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 Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 4:30 pm
Between her sobs Belladonna caught a faint whirring noise and almost cried harder just from gladness. It meant that Mort, while maybe not all-the-way-ok, was at least better. And with that knowledge, she could work on not crying anymore. Which was an easier task then she had originally thought. Now that was he holding her so tenderly, his hand entwined with her's, it reignited all her fears. This was something she had, something she could hold but if could just as easily vanish. And though it was awful of her, she just gave in and let herself cry a little longer. It had been so long since someone had held her when she cried, that the feeling was just too precious to let go so soon. So the witch only curled further into him and continued. It didn't last long (thank goodness!), since she quickly realized she had come over to help him and not blubber all over the poor thing. It took a few deep breaths but she managed to stop the sobbing part. She wasn't sure if she could face him just yet, so she only angled her face away from being pressed into him. "You promise... To not go anywhere?" A long pause where the witch actually found it within herself to let out a small laugh. "Well, besides home?" After that, it didn't take long for her to nearly stop crying altogether, with just a few extra tears wanting to linger. As for everything else... "Can we, um... Can we just sit here for a minute longer? Like this? Its... its nice." Belladonna hated asking him as it made it seem like he didn't want this, but she couldn't be sure. It just felt so nice pressed against him, with his chillness and his sweet hands. There were pressing matters to be dealt with, but for the moment the witch only wanted to sit here. To let whatever this was just be for a few minutes longer without push and pull or give and take. To just relieve the pressure of everything. To just sit with him. That was all she wanted. Just him.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 5:21 pm
He sat there quietly, keeping her close as she cried and trying his best not to squeeze her again, lest he accidentally cut off her air supply. The little laugh was a good sign if nothing else. Mort was morbidly curious about what the Insanity had inflicted upon her, but he dared not ask; it was probably something as bad as his, and that was all he really needed to know. "Promise," he asserted quietly, his thumb stroking the inside of her index finger. "Promise . . ."
He wondered, though, if he still needed to go home, or if he had found it here in this one moment.
The zomboil's next answer was almost immediately following her question: "Y-Yes. Please." He still felt drained for whatever reason and had no inclinations of getting up for at least another few minutes, if not more. But having her in his lap, weepy or not, was like sitting in front of a fire he wasn't afraid of, where he could just relax and let the warmth sap his exhaustion away. Had he the chance and the courage, he realized, he would never let that go.
With his brain still rebooting Mort's speech functions were still restricted, but perhaps the whirr of his brain would fill the silence well enough from him, a constant hum that seemed to resonate throughout his body.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:16 pm
Promise.With that small word, Belladonna released the remainder of the tension she had been holding in her muscles and when he said 'Please', she nearly melted into him. It had been what she wanted and he had been kind enough to deliver it to her. Her heart beat surely must have stuttered and gone mad under his fingers, but Belladonna didn't even care. If he couldn't tell the things he made her feel by now, he'd never realize. But surely he must have or else he wouldn't have let her cry for so long. So for a few more minutes, all she needed was to sit there and hear him whirr, to feel the pad of his thumb against her finger. The weariness she felt began to leak from her limbs and though she felt vastly tired, Belladonna knew she would sleep easily that night. No whispers, no dreams, only peace, just like this. In her Insanity-tainted dream, she had not even been given such a moment as this, and the memory of that made it all the sweeter still. But doubt crept in slowly, no matter how hard Belladonna tried to fight it. Would he still feel the same when he came back from his stay at home? (Holy Hecate, he was going home! What was the witch to do with herself while he was gone?) Or was he just being polite, just telling her what she wanted to hear so that she'd stop crying? Did it really matter? "I'm sorry..." Belladonna finally began as she heaved a sigh. The silence stretched out before them, and while it was fine, she still felt she needed to fill it. "That all of this happened. That I cried... But thank you... For being here. For me I mean. It... It really means the world to me."And it truly did.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:44 pm
Whirrrrr . . .
Typically his brain's humming was on par to background or static noise, easily ignored or forgotten in the middle of conversations - it was most comparable to a computer's humming when it was tasked with something like, say, burning a disk. Right now though the thrum became more like a purr as he stroked her back, murmuring, "S'fine . . . r-really." And Mort meant it. In spite of the sorrow and guilt that beset him before, this end result was . . . more than he could ask for.
Did he finally understand what this was? Slowly, slowly. His brain still had some catching up to do, and even when at regular capacity having a ghoul in his lap would have been most flustering. In this case, though, Mort had a strange case of non-flustering . . . rather, he felt almost empowered in this moment. Or maybe his head just wasn't screwed on straight.
In any case, he slid his hand off Bella's back, pushed his glasses back in place, and gently thumbed some of the traces of tears off her face. His face felt a bit warmer than usual (and in fact the blue skin had a bruised look to it), probably the half-congealed blood in his veins trying its best to rush to his eyes from his "crying" - his eyes actually did retain a sort of wet look to them despite not having shed a tear. "I-It's mutual," he replied, trying at a smile even as his jaw still trembled.
In a little he would have the grace to be embarrassed by the act. Honestly, men weren't supposed to break down. Men were supposed to be confident back patting huggers who gave simple solutions and just grunt gruffly in the face of shedding tears.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 10:58 pm
Never before had Belladonna heard Mort's brain whirr quite so loudly, but it was something she puzzled over with a strange sort of curiosity. Surely it meant something... Good? She couldn't be sure, but there wasn't much time to think as the hand on her back was taken away and Belladonna reclined back a little to look at him. With a hazy vision she watched him straighten his glasses before he reached out toward her face.
Like a child she closed her eyes and pouted slightly, but not in anger. It was more just something to do while his fingers brushed her face. Immediately, blood pooled in her checks and the witch opened her eyes to look up at him.
His jaw trembled, but somehow she found his whole demeanor incredibly strong. Even if had somewhat 'cried', it was still because he had been pushed to the brink of emotion and back. Belladonna just cried because she could.
"I'm glad." She whispered with a returned smile as she reached up to curl her fingers around the line of his jaw. There was just something about it that drew her, that she wanted to touch and experience and cherish. "Do you feel a little better now?"
Even if that was the wrong thing to ask, Belladonna asked it. For some reason she felt the strange need to coax him into talking to her, as she always had. But now it felt more... Natural. She liked the sound of his voice, of his stutters.
But now that they were sitting here, just looking at the other... What should she do? Should she lean in? Should she kiss him? Would that be too much? (Because after all this, there was still to far too go. Pffttt.)
And for once, there was absolutely nothing that Belladonna could decide on to do.
So she only smiled up at him and enjoyed the bruised look of his cheeks and kept on with her hand against his jaw.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:14 pm
"Mrrr." His face broke into a smile. "Yeah. You?" It seemed a silly question when he could see the smile plain on her face, but verbal confirmation was something he was beginning to realize as important in matters like these. He knew what they said about assuming. Plus, Bells seemed to know a thing or two about keeping up a smile even when on the inside it was something vastly different, as he saw when she'd let the mask fall earlier.
He was also starting to notice the fascination the witch held with his jaw, but he didn't mind. they were almost mirror images like this, one hand on the other's face, their other hands entwined. It was like they were posing for a painting as a couple -
Yip?
Blinking, the zomboil turned his head to see that the foxfire - utterly forgotten in the events that had happened one after the other one Bella had crossed the threshold into his room - was tentatively moving closer to them; specifically to Bella. It reminded him of the original reason he had called her over. "Oh, ah . . . H-Have favor to ask. Could watch L-Lanna while at home?" he asked her. "Know she likes you, n' d-doesn't seem mind Binx. Just, er . . . want make sure she keeps eating." To gain back the weight she had lost under his original neglect.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:26 pm
With a smile and a small laugh, the witch nodded her head at his question.
"Yes, very much so. Thank you."
It was so nice to be able to smile genuinely and actually feel happy, instead of just faking it. Faking it wasn't too hard, not all the time at least. Somehow Belladonna had discovered she was very good at it. But with Mort, it was so much harder. But maybe after all this... Maybe she wouldn't have to fake anything anymore?
And finally, after realizing they were holding the same position and looking very much like a scene in a romance novel, the witch started to lean forward when she heard a small noise from behind her.
She blinked once to dispel the haze Mort was about to cast her under and turned to face the foxfire. For some reason, Lanna looked almost scared and while Belladonna wanted to hold her, she just couldn't leave Mort's lap. So instead she twisted a little until she could hold out one hand to her.
"C'mere..." She whispered, her fingers stretched out to touch the pup. Yet just as she was about to brush her fur, Mort spoke and the witch turned to him.
For a moment she let his words sink in before she nodded.
"Of course I'll watch her. I'll take wonderful care of her. As for Binx, he didn't want me to tell you, but he likes Lanna. She's energetic, but he says she acts like me." Perhaps her familiar hadn't meant that as a compliment, but the witch had taken it as one. Belladonna and Lanna both were energetic things...
"When are you leaving for home?" Please don't say now... Stay with me, just a few more minutes...
But those thoughts would never be spoken out loud.
"Is there anything else you need? Just ask, I won't mind." She offered a smile to show the validity of her words.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2012 11:45 pm
Lanna sniffed her fingers and crept into reaching distance, licking her extended hand in welcome. Mort's face twisted a bit at the sight of that singed fur. "Good, good . . . Thanks." Lanna would love that rug of hers and try to own it, though; Bella would have to be careful while he was gone.
And as for leaving, well . . . "Already texted Mama: she said just say whenever n' will pick up," he answered, then gestured to the bed. "W-Was, er, packing before you knocked." He pondered briefly if there was anything else he might make note for the witch, but his mind didn't want to think in concepts beyond what just happened, only wanted to bask in the happiness and pleasure he'd gotten from that moment of intimacy.
"Err . . . don't think need n'thing else but you," he said after a moment, and then blinked. That came out a little wrong, and yet . . . not wrong. He ran a hand through his hair now that it was freed (since Bells wanted to take Lanna now), mouth quirking. Did he meant what he said?
Yes, he supposed, he did.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 12:05 am
Now that the pup was close enough to reach, Belladonna bundled her into her arms and cuddled her close. The singed fur would have to be cut, but luckily for Lanna, the witch was familiar with such practices and would do her best. But Belladonna wouldn't mention the fur to Mort and she wouldn't ask about it either. She cuddled the pup close and listened to the boy tell about his leaving and packing and-- "Oh Jack, I'm really sorry about that. I just... I just didn't stop to think about that before I rushed over..." She nervously giggled and for a moment of embarrassment, hid her face in Lanna's fur. But one eye peeked out from the tufts and she could not hid the smile.
At least rushing over had turned out well.
As for leaving, well... Belladonna reasoned that the sooner he left, the sooner he'd come back, so she wouldn't kick up a fuss about it. Besides, maybe his trip would be even shorter now that she had helped. Even if it was only a little bit, she'd miss him...
And then he said something that made Belladonna nearly drop Lanna, but she only hastily set the foxfire back down in her lap as she looked at him. Did he... Did he mean.... Like...... What did he mean by that!?
Her mind raced at the potential meanings and finally, the witch could only give a small shrug and smile at him, with a soft, "If you want me, I'm you'rs."
It was horrifically cheesy and totally convoluted, but Belladonna could think of nothing else to reply with that didn't sound desperate or clingy or like a crazy love-starved woman. And even though he had said it first, Belladonna wanted undeniable proof of exactly what he meant. There had been too many times where she had been left waiting and wondering, and now... Now she wanted this so bad that she couldn't be the one to say it.
But, oh, how she wanted him too.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 12:17 am
"Really, you're fine now," Mort assured her with a smile. And then she dropped that specific set of six words and his thoughts went careening.
His first reaction was, strangely, to chuckle. But this was in the manner of one laughing to buy more time to think more than anything else, and he scratched his head self-consciously as he did. This time was different than the others - before, there had been distance between them, something else to talk about, more uncertainty. But with Bells in his lap looking at him almost expectantly for an answer, he found himself inwardly flopping about for the words. Jackdamn it, it was like going back to square one . . . only now he knew better. Now he actually got it, he thought.
And that only amped the nervousness up for reasons he was only scratching the surface of today.
"Heh. Th-Think is other way around," he went with, taking a leaf out of Bella's book and making light of a situation he knew affected him more deeply than that. "Remember, am in debt 'til steampunk project is finished?"
Only they had agreed that affection was the price to pay.
Batshit, that didn't help.
"Unless, er, w-want change terms of slave-i-tude?"
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 10:17 am
At his reply, it took almost every bit of Belladonna's self control from stomping her foot with a gasp of indignation. Boys weren't supposed to play coy like this! At least not very kind, caring ones like Mort! Those were usually the straight-forward ones, who took to being serious in such matters where Belladonna could then dodge around and be sneaky and drive them a little more crazy. (In the good way, of course.) So when Mort turned the tables on her, she wasn't prepared. The witch managed to keep from stomping her foot or even looking put off about it, however jokingly it would have been, but couldn't stop from turning a shade of pink. "Ah, yes! Servitude!" She said a little surprised, as though she had almost forgotten about it. In all honesty she had for the moment, but now she used it to her advantage to also buy herself some time. Because as much as she wanted to jump up and demand things, she just... She just couldn't really find it in herself to ask this of him when he seemed... Hesitant. Oh, he's been hesitant this whole time you idiot. You're a basket of crazy, no one wants to date that. She couldn't help but think to herself, and as she thought it she couldn't help but bit her lower lip a little. Damn. That sure complicated things, didn't it. "Well, I would be alright with changes the terms of, ahem, slave-i-tude if you are, but last time you were the one who suggested affection. So what do you suggest we change it to?"When she realized she said it, one part of her was more then proud. That had to be the trump card up her sleeve, the one that won it all. Because that was brillant! But then another part, the other part that was still raw and aching and scared jumped up and sputtered out, "But its ok if you want to think about it! You're going home, afterall! Maybe you could think on it there?" Oh my Hecate, why are you so CRAZY?!"Not that I think you should think about it in a bad way like I don't want it either I just mean that its kind of a big deal and I don't want to rush or push and I'm going to stop talking now." At this the witch turned a brighter shade of red, looked about the room for another way to hide before she finally just leaned forward and buried her face in his shoulder. This was turning out dreadfully and she was just further mucking it up. Oh Hecate, he'd never date her now that he knew how utterly out of her mind she was... Ol-j-man Sorry I disappeared last night. My internet crapped out. razz
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 11:44 am
Lanna wriggled a bit when Bella leaned on her master, but otherwise stayed in the witch's arm.The biting of the lip, the rambling, the reddening of face, the burying into shoulder - were they all good signs or bad? Worse, he had to come up with something quick to replace sewing slave . . . Or not, it seemed. She gave him a way out and he ran to it. "Would be better if can clear head at home first, y-yeah," he answered in agreement. "But wouldn't abandon steampunk stuff a-anyway, don't worry." Bet slaves weren't supposed to be able to pick the terms and conditions, much less change them, but Bells seemed to feel his hesitation and fed it.
That was the core of what this was, wasn't it? Sensing the uncertainty and acting like it wasn't a terribly big deal, just dancing around it as the hole grew larger. One day it would swallow them and the landing wouldn't be pretty. Or maybe that was just him.
Yeah, probably him. Bells might be rambling and turning on her own words, but he was the one doing all the pratfalls here and had been from the beginning.
Shifting himself a bit so that his spine wasn't so pressed against the door, Mort loosely wrapped an arm around her waist, unsure of what else he could do in spite of the millions of options before him. "I-I -" Why didn't he just say it now? "- think you have a lovely voice, Miss Wicked."
Or he could delay it in typical Mort fashion.
"Much better th-than whispers. Would rather listen to you than them," he added, going back to stroking her back. "So . . . " Where was he going with that? Maybe he was just talking for the sake of talking now. "I-If you want, could help pack. Get to see Mama before I leave."AyeAvast S'cool~ I figured you'd fallen asleep.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 3:31 pm
"Alright, well... I do so hope you'll continue to help me with our steampunk project. I'm quite excited about it." Belladonna mumbled a bit as she leaned back off his shoulder. When he took the idea of thinking on it, the witch couldn't help but pout, just the tiniest bit. While she wanted to be kind and give Mort the opportunity to properly think this out, she also didn't like this idea. It meant there would be time to decide against her. And that was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She just wanted him. But if she just kept offering these holes of escape... Would he always take them? He had taken every one she had given him (at least Belladonna was pretty sure he had) so what did that even mean? Surely he wouldn't have displayed such intense emotion to her or be so kind to her like this if he didn't, at least in some small way, reciprocate the feelings... Right? Yet then he wrapped an arm around her waist and the witch looked up to him, her eyes wide and pleading and expecting much more when he began with those stuttering 'I's. "Heh?" Was all she could immediately reply when he said such a thing. It was just a nervous little laugh, but she listened to him talk and tried not to be too disappointed. "Well, maybe in that case you could... call me some while you're at home? That way I can help combat the voices. At least a little." She batted her eyelashes up at him and gave him a sweet smile that would hopefully help seal the deal. "I'm rather fond of your voice as well!"But before she could further this with anything else or even bother to persuade him with a kiss on the cheek or anything else, he mentioned his Mama. For a moment the witch was frozen, her eyes wide and all the blood drained from her face. "You want me to meet... Your Mother?!" Not that she thought his Mother wasn't lovely... It was just... "What if she doesn't like me!? What if she thinks I'm horridly inappropriate for you? I'm not dressed for such an occasion! My hair looks terrible!!" How she could be inappropriate wasn't made clear, and her dress wasn't too bad, it was tasteful all on its own (perhaps a little low-cut, but nothing vulgar) and her hair... Well, it wasn't terrible but it also wasn't her best either. Finally, she could only squeak out, "Yes, I'd love to help you pack..."
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 5:02 pm
"Will try calling, or texting. M-Mama likes taking all attention when at home, see, sometimes takes phone away so is not always with 'nose to screen', " Mort answered and, for once, lied. It wasn't that he wouldn't want to hear her voice while at home, but . . . he needed to make sure that whatever his decision was, it wasn't going to be made in the heat of the moment. And he was afraid that if he told Bella as much, she would take it the wrong way; Mort had a way with words and making things sound as much at any rate. Who knew, maybe he would be able to text her once or twice once he had found the answer. Yet even with the right intentions it pained him to lie to that sweet smile, those expectant eyes. How did Bells do it?
He probably should let the ghoul get herself prepped, though. "I-Inappropriate?" Mort repeated with some confusion as he slid his arm off her and made the motions to get up. "Errr. Could just get freshened up if you'd rather. Packing by self wouldn't take long." He didn't know to what extent the witch wanted to look good for, but he recalled how she would fight with her sister for the use of the bathroom mirror, so he supposed the answer was at least substantially.
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2012 9:47 pm
Though she tried to hide it, the witch's face visibly disheartened. Her smile wilted and her eyebrows started an incline that looked dangerous, but she only shrugged and gave a small, very tiny laugh. "That's alright. I understand. She doesn't get to see you often, so... Its ok." For a moment she looked down at Lanna in her hands and tried not to think about how that strange crushed feeling in her chest could one day, if things went horrifically awry, expand into something unfathomable. Perhaps it was best to get used to such a feeling... "Besides, I'll be busy taking Lanna on walks and teaching her new tricks. And I should take some classes..." It sounded flimsy, but Belladonna used these to fuel her comeback smile. It would do her absolutely no good to look so fragile, not after all that. "Yes, I'll freshen up... I'm sure its alright if I use the girl's bathroom... There's surely one here somewhere." Belladonna said as she set Lanna to her feet and began the turn to stand. But she paused halfway and turned back to Mort, looking up at him a little sheepishly before she grabbed him close in a hug. It was hard, but she managed not to choke the boy or even seem entirely desperate. But she did hold him close and whisper a soft, "Thank you." before she let him go. She wanted to keep holding, to beg for a kiss (as he'd not given any and neither had she, to her chagrin) but she also knew the wisdom in giving him space. Even if it meant he thought she didn't want him... (But of course, she did.) So instead she stood up and took a few teetering steps backwards so he could let her out of the room. While she waited she looked down at her dress and hoped it would be alright. There was never anything quite so strange and scary as getting a mother's approval. If she didn't approve of Belladonna, she would be able to convince Mort that he didn't like her too. And right now, Belladonna's hopes looked pretty grim already, so she certainly didn't need the extra help.
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