#I'M RUSTY & WORDS ARE HARD I HOPE IT'S OK THO AVEN

[lunaetis]

@avaere asked :

For as he had requested the presence of the duelist down at the meropide, one might have thought that he had called upon her to solve matters related to the exiles who were to fall upon her grasp, or how he would request her aid in matters only known to those who were seen as capable of handling it. This, despite its nature, could possibly have fallen within the latter category, had said matters not greeted her whilst sitting on the edge of his desk, arms crossed and silvery eyes taking in her presence. The Duke had indeed called up Clorinde to discuss affairs related to the fortress, though matters that had quite never left his office. "Glad you could make it," Wriothesley spoke, arms parting as he leaned away from the desk, heavy steps guiding him towards the duelist. "Wasn't sure whether my message would reach you or not after our little dare last time." He could still recall how Clorinde has made him speechless, how she had drawn away his ability to form words, finding himself in a position where he had given in. In retrospect of it all, Wriothesley has sought to their encounters time and time again, with every reoccurring flashback causing an unknown stirring within, a part of the duke's innermost self seeming to ache to explore it again. It wouldn't be wise. She belonged to the surface, and he was chained within the walls he had come to dedicate his life to, and while the concept of the duelist champion and the Duke being intertwined sounded good, Wriothesley didn't quite know what to do woth it. "I have been revisiting our private encounters," a hand rose, reaching to adjust his tie, gaze shifting between her lips and eyes (he had to focus). "Clearly you are a great opponent, someone worthy of sparring sessions, however..." It couldn't happen again. Not the outcome where they found themselves locking lips. It wasn't smart, if anything, it would surely bring commotion to Clorinde and Wriothesley had no interest in dragging others down the hollow, despairing pit that was himself. And yet, in the beckoning silence, he found it in him to reach out to Clorinde's coat, brushing of what seemed to be something on her shoulder. Dust, residue or simply an underlying need for his actions to speak against his words? He wasn't sure. "... I might have acted inappropriately with my former advancements," and yet he found himself gazing at her lips, wondering how it feel to taste them again, find them pressed up against his in a moment without their titles and expectations to one another. Not the Duke and the duelist, merely Wriothesley and Clorinde as equals. He thought about how it'd feel to be against her, the strength of her body measured up with his. "So I wish to state that if there are any regrets in regards to the matters we engaged in, feel free to contact me... personally. It'd be best if personal affairs were kept personal, and perhaps we could discuss it over tea... or at my desk. " Did he want it to stop? Archons no. Was it wise of them to meddle in such affairs? Possibly not. For as professional as he had been, Wriothesley's hand sought to Clorinde's chin, head tilted upwards for him for gaze into her eyes once more as the distance between them faltered, the duke's body closing in on hers to the point where they were seemingly pressed against each other. " --- or we could continue where we left off the last time, if you wish to elaborate further on our personal connections."

unprompted. || always accepting

─「クロリンデ」─  the CHAMPION DUELIST had once again found herself descending upon the fortress of meropide. most of the time, her visits were usually business related, both concerning the matters of the justice system or those requiring her unique set of skills but the underwater fortress was not a place she would say she was unfamiliar with.

                the nature of this summon, however, was not common.

                the sound of her heels clicking against the floor as she walked up the stairs served as a wordless ANNOUNCEMENT of her arrival. sharp hues landed upon the familiar figure the very moment his frame could come into view. was he restless ? that was the FIRST THING that came to her mind upon observing the duke. he always maintained a level of composure when it comes to handling business, so to sense a certain shift of his demeanor as he rose to his feet and walked over to her was unexpected.

                " unlike you to sound unsure. " she remarked casually, in a tone that was not in anyway hostile nor accusing. it was a simple remark, an observation from someone who had grown accustomed to READING his body language and had been acquainted with him enough to understand his usual stance and when things were a bit off from the usuals.

                but she gave him the space to speak, gave him the time to actually word what it was that he had in mind. her eyes, however, weren't taking themselves away from the other. she watched him most carefully, VIOLET ORBS taking in every little micro-expression he displayed both voluntarily and involuntarily. clorinde shifted the weight of her stance, placing a hand on her hip and listened. wriothesley was the type to know when to act or speak, especially when it comes to something of IMPORTANCE, but this marked the first time she had seen him ... hesitant ? was that the word ? conflicted sounded more like it.

                " wriothesley. " the way she uttered his name was unlike a simple CALLING, it was almost like her way of catching his attention. her way of saying look at me or listen to me. it wasn't an order, nor a command. but it was a tone of recognition, a tone from one fighter to another, one survivor to another. a tone that one would use to address your EQUAL.

                and that was what clorinde had deemed them to be. equals.

                " if there were any regrets, i wouldn't have allowed you this close. you and i both know that i'm more than capable of asserting myself, don't we ? " she spoke matter-of-factly, even more so in the way she didn't shy away from his touch, from his advances, from the smallest brushes of his hand to the way his gaze lingered on her person, on her lips, on her eyes, on her. the champion duelist saw EVERYTHING, and she didn't reject them. she welcomed them.

                " you're quite a thinker, i'm surprised. " there was a hint of an upward tug to the corner of her lips as she said this. she wasn't making fun of him, no, but she was openly amused over the fact that she was learning this fact about him. he was someone considerate, the way he actually called her over to talk about everything showed how much it had been occupying his thoughts. it was almost endearing to think about how much time he spent thinking over it. she wondered what had been going through his mind all this time ? was he contemplating whether or not this connection should be allowed to develop ? perhaps. or if it was a good idea to fall deeper or not ? maybe.

                as he tilted her chin up with his gloved hand, she willingly craned it upwards to meet his icy gaze. fiery violet clashed with his cool orbs, the distance between them disappearing in a mutual agreement as their bodies pressed to one another. it felt right. it felt as though this was where they should be, away from the eyes of others and the responsibilities shackling them down. her hand slowly rose, gloved thumb carefully, almost tenderly grazed the scar at the corner of his eye, before trailing down his jaw. her sharp gaze turned a touch softer.

                " i appreciate your concern, but i know exactly what i'm signing up for. i do believe i can take it. and i'd like you to trust me with that. " her own hands weren't untainted, either. she was passing judgement through battles and blood. he was the person who had witnessed it time and time again, seeing the way she struck down opponents and exiles alike. he had seen how red her hands were, did he really think she was someone who belonged on the surface ?

                " so, do you trust me ? " the words slid off her tongue in a deeper tone, almost a touch sensual in the way it echoed in the air as her fingers curled around his tie. their eyes clashed in a silent contemplation, silent gauge of the situation, the consequences, accompanied by the sound of their hearts beating close, the warmth of his body enveloping hers. clorinde looked deep into his eyes, allowing the QUIET AIR to linger for a moment longer before a smile spread on her lips when she saw what was akin to a confirmation. after all, in this kind of world, this kind of reality, where the line of right and wrong can be blurred so easily, they were nowhere near naive. they knew exactly what the risks were, and they're embracing it.

                clorinde had already decided the duke was worth the risks.

                " good. " she pulled him down, closer, closer, their lips hovered against one another, before she breathed against his lips. there was no distance between their bodies. and the ones in their hearts was shortening, too.

                kiss me.

                " we're in agreement, then. "

                 his lips were as warm as she remembered them.

#avaere #.answered #.[ clorinde ] #.[ it's our paradise and it's our warzone: wriothesley & clorinde ] #[ i had an idea in my head #i FEEL LIKE WHEN I WRITE IT OUT IT'S GOING ALL OVER THE PLACES #AND THERE ARE MORE THINGS I'D LIKE TO TOUCH REGARDING HOW CLORINDE SEES HERSELF #AS THE CHAMPION DUELIST & THE ' EXECUTIONER ' SO PER SE #OR HOW SHE ISN'T THE TYPE TO HESITATE BC IN THE RING / DUEL HESITATION COULD MEAN DEATH #but that's a topic for future me to get into #fOR NOW HAVE THIS #I'M RUSTY & WORDS ARE HARD I HOPE IT'S OK THO AVEN #THANK YOU FOR THE ASK !! THIS WAS HELLA FUN TO WRITE ] #.long post