NOVEMBER EVENT | THE HARBINGER ORACLE

[beleos]

HEDGING YOUR BETS

Bearers feel it. Similar to when the Scorching Isles was opened, there is the same tug, from somewhere in the distance. Those who are in springstar feel it from closer, like a blossom of warmth in your heart, you feel the Oracle spring to life. Those in Highstorm feel it too, but distant. Far away. You remember Cyrus’s words, that it would come to life in Springstar, and you know, just from the relative distance, from how far away it feels – He was probably right.

So bearers must make their way to the center of Springstar’s residential district. Finding one’s way to Springstar will be difficult, in fact. Preparations have been underway since Cyrus’s announcement, and Springstar leaps into action. The Legionnaires are already marching by the time the first bearers start moving throughout the city. In addition to any of Meridian’s own preparations, the Legionnaires establish choke points and start organizing evacuations. It will be difficult to make your way through Springstar, but the closer bearers make it to the hedge maze, and what seems to be the oracle at the center, the warmer their chests feel. Throughout the city, it feels warm, like small wicks of heat. The closer bearers become, the more it feels like a torrent. It is burning them to their center and igniting them to their cores. Like the fire of drive, is what it feels like. Like the hunger for something more than just food, or anything else, like the anticipation of victory.

The maze itself is where it is the most intense as bearers start to make their way through the hedge maze. Vines and brambles lie within a neat hedge, and it looks like it is safe to jump, or scale, but the moment a bearer tries to jump it, cut through it, or even go beneath it, roots, brambles, and vines lash out to entrap bearers, and start to drag them down and into the hedges. You will have to figure out a way out – lest you be stuck for seemingly the near future.

Of course, when Dimitri’s hand touches the stone statue in the middle, it all goes dark, and wherever you were, whoever you were fighting –

Every bearer collapses at the same time.

YOU'D BETTER BE A-MAZE-ING!

In the dark, there is that fiery impression of the Harbinger. Competition, drive, disdain for even those that best them. It is clear, in the dark, with your eyes closed, that the Harbinger does not see the Bearers as worthy to obtain it. You feel ghostly hands on your mind, into you, as if it is delving for more, trying to pluck and pull out the right memory. It looks for victories, triumphs, defeats, or betrayals. Something that shows the mettle of the bearer, what it is looking for. When it finds what it is looking for – or is this just a dream? – after the bearer experiences the dream, they will get the distinct impression that it is not enough. That the Harbinger wants more. It wants to see what this bearer can do. It wants to see you rise to the challenge, bearer! Will you do as it wishes, and show it the scope of your mettle, or will you capitulate and let the Harbinger know that it was right – you aren’t enough?

The Harbinger wants you to prove them wrong. Can you do that? Will you use spite to convince it that it is wrong? The Harbinger at the center of this labyrinth imparts to bearers, that it will not allow the weak to succeed, that nobody who cannot reach it, would ever be able to protect them. They look down on bearers, and it is up to you, to convince them that you are worth their attention.

When bearers wake, they will be stuck in a foyer. The walls seem blank, and there is a door, leading further into the maze. It is not… fully dark, everything here seems to be lit just enough to move around without trouble, but it is not bright. Bearers can look left, and right, and see others beside them. They are not alone, but nor are they with others of their faction. No, you can feel it, between all of you, gathered here in one space. The humming of your shared aspect fills the room, as if all of you together in one space feels right.

You will not be able to stay. The foyer lasts only until the last person leaves, and if any try to stay behind and stationary, they will find that eventually a door appears, and the room begins to shrink. You had better get moving!

You must move further into the maze. You will find that grouping up for long periods of time becomes impossible, and moving from one door to the next can find foes, allies, or even neutral parties. Every door you open within this maze, leads to new and unusual locations. You may both walk in, from opposite ends, only to find that the doors are gone when you turn your back. Do you end up on a precarious path over spikes, lava, or even water? Do you walk into a room with your greatest desire, a hunger that can now never be sated? Will you do anything to find your way through the corridors? Will bearers help each other, and resist the call of the Harbinger, or will you push over even your treasured ones to win?

MADE IN THE SHADE

And even further in, as you start to catch sight of them, patches of darkness seep into the corners, into everything. They may be hidden, at first. They may lurk underneath patches of leaves, or in shadowed corners. But the longer bearers are within this labyrinth, the longer the shadows seem. They start to reach out, to pull bearers into their shadowy depths. You may feel malaise, or an unwillingness to continue, once you first step within these patches. The longer you are there, the harder it is to get out. You will need help from your friends or dear ones, or sheer strength of will – but can you fight on, as you start to lose the things that motivate you?

And then there are the visions. People you know, love, or trust, they round corners, just ahead. They seem just out of range, and at first, it is difficult to tell if they are there or not. But they happen to reappear, and then disappear around a corner. Try and chase them, if you dare. When your fingers touch their arm, or grab their clothing, or heaven forbid, if you pull them into a hug – it seems impossible to pull away. They were treasured, weren’t they? There is a reason they appear here, to you. Why would you want to pull them away? Why would you –

They reach out, their fingers seem long, as they reach toward your shard – they will not be deterred by clothing or armor, their fingers seem to bend and twist around the junctions – before they find purchase on your shard. They rip it from you, and it feels like you are being separated from something. It’s painful, it hurts, but the last thing you see, as they hold your shard in your hand, is someone you care very deeply for, placing the shard in the same place on their own body, and your own face smiles back at you, and it all goes black. You are gone. Into… nothing.

NOTES

Here are some prompts to set the scene and foundation of the Exalt Oracle! Please refer to the ooc post for more details about what’s happening in the labyrinth! Feel free to direct questions here.

If your character gets killed by a shadow-copy, please let us know in the reporting post that goes up on November 20th if they touch the effigy. If they do not, please let us know on the deaths page! Don't forget to report any dissipations as a whole! Please also let us know if your character is saved by another bearer, or if your character’s shard is taken by the shadow copy for the entire duration of the event. This will not result in any permadeath, but you might get some cool lore! Teehee! If your character defeats a shadow creature, please let us know [HERE]

Comments

domination 2, go big or go home ig

[damnpire]

[Well, the instant D comes in, the sliver of normalcy left in him wishes he could walk back out again.

This place doesn't hold back the punches of any disagreeable situation. Whatever is in here, he didn't intend to go through it with a virile young woman. He stops where he is just inside, swallowed the whole way round by a long cape, refusing to venture in toward her. He doesn't even go for the sword on his back.

But it's a sensation he understands. Something deep inside of his genetic makeup, the part of him he has to control with an iron will, the one wrestling with the softness of his humanity. It's difficult standing Aspect adjacent, having the heavy hand of Harbinger on one shoulder in the face of a girl who is sure of what she wants. That part of him might rise up to meet it.]

I don't want any trouble.

[Bold words for a guy in an Oracle event.]

[erbe]

[Tohsaka's eyes trail up and down his figure as if taking in his appearance would some how grant her reason as to why he'd be so defensive from the get-go. After a quick look, noting his height and pallor, she takes a page from her late guardian's book, and begins circling him like a predator.]

You automatically assume I am trouble to you? Ah, are you Meridian, then?

[Why else would he be so hesitant to meet her directly? A man shying away from an enemy much shorter than him. However the more he denies her the more she wants to sink her teeth into victory.]

[damnpire]

[Both rusty eyes lower under the heavy lashes. The appraisal doesn't bother him, and he remains where he is standing even as she begins her predatory pacing.

This must be Rin. He has not met her officially, or even seen her, but he remembers the same voice in his mind on at least one occasion. He really will have a handful of trouble here maybe.]

This room will make us troubled.

[He turns his head slightly from one side to the next, watching her from around the curtain of long, dark hair.]

How long have you been in this room?

[erbe]

[She doesn't recognize him right away. Even if his voice may be familiar, she tends not to latch on to the little details unless she herself deems them worthy of remembering. For now he is but a stranger she has the intent to devour. Prey meant to be consumed. A rung on her ladder as she climbs higher, deeper into this maze, to seek victory.]

I have been waiting for sometime. The oracle has decided you will be my key.

[The key to unlock the door. The key to progression. Rather than waste time by spiraling inward, she cuts through to meet him where he stands in the middle of her circle. As Rin stands before him it becomes clear the differences between them. Her blue eyes are bright and seek to pierce to the heart of him. Her small stature, more than a foot shorter than him, seems to mean nothing to her. In this moment does she embody the Harbinger's determination, or its arrogance?]

Are you intent on denying it?

[damnpire]

[The approach earns no recoil or attack. D's eyes lift to look into Rin's face without shying away.

Beneath the hat, between the hair, and over the scarf and collar sits one of the few visible things about him: a pale face almost grey, so beautiful it is unnatural and grotesque in its perfectness. No one in existence should be this lovely, and he is ugly for it in a way.

She reminds him a little of Doris, in a way. Prideful and headstrong in humanity.]

You're welcome to try.

[It's offered like a challenge.]

[erbe]

Don't be so stingy.

[She starts small. Intending to be like a poison gathering in him bit by bit until he's overcome. She offers an outstretched hand to D, and a softer smile this time. Tohsaka hopes he'll indulge her little peace offering. The only threat that comes with it is a gentle touch.]

Why don't you tell me your name? It's not like we'll get out of here any faster by staying strangers.

[damnpire]

[Clinically, he looks over her open hand while he considers it.

Something in the room, like all the other rooms, has settled in the back of his mind. A suggestion. Two desires at odds with each other, a bit like him in a way.

Something telling him there is joy and satisfaction in submitting; something else telling him there is satiation in dominion.

He can be a Noble, or be a human, but never both.]

My name is D.

[His right hand appears out of the front of the long cape. It reaches up and comes to rest in the palm of her hand. His skin looks like it might be frigid, but it's surprisingly warm and full of life.]

You're the girl who was living with Dark Schneider.

[Rin.]

[erbe]

[Even just getting his hand feels like a small triumph. Despite how he dwarfs her, Rin's fingers curl around him. Her thumb gently massaging the back of his palm. She'll rise to his challenge, but in her own way. In fact the sudden recognition, now that he's introduced himself, sparks a bit more excitement in her. Energetically she tries coaxing him to the center of the room. Like leading a horse to water.]

And here I am about to make another bad impression. I won't be upset if you hate me for it.

[I can handle it, she tells herself. She can be hated and reviled as long as she's on top. As long as she reaches that goal. And perhaps if she were in her right mind she'd hate him to. Or at least find herself more rankled than she currently is about his appearance. His beauty reminds her of Saber's — distanced, untouchable, and righteous. Saber was the King of Knights, noble and just with a voice as clear and heavenly as a bell. Tohsaka was so mesmerized by the woman in her armor, so fascinated by her, that she almost let herself die to her sword that night they met.

Today, however, she will stand above ethereal beauty and conquer virtue.]

"Rin Tohsaka," is the name you can pour your distaste into, if that would make you feel better about it.

[D will find that she guides his hand up to her cheek. Posing it to cup her face as she braces the back of his hand with her own. Accompanied by a small nuzzling motion, she's not too unlike a cat marking its spot.]

[damnpire]

[With little hesitation, D follows her toward the center, his eyes never leaving her face. He makes no attempts to draw his hand back to himself. But the obedience seems curious rather than bewitched.]

Rin.

[An acknowledgement of who she is; the girl Dark had been looking for, the girl who had been harmed, the girl who often boldly spoke up when all their minds converged into conversation. He knows of her.]

Is there a reason I should detest you?

[Dark had described her too formidably for it to have been an ill-thought kidnapping, so D had taken up for her faculties.

It's bizarre to have a girl not recoil from him in fear. Even the ones taken in by his beauty are quick to realize why and avoid him. In turn, he has made his own attempts to avoid them as well. This thumb follows the slope of her cheek by the corner of the mouth, and the fingers cradle the jaw. He can feel the barest hints of a strange energy within her, like static pulling up the hairs of an arm.

This is the heritage the Sacred Ancestor would seek, he thinks. This is the type of young woman the Sacred Ancestor would covet to try making a successful being. The same blood in him wants that, too. But the kindness of his mother wants him to worship her humanity at her feet.]

[erbe]

[Arguably some could say that mages are somewhere in between Humanity and Vampirism. The traditions, ideals, and rituals they perform on their bodies warps them — and such things get handed down generation after generation. In fact back home Tohsaka could heal from grievous wounds in a matter of a day if she rested on the soil of her homeland (above a leyline focal point). Mages were also encouraged to do most of their craft at night to avoid involving common-folk in their affairs. Rin herself has even tasted the blood of several Shard Bearers when trying to restore herself so that she wouldn't fall victim to the negative effect of the Magic Crest embedded in her left arm.

If mages could become vampires, or "Dead Apostles", then why would she be afraid of him? It's not as if her life could ever be that of a normal human's. Not even if she desperately wanted it to.]

Of course. I don't believe you're Zenith, and I intend to bring you to heel. Why wouldn't you take issue with that?

[Thick, dark lashes flutter at him before she holds his wrist tight. Making sure he won't move as she turns her face to place a delicate kiss where his pulse-point would be. Vivid blue eyes, reflecting how vibrant and full of life she is, look up to meet his gaze. As if making it clear that if D tried to "bring her to heel" she'd make him work for it.]

[damnpire]

I am Meridian.

[For some reason, it simply feels like he should be offended enough to emphasize this now. He is Meridian? Why did he always spend so much time before pretending as if sides didn't matter? They matter here. In Oracle events. If he doesn't keep helping Meridian win, he won't ever get the opportunity to restore the Frontier. He's feeling a little more bold now, having gone this far.

And maybe a little more hardened to having lost his leg up a few times so far.]

As I said, you're welcomed to try.

[His nails brush the skin of her jaw when his fingers curl slightly. He wonders how easy it would be to snap her neck with one hand if he managed to get his hand around it. He does not move it, though. However, he does take half a step forward, closer, bringing them almost chest to chest. Imposing. A challenging test to see what she'll do about it.]

Are you afraid we'll win this one, too?

[erbe]

Of course not, [she huffs out her retort upon pulling her lips from his inner wrist.]

Meridian is littered with soft hearts that are desperate for cooperation. You tell them to "win at all costs," and they crumble before the thought of hurting others for their own ends.

[Is it possible for someone to sound like they look down on something while also not begrudging others for it? Rin likes soft people. They're easy to take advantage of. Rin sympathizes with soft people. They reflect pieces of herself she's not allowed to let bloom. Things and actions she wishes she could indulge in.

Goosebumps form on her skin as D's nails graze along her. A shuddering breath looses from her lips, but she cuts it short as he becomes more bold. Their closeness emphasizes the way he towers over her. Like a looming god carved from marble. Too tall, too beautiful, too immensely and unfathomably... sad? Gloomy, perhaps, but also something else. It intrigues her. Makes her want to peel him back layer by layer to understand. Reaching up she dares to touch him. Her own thumb tracing the bow-shaped outline of his lip.]

Don't make me climb.

[Though if he refuses to close the distance with dignity she may very well scale him like a tree. Don't test her.]

[damnpire]

[It's funny to hear this being told to him of all people a part of Meridian. (It's true. It's true.)]

I think you underestimate who we're willing to hurt while trying to bring the worlds back.

[He does not flinch from the touch, but the thick lashes of his eyes flutter from the sensation of a small hand brushing his skin. Like his own hand, he is somehow warm even though his pallor looks icy. The lips parting under the thumb reveal the points of two very short incisors. Under the Harbinger's energy, it's difficult to resist the urge to bite her finger.

Something itches the back of his mind, almost like an old, decrepit voice desperately pleading with him through the haze. To focus. To pay attention. To realize this is a room built with magic, or a spell.

But instead he obeys, lowering his hand to brace it on her waist where the curve of it meets the hip, and dipping his head slowly down toward her in reach.]

[erbe]

[The glint of teeth catches her eyes, and the moment she notices those points Rin's eyes grow wide with recognition. Rather than surprise, fear, or disgust, her expression simply says, "I knew it." A grin spreads on her own lips before she takes advantage of the kind way D obliges her.]

I think no matter the outcome here... it'll be you who loses in this room, D.

[Tohsaka has no doubt that if he killed her on the spot he'd be saddled with guilt. Yet, even if this "peacefully" comes to its conclusion he will suffer in another way. Loss to a Zenite, yes, but also because Rin doesn't consider herself a good partner in intimacy. The taste of her skin likely reflects the bitter, herbal medicine she has been taking for as long as she could remember. Her scent, though obscured by her perfume, cannot be completely obliterated. Rin considers herself like a Monet — better if observed at a distance.

All the same she takes those soft lips. Tilting her head to find a comfortable way to slot against him as her hand moves from his face to the nape of his neck — into that cascade of dark hair that falls forward and curtains them like a haunting veil. How unfair. How cruel. His beauty is like that of the moon; serene and perfect in all its silver splendor. Juxtaposed with her, she is nothing. She is foul, flawed, and disgusting.

The disparity between them sparks that urge within her again. To take, and to rule, and to lord over him. The hand in his hair curls to a fist. Pulling at his silken locks until there's a tug at his scalp. Meanwhile the way she kisses him becomes more fervent. Frenzied. Passionate with the desire to overtake and overwhelm.]

[damnpire]

[It's difficult to argue his victory. Others should not mistake his kindness for weakness, but the unfortunate truth is, in a situation like this, he is an incredibly gentle man. He's dutiful, and this seems obedient.

Though perhaps his victory might be found in pleasurable sub servitude if she happens to find any enjoyment in it at all.

As his lips part to accept her, his free hand lifts to remove his hat and get it out of the way, polite. It doesn't bother him when the feisty mood bleeds into the kiss--he's still kissing--but he forces her to kiss deeply rather than hungrily by being languid through the frenzy. At this rate, she's racing up the mountain to fling herself over the edge.

The pull to his hair earns a surprising rumble of noise low in his throat, muffled by their mouths. His brows drop together, not angry, but receptive and maybe more eager than he'd like.

He slides the hand on her waist around to her lower back, reaching across to the other side. As he straightens slowly up, he lifts her off the ground with only his strength and his forearm, pressing her supportively against his stomach and chest. High enough his size means little since she can still reach him.]

[erbe]

[The unexpected lift gives her pause. Without footing, without being able to balance on her own, she cannot properly feel in control. Truly, she should have took out those long legs and floored him before it got to this point. As it is she instead decides to strengthen her hold on him. While her shorts, and the tights under them, conceal the strong muscles she uses in her legs when she wraps the around his waist. She refuses to rely on, to trust him while she's lifted up like this. So he'll feel the squeeze of her plush thighs on either side of him — like a cat digging in its claws because it doesn't like being scooped up.]

Ha, [she breaks the kiss to look at him more properly now that they have a better level to seeing eye-to-eye.]

You think you're cute, don't you? Well, I'm not intimidated by your luscious lashes or your plump lips.

[Tough to say if that's a lie, because she goes right back to attempting to devour him. The hand not in his hair reaches behind him to tuck her fingers in and draw her well manicured nails across his back through his clothes. She'll mark him, if she has to. Leave red welts, flush that sickly grey with shades of red and pink. Bruise him in yellow and purples if she can.

Rin parts her own lips so that her teeth may 'playfully' catch and tug his lower lip. She's careless in the way that she kisses him — though it's unclear whether to attribute that to recklessness, or forgetfulness about his teeth. Either way, it feels right to take him. To know and to taste him. Is it the Oracle? The alleviation of Discord from their cross-faction, but complimentary Aspect union? She wants more of it. This may not be a room focused on hunger, but desire sparks nonetheless.]

[damnpire]

[Oh, very feisty.

Shockingly, D actually looks ever so slightly surprised when she just pulls away. He can't figure out if he wants to be annoyed, or pout. If even an iota of that was braincell enough to register he's being so casual and forward with a girl in a weird room during an Oracle event.

His lips, which now have more color to them than ever probably, part to respond, but she returns to tasting him and silences the attempt. Whatever thought is whisked away quickly by the energy of the room bearing down on his mind, churning with the hot zip of pleasure up through his middle when he's bitten. The arm around her squeezes her into him possessively; he craves returning the favor with the fangs which have become a tad longer.

But instead, he lets her slide down his body to her feet again. He takes a few steps back. His hand slides under the edge of the long cape, and the front of the cape and collar split apart just beneath his throat. They ease off his shoulders, and his hand lowers them to the ground; when they drop the last few inches, they thud heavily. The hat follows.

He's left in two pieces of fitted leather covering as much of him as possible and boots. Without the bulk of the outfit, he's surprisingly slim, and it's easier to see just how long the hair is when not hidden against a cape. Like this, there is no way he is any older than she is, at least in appearance. He's a young man? Somehow, he is a young man.]

Is this what you want?

[erbe]

[By the time he's letting her down it's Rin's turn to be torn between frustration and a pout. However she's quickly distracted by the chance to appraise him anew. While that wispy build of his isn't sparking any visceral thirst, she does find it appealing. The thought that, his special condition aside, she could probably snap him like a twig, is...

Well, that sharp smile returns to her face.]

I want you to spread out that cape and rest on it, actually.

[Well, if he's undressing why not her? Tohsaka grabs the hem of her sweater to discard it. What she's left in is a soft camisole lined with lace. The thin, while fabric hits at nothing underneath but the built in bra that serves her modest breasts. Rin drapes her sweater over his hat. It ultimately means nothing, but to her she thinks of it as a sign for how she wants to drape over him as well.

In this moment Rin decides she likes him. Gorgeous, agreeable, and looks like someone she could overpower (even if she probably can't due to #reasons)? Well, that makes him a delicious dessert to even rival the cakes and pastries she was faced with in the Hunger room.]

[damnpire]

["SMALL, LEAVE ME ALONE"

He turns to the collection of outer armor to oblige her by kneeling down and pulling the long cape out. The material has the appearance of something silky, but the sheen over it is sturdy, perhaps lacquered in something resilient.

When he's finished, he turns around and sits in the middle, stretching his legs out with his knees raised. His eyes lift to look at her, and there isn't any shame or modesty in his sweeping glance. Just some appreciative politeness. He has eyes? (He is also still half-human, sue him.) He can look and still be nice about it.

In a quiet and low voice, he says,] Come here. [His right hand lifts, offering it out to her with the palm up.]

[erbe]

[Don't tell her that because she was scared of Dark's being too big--

Since she had already, previously, given away her ribbons, Rin takes the time to twist her hair in a way to use the locks to tie itself back. It's a little complicated, but she's about done by the time she's close enough to place her hand in his. As she does so he'll be able to tell her hands are soft, and the nails manicured. Rin has always thought of her body as "another weapon," so she cares for it as meticulously as anything else.]

Are you always so obedient, or is this special?

[Tohsaka teases as she kneels down to join him on what will have to serve as their barrier between them and the floor. For now they're both mostly covered, even still, but Rin inwardly hesitates to remove more before he does. If only because of two reasons: one - she could dominate him without exposing herself, and two - the scars on her midsection that hide behind her camisole. Rin hates that her body isn't "picture perfect" anymore, and doesn't consider revealing herself unless she can guarantee she can shift the focus somewhere else.]

[damnpire]

[Delicately, he takes her hand, like she is made of glass, revered. He brings her down to his lap, between his knees and his thighs. Her hand and arm is drawn over his shoulder; he tips his head forward in the curve of her neck.

The sound of her blood rolls in his ears. It's not wrong to say some others may find her disgusting. Her skin smells medicinal--he wonders if his own is like this, after so many years of experimentation--and hums with that same strangely metallic bite he could feel before.

He puts her fingers on the zipper (there is surprisingly a zipper...?) through the dark hair high at the back of his neck, but he doesn't force her to pull it down. His hand moves away, leaving hers there.]

You claimed you would make me heel, [he says, his voice a warm whisper on her throat.] Would you rather I resist?

[Is she going to say it would be better for her if he acts more feisty about all this?]

[erbe]

[Unable to stifle it, a small giggle falls from her lips when D's face buries into the slope of where her neck meets her shoulder. Her concerns about her smell, which would normally be at an all time high without her perfume, are forgotten in the moment. Why would her mind be on such a thing when she's immediately following through with his silent request to undress him? Guided to that zipper, Rin wastes no time undoing the garment and putting both hands to work in an attempt to peel it off him.

Yet she seems inclined to stay close. Even if it means making him less clothed is a more difficult task. It adds to the excitement thrumming in her — escalating with each step closer they get to the goal.]

A capable girl like myself isn't afraid of a little challenge. However, I find your obliging nature to be... cute.

[A brief moment is taken for her to lean her head gently against his. A quick little nuzzle in the same humor as teasing someone with a playful elbow to the rib.]

[damnpire]

[CUTE....

The leather top peels away from D like a second skin, tailored perfectly for him. Smooth and unmarred pale skin is revealed below, the protective exoskeleton being shed from what's fresh and vulnerable. There isn't a single scar, or blemish, or pock mark on him, probably much to Rin's annoyance. (The wounds are all internal here.)

And he's covered completely in muscle. The slim figure beneath the cape and pauldrons is lean rather than scrawny. He's really hiding all of this under head to toe layers of boring black leather.

He tastes the skin of her neck while she takes her time, parting his lips over it. Feels the throb of the artery in his mouth. It's tempting. She's pretty, young, confident. Then he thinks better of what he's doing with whatever sliver of reason is left. He isn't filled with the irresistible desire like being in the room of hunger. Not that desire anyway.

His lashes brush her cheeks when he looks up at her as her head comes down against his. The nuzzle earns a hum, and when his hands are freed, he dips both under the camisole to put them on her waist below the ribs. The thumbs caress the skin.

He kisses her because why wouldn't he with her mouth so close?]

[erbe]

[The drag of his tongue along her skin sends a jolt of alarm through her. Immediately she tenses up, and her body goes rigid. A stroke of fear pierces her heart, and she draws a sharp gasp into her lungs. But the fear is not of him, no. He could probably dig nails and teeth into her flesh, and it wouldn't evoke this same worry. No, her concern is aimed at how she tastes. Bitter? Herbal? Astringent? Is she earthy, or resinous? It's not that she hates her own body, but that she fears being repulsive to others.

Even worse is when he holds her. Two large scars mar her midsection. One starts at the bottom rib and stretches to her navel. The other carves a little off-set from it, around her navel to her hip. Like a huge beast swiped at her. When one of his fingers brushes over the marked area she flinches. A part of her wants to shrink away from him. Shy away, admit defeat, and wither away in a corner rather than having all her imperfections revealed — explored — by an absolutely flawless stranger.

And yet he kisses her? After all that he still kisses her? Tohsaka finds herself incredibly shocked. So much so he'll find himself without reciprocation until something in her finally snaps. Whether it be encouragement from the Oracle as a Harbinger herself, or the refusal to be on the back foot, Rin seems to rekindle that flame she had earlier. Taking both hands to his face (one on his lovely cheek, the other in his curtain of hair) she kisses back deeply. Parting her lips and tilting her head so they can slot together better. She's even so bold as to seek entrance to his mouth; to press her tongue forward to explore him — to learn his taste.]

[damnpire]

[If the taste of her skin, or the feel of the scars beneath his fingers bother him, he doesn't show it. But the straightforward, assertive exploration does relax when she tenses and flinches. This doesn't bother him either, though he's aware now they are hurdles for her to bypass.

Suddenly, he's wondering if this may be her first, or one of her first few times with intimacy.

It wouldn't serve either of them for him to bring it up, he doesn't think. To tell her none of this dissuades his interest. Better to show her by continuing than interrupt with a conversation.

His thumbs feel the skin of her waist again, more careful this time. No reluctance when his lips part to let her in. He's metallic. Coppery...? The faintest hint of a mouthful of pennies behind the extended fangs. Blood.

He pulls her closer, notching their hips, folding her into his chest with a strange kind of possessiveness belied by how easily he opens up to the hungry direction of her kissing.]