile, following Wave to the edge of the pool but remaining in the water for now. The cold really does suit him much better, arms folded and draped on the tile separating the pool from the hot tub.]
In a word? Enlivened. [Oh, but not by the pool or the system shock granted to him by it. His eyes are squarely on Wave.] I've never met a woman so bold as to call me out, catch me off-guard, and dunk me in a cold pool of water all at the same time. I'm not even mad.
[Look, when you spend as much time with Ailanne as she has, catching on to nonsense becomes second nature. The man speaks bullshit so fluently that even if (when) he'd tell her the truth, it was still couched in deflection and bluffs. Wave can't help but laugh, hoisting herself up and out of the pool now that she's sure she doesn't need to worry about him.
Thankfully the jacuzzi isn't too far away, so it's easy enough to retreat back to it, the hot water tingling on her skin as it chases the cold away.]
I knew you could handle it. [She's matching him, similarly folding her arms and resting them on the tile.] You seem to me like the kind of guy that doesn't back down from a challenge.
[Which is absolutely a positive, in her book. She knows she's got a reckless streak, and anyone who wants to flirt with her had better be able to keep up.]
Besides, it felt good, right? Once you get over the initial shock.
[Now he's the one being read like a book, but she's right, isn't she? He shrugs, pulls on one of those smarmy grins, but he doesn't hide from the truth. Not this time.]
You can't win if you don't try. Who knows? Maybe the hot tub could have awoken some hidden love of the heat within me.
[He snorts a laugh because yeah, right. As if. Reaching over, the tucks a stray hair back behind Wave's ear and smiles wider.]
It did. Thank you for the new experience. Still, it did distract me from something important— the matter of your not wanting to go home. What's all this about other worlds?
[Oh? The very idea of undoing such a thing is intriguing. Kaeya can only imagine what hell his own world would become if that were possible, but anyway...]
Of course. I can't promise it'll be in a timely manner, what with all the work I've got waiting for me back home, but it will happen. [His smile tips askew.] Unless you're offering to assist me with my fieldwork?
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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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And this-- [And yep, this is where the both of them end up in the pool, Kaeya dragged after Wave as she abruptly jumps. It's cold, it's fucking cold, and she yelps as she goes under--but then she's laughing as she resurfaces, adrenaline racing through her veins.
Seeing Kaeya's shocked expression just sets her laughing harder, even as she starts pushing for the side of the pool.]
How do you feel now?
[She's planning on jumping right back into the jacuzzi, but she's not so sure that Kaeya will want to follow suit.]
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Once the shock wears off, he's back in a smile, following Wave to the edge of the pool but remaining in the water for now. The cold really does suit him much better, arms folded and draped on the tile separating the pool from the hot tub.]
In a word? Enlivened. [Oh, but not by the pool or the system shock granted to him by it. His eyes are squarely on Wave.] I've never met a woman so bold as to call me out, catch me off-guard, and dunk me in a cold pool of water all at the same time. I'm not even mad.
[Obviously not. He's rather intrigued, actually.]
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Thankfully the jacuzzi isn't too far away, so it's easy enough to retreat back to it, the hot water tingling on her skin as it chases the cold away.]
I knew you could handle it. [She's matching him, similarly folding her arms and resting them on the tile.] You seem to me like the kind of guy that doesn't back down from a challenge.
[Which is absolutely a positive, in her book. She knows she's got a reckless streak, and anyone who wants to flirt with her had better be able to keep up.]
Besides, it felt good, right? Once you get over the initial shock.
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You can't win if you don't try. Who knows? Maybe the hot tub could have awoken some hidden love of the heat within me.
[He snorts a laugh because yeah, right. As if. Reaching over, the tucks a stray hair back behind Wave's ear and smiles wider.]
It did. Thank you for the new experience. Still, it did distract me from something important— the matter of your not wanting to go home. What's all this about other worlds?
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Oh--my world was destroyed a few years back.
[JUST... TOSSING THAT OUT THERE, BLASÉ AS CAN BE. She shrugs, expression unconcerned.]
Coriolis wasn't the only one--there were a lot of worlds that were lost back then. Those of us who survived all got to know one another.
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You say it so nonchalantly. With no place to call home, you have the freedom to go wherever you want. That's not too bad.
[Spoken just as blasé, because in a manner of speaking? Kaeya's been there.]
You're welcome to swing by my world and stay as long as you like. My door's always open.
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[Do you ever get a taste of freedom and then you lose it and your hands get smacked for daring to have it in the first place...]
But this time is different. I don't think we're going to wake up one morning and find ourselves back at home with no warning.
So maybe I'll take you up on that offer, as long as you're promising to show me around while I'm there.
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Of course. I can't promise it'll be in a timely manner, what with all the work I've got waiting for me back home, but it will happen. [His smile tips askew.] Unless you're offering to assist me with my fieldwork?
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