This isn't what it looks like!

[Guest]

Light.... Why was light so bright? Jeu-Hee stirred as she rolled over with a pouty sort of groan, immediately startling to attention as she realized this wasn't her bed. Where was she?! What was-- Pushing herself up, she jumped to her feet, casting her eyes about the hotel... room... Oh yeah.... Now that the adrenaline was pumping through her body, (oh ow!) and a headache, she remembered. Last night... Taking deep, calming breaths to slow down her apprehension, she remembered. Ayden. Kiss. L--

Showering? Perking up to the sound, she almost slipped into her fox form, catching herself before she did. No, not yet. Showering... right, that would be where he logically was. Running a hand through her very long hair, she felt more than one knot in its strands, sighing heavily as that would be hell to comb out. Glancing to the bedside table, she saw one of his guns there, her green eyes blinking twice at the sight. Crawling back onto the bed, she slipped a hand underneath the pillows to find a brother to the one on the nightstand. Yep! Complete assassin fashion. So she couldn't help but wonder.....

Was there more?

Peering carefully towards the bathroom, she shower must have been off to the side for she didn't see him, moving silently back to the ground. It wouldn't hurt if she just poked around a little right? Pulling her coat off along with her scarf, she was left in her two tank tops, jeans, and socks. She tied her hair back into a messy looped ponytail, only able to imagine what she must look like. Now where.... They couldn't be... could they?

Ducking down to peer under the bed, her jaw almost dropped. Great ancestors.... had he been carrying all of that?! She started to reach a hand towards all of those weapons laid out, but she stopped herself since... well... what if he didn't like others touching his things? She knew she wouldn't have liked it. Not at all. But... She picked up one of the revolvers with a delicate, but knowledgeable grip, examining its condition. Excellent as she expected. She then proceeded to check the chamber, the rounds, sliding easily onto her bum. God, it'd had been so long since she'd held a gun. She sort of missed her sniper rifle now... Maybe she should take it out to the range sometime soon. Her headache was now dull and weak in comparison to her discovery, all of her attention pooled on the revolver as she flicked everything back into place.

[Guest]

Ayden had woken around ten, fifteen minutes before Jeu-Hee, fairly well-rested. As per usual, he was groggy, but over years of conditioning in tense situations, he'd learned subconsciously to wake and sleep near-silently. She appeared to be sleeping fairly solidly, too, so he thought to himself somewhat, staring down as her as her chest ever so slowly rose and fell.

He rubbed the back of his head. He needed... a shower and some coffee. He stripped off his boxers, flung them aside, and gently eased into the bathroom, locking the door behind him, grasping the razor from its resting place on the wall; he'd been feeling a little rough either way, plus, should someone break in, it was the nearest weapon. He knew how to be both efficient deadly with over around a hundred household objects. Scary, really.

The water... the water was great. Opened him off, and helped him wash off both the stink and the few regrets of the past day. A morning ritual for him. If he didn't shower, he couldn't work. It was his rule. He heard stirring in the other room, but presumed Jeu-Hee was still sound asleep.

However, he decided to move a little sharper, flipping the tap off, and grasping a towel for his hair, taking a few minutes to systematically dry the clumped gathering of his now significantly duller locks, before going over the entire thing, scratching the back of his neck, and then his rather... itchy hands. The circles still weren't completely healed.

After that, he grasped a second, larger towel, and started from his feet, going upwards, limb by limb, section by body, until after a few minutes, he was still damp, but relatively dry, not treading water everywhere. He picked up the razor to begin shaving, but thought on it some; he... he wanted to be out there when she woke up. He set it down, padding forwards to the door.

Careful as ever, he slid the lock clockwise, eased the handle open, and inched the door open. And... well, it appeared she'd proved him wrong. Looking over... his revolver?!

Initially, his heart skipped a beat and he moved into overdrive, but soon he kept himself calm, suppressing the rage and instinct, grinning as he realised it was playful curiosity. Well... perhaps he should work a prank of his own on her... kekekeke...

The floor was carpeted, so, moving forwards, he made little to no noise. He didn't really know what he had planned, other than to shock her, perhaps squeeze her sides a little, and then the pair would probably lie down on the bed and talk some, before... well... he had to leave, sometime. He had work waiting for him in Amestris, and she probably had stuff to do, too...

However, he'd made just a tiny oversight.

He hadn't put his boxers on, and so when, underneath the carpet, but a foot away from her, the floorboards creaked and she began to stir, evident she was going to turn around... he realised he was, well... stark naked.

[Guest]

Would Saeji object to her going to the firing range once in a while? She doubted anyone would. Things were feeling rather tense in other countries. Felt like war could break out again even though one had just ended. Switching hands, she had to resist falling back into her training, her muscles ready to pull the whole thing apart to clean it all. Though the revolver was a bit heavy for her tastes. Not like a sniper rifle was any better though, heehee! Well, maybe... Nah, don't worry about that now. What was important was the fact Ayden was probably going to come out of the shower soon and catch her with his---

Creak

Eyes were on her. Spinning, she immediately had the gun aimed for his heart---OHMYGODNAKEDMAN!!! For a good, solid moment she couldn't look away from from from... man parts... Turning away, she blinked and glanced from the revolver in her hands, back in his direction without actually looking, and carefully slid the gun back under the bed. Did she mention she was beat red? Swallowing slowly as she could practically feel crickets chirping, she shifted so she was facing him though she pointedly looked at his FACE. Not his...his...

"Penis." FEET. VERY INTERESTING. If she could go anymore red, she'd be a tomato, even her ears looking a bit tinged. Right there. At her face. Pushing herself back a foot, she still stared at the floor, the soft carpet offering no really good distractions. Soooo, she did the next best thing. Throw her scarf at him. Oh hell, she'd said that in Cretan too. "S-s-scuse me..." Fudgerkins, wrong language again! "I mean..." WRONG. "Shit." Aaarrrghhh... MAN PARTS. "U-um... I-I'm sure this was a brilliant plan that wrong... right?" FINALLY. Right language.

Awkward awkward awkward.... What did she do?!?!?! Don'tthinkaboutitdon'tthinkaboutitdon'tthinkaboutit..... Dammit it wasn't working. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled slowly, still finding her feet very interesting. Who was going to break the awkward first?

[Guest]

Yeah, that was really not a well-thought through idea. He was frozen still, fearing her reaction more than a bullet to the face. Would she cry? Would she vomit? Would she... he shuddered to think of it... laugh?

Unfortunately, though, no, she seemed to just make an anatomical diagnosis, before throwing her scarf at his... dong. It... uh... was still... 'sleeping', so the scarf didn't really have anything to hang on, but he was about another pump of his heart away, thanks to the adrenaline, and, well, her being that close to it, too, from getting the biggest ha-

Right! Yeah. He needed to do something about it. He batted the scarf away, and dived to the side, clutching his boxers, and finding his fingers to be cold, numb sausages, instead just holding the fabric over his... special area... and doing his best to hide it. She had spoken in... well, Cretan. So perhaps he should be witty. "Good diagnosis, doc. Glad to see I'm still recognisable as a man." He chuckled nervously - hell, that was an understatement - before she rifled through a few more. Esparian, Creig, Amestrian - he could have spoken in that - before finally, the common ground between them, mainly from his courtesy. Xingese.

"Actually, you pretty much hit the nail on the head, but I'm not quite sure how I skipped out the part of putting underwear on first." He paused, noticing how intently she was staring at her feet. "Hey, look, I'm a guy, it's kind of natural I'd have one. I mean, did you expect me not to?" He chuckled, shuffling towards her and trying to stay covered up, the risk of pitching a tent slowly subsiding. "Is there some sort of message I didn't pick up on, here?" He chuckled, throwing his arm around her, keeping one on the boxers, putting some slight pressure on.

"Relax." He smiled at her, slowly pushing the gun further under the bed until it was invisible once more, diving down and placing his face a little closer to hers. Hopefully she'd ignore it, and perhaps just lean on him, or something. He liked that. It felt kinda fuzzy, and warm. God, he was an infatuated idiot. "I mean, what's an odd moment of sexual tension between the two of us, right?"

[Guest]

God, why couldn't she just push past?! Why was she frozen as she was? Yes, it was a dong, but she'd seen pictures-- Ohhhhh...............Herp derp. Pictures and real life were two VERY different things. Pictures couldn't get right in your face. Or be your boyfri-- Was he that? She concluded for all intensive purposes he was even if they may not actually label anything. It wasn't his dong in that picture. It probably didn't help that she had never seen a penis in person before. Ooohhhh she felt so awkward and embarrassed! Probably enough for the two of them!

Her eyes did begin to peek up as she saw his ankles move out of her peripheral vision, seeing the shadow of movement around the corner of the bed. Was it safe? Hehe... "Is it secret? Is it safe?" His response in Cretan didn't help and she chuckled a little. She couldn't relax though! It was so strange! At least she could move her eyes now. This was an improvement. A brief joke rose up in her mind about first dates, but it didn't help in the end and so her eyes lowered to her lap again. Aiya.....

She felt him draw closer, her green orbs glancing up as she managed to raise her head slightly. Nope, not enough to see anything. "Hey, look, I'm a guy, it's kind of natural I'd have one. I mean, did you expect me not to?" "Well, yeah but... " She felt her jaw lock up as another wave of embarrassment flooded over her, rocking back and forth as she crossed her legs, her hands grasping her ankles. Words. They weren't her friends right now. Blinking as he slid an arm around her, a good chunk of her tension was chopped away, exhaling slowly once more. "I've just..."

"Relax." Right. She could do that.... Yeah. Then his face drew close. Her head raised, putting them even closer as their eyes met. She laughed a little, more of her tension leaving as she touched her forehead against his. "I've just never seen one before. A-and I've never had this sort of connection with anyone. Or well.. not even anything similar or anything. And I've only seen pictures or read books. And, and, and I'm rambling." Giggling nervously, she found herself giving him a quick, soft peck on the lips. She was such a child around him! She couldn't even keep up her mature mask! He really did cause her to be herself in all senses of the word, no fakeness. No masks. Just.. her.

Her body curled against his, the temperature of his skin still warm from his shower. And she wasn't wearing her jacket so it felt extra nice. Mmmmm, warm skin... She could ignore the man-parts now. "I guess this means I've seen all your weapons now." She murmured thoughtfully, giggling as she looked up to him and nuzzled his neck affectionately.

[Guest]

"I guess this means I've seen all your weapons now." He smiled, and rested his head back against the bed-frame, before shaking it slowly, staring up into the light as he pulled her a little closer onto him. It was... the feeling... it was just... nice. There was nothing but that single corny word to describe it.

He let his right arm fall over her shoulder, and kicked his legs out, the boxers still covering his groin, before the shaking became a lot stronger, and he chuckled lightly, looking down at her. "Not even close," Before sticking his tongue out, retracting it back in a second later, and swooping down for a kiss.

"I'm an assassin, I love variety, have to change my arsenal up every now and then," He said, moving his hand back up to the height of her head, gently repositioning his fingers so he could lightly rub them up and down the back of her neck. He knew himself that the neck, when it came to moments like this, for many people, was one of the most sensitive areas... and, hey, why not exploit it for the pleasure of both of them.

"And even then... you must know seeing isn't everything." He said, sticking his tongue out once more, laying there for another minute or so, before he decided he didn't want it to get any more risky than usual, and vaulted over the double-bed, diving around the other side, staying as low as he could, wriggling around and trying to slip his boxers on.

He grunted. This was a little harder than he'd thought, especially without... exposing himself. "If you look underneath the bed to try and get another glance," He paused, chuckling and trying to pull them up. "You know I'll have to kill you!"

Finally. Done. He stood up, and stared down at her from over the bed, beaming. "I mean, I've been pretty gracious with showing you all my tools already. You've had some pretty thorough access."

[Guest]

She allowed her body to be moved, a hand coming up to hesitantly rest over his heart, feeling the beating beneath it. Ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump, ba-bump... Touching two fingers to her throat, Jeu-Hee smiled softly as she found them to be in rhythm with the other. Maybe it was just a trick of the situation, but she liked to think that they were. Her fingers absentmindedly began to run along the flesh of his chest, feeling the muscles that were there. Mmm.... happy fox was happy.... She wasn't even bothered by the fact that his boxers were merely resting on top of his junk. It was covered, it counted.

Humming happily as she felt his arm about her, knowing full well that they were acting like such love-struck fools. But it was happy! And that counted for the world to her. Good karma all about~ heehee! Her gaze met his and she couldn't help but giggle, the giddiness that ran through her from that kiss practically making her explode. She wanted to run around, she wanted to dance, she wanted to to toto kyaaaa~ Nope! Never been this happy before!! So much bouncy-frouncy-fun-fun-yay!! Oh? More weapons? She wanted to see what he used besides all of these!

It was then she realized, he hadn't questioned that she knew how to point that gun, how to hold it, where to aim at the drop of a pin.... This was.. good? He probably would just be surprised for a moment, then accept it. Could she tell him soon? Yes... Yes she could. She could feel it. She should tell him soon. "Variety is good....." She sort of stopped mid-sentence as she felt his fingers on her neck, a flush of color rising to her face. That felt... strange. But in a good way. Tingly. Imitating a purr, she closed her eyes and relaxed.

Hm? Words? Oh, no. No it wasn't--heeeeyyyy...... That sounded risque!! She was about to comment when suddenly he leaped over the bed to the other side, the spell he had put on her snapped and broken. Sitting up, she blinked in mild surprise as she glanced over to him. Oh. Clothes. Right. Another blush was summoned as she picked up her jacket, leaving her scarf where it was for now. Maybe she wouldn't wear it home.... Or did she really care? She'd decide that later. She was still really curious as to what else he used. She could recall some of the things that she implemented earlier that year but not so much the year before that. You'd think she would!

She didn't look towards him, no, she was trying to resist the temptation to examine his other weapons under the bed. See if she remembered how they felt in her hands. Laughing, the sound rang like bells, pushing herself back from the bed as she at least turned her eyes towards him and up a bit. "Oh noes! Can't have that~" Giggling, she too was about to push herself up, the two of them standing at the same time. "I mean, I've been pretty gracious with showing you all my tools already. You've had some pretty thorough access."

Her smile faltered a little, but it was through no fault of his. It was time. She was ready. "This is true, I've broken that classified clearance hm?" A small smirk that faded quickly, biting her lower lip as she gathered her hair behind her ear. She could do it, he wouldn't mind. He really wouldn't, she knew that. Still... she was.. scared. "But I haven't done that for you in a manner of speaking." Suddenly she perked up and pouted, putting her hands on her hips. She had to do it. "And noooo, I don't mean being naked." She stuck her tongue out at him, just do it.

So she did.

Closing her eyes, fur rippled up through her pale skin, the color turning to a lovely red. Even her black hair was now a rather vibrant red to match the ears that grew out of her skull. Pulling down on the back of her jeans a little bit, a big fluffy tail flowed out of her small body, curling between around one of her legs in her hesitance. Foxy was out now, her nose lengthening into the snout with its small black nose. But her green eyes remained the same. Warm, sweet, and... very VERY nervous. And the small smile that followed reflected that. "Hi." Her hands were behind her back, one holding the other by the forearm as her ears twitched. The smells that greeted her, the amount of sound... She forgot how heightened her senses got when she changed forms.

[Guest]

"And noooo, I don't mean being naked." He snapped his fingers, putting on a mock look, as if his attempts had just been shot down. "Damn, and here I thought I was onto something," A pause. And then... the sound of her skin rippling, fur and hair growing from it at an astounding rate. He had already gotten ready to sit down, but... by the time she'd started this, he dropped to the floor on his behind, enthralled by the display.

"Hi." He... what... really... how... snout, ears, fur... fox? Fox!?

"Well, you..." He chuckled, still astounded, skirting around the bed as he let his arms drop down by his side, moving up to her. "You certainly know how to build the suspense, but, uh..." He smiled up at her, locking his eyes with hers once more. "I always knew you were foxy, at heart, but this is a bit of a stretch." He grinned, and slowly, silently picked his arms up, bringing her into a hug.

She was... extra warm. Plus, the fur was nice. Cuddly. If a little bristly. He felt, suddenly, her warmth and the dampness of his skin established some sort of connection, a bubble around them, made solely of just... a nice, warm atmosphere. A bubble of warmth! Wow, she was rubbing off on him after one date... it wasn't like him to be this bubbly...

With a grin, he swayed, and moved closer, touching his face to hers, and slowly pulling her back onto the bed as he fell on the bottom, the duvet creating a sudden indent with a solid whoosh. He moved in for a kiss... and... and... and remembered she had a snout.

Looking up to her, slightly awkwardly and somewhat apologetic, he chuckled lightly and began to speak. "Uh, yeah, can you change back before I kiss you, please?" He whispered, almost under his breath. Those big foxy ears could pick it up, after all.

[Guest]

Sniffing the air, she could really smell the moisture that was in the air from his shower, how it still lingered upon him... the lingering smell of their food last night upon her clothes. She could faintly hear birds chirping on the other side of the window, her tail twitching as it uncurled from her leg. It undulated from side to side slowly, a hand reaching out to pet it as it drew close. So soft.... Aiya, no petting her tail. Tilting her head slightly, her ears twitched before laying back. Lord she was nervous.... He had fallen to his knees, but... but he wasn't recoiling or anything. That was good! ....Right?

He was coming towards her and... and he had chuckled. He was just surprised. Exhaling, she felt relief trickling in ever so slowly since... well this was a really big deal. Her pink tongue slid out and over her nose, wetting it against the air as she forced her arms to hang at her sides. Her eyes followed his movement, reminding herself of how much stronger she was in this form. She didn't want to crush something on accident after all. Looking up to him, her ears swiveled forward a couple of times before laying back once more, that fear ebbing away the more that he spoke. Of course he'd be fine with it. Rolling her eyes at his pun, she was about to retort when he suddenly brought her close to him.

Blinking twice, this was.... Oh thank the Ancestors... She let out a short few breaths that were somewhere between a laugh and.. crying. They were ok. She had kept telling herself that they would be but... knowing made all the difference. Her arms slid around him as she was careful how much she squeezed, turning her head as she nuzzled her face against him. A couple of tears rolled down her fuzzy face, licking them away as that relief washed over her so completely. Sniffling, she laughed slightly at how silly she had been. Fear of acceptance was a powerful thing. But once it was gone, it was like a curtain lifted and the sun shone brighter. Or well, it would if the curtains weren't closed.

Sensing the shift, her arms slid off of his back to come to rest at his sides, her hands feeling how his skin was against her fur. She never quite got used to that difference either hehe. And they were falling back. Shifting to account for her tail, she laid there as her green eyes watched him, starting to close..... He stopped. Why had he--

Oh. Right. Giggling nervously, she ran her fingers through her cherry red hair, the strands beginning to turn back to black upon his request. "Right. Sorry. I um... Yeah." Mumblings of words, god she could worse her words well huh? The fur was flesh, the tail soon gone as everything withdrew back into her small frame. Her biggest secret once more hidden beneath that bubbly ambassador that was her. Within seconds of her completing her transition back, her arms had slid around his neck to bring him close, leaning up enough so that their lips met. She was falling.... further and further into this relief, this love, this... connection with another. It was gentle, it was affectionate, and it was full of joy unbound. And all of that was in that kiss. She was awoken to this light, and she hoped it would shine for as long as it might. Whether it was till she died, or some odd numbers of years from now. Just... let it shine.

[Guest]

Settled down, between the pair of them, time passed almost rapidly as they laid there in each other's embrace, perfectly content. The hours whittled away, and morning quickly turned to afternoon. Ayden checked the clock; they had been laying there since almost nine, and it was nearing twelve now. Just kissing, talking, and each enjoying the presence of the other...

It was... unlike anything he'd ever felt before. He'd shared himself, wholly and completely with her, and she had done the same in return. Rubbing his brow as he rolled over away from her, he swung his legs out of the bed and hung his head, long strands of silver hair and all aiming towards the ground. How had he let his guard down? Some assassin he was.

With a yawn, he grasped his bottoms from the night before, pulling them on, and flung open the wardrobe. Several black, grey, and navy t-shirts were lined up, amongst those with flower patterns and some others of an equally or less discrete nature. He grasped the darkest looking, and pulled it on; it was a tight fit, but he was used to that. With the last, final echoes of a yawn reverberating around the room, he grabbed his jacket, pulling it on, before heading for the nightstand, grabbing his pistol - still sheathed in the holster - and gently pushing Jeu-Hee's head aside to grasp its sister laid underneath the pillow. He sat down to strap them onto his shins once more, before pulling his trousers back over them, rubbing the back of his head as he leaned a hand out to cup her cheek, staring straight into her pure, emerald eyes.

"What am I going to do with you, eh?" He chuckled, before his hand moving to her hair. "I wish I could stay... but my contractor's going to get anxious. I need to hand in the details of a finished job, after all..." He trailed off, before throwing himself to the floor, grasping the Fangs, his engraved revolvers, and the Talons, his personal throwing knives, strapping them all on before his hand went to his cloak, fingertips brushing against the sleek material, until...

He stopped, slowly, ever so slowly, retracting his hand and falling back into the chair. He stared up at her, his pallor a deathly white, looking as if he were about to burst into tears for the first time in over a decade. "You... y-you should... c-come to Amestris, find somewhere to stay..." Dammit. Why did this have to be so hard?

[Guest]

How did this happen? It was almost unreal what was going on between them. And it was true what people said. Time did fly when you were having fun. And no, not THAT kind of fun. Though she supposed it would then too. Meh! Didn't matter~ They were happy, and she couldn't ask for more than this. It was like his entire form enveloped her, he was just that much bigger than her. A bubble of..of.. of AWESOME! Yes, that was the best word for it. Awesomesauce. No, that was even better! It was just so much awesomesauce that she didn't even pay attention to the time until....

He began to move. Mew? Why was he-- OhAncestorsItWasNoon! Blinking, he was getting up and and and why???? Oh. Right. Work. They did that. Pushing herself up with her hands, she sat there with her hair hanging about her shoulders, the strands splayed out on the sheets. Hehe, both of their hair was so loooooooong! She wanted to reach a hand and pet his hair again, but but RESIIIIIIST! She had to! Softness was not a valid enough excuse!

Shifting so she sat there cross legged, she almost didn't even noticing the cold that was creeping along her skin and into her body. It hadn't registered yet that she wouldn't get to see him for a while after this. Least not yet. Instead she was rather fascinated by what he wore, peering over to the wardrobe to look. Mmm.... maybe she should cut her hair shorter soon.... Maybe to the top of her butt instead the middle of her thighs. Certainly would cut down on shower time. Now she was just getting distracted again! Cuddle time was done, the bouncy insanity was back.

Her eyes followed him as he came back towards the bed to grab his various weapons, now something beginning to really sink in. The smile that normally remained on her lips had shrunk to the point that it was barely even there anymore, leaning her head into his hand. His warm, warm hand.... Meeting his gaze, hers were trying to fight off that sadness that was building in her throat, her hand coming up to rest gently upon his arm as his fingers slid through her hair. Mmm... purring was tempting-NO. He was going to leave. Her giggle was a little half-hearted, but she still nodded in understanding with a light sigh. "Reporting back is very important. Never shirk it!" She spoke, blinking as he threw himself down just to grab his other weapons. Well, that was one way to do it. Laughing a little, she brightened up in the slightest, but she bit her lip. This was it.

This was just so strange.... She had just met him yesterday, but it already felt like half of her was about to leave. So when he turned around so slowly with his skin so pale, she felt that lump in her throat grow. God they were so silly.... This wasn't like the last time they'd see each other! Pushing herself off the bed, she walked up to him with small but quick steps, her own expression rather hard to read. It was sad, but serious, but affectionate, but sweet, but not.... Yay for jumbles of things all crazy in her heart? She looked down at him, gently pulling him close, his head coming to rest just above her chest. And she didn't move for a solid minute or so, one hand taking a turn to slide through his hair. Well... she finally did it again. Heh... "You bet your boots I will, if and when I can. As soon as I can." She whispered into his ear, closing her eyes as she took a deep breath to keep herself steady. A single tear rolled down her cheek as her heart screamed in her chest. No, they had to be responsible about this! They were people before this, two separate people with separate lives. They had to be able to operate that way again! Had to! Hadtohadtohadto.

Pulling away, she kissed his forehead softly, her hands coming to rest on the sides of his face. She gave him a weak smile, a small giggle tripping out of her throat. "You have to be Mr. Black Spitting Cobra now, ok? And..and.. And foxy will be fine too." She stammered a bit, kissing him once, then twice, holding that second one before she pulled away. Her hands then grasped his, tugging at him to get up. He had to get up or else he wasn't going to go! She knew it! "Come on soldier! Get up and go report!" She tried to sound commanding, but she felt like she failed, wiping away at that lingering trail of wetness upon her cheek. Something was going to be different the next time they met. She just knew it.

[Guest]

Her fingers trailed through his hair. He almost saw the tear roll down her cheek but passed it off as a mirage. Dammit. This had happened in less than a day. He'd changed so much thanks to one person and one person alone, and the gravity, the sheer effects she'd had on him were... unspeakably amazing.

He sighed, and zipped up his jacket, moving in for one, final kiss, dragging it on and making it as long and passionate as he possibly could, until he broke the embrace, keeping his nose firmly touched to hers, before he whispered. "If you don't come and find me," He smiled. Pure, for once. "I will."

With that, he let his hand slip away from her head, and trembling let it fall limp by his side as he stood up, unveiling his full frame. Footsteps to the door, until he turned, barely a few feet from leaving, from breaking the oh-so-perfect illusion they'd formed, the world of passion they'd somehow formulated over one night. It was... amazing.

"Find me. Come to North City. I'll be there, I promise." His hand went for the handle. Somehow, he shook the quivering away and his grip became firm as he pushed it down, the morning sun bursting in through the door. He gently set it aside, and turned his head back to her for one final word. "I..."

He... he couldn't bring himself to say it. It would just make the pair of them hurt more in his absence. And he didn't want to happen. Had the sun not obscured her vision, she would have seen a single tear trailing down his face. But he needed to compensate, he needed to say something even if he couldn't say that. "I-I'll see you around."

With that, he crossed the threshold and put his foot over the frame, every ounce of his soul wanting to turn back and be with her forever, whilst every ounce of his body, governed by his brain, wanted to strain against those emotions and break them, the inner rage inside him having been drugged and forced into becoming dormant, yet the rays of sunlight apparently began to wake it. He could feel it.

And then, telling himself oh how he hated to do this, he pulled the door shut, and as the handle clicked back into place, he slowly let it fall to his side, staring up to the sun and rubbing his forehead, before the other arm fell down in a single, pendulum-like arc, too.

Until... no. He had to be strong. He relied on his strength so far, and it had gotten him here. He'd be back, and they'd see each other again, and if he could he'd call as much of his life off as he could to just be with her. He balled his hands into a fist as the fabric strained against his body, every muscle tightened as he fought the urge to rip out clumps of his hair and turn into some feral crazed being who just didn't care, almost like his previous self but amplified.

No. He had to keep walking, he had to keep going. It's what she'd want him to do. As the rays of light brushed through his vision, his eyes flicked to a tree gently swaying in the distance, and the blossoms that sat upon it. His ears tuned to the sound of water falling, almost in imitation of a river running free. The world knew of his heartache and it knew of his problems... but yet it would continue to present him with challenges, hurdles he had to leap over with aplomb.

And so... step by step, he continued, walking towards the streets of Xi'an, one of the hardest things he'd ever done. But slowly it changed from being like plodding through a tar pit, to snow, to sand, to... ground, and in but moments, that difficulty was forgotten yet remembered at the same time.

Perhaps he was back to his usual self, the debacle with Jeu-Hee just a playful moment of fun but nothing more. But... perhaps he would carry those memories with him for the rest of his life, even if they never met again. It was a gamble he'd have to take, and he'd see the results soon. Perhaps a middle-ground between the pair.

And perhaps... perhaps a set of lyrics that he'd never heard reverberated throughout his head as he realised that this was the start of something personally revolutionary altogether.

"It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life, for me... and I'm feeling good."

Chords bursted throughout his mind and a smirk crept up the side of his face as he gently bobbed his head to music he wasn't sure he'd ever heard, either. The sunrise in front of him and swirling hurricanes of dust in his wake behind him, he continued, and in a matter of moments, the streets of Xi'an bore him no more, a car exhaust chugging in the distance before sleek wheels spun against the grit and left for that same desert road by which he'd arrived.

[EXIT THREAD]

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Her hands fell away from his as he zipped up his jacket, taking a deep breath. This was it. This was.... him leaving. She wanted that passionate kiss to last just another second, a little longer so she didn't have to fear herself breaking into tears. It hurt so much!! Her chest felt like it was a burning weight of molten metal, churning about. Her eyes remained mostly closed as she brushed her nose against his in an eskimo kiss, choking down a laugh as the smile rose to her lips. "And if that happens, I'll be waiting." She murmured, not daring to try to bring her voice above a low tone. It might crack. She didn't want it to crack!

Inner reserves of hyper strength activate! Just be strong enough until that door closes! Looking up to him, she almost had to crane her neck he was just so tall. Towering even.... She was going to miss that. So much. Standing up as tall as she could muster, she clasped her hands behind her back and called up her sweet smile even as she flailed inside. Just keep going... Get this over with. It was like pulling off a band-aid, you had to do it quick or it might hurt more. Sure it'll smart, but at least it didn't last for long. Giggling, she glanced at the floor as the sun came in, her dark brown hair gleaming in the light. That welling in her throat... Patience! Just a little longer. She locked her legs as she tilted her head slightly since his sentence drifted a bit, she had to stand firm and tall.

Squinting her eyes a bit as her gaze rested a bit, she thought she saw a sparkle but it could have just been a cars wind shield. "See you~" She called brightly as she could, wanting nothing more than to say 'let me come with you.' But she couldn't. They each had their things that they had to do. A little longer.....

Click. The door had closed.

Her legs gave out as she collapsed upon her knee's, everything she had been holding back rushing out in one great moment. It hurt. Ancestors it hurt so much! Tears rolled freely down her pale cheeks, her smile gone as she exhaled sharply, almost gasping at the air as if it would alleviate anything. Quietly! She had to be quiet. He couldn't come back in. No, no he couldn't see her like this. No one should see her like this.

Bowing her head, she cried as quietly as a mouse, holding herself as if she was keeping whatever lingering sensations of him right there at her skin. Let it linger for as long as possible. Who knew when she'd get to travel up to see him? The happy ambassador wasn't so happy anymore. She was just a small girl who felt incomplete, a girl who needed to just... cry. She was so glad to have met him, for this all to have happened. She had never felt so whole and alive ever. Tears of joy. Yet he had gone. He had to do his work, it was so important to. Function alone. Tears of sadness. Tears of the inbetween for all that she didn't know she felt, for all the tension she held back and didn't realize it. Hidden behind that sweet sweet smile.

Her breathing had evened out, calming though the tears still fell. Pushing herself up, she crawled onto the bed and hugged his pillow tightly to her chest, not wanting to move anywhere else for a little while. Once she calmed down she would go. She would go back to her place and get ready for the rest of the day. Go to the palace to see what work had piled up on her desk. Go... bury herself until the pain was a dull throb and merely remember the warmth of his embrace, the strength of his hands, the surprising tenderness of his kiss.... The sound of his voice. And keep going. Because thats what had to be done.

[EXIT THREAD]

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