sranks | a necromancer and a priestess walk into a confessional

[Ellipsa - and other worlds in general - are simply fascinating. It seems like no matter how much Zvei learns about this world, or any other, there's always so much more for him to study. Such an insurmountable amount of knowledge might be daunting to some, but to Zvei it's a challenge he recklessly flings himself into whole-heartedly.

After all, it is ultimately in service to his goal. Someday he'll find something that will be a suitable lead to chase down for a way to reclaim his memories. He can bide his time until then - and learning about everything else far beyond his own knowledge can only be a boon.

So that's what he does here in Ellipsa, mostly; he studies, he reads, and he talks to others and asks to hear their stories and experiences and everything they can tell him about their worlds. He wouldn't go so far as to say he's made friends, but there are some people that tolerate him decently well, and that's good enough.

One of those is his roommate, Amaya. Either one of them could have left their shared roomming arrangements by now, but they simply haven't. It's convenient; a sure-fire way to ensure he has enough of that touch energy simply by spending time with her. He doesn't have to go out of his way for it, and even though it is getting easier, he's still a little prickly about physical contact with most people.

It's fine with Amaya, though. After all, he's quite used to her. The feeling seems to be mutual, given that she hasn't ditched him yet.

But such thoughts are far from his mind today, as he's in the living room, peering through a slit in the blinds to watch the storm coming down outside.]

Ah, you're awake! Good morning, miss Amaya.

[It is not a very good morning.]

Going outside is strictly not possible right now, as the storm's quite fierce. Is your phone working? Mine isn't.

[Which is... maybe something he should be more worried about than he actually is, but this is Zvei. It'd be weird if he was openly worried, right?]

Ah--

[It's a soft sound that escapes Amaya when she catches sight of Zvei, inwardly a little relieved--or at least, that's what she assumes the empty feeling pervading her is. It's not unwelcome when the weather is this bad, though; Amaya will go to join him, taking out some stupid fuzzy slippers to at least deal with some of the chill. (For once, one of Sonic's silly gifts is actually a boon...)]

...Good morning, Zvei. Goodness. I had heard that we were going to be getting snowfall, but nothing to this extent.

[Still, Amaya shakes her head at the question.]

Not at all; I had intended to check what the time was, but my device will not turn on at all. I had thought I had put enough "charge" into it, but...

[Well, this is quite the conundrum. Amaya looks to Zvei, though, keeping her arms close and around herself but trying not to shiver. The world outside is blanketed with snow, and it almost looks like they should be measuring in feet rather than inches--the cause of their lack of power is clear too, ice hanging precariously off of several of the power lines...]

Winter continues to be a season of inconvenience, it seems... [Amaya looks to Zvei, her look dull but brows knitting in tell tale concern.] ...Are you faring alright? I know not how you take to cold.

You'd think they could have predicted it'd be this bad...

[Maybe this is an event, though. Sometimes shit happens and you've just gotta deal with it. Anyway!]

A shame, but hopefully we'll get power and service back soon enough. I imagine the people in charge of such things will be panicking!

[As for her concern, Zvei inclines his head a bit.]

As far as I'm aware, deimori handle the cold about the same as most humans. In other words, I should be just fine as long as I stay inside, though...

[His mismatched eyes dart from the window over to her, a wry smile on his face.]

Let's grab the blankets from the bed for you, hmm? No sense shivering when we've ways to keep warm.

[For the time being, at least.]

...Good to see you still have some mirth about you.

[She knows how he does it. They at least know they're both fucked up emotionally, but Amaya nods her head at the explanation. Good to know Deimori don't run colder than humans, at least, but...

Amaya pauses at the suggestion, the smallest...pout, that is almost certainly a pout in her expression, but Amaya nods her head.]

That...may be most prudent, yes; I can remake the bed later. I should have thought to go and procure some candles in the event of something like this...my apologies.

[Come on, let's go then--it shouldn't take too long to at least to grab them, and Amaya is absolutely going to wrap herself in some of them because she is so! Cold!!! Ugh. Just ignore that she's still absolutely shivering a bit underneath the blankets, but it's at least good enough for now. She's going to curl up into herself on the couch, don't mind her.]

...Are you sure you do not need more of them? I do fear my dislike of the cold made me a touch hasty...

[Teehee, how cute... Zvei grins at Amaya as she heads back to grab the blankets, then moves to join her on the couch. An Amaya burrito...]

Nonsense, I didn't think to get any either. Granted, I hadn't realized the power could go out like this...

[Oh well... Anyway!]

You could always invite me into your blanket fort to share warmth, you know~

[He says it as teasing, because he knows it'll get a reaction out of her - not because he truly wants it. Sure, it would be nice and warm, but it'd also be very close and that's... fine, but still a little weird for him. So! Being a pain in the ass it is!!]

It is...much different than what I am used to as well, truthfully. Though the magic runes that one can put into their walls can degrade from continued use, they usually permeate a house long aft--?!

[Ah.

Hook, line, and sinker, Amaya always falls for this but the blood rushes to her face and her voice rises in desperation--]

Zvei! I--if you want the blankets this badly, please, take them! I can tolerate a little cold, t-there is no need to--

[Amaya, in her confused desperation, starts to peel the blankets off and shove them at Zvei. We're doing this. We're absolutely doing this.]

You needn't suggest something so--so embarrassing...!

[Given that he bursts out laughing, it's probably obvious this is exactly the reaction he was hoping for!!]

No, no, stop that, you're clearly quite cold! I just wanted to see you turn red~

You--!

[What was that, no??? Sorry, Amaya can't hear you over the blankets she's now just shoving onto him as hard as she can before she goes back and deals, accept her generosity dammit--]

You're simply awful sometimes, Zvei! No, you take them--they're better suited to serve you, anyhow!

[HELP HELP HE'S BEING BURIED—]

I'm not even that cold! You're the one shivering!

[NO YOU TAKE THEM, THEY'RE BEING SHOVED BACK!!]

[so how long before these absolute nimrods realize they're getting tangled into each other with all of this back and forth--]

I can deal with this cold just fine, thank you! You're the one who elected to complain!

[Shoves!! Them!!! Back!!!! They're gonna end up knocking into each other at the rate of all of this push and shove--]

[we may be smart, but we're actually very stupid,,,]

Only because I wanted to tease you, I wasn't being serious!

[where does one blanket end and the next begin, who knows, it is a mystery...]

Well, tough tree bark! This will simply ensure your warmth later, so--

[oh blanketouroboros, please free us from our self inflicted hell as these blankets tangle the two of them further and closer into one another, until...

...Um. Oh, Amaya isn't pushing blankets anymore, that is Zvei himself, and she tries to jolt back--]

...Oh. Oh, oh dear--

[so. you got any bright ideas for how to get us out, zvei???]

...Oh.

[Hmm. We do appear to have trapped ourselves within our own blanket fight. Hmm.]

Well, it could be worse! At least now we'll be warm.

[lmao.]

...Are you certain you do not mind this? I...I can leave...

[Amaya...attempts to do just that and just kind of ends up falling face into Zvei, sorry--]

I...do not wish to make you uncomfortable.

[Oof. He wriggles a bit, but it's only so he can get his back free, since he doesn't like anything pressed up against it, whether that's the back of the couch or the blanket nest. The proximity is totally fine, strangely enough.]

I'm not, don't worry. I'd rather not see you shivering, so we can stay like this.

[Amaya feels Zvei adjust a bit, and she's tempted further to free herself from him--he doesn't like anything pressed against his back, but the fight slowly leaves her as his words finally hit her, yellow eyes dully looking up at his own from within the dark and...

...

Amaya finds her gaze averting, seeming almost...shy, for once.]

...I...didn't think you cared that much about such a thing. Are you...

[...

Amaya stops her words short, pausing for a moment. She's got her arms down on the couch to keep herself propped up at least, so she isn't just...lying on him, but it's strange how warm this feels. It's...

It's causing an empty feeling to rise up in her.]

...If you feel uncomfortable at any point, you may say so and I will leave. But...thank you. It's quite kind of you, to allow this. I...know you dislike others so near.

[Zvei inclines his head a bit, waiting for her to continue, but instead Amaya changes course. Are you okay with this? is his first thought, but he's already established that he is, and she doesn't need to ask again. Surely she knows by now that he wouldn't just say it if it wasn't true. But she chooses not to clarify, so he has to let it go.]

It's fine because it's you.

[Maybe he shouldn't say it, but it is the truth.]

Besides, we already share the bed. This is basically the same thing!

[Is it...??]

[It's fine because it's you.

Amaya repeats those words in her head again, and again. She ends up staring at Zvei for a little while, her strong arms sturdy but definitely starting to grow tired. But this is...a distance she needs to keep, she's sure. Encroaching on this space any further, it'd drive him away. She'd be alone. And she...

She doesn't want that. She's not sure why an icy feeling drives through her as her thoughts shift to that, but she's thankful for the dark to an extent. It hides just how badly she's flushing.]

...Is it? I...suppose, but...

[...]

...Thank you. I...think.

[Maybe she shouldn't say it like that, but truthfully, she's not sure what this feeling is that's growing inside of her, alongside this vast emptiness. She'll keep her arms propped up to give him some space at least, but...

Well. The wind blows again, and Amaya's willing to try and distract, trying to let herself ease a bit. Let it go Amaya, let it go. She just prays Zvei doesn't notice--]

...I doubt that they'll be able to get outside anytime soon to fix this. Remind me to go and check the...cold storage, when there's a chance. We're likely going to have to throw some things out.

Think nothing of it.

[Because it is nothing. Right? It's not anything worth putting too much thought into, he's sure. So Zvei lets it go, and he pretends he isn't insanely curious about what she's thinking and why she was so hesitant to respond—

But Amaya moves on, and Zvei allows it.]

Oh dear, you're right... I hadn't even thought about that. Well, here's hoping we aren't stuck like this for too long, otherwise food may become a bit more of a problem than anticipated...

[She doesn't know why she wants to be closer to him. She doesn't know what all of this is, what's making her head spin so dizzily, what's making her tap her fingers against the couch from where she still braces herself in their blanket burrito conjoinment. She has to stay distant. She has to. It would be far too much to bring them closer, and he'd be uncomfortable, she's sure of it. Certain of it. So why...

Why does Amaya want to break that barrier keeping them apart, to finally let herself sink into him and encroach on his space so much? She doesn't deserve it. She doesn't deserve it, she doesn't deserve this, she doesn't want him to leave, she--]

If I could find a way to start a safe fire, I could...try to cook what we have left. I did think to grab some dry groceries that we could eat as is, at least. We should be good for a few days.

I do pray that will be enough. But...perhaps the city will put some sort of system in place, to ensure that people get food even in this storm.

[Amaya looks to Zvei, pausing a moment. Her arms are still holding steady at least, though...]

...It's...strange, like this. The world so quiet and without the constant buzzing of noise throughout the neighborhood. I...find that I do not mind the world, like this.

[...]

I'm...not sure what this feeling is.

I can use fire magic, but I'm not sure setting one in here is the best idea...

[The sprinkler systems would probably trigger and then we'd be wet and cold and we'd get frostbite!!! So yeah. Not really a great option.]

I imagine they'll be proactive about ensuring that everyone is taken care of. So far they've shown an eagerness to help everyone out, after all.

[He falls silent after that, though. For once, things are truly quiet. It's almost strange how surreal it is not to hear the lowkey hum from various electronics that has somehow become the norm in this place.]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! It feels... like some kind of tension. Like I'm waiting for something to happen, but I'm not sure what. Is that anything like what you're feeling?

If we had a fireplace...perhaps if we need to move in the future, we should look for a house with one.

[...

That's way too much, and Amaya feels her body language tighten at that. The silence is over them like a warm yet oppressive blanket. Probably not unlike the storm that blows and blows, the wind gusts not quite rattling the house but definitely heard.

But Zvei, bless his stupid soul, aggressively makes his observations known. It feels like a tension, something she's not sure if she should break. She shouldn't. She wants to. She can't. She just wants to be warm and this is enough. It has to be, because she'd just--]

...I...suppose. For me it is more...something may happen, but it shouldn't. It would be a terrible idea for it to. I...think.

[She doesn't sound certain. She just doesn't want to subject Zvei to herself, because she's a burden, she's only ever been a burden to all but two people and she really needs to let this go or he'll leave and she'll be alone again--

Amaya tenses, briefly. Her thoughts go to the way Aneirin would hold her close sometimes, at his insistence as she poured her feelings out to him. She's...strangely enough reminded of Satsuki and that one blessed week she had with the girl, the girl who loved to braid her short hair and told her she looked good in them. The one who held her close and tight and made a foreign, warm feeling bloom within her, that she'd longed for. For so long...

...]

...You wouldn't like it, I think.

[Amaya seems to have a better understanding of what's going on than he does. It seems to be within her power to do something about it, but he's not even sure what's causing any of this to begin with, or why it feels like this, or how to even begin approaching it. This isn't a problem he can solve with enough research and dedication; he doesn't have formulas or notes to fall back on to guide him either.

But Amaya knows something, and he has to ask, because he can't stand not knowing.]

How can you be so sure? What is it that "shouldn't" happen? Why are you hesitating?

You don't like people close to you. Even if I'm an exception, this is...

[Amaya hates this. She hates this, she hates that she's a stupid fucking human with wants of her own that she cannot even feel, that she can't understand, that she wants to close the distance between them and sink. Sink into him, sink into something that reminds her of home and the strange feeling she feels the Dragon ripping apart at the seams, laughing at her internally, and Amaya's posture it--

Everything about her feels tight, all of a sudden. Coiled like she's ready and willing to lash out and this isn't fair to Zvei, to burden him like this. She shouldn't want. She shouldn't need.]

I--I just can't, Zvei. I don't know what is wrong with me, if it's me, if it's her, if it's...something else entirely.

[...]

This...physical warmth, this proximity, it...reminds me of them.

Of Aneirin and Sacchin, I mean.

[It feels humiliating to admit that, and Amaya genuinely looks like she's considering fleeing before properly explaining everything.]

...It's not fair to expect you, to...be like they were to me.

Edited 2026-01-25 04:29 (UTC)

[...

Zvei blinks, trying to follow the half of the conversation he feels like he's hearing, but everything just isn't adding together and giving him an answer he can comprehend. Amaya is either three steps ahead of where she needs to be in this conversation, or he's on an entirely different plane of being, and he's not sure which it is.]

...I'm afraid I'm not following. Take a breath, miss Amaya. Start from the beginning.

[It isn't gentle, not really. Zvei's never been able to do gentle. But it's soft, slower, and curious. Not quite concerned, but with a measure of caution that isn't present in his usual curiosity. This isn't staring at Amaya like she's something on display that he can learn from, this is a softer approach, for whatever that's worth.]

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