▫ lakeside

@† sabine Typically, Hongjoong was react to such a show of skin with a cheeky compliment but in that moment he opted to avert his eyes. He found himself doing so as to avoid the complicated mix of emotions if may have brought in that moment but also because he had not expected it. Now perceiving her clothing, he questioned the actuality of the fabric but shook it off. Illusions. She was awfully bold. He himself opted to stay wet, not bothering with such conceits as it was only a temporary fix, that and he was unsure of his ability to upkeep the illusion without mistakenly allowing the mirage to falter. He had only ever used his illusions for ill doings, not something he used for personal imagery. He did take note though of the way in which her markings vanished. Still curious as to why they were something to conceal. Perhaps too many questions?
"A fun mess?" He repeated, rolling his eyes and running a handd through his disheveled hair, tuffs of white sticking up as the water dried unevenly. He was not keen on refusing such an invitation, truthfully unprepared to part ways just yet, that and the promise of a hot shower luring him in just as much as the idea of doing so with her. "I would not have it any other way."

@† kim hongjoong Sabine stood once more and groaned as the now damp and cold fabric clung to her skin uncomfortably. Without even bothering to warn him, she took that off too until she was standing stark on the side of the lake. Her blue eyes swirled silver as the air around her seemed to shimmer and ripple until it appeared as if she were once more fully clothed in dry apparel; simple jeans and a t-shirt. Along with the clothes she once again hid her tattoos and then began neatly gathering the remainder of her weapons and armor.

"Looks can be deceiving." she replied with a cheeky grin and a wink before moving to his side again. "You don't look much different but I like messes. And I especially like the idea of making someone look like a mess. A fun mess."

The short woman glanced around the area once more, making a final check that she wasn't about to leave anything behind before she turned to him. "Since this mess was my doing it is only fair that it is my domicile which endures it. You are welcome to join me if you so wish. If not, well, then I understand." Her words were level but kind with only the slightest hint of self-blame and shame when she offered him an easy way out.

@† sabine The kiss functioned to ground him, keeping him present and pulling him away from the dark corner of his sanity. He felt her skin pressed against his, the dampness of their clothing sticking to one another as his arms encircled her waist and he pulled her in tight. He suddenly remembered he was now caked in mud. Uncomfortable and filthy. It wasn't so much that he minded but it was not a pleasantry to be so soaked to the core. When the girl spoke he nodded, hand finding the nape of her neck as her lips explored the span of his jaw.
"Lets go." He said in agreement, making the first move to get up by gently moving her from his lap, extending a hand in order to aid in hoisting her up from her position. He moved silently a foot from their previous place in order to collect the garments she had haphazardly discarded in favor of levity. He did not question the intention of such a request, simply wishing to change settings in hopes of resetting his mind from where it had begun. He had not wished to let her see him in such an unstable state, knowing that if she'd presumed it to be a result of her anecdotes that she would potentially feel unrest toward having shared with him her past. That was not something he wanted in the slightest. He simply needed a moment to collect himself and soon he would resume his light, charming banter as before. "You look a proper mess," He managed to say with genuine but strained amusement.

@† kim hongjoong There were no words spoken between them for some time and although he didn't verbalize anything that was going on inside of him, she could tell that it wasn't pleasant. Her blue eyes studied him quietly, giving him the space to try and cope with whatever was happening in his mind as she waited; silently patient and supportive. Sabine figured that her story, traumatic as it was, had opened wounds for him that he wasn't quite ready to deal with and she couldn't help but to feel guilty about that. It was part of why she didn't like to be open about her past. Centuries later and the damage was still being sent out into the universe like a wave of malcontent.

His physical response surprised her at first but she quickly melted into him. If he wanted comfort in that way, if that is what would help him to cope then she could do that for the young man. Sabine returned the kiss just as passionately as she poured herself into the moment to try and take away his pain. Her hands moved to his back and gripped him tightly as she wrapped her legs around his frame, trying to give him every point of contact he could possibly want. "Why don't we move to the shower?" she mumbled against his lips before leaving them entirely to place a series of soft kisses along his jawline towards his ear.

@† sabine Hongjoong felt wrong to be comforted in such a manner. This was not his trauma to bear and yet her displayed and felt emotions had transferred to him, dragging him into a very familiar pit and he struggled to pull himself out of it. It was embarrassing but more so troublesome. He wished to break free from his own affliction, wishing such powers he possessed proved useful on himself yet somehow that level of emotional control was insoluble.
'I'd string them up and watch them hang' These were the words in which he had prepared to speak but bit them down, deep into the recesses of his throat. He could not bare to utter such atrocities.
The kiss to his cheek felt pleasant but he pulled away with a lungful of air, releasing it slowly and forcing himself to push away the negative feelings which plagued every cell of his being. He did not blame her for refusing his proposal. To some, feelings and memories were what kept such beings alive. Through their remembrance may they live on, however Hongjoong did not share such a sentiment, not now anyway. Still, he respected it and nodded silently.
His mind was still harrowed with those emotions however, such so reminiscent and likened to his own of his past that he struggled to breathe evenly, IT had all come to a head, not having expected her to go so in depth with the pain in which she suffered and while his initial reaction was rage on her behalf, the residual effects of such chords of misery led his mind to be bedeviled with memories of his own suffering. He remembered what it was to be robbed of breath, the kindling of his flesh, the smell-
He winced, His pain was not her pain and vice versa, but he had been far from his own acceptance and appeasement with his own pain. This conversation had d the fires within him and he yearned to make it stop. His life had not been beautiful, it had not been blessed, and then he was met with such unimaginable torture. Forced to live an unending life to which he was forced to remember. Death would have been so sweet.
How he yearned to forget. To stop reliving such horrid recollection.
His thoughts were beyond his control, spiraling into a place he did not wish to see, and without thinking he pulled Sabine into his person, kissing her fervently and with little restraint as he attempted to silent his mind. A pained noise coming from deep within his throat. He was losing his composure suddenly, not wishing to show such a side of himself when Sabine had confided her story to him in a moment of vulnerability. This was not the time...

@† kim hongjoong Throughout it all she was only vaguely aware of his presence, particularly when she was speaking about her family. In some way she just wanted to focus on that memory even though it still caused her so much agonizing pain because it was the only time she would ever see her children again. All she had of them were those recollections, horrible as they were, at least she had some part of them with her.

By the time she had gotten to the end of where she wanted to speak she was mostly done crying. The things that had happened to her seemed to be of little consequence, that she could handle. Though still traumatic, it was clear from words and action that for the most part she had dealt with her own experiences and moved on. This allowed for her to be more aware of her surrounding again and Hongjoong, who seemed every bit as shaken up and devastated as she had felt moments ago though he was trying to comfort her.

A heartbreaking but grateful smile crossed her features as she regarded him and reached out to pull him tightly to her. Sabine was trying to soothe him and make him feel better, helping him cope with the misery she had shared with him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't his and she felt sad for making him endure her story even though he asked. "You don't have to. I did a lot of that." she whispered and kissed his cheek.

At his suggestion she looked back at him, her expression touched and bittersweet before she nudged his nose with her own. "No. This pain is mine." The female replied rather sternly. "It is a reminder of how much I loved them, how beautiful my life had been, how blessed I had been, how precious these things are. The only reason it hurts is because I loved them so, so much. If I stop then I am afraid my love will diminish. That I will forget. I never want that."

@† sabine A massive wave of agony and sorrow washed over Hongjoong, feeling Sabine's utter undoing falling around him. He yearned to make it stop, adjusting his position as she prepared to speak in order to sit up and wrap his arms around her in a hesitant embrace. Only lacking self-assuredness in fear of triggering her in any fashion with his hug. Her complete tribulation tore at him as he struggled to watch her face morph into such an expression. His own brow furrowed in turn, unable to justify altering her mind until she were done, simply out of respect but he strained to resist the urge.
At the sound of her name, he felt conflicted hearing of its origin. He seemed to go rigid as she began to tell the story of her past. Ah, the torture capable towards a woman, The things in which a man were capable of, such was the evil devilry this woman experienced to which she deserved nothing of. It boiled the male from the inside out and it was clear his jaw had set and his grasp had tightened around her waist. In an instant, he heard the telling of her life, her love, her children and everything fell into place. Even before she could retell the tragedy of their deaths he knew where this was headed, having seen such horrors of his own though never having been at the foot of such brutalization. He continued to listen to her as she lamented over what was lost, the innocence of her children, the innocence within herself. Her life crumbling from within and Hongjoong's rage only grew. An irrational, unjust emotion that was not fit to be his own. He had not been there, he had not fallen victim of such atrocities. He had seen them sure, destroyed the will of many in a fruitless attempt to feel powerful . He knew what it was to commit such sin. Putting Sabine in such a position though, outraged the male to no conclusion. As tears fell from the woman's eyes he raised a hand to wipe her cheek with the pad of this thumb, the rain had stopped by now, the two a right mess where they sat and yet her cheeks remained wet. Moisture dripping from the contour of her jaw and Hongjoong wished to ease her of such anguish. Painfully so, he could not stand it, wishing for her recollection to cease. He felt so many paralleled emotions , her pain too much for him to bear he only stood in awe at how she'd managed to exist for so long, carrying such weight with her. Her strength was clear, and his complete enrapturement of her being was clearly with good reason. A force to be reckoned with, a woman to behold. To fear. But not by him, Hongjoong did not fear her. Did not see her as a monster nor as broken. He saw her as completely and irrevocably powerful.
He had allowed to her to speak to completion though he knew she was not done and halted her speech at the time of her lull. He thumbed her lower lip softly despite the tension in his body, eyes dark as they found hers and he shook his head.
"I'd kill them all." He seethed, reminiscing with the anger in which she must have felt, his own brand of vengeance something he was very familiar with ."Every lover. Every child. Every woman to have ever spoken a mere phrase. Sae-" He refused to use her name, such a calling laced with so much hatred and disgust towards its origin he too could not stomach such a title based in hatred and . " Slowly bring them to their knees and break them as they broke you. I'd-" He stopped, this was not about him. It wasn't, he needed to reel in these feelings, to remove the imagery of his own trauma from his mind in favor of protecting Sae who sat before him now, so far removed from such a time that it was useless to feel any kind of delirium in her steed. "You can stop." He breathed, cupping her cheek and looking to her with such desperation he'd never shown anyone. "Please, let me make it stop. Free you of your pain. "

@† kim hongjoong [trigger warning. Extreme violence, Death and ]

It felt like an eternity passed in those seconds as she sat and waited for the verdict, the judgement of her actions that she knew were reprehensible and horrifying. There were times in her life when she spoke about her misdeeds and she knew how the person would react but in this particular instance she wasn’t sure which way he would go. Knowing was easier, she could prepare for it and then react accordingly but the unknown was downright terrifying and it felt as if she were being torn apart with each and every heartbeat.

He didn’t run. Nor did he curse her or shame her, not that he could do even a fraction of what she already did to herself but at least it would not be adding to the pile. Instead she got the same quiet support that she had showed him earlier and it was enough to bring tears to her eyes, ones that she would not let fall. She was raw, vulnerable and true in her emotions as she gave him a small but grateful smile because words failed to reach lips.

The moment he asked for the explanation she let out a large breath to try and steady her already uneasy feelings. To soothe herself and attempt to retain some sort of composure she hugged her chest tightly as she rocked back and forth a few times before looking at him again. If despair could ever wear a human face it was captured in the glance until she clenched her jaw, dug deep and somehow found the strength to power through.

“My name is Sabine. Well, it’s not. That is the name my master gave me after he broke me. Do you know…what it’s like to be unmade? I do.” The woman began softly, her voice very small and shaky as she recalled this portion of her life. “I don’t remember the name my parents gave me, the name my husband called me, it’s gone. Lost. The first time I ever heard ‘Sabine’ was as I was being lashed in a courtyard worlds away from where I had spent my whole life. How did I get there? Tulius.”

“I was raised in a small village somewhere around what is now France. I was the youngest of four surviving children and the only girl. When I was just a few summers old I met Cadoc, he was a little older than me and he worked with his brothers on their farm across the stream. He pulled me from the waters when I nearly drowned and in some ways he never stopped. I followed after my mother and became a… the closest word would be druid. A healer and spiritual leader for my people. Cadoc and I were married and then graced with two children. Brennus was our oldest, a boy, and he was a right little bugger and Aislyn. She was… she was a light.” At this point Sabine choked up and began to cry, large and painful tears that caused her to wince as she tried to clear herself up enough to continue. “Well, one day we were in the field. It was spring and so we were getting ready to plant. Aislyn was eating the grass and Brennus was talking to me about the raven he saw and how it was his friend and they were going to have such adventures.”

The female had to pause again, her brows knitting together and her face scrunching up with the effort to try and stop crying it the agony of the memory was so great. “At first we didn’t hear the screams but then I heard Cadoc from near the barn where he and his father were setting up the plow. He told me to run. I had the children though and Brennus, he could maybe follow but Aislyn was not even a year. So I picked her up and I told Brennus we were gonna race into the trees and I wanted him to beat me. I still remember his hand in mine. It was so small, just like, nothing. But it was everything.” She lifted her own hand then and looked at it with an expression of absolute disgust as she closed it around nothing. “That’s when I heard the hooves for the first time and then the red. Ahh, the Roman red. We never made it to the trees.”

“The first rider pulled Brennus from me, just right out of my grip and carried him off. The second dropped a net on us and… that was it. Or it should have been. It could have been. But they were cruel and we were not even human to them. My son, they staked in the middle of the field and took turns trampling him. They did worse to my little girl. Me they just beat and . Those of us that survived were carted up and brought to Rome to be broken and sold as slaves.” She finished the last bit of this part of the tale coldly as if reciting from a script; detached from what was done to her like it was nothing. “I don’t know how many weeks I was there. Starving, beaten, humiliated, assaulted and made to submit. You see, the general in charge of this whole racket was a vampire named Tulius and he sent his patrols out there not for slaves but to find another group of vampires in the area. We were just collateral. Then whatever night it was, those vampires attacked the villa where we were being kept. In the confusion I killed my guards, my captors and torturers and expected to die because the wife of the trader got me with a spear.”

@† sabine Hongjoong, although sure that their stories were very different in detail but similar in nature, was unsure as to what to expect when the girls expression darkened. The atmosphere surrounding her grew heavy and having been found out he resisted the urge to lighten the emotions emanating form her being. He could not interfere when she was so openly preparing to share with him a glimpse of her past. He could feel her hesitation, captivating her gaze and choosing to listen without an interlude. He listened as she began, and she was right. Hongjoong was no stranger to the concept of murder, perhaps not as many as she in his humanity but he did not vindicate her for something he too had committed. His expression remained warm, fingers gently stroking along her thigh as s silent reminder and indication that he was with her, not one to react in the disgust and unease she may have expected. He imagined what atrocity had led to such a battle, his own mind drifting to the very night in which he too met his near demise. He pushed those thoughts away in favor of giving his ceaseless attention.
She had been right. Without the emotional and rational aspects to her story it was easy to pick apart her actions and accuse her of such depravedness. Even should he not compare his actions with hers, he could see the wrongdoings but he could not bring himself to react with anything more than what he did. Leaning up onto his elbows in order to successfully reach forth and run the back of his hand along her cheek. He could say nothing that would reassure her, no excuse could be made and yet he knew better than anyone that she did not seek validation nor such reassurance. It would not help the matter, but merely feel as though a band aid were placed over such a traumatic wound. It was useless to attempt to appease her horrifying past. Just as she had, he demonstrated his feelings through actions. Touch gentle and accepting, eyes welcoming as he ran his thumb along the expanse of her cheek bone in silence. She had surely lived a life much longer than he, a life of meaningless torment and such unspoken atrocities she should have surely drowned and yet here she was. Wielding the capacity in which to share her past to such a lowly creature who could only feel self-pity and isolation in his wake. When she concluded her recollections he gently s his fingers around the back her neck and pulled her down, placing a warm kiss to her cheek rather than her lips.
" I did." He whispered, moving that same hand to then tussle the hair of her crown. "Thank you for sharing that with me. Should you ever drown I wish to leaven your load through my harkening." He could not bring himself to utter such words that she was not a monster nor that she was misunderstood. He was sure she had her thorough reasonings but given his own sentiment towards himself he knew that she would most likely not believe him. Instead he portrayed acceptance, knowing that to assume he knew her based on this lone interaction would be almost insulting. She was a complex creature with a complex past. It was to be respected, not minimalized. Grief, torment and depravity may lead one to commit such horrible ghastliness that no one but the perpetrator could ever understand. He knew that all too well. His image of her was unwavering, and if anything he found himself further sinking into his fixation in all that she was.
"May I earn the explanation of the catalyst of such actions?" He wondered, knowing that it did not change what she did but yearning for the context in which someone could be shoved to the brink to the point of such carnage.

@† kim hongjoong As strange it must have seemed, she was not concerned about upsetting him or making him angry through her actions. At least not permanently. She considered that it might ruffle his feathers a bit but she got the impression that he was at least secure enough in their understanding of one another to know that she meant no real harm. If nothing else, Sabine believed that her warmth and genuinely good-natured intentions in regards to him would carry the day and for the moment she was correct.

It was nice to hear him laugh and there was just something so enthralling about the young man when he was happy which spoke to the depths of her soul. Did he have any idea how absolutely stunning he was when he smiled? And not anything cheeky or smarmy but one inundated with robust joy. It was a sight to behold and it was in that moment that she made a promise to herself to try and get more of it. The world could only be made better with Hongjoong happy.

The offer she made had been genuine and she was quick to allow for the second question, already having some idea of what they might be. Despite the levity that had been on her face mere seconds before, her expression grew somber with guilt and regret. Sabine wanted to run or at least look away, not wanting to see his reaction when he found out just what kind of monster she truly was. But she didn’t. Instead she paused, took a deep breath, and looked the young man directly in the eyes as she told at least part of her story.

[Trigger Warning: Violence/Death]

“It feels cheap to give you my emotions or reasons for the things I’ve done so I won’t. It is easy to use them as an excuse but I want you to judge me based on my actions first and if you can stomach that then you earn the rest.” She began, her voice firm but still somehow remorseful. “Most of us have killed people. I mean, one mistake in a feeding can do that so many have at least one. I’ve lost count of the people I have killed. My first night was at least six before the spear in my side had me bleeding out and that was prior to even being a vampire.”

“After I was turned I cut a path through Rome so wide that you would walk from there to the Alps on blood. Not just men either, women and children too. Human and vampire alike. Some were fast, merciful deaths. Others were slow, prolonged. Tulius… I killed his entire family in front of him including his very young son. He must have been four or five. Trampled him with my horse. I will never forget it. And then Tulius was slow. I made it last days. You know vampires can go into shock? Given enough trauma and pain you can actually go into shock and I found that out as he was holding his insides with his hands to keep them from dragging in the gravel. Strange that of all the things he was concerned about at that moment it was that. He begged for his life before the end and I laughed and then let the dogs rip him apart.”

Sabine paused then and chewed the inside of her cheek as she recalled the memory. “I’m sorry if that seemed flippant. That was personal and I would do some of it again if I could. Him for sure would die in very much the same way but I would spare the family. But two thousand years to think on it changes your perspective.” She reached up and ran her fingers through her hair, shaking some of the strands loose as part of her own attempt to soothe herself. “There are too many to recount. A little over a thousand years of that moving back and forth between continents. It got better after a few centuries and I focused more on strictly combatants but… yeah. I am so good at murder, there are actually folk tales back home about it. Are you sure you wanted to know this?”

@† sabine Truthfully, Hongjoong had not anticipated such an attack, thoroughly distracted by the kiss in which he drank the girl in like the fine wine she was, sensing her adjustment and releasing a low groan when he felt his back make impact with the loose earth. He understood immediately and while typically such an action would bruise his ego and entice a negative, almost angry reaction from his being, he instead roared with laughter. A light, genuine and surprised sound in which he had not made in-
He never laughed in such a manner, always ace with some form of mischief, malice or sarcasm. This was such a cathartic laugh and although it was short lived it felt good. His eyes soared with that excitement once more, hands grasping at her hips and looking up with such conviction as to her ability to subdue him if she so pleased. He couldn't pretend to be of any match, she clearly had much more prowess and practice than he. Potentially decades, centuries over him to which he stood zero chance.
"Oh, May I? What a view it is." He chuckled, palm rubbing the tops of her thighs in a pert manner. He took note of her promise. despite her jovial tone, it insinuated there were to be further interactions between the two. He felt rather pleased with that confession.
Hong Joong emitted a low growl in response to the nip of his lower lip, unsure if she knew of just what she was doing to him in all of this tomfoolery as his fingers dug carefully into the supple flesh of her leg. He hadn't the time to react beyond that however, hearing her offer and taking a serious moment to consider his options.
Anything too serious and she may retreat, anything too light-hearted and he may sully this chance at a peak into the girl above him. He so wished to know of her past but knew that the price to pay for such an inquiry meant owning up to his own, something he was not sure he could do in this moment of ease. He wished for this moment to last. Thus he took a chance with something a bit less specific.
" I implore you to allow me two." He urged before following up.
"For a woman as benign as yourself, what atrocities could be so great that you deny the notion of your own greatness?" Deep down he knew that between the two of them it was a much deeper question given her history, a history he knew nothing of. She had referenced her understanding to his own corruption, striking him as odd given the way she carried herself with such elegant poise. " What within yourself gives you such unrest you may drown in it?"

@† kim hongjoong When he didn’t withdraw back into himself as he had the first time they had breezed around a similar subject, she was both relieved and contented. It was something small for sure but it was progress for their… whatever this was and so she took it gratefully. She saw so much of herself in him, so much of others whom she loved beyond all reckoning and so she wanted to be with him and around him. There was just something about Hongjoong that she just couldn’t deny and she didn’t want to.

The more bold he got, the more she laughed about it even though she was not actually inclined to put up a fight. A few kisses here and there were hardly anything serious and Sabine found that she truly enjoyed the affection from him. Her arms circled around him comfortably, pressed firmly up against his lithe body as she returned each part of the embrace in kind. Her fingers wound the fabric of his shirt between them and gripped tightly as she slipped her leg between his. Then, one one deft motion, she nudged his knee just enough to destabilize him and carefully but quickly put him to the ground.

Not wasting any time at all, she climbed on top of him so that she was straddling his torso and glanced down at him with a cheeky grin. “Then you had better get used to this view because you will see it a lot, my sparrow.” Sabine winked at him as she bent down to capture his lips one more time, taking his lower tier between her teeth in a gentle nip when she pulled away again. “Because I feel bad for you here in the mud I will truthfully answer any question you ask right now. Time is ticking.”

@† sabine There was undeniable relief to the gentle nature in which she regarded him, seemingly unphased by his words but rather greater emphasize on the sympathy she felt being had at his suggestion towards his less than favorable capabilities. That gentle demeanor, the way in which she looked upon him with such tender command. He could not help the troubled expression at being termed 'beautiful', no part of him resonating with such a statement. not now anyway. This perturbation was temporary, quickly whisked away with the kiss to his lips and he found himself becoming greedy, leaning after her when she pulled away but ultimately letting it go. Her intentions were clear and he continued to feel the security in her gaze. This was perhaps the only time he'd been looked upon with such open understanding. He knew not what to do with it. With himself. How did such a stranger force their way into the epicenter of his attention.
Her laughter softened his intense gaze, smiling himself at her response and leaning towards the lighter aspect of the conversation now. In a flash the deep ardency of his gaze had softened. Though, he was feeling quite bod now, hooking his arm around her waist and pulling her against him, dipping his head down to press his lips to her cheek. " It may mean whatever you want it to, mentally or physically. Survivals optional." He was again parading that humorous locution.
The rain had lightened now, something just above a soft drizzle and with the night having come upon them it was evident the two had been out there potentially for several hours. "Though don't let me win just yet, there's no fun in that, now is there?" He took this initiative now to duck his head low and take her lips in his, one free hand moving to splay his fingers against her cheek and jaw. He did not ask permission nor did he give her the option to pull back, she had taken him so boldly twice now, it was only fair he did so of his own accord as well.

@† kim hongjoong He had given her respect which she appreciated and would do in kind, not that his actions truly would have changed the amount of care she showed him anyway. Instead it was more like the had permission to do more than that, to build upon it because he too was putting in the work. It was still difficult to say exactly what they were constructing but she had hopes that it was something positive for the two of them.

Hearing his reaction affirmed a notion that she already had inside about his behavior and the little bits he’d let slip or shared. Sabine felt him. Really and truly because there was a time when she was also capable of great cruelty. As she had guessed before, she had been where he is now to at least some extent and so she understood it. She understood him and could empathize, her compassion giving her countenance a soft glow as she regarded him. “Then thank you for allowing me to see this side of you. It’s beautiful and so are you.” She said softly, leaning in to quickly place a chaste kiss on his lips. Actions were easier for her, they always had been, and so she chose to show her support of and for him physically.

Although he was serious in his response, she couldn’t help but to laugh a little and give him a look as if she were unable to believe him. “Okay, then what? What does that mean to you?” Sabine asked, gently grabbing the front of his shirt again and pulling herself to him lightly. Mischief swirled in her blue orbs as she gazed back up and him and chewed on her lower lip. “And what does that mean for me? Do I survive?”

@† sabine "You did no harm." He stated, avoiding the complexity of her statement, opting for the easier response of maintaining his focus on the circumstance at hand and avoiding the broad generalization of her inquiry. "I can use my judgement and conclude you did not do so out of malice or the intention of fooling me. You have your reasons of which i wont pry."
He feigned a wince when flicked, rubbing at his chest as though in ailment and shaking his head. Suddenly she was a chatty one, and he enjoyed the sound of her voice and the inflection of which portrayed her ever fluid emotions. "I wouldn't be cruel," He began, grasping at her hand and pressing her palm to the spot in which she'd just thumped him. " To you." He added, painfully giving the indication that he was in fact capable of such despite what he had shown her. He could not lie, but he would not divulge into the history of his barbarity of the past. " Extremely lucky. May i remind you, I am not sweet. But you-" He trailed off, seemingly troubled once more with how he had intended to finish such a sentence. She was-?
"I find myself unable to fathom such a world where I riddled you with torment. You are the exception." He kept his statement factual, unable to elaborate into the emotion of such a sentiment. He could not begin to unravel the context of his mind to understand it. Speaking of it as it was. He couldn't imagine harming her, given he saw greater struggles to which he also did not understand in her past, yet such he could relate to. In a way that made him feel her as he felt himself, unable to harm her for fear of how it could reflect onto him.
He was hesitant, concerned that his honesty would drive her to realize his inhumanity and part from him. He held her hand firmly against him, gazing deeply into her eyes in search for the emotion that would warn him of such.
"I would devour you whole, Sae." He spoke bluntly, expressing utmost seriousness in the way he answered. Gaze intense and thumb gently tracing circles against the back of her hand.

@† kim hongjoong “So you believe that intentions excuse behavior or does that depend on the situation and circumstance? You don’t exactly strike me as someone who makes blanket judgements or decisions, at least not all of the time. We all make mental shortcuts but you seem like you would be bored if you did that. The curse of an intellect.” The woman commented, gently trying to feel out what kind of person he was. He felt good and she felt good around him, that could be dangerous to her if she wasn’t careful.

There was no denying her amusement as he played about being caught. A bemused smirk tugged the right side of her lips upward and she lightly flicked his upper chest almost as if it were a punishment or a warning. “Does that mean that if we meet again that you will not be kind? Was I simply lucky today to catch you in a good mood?” Her tone was playful but this time she was truly searching his face and the depths of his soul for the answer. Among her kind there were many who were mad or needlessly cruel and vicious, that was typically the standard, and sometimes those same creatures could be effortlessly warm when they chose to be.

The idea of a challenge or a competition also caught her attention and a sly grin made its way to her features. “And what would you do with me if you could win me? What sort of event would I be looking forward too?” She inquired, unable to stop herself as she shamelessly gave him a once over. The rain had definitely done her some favors in that department, leaving very little to her imagination which was already running wild with possibilities.

@† sabine There was nothing abhorrent about the markings which decorated the woman's skin, rather it only created more depth to her character. everything she poke, did, and presented left Hongjoong with this intense sense of intrigue, so much so he felt himself drawn closer and closer to her being. Wishing to know everything and anything about the woman in his arms. Perhaps it was innocent curiosity, perhaps more. Regardless it was there. Guiding the male towards every step, every motion, every word. There was no denying he was completely enraptured in her entire existence. Her breath, her voice. All starting with that fateful encounter and her fluid display of power.
"Out of self preservation might i add. That does not sully your intentions." He whispered, continuing his back and forth trail along her jaw until she too bit him in lighthearted play. He froze at her next comment, pulling away to gauge her tone and face and relieved to see no ounce of dismay. He smiled with mock wariness and ran the back of his fingers along the dots adorning the edge of her eyes, following such imagery as though directions of where to follow. "I've been caught." He admitted with a sheepish grin, " Believe me though, I am not sweet. You are the exception just this once little bird." He then moved his finger to her brow and d her skin there, exploring the entirety of her markings. " Using my powers against you for my gain would be weak. Pathetic. I find it more honorable to win you over with honesty. Wouldn't you agree? Is it too much?"

@† kim hongjoong At first she wasn’t aware that anything had changed as she looked at him until she noticed the path that his eyes began to take. She knew those lines and that trail intimately and for a few heartbeats she considered flipping the switch but decided that ultimately there was very little need to do so. What was done, was done and he would either accept it or reject it according to his own whim. It would not be the first time that her appearance altered a relationship and she was prepared to deal with it either way. He didn’t seem to want to comment on it though, not immediately and that had her curious as to his motivations.

There wasn’t too much time to dwell on it though as his lips found her again and more, making the smaller woman chuckle as her fingertips idly drew soft circles in his hair and on the back of his neck. Her eyes closed as she titled her head back and allowed him to explore the markings at his leisure. It was then that she noticed her feelings were maybe not exactly where she thought they would be, and not for the first time that evening.

“Are you sure I am sweet, my sparrow? I have essentially been lying to you this entire time about my looks. Is that the action of someone who is sweet?” She posed with a light laugh and shrugged her shoulders, feeling more embarrassed than upset. Sabine turned slightly and kissed his cheek tenderly once before moving into his shoulder to nibble playfully. “You are interesting though. Of all the emotions you could be feeding into me and you choose to make me happy? Not lust, not fear, not anything guaranteed to get you leverage; you choose to calm and soothe. For this I argue that you are the sweet one between the two of us.”

@† sabine Hongjoong was intoxicated by her kiss, time moving slow and yet this moment fleeting as it ended almost as quickly as it had begun. Her loss of inhibition and rational was his own which they shared, brows furrowing with the intesity in which he yearned to devour her where she stood. He alloweed her to pull away, finding it difficult not to move with her as she retreated but doing so unwillingly. He did not open his eyes right away, pressing his forwards to her in a breathless attempt to gather himself from his reeling mind. He did not pull away, continuing his unyielding hold on her body as he gathered himself enough to open his fiery eyes to meet hers. Before doing so, however, he was struck by her appearance, tracing the abstract flow of the blue lines which painted her face in such a unique array. He knew it was not intentional and although he felt to be prying into her life, he could not help but admire them despite her obvious efforts to conceal them. Illusions. She was surely capable of much more and he now wondered what else there was to this woman left to be discovered. He would allow her to reveal such truths at her own pace.
For now, he lowered his lips once more to hers, though only sparing a soft, brief kiss before tracing his lips just below her bottom pout, dragging his mouth to trail along the blue lines as he followed their trail. Moving along her jaw and bowing his head to kiss along , stopping his trail just below her ear to whisper a soft.
"What beautiful feathers you adorn, sweet Sae."
He did not wish to ogle, but rather praise her for her beauty. Unsure how she would react but attempting to express his utmost acceptance to her less than traditional appearance, he would not pry, nor would he pressure her to keep her guard lowered. He expected the illusion to resume the moment she realized it had fallen. She was absolutely stunning. He nudged her ear with his nose, exhaling softly and playfully nipping at the skin there in affection. He continued to pump her with emotions of pleasantry should she react poorly to her own exposure.

@† kim hongjoong For the first time in a very, very long time for Sabine she was able to just let go of her past or thoughts of the future to simply focus on the present; and what a magnificent present for her it was. The growing rumble of the thunder above, the cool rain that dappled and cleansed their frames, the gentle breeze with which her worries seemed to be swept away, the warmth that was somehow radiating from his body, the way the soft pillows of their lips intermingled, the delicious taste of him and the sudden rush of emotion which swelled in her chest was just so much. Maybe too much.

Her head and heart were spinning and pounding respectively as she slowly, reluctantly pulled back from the kiss. Sabine's tiers were still tingling from the contact, making her smile a bit as she forgot herself and her illusion dropped. The vampire didn't notice it as she looked up at him once more, her blue eyes sparkling still with her joy.

Where had been a clean and clear complexion of her visage was now one adorned with a series of linear tattoos; a few of the blue-colored streaks ran length-wise down the middle of her face only to be joined by a few more parallel stripes beneath her lips which moved all the way down her chin, neck and disappeared under her shift. In a similar fashion were another pair of lines which followed the curve of her brow before moving up into her hair line. At the corners of her eyes extending backwards was a series of four dots which grew in size as they moved away. They were tribal, primal in origin, and a reminder of her past which she chose to keep hidden. At least she meant to until she lost control.

@† sabine Though having just made their acquaintance, the two commingled into a single thought and being as though having known one another long ago. There was a sense of comfort to be had in her presence and he found himself wondering if this was a reciprocated feeling or simply something only he felt. Here, they stood in what felt dissevered from reality and Hongjoong felt silly for having ever suggested they leave. What an opportunity to be missed had he done so.
Hongjoong looked down just as the vixen's sights met his, having questioned if he'd truly felt that brief whisper of something...complicated. It was so brief he felt as though he'd been disillusioned and so he let go of the concern just as quickly as it'd reared its nosy head. He watched her, expression warm and he too lost in the moment of their picturesque setting.
The next series of events seemed to happen very quickly, Blind sighted even when he intuitively leaned forth when Sae had allowed her lids to shut. He wasn't sure what to think, so he did not, watching her with lidded eyes for a few seconds before his too closed once he felt the supple press of her lips to his. This was not a first for him, and yet every string of emotions which swirled around their stance was. There was no words nor explanation for what it was, it simply was. He would drink her in as long as he could, exploiting this opportunity to its fullest no matter how brief. His chest soared, feeling her grasp to him with a sense of avidity while at the same time he pulled her tightly against his frame and moved his lips with hers, slowly and impassioned. He felt a low rumble emit from his chest as a hum of delight. The rain which dripped from their skin bedewed the embrace further and he too rose his right hand to weave his fingers through her ripping long hair to give it a gentle pull in his direction. He was careful, cautious of causing the aversion she'd displayed earlier at his advance. He wished to stand this way for a moment more, to escape in her kiss for as long as she'd allow. He would not show greed nor egotism but rather moved tenderly against her. A silent ode to her boundaries, wherever they may be.

@† kim hongjoong Everything about the moment was so perfect. It was big and it was small, public and intimate, messy and yet somehow clean. She couldn't have asked for a better one in several hundred years of life and she was intent on enjoying every last millisecond she could before the dark waves of reality once more came crashing over her being.

As he opened up to her, she leaned into him and emitted a soft sight of contentment. Sabine was so caught up that she didn't bother to notice that anything about the situation wasn't completely her. It was a heady experience, almost like being drunk, and she had been about to remark on it when she looked up at him again. On their way to meet his dark orbs she couldn't help but to notice the scar and she recognized immediately what it was. Her heart went out to him and something more than that stirred in the depths of her soul that she thought was reserved for another.

Without another thought in her entire being, she nudged his nose lightly with hers as she rose up to the tips of her toes. Her lids fluttered shut over her blue eyes she further closed the distance between them and placed a full, passionate kiss directly onto his lips. The woman's left hand slid down to his chest and gripped his shirt tightly as if she would never let it go again as her other moved to cup the back of his neck, threading her fingers through his wet hair.

@† kim hongjoong closing his* eyes
(orz the typos)

@† sabine "What an obvious fruition." He agreed. She wasn't wrong, although he could not in that moment conjure the image of a single bird who did not sing. He suppressed a shiver at the fingers which danced up his arms, allowing his hands to slide down hers, then her shoulders to smooth down over her back and settle at her waist. He gave her a gentle squeeze, pulling her in as he did and closing her eyes when the flat of her thumb made contact with his cheek. He did not feel it from her to be anything more than endearment and so he only leaned into the touch. It was such a short yet soothing action he felt himself melting alongside the rain which trickled down their skin. He only did peer back from closed lids when she laughed at herself, catching her ludicrous expression.
When she pressed flush against him, he wrapped his arms around her hips, clasping his hands loosely around her and looking at her with adulation. Suddenly the thought of releasing her was galling. The felicity in which she felt did in fact seep through his skin and Hongjoong wanted nothing more than for that feeling to never leave her. His own influence pointed at her with such overwhelming feelings of exultation only to emphasize what she already felt. IT was different influencing another vampire than a human, but he tried nonetheless knowing this was an emotion she was unbarred from and would take easily without notice. In doing so his eyes flashed for just a moment but soon returned to their dark hue.
"I'm glad you enjoy my 'countenance' so." he jived, jokingly nudging her cheek with his nose and in doing so the collar of his shirt shifted once more. This time he did not adjust it but rather ignored it as it slipped. He was thoroughly drenched and had not a care in the world on the matter.

@† kim hongjoong "Do not all birds sing? Whether we find the songs soothing or not, that is usually the only distinction." she replied, the corners of her eyes crinkling slightly as she beamed up at him. Her fingers 'walked' up his arms playfully before she casually looped hers over his shoulders. For a moment she just hummed and swayed, her gaze never leaving his until one particular stream of rain caught her attention as it moved down the side of his face.

Instinctively she moved to wipe it off of his skin despite the fact they were still being drenched, the pad of her thumb moving tenderly across his cheek. Sabine quickly realized how futile her actions were and chuckled at herself, rolling her eyes. "The only place that would be more useless is under water." the female laughed and hugged herself closer to him as if she could somehow impart the wonderful feeling she carried within herself through touch. "I just couldn't help myself, it hindered my view of your precious countenance."

@† sabine The soft melody erupting from the vampire's throat caused Hongjoong's ears to metaphorically perk up, attention roused by the unknown song she now outwardly hummed. Her voice was soft, distinct in sound but gentle. Hongjoong's eyes followed her as she moved in languid and methodical sways, transfixed on the way she seemed to fall into her own peaceful cotillion.
He watched speechlessly as she undid the overgarments which seemingly fell effortlessly, careless of the mess and exhibiting a carefree nature so fitting hongjoong could not help but smile. She undressed indiscriminately, abandoning the restrictive fit of everything save the dark under gown she wore. Every contour of her body, every curve and every dip on full display. As though she wore nothing. There was only so much restraint hongjoong could demonstrate before he felt himself bounding forth, not in impure intentions but to simply reach out and run his hands along the underside of her arms at her inquiry, taking it as an invitation without question nor concern and accepting her bow with a nod of his own. His actions were not charged with malice, he simply could not resist the urge to touch the expanse of her pale skin, damp and smooth. His body advanced on hers as he pulled her in now, watching her lips as she sang in a language unbeknownst to him but beautiful nonetheless.
"Ah, she sings." He breathed, nearing her face with his but listening intently. He was brought back to a beautiful memory just then, her bliss contagious as he swayed along to her motions.

@† kim hongjoong As the rain continued to fall, Sabine was in her own little world. Each cool droplet on her skin was something to be treasured and reveled in and for a moment she was lost in the sensation of something primal and profoundly spiritual. Almost like in a trance she began to sway, starting with her shoulders and then to her hips as she hummed a very, very old tune that had long since been forgotten by the humanity which created it.

Her hands moved to the small of her back where she unclasped her belt and let it fall to the newly made mud with a soft thud. From there she untied the straps holding her bodice in place and let it slide off to join the pile she was making, leaving her torso in a charcoal colored shift that stood out in stark contrast to her pale skin as it shone in the darkness. The leather skirt soon followed and she let out another laugh, the flimsy cotton gown she wore clinging to her body as she continued to move. Her face and voice were the very soul of intrinsic joy as she opened her eyes to look at him once more.

"Do you dance, my sparrow?" she cooed gently and extended her hand towards him in a playful but graceful bow. Sabine grinned at him, enticing him to join her in her exaltation as she sang a bit louder. The tongue was alien but if her tone and demeanor were any indication then she was celebrating something.

@† sabine The soft bells of her laughter made Hongjoong sway with elation and he found himself wishing to hear more. For once such a positive sound associated with joy the only things he yearned to pull from this girl's lips. A feeling of sentiment foreign to his desires. He maintained the levity of their interchange, looking up at the dim, foreboding sky while she spoke before looking back down at her with a mildly surprised yet pleased presence to his features.
"Perhaps a bit of everywhere, but most especially the latter." He teased, also getting the inkling that the two of them skated comfortable on this line of tension. It kept him engaged, mind easily wandering into darker territory otherwise but kept at bay with the lighthearted banter that she threw at him so well. Her eyes were captivating, threatening to drown him in their lure. Their gaze was broken by the inevitable boom above them, rolling through the thick, humid air and signaling the start of the storm which had begun to loom over them over the course of the shifting day. He'd only glanced up for a moment, eyes droping to find her once more and watch as she extended her arms moments before the precipitation began to drench the two, eyes closed in serenity and hair sticking to her cheeks from the rain. He watched her in awe, silent and in wonderment. Again, the overwhelming churning in his chest forbid him from averting his eyes when he caught himself staring, taking a moment when directed with a question to regain his thoughts and come back down to earth from the far away place he had been standing. He was finding himself zoning out, something he hadn't done in over a century. Her eyes were still closed when she'd spoken, allowing him to watch for a bit longer without detection.
"Not particularly." His voice rose in volume to speak over the soft roar of the rain around them. It was cold, but he couldn't deny that it felt refreshing. Seeing her in such an open, joyous stance made him yearn to grab ahold of her, an urge he ignored and opted to admire her in her locus instead. The rolling beads of water dripping from her cheeks, clothing clinging to her skin in the most seductive manner. The look of pure bliss on the girls face over something as redundant as rain, a force of nature both have seen countless times in their lifetimes. The itch of greed within his palms struck once more. His jaw clenched on reflex and he released a low hum. " Perhaps this is what grips my mind and plagues me with these feelings of which i do not understand..." He uttered, just above a whisper but so quiet it would have gone unheard by any human. He'd said it without thinking, yet his tone was not laced in lust but rather a pained ache. So subtle it was hardly there. By now, his dripping hair shielded his eyes, clothing nearly drenched and collar of his shirt sagging from the weight. He lifted a hand to adjust the fabric as though in habit.

@† kim hongjoong He was an odd specimen, her sparrow. For all of his outward boisterousness, for as plain as he seemed in his moods, she knew that there were more layers and depth to the young man than he wanted to let on. It was subtle, incredibly so and she couldn't quite place what was going on inside of his mind. He was far more clever than he let on too and she found that she was enjoying that aspect of him in particular even if it was from a more guarded place than before. There was just something about him, something ineffable that she found intriguing and almost familiar. Yes, he reminded her of someone else and yet they were completely different.

Still, his flirtatious attitude had her smiling and laughing despite herself. "In what manner am I in there and where do I have you gripped? Is it by the hands? Intellectually? Or somewhere a bit lower?" Sabine intoned playfully, slipping back somewhat into that comfortable banter in which they had implemented earlier. While not quite as ual or sensual as before, she was alright with lingering in this space if it was what made him the most comfortable.

The female peered directly into his dark eyes, almost challenging him as a roll of thunder echoed in the clouds overhead. "Hmm. A good sign." she muttered mostly to herself as she glanced upward, her blue orbs swirling in silver for a split second. A gleeful grin tugged at her lips as she stretched her arms out to either side, raising them so they were parallel with her shoulders just in time for the rain to begin to fall. Sabine laughed and closed her eyes, just letting the steady pour of the droplets of water wash over her form. "Do you like being wet?"

@† sabine Hongjoong was drawn towards anything which took him away from that caliginous headspace, unbothered by every other possible emotion and keen on putting himself in the position to thoroughly divert his mind from the unpleasantry of his past. He was not acting with the intent of doing anything with particular force but rather he always carried himself in such a spontaneous manner. It was typical that his emotions jumped from one to the next, emotions fueled on impulse and unable to filter his interactions in a way that made sense given the context. He merely acted out of desire than proper consideration and it clearly showed.
He could see in her eyes the guarded humor she felt, and taking the expression as dismissal, he chuckled to himself, a low and ominous sound. He did not seem phased though, allowing his hand to drop and the bright satisfaction in his eyes from earlier having returned almost as distinct as before. As though a flip had been switched back, he had returned to his original demeanor as though nothing had happened, light hearted and full of his own generic mischief. He felt her standoffish emotions, taking note of the way she now reacted to his words and found it even more intriguing. What had changed? His ego was spared, not one to become so hurt by the way in which she approached his question with such a neutral cadence, dulling her own flirtation down in an obvious attempt to reel him backward. It only made him wish to push more, but not now. He'd leave her be for now.
Though old literature was something he fancied, poetry was something of a bore. He enjoyed history, nonfiction works to which he could see the world for what it was and what it had been once long before he had ever come into existence.
"Not at all," He replied honestly with a lighthearted shrug. He had taken a physically generous step back, extending the space between their bodies. What was it that gripped his mind? The corner of his mouth rose in a twisted smile. "Why, you of course." Again, he replied in honesty, but he did not press. For once, her discomfort was not an emotion he wished to feel. From a human, sure. But from her it felt foreign and wrong hence the distance he had placed between them, fingertips still burning from the contact seconds before. He yearned to reach forth but kept himself well-behaved. Strange.