Sing A Song to the Skies (m)

[Draconian]

Callista frowned at Rembrandt openly, looking up for a moment before moving closer and holding his arm tighter. The idea of some unseen force... Watching her had a shiver crawl up her spine like a slug. Then again, if someone had been watching...

Why let that happen to her? Why let her kill people.

Fleetingly she remembered their first meeting. It was a quiet dread that filled her while she looked at Rembrandt, taking in his features like she'd just seen his face for the first time. " Ultimate fates?" A tilt of her head and she looked away, seemingly thoughtful. "What sort of ... Goddess let's... Let's people be treated like I was."

[Lion]

"I can't say.  I've never been any sort of expert on...goddesses.  Not in any religious sense," Rembrandt shrugged and instead of letting Callista lay on his arm, he moved it away and around her shoulders instead, pulling her against his chest. 

"I think if anything, people maintain Free Will.  I mean in terms of ultimate decision.  We...should be responsible for ourselves...  And people always find a way to interfere with other people.  Or use religion as an excuse to hurt other people.  It's all very topsy turvy.  I don't know if Kia would ever sanction such a thing.  It seems to only bring trouble when you think about it."

[Draconian]

Snuggled up to her new head rest, Callista frowned at nothing. Trying to imagine if she'd prayed to this Kia... Maybe. Maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe she would have been smarter.

"Rem," Callista said after a short while of silence, finally looking up at him, "I'm so sorry."

[Lion]

Rembrandt was in thought of his own.  He stared off at the passing forest, questioning things about himself he'd long ago held true.  He wondered if Callista ever felt passion, or it's definitive cousin.

"Callista, do you believe in love?" he found himself asking, not having heard her apology.

[Draconian]

Pale eyes went wide for a moment and she looked down at her hands, flexing her fingers.

"I do. It makes you vulnerable and weak. It can be twisted into... Into something ugly and hateful." Anger bubbled in her gut. "I thought... I thought I loved my master. I loved Carn. He would listen to me and sing me lullaby's and... I was used. I was nothing more than a stupid tool. My master so he could... whore me out and kill his targets and Carn so that...."

Callista pulled away from Rem's chest having grown silent, moved so she could stare down at her knees, her fingers that gripped at the fabric of her clothing, "Love is very real and in the right hands it's a powerful emotion." 

[Lion]

Rem listened intently to her anger, unable to look at her, and not allowing her tone to get the better of him.

He wanted to remain impartial.  He wanted to stay inert, for his own safety.  For his sanity.

"Do you love me?" he asked, when she was finished.

[Draconian]

Callista went still.

Did she love him?

"I would die for you," the words love had been tainted for her, they were... Not the right words. In her mind love was a cruel thing that had her used and abused. If she loved Rem, Callista thought, would he whore her out? Would he used her to achieve his goals and then cast her aside?

But in a moments notice, he took her away. To be safe.

Gently she rose a hand, pressing the back of it to his cheek, "I care about you. I don't ever remember smiling before I met you, you make my heart pound and... You make me feel good. I feel that for you."

[Lion]

The word was foreign to him.  It was something he'd never felt before, never thought he would feel for anyone else.  But the way she said it.  He knew what she meant, what she was trying to get it.

Yet, somehow the thought made him frown.  "But...you don't love me..."  Her inability to say it hurt more than he was prepared to take.  Rembrandt looked out across to the wildness once again.

"They say the gods love us.  They made this world for their creations.  But yet they do nothing to stop us from hurting ourselves," he said quietly, somberly.  "And yet people say they love us still.  It's all very hard...to piece together."

[Draconian]

Callista pressed the heels of her palms to her eyes for a moment before she moved, rising to her knees and bolding throwing a leg over Rem's waist, tucking herself so she was chest to chest with him.

"I feel everything for you that that word represents." Callista explained, frowning slightly. Why wouldn't he understand? "When you walked away that night, even thought I told you to I..." Callista lowered her head, "I felt so empty. I'd ... always been empty but... I'd never felt so awful. Like I had a hole in my chest. The thought of you hating me made me angry and sad and... After pushing everything away for so long..."

"Do you care about me?" The words were whispered, her head was still tucked down and she moved her hands down to rest on her legs, while she was still sitting on his lap.

[Lion]

The truth was, he didn't know himself.  He wanted to say the words, but they latched painfully into the fabric of his tongue.  Rembrandt felt his eyes burn, snd he wrapped arms around her waist.  And embraced her.

"I don't know...  You are the only friend, I've ever really had.  I've never loved anyone before," he said, breathing into her shoulder.  "I wish you could say it.  No one has ever said it to me before. I understand why you can't.  I can understand pain.  I'm sorry they ruined it for you..."

[Draconian]

So strangely vulnerable.

Callista smiled slightly at the criteria for her 'love', her fingers diving into his hair to hold his head to her shoulder while she nuzzled at his temple. "You make me feel vulnerable," she kissed his temple, "and weak." Urging his head from her shoulder, she tilted his face up to press a gentle kiss to his lips before pressing the scarred side of her face to his forehead, embracing him again.

Then the rest of the words sunk in and she ran her hands up and down his back, finding it odd to comfort something. This was how they did it right? Made soothing noises? Moved in soothing ways? "Maybe one day. When... When the word doesn't taste bitter. When it doesn't bring bad memories. When I think of the word and all I'll think of is you and how you make me feel... They ruined it for me, but... Maybe being with you can help me fix it."

[Lion]

"Maybe," Rembrandt murmured, nuzzling into her shoulder and squeezing her close.  "And to answer your question, I think I do care.  I...just didn't know what to feel about it.  We'll think of something."

With that he turned his head upward and kissed her long and deep.

[Draconian]

Callista returned the kiss with vigor, pushing her fingers through his hair to pull Rembrandt closer. Her face stealer. Her shadow. Pulling away, she gave a nip at his lips before nuzzling her forehead to his.

"What a pair we are. Neither of us know how to feel."

[Lion]

"You love birds finished, or do I gotta watched the whole show the entire ride?" griped one of the passengers on that caravan.  He shook his head and averted his gaze.

Rembrandt shook his head in turn.  "No sir.  Sorry sir."  He just smiled at Callista.  "We are an interesting pair indeed."

[Draconian]

Embarrassment was a foreign feeling. Being naked in front of strangers had been her job. The heat in her cheeks was unfamiliar and Callista's eyes went wide and she slowly removed herself from Rembrandts lap, head down, doing her best to hide her face.

It was easy to forget there were other people around.

Maybe that was...

"Sorry," Callista said softly, casting a quick glance towards the disgruntled man.

"Well... Um... Want to play a game?" Her voice was soft and she rested her arm against Rembrandts, looking up at him expectantly, "It was the only one I could play with Carn, since all he had was an eye."

[Lion]

Rembrandt ignored further complaints from the passenger.  He just smiled and nodded to Callista.  "Sure.  What game did you have in mind?"

[Draconian]

Without breaking eye contact she gave him a bright smile, gave a look around before she smirked, "I spy, with my little eye... Something... Brown!" 

It was the wood. It was obviously the wood.

[Lion]

"Oh, I see!  You wish me to find what you are looking at, yes?  Okay, is this brown thing  big or small.?"  Having never played the game before, Rembrandt didn't want to just jump to conclusions.

[Draconian]

Callista grinned again, looking thoughtful for a moment but not too long at the object she was trying to explain.

"Mmm... Big." That'll throw him off.

[Lion]

Something big and brown.  "Is it...the carriage!?" he asked, certain he got the answer.