Strange Happenings [Glob] [M]

[DaGlobster]

Vel was awake for longer, staring up at the tall darkened ceiling above them. She was right, that it had been a hellacious week for the both of them, but something else kept Vel awake. He was terrified of having to go back to that time. When everything, everyone he knew had been broken apart. To just... pry that open again, to even begin...

...even for Twilight. He couldn't.

His head tilted slightly when she made that furtive noise and tangled her legs with his, and he sank further into the bed as the last few embers of resistance in him finally sputtered out. With the warm, familiar weight of Twilight against his side and chest, he just covered her hands with one of his own and let everything go dark.

[DragonSong]

The lack of any sun or stars meant that Teilight had no real way of knowing how long she slept, but she had to assume it was a night's span—or perhaps longer—as she simply didn't have the energy for anything less.

She blinked herself blearily back to consciousness, wincing and arching her back slightly as her body protested with a mild soreness. Once she was awake enough, she sat up carefully and looked around, making a point not to glance up through the glass dome of the ceiling.

Vel normally never slept as long as she did, even in more usual circumstances. But after all that...

She glanced down at her husband, worrying her lip. If he was still resting, she didn't want to be the thing that disturbed him. Maybe she could go down to the library...although she was suddenly wary of exploring the tower alone, unsure what other secrets she might accidentally stumble upon.

[DaGlobster]

Vel had not slept very long at all. He had barely been awake for an hour when he had his breakdown, and apart from some energy that had bled away when his magic boiled up to the surface, he was fully rested.

It had felt nice to just... sleep. As if he could start again fresh. And it gave him time to think, as well. To just lie there with Twilight, still gently snoozing, and feign inertness as the gears turned in his head. But... how to even approach it?

Twilight eventually stirred him out of his thoughts when she sat up. She looked down at him just in time to see his crystal slowly light up, and he stroked a hand up her back in lazy, circular motions.

"Good morning."

[DragonSong]

Twilight found herself smiling a little wryly and glancing up toward the darkened ceiling again. "Is it?" she mused quietly, letting herself lean back into his touch a little.

She looked down at him again, and concern drew a line between her brows as she leaned down to kiss the side of his crystal lightly. "Did you sleep at all?" she murmured as she pulled back, reaching up to brush the backs of her fingers lightly over his cheek--or the closest equivalent.

[DaGlobster]

"A little," came Vel's answer, easily letting his head rest in her touch for a few moments before he propped himself up on his bottom pair of arms to sit next to her. With a discreet shift, Vel manifested his partial illusion so he could return the kiss, this one to her shoulder as he let his top arms circle her collar rather amorously.

"It's always morning somewhere," he murmured.

He found that he missed the feeling of her skin against his lips, having neglected his illusions recently, and gave another, lazier kiss against the same spot.

Once again, a shadow passed over the tower, and Vel gave a defeated sigh, letting his head rest full on her shoulder.

"The wonders of the planes," he murmured sardonically against her flesh.

[DragonSong]

“Mm. Indeed,” Twilight replied dryly, and turned her head slightly so her nose brushed against his before she placed a soft kiss on his cheek. She leaned into him, reaching up and back to cup his cheek in her hand for a moment before she let her arm loop lazily back around his neck. “The tower is safe though, isn’t it? All the wards are back in place.

Even as she said it, she started to reach out with her magic instinctively, wanting to assure herself. Or at least, she tried to; she was still unable to summon up so much as a single spark of power.

A long, low sigh escaped her and she closed her eyes as she stroked her fingers absently over the nape of his neck.

“…Are you alright?”

[DaGlobster]

Vel took her hand, eyes turning vulnerable as she asked him if he was alright. He... wasn't one-hundred percent sure if he was alright with everything, buuuuut...

"I'm feeling much better," he said, letting a genuine smile perk up the corners of his mouth. He sat up more and joined his bottom set of hands on her lap, thumbs fidgeting together but otherwise calm, encircling Twilight's waist in the familiar sensation of brass and wood.

"And the wards are indeed still in place."

Vel could see them just as naturally as anything else, such was one of the few perks of being made up of energy. He looked up at the interlocking geometric patterns, following them to the glowing nexus at the peak of the room's glass ceiling. All invisible without at least a touch of magical assistance.

"I should be asking you the same thing," he said, unlooping his top set from her shoulders so he could wrap them around her middle and properly cuddle her.

"It... It was not an easy place to be."

[DragonSong]

There was the briefest moment of hesitation when his arms went around her waist; it was as if a part of her was afraid to lean into him fully, so used to relying on him for strength and comfort but now so suddenly aware of how selfish that had been.

But despite her best intentions, it only lasted a moment before she settled back into the embrace with a soft sigh, turning her head to nuzzle into the crook of his neck. "I'm glad you feel better," she murmured against brass framing.

She was quiet for a moment after that, then agreed slowly, "No...it wasn't. But..."

She didn't know how to say this. Wasn't sure if she should say this.

Finally, she admitted defeat with another small sigh and whispered, "It's a part of you, Vel. And I just--I'm sorry you felt like it's something you had to hide from me." She twisted in his arms to return the hug properly, holding tight for a moment before she started to pull away. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to," she said softly, looking down, "I'll never ask that of you. But it...if there's things you aren't telling me because you think it will make me uncomfortable, I--"

She cut herself off again with a sharp breath and shook her head. Still not quite meeting his eyes, she smiled sadly and leaned in to peck his cheek. "I love you," she told him quietly. "Nothing in this world or any other is going to change that."

[DaGlobster]

Vel's gears almost melted out of his chest, but somehow he managed to keep his emotions welled up as she spoke. Of course, he knew that this topic couldn't really be avoided, not after it had been so brutally torn open earlier.

Her words made him want to turn his head away, but he held her gaze when she turned to face him.  Yes, he had hidden something from her. Something better off left buried, but the sting of raw act still made itself clear.

"There's nothing else to hide," Vel said, her peck still buzzing on his cheek. His face straightened as he looked her over, afraid that she would be different somehow. Finally, though, he settled on a smile and stroked her cheek, all the way up to her temple where he cradled her head.

"When you came into my life, all of that was just... a buried memory. It had all finally stopped hurting," he said, hugging her tight and hiding his face in her shoulder.

"I couldn't leave them where they were."

He didn't want that to settle, and his hands tightened around her. He kissed her chin, needy and apologetic.

"So I laid them all to rest in the safest place I knew. There are no hidden doors in this tower. No illusionary walls or moving bookshelves. Just one quiet place where they can finally be undisturbed."

[DragonSong]

Twilight listened to him quietly, tilting her head slightly into his hand when he cradled it as her eyes searched his face. She sighed softly and shifted a little closer when he hid his face in her shoulder, reaching up slowly to wrap her arms loosely around him, almost wary but still wanting to give comfort however she could.

“Oh, Vel…” A tiny shiver rippled through her when he kissed her chin; she pushed it aside, tilting her head to press a kiss of her own against his temple as she tightened her embrace just a bit. She was quiet for a moment longer, then…

“I trust you.” The words were simple, but spoken with a kind of quiet conviction. She held him closer and kissed his cheek again. “If…if you ever decide you need—or want—to tell me more about what happened, you know you can. But I trust you to make that choice.”

She shifted a bit in his arms, letting her hands settle on his shoulders and her brow come to rest against his with a tiny, weary smile. “…Can I kiss you?”

It was normally an unspoken question, one he usually gave the answer to before she’d even asked it. But something in the air around them still felt fragile, and she wanted a confirmation she could hear, could hold on to.

[DaGlobster]

Vel didn't really feel like a simple "Yes" could answer Twilight's question. Instead, one of his hands left its place around her to stroke her chin and give her head a little tilt. He closed the distance, having sensed Twilight's own trepidation and wanting so desperately to banish that.

Once he was against her lips, his eyes naturally drew closed and he drank deeply of her for as long as she'd permit him. Once they'd parted, Vel sighed and cupped her head more securely and he slotted his nose against hers.

"Always."

He let the moment hang for a little before closing his eyes.

"There will never be a perfect time for that. That's my family down there. I will never just wake up one day and decide it's time," he started. He kept his tone soft and even, and his hands never stopped stroking along her back.

"But if there's anything you want to know, any questions you have... I'll answer them." 

[DragonSong]

Twilight leaned gently into the kiss, one hand cupping his cheek while the other rested lightly against his chest, unconsciously grounding herself to the rhythm of clockwork beneath her palm.

She let her brow rest against his when they broke apart, a tiny movement nuzzling her nose against his before she fell still again and just listened. She couldn't say she understood the kind of loss he felt--she hardly remembered her own family, and a few minutes of viewing a scrying crystal wasn't exactly an adequate replacement--but she could at the very least sympathize.

"I have...a lot of questions," she admitted slowly after a moment. "About that. About you. About--about a lot of things. About both of us, really. But..."

She sighed and closed her eyes, nudging her head gently forward against his. "But I think they can wait for a little longer. I just--I just want to hold you for a while, if that's alright?" She tipped her head to kiss his cheek lightly, arms draped carefully around his neck, but otherwise she was still in his arms, waiting for his response.

[DaGlobster]

"That's quite alright," Vel echoed, raising a hand to cup Twilight's face as she kissed his cheek. He couldn't help but smile discreetly at the tenderness. He turned his head to catch her lips and sat back on the bed, sitting with his back against the pillows.

He brought her down with him so they could both rest together. He shamelessly held her close, hanging on to the feeling of a warm body covering his like a security blanket.

"Maybe I could tempt you with some breakfast later?" He said, dipping in to steal another short kiss from her.

[DragonSong]

Twilight let him pull her down into the bed with him, adjusting slightly to the way he held her so that she nearly covered him entirely—taking the silent cues she'd spent a month learning until they were more instinct than anything else.

"Mm." She smiled tiredly into the quick kiss and nuzzled her head against his shoulder. "In a little bit, she agreed softly, lips still curved in a small smile as her eyes fluttered closed. She sighed quietly and tucked her head up under his chin.

"...Don't let me actually fall asleep?" she murmured after a few moments. "I just...I just need a few minutes like this. But I've spent enough time sleeping." She was quiet for a few more breaths, then admitted in a very small voice, "And I—I keep having these...dreams. I don't want them anymore..."

It was what she'd initially wanted to talk to him about, before...everything. Now that there was some distance between them and that tomb, the memory had returned to niggle persistently at the back of her mind.

[DaGlobster]

She always knew just how to set him at ease. Once he could rest his chin on her head, he sighed with something approaching true happiness and cradled her head and body. He only made minor tugs to adjust his human pillow and fell still once again.

He was reluctant to pierce the silence, but he spoke nonetheless to keep her awake.

"Your mind is still healing from the ritual," he said, gently smoothing her hair down as he threaded brass-tipped fingers through her hair. His voice was a bare whisper.

"The mind sometimes uses dreams as a way to make sense of things."

[DragonSong]

She gave another soft, sleepy sound of assent, but she couldn't get the dreams out of her head.

"It was just them at first. The girls," she murmured into the curve of his neck, eyes closed. "Just...me, I guess. Telling me what I was doing wrong." She sighed, struggling to keep herself from dozing as she laid against him. "But the last one, it was...it felt..."

Real. Real in a way her dreams of Midnight and Starbright didn't, as though there was an external force working on her mind. Her brow furrowed and she burrowed a little deeper into her husband's embrace. "For a moment, I thought it was...was him. The vampire. But then it...I don't know." She sighed; her whole body felt like lead, but she couldn't fall back asleep. "I don't know," she repeated quietly.

[DaGlobster]

"A memory from your past?" Vel ventured, fingers stopping where her hair stopped. At the mention of the vampire, he just looped a third arm around her back and held her more securely.

"I'm sure we can figure it out after breakfast," he said, unsure if she wanted to pursue the topic further.

By this point, he knew when his wife was struggling to stay awake, and knew what to do to keep her attention up. His hands stroked down past her hips and his fingers skated along the back of her legs while his upper pair of hands visited her sides.

[DragonSong]

"Mmm..." She gave a soft sound of consideration that changed to a contented hum as Vel's hands started to wander. Eyes still closed, a slow smile spread over her face and she and shifted against him minutely. "Looking for something in particular?" she teased quietly, allowing her own hand to stroke down the length of his spine as she cuddled a little closer.

She did want to talk about this, to figure it out, but not now. She was still slow and sleepy from emptying out her magic, and now additionally tense and confused from the accidental discovery of Vel's family tomb. For now, she was more than happy to be distracted.

"Careful, love." She leaned up to peck his cheek again, nuzzling his temple before she pulled away. "You certainly have my attention. What do you intend to do with it?"

[DaGlobster]

Vel knew he had her when she warned him to be careful, it could be seen in the way his eyes closed and smile grew. A delighted shiver ran through him when she ran her fingers down his spine. In his mechanical form, the spine was rather pronounced, and it was where much of his magical power was stored and distributed.

"I'd hope to hold it, for just a little," he said as he tangled his leg with hers one of his hands settling on the inside of her knee to drape her leg over his thighs before it rose to hold the back of her thigh, not too firmly or loosely.

Two more of his hands stroked up along her neck and jaw to cup her head, letting his fingers stream through her hair as he leaned up to peck her lips.

"As long as you'll tolerate it, really," he added with a small smile, genuine and inviting. His final hand had taken to stroking a finger down her front, nearly reaching Twilight's navel before lazily looping back up as it devolved into nonsense patterns.

[DragonSong]

Her smile turned a little lopsided, a tiny spark of mischief lighting her eyes with the first brightness they’d shown in a while as she traced her fingertips along his spine again. She knew well enough by now how his mechanical form worked, and how the physical conduction of power through his body could heighten sensitivity. She managed to keep her voice innocent as she repeated the touch with a little more pressure and murmured, “I more than tolerate it, love. I rather welcome it.”

She shifted a little closer, hitching her leg just a bit higher over his and ducking her head to nuzzle against his neck. “But just what are you planning?” She kissed the dip of his throat into his chest and splayed her hand gently over the small of his back. She shivered a bit under the patterns he was drawing up her torso and reached between them to catch his wrist, holding his palm flat over her heartbeat.

A soft, contented sigh slipped passed her lips as she leaned into the contact, feeling the way her heartbeat gradually began to match the clockwork rhythm that echoed almost imperceptibly through his body.