Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Printable Version
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Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 02-11-2015
Nova found it was difficult to indulge negative thoughts when he cupped her face like that. When he kissed her like that.
"Go take care of your stuff," she commands as they separated. She turned Onion upright, so he could stand on his own and she could slip the old shirt back onto him. "I'll see you, later." It sounded mostly like a promise, but this time she was being intentionally vague as to when 'later' would be. That impish smile of hers had also made an appearance.
Nova pulled opened her bag and dug around for her tablet as he backed away. She had no need to call a car. Her destination wasn't far, after all. She would not have charged one to him at all, let alone when it would ruin the surprise.
Waiting at his apartment didn't seem like an all bad idea, since he had seemed pretty convinced that she would simply disappear.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 03-05-2015
Irritated.Irritated, irritated, irritated.
His thought process in the car was not particularly complex.
He didn't ask for much, did he? He thought of himself as not particularly demanding. He worked hard and he did unpleasant things and he let people stay in his house so they wouldn't get murdered. Was it asking that much to want a day off every now and again? A day off with a pretty girl, far away from any scaly tentacles. Except for her scaly tentacles. Those weren't the tentacles he had a problem with.
He really didn't need to be thinking about tentacles.
He also didn't need to be thinking about how the-opposite-of-authoritative he looked wearing anything but a suit. It was bad enough trying to get taken seriously under ordinary circumstances. Trying to take command of the situation in khakis and canary yellow was going to be… trying.
Ixaaliot emerged from his car smoking and scowling, doing both with enough force to almost distract from the fact that he was dressed like someone picking up their kid from soccer practice.
The TAF. Of course it would have to be the TAF, today of all days. He could never be so lucky as to have to deal with private enforcers, that would be asking entirely too much. Banau had been cuffed but not carted, which could only mean one thing: this was going to be a farce.
"Nice shirt," Banau called, and Ixaaliot had little enough patience for the Vonu when xe did xyr job properly. Ix pointed at xem with a cigarette.
"Shut the fuck up," he shouted back, busy stalking toward the arresting officer. He might have stomped, if his weight or his lank lent itself to stomping. He knew who it was well before the man in green looked up from the tablet where he was writing out his report.
"That's no way to talk to your client."
"Xe's my friend, jackass, and that attempted entrapment bullshit got old before it started."
"Someone's cranky today," he noted.
"Maybe because some of us have better things to do than go through this song and dance again," Ix said, coming to a stop with a distance between them, dragging on his cigarette with two arms crossed and another in his pocket. "Are we really going to have to do this today?"
"I'm sorry, civilian, I'm afraid I don't know what song you're talking about. Maybe if you sing me a few bars it'll jog my memory."
Ix ran a hand over his tentacles and sighed. "Hello, Officer Liao," he said flatly. "When I heard my friend was in trouble, I came as fast as I could." His complete lack of actual concern was obvious in his monotone. "There must have been a terrible misunderstanding. As a concerned citizen of the colony, I would like to offer my testimony."
Liao looked tempted to comment on Ix's clothes, but restrained himself. "And what a good friend you must be," he said, "to get here so fast. Must have a lot of free time, being retired and all." He looked back to his tablet. "Let me guess: your friend here came to warn this guy he was in danger."
"Why Officer Liao," he said, still flat as he exhaled, "how did you know."
"According to your friend over there," he said with a gesture, "xe got here just a second too late to prevent a terrible accident."
"It must have been so traumatic for xem."
"One hell of an accident," he agreed, "since a laser took off all his limbs before he fell out the window." Ix looked, for the first time, at the torso still on the crime scene. He looked up at the broken window. And then he scowled at Banau, because if xe still got paid for this clusterfuck he was going to be annoyed. "You got any interesting theories about how something like this might have happened by accident?"
He had been holding out hope that this would be over quickly. That hope died about as ignobly as the torso on the sidewalk.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 03-22-2015
[/img]"http://i.imgur.com/ShCSJDw.jpg" style="max-width:25%;float:left;margin:0 18px;" style="avatar]Nova had miscalculated. Or she would like to think of it in that manner, when in reality she had fucked up.
Nova and Onion had remained on the beach for a while after Ix had left them. She watched as Onion ran up and down the sand, avoiding the cascading surf and chasing birds as best he could on his leash. After the fat puppy had worn himself out and flopped down next to Nova with a sigh, she threw her messenger bag over her shoulders and scooped Onion out of the sand. She did her best to brush tiny grains from his fur and her clothing, but there was really only so much to be done.
Walking back towards the path she was surprised to find her shoes where she left them because it wasn't something that would have happened on her side of the colony. They weren't fancy or expensive, but they looked nice and that was enough for most of the really desperate.
She briefly traded Onion for the pumps so she could shove them in her bag, which was impressively spacious judging by all the things she kept shoving in there. She gathered up the dog, who could barely keep his eyes open, once more and they continued in the direction of Ixaaliot's apartment.
Which is how they were now facing Nova's current mistake miscalculation.
Nova did not have a way to get into Ixaaliot's apartment, and she had no idea why that had not occurred to her in the first place. What she did have was a sleeping puppy that was drooling all over her.
Kreska's possible presence had already been considered, and judging by the way her knock had gone unanswered, she did not seem to be around.
Cursing in Calrathii, she rearranged Onion so he was settled over her shoulder like an over-sized infant, so she could use a now-free hand to retrieve her phone. She selected a contact and the call was answered before she could get the phone up to her ear.
"Don't you have anything better to do that wait on my calls?"
"That's a joke, right?" The voice on the other end was familiar, if not somewhat droll. At the very least she was happy to hear the Camdis had switched back to his default voice modulator.
"I'm glad you don't sound like some old Earthling actor anymore."
She could practically hear the AI roll his eyes. She had a constant connection with him through her phone and tablet, but his chassis remained on her ship, which was hidden away in the mechanic's garage. They had both agreed it was for the best, since any random AI sweep, or someone who developed too much interest in his model could very easily blow their cover.
"I was trying it out. It's not like-" he cut himself off, and Nova chuckled at how defensive he sounded. "What can I do for you miss Starrunner?" He asks, when her giggles had subsided.
"How frowned upon is it to use a highly advanced military AI to hack into your boyfriend's apartment?"
It was then Camdis' turn to chuckle. He partook in many humanoid habits. He found the expressive nature of organics to be truly fascinating. "Doesn't he live in a penthouse apartment?"
"How do you know that?"
"It's my job to know, Nova. Nothing better to do than keep tabs on you at all times. Also, location services on your tablet."
"What does that have to do with my problem?"
"Nothing, I just wanted to point out that your boyfriend lives in a fancy penthouse apartment that you're currently thinking about breaking into."
"When you say it like that is sounds bad."
"It is bad."
Onion huffed against her shoulder, and she felt awful that he was now a victim of her bad idea. Tentacles swayed, worriedly around her hips. "Well, what do I do? Do I just wait?"
Another chuckle from the AI, and the dancer was failing to see what was so amusing. "Why are you waiting at all? Where is he?"
Nova explained the situation quickly. She started with Onion and how they'd gone to the beach and then the call. His having to 'help' a friend, and how she was not entirely sure of the status on the dog. Was she taking him home? Was there anything she needed for him back at the apartment. About how she sort of wanted to surprise him by sticking around. Which all ended with her exactly where she was now.
"I can't help you," Camdis replies, when she finishes her explanation.
"Can't or won't?" she shoots back, as if she were in any position to be legitimately offended.
"Both? Pick one. Good luck."
He disconnected from her and she scoffed, shoving the phone back into her bag and by no means closer to solving her problem.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 03-24-2015
extremely unfortunate. The individual in question did not actually fit in the elevator, and so instead arrived in a less orthodox manner. Normally the building's security would not have allowed for someone coming up the side of the building, but having the right clearance made all the difference.
At the end of the hall, a window opened from the outside, and a very large and rather out-of-place looking Krotazi slid indoors. Ey took eir time getting eir tail inside, there being quite a lot of it, and by the time ey was done it had almost filled the hall. It was one of the many reasons why Ix preferred that ey didn't visit. Ey very politely shut the window behind em, then turned eir attention to the hallway's other occupant.
Tongues darted towards her as ey rearranged emself to get a better look at her, large pink eyes blinking owlishly. "You," ey said finally, "are not the Captain's Daughter." Ey looked at the closed door, then back at her. "She is not here?"
Pretty blue femme smelling of the Lawyer and holding a fat fluffy mammal. The fat fluffy mammal smelled a bit like Kreska. Ey darted tongues toward them both again. Meat and fat and sand and salt. Hm.
"Calrathiion," ey said thoughtfully. "You are here for Ixaaliot? But he is not here, because he is doing a favor for me." Ey traced the tip of a talon along the curve of one curling black horn, along the thin platinum chain that decorated it. "You are his friend, but we have not been introduced. That won't do at all, oh no. An oversight, I'm sure. I am his very good friend, you see, and I know all of his friends." Something about the smell of her intrigued em, though ey couldn't place quite why just yet. Nonetheless, ey refrained from picking her up just yet.
"I will wait for him inside," ey decided. "You will wait with me, and we will get to know each other, pretty lady. You are female, yes? Calrathiion have females, I think." A lazy swipe of one hand unlocked the door, and ey waited for her to enter first.
"And what should I call you?"
If asked about possible nightmare scenarios, 'Grilka alone in his apartment with his girlfriend' was probably at the top of Ix's list.[/align]
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 03-26-2015
Had she not know any better (which she really did not) she was have sensed lilts of jealousy in his clipped responses.
The window sliding open drew her attention away from the irritable AI. Her gaze snapped away from the phone and she focused in on the noise.
She was not at all prepared for the sight of a Krotazi coming in through the aperture. It was a lot to take in, to be honest. Both literally and metaphorically. The dancer found it hard not to focus on the threatening aspects of her new company. Talons, teeth, horns. At first meeting, all of a Krotazi looked like threatening company.
Nova was mostly still, staring, as seemingly endless lengths of tail were drawn through the window. There were very important things that she needed to remember. Endless diplomacy courses that covered the etiquette and mannerism is of interacting with the species. She never expected to be in the presence of one. She tried to sift through all the lectures on the the danger. She never thought that she should have paid more attention.
Tentacles twisted and rearranged themselves against the length of her spine; the smaller tendrils at the forefront curled behind her ears, as she tried to absorb as many important details as she could.
Nova responded with a curt shake of her head. She certainly was not the Captain's Daughter, although she did not know who was. That was likely more of a response than such a rhetorical statement deserved. However, her mix of confusion and apprehension was replaced with a pleasant surprise when ey correctly identified her as Calrathiion. Cephalic tentacles tended to get you bunched into too many different categories.
"Um. Yes. He said he had something to take care of. I decided to wait for him here." She likely did not really need to explain herself to em, but there was no such thing as being too polite to a giant, poisonous, Krotazi. "Oh, well. Uh. We've not been known each other that long." Eir movement caused her eyes to flicker to curved horns. "Perhaps he's just not gotten the chance to introduce us." She smiled, as pale oculars slid back down to meet pink ones. Ixaaliot probably did not need her to defend him, therefore the excuse was mostly for her own sake.
In response to the non-optional suggestion to get to know one another and her gender she only nodded quickly, as tentacles unfurled to flare around her shoulders.
"You can call me Nova."
She walked into the apartment with Onion in tow, moving far enough into the living space to set the sleeping pup down in a space that was as out of the way as possible. "What shall I call you?"
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 03-29-2015
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 03-29-2015
Nova didn't sit down, even as Grilka settled into a non-threatening position. Despite how hard she was trying to pretend to be out of the Calrathiion system, it was difficult to ignore her training. She did not legitimately feel threatened, but better safe, right?
She kept smiling, even though she wished she was still dressed as nicely as she had been earlier. Her scales were scratchy with salt and sand, not that there was much to be done about unexpected introductions.
"O-oh?" She was visibly taken aback. Her brows knitted and she sort of half frowned. She passed a hand across the ridge of her tentacles as the smaller ones unfurled. She didn't seem too concerned about the lesson between 'fuck' and 'play.'
"Wh-why would he think that?" She didn't mean to stutter; she was trying to ask her questions while remaining inoffensive. She couldn't even begin to address which one of them she could or would like better.
The tentacle that had been poked didn't recoil, so much as it reared back like a sleeping animal that had been disturbed. It poked back, pressing against Grilka's tail in it's own curious fashion. It wasn't long before another of Nova's tentacles curled around to the interaction, as if jealous it wasn't also receiving attention. These behaviors were the main reason how much control she had over her tentacles was questioned.
"We met at Radius," she was thankful for the change of subject. "I work there. I'm technically a stripper, but I was working the bar at the time." She flinched as she said 'stripper.' Not particularly embarrassed by the occupation, but perhaps not something to go around mentioning to your retired lawyer boyfriend's… friends.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 03-29-2015
Ey was used to people being uncomfortable in eir presence, and so ey didn't wonder about details. Ey was much more interested in the way her tentacles responded to eirs, scales against scales. Ey was not intimately familiar with her species, and ey was always very curious. Particularly about the way her tentacles seemed to function independently. How much control did she have over them? Eir tentacles wound around hers exploratorily as they spoke, to see if ey could coax her into coming closer and relaxing.
Did it mean something, when they moved the way they did? Hmm.
"He has had many friends that decided they liked playing with me," Grilka explained. "I'm so much fun." Ey wanted to lick her and see if she was salty, but ey darted tongues at her again instead.
"Ah! Radius." Eir consonants trilled and clicked, slitted pupils a touch more alert. "Very interesting business, there. Lots of loud noises and property damage and attempted murders, lately. But Ixaaliot wasn't there for that, was he? Unfortunate. I love gossip." It sounded so harmless when ey called it that. As much as anything ey said ever sounded harmless.
"Oh, but do you dance, or do you just get naked? Just getting naked, that's no fun. Clothes are just giftwrapping. Half the fun is getting it off. But I love a pretty dancer." As someone who did not wear clothing, eir perspective might have been skewed. Ey stretched and reached upward to access environmental controls in the ceiling, to turn off any smoke alarms. Ix didn't care for smoking indoors, particularly not memti, but he was not there. Not that Grilka would have cared if he was.
"Radius," ey repeated thoughtfully as ey looped back down. "What is it that's good at Radius? Hmm." Ey pulled a cigarette from what might have resembled a bracelet, and watched her as ey lit it. "Does Radius have the Terran twins," ey asked, "or the fuckbunny? I can never remember."[/align]
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 04-20-2015
[/img]"http://i.imgur.com/ShCSJDw.jpg" style="max-width:25%;float:left;margin:0 18px;" style="avatar]Nova continued to stand, and she did her best to make it look casual; she tried not to fidget any more than the near-constant swaying of her tentacles. Delicate tendrils at the front curled together against her chest, as the larger one converged on Grilka's tail. They had all moved to one side, and Nova had to tilt her head a bit to accommodate them. They were not truly inquisitive on their own, only an extension of her passive curiosity.
She was sure the concept of fun was different between them. Nova figured her best option was to stay silent. Hopefully, crossing her arms over her stomach wouldn't seem too hostile? A brief smile couldn't hurt? It was suddenly beginning to feel like she was at work. She was used to using small, tactful gestures to please customers, but doing it because you felt you were in dangerous company was a bit nerve-wracking.
A disgusted noise sounded off, involuntarily, in her throat. She had no desire to be reminded of all damage and the security footage she had had to look through. "Yes, there was an incident. An explosion on some of the middle floors. Very messy… but, no. I don't think he was there for that. Not really sure why he was there," she admits with a shrug.
Oh. Uh oh. It was very possible she had indeed said too much, but not in the way she had originally though. "I- hm. I dance," she reveals, slowly, and almost too quietly. She watched at the Krotazi stretched towards the ceiling, in a display that only reminded Nova of how large her company was.
It would be utterly wonderful if Ixaaliot came home soon. Or called. Or something.
She watched Grilka as ey watched her, and wondered if the gazes were intentionally predatory or if that was just they way ey looked. Entirely possible that it was a mixture of both. "Well, we don't have any twins," she begins as pale eyes flicker away to observe the ceiling in thought. "Fuckbunny sounds more accurate," but not necessarily something the Lepi in question would like to be referred as. "Since I think you're talking about Daxet? She is certainly very bunny-like."
Nova was entirely willing to ramble on about her co-workers, if it meant avoiding talking about herself.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 05-06-2015
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 05-11-2015
Harsh. Much too harsh. She would have pressed a hand against her eyes, if her arms weren't so heavy. "It's just not really something I do outside of work."
Nova did not realize the Krotazi would have such a well-formed opinion on nomenclature. As Grilka changed names to suit eir liking, Nova tried to figure out why her legs were no longer working. Her head felt clear, alert even, but her limbs were close to dead weight and she wanted to sit. Grilka's tail pressed against her back and she resisted the urge to rest against it. Tentacles curled and twisted, but with less enthusiasm.
She watched as ey operated the hologram, not knowing what was happening. Ey accessed information from it somehow, but insofar, it was nothing that you couldn't find with an extranet search. Grilka came closer, pushing through the hologram, but Nova had no way to retreat. She leaned on eir tail, because supporting herself had become increasingly difficult as the minutes passed.
Nova's shock was obvious. Her lips parted, and her brow furrowed. She emulated confusion and concern, simultaneously. How could ey possibly know that? Camdis took great pride in how thouroughly he had hidden her. She checked bounty boards herself, to catch any new postings.
She could try to deny it, but Grilka seemed confident. Implying ey were mistaken did not seem like an option.
"How do you know that?" She was deliberate in leaving the question unanswered, still leaned against em. "How do you know I changed my name?"
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 05-12-2015
Grilka was a prime example of someone who could dish it out, but not take it.
And anyway. No amount of coaxing would make this girl a proper pet. Not because she was Ixaaliot's, because plenty of his girlfriends turned out to be wasted on him. There was steel in her spine and iron beneath her blood, and none of it drawn to em.
A shame, a shame.
Hopefully she was not so stiff all the time. Ixaaliot was joyless enough without a counterpart to match. Ey couldn't let him keep a woman like that.
Careful as ever, ey brought eir tail beneath her enough to cradle her upright comfortably, but did not try to prod at her. Now that she was good and vulnerable, ey drew back a little to give her the illusion of more breathing room, putting eir holo-display away.
"I love gossip," ey repeated airily, giving emself an aura of omniscience. This was actually selling emself a bit short; in another life, ey would have been a very good and very strange detective. Picking up on little details, making very specific searches, connecting dots -- and guessing, of course. But no one would ever dare accuse em of not knowing what ey was talking about, so even those guesses that misfired tended to land somewhere.
"The Lawyer didn't tell me, so he must not know. What a terrible secret, that you keep it from him. Don't worry, Nova Starrunner. I am wonderful at keeping secrets, for my friends. You are safe."
Onion began to stir, and at a familiar sound by the door, barked. He knew who it was, but barked anyway, because he wanted to be sure that everyone knew that someone was coming. Why this was important, and not the Krotazi taking up the living room, was a mystery for a dog to contemplate.
Nena otara data ona prata ala," Ix began, to the room he assumed would be empty of anyone not small or green or maybe a dog for some reason. Then he froze. "Nena ala, what the fuck are you doing in my house?" Ix looked, to put it mildly, like hell. Like he'd lost a fight with a mud puddle, which was also a tree, perhaps. He was in no mood.
Then he saw the much smaller blue amidst the scales, and froze again. "Nova?" He was almost pleased, before realizing where she was. Onion had decided that it was lap time, giant snakes be damned, and was prodding at her accordingly.
"I was looking for Kreska," Grilka explained, drawing on eir memti, "but she is not here."
"She's -- you're -- what? What do you mean, she's not here?" While he'd been halfway to Nova, his face turned into a scowl, and he moved at high speed to duck through every room to confirm this. "She's not here!"
"That's what I said."
"Where the fuck is she?"
Grilka clicked eir teeth. "You were supposed to be keeping track of that."
"I told her to stay put!"
"You thought she would listen?"
"I thought she was tired."
"That must be why she left," Grilka said, a touch enigmatic. "But I can see why you did not want to watch her, when you could watch this pretty girl." Grilka had coiled eir tail such that the already-irritated Ix had to climb over em to get to eir girlfriend.
"This is exactly why I hadn't introduced you," Ix muttered.
"If you had introduced us," Grilka countered, "this wouldn't have happened."
Ixaaliot attempted to take her hands in two of his, to frame her face with the other so he could see her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. No doubt she had breathed in some of the smoke, and he didn't know what kind of effect that might have had on her.
"Do you think I would hurt her?" asked the Krotazi, offended. Ix rolled his eyes.
"You play rough," he reminded em. Then he winced, making a face as Grilka suddenly leaned close to lick his cheek with both tongues.
"Only with ones who ask nice," Grilka corrected, patting the top of his head with one hand. Ix made another face at the taste of Krotazi talons against his cephalic tentacles, and in the clusterfuck that things had become he had forgotten to keep his expressions in order. "Officer Liao," Grilka said thoughtfully, and how ey knew that from the taste of Ix's skin he did not want to know. "How strange, for the TAF to concern themselves in an accident. Is he a problem?"
"No," Ix said, quickly, too quickly. "He's fine. Doing his job. It's fine. Everything is fine. Can we talk about this later?"
Rather than take eir leave, Grilka settled in to watch the two of them, quiet but curious.[/align]
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 05-12-2015
feeling. The one she felt when asked to dance outside of work. She was reminded of Grixton, and they way her stomach tied in knots when he asked her to put on a show for greasy friends and shady investors. "Perhaps another time," she offered with a curl to her mouth that was close to her half-smile. She could try to play at being relaxed if it would get her out of an uncomfortable situation. "If and when we know each other better."
Nova settled into eir tail, a bit too easily. Akin to sliding into a favorite chair. The numbness in her limbs and the smooth scales of her new perch, felt bit like floating - not that she would admit aloud how she was enjoying it. She seemed to scoff, involuntarily, at 'gossip,' and a hand reached up to pull her glasses from her face. It dropped to her lap, as if entirely too much energy had been wasted on the gesture. "It's not that kind of secret," she turned her head away from the Krotazi when she spoke this time. Her tentacles flared and twisted. "Deceit isn't my intention. I'm just trying to protect people." She kept talking, but she didn't know why; the words coming much easier than she would prefer. "I want to tell him," she admits, lazily turning her gaze back to Grilka. "I just have to wait. I have to be... sure."
Under normal circumstances, she would not be trying to explain herself to em, but something about that purple smoke had her feeling like a rock and a feather at the same time. Heavy limbs, and airy mind. She quieted briefly, but her brow furrowed. She attempted to scowl at Grilka, but she couldn't be sure that was the expression she maintained. "Are you… blackmailing me?" It was not the lightest of accusations, but her judgment was not exactly one hundred percent.
Onion stirred, but Nova couldn't be bothered to see what the fuss was about. She would have curled up against eir tail like a contented kitten, instead, if she could have managed it.
Ixaaliot's voice brought a smile to her face, tentacles reaching down to pet the dog as he and Grilka went back and forth. Something about Kreska, and watching this or that.
Clearly she was aware of some sort of compliment in her direction, by the way she beamed, tentacles falling over her shoulders to twist across her chest.
She didn't know she had closed her eyes, until she had to force them open to look at him when her took her hands and her face. Accessing them was somewhat useless - her irises always appeared dilated. There was a glassiness to them, however. Onion seemed to be forgotten for the moment, in favor of interacting with Ix.
She hummed a response to his question. Out of words for the moment. Positive or negative was hard to determine, but she did rest her face against his hands, seemingly pleased by the contact. Ix and Grilka went back and forth again. Nova drew small circles at the back of Ixaaliot's hands with her thumbs.
"Who's Officer Liao?," she mumbles, before turning her face to press a kiss against his palm.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 05-13-2015
Grilka rattled a laugh at her accusation, a terrifying show of teeth, but did not deny her accusation. Only kept her comfortable, to create as much of a mental association as ey could between emself and comfort.
(The only person who actually associated Grilka with comfort and safety was a single Ga'lleq, not well-renowned for her judgment.)
Nova was almost snuggly in her drugged state, and Ix was unbelievably irritated with Grilka for essentially tainting what could have been a cute moment. He resisted the temptation to be affectionate, because Grilka was watching and that made it creepy. Grilka made everything creepy. He pocketed his glasses so that he could see her better, though it made it more obvious to him what a mess he was.
"I'm so sorry about this," he murmured, low enough that the actual words were almost lost beneath the rumble of his voice. "I never wanted this to happen, I swear I can explain once you're feeling better."
"I imagine she feels fantastic," Grilka said.
"You know what I mean," Ix hissed between his teeth. His attention was drawn back to Nova by her question, by the feel of her mouth against his skin. Grilka was looking terribly smug, and attempted to prod Ix in the back to encourage snuggling. Ix glowered at him. "Just an Enforcer," he explained, "no one to worry about."
"Didn't you two used to work together?" Grilka asked, polishing a set of talons against eir chest while taking another drag. "Before you retired."
"Well that isn't really relevant, now, is it?" Ix asked, and the look he was giving Grilka was clearly intended to convey that ey should shut up. Grilka, for eir part, pretended not to understand the extremely obvious expression.
"I thought you two were quite close," Grilka continued. "Maybe that's why you're being so nice to him, when he is clearly a problem."
"He is not a problem," Ix corrected. "He does not need to be solved. Everything is taken care of. Everything is fine." In regards to Banau, anyway. In general, things were probably not fine. The Enforcer was definitely not done making his life difficult, Kreska was missing and presumed in harm's way, and his girlfriend was high as a fucking space station and sitting on his boss. That was not how anyone defined 'fine'.
"I should get you to bed," he said to Nova, and Grilka feigned a gasp and put two hands to eir face. One hand left Nova's face long enough to make a rude gesture in Grilka's direction. "Not my bed," he clarified. "But you should lie down before you fall over."
"She is very secure," Grilka protested.
"I would like for her to be secure on something that isn't you." Grilka pouted, which was not as effective as it might have been if ey had not been an enormous snake with teeth longer than Ix's fingers. That didn't stop em from making a valiant effort. "Although I would... need you to carry her. Because. I can't." While this was an obvious fact, Ix being as lightweight as he was, it still galled him to have to say it.
At the end of the hall, a window opened from the outside, and a very large and rather out-of-place looking Krotazi slid indoors. Ey took eir time getting eir tail inside, there being quite a lot of it, and by the time ey was done it had almost filled the hall. It was one of the many reasons why Ix preferred that ey didn't visit. Ey very politely shut the window behind em, then turned eir attention to the hallway's other occupant.
Tongues darted towards her as ey rearranged emself to get a better look at her, large pink eyes blinking owlishly. "You," ey said finally, "are not the Captain's Daughter." Ey looked at the closed door, then back at her. "She is not here?"
Pretty blue femme smelling of the Lawyer and holding a fat fluffy mammal. The fat fluffy mammal smelled a bit like Kreska. Ey darted tongues toward them both again. Meat and fat and sand and salt. Hm.
"Calrathiion," ey said thoughtfully. "You are here for Ixaaliot? But he is not here, because he is doing a favor for me." Ey traced the tip of a talon along the curve of one curling black horn, along the thin platinum chain that decorated it. "You are his friend, but we have not been introduced. That won't do at all, oh no. An oversight, I'm sure. I am his very good friend, you see, and I know all of his friends." Something about the smell of her intrigued em, though ey couldn't place quite why just yet. Nonetheless, ey refrained from picking her up just yet.
"I will wait for him inside," ey decided. "You will wait with me, and we will get to know each other, pretty lady. You are female, yes? Calrathiion have females, I think." A lazy swipe of one hand unlocked the door, and ey waited for her to enter first.
"And what should I call you?"
If asked about possible nightmare scenarios, 'Grilka alone in his apartment with his girlfriend' was probably at the top of Ix's list.[/align]
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 03-26-2015
Had she not know any better (which she really did not) she was have sensed lilts of jealousy in his clipped responses.
The window sliding open drew her attention away from the irritable AI. Her gaze snapped away from the phone and she focused in on the noise.
She was not at all prepared for the sight of a Krotazi coming in through the aperture. It was a lot to take in, to be honest. Both literally and metaphorically. The dancer found it hard not to focus on the threatening aspects of her new company. Talons, teeth, horns. At first meeting, all of a Krotazi looked like threatening company.
Nova was mostly still, staring, as seemingly endless lengths of tail were drawn through the window. There were very important things that she needed to remember. Endless diplomacy courses that covered the etiquette and mannerism is of interacting with the species. She never expected to be in the presence of one. She tried to sift through all the lectures on the the danger. She never thought that she should have paid more attention.
Tentacles twisted and rearranged themselves against the length of her spine; the smaller tendrils at the forefront curled behind her ears, as she tried to absorb as many important details as she could.
Nova responded with a curt shake of her head. She certainly was not the Captain's Daughter, although she did not know who was. That was likely more of a response than such a rhetorical statement deserved. However, her mix of confusion and apprehension was replaced with a pleasant surprise when ey correctly identified her as Calrathiion. Cephalic tentacles tended to get you bunched into too many different categories.
"Um. Yes. He said he had something to take care of. I decided to wait for him here." She likely did not really need to explain herself to em, but there was no such thing as being too polite to a giant, poisonous, Krotazi. "Oh, well. Uh. We've not been known each other that long." Eir movement caused her eyes to flicker to curved horns. "Perhaps he's just not gotten the chance to introduce us." She smiled, as pale oculars slid back down to meet pink ones. Ixaaliot probably did not need her to defend him, therefore the excuse was mostly for her own sake.
In response to the non-optional suggestion to get to know one another and her gender she only nodded quickly, as tentacles unfurled to flare around her shoulders.
"You can call me Nova."
She walked into the apartment with Onion in tow, moving far enough into the living space to set the sleeping pup down in a space that was as out of the way as possible. "What shall I call you?"
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 03-29-2015
Ey could taste the anxiety on her, though not the fear that some may have had. Ey could never decide if that was more or less fun, the fear that gripped some people and rendered them near immobile. Ey had not expected it from her, anyway; Calrathiion were not, by their nature, prey.
Ey followed her into the familiar confines of Ixaaliot's apartment, though a few things had changed here and there. He still had not replaced his television, ey noted. Tongues darted at the couch, toward the stink of mint and chlorophyllic blood. Someone had broken eir Jobari, and ey was not happy about it -- even if she had probably deserved it. An ingrate and a prude, that one, but she was no one else's to punish. Certainly not whatever fool would risk doing damage to such a rarity.
A great big bounty had appeared on Osiris, one big enough to entice a slaver into Grilka's territory. Ey was more interested in the bounty than the slaver, but they had an idle curiosity as to whether the hunter had been fool enough to bring cargo along for the trip. So convenient, to have such things brought to em, if ey could make it eirs.
"Nova," ey repeated slowly, coiling eir tail underneath em. Not her true name, certainly not. Ey darted tongues toward her again. "I am Grilka," ey said, tilting eir head to the side to look over the length of her. No fear to play on, and she was one of Ix's besides. Ey decided to settle down into eir coils, crossing two arms and propping eir chin on one of the others, a lazy and harmless posture.
"Ixaaliot hasn't introduced us because he's worried you will want to fuck me," Grilka said. "Not that you could – play, maybe, but he is very bad at telling the difference. Silly, besides, since wouldn't it be better to figure it out sooner if you'd like me better? I wouldn't make you choose, but he's very strange about that kind of thing."
Really, it would all be much less awkward if Ix would just let Grilka play with him, too. Then everyone would be happy! Or, orgasming. Same thing.
The tip of eir tail emerged from amidst eir coils as ey spoke, tendrils unraveling to poke curiously at one of her longer tentacles. What ey really wanted to know is if she would let em touch her.
"How did the Lawyer meet such a pretty girl, hm?"
Ey followed her into the familiar confines of Ixaaliot's apartment, though a few things had changed here and there. He still had not replaced his television, ey noted. Tongues darted at the couch, toward the stink of mint and chlorophyllic blood. Someone had broken eir Jobari, and ey was not happy about it -- even if she had probably deserved it. An ingrate and a prude, that one, but she was no one else's to punish. Certainly not whatever fool would risk doing damage to such a rarity.
A great big bounty had appeared on Osiris, one big enough to entice a slaver into Grilka's territory. Ey was more interested in the bounty than the slaver, but they had an idle curiosity as to whether the hunter had been fool enough to bring cargo along for the trip. So convenient, to have such things brought to em, if ey could make it eirs.
"Nova," ey repeated slowly, coiling eir tail underneath em. Not her true name, certainly not. Ey darted tongues toward her again. "I am Grilka," ey said, tilting eir head to the side to look over the length of her. No fear to play on, and she was one of Ix's besides. Ey decided to settle down into eir coils, crossing two arms and propping eir chin on one of the others, a lazy and harmless posture.
"Ixaaliot hasn't introduced us because he's worried you will want to fuck me," Grilka said. "Not that you could – play, maybe, but he is very bad at telling the difference. Silly, besides, since wouldn't it be better to figure it out sooner if you'd like me better? I wouldn't make you choose, but he's very strange about that kind of thing."
Really, it would all be much less awkward if Ix would just let Grilka play with him, too. Then everyone would be happy! Or, orgasming. Same thing.
The tip of eir tail emerged from amidst eir coils as ey spoke, tendrils unraveling to poke curiously at one of her longer tentacles. What ey really wanted to know is if she would let em touch her.
"How did the Lawyer meet such a pretty girl, hm?"
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 03-29-2015
Nova didn't sit down, even as Grilka settled into a non-threatening position. Despite how hard she was trying to pretend to be out of the Calrathiion system, it was difficult to ignore her training. She did not legitimately feel threatened, but better safe, right?
She kept smiling, even though she wished she was still dressed as nicely as she had been earlier. Her scales were scratchy with salt and sand, not that there was much to be done about unexpected introductions.
"O-oh?" She was visibly taken aback. Her brows knitted and she sort of half frowned. She passed a hand across the ridge of her tentacles as the smaller ones unfurled. She didn't seem too concerned about the lesson between 'fuck' and 'play.'
"Wh-why would he think that?" She didn't mean to stutter; she was trying to ask her questions while remaining inoffensive. She couldn't even begin to address which one of them she could or would like better.
The tentacle that had been poked didn't recoil, so much as it reared back like a sleeping animal that had been disturbed. It poked back, pressing against Grilka's tail in it's own curious fashion. It wasn't long before another of Nova's tentacles curled around to the interaction, as if jealous it wasn't also receiving attention. These behaviors were the main reason how much control she had over her tentacles was questioned.
"We met at Radius," she was thankful for the change of subject. "I work there. I'm technically a stripper, but I was working the bar at the time." She flinched as she said 'stripper.' Not particularly embarrassed by the occupation, but perhaps not something to go around mentioning to your retired lawyer boyfriend's… friends.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 03-29-2015
Ey was used to people being uncomfortable in eir presence, and so ey didn't wonder about details. Ey was much more interested in the way her tentacles responded to eirs, scales against scales. Ey was not intimately familiar with her species, and ey was always very curious. Particularly about the way her tentacles seemed to function independently. How much control did she have over them? Eir tentacles wound around hers exploratorily as they spoke, to see if ey could coax her into coming closer and relaxing.
Did it mean something, when they moved the way they did? Hmm.
"He has had many friends that decided they liked playing with me," Grilka explained. "I'm so much fun." Ey wanted to lick her and see if she was salty, but ey darted tongues at her again instead.
"Ah! Radius." Eir consonants trilled and clicked, slitted pupils a touch more alert. "Very interesting business, there. Lots of loud noises and property damage and attempted murders, lately. But Ixaaliot wasn't there for that, was he? Unfortunate. I love gossip." It sounded so harmless when ey called it that. As much as anything ey said ever sounded harmless.
"Oh, but do you dance, or do you just get naked? Just getting naked, that's no fun. Clothes are just giftwrapping. Half the fun is getting it off. But I love a pretty dancer." As someone who did not wear clothing, eir perspective might have been skewed. Ey stretched and reached upward to access environmental controls in the ceiling, to turn off any smoke alarms. Ix didn't care for smoking indoors, particularly not memti, but he was not there. Not that Grilka would have cared if he was.
"Radius," ey repeated thoughtfully as ey looped back down. "What is it that's good at Radius? Hmm." Ey pulled a cigarette from what might have resembled a bracelet, and watched her as ey lit it. "Does Radius have the Terran twins," ey asked, "or the fuckbunny? I can never remember."[/align]
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 04-20-2015
[/img]"http://i.imgur.com/ShCSJDw.jpg" style="max-width:25%;float:left;margin:0 18px;" style="avatar]Nova continued to stand, and she did her best to make it look casual; she tried not to fidget any more than the near-constant swaying of her tentacles. Delicate tendrils at the front curled together against her chest, as the larger one converged on Grilka's tail. They had all moved to one side, and Nova had to tilt her head a bit to accommodate them. They were not truly inquisitive on their own, only an extension of her passive curiosity.
She was sure the concept of fun was different between them. Nova figured her best option was to stay silent. Hopefully, crossing her arms over her stomach wouldn't seem too hostile? A brief smile couldn't hurt? It was suddenly beginning to feel like she was at work. She was used to using small, tactful gestures to please customers, but doing it because you felt you were in dangerous company was a bit nerve-wracking.
A disgusted noise sounded off, involuntarily, in her throat. She had no desire to be reminded of all damage and the security footage she had had to look through. "Yes, there was an incident. An explosion on some of the middle floors. Very messy… but, no. I don't think he was there for that. Not really sure why he was there," she admits with a shrug.
Oh. Uh oh. It was very possible she had indeed said too much, but not in the way she had originally though. "I- hm. I dance," she reveals, slowly, and almost too quietly. She watched at the Krotazi stretched towards the ceiling, in a display that only reminded Nova of how large her company was.
It would be utterly wonderful if Ixaaliot came home soon. Or called. Or something.
She watched Grilka as ey watched her, and wondered if the gazes were intentionally predatory or if that was just they way ey looked. Entirely possible that it was a mixture of both. "Well, we don't have any twins," she begins as pale eyes flicker away to observe the ceiling in thought. "Fuckbunny sounds more accurate," but not necessarily something the Lepi in question would like to be referred as. "Since I think you're talking about Daxet? She is certainly very bunny-like."
Nova was entirely willing to ramble on about her co-workers, if it meant avoiding talking about herself.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 05-06-2015
Ixaaliot was, in fact, finally on his way home. But 'on his way' was different from 'arrived', and so Grilka had some time yet to make all of his nightmares come true. So to speak.
As tendrils toyed with hers, eir tail had been slowly but surely moving to circle her. Closing in, though slow and careful, because this was not a species ey could likely catch off-guard. Not a prey species, not one ey could have just by catching before she thought to struggle.
In the friendliest possible way, of course.
Ey exhaled thick purple smoke in her direction – just the smallest amount, because ey didn't know yet what memti did to her sort. Based on prior experience, Ixaaliot would be very cross with em if ey gave his girlfriend a seizure. Tongues darted at her again, a slow and lazy blink as ey watched her. "Work is stressful?" ey asked. "We will not talk about it, then. So you don't have to be so tense, yes?" Ey poked her gently in the stomach, using the back of one talon so ey could not accidentally poison her if she twitched.
Never one to settle for subtlety, ey added a dismissive, "Calm the fuck down."
Ey took another drag, but didn't exhale at her again just yet. "If there is music," ey asked, "would you dance for me? I might give you a present, if you did." Ey had been settling closer, and now when eir tongues darted through the air they nearly touched her, tail nearly touching her back as tendrils petted her tentacles.
"I do not go to Radius," ey said, which she surely already knew. "They do not like me there, I think. But pretty girls. I do not pay for girls, but pretty."
"Daxet," ey repeated. "Daxet. Daxet." Then ey hissed. "I don't like that name. Too many hard edges, not enough open spaces, not enough curves. Daxette? Dakset. No. I would give her a better name. Nova is…" Ey clicked eir teeth. "An okay name. Too soft, maybe, or too short. But I wouldn't change it." Ey tapped a red gemstone on eir necklace, and a small hologram appeared in eir vision. Ey tapped idly through the various geometric shapes that appeared, cocking eir head to the side. "Ah! Starrunner. Nova Starrunner." Ey clicked again, dragging the shapes lower so ey could manipulate them with eir lower hand, watching them only through eir peripheral so ey could look back to eir company. "Too long, maybe, too many fast turns." Ey took a drag as ey considered ways to pronounce her name that would make it more pleasing to em. "Noh-vaah," ey said slowly, and then faster, "Stah-runn-uh-ruh," all sibilance and rolling Rs. Then ey paused and looked down at the light ey had been manipulating, brought it higher and used two hands to make it bigger so ey could look at it closer. Closer, and then ey pushed their head entirely through the hologram, bringing eir face close to hers.
"Your old name was much prettier. Does your new name suit you better? Is that why you changed it?"
As tendrils toyed with hers, eir tail had been slowly but surely moving to circle her. Closing in, though slow and careful, because this was not a species ey could likely catch off-guard. Not a prey species, not one ey could have just by catching before she thought to struggle.
In the friendliest possible way, of course.
Ey exhaled thick purple smoke in her direction – just the smallest amount, because ey didn't know yet what memti did to her sort. Based on prior experience, Ixaaliot would be very cross with em if ey gave his girlfriend a seizure. Tongues darted at her again, a slow and lazy blink as ey watched her. "Work is stressful?" ey asked. "We will not talk about it, then. So you don't have to be so tense, yes?" Ey poked her gently in the stomach, using the back of one talon so ey could not accidentally poison her if she twitched.
Never one to settle for subtlety, ey added a dismissive, "Calm the fuck down."
Ey took another drag, but didn't exhale at her again just yet. "If there is music," ey asked, "would you dance for me? I might give you a present, if you did." Ey had been settling closer, and now when eir tongues darted through the air they nearly touched her, tail nearly touching her back as tendrils petted her tentacles.
"I do not go to Radius," ey said, which she surely already knew. "They do not like me there, I think. But pretty girls. I do not pay for girls, but pretty."
"Daxet," ey repeated. "Daxet. Daxet." Then ey hissed. "I don't like that name. Too many hard edges, not enough open spaces, not enough curves. Daxette? Dakset. No. I would give her a better name. Nova is…" Ey clicked eir teeth. "An okay name. Too soft, maybe, or too short. But I wouldn't change it." Ey tapped a red gemstone on eir necklace, and a small hologram appeared in eir vision. Ey tapped idly through the various geometric shapes that appeared, cocking eir head to the side. "Ah! Starrunner. Nova Starrunner." Ey clicked again, dragging the shapes lower so ey could manipulate them with eir lower hand, watching them only through eir peripheral so ey could look back to eir company. "Too long, maybe, too many fast turns." Ey took a drag as ey considered ways to pronounce her name that would make it more pleasing to em. "Noh-vaah," ey said slowly, and then faster, "Stah-runn-uh-ruh," all sibilance and rolling Rs. Then ey paused and looked down at the light ey had been manipulating, brought it higher and used two hands to make it bigger so ey could look at it closer. Closer, and then ey pushed their head entirely through the hologram, bringing eir face close to hers.
"Your old name was much prettier. Does your new name suit you better? Is that why you changed it?"
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 05-11-2015
Harsh. Much too harsh. She would have pressed a hand against her eyes, if her arms weren't so heavy. "It's just not really something I do outside of work."
Nova did not realize the Krotazi would have such a well-formed opinion on nomenclature. As Grilka changed names to suit eir liking, Nova tried to figure out why her legs were no longer working. Her head felt clear, alert even, but her limbs were close to dead weight and she wanted to sit. Grilka's tail pressed against her back and she resisted the urge to rest against it. Tentacles curled and twisted, but with less enthusiasm.
She watched as ey operated the hologram, not knowing what was happening. Ey accessed information from it somehow, but insofar, it was nothing that you couldn't find with an extranet search. Grilka came closer, pushing through the hologram, but Nova had no way to retreat. She leaned on eir tail, because supporting herself had become increasingly difficult as the minutes passed.
Nova's shock was obvious. Her lips parted, and her brow furrowed. She emulated confusion and concern, simultaneously. How could ey possibly know that? Camdis took great pride in how thouroughly he had hidden her. She checked bounty boards herself, to catch any new postings.
She could try to deny it, but Grilka seemed confident. Implying ey were mistaken did not seem like an option.
"How do you know that?" She was deliberate in leaving the question unanswered, still leaned against em. "How do you know I changed my name?"
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 05-12-2015
Grilka was a prime example of someone who could dish it out, but not take it.
And anyway. No amount of coaxing would make this girl a proper pet. Not because she was Ixaaliot's, because plenty of his girlfriends turned out to be wasted on him. There was steel in her spine and iron beneath her blood, and none of it drawn to em.
A shame, a shame.
Hopefully she was not so stiff all the time. Ixaaliot was joyless enough without a counterpart to match. Ey couldn't let him keep a woman like that.
Careful as ever, ey brought eir tail beneath her enough to cradle her upright comfortably, but did not try to prod at her. Now that she was good and vulnerable, ey drew back a little to give her the illusion of more breathing room, putting eir holo-display away.
"I love gossip," ey repeated airily, giving emself an aura of omniscience. This was actually selling emself a bit short; in another life, ey would have been a very good and very strange detective. Picking up on little details, making very specific searches, connecting dots -- and guessing, of course. But no one would ever dare accuse em of not knowing what ey was talking about, so even those guesses that misfired tended to land somewhere.
"The Lawyer didn't tell me, so he must not know. What a terrible secret, that you keep it from him. Don't worry, Nova Starrunner. I am wonderful at keeping secrets, for my friends. You are safe."
Onion began to stir, and at a familiar sound by the door, barked. He knew who it was, but barked anyway, because he wanted to be sure that everyone knew that someone was coming. Why this was important, and not the Krotazi taking up the living room, was a mystery for a dog to contemplate.
Nena otara data ona prata ala," Ix began, to the room he assumed would be empty of anyone not small or green or maybe a dog for some reason. Then he froze. "Nena ala, what the fuck are you doing in my house?" Ix looked, to put it mildly, like hell. Like he'd lost a fight with a mud puddle, which was also a tree, perhaps. He was in no mood.Then he saw the much smaller blue amidst the scales, and froze again. "Nova?" He was almost pleased, before realizing where she was. Onion had decided that it was lap time, giant snakes be damned, and was prodding at her accordingly.
"I was looking for Kreska," Grilka explained, drawing on eir memti, "but she is not here."
"She's -- you're -- what? What do you mean, she's not here?" While he'd been halfway to Nova, his face turned into a scowl, and he moved at high speed to duck through every room to confirm this. "She's not here!"
"That's what I said."
"Where the fuck is she?"
Grilka clicked eir teeth. "You were supposed to be keeping track of that."
"I told her to stay put!"
"You thought she would listen?"
"I thought she was tired."
"That must be why she left," Grilka said, a touch enigmatic. "But I can see why you did not want to watch her, when you could watch this pretty girl." Grilka had coiled eir tail such that the already-irritated Ix had to climb over em to get to eir girlfriend.
"This is exactly why I hadn't introduced you," Ix muttered.
"If you had introduced us," Grilka countered, "this wouldn't have happened."
Ixaaliot attempted to take her hands in two of his, to frame her face with the other so he could see her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked gently. No doubt she had breathed in some of the smoke, and he didn't know what kind of effect that might have had on her.
"Do you think I would hurt her?" asked the Krotazi, offended. Ix rolled his eyes.
"You play rough," he reminded em. Then he winced, making a face as Grilka suddenly leaned close to lick his cheek with both tongues.
"Only with ones who ask nice," Grilka corrected, patting the top of his head with one hand. Ix made another face at the taste of Krotazi talons against his cephalic tentacles, and in the clusterfuck that things had become he had forgotten to keep his expressions in order. "Officer Liao," Grilka said thoughtfully, and how ey knew that from the taste of Ix's skin he did not want to know. "How strange, for the TAF to concern themselves in an accident. Is he a problem?"
"No," Ix said, quickly, too quickly. "He's fine. Doing his job. It's fine. Everything is fine. Can we talk about this later?"
Rather than take eir leave, Grilka settled in to watch the two of them, quiet but curious.[/align]
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 05-12-2015
feeling. The one she felt when asked to dance outside of work. She was reminded of Grixton, and they way her stomach tied in knots when he asked her to put on a show for greasy friends and shady investors. "Perhaps another time," she offered with a curl to her mouth that was close to her half-smile. She could try to play at being relaxed if it would get her out of an uncomfortable situation. "If and when we know each other better."Nova settled into eir tail, a bit too easily. Akin to sliding into a favorite chair. The numbness in her limbs and the smooth scales of her new perch, felt bit like floating - not that she would admit aloud how she was enjoying it. She seemed to scoff, involuntarily, at 'gossip,' and a hand reached up to pull her glasses from her face. It dropped to her lap, as if entirely too much energy had been wasted on the gesture. "It's not that kind of secret," she turned her head away from the Krotazi when she spoke this time. Her tentacles flared and twisted. "Deceit isn't my intention. I'm just trying to protect people." She kept talking, but she didn't know why; the words coming much easier than she would prefer. "I want to tell him," she admits, lazily turning her gaze back to Grilka. "I just have to wait. I have to be... sure."
Under normal circumstances, she would not be trying to explain herself to em, but something about that purple smoke had her feeling like a rock and a feather at the same time. Heavy limbs, and airy mind. She quieted briefly, but her brow furrowed. She attempted to scowl at Grilka, but she couldn't be sure that was the expression she maintained. "Are you… blackmailing me?" It was not the lightest of accusations, but her judgment was not exactly one hundred percent.
Onion stirred, but Nova couldn't be bothered to see what the fuss was about. She would have curled up against eir tail like a contented kitten, instead, if she could have managed it.
Ixaaliot's voice brought a smile to her face, tentacles reaching down to pet the dog as he and Grilka went back and forth. Something about Kreska, and watching this or that.
Clearly she was aware of some sort of compliment in her direction, by the way she beamed, tentacles falling over her shoulders to twist across her chest.
She didn't know she had closed her eyes, until she had to force them open to look at him when her took her hands and her face. Accessing them was somewhat useless - her irises always appeared dilated. There was a glassiness to them, however. Onion seemed to be forgotten for the moment, in favor of interacting with Ix.
She hummed a response to his question. Out of words for the moment. Positive or negative was hard to determine, but she did rest her face against his hands, seemingly pleased by the contact. Ix and Grilka went back and forth again. Nova drew small circles at the back of Ixaaliot's hands with her thumbs.
"Who's Officer Liao?," she mumbles, before turning her face to press a kiss against his palm.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - Tindome - 05-13-2015
Grilka rattled a laugh at her accusation, a terrifying show of teeth, but did not deny her accusation. Only kept her comfortable, to create as much of a mental association as ey could between emself and comfort.(The only person who actually associated Grilka with comfort and safety was a single Ga'lleq, not well-renowned for her judgment.)
Nova was almost snuggly in her drugged state, and Ix was unbelievably irritated with Grilka for essentially tainting what could have been a cute moment. He resisted the temptation to be affectionate, because Grilka was watching and that made it creepy. Grilka made everything creepy. He pocketed his glasses so that he could see her better, though it made it more obvious to him what a mess he was.
"I'm so sorry about this," he murmured, low enough that the actual words were almost lost beneath the rumble of his voice. "I never wanted this to happen, I swear I can explain once you're feeling better."
"I imagine she feels fantastic," Grilka said.
"You know what I mean," Ix hissed between his teeth. His attention was drawn back to Nova by her question, by the feel of her mouth against his skin. Grilka was looking terribly smug, and attempted to prod Ix in the back to encourage snuggling. Ix glowered at him. "Just an Enforcer," he explained, "no one to worry about."
"Didn't you two used to work together?" Grilka asked, polishing a set of talons against eir chest while taking another drag. "Before you retired."
"Well that isn't really relevant, now, is it?" Ix asked, and the look he was giving Grilka was clearly intended to convey that ey should shut up. Grilka, for eir part, pretended not to understand the extremely obvious expression.
"I thought you two were quite close," Grilka continued. "Maybe that's why you're being so nice to him, when he is clearly a problem."
"He is not a problem," Ix corrected. "He does not need to be solved. Everything is taken care of. Everything is fine." In regards to Banau, anyway. In general, things were probably not fine. The Enforcer was definitely not done making his life difficult, Kreska was missing and presumed in harm's way, and his girlfriend was high as a fucking space station and sitting on his boss. That was not how anyone defined 'fine'.
"I should get you to bed," he said to Nova, and Grilka feigned a gasp and put two hands to eir face. One hand left Nova's face long enough to make a rude gesture in Grilka's direction. "Not my bed," he clarified. "But you should lie down before you fall over."
"She is very secure," Grilka protested.
"I would like for her to be secure on something that isn't you." Grilka pouted, which was not as effective as it might have been if ey had not been an enormous snake with teeth longer than Ix's fingers. That didn't stop em from making a valiant effort. "Although I would... need you to carry her. Because. I can't." While this was an obvious fact, Ix being as lightweight as he was, it still galled him to have to say it.
Wisteria and Violets [Closed] - megs - 05-13-2015
[/img]"http://i.imgur.com/ShCSJDw.jpg" style="avatar" style="max-width:25%;float:left;margin:0 18px;]At some point, Nova's concern for being circled, blackmailed, and potentially drugged by a Krotazi had dissolved. In it's place remained a dreamy cheerfulness, that was a stark contrast to her scowling boyfriend. Her limbs no longer felt like dead weight, and she was engrossed with touching things. Ix's hands against her face or the tail she occupied. She should have been asking more questions. Trying to determine how much Grilka new, if anything at all. Or having em elaborate on the conditions of being one of eir 'friends.' Despite, all those options she chose instead, to ask about TAF Enforcers, and fall for Grilka's prodding.
His apology drew a smile, but she didn't know what he was sorry for. She stroked Grilka's tail with the back of her hand; enjoying the feel of Krotazi scales against her own.
"Quite close?" she parrots, continuing to nuzzle against his hand. She made a 'tsk' noise with tongue against teeth, and rolled her eyes upwards to look at him through sapphire-tinted lashes. "Should I be... jealous?" She was not too far gone to pick up on the trail Grilka was leaving out for her. Ixaaliot's unwillingness to be doting in eir presence was not helping matters. His hands remained on her face and hands, but they were unmoving, and she attempted to draw some affection out of them with more kisses.
"Oh, but, I'm not tired," she protests. Two of her larger tentacles circled around Grilka's tail to reaffirm her desire to stay put. The two closer two Ixaaliot encircled his waist, drawing him in a touch closer, and smallest ones looped against her jaw. She seemed to pout. "You just got here, and I was waiting for you."