Good. [Thank you. The words are unspoken but easily known in her relieved tone of voice.] Then you'll see me soon.
[Soon is in approximately twenty minutes, at which time Amelia rings the bell and holds up the plastic take out bag high enough for Rowena to see through the small hole in the door. Her expression is tired, but she's clearly happy and relieved to be here. Even when the door opens and the rogue sees the gray tint to Rowena's skin her smile doesn't falter. She's too grateful to know the witch is here to let her worries overtake that.]
Something warm for us to share, perhaps over a drink you might have? [Something to lighten the mood a bit. It's obvious it's needed right now.]
( though her magic had finished her appearance, hair straightened in this moment for ease, makeup lighter in shade, rowena didn't feel entirely put together. her mind was trying to piece together the events despite already knowing what happened, trying to shake off the lingering confusion along with that lingering chill.
it makes her smile half-as-bright when she opens the door to amelia, black trousers and a white blouse, a nod at her question )
We can manage that.
( she leads off to pull the bottle and two glasses out of her cabinet, leaving amelia to close the door, setting them on the table )
[There's something... off about Rowena's coloring. Amelia can't put her fingers on it in the electric lighting of the apartment, but it's not that important right now. The other woman's well-being is her priority and she sees to that by opening the bag of take out and starting to spread it across the table while Rowena gets them glasses.]
I was. I got everyone out of The Crucible before the snow kept us all locked in, then had Halsin and Wolfe at the house with me the entire time. They kept me fed and warm. [She'll skip mentioning that Wolfe nearly got himself killed going out into the snow as it opens a lot of other conversation avenues she's not ready to follow with anyone but her lover.]
The storm was odd, though. I've never seen snow like that, and I found myself sharing dreams with people at times. [She frowns thoughtfully and takes a glass once they're filled.] What happened to you that you weren't able to answer my calls?
[Small talk will only draw this out and she'd rather they get everything in the open so they can handle whatever it is.]
( she'd been pouring the drinks as amelia had started, drinking a larger chunk of hers before answering )
I'd been at the Arcane Sanctuary when the snow began. Though I know spells that should have helped with the warmth... using magic against this storm had unexpected consequences.
( she'd heard and seen others become sick and her own migraines from the storm had been terrible enough )
I attempted to teleport myself back to my flat but found myself in the snow.
( she pauses, letting out a breath. and rowena doesn't entirely want to admit the next part, that she'd been caught up by voices that she'd heard.
In the snow and out in the cold. Could you not get back inside?
[Only... Wolfe couldn't come back inside either. He had to be pulled back inside when he fell ill just outside the door trying to clear the snow. She frowns softly.]
Something prevented you from going. [It feels an easy assumption to make.] What happened when you couldn't leave?
[Whatever it is, it's not good. Amelia can't recall ever seeing Rowena this guarded before.]
( cagey is something that frequently describes rowena, guarded through experiences and how life has treated her, but there's something very different about today: she's stalling. the pauses and avoidance in her speech, reaching for her drink again over answering...
but she does answer, slowly, in small steps, admitting what she feels that she can to begin with )
With the depth of the snow and how difficult it was to see I can't say I quite knew where I was.
( not at first. rowena would likely have been able to figure it out before freezing to death, even if not at her best, but as amelia already knows something prevented her.
and here's the real stall. rowena watches the other woman, searching her expression for something (she doesn't quite know what). the food goes untouched for now, drink back on the table, a finger smoothing over the glass )
But... there were voices in the storm, not unlike what I'd heard during the fog.
( that had been troubling enough, giving rowena something to fear and mourn on both occasions she'd seen someone (someone different). this... she hadn't seen them, just heard a voice calling to her. a voice she can still very clearly imagine )
[The voices. The same that sounded to her like those of her house and took the voice of Wolfe's sister in an attempt to draw him outside. Trapped in the snow as she was, Rowena heard them and had precious little else to do but stand there and listen. If they were even half as powerful as what happened at her home, and she's certain they were more that far out in the snow, what else would there have been to do but try to find the source and to... die when the body couldn't take anything more?]
Rowena... [Amelia steps around the table and carefully places a hand on the witch's arm. She's not one to touch others without reason, but this... this is too much not to offer a physical comfort. She frowns softly and tips her face to press her forehead to the other woman's.]
It was all a trick. [It was always a trick.] And they left you alone to handle it. You deserved better than that bullshit than to-- [A small, sharp breath.] Than to die alone. I'm sorry that happened.
[There was nothing Amelia could have done when she didn't know, but dreams, she wishes she had so she could have at least tried to help Rowena out of the cold.]
( when amelia's hand touches her arm her instinct is to pull away, feeling too raw to stand being touched. she doesn't, reminding herself that amelia is safe, that she isn't going to help her, and though rowena's still tense under the contact she doesn't move.
her eyes close when amelia moves closer, feeling more emotion in the moment than she knows what to do with: her own fear and guilt, what being comforted brings, even regrets, ending with a few silent tears spilling from her eyes )
Everything they do is a trick.
( her words are whispered in response )
We can't change that.
( it's the smallest attempt to absolve amelia of any guilt that she feels, believing that this place would have found a way to kill her even with someone there, even if she wished there could have been an option. she's known death, she's known cruelty, and this was both )
No, we can't. [Nothing they do seems to help or to work against what the city does to them. Try as they might, LIERs are always several steps behind whatever the city does. There's no winning, not fully, and dreams does she hate that fact.]
But we can be here for one another, and ease the pain after.
[A small smile touches her lips as she tips Rowena's face up and brushes the tears from her cheek with her thumb. She doesn't know what the witch needs the same way she didn't know what she needed after her own death. It matters little. She's here, just as Wolfe was there for her, and that means she can do something.
Her smile warms as she presses a kiss to the other woman's forehead.] Tell me what's on your mind and let me ease it for you. Even if it's only a little, I promise it'll help.
( she looks lost as amelia speaks, uncertain, picking over the woman's words until she tells herself to accept them as they are. it's something that she's unused to, people caring about her wellbeing, in seeing if she's emotionally okay. it makes the pause stretch out somewhat, a small frown forming when she speaks )
I don't want to think about it.
( it's what rowena's done when she'd died before, pushed the memories down, buried it and pretended that it hadn't hurt her, that she was bulletproof. it wasn't true, those memories haunted her just as rowena knew that this would, but she hadn't been able to talk about it then. as she doesn't want to now even if she knows that amelia is safe. she's afraid of her emotions, of feeling vulnerable, and she doesn't know how to let herself be vulnerable )
I can't. ( she looks away, pulling her glass closer and her walls closing back in is almost a physical thing that amelia will see ) But... ( rowena hesitates in the sentence, holding her glass and looking more at it than the woman before her ) Would you stay?
[She remembers that feeling. Wolfe asked what was in her head and she told him she wasn't ready to talk about it. All she wanted was for him to be close and to feel and know the truth that he existed with her.]
Of course. I have no plans for the day that can't wait.
[Everyone who lives in her home is safe and has their own worries now that the snow has melted away. She knows everything is as well as it can be, and if it's not? She'll find out later when she can do something about it. Right now, her priority is taking care of Rowena in whatever way she can.
Carefully, she rests a hand on the witch's shoulder. If Rowena doesn't recoil, she'll shift it slowly to rest between the woman's shoulder blades. An invitation to move and be closer.]
I'm here until the last possible moment I have to leave, if that's what you want. Nothing worth doing can't wait for you to have what you need.
( her gaze lifts to study amelia as her hand rests on her, her own eyes full of the struggle of her emotions, seeking something in the other woman, studying her.
and her response is an impulse, leaning in to kiss her. though her touch is soft there's so much need pressed into the simple touch: a need for distraction, a need to be comforted, and a need to feel something else. it has rowena reaching to her, resting a hand on her cheek as she deepens the kiss.
she doesn't know what she needs, and this is not a situation that she's been in before to know how to be helped. both times that rowena had died previously she'd been alone after resurrecting. both times had come with a different trauma to each occasion, different again to this one. she'd never dealt with it then, didn't know how to now. didn't know if she wanted to when it meant being vulnerable. so she kisses her, trying to stuff her emotions back down to find some comfort in the woman's physical touch instead )
[The reach for this is so familiar that Amelia doesn't hesitate to offer the distraction as asked. Rowena reaches for her and the rogue meets the kiss readily, her hands staying steady against the witch as she pulls the woman closer. She knows why it's dangerous to do this, why one should deal with the pain and hard emotions that follow death and coming back to life, but she also knows they can wait. They waited for her after she died and they'll wait for Rowena, too.
So she pushes all thoughts aside that aren't meeting the kisses pressed to her lips or her hands on Rowena's back and hip. She doesn't even stop them for a breath when it's necessary, instead only allowing them a single gasp of air before pulling the witch to her for more.
The city is cruel and does terrible things, and it has done so again with the blizzard and killing - or trying to kill - people she cares about. She can't change that, nor can she change what happened, but she can soothe pains with warm hands and soft lips, and she chooses to do so now without any hesitation.]
( her touch grounds her in a way, warm lips on hers, hands holding her, and rowena pushes herself to focus on them, to think of nothing but the body with her, of amelia. but her thoughts aren't so easy, wanting to drift, and it has rowena drawing on her magic, casting a spell on herself, letting her amplify the sensation of amelia's touch.
as their kiss deepens, rowena moves easily as amelia guides her. the distraction starts to settle in, leaving rowena thinking of nothing other than what she can feel, and her hand finds one of amelia's, entwining their fingers together as she stands.
their kiss breaks and rowena murmurs a soft come on as she tugs on that hand, leading the woman to her bedroom )
[There's never a best time to reach for another's body after one comes back from the dead - other than whenever the person who died wants it. Rowena is recovering and likely has too much on her mind to process or handle so soon after it happened. If this is what she wants or needs, then she'll have it. Amelia finds there's no reason to resist when she likes Rowena, finds her attractive, and feels that small hint of wanting in the pit of her stomach.
She follows without comment, only taking action once the door to the bedroom is closed. She closes the gap between them, pulling Rowena close and into her arms as she kisses the woman again. If it's too much, if anything is too much, she'll adjust and hold back, but if it's not, she'll start reaching for hems, fastenings, or ties to start getting them both out of their clothes.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[Soon is in approximately twenty minutes, at which time Amelia rings the bell and holds up the plastic take out bag high enough for Rowena to see through the small hole in the door. Her expression is tired, but she's clearly happy and relieved to be here. Even when the door opens and the rogue sees the gray tint to Rowena's skin her smile doesn't falter. She's too grateful to know the witch is here to let her worries overtake that.]
Something warm for us to share, perhaps over a drink you might have? [Something to lighten the mood a bit. It's obvious it's needed right now.]
no subject
it makes her smile half-as-bright when she opens the door to amelia, black trousers and a white blouse, a nod at her question )
We can manage that.
( she leads off to pull the bottle and two glasses out of her cabinet, leaving amelia to close the door, setting them on the table )
You were safe through the storm?
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I was. I got everyone out of The Crucible before the snow kept us all locked in, then had Halsin and Wolfe at the house with me the entire time. They kept me fed and warm. [She'll skip mentioning that Wolfe nearly got himself killed going out into the snow as it opens a lot of other conversation avenues she's not ready to follow with anyone but her lover.]
The storm was odd, though. I've never seen snow like that, and I found myself sharing dreams with people at times. [She frowns thoughtfully and takes a glass once they're filled.] What happened to you that you weren't able to answer my calls?
[Small talk will only draw this out and she'd rather they get everything in the open so they can handle whatever it is.]
no subject
I'd been at the Arcane Sanctuary when the snow began. Though I know spells that should have helped with the warmth... using magic against this storm had unexpected consequences.
( she'd heard and seen others become sick and her own migraines from the storm had been terrible enough )
I attempted to teleport myself back to my flat but found myself in the snow.
( she pauses, letting out a breath. and rowena doesn't entirely want to admit the next part, that she'd been caught up by voices that she'd heard.
again )
no subject
[Only... Wolfe couldn't come back inside either. He had to be pulled back inside when he fell ill just outside the door trying to clear the snow. She frowns softly.]
Something prevented you from going. [It feels an easy assumption to make.] What happened when you couldn't leave?
[Whatever it is, it's not good. Amelia can't recall ever seeing Rowena this guarded before.]
no subject
but she does answer, slowly, in small steps, admitting what she feels that she can to begin with )
With the depth of the snow and how difficult it was to see I can't say I quite knew where I was.
( not at first. rowena would likely have been able to figure it out before freezing to death, even if not at her best, but as amelia already knows something prevented her.
and here's the real stall. rowena watches the other woman, searching her expression for something (she doesn't quite know what). the food goes untouched for now, drink back on the table, a finger smoothing over the glass )
But... there were voices in the storm, not unlike what I'd heard during the fog.
( that had been troubling enough, giving rowena something to fear and mourn on both occasions she'd seen someone (someone different). this... she hadn't seen them, just heard a voice calling to her. a voice she can still very clearly imagine )
no subject
Rowena... [Amelia steps around the table and carefully places a hand on the witch's arm. She's not one to touch others without reason, but this... this is too much not to offer a physical comfort. She frowns softly and tips her face to press her forehead to the other woman's.]
It was all a trick. [It was always a trick.] And they left you alone to handle it. You deserved better than that bullshit than to-- [A small, sharp breath.] Than to die alone. I'm sorry that happened.
[There was nothing Amelia could have done when she didn't know, but dreams, she wishes she had so she could have at least tried to help Rowena out of the cold.]
no subject
her eyes close when amelia moves closer, feeling more emotion in the moment than she knows what to do with: her own fear and guilt, what being comforted brings, even regrets, ending with a few silent tears spilling from her eyes )
Everything they do is a trick.
( her words are whispered in response )
We can't change that.
( it's the smallest attempt to absolve amelia of any guilt that she feels, believing that this place would have found a way to kill her even with someone there, even if she wished there could have been an option. she's known death, she's known cruelty, and this was both )
no subject
But we can be here for one another, and ease the pain after.
[A small smile touches her lips as she tips Rowena's face up and brushes the tears from her cheek with her thumb. She doesn't know what the witch needs the same way she didn't know what she needed after her own death. It matters little. She's here, just as Wolfe was there for her, and that means she can do something.
Her smile warms as she presses a kiss to the other woman's forehead.] Tell me what's on your mind and let me ease it for you. Even if it's only a little, I promise it'll help.
no subject
I don't want to think about it.
( it's what rowena's done when she'd died before, pushed the memories down, buried it and pretended that it hadn't hurt her, that she was bulletproof. it wasn't true, those memories haunted her just as rowena knew that this would, but she hadn't been able to talk about it then. as she doesn't want to now even if she knows that amelia is safe. she's afraid of her emotions, of feeling vulnerable, and she doesn't know how to let herself be vulnerable )
I can't. ( she looks away, pulling her glass closer and her walls closing back in is almost a physical thing that amelia will see ) But... ( rowena hesitates in the sentence, holding her glass and looking more at it than the woman before her ) Would you stay?
no subject
Of course. I have no plans for the day that can't wait.
[Everyone who lives in her home is safe and has their own worries now that the snow has melted away. She knows everything is as well as it can be, and if it's not? She'll find out later when she can do something about it. Right now, her priority is taking care of Rowena in whatever way she can.
Carefully, she rests a hand on the witch's shoulder. If Rowena doesn't recoil, she'll shift it slowly to rest between the woman's shoulder blades. An invitation to move and be closer.]
I'm here until the last possible moment I have to leave, if that's what you want. Nothing worth doing can't wait for you to have what you need.
no subject
and her response is an impulse, leaning in to kiss her. though her touch is soft there's so much need pressed into the simple touch: a need for distraction, a need to be comforted, and a need to feel something else. it has rowena reaching to her, resting a hand on her cheek as she deepens the kiss.
she doesn't know what she needs, and this is not a situation that she's been in before to know how to be helped. both times that rowena had died previously she'd been alone after resurrecting. both times had come with a different trauma to each occasion, different again to this one. she'd never dealt with it then, didn't know how to now. didn't know if she wanted to when it meant being vulnerable. so she kisses her, trying to stuff her emotions back down to find some comfort in the woman's physical touch instead )
no subject
So she pushes all thoughts aside that aren't meeting the kisses pressed to her lips or her hands on Rowena's back and hip. She doesn't even stop them for a breath when it's necessary, instead only allowing them a single gasp of air before pulling the witch to her for more.
The city is cruel and does terrible things, and it has done so again with the blizzard and killing - or trying to kill - people she cares about. She can't change that, nor can she change what happened, but she can soothe pains with warm hands and soft lips, and she chooses to do so now without any hesitation.]
i'm so sorry 💕
as their kiss deepens, rowena moves easily as amelia guides her. the distraction starts to settle in, leaving rowena thinking of nothing other than what she can feel, and her hand finds one of amelia's, entwining their fingers together as she stands.
their kiss breaks and rowena murmurs a soft come on as she tugs on that hand, leading the woman to her bedroom )
no subject
She follows without comment, only taking action once the door to the bedroom is closed. She closes the gap between them, pulling Rowena close and into her arms as she kisses the woman again. If it's too much, if anything is too much, she'll adjust and hold back, but if it's not, she'll start reaching for hems, fastenings, or ties to start getting them both out of their clothes.]