& OPEN NSFW POST ( i. )

[aeneia]

NSFW OPEN POST ( I. )
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[mahalakshmi]

[ It's too tempting, really, just to see how much he would let her - but it is a want, a genuine one, it's been an age since she ever got to organize anything at all that wasn't shipments of supplies and lines of attack. ]

I would like to throw my own gathering. The way I am used to them. Lord Vorkosigan said he would love to see it.

[komarran]

[ And he had been thinking she'd want a night out at the theater. Not to throw a party. The fact that Miles is involved doesn't surprise him in the least. ]

Did he offer you the use of Vorkosigan House?

[mahalakshmi]

[ Oh the poor man, she should stop being so terrible to him. But it's her private pay back for own frustrations of him not noticing a single hint she'd given him. ]

He did, he made think it was possible at all. He will have to speak to his own family first, so I understand, all the same. [ A hum. ] I will need you to show me how to use the... light books again.

[ Datapad just felt like a made up word, no matter how much she kept trying to say it. ] He guessed, I think, that I am not what I say I am. Or what others have said of me. He is quite clever.

[komarran]

Wonderful. I would recommend against letting him have any hand in planning it or he'll take over.

[ As Miles often does. The man had a strong personality and he didn't take no for an answer. ]

What did he say exactly to make you think he knew more?

[mahalakshmi]

[ That is an assurance she can easily give, waving her fingers dismissively. ] Oh no, he could not. He might help, but he would not know a good Lavani song if he heard one. Nor does he know anything about spices to prepare dishes with. I would need weeks, to start preparing, so it will be some time.

[ Her own mirth there. He might try, and she might just enjoy watching them flounder like she did trying to get used to all these buttons and magically appearing items. ]

He... seemed quite astute in picking out the holes in my tale of merely seeking political asylum from a place no one has ever heard of on Barrayar. I did not tell him anything more than I told anyone else, but that was apparently enough for him.

[komarran]

You may have difficulties finding some of what you want, [ he warns. The realization that he would be more than happy to help track anything she needs down for her is startling, but he would. ]

Miles is observant. Anything you tell him would be safely kept. [ Duv learned that the hard way. Miles had become a good friend in the years after Earth. Funny how much easier the man was to get along with when he wasn't his subordinate. ]

[mahalakshmi]

You trust him so much?

[ If he did, then that was it. That was the only thing that mattered, she would take his own good opinion as her own. Moreover, it helped her make her feel somewhat less giddy. ]

[komarran]

I do. We shared enough during our time on Earth for him to have earned it.

[ Almost dying together would do that. ]

[mahalakshmi]

I see.

[ No wonder then, that he had intervened on Duv's behalf, she falls quiet again when she feels the car come to a stop. Miles evidently trusted him just as much. Would do all kinds of things for him. Not that she could find fault in that, she clearly would too.

She smiles briefly as she gets out of the car, her skirts gathered in one hand so that she did not trip on them, patiently waiting to be let up with him the way she's gotten used to. Habit forming, even if she could not believe how easily it had been. ]

[komarran]

[ It's without a second thought that he steps out of the car and offers her his hand to help her out. Habit forming and not just for her. He's grown accustomed to escorting her and he would gladly continue to do so back to his flat. ]

I have a feeling he'd be happy to host us if you wanted to pay him a visit and see the venue for your future event.

[mahalakshmi]

[ Her arm links through his, just the same as every other time. A polite goodbye given to the driver before she turns to walk with him. ]

Well, when you find your time spare, yes I should like that. I will be meeting with the Komarran women. Perhaps they could help me, as well. [ She'd want them to come, they had taken care of her so well, taught her much - helped her navigate like she was one of their own in their small way, even if it had taken her time to coax them to not be so worried about Duv's uniform. ] Did you want to clean up first? I will, well, take a little bit of time to unravel all this.

[ Which was as good an excuse as any to get him out of the way. ]

[komarran]

[ His brows furrow as he glances over at her. ]

Who are you intending to invite to your gathering? [ Was she planning on it being a Komarran affair? Reports for it would no doubt end up on his desk afterward.

Once he has his answer, he watches her for a moment longer before nodding and disentangling their arms. ] I won't take long, [ he promises before heading into the bathroom. ]

[mahalakshmi]

Those who have been kind to me, that is all. [ A small list, thus far, but varied. She made friends quickly, she always had, and she encouraged that kindness as she could amongst them. She wasn't particularly discerning as to the background of them in particular.

Which no doubt, would only make a far more complicated report for him to deal with.

Let him think about then, as she watches him go - she's doesn't want him thinking about it now. Thinks please don't, as he promises not to take too long. Her fingers shifting to undo her hair as she moves. This isn't quite as she liked, perhaps. Might like to draw it all out for a whole day - but she could never be sure of her time anymore. Soak herself and oil her skin to smell sweet, to be soft as she knew how to be. It's own kind of ceremony, in a way. Padding quietly on bare toes, that half burned in feeling on her skin of his fingers upon it, even if it had been light, respectful, always respectful of her. Viciously, she thought he would be a little less so, sometimes. She wasn't going to break if he gripped her a little harder.

But no - he's oblivious, Miles had said, one of the most observant men I've met, and yet - . Well, she had best give him something to observe but not at all be able to misunderstand. She wasn't known for being subtle or drawing things out. Why would it now be the case? No, no, fighting down a bit of maybe hysterical laughter by sinking her teeth into lip, she began to unwind her clothes from herself. Padding on her bare feet after she takes her shoes off, after him into his bedroom that she had been commandeering for months now. That from time to time, she caught half glimpses of him undressed and enjoyed far too much the sight of.

So that when he did come out, she was waiting for him. Wrapped up in a sheet, drawn up over her hips and chest, her jewellery on still, and not much else, posed carefully on the bed. A jut of bare skin against the material, making it clear she hoped, even for him, about what she was offering. The length of her hair pulled over her shoulder, hanging loose, her toes curling up absently on the material in a little shiver of cold. Painted in the same kind swirling patterns as her hands and wrists were, the henna dye staining her skin. Waiting patiently there for him, as she heard the water turn on and then off again, his movements in the bathroom and when the door opened, she's there, her and nothing else. ]

Captain. [ Just a word, nothing else, to make it clear to him that this wasn't a mistake he'd just walked in on. Didn't put it past him at this point. ]

[komarran]

[ Duv thinks nothing of what she's doing while he's showering. It's a moment alone, a chance for him to catch his breath and transition into the end portion of the evening. Soon he'd be able to lay down and sleep.

So he assumes when he steps out of the shower and changes into a loose fitting t-shirt and shorts. He'd forgo the latter if he still lived alone, but since her arrival he's made it a habit to not force any accidental immodesty. They had to share this space and he would hate to make it worse. He steps out into his bedroom and--

Any thoughts he had of laying down go out the window when he sees her. What in the hell was she doing? Did she realize he still had to walk through the bedroom to get back to the living room where he'd been sleeping since she got here?

There's a long moment where he gapes slightly before he quickly averts his gaze and his cheeks flush. ] My apologies, I did not realize you were--

[ He falters there because he can't imagine what she would have been doing. ]

[mahalakshmi]

- waiting for you?

[ which is to say, oh yes, she realised exactly where she was, just where he had to walk. Right in her way. She doesn't shift or move too much, her arm laying across the curve of her hip. The material soft under her fingers as she smoothes across it to settle it there. ]

Miles said you might not understand if I did not make it as apparent to you as possible.

[komarran]

[ Miles. Of course the other man had something to do with this. The man wouldn't have lied to her or done anything that would cause her to do this without her full knowledge of what she were implying which means--

Bloody hell.

He keeps his gaze elsewhere because while she may be poised with all the elegance of royalty to be watched, he's still not certain that's what she wants. ] And what exactly are you trying to make apparent?

[mahalakshmi]

[ She has no shame in it, she never has. Not bred to, never had the time for it. She pushes herself up that little bit further onto elbow tilting her head that little as she speaks. The sheet still covering her, if barely. ]

That I desire you. That I want of you. That I want you to want me back, and I think that you do.

[ There is her only worry she thinks so, she hopes so, hovering and for that she lowers her eyes. She's not here to force him, he can walk away from her right now. She would accept it without comment or recompense. ] But if I am wrong, and that is not what you wish... then, only say so, and in the morning I will be gone from you, and you will not have to look upon me again.

[komarran]

No, it's not that, [ the words tumble out of his mouth, quickly and hurried. He isn't trying to push her away, far from it.

He peels his gaze from the hole he'd been burning into the floor to try to meet hers. Eye contact, this would be far easier if he maintained that. So she was interested in him. That was far from what he expected and he doesn't bother trying to hide the surprise in his expression. ]

I didn't think you were interested in me. [ There's only a second of hesitation before he asks, ] Have you been trying to get my attention?

[mahalakshmi]

Yes. For months now. [ There's a bit of relief for that. She didn't mind so much making a fool out of herself, it was the nature of risking anything.

But that he looks up at her, finally, eases her some barely kept line of tension in her spine she didn't realise she was holding. He didn't loathe her, there was that at least. Another bit of laughter. ]

[komarran]

Months? [ That can't be possible, how the devil could he have ignored that for months? His brows furrow as he hears her laughter. That had to be a good sign at least. She tended to be in good spirits when they were together. ]

I didn't realize I had been so blind.

[mahalakshmi]

Quite, I'm afraid. [ He looked so taken back by that. She bites her lip on another bit of laughter. ] I wasn't sure, to start with. I didn't know how would be right for your own people. But the - ah, the Komarran women, about how to approach you and they said 'any usual way'.

[ Which wasn't the most helpful, in hindsight. ] Then Miles told me you would not have the faintest idea if I did not become direct with you. [ And she shifts, her invitation that he should be allowed to look she thinks is made, her hand slides out from underneath her, lowering herself down, her legs uncurl against the sheets. Let him look. Dear God, give her just one indication as to whether she had made a fool of herself or not. The faint chime of the belled anklets, the rustle of material and she sighs a little. ] So I did.

[komarran]

[ Would this have been how Laisa felt had he approached her after months of him not making his advances obvious? The shoe on the other foot.

He swallows thickly and his gaze does take her in more fully. Beautiful. She had always been, but he had not taken any liberties with where his eyes wandered. Until now with her explicit permission. ]

And you're suggesting...? [ Sex. He's not as oblivious to not realize what she's hinting at. ] That may be moving more quickly than I can go.

[ Which isn't to say he's uninterested. There's a short pause before he steps closer, moving to sit on the edge of the mattress beside her. ]

[mahalakshmi]

[ She lets out a breath, as he does, relief flooding her. Even as she doesn't do much, doesn't get too close, nor move against him too directly - she wasn't sure what she was expecting in that regard. Him to be nervous, certainly, she knows what she is, if nothing else, and he has always been respectful of that. Even when she sometimes wished he would not be. ]

As you wish for it. [ She could feel her pulse, thick and thudding in the back of her own throat. Nervousness was a potent exhilaration in its own right. A warm taste in her mouth. ] All of it, nothing at all. I might disappear as quickly as I came, and I will always have one devotion, and those are the only things I can be sure of. But the rest - ?

[ There she hovers, not moving close, not to startle him where she's so clearly taken him by surprise. But her hand lifts, hovering in the air a moment before she lets it move closer to him. A mimicry of how she had touched him before. It has made me sure. He keeps making her sure. Her fingers against her jaw, a closeness of space where she's - and he - is just there. It's flat and open in gaze, an utter appreciation and blindness to all else but him. ] Ask, and I am happy to give.

[komarran]

[ He tentatively reaches for her hand, taking it in his gently. ]

I don't want you to disappear. [ That's said with confidence. He's certain he wants her here, with him, for however long she's willing to stay. ]

It's been years since I've been with anyone. [ A confession of sorts. ] Are you certain?

[mahalakshmi]

[ she pushes up with that invitation. That lack of surety asks for nothing else. That want to not have her disappear and a surety, that she wouldn't - not right now. ] Nor I, since my husband passed.

[ The sheet holds, if barely, her hand slips from his to slide against his shoulder and then over it, pushing herself forward into him, to kiss him and nothing else. The taste of wine on her mouth, the downed glass of champagne she'd drunk to make it possible to do - any of this. Her head tilting at the angle to slip against him. It's a press and nothing else, asking no more than other to say yes as loudly as possible. Yes, yes she is certain. ]