[ When Ai returns to the living room... well, not a lot has changed. The sofa is still stained with blood, which isn't too surprising, since Oberon has never ever cleaned up the place... but more than that, it's empty. His cloak, bloodied and wet, is still exactly where Ai left it when she retreated.
The rain outside has slowed to a halt, no longer beating heavily against the windows. The sky is still dark, but it won't be long until it starts to brighten. They had fought late into the night, after all.
But none of that really matters, does it? He's not here. ]
[ She can only have been stood there staring into the empty room for a few moments but with her mind suddenly whirring in alarm, it feels like that much longer. With the wind and rain no longer battering the windows, it's eerily quiet. It's exactly how things should sound this late into the night and yet something about it seems sinister.
He said he was going to make sure they weren't followed. If she's still here and nothing has happened, then everything should be fine. She should just go to bed and when morning comes, everything will be just fine, right?
Hah. Even she's not that good of a liar. ]
Wh... where...
[ Again, that awful note of a plea in her voice. She tries to swallow it back but she can't.
As if on autopilot, Ai makes for the door quicker than she should. She fumbles to shove on a coat, stunbles into her shoes and then goes tripping out past the broken door as well. ]
[ It'd be nice if he were there, just standing out in the hallway, where he could've easily heard and responded to Ai when she asked out loud to the empty living room if he was still there... maybe playing some kind of mean-spirited prank, but no, he's not there either. The hallway is as empty as one would expect it to be at this hour, it's honestly nothing unusual.
Well, except for one thing... a single white moth perched on the hallway railing, as if waiting for her. A moth that Ai may have seen every now and then whenever Oberon was out and about as the Fairy King. Blanca was her name, wasn't it?
She stares at Ai briefly before her wings start to flutter, and she starts to fly towards the building stairs. Their apartment is already on the top floor of the building, there's really only one place the stairs can go from there. ]
[ She's got it all wrong. She knows she's panicking, overreacting, that she's being so beyond ridiculous right now that it isn't funny. She tells herself that she's not going to chase after this any further, no matter how sick the dingy, empty hallway makes her feel. She'll turn back around, go to bed and everything will go back to normal. So long as she keeps repeating that to herself, it's sure to happen.
(What a joke.)
She goes stumbling up the stairs after the moth, taking them two at a time even as they catch her feet on the way up. She makes it up without any further incident, wretches the door to the roof open and goes staggering out into the cool night air without a bit of grace.
Blanca lead her up here. So surely Oberon has to be here too. If he's not, then what will she even do? ]
[ Weirdly, once Ai reaches the top of the stairs, Blanca is nowhere to be seen... vanishing without a trace as Ai swings open the door and staggers out onto the rooftop.
...and there he is, crouched in the center of the rooftop. There's some kind of glowing sigil in front of him, something clearly magical, even to the eyes of a non-magus such as Ai. He might be something of a strange sight, if only because of the lack of his usual cloak, which had been left in the apartment.
He almost looks like a normal man, if not for the dragonfly wings on his back and the way one of his hands and both of his feet turn dark and insectoid. ]
[ The first thing Ai thinks, under the relief of seeing that he's there in the first place is just how much... smaller he looks without the cloak. She's so used to the shape of it bulking out his silhouette that it make the impression of him she has in her mind seem even taller and more imposing than he already is - which is probably exactly the point. He's still that much taller than her without it but the contrast takes her aback for a moment even so.
The second thing she realises is... she uh, really doesn't have a good excuse to have followed him out here, does she? Especially since she was the one to retreat first and now here she is trailing after him all the same. Even she can tell she's sending mixed messages.
A gust of chilly night air whisks her hair back from her face. Even with her coat thrown on over her pajamas, it's much too cold to be out here. But here she is. ]
I, um...
[ Quickly as she can, she forces a smile. ]
I was just wondering how things were going. I don't really know how long anything like this takes, so...
[ There. That's... close enough to being the truth, right? ]
[ He's a lot ganglier than he looks, isn't he? Long arms, long legs, pale skin... well, it's somewhat fitting for his lifestyle, at least. His surprise keeps him silent at first. Honestly, he knows her better than she realizes at this point, he expected her to just go to bed and try to sleep things off so that they can try to awkwardly pretend they didn't experience feelings in the morning.
Seems even with Fae Eyes, he's not above experiencing a plot twist. Still, even with that in mind... you'd think she'd know better at this point.
He's always been able to see through her, after all. It doesn't really matter if it's a half-lie. He sighs and starts to trudge toward her... ]
Idiot. The hell do you think you're doing out here?
[ ...puts his hands on her coat and adjusts it, pulling it tighter around her. ]
If you catch a cold, I'm going to actually get pissed, damn it.
[ This time, she manages not to wince. She still doesn't feel quite as in control of her feelings as she'd like to be so her stomach flips uncertainly in response to his words - really, after tonight, she's going to have that much harder of a time predicting him, isn't she?
A long, slow breath comes out of her. Then she hitches another smile onto her face - bright and clueless. ]
I'll be fine. Idols don't catch colds.
[ that's not how that saying... ok whatever.
Her eyes flick up from his hands to his face. She can't quite make herself met his gaze, though, so hers drifts to the side and away from him again. ]
... Besides. You're one to talk. At least I have a coat.
[ There, see? Totally normal conversation. Nothing out of the ordinary going on here. ]
Just go ahead and admit you're an idiot, why don't you!?
[ He knows what the saying is supposed to be, you handful of an idol. His eye twitches, his hands briefly grip her coat a little too tightly. She's a handful, a pain, a wicked woman...
...how else can this feeling in his chest—nay, his spirit core even—that makes him want to just... dematerialize on the spot and refuse to come back out. ]
Seriously... thinking I had left you...
[ ...fuck it, he suddenly hoists his Master up onto her shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he usually does when it comes to carrying her around, and starts to walk back towards the stairs. ]
[ And like she always does when he scoops her up like that, Ai yelps in surprise. ]
Wh- hold on, wait just a second...!
[ Immediately, she's wriggling like a cat that doesn't want to be carried. She's protesting a whole lot more than she usually does and definitely more empathetically than she did earlier - that was still all kinds of embarrassing but at least it was necessary. This is just flat out embarrassing. ]
I can walk just fine by myself, so put me down...!
[ It's the middle of the night and they're making all this noise. Between this and the way they arrived home, who even knows what the neighbours think. ]
[ Oberon may have no fucking clue what to do about his feelings right now, but he very clearly enjoys fucking with Ai like this, so it's a nice distraction. ]
Nope. Can't have my Master wandering away when I'm not looking.
[ Going all-in on that cat comparison, huh? Nevermind that Ai is a bunny, not a cat. Unfortunately, considering everything that just happened, including-but-not-limited-to a considerable amount of blood loss, she really can't hope to overpower a Servant right now just by wriggling. Besides, she came at a good time, the Bounded Field is... well, the quality is about as much as you can expect from someone who learned how to do something like that within a few days and never did it ever again, but it'll at least alert them if anything enters the general vicinity. ]
...ugh, you smell awful. Pick one goddamn bottle and stick with it.
[ There's so many things here to object to, she doesn't even know where to start!!! She's still wriggling in an abjectly pathetic attempt to free herself and it's only when it becomes clear that she's not going to get free (and she's at risk of kicking one of her shoes off besides that) that she finally surrenders to her fate.
He gets that this is embarrassing, right? Of course he does. Bullying a rise out of her is practically one of his favourite hobbies. But does he seriously not get this is kind of loaded right now?! She's supposed to be the one who can't read the room! ]
[ Well, that's it. The Assassin might not have been able to do their job but it doesn't matter because Ai's dead anyway. Her response comes out muffled because she's gone and covered her face with both hands to make absolutely sure he can't see her face. ]
Worse! Definitely, definitely worse!
[ She knows she's giving him exactly what he wants by giving him a response like that, but maybe if she protests annoyingly enough, he'll lose his patience with her and dump her back into her feet anyway. ]
I can walk by myself so just put me down! I'll use a Command Spell to make you do it if I have to! Really, I will!
[ Oberon can't hold back the grin that stretches across his face. He already took glee in bullying a rise out of Ai, and hell, this is the biggest rise he's actually gotten out of her...
...but it's not his newfound success that he's finding so enjoyable right now.
Fuck, he's doomed, isn't he? ]
Uh huh? Do it, then.
[ When will she remember that he sees through her... ah, well, it's a little more justified this time around. In he goes, stepping in and still not putting her down. He's carrying her all the way to her room, whether she likes it or not. ]
[ He says it so smugly that for a second, Ai's tempted to really do it, consequences be damned, just to teach him a lesson. But even that would just be giving him exactly what he wants by proving that he's gotten under her skin badly enough to go to such extremes. If she'd thought ahead, she could have played along enough to try and turn this around on him... but of course, if she'd thought ahead, she wouldn't be in this mortifying situation in the first place.
She really should've just gone to bed. ]
You're the worst. The absolute worst.
[ Still muffled from behind her hands and sounding no less miserably embarrassed for it. Are everybody else's Servants this troublesome?! ]
Next time I won't even bother worrying about you! I'll just let you get in trouble all by yourself!
[ He laughs again... but weirdly, it sounds so much more genuine than any of his other laughs. ]
You're right, I'm the worst.
[ As though the mere fact that she'd looked for him was enough to move him. God, it's completely ridiculous.
...a woman who could love even the twisted Oberon, huh? ]
But unfortunately, you're stuck with me. So sorry about that.
[ It's a good thing Ai is covering her face like that... it keeps her from seeing his oh-so-uncharacteristic expression as he finally reaches her room, where he gently sets her down on the bed. What? She's still in a coat? She's still wearing her shoes? Sorry, not his problem. ]
[ It takes until he actually says her down for her to realise they're actually in her room, that he's carried her all the way here - and under all the embarrassment, alarm and dismay in tandem shoot up through her.
She's not- frightened or anything like that. They share so much space so much of the time, it's probably not the first time he's been in her room. But right now, after everything tonight has been already...
It's too much. It's like having someone press their thumb just a little too hard into a tender bruise. She can't have him in here being so gentle with her right now. It scares her so much she feels sick.
Finally, she peeks at him over the top of her hands. ]
... there. Are you finally done picking on me?
[ The false bravado in her voice is so transparent. But even more so are the feelings bleeding out from her words again: Don't touch me. Don't be kind to me. I can't stand it. ]
[ It's a pain. Such a genuine pain... yet he can't help but understand it. She's not frightened of him, but she's terrified. Maybe he should just leave, and let his Master lie it all away... but he won't.
What can he say? It's in his very nature. All he can do is hurt her.
He reaches out... and puts his hand on Ai's head. ]
...as long as our contract remains in place, I will never leave you.
[ And with those words—only time will tell which part of it is the lie—where his expression is so painfully genuine... he seamlessly changes back into a grin. ]
Basically, you're stuck with me, Ai.
[ So to answer Ai's question as he finally turns to leave... no, no he was not done picking on her. ]
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no subject
The rain outside has slowed to a halt, no longer beating heavily against the windows. The sky is still dark, but it won't be long until it starts to brighten. They had fought late into the night, after all.
But none of that really matters, does it? He's not here. ]
no subject
He said he was going to make sure they weren't followed. If she's still here and nothing has happened, then everything should be fine. She should just go to bed and when morning comes, everything will be just fine, right?
Hah. Even she's not that good of a liar. ]
Wh... where...
[ Again, that awful note of a plea in her voice. She tries to swallow it back but she can't.
As if on autopilot, Ai makes for the door quicker than she should. She fumbles to shove on a coat, stunbles into her shoes and then goes tripping out past the broken door as well. ]
Oberon! Where did you...?!
no subject
Well, except for one thing... a single white moth perched on the hallway railing, as if waiting for her. A moth that Ai may have seen every now and then whenever Oberon was out and about as the Fairy King. Blanca was her name, wasn't it?
She stares at Ai briefly before her wings start to flutter, and she starts to fly towards the building stairs. Their apartment is already on the top floor of the building, there's really only one place the stairs can go from there. ]
no subject
(What a joke.)
She goes stumbling up the stairs after the moth, taking them two at a time even as they catch her feet on the way up. She makes it up without any further incident, wretches the door to the roof open and goes staggering out into the cool night air without a bit of grace.
Blanca lead her up here. So surely Oberon has to be here too. If he's not, then what will she even do? ]
no subject
...and there he is, crouched in the center of the rooftop. There's some kind of glowing sigil in front of him, something clearly magical, even to the eyes of a non-magus such as Ai. He might be something of a strange sight, if only because of the lack of his usual cloak, which had been left in the apartment.
He almost looks like a normal man, if not for the dragonfly wings on his back and the way one of his hands and both of his feet turn dark and insectoid. ]
...huh?
[ He looks surprised to see her. ]
no subject
The second thing she realises is... she uh, really doesn't have a good excuse to have followed him out here, does she? Especially since she was the one to retreat first and now here she is trailing after him all the same. Even she can tell she's sending mixed messages.
A gust of chilly night air whisks her hair back from her face. Even with her coat thrown on over her pajamas, it's much too cold to be out here. But here she is. ]
I, um...
[ Quickly as she can, she forces a smile. ]
I was just wondering how things were going. I don't really know how long anything like this takes, so...
[ There. That's... close enough to being the truth, right? ]
no subject
He's a lot ganglier than he looks, isn't he? Long arms, long legs, pale skin... well, it's somewhat fitting for his lifestyle, at least.His surprise keeps him silent at first. Honestly, he knows her better than she realizes at this point, he expected her to just go to bed and try to sleep things off so that they can try to awkwardly pretend they didn't experience feelings in the morning.Seems even with Fae Eyes, he's not above experiencing a plot twist. Still, even with that in mind... you'd think she'd know better at this point.
He's always been able to see through her, after all. It doesn't really matter if it's a half-lie. He sighs and starts to trudge toward her... ]
Idiot. The hell do you think you're doing out here?
[ ...puts his hands on her coat and adjusts it, pulling it tighter around her. ]
If you catch a cold, I'm going to actually get pissed, damn it.
no subject
A long, slow breath comes out of her. Then she hitches another smile onto her face - bright and clueless. ]
I'll be fine. Idols don't catch colds.
[ that's not how that saying... ok whatever.
Her eyes flick up from his hands to his face. She can't quite make herself met his gaze, though, so hers drifts to the side and away from him again. ]
... Besides. You're one to talk. At least I have a coat.
[ There, see? Totally normal conversation. Nothing out of the ordinary going on here. ]
no subject
[ He knows what the saying is supposed to be, you handful of an idol. His eye twitches, his hands briefly grip her coat a little too tightly. She's a handful, a pain, a wicked woman...
...how else can this feeling in his chest—nay, his spirit core even—that makes him want to just... dematerialize on the spot and refuse to come back out. ]
Seriously... thinking I had left you...
[ ...fuck it, he suddenly hoists his Master up onto her shoulder like a sack of potatoes as he usually does when it comes to carrying her around, and starts to walk back towards the stairs. ]
You really are an idiot...
no subject
Wh- hold on, wait just a second...!
[ Immediately, she's wriggling like a cat that doesn't want to be carried. She's protesting a whole lot more than she usually does and definitely more empathetically than she did earlier - that was still all kinds of embarrassing but at least it was necessary. This is just flat out embarrassing. ]
I can walk just fine by myself, so put me down...!
[ It's the middle of the night and they're making all this noise. Between this and the way they arrived home, who even knows what the neighbours think. ]
no subject
Nope. Can't have my Master wandering away when I'm not looking.
[
Going all-in on that cat comparison, huh? Nevermind that Ai is a bunny, not a cat.Unfortunately, considering everything that just happened, including-but-not-limited-to a considerable amount of blood loss, she really can't hope to overpower a Servant right now just by wriggling. Besides, she came at a good time, the Bounded Field is... well, the quality is about as much as you can expect from someone who learned how to do something like that within a few days and never did it ever again, but it'll at least alert them if anything enters the general vicinity. ]...ugh, you smell awful. Pick one goddamn bottle and stick with it.
[
Thanks, you absolute ass.]no subject
[ There's so many things here to object to, she doesn't even know where to start!!! She's still wriggling in an abjectly pathetic attempt to free herself and it's only when it becomes clear that she's not going to get free (and she's at risk of kicking one of her shoes off besides that) that she finally surrenders to her fate.
He gets that this is embarrassing, right? Of course he does. Bullying a rise out of her is practically one of his favourite hobbies. But does he seriously not get this is kind of loaded right now?! She's supposed to be the one who can't read the room! ]
I won't wander off! I wasn't planning to! I just-
[ Pause. Swallow. ]
... you were gone for so long, I got worried.
no subject
Ugh, now he's lying even in his own thoughts. ]
...
[ With that said, her words make him pause, right in front of their broken door no less. ]
Well... that's what makes you an idiot, isn't it?
[ He sighs... or is it a scoff? Either way, Ai will suddenly find herself moving again, pulled off his shoulder and into his arms instead. ]
...better?
[ Is it less embarrassing to be held like a princess? Honestly, Oberon isn't actually sure. ]
no subject
Worse! Definitely, definitely worse!
[ She knows she's giving him exactly what he wants by giving him a response like that, but maybe if she protests annoyingly enough, he'll lose his patience with her and dump her back into her feet anyway. ]
I can walk by myself so just put me down! I'll use a Command Spell to make you do it if I have to! Really, I will!
[ she won't ]
no subject
...but it's not his newfound success that he's finding so enjoyable right now.
Fuck, he's doomed, isn't he? ]
Uh huh? Do it, then.
[
When will she remember that he sees through her... ah, well, it's a little more justified this time around.In he goes, stepping in and still not putting her down. He's carrying her all the way to her room, whether she likes it or not. ]no subject
She really should've just gone to bed. ]
You're the worst. The absolute worst.
[ Still muffled from behind her hands and sounding no less miserably embarrassed for it. Are everybody else's Servants this troublesome?! ]
Next time I won't even bother worrying about you! I'll just let you get in trouble all by yourself!
[ once again: she won't. ]
no subject
You're right, I'm the worst.
[ As though the mere fact that she'd looked for him was enough to move him. God, it's completely ridiculous.
...a woman who could love even the twisted Oberon, huh? ]
But unfortunately, you're stuck with me. So sorry about that.
[ It's a good thing Ai is covering her face like that... it keeps her from seeing his oh-so-uncharacteristic expression as he finally reaches her room, where he gently sets her down on the bed. What? She's still in a coat? She's still wearing her shoes? Sorry, not his problem. ]
no subject
She's not- frightened or anything like that. They share so much space so much of the time, it's probably not the first time he's been in her room. But right now, after everything tonight has been already...
It's too much. It's like having someone press their thumb just a little too hard into a tender bruise. She can't have him in here being so gentle with her right now. It scares her so much she feels sick.
Finally, she peeks at him over the top of her hands. ]
... there. Are you finally done picking on me?
[ The false bravado in her voice is so transparent. But even more so are the feelings bleeding out from her words again: Don't touch me. Don't be kind to me. I can't stand it. ]
no subject
What can he say? It's in his very nature. All he can do is hurt her.
He reaches out... and puts his hand on Ai's head. ]
...as long as our contract remains in place, I will never leave you.
[ And with those words—only time will tell which part of it is the lie—where his expression is so painfully genuine... he seamlessly changes back into a grin. ]
Basically, you're stuck with me, Ai.
[ So to answer Ai's question as he finally turns to leave... no, no he was not done picking on her. ]