The Tragedy in Clarity (Spicious) (Open by request)

[SapphireIceDragon]

"If you wish," Cia replied stonily, her lower lip trembling. No, she couldn't cry in front of Maverick. That was not an option. She'd have to vent in a different way. Icy spikes formed around her feet as throwing daggers made of ice materialized in the air beside her. She bit the inside of her cheek and directed them at him.

She would fight him, but she couldn't make the first move.

[Arthuriel]

Maverick willed his sword to length into a rapier, then brought up into a defensive stance. He smiled at her, his fangs showing clearly. He wondered if he scared her in any way, he was, after all, a fiend of the lowest plane. But he never felt like one, he was always an odd sort.

He through one of his daggers, then took a quick step and thrusted at her with the rapier. Before he'd even begun to retract the blade he threw the other dagger.

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia moved to dodge the blades, one of them grazing her cheek and drawing blood. She grit her teeth and sent the ice daggers at Maverick. She never wanted this, but she had to admit she could already feel some of her stress drain away. She made a shield out of ice to protect herself.

And if she cried now, she could at least hide her tears.

[Arthuriel]

Maverick bent his back, using his rapier to balance himself as he dodged the icy blades. He could see tears forming in her eyes but knew better than to mention it.

He summoned fire dragons and sent them spinning around her. They flew around her in circles, breathing small fireballs at her. They'd do no damage, but they would be a good enough distraction.

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia's eyes darted around, following the dragons as they flew around her. Surprisingly, they didn't do much damage. All she had to do was raise her shield here and there. What was Maverick planning? Surely he wouldn't strike a blow too hurtful to her? Or had she misjudged his intentions?

She had to focus on her shield, as it had started to melt.

[Arthuriel]

Grinning madly, Maverick dismissed his rapier, then dashed forward. She had her back to him, focusing on the dragons. He dismissed them as well, they'd done their jobs. Grabbing her shoulders, he roughly spun her around to face him. Faster than the eye could follow, he cupped her cold face in his onyx hands and brought his lips to hers.

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia gasped, her mind unable to process his actions quickly enough. He just...kissed her. Warmth surrounded her in a rush of heat. She eventually felt herself relax, and her eyes fluttered shut. She tentatively reached up and gently curled her fingers into a few strands of his hair.

The ice at her feet melted, the shield all but forgotten.

[Arthuriel]

Maverick pulled back after a time, a gentle smile on his hellish face. She seemed shocked, but not angry. He hadn't a clue what she'd do, but he had suspected it'd end with a dagger in his gut.

"Well, you seemed to enjoy that," He said, grabbing the hand that was tangled in his black hair.

[SapphireIceDragon]

"So what?" She huffed, glancing away from him and blushing madly. "Yes, I'll admit that I...enjoyed it." She looked back to him with a small smile on her face. "You're the one who did it to begin with," A smirk formed on her lips, and she chuckled. She hadn't felt so...animated, for a long while. It was nice to not be serious for once.

[Arthuriel]

"So I'll probably do it the next time you're about to go off by yourself," Maverick replied, his smile never leaving his dark face. He moved his hand from hers and to her hair, running his clawed fingers through it gently. It was soft, almost as one might expect snow to be.

"Or would that be ill-advised?"

[SapphireIceDragon]

"I'm not sure..." Cia trailed off, as if she was lost in thought. Her smirk grew wider. "I'm fairly unpredictable...Depending on the situation, I might either kiss you back or box your ears." She was simply teasing him, of course. However, she had to admit that she wasn't exactly the most versatile person...

"But at least give me a bit of a warning first,"

[Arthuriel]

"Oh, but where is the fun in that?" Maverick took a step closer, their bodies almost touching. She pretty, he supposed as he cocked his head to the left. What did he consider pretty? The thoughts drifted away as he stared into her eyes. She was what he considered pretty, he decided.

"I'm pretty unpredictable, too," He said, pulling her face toward him slowly, silently asking consent.

[SapphireIceDragon]

She waited for a moment, her eyes gazing into his fiery ones. Unpredictable, huh? Then how come I can predict that you're about to kiss me? She didn't dare say those words out loud, lest she ruin the moment. A part of her considered denying him. What would he do? However, she didn't feel in the mood for games, so she closed the gap between them.

[Arthuriel]

Maverick smiled as she did so, moving his head down from her head to her back. He pulled her closer to him if such a thing was possible. She's my standard, he thought to himself, reveling in the cold closeness of her body.

Despite this, despite all the feelings Maverick had for her, he still wanted to win. Summoning a small dagger in his spaded tail, he lifted the flaming weapon and placed it on the back of her neck. It was a heatless flame, he knew it wouldn't burn her.

He pulled away from her for a moment then whispered softly, "I win," Without waiting for a reaction, he kissed her again.

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia suppressed a snarl and kissed him back. With one hand cupping his warm face, the other manifested an icy dagger. She reached behind him, like she was going to throw her arms around his neck, and placed the tip of the dagger against his skin.

"What were you saying, darling?" She purred, a smirk on her lips. She wouldn't hurt him. However, she was curious as to what his response would be.

[Arthuriel]

"Darling?" Maverick asked, moving a hand to her wrist. He moved it down, rubbing her arm slowly. It was cold and soft, a good testament to the assassin's heart. He kissed her forehead, dismissing his dagger and pulling her against him. His tail wrapped itself around her leg, the spade scratching her calf lovingly.

"Am I your darling?"

[SapphireIceDragon]

Cia was surprised at his response. She had expected him to fight back, or to make a remark. She surely hadn't expected this. She thought about his question. Is he my darling? She wondered, practically melting when he placed a kiss on her forehead. She sighed, her icy dagger dropping to the forest floor. She buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"Yes," she answered quietly. "You are my darling,"

[Arthuriel]

Maverick grinned as he backed up, his tail unwinding itself from her leg. It truly has a mind of its own, the fiend thought as it began juggling balls of fire.

"We're gonna find him," He said, bending down to pick up her fallen weapon. He frowned slightly when it melted at his touch. He straightened his back, still grinning at her as he did so. "You're a very talented mage,"

[SapphireIceDragon]

"Thank you," Cia sighed, smiling warmly. "And...I know we're going to find my brother. We have to," She gripped her fists in determination. "But I have one question: where do we start? I thought I had an idea of where he might be, but...I was wrong." She looked up at the sky, stars dotting its surface. "It's still night, so we have plenty of time."

[Arthuriel]

"Don't you sleep?" He asked, planting his tail into the ground and raising himself off the earth. Crossing his legs, he assumed a meditative pose.  In truth, he didn't meditate or sleep, hadn't for many, many years. Fiends had no concept of tiredness, like most creatures of the hells.

"Sounds like you should sleep, but don't worry about safety, I can watch over you." He said, closing one eye. The open eye flared twice as bright until he reopened the closed one.