this is a subject line

[miscreant]

Date & Time: After groundhog week
Location: Seviilia's cave/cabin
Characters: Seviilia and Marduk
Summary: Casual visitation after repairs are completed
Warnings: none probably

[It's the first time in months that Seviilia has been complete -- after Marduk had repaired the breaks caused by Koltira, she had visited the dwarven forge to repair her ruined dreadplate. As a result, she is in an extremely pleasant mood, sitting back in her cave shaping a piece of quartz with crossed legs and a slight bounce of her foot to an invisible tune.

There is a small line of cuts already made along the makeshift table -- soon she will set the gems aside and make their bearings. In truth, she hasn't quite decided what she was making, but the activity took her mind off other things and thoughts.

She was relieved to wake up and find that her door has stayed attached (finally) a few days prior. Now it was just a matter of contacting Tempest and getting her to visit again...perhaps when she picked up another bottle of alcohol.]

Comments

[oversleeps]

[ interruption time! spending two days with seviilia without injury to his person (just his ego; but that heals fast enough) has definitely made him bolder about approaching her neck of the woods. marduk does take the time to slink around her cabin first, though he knows she's not in there-- the one benefit of putting yourself into something is knowing when it's around, though whether it's worth the cost is always debatable.

there's only so much stalling that can be done, though, and in time he steps into the cave proper. he makes a beeline for seviilia's workstation, picking up one of the gems she's just cut, inspecting it. p.s. sup. ]

So, what-- this is your hobby? [ not really what you'd expect from the murderous dead, but who is he to judge. ]

[miscreant]

[She raises an eyebrow when he enters, wordlessly observing as he inspects her work. She places the grinding stone she had been using down on the table and folds her arms.]

We have already finished repairing my circuit. Did you forget?

[Altogether, she doesn't appear displeased by his presence, but she is obviously a bit confused.]

Jewelcrafting requires great focus and precision. It is an excellent activity to distract yourself with.

[oversleeps]

[ yeah ... he's just going to ignore that question. he tosses the gem up, watching the light reflect off of it as it falls through the air, easily catching it when it comes back down again. ]

Focus and precision, huh? [ the gem is tossed up again, and this time when it lands back in his hands he looks up at seviilia, head tilting. ] Maybe you should've been doing this the whole time instead of just sitting there, then. Could've given you something else to think about.

[miscreant]

[Rude. She sits back, unimpressed by his lack of response until he offers his suggestion. That makes her scoff and smirk just a little.]

It does not quite work like that, I'm afraid.

[She imagined it would work for Koltira, maybe some other knights with better control. But he didn't need to know that.]

[oversleeps]

No? [ oh well. the process is over regardless, and so any suggestions are irrelevant at this point. leaning on the table for support, he bends down, looking at the rest of the gems as he continues to play with the one he's already picked up.

time for some FRIENDLY CONVERSATION with NO ULTERIOR MOTIVE WHATSOEVER. ] What are you making?

[miscreant]

Nothing particularly special. Rings. Necklaces. You know.

[She watches him toss the gem idly and picks up her grinding stone, returning to her task. Her next line is delivered without eye contact.]

And if you ruin my perfect cut, I will be certain to take a finger of your's in exchange.

[oversleeps]

[ what-- her comment (threat, really) gives him enough pause that he fumbles his next catch, having taken his gaze off of the gem in order to eye seviilia distrustfully instead. um. ]

Isn't that a little extreme? I mean, gems are replaceable, given a little bit of effort. Fingers-- [ not so much. he makes a vague wheely motion with his hands, then gives up. ]

[miscreant]

Perhaps.

[Her eyes flick upward toward him, legs crossing as she returns to her task. Her tone and the look she offers him hints that she does not particularly care whether it is extreme or not.]

Out for another stroll in the tundra, then?

[oversleeps]

Oh, yeah. Weather's great for it.

[ he sets the gem back with its counterparts. it takes great effort not to just slam down, but whatever. it's not like her threat actually mattered or anything. ]

Not all of us have hobbies as productive as yours.

[miscreant]

If visiting me is all you have to do in lieu of said "hobbies" then I would venture to say that you don't have many.

[She doesn't comment when he sets the gem back down, but a light grin spreads across her face. She isn't really disturbed by his presence any longer, after all.]

[oversleeps]

[ hey. hey. not a fucking word out of you. he sees that grin, you know. ]

Who said this is all I have? [ a beat. ] If you want me to leave so badly, just say it. [ and yet, he doesn't look particularly inclined to move even if she does.

[miscreant]

Just an observation, darling. Maybe if you have a seat, you can soothe your sore bottom.

[The reply is a light hum -- she's in way too good of a mood to have him wreck it by being a sour puss. She offers him an amused glance.]

If I wanted you gone, then you would already be gone.

[oversleeps]

I like standing. [ he crosses his arms at that. pls. there's no butthurt here.

the petulance disappears quickly enough. there are more important things to focus on, anyway, like-- ] So you do enjoy my company. [ to his credit, he manages not to preen, but he still sounds insufferably smug about it. marduk leans forward again, hovering just on the outside edge of seviilia's personal space. ] Admit it.

[miscreant]

[You have approximately negative permission to be that close to her, Marduk. However, she isn't about to give him the satisfaction of a reaction and simply continues what she is doing.]

I will do no such thing.

[oversleeps]

[ permission or not, he leans closer still, though he turns enough to be able to watch seviilia work. ]

Please. [ it's so obvious! just say it. ] And why not?

[miscreant]

[Ok, that is close enough to disrupt what she is doing, enough that her hands fall with a little bit of irritation.]

Because such is a ridiculous notion. I do not "enjoy" the company of anyone, thank you.

[oversleeps]

[ man, that says like something he would say. in fact, he's pretty sure he has said it-- in exsilium, too. heh. of course... that just means he definitely doesn't believe her. not in the slightest. ]

No one. No single person, in your entire unlife, ever. [ ever? ]

[miscreant]

[The next answer comes clipped, and with a slight turn of her head so he can spot her narrowed glowing eyes. Breaching dangerous territory, clearly.]

You are irritating me.

[oversleeps]

[ hmm, okay. that's enough to get him to give her a bit of breathing room-- not much, though. hands firmly in pockets, he counters with: ] You're avoiding the question.

[miscreant]

Frankly, I believe I have answered enough of your questions for a lifetime.

[She doesn't go back to her task once he backs off. She's too annoyed for gem cutting now -- she'll just scratch them.]

[oversleeps]

You make it sound like it was such a chore. [ vegas was hard on everybody, to be fair. he'll give her that much. ]

But it was a trade-- and you didn't have to say anything you didn't want to.

[miscreant]

And how does any of that help convince me to answer you now?

[So not even going to talk about Vegas.]

If you are hoping to endear yourself to me, it is not working.

[oversleeps]

I'm not interested in endearment.

[ he's not even trying to be especially convincing. ]

All I'm saying is-- it wasn't that bad.

[miscreant]

[She grunts. A small acquiescence. She actually disagrees, but letting him know that might make her look weak, so she opts for the alternative.]

Whatever it was or was not has no bearing on anything you might be asking me now.

[oversleeps]

[ if she wants to be like that it sure doesn't, no. ]

What would? [ will she even give a real answer for this. he strongly doubts that, for some reason. ]