Sympathy [Jackal]

[Vriska]

Though Vriska had no practical control over the Vision Eightfold other than aiming, she tried to make the spell as gentle as possible. Ridiculous, considering it was intangible and unfeelable in any way, but she tried. As Vriska's wounds healed, she sat down in front of Shayu and waited for her to speak, listening attentively.

When Shayu was done, Vriska took her hands in her own and looked at her. Gods, she was so beautiful. She wanted to say it out loud, but other words were in the way. More important words. "I'm not going to promise something I know I can't keep. I love being with you. I love talking to you and touching you and kissing you and I'm not going to give that up easily."

Vriska kissed Shayu's hands, careful not to cut herself on her scales. The White Seal had faded the moment her scrapes had healed. Vriska probably couldn't have kept the spell going a second longer than necessary even if she'd tried. She didn't know what else to say. When you can think of a thousand things, which one is right? She tried her best anyway. "Dying world, test me; I will not submit. / I would first make war and walk with dragons."

[Jackal]

x x

Kyoku de Ajia

Jackal didn't feel it when Vriska laid a curse on her, and she was practical enough to realize the necessity of it. Besides, she'd been the one who had wounded Vriska so badly, anyway. Even if the Curse had hurt, Jackal wouldn't have even thought to protest. Suddenly she knew how Rwaht felt, now, so wracked with guilt; she'd felt similarly about their parents, but after years she'd forced herself to realize that it really hadn't been her fault. A small, rational part of her told her that this wasn't her fault, either; it wasn't anyone's fault. But the thoughts didn't make it all the way through her brain without ridicule.

Jackal smiled when Vriska said what she did, even though it wasn't what she wanted to hear. Vriska's hands were so soft--well, one of them was, anyway. Jackal appreciated the contrast. The scales on Jackal's hands were just as deadly, but somehow more flexible than on the rest of her. She actually giggled when Vriska kissed her hands, though she still sounded sad.

"Give up the poetry stuff when I'm trying to be serious, it makes things too hard," Jackal said, sounding like she didn't entirely want Vriska to agree. "Please, Vriska. I burned my parents and my home down, and I think I managed to make Rwaht hate himself in one fell swoop. Please don't make me burn you, too. I wouldn't be able to handle that. I'd much rather burn knowing you'd be all right than live knowing you were hurt, or dead. If it comes down to it, let me be the big bloody hero for once. I have to admit, I kind of like it," she said, laughing a little and bopping her forehead against Vriska's. She kissed her on the cheek. "Just ... just please help me keep the dragon at bay. I don't want to be a dragon when I'm around you. I just want to be Shayu."

[Vriska]

Shayu's kiss lingered on Vriska's cheek long after the fact. It was like the touch of a candle's flame. She was fire and warmth and passion and terrible rage all at once. "I'll stop with the poetry when you stop being so damn beautiful. I'd rather jump on a grenade than see you hurt, I'd rather jump out a window than see you fall, and I'd rather burn than leave you hurting."

Part of Vriska didn't understand what she was saying, or why she was completely serious when she said it. Are you falling in love? She asked herself. And then Shayu smiled and Vriska realized she was. Shit. "You'll always be Shayu to me," she promised. "No matter what happens you'll always be my dragon. My Shayu."

Idly, Vriska brought one foot in between Shayu's legs and parted them just a little, careful not to cut herself on the wicked scales. She flushed. "Now, am I going to be needing clothes today?"

[Jackal]

x x

Kyoku de Ajia

Jackal blushed. She wasn't used to someone calling her beautiful. She wasn't used to being thought of as a person, let alone as a woman, and let alone again as a pretty one. Particularly when the person referring to her as such actually was a beautiful woman.

"You're right. At first I thought I didn't want to be a dragon at all. When you're around I just want to be a normal girl. I want to be ... well, you know. Normal. But that's a stupid thing to want. I go on about all that stuff about not regretting what I am. I should really believe in it," Jackal said, chuckling. She did blush a deep, deep red when Vriska basically forced open the drawbridge.

"Um uh huh bwuh." She stuttered intelligently. "Muh?" It took her a few moments to gather her senses, then a few more to get them all in the right order. For the first time in her life she actually felt embarrassed, probably because for the first time in her life she cared about who was looking at her. Absurdly she inched backwards, covering her nether regions with her hands. Oh Goddesses I must look like an idiot. Her blush deepened.

"Uh ... probably. This sorta--this sorta thing, it um ... I'm still a little ...." She didn't finish the sentence, but instead managed to scale her blush up to magnitude fourteen. "Dragon!" She blurted, raising one hand and pawing at the air with it to demonstrate the fully depth of her dragon-hood. "I mean, uh ... it's just ... I dunno ... I'm kinda worried about all the sharp bits. And how I'd react to ... uh ... you know what I mean."

[Vriska]

The way Shayu reacted very nearly had her breaking into laughter. She was sure that if she did, she'd laugh so hard she'd roll off the edge of the cliff. But she controlled herself, not wanting to embarrass Shayu. She really should've figured things would pan out like this. She let herself smile in a way she hoped was loving, or at least endearing.

Withdrawing her foot as Shayu inched away, Vriska crossed her legs in a near-lotus, folding her wings around her for warmth. It was in many ways a calculated move. It covered most of her body, sure, but in a way that distinctly reminded Shayu that they were very much still there. "But you're not against the idea," Vriska purred. "It's alright if you don't feel ready for it," she assured her. "Although," she added. "We won't know how you'll react unless we try."

There were times when Vriska cursed her eyes. Pools of solid yellow and dots of deep black didn't exactly lend themselves to a seductive gaze, but with practice Vriska had figured out how to at least pull of a simmering, promising one. Her smile was her best weapon, really. Her smile not only promised, but flaunted. It was a hurricane and a burning building and whispers of a wild freedom. It was the kind of smile that should be locked up for indecency. It was the kind of smile that had, Vriska suspected, once literally disintegrated a woman's panties.

She really was pulling out all the stops here. Her only real backup plan was throwing herself at Shayu and just start humping away.

[Jackal]

x x

Kyoku de Ajia

Jackal felt a little better when Vriska smiled, and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, as though to apologize. It was amazing how quickly the guilt from hurting Vriska had faded. Something about the Sovereign Lady of the Skies just made her feel all tingly inside. She watched as Vriska formed an impromptu censor with her wings. It was ridiculously attractive. Somehow only seeing a part of her added a considerable deal to the allure of the women.

She felt a part of her stirring. It was the part that very frequently pounced on young animals and ripped them into pieces for food. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing. Vriska would probably notice that Jackal's eyes had begun to glow, as a very deadly grin crept onto her face. The blush had faded, to be replaced by an altogether more predatory visage. She was attracted to Vriska's unusual eye, the one with all the pupils. It was different. unique. It was Vriska's. That made it better than all the other eyes in the world. She grinned and moved closer to Vriska.

"Your eyes are really something, and if I didn't have just a good idea how much I would rip you to shreds if I gave into them right now, I'd jump into your pants with such ferocity that pants would simultaneously materialize and then vaporize themselves. But I would really rather not be charged with the mauling of the ruler of the skies," Jackal said, trailing a hand along Vriska's wings, feeling the feathers ruffle beneath her touch. They were delightfully soft.

[Vriska]

There was something disconcerting about the way Shayu was looking at her. It was oddly unreadable. Did she want to eat her or did she want to eat her? What was she seeing? Was it anything like Vriska's Vision Eightfold? A topic for another time, maybe. As Shayu touched her wing it sent a shiver down her spine. Given that it had to travel all the way up the wing and down the spine, it was quite a shiver.

"You know," Vriska started as she leaned forward, now crawling on all fours towards Shayu and taking the dominant position as she gently eased her dragon down to the ground and got on top of her. "I've always wondered," she purred as she moved one leg in between Shayu's, not quite touching but definitely offering. "The dragon kidnaps the princess," was breathed as Vriska kissed her way from Shayu's chest up to her lips where she lingered before moving on. She had to reach ever so slightly, her body shifting against Shayu's, to run her tongue along the inside of one of her ears. "And then what?"

[Jackal]

x x

Kyoku de Ajia

Jackal's breath started to come in sharp, short bursts as Vriska got closer, her wings pressing onto her, the only real barrier between them. She felt a part of her mind receding, but she clamped down on it, knowing that if she let go, her mind would only go to an extremely dark, dangerous place, one that would hurt Vriska more than the Sky Lady realized. She seemed to forget so quickly what Jackal really was. Her eyes slid down to Vriskal's leg, her gaze passing longingly over the rest of Vriska's body to get there. A bizarre, strangled look of desire and fear crossed over Jackal's face. Vriska kissed her in the ear and Jackal's body went slack, but she forced her mind to maintain some sense of coherence even as the furnace within her burned hotter than it ever had. Her mouth slipped open, and a noise that sounded alarmingly like the deadly roar of her dragon form somehow worked its way out of her throat. She backed away slowly, regretfully, as much for her own benefit as Vriska's. If she didn't exercise every inch of control than Vriska might soon find herself in a world of pain.

Sexy pain. But very real pain nonetheless. A tear dripped its way down Jackal's cheek. When it reached her jawline, its course changed, moving with her scar rather than her face. It was easy to forget how many scars she had.

"The dragon hurts the princess, and burns her alive unless a knight saves her. Right now I don't know if I can promise I wouldn't do that. If I lose control, I might ... I might hurt you. I might forget just what these claws can do to your body. I might forget just how much Shadowfire hurts anyone who isn't me. Just ... just let me figure this out. I just need to be sure that I won't hurt you ... or at least that I won't hurt you too much." She grinned, a little sadly, but also with some of the playfulness that she exhibited only with Vriska. She raised a hand to Vriska's cheek and caressed it. "Your face is too beautiful for any more scars. If I put them there, I'd never forgive myself." She smiled. It wasn't a sad smile. "I know you're impatient, but ... please? I want to be sure that I have my head straightened out before I do anything I might otherwise regret. And besides, you really do need to get back to your throne room. And maybe this time you can carry me, if those new wings are strong enough. And if not, we can just fly together."

[Vriska]

You're doing it again, Vriska.

You're ****ing everything up.

Again.

Why don't you start thinking with your head.

Stupid girl.

She tried to hide her shame. What the hell kind of person was she, doing this to someone like Shayu? "It's alright. I'm sorry, I'm not normally this aggressive. I'm not really used to having..." she tried to think of a proper word. "A relationship? Feelings." Aside from brief crushes in the past, pretty much all of what Vriska could pass for adult relationships, which she could count on one hand, had been purely physical. "Yeah, that works. I guess I do have feelings for you. I'm not going to pressure you into this if you don't feel ready for it. I know what that's like."

Today was understatement day, apparently.

Vriska stood up, glad to dispel the awkwardness of her most recent advance. She would love to fly with Shayu one more time. "When we get back, let me make this up to you. Let me sketch you."

[Jackal]

x x

Kyoku de Ajia

Jackal still didn't know entirely what to do with herself, was still struggling to keep the beast within her from unleashing itself in its full madness. She saw Vriska's gray skin, and her long-limbed, lithe body, and those fascinating eyes, and something in her woke up. It honestly frightened her. The last person she wanted to hurt was Vriska, and when Jackal lost control, she hurt people. When Vriska spoke, Jackal shook her head.

"Don't apologize. Neither of us can help that I'm like this. We just have to work around it," Jackal said evenly, without any particular inflection in her voice. She got back to her feet and walked over to Vriska, close once more. She raised one hand and laid it on Vriska's shoulder, slowly, carefully. She smiled.

"There's nothing to make up for, Vriska. You're ... essentially the only other person I've ever really cared about who isn't my family. But, uh ... I'm not sure what you mean by 'sketch'?" Jackal asked, her left ear twitching curiously.

[Vriska]

Any lingering negativity Vriska was feeling immediately vanished in the face of Shayu's question. She was adorable. Vriska had an adorable, bloodthirsty dragon. Adorabloodthirsty. Vriska closed the distance between them just a fraction, looking up into her eyes and reaching out to run her fingertips along Shayu's hip. Vriska was realizing her problem: She just couldn't help herself around Shayu.

"I mean I want to draw a picture of you, the most beautiful woman I've ever met. Because," Vriska added and suddenly swept Shayu into her arms. "I'm doing everything in my power to sweep you off your feet."

They flew.

[[EXIT]]

[Jackal]

x x

Kyoku de Ajia

When Vriska touched Jackal's hip the dragon-girl sort of gave a low laugh and shuddered a little. It was so strange to be touched by someone who was actually interested in touching her with anything but a burning pitchfork. She didn't quite knowhow to deal with it, she just knew that she enjoyed that feeling, like she was a real person. Jackal blushed when Vriska complimented her, then blinked when Vriska picked her up.

"How are you--oh, right. Robo-arm," Jackal said, even as part of her froze up in primal anger at being taken into someone else's arms, but she fought it back. It was nice to be a girl sometimes, when her life made it so impossible normally. She smiled. "I'd like that. And you can consider me swept." She leaned her mouth towards Vriska and kissed her on the neck, her fangs brushing at the skin. "Now show me what your wings can do."

[EXIT]

[Rwaht]

Rupees given. Woo.