[Infirmary] Zeltiva Puppet Theatre (Satevis)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Don't 'urt 'im!" Tock screamed when she saw the flows of magic appear in the air. She didn't really know Reimancy at all, but her maternal instincts towards the spider kicked in. She leaped up, wincing in pain as she forgot about her broken foot and accidentally put a little weight on it for a moment. She ignored it though, and snatched Bitey up, clutching him to her chest like a baby. Bitey was the first really living thing she had made, and he had a special place in her heart. Balancing on one foot, and wincing from the pain she had brought up in the other, she glared at Satevis like he was a monster. "'E's jus' a baby!" she said. "I jus' done animated 'im TWO WEEKS ago! 'Pologize!" she demanded, shoving the spider forward until it was practically in Satevis' face. The spider wiggled its legs, clawing at the air to try to find something to hold onto, and lurched slightly as if it would bite Satevis. It truly had the mind of a spider, and only reacted well to Tock because she had programmed it to love her. She stood there, arms stretched out, holding the writhing spider in front of Satevis, a deeply hurt look on her face. She was dead serious about the apology, and wasn't going to let this go. This was her baby.

[Satevis]

Satevis's eyes widened as Tock suddenly jumped up from her chair, forgetting her injured foot. He jumped up as well, attempting to reach his hands out to steady her. "Tock, what in the name of all the gods--!" he exclaimed, a concerned look on his face as he tried to grab her. Instead of letting him steady her and keep the weight off her foot, though, she chose to shove the spider automaton in his face. Satevis recoiled, the back of his knees hitting the edge of the bed. He fell over with a shout, using his elbows to break his fall. The end result was him half-sitting, half-lying on the bed as an angry red-headed girl with an injured foot held a giant animatronic spider in his face and demanded that he apologize for scaring the thing trying to claw his eyes out. Satevis looked past the spider, shooting Tock a look that said 'You can't be serious'. Oh, but she was. She was deadly serious. Satevis turned his eyes back to the spider. It was less scary. He cleared his throat, deciding that he should hurry up and apologize before that thing got any closer to his eyes. "Er...alright," he said, with as much sincerity as he could muster. "I deeply apologize for that. I was just startled. I wouldn't have done anything if I'd been prepared. So...my deepest apologies, Tock and..." His eyes moved towards the spider for a moment. "...spider." The cloud of silvery Res hung in the air above them, having been displaced by Satevis's rapid jump to his feet, then fall. It was still within his range of control, but Satevis decided against moving it for now, not wanting to provoke the woman who was holding a foot and a half of angry wood and steel scant inches from his eye sockets.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"'Is name's Bitey," she said, hugging the spider back to her chest. It nestled in her arms, curling its legs up contentedly. She had programmed it to be soothed by her voice and her presence. She stroked it lovingly, looking at Satevis, still with a slight frown on her face. But she nodded and said, "'Pology accepted." Still a bit misbalanced, she wavered a bit, then sat down on the bed next to Satevis. Giving Bitey another few loving strokes, she set the spider on the floor and said, "Go on, you." It scurried off, crawling over to the corner and squirming under a pile of discarded clothes. Tock then turned back to Satevis, looking him in the eye. He'd treated her spider like a person. In Tock's world, that was about the greatest thing someone could do. Most people treated her like she was strange. They acted like she was crazy or something, just because she wanted to bring life into the world, in her own special way. And sure, maybe Satevis thought that too... but he never acted like that around her. He had been fascinated by her crutches, he had called Grippy ingenious, and he had given her baby Bitey a deep and sincere apology. She leaned forward on the bed, halfway pressing herself atop him, and pressed her lips against his in a firm and eager kiss.

[Satevis]

"Bitey," he repeated with a nod. He decided against commenting on it, still relieved that the automaton was out of his face. He didn't consider himself scared of spiders, but even he was allowed to be slightly startled by that. Besides, he saw the steel blades that she had used for teeth on that thing. As far as he was concerned, 'Bitey' was an apropos name. Now that the threat was gone, he allowed himself to relax, lying down fully as he took a couple of deep breaths. It responds to the sound of her voice, he realized as he watched the spider scurry off across the floor. He wondered if that was a normal effect of animation, or if it was something Tock had programmed into the spider all on her own. Either way, it was a useful feature. He made a mental note of the fact that Tock was protective over her creations, relief that the situation had been diffused making him grin. He didn't want another Bitey incident. He felt Tock sit down on the bed beside him, the feeling of the mattress shifting underneath him reminding him where he was lying. He propped himself up on his elbow, fully intending to get up. "Are you alright?" he asked as he began to sit up. "Is your foot--?" Satevis's froze, the words dying in his throat. Because one moment he was getting up from the bed, fully intending to give Tock her space and make sure her foot was alright, and in the next, Tock was half-lying on top of him, her lips pressed firmly to his. His eyes widened, all the color rising to his face at her sudden action. He placed a hand on her back, intending to get her attention and get her to stop, but Tock's mouth was warm, and the feelings coursing through him were not exactly unpleasant, and the arm that was meant to pull her away only ended up pulling her closer as he began to return the kiss. This was not what he had intended, not at all, but in the back of his mind, he decided that this was not exactly a bad turn of events. A strange one, definitely, an odd moment, but maybe not so much a bad one...The feelings were odd, but it was like finding water in the desert. He didn't want to let it go. Until, of course, the Res that was still hanging above their heads decided to make itself known. It turned out water was exactly the wrong thing for him to compare Tock to. Satevis yelled out a curse as the cloud of Res transmuted into water, the effect being as if someone had just dumped a small pitcher of cold water over both their heads. He sat up, hooking his arms under Tock's and pulling her up with him. The Ethaefal released her, running a hand through his soaked hair with one hand and covering his eyes with the other. Why did all the gods hate him?!? Graceful celestial creature of the gods, my foot... he thought to himself. For a moment, he swore he could hear Leth laughing at him. "Tock, I am so--so sorry," he said quickly, turning towards her. "Reimancy--magic of the elements--" Gah. He couldn't even talk straight. He shook his head to clear it, trying to think rationally, but he couldn't seem to form a coherent sentence over the pounding of his heart and the embarrassed flush that was spreading over his face. "The Res..." he finally said. "I forgot that it was still in my range of control, and I--Gods, that was a novice mistake--I--You know what...I'll just find you a towel." He moved to get to his feet, obviously extremely embarrassed about what had just happened. This was probably the first day in his life that he regretted learning Reimancy.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock had never kissed anyone before. Not a real kiss. Sure, she'd planted one on someone's cheek from time to time, maybe even a quick peck on the lips for someone close. But a real, full on, lips meshed, heat of the moment kiss? Never. The arm around her back pulling her closer only encouraged her, and she massaged her lips gently against his, a soft moan escaping her. She'd never really been the sort of girl to sit around daydreaming about what her first kiss would be like, nor had she ever really cared that she'd gone so long in her life without experiencing one. Back home, until she was seventeen, her life hadn't really been the sort where romance of any sort seemed to fit. Then after that, she'd spend so much time moving around from one place to another, learning everything there was to learn, that it just never seemed important. She hadn't even really thought about it. She'd just given in to the urge. Tock was nothing if not impulsive. And then, the moment ended. She squealed and choked as she was drenched in water, sitting up coughing, but still holding on to Satey. He started babbling about uncontrolled magic, but she just wasn't that concerned about it. After studying with a wizard for a year and a half, and enrolling at the University this spring, she was used to magic. Sometimes it got out of hand. She didn't give it a second thought. So when Satey apologized and tried to get up to find a towel (she didn't even think she owned a towel), she just stopped him, cupping his cheek with her hand to turn him back towards her. "Mate," she said, "it's only water..." And with that, she kissed him again, pulling him close, her lips moving even more eagerly than the first time.

[Satevis]

She might have been okay with it, but he certainly wasn't. Sure, water was harmless, but water wasn't the only element he had possession of. It could have been fire. Gods damn it, he could have been comparing her to fire in his head and then he would be sitting here explaining why on earth he burnt down her house and all of the automatons sitting in it. It seemed as though he was forgetting that he also controlled water, which had the simple property of being able to put fires out. Besides, it was a matter of pride. He was supposed to be the learned wizard, the skilled Reimancer. And while she was making animated spiders, and crutches, and gods only knew what else, he was apparently relegated to accidentally dousing pretty girls with water. Pretty...? Well, yes, he supposed that Tock was pretty, in her own way. She was rough around the edges, not like the women of the Benshira that he remembered from his past life, but there was...a spark to her that many of those women did not have. A desire to learn, to challenge, to find out. It was a desire that he shared, although his curiosity was expressed in different ways. While she built with her hands and imbued her creations with life, he studied the elements, and the channels and pathways of magic itself. But he could be just as curious, just as driven, and just as questioning, which might have been why he found himself drawn to her in the first place. And then she was kissing him again, and all of his earlier thoughts and protests seemed to go right out the window. In truth, Satevis was just as inexperienced with this sort of thing as she was, perhaps more so. His Ethaefal form, the only life he still had complete memories of, was less than five years old. In that time, romance hadn't exactly been a top priority. Studying, traveling, dealing with his own angst about falling from the Ukalas...those things had occupied his time. As Taras, his most recent past life, he might have been involved with a woman--he didn't remember. Certainly, there was the woman he had died for, and he wondered occasionally if that had been his motive. But even as Taras, he was the same in many respects. He spent his life engrossed in study. There was simply no time to involve himself with another, and it was not high on his priorities. So this was the first kiss that he could remember. ...Well, he realized as he pulled Tock closer again, mindful of her injured foot, and kissed her back. Second. But who was counting? His kiss was more reserved than hers, but no less eager. His movements as he returned her kiss were slow and gentle, almost tender. But there was a sense of restraint, a sense that yes, he could do more, he could overpower her, but he chose not to. He chose to let her take the lead, chose to follow. If she was fire, he was water--gentle, unassuming, nonthreatening, but with the potential to be much deeper and darker than he appeared on the surface. It was an aspect of Satevis's personality that extended to others areas as well--of himself, of his emotions, he was always in control. Well, almost always. But he had learned that with Tock, one just did not argue.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Her earlier project with the puppets was forgotten. Something new had attracted her attention. An experiment, if you will. She was a scientist, first and foremost. This was something new. It needed to be explored, thoroughly and generously. She shifted on the bed, not caring that it was soaked, her lips never leaving his. She pulled him closer, leaning back so she could pull him partway atop her, her hands sliding up to stroke his horns. That sent quite a rush through her, and the scientist in her wondered if he could feel the touch, or if the horns were more like fingernails, with no nerves in them. She ran her fingers across them tenderly, hoping for a positive reaction. Experimentation, indeed. Her tongue brushed against his lips, and she nibbled gently on his bottom lip, searching for what would provoke the strongest reaction from him. Searching for what felt the best for her, and deeply curious as to what the correlation between the two would be. She found she rather enjoyed the nibbling, and she sought other places to do so, pulling away from his lips to nibble on his neck and ear. Science was hot.

[Satevis]

OOCApologize for cutting this short, but Satevis wouldn't be Satevis if he didn't think too much. Satevis groaned softly under her ministrations, his hands tightening their grip on her arms. It seemed like she had ignited a fire inside of him, one that was growing with everything that she did. He could feel his carefully maintained control beginning to slip from him as he threatened to get lost in feelings and sensations. He was well aware that if he did not stop this, it could easily end up getting out of hand. He sucked in a sharp breath as he felt her teeth clamp gently over his ear, and his fingers dug into her skin for a moment, as he fought off the urge to turn them over and respond in kind. He had to stop this, he decided. Had to bring some reason back into the situation, otherwise he would be gone. As difficult as it was, he sucked in a deep breath, placing his hands on Tock's shoulders and pushing her back gently as he moved out from under her, sliding into a sitting position. "Tock," he said. His voice was deeper than it normally was, his breathing heavy. "Tock, stop for a minute..." he said. He stared at her, his Ethaefal form's violet eyes serious as they met hers. "Not that I'm not enjoying this," he said. "But we've only known each other eleven days, and we barely know anything about each other. I don't want to do anything that you'll later regret..."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

OOCS'okay. Tock's not THAT easy You were only bound to get so far one way or the other. Tock released Satevis reluctantly, breathless and warm. She stared into his eyes for a long moment, then bit her lower lip. "Aye," she said with a soft exhalation of passion. She wasn't that sort of girl... But it had been an educational experiment... and now she understood a few scenes from The Adventures of Jillian Smythe that she hadn't quite gotten the first time she read it. "Oy, so, umm..." she stammered, "I, umm... we, umm..." she cleared her throat, trying to get her thoughts in order. "Oy, so, I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, then? An' we can get some more work done fer the show..." She wasn't sure what else there was to say besides that. She didn't know how these things normally went... But it wasn't as if they weren't going to see each other again, and that seemed like plenty to her. So she grinned, and shrugged, and smacked him on the arm and said, "Oy, an' don't ferget 'at book, aye? Gotta make yer Daddy puppet Gods up right good, aye? Aye." And that was that. No thoughts of the future crossed her mind. She didn't fret over what this night 'meant,' nor how it affected their relationship. It just was what it was. She'd enjoyed herself, and now she was ready to get back to work on the puppets. Though she certainly was looking forward to another tumble. OOCDo you want to go ahead and post a closing post? Then we can submit this for grading, and start another thread on a new day to continue working on the puppet show... And see how things continue to develop between these two.

[Satevis]

OOCThis is true, but he doesn't know that. He nodded slowly as he saw her begin to calm down, meeting his eyes and agreeing with him. Satevis exhaled slowly, releasing some of the tension that had built up over the past few minutes. He realized with a small frown of disappointment that he had probably just made things more awkward between them, but it was for the best. He didn't know if she would have stopped it or where it would have gone, but it was best that it stopped at this point. Maybe in the future, after they knew each other better...who knew? Assuming he hadn't completely killed his chances of friendship with her, at any rate. The Ethaefal frowned, watching her carefully as she tried to come up with something to say. He could understand how she felt, in a way. He wasn't particularly sure what to say in this situation either. He cleared his throat as she spoke, nodding once. "Yes," he agreed, a small amount of hesitance in his voice. "...Tomorrow." Some of the tension in the room dissipated as Tock smacked him on the arm, reminding him about his promise to write the script for the puppet show. He smiled, nodding once. He couldn't let this go as easily as she had, but he saw the merit in letting things run their course in this instance. True enough, there was always tomorrow. "I won't forget," he said as he got up. "I'll try and stop by the library on the way home. But I should definitely get it to you tomorrow. Let me take a look at your foot before I go..." He remembered that he hadn't yet performed his aging ability on her foot tonight. Satevis crouched down, also taking the opportunity to make sure she hadn't injured it more in their...activities. His hands might have lingered a little longer than they should have as he performed the spell, but he drew away, getting to his feet and staring at her. He cleared his throat. "Well, good night, Tock," he said, not sure what else to say at this point. Satevis gathered up his things and left, careful not to step on Bitey as he walked out into the cool night air, the door to her house closing behind him. He shook his head fiercely, trying to get rid of the memory of her mouth on his, of the warmth of her body as it pressed against him. The memories of the sensations stayed with him, though, whispers in the back of his mind that made his face flush and his skin feel warm. Once he had gone a block from her house and was well out of sight, the Ethaefal expelled a cloud of Res over his head, transmuting it into another batch of cold water. Much better.