- Pronouns
- They/them
- Location
- Railyard
As written by @Jas and Dreamless Realm
Set the night of the day Rhetta and Ziessel were let out of jail.
After the news, Ziessel had taken the longest shower she could manage. She still missed her damn hair products but at least it wasn't a greasy lump anymore. Rhetta and her said their goodbyes and she had to deal with Desmonds’ chicken scratch. Which she was currently still reading just to keep her mind from spiraling into thoughts of the dead. Of what she could have done if she was there. The room she was in had two cots, one empty and one her own. And a small table she was using for work. The single ceiling light was hurting her eyes and It seemed to flicker every time she turned her back to it, damn fucking lightbulb had something against her apparently.
They had picked up some clothes from the infirmary like Desmond had told them to, as well. It was good to wear something that helped her feel a bit more like herself. Even if she had changed into shorts and a tank top to sleep.
Xandre finished up some discussions with Rhetta and Desmond. Both women had taken the recent losses hard, but Rhetta seemed mostly focused on Baron's evident demotion more than any specific death. He wasn't prepared to get into a debate of the greater Guiscard, so he left while she was still on about it with Desmond.
No doubt Ziessel had showered and changed by now, so he slipped away to her room in one of the abandoned buildings on the rail station complex. He gave a knock at the door. He was fairly certain Sel wouldn't mind if he just walked in, but he'd last seen her years ago and didn't want to overstep.
That didn't stop him most of the time, but when keeping the pack in line, overstepping was a good tool for the job. He wasn't here to keep her in line; rather, he was here more for emotional support. This was a side of himself that he reserved for close friends, and at least before prison that's what they'd been.
The knock surprised her, she must have been too lost in her own thoughts to be listening. Which was an awful habit she did NOT want to pick up. She had been just laying on the bed trying to decipher some more of Desmond's hieroglyphics though, so she sat up and looked at the door.
“Come in!” She said, slightly hunched over just in case. Like she might pounce at whoever dared come through.
Xandre pushed the door open, an uncharacteristically warm smile painted on his face. He took a couple of steps into the room and chuckled a little bit at her posture. “Hey there, Sel. Just checking to see how you're doing.”
He closed the door behind him.
When she saw who it was, her posture relaxed and she leaned back a bit.
“Ah, how do you think I'm doing?... I can give you a few clues. I can't work, and I can't sleep.” She said, not smiling back for now. She definitely looked tired, but… also refreshed. Her hair was clean, she was clean and clearly more comfortable than before. She also scooted further back on the bed and patted a spot on the stiff mattress by her side.
“Sit? I was starting to think they had you so busy you had forgotten to come” She added, a moment later.
The dwarf crossed the room and accepted the offered place on the bed beside her. “Things ain't great right now. We have to pull double or triple our weight these days. But don' yeh worry. Just like I made fer yeh in jail, I'll make time fer yeh now.”
He furrowed his brow and patted Ziessel on her shoulder. “I know this is a lot. And Salem…” The dwarf paused. He knew it was a sensitive issue. “I know that's a tough pill ta swallow, Sel.”
He let that hang awkwardly in the air for a moment. “I'm sorry I weren't there ta save ‘im. If we'd gotten back from Arteghia a week sooner…”
She growled softly and turned to put a hand on his mouth so he couldn't keep talking.
“Stop! I'm already doing that. If only I had gotten out of jail a month or a few weeks sooner. Rhetta and I could’ve also made a difference. No? But I don't… I miss them all, and him… Salem was extraordinary, I don't know what I'm going to do without him but I need to focus on something else. Fuck… sorry. We could’ve also died two weeks ago. If we had been there. I don't know if that would’ve been better…” She said, her lip trembling a little. She sniffed, but she didn't want to cry. And she still hadn't uncovered Xandre’s mouth.
Xandre sat in silence, sadness in his eyes for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and just gave her a hug. He did not even remove Sel's hand from his mouth. Words were meaningless now.
“Shit, sorry… it wouldn't have been better, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said that…” She said, uncovering his mouth and hugging him back. She buried her face against his shoulder, still determined not to cry. But his scent helped her calm down a lot, as… always, if she thought back on other times he had been there for her.
“It's okay, Sel. I know what yeh mean. Fer what it's worth, I'm glad yeh were safe through all that.”
He remembered back to his welcome home with Draaven, with Jacques dead and Baron clinging barely to life, then the retaliation and all the death that brought.
“But we're here now. And we've gotta do what we can. Fer the pack. Fer each other. That's all we can do, to honor the sacrifices they made fer us.”
She hugged him a little harder and nuzzled his neck for a moment before pulling back. They were still sitting almost on top of each other by now though, after the hug.
“Some help I'm going to be if I can't even sleep… or decipher Desmonds’ shit writing.” She huffed with a little groan. She'd have to pick up some meds probably, to help her at least try to build a sleeping schedule.
Xandre turned and looked at the books. “Yeah, I'm not gonna be any good at that. I gotta mind fer other stuff, but them books always got me all turned around.”
He leaned his head against her shoulder, not quite tall enough to be atop it. “If yeh wanted, I could stay the night. Maybe it could help yeh get some shuteye. I ain't got nowhere else ta be tonight.”
“You’re already a master of weapons aren't you? Leave the books for the rest of us. And… If you truly don't mind, I'd appreciate having you here.” She said, looking at him as he leaned against her shoulder. It was different. They both acted differently when they were alone.
“I… don't know what to do about my stupid brain though. How do you not think?” She asked, smiling a tiny little bit.
“If by ‘master’ you mean I can point n’ shoot, sure.” He gave a little chuckle. “As fer the rest, well I find a suitable distraction works a treat.”
Xandre turned his head to look at Ziessel. “Fer instance, somethin’ like this.” He stretched up to kiss her on her cheek, his stubble no doubt scratching Sel's face gently as he did.
Well, he was humble sometimes. Wasn't he? She was going to poke fun at him about it, since he was amazing with way too many weapons to say he just pointed and shot things. But then he kissed her cheek, and her brain short-circuited for a second. Her pale face turned red and she looked at him like a deer caught in headlights.
“You did that too when… earlier today. I don't, well, I do! But are you..m agh.” She leaned down, put a hand on his thigh and kissed him in return, right on the corner of his mouth. It was chaste, but she let it last a couple of seconds. And then she drew back, watching him to see what he’d do next.
Xandre suppressed a smile. She reacted better than he'd expected, given the growl she'd given him when he tried to kiss her cheek earlier. And when she kissed the corner of his mouth, he wrapped his arms around her waist, less in a hug than in a caress. And when she pulled away, he was forced to get to his knees to retaliate. He pressed his lips against hers, while pulling her waist toward him.
She sighed against his lips, kissing him back and putting her hands on his sides. Then she moved them upwards until she also had her arms around him, and was mussing his hair while their kiss grew in intensity. Her mind tried to object, to make her stop for a moment to think twice, even thrice about what they were doing. Wasn't friendship enough? But who defined the limits of friendship? Ziessel huffed softly and banished those thoughts to the back of her mind.
Instead, she thought about the taste of his lips, the light scratch of his stubble and the weight of his body against hers...
Set the night of the day Rhetta and Ziessel were let out of jail.
After the news, Ziessel had taken the longest shower she could manage. She still missed her damn hair products but at least it wasn't a greasy lump anymore. Rhetta and her said their goodbyes and she had to deal with Desmonds’ chicken scratch. Which she was currently still reading just to keep her mind from spiraling into thoughts of the dead. Of what she could have done if she was there. The room she was in had two cots, one empty and one her own. And a small table she was using for work. The single ceiling light was hurting her eyes and It seemed to flicker every time she turned her back to it, damn fucking lightbulb had something against her apparently.
They had picked up some clothes from the infirmary like Desmond had told them to, as well. It was good to wear something that helped her feel a bit more like herself. Even if she had changed into shorts and a tank top to sleep.
Xandre finished up some discussions with Rhetta and Desmond. Both women had taken the recent losses hard, but Rhetta seemed mostly focused on Baron's evident demotion more than any specific death. He wasn't prepared to get into a debate of the greater Guiscard, so he left while she was still on about it with Desmond.
No doubt Ziessel had showered and changed by now, so he slipped away to her room in one of the abandoned buildings on the rail station complex. He gave a knock at the door. He was fairly certain Sel wouldn't mind if he just walked in, but he'd last seen her years ago and didn't want to overstep.
That didn't stop him most of the time, but when keeping the pack in line, overstepping was a good tool for the job. He wasn't here to keep her in line; rather, he was here more for emotional support. This was a side of himself that he reserved for close friends, and at least before prison that's what they'd been.
The knock surprised her, she must have been too lost in her own thoughts to be listening. Which was an awful habit she did NOT want to pick up. She had been just laying on the bed trying to decipher some more of Desmond's hieroglyphics though, so she sat up and looked at the door.
“Come in!” She said, slightly hunched over just in case. Like she might pounce at whoever dared come through.
Xandre pushed the door open, an uncharacteristically warm smile painted on his face. He took a couple of steps into the room and chuckled a little bit at her posture. “Hey there, Sel. Just checking to see how you're doing.”
He closed the door behind him.
When she saw who it was, her posture relaxed and she leaned back a bit.
“Ah, how do you think I'm doing?... I can give you a few clues. I can't work, and I can't sleep.” She said, not smiling back for now. She definitely looked tired, but… also refreshed. Her hair was clean, she was clean and clearly more comfortable than before. She also scooted further back on the bed and patted a spot on the stiff mattress by her side.
“Sit? I was starting to think they had you so busy you had forgotten to come” She added, a moment later.
The dwarf crossed the room and accepted the offered place on the bed beside her. “Things ain't great right now. We have to pull double or triple our weight these days. But don' yeh worry. Just like I made fer yeh in jail, I'll make time fer yeh now.”
He furrowed his brow and patted Ziessel on her shoulder. “I know this is a lot. And Salem…” The dwarf paused. He knew it was a sensitive issue. “I know that's a tough pill ta swallow, Sel.”
He let that hang awkwardly in the air for a moment. “I'm sorry I weren't there ta save ‘im. If we'd gotten back from Arteghia a week sooner…”
She growled softly and turned to put a hand on his mouth so he couldn't keep talking.
“Stop! I'm already doing that. If only I had gotten out of jail a month or a few weeks sooner. Rhetta and I could’ve also made a difference. No? But I don't… I miss them all, and him… Salem was extraordinary, I don't know what I'm going to do without him but I need to focus on something else. Fuck… sorry. We could’ve also died two weeks ago. If we had been there. I don't know if that would’ve been better…” She said, her lip trembling a little. She sniffed, but she didn't want to cry. And she still hadn't uncovered Xandre’s mouth.
Xandre sat in silence, sadness in his eyes for a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and just gave her a hug. He did not even remove Sel's hand from his mouth. Words were meaningless now.
“Shit, sorry… it wouldn't have been better, I'm sorry, I'm sorry I said that…” She said, uncovering his mouth and hugging him back. She buried her face against his shoulder, still determined not to cry. But his scent helped her calm down a lot, as… always, if she thought back on other times he had been there for her.
“It's okay, Sel. I know what yeh mean. Fer what it's worth, I'm glad yeh were safe through all that.”
He remembered back to his welcome home with Draaven, with Jacques dead and Baron clinging barely to life, then the retaliation and all the death that brought.
“But we're here now. And we've gotta do what we can. Fer the pack. Fer each other. That's all we can do, to honor the sacrifices they made fer us.”
She hugged him a little harder and nuzzled his neck for a moment before pulling back. They were still sitting almost on top of each other by now though, after the hug.
“Some help I'm going to be if I can't even sleep… or decipher Desmonds’ shit writing.” She huffed with a little groan. She'd have to pick up some meds probably, to help her at least try to build a sleeping schedule.
Xandre turned and looked at the books. “Yeah, I'm not gonna be any good at that. I gotta mind fer other stuff, but them books always got me all turned around.”
He leaned his head against her shoulder, not quite tall enough to be atop it. “If yeh wanted, I could stay the night. Maybe it could help yeh get some shuteye. I ain't got nowhere else ta be tonight.”
“You’re already a master of weapons aren't you? Leave the books for the rest of us. And… If you truly don't mind, I'd appreciate having you here.” She said, looking at him as he leaned against her shoulder. It was different. They both acted differently when they were alone.
“I… don't know what to do about my stupid brain though. How do you not think?” She asked, smiling a tiny little bit.
“If by ‘master’ you mean I can point n’ shoot, sure.” He gave a little chuckle. “As fer the rest, well I find a suitable distraction works a treat.”
Xandre turned his head to look at Ziessel. “Fer instance, somethin’ like this.” He stretched up to kiss her on her cheek, his stubble no doubt scratching Sel's face gently as he did.
Well, he was humble sometimes. Wasn't he? She was going to poke fun at him about it, since he was amazing with way too many weapons to say he just pointed and shot things. But then he kissed her cheek, and her brain short-circuited for a second. Her pale face turned red and she looked at him like a deer caught in headlights.
“You did that too when… earlier today. I don't, well, I do! But are you..m agh.” She leaned down, put a hand on his thigh and kissed him in return, right on the corner of his mouth. It was chaste, but she let it last a couple of seconds. And then she drew back, watching him to see what he’d do next.
Xandre suppressed a smile. She reacted better than he'd expected, given the growl she'd given him when he tried to kiss her cheek earlier. And when she kissed the corner of his mouth, he wrapped his arms around her waist, less in a hug than in a caress. And when she pulled away, he was forced to get to his knees to retaliate. He pressed his lips against hers, while pulling her waist toward him.
She sighed against his lips, kissing him back and putting her hands on his sides. Then she moved them upwards until she also had her arms around him, and was mussing his hair while their kiss grew in intensity. Her mind tried to object, to make her stop for a moment to think twice, even thrice about what they were doing. Wasn't friendship enough? But who defined the limits of friendship? Ziessel huffed softly and banished those thoughts to the back of her mind.
Instead, she thought about the taste of his lips, the light scratch of his stubble and the weight of his body against hers...
