[ Having genuinely thought he had overwhelmed her, Wanderer can only make a small grunt of surprise as she curls her fingers into his kimono and drags him into a kiss. It's—quick, immeasurably soft. His fingers twitch outwards at his sides in disbelief, and for a moment, he can only stare at her reddened face, now so close to his that he can see her individual eyelashes.
Those two seconds feel both short and very long. Even when Mona releases him, he still feels caught up in her force, the warm pressure of her lips on his. If he had a heart, it'd surely be pounding in his chest from adrenaline. ]
...Hah.
[ Wanderer eventually manages a small huff of a laugh, drawing back slightly to study her face. ]
I should know better by now than to underestimate you.
[ Just as he thought, Mona Megistus continues to surprise him. She has always been different—if not his equal, then somehow a step ahead of him. Wanderer refuses to believe in her foolish stars, but there may be a single truth in them: he is destined to be wrapped around her littlest finger. ]
[ These two seconds are incredibly long for her, too. She has to close her eyes and pull herself in – does she regret it? Hm. The pompous part of her wants to shake her and scream and talk about how humiliating that must seem.
The core part of Mona Megistus, however, doesn't regret it at all. That side of her is what's evident, what's showing on her very flushed face and in how she looks back at him with some sort of determination in her eyes. What that determination is for is unclear, but it takes her a moment to reply to his retort with a scoff of her own. ]
Of course. Why, it isn't as if we've been traveling together for weeks now.
[ Looks like her bite's returned. Good, she thinks. She doesn't have to look like a coward in front of him anymore, even if it means suppressing the urge to run away and hide. ]
Victory is very clearly mine.
[ As if this were a competition. She says it with a small smirk on her lips, but her cheeks are still giving way to how flustered she truly is. ]
[ At one point, he considered her prideful demeanor frustrating—he wanted all to kneel before him as a Harbinger—but now her attempt at bravado is simply endearing. Wanderer can't help the low chuckle from leaving his chest as he reaches out to cup her cheeks in his palms, running the pad of one thumb over her skin.
Like her lips, they're soft, too.
Wanderer has lived centuries; he isn't inexperienced by any means, but it is very much different for there to be... affection in his body language, his expression. Long ago, when he'd gone by a different name, he allowed himself to feel this way. Those distinctly human feelings are resurfacing now. ]
'Victory'. Say it like that, and I might take it away from you.
[ (Un)luckily for him, Mona Megistus bows to no one. ... Or so her demeanor would suggest, but those who know her well – like he does at this point – know that she'll submit to the right people. He, however, aggravates her so much that it helps her fight back and use her sharp tongue to rile him up as much as she can.
Ironically, this is one of the rarer moments in which Wanderer is starting to draw something more submissive out of her, with how he touches her cheek, how his eyes soften. It's unusual for him to look this way. She's never seen it on him before, let alone see him offer to make her bed for her. He's always been one to let her take care of herself, which she's never had a problem with, but now...he's offering to do something so gentle for her. It does nothing to quell her embarrassment.
Mona will not stop him, though. Instead, she just looks down at her tea, averting her gaze so it doesn't stay on his anymore. ]
Fine, so long as you call me by my name. Just this once.
[ It's phrased like it's a quip, and it is – but she also just wants to hear him say it, even if it's only for tonight. Even if he never calls her Mona ever again. ]
[ After gazing into his eyes for that brief moment, Mona looks away at last. Her long, black lashes cast faint shadows against her colored cheeks, the green of her eyes vivid against her skin. And when she speaks, there's that familiar prideful edge, like she isn't flushing under his stare or allowing him to caress her face. He is sure that if he were to lean in closer, she would lose that thinly-veiled composure and fluster further. It's almost tempting, but he'll give her that grace.
Wanderer can't help but snort to himself. If Mona had managed to continue peering up at him, she would've caught a surprisingly soft expression. ]
Fufu... You sound like a child.
[ Mona's selfish demand is terribly innocent. It reminds Wanderer of the unnamed boy from long ago, whom he had coddled and nursed. That small human had also made demands such as this one; 'sing to me or I won't sleep' or 'play with me and I'll peel fruits with you'. ]
Drink the remainder of your tea, Mona. [ There's an amusing lilt in his voice. ] And then prepare for bed.
[ His thumb strokes over her cheek once before Wanderer releases her entirely. ]
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no subject
Those two seconds feel both short and very long. Even when Mona releases him, he still feels caught up in her force, the warm pressure of her lips on his. If he had a heart, it'd surely be pounding in his chest from adrenaline. ]
...Hah.
[ Wanderer eventually manages a small huff of a laugh, drawing back slightly to study her face. ]
I should know better by now than to underestimate you.
[ Just as he thought, Mona Megistus continues to surprise him. She has always been different—if not his equal, then somehow a step ahead of him. Wanderer refuses to believe in her foolish stars, but there may be a single truth in them: he is destined to be wrapped around her littlest finger. ]
CRAWLS BACK
The core part of Mona Megistus, however, doesn't regret it at all. That side of her is what's evident, what's showing on her very flushed face and in how she looks back at him with some sort of determination in her eyes. What that determination is for is unclear, but it takes her a moment to reply to his retort with a scoff of her own. ]
Of course. Why, it isn't as if we've been traveling together for weeks now.
[ Looks like her bite's returned. Good, she thinks. She doesn't have to look like a coward in front of him anymore, even if it means suppressing the urge to run away and hide. ]
Victory is very clearly mine.
[ As if this were a competition. She says it with a small smirk on her lips, but her cheeks are still giving way to how flustered she truly is. ]
HOLDS YOU
Like her lips, they're soft, too.
Wanderer has lived centuries; he isn't inexperienced by any means, but it is very much different for there to be... affection in his body language, his expression. Long ago, when he'd gone by a different name, he allowed himself to feel this way. Those distinctly human feelings are resurfacing now. ]
'Victory'. Say it like that, and I might take it away from you.
[ He doesn't like losing, either. ]
Finish your tea, mage. I'll prepare your bed.
no subject
Ironically, this is one of the rarer moments in which Wanderer is starting to draw something more submissive out of her, with how he touches her cheek, how his eyes soften. It's unusual for him to look this way. She's never seen it on him before, let alone see him offer to make her bed for her. He's always been one to let her take care of herself, which she's never had a problem with, but now...he's offering to do something so gentle for her. It does nothing to quell her embarrassment.
Mona will not stop him, though. Instead, she just looks down at her tea, averting her gaze so it doesn't stay on his anymore. ]
Fine, so long as you call me by my name. Just this once.
[ It's phrased like it's a quip, and it is – but she also just wants to hear him say it, even if it's only for tonight. Even if he never calls her Mona ever again. ]
no subject
Wanderer can't help but snort to himself. If Mona had managed to continue peering up at him, she would've caught a surprisingly soft expression. ]
Fufu... You sound like a child.
[ Mona's selfish demand is terribly innocent. It reminds Wanderer of the unnamed boy from long ago, whom he had coddled and nursed. That small human had also made demands such as this one; 'sing to me or I won't sleep' or 'play with me and I'll peel fruits with you'. ]
Drink the remainder of your tea, Mona. [ There's an amusing lilt in his voice. ] And then prepare for bed.
[ His thumb strokes over her cheek once before Wanderer releases her entirely. ]