Gravity Shmavity (Lixue)

[Volinir Orchid]

There was a consequence that Volinir had forgot about of turning his back to Lixue. While she chased him, it would be easy to see that his back was far from baby smooth. A lattice of thin grey lines littered the skin there, crossing over each other until the Symenestra's back almost looked like a macabre checkerboard. It wouldn't take a great detective to deduce where the scars came from, and it wouldn't take much more reasoning to realize why Volinir hated humans. Volinir himself, however, was too caught up in dodging away from Lixue to notice. He even turned around in mid-flight, shouting back at her, "Come on! You can do better than tha-" As it turned out, Lixue could do better than that, as he was cut off by a Vantha crashing into him. It wasn't quite as awkward as last time; that was hard to do, and Volinir wasn't quite ready to stop enjoying himself, even if he did get bowled over. Instead of freezing up in terror, the Symenestra tried to pin Lixue's arms down, still as giddy as ever.

[Lixue]

Hands were flailing at her, Lixue was aware of that much. But the situation was absurd to say the least. Lixue had somehow landed on her back and Vol half on top. Before Lixue could even blink, Vol was physically pinning her down. His hands gripped and grabbed, although Lixue could only tell he was aiming for her arms because his hands followed her arms. Which were shoving at him, half-heartedly. Green eyes were narrowed in thought and she was breathing deeply from the exercise of mushroom jumping and the impact. One end of her lace tank had ridden up on her waist from the tangle and a strand of hair tickled her nose, having escaped from her messy bun. Lixue lay still when Volinir pinned her arms, thinking. How could she manage to get out of this? The wheels turning in her head were practically visible. A test of how strong he was holding her arms was attempted before Lixue fell still again. He was pinning her enough to where if she tried to buck and remove her arms, she would most likely fail. Head butting him was out of the question, unless she wanted to ruin the happy atmosphere. What other way could she somehow win the wrestling match? The idea came to Lixue in a flash and caused the ends of her lips to curl upwards mischievously. Green eyes twinkled with merriment as she changed her breathing, deepening and lengthening the breaths. Lixue exhaled through slightly parted lips and blinked long lashes innocently up at Volinir. As if she were shifting, one of Lixue's feet casually brushed against his leg. "What did I say about squashing me?" The question was little less than an exhaled whisper.

[Volinir Orchid]

To say Lixue's plan was a smashing success would have been a bit of an understatement. The grip on her wrists loosened as if Volinir had been hit by a sleep dart, and the Symenestra's smile took on a slightly different tone. He leaned in to nibble affectionately at her ear (which, coincidentally, would take a great deal of his body weight away from Lixue's wrists) and the leg she brushed against trailed upward to rub against her. "You don't seem squashed to me," Volinir murmured back, "Besides, you said the more talented person was always on top..." As Lixue had hoped, the wrestling match was all but gone from Volinir's mind, though he was slightly disappointed it ended so quickly. He had always been an impulsive man, and in dreams he was no different. And Lixue was beautiful, in her own way... Indeed, with her pale skin, she looked a great deal more Symenestra than most other humans, and that only served to help her case. As such, she would have an easy time taking the dream to different territory... Or drastically turning the tables of the match.

[Lixue]

Lixue had not expected the recoil of her plan. In fact, she had not anticipated Volinir to play along. When he did, Lixue was startled enough to fail at keeping her emotions hidden. Her head rolled to one side, not in an effort to inch away from his nibbling but to better give access. The nibbling caused her to exhale softly, her breath tickling his skin and her eyelids drooped, only a slit of sparkling green visible beneath the long lashes. Her skin was warm to the touch and Lixue's heart pulsed solidly against Volinir's hands and she squirmed, half unconsciously. Volinir's mention of the most talented person on top helped bring Lixue's mind back to the present and focus on her original task: Getting away. Lixue tested his hold on her wrists by straining against his grip, toward him, as if she meant to try and gain control. In a way, she did. But not the way she knew Volinir's mind would perceive her movements. Just to make sure Volinir's mind stayed on the same track, Lixue let one of her legs wrap around one of his. Besides convincing him of her motives, it would allow her better maneuvering when she made her move. Lixue waited for the perfect moment when Volinir would not expect it. Then Lixue, snapping her wrists outward broke away from Volinir's hold. At the same time, her leg tightened behind his knee and she, using both hands, pushed at his shoulder and pulled at his knee. Within ticks, Lixue was sitting atop him, a triumphant smile on her face. It faded when she went to remove her hands from his shoulders and ran along a ribbed line. Lixue, having dealt with medicine for nearly her whole life, knew what a scar felt like. Her eyebrows pulled together in thought and she ran her finger over the mark again, just to make sure. Pushing Volinir's hand away, Lixue leaned down and tugged him upwards to look at the mark. She did not expect the number of scars across his back and could not comprehend how he had gotten them. Lixue let Vol pull her limb away, his grip on her wrist not playful this time. Leaning back into a sitting position, Lixue did not contemplate the fact that she was still pinning the man as she frowned. Her eyes stayed trained on the shoulder in thought. How could someone gather so many scars? Especially scars that strained against the skin and puckered so? Scars that were straight lines, no less. Lixue could not come up with any reasonable explanation and, with confusion and silent questions, she met Volinir's eyes.

[Volinir Orchid]

Ashen lips trailed down to tease Lixue's neck next, and Volinir's hands released her wrists to focus elsewhere... Before things could progress too far, however, the ground and the sky changed places, and Volinir felt the pressing weight of defeat atop him... As well as Lixue. Oddly enough, he didn't seem particularly frustrated about it. If anything, he looked positively radiant. "Well done!" he chirped. Then his smile vanished around the same time Lixue's did. She'd felt his scars. That much was obvious. After the initial attempt to pull her hand away, he didn't offer any resistance when she pulled him up to inspect his back, though a half sun tattoo the color of pitch formed on the back of his hand, as if the dream was making sure none of his marks of bondage were missing. Volinir simply stopped moving and let himself be pushed and pulled by the healer, staring at the mushroom cap they were on. After a few ticks, his amethyst eyes drifted up to meet Lixue's. "They're from whips." he said simply, the words falling from his mouth like bricks of lead. The Symenestra's face seemed almost devoid of expression, and after his statement, he looked off to the side again. "There are no slaves where you are from?" he asked morosely. It was the only explanation for her inability to recognize the scars. "That is good. Ravok is not like where you are from."

[Lixue]

Lixue looked devastated. When he said his scars were caused by whips, Lixue lost what little color remained in her face and Lixue's shoulders slumped. She unconsciously brushed away a strand of hair from her face as she frowned at him before her hand returned to his shoulder. Idly, her fingers moved in circles over the scars, as if she could somehow smooth them away. "W-why would someone whip someone? I... I do not understand." Maybe she did not want to. Did not want to accept the fact that humans could be so cruel and heartless. Did not want the hint of guilt that swathed her shoulders, even though she had done nothing wrong. "Volinir," just by pronouncing his name right did Lixue distinguish that she was serious, "I am so sorry." A pause. Sorry for what? Finding and discovering his scars? For bringing up his memories and most likely nightmares? Or for seeing through his facade of not caring? "I am so sorry for what you have been put through by the worst people." There, it was out in the open. Lixue did not apologize for finding his scars, nor did she apologize for his animosity and anger. She did not give excuses, did not try to convince Volinir that somehow, some way, what he had gone through would help him. Lixue fell silent, eyes watching her finger as she trailed from his shoulder to the pink ring on his neck, circling it with her fingernail. How could someone purposefully cause another person harm? "I would ask you to tell me about Ravok, but I fear I do not truly want to know."

[Volinir Orchid]

A bitter laugh escaped from Volinir's lips when Lixue expressed her shock. "Neither did I, until it happened." He didn't expect her to be quite so naive. Still, it could explain something. She spoke again before he could go too far down that line of thought, however. It was curious how something as simple as an apology could make the unbearable just bittersweet enough to swallow. Volinir smiled weakly at Lixue, and his hand drifted to rest atop hers. "Thank you..." Upon hearing her request, he grimaced and said, "You have heard of Rhysol, yes? If you have, know that his domain is well-earned. Ravok's a beautiful city resting on a gigantic lake... But it's all appearances. While humans are indeed treated well, non-citizens can be murdered in broad daylight without anyone blinking an eye, and those of us who aren't human... We're just mizas to them." A ghost of a smile flickered back onto Volinir's face as he tried to sit up. "I would appreciate not speaking more on the subject, if it's all right with you." No matter what the conversation was about, they weren't in Ravok, and Volinir had no intention of it feeling like it was. Wrapping his arms around Lixue's waist, he asked impishly "So... What was that back there, hm? You can't say it was part of the act!" Of course, revenge was sweet as well.

[Lixue]

Lixue could not truthfully say she had heard of Rhysol, but let Volinir talk. Perhaps talking would help. Besides, Ravok seemed... interesting, to say the least. A city on a gigantic lake? But how would it stay afloat? Better yet, how did people leave in a hurry if necessary? Or perhaps that was the idea, they did not leave. Lixue did not want to live in a city where foreigners were murdered without a care and people received their pay in the form of Volinir's scars. Then again, Lixue would not want to live in a city that had such a high rate of violence. Lixue pushed away the thoughts as Volinir adjusted his position. She rocked back to sit on his thighs, legs set up on either side of his waist. To keep her balance, Lixue curled her feet inwards until they rested against Volinir's lower back. She let her hand fall away from his neck and back to her lap, where she ran her fingers in an invisible pattern on her bare knee. Volinir's arms wrapped around her waist and Lixue wished she had remembered to tug the nightshirt back to its regular position. Light pink stained her cheeks, blossoming into red at his intentionally cheeky question. "You. You ought to be careful. Going to get yourself in trouble, sir." The sir was tacked on sarcastically as she mimicked his cheeky attitude. "Besides," here Lixue reached out and tapped Volinir on the nose, "what makes you think any of it was an act?" Let him stew on that.

[Volinir Orchid]

"Am I?" Volinir quipped back, pulling Lixue closer, "It doesn't seem like it." Now she was just messing with him. The sounds of the croaking frogs, uncountable insects, and singing birds that made up the ambient noise of the Spires around them seemed to quiet down slightly, and the still-bouncing squirrel appeared to be trying to see what was happening. On hearing what she said next, Volinir's heart started to thump in his chest. This was... Definitely different, as far as dreams went. Fortunately, it was something he could rise to meet. When she poked his nose, the Symenestra snapped playfully at the finger and followed it back to her, stopping when their noses were just barely touching. "What indeed..." Volinir's hands ran up Lixue's back, poking beneath the top to feel the soft skin underneath. A single drop of rain fell onto the mushroom and rolled cleanly off.

[Lixue]

"Yes, you are," Lixue informed him. "Going to lose those pretty words with which you speak." A nod of her head confirmed this idle threat and Lixue flashed him a blinding smile that hid secrets and promises. Her green eyes twinkled and her hair fluttered in the wind. Lixue giggled when Volinir followed her finger back. The giggle fell silent, however, the closer he got until she left exhaling simple air and inhaling his. "Then again, what makes you think none of it was an act?" The statement was meant to tease and flirt, if the incessant curl to her lips or if the tauntingly raised eyebrow was any indication. Lixue leaned into Volinir's touch on her spine. "Heyy, wait a minute." Thinking back, the man had had some type of elongated teeth Lixue knew were not natural. "What is up with your teeth?" Lixue ran a finger along the edge of his mouth in a silent attempt to have him open his jaw. Accordingly, Volinir did. The man had two elongated teeth that looked like fangs. Were they fangs? Lixue was uncertain and she glanced back to meet Volinir's eyes for confirmation or denial of this fact. She listened to his explanation before disregarding all sense of politeness. The tip of one finger dipped into Volinir's mouth to run along the outer rim of the fang. Lixue was not sure why, but she was iffy on touching the actual point of the fang. Her finger was gentle in the prodding and all of her behavior obviously stemmed from simple curiosity. Lixue paid no mind to how her actions might cause Volinir to react.