songerein | [December Catch-All] In the lane, snow is glistening...

[Well, she's certainly going to pretend she didn't hear it and not overthink what he could mean by it. Possibilities ranged from the upsetting to the disgusting and none of them were likely to put her in a good mood.

The alternative suggestion, however, catches her interest.]

...I've never actually watched one.

[She never bothered back in the city, and even once this place got electricity it was never something she'd contemplated. The only entertainment technology she'd bothered with here was music players, and even those weren't electric.]

Really??

( That's the perfect ticket to joy. Shealtiel visibly brightens, sitting up straight again with both feet on the ground. He pats the spot next to him on the couch eagerly, already reaching for the remote. They're stuck in the snow, Azula's never seen a movie before... What would be better than... )

We have to watch The What's-it! It's a horror movie, a classic, even though I only recently got to watch it. I don't want to spoil anything, but my favorite character is the dog.

[... As always, she finds that unabashed enthusiasm inexplicably gratifying.

Well. Now is as good a time as any to experience a new thing, she supposes. She huffs and rolls her eyes, but there's the familiar telltale smirk of amusement on her lips.]

Oh, very well.

[She settles onto the couch beside him, stretching slightly to relax. Could do with fire flakes, but, well, she's sort of accepted that that's never happening, alas.]

( If only. Maybe next time, she'll find he has a fuller fridge... just in case.

For now, though, they're snackless and stuck in the snow, and Shealtiel starts The What's-it and relaxes back on the couch. Their arms brush, and he thinks nothing off it, too entranced in rewatching. His eyes seem to light up at each twist, and he keeps glancing to check that Azula is enjoying it, too.

As much as she can, anyway.

As the credits finally roll, Shealtiel finally speaks. )

Wasn't that crazy? I mean, just to imagine being there, isolated, and that there could still be something... among us.

(

)

[She settles in to watch- it's fascinating, the differences between this and theater. She'd supposed that a camera could enable more interesting perspectives, but she had no idea it was capable of this.

The fascination, unfortunately, only goes so far. The effects on the creature itself are visceral, but not particularly convincing. That's not a problem. But as the creature effectively eliminates people, one after another, the tension starts to... agitate... her. She can't quite articulate why, but she does find herself tensing up herself, frowning in concentration and pressing slightly closer to Shealtiel- apparently without realizing it.

The lack of resolution at he end only makes it worse. The only comfort is the physical presence and the unabashed glee as he watches. It takes her a few seconds too long to stop staring at the screen and respond- but her face shifts very quickly to one of mild disdain.]

It was an intriguing concept, but the creature had no reason to pursue a strategy of stealth. If it had simply consumed them as quickly as possible, rather than allowing itself to be contained and studied, they would never have time to discover the weakness to fire.

( Oh... Did she not like it, then? Shealtiel pauses for a moment to process that answer. It's... true, it could have killed them faster. But that's not the point. Hesitantly, but with a little more boldness than usual, he nudges back ever so slightly into the weight of Azula's shoulder. It's a lean, a playful press. )

Well, sure, but doesn't it look cooler like this? Maybe the creature saw how humans treated each other and wanted some sort of revenge. Maybe... It just wanted to see how the humans reacted! We don't know.

( He's only half speaking his feelings here. He does think that way, but it's not a huge deal... He's more curious about Azula's tension. )

I think most movies require a little suspension of disbelief, though... I'm trying to think of a good one that doesn't.

[Hm. She's not normally concerned about being insulting, but somehow the realization that she was actually rather dismissive in the face of his excitement sits heavy and leaden in her chest.

Vexing. And the casual smirk immediately slips back onto her face]

Oh, I suppose we would have missed out on the suspense that way, yes.

[There. Better. Safer.]

And the illusion of bringing such a versatile entity to life was quite impressive.

[Ahhh, the benefits of having never experienced advanced visual effects.]

Right?? When I first got to see a movie, I was surprised! They started to get even better looking than this, too.

( Insane, isn't it. Shealtiel looks suitably relaxed by Azula's added on comments, though, and switches the tv off from the credits, relaxing back. The snow has piled up considerably outside. Getting back to Azula's place would be more than a little annoying. Maybe even impossible to open the door, right now... )

...That was fun.

[She follows his glance toward the now-blocked door, and- it's difficult to read his expression- he doesn't seem displeased, and he's normally very easy to read, so she supposes she can take that at face value...]

Perhaps we could watch more in the future.

[There. Relatively noncommittal. Safe. And... well, the idea wasn't wholly unappealing, after all.]

... Meanwhile, I trust you have a preferred place for me to sleep.

[She'd offered it to him when he arrived, after all, she seems to expect the favor to be returned.]

Yeah, let's.

( But as for the sleeping arrangements... He pauses, considering. He doesn't like sleeping on the floor, and the couch is hardly better. If it were Luci, he'd tell him to kick sand and go find his own spot. But somehow, it's different with Azula. )

...You could use my bed, I guess? Unless you'd prefer the couch.

[Ordinarily, she would immediately demand the bed- she's royalty and a guest, after all, she deserves the nicest place to sleep- but somehow, the thought of evicting Shealtiel in particular from his own bed bothers her.

She waves it off dismissively.]

Please. The couch will be more than adequate. Just get me some sort of blanket and I'll be fine.

You're sure?

( Her reaction feels exactly why he'd offer his bed in the first place. He doesn't catch himself smiling. )

I've got some extra comforters laying around. Want me to grab them now?

As opposed to fetching them after we've gone to sleep?

[Okay, probably a little more harsh than was strictly necessary.

...another of those annoying realizations that wouldn't have bothered her until recently. Ugh.]

I could retrieve one myself, but you'll have to tell me where it is.

( He laughs a little, standing up. )

No, I just wasn't sure how soon you wanted to go to bed. Hold on.

( Then, he slips out of the room. The rustling and occasional muffled commentary to himself says that he's working on the task, and it's thankfully not too long before he reappears, the bundles of comforters and pillows overtaking his face. )

Here you go! ( It's muffled. He might topple. )

[...That... actually provokes a bit of a laugh, and she considers giving him a nudge to see if he actually falls over. She resists the temptation, instead simply relieving him of the burden by taking the blankets and pillows herself.]

It will do. Thank you.

[-"It's fine, thank you." It's barely an acknowledgement, insincere, dismissive, minimizing. Barely better than the sarcasm she'd offered moments before.

-She staggers back from the sink against the bathroom wall, and her fingers squeeze the glass until it starts to crack in her hand.

-"Why are you acting like you care?"

The intrusive memory makes her pause for a moment, but oddly, it's not as... unbalancing as she expects it to be. There's no rush of tension, no weight in her stomach. She wasn't sure what the sensation that it evoked instead was, exactly. It wasn't... unpleasant, but-]

[-Whatever. She hastily busies herself setting out the blankets and pillows on the couch.]

You needn't go to sleep just because I am. The light won't bother me.

[That wasn't actually true, but somehow she felt the impulse to... minimize her intrusion, if possible.]

Haha, it's not because of you, don't worry.

( Shealtiel pauses as he shifts, then shoots a glance back at Azula, his hand lingering by the light switch. )

Actually, it's been a long time since I've felt comfortable like this. I haven't been able to get a lot of sleep lately, but I'm actually feeling tired.

( That's... sharing more than he normally does, and he's suddenly embarrassed by it, so he flicks the lights off. He does at least make sure Azula is settled first. )

Good night!

Yes, yes, you as well.

[She waves it off dismissively and lies down. She can't help but suspect it's because of her anyway, but she opts not to push. Instead, she gets reasonably comfortable and drifts off. It's faster than she's fallen asleep in a long time. She's not sure why.]

[Unfortunately it doesn't take long for the peace to end.

The dream starts off reasonably enough, waking up in the morning and resorting to Shealtiel's abysmal food selection- but then he approaches her. Close. Uncomfortably close. Closer than they ever stand during casual conversation. And just as she's sorting out the odd proximity, the confusing thoughts it provokes, just as she's wondering if there's something she's supposed to do, a grotesque horizontal maw opens from his forehead to his waist and he lunges at her with an inhuman screech.]

[She doesn't cry out, but she does lash out with a blade of fire as she startles awake- less than an hour after falling asleep.

It takes her a few moments to realize where she is, during which she hyperventilates, entire body tensed so tightly that it hurts, waiting for her heartrate to normalize. It was a dream. It was just a dream. It was just a dream.]

Azula?

( Shealtiel calls out after just a moment. He'd heard the rustle of cloth, the woosh of fire, and something about it had stirred him from his slumber. Now, his hand on the wall, peering into the room from the next one over, he stares worriedly at Azula.

She's sitting up? He moves, then, entering the room properly to get to her side. He doesn't remember to turn the light on. )

Are you okay?

[Shealtiel's voice snaps her out of her panic for a moment, and she flushes with shame. A stupid, ridiculous dream. Like so many others. Over a... a recorded play?

The self-castigations pull her into another momentary distraction, and so Shealtiel's sudden appearance in the darkness makes her flinch with a hiss of terror, arms coming up defensively, grasping his shoulders as if to hold him away.

And then she remembers herself. Remembers who, exactly, she's grabbing. Her hands shake, and she lets them fall from him, averting her eyes.]

I- I'll replace the blanket.

I don't care about the blanket, I care about you!

( His words come out before he can even think about them or second guess them. Seeing her afraid of him was painful, and it makes his gut twist even more in worry. )

Was it a nightmare?

( It must have been. He gets them so often, himself... )

I knew this stupid couch wasn't comfortable enough.

[Ugh. Reduced to this, in front of him, by some stupid dream. The humiliation is unbearable.]

It's not the couch. It's fine. I'm fine.

[She looks toward him again, trying to project her usual cold indifference, but it completely fails. At least the longer she looks at him, the more she reassures herself that his face won't erupt into a horrible row of needle-like teeth again, but she can feel that her composure is completely failing her, her hands still trembling, her expression still vulnerable. Still weak. When did she become so-]

I spent two of the last five months sleeping on the ground.

[...not that she'd had pleasant dreams then, either, but then, she's been having almost nightmares for as long as she can remember. So why did this one... affect her like this?]

...

( Okay. So it wasn't the sleeping arrangements. Then...

He thinks back to the movie they watched, and pulls one of his hands back to his lips as he contemplates the possibility. Could it be...? )

Was it... the movie?

( He guesses it probably wasn't the most normal first thing to watch. Oops. )

I mean, whatever it was, it's fine now, right?

[December Catch-All] In the lane, snow is glistening...

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

1/2

2/2

no subject

1/3

2/3

3/3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)