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 Posted: Mon Sep 05, 2022 8:08 pm
Lysithea had been quiet as they had walked far enough from home to transform, and she took hold of Michel’s hand and held it, lacing fingers with him without a second thought, bringing the two of them up to her Homeworld easily enough.
Her mind was racing and she drew in a deep breath before opening her eyes though, when she did, she couldn’t help but smile.
…Lysithea was a beautiful place. Just being here was utterly and completely calming, and for a moment, she relaxed and turned to look at Michel once again, tugging him over to a large tree that held a number of shimmering…somethings on it.
“I think. I think that I want you to like me. I think that I have a crush on you, and I’m afraid that you won’t like me for me, and won’t like me in that way because I’m not her. But. Michel, you’ve been so good to me. So good for me. I know that this has been…hard and. Impossible but. I really…really like sharing our space. I love that we have our own suite down in the basement…it’s…I know it’s not what you wanted. I know that none of this is what you wanted but…I really like it. And I really like you. And if that’s not okay, I’ll try to stop liking you like that. If you don’t want to do anything…romantic or anything. I understand but. I’m jealous of her. Of. Me. Of. Of Cambria. And I just.”
She blew out a long breath and drew out the container of cookies, and then the one that held the crackers and finally the one with the meat and cheese.
“Sorry to just. Dump it all on you before even feeding you. But. Now that I feel more like…me again. Now that I don’t feel like a complete burden…I just. Wanted to let you know that you’ve grown on me. Like a really handsome, really warm fungus.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 6:11 am
Michel had expected she might change her mind, or think that something was wrong when she was quiet for so long. But, she held his hand. She’d kissed him earlier. She was sharing Lysithea with him, now.
It looked a little different than he remembered–a bit more alive.
He wondered if that was the product of something she’d done now, or just the universe playing cruel tricks on them.
Michel didn’t reach for the food; she’d already given him enough to chew on.
They’d skipped a few parts of the standard relationship, and sort of just bounced around. She’d moved in almost immediately–they’d shared a room almost from the beginning. The kisses were still fairly knew, but he chalked that up to her being affectionate.
He’d done his best to be good for her since she’d joined them. Things had been hard. Impossible. Maybe not the things she was talking about, but he didn’t talk about Cambria with any of them. What could they say? Cambria hadn’t even been gone for a year yet, and yet his love for her hadn’t diminished. He knew she was probably gone when the Chaos swallowed her up. He knew she was definitely gone when she clawed her way out of it.
Sometimes, he still wished she could have memories–up here, maybe. Just glimpses of what they’d had. Just a fragment of something that could tell him Cambria was still there.
But, he knew better. And what was the point, even? She was Talia now. She’d spent the past few months coming into herself, developing herself all over again. Finding herself, and growing from it.
This wasn’t what he’d wanted, but that had changed so much between a year ago and now. He’d done what he set out to accomplish, there wasn’t much else. Look after Talia, look after the others. Keep himself busy. He kept moving, but in so many ways he’d just stayed still.
Michel settled himself beneath the tree so he could make himself comfortable. He rested his back against the trunk and watched her as she spoke. He hadn’t ever thought of her as a burden, but sometimes she got these thoughts in her head–that she had to do something to prove herself instead of just accepting that she had people who wanted to help her.
“You’re jealous of Cambria?” he asked, because he was still digesting some of what else she’d said. “I don’t think I’ve heard anyone talking about her in a while, have you been gossiping with Soleiyu?”
He’d specifically avoided bringing Cambria up–for his own reasons as much as not wanting her to think that she only existed as a comparison to her.
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 9:57 am
“Of course I was jealous of her. Everyone loved her. A lot. I know that. I mean.” Lysithea rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed softly, closing her eyes and trying to collect her thoughts. “I know that everyone loves me too. I know that everyone has accepted me for being me, and I’ve…accepted me for me as well, but…I still want to be her. I want to be who I was. I feel more like…me now. Getting to be an Eternal Senshi…getting the wings on my hips again…it…it really helped.”
She drew in a slow breath and opened her eyes, though paused as she saw movement to the side of them both, and then gave a soft noise of confusion and delight as…well. It looked like a rabbit. A fat, round rabbit with small wings and a small horn on its head. It…
Ah. She had animals now. Just like Malus had sheep she…
Oh it was so cute.
Falling quiet, Lysithea tore her eyes away from the creature and looked to Michel again. “I would like to try to be your girlfriend, if you would be interested. If you don’t want our relationship to be more than what we have, that’s fine too. I know you’re not over Cambria, and I can’t blame you if you’re never not over her. She was great. I. Was amazing. Though, the dead normally are raised to sainthood so…but. I want my life back. And you, Michel. Zac. You’re a part of my life that I want back. I feel safe with you. Happy with you. I want to explore what we could make together…I want. You.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 12:34 pm
Michel was contemplating her words when he first noticed the little animal; it might have originally escaped his attention, but it was impossible to miss it with how much Lysithea seemed to immediately adore it.
She was safe with him. And, he’d done everything he could to make her happy.
She said she understood that he wasn’t over Cambria, so he supposed that meant that she couldn’t get mad at me when he took a moment to think over her words. He didn’t know how she knew. He hadn’t brought her up. He tried not to drag up the past.
He didn’t want to make Talia jealous of her. He didn’t want Talia to try and compare herself to Cambria, or to feel she had to be like her. Evan and Malcolm had spent so much time trying to help her figure herself out; he knew they told stories about Cambria, but they’d never tried to make it seem like they expected Talia to be her.
When he’d purified, he’d lost a lot of memories. Enough that sometimes he wondered who he was–who had died with Sanidine. But she’s corrupted. And purified. She’d lost more than he had. He could only imagine how jarring that was.
He pinched a blade of grass between two fingers and tugged slowly, until it strained and snapped in two. He reached for another one and did the same.
“What about Ilse? You two are pretty close.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 12:58 pm
He wasn’t…saying no. That much made Lysithea hold her breath for a moment and the fact that it seemed…that he was jealous…that…
…That brought a measure of calm over her and she blew out the breath loudly, giving a half laugh. “...We are. She’s my friend. She…knew me as I was in Chaos. She’s important to me, and I’m going to stay close to her. I…”
Lysithea wrinkled her nose and gave a little, almost nervous laugh. “I guess I didn't have many friends who were girls as Cambria, but. I think I had a lot when I was Anastasia…” She hesitated and moved a little closer, resting her head against Michel’s shoulder. “Ilse is going to stay close to me. But. You’re the one that I want…to try and have a relationship with. If. That’s okay. And if it isn’t okay, that’s okay too. I am happy with what we have, Zac. I’m happy with you. Even though I don’t always show it. I am happy.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 5:29 pm
Michel rested his head against hers instinctively. He liked the closeness. It was easier now–as it should have been, given how long they’d been sharing a room. “I just wanted to make sure it wasn’t going to cause any trouble. I know you’ve got your Court relations to worry about, and I didn’t want to put you between a rock and a hard place. Or come home to the two of you getting cozy in my bed.”
He nudged her with an elbow–obviously just teasing her, not actually expecting as much.
“I wondered, sometimes. About you being happy. You worried me when you said you wanted to leave. I thought I was doing something wrong.” Because, of everyone back home, he knew he was the prickliest of them all. He cared about Talia, always had, but Soleiyu and Evan–and even Maxim–were far friendlier. And more likable.
“To be honest, I hadn’t really thought about a relationship. I’m not saying no, I don’t want it to come out like that. But if you’re going to date me, I don’t want you to jump into things thinking I’m Mr. Perfect.” His ego wasn’t so bad, he knew he wasn’t perfect. She did, too. “I don’t always make the best decisions. And I’m not always the best at talking things through. Communication isn't my strong suit.”
He’d gotten used to doing things on his own. He’d steeled up a part of his heart that he hadn’t been sure he’d ever use again. It wasn’t going to be easy to undo the walls he’d put up.
“And, I’ve made a lot of enemies. If I go down, I don’t want to drag you with me. You’ve been through enough.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 5:30 pm
Lysithea swallowed and gave a little snort of laughter, shaking her head. “Our bed.” She corrected softly, though fell quiet at the rest of his words, trying to work through them without getting swallowed by them.
He wasn’t saying no, but this wasn’t a yes, that. Was obvious. Still.
“If you don’t want to do it now, that’s fine. We can have more time to feel things out. But. I just wanted to make my feelings known. Communication is hard for me too, now. It’s. Hard.” She drew in a long, deep breath and shrugged. “We both have enemies. I’m not going to be dragged down. Together we can stop almost anyone, I figure. If we can’t, we can call for help. I have Faustite and Albite and that whole crew who both want to kill me for leaving or drag me back to them against my will…and.”
Leaning her head up, she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “I know you’re not perfect. You weren’t doing anything wrong. And…you are the one who kept me from leaving. I rely on everyone, but you’re the glue that keeps me together. I’m sorry that I haven’t let you know that in so many words…but. It’s how I feel.”
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Posted: Tue Sep 06, 2022 8:53 pm
He almost laughed at our bed; he knew she didn’t remember how proud he’d been of showing off his sheets when he’d first met Cambria. But, yes. They’d been sharing it for long enough, he supposed it was their bed.
He never shied away from the kisses, but he wondered if she really did understand. She’d lost Faustite. Even though their relationship had been built extensively on lies. He hated Faustite for doing that to her. But then, he had a lot of hate in his heart, anyway.
She didn’t seem intimidated or unnerved by those things, but he’d also worked pretty damn hard to try and only show her the best side of himself. Well, after she’d been rescued from the Negaverse.
“You’re sweet, Talia. You do really seem like you’re coming into yourself. It’s nice. You shouldn’t let all that doubt cloud your mind, though. You should be confident. You should believe in yourself. You’re great. And anyone would be lucky to have you. I just don’t want you to feel bad or be, you know. Disappointed in me. I’ll try. For you.”
Because, she deserved it.
“But I’m rusty. We’re coming up on a year since my last girlfriend, and I sort of have a, you know. Bad boy spell in the middle of it all.” He flashed her a little grin. “I don’t usually take things slow. But, maybe this time we should. I mean, technically I’m your first boyfriend. You haven’t had the opportunity to be properly wooed, and that seems like something every girl should get to experience.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 6:27 am
“Then woo me. I think I’d like that. Being wooed. I want to hold hands too. I. I get stupidly jealous of Evan and Tobias, and I feel like a b***h even saying it but. They’re all over each other and I just.”
Lysithea looked at him, a small smile beginning to light up her face. “Were we like that before? I can’t imagine that I wasn’t all over you with every chance I could get. You’re hot.” There was a new light in her eyes, one that was almost always there before, before it was snuffed out by chaos and having to put the shattered bits of her already shattered life back together again.
“Come on, Zac, have some food now, I bet you’re hungry, you told me that you’re hungry, and if you’re going to woo me, I’m going to do my best to win you over with my baking. Evan always says the best way to show your affection is through cooking, so.”
Picking up one of the cookies, Lysithea held it out to the Knight, absolutely grinning now. They could take their time, but…it didn’t mean that she wasn’t going to do her best to enjoy the journey.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:51 pm
Michel laughed and shook his head a bit. “Evan’s always been eager to make his partner happy. Been like that for as long as I’ve known him. I’m just glad he wound up with a good guy this time. Even though Tobias’ PDA is a little exhausting. But he thrives on the attention, and I guess no one gets hurt.” He shrugged. He accepted the cookie and nibbled on the edge of it.
“I don’t think Cambria and I were like that. I mean, yeah. There was a lot of physical affection, don’t get me wrong. But it wasn’t obscene or anything. Holding hands, kissing. Yeah. A lot of that. The baking’s new, but it doesn’t surprise me that Evan would give you that tip. He was the chef in the bar I used to work in. Long, long story, all of that.” He shrugged, but nodded towards the cookie.
“This is good, though. I mean, you usually do a good job, but this tastes better than usual. Made with love, right?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 12:59 pm
“The baking started in my last life. It was stress relief, I think. I don’t know how it started, but I know I gave cookies to like…everyone I spoke to, and I took pride in making them. It was…something I did for myself, I think. And a way to give myself to others. I’m glad that you all enjoy it, even though sometimes I do still feel like I’m competing with Evan for the kitchen…”
It was okay though. It was better now. Not so much a competition but…a mutual sharing.
“I’d love to hear the story someday if you ever want to tell it, and yes. They were made with love. I kept thinking about confessing to you while I made them so. They might just be extra sweet, from how sappy my brain was.”
She couldn’t stop the smile that took over her face. “...I don’t know. I feel happy now that we’ve talked. So. Thank you for listening, and for always humoring me. I appreciate it more than I can say. And, I like you a lot, I don’t think it would be too difficult to fall in love with you, so. Just be aware of it.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 2:07 pm
Truthfully, Michel didn’t know if she’d want to hear the story. He was still worried about her finding a way to compare herself to Cambria, or to pit herself against herself. He wasn’t even sure if he knew how to talk about Cambria so freely, anymore. He kept all of their memories close to his heart, well guarded. Safe.
She said she wanted to hear stories, and–maybe one day he’d be ready for it. Right now, the thoughts felt like hot lava, slowly cooling in his mind. They weren’t safe to touch right now. But maybe, in time.
“Well, I am rather lovable,” he scoffed, but softer–kinder, he added, “But then, you are, too.”
His eyes strayed to the strange little lump of bunny not too far off.
“This is the first time I’ve seen animals on Lysithea. I mean, if you exclude Soleiyu. Must be a good sign, right?”
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 2:29 pm
Her eyes lit up at that and she snorted, nodding. “You are, and thank you, I think I’m okay too…but, it’s the first time I’ve seen anything like that up here…there were butterflies and some kind of other bug that I heard but didn’t see but…animals...”
With a happy, contented sigh, Lysithea picked up a cookie and took a bite, looking pleased. “...It is a good sign. A sign that everything wasn’t ******** up by what happened. I think. I mean, I hope it means that everything can heal. And so long as I can pet one of those creatures one day, I think…that’s wonderful. I’m half hoping that I’ll get unicorns up here too…Evan has sheep, did he tell you?”
How interesting that talking to him had become so much easier.
How interesting that everything felt so much lighter. It was like Lysithea could finally breathe...and she enjoyed it.
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 4:14 pm
“I’m sure it’ll all heal,” he reassured. She’d already been through so much, he couldn’t imagine her world making it harder for her. Not after she’d already worked so hard to do right by it and everyone else. “But, no. He didn’t mention the sheep. I’m not surprised about that, though. He’s a big softie. I’m sure his whole world is full of nothing but cute things. We don’t talk so much about homeworlds and wonders. Probably because I never have much to offer. Mine’s sort of,” he shrugged, “Scary. Good if you like monsters. Or nightmares. But not exactly a calming place like this.”
He leaned back against the tree again and allowed himself to just enjoy this.
“Not really romantic, either. But I’d take you up, sometime. If you wanted to see it. When you’re up here, do you see any flashes of memory or anything? I’ve heard that you can catch glimpses of your life before all of this. I mean, your past life, like a thousand years ago. I can’t say that I’ve ever experienced anything like it, but.” He shrugged. “I can’t imagine that the Senshi of Unicorns wouldn’t have unicorns.”
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Posted: Wed Sep 07, 2022 5:51 pm
“I’d still love to go sometime, if you’d have me. I’d bake for you again too if you wanted. It could be a creepy date…we could maybe go around Halloween, it’s getting near that time anyway.”
Even if it was the place that Faustite was kept…and possibly tortured it…
Lysithea wanted to see it for herself. “I haven’t…had any flashes of memory yet, but I’ll keep my…my eyes open for one. The unicorns and the memories.” She gave a little laugh and relaxed. “A spooky date will require spooky treats. I’ll have to do some research. If you have any requests, tell me now or forever hold your peace.”
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