[ what does ish prefer? well nap time definitely started out with him as a long black serpent with hues of purple winding across his scales, red eyes as he usually has but more fitting with this form. had he been left to his own devices he would have certainly curled in on himself, coiled neatly together for warmth.
but he was not left to his own devices, which is why when hwylryn reached out, the end result was ish wrapping around his neck snugly, in if nothing else, an extremely fashionable collar. was it comfortable? who knows, but by that point his exhaustion really was catching up to him in a way that it hasn't in many years. nap time (success)?
any thoughts he had about it afterward are coiled in his mind, not withstanding how extremely groggy he was when he woke up. this week's been busy besides, though by this point he was expecting another knock before it was out.
so here he is, back in human form, without his overcoat off along with most of his layers. the greenhouse is (for him) comfortably humid, though he still has a tie on despite it all. ]
I think you might be the only one who knocks. [ waving him in, only a slight eyebrow raise at the things he's brought this time. the small cluster of furniture: a chair, a table, a wicker chaise where Nap happened are where they were before, in the far back corner of the greenhouse. ]
( It's warm, but Hwylryn always dresses lightly, anyway, regardless of the present weather (so many years of hishabits will die hard). He seems happy to see Ish appear, rested - even if there's no actual signs of it, Hwylryn sees him through the recollection of yesterday, and is pleased. )
What do they do? Do they just walk in? ... That's a little irreverent toward a host and spirit way stronger than them, isn't it?
( Humans will be humans, he guesses...
Hwy enters when welcomed, closing his eyes briefly as the humidity strikes him. He may not be a reptile in the conventional sense, but it's nice. It reminds him of the West, and he misses it, a little. )
Terrible. It hurts and aches so much. Is this the pain, suffering, and agony you've been seeking to collect?
( Teasing in return. His back is actually a bit sore, but nothing 10 hours of floating in the pond or aquarium can't fix. )
... But, I'm glad it was kind to you. You've seemed pretty tired.
( He does have one piece of business he wants to get out of the way first, so he follows him to the seating area (real!) and set out his little square of fabric with the seafood snax. He takes up a little thing for himself (shrimp or something, probably) and flop over on the chaise and stretch out on his tummy there, propping his chin up on his palms. )
Ahhh, there's a new plan. Harness the power of the absurdity of the human spine! I'm still not sure why they evolved that way across so many worlds, but the agony of back pain could be potent enough to power almost anything.
[ ish will take the actual chair, snatching an oyster and a cocktail fork (he will conjure one if one was not provided) plucking out the fresh shellfish. presumably there's also a lemon slice, so he'll busy himself with that while taking an almost suspiciously long time to respond to the second half of what's been said. ]
( yeah hwylryn doesn't do cutlery so have fun manifesting those on your own magic man, but there's definitely a variety of snackies and snackie accessories to choose from, have fun :D
The question, though, seems to surprise him - and he smiles in a way that's a little softer than the smile their little banter about silly human anatomy earned Ish already. )
Mmhm. Could you feel it?
( He doesn't know the logistics of Ish's emotional sensing, so he asks. He was certainly relieved when Ish seemed to acquiesce to rest, delighted when he went snake mode (sulky when Ish did not let him go mini dragon mode), and then ... very happy when Ish let Hwylryn have his coiling, and they dozed off. It's a sort of simple contentedness that isn't easy for him to find, that he values very much. )
And you were extra cute as a snake. ( no but he means it for real real... no reptile bias... ) Is it more comfortable for you to be in that form?
( Hwylryn's own dragon slips and swims around, taking up casual orbit around Ish. Hard to say what emotion this is in a human sense, but if coiling is what Hwylryn likes to do, then it's probably not hard to guess it might be a fondness or affection. )
[ give him a moment, he's still extremely preoccupied with this oyster. ]
That'd be cheating if I looked all the time, but I had a feeling. [ his finicking with the bivalve continues, but really he can only spend so much time on this and pretend he's saving face, so there. oyster eaten. fresh seafood is a magical wonder.
he won't address the compliment entirely, but he does turn to face hwylryn, or more properly his dragon, with a smile. ]
Mmmmn—[ he reaches out to it if it wants to wrap around his hand properly, since he can actually touch it unlike anyone else. this is an extension of his magic after all. ]
—in a way. I prefer to float and fly rather than walk, but having hands is convenient. For sleeping though, definitely.
( Kindness is not calling out Ish on spending just a little bit too long preoccupied with the oyster every turn of conversation, but Ish resolves that soon enough regardless. hehe )
Flying and floating is way better than walking. ( He agrees, chews the shrimp tail idly. Guy who basically just walked for the novelty of it, prior to coming here, ) Can't you just make stuff float without hands? Though, it's true hands are nice for some things . . .
( Like holding people, things...
The dragon will happily coil tight once offered, pressing its little head against his hand (will accept pets or rubs if offered). It seems to have the temperament of a quiet but aggressively friendly cat.
Hwylryn is scandalized, but not for the right reasons, )
—Hey, that's not fair. Me, too.
( Hard to say if he's upset because he wants coil and pets, or because he wants to touch the dragon too, or because he's back on the "make me a dragon again c'mon" thing again. )
He stretches out even longer on the chaise (dragon making itself more appealing) )
I'm right here, aren't I?
( If Ish weren't petting his souldragon then maybe it'd be different, but it's literally be illegal to pet an extension of him and not he himself. He is the most important dragon in the room? Hello? )
ish stands, walking over to the chaise, small dragon in hand. he doesn't sit down on the chaise proper, since hwylryn is doing his best at being Long, but he does sit on the air next to it. host privileges of cheating. ]
I guess it would be unfair. [ hwylryn doesn't get pets exactly, but thin long fingers trailing across his crown and down the length of his hair. it's an extraordinarily delicate gesture given how pointy his fingers (claws) are, but it's done with care. ]
Hwylryn smiles with both surprise and a sense of pleased indulgence, closing his eyes as if it were the nicest feeling in the world. Sometimes, gesture means much more than sensation.
His dragon mirrors the sentiment - eyes closed, sighing (in that much cuter, animal way) as it settles and rests its head against whatever Ish's hand will be at, no matter how uncomfortable (cat energy).
After a little while: )
... Hey, Ish. ( A gentle voice. He's been a lot more sedate (for a Hwylryn) since the execution, like a light turned low. ) Are you happy with the way you are?
( Ish with his warm little magic and his warm little greenhouse... Ish, who plunged his hand through Siffrin's heart; who found delight in the mistrial... Ish, who has been working toward some end (has he been, for that 1,700 years?)... who's lived through pain and grief - and inflicts it in turn. Does he like what he's become? Is he happy with it? )
[ he's also quiet, lost in thought or maybe just paying very careful attention to what he's doing with his hands. ]
If I say no, what would you do about it? [ the question only hangs in the air for a moment, because this isn't something he needs to think about. ]
But the answer is yes. Rune used to ask me that all the time, in between him trying to find ways to kill me. I'm pretty sure that's the last thing he said to me too before I killed him. [ his memory around that is fuzzy for Reasons. ]
[ his expression is like the glassy surface of the lake, or the first few rays of moonlight peeking out beyond the clouds. understated, but with something underneath. ]
Is self-defense not a good reason? [ a joke clearly inspired by the last trial, because he laughs. ]
He thought I was going about this all wrong and I thought he was a traitor. We were the only two attendants left, so it was only a matter of time before one of us won. But to put it more simply than that, I needed his power too.
You were starting to sound like pretty much everyone else who talks to me. I get it, they've gotta ask questions so they can play the game, but—
[ he sighs, letting his hand get caught.
it's not even so much that it bothers him because he's really used to at this point, loops not withstanding. maybe the thing that bothers him is how their talks have been different lately.
( Unlike the times before, where he'd just kind of shrugged it off, he does stop to think on it.
Yeah, he sees that. )
... Sorry. I was just asking to know you, but...
( ... But he can see how it's hard to divine motive when he's the game master, getting pestered about stuff all the time. He knows other people visit Ish, they'd even talked about them when Hwylryn was at the door, but he sort of forgets about them.
He shifts his hold. He'll take Ish's hand like before. )
... This game is important to you. Right? ( He's not gonna ask why! He has his assumptions, and they might be wrong, but he thinks Ish has a real motive for all this. ) So I don't really want to break it. And I don't want you to break, either.
( Like game master of the previous loop Ish was trapped in... And, he'll admit the talk during the crystal phone town hall about Ish getting fatigued did worry him. )
[ it's subtle, but he's more reactive this time when hwylryn takes his hand. he's either more focused than he was at the pond, or just more used to the touch. ]
You can't break what's already broken. [ it's only a little disparaging, a small smile on his lips. ]
... Hwylryn uses his unoccupied hand to sit up proper, squeezing Ish's hand in his. He looks - worried. hesitant.
What does he want? He always just follows impulse - goes with the flow of the harmony around him. But if he has to stop and listen... what melody does he hear? )
... I...
( ...
He raises his other hand - fingers lightly, lightly brushing Ish's cheek, like - he's trying to feel the shape of him there; see where the cracks run. And yet - he's a at war with himself. One hand grasps him tight; this other seems almost a little afraid to shatter him. )
... Is the only thing that can make you whole again your Goddess?
( For what it's worth, the question doesn't sound leading. The tone seems to ask - is that what you need? )
[ hwylryn. you ask him this question which is already a heavy ask, you squeeze his hand which he could probably deal with even if he would get a little lost. and then you brush his cheek with that expression and care that he can certainly see and feel.
he's doing nothing in this moment other than flushing a lovely pink against his violets and purples. ]
It's a sight he's seen before a thousand thousand times - humans and wizards he's charmed; magic beasts and all the things in between he's taken into his arms; the old and the young after an evening of sudden flight across half the world on a whim—
but,
this one, this time, makes him pause.
And he hesitates, like he'd rather bubble this moment in time, and take it with him deep under the sea, where no one else might see it, or mar it, take it from him.
But, like Ish said— time always moves somewhere. )
...
( The fingertips that so lightly brushes his cheek trace back, pushing aside a few strands of hair to expose Ish's warm cheek, and his palm so lightly comes to rest against it.
These aren't the things he came here to ask about, or even do. One thing of import, the rest of it spent on fun, and fussing over Ish. But now that he's here - now that he's been asked - now that he's broached a boundary he hasn't had the privilege yet to touch, he wants...
...aren't you already here? [ said a bit stupidly, a reflex as his lips remember how to form words.
he always pauses in moments like this, but in the end he's a creature of emotion and impulse. that's inescapable, as are the chains that wrap his heart, as are the sins that paint him black.
finally the rest of him stirs a little, not the pinks and reds because even magic couldn't hide his hues and he'd be liable to fumble the spell if he tried. the smaller dragon will need to accept not being the #1 dragon here, as he's lifting his one hand to place it over the one on his cheek. he knows it's there, but he needs to feel it on his own. ]
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but he was not left to his own devices, which is why when hwylryn reached out, the end result was ish wrapping around his neck snugly, in if nothing else, an extremely fashionable collar. was it comfortable? who knows, but by that point his exhaustion really was catching up to him in a way that it hasn't in many years. nap time (success)?
any thoughts he had about it afterward are coiled in his mind, not withstanding how extremely groggy he was when he woke up. this week's been busy besides, though by this point he was expecting another knock before it was out.
so here he is, back in human form, without his overcoat off along with most of his layers. the greenhouse is (for him) comfortably humid, though he still has a tie on despite it all. ]
I think you might be the only one who knocks. [ waving him in, only a slight eyebrow raise at the things he's brought this time. the small cluster of furniture: a chair, a table, a wicker chaise where Nap happened are where they were before, in the far back corner of the greenhouse. ]
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What do they do? Do they just walk in? ... That's a little irreverent toward a host and spirit way stronger than them, isn't it?
( Humans will be humans, he guesses...
Hwy enters when welcomed, closing his eyes briefly as the humidity strikes him. He may not be a reptile in the conventional sense, but it's nice. It reminds him of the West, and he misses it, a little. )
How are you feeling? Rested?
( :D )
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[ he doesn't seem to really mind in any case, with a smile and shrug. to the new and improved actual! seating area.
he kind of blinks at the question with a huff. ]
Better than the last time I woke up from a nap.
How about back? Your neck? [ teasingly, don't just focus on him he doesn't know how to take it. ]
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( Teasing in return. His back is actually a bit sore, but nothing 10 hours of floating in the pond or aquarium can't fix. )
... But, I'm glad it was kind to you. You've seemed pretty tired.
( He does have one piece of business he wants to get out of the way first, so he follows him to the seating area (real!) and set out his little square of fabric with the seafood snax. He takes up a little thing for himself (shrimp or something, probably) and flop over on the chaise and stretch out on his tummy there, propping his chin up on his palms. )
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[ ish will take the actual chair, snatching an oyster and a cocktail fork (he will conjure one if one was not provided) plucking out the fresh shellfish. presumably there's also a lemon slice, so he'll busy himself with that while taking an almost suspiciously long time to respond to the second half of what's been said. ]
...and did it make you happy?
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The question, though, seems to surprise him - and he smiles in a way that's a little softer than the smile their little banter about silly human anatomy earned Ish already. )
Mmhm. Could you feel it?
( He doesn't know the logistics of Ish's emotional sensing, so he asks. He was certainly relieved when Ish seemed to acquiesce to rest, delighted when he went snake mode (sulky when Ish did not let him go mini dragon mode), and then ... very happy when Ish let Hwylryn have his coiling, and they dozed off. It's a sort of simple contentedness that isn't easy for him to find, that he values very much. )
And you were extra cute as a snake. ( no but he means it for real real... no reptile bias... ) Is it more comfortable for you to be in that form?
( Hwylryn's own dragon slips and swims around, taking up casual orbit around Ish. Hard to say what emotion this is in a human sense, but if coiling is what Hwylryn likes to do, then it's probably not hard to guess it might be a fondness or affection. )
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That'd be cheating if I looked all the time, but I had a feeling. [ his finicking with the bivalve continues, but really he can only spend so much time on this and pretend he's saving face, so there. oyster eaten. fresh seafood is a magical wonder.
he won't address the compliment entirely, but he does turn to face hwylryn, or more properly his dragon, with a smile. ]
Mmmmn—[ he reaches out to it if it wants to wrap around his hand properly, since he can actually touch it unlike anyone else. this is an extension of his magic after all. ]
—in a way. I prefer to float and fly rather than walk, but having hands is convenient. For sleeping though, definitely.
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Flying and floating is way better than walking. ( He agrees, chews the shrimp tail idly. Guy who basically just walked for the novelty of it, prior to coming here, ) Can't you just make stuff float without hands? Though, it's true hands are nice for some things . . .
( Like holding people, things...
The dragon will happily coil tight once offered, pressing its little head against his hand (will accept pets or rubs if offered). It seems to have the temperament of a quiet but aggressively friendly cat.
Hwylryn is scandalized, but not for the right reasons, )
—Hey, that's not fair. Me, too.
( Hard to say if he's upset because he wants coil and pets, or because he wants to touch the dragon too, or because he's back on the "make me a dragon again c'mon" thing again. )
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Oh? Do you want pets too?
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He stretches out even longer on the chaise (dragon making itself more appealing) )
I'm right here, aren't I?
( If Ish weren't petting his souldragon then maybe it'd be different, but it's literally be illegal to pet an extension of him and not he himself. He is the most important dragon in the room? Hello? )
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ish stands, walking over to the chaise, small dragon in hand. he doesn't sit down on the chaise proper, since hwylryn is doing his best at being Long, but he does sit on the air next to it. host privileges of cheating. ]
I guess it would be unfair. [ hwylryn doesn't get pets exactly, but thin long fingers trailing across his crown and down the length of his hair. it's an extraordinarily delicate gesture given how pointy his fingers (claws) are, but it's done with care. ]
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Hwylryn smiles with both surprise and a sense of pleased indulgence, closing his eyes as if it were the nicest feeling in the world. Sometimes, gesture means much more than sensation.
His dragon mirrors the sentiment - eyes closed, sighing (in that much cuter, animal way) as it settles and rests its head against whatever Ish's hand will be at, no matter how uncomfortable (cat energy).
After a little while: )
... Hey, Ish. ( A gentle voice. He's been a lot more sedate (for a Hwylryn) since the execution, like a light turned low. ) Are you happy with the way you are?
( Ish with his warm little magic and his warm little greenhouse... Ish, who plunged his hand through Siffrin's heart; who found delight in the mistrial... Ish, who has been working toward some end (has he been, for that 1,700 years?)... who's lived through pain and grief - and inflicts it in turn. Does he like what he's become? Is he happy with it? )
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If I say no, what would you do about it? [ the question only hangs in the air for a moment, because this isn't something he needs to think about. ]
But the answer is yes. Rune used to ask me that all the time, in between him trying to find ways to kill me. I'm pretty sure that's the last thing he said to me too before I killed him. [ his memory around that is fuzzy for Reasons. ]
Ah right, he was my brother.
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Though, I'm sure I'd wonder if I could do something beyond just playing your game...
( The trials and murders and stuff. He's going to be doing that, anyway, if for his own reasons, do that doesn't really feel like it counts.
He opens an eye to peek at Ish's expression, and the next sound he makes is ambiguous. )
... Mmmm. What did you kill him for?
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Is self-defense not a good reason? [ a joke clearly inspired by the last trial, because he laughs. ]
He thought I was going about this all wrong and I thought he was a traitor. We were the only two attendants left, so it was only a matter of time before one of us won. But to put it more simply than that, I needed his power too.
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What did you get off him?
( Referring to his specialities.
"Going about this"... pin in that for just a second. )
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( He'll catch his hand, but gently. He can pull it free if he wants. )
... You don't have to tell me. But you don't have to pull away from me, either. ( ... ) Unless I upset you?
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[ he sighs, letting his hand get caught.
it's not even so much that it bothers him because he's really used to at this point, loops not withstanding. maybe the thing that bothers him is how their talks have been different lately.
it's a weird realization to have. ]
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( Unlike the times before, where he'd just kind of shrugged it off, he does stop to think on it.
Yeah, he sees that. )
... Sorry. I was just asking to know you, but...
( ... But he can see how it's hard to divine motive when he's the game master, getting pestered about stuff all the time. He knows other people visit Ish, they'd even talked about them when Hwylryn was at the door, but he sort of forgets about them.
He shifts his hold. He'll take Ish's hand like before. )
... This game is important to you. Right? ( He's not gonna ask why! He has his assumptions, and they might be wrong, but he thinks Ish has a real motive for all this. ) So I don't really want to break it. And I don't want you to break, either.
( Like game master of the previous loop Ish was trapped in... And, he'll admit the talk during the crystal phone town hall about Ish getting fatigued did worry him. )
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You can't break what's already broken. [ it's only a little disparaging, a small smile on his lips. ]
Then what do you want?
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... Hwylryn uses his unoccupied hand to sit up proper, squeezing Ish's hand in his. He looks - worried. hesitant.
What does he want? He always just follows impulse - goes with the flow of the harmony around him. But if he has to stop and listen... what melody does he hear? )
... I...
( ...
He raises his other hand - fingers lightly, lightly brushing Ish's cheek, like - he's trying to feel the shape of him there; see where the cracks run. And yet - he's a at war with himself. One hand grasps him tight; this other seems almost a little afraid to shatter him. )
... Is the only thing that can make you whole again your Goddess?
( For what it's worth, the question doesn't sound leading. The tone seems to ask - is that what you need? )
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he's doing nothing in this moment other than flushing a lovely pink against his violets and purples. ]
...
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Oh,
It's a sight he's seen before a thousand thousand times - humans and wizards he's charmed; magic beasts and all the things in between he's taken into his arms; the old and the young after an evening of sudden flight across half the world on a whim—
but,
this one, this time, makes him pause.
And he hesitates, like he'd rather bubble this moment in time, and take it with him deep under the sea, where no one else might see it, or mar it, take it from him.
But, like Ish said— time always moves somewhere. )
...
( The fingertips that so lightly brushes his cheek trace back, pushing aside a few strands of hair to expose Ish's warm cheek, and his palm so lightly comes to rest against it.
These aren't the things he came here to ask about, or even do. One thing of import, the rest of it spent on fun, and fussing over Ish. But now that he's here - now that he's been asked - now that he's broached a boundary he hasn't had the privilege yet to touch, he wants...
He wants... )
... Can I... stay with you?
( ... more, he thinks. )
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he always pauses in moments like this, but in the end he's a creature of emotion and impulse. that's inescapable, as are the chains that wrap his heart, as are the sins that paint him black.
finally the rest of him stirs a little, not the pinks and reds because even magic couldn't hide his hues and he'd be liable to fumble the spell if he tried. the smaller dragon will need to accept not being the #1 dragon here, as he's lifting his one hand to place it over the one on his cheek. he knows it's there, but he needs to feel it on his own. ]
I—yeah. You can.
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