Red and Blue: reunited

[07:25] A red-haired Kitsune with a familiar mask stands in front of the Mountain Peak Inn, leaning on her spear as snowy breezes drift by her. Her stance is sloppy, almost lazy, and most of her weight rests upon the bottom point of the spear's shaft.

Her hands are gloved - she's learned from previous ventures, of course - and the snow melts as it falls onto her cloak. She seems to stare out into the distance, with her only movement being the back and forth of slow breaths. Her eyes aren't quite visible through the slits in the mask, although there's nowhere else she could be looking but out.

The weather is colder than it should really be; ever since the weather took a sudden turn for the worse last year, it's only gotten colder since, but she stands there regardless.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[07:26] Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

Lotlhuitl's leather and metal boots bit into the pavement with each step closer and closer to the Mountain View Inn. And Haruhi.

The Nagual was cold. She was always cold up here, what with her insistence on not changing her outfit. Her enruned cloak kept out the worst of it, but even so, she still had a preference for the humid jungles where she had grown up.

Her step, each bold and taken with a sway in her hips, had faltered only briefly.

Haruhi.

Lotlhuitl's face was more or less hidden behind the snarling cat mask she wore. It hid the momentary flush of delight, leaving only the wide eyed stare she had given the redheaded Kitsune. Was she glad to see her?

Lotlhuitl hesitated. She dropped the duffle bag she carried on the pavement out the front of the inn, striding up to Haruhi.

Silent. Eyes focused on her.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[07:28]
{LOAD GAME}

[07:34] Haruhi doesn't seem to respond to Lotlhuitl's presence at all. In the snow, it would be hard to see, and Lotlhuitl might expect her to only really notice once she got close, but when she nears, there's merely the sound of Haruhi's breaths.

And perhaps, a little bit of a snore. Through the eyeslits, Lotlhuitl can clearly see that the Kitsune's eyes are shut. What bare skin is visible at the edges of the mask is beginning to redden with the cold, and snow has painted polka dots of cold all through her hair and over her ears.

Her spear is at just the right angle that it won't slide on the rocks that pave the snowy path up to the Mountain Peak Inn. She must be an expert at this, if she managed to fall asleep in such a way that she didn't fall over.

Little drifts of visible vapor push out of the sides of the mask, dissipating into the air.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[07:41] Lotlhuitl's tail twitched beneath her cloak. For a moment, the Nagual had thought that Haruhi Noriega was deliberately ignoring her. Pain and panic rose within her, as well as guilt, before one of her pricked forward ears caught the sound of Haruhi SNORING.

"Haruhi?" Lotlhuitl breathed, her gauntleted hands twitching, almost reaching for the Kitsune before hesitating. Lotl's expression was, well, surprised. Confused? Concerned.

It looked like the Kitsune had been standing outside for some time. Why? Was there need to keep guard for something? If so, why was she asleep!

(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[07:53] At the sound of Lotlhuitl's voice, Haruhi stirs. Slowly, at first, as her eyelids twitch and the pattern of her breath changes. It had been slow and steady - steady enough that when it picks up in tempo and force, it's immediately obvious. Her stance shifts slightly as her awareness grows and little aches of pain enter the realm of her consciousness.

Her eyelids flutter open, taking a moment to reorient to her surroundings before -

locking onto Lotlhuitl's eyes behind the similar mask.

One

long

blink, before suddenly -

In a clumsy flash of movement on unsteady and stiff limbs, Haruhi throws both her spear aside and herself onto Lotlhuitl, squeezing her close in a viciously affectionate hug. Her aim seems to be to milk all the life out of her dear, dear friend, and the chief sensation given by the warm gesture is the freezing cold of the armor Haruhi's wearing.

Her voice quivers with the shakes and shivers that begin to cascade throughout her muscles.

"Yer ba-back. Th-th-thank f-f-f-f-fuck."

She is, indeed, a Kitsune-sicle.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[08:07] Lotlhuitl was stood silent as Haruhi awoke. Silent and tall, the Nagual resisted the urge to reach out and embrace the smaller woman. She ached.

Lotlhuitl had missed Haruhi.

She wanted to reach out and embrace the Kitsune. She hesitated, only because it had been so long. She hadn't meant to leave without saying anything - it had just sort of happened.

Movement. Haruhi threw her spear aside and Lotlhuitl flinched. "Ah," Lotlhuitl exhaled, eyes widening as the Kitsune embraced her. "I.. I'm back. You're freezing!" she exclaimed, snugged close by the redhead.

Lotlhuitl was warm, and she found herself wrapping her cloak around the two of them.. until she too began to shiver sharply. Her bare skin drew goosebumps at how cold Haruhi was, but.. her presence, her cloak, should have offered some warmth to her dear, dear friend.

"By the spirits, you're colder than Sibri!" Lotlhuitl said reflexively, plainly unaware that her offhand comment could, well, be a massive misstep considering she hadn't seen Haruhi in more than a year.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[08:19] A hundred questions raced through her mind, but she couldn't bet on a single one.

Where have you been? What have you done? Have you been hurt? Are you okay? How can I help? Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?

Instead of asking any questions, though, she simply squeezes closer; she feeds on the warmth as best she can, allowing her shivers to shake her core and heat it with the friction. It's a violent, convulsive motion that vibrates the two side to side.

"I wa-wanted t-t-t-to be h-here.

If you g-got back."

If. Not when, but if. She reflexively sniffles, trying to fight the effects of her nose running from the cold.

She warms, although it's slow going. Quite obviously, going inside might get her warmer a little faster, but she sure as hell isn't letting go. At the mention ofSibri, her convulsions pause -

provoking a confused "Huh?" before they begin again a little more than an instant later. Weaker, if still quite uncomfortable and unrestrained.

"Let's g-get ins-s-side."

Despite the certainty she has in the necessity of that statement, she doesn't move an inch.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[08:28] Lotlhuitl blinked.

Haruhi was out here, waiting for her?

No way. Lotlhuitl didn't understand it. Visibly, the woman had stiffened, she looking down at Haruhi with bewilderment. Bewilderment that would be obvious if she wasn't wearing a mask.

"Lets." Lotlhuitl agreed, her voice soft and lightly muffled by her mask. Her arms still wrapped around the Kitsune, her cloak still drawn around them both, Lotlhuitl attempted to get Haruhi to walk backwards inside the inn.

Once inside, Lotlhuitl just kinda stood there for a moment. How to explain?

"I'm sorry, Haruhi. I.. was on my way back from meeting with Sibri. I ran into Kayn and it all seemed like a good idea at the time. We went to Gaiar. Xoconan, he murdered one of our children. Xohui. And every time I thought I was close to getting Atoli back, I.. wasn't."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[08:41]
{LOAD GAME}

[08:53] Haruhi doesn't look up to receive that bewildered gaze. Her head is pressed into Lotlhuitl's collar about as firmly as it damn well can be, and at Lotlhuitl's vocal agreement, she offers little more than a nod.

When the Nagual begins to lead her into the inn, Haruhi's steps are stiff and unsteady. She seems to struggle to find her footfall as the effects of the cold steal her dexterity away, and those deeply-planted shivers still reap their distracting harvest.

Once they're inside and the airway to the freezing wind is closed behind them, Haruhi simply attaches herself a little closer to Lotlhuitl, even as their entrance to the inn grabs the attention of more than a few servants and guests. She steadies the shivers by focusing them against the woman's body as the story is regaled.

Except for the occasional sniffle, she remains deathly silent during the telling of the tale. Little prickles of pain spread their way across her faceas the beginnings of frostbite are burned away by the relatively-warm (but still quite cool, really) air of the inside of the building.

Her little heartbeat hammers against the inside of her chest, only barely tangible through the armor that sits atop her clothes, but perhaps it's able to be felt as long as the bare skin at the side of her neck presses into Lotlhuitl's chest.

The Kitsune simply -

rests, for what seems like a minute. The shivers, her pulse, and her breaths all calm as the thoughts bouncing from wall to wall of her skull try to find a way to get in line and make a consumable sentence.

And finally, they do - and they continue, with all of the passion she can muster. Which as it seems from the weakness of her voice...

isn't overly much.

Tears are forming in her eyes as her body warms up and the emotion of the situation trickles into her, filling her with conflicted feelings she hardly knowshow to deal with.

Her voice is unsteady with the telltale signs of sorrow, of grief; things that for all intents and purposes, she shouldn't be experiencing - but of course, she is anyways.

"I was worried sick."

"I greeted everyone who came to the Inn. All of them, and they thanked me for my hospitality. My dedication to them."

"Each one of them was a new disappointment, because they weren't you. I thought you were never going to come back."

"I knew you weren't coming back. But I waited anyway."

"You should be sorry."

Little cold tears dribble from under the mask onto her chin, dripping to the bare skin below. The side of her cheek, placed flush against Lotlhuitl's collar, grows hot with emotion that burns just below her skin.

"But I'm so glad that you're back. I missed you so much. I wanted -

we had -

so much... so much to talk about."
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:11] Lotlhuitl barely explained anything. There was a lot more that she could have said. Instead, she did her best to try and work out what Haruhi was thinking. She was more than a little alarmed by the Kitsune's reaction. By how cold she was.

"Oh, Haruhi.." Lotlhuitl breathed, tail twitching beneath her cloak.

A mixture of emotions fought within the Nagual as she listened to what Haruhi had to say. Guilt, pity, anger, sadness, confusion.

Part of her wanted to tell Haruhi that she shouldn't have pined her absence. And yet, a glimmer of corruption rose within her as she begun to comprehend the pain, the harm she had dealt sweet, perfect Haruhi with her unexplained absence.

"I never should have been away from you for so long, but--" Lotlhuitl exhaled, drawing closer to Haruhi. "I must go back to Gaiar. I leave you again, tomorrow."

Lotlhuitl pulled away slightly, shifting her mask upwards sothat Haruhi could see her face. "There will be time for you to be angry at me. But please, not tonight. I need you, Haruhi."

Lotlhuitl leant in, intending on pushing aside the Kitsune's mask and kissing her. "I need you, and at least two innocent children need you. My living child, and Kayeliun's abused daughter. I want to rescue them both from Gaiar."

It had been a while. Lotlhuitl wasn't sure exactly what words would make Haruhi help her.

In truth, her reasons for wanting to take Kayeliun's child was little more than pettiness. But claiming it was to rescue her from abuse sounded much nicer. So that was what Lotlhuitl would say it was!
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:35] Haruhi's breaths are full and deliberate and meaningful.

Each and every one is a long draw of air forced into her lungs and forced out, cut into pieces by little shakes of emotion that pierce through her. Each of them a declaration that she is most definitely not okay.

'I never should have been away from you for so long...'

It's the beginning of what she wants to hear, and it makes her breath catch in her throat. When Lotlhuitl draws just that little bit closer to her, she lets out a stressed exhale as trapped breaths escape. Warm, and close, as her breaths steady again, and she melts into -

'I must go back to Gaiar.'

Haruhi freezes on the spot. Her heart breaks, and whatever smile might have hidden under her mask disappears. As Lotlhuitl pulls away, a little piece of her chips, falling to the floor and shattering as her head's perch is stolen from it.

Wet eyes intensely stare into Lotlhuitl's as the Nagual removes her mask. They're pained, and defiant, and -

as Lotlhuitl starts to push her mask aside, she pushes herself just out of the gesture's reach. The mask slides back into place, framing and hiding her face except for her eyes. She brings her hands in front of her, pressing up against the Nagual's chest as she locks one gaze with hers.

"Stop."

Tears still stream down the edges of her face, and there's no mistaking the emotions in her eyes. In her voice. In her tone. In the tension in her shaking fists that press into the woman's bare skin.

"You don't leave for a year and tell me not to be angry. You don't come back and tell me you're leaving the next day.

That's not fair, and you know it.

If you needed me all this time you should have told me. Who the hell locked you up in a prison cell? Show them to me, so I can beat them.

If nobody did, then apologize. And mean it. And promise never to leave me like this again.

Then we can talk."

At once, her eyes -

challenge, and demand, and plead, and beg. They declare, and hope, and dream, and despair.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:44] Lotlhuitl looked wounded, though whatever pain and guilt she felt at seeing how hurt Haruhi was, it twisted within her, shaping into anger. For a moment, her hands had reached for the Kitsune. Grasping.

"Kayeliun has my son, Haruhi."

Lotlhuitl's voice was quiet. Icy. Her tail twitched, ears pinning back. Expression, visible now that she had removed her mask, plainly disappointed.

"Grow up."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:52] She doesn't make an effort to resist any grasping. She keeps her gaze honed.

"When did you learn that she had your son?

Was it when you left? Was it the day after? The day after that?

Were there couriers running back and forth? Did you think to send a letter with anyone? To let me know you were alive?"

All the while her emotions stay at the front. She doesn't even seem to hear the second sentence. Unaffected. Unfazed.

"You left me alone. You abandoned me.

If you're leaving tomorrow, you have time to say sorry now. Even if it takes hours... You've had a year to think up the words."
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:04] "Good grief, Haruhi. I would have sent a letter if I could trust anyone. As it is, I'm taking a risk with my life, my son's life, by leaving Gaiar at all!"

Lotlhuitl snarled.

"I met with Sibri. I found out that Kayeliun had my son. I was on my way back to tell you, when I ran into Kayn. He and I travelled into Gaiar, intending on extracting Atoli and then returning to Ardent, to Tongyishan, to you. But it didn't work out like that. Kayn was supposed to tell you, but.. he and I did not part on good terms."

Her green eyes regarded Haruhi anew.

"I'm not going to grovel for your forgiveness. I don't deserve this, Haruhi. One of my children is dead, the other a prisoner, and all you can think about is yourself."

Lotlhuitl looked at her mask in her hand before replacing it.

"...I was foolish for even returning."

The Nagual drew her cloak closer to herself as she turned. Examining the front door. Plainly not relishing the idea of just walking out into the cold. Night would have fallen. Traversing the mountain in such conditions would be unwise, and yet, somehow the concept was appealing, rather than deal with an upset Haruhi.

"I get the feeling that you liked me better, thinking I was dead."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:19] Lotlhuitl's words break Haruhi to pieces.

Rather than being incensed or emboldened by the impassioned reply, the Kitsune slowly seems to collapse. Her weight falls forward with every word that hits her ears, and her ears droop further and further down. While her face is completely obscured from view -

her eyes and demeanor are that of a scolded child.

Her fists unwind as her fingers weakly press into Lotlhuitl's skin, and her eyes slit as tears fill up her vision. Her breaths grow thinner, faster, harder, and she begins to hyperventilate.

Every word is a struggle fought for tooth and nail, some of them repeated three times before she manages them out.

"I just didn't want to be alone.

I just didn't want to be lonely.

I just wanted to see you again.

I just wanted to know you cared about me."

With every word, her voice grows less and less steady. It's falling apart.

"I missed you so much."

As best she can from her position, she tries to weakly wrap her arms around Lotlhuitl and hold her close. It's -

in few words, pathetic and pitiable.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:20] Lotlhuitl says, "Haruhi. I..."
[10:21] Lotlhuitl just remained, standing still for a moment, before turning once more to embrace the Kitsune.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:21] Lotlhuitl says, "I risked a lot to see you, Haruhi. That's.. how important you are to me."

[09:40] "Shh.. shh.."

Lotlhuitl's arms were wrapped around Haruhi as the two stood in the middle of the lobby. The Kitsune's near-frozen form was, at first, given some pretty awkward pats before the Nagual swallowed and proceeded to pull the redhead closer to her. To encourage the shorter woman to lean her head (cold!) against her collarbone.

"I risked a lot to see you, Haruhi. That's how important you are to me."

The Nagual leant down, trying to kiss Haruhi on her forehead. Shifting to wipe away Haruhi's tears with a gentle hand.

"I'm sorry, Haruhi. I didn't go away to hurt you."

Though, truthfully, some part of her was distinctly pleased that the Kitsune had reacted so.. poorly. Lotlhuitl couldn't understand why she felt like this, but the idea that Haruhi would be driven to passion at the idea of her absence, well. A glimmer of corruption threatened to rise at it.

"I did it because I had to. My only regret is not warning you first, myself."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:41] Frederick says, "..."
[09:41] Frederick slooooooowly turns around to fuck off.
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:42] Lotlhuitl says, "Ah.. Frederick."
[09:42] Lotlhuitl says, "I.. uh. Maybe later."
[09:42] Lotlhuitl exclaims, "Though, truthfully, there might not be a later!"
[09:42] Frederick says, "Yeeeeeeeah."
[09:43] Lotlhuitl reluctantly stopped patting Haruhi..
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:01] Haruhi is pretty much completely falling apart all over Lotlhuitl. When her embrace is returned, she throws herself into it and presses her face into the Nagual's bare skin, smearing chilly tears all over her as she sobs like a child.

With each of Lotlhuitl's statements, and each pair of comforting gestures, her unrestrained tears slowly subside. She begins with hyperventilating heaves and rivers of tears, but by the end of it all she's merely pouring her eyes out.

Merely.

This is an unprecedented level of melodrama from Haruhi for Frederick to witness. While the two aren't particularly acquainted, when Haruhi opens her eyes at his mention by Lotlhuitl, she garners quite the strong blush on those already half-flushed cheeks.

... and that, of course, makes her realize that she's probably attracted the attention of all of the servants and guests.

Shit.

In the wake of embarrassment and shame, Haruhi sniffles a few more times, lets her last stream of tears pour down Lotlhuitl's chest, and pretends to be a big girl for at least a few minutes.

She closes her eyes and wipes her face on Lotlhuitl's skin, before pulling back a little to look up at her.

Haruhi's still wearing a huge pout-frown, but hey. At least she's not a blubbering baby anymore.

"Can we...

can we talk about this somewhere else?"
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[02:12] Can we atalk about this somewhere else?

Wordlessly, Lotlhuitl had led Haruhi away from the hustle and bustle of the lobby. Away from the prying eyes, the surprised customers, the disapproving staff -- though, Lotlhuitl got the sense that it wasn't so much Haruhi that they disapproved of, but her.

Upstairs, into Haruhi's bedroom. Her bedroom? The Nagual had considered the Mountain Peak Inn her home, once. Lotlhuitl removed her cloak, throwing it over a chair. Finally, the mask came off. She dropped her staff. Still wearing her armour, Lotlhuitl had shifted over to Haruhi's bed, taking a seat right at the edge.

The Nagual pat next to her, hopeful that the Kitsune would join her.

Initially, she wasn't sure what to say.

"I'm not really good at talking, Haruhi." Lotlhuitl murmured. "What do you want me to say? I'm honestly just bewildered that you cared so much, thinking I was dead."

Her gaze looked Haruhi up and down. "You're so damned.. perfect. I half expected you to have forgotten all about me. I'm glad that you didn't, but.. I'm also disappointed. You're not supposed to be like this. You're supposed to be good. You're supposed to be strong."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:36]
{LOAD GAME}

[02:41] Haruhi's trip up to her bedroom is about as smooth as it can be, given the circumstances. When the pair makes its way through what little traffic there is, servants and guests alike part and look away from the sight in a show of respect. Some peek, of course, but they make an attempt not to be seen.

In Haruhi's case, she does her best to appear put together, even if the trails of tears, flushed cheeks, and puffy eyes completely betray any attempt to look like she hasn't been having a breakdown. She keeps Lotlhuitl's hand squeezed in a vicegrip as they make their way to the top of the world, and she doesn't let go until they pass the threshold of her room.

When they do so, she forcefully closes the door behind them. Flush. Shut.

And she shudders. She shivers. She closes her eyes and fights back a momentary sob. For a moment, she merely presses her back up against the door as if to ensure it stays shut.

Butshe regains control of her breathing, of her emotions, if only on the surface. She manages to push herself off of the door and follow after Lotlhuitl. Dutifully, almost, as she takes a seat onto her own bed.

A bed which looks like it hasn't been made in weeks. She sinks into it right next to the Nagual, scooting up thigh by thigh and wrapping an arm around the other side of her. She does her best to lean over and rest her head against Lotlhuitl's shoulder for a mixture of warmth and support.

She speaks -

slowly, quietly, and carefully. Weak little exhales; ticklish.

"I just had to know if you were coming back.

And I couldn't figure it out without risking you coming back and me not being here.

... so I waited. I think I would have given up eventually, but...

I never want to give up on you. Never."

She closes her eyes and wraps her other arm around to meet the one wrapped 'round Lotlhuitl's waist. She locks her hands together and squeezes close as she presses her head into the taller girl's skin.

Her breaths are slow, warm, and relaxed, despite how volatile her emotions had been before.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:05] Lotlhuitl remained silent for some time, letting Haruhi hold her. Holding her in return. The Nagual wasn't usually one for being touched, but for Haruhi, she made an exception. The woman with the blue-black hair leant her head in, resting her own cheek against the top of Haruhi's head as she listened.

She didn't know what to say.

"Don't give up on me, then." Lotlhuitl finally said. "But prepare to be disappointed." A wry smile, hiding pain, hiding anguish rose to her lips as she bitterly remarked. "I'm not good, not like you. I'm weak. People hurt me. People use me."

The Nagual tilted her head, brushing her lips against one of Haruhi's ears.

"I'd take you with me if I could, Haruhi. But I can't. It's too dangerous. Where I'm going, the things I've done, the things I'm going to do, I can't do it unless you're prepared to forgive me."

Another kiss was attempted, Lotlhuitl's willowy form stiffening as she looked down at Haruhi.

"I've done things that I'm not proud of, initially, to get my child back."

Should she tell the Kitsune about Sibri? Lotlhuitl wasn't so sure.

"But it's become more than that. I see a way of ending the war between Cruxati and Ardent."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:31] As Lotlhuitl speaks what might as well be advice, Haruhi's ears perk up and hone in on those words. She's calm and quiet and soft under Lotlhuitl, with the Nagual wrapped tight in her arms. Her breaths are light, steady and warm as she settles in, only spiking in volume - a contented "Aah..." - as Lotlhuitl's lips brush up against her attentive ears.

Haruhi turns her head, then, to plant a little kiss at Lotlhuitl's collar. Her lips are chilled, dry, and cracked from standing out in the freezing cold, but the breath that escapes onto the skin touched by that kiss is warm and wet. It's a stark contrast, to say the least.

When a similar little kiss lands atop her head, she lets out something like a little sigh of contentedness, of relaxation, of warmth. She leans in for another light kiss, this time fuller and closer as she presses her weight into it.

She continues to listen with her lips still pressed against Lotlhuitl's skin, with her weight leaning into the woman. The time is punctuated by the small exhales that escape through her nose, tickling the skin below. Finally, though, she pulls back, looks up to Lotlhuitl, and opens tired eyes to meet the Nagual's own. She wears a bittersweet grin.

Haruhi stares, then, for a full three heartbeats. Putting her thoughts and emotions in line. When she finally speaks up, her words are slow and calm. Certain. Resolute, even if they reveal her absolute vulnerability.

"I don't want to know what you're gonna have to do. What you plan to do.

I just want to know you're coming back to me. That's all."

The Noriega forces a smile, though it's not all fake.

She releases one hand from the other, bringing one up Lotlhuitl's back as the other slides up her ribs. It takes some stretching from her current position, but she leans up to put a little kiss on Lotlhuitl's neck.

She whispers a tiny plea.

"Even if you have to lie, can you promise me that? Please?"
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[04:08] Lotlhuitl kept Haruhi close to her. Bare skin raising goosebumps as the Kitsune placed her little kiss against her collar. The Nagual would attempt to stroke her hands through Haruhi's red hair.

Oh, she'd missed Haruhi.

As the Kitsune turned her face up to look at her, pulled backwards from her, Lotlhuitl had shivered. She didn't want to let go of Haruhi. And for the briefest of moments, the Nagual had possessively drawn the woman closer to her.

Lotlhuitl blinked, eyes widening with a sort of wonder as she stared down into the vulnerable Haruhi's gaze.

"I.. I don't have to lie, Haruhi."

The Nagual visibly shivered, tremors running up her body as Haruhi kissed her neck. As the Kitsune caressed her. She found herself turning, fingers trembling as she struggled to hold herself back from touching every inch of the Kitsune.

She exhaled, breathily. A flush rising to her deep and rich brown skin as she regarded Haruhi.

She wanted to kiss the Kitsune.

And she couldn't say it was because she just wanted to soothe her. No, she had missed Haruhi. Missed her body, her touch, heck, the way she LOOKED at her.

She wanted to cover every inch of Haruhi in kisses. Decidedly unchaste kisses.

Another long exhale, and with trembling hands Lotlhuitl reached out to gently trace along Haruhi's jaw.

"I will always come back to you."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[04:34] The Kitsune giggles in delight. It's a light-hearted sound of a weight being lifted off of her chest as her heartbeat begins to race with excitement, with glee, with unbridled joy -

she nuzzles a little deeper into Lotlhuitl's neck, pressing her left cheek into the woman's flesh as her fingers run along her jaw. The exhale that leaves her lips is somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, with all of the juvenile nervousness and restraint she'd shown the first time they'd entered this room.

"That was everything I needed to hear."

She turns her head to plant another kiss where the first had been, but longer, deeper; her hands instinctively move to give her better leverage as she leans up, pressing more of her weight into the movement.

It's forceful, but seemingly not intentionally. It's ultimately a show of passion,as she turns to the side and raises one of her knees so that she can push herself a little further up. It's the beginning of a trail of kisses with little more than half an inch of distance between them.

Each is a light touch that carries with it another wave of her weight pressing up against Lotlhuitl -

with her armor in the way, unfortunately, and providing a solid chill -

once, twice, thrice...

seven times, she rocks forward and back, bringing more and more of her weight onto the bed until her lips rest just under Lotlhuitl's cheek and one of her knees presses into her thigh. She's got the Nagual in a loose grip, mostly because she doesn't need a tight one.

Her hands have found their way to her upper back, where her fingers and the tips of her nails press into the skin, trembling and shaking with barely-restrained force. It's clear they want to dig in.

It's only then, in that position, that Haruhi takes a moment to realize where she is, and what she's done. The sound of her breaths, of her racing heart... the feeling of her blood dancing throughout her veins like it's been set aflame.

She opens her eyes to stare at the flushed skin just in front of her face. She's excited and afraid of the way that it all makes her feel... tinges of sorrow try to pluck her heartstrings, but she throws them aside.

A low, warm whisper confesses,

"I love this."

She closes her eyes again and leans up ever-so-slightly to make a seal of her lips up against Lotlhuitl's cheek. She lightly sucks at the skin, drawing it up against her tongue and her teeth as she rolls her body forward against the cheek's owner.

... and she's so, so, terribly clothed.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[06:05] {Item} You drop Green Shawl.
[06:05] {Item} You picked up Green Shawl.Dropped by Lotlhuitl. .
[08:34] Lotlhuitl felt like she was choking. She couldn't breathe. Haruhi was too damn cute. Too good.

The Nagual shuddered, inhaling deeply. Her eyes briefly fluttering closed as she just focused on Haruhi's presence. How lovely her hair smelt.

What the fuck was she doing.

Something within her revolted, corruption threatening to spill out of her as a surge of self loathing hit her. Xoconan. Haruhi. Sibri. Choi. Xitlalli. Noa. Dmex. Kayeliun. And others, there were many others who Lotlhuitl envied. Adored. Hated. Whose power she had attempted to take for her own. FUCK. What the FUCK was she doing?

Lotlhuitl's heart raced in her chest. Thu-thump, thu-thump. Her fingers gently stroking Haruhi's jaw, hand suddenly gaining a tremble as the Kitsune told her 'that was everything she wanted to hear' and kissed her.

"Unnf," Lotlhuitl exhaled,now twitching against Haruhi as the smaller woman trailed kisses up her neck to her cheek. She was clinging to Haruhi. Distinctly weakened by her presence, close to her skin. By the Kitsune's touch. It was so hot in here. Her skin was flushed, perspiration threatening to dot her brow.

'I love--' Lotlhuitl's heart skipped at beat. '--this.'

The Nagual collapsed backwards against the bed as Haruhi confessed that she loved this. 'I love this.' Not 'I love you,' but 'this.' A frown almost threatened to tug at Lotlhuitl's lips as her gaze snapped to Haruhi. She was almost about to inquire about what Haruhi meant by this. But of course. Suddenly, it made sense.

Her heart had sunk for a moment, and a glimmer of pale green suddenly shown in her eyes as she regarded the Kitsune.

Haruhi didn't love her. Of course she didn't. She was strong: she could love anyone she wanted. Or maybe she did, but no more than friends. They were just good friends. Ultimately, this wasn't so different than how Xitlalli had needed her, Lotlhuitl realised.

"Haruhi, I.. I.." Lotlhuitl stammered, before letting out a conflicted hum of pleasure as the younger woman kissed and sucked at her cheek.

The Nagual trembled: pressing her knee firmly against Haruhi's clothed nether region, giving the younger woman something to grind herself against.

Lotlhuitl turned her face, gaze still strangely reflective as she attempted to pull Haruhi close to her. Attempting to lock lips with her in a passionate kiss, her own hands reaching up to caress her ears, her cheek, run through her hair.. as she rocked her knee against Haruhi's unfortunately clothed groin.

Haruhi was using her.

The thought hit her like a ton of bricks, and that sense of corruption suddenly FLARED within Lotlhuitl. And, mid kiss, her eyes would snap open, and she stopped.

"You love this? I deserve better."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[08:35] {Item} You drop Mythril Cuisse.
[08:35] {Item} You picked up Mythril Cuisse.Dropped by Lotlhuitl. .
[08:41]
{LOAD GAME}

[09:11] All is right in Haruhi's mind, at least. She's completely absorbed and attached, innocently oblivious to the bitter reception of what had been a confession made in the throes of passion; when Lotlhuitl collapses against the bed, she comes falling down right with her, straddling the woman's right thigh as her own knee comes to rest between Lotlhuitl's thighs - not quite pressing up against her nethers, but most definitely snug between her legs.

She slides her right hand out from under the Nagual's back and snakes it up her side to the other cheek, scraping lines of appreciative contact along the path before a gentle caress of the soft skin of her face. Her left hand slides out in a similar fashion, although its target is far different; she slides it down her side and interlocks her fingers with Lotlhuitl's, squeezing her hand tight before raising it up and out and pressing it down into the bed beside their heads.

All the while, she alternates between little sucks and little pecks over a small area of Lotlhuitl's right cheek, showing her affection as best she knows how. When that knee comes up to rub against her, though, she's knocked out of her rhythm and into a surprised little squeak. She pauses for an instant, for a moment, as she processes it -

before falling back into rhythm with a series of low little moans in-between her sucks and kisses, as she uses the knee like it damn well should be.

When Lotlhuitl turns her head, Haruhi's response is automatic; she melts against the Nagual's lips with her eyes still closed, pressing against her with the same rhythm that she had before, and letting out more throaty moans into the seal between the two -

until everything stops, all at once, and she immediately ceases.

Her eyes shoot open. Afraid. Confused. They lock onto Lotlhuitl's as she instinctively pulls off of her - if only just enough - and as those words hit her ears, she -

she looks like she's about to cry.

"What did I-

How did I-

When did I-"

The three attempts at a sentence come out about as quickly as they end, each one a certain degree more frantic than the last. Her eyes search Lotlhuitl's for a problem, for a solution, as she desperately tries to figure out what she's done wrong.

What had been heavy breaths of passion become hyperventilating inhales and exhales of panic. Her face twists into a deep frown, provoking her dimples to dig into the sides of her face as her hands begin to tremble.

She opens her mouth to reply, and as she chokes up, her eyes become wet with tears again. She tries once and twice more, but her voice fails her and comes out as a squeak, before she finally manages out -

"What did I do wrong?"

It only takes another instant of staring into Lotlhuitl's eyes before Haruhi's whimpering voice breaks down into sobbing and she completely collapses against Lotlhuitl again. Her weight fully bears down upon the woman below her, and hot tears stream from her face onto the Nagual's neck. With every breath comes another vicious sob that makes her chest rise and fall in stuttering, staggered motions.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:35] Lotlhuitl lay back on Haruhi's bed, her expression as stiff as her willowy form. All her muscles held tension. It was DIFFICULT for the Nagual to resist reaching for Haruhi. Almost impossible to not just try and soothe the sobbing younger woman.

"When did you become such a cry baby, Haruhi." Lotlhuitl murmured, tone terse as she failed to answer the woman's stammered sentence fragments. Unimpressed. She was not moved by the display, refused to be moved by it.

Lotlhuitl believed the tears were just the Kitsune trying to manipulate her. Oh, and she'd nearly been fooled. Corruption spiked, along with Lotlhuitl's mana. The odd green reflection springing into view out of the corner of one's eye as Lotlhuitl's gaze remained FIXED on Haruhi: the Nagual was staring. Bitter.

What did Haruhi do wrong?

"I.. I thought you were different, better than Xitlalli. Than Xoconan and Choi. Than Sibri, even." Lotlhuitl muttered. A lump in her throat. Pain. "I.. you have no idea how much it hurts me, knowing that my only real strength is that I look attractive, Haruhi. That people desire me. I envy strong people, people like you, Haruhi. People actually love you. Find you worthy."

Lotlhuitl laughed, somewhat bitterly, as she moved to (admittedly with an effort to not injure or hurt Haruhi) get Haruhi off of her.

She wanted to sit up.

"People only love to lie with me. They love tp possess me, to keep me on their arm: they don't love me. That's all Xoconan ever wanted from me. That's likely all Sibri wants from me. And.. and I guess it's only understandable that's what you want, too."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[09:51] {Item} You drop Mythril Cuirass.
[09:52] {Item} You picked up Mythril Cuirass.Dropped by Lotlhuitl. .
[10:10] Despite the hard wall that the river of tears hits, it does nothing but continue. Every little word throws another shard of glass onto the floor of her mind, shattering and sticking into the edges.

'My only real strength is that I look attractive, Haruhi. That people desire me.'

She's nearly limp as she stammers out,

"That's -

that's so -

so, wrong..."

'People actually love you. Find you worthy.'

Who?

When Lotlhuitl moves to push Haruhi off to the side, to sit up, it's easy enough. She's in no state of mind to resist, though unless Lotlhuitl's detached their hands with a bonesaw, she certainly didn't let go of her right hand. She sits half-up beside her, pushed up from her side, looking up as if staring upon a chastising god. She raisesher right hand, and she seems torn on whether to reach out, or to wipe the tears from her face.

She ends up wiping the tears from her face, but they just keep coming. She has to slide her fingers out from between the Nagual's and sit up, wiping both cheeks away in a concerted effort, before she's able to put together a cohesive response.

Her frown is at an all-time low, and she slowly shakes her head side to side as Lotlhuitl speaks. All of it sounds like -

pain. Deep, all-consuming pain. Something that's -

something that's wrong with Lotlhuitl, and not with her. She knows that isn't the way she is. She knows what she wants Lotlhuitl for, the reason that she wants to be with her; she knows that it's none of those things she said. And she knows -

she knows that what she said about everyone else was true, and that she has to be different. She has to show it.

She holds her head still and fixes wet, streaming crimson eyes at gleaming green ones. While her voice is still shaky, still weak, she manages a certain degree of resolve. Of sincerity.

"Lotlhuitl.

Your body is not what I want from you. It's -

it's wonderful, but -

it's not what I want from you at all.

What I want, is-"

Her voice and her gaze both falter, as she looks down to Lotlhuitl's hand. Slowly, tentatively, she reaches down with a positively soaked hand and wraps hers around it.

Consent willing, of course. If she makes the contact, she squeezes just about as tight as she can.

Either way, afterward she looks back up to Lotlhuitl and says,

"What I want -

is the fact that seeing you makes me... weak. Open. Vulnerable. I want to -

I want to share myself with you. To give you -

to give you everything that I can give. To see you smile, and to smile in return. Everything about you -

you. Not anyone else. Not a single soul in the world -

everything about you is what I want."

As she speaks, though her tears continue to fall from her eyes, she gains better control of her voice, and the stream of tears loses power bit by bit. She takes a short pause, if only for a moment, to collect her thoughts and put her words in order.

"What I meant, when I said... when I said, 'I love this.' I was... I was afraid to say, that..."

An audible gulp.

"I was afraid to say that I love you, because I didn't know how you felt."
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:11] Frederick says, "..."
[10:11] Frederick unfortunately stood there and listened to the whole thing before he realized it was bad timing.
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:15] Frederick doesn't know if he's been noticed or not, but he did have something to do here...oh, right. He sets out a bowl wrapped in cloth. Near the doorway. Very carefully.
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:15] Frederick will leave unless someone is going to try and jolt at him.
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:43] Lotlhuitl didn't even try and make Haruhi let go of her hand. She was visibly shaking, her self loathing threatening to overwhelm her. It was poisoning her.

"So wrong?" Lotlhuitl repeated, shaking her head. She didn't believe the Kitsune. "You have no idea what it's like, Haruhi. I'd give anything to be a bit more like you."

Yes, there was something deeply wrong with Lotlhuitl. Something beyond mere hurt, mere psychological baggage, something which caused reality to shift around the Nagual. Envy, like splinters, causing pain and anguish within her.. within anyone who let the corruption the Nagual wielded influence them.

Frederick had entered, but the Nagual and Kitsune, lightly distracted, had failed to notice the door opening. Though. When it creaked, closing slightly, Lotlhuitl did perk up an ear, looking past Haruhi as she extolled her virtues (well, told her how hot she was - and hotness is a virtue, right?).

Lotlhuitl exhaled. Distracted between the noise at the door and, well, Haruhi. She was still shaking. Something within her screamed at her that the woman was just manipulating her. And so looked to Haruhi, her lips trembling, as she desperately attempted to maintain her detached and serious façade. Though, gradually, her expression (which had been decidedly frosty) seemed to ease. The flush returning to her cheeks as she warmed.

She wanted to trust Haruhi.

"I.. ah.. Haruhi." Lotlhuitl stammered, voice taking on a distinct squeak. Her cheeks burning, lips parted. "I lo--" She was about to say it back, that she loved her.

Her ears twitched.

"Who's there?" Lotlhuitl exhaled sharply, jumping to her feet. She stood, taking a step to get a clear view at the door. What? The Nagual STARED, pausing in her reaching for her metal staff as she recognised the intruder as he turned.

"Frederick?"

Lotlhuitl looked decidedly unimpressed. Her gaze dipped to the stir fry, and back to her bandanna wearing friend.

"Haruhi. Did you call him here? What is this. An intervention? What. Is. This. Or.. or has he been keeping you company while I've been away?"

Lotlhuitl demanded, lips drawn back into a distinct scowl as she proceeded to pick up her metal staff, and move towards her cloak. Angry now, perhaps even frightened, the Nagual spoke harshly to the Kitsune woman. Lotlhuitl's tone was distinctly paranoid.

"Whatever. I get it. I.. I don't deserve your love, Haruhi."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:50] Rick, being the busybody he was, had been doing a LOT of cooking since he'd been injured. So much, in fact, there had simply been too much for him to keep in his home without it going bad. And the last thing he wanted was for his BEAUTIFUL stir fries to go to waste. Of course, what better bright idea, if he couldn't eat them himself? Why, go and throw them at other people, of course.

Unfortunately, rather than leave the meal with the maids of the Mountain Peak Inn like a sensible person, this Drakanite had no sense of timing of privacy. He was going to hand off the bowl straight to Haruhi. If she was in the privacy of her own bedroom doing who-knows-what, it didn't matter.

...but boy, his timing could not have been any worse than today.

The scarf on him hid half of his expression, the headband shadowing his eyes to hide the other half. It was a very good time to have that away from the women who had suddenly become painfully aware of his presence.

He was about to leave, but then...then things got more complicated than necessary. Rick turned his head, slowly, peering over his shoulder. He didn't have a single word to say, it seemed...

...it would be up to Haruhi to salvage this one.
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[10:52] Lotlhuitl made a light hissing sound, teeth grit, NOT taking Frederick's silence well. Grip tightening on her staff..
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:07] Haruhi's attention is transfixed entirely on the woman in front of her as the response to her words slowly trickles out. She clings to it, she hangs on it, and when those words come out, her smile grows, and her heart -

stops, when the Nagual halts and jumps up out of her seat. Joy is replaced by confusion, as she slooowly turns to look where Lotlhuitl does. As her eyes fall upon Frederick and Lotlhuitl begins hailing down three different kinds of baseless accusations, Haruhi turns her head back to look at Lotlhuitl.

... fuck, there go the tears again.

What had been left of her smile dissolves and cracks and melts.

"No, I just -

I just told you I loved you. Why would I-

Why would I want him-"

Her voice catches in her throat and she begins to cry in full force again. She's sitting on the edge of the bed with her legs hanging off the side when she breaks down and starts panicking and hyperventilating.

Again.

Haruhi shoves her face into her hands, hiding it as tears stream past her fingers.

Every word is a struggle, as she stammers and sobs in between each of them, sucking in huge breaths of air afterwards. It's not a pretty sight. (But I'm not typing it out like that because holy fuck would it be annoying to type.)

"How do I keep-

how do I keep messing this up?"

She continues to cry.

Harder.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:08] Frederick is sweating bullets this whole time. Did he just ruin a potential relationship with a stir fry?
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:25] Lotlhuitl was beyond listening. Haruhi's words might as well have been white noise.

"You're.. you're just trying to trick me!" She hissed, sliding her cloak back on.

The wounded part deep within her was cracking. Something howled, hissed. The room was filled with strange pale green reflections, all emanating from the Nagual. "I.. I can't take this!" Reality lurched.

For a brief moment, it was almost like looking at a reflection. Like Lotlhuitl had grabbed something from within them and had somehow spun a copy. Except, it was wrong somehow. A copy wrought from shy coveted glances.

But then it was gone. Leaving behind Lotlhuitl.

That is, Lotlhuitl, shining with the overwhelming and corrupting aura of the Sin of Envy. A pale green light washed over the room. Reflections, where no reflections ought to be!

Envy. It was like glass being stuck beneath fingernails. Lotlhuitl's fingernails. Frederick's fingernails. Haruhi's fingernails. The Nagual didn't fucking care. She hurt, she had been denied what was hers by right, and she wanted everyone to fucking feel the same as her. To be the same as her.

"How dare you just stand there and gloat! How dare you fucking be happy, and then try and steal MY happiness!" She screamed at Frederick, lightning crackling over her willowy form. "Fucking SAY SOMETHING!" She demanded, before thrusting her staff out at Frederick, throwing a burst of lightning at him.

Attacking him.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:28] Rick, realizing how much of a shitshow this was going to be while he could not explain his side of things, knew he had to get the hell out of here. If it wasn't too late, he'd return to them when he could actually say something as ordered...but right now, he was in no condition to fight, and feeling more awkward than he ever had in his whole life.

He attempts to get out of the door and slam it behind him, hopefully letting it absorb the lightning and putting him in an opportune position to escape!
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:34] Lotlhuitl SCREAMED at the top of her lungs. No coherant words, just rage. The Nagual's skin turned pitch black as she attempted to pursue Frederick. Lightning crackling over her form.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:36] Frederick dashes away, quick footfalls hitting the hallway floor. He probably accidentally knocks over a side table on the way out. At least the stir fry he left behind hadn't gotten zapped up or knocked over...
(Frederick)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:39] Haruhi is still bawling her eyes out, for the record.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:43] WHAM.

Lotlhuitl ran headfirst into the door which Frederick had just closed.

BANG!

The Nagual hit it with enough force so as to bust the door off its hinges. She might have even pursued Frederick further, and in fact, her intent was plainly thus, but her attempt to stand resulted in her more, well, twitching in place.

"N-nn!!" Lotlhuitl whined, dazed, aura spluttering out around her.

Curiously, flames not at all disimilar to Frederick's had trailed in the woman's wake. Though, notably, Lotlhuitl had never before shown any aptitude with fire magic.

Finally, she stood. Attempted to leap to her feet, but, well, more staggered. And the sudden change from rolling about on the ground to standing, well, it was enough to make her blood pressure crash even further.. and see her collapse in a dead faint.. not even a step away from the destroyed door..
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[11:54] Haruhi's only broken out of her fit when Lotlhuitl motherfucking

SLAMS into the goddamn door. Haruhi, regardless of the mixture of tears, snot, and spit covering her hands and streaming down her face (I repeat, it is not a pretty picture), snaps her attention to the door, or well.

Lack thereof.

Haruhi squeals, and not the good kind of squealing. It's the 'I've been crying for what feels like two hours' kind of squealing.

"Are you okay?!"

Which is approximately the point where Lotlhuitl hits the floor.

Haruhi scrambles over, and after a small bit of examination, she figures Lotlhuitl doesn't have any wounds. Well, physical ones.

We'll say she carefully, cautiously, lovingly lays Lotlhuitl in bed.

And gets a servant to replace the door.

And writes a note that says,

"Please don't leave me.

I love you,

Haruhi."

and attaches it to the inside of the door.

Then, for awhile, she watches Lotlhuitl sleep. She cries a little more. Then she undresses and goes to bed.

Probably a few inches distance away from Lotlhuitl.

She eventually gets to sleep, but she will need to replace her pillow. It is positively ruined.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[00:17] Haruhi slep.
Haruhi snor.
Haruhi drem.
Haruhi more.
Haruhi wake.
Haruhi grin.
Haruhi look to Lotl within
the covers, she smile
she watch for awhile
Haruhi a happy fox.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:32] my name is Lotl,
and wen its day,
and all the kitsunes
get up to play,
with a frowny face
because one sore hed -
this cat wants sleep
an stays in bed

Lotlhuitl stirred next to Haruhi. The woman's head HURT - a product from smashing face first into Haruhi's bedroom door last night. Slowly, the Nagual woke up.

Her head hurt.

"Nn," she exhaled, eyes fluttering as she found herself blearily staring at Haruhi. Her head was splitting. For a moment, it seemed that Lotlhuitl would let Haruhi's gentle visage in front of her be a soothing balm for the headache she was nursing.

And then.. sunlight.

"What time is it?" Lotlhuitl blurted out, throwing back the covers. Blinking momentarily at her nudity. Judging by the light (painful!) streaming through the windows, it was well past dawn.

Panic.

"I've been away from Gaiar too long."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:41] Haruhi -

wearing some clothing, of course. Little more than underwear, but not quite as unclothed as her dear companion -

leans up and over to put her hand on Lotlhuitl's shoulder.

"Baby, you hurt yourself. Slow down." Haruhi wears a concerned smile as her gaze slides up to the Nagual's noggin. "What's the last thing you remember?"

Haruhi reaches up to lay her free hand atop Lotlhuitl's head, searching for what she assumes will be a pretty big bump. If she happens to find it, she lets out little drizzles of soothing water magic.

Before, of course, leaning forward and putting a little kiss on her cheek.

"You hit your head pretty hard. I was worried."
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[00:53] Slow down?

The tall Nagual exhaled, still blinking as she regarded Haruhi. She'd hit her head? Yes, that made sense. Lotlhuitl's blue fluffy ears twitched and she let out a soft little whimper as Haruhi's hand ran across her scalp, finding the tender lump which still remained. The water magic felt good, though. And so it was that the stiffness and panic momentarily faded.

"I.. I remember.." What did she remember? Lotlhuitl let out a small huff, fluffy blue-black tail twitching as she eased her naked and, well, swiftly shivering form back into Haruhi's waiting arms.

"You were upset. I was upset." Everything was all foggy. Lotlhuitl was visibly struggling to recall what had happened.

"You told me you love me. Is.. is that right?"

(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:10] Haruhi's concern fades somewhat as Lotlhuitl calms down a bit. She looks at the Nagual with the utmost adoration - dimples forming as her smile grows.

When the question comes, she nods alongside a nervous giggle. "I did. I do."

Haruhi pulls Lotlhuitl closer to her, keeping her soothing hand atop her poor lil' noggin as she brings her cheek to Lotlhuitl's cheek and wraps the other hand around to her back. She hugs her nice and tight, or at least as much as she can from the rather awkward position.

She turns her head to - smooch, smooch, smooch - place three little kisses down the line of Lotlhuitl's jaw. One of her fluffy ears rubs and flops against the side of the Nagual's head during the motion. It's maybe a little ticklish.

Haruhi leans back out of the embrace to look Lotlhuitl in the eyes. The hand wrapped 'round her back slides back up to her shoulder, fingers lightly gripping into the flesh as she holds Lotlhuitl in place. She slides the one atop her head down the other side to caress the Nagual's cheek. Her thumb lightly rubs side to side as she lovingly stares...

The Kitsune wears a shining smile as she declares,

Thump, thump, thump.

"I love you. I do."

Her cheeks flush with warmth and her heartbeat becomes audible in her fingers. It pulses against Lotlhuitl's skin as it races, as it thrums through her veins.

Thump, thump, thump.

"You're the most important person in the world to me. Remember that, okay? That's...

it's all Ineed from you. It's all I want."
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[01:31] Haruhi loved her.

Lotlhuitl felt her mouth go dry. The Nagual stared at little Haruhi, blearily at first, and then with a sort of dawning awe. What the fuck had she done to deserve this?

The Nagual was limp as the Kitsune drew her nearer. Her pulse fluttering in her chest. Racing. She didn't at all resist as Haruhi hugged her, snuggled up to her, held her.

What was this?

Lotlhuitl's breath caught in her throat. She was trembling. A cascade of her own blue-black hair the only thing which concealed her rich brown skin from view. Bare, and vulnerable, and held in place.

"I.." Lotlhuitl exhaled in a squeak. Her head hurt. She felt weak. Her skin was prickling. She felt all warm and fuzzy but also stunned at the same time. She didn't move as Haruhi touched her. As fingers gripped into her warm flesh. As a thumb caressed her now flushed cheeks.

"I love you too, Haruhi." A whisper.

There was something wrong with her vision. Lotlhuitl found herself blinking back tears, her gaze decidedly misty as she tried to conceal the fact that she was, well, moved to the point of tears.

Only now did Lotlhuitl raise a hand to cup Haruhi's cheek. Only now did she lean in to kiss the redheaded Kitsune.

Somehow, though, even as Haruhi smiled at her, Lotlhuitl did not seem too terribly overjoyed.

No! Her self loathing threatened to peak. Oh, she wanted this all right. But her child was in danger. What kind of person was she, to even consider indulging in all of this.

And so it was the naked Nagual attempted to break away from Haruhi, and wordlessly move to dress herself.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:03] Any and all negative thoughts under Lotlhuitl's surface completely escape Haruhi. When that whisper comes -

thump.

thump.

- her pulse spikes in pressure, and her elation with it. She stares as deeply into Lotlhuitl's eyes as she possibly can - soaking up every detail of those beautiful mirrors as she sweetly smiles back.

When the kiss comes, she meets it with passion, with vigor, melting against her lover as her blood dances in her veins. Her grip on the woman's shoulder strengthens, and her fingernails dig into the skin as she lets out an mmph of pleasure.

When the time comes for contact to be broken, Haruhi is left with lips parted and hot breaths misting in the cold air. Her eyes remain transfixed upon Lotlhuitl and Lotlhuitl alone -

but she reaches up to wipe off her mouth with her forearm, smearing spit in a line as she prepares to follow after. If she's allowed, she assists in helping the Nagual dress herself, though there's certainly not all that much dressing that needs to be done.

And by all's said and done, she's probably more dressed than Lotlhuitl is, really. At that thought, she lets out a delighted little giggle and leans in to put another kiss just under Lotlhuitl's cheek. She brings a hand down to rest at her lover's belly, fingers drawing a line of warmth along their path.

"I'm glad.

That we... that we can love each other.

It makes me really happy. It warms my heart."
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:24] The memory of their kiss persisted long after Lotlhuitl had drawn away from Haruhi, swung her legs out of bed and stood. A finger momentarily pressed to her lips as she glanced over a shoulder at Haruhi.. before Lotlhuitl continued on her quest (to dress herself).

Tall and graceful and strong and willowy.

At 30 years old, Lotlhuitl still had a form worthy of being envied.

The Nagual let Haruhi assist. Let Haruhi's gentle fingers tug at buckles and set armour in place. Let the woman giggle and stroke her flesh. The Kitsune's touch wrought shivers in its wake. Lotlhuitl found herself blushing, biting her bottom lip. Desire and affection evident in her gaze as the green-eyed Nagual regarded sweet, strong Haruhi.

Along with something else.

Corruption. A niggling paranoia, a suspicion that Haruhi was holding out on her somehow. Or.. trying to control her.

Lotlhuitl shuddered, raising both hands to rub at her temples, as if the headache was returning. No. She would dismiss such thoughts, even as the temptation was to indulge, to let her paranoia grow.

"Don't forget it, Haruhi." Lotlhuitl murmured, still not looking at the Kitsune.

"I... I have a lot to teach you, about the spirits. About me. Once.. Once I've got Atoli, I want you to come with me. I want you to learn about the spirits, about the world. I want to teach you everything I know, Haruhi."

Finally, she attempted to look Haruhi in the eye.

"I.. I love you." She'd said it again. Such affection felt strange, the Nagual visibly squirming, her volume dropping as she continued, most earnest, "I'll make sure to return to you."
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[02:54] "I won't forget anything.

Not a word.

I... 'I want to learn everything about you.'

That's what you told me, wasn't it?"

She wraps her other hand around the woman's waist, drawing herself closer as she soaks up all the warmth she can get in the cold room. Haruhi presses her bare skin up against the chilled armor as she stares lovingly at dear Lotlhuitl.

Delighted. Ecstatic. Enamored. Transfixed and absorbed as the woman looks her way.

'I love you.'

Haruhi leans forward once more, flattening herself against Lotlhuitl as she steals another kiss - lighter, more tender, more innocent as her weight presses into the woman's form, as her body conforms to Lotlhuitl's contours.

Just as quickly as she leans in, she pulls little more than an instant of movement away, letting remnant moisture bridge the gap between their lips as her heartbeat thrums through the surface of her bare skin. All along every point of contact, it powerfully pulses...

Almost as if whispering, as if sharing a secret that no one else has the right to know.

She holds Lotlhuitl's gaze in her own for a full five heartbeats before her reply.

"I'll be waiting day and night for you. If not here, then somewhere. This is our room. What's mine is yours.

And I love that almost as much as I love you.

I want to share it all."

As she speaks, her lips brush up against Lotlhuitl's - a light, perhaps ticklish touch. Her breaths are warm and soft as she holds that closeness, that intimacy. Evidently content to merely...

bask, in Lotlhuitl's presence.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:25] Lotlhuitl wanted to know Haruhi inside and out. Heck. She wanted to be her.

"Yes..!" A small choked cry, the tall woman's breathing turning audible as she STARED down at the small, redheaded Kitsune woman.

Whereas everything Haruhi had managed to say the day before had somehow been the perfect combination of things to trigger Lotlhuitl's paranoia, this? Pure honey. The Nagual was blushing, hanging off her every word. She stared at Haruhi from beneath long, dark eyelashes. Her own words choked back as Haruhi flattened herself against her.

Dark blue-black hair cascaded over her shoulders, all the way to the middle of her back. Lotlhuitl's body was yielding to Haruhi's touch, the Nagual finding herself wanting much, much, much more than merely to conform herself to Haruhi's body. She wanted to wrap her arms around the younger woman. Wanted to hold her close. Kiss her. Tellher that she was beautiful ,and worthy, and by the spirits, she was crazy about her. For a moment, Lotlhuitl's hands just shook. Her breathing was shakey, her gaze misting up once again as she found herself surging with emotion.

Who was crying? She wasn't crying. Shut up. She wanted to run her hands through Haruhi's hair. Along Haruhi's body. Feeling the curve and swell of Haruhi's form. And in fact, if the Kitsune let her, she would for a few moments. Savouring the touch, the warmth, the taste of her dear sweet friend.

Her love.

Lotlhuitl bent slightly at the waist as she leant in for a kiss. Her hair, silken and straight, spilled past her shoulders. Metal jingled and jostled against each other. She was shaking. Shivering. Trembling.

Chaste. Sweet, almost.

"Haruhi.." Lotlhuitl breathed Haruhi's name as one of her hands traced along the other woman's jaw.

And then she was pulling away. A lump in her throat. She could feel the corruption welling up within her. The paranoia, the fear, the pain. The envy.

Envy, rotting her soul from inside out.

Visibly, the woman looked conflicted. Haunted, perhaps. She turned, fingers reaching for the door.

"I have to go."

And perhaps that would have been it! Perhaps she would've fled before Haruhi could say a proper goodbye, before she could freak out again. But the door was locked.

An audible gasp rolled from Lotlhuitl's lips. Her tail visibly bristled. And with LARGE green eyes, she stared back over a shoulder at Haruhi. Guilty, and, well... awkward.
(Lotlhuitl)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[03:34] She loves it all. Indulges in it all, consents to it all - with complete and total ignorance of the corruption underneath. She had known something was wrong with Lotlhuitl, but...

everything was okay, was it not?

And when she pulled away, just the same as all the other times, Haruhi is...

fine.

Not surprised, although perhaps a little worried. Fine.

She maintains her smile as she approaches. She presses herself to Lotlhuitl's back, gives her a little kiss on the cheek, and squeezes her super tight at the waist.

"Go do what you need to do. I'll be okay."

She loosens the grip to reach forward and unlock the door with one hand as Lotlhuitl remains in her embrace with the other.

Crimson eyes meet green mirrors, soaking in what'll be the last look for a long time.

Haruhi brings the same hand up that had unlocked the door and grabs the little letter she'd written and attached to it.

"Please don't leave me.

I love you,

Haruhi."

She reaches down, folds it between her hands, and stuffs it into one of Lotlhuitl's.

"Keep this safe."

After a little squeeze, then... Kitty's free to go.
(Haruhi Noriega)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------