lacedmagic - Tumblr blog

[lacedmagic]

     Simple delights are what he often gets through his day—this little world tucked away into a little corner without a worry of any intruders or unsavory guests. And his simple delight sometimes involves being a bit more chaotic and curious than usual as he gets into business he shouldn't be involved in. Though he will digress—this situation simply falls into his lap; how could he resist something as alluring as how the owner of this place flexes his power over a young woman.

     Subtle irritation flicks at the facade, this mockery of a home.

     How irksome.

     She deflects from answering his question. A golden gaze flicks to her as she drinks from her diluted cup of wine, watching how she moves. Did she not hear his question, or is she purposefully avoiding answering it? Jasper faintly arches a brow but refrains from saying much else. However, he will continue with this little game of theirs, and a ghost of a smile seems to grace his lips. If she decides to play this game, then he shall continue just the same.

     ❝I'm glad my company is appreciated,❞ he remarks. ❝Even if I had been a surprise, I am grateful for your welcome despite it.❞ Truly, a lone man appearing in the middle of a rainstorm at a manor out in the middle of nowhere? It's extremely suspect and yet, this woman was nice enough to welcome him inside. In a way, he could not help that sensation of this being akin to Beauty and the Beast.

     But there's dark humor in that thought as it's the reverse: is she not the beauty trapped in the cage?

     Her laugh is cute, but she finally concedes her honest answer. He sets down his cutlery, finishes his meal, and moves to enjoy the glass of wine. As his long and elegant fingers twirl the wine glass in his hand with a practiced finesse, his gaze returns to the glass as he does so. He even gives it a slight whiff before deciding to answer.

     ❝That's a good girl,❞ he says with a sense of delight in those tones. His lips faintly curl as he finishes the glass, and she offers him a game. ❝I suppose we shall see, won't we?❞

     He taps his mouth clean of the remnants of the food and drink before appropriately responding to her offer of a game.

     ❝Miss Nunnally,❞ he says with a lidded and lazy smirk, ❝I feel as though I must ask: for whatever do you mean by ❛red❜? And would you say such a game would be worthwhile to pass the time when I think you would do other things besides that.❞

     Jasper implies that there must be many more questions she wants to ask him. After all, they've been doing nothing but this slow dance of small back-and-forth that has led to nothing. It's been a little bit since he's arrived, surely; it's time for a more in-depth conversation. Or perhaps she wants something else altogether.

     It's almost time for this little song-and-dance to reach its end. Reach its end before the "Master" of the home returns to his cage and takes back control of the little bird.

Continued from [x] with @lacedmagic

She doesn’t expect such a reply. Now she feels slightly embarrassed. Nunnally takes a sip of her wine. It’s mixed with water, but her guest doesn’t have to know it. She needs a moment to think. To decide what to do next. What to reaply.

The rain is getting heavier. The wind is getting stronger. As if the weather was warning her not to play the game. Another sip of her wine and Nunnally is sure she will play the game. She’ll lose; that's clear, but perhaps it is still worth to try.

“Oh no! Not at all. I am not getting visitors too often, here...” – she states the obvious. She expects him to realize this simple fact – “So, your company is more than appreciated.” – she puts the crystal glass away. It was still not the reply to his question. But is it only her imaginations or has the air actually got tense in the room? She shivers as she thinks about her father. Why that sudden thought? But it would be days before he’s back. So, for now it’s only her, her guest, Jasper, and the well-equipped mansion.

Nunnally tilts her head and smiles; she is observing the man. The she lets out a small laugh.

“Pretending that we don’t recognize what the other wants.” – she finally decides to give him an honest answer. Will he stay or will he go? He’ll stay. They all stay. He’s not the first one. But there is something about him that prevents her from thinking that he’ll not be the last one. She does want him to stay. Perhaps it will be different this time. No! She cannot hope for that. She did too many times and it has only lead to disappointment.

“How about the game of chess after we are finished with our meal? I could have our coffee served in the drawing room.” – she suggests; she doesn’t expect Jasper would decline her invitation. It’s possible but unlikely. It would have been impolite, even rude, for the kindness she has offered.

“Black or white? Which do you chose?” – what was she asking about? – “Or perhaps red?”    

[lacedmagic]

Jasper is good at chess. I am not. :'D

[lacedmagic]

The Evermore Grimoire: Projection Powers

Force-field Generation is the power to project fields of manipulated energy. Those that wield this power can create a field formed from energy, elements, the environment, or by manipulating smaller items to form a greater whole. Typically centred like an aura, these fields often take on a spherical or flat-shape and manifest in the form of a barrier or surface such as a shield, wall, dome or bubble. They can either possess a solid, fluid or elastic structure and surface. Force-Fields are also capable of blocking or impeding approaching objects and nullifying attacks, including physical and energy based attacks or even repelling or reflecting them, as well being used as a means of containment to imprison others. Wielders of this power are also able to throw shields away from themselves or to catch things with them, while other's may possess sufficient enough control over their force-fields to mould them into a variety of shapes, objects, structures and other more advanced forms. It's even possible to use these barriers as armour by creating thinner force-fields around one's own body or that of others, preventing outside forces from damaging or touching them. Over time this power can grow to the point where the wielder can shrink their force field and use it as a projectile, in addition to other offensive measures such as creating a force-field inside an object or person and expanding the force-field so that the object or person explodes.

[lacedmagic]

     One would think that on a day like this one, the man in question would be more inclined to be proactive about seeking out such companionship. Still, Jasper loses interest in favor of entirely different means of "satisfaction." Instead, he would rather sit there and enjoy a freshly brewed cup of black coffee when he has a moment. Especially right now, sipping a cup of one such thing in a local coffee shop and having a freshly baked pastry beside it.

[lacedmagic]

     Her eyes close before reopening, furrowing her brows in what she attempts as a pout when she's stuck like this.

     ❝That just sounds like you don't like me kissing you,❞ Lacie says, though her words come out somewhat slurred with her cheeks being squeezed between his hands. Even hers squeezes his wrists in a playful gesture as she tries to free herself.

     Finally, he frees her, and she rubs her cheeks, looking up at him with an arched brow. Though he takes a step back from her, Zech seems calmer than he did earlier. She can almost see him crossing his arms across his chest as he poses a question.

     Dropping her hands from her cheeks, she crosses her arms across her abdomen while one hand taps a finger to her chin in thought.

     ❝Yes, but I would assume that in that case, you wanted a more passionate kiss.❞ Lacie looks back at him as she tilts her head and then back again. Though her cheeks are a soft bloom of color, she smiles with a spark of mischief in her glimmering eyes. ❝Hehe, I don't know how else we can have a more passionate kiss, though.❞

"What else am I supposed to think when this is a regular habit of yours? When you find any excuse you can to plant your lips on me, naturally I'm gonna assume that this is yet another one of your schemes!"

...Not that he was necessarily complaining about her shows of affection. This was simply his way of being obstinate in the face of an embarrassing situation. Whether such methods succeeded in helping him save face to an audience of absolutely nobody else but Lacie herself and his own self-image was something he couldn't quite discern, but the way things were going, such concerns might as well have flown clear out the window by this point. They were already making fools out of each other.

Some part of him wondered if he wasn't reveling in it just a bit. Truly, it was a rare occurrence that Lacie had also stooped to his level and made just as much of simpleton of herself as he often tended to do. It was... A surprisingly refreshing change of pace.

Zech does soon release his hold on her face, visibly settling down from his earlier enthusiasm as he took a single step away from Lacie. "There's nothing wrong with it necessarily. I mean, we end up doing it all the time anyway, right? But there's something a little... I dunno... Off about it if you just straight up propose it like that. Like, what if I brought up breathing something into you instead?"

[lacedmagic]

Isekai de dekiai Yandere ga hanashite kuremasen!

[lacedmagic]

A faint outline stands at the doorstep of Lacie's room. It is abundantly familiar, that small figure. The one of a little girl that had left the world too soon. The figure sees Lacie & perhaps, Lacie sees it too. There's not much the figure can do. . . But, it knows her, it knows her well. Different, yet the same; that's what the figure could tell about Lacie.

'Lucy?' A voice, soft & child-like echoed inside Lacie's room. 'You're alive. I'm glad. I'm happy.' It's so tender, so full of love, so. . . lonely.

'You'll always remember me, right? Don't forget. Best friends forever!'

& with that, the figure was gone, leaving behind the petals of sunflowers.

     Dreams of that past always leave her wanting. Lacie dreams of those precious moments and memories when she and that girl sit on a hospital cot or bed, playing a game of cards to pass the time. Their IVs cling to them beside them while the girls play games and pretend they aren't limited by the weakness in their fragile bodies. Her laughter often comes and goes like the billowing of the wind.

     Lacie almost forgets what it sounds like. So when she wakes from sleep one morning, her senses tingle in awareness. Her gaze flits to the doorway of their room, and she stills.

     She looks exactly how she remembered her. Alive? Is that meant to mock her? Lucy died. While she might've not died alone, it doesn't change the fact that her previous incarnation had left this world too soon, too young, an experience that Lacie knows she will most likely have to relive again if the "curse" she has is still active. How dare this ghost of her call Lacie by a name that she no longer wears, she no longer bears, and is no longer hers.

     Lacie forgets how to breathe.

     She's glad and happy, she says, and her voice haunts her despite the softness of her voice.

     How dare she.

     How dare she make her relive her grief for a girl that she never got the chance to grieve? How dare she come back like it's nothing and make her remember?

     No, it's a lie.

     Best friends forever is right and true. They are best friends forever; Lacie knows this in her broken heart. They swore it on the fragile pinky promise of forever when they were only children and it's a promise she always intended to keep.

     How could Lacie ever forget her?

     So when she leaves, sunflower petals float in her wake, and Lacie buries her face in her hands, sobbing.

     Lacie doesn't even have the heart to be angry anymore. She can't. There's nothing left but more questions. Whatever decided to appear only brought about more pain, more grief, and an endless slew of questions. She can't yell because she's forgotten what it's like to scream that all she'd like is for her to come back, but she left.

     Left her behind...

     It's not fair. Free her, let her rest. Lacie isn't sure she can handle her coming back.

     Because Lacie's heart wouldn't be able to take it.

thanks for the pain || unprompted || always welcome

[lacedmagic]

     It's his expression, which she pays close attention to as she cares for him, that reassures her that she has been doing the right thing. He likes her touching him, and he likes her touching him in such a way that... Well, she isn't sure, really. All she knows is that she likes touching him.

     Being near him gives her a sense of comfort she isn't sure she's ever had before in all her travels thus far. Is this a side effect of their battle? Or is this sense of intimacy from how their powers synced up?

     His words pull her hands back, returning their attention to the same soothing touches to his hair. Lacie makes a small smile. ❝Let me know; otherwise, I shall do my best to attend to you.❞ While she decides not to continue the caressing of his cheek, she rests that hand on his chest. Her thumb absently rubs against him as she watches and waits when he doesn't continue speaking right away.

     He winces when he apologizes, something that she has a vague understanding of why, given what she's seen thus far of her visions of his past. Lacie shakes her head. ❝Don't mind it—we're 'partners in crime' now with what we just experienced, and I think this is the least I can do for you with how you've helped me. I have no doubt that you'd do the same if I were in your place.❞

     Lacie watches as Zech closes his eyes, once more finding herself wondering what he may be thinking about. From the images she's seen, he's perhaps kinder than she is. A little rough and worn around the edges, but he has a heart of gold—something she knows people say. He cannot turn away from helping others, wanting to help people at the end of the day, and yet, he's been given nothing but the rhetorical short end of the stick. Part of her has nothing but her love to give him despite everything—something about his sincerity is more than enough to move her.

     Absently, that hand on his chest moves to his neck, where some of his hair lingers. Her fingers curl around the locks loosely, and her fingertips and skin ghost over his skin as the cooler aspect of her warmth touches him. In a way, it's almost as if she's cradling his head on her lap.

     Well, he seems alright, at the very least. Even if she has no idea why he is this way, Lacie takes consolation in the fact that he seems to be slowly but surely recovering.

     So, she blinks when he speaks again, dropping her gaze down from staring into the distance to him. Faintly, her brows furrow into a mixture of worry and concern. This wasn't the first time this has happened?

     While she's happy to hear his speaking gradually becoming smoother as he continues speaking, his mention of the usage of his soul has her deepening her brow. However, it's not what happened this time, he says, and she hums tunelessly in thought, wondering what his world was like and what its equivalent to magic was like there.

     Lacie waits again as he speaks since it seems like he has more of a thought to this line of thought. But it becomes more questions with no answer.

     At this, her fingers on the top of his head scrape and gently card through his hair again. Perhaps this act itself is a comfort to her, almost as much as it is a comfort to know Zech is alright.

     ❝Yes,❞ she says in agreement, ❝As do I.❞ She lifts a hand and touches her chest, remembering the sensation of unfamiliar yet familiar magic. In itself, it is a comfort. ❝I'm afraid I know only as much as you do. And we, in doing so, made it that a man appeared to warn... Me to never do it again.❞

     Sorry, Traveler, she thinks idly, but he deserves to know despite it. Though she has a vague inkling of an idea, it doesn't change that he needs to know what happened. Even now, Lacie still doesn't quite understand why this was the way it is. Why did their powers do that?

For a moment, his gaze shoots wide, his expression looking very much disturbed with the notion of her ceasing her gentle ministrations. Once more, he felt some reactionary compulsion to shoot up, shake his head in dissent, physically assure that he was not the least bit uncomfortable with what she was doing and that it was, in actuality, pleasant beyond his ability to express in words. Indeed, he would very much be in a huff, stumbling over his own words and making an awkward fool of himself had the circumstances been different…

…But, even unconsciously, his body still would not heed his compulsions. It still felt too strange. Too foreign. A mind stuck in a shell that was not its own, that could not handle its presence.

“Ah— No… I didn’t mean…”

Hard enough to speak as it was in the moment, he couldn’t even muster up enough effort to stammer which made his words rather deliberate. Or, at least, much as they could be given his own sensibilities.

He doesn’t continue speaking right away, instead loosing what sounded like a somewhat raspy hum as he considers how best to explain to her what’s on his mind.

“It’s just… I’m sorry… that I have to burden you… like this…”

His features appeared to wince, then. It was disquieting enough to consider that he was totally helpless like so, yet somehow even more so humbling to have to admit as much — that he needed her help. That he had to rely on her. That he was currently too useless to even help himself.

Surely it would have been better if she just left him to his fate. But she was not nearly as cruel as that, was she? No. Those tender touches she gave him, the way she seemed to put her very heart and soul on the line for him when she called out his name in the heat of battle, more concerned with his own well-being than hers… Lacie was of a far kinder sort than that.

Perhaps… She even…

Zech closed his eyes, yet more subtle shifting of his countenance to betray some manner of surrendering sentiment. His mind was certainly going to strange places when left to its own device, particularly when he wasn’t even left to his own company, instead subjected to a certain measure of intimacy with a young woman he just met. A young woman that had suddenly become so dear to him after one harrowing experience, with whom he felt an inexorable connection with. Or that all could be products of his woefully lonely mind, reading too much into little things and hoping for something more from them.

Funny. There was a time where he would have succumbed to pessimism and refused to entertain even the very notion, but all this time between worlds and whatever memories still managed to cling to him enforced all the more so that he had to accept whatever he could get. He had to be able to fully embrace and enjoy what he had while he still had it, and while this made him ever the more prone towards wearing his heart on his sleeve, if he couldn’t throw it in full at whatever came his way, then he couldn’t truly say he was keeping himself alive.

After all, for a man with a nebulous tomorrow, the only thing that could possibly matter was whatever happened in the moment, and within this moment, there was only Lacie.

“This ain't… the first time this has happened…” There’s a bit of a dry-sounding grunt, and then he audibly clears his throat. The more he speaks, the more the sensation starts to feel familiar, the more he gets reacquainted to the act and, soon enough, he’s soon speaking a lot more smoothly.

“But, usually… This sorta thing tends to happen when I… kinda sorta consume a teeny, tiny part of my soul. But that’s not happened this time.”

Another pause, but his voice did not trail off this time, so it would seem he was undergoing some manner of consideration.

“…So what the hell did happen, then? All I remember feeling is… I don’t even know how to describe what I feel. I think we… Connected somehow? Or, at least, our respective powers did.”

[lacedmagic]

@epocryph // for vash // plotted starter.

     To say Lacie expected to end up on a desert planet was not part of her plans. Neither was it in her plans to drop and crash into someone when she materialized from her jump through worlds.

     Which she did before she even got the chance to hide her appearance with glamour.

     The sand was soft, but not this soft. Lacie pulls herself up, finding herself looking down at a young man with orange-tinted glasses and a red coat. She shuffles, pulling away so that she straddles him, sitting on top as she sits upright. She looks around them, her crystalline earrings jingling and sparkling in the sun's brightness. Her exposed shoulders seem to shimmer under the sun, and her snow-white hair glints under it with long white lashes to frame starry eyes.

     ❝Are you alright?❞ she asks, frowning with concern evident on her delicate features. A hand lifts to her chest while the other hesitates to reach out as it hovers in the air. ❝I... Ah...❞ How does she explain she didn't intend to fall on someone when she appears in another world? It's the first time her calculations are incorrect about how high the ground is—speculating it might be because it's sand and prone to changes faster than earth.

     She looks severely underdressed, sporting a white shirt with a small corset adorning her already thin waist with her knee-high boots in an extreme desert climate.

[lacedmagic]

Romantic Gestures.

bold what applies to your muse, italicize if there's potential / it depends. repost, don't reblog !

holding hands · holding onto arm / holding out arm · buying flowers · cooking · cuddles · writing a poem / song · holding door open · sharing a milkshake with two straws · offering their jacket when it's cold · kissing in the rain · publicly confessing love · long walks at the beach · doing the titanic pose on a boat · taking cute pictures in a photobooth · sharing a taxi / uber · kissing the back of their hand · slow dancing · getting tickets of their favourite artist / sports team / other · introducing them to their parents · lighting candles · flower petals on bed · love letters · star gazing · brushing / doing their hair · picnics · teaching them to play an instrument / a sport while gently guiding their hands · compliments · late night drives · taking selfies together · drawing them · self-made gifts · massages · proposing with a family heirloom ring · lending them their favourite book to read · paying for dinner / coffee · mixtapes / playlists · surprise birthday parties · feeding them · handing them keys to their apartment · making space in drawer for their clothes when they stay over · sharing a blanket · couple costumes · tucking a hair strand behind their ear · running after them at the airport / keeping them from leaving · moving cities to be together · blowing a kiss · breakfast in bed · defending them in a fight (verbally / physically) · joint bubble baths · dropping the L-bomb ("I love you") · dedicating a song at the karaoke bar to them · wearing their clothes · yawning before putting an arm around them while watching a movie · grant them the last bite (from meal)

Tagged by / yoinked from: @wayward-sword Tagging: just take it and tag me if you do it! ^^

holding hands · holding onto arm / holding out arm · buying flowers · cooking · cuddles · writing a poem / song · holding door open · sharing a milkshake with two straws · offering their jacket when it's cold · kissing in the rain · publicly confessing love · long walks at the beach · doing the titanic pose on a boat · taking cute pictures in a photobooth · sharing a taxi / uber · kissing the back of their hand · slow dancing · getting tickets of their favourite artist / sports team / other · introducing them to their parents · lighting candles · flower petals on bed · love letters · star gazing · brushing / doing their hair · picnics · teaching them to play an instrument / a sport while gently guiding their hands · compliments · late night drives · taking selfies together · drawing them · self-made gifts · massages · proposing with a family heirloom ring · lending them their favourite book to read · paying for dinner / coffee · mixtapes / playlists · surprise birthday parties · feeding them · handing them keys to their apartment · making space in drawer for their clothes when they stay over · sharing a blanket · couple costumes · tucking a hair strand behind their ear · running after them at the airport / keeping them from leaving · moving cities to be together · blowing a kiss · breakfast in bed · defending them in a fight (verbally / physically) · joint bubble baths · dropping the L-bomb ("I love you") · dedicating a song at the karaoke bar to them · wearing their clothes · yawning before putting an arm around them while watching a movie · grant them the last bite (from meal)

[lacedmagic]

—Lang Leav, "Soul Mates"

[lacedmagic]

       Lacie hums thoughtfully. It's not quite exhaustion then? Odd. While the circumstances that changed Zech to have such a strange and yet familiar usage of the melding of their magic together, Lacie surmises that this is uncharted territory to what happened to Zech. But, it's plain that he's at least lethargic and unable to lift his own body. While it's not quite exhaustion, as he says, it is the closest symptom she could assume it is until they can figure out a proper diagnosis for it.

       Lacie is pleased that he seems content on her lap, surprised he might've been, and perhaps, even disconcerted while she was moving him. Normally, such intimate touches ought to be left for someone she knows she loves, but somehow, since the seeming unification of their magic, it felt natural for her to simply touch him like so.

       There's a flicker of recognition when he calls her name, subtly tilting her head and arching a brow. Did he mean to call her name? His voice was quiet enough that she wasn't even sure she'd heard it at all. The tone is different, and a soft pink colors her cheeks. There's something about how he called her name that made her heart skip a beat.

       Starry gaze observes him, noting the change in his gaze as it darkens. What was it that he's thinking about to make such an expression cross his visage?

       His apology comes, and once more, the tilt of her head comes, this time with the added addition of her worried frown. ❝Whatever for? Are you not comfortable? Ah, perhaps I should stop this?❞ Lacie withdraws her hand from caressing his cheek and running through his hair. Maybe he didn't like such an intimate action, and she notes that she was doing it before she even realized she was doing it.

If ever Zech felt more at ease, he could scarcely recall any such time in his life. The beating of Lacie’s heart thrummed away in a hypnotic rhythm within one of his ears, very nearly lulling him back into unconsciousness once more, were it not for the new sensation of her hand and fingertips against his face.

How soft her skin was, he found himself marveling. His expression seemed to be in a daze as she glanced down at him. Entranced by the circumstances. He quite literally was putty in her hands by this point, and he most likely would have been figuratively such were he not weighed down by adjusting once more to his own body.

His breathing turned into a soft hiss, air blowing through his lips, as she dragged her fingers across his neck and shoulders, the glide of skin against skin sending tingles across his own flesh. He knew he’d be flinching right now against her if he had the faculties for it, but, once again, even as the sensation registered as delightfully alien to his mind, his body still hadn’t quite fallen in step with his own consciousness.

“..I don’t… know if that’s really the case…”

So he rasps out, initially struggling once more with his words, but finding the rest starting to flow out with increasing ease as he adjusted himself to the act of speaking.

It wasn’t so much that he was exhausted, necessarily. He couldn’t say he felt particularly weary, nor hyperalert for that matter either. It was simply such that his body – the flesh and blood he was born and raised in, that grew with him and changed even as he changed with age – felt so completely foreign to him, and, for the life of him, he couldn’t even begin to imagine why.

“What could… possibly be softer than—”

His awareness is a bit rattled briefly as he feels himself being shifted around, and, before he knows it, he finds himself looking up at her. In a way, she was right. Her lap certainly wasn’t quite as soft as her chest… But it was still every bit as nice of a place to be, particularly when she graced him with her fingers running through his hair and more tender caresses to his face. In truth, it was almost a sensory overload — enough that he was forgetting himself and getting swept away by the deluge of her affections, regardless of how sudden they may have seemed or how completely unusual it may have been to be engaging in such intimacy after having known one another for somewhere on the order of less than a day.

Despite everything, or perhaps owed simply to the fact that he could do nothing more than entrust himself to her, Zech could feel a fondness for this odd young woman swelling in his chest as he stared up at her. Watching her almost ethereal features, feeling the loving touches of her hands and fingers… Lacie really was quite beautiful. And, unlike before, he did not find himself spitefully mocking his own interests to himself, telling himself such excuses as “were he younger, he may have easily fallen sway by her”.

No. Lacie was almost certainly enthralling him by this point. So much so that he found himself wishing she would never stop what she was doing. That they could stay just like this for as long as possible. And, as his eyes drank in that soft, serene face of hers, particularly the sheen of her lips catching his focus, he found himself almost wishing that she might…

“Lacie…”

Her name left him without a semblance of forethought, a very slight hint of longing to be found in what would’ve otherwise been a cadence that was near indiscernible.

If only he could reach up and touch her face at this moment… Take her hand in his… Move of his own accord… As a matter of fact, this was almost frustrating in its own way, how their roles were. He should have been the one taking care of her. Sheltering her and protecting her. He should have been the one to have made these accommodations, gathering food and water. At the very least, even if she wouldn’t accept such a thing, he wouldn’t have to be burdening her with his own dead weight.

Zech’s features started to darken slightly the more his mind dwelled on this, and there was nothing else he could to direct his mind elsewhere, so he was, much as his own body, stuck within the mire.

“…I’m sorry.”

[lacedmagic]

Based on the Color Wheel Theory of Love.

Repost, don’t reblog.

Bold the traits of each type of love that are most relevant to your muse.

( all types of love are valid with both benefits & pitfalls; people exhibit them in different ways with different people, but tend to follow trends. everyone experiences more than one. )

PRIMARY LOVE.

[ EROS - ROMANTIC LOVE ( Sensuality, Intensity, Passion ) ]

feels strong physical and emotional connection through the relationship || begins with a partner who is a stranger and evokes immediate excitement  || may be exclusive but not possessive|| seeks early sexual adventure, variety and technique  || is ready for love and the risks

[ LUDUS - COMPETITIVE LOVE ( Teasing, Attention, Fun Before Commitment ) ]

is not ready to commit to anyone || has no intention of falling in love || is anxious about a partner who is too intimate  || allows early sexual activity only for fun, without emotional connections

[ STORGE - FAMILIAL LOVE ( Loyalty, Siblings & Friends, Commitment ) ]

is not looking for love but is ready if encountered || is quietly possessive but not overly jealous || believes love comes from friendship but not a goal of life || only has sexual desires after commitment is declared

SECONDARY LOVE.

[ MANIA - OBSESSIVE LOVE ( Obsessions, Possessiveness, Jealousy ); Ludus-Eros ]

is anxious about falling in love and has expectations of pain || quickly becomes overwhelmed by thoughts of their partner || forces partner into showing affection and emotion || is easily frustrated and does not enjoy sexual intimacy || is very possessive and jealous

[ AGAPE - ALTRUISTIC LOVE ( Unbreakable, Forgiveness, Wholistic ); Eros-Storge ]

is attracted to several types of people || meets people easily so likely will begin with a stranger || feels concern and care for each partner they have || is neither jealous nor obsessive || enjoys sex and is willing to improve it

[ PRAGMA - PRACTICAL LOVE ( Rationality, Realism, Collaboration ); Storge-Ludus ]

is certain of their preferable “types” || begins a relationship with an already familiar person || believes a loving relationship is desirable for a happy life || expects reciprocation with feelings || believes sexual compatibility can be worked out

tagged by.  it’s a redo from Lucy. tagging. do it if you want.

PRIMARY LOVE.

[ EROS - ROMANTIC LOVE ( Sensuality, Intensity, Passion ) ]

feels strong physical and emotional connection through the relationship || begins with a partner who is a stranger and evokes immediate excitement  || may be exclusive but not possessive || seeks early sexual adventure, variety and technique  || is ready for love and the risks

[ LUDUS - COMPETITIVE LOVE ( Teasing, Attention, Fun Before Commitment ) ]

is not ready to commit to anyone || has no intention of falling in love || is anxious about a partner who is too intimate  || allows early sexual activity only for fun, without emotional connections

[ STORGE - FAMILIAL LOVE ( Loyalty, Siblings & Friends, Commitment ) ]

is not looking for love but is ready if encountered || is quietly possessive but not overly jealous || believes love comes from friendship but not a goal of life || only has sexual desires after commitment is declared

SECONDARY LOVE.

[ MANIA - OBSESSIVE LOVE ( Obsessions, Possessiveness, Jealousy ); Ludus-Eros ]

is anxious about falling in love and has expectations of pain || quickly becomes overwhelmed by thoughts of their partner || forces partner into showing affection and emotion || is easily frustrated and does not enjoy sexual intimacy || is very possessive and jealous

[ AGAPE - ALTRUISTIC LOVE ( Unbreakable, Forgiveness, Wholistic ); Eros-Storge ]

is attracted to several types of people || meets people easily so likely will begin with a stranger || feels concern and care for each partner they have || is neither jealous nor obsessive || enjoys sex and is willing to improve it

[ PRAGMA - PRACTICAL LOVE ( Rationality, Realism, Collaboration ); Storge-Ludus ]

is certain of their preferable “types” || begins a relationship with an already familiar person || believes a loving relationship is desirable for a happy life || expects reciprocation with feelings || believes sexual compatibility can be worked out

[lacedmagic]

@epocryph // cont. from 《 here. 》

     It’s suddenly all too clear that she’s WAY out of his league. Someone who knows that much about etiquette was far too proper for the likes of him. He’d only drag her down in social status. Though, for as proper as she is, she doesn’t come off as a snooty type of person. Lacie was warm and welcoming to say the least.      A smile so plainly writ on his face can’t be hidden with her acceptance of his offer.  ❝Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.❞ His chest feels so much lighter already, knowing that it was going well enough she would agree before they’d even begun.      Minding every manner the Commission had ever taught him, Hawks eats with all the grace of someone who knew how to eat politely, but could not tell you which forks and spoons go where. A few bites into his meal, his gaze lifts to her, finding her expression zoned out. Was he really so boring? He figured them both eating was quiet time as conversation seemed rude.

     An eyebrow raises in question of her playful honorific, ❝-kun?❞ He chuckles, amused more than anything. Setting down his bowl, he considers how best to approach her inquiry,  ❝Anything I do affects my image. If you have been keeping tabs on me, then you’ll know I met with Endeavor the other day as an investigation spanned to both our agencies. No more than five minutes after seeing him off at the bus station were there articles about the two of us secretly dating.❞Hawks sticks out his tongue and wrinkles his nose in comical disgust,  ❝But my point is, no matter who it is or the nature of the meeting, someone will always have something to say.❞      ❝Personally,-❞He starts, lacing his fingers together and propping them under his chin, ❝I think you’re far more interesting than any usual lunch dates.❞ Given that his typical lunch was had with side-kicks and pertained almost exclusively to business, it wasn’t hard to do. A woman who wasn’t shallow and didn’t seem desperate with a little chase and mystery. It was the universe gifting him perfection tied up in a bangin’ body.      One would think with all the modeling and companies he runs, that women and money would be flowing like a waterfall, but it was quite the opposite. People were hard to meet when he was always so busy and his money was more of an allowance system monitored by the Commission. They made him, after all, shaped him and molded him into their perfect hero. And for that, he owed them not only his life, but everything he did with it.      ❝At the risk of coming off ungrateful, may I ask why a woman of such grace would agree to a lunch with me? Surely you have better dates clamoring for your attention.❞ Hawks was no idiot. He knows the flash and dazzle of a hero seems great at first, but then the reality of always working starts and people tend to forget he’s human too. And not a terribly great one at that. Charming, sure, but that’s as far as people ever got. He hasn’t chosen the single bachelor life, it’s whipped him in the face.

       Lacie recognizes mannerisms in some of the children she's rescued once or twice in her career as a hero appearing in how Hawks moves. Based on the visions she's seen previously, it shouldn't be something she pokes her head into without his knowledge. After all, he's already come so far from that child that she sees in her visions that his hard work to become the person he is now is more than enough.

       The songstress blinks, bewildered, at the words that come from the Red Winged Hero's mouth.

       ❝Pardon?❞ The inadvertent words come in English, unable to help herself before she shakes her head. ❝Indeed, they do; I've almost blissfully forgotten how quickly they jump to conclusions.❞

       She pauses mid-bite of her next bite when Hawks leans on the table toward her, hands under his chin in curiosity. Ah, something must be said about how curious it feels to have met someone who feels like she is on the same wavelength as she is. Another Hero like herself? It positively tickles, this tug-and-pull of interest and... ah, dare she say, chemistry? Oh, no, she might be wrong altogether and realize that it's a spark—the spark of something new.

       Lifting a hand to her mouth as she finishes chewing, giggling with a faint blush coloring her cheeks. ❝Am I? I'm more interesting than your other lunch dates?❞ she hums, a rhetorical and teasing comment at his spoken interest. It wouldn't be the first time someone's shown interest in her, but this might be the first time that someone's shown interest in her as a person, not as a Hero, not as an idol, and most definitely as not someone who's famously known for such a unique pair of wings. However, this makes her wonder if he'd still be interested once he discovers what happened to her to have made her retire as a hero.

       ❝Why not?❞ she says with a smile, tilting her head. ❝After all, I think it's been made plain that you and I are interested in each other, for one reason or another.❞ It's almost dangerous to think about how easily they get along. But, she's not dimwitted either to not recognize that there's a familiarity in how they are both heroes and something else that lies beneath the surface.

       With a delicate hand, she takes another bite of the meal. Only after she has finished chewing once more does she continue. ❝And I won't deny that perhaps there might be an attraction between us, no?❞ A ghost of a teasing smile tugs at the corners of her lips.

       Then her shimmering gaze flicks up to him and smiles. ❝Wouldn't you agree, Hawks?❞

       With another hum, she returns her attention to her meal, taking another bite and repeating the process.

       ❝And no, I don't have much of anyone asking me for dates,❞ she remarks. ❝I am here on a vacation of sorts and—❞ she pauses in thought, wondering how best to word why she's keeping a low profile to avoid attention, ❝—perhaps, I worry that the other might have different ideas than mine about having simple dates.❞

       It's ironic, considering she's seeing someone right now who's the opposite of keeping a low profile. Hawks, the Number Two hero in all of Japan, is seeing her, and yet she wants to be out of sight. She's clearly already failing that.

       But there's no denying the instant connection the moment their gazes locked onto one another—the moment he held her securely in his arms. That moment had Lacie ensnared by his golden gaze, piercing as his own namesake. Perhaps for the first time, she was saved in more ways than one.

[lacedmagic]

— Vladimir Nabokov, Letters to Véra

[lacedmagic]

       She has a penchant for being able to remember people's faces, something she's aware of, which is something that most people find peculiar. So when she sees a man she's never seen before holding a bag of coffee beans that she's also never seen before, Lacie has to inquire out of sheer curiosity. After all, she's been experimenting with tea leaves and different brewing techniques to make the perfect cuppa. Something about the man tickles her, her eyes glimmer with curiosity, she doesn't mind conversing with a complete stranger.

       ❝Is that so?❞ Lacie says with an affirmative nod, ❝I've tried a few of their beans, but this must be a popular one if it's always sold out.❞ And he had to personally come in store for it! Color Lacie curious.

       The smell of freshly ground and brewed coffee is fragrant inside the shop and voices a mild background noise as people huddle close together around their laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices. The sounds of their espresso machines brewing the next cup of hot coffee hiss behind the counter, and two people standing in line for their next order. Though it's not crowded, it leaves only Lacie and the stranger talking to each other in their retail shop of their various different beans.

       ❝Apologies for the bother,❞ she says with a slight bow of her head. ❝I am a bit of a regular here, so seeing a bag of beans they've made got me curious. Have you tried out all of their beans? Is there any particular blend you like best?❞

— starter call.

“ oh, i, uh … don’t really show up often. “ here, nor anywhere, for that matter. summer makes it a point not to show face at any one place too frequently. even in plain sight, it gives him some anonymity. holding the paper bag of artisan coffee, though, raises the attention of @lacedmagic enough for them to inquire. it’s true, the beans that he’s holding from are rather expensive, though not hard to get a hold if one knew the right place to get them. although he doesn’t like to show much of his ‘ coffee snob ’ side, he can’t help it when it slips out like it does here.

“ i usually purchase off their website, but they were sold out. it might actually be nicer to get them from the store, though, since they roast them in-house. “

[lacedmagic]

       She turns her head toward him from her couch, swaddled in blankets and pillows. Lacie hums thoughtfully as she tries to gauge whether or not she feels under the weather. Staying in constitutes changing up the norm from their usual outings. There's something to be said about the comforts of home and being more cuddly.

       ❝No, I feel okay,❞ she answers, lifting a hand to touch her forehead in case she's not quite feeling the symptoms like before. She seems to be the type to be unable to feel it until it hits her all at once. ❝I think.❞ She's not a good measure of whether or not she feels well or not. Whenever she feels sick, she often seems to develop a fever.

       ❝I just wanted us to Netflix and chill,❞ she says, tilting her head. ❝We have a few movies we can watch that we haven't gotten the chance to.❞ She holds one of the pillows to her chest, watching him.

@lacedmagic:

❝What if we cuddled and watch a movie here instead of going out tonight?❞ Lacie asks, looking a little more excited at the prospect than going out into the cold of winter.

          THE  FRIDGE  DOOR  CLOSES,  and the actor pokes his head around the door with an expression between puzzled and concerned.  as the can in his hand is cracked open,  he can wander into the doorway,  leaning aside against the frame as he takes a quick sip of the frothing beverage.  ❝ we always go out on a friday night, ❞  he counters,  before brows pull slightly together.  ❝ but we can stay in tonight,  if you want.  are you feeling okay?  are you sick? ❞