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

[itstillhurt]

Who: Azula and maybe you?
Which: Open log plus closed prompts
Where: Around Songerein
What: An open log for December!
Warnings: None in the toplevels, will warn for anything in threads or if I add a warnable toplevel.

(OOC Note: If you have something else in mind or want to discuss a closed prompt, feel free to hit me up on my plotting post, on the game discord, or on plurk at yonfellow )

Comments

[itstillhurt]

[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.

[lemoncandy]

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.

[itstillhurt]

[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?]

[lemoncandy]

...

( 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?

[itstillhurt]

Don't be absurd. What sort of insufferable weakling would be traumatized by a made-up story?

[Aaaaand she says that a little too quickly and sharply to be normal.]

It's nothing. You don't need to concern yourself.

[... How many times had she told him that since they met? He never listened. Sentimental fool.

She eyes him again. No horrible mouth splits his face open. If he wanted to hurt her, he'd had countless occasions. It was safe. He was safe.

He was...

"You'll never deserve him. Never"]

... thank you.

[lemoncandy]

I'll take the thank you.

( But not that other part, he means. The smile on his face is genuine, light, and as he moves to stand up, his other hand lingers at her shoulder for a moment. He pulls it back once he's upright, and after a couple of seconds of standing there semi-awkwardly, smiling, he realizes what he's doing and laughs sheepishly. )

A-anyway, are you going to try to get some more sleep? It looks like we're still snowed in.

[itstillhurt]

[There's an odd feeling as he pulls his hand away. She can't quite name it, but- well, it doesn't matter. Best ignored.]

Yes, I think that's probably for the best.

[Hrmph. She stares out the window at the snow, if only because the unabashed concern on his face is... difficult to contend with.]

If I start making noise in my sleep again, just ignore it this time.

[Yes that's reasonable. Definitely.]

[lemoncandy]

No matter how many times you tell me to, I'm not going to ignore you.

( That's his answer, and he's a little embarrassed by it, but he pushes through anyway. Someone has to! He has to. He thinks. )

Unless it's snoring. I'll ignore snoring. If it's quiet enough.

( Playfully. )

[itstillhurt]

I am a Princess of the Fire Nation, I do not snore.

[She says it with imperious indignation, but there's a clear hint of amusement in her voice. And she feels... relaxed again, for reasons she can't explain. She even finds herself smiling.

Well, it's only rational. It was just a stupid dream. It was unreasonable for her to be so bothered by it to begin with.]

Goodnight, Shealtiel.