[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?
[Hm. Kaeya's smile pulls wider and he huffs out a lilting laugh.]
Who knows? If you can carry a cup of hot coffee up to the summit of a frozen mountain, you might just have what it takes to become a knight. [Alright, more realistically:] A drink at the bar would do nicely too. Would you do me the honor? There isn't a bar in Mondstadt I haven't visited.
[Is. Is this really something to brag about, sir.... Wave pretends to think about it for a moment, but really the answer is a simple one.]
It's been a long time since I've gone to a proper bar. [Something something dens of iniquity, something something about good women not going to such places... she did say antiquated.] The honor would be all mine, dear knight.
[What can he say? He's well connected! At the heart of Mondstadt is its liquor industry and blah blah blah, he's an alcoholic. Can't really deny that, but he's functional, at the very least. Anyway!]
Then when all is said and done here, do pay me a visit. I'll ensure the trip is well worth the wait.
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no subject
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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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.]
no subject
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?]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.]
no subject
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.
no subject
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?
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
[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.
no subject
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?
no subject
That all depends. You're not going to try to send me on any coffee runs, are you?
no subject
Who knows? If you can carry a cup of hot coffee up to the summit of a frozen mountain, you might just have what it takes to become a knight. [Alright, more realistically:] A drink at the bar would do nicely too. Would you do me the honor? There isn't a bar in Mondstadt I haven't visited.
[he shouldn't be so proud of this]
no subject
It's been a long time since I've gone to a proper bar. [Something something dens of iniquity, something something about good women not going to such places... she did say antiquated.] The honor would be all mine, dear knight.
no subject
Then when all is said and done here, do pay me a visit. I'll ensure the trip is well worth the wait.