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#Post#: 1133--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: unknownmercury Date: June 22, 2020, 10:20 pm
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Septimus nodded a bit as Asena spoke. Her story revealed a new
layer to Melrose that Septimus had not gotten a chance to see.
At her question, he smiled and poured some of the tea the
kitchen maid had brought in while Asena spoke. "I wouldn't say
we're getting along, exactly. He and I don't speak to each other
much. If we do, it's usually to discuss your campaign. He seems
interesting, but I feel like we just have very little in
common."
He shrugged softly and sipped at his tea before setting the cup
down. He shifted a bit in the plush chair and looked at Asena
with a slightly darker expression. "Do you want to talk about...
Damon? I know it must be painful, so there's no pressure, but I
have a certain curiosity about the man who could win your
heart." Damon had been working for Gabrielle, he knew. Had
Asena's lover been spying? Was that why the woman had seen fit
to kill him?
"He must have certainly been something," he said. He'd fallen a
bit flat here, balancing sympathizing with Asena and his need to
know more. Well, if she didn't want to talk, she would say no.
If she did want to talk, he'd given her an excuse to do so.
A quiet, traitorous little part of himself was thinking that if
she ended up crying and in need of consoling, then that was a
nice excuse to hold her close. He tried to quash that part of
himself. She was still in mourning, after all. He wouldn't take
advantage of her.
#Post#: 1136--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: Kimcora Date: June 23, 2020, 12:49 am
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Asena's lips quirked into a smile at the news that they only
really talked about her. Really? In all those strategy meetings
they had, not once did they decided to just talk? She had hoped
this party would have a chance to form some bonds or perhaps get
closer to one another. Asena was still determined to figure
Farren out and had enjoyed sparring with Elissac. Melrose was
her Uncle and the closest thing to family she had, next to her
Aunt Mariam. Then little Konsole was joining them and he seemed
like a cutie pie. Aidene was fun to shop with. And
Septimus...Sept was turning into someone she enjoyed spend her
time with. That made her glad she agreed to come here and spend
her time as opposed to remaining alone.
A comfortable quiet fell over the two as they enjoyed the tea
and Asena let her eyes wander to the view out the windows. She
had been watching a few birds hopping along the garden grass
when Septimus said Damon's name. The name hit hard and she took
a moment to process what he was asking. Did she want to talk
about Damon? He was...curious about him? She looked down at the
tea cup in her hands, realizing she had it in a death grip that
she eased upon seeing it. She mulled over the idea of it all,
about sharing something that personal when she was sober and
while it was still a fresh wound.
His next statement about Damon being something made Asena give a
bit of sad smile as the emotions began to bubble back up.
Perhaps...Perhaps she could trust Septimus with this? It wasn't
unfair to unload on him, but a part of her mourned keeping it
all bottled up inside...She would be careful and try not to
overwhelm him. "Damon is..." She closed her eyes a moment as she
held back the wave of pain that came back to her. "Damon was
someone special. It would be a shame not to satisfy your
interest in him." She said, speaking down towards her lap before
her eyes rose to Septimus's, a certain strain there. "If you
have any specific questions, I don't mind answering them. As
long the answers stay between us? You know I'm not a good liar
so, the answers will be honest and--well--I guess I trust you
with that." She said before she looked back towards the window.
"I think you two would have actually gotten along. He really
cared about people and would do anything in his power to help.
It made him driven, brave, and resilient. And oh so patient with
me. It took me embarrassingly long to realize he was the love of
my life." She chuckled even if a stray tear did slip her
control. She quickly wiped it away, trying to remain composed.
After all, she just insinuated that Damon and Septimus were
alike...Perhaps that was wrong of her to say as they were very
different men that just shared the good qualities. But there was
a relief to her in realizing why she trusted Septimus so easily.
"But I suppose you're wondering more why he was
with...Her...rather than me." She sniffled, suddenly wishing the
tea was whiskey instead. "He joined her party to spy on her for
me. I didn't ask him to or know he was even with her until the
banquet. The night of the Banquet he told me. He said he had
some dirt on her, but we--uh--never got around to talking about
her." She said, averting her eyes at that. "I begged him not to
but he wouldn't listen...And then that bitch killed him. No
doubt to send a message...I'm sure she found out..."She lost
herself in the memory of the debate, hearing Gabrielle's words
fade out as the ring clattered on the podium. It brought a few
more tears that she quickly swiped at, but she was failing to
catch them all.
#Post#: 1143--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: unknownmercury Date: June 23, 2020, 10:25 pm
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"I see." Septimus nodded a bit. Damon had been a good person, it
seemed. And Asena had just implied that Septimus was similar in
her eyes. He looked away in mild embarrassment at the thought.
He took another sip of his tea. "If Gabby did it -- and I agree
that she probably did -- then we'll find a way to get her back
for that."
He pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and reached across to
offer it to her without a word. He didn't judge her for crying.
He still shed tears about his family sometimes. "I'm sorry for
bringing it up. I should have been more considerate of your
feelings."
#Post#: 1144--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: Kimcora Date: June 23, 2020, 10:57 pm
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Asena heard his voice and was pulled from that memory, her eyes
going to his face and looking less far off. He, however, looked
away and she felt a bit strangely at that. She worried she had
said too much, that perhaps he thought less of her for this.
The truth of it all was she had been sneaking around behind her
party’s backs to see a man that was on the opposing side,
letting him spy on another candidate, and sleeping with him
outside of any real engagement. She hid that from them and
almost cost herself the debate and the election for it...And
here she was sobbing like a child over him, when it was her own
fault that Gabrielle or whoever in her party, got ahold of Damon
in the first place. If she had just gone with him to Uleplex or
written him more...If she had left the Nomadic Warriors and not
tried for the seat on the Truce...Damon would still be here and
she wouldn’t be bothering Septimus with problems that he surely
wished he wasn’t dealing with. It couldn’t have been great for
him to listen to her wallow in her own sorrow...
Her negative thoughts were interrupted by him suddenly speaking
on Gabrielle, especially when he stated they would find a way to
get back at her. He would help her in that? He didn’t think this
was her fault? Or fault her for wanting that revenge? She felt
an odd pang in her chest, one that made her set her tea cup down
and instead focus on Septimus. She felt...oddly unstable at the
moment, not mentally but emotionally. She felt like she didn’t
want to talk anymore and just wanted comfort. And why did she
want it from Septimus? Was it because he was there? Or because
he was trying to help? Or...
She blinked a few tears away when he offered her a handkerchief
from his sleeve, like he was saving it for this occasion. She
didn’t take the handkerchief and instead listened to his
apology. She didn’t find it insensitive at all, but instead
found it oddly relieving to finally talk about Damon. Even if
she tried desperately to shove the emotions down deep into her
subconscious to keep them at bay, she felt that it only was
serving to hurt her more...At least Septimus wasn’t against
hearing her out without judgement and that felt so nice.
The show of gentlemanly kindness with the apology and cloth, the
openness, and finally his presence made her heart squeeze and
Asena felt a that resolve to stay strong getting weaker and
weaker. Before she really thought about what she was doing, she
took his hand instead of the handkerchief and rose, pulling him
to his feet with her. She only looked at him briefly, tears
still welling up in her eyes, before she hugged him. She buried
her face in his chest to his the fact her stronger mask was
breaking and so she could let the tears out a bit more freely.
It was obvious she was crying by how her shoulders shook and
most likely his dampening shirt, but Asena believed this was
better than just crying in front of him in a chair on her own.
Also, there was a comfort to his warmth, the smell of some sort
of fragrance in his soap, and the way he felt solid and real. It
only served to break down the walls she was trying to build back
up to keep herself together and made her cling to him a bit more
for that feeling that filled her like balm to a burn.
#Post#: 1145--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: unknownmercury Date: June 23, 2020, 11:30 pm
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He was surprised when Asena pulled him to his feet. He was even
more surprised when she leaned into his chest and began really
crying. Instinctively, Septimus wrapped his arms around her and
rested his chin on her head. One hand stroked up and down her
back in an attempt to soothe her.
He had never seen Asena like this. Even the night before when
he'd found her, she had been a bit more angry than sad, growling
rather than sobbing. He should probably feel good that she felt
comfortable enough to cry in front of him, but instead he felt
protective. He wanted to make sure that nobody made her cry
again.
#Post#: 1148--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: Kimcora Date: June 24, 2020, 8:57 am
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Asena let her tears fall, ignoring the part of herself that
found this awkward or wrong. She had been right in assuming he
could comfort her and Asena was glad for that. Instead of
pushing her away, he held her and she could feel this soothing
touch on her back. Should being held by another man actually
make her feel this safe and secure? Maybe not...But having him
there helped to heal a little something in Asena that felt like
it was breaking. She wouldn’t push him away, even if she felt
this was a little unfair to do to him.
Eventually her tears had stopped and Asena felt properly
exhausted by her emotions and the comforting hold Septimus had
on her. She pulled away slightly, taking a look at his shirt
that was currently sporting tear stains from her. She couldn’t
help the blush that crept its way into her cheeks or the fact
her heart beat quickened when she found she liked being in his
arms. She looked up at him with confidence, even if on the
inside she felt fluttery underneath the calming sadness.
“Thank you for that. I’m sorry about the shirt. And for
effectively ruining tea...” She tried to smooth out the wrinkles
in his shirt, but failed as obviously the fabric wasn’t agreeing
with being wet or having a woman’s face nestled in it. She felt
that odd racing of her heart coming back and knew instantly her
feelings must have been confused. She wasn’t...She couldn’t be
attracted to Septimus...Damon has just died and she was sure
Septimus couldn’t think of her that way. They were as good as
business partners and she shouldn’t cross that line...It wasn’t
right to do to him. Especially if this was just her body’s way
of seeking comfort for the pain she felt of losing someone she
loved.
“I think...I need to retire for today. I need a moment to
think.” She told him, but took an extra second to enjoy the
strong hold around her before she moved away. She put some
distance between them and offered him a softer smile. “Tomorrow
perhaps, if you aren’t busy, we could enjoy each other’s company
again.” She stated assuredly, knowing that by then she could
forget about these odd feelings and could get back to working on
herself to be ready for her duties as a candidate. “Good
afternoon, Septimus.” She have a small awkward wave before she
turned on her heels and left the room, feeling her body
temperature take and uptick in heat that wasn’t due to her
Magis.
Asena spent the rest of the day in bed, dealing with her
thoughts of Damon. She let herself mourn in peace, taking
moments to find what her limits were and trying to patch the
holes she had made. When that was through, it was night and the
maid had come by with something for her to eat as her prior
attempt to make her leave the room had failed. As she nibbled on
a bit of what she wanted off the plate, her mind wandered to
Septimus now. It was odd to her that she was feeling any sort of
way about the man now. As a girl she would was simply brushed
this off as her hormones or it being a sign of her friendship.
But Damon had taught her a bit about the signs when her emotions
were shifting and she was picking up now that perhaps she hadn’t
forgotten that old attraction to the man. When they traveled
together, she had found him attractive and had thought his
personality was one she could see herself getting along with.
Being alone with him now had apparently awoken some of that line
of thought that still lingered. But she couldn’t allow it...not
now or ever really. She promised Septimus that she would help
him with his school and he was helping her with her campaign.
That was what was important...not messing up their friendship.
Not to mention she knew her emotions were all over the place and
her heart was wounded by Damon’s death. She couldn’t rightly
care for another when that hadn’t properly healed. Asena groaned
at her own incompetence in matters of emotion, before flopping
back down into the covers and pillows. Memories of Damon holding
her as they fell asleep soothed her as her eyes began to drift
shut. At some point in her half lucid state, that hold changed
to Septimus as she passed out from her day.
It was early morning when Asena crawled out of bed and threw on
her clothing to go and practice her stances with her sword.
Might as well do something after after she was so lazy the night
before. She tried to remain quiet as to not wake the others in
the house, even if one of the maids was quick to tell her that
she needed to eat something. She was quick to refuse, as she had
wanted to go swimming after she practiced for a bit and hated
working out on a full stomach. It was a bit later and Asena felt
a bit more confident and awake after her practice. It was tiring
after a while so she decided to sit on the grass a moment,
admiring the pond and thinking how when she caught her breath
she could be allowed to take a swim.
#Post#: 1152--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: unknownmercury Date: June 24, 2020, 2:38 pm
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After the tears were done and Asena had gone to bed, Septimus
retired to his room for the night. He slept, and he dreamed
about Asena Valda, though he could not recall the specifics in
the light of day. All he remembered was her face looking up at
him with a warmth in her eyes that he hadn't seen in a long
while.
In the morning he pulled on a pair of older pants and grabbed a
change of clothes before heading back out to the terrace. His
morning routine consisted of a few hours of training with both
his Magis and his physical skills. Today, however, he paused
upon seeing Asena going through sword stances. He watched in
silence from a distance. She didn't seem to notice him.
Once she was done, he decided to approach as she sat on the
grass. He could see her eyeing the pond, and he chuckled softly
to himself. "That water is cold in the mornings," he warned.
"Great for cooling off after exercise, but I wouldn't recommend
going any deeper than your waist, or you might cramp and drown.
Made that mistake once. Luckily Lorenz was there and
quick-thinking or I'd be resting at the bottom."
"I'm going to do my morning training real quick, and then I'll
join you, if you want." He paused and blushed as he remembered
something: he didn't have any swimwear. It was his pond on his
estate, so he usually went without anything in the water. Well,
he supposed that the pants he wore could serve a new purpose.
The thought of not doing that was very tempting, though.
#Post#: 1153--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: Kimcora Date: June 24, 2020, 6:19 pm
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Asena looked over her shoulder as Septimus approached, her lips
pulling into a smile. He told her that the water was cold and
even admitted to almost drowning. She looked back at the
swimming hole and gave a bit of a worried look. Poor Septimus
almost drowned and she probably would have gotten herself into
trouble just being stubborn. Asena certainly wasn’t a fish and
wasn’t the best swimmer either, even if she loved the water and
could keep herself afloat. It was best she just hung out in the
shallows then.
“I don’t mind the cold but I’ll take your word for it...” She
said as she climbed to her feet to go take that dip in the
water. She did look back at him when he offered to swim with her
after his own training. That made her mind go to where it
shouldn’t have when she wondered just what he would wear to
swim. ‘Ditz of course the pants.’ She thought before she
realized she hadn’t given a reply. “Sure, I’d love the company.”
She made her way to the water’s edge and decided to slip off her
pants, but left on her shirt as it was oversized anyways and
wouldn’t show off her underclothes to a man. While she wouldn’t
normally care, there was something in her that felt a certain
awkwardness to the idea.
Asena eases into the water and gave a shiver, a laugh leaving
her at just how cold it felt on her feet. “Son of a—Torgar, that
is cold!” She said but her determination didn’t let her give up.
She wanted to enjoy the water d*mn it and she wanted to swim.
She eased in further and got about to her waist before she
wouldn’t go further. She eased back into the water Since it
wasn’t all that deep and splashed her face and ran some water
through her hair. She thought a moment if she could actually
heat the water up with her Magis, but felt like that might be
irresponsible. Besides, what it she ended up boiling herself up
or some poor fish or frog in here. She moved to sit a bit closer
to the shore, just lounging in the morning sun. While her
attention should have remained on the water and the scenery
beyond, she found herself glancing to see what a morning work
out entailed for her friend. Asena had to admit she was
impressed a man that spent so much time in that library and in a
political office. Then again she didn’t intend to give up on her
level of activity either if she did win this election...Perhaps
she could ask Septimus for some pointers? Maybe a lesson or two
in hand to hand? She found herself gazing a bit too long at his
back and those shoulders when she finally snapped out of it and
splashed herself again. What was wrong with her?
When Septimus was able to join her, she had maneuvered a little
further into the water. “You weren’t kidding about it being
cold. If I wasn’t awake before I am now.” She teased as she
pushed a wet strand from her face. She tried not to really look
at him a moment, still scolding herself for her behavior
earlier.
#Post#: 1155--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: unknownmercury Date: June 24, 2020, 7:56 pm
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Septimus spent a couple hours moving stones with his Magis and
then doing some martial arts forms, similar to the pattern
sequences of a sword but with punches and kicks rather than
sword blows. After he'd worked up a bit of a sweat, he pulled a
weighted target from the shed and worked on putting more power
behind his attacks. Only after an hour of that did he stretch
and stroll down to the pond to join Asena.
"It warms up as the day goes on. I'll often take an afternoon
dip to cool off without freezing." He chuckled and carefully
waded in, biting back a yelp as he felt the cold water creeping
up his legs. "Give me a moment," he said, then took a deep
breath and plunged himself under water. After the initial burst
of bubbles from the movement, the water was crystal clear.
And Asena Valda was not wearing trousers. Septimus did not mean
to discover this fact, but once the water had cleared it was
very obvious to him. Only the fluttering hem of an overly-long
shirt kept her modest. Septimus surfaced quickly, brushing his
hair back out of his eyes as he broke the water. His teeth
chattered, but he grinned a bit. "Th-there. M-much better."
Despite himself, he couldn't stop his eyes from traveling over
her form. The shirt was oversized, but with the water weighing
it down...
He cleared his throat and glanced away. "We went to bed kind of
early last night. Tonight I'd like to have a proper supper. How
does roast with veggies sound?"
#Post#: 1159--------------------------------------------------
Re: Chapter 1.65: Kindled Embers (Asena & Septimus) [Y1057]
By: Kimcora Date: June 24, 2020, 11:44 pm
---------------------------------------------------------
Asena combed her fingers through her hair as Septimus spoke on
the water temperature. Well d*mn, maybe she should have thought
about that and taken her swim later. Asena gave a small shrug,
eyes going to Septimus as he waded in, trying to look tough
against the chilly water. She knew he must have been suffering
like she initially was. "Ah, note to self. The water is warmer
in the afternoon and Septimus doesn't enjoy a morning swim." She
teased as she didn't blame the man. As a Heli user, she ran a
few degrees hotter and even she was shivering lightly. It felt
refreshing and she was enjoying herself, but she might have a
better time if the cold wasn't soaking into her bones. When he
dove under, Asena eased back into her sit and watched the
bubbles a moment. She bit her lip as she thought back to him
training moments ago and was drawn back to him pinning her the
other day. A huff pulled through her and she turned her
attention instead to a small bird she saw. Anything to get her
mind off of the man that no doubt by now realized she was down
to a shirt and underwear since the water was cold. Whoops...Well
he would forgive her. After all, he saw her in less bathing by
the river a few years ago. Besides...Was it all that bad if his
eyes wandered a little?
'Yes, very bad. This is your advisor. Don't pull him into your
messy life...Not when you're just using him to ignore your
loss.' She thought before he resurfaced and she got a good look
at his dark hair being pushed from his face. She couldn't help
that his grin was contagious or the fact that his teeth
chattering sounded funny to her. But, of course, he was looking
away from her and going back to business. Perhaps she was
mistaken, but she thought she felt his eyes on her...At him
switching the topic to dinner, she felt a bit of awkward energy
rising in her as well. Right, dinner together. She should be
thinking about that... "A meal together sounds lovely. I could
go for roast and veggies." She paused a moment, realizing that
she was acting strange, when she didn't want to be. After all,
now they were just sitting in the quiet, when they could be
having fun. Asena got a childish thought and glanced down at the
water. Perhaps he might get mad with her, but she wanted to see
if she could make this a little less awkward for herself. She
was the one mucking things up by trying to get feelings involved
that she shouldn't be having.
"You know what would go great with roast?" Her tone dropped into
something more kittenish. She leaned over in Septimus's
direction, her expression inviting and mischievous. She didn't
pay much attention that the weight of the water dragged her
shirt down, affording a brief look down her shirt if he glanced.
Asena was much too busy setting the trap for her little plan at
some fun. "A nice glass of cold water." She drew up a hand from
the water and splashed at Septimus. A playful laugh bubbled from
her lips as splashed at him again and maneuvered herself back to
avoid retaliation.
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