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 Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2015 7:20 pm
It was too damn quiet in the apartment. It had been for a while now, ever since Shale and moved in to keep an eye on a new officer, and Slate had landed himself in serious trouble. There was no back and forth of masculine voices, no hum of the dremel as Shale worked on his arrows or other projects, no clatter of cook wear. Nothing. Aside for Lenore, it was uncomfortably empty, and as the days had progressed, Po had begun finding any excuse she could to leave. She felt restless, but more than that, she felt alone, and that was not a feeling the young woman did well with. After a while she would break, calling Shale up just to hear a familiar voice, even if the man wasn't exactly talkative. He'd give her updates, answer questions if she asked. It wasn't ideal, but it worked, for a time. When it was no longer enough, when the fighter was craving for human company, and dreading the social hurdles required for something casual, she let slip how very much she missed his home cooking. It was true, but it was by no means the root of her want for him to be home again. As dense as he might have been to her advances, or politely dismissive, he'd more or less let her do as she pleased with him so long as she didn't cross firmly drawn lines. Even when she did, thick fingers were quick to wrap around slender wrists, drawing wandering hands away from where they shouldn't have been. Regardless of why, the plans had been made. Porsha was laying on the couch with Lenore, a hand stroking along the one-eyed cat's back as she purred up a storm. The TV was on, but her attention had drifted from whatever show had been playing, and had settled on Shale's back as he moved around the kitchen.
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Posted: Thu Jul 30, 2015 12:57 pm
For the first time in a great while, Shale was present in Porsha's apartment with pants on.
He didn't particularly care for it. They moved about his thighs and shins restlessly every time he twisted, crossed to the other side of the kitchen, or even stood about cutting up vegetables. His job and current roommate situation both allowed him to forsake pants, which meant he only spent maybe an hour in trousers each day and stripped them off as soon as possible. Initially he wanted to wear pants for decency purposes, because now he was a guest in Porsha's apartment instead of a roommate, but the fabric's tendency to cling to his legs put him off to a great degree. It distracted him from the lemon pepper pheasant he prepared from a barely-recalled memory.
So, ultimately, he paused in his dinnertime endeavors to remove his jeans and toss them over the counter. Porsha never seemed to mind.
The television provided background noise that he tried to block out while flipping the slabs of pheasant meat in the pan. July heat left the kitchen sweltering, despite window units and their desperate attempts to cool the place down. Porsha didn't look like she minded it - she stayed with the cat and offered no complaint. The scent of the dish likely filled the entire apartment - Porsha lived frugally, so it wasn't hard to do - which left the hunter hungry himself.A few minutes still remained on the cooking as judged by the color of the meat, so Shale leaned against the counter while he waited.
"Are you thinking about taking in another roommate? I'm certain you could run a boarding program through the Negaverse to get other officers on their feet." She likely already considered it, but he was still interested to hear her response. Would she continue to shelter others as she had with himself and his brother? While the arrangement did not pan out ideally, Shale at least found some success in the Negaverse. Becoming a captain meant moving forward, and now he was charged with both Haüyne's training and Ashanite's careful watch. Beyond that, he needed to finish his research on different methods to cure his brother of his obstinance.
Which meant this visit felt frustrating for how it cut into his work, but he still knew it was necessary both as a breather for himself and to retain good relations with Porsha.
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 6:56 pm
She had wondered how long the pants were going to survive the night. She knew how much Shale hated them, though if she were being honest, she certainly didn't mind them. They hugged in all the right places, accentuating what she already knew was there. Silver eyes had lingered as he moved around the kitchen from counter to stove top, completely ignoring whatever show was playing on the television. Ignoring Lenora as well, though the cat was at least attempting to wrangle Porsha's attention back to her. Purring furiously as she butted her head up under the girl's chin. It would earn her a few indulgent scratches behind an ear, down under her jaw. Of course that ceased when Shale finally did succumb to to his urges and remove the pants. Sorry kitty. By then the scent of cooking meat had filled her small apartment. It took a moment to register, but when it did an appreciative hum sounded from where she lay on the couch, and after a moment she was rolling up to her feet, Lenora bounding away to take up sentry on the coffee table instead. "That smells amazing." Everything he cooked smelled amazing, but that was nothing to how it all tasted. Po never had a bad meal while Shale lived there. She didn't immediately answer his questions as she padded silently into the kitchen on bare feet. Instead she moved up behind him, pale arms circling his stomach from behind as she leaned into his back and placed her ear between his shoulder blades. The truth was that she was still hoping he'd move back. Their living arrangements had worked smoothly, he was good roommate if you didn't mind the quirks(which she obviously didn't). Aside from ease, she had liked having him around. Even missed him. Certainly missed him. Porsha disliked being on her own, but she was a fickle creature when it came to her companions. "The apartments a little small. Not everyone would simply accept sharing a bed with someone they'd just met." That did leave the couch, but her point still stood. "There are other open apartments in the building though. When I bring in new blood I do bring them up." Not that she corrupted people at random. The girl was particular in what she looked for in potential officers. "I've been thinking of taking over the empty apartment next door, knocking down the wall and expanding."
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 2:14 am
Shale busied himself cutting leek and other vegetables to add to the pan, and did so with liberal practice. Fingers curved inward to prevent knife cuts and the flat of the blade often doubled as the delivery device to the hot, steaming dish that simmered in the pan. He paused only when he felt arms wrap around his waist, and cocked his head to spy Porsha's shoulder in his peripheral. The shell of her ear felt cool against his back.
He considered saying something, but decided against it. Porsha seemed perfectly contented against his back; he found no reason to spoil it. He wondered if the culture here alone warned him so strongly against the silence he used to savor. It must have, since he found it much more amenable to relax into the silence between the pair. The pan sizzling provided the only background noise they needed.
After some time, Shale returned to shifting the food about the pan with the tip of the spatula, listening to the sudden rise of hissing from the new distributions. "They probably wouldn't," he conceded. "I think most people here want their own space." Shale himself found no particular reason to seek out his own solitude - he hadn't managed that in the woods, either. Countless birds, insects, deer, turkey, elk, bears, and other wildlife shared the outdoors without respect to personal boundary. Porsha, he knew, would've refused him had it bothered her. She never did, so he assumed she didn't mind his presence. Her affections commonly reinforced this idea.
"Have you considered buying a house?" Shale knew woefully little concerning contractual agreements between tenant and landlord, and much less about houses themselves, but he understood - albeit vaguely - that a house offered more leeway in terms of reconstruction. "It seems to me that a house has more options for supporting other officers. A 'private boarding school' if you have the money." Porsha lived fugally, but the few splurge purchases she made signified some decent financial capability.
Even so, Shale held no scope of expense for most of his suggestions.
"You could focus on training lieutenants when SpecOps has no assignments." She seemed a far warmer, more welcoming teacher for Haüyne than himself, and held more knowledge and direction than he for Ashanite. Assigning these responsibilities to Umber made little sense beyond testing his abilities as a leader.
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Posted: Sat Aug 08, 2015 6:11 pm
No complaints followed her casual invasion of her personal space, so after a moment she relaxed into the contours of his back, breathing in the familiar scent of skin and hair. The pillows still smelled of him, not as strong now, fading, but still there. She would miss it when it was gone, though perhaps if she asked nicely he'd stay with her for the night. Nails played lightly against the lines on his stomach, over his hips and sides. An almost absent exploration of that lean body, as if she were reacquainting herself once again with all the peeks and valleys she had learned so well in his time in her apartment and bed. "At least at first," she agree, chuckling faintly. It didn't often take Porsha very long to make friends, though it also didn't take her long to make enemies either, and wouldn't that be an awkward arrangement? The idea of purchasing a house hadn't actually occurred to her. Her hands stilled as she considered it, head turning to brush lips between his shoulder blades as she gave a thoughtful hum. "You know, that's not a bad idea." She liked her apartment, the cozy space and the proximity to others it provided, but Shale was right. If she had a house there would be room for multiple people to stay comfortably, with their own space. Porsha did enjoyed taking new recruits under her wing, showing them the ropes. Certainly she preferred training those she had hand chosen, but the girl was more than happy to assist any new officers in need of guidance. It didn't solve her immediate concerns, but it was something to consider. Although... "You could help me." Her fingers splayed over his sides, thumbs kneading softly into the muscles of his lower back. Low at first, then easing up along the line of his spine. "We could do it together. I can't always be around, not with my job, but you," she lay a kiss against his back. "You can be my eyes, my ears. You can be my voice when I'm gone." He was obedient, tenacious, ruthless. He had proven himself to her time again again. Loyal.
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Posted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 8:38 am
Cooking with Porsha stuck to his back held some complications. Shifting the food about the pan required more work with the spatula, whereas he would normally shake it by the handle to prevent food from sticking. Tossing the food also required careful use of spatula, and carefully flipping what was cooked section by section. Otherwise, she'd find it a fairly bumpy journey to remain attached to his back.
Her comment on help did not go unnoticed, though he did not respond immediately. "I could." The pan sizzled and crackled with boisterous activity. The pheasant smelled robust and appetizing to the chef. The kiss drew some attention. "I find it no different to monitor Ashanite in a house as it would be in an apartment. But plans will have to wait until I've dealt with my brother - I can't devote the time that new recruits deserve right now." The idea still held merit. Porsha's schedule left her as more a funding body than an active member, as the MMA tournaments often called her for weeks at a time. And while Shale's work demanded no such commitment, his duties to the Negaverse proved particularly thirsty for attention.
He cocked head toward shoulder to talk to her, which swept his ponytail against her face unwittingly. "You could try a coalition. There are officers needing to learn how to train, just as we have officers needing training. Parsing out the work helps everyone." And it lessened his own burden as he imagined upwards of five officers simultaneously needing direction. It reminded him of the sitcoms that occasionally found their way to the TV in either apartment.
He breathed a sigh as he turned back to the food, ponytail streaking across her face again. "Training irritates me sometimes. Ashanite is spineless, stubborn, and too sympathetic. If other lieutenants are more of the same..." He dropped the phrase, having already intimated the remainder - a trick he picked up from Porsha herself.
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Posted: Thu Aug 13, 2015 6:04 pm
Small thumbs worked in firm circles along his back and sides. Low at first, but gliding up slowly as the minutes ticked by. His skin smelled of whatever soap they had at the other apartment, but underneath that was him. The buds of her lips lingered where she'd kissed him, breath warm between his shoulders, and it took more will power than she cared to admit to not leave the imprint of teeth there. An impulse made all the harder as his hair slithered across her face. Her eyes opened again as he answered, rising up to follow the line of his shoulders, barely meeting his gaze over the peak of one. Slate... She still felt as if her absence contributed to the folly he had landed himself in while she'd been gone. A visit to the young man was due, once the appropriate strings had been pulled. Until then, if there were ways she could her captain, she would do them gladly. "Would you like assistance with Ashanite?" Not did he need. She knew he was more than capable of handling a new lieutenant, but between that, his other duties, and his brother, it must have been wearing on him. You could only stretch a person so thin before they started to tear at the seams. He had to be stressed. Hell, she could feel it in the muscles beneath her fingers as she worked her way up to his shoulders. "Or with your Brother." Nails slithered his biceps, up along his shoulders before she smoothed the pads of her thumbs against the back of his neck, slender fingers folding loosely around his throat before she smoothed her hands down his back once more. If nothing else, perhaps she could relax him. Offer some measure of distraction from his obligations.
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 9:09 am
His skin prickled with the light touches she chose to make, and further sensation bloomed beneath kneading fingers. Massages were rare, and Shale found them much too easy to relax into. The last time occurred with Orah in an impromptu show of car (so far as he could tell), which eased a great deal of burden in recovering from the earlier night. While Porsha worked at his muscles, Shale closed eyes and left both hands to rest on the bar handle for the oven door.
She asked a question, and he only half-listened. A pause, then he responded after coming back to himself. his eyelids felt heavy. "He will need assistance - I am his peer, not his superior. I can't order him around. He's too meek to be a leader to anyone. If you can assist with that, then order him to meet you soon. It's better to start his training as soon as possible. He needs so much of it. More than I can give." Shale returned to closing his eyes afterward, though the image that came to mind was unpleasant. Nothing about Ashanite or Damian by looks displeased him - he didn't care much at all about appearances - but his offensively wimpy mannerisms and failure to assert himself irritated the hunter to no end.
Goosebumps rose along his upper arms and in a flush about his neck where nailed fingers touched. He would've offered his opinion on it were it not readily apparent in bodily reaction. Sleep chased away some of the hard edges to his demeanor; massages proved far too relaxing for domestic chores like cooking. Luckily the dish was about finished - a quick peek at the meat inside confirmed it as properly cooked through.
Serving the dish up from spatula proved easy enough, even if it meant taking a break from Porsha's ministrations to do it. A quick pour of the satay pan left an aesthetic accent to each dish and he set the pair aside for cooling. Afterward he shut the burner down and set the pan aside, and turned head to send his ponytail brushing one last time across Porsha's face. "Ready to eat?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 18, 2015 3:46 pm
When her hands traveled down to linger low on his back he'd feel the press of her brow between his shoulder blades, the occasional brush of her lips. At this point it wasn't even conscious on her part, just thoughtless points of affection. No doubt making up for every brush of fingers of lingering touch that had been missed in his absence from the apartment. She wanted him back, regardless of the needs of the Negaverse. As loyal as she was, she was still selfish, and Umber, Shale, was her's. Her head turned when he answered her, gaze resting on the floor as she listened, pleased. "It will be my pleasure," she purred, leaning into the hands that continued that steady press into taunt muscles. The general was always happy to help those she had taken under wing, but there was more too it than that. Ashanite sounded like a liability, and she would thoroughly enjoy the process of turning him into something worth while. Umber had been easy, she'd known he would pose no problems when she had picked him, but they could not all be like her hunter. He was unique. Not even his brother, born into the same culture and village, compared. Goosebumps had risen up, skin flushing, and neither escaped Porsha's notice. Her lips ticked up as she looked up at him, chin resting on his back. Until the brush of his hair across her face had her shifting back. Dinner was ready, she had to release him. She did not have to be happy about it. Her fingertips trailed over his hip as she stepped back from him and went for the fridge. "Mm, what do you want to drink?" An iced tea for herself, and whatever Shale wanted. Both would find their way to her small table, and she takes a seat seconds after, elbows resting on the surface, clasped hands a cradle for her chin. Watching him move. Watching as he finishes off the plates and brings them over. Watching.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 5:32 am
The last of the goosebumps started to fade when she finally relinquished her grasp on him. He watched when she crossed to the fridge, footsteps flat and light in absence of shoes. The fridge door cast a dull glow over her pale feet and illuminated the polish on her toenails.
He looked back toward the food and started swapping the plates to the small table that they often used for meals. It was easy for him to stand, so he toed his chair aside so he could lean over the table. Next followed napkins and silverware - which he initially didn't understand, as napkins weren't often used by him previously - and then he pulled her own chair out over the tile.
"Ashanite should find your guidance useful, if not persuasive." He imagined that Xenotime would resort to threats if Ashanite perpetuated his spineless mannerisms. "And that would free up my time for research."
Taking fork in hand, Shale started on his food and sampled the results. It tasted fair, if not a little bland. Using store-bought seasonings cut him no favors, but he lacked the time and ability to bake his own spices anymore. Hopefully Porsha wouldn't mind it; he might've spoiled her on the time he spent cooking. "Water is fine," he offered while he took a second bite. This one proved marginally more flavorful, so he started to think that adding more spice might bring the flavor around.
Or it could overpower the meat.
"Ashanite doesn't touch anyone often, either. I assume that's not common roommate conduct?" Shale glanced up at her to look for reaction. Was it only Porsha's game, then, or was it expected of the rest and Damian never learned to do it? Inwardly Shale hoped he wouldn't have to teach the man on common cultural courtesies, for Shale strayed far behind in that training himself.
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Posted: Thu Aug 20, 2015 6:34 pm
Persuasive was a kind way to look at Porsha's teaching methods, though Shale himself had never before been at her tender mercies. He was living up to every expectation she had for him. Save for one.. Loyal, dutiful, efficient, she couldn't have asked for a better soldier in her service. This Ashanite, if he was as bad as Shale made him out to be, then he would need quite a lot of attention. His training would be a welcome distraction from her empty apartment. Ironic that, since he was the cause of it. A bottle of water was placed on the table in front of Shale as she took her seat, shapely legs tucked up beneath her. Fork in hand, she'd watch him as he did the initial taste testing, then helped herself to a forkful of the pale meat. It was juicy, robust, and didn't taste like anything she'd ever tried before. Looking up, she poked her fork at the plate, smiling at the cook. "This is really good." Everything Shale made was really good. God, she missed his cooking. She missed him. Her smile slipped, and she took another bite to hide it, chewing and swallowing before Shale's question had her blinking up at him, brows arched curiously. It was an amusing question, and if it had been anyone else asking she would have had to wonder if they were joking, but not him. Shale did not joke. "No," she answered, voice light with humor as she speared another bite. "Some people are more prone to casual touching than others, but most need to feel comfortable with a person before they will try it." Her elbow found the table, chin falling to rest on the back of her had as she watched him. "Or attracted to them." In her case it was both, though she was a very tactile individual. It was a lack of physical contact that felt strange to her. She craved it. Needed it. To go without was to go slowly mad. "How do you like your new place?" The humor drained away, but she busied herself with her meal, attention now on the plate, though she did glance his way now and again between bites.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 2:14 am
Or attracted to them, she said. Shale was starting to see the signs.
"I understand." Touch remained a fairly steadfast presence in his life before Destiny City and he never thought much of it. To come here and live with Porhsa proved less of a transition in regards to touch. She seemed no different from his family and friends back home, but with Ashanite, or Damian, the presence of touch eluded him. He would ask for Porsha to live with them, but he was certain she preferred it here. He would not broach the issue. "It's odd to me. I'm used to touch." It was all he volunteered without pressing.
"The apartment suits my needs." He chewed through some of his food while he considered his answers. "It has washer and dryer. Two bedrooms. Enough space for both of our belongings. The apartment isn't a concern compared to what I was used to. My roommate is most of the issue, which frustrates me. I don't know why Laurelite corrupted him into a peer of mine. She should have left him a lieutenant. He can't lead anyone as he is." His review was scathing, but he considered it truthful enough. "And he doesn't know enough about the Negaverse to train someone."
Cleaning most of his plate felt easy considering the small portions he allowed himself. Pausing, he cracked open the water bottle and took a drink. He always found that water tasted slightly strange from the city, as opposed to streams. "Slate is being difficult, too. He refuses to conform to Negaverse demands. He insists it's immoral or unethical. He won't listen to me when I tell him that ethics and morals don't matter in survival." Maybe Porsha could try her hand with the boy.
When he cleaned his plate, Umber stood and carried his dish to the sink. While Porsha owned a dishwasher, he always preferred to hand wash his dishes. He let the sink water run until it heated adequately, and added a spot of soap to the plate. Looking about, he found the sponge in the same place he left it before he moved.
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Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2015 7:47 pm
I'm used to touch. Pale eyes lifted from the plate before her, expression thoughtful as she wondered if there was anything to the comment beside what was said. Given the speaker it was doubtful. Still. He continued on, and she was quiet as she finished her meal, listening as he told her about the apartment, Ashanite, and even expanded on Slate. The latter being, as far as she knew, Shale's current source of stress. Something she could have saved him from if she'd done as he'd requested the night Slate had started asking questions. At the time it has seemed extreme, especially given how much Shale had grieved his younger brother when he'd believed him to be dead. It felt as though she should be apologizing, "We are rare," she told him, voice soft. Not the Negaverse as a while, but solders like him, like her. "Most do not start this career so easily, they need to be... nudged along in the right direction." Or removed.Po finished the last of her meal, watching him as he rain the water. He really had been a rather ideal roommate. If her living room had been cluttered with this project or that, it wasn't as if she'd ever really minded. So if from that, he'd cleaned up after himself, cooked their meals, watched Lenore when she had to go out of town. With a hum she got to her feet, plate in hand, and came up to stand beside him at the sink. "I can do that, you did make dinner." An offer she'd made before. Fairly certain she knew the answer she left her plate on the counter and went for a towel so she could dry the dishes as he finished washing them. "If like to see your new place." He could have asked her to stay with them, at this point she'd be only too happy. "If you wouldn't mind the company."
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:57 am
Nudged like every lieutenant dug heels into the mud and pushed against the natural order of the Negaverse. Nudged like coercive suggestions were required in order to maintain some semblance of obedience. Nudged like life was a poker chip played against them.
This was what Umber fought to correct, wasn't it?
"I'm working on that." Shale stood aside for Porsha to attend to the dishes. While she worked with the dishes, he considered the lack of progress on the assignment he chose for himself. So far, nothing concrete emerged from his studies or his experiments. Behavioral conditioning, senshi magic... Perhaps there was no easy fix to correcting Negaverse officers and producing better soldiers from them. But alternatively, nothing proved his attempts as impossibilities.I might be on this assignment for years. I imagine agents hit a certain point where cost of upkeep exceeds their intended usefulness. Slate may not make it past a year, even if his mental stability holds. Living in isolation is not easy.
Shale came back to reality with her ask, and initially he grunted at her quizzically. His mind caught up, then he answered what he could. "I don't mind if you see it. I should ask Damian if he minds the company. Or you can make it an order. Then he can't refuse." Neither of us could.
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Posted: Fri Aug 28, 2015 6:18 am
In the thoughtful silence that followed Po finished what few dishes remained, placing them on a towel beside the sink. Then turning to rest hips on the counter, a hand curled over the edge of the formica. The other found its way to rest lightly at the jut of his hip bone, thumb smoothing along warm skin as she looked up at him. Where did you go? she could see the moment her questioned pulled him from his own thoughts, and the quizzical grunt made her smile chuckle. "Make it an order if need be," though she doubted the necessity of it. "I would like to see more of you, and if I visit I can help you keep an eye on him." It could be the return of a slice of the routine they had been comfortable keeping before orders from on high had pulled him away from her. She gave a thoughtful hum, nail tips tapping against the counter before she side stepped and pulled herself up to perch on the edge. It placed her closer to his height. Made it easy to hook a foot against his thigh to drag him closer. Nails slid over his sides, and it could have been an utterly idle caress, like so many. Or maybe she remembered the way his skin flushed and rain with goosebumps under such tender affections. Was anything she did truly thoughtless? "Thank you for cooking for me." There wasn't room to lean back, but she did rest her head against the cabinets, tipped up to see his face. "You're far better at it than I am."
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