{ 𝒮𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑜𝓃𝓈 } 𝐼𝒞 𝒾𝓃𝒷𝑜𝓍 💎

[buttercream]

INBOX @ rosula
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dreamwalk!

[inexorablejudgment]

[Neuvillette has no recollection of having fallen asleep.

He ushers Navia in out of the cold and leaves her wrapped up in his coat after bringing the embers of the fire in the hearth up to a cosy blaze. He suggests she take a shower to warm herself properly, tells her he'll get her some fresh clothes, and doesn't even venture to collect his coat from her when she heads off to the bathroom.

She's had enough to deal with for the day, he reasons, and had seemed terribly embarrassed that he found her the way he did.

He begins making some coffee as he hears the sound of the water running. Yes, they could certainly put it behind them. There was no need for any lingering awkward feelings.

And yet... there's something else that he can't quite seem to shake. The niggling sensation of having gone through these motions before.]

[buttercream]

[ Somehow, Navia doesn't realize that all of this has already happened.

Still pink with embarrassment, she hurries her way into Neuvillette's bathroom, his coat wrapped tightly around an otherwise very bare body, closing and locking the door behind her. Even now, she practically hugs the fabric to her, rolling up a sleeve so she can turn the faucet and get the water running before letting it fall again—almost as if the sight of her own skin is...

Well.

The look on her face, when she catches it in the mirror, is miserable. Frightened and huddling against the cold? This isn't how she wanted him to first see her like this—

And where, in reality, Navia had answered that frustration by stripping down and stepping into the water, letting it wash the pains away, in the dream she's just that little bolder—spurred, perhaps, by real regrets.

She wanted him—wants him—to see her like this.

When she steps into his kitchen, it's in naught but the simple black lace of her underwear, his coat having been draped over a piece of furniture on the way. And, color high on her cheeks but something bright and determined in her gaze, Navia clears her throat. ]

The truth is, Monsieur, that the weather out there was frightfully cold... Perhaps you would care to join me? To help me... warm up?

[inexorablejudgment]

[She'll catch him deep in thought as he tries to work out what about this situation feels so strange, but anything going on in his head immediately grinds to a visible halt as she steps back into view and draws his attention by speaking.

The way his gaze briefly skims the full length of her body is made all the more obvious by slightly dilated pupils, though he does look somewhat like a deer caught in headlights as her proposition sinks in and works its way past the initial disbelief.]

I--

[What?

Did she--...

A light flush colours the tops of his cheeks as he blinks a couple of times.]

Are you sure?

[buttercream]

[ Despite how shy she is, there's something almost confident in the way Navia approaches the moment: the effect of regret and wishful thinking on her dream world. To her, then, it seems perfectly normal when she smiles, tilts her head as she reaches out a single hand to him. ]

Neuvillette, you know as well as I that I would not offer something I didn't want.

[ She doesn't ask if he wants it too—emboldened as she is, she not only sees it, but accepts it, believes in it. ]

And if I am honest with you, mon dragon, it is something I have wanted for some time, now.

[inexorablejudgment]

[It's true, he does know that, yet he has never know Navia to be so bold as this in these matters. In others, yes, but not this.

His eyes shift from her face to her outstretched hand and then back, and the tips of his fingers softly skim her palm as he takes her hand in his. Neuvillette steps in close, his other hand coming to rest on the bare, warm skin of her waist and curling around it.]

I would hear of what you want. [The dragon - her dragon - asks, looking down into her eyes with a mix of curiosity and anticipation.] I expect I shall find it more than within my means to grant anything that you desire.

[buttercream]

[ The smile on her face grows just that little when his fingers skim her palm, when his hand slides to take hers—her eyes close, a hint of pleasure written visibly over her face when his free hand rests against the bare skin of her waist.

When they open again, it's to that handsome face looking down into hers, serpentine eyes alight with curiosity and anticipation both. The expression stirs something in her stomach, makes her bite her lower lip for just a moment before she leans forward, stands on the tips of her toes to brush her mouth against the shell of his ear. ]

I want you to make love to me, Neuvillette.

[inexorablejudgment]

[At this point, Neuvillette is quite sure that he must be dreaming. Navia would never be so forward, and despite their growing affection for each other it had somehow not crossed his mind to think that she would see him like that.

In terms of various failings on account of not being human, he supposes that is a relatively small one. His pupils dilate slightly.]

In that case...

[He cups a hand against her jaw and leans in to kiss her.]

I can hardly refuse.

[buttercream]

[ It is true, of course, that one of them is certainly dreaming. In her bed, Navia stretches luxuriously under the covers, a lazy smile on her face, a sweet sound on her lips. It's a sound echoed in the dream as their mouths touch, a soft sigh as her arms raise to circle his shoulders, fingers splayed across his neck. ]

I was hoping you would say that, [ she whispers against his mouth, her smile sweet on her lips as she presses the length of her body against his. In the depths of her slumber, in her wishful thoughts, there is no need for her to be uncomfortable in her near-naked state. Instead, it only allows her to get closer to him in the way she's wanted.

Her head tips back as she deepens their kiss, a fresh sound of content on her lips. ]

You carried me here—would you carry me to the bathroom, too? It is quite cold, and I would have us under the water sooner rather than later.

aquarium date >7<

[inexorablejudgment]

Miss Navia, might I have the pleasure of your company one afternoon in the coming week?

♥! 1/2

[buttercream]

I believe you will find the pleasure would be mine, Monsieur Neuvillette~ What is the occasion?

2/2

[buttercream]

P.S. If you continue to insist on my losing the "monsieur" in your address, then you must call me Navia, and Navia alone.

[inexorablejudgment]

[Hmm...]

I was attempting to utilise my previous formality as an endearment. Would you prefer I didn't?

[buttercream]

[ Oh. Oh, how cute.

He can't see her, of course, so she takes a photo and attaches it to the text, showing her laughing brightly. ]

Apparently we have the same idea of endearment. The only reason I keep calling you Monsieur is for the same reason, mon dragon.

If that is the case, I don't mind being called Miss~ But do you still prefer I not use "monsieur"?

[ The whole thing does raise questions of its own, though, so after a moment, she adds: ]

Of course, if I remember my news stories correctly, I have been addressing you by your last name, so...

[inexorablejudgment]

That is correct. It was the name I chose to use on my arrival to Fontaine.

[buttercream]

Is that what you prefer to be called?

If you're not opposed, I would know your first name, too. Or.. would that be your real name?

[inexorablejudgment]

Neuvillette is the name I have grown accustomed to - it has been five hundred years. It is as much my 'real' name as Navia is yours.

[But, she asked...]

But my given forename, since it is you asking, is Leviathan.

[buttercream]

[ Sometimes she wonders... is it lonely? Was it, being in his situation? It's something she's often been tempted to ask, but never has, fearing it rude.

Perhaps now she could... not on text, though. ]

Well, I do like it. But I like your given name, too.

Do you have a preference, my monsieur?

At a bakery in Coldreach

[hydroshumanity]

[Furina had decided to go to explore Coldreach today purely because it felt seasonal, but she finds herself ducking into a cozy looking bakery part way through her exploration today. She freezes for a second as she spots Navia. She had been meaning to find her, but today is so soon, isn't it? (It isn't)

She puts on a smile, not wanting to seem unhappy to see her as she approaches.]

Hello, Navia. I heard you were here as well. How are you?

[Her voice is a little awkward, but part of that is she's still getting used to talking to people normally, and not as she did when she was Archon.]

on a not!date or something

[inexorablejudgment]

[He has been trying not to act strangely as he thought about how to bring it up as they walk through Blossomcrown park. Overthinking it, certainly, as he's sure Navia will be nothing but encouraging.

She is observant, especially of him. She will know something is on his mind.]

Navia--

[Still a little odd to be so informal with her. For some reason even more so with her. He respects her enough to want to show it yet she had asked him to simply call her Navia, and he wants to respect that too.

He clears his throat slightly.]

I made an... impulsive purchase, a few days ago, and in preparing myself to make use of it I came to the conclusion that I would... like your support in the matter. Might we sit down somewhere?

[buttercream]

[ Of course Navia has noticed that something's going on. She hasn't said anything, though, knowing that the other will bring it up when the time is right for him to do so. And so they walk, her hand tucked neatly into his, body swaying close, eyes and smile bright as she points out this, that, or the other for him to notice.

Still, when he says her name, she looks up to him immediately, all patience and tenderness at once. ]

Yes?

[ Her brows lift slightly at the mention of an impulse purchase. Curiosity, not judgement—it's not really like him to do something like that, after all. But her answer comes easily: as far as she's concerned, he'll always have her support, and so she nods, squeezing his hand. ]

Of course. Look, just over there... a bench, and truly not that many people to speak of. Shall we, mon dragon?

[ If it seems suitable to him, she'll lead him there, hand holding his firmly. ]

[inexorablejudgment]

[He gives the slightest nod to her suggestion and moves with her to the bench, sitting down with her. To tell the truth he's not particularly concerned about anyone overhearing them - nobody will be eavesdropping and it's likely no one would really understand what they were hearing if they were.

Sitting down with Navia, he glances at her and exhales a soft breath.]

As you well know, the form that I have now is the one that I came into the world with and I do not possess another, or any natural ability to change my shape.

[Neuvillette is as he appears despite being a sovereign dragon by birth. He knows the prophecy and that it pertains to him - the why of looking as he does, despite being what he is. It has often been the source of questions mostly kept private for the lack of anyone knowledgeable enough who would be willing to answer them.

(Apep would never.)

He slips a hand into his pocket and pulls a glass vial out. It's labelled in a neat script.]

I saw this while browsing Riki's stock, and found myself unable to resist the temptation it posed.

[buttercream]

[ Navia is quiet while Neuvillette explains himself. Nothing he's telling her is new information to her, having come to learn much about him since they arrived here. But the curiosity in her expression certainly heightens while he talks if only for the implication behind the words.

It's an implication that quickly becaomes explicit as he holds the vial out for her to see, its name inscribed neatly along its label. ]

Potion... of the Dragon Lord.

[ She looks up at him, her eyes wide. ]

This will let you change your form?

[ She can understand without a doubt why it would have been a temptation, if that is the case. To be a dragon sovereign, in the body of a human... well. She's often wondered about how lonely he must have been... ]

[inexorablejudgment]

[Her question is answered with a small, careful nod.]

It would, to my understanding.

[Which is why he picked it up. Why he ended up paying so much for it while Riki looked at him curiously for the intensity with which he made the purchase.

... Why he's been holding on to it for days without simply using it, because despite the temptation he is still not entirely sure what he wants and if this is it, or if he's only curious because of a strange, previously quiet void that began to suddenly shout the moment he saw the potion and realised the implications.

He rubs his thumb against the side of the bottle.]

I can't... make this decision on my own, Navia.

[And that is a weakness he would admit to very few. Perhaps none, save for her.]

[buttercream]

[ For the first moment, she's happy for him. Such an object will allow him to explore the draconic side with which he's always been in touch but has never been able to reach. An easy smile finds her lips—

Only to falter when, as his thumb rubs against the bottle, he admits to her that he can't decide what to do. She frowns, and her head tilts, her gaze lifting to his, concern lighting her eyes. ]

I... confess that I do not fully understand. Would this be a permanent change?

[ In her mind, that's the only reason that he should hesitate over this. ]

[inexorablejudgment]

[He shakes his head slightly.]

No. It should only grant me the ability to change into that form at will.

[If it were a permanent change he would be far more hesitant about it. There would be so much he would be leaving behind in order to make a decision like that, including her.

His eyelids lower as he tries to think of how best to put it into words.]

But even that... it is more than I ever thought possible. I have always felt something... not missing but... still somehow absent from my existence, in being born as I was. This form is punishment for a transgression that I did not personally commit.

[Now, that is something he has never put into words before. At least not in company.]

This could give an experience to me that I have been denied for over a thousand years.