open

[masticated]

poke him

Comments

[masticated]

[he exhales softly over her lips,] Yeah, you want me to kill him.

[he waggles his shoulders with a toothy grin, a dog given a bone. he nudges her nose with his own playfully, then takes a step back to look down at this helpless victim. yeah, he didn't really want to deal with all the bullshit of hauling him back, anyway. kneeling down, it only takes a fingertip to send rot through skin, but he's got his whole hand around the guy's throat. he likes watching the life leave their eyes, likes feeling it fill him up instead. he whistles when he's done.]

Phew, that's fresh. He wasn't sick or anything.

[always more rosy after a kill, he scoots himself right up to Cellar's feet, hand wrapping delicately around her injury. it only takes a few seconds, new life sweeping into skin, tissue and bone, and he gets to keep the leftovers.]

All better. [finished with a kiss to her knee, like a princess. or a child that's been crying, but he thinks of her as a princess.] Test it out.

[longlegs]

[ Considering what she did on this road about — two hours now, she wants to say? — watching Saber kill yet again has less of an effect as having his nose brush up against her did. Most of the red staining her clothes belongs to someone else, after all, something she'd rather not talk about with him, if only so he can't call her out for a thing or ten.

Cellar's shoulders relax, a little annoyed that he went ahead and did it anyway. It's the same kind of predictable disappointment reserved for cats that nudge a glass of water off the edge of a table, as if he isn't the one with several decades of experience on her. Maybe that's why he's so happy to give negative fucks about going overboard. Cellar still feels like she needs a good reason to do that.

What's done is done, she supposes. Her leg is clear of shadows just before his touch fixes one of several problems witnessed by this road. Cellar stares at him for a moment longer, lower lip sucked in to lick dry tissue. Ugh. She blames Queen, only Queen, and won't be taking questions or comments at this time, thank you.

Sliding off the hood, one hand on his shoulder, she bends her leg slowly, rotates her ankle, grabs it like she's warming up for a race before finally standing straight. As good as new, if not better than before. ]

Thanks. [ A pause. Before she has to brace for what's probably coming next, ] Are we going to bury the guy, at least?

[masticated]

[he digs around in his pocket as he stands, pulls out a cigarette case and a lighter. disrespectfully, he nudges the body with his shoe. it may as well be a piece of trash, flesh blackened and green. rotting flesh never smells good, no matter how many times he's smelled it.]

This thing? [cigarette brought up between his lips, lighter clicking and he takes a long drag, holding it in and shrugging.] No.

[exhaling, smoke pluming up into the air and he's moving to open the passenger door for her.]

You really wanna stay out here and wait for me to do that? Get in the car.

[longlegs]

[ She's staring at him, arms crossed over damp red clothes, bad posture and petty manners. Cellar walks toward the passenger door to stand in front of him, eye to eye, only to place a hand in front of his face — casting a shadow that elopes into her grasp, growing and reshaping itself until she sends it away to wrap around the decayed victim. Like a spider spinning its web without even having to look at her job, Saber is treated to a morbidly comical treat: a perfectly black cocoon carrying off the body until it disappears inside the house, to be hidden god-knows-where. If he won't do it, he'll just have to wait for her instead.

After that display, he gets an immature little smile. ]

Okay, I'm ready!

[ Inside the car she goes. ]

[masticated]

[first mildly annoyed, any negative emotion diminishes as he watches the cocoon gather up the body and carry it away. he lets out a bark of laughter. he doesn't often see her use her powers for fun. correction: fun for him.]

What the fuck, that's funny as hell. [car door shut once she's in, he gets in the drivers side and switches through a couple of stations, then fishes his phone out and tosses it into her lap.] Pick something.

[off they go! it's an hour and a half drive, they have some time to chitchat.]

[longlegs]

Of course you'd think that. [ Because it is. RIP, that poor guy's dignity. She makes herself comfortable while he makes his way to the driver's seat, one shoe on the dashboard — so just happens to be the leg Saber fixed — thumb tapping and sliding across the screen. She picks a song off some random EDM Hits playlist, lets them both figure out what they're going to hate and what he may or may not tolerate. She's just vibing. ] So you're definitely not gonna tell Great, right?

[masticated]

[he eyes her foot on the dash, cigarette dangerously close to falling out of his mouth. he's admiring the curve of her leg, but he keeps that to himself. he shifts gears into four, then five, and they're speeding back.]

I'unno. [he killed a guy, picked her sorry ass up, healed her. not in that order. they're scrambled around in his head.] Can I sleep with you for a couple nights? I miss you.

[he's smiling wickedly, focus very much not on the road.]

[longlegs]

You wanna sleep in my bed.

[ Maybe she's being a little shit now. Just a little. Her eyes say as much. ]

[masticated]

[she's encouraging him.]

You love when I sleep in your bed.

[longlegs]

Love's a bit of a strong word, Sabe.

[ That rhymes with 'babe', ew. ]

So... [ sooo ] That's what you want in return for...?

[ Because she'll take it. ]

[masticated]

Sabe?

[she gave him a nickname. that's a huge mistake! (for her) and he's looking too excited about it.]

Yeah, that's what I want.

[longlegs]

Better than Cece. [ Defending herself!!, because she's pretty sure that was him criticizing her impeccable creativity. RIP, Cellar. ]

You definitely can't tell Great about that.

[masticated]

I like Sabe. You can call me that from now on.

[sure he makes that sound cute, but there's an underlying tone of or else.]

I won't if you won't. You don't like Cece? I wanna call you something special.

[longlegs]

[ Ah, mutual assured destruction. Though maybe Great doesn't deserve that much credit. ]

And you wanna call me something special because...?

[masticated]

[he shoots her a look of disbelief, mulling over his words between a drag of his cigarette. he knows she loves the attention he gives her, the apple of his eye. maybe he likes her so much because she hasn't surrendered to his advances.]

'Cause you're special. You don't need me to tell you that though, huh? You know that all on your own. Smarty-pants.

[he offers the cig out to her, waves it in front of her face playfully.]

Want a taste?

[longlegs]

[ Oh, Saber. You know how to stroke a girl's ego. Cellar takes the cigarette, keeps her eyes on him through the inhale, opening the window to exhale. Doubtful he gives a shit about getting the smell stuck in this car, considering, but hey. Call it a force of habit. ]

Shouldn't you be saying that to Ash?

[masticated]

[very doubtful - this isn't even his car. he sucks in his lower lip, bites it out with another smile. he thinks about how she's indirectly kissing him, putting her mouth where his just was.]

She's alright. [the little brat. he molded her into that.] She's not like you.

[longlegs]

Of course she's not like me. [ Hmpf. Gesturing with the cigarette, ] It's just, like. You were her mentor.

[masticated]

Yeah, and?

[does she expect him to be sentimental or something?]

Kids I mentor all turn out good. But Great doesn't like 'em the way I do. [holding his hand back out for the cigarette] Are you just trying to get me to tell you how clever you are?

[longlegs]

No. [ She would never. (She would.) He can have the cigarette back now. ] I already know I am, thanks.

[masticated]

That's my girl.

[with that predatory smile, fingers against his lips as takes a drag. he even gives her a cheeky wink.]

[longlegs]

Not your girl.

[ Does make her wonder, though. ]

Did you ask him to mentor me?

[masticated]

[wounded! whatever, he takes it on the chin, staring at her for some too-long moment, expression less flirty and more serious. did Great never tell her?]

No, I didn't have the option. [he rolls the window down enough to flick the cigarette out. he's stalling.] He made that clear.

[longlegs]

How come?

[ He didn't even give Saber a chance, just a warning. Who the hell knows why he chose Cellar to do that with. ]

[masticated]

[hmmm no, he doesn't want to answer that question.]

C'mon, sweetheart. You don't really wanna know, do you?