[ She glances back over her shoulder at him, visibly surprised. ]
I don't, but... You don't mind?
[ She's fidgeting with her fingers a bit. It's ridiculous - she should be more than used to him touching her by now, especially after last night, but there's a difference between all that and him tenderly taking care of her.
It feels a little too much like they're really... ]
... Well. As long as you really are taking care of me and not making it worse.
[ She settles back against him again, comfortably at ease. She'll trust him. ]
[ Liar... but he is at least being honest about taking care of her. This time, at least. Most of the mess he made of her can be taken care of just by soaking in the warm water here, but... ]
Besides... I suppose I'm just returning the favor.
[ She did do the same for him... before he went and terrified her, at least. ]
Hmm. ... Maybe I should do the same thing, then. [ She turns a little and puts up both her hands, fingers curled to imitate claws. ] Don't forget who you're dealing with. ... Did I scare you?
[ It... feels strange to joke about it when she'd been so horribly frightened not even a full day ago but... maybe that's exactly why she has to. That way, she can put some distance between then and now - if it's something she can laugh about, she doesn't have to be afraid of it happening again. ]
[ He frowns at that... or rather, is it more of a pout...? Not that he doesn't deserve it, but he apologized for all that, didn't he?
Still, he responds by grabbing the same soap she'd used on his hair just a day earlier and starts to rub it into her hair... intentionally being a little rough with it as a "retort" to her little jab. ]
[ Oh. Seeing him make a face like that is new. It's... is she allowed to think of him as cute, even in her own head? And the way he's working her hair into a lather really does feel nice... ]
Heehee. Sorry. The Saintess isn't allowed to be like that, but she's not here anymore.
[ ... She peeks at him a little hesitantly over her shoulder. ]
A question wells up in her mouth, finds its way onto her tongue and comes so close to escaping her mouth she can almost taste it - but she makes herself swallow it back down. She's never been smart but she's not completely stupid, and there are enough things left behind in the castle scattered about in the way you might spread someone's ashes that... it's not hard to imagine.
It's not hard to guess. ]
... I'm glad.
[ She swallows again. ]
You don't... have to tell me anything, just because I decided to tell you the truth. Maybe once I do, you'll decide you don't want anything to do with me at all. But if you decide you want to... it's only fair if I listen too.
[ For a moment, he's silent... but he eases up on her and— ]
Hah... so you do have some tact...
[ There's the sound of him letting out a breath, like he'd been tensed up without even him realizing it. Then, once he's relaxed, he lets out a laugh. ]
Is that so? You're raising my expectations, you know. Whatever you tell me had better be very heinous now, or else I'll be disappointed.
[ Is he saying that to put her at ease, or just to tease her with the prospect that anything she says would be enough to deter the Mors King of all beings. ]
Well of course. Don't make me have to remind you again.
[ To think that so soon after seeing his true form, they did that... at this point, she should be fearless, he thinks. ]
Ooh, the Saintess' forbidden secret... well, I see no reason for a fallen Saintess to be afraid of that.
[ It's worded like a jeer, but he's still being so gentle with her... both with his hands and the tone his voice takes. Can she really be blamed for getting caught in the dissonance between the way he acts versus what he actually is? ]
[ But she's still smiling, by the sounds of things.
It's a little pathetic, isn't it? In a whole lot of ways. That the first person to be this kind and gentle with her in... she doesn't even remember how long isn't even a person full stop.
Maybe that's why it's him. She's long since learned the hard way that humans won't ever accept her. ]
... Why did you ask for me? Back when this all started. [ ... ] Or I guess it wasn't really me you were asking for. But... why the Saintess?
[ He frowns at that. He hadn't thought about the reason in quite some time, and for good reason. He wonders how she'd feel hearing that the reason was well and truly a miscalculation on his part... a miscalculation of her worth to the humans she serves. ]
...You won't like it. You sure you wanna know?
[ He realizes this might make her more curious, but whatever. She can't say he didn't warn her. ]
Hmph... remember, your sacrifice was never going to mean anything. I never intended to cease my attacks. My "demand" was meant to be an impossible one.
[ He lets out an exasperated sigh. ]
It was a miscalculation, that's all. I'd overestimated your importance to your own kingdom.
[ The rest is history... though he supposes it did manage to get his hostilities to cease, if only via Ai's own efforts. ]
[ There's a long, long quiet in the wake of his words. With her facing away from him, there's no way to tell what sort of face she might be making or to guess what thoughts might be racing through her head. But then, suddenly - ]
Pfft. Pffhahaha...!
[ She laughs.
It's an awful sound - hollow and bitter but hard enough to make her shoulders laugh. It's hilarious, isn't it? She'd always wondered why the Mors King had no need of her but had demanded her anyway and... well, now she has her answer doesn't she? ]
Aah... Ahaha... It's funny, isn't it? You didn't even want me and... You've taken better care of me than they ever did.
[ For a moment, he's silent. He can't see her face, but it's not hard to imagine what it looks like with a laugh like that. Especially for him. ]
Hmph... quite a thing to say to the one who violated you every night.
[ And yet he's sure that isn't something she's forgotten. He's sure of that, so for that to be an improvement...
Sheesh, for all his bluster, he really had no chance of breaking her with what he'd been doing, huh? There's a part of him that's annoyed at that, but... ]
Well, I suppose you'd better be grateful, then. You may not be a Saintess, but you belong to me now all the same.
[ Another bleak laugh but this time it sounds as though it's trembling on the verge of something else. ]
That sounds like a fair trade to me. I don't have to be Saintess anymore and someone who really wants me will take care of me. Isn't that the best solution for everyone?
[ Her voice breaks. Her shoulders are suddenly trembling. She hasn't soaked her hair yet, so the water plipping from her chin and into the bath can only be... ]
[ ...Shit. What the hell is he supposed to do now? For a moment, he's silent, and the sound of water dripping into the bath fills the room... ]
Hmph...
[ He huffs... and suddenly, warm water is being dumped onto her head, soaking her hair and washing away the consequently, the obvious signs of tears. Then, one hand wraps around to pull her into his chest.
[ The rush of water washes away her tears and surprises her just enough to keep any more from welling up in their place. But even more of a surprise is the warm arm around her middle and the frightening realization of just how secure and settled she feels to be held like this - by him.
It's just as he'd said. Whatever kindness and understanding she's been dripfed in her time here, she was still a prisoner, still held under threat of violence and made a toy of every night. Even that inevitable escalation hadn't started because she'd asked for it... even if it was certainly how it'd continued.
And even with all that... she's felt more safe and secure here than she's felt anywhere else in a long time. It'd be a lie to say she's been happy, exactly, but...
She could be. Eventually. ]
Oberon... [ Her voice is trembling. ] Don't make me go back. Don't throw me away, even if you get tired of me. It doesn't have to be anything more than this, but...
[ What a wretched, pitiable fool she is. But she's know that for far too long. ]
I want to keep being "Ai" here for as long as I can.
[ It's so strange, he realizes... to be relied on in such away, leaned on as though without his presence, they would come crashing down. He's always been aware of exactly how fragile she is in his claws. It doesn't surprise him, whatever she had to go through at the hands of her own kind... it truly doesn't.
What surprises him is... ]
Very well...
[ His clawed hands hold her, the hands of a monster... ]
...a dragon never relinquishes it's treasures.
[ ...what surprises him is how despite everything, he can't help but care. ]
[ She'd been afraid of that at first, hadn't she? Of being a bauble, a trinket thoughtlessly added to his collection that could be thrown away as and when he pleased. Even to Fragaria, she was nothing more than an asset, a frivolous decoration who could be tossed aside when it became more trouble than it was worth.
But a treasure is something different. Especially for a dragon. They guard them so jealously, protect them so fervently - and when a dragon treasures something, that's forever.
She turns. His hold on her is loose enough that she can face him properly, fully flush against each other in the water. Her expression is so tender that it looks almost pained and that only softens when she reaches to cradle his face and then closes the remaining distance between them with a kiss. ]
[ For a moment, he's surprised by her lips pressing against his. Even after all the times they did that last night, it still catches him off-guard... but he slowly relaxes into it, holding her to his chest. He notes once again just how small she is...
Honestly, sending someone of such small stature into a dragon's den on her own... and they call him twisted. Still, he'll take this offering... this offering of a treasure that they so foolishly threw away.
...That gives him an idea, an idea that he immediately acts on. As her lips are pressed against his, his hand trails up her back... trails up until his claw rests on her neck, right on the darkest mark peppering her skin.
There's a brief flash, a small spike in magic, and a brief and light stinging sensation not unlike when his teeth were on her skin. It spreads... until on her neck, high enough to be perfectly visible, is a dark purple mark... a symbol of possession.
She is his now. Both body and soul belong to him, proven by a mark as though to drive away any who would dare to lay claim to what is his. ]
[ She thinks, briefly and foolishly, that it's another bite at first - even though their lips are pressed so firmly together. But then it flutters against the side of her throat and she realises what it must be - part of her duty as the Saintess had been to understand all sorts of magic, after all, and trying to understand the dragon she was being sent to was her first attempt at making all of this less terrifying. She knows what a dragon's marking is. She knows what it means.
More importantly, she knows that it can't be taken back. No matter what.
Their lips part. Ai stares at him with a sort of trembling desperation on the verge of tears, torn horribly between wanting to settle into this newly imprinted sense of security and ownership and being terrified that it might be taken away even so. It always has been before. When has anyone ever wanted her as she really is?
But she's a treasure now. A precious addition to the Mors King's hoard that nobody can make him relinquish.
She swallows hard. ]
... I told you I wasn't pure even before I became the Saintess. But it's worse than that. It's not just that I wanted to be happy as the Saintess, even though I wasn't worthy, but...
[ A slow, trembling breath. Her eyes slide away from his. ]
... I wanted happiness as a mother at the same time.
[ It's more than just a mark, it's a promise. A promise that for as long as he lives, she belongs to him. He wonders if it's any better, really, to be treated as a treasure than a fancy bauble... but what the hell, as if he cares about that.
What matters is that she's his. If she has any complaints, she should've thought of that beforehand. ]
...
[ For a moment, he's silent... cold blue eyes locked onto her own as she gives him his admission. Earlier than she intended, earlier than he expected, but hardly the worst time to do so.
For that brief moment, with his expression unchanging, it's hard to tell exactly what her revelation makes him feel... until— ]
Hah... hah...!! So that was it all along, then?
[ He laughs... and strangely, it doesn't sound like his usual jeer. ]
Hah... ahh, I see now... to think that it was that simple all along. How very human of you.
[ A flurry of emotions pass over her face - confusion, alarm, even hurt for just a moment... but then it all settles into something unsure but... hopeful. Disbelieving because she can't quite bring herself to accept what's being so clearly placed in front of her to take.
He's not human and never has been. So of course his standards would be different. And yet... ]
You don't... mind? [ In a trembling voice, still. Said as if she has to apologize for this. ] It's one thing for me to not be pure anymore, but... ever since back then, I...
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I don't, but... You don't mind?
[ She's fidgeting with her fingers a bit. It's ridiculous - she should be more than used to him touching her by now, especially after last night, but there's a difference between all that and him tenderly taking care of her.
It feels a little too much like they're really... ]
... Well. As long as you really are taking care of me and not making it worse.
[ She settles back against him again, comfortably at ease. She'll trust him. ]
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[ Liar... but he is at least being honest about taking care of her. This time, at least. Most of the mess he made of her can be taken care of just by soaking in the warm water here, but... ]
Besides... I suppose I'm just returning the favor.
[ She did do the same for him... before he went and terrified her, at least. ]
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[ It... feels strange to joke about it when she'd been so horribly frightened not even a full day ago but... maybe that's exactly why she has to. That way, she can put some distance between then and now - if it's something she can laugh about, she doesn't have to be afraid of it happening again. ]
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Still, he responds by grabbing the same soap she'd used on his hair just a day earlier and starts to rub it into her hair... intentionally being a little rough with it as a "retort" to her little jab. ]
You really are a cheeky one, you know that?
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Heehee. Sorry. The Saintess isn't allowed to be like that, but she's not here anymore.
[ ... She peeks at him a little hesitantly over her shoulder. ]
Is that... bad?
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[ His first thought is "unusual" or "unthinkable" considering who he is... but he stops midway through. ]
...It's familiar. That's all.
[ So he says, refusing to elaborate and simply rubbing the soapy substance into her hair even harder. ]
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A question wells up in her mouth, finds its way onto her tongue and comes so close to escaping her mouth she can almost taste it - but she makes herself swallow it back down. She's never been smart but she's not completely stupid, and there are enough things left behind in the castle scattered about in the way you might spread someone's ashes that... it's not hard to imagine.
It's not hard to guess. ]
... I'm glad.
[ She swallows again. ]
You don't... have to tell me anything, just because I decided to tell you the truth. Maybe once I do, you'll decide you don't want anything to do with me at all. But if you decide you want to... it's only fair if I listen too.
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Hah... so you do have some tact...
[ There's the sound of him letting out a breath, like he'd been tensed up without even him realizing it. Then, once he's relaxed, he lets out a laugh. ]
Is that so? You're raising my expectations, you know. Whatever you tell me had better be very heinous now, or else I'll be disappointed.
[ Is he saying that to put her at ease, or just to tease her with the prospect that anything she says would be enough to deter the Mors King of all beings. ]
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You really shouldn't sound so hopeful about it. Or maybe I'm the strange one here for expecting you to have human standards.
[ But his touch... really does feel good. Especially when he's being gentle, it's... ]
... I've never told anybody before. Not since I became Saintess, anyway. So I guess I'm just a little scared.
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[ To think that so soon after seeing his true form, they did that... at this point, she should be fearless, he thinks. ]
Ooh, the Saintess' forbidden secret... well, I see no reason for a fallen Saintess to be afraid of that.
[ It's worded like a jeer, but he's still being so gentle with her... both with his hands and the tone his voice takes. Can she really be blamed for getting caught in the dissonance between the way he acts versus what he actually is? ]
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You really are a bully.
[ But she's still smiling, by the sounds of things.
It's a little pathetic, isn't it? In a whole lot of ways. That the first person to be this kind and gentle with her in... she doesn't even remember how long isn't even a person full stop.
Maybe that's why it's him. She's long since learned the hard way that humans won't ever accept her. ]
... Why did you ask for me? Back when this all started. [ ... ] Or I guess it wasn't really me you were asking for. But... why the Saintess?
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...You won't like it. You sure you wanna know?
[ He realizes this might make her more curious, but whatever. She can't say he didn't warn her. ]
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Probably not. It's been long enough that I should probably just accept it now, huh?
[ And yet... ]
... I just... have to know.
[ For herself. That's all. ]
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[ He lets out an exasperated sigh. ]
It was a miscalculation, that's all. I'd overestimated your importance to your own kingdom.
[ The rest is history... though he supposes it did manage to get his hostilities to cease, if only via Ai's own efforts. ]
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Pfft. Pffhahaha...!
[ She laughs.
It's an awful sound - hollow and bitter but hard enough to make her shoulders laugh. It's hilarious, isn't it? She'd always wondered why the Mors King had no need of her but had demanded her anyway and... well, now she has her answer doesn't she? ]
Aah... Ahaha... It's funny, isn't it? You didn't even want me and... You've taken better care of me than they ever did.
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Hmph... quite a thing to say to the one who violated you every night.
[ And yet he's sure that isn't something she's forgotten. He's sure of that, so for that to be an improvement...
Sheesh, for all his bluster, he really had no chance of breaking her with what he'd been doing, huh? There's a part of him that's annoyed at that, but... ]
Well, I suppose you'd better be grateful, then. You may not be a Saintess, but you belong to me now all the same.
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That sounds like a fair trade to me. I don't have to be Saintess anymore and someone who really wants me will take care of me. Isn't that the best solution for everyone?
[ Her voice breaks. Her shoulders are suddenly trembling. She hasn't soaked her hair yet, so the water plipping from her chin and into the bath can only be... ]
Aah... I really am no good, aren't I?
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[ ...Shit. What the hell is he supposed to do now? For a moment, he's silent, and the sound of water dripping into the bath fills the room... ]
Hmph...
[ He huffs... and suddenly, warm water is being dumped onto her head, soaking her hair and washing away the consequently, the obvious signs of tears. Then, one hand wraps around to pull her into his chest.
He has no clue what to say, but... ]
...Nothing wrong with that.
[ Hell, just look at who she's talking to. ]
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It's just as he'd said. Whatever kindness and understanding she's been dripfed in her time here, she was still a prisoner, still held under threat of violence and made a toy of every night. Even that inevitable escalation hadn't started because she'd asked for it... even if it was certainly how it'd continued.
And even with all that... she's felt more safe and secure here than she's felt anywhere else in a long time. It'd be a lie to say she's been happy, exactly, but...
She could be. Eventually. ]
Oberon... [ Her voice is trembling. ] Don't make me go back. Don't throw me away, even if you get tired of me. It doesn't have to be anything more than this, but...
[ What a wretched, pitiable fool she is. But she's know that for far too long. ]
I want to keep being "Ai" here for as long as I can.
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[ It's so strange, he realizes... to be relied on in such away, leaned on as though without his presence, they would come crashing down. He's always been aware of exactly how fragile she is in his claws. It doesn't surprise him, whatever she had to go through at the hands of her own kind... it truly doesn't.
What surprises him is... ]
Very well...
[ His clawed hands hold her, the hands of a monster... ]
...a dragon never relinquishes it's treasures.
[ ...what surprises him is how despite everything, he can't help but care. ]
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But a treasure is something different. Especially for a dragon. They guard them so jealously, protect them so fervently - and when a dragon treasures something, that's forever.
She turns. His hold on her is loose enough that she can face him properly, fully flush against each other in the water. Her expression is so tender that it looks almost pained and that only softens when she reaches to cradle his face and then closes the remaining distance between them with a kiss. ]
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[ For a moment, he's surprised by her lips pressing against his. Even after all the times they did that last night, it still catches him off-guard... but he slowly relaxes into it, holding her to his chest. He notes once again just how small she is...
Honestly, sending someone of such small stature into a dragon's den on her own... and they call him twisted. Still, he'll take this offering... this offering of a treasure that they so foolishly threw away.
...That gives him an idea, an idea that he immediately acts on. As her lips are pressed against his, his hand trails up her back... trails up until his claw rests on her neck, right on the darkest mark peppering her skin.
There's a brief flash, a small spike in magic, and a brief and light stinging sensation not unlike when his teeth were on her skin. It spreads... until on her neck, high enough to be perfectly visible, is a dark purple mark... a symbol of possession.
She is his now. Both body and soul belong to him, proven by a mark as though to drive away any who would dare to lay claim to what is his. ]
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More importantly, she knows that it can't be taken back. No matter what.
Their lips part. Ai stares at him with a sort of trembling desperation on the verge of tears, torn horribly between wanting to settle into this newly imprinted sense of security and ownership and being terrified that it might be taken away even so. It always has been before. When has anyone ever wanted her as she really is?
But she's a treasure now. A precious addition to the Mors King's hoard that nobody can make him relinquish.
She swallows hard. ]
... I told you I wasn't pure even before I became the Saintess. But it's worse than that. It's not just that I wanted to be happy as the Saintess, even though I wasn't worthy, but...
[ A slow, trembling breath. Her eyes slide away from his. ]
... I wanted happiness as a mother at the same time.
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What matters is that she's his. If she has any complaints, she should've thought of that beforehand. ]
...
[ For a moment, he's silent... cold blue eyes locked onto her own as she gives him his admission. Earlier than she intended, earlier than he expected, but hardly the worst time to do so.
For that brief moment, with his expression unchanging, it's hard to tell exactly what her revelation makes him feel... until— ]
Hah... hah...!! So that was it all along, then?
[ He laughs... and strangely, it doesn't sound like his usual jeer. ]
Hah... ahh, I see now... to think that it was that simple all along. How very human of you.
[ Is he... amused? ]
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He's not human and never has been. So of course his standards would be different. And yet... ]
You don't... mind? [ In a trembling voice, still. Said as if she has to apologize for this. ] It's one thing for me to not be pure anymore, but... ever since back then, I...
[ A convulsive swallow. ]
It doesn't... matter?
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