asthehawkflies | [#000] Appointments

[His breath hitches in surprise at that.]

Heaven. That's a real place?

[Loki and Thor came from Asgard and he hadn't been sure where Saori was from, but Heaven is real? And they do amazing massages, god, this feels good.]

Mmmm, my shoulders get pretty knotted. Even warming up, shooting for four or five hours a day does that.

[He gives a soft laugh.]

I am gonna have killer arthritis in ten years, I'm sure.

Heaven is very real, though...not as you'd think of it.

[She keeps massaging]

We call it Tengoku, the Sky country. Some might call it the Spirit World. But...it's quite real.

[And Saori laughs at that]

Not if I have anything to say about it.

No fluffy clouds and people with wings wearing white robes... oh wait, that's actually creepily familiar.

[Damn it, Luceti. Ruining the standard image of heaven as well.]

What's it like then, the real heaven that you know?

[He twists a little so he can just glance up at her.]

My hands already get screwed up in the cold. The damage is done.

The real heaven? It's...actually a lot like this.

[She pauses and flops down beside him, eyes watching his. Her hand still moves in circles against his back, despite the position.]

Gardens, blossoms, a gentle breeze. It's never too warm, and never too cold. Spirits tend the trees, and there's always fruit. The air is clean, and the smells are sweet.

[She sighs wistfully, a nostalgic breath.]

It's...well...it's perfection. The gardens that you might see in photos of my home are modeled on visions of it. Incomplete, but things seen by humans in our mirrors.

[Her eyes dart down to his hands]

Show me. Maybe I can help.

Yeah? Well, here is pretty perfect. I can believe it. Beats clouds and harps I think.

[He shifts position a little, to make it easier for her, moving closer.

After a moment, he holds up his hands for her to see.]

I have trouble when I wake up sometimes, and the cold gets into my joints. It's the price I pay for being this good.

Oh, clouds have their place, as do harps, but only in other heavens.

[She stops rubbing his back, instead reaching out to touch his hands. Her own fingers are still dainty and soft, despite the centuries of martial arts, but quite firm as they take his hands. And she begins to apply the same rubbing technique to the joints, smooth, centrifugal motions meant to soothe away aches and pains.]

That is something of a downside to being skilled at an art that strains the body, to be sure.

I think I like this one better. The company is fantastic.

[Her hands are much smaller than his, but no less strong, and when she rubs them, it feels better, soothing away some of the ache which he's just learned to live with.],/small>

It is. Wouldn't give up archery though.

Oh, you're such a sweetheart.

[She keeps rubbing as she nuzzles closer.]

Nor would any ask it of you. I'm lucky. My body heals such aches immediately. You're a stronger person than I am. I don't know if I could go on without that.

I try. At least with people I actually care about.

[Everyone else could go to hell for the most part, or that was what he told himself.]

More like I don't really have anything else. Archery has been my life since I was about eleven. Not sure I could live without it. I'd go crazy.

Me too.

[She nods once, knowing what he means. She gives little thought to anyone who hasn't earned her interest in some way. She just can't bring herself to really care about most people. But unlike him, she means it more.]

You have plenty of other things. But I understand. I'd as soon end my life as give up my sword or my music. Or my bow, though...I think I'm less attached to that.

[She gives him a cheeky grin.]

And I wouldn't want to make you jealous.

Pretty glad I'm someone you care to try with.

[He gives a soft laugh, grinning back at her.]

Yeah, that's pretty much my feeling. I don't think I'd get jealous. [He winked at her.] If anyone could understand that, it would be me.

Yes. You should be. [She winks at him right back.]

Generally, I like women. You're the first man I've been interested in...

[A hand reaches out to stroke his cheek, her lips peeled back in a smile.]

I know you can relate. That's part of why I like you so much.

[His eyes widen a little at that, taken aback and surprised by that admission.]

Wow I... Saori... I really am flattered now.

[It's woefully inadequate, but words have never been his forte.]

I swear I have heard every joke about being married to my bow.

Edited 2013-02-05 03:56 (UTC)

[She giggles at his reaction]

I've just never met any men quite like you. Most are either afraid of me or don't realize what I am and are...inappropriate.

[Particularly that time in America. Silver Bell wasn't quite the same after that.]

I've heard just as many about being married to a sword. And the jokes about my title...are tiresome.

If I was afraid of everything and everyone that could kick my ass I'd never get out of bed in the morning. And people, any people, deserve some respect until they prove otherwise.

[He shook his head, amused by her reaction.]

Yeah, I can imagine. Tiresome is a good word for it.

Well...yes. That's true. I could kick your ass.

[She grins, leaning in really close, a teasing expression on her face.]

But I'd rather you rubbed my back. Fair's fair isn't it? And it is my birthday...

[Her gown shifts, falling away of it's own accord to reveal the pale skin of her back, stormcloud-patterned wings and all. Something she'd never exposed before.]

And yes, all people deserve respect. All living things do. Even the tiresome ones who talk about 'wind and rain having something going on.'

Absolutely. I wouldn't forget that for a second. [He grins right back, and it isn't exactly something that scares him away.]

I can definitely do that. Be my pleasure.

[He takes a moment to look at her wings, like stormy skies, and shifts position to be able to touch her more easily. He rests a hand in the center of her back for a moment, rubbing a small circle with his thumb before running it up over her shoulderblades, starting with light touches.]

Yeah, I can definitely imagine that being a pain in the ass.

[At that first touch, she shivers, exhaling a long, slow breath, heady with anticipation. Back rubs were lovely things. Back rubs on bare skin were even more so. And she liked the way his fingers felt. Strong, but gentle. Light touches...not so different from Yuuna.]

It...is. I am quite literally that. A child of the elements. What's so hard to...ahhh...understand about that?

[Her complaints are murmured as the fingers on her back move. Oh she likes this...]

[He keeps it gentle, working away the surface aches rather than trying for anything deeper. He's not trained and won't risk it, especially so close to the wings which could be so vulnerable.]

I think it makes perfect sense. People just like cheap jokes, I guess.

[She's grateful that he's being careful about the wings. Really, really grateful.]

They do. And thank you for saying so. My parents thank you too.

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