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 Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 5:44 pm
The sound of his voice was about as welcome as his presence beyond the wall. When Gehenna spoke, Alethes grit her teeth, and willed him to shut up. She curled her hand into a fist, squeezing to increase the pain, and tried to ignore him. The rest of her life was going to be horrible enough as it was, without him bullying her from someplace where she could not reach out and break his stupid nose.
And then he was talking about making a deal, and letting her go, and Alethes was glad she let him talk.
She remained crouched in her corner, and took a couple of moments to collect herself; wiping her tears, proudly, on the hem of her dress. She waited for her breathing to slow, and then spoke.
"What is it?" Her voice cracked, and her cheeks bloomed with embarrassed colour. Alethes was glad he couldn't see them. She would give him almost anything, in exchange for her freedom, but could not help being wary. His superior strength was evident. He could try to take whatever he liked, but she swore she'd break his neck if he touched her again.
"Name your price."
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:19 pm
He almost felt bad for the girl, with the way her voice cracked and the obvious way she was wiping at her tears. Almost, if he wasn't such a trickster and she hadn't deserved it by trying to deceive him twice.
He leaned a little closer to the opening in the wall and peered through, trying to make sense of her face in the shadows cast by the dim lighting. It was no use though, the shadows gave privacy even though they were meant to be depressing and disheartening.
"It's not much," he shrugged, glancing down at the floor and running his boot against one of the grates, as if he were scraping off some tiny flaw. But then the serious look on his face changed, forced into a smirk, and he glanced back up at the opening in the iron wall.
"Just a kiss." Even Knights were men, apparently.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 6:40 pm
Just a kiss.
Alethes stared at the far wall, and couldn't be sure if she'd heard him correctly. She waited, heart quickening, and considered the options he'd given her. On the one hand, there was eternal imprisonment in a dark and lonely cell. On the other hand, there was a kiss. While the thought of being close to him like that intimidated Alethes, there was something at stake here more valuable than her pride.
As Sailor Vulcan it was a part of her duty, and her birthright, to protect the people of her planet. They were outfitted enough with weapons and armour to defend themselves for a while without her. Besides that, they were at peace. There had been no real threats to their collective safety for a very long time. Still, that wasn't enough to help Alethes feel right about willfully abandoning them.
And then there was the unpleasant reality of remaining jailed, itself.
There was really only one choice, here.
"All right," she said, at last, and stood where he could see her. A hint of a flush lingered on her pretty face. "Just a kiss."
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:11 pm
Part of him wondered if she still really thought he'd keep her locked in prison forever if she refused. Maybe she didn't know Mars and how big on justice the entire culture was. She did say she didn't often frequent these silly balls after all..
But it didn't matter, she agreed (at least verbally) and he had to suppress a tiny laugh at that. Was he really that intimidating? One glance down at his armor told him that yes, he probably was. Regardless, the flush on her face seemed convincing enough and he stepped to the side to release the metal grates. They fell away with the same signet ring touch, with just as much grating and clanging as before. Then the room was simply bare between them, as if it had never held a cage.
"Better?" He raised a brow as he crossed both arms over his broad chest, most impressive now that he wasn't covered in layers of awful finery. He was simply Gehenna - armored to the tips of his fingers and sporting his famous gauntlets.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:45 pm
He was large, and impressive, and powerful. These were all traits that Alethes admired-- even things that she aspired to be. She couldn't deny that he was attractive, but that counted for little when he'd gone through such lengths to prove how dangerous he could be. In another place, and another time, she might have even looked forward to this little kiss.
She was glad when the wall came down, and said, "Yes." It was better.
Alethes waited, injured hand still half-curled into a fist, for him to reach for her. And then was surprised, but relieved, when he left it up for her to take the initiative. She stared at him for a long time, tried to quiet her fury, and then stepped closer.
The fabric of Sailor Vulcan's fuku was not much thicker than the dress she wore, but Alethes would have felt less vulnerable in that.
Heart beating in her throat, Alethes had to resist the urge to bite Rayyan when she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He made no move to grab her, and she found the courage to seal their deal-- with the kiss she knew he'd asked for.
Her lips were gentle, and cautious where they moved against his; their bodies separated by the arms she refused to wrap around his neck.
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 7:57 pm
There was a certain appeal, he found, in watching a strong woman have to bring herself down to his level. He didn't smirk or make any snide remark that could injure his part of the deal, but he did watch her very carefully as she crossed the room, his eyes trailing her footsteps. She was a pretty woman, with a wild air, and he wasn't apologetic for tricking her into a kiss. Chances were, after that night, he would never see her again - but maybe she wouldn't try breaking into any more prisons, either.
He almost protested as her lips brushed his cheek, for a moment convinced that she was going to try and get out of their deal on a technicality. Then her lips turned and silenced whatever protest he had. Though she wasn't overly passionate, he felt the heat rising to his face at the touch of her lips. He could have done a lot of things then, touched her or drew her closer, or forced her into a position that would have made her resent him more but flirt and tease though he was, he wasn't a beast. He was a gentleman deep beneath it all.
So instead he simply brought up one hand and cupped her face in the large palm, letting his thumb trace along the curve of her cheek. He pressed back into the kiss, parting his lips against hers very minimally, but enough to show that he knew how to be gentle. He wasn't a bad guy, really. Just a big heart dedicated to his duty. But he withdrew without pushing her too far, pulling his face back mere inches and letting his hand brush her cheek as it fell away.
"Thank you, Lady Vulcan."
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Posted: Sat Jan 12, 2013 8:29 pm
She'd sworn, earlier, that she would break Gehenna's neck if he touched her again. Alethes tensed when he lifted his hand to her cheek, and almost pulled away. It was a moment before she relaxed, and understood that he didn't mean to push her for anything more than this. He was being gentle and that, she thought, was acceptable.
It was also a little bit annoying. He'd been willing to overlook her little adventure, and then given her the salve, and he'd seemed like a nice guy. And then she'd crossed the line, and he'd threatened her with eternal imprisonment and bargained for her freedom. She'd hated him enough to maim him only a heartbeat ago.
But when he withdrew, Alethes' face glowed with the fire of a compassionate flame, and that was telling. Frustrated for enjoying herself so much, looking a little bit swept away, Alethes stepped back from Gehenna.
She wet her lips, said, "let's go back upstairs," and moved towards the exit.
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