chatime | ✧ — peach iced tea.

[ ... elysium is so cute. thorns lifts their hands up so he can press a kiss to where their fingers connect. ]

Okay.

[ they always keep their promises! ]

Is there anything that they want us to do in particular tonight?

[ or just a vague make sure the village doesn't burn down. ]

The old man's supposed to be the only other one still hanging around… we just have to keep an eye on the opposite end.

[ the villagers have since learned that they are inseparable… it's almost a little weird… there are rumours going around if they are ever seen alone, that's probably a catastrophic-level disaster waiting to happen.

he rummages through his pack, pulling out a compact transceiver and turning it over in his hand. ]

I was planning to give him one of these. Makes it easier to keep in touch if anything happens.

[ honestly the guy should have one of these in general, but it shows what the people here are able to afford... there are so many things that would make their lives easier but they choose to spend their money on other things because they've been managing fine without it. ]

That works. I can pack us snacks.

[ on one hand, the chances of the town getting attacked are low, but the risk does increase a lot when most of it is empty. the only other people who are staying are people who physically cannot make the trip, which means they can't really do much if things go poorly. ]

Should I wait for you to finish?

[ so they can go together…

he rolls on his feet. this is insane if you think about it for more than two seconds, but it is so normal to ask if they can go anywhere alone it's practically second nature by now. ]

[ he has to consider it seriously. ]

No, I'll catch up.

[ it shouldn't take long and it will be easier for elysium to leave if he says he needs to go meet up with thorns vs both of them going. the guard is starting to reveal backstory... ]

[ imagine if elysium just exploded again

but he nods, leaning forward to steal a quick kiss from thorns' mouth. for luck! he says. then he's off to find the guard, who looks genuinely surprised to see him alone and even comments on it.

it's the first time the man's ever scrutinised elysium so openly. apparently, he's always found them a little unsettling. elysium almost frowns, tempted to throw something snide back, but instead he just gives a thin-lipped smile and tosses the communicator his way. if anything comes up and he needs backup, that's how to reach them.

he doesn't even bother using thorns as an excuse to leave. the guy knowing about another crazy couple (not that they're crazy!) is definitely not the backstory elysium wants to hear. ]

[ they are so not crazy.

but thorns finishes up packing for them; nothing too heavy since they can always just come back to their room if they need anything else, but enough thatd they won't necessarily have to right away.

as soon as thorns sees elysium he just kisses him in greeting. they were not apart that long. ]

How was it?

[ they are so normal and well-adjusted and they have been helping so many people since their arrival. some people are just born to be haters.

he kisses thorns back. it doesn't matter how long it's been he misses him. ]

The usual—nothing of note. I get the sense the guy doesn't like us, but that shouldn't be a surprise.

As long as he doesn't get in our way.

[ honestly they are both annoying even before they started getting romantically involved so people disliking either of them isn't a new concept. the only real concern is if the guard is the kind of person who would let personal feelings interfere with work, and thorns hasn't worked with him enough to get a proper read on that. ]

We can find somewhere with a good view to make our main station.

He cares a lot about the village. If I had to guess, he's trying to figure us out through talking now after he's realised just observing isn't getting him anything. We're getting pretty close to people…

[ but not really. elysium's still ready to leave on a moment's notice and hums a noncommittal sound. he points to a rocky outcrop a small distance away. ]

How's that for one? We'll have the height advantage over anyone coming from the few directions they can.

Mm, it works. And it's close enough to the inn it shouldn't take long to run back there if we need to...

[ they have done missions way more dangerous than this in the past, so thorns isn't worried in terms of their own safety, but doing this can greatly increase how much the town likes them... this is the kind of boost that may let them be able to move from the inn to getting their own little house. ]

[ doing their job when they need to is very important, yes. but now that they've established the baseline of what they need to and get to their vantage point, elysium settles and gestures to his lap—all so he can feed thorns his snacks like he's a rabbit while they're on the lookout.

thanks, timeskip, for solving the problem that was his ass and presumably at any other point of time, thorns' ass. they are so well. ]

[ they are soooo good at their jobs

but he settles comfortably, occasionally nuzzling against his neck annoyingly. thank god no one can walk in on them. ]

Do you think him not liking us might end up a problem, by the way?

[ if there are intruders they are going to see this and wonder what the hell is wrong with the village. it's all according to plan. they underestimate them, and then their job is considered done.

until then, thorns makes a great pillow to occasionally rest his cheek on, squeezing the rest of him tight. ]

No more of a problem than we are to him. So it depends on what you think of that.

[ he breathes thorns in, makes a noise of contentment. there is nothing better than being paid to flirt on the job. life is great!!!!! ]

But the rest of the village seems to like us well enough. That's probably the only reason he hasn't been more aggressive. Regardless of our intent, our presence so far has been a net boon.

Does it bother you? [ … ] From my perspective, he's soft. Like everyone else here. Those kinds of people don't tend to act first.

I guess my main concern is if he starts sharing his reservations with the others. People tend to flip on their opinions quickly once they're scared.

[ they can always make as good of an impression as they can, but you never know. and they can easily just pack up and leave if there's ever trouble, but it would be far more inconvenient to do so before they're ready. thorns doesn't regret running away with elysium, but he does regret the timing of it, since it just made things more difficult for them in the long run. ]

I thought so, too. But I've been keeping an eye on him, and unless he's been communicating in code or secret, I don't think he's been talking about us to others.

[ don't just treat this like a mission, elysium. this is insane.

but is it worse that they ended up running away this way? there's no way back and there's no one expecting them. the only way is forward, together. it's hard to regret it too much when he thinks about it from this perspective. ]

Worst comes to worst, you can leave it to me.

I don't want to leave it to you.

[ of course he notices elysium has that habit of trying to claim anything that may be difficult or messy for himself. he doesn't know why elysium is trying to keep thorns' hands clean, when that ship has already sailed–but he'll try to shoot the idea down when he can. ]

We do things together.

I'm not the one that gets nightmares.

[ he will just say it aloud. this isn't entirely true, but he doesn't get them the same way thorns gets them and holds him even more tightly to his chest. ]

I just want to do what I can for you.

And I want to do what I can for you. [ ... ] And you know that's not true. You do get them.

[ but yes, not really in the same way, considering the majority of thorns' is tied to what he is. but that's not really something that he and elysium talk about, especially when the answer really is to just go back to the sea.

... ]

I'll be fine. I want to make this path with you. Hand in hand.

Not to the extent you do.

[ but he exhales, already aware he's fighting a losing battle. to punctuate his exasperation, he leans in and gives a small, irritated nip at thorns' ear, more petulant than anything. ]

Fine. I get it. If you behave, so will I.

[ they're mostly only unhinged toward everyone else, but once trust cracks, that chaos turns inward. still, for now, it's fine. they're getting along better than they ever have. ]

[ why wouldn't they get along fine? after all, everything that made them fight in the past has been left behind.

... of course, that is ignoring that things can still pop up in the future. as in sync as they are over many things, there are still great differences in how they tend to operate. they can try to change themselves to fit more neatly against the other all they want, but neatly does not mean the same thing as perfectly. ]

I wouldn't think of doing anything otherwise.

I'm counting on it.

[ is what he says, while casually escalating things further with his hands. but they still at a respectable section of thorns' skin as his attention shifts, every muscle going quiet along with his voice. ]

… I think there are people coming to our west.

Mm.

[ he glances in that direction, making no move to get up since that might bring attention towards them if noticed. ]

Do you recognize any of them?

[ the idea of some people returning early isn't odd, even if this is very early... ]

No. Four people, a caravan, and a burdenbeast. It's a small party. Potentially to stay unnoticed? They're armed, but it's too early to say whether or not they're friendly.

[ he glances down. ]

Do you want to just keep watching?

... We will probably have to go down there at some point.

[ even if they aren't hostile, having a bunch of strangers wander around a mostly empty town isn't ideal.

but for now, he will at least send some constructs down to spy. ]

Should we tell the old man?

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