faithfulflame | Fourteenth Prayer: A Rekindling. [Video/Action]

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Fourteenth Prayer: A Rekindling. [Video/Action]

[It’s been a while since Rei could even find the time to make a broadcast over the network, and given her encounter with Anakin Skywalker the last time she’d offered to do flame readings she’s not going to be offering that today. Instead, she’s got a question, and now that her leg has gotten back to normal, there’s also a bit of housekeeping to take care of before some very, very important plans happen. As well as some admissions and requests to take care of.

So, early in the day, she addresses the journal with a forced smile, because one the questions is a little embarrassing. Normally she’d probably have just talked to Yukiko and Yu, but the Inaba teenagers have both seemingly departed now…which directly relates to the other subject at hand, in fact. Ami being gone didn’t help, of course.]

Video:

Hello everyone, this is Rei Hino. I’m afraid to say that most of the people helping me tend to Tsukino Shrine have departed Luceti. If there’s anyone who has free time and would be willing to help me maintain it, I would really appreciate the help. Some of the work that needs to be done simply needs more hands to be done. I’d be willing to repay anyone willing to help with things I’m able to make. If you’re interested, please let me know either here at the shrine or through the journal.

And secondly, I was wondering if anyone had some insight on some exercises for getting back a leg into shape after an injury? My leg was hurt badly recently, and I’m still a little shaky at times, enough so that I’m not comfortable with normal physical activity beyond walking. I don’t want to strain myself, but I would like to get back to normal as quickly as possible.

Thank you in advance for any help or advice.

[And then she closes the journal out.]

Action:

[Later in the day, Rei heads out to visit two very specific people. Raine Sage and Fayt Leingod can expect visits. Raine by Sailor Mars, and Fayt by Rei herself.

After that business is taken care of, Rei hits the shops and starts to gather up some things. Clothing, boxes of food, board games, and pastries in addition to food stuff and a bottle of wine. All the things one needs for an evening alone with her special someone.

And by nightfall, Rei’s got Tsukino Shrine all prepared for her promised evening with Fenimore. Some food, a present, futons, and all the things they might need for the next two evenings. Hopefully it will be a peaceful, uninterrupted night!]

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[Fenimore smiles at those words -- still a somewhat small smile, but it's much more natural than her attempts while she was telling her story. She still feels somewhat emotionally compromised, an unsettled feeling deep in her stomach and a knot in her chest, but she also feels the warmth of being loved throughout her body.]

Thank you. It makes me feel really happy to know you're here for me. And loved.

[She falls silent for a moment before resting her head against Rei's shoulder and closing her eyes.]

Can we stay like this, for a little while? I...I want to hold you, but I don't think I could do it for very long.

[She considers this sentence in her mind and hastily tries to reassure, opening her eyes again.]

It's nothing to do with you! That I wouldn't be able to do it very long, I'm just...a little shakey after that. [Not physically, but "a little" is a bit of an understatement emotionally.] But this is...relaxing.

[She is slowly starting to relax, both physically and emotionally. She tries to look over at Rei's face -- well, as much as she can see it from resting her head on Rei's shoulder.]

I'm sorry. Maybe it's a little silly, to be this...touch-shy when it comes to talking about this, even with you. But this is easier. And I don't think I could do even this much with anyone else, but with you, it's comforting.

[Well, maybe there's two or three other people she could manage it with, but that's counting people who aren't even in Luceti to be even that many. Still, she feels a bit bad for resisting touch as much as she has been while talking about this, even if it's not really something she can help.]

[Rei waves her hand dismissively, nodding, and rolling her shoulder just a little bit so Fenimore can get more comfortable.]

Of course we can dear. I understand completely. We can do whatever you want tonight, okay? As much or as little. I'm perfectly okay with a lazy, tender evening sitting just like this.

[Fenimore nods slightly -- with her position, even a small movement like that will probably be able to even be felt -- before settling her head comfortably and turning her gaze outward. The next part is easier to say when she's not quite looking at Rei.]

Actually, I...want to try again. What we were doing last night before I -- interrupted it. Not right now, but when I calm down, I think I'll be ready. I want to be ready. It's not that I wouldn't enjoy a lazy, tender evening like this, but...I also want to...do that with you. If you want to, too.

[She's blushing pretty hard by the end of it ~~but not frowning even though that's all the blushy icons I have~~. The previous night had been more-or-less falling into it after getting carried away by passion. Talking about it, planning about it with much more definite timing than when the topic had come up back at the clinic, carried a fair amount of embarrassment, she felt.]

[Cue a very, very deep blush from Rei as well. She can't even manage to look at Fenimore, hearing that. But there's a very, very barely perceptible nod. Because she...does...want to. Last night had been slightly frustrating...but...she'd dealt with it because, y'know...it was the right thing to do.

But if Fenimore wanted to?]

I...do. Yes, I'd...very much like that, I think. A lot...

[Fenimore feels a shiver run up her spine. It's not that the response is unexpected -- Rei had seemed just as into it last night -- but actually hearing it is an entirely different experience from guessing it. She's glad to be able to make up for that frustration, but that's a fortunate side-effect rather than a reason wanting to. The only reason she actually needs is that she wants to do it, too, and she's found her own frustration in holding back all day, knowing that she needed to have this conversation first. It's not enough to solve her issues and she knows she's still going to be self-conscious of her scars, but it is enough for Fenimore to know (and feel, which is harder) that Rei loves her and finds her beautiful regardless of her scars and her past -- though she thinks of it as "in spite of." Accepting that it's not "in spite of" will take longer, but this much is enough so that the self-consciousness won't grow into the jumble of negative emotions that had swallowed her last night.

She manages to turn even more red and squeezes Rei's hand again, lightly.]

Good. I'm...glad. I feel the same way.

[A lot, for sure. ...She kind of regrets that she said this now, when she's still not fully ready, because there's a part of her that just wants to go right now and it's going to take a lot of willpower to restrain herself until she knows she is ready.

But restrain herself she does. The evening goes on, in that lazy and tender way, and she does enjoy that time spent with her girlfriend. Still, a few hours later, she takes a hold of Rei's hand again and tells her that she's ready. Having to start by talking about it rather than just letting her feelings carry her away leaves her with more of a sense of nervous trepidation to begin, but it doesn't take long for her passion to sweep through her like it had at the beginning of last night, and then....]

[Morning. Though it had happened the previous morning, waking up intertwined with another person is still an unusual feeling, and unless Rei had bothered to get dressed again before falling asleep, Fenimore wouldn't have made the effort, which would make it a completely unique feeling if so. As she begins to stir, it takes her a moment to realize where she is and what exactly she's feeling.

As she begins to open her eyes and she sees her girlfriend's face next to hers, memories of last night flood in. There's some embarrassment that comes with them as she remembers the noises she'd made and the way she'd fumbled sometimes from inexperience.

(The former was more of a surprise than the latter: it would have been silly to expect to be completely smooth with her first time, but she would not have expected that she would turn out to be so...vocal about it all. She may not have been loud -- very little would have made it through even one wall -- but she's realizing now that she's not too caught up in the moment to realize what she's doing that she'd made a lot of noises. That's an embarrassing discovery about herself.)

But the embarrassment is, for the moment, almost entirely overshadowed by happiness and love. Sure, with neither of them having done anything like this before, they wouldn't have done anything groundbreaking, but the intimate moment had felt special and incredible to her. She smiles warmly, her eyes still only halfway open but her gaze full of affection, and the smile only grows when she notices Rei is awake -- either right away, if Rei is already awake by this point, or after Rei opens her eyes, if she isn't yet.]

Good morning, love.

[Rei rolls over at the sound of that voice, lazily resting a hand on her chest as she blinks sleep out of her eyes. The memories of the night before are crystal clear and in a way she's a little surprised with herself. Laying there with nothing but sheets on next to someone is oddly nice, in a way she never expected. It's homey, cozy, and a very pleasant reminder of some very pleasant things.

She was equally embarrassed about some of the things she'd done, though noise is not one of them. There had been some awkward moments, uncertain flashes of insecurity, but all in all she'd enjoyed herself and had the impression her girlfriend had too. And that alone fills her with happiness. The love pouring from Fenimore's sense is returned as well, as the feeling of warm skin against her is an even more wonderful reminder that she'd shared something very intimate with someone very special.]

And good morning to you, dear. Did you sleep well?

[Fenimore hadn't expected how pleasant it would be to be next to someone in only the sheets, either -- well, outside of the context of what happened last night. That she'd expected as going to be pleasant. But this cozy moment had its own charms, and she'd not expected to feel this comfortable about it, either, with her issues. It's a very nice surprise.]

I don't think I've slept this well in a very long time. [She chuckles.] I didn't know that was another benefit to this.

[Some of that was just because of how content she feels waking up next to Rei, but it was true that it had been one of the better sleeps she'd had. Sleeping next to her girlfriend does wonders for keeping her from having any nightmares and for relaxing her, and the activity from the previous night had helped tire her out for bed a little.

She puts an arm around Rei's waist and snuggles in a little closer, enjoying the warmth from both Rei's skin and loving gaze.]

What about you? I hope I didn't wake you.

[Rei smiles a little bashfully, sitting up on her elbows and covering herself with the blanket. Even after all that, there was a modicum of modesty that she expected herself to maintain. That was only proper.]

I didn't either...but I definitely slept much better than I have in ages.

[She leans into the embrace, sinking back down lower and cuddling up against her girlfriend. The mingling sense of warmth is genuinely electrifying, the simple pleasure of being touched in such a fashion something she'd rarely ever felt.]

You didn't wake me. And I wouldn't mind if you did, since it means sharing this with you.

[Leaning in, she kisses Fenimore gently, nothing lingering...but definitely affectionate.]

I never dreamed I'd...do something like this, honestly.

[Fenimore wouldn't mind if Rei didn't maintain that modicum, proper or no.... She understands, though. She has her own concerns of modesty, even if they are satisfied by just being mostly under the sheets, and she would have needed to find her own way to cover herself if they weren't there. After all, this is still a very new thing. Still, it speaks volumes of how much more secure she feels in Rei's presence now that she isn't moving to cover any scars that are visible, though she's still trying to forget they exist.]

I'm glad that I was able to change your mind.

[She blushes. While it's not what she meant, it feels a little full of herself to suggest she was responsible for making Rei change her mind about this sort of thing -- though, she supposes there's some truth to it. And then she's also blushing because some of the reasons she was glad that Rei'd changed her mind were a bit shallower than others.]

For more than just the...obvious reasons, I mean. Sharing that moment with you felt -- really special. I might have dreamt that I would, someday, [~~lately in great detail~~] but I never imagined it would be this wonderful. Or that I could be so happy sharing this moment with you, too.

[Well, it was more wonderful than she'd imagined in some ways, at least. In some ways, it hadn't gone as well -- she'd not imagined awkward moments of not knowing what to do, for one -- but there were more ways that it was better than not. And even if it hadn't been, her heart is much too full for her to be at all objective right now. She kisses Rei, equally as gentle and affectionate as Rei had been.]

I love you. So much.

[Well, it's certainly reassuring to hear that Fenimore had been dreaming about it too, because she certainly had. More than once...and in rather explicit detail as well. Parts of her were really glad she'd gone through with it, even if it had been a little nervous at times. And those awkward moments had definitely enhanced those fears, but in the end it'd all worked out.

She grins at the statement, nodding.]

I love you too. For...so many reasons it hurts.

[Breaking down barriers, accepting her for who she was too, and just...treating her like she was normal. Sure, maybe some of her quirks didn't really apply to someone who grew up around magic...but where Rei was from? That was all a bit of a big deal.]

[Fenimore's smile grows, thrilled to hear that Rei feels as strongly as she does.]

I know that feeling.

[She also has so many reasons to love Rei. Rei had accepted everything she'd shown her about herself and had given such complete support. And other reasons, of course, but those ones are particularly on her mind after the previous evening.

She lifts her arm from where it's been draped over Rei's waist in order to brush some of her girlfriend's hair back behind her ear -- mostly as an excuse to touch her hair and her face. Even if this means that Fenimore's no longer technically embracing Rei, she remains pressed up against her. The closeness and the way their warmth mingles through the blankets is intoxicating.]

I think I know what I'd like you to promise, now. [She's referring to the joke she'd made back at the clinic when Rei was recovering, about making Rei promise something to keep her in her mind.] If you think it's an acceptable one...would you promise that we'll do this again sometime?

[Her blush from her previous comments had started to fade, but welp there it is again.]

[Perhaps it was the magical girl's ability to just accept and overcome any and all obstacles in the name of love. She leans into that touch, her own hand coming up to rest against Fenimore's back, gently pressed against the small of it. Settling in like this is easy enough, but...then there's that question.

One that she takes very seriously. And one that sets her face on fire!]

I...I...uh...

[She stops herself, exhaling slowly, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. And answers in what she hopes is a sultry voice but probably comes out a little bit squeaky.]

I...would love that. As...often as we are able. And when it's appropriate. I...think...sharing these moments with you when we can would be...well...a-amazing.

[Fenimore finds the stuttering pretty cute, for all that initially she was a little worried that she'd been too forward. At this point, though, she wouldn't need a gagtag to want to go for another round. Even if Rei's voice is squeaky, the content is enough that it doesn't take much sultryness to make her heart beat faster, especially with their closeness and the hand at the small of her back. As often as they are appropriately able sounds really good to her right now.

She doesn't actually make a move to do so, though, as she's enjoying this part, too -- but she'll keep it in mind as an option. It's nice that she can actually think about doing such things after how things had gone the first time they'd tried.]

I -- I'm glad you feel the same as I do.

[She attempts to match the sultry tone that Rei was aiming for, but she winds up more a match for the tone that Rei actually got -- not squeaky, but with a slight awkward tenseness.]

Though if you hadn't, um, thought the same way, I might have been able to find ways to...convince you. I think I could have been, uh, persuasive.

[She tries to follow that with a sly, confident smile, but the effect is somewhat ruined by the way her face is completely red.]

Edited (the downsides of writing up responses on mobile) 2014-08-01 18:02 (UTC)

Well...

[Rei leans against Fenimore more, rubbing her head against the other girl's shoulder and smiling.]

I think I'd like to...see you being persuasive. I certainly might just have to play hard-to-get to make you...convince me.

[Yes, she's blushing too. Totally and completely red-faced. But really, she enjoyed herself last night more than she'd ever expected. Some things had been odd, some had just come naturally, but they were all a lot of good...stimulating...fun. A night of passion she'd never, ever let go of.]

[...Breathe, Fenimore. Breathing is good and necessary. She almost feels a little overwhelmed -- the circumstances here are different from any other time she's done any flirting -- but it isn't a bad kind of overwhelming. It's...exhilarating.

Though she does hope she's not so close to overwhelmed that she's actually in over her head and this ends up being more like Rei calling her bluff. She may be resigned to the fact that she's not going to be as smooth as she'd like to think she could be (maybe one day, when this isn't so new), but she still doesn't want to completely fall on her face. She takes a moment to collect her thoughts, which are trying to scatter, first.]

Well, I think I can...do that. I've never tried being persuasive like...this before, but -- I'll do my best.

[She pulls a face over the way she ended that, though with Rei's head against her shoulder, Fenimore's the only one who will notice the grimace. "I'll do my best" is not exactly a line from which seductions are written. The expression is short-lived, and she takes advantage of the relative position of their heads to speak directly into Rei's ear, her voice low.]

Maybe I'll do it with words. I'll tell you how amazing you are, how much I -- want you, how I want to feel every last part of you. I'll tell you what I want to do to you with my hands, with my lips, and...stuff.

[...She tries not to pull a face at herself again and it takes her a second to continue. "Stuff," really? When she does, she moves a hand to the edge of the blanket Rei used to cover herself, curling first one finger, then two, around the edge and slightly underneath it, against Rei's skin.]

Or maybe [she lowers her head a little, so that her mouth is on level with Rei's neck rather than her ear; she has to speak a little louder to be heard there, but she keeps her voice still lower than her usual speaking tone] I'll -- persuade you by actions, a-and show you what I want to do.

[She places a kiss on where she thinks Rei might be particularly sensitive. It's kind of guesswork, though, since she's not had enough time to exactly map this out, so she might be wrong. She then returns to speaking next to Rei's ear, though her voice is a bit squeaky as she continues.]

Or maybe I'll do both.

[Okay, well she hadn’t quite expected that to be Fenimore’s reaction, but she definitely appreciates it. Rei smiles fondly, not at all wanting to call her girlfriend’s bluff, and not at all put off by the awkwardness of it. Being completely honest, just having someone willing to say those things is enough to get her a little hot and bothered. And to have someone say them genuinely? Well, she knows just where her passionate side would take that. The voice in her ear has her closing her eyes, fretting her lip a little, slightly intoxicated by the sensation again. Odd wording or not, it’d have the desired effect.

The kiss sends a shock of pleasure through her, a faint shiver jingling through her entire boy. Sucking in a breath, she replies somewhat breathlessly.]

I…think I’d like you to try that.

[Wait…no, that’s not right.]

I…I mean…I know I would. Because if you weren’t willing to try and seduce me…t-then I think I’d have to do it right back to you.

[Rolling her head back, she peers over at Fenimore, trying to manage a sultry smile and really failing…but maybe it’s a cute failure?]

Tell you how much I want you…and…touch you where you want to be touched. All…of that. [She reaches up, curling her fingers around Fenimore’s before turning more fully to kiss her gently.]

And…after…we’re through? I’ll show you how much I liked it by cooking you breakfast, and washing your back at the spring.

[Maybe one day, after they've had more experience with this, they'll look back at the clumsy parts of their attempts at seduction and laugh. Or maybe wince. But, right now, Rei's words are having the desired effect on her, her breathing becoming shallower. Even the failed sultry smile isn't entirely unsuccessful...although, yeah, it's more cute than sultry. But she can appreciate the intent behind it, especially when everything else already has her rather turned on.]

I...wouldn't mind if you did.

[She shakes her head slightly and corrects herself, going for something more honest.]

No, I mean -- I would be happy if you did, though...I don't know if I would do very well at playing hard to get if you did s-seduce me. [She looks away just a little.] Or...at least, I wouldn't be able to right now.

[She is basically 90% gotten at this point, and her restraint is pretty low. But, after that embarrassing admission, she returns to looking Rei in the eyes.]

I like those plans for...after. [Even if she doesn't have quite the same cultural context for washing each other's backs, she certainly isn't against the idea.] And I'll be sure to return the favour -- though I guess returning it for the breakfast will have to wait for...next time.

[Even just saying the idea of there being a next time thrills her. She attempts a sultry smile of her own, though it's doubtless as failed as Rei's was. Her voice is a little shakey, but she attempts to sound as provocative as she can (which...probably isn't much, but she's learning).]

But first...I should earn it, shouldn't I?

[Oh, they definitely will wince at some point. Rei almost is doing that now, as she mentally analyzes everything she says. It's awkward, but still, even with that it's a lot of fun. All this talk of doing things that other people have always seemed to take for granted and she'd never considered. It still surprises her just how open she's become, but it's easy to chalk that up to how Fenimore excites her.

Leaning into the blonde, she wraps her arms even more tightly around her, pulling them together.]

Well...I suppose...I'd be hard pressed to play hard to get now either, given this compromising position you've got me in. But...I could make an exception to that rule for one morning, I think.

[A pause, and she leans in again, kissing her girlfriend's cheek as she tries to mimic that husky tone she's seen in movies.]

Or...we could always just go directly to the bath. I could get us there in a heartbeat. And we could get cleaned up...together.

[Really, it wouldn't take much effort to change the venue...and the intimacy of bathing together would be just as stimulating and rewarding. At least, that's how she feels, given her cultural context. But...then they are still in bed...and there's been a lot of talk of seduction.]

[If Rei couldn't teleport, she would have been reluctant to go along with the suggestion, no matter how short an interruption going there might be. Her self-control is pretty tenuous as it is, especially now that Rei is holding her more tightly and speaking in that husky tone. But while bathing together doesn't have the same cultural significance to her, being in and around water in general has enough importance in her culture to make it an attractive option as well.]

We could do both? But I don't mind going directly to the bath, as -- as long as you know that I don't intend to...l-let up on you, wherever we are.

[She gives Rei a kiss on the cheek in return to punctuate the sentence. It seems her first intentions around stimulating, rewarding intimacy don't have much to do with bathing -- unless Rei disagrees, she feels that the bathing can come after.]

I...wouldn't want you to.

[Rolling over now, she ends up on top of Fenimore, and pins her girlfriend's arms down to the futon with a little laugh. Leaning in, she kisses her even more deeply, but doesn't let it linger too long.]

We can do bathe now, and come back here to eat afterward. That way we'll have the pools to ourselves. They'll be deserted this early in the day. What do you say?

[She looks caught off-guard at suddenly being pinned, but she starts laughing herself before it gets cut off by the kiss. It certainly wasn't an unhappy surprise, and she squirms slightly beneath her, very much raring to go.

The mention of them being deserted gives her pause, though, and she looks and sounds concerned.]

Are...are you sure no one else will be there?

[She hadn't thought about other people being at the baths. She might be willing to let Rei see her naked -- and, even then, she's not 100% comfortable about her scars even when it is Rei -- but she is far, far from comfortable enough for anyone else to see the scars. ...And then there's the obvious reasons why she wants privacy right now.]

If you are sure, then it does sound like it would be wonderful, but I wouldn't want to get...interrupted.

Oh, if anyone so much as tries? I'll turn them into a toad.

[Rei's smile widens, and she hops up, already beginning to trace the teleportation sigil with her fingers.]

I won't let anyone get in the way of our bath...but I'm sure nobody will be. I always go early in the morning so I don't have to deal with anyone. The only other person who does that is Ami-chan, but she's out of the enclosure right now.

[The idea of Rei turning someone into a toad makes Fenimore giggle and her concern melts away, both from hearing that Rei's been up there often enough and from trusting that Rei will protect them with toadification. (She tries not to think too much about being glad that Ami isn't in the enclosure right now.)]

That sounds like enough precautions to me.

[She adopts an innocent look as she watches Rei trace the sigil.]

Do you and Ami usually go together? I wonder if I should go to the baths early myself someday and...surprise you if you're alone.

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