The Exile and the Witch
Who: Folken Lacour de Fanel, Willow Rosenberg
Where:Willow's suite
When:Wednesday afternoon, during OOC week
Summary:Folken goes to work his charms on Willow. Will she be able to resist?
Rating:PG
Warnings:
Status:Complete
Willow opened the door of her bedroom and sat on the sofa outside. She wondered what Folken was going to say about what she was wearing. She'd craftily made herself look good without really giving him anything to gawp at. Pulling her legs up to sit crosslegged completely forgetting that she was wearing her bunny-bedroom slippers. She took a small bite out of the sandwich that'd been preserved from last week, and she sipped some water, staring into space thinking about how her plan could fail if she slipped up, and knowing herself, she probably would slip up at one point.
She heard a knock at the door, to which she jumped up slightly. Swallowing, she shouted "C- Who is it?" not wanting to shout come in, as you know, it could randomly be a vampire that this damn crazy doctor had captured. She smiled, as her Sunnydale instincts hadn't changed at all.
A rich, deep voice filtered through the door to the suite, muffled slightly by the metal between them.
"My lady, it is Folken here, as we agreed. Would you be so kind as to allow me to spend some time in your company?" A hollow rattle echoed though the door from his metal fingertips as he waited patiently for an answer.
Willow took another bite at her sandwich and flicked her hand at the door, it unlocked and opened and she smiled as Folken took a step in. "Hello!" she said after swallowing and invited him to sit with a casual wave of her hand. She shuffled right up to the armrest, removed her bottle of water from the rest and took a sip, waiting for her guest to take a seat. Silently preparing what she was going to say again, having decided her previous points didn't sound good enough.
Folken smiled benignly at the woman as he entered, giving her a courteous bow of the head.
"My greetings, Willow. You look charming this evening." His eyes lingered on her feet as his mouth quirked at the animal slippers. She may have been dressed in men's clothing, tough, blue trousers, a shapeless under-shirt, a jacket that did hid more than flaunted, but still, they hung on her frame pleasingly, hinting at the delights lurking under the androgenous attire.
He sat easily on the sofa, his robe spreading elegantly over his crossed ankles as he leaned his broad shoulders back, his metal arm casually draped on the sofa back between them. Inside, he was somewhat displeased with the arrangements, as he would have preferred to present his unmaimed side to the young woman, rather than the fearsome metal contraption bolted onto him, but he was sure he could work with the situation.
"Pray tell me, Willow, what is it that you wished to discuss with me?" He asked, his voice purring. "I have been burning with curiosity about what you deemed so sensitive you could not say over the journalling systems."
"Well..." Started Willow gulping. "No NO! bad Willow! Don't make yourself seem nervous!!" she shouted at herself internally. "Look, this week the consortium has turned us into our opposite selves. And Well... You've probably really hurt peoples feelings this week. And I know Samus is being all 'haha I'm a slut and you're royalty, go and tell her you're the boss!' about Tsunade, but you can't do that! Cause you like her right? and you're gonna ruin things this week if you don't keep it in your pants!" She said, gasping for breath. "Well done Willow." She said internally. "The most gracious way you could put it right there." She sighed. "Sorry. This week has me all... flustered." She finished lamely.
Folken tilted an eyebrow at the woman beside him. She was visibly unnerved by her own outburst.
"Why are you so nervous, Willow?" He asked, his voice calm. "Is it that you fear for me, or Tsunade, that our happiness will be ruined?" He hint of a wicked smile graced his lips. "Or is it your own phrasing that embarrasses you so?" His left hand, warm and human, reached over to stroke a strand of her hair away from her face.
"Such a large heart." He murmured, gazing on her. "To think, even in the midst of all the grief and confusion that comes with our capture of other people's welfare." His fingers grazed the line of her cheek. "That is a rare trait, that selflessness, and it speaks highly of the goodness of your soul."
Flinching at his touch, she took a deep breath. "I'm nervous for many reasons. But I'm not going to auto rant them. My own phrasing did embarrass me, and Please don't touch me. It's rather..." she flustered searching for the word. "Off-putting." She chose. "I care a lot about other people because we can't be enemies in here. We're trapped here by people we don't know and obviously know how powerful we are because of these." she said plucking at the collar. "And no one seems to want to step up and help other people unless it's in their own interest." she stated sadly.
She sighed looking over at Folken. "And you really aren't helping." she thought unhappily. She realised the door was still open. She concentrated on it and it shut, but didn't lock. Not until she heard the door shut, did she think "I'm sending all the wrong signals here..."
Folken's eyes immediately darted to the door, looking for the intruder, his brows drawing together in a frown as he realised no one was there. His hand pulled away from Willow's face as he stared hard.
"Was that magic?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the door. He couldn't see anyone, nor hear them, and there was no breeze. His eyes darted back to Willow's face, looking curious.
"My dear, if you had wanted the door closed, you should have just asked as I walked in. I would not have thought the request inappropriate." His thin lips curled, the tattooed tear on his cheek shifting. "In fact, the arrangement pleases me." His fingers reached out once more to stroke along her covered collarbone, following the line with his finger, ending at the hollow of her throat. his addled mind was whispering to him how nice it would be to follow that line with his tongue, to watch her arch back her head and expose that lovely, white neck to his lips.
"Yes it was Magic." She said moving away from his touch. "Stop it please!" she cried unfolding her legs and shuffling away from him, practically on top of the arm rest now. "Look, I'm not here to be all, hanky panky. I'm trying to stop you from you know! Being all depressed and grovelly next week." she said looking at him painedly. Why can't men understand that Lesbians tend not to want to be screwed by them?!? she barked inwardly. "Folken, you're royalty, you should think about what people'd think if you went home!" she said with a note of panic, seeing this going incredibly wrong just as she expected it too.
Ahh, it seemed that he had pressed his suit just a little too insistantly. He withdrew his hand, folding it neatly on his lap with his metal prosthesis, smiling faintly down on them. Her admonishment would have worked far better on the boy he had once been than the man he was now.
"My dear, you speak from the heart, but you are ignorant of my true circumstances. Back home, I am fated to die within a few Moons. In that time, I must betray the Empire I was allied with in order to bring their plans to light, coordinate a defence of the allied nations, protect my brother and right the wrongs I have committed. My reputation, already dark from the war I have run, will only be blackened further with what I must do. An outburst of dalliances with women will not harm my cause." His eyes lifted, peered sideways, the black lashes emphasising the reddish hue.
"This week has made me realise: I want to live before I die. I have spent my life working for higher causes. Is it so terrible of me to seek out a more selfish, a more personal way of moving through this world, even for a little while?"
"Well no. But banging every woman that'd open her legs? Isn't that a little bit of a... you know. Pathetic way to live? For anyone." She said trying not to add annoyance to her tone and succeeding. She shuffled up onto the arm rest. She remembered the destiny engine things they'd talked about earlier after thinking for a little bit she plucked up the courage to ask. "What can you do with those engine things you made?" she said looking at him, waiting for an answer. She shuffled a bit and took her jacket off. Her plain white t-shirt was V cut and sat a comfortable point on her chest. She'd hoped distracting him with his inventions might make him less inclined to pursue her.
"Pathetic? On the contrary, it is a pleasant way to spend one's time. There is a satisfaction that comes from revelling in the pleasures of the flesh that cannot be attained by mere thought. To isolate yourself from your own senses, as I have been doing for so long, is to forget what it is to be alive." He stretched his arms up in a stretch, his torso rippling under the tight robe, and with a roll of his shoulders his wings emerged, bright white and stretching behind him. feathers flew through the room.
"Fate is a force that affects all sentient beings." Folken began, indulging Willow's curiosity. "Normally, we cannot see it, nor are we consciously aware of it, but still we are caught in it's wheel. People are born and they love and they fight and they die, and the struggle is repeated aeon after aeon." He sighed, pulling his wings around hi,, curling them to each side, the long pinions absent mindedly brushing Willow as he tucked them by himself.
"The fate of the people of Gaia is such a sad one." He near-whispered. "Our destiny is war, continual war, between nations and species and ideals. We are caught in such a violent fate, from which there seems to be no escape." His voice became louder, more confident. "But there is a way. We will succeed. My ancestors discovered a way to control fate and we in Zaibach rediscovered the method, filtering out the very particles that make up the gravity of fate. With these, we can power Destiny Prognostication Engines, to look at the likely futures from various actions. We are able to create harmonic resonances between two separate people, and use this harmonies to affect the gravity of the pulls that tie people. We can change someone's luck, which is merely the chance that one will stumble upon a positive fate. Theoretically, we would be able to alter a person at their fundamental levels, reaching back and altering their fate from the moment they were born."
Willow stared at his wings throughout the entire speech. She longed to touch one and made a move to several times before speaking at the end of Folkens speech. "But that's terrible, It's eliminating free will and... power like that shouldn't even exist let alone be used!" she said, being distracted by his wings again. "Does it hurt to have them all folded all the time?" she asked curiously, looking at the white feathers wondering if they could be used as a spell ingredient, among other things. She really wanted to make a quill, she thought as a random childish impulse.
"Why should it not? Because we are flawed beings who inevitably abuse any superior positions we have?" Folken asked, looking over at her. He could see the child-like curiosity in her eyes. He lifted the wing next to her carefully, so as not to knock her off of her perch with the large wingspan. "Do not be afraid of them." He murmured, before continuing.
"But that is the beauty of the Destiny Alteration. Once the destiny engines are activated, it would be impossible for them to abused, for the dark, petty desire in us that makes us abuse those powers would be wiped out. We would be free of the pain of war. Is that not worth suffering, in order to ensure the ones who come after us will no nothing of it at all?" His eyes were bright as he talked. Folken, for all his acts of diplomatic reasoning, was an idealist to the core, one fundamentally dedicated to his visions. Even the mask of the personality reversal could not make him let go of his dreams.
But, it seemed, it was his inhuman appendages rather than his words that were entrancing Willow. He brushed the pinions over her, deliberately messing her hair, leaving a few, long feathers upon her person before bringing them back to their former position. She looked so interesting when ruffled.
"It does not hurt to fold them within myself, as the bones are very flexible and the feathers cannot be crushed, no matter what you do to them. Pick up one." He encouraged her. "Take it in your hand, try to ball it up. You will see it never loses it's shape." he rolled his shoulders slightly, pulling a few more feathers out from behind him. "The only discomfort comes from when the feathers moult within me. It is incredibly itchy. I shall have to spend a while pulling out any loose feathers before putting them back in. If you see one that looks loose, feel free to pull it. You shall be doing me a favour."
Willow played with one of the feathers he put in her hair. "That's amazing. But will it..." Willow made it float, and tried to bend it with magic, she managed to kink it after a great deal of concentration. "Wow. You're incredibly magic resistant with these things." she took the other feathers out, took her hair, twisted it and stuck it up by pinning the feathers through her hair. "So um... back to the destiny engines... getting rid of the darkness creates a problem. See, if you take the darkness away, then you have only light. And without the shadow created by the darkness, all will burn." she said looking up at him. "There's a reason evil exists. Sad as it is to say. But we can't ever truly banish it, because without evil there is no good because you can't set the balance..." she said looking sadly at him. "I don't want to interfere with your affairs but please think about what I've said." she said smiling at him.
She sat back down on the sofa, and put her feet up on the table. She looked up at the metal arm wondering what had happened. "So, since we're talking already, what happened to your arm? Or uhhh.. is it a no-touchy subject?" she said taking out one of the feathers and tickling her palm with it, then making it float around the room absently.
Folken lifted his left hand to rub at the join between metal and flesh at his right shoulder, feeling the scarring and twisted muscle under the weight of the steel.
"Well, it is not a time I enjoy dwelling on, as it was part of a bleak period of my life." More than he usually would have revealed, but now he saw less point in hiding all his emotions behind masks. There was a liberation in sharing.
"In short, my father, King Gaou, died when I was fourteen. As his eldest son, when I reached the age of majority several Moons later, I went into the forests surrounding my homelands to complete the Rite of Succession. In Fanelia, that involves finding a full grown land dragon and slaying it to obtain the crystal at the centre of it's heart." He lifted his wing, brushing it over her once again to expose his steel and brass shoulder. "As you see, I did not succeed. Only my mother's blood stopped me from bleeding out entirely, and even then, without the assistance of Zaibach, I would have died."
Willow let out a sharp noise of shock. She looked at Folken and pet his arm. "The worst I've had happen to me because of magic is uhhh... being sliced and throwing up a snake." she said looking sorrowfully at Folken. She made the feather come back to her, and she started to fiddle with it again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such an unpleasant subject." she said, grabbing the bottle of water and taking a long drink from it. "It must be cool to have wings. I mean, I can float, but flying and gliding must be fun." she said dreamily.
After a little daydream, she looked up at Folken with an honest smile. "So, you're world doesn't have magic then?" she said curiously, floating the feather again for effect.
"Not like that." Folken said, nodding his head to the feather suspended in mid-air. "Though there are things in my world that seem to be regarded as magical by the other races I have encountered here. Levi-stones, for instance, rocks that float in the sky. They are a common occurrence on Gaia, and very useful for building leviships, but I have yet to meet another who has such stones in their world." He cocked an eyebrow, as if hoping Willow would recognise the rocks. The look on her face was enough to make him sigh slightly. He lifted his hand to pat the one resting on his false arm, cupping the small fingers in hsi own broad ones.
"If you ever wish to fly in the recreational area, ask and I will lift you. I have done it for others who are curious and it is no trouble." He smiled. "Especially for such a lovely lady as yourself."
She blushed, not being able to help herself, she didn't pull her hand away. Looking at Folken, she sighed internally. He was nice, she knew. But he'd want to be with Tsunade next week, and she didn't want to go through the emotional trouble of being a notch in the bedpost. Her look changed, she looked sad and took the feather in her hand. "Thanks. But I'm not all that lovely this week." she sighed out-loud and fiddled with the feather again.
"I've had a problem with my alter ego. She's a magic junkie killer whose come to play because of the consortium. She's much more dangerous now because I've got the goddess status, meaning she has much much more power than she did before, and the knowledge to use it." she said, turning the feather over and sliding it across the back of her hand, watching the goosebumps appear over her wrist. "I wish she didn't exist. But that's what I get for losing control." she said, looking at the feather, her mind unhelpfully flashing back, the same pure white top she was wearing when it happened.
Folken squeezed her hand gently, speaking in a soft voice, his wing coming behind her to wrap her in a light embrace.
"It must be difficult, to always be wary for your own mind." He said, ever so empathetic, so understanding. "But to burden yourself with guilt for the manifestation of this alternate personality. You bear enough pain already. Indeed, your strength impresses me. I have known people to break under far less strain than you cope with." His head tilted down, nearer to her own.
Willow gave up. She lent against Folken, the soft wing coaxing her to snuggle closer, she shuffled right up to him and allowed herself to be pulled against him. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Though, thinking about what she just had brought a huge pang of guilt. She looked up at him then turned away, closing her eyes tight trying to banish the image of her greatest love. She shook her head slightly. Tara wouldn't want her to live her life in farce just because she wasn't there. She turned back to Folken and put her arms round herself, leaning against him. "What strain are you referring too?" she said tucked up against him by his wing.
"The strain of fighting an enemy all around you, these vampires I saw you mention last week. The strain of wielding a power that will harm you as much as help you. The strain of seeing your loved one die and being unable to stop it." Folken listed what he knew, quietly, the susurrus of his feathers a counterpoint to his deep rumbling. He pressed his nose into Willow's hair, slowly breathing in her scent. She was warm against his side, their heat trapped by his wings. With a slight shift of his body, he moved to let her lean more directly on his chest, his flesh hand still holding hers.
"You may feel that you have barely survived these trials, that they have weakened you. But to have gotten through all of that is a sign of strength. I have known many who have crumpled under such weights, let the burdens of life crush their gentleness or their will to carry on. Yet you keep on fighting, for others as well as yourself. You are an incredible woman." his fingers were caressing her hand as he spoke, his warm breath tickling on her scalp.
Willow smiled underneath his charms. She was so warm and cosy, that when she leaned on his chest, she longed to hoist herself up onto his lap and just be cuddled like she hadn't been for a long time. "You certainly know how to lower peoples defences." she said softly, smiling even more happily. "A-and..." she paused, looking up at him. "T-that's why I can't help you with what you w-want. Before you came over, I've r-read some of the posts you've shared with Tsunade. And You really l-love her." she stopped, taking her hand and stroking his face. "If I was convinced you weren't doing the right thing, I'd l-let this carry on." She said, sighing, saddening. "I'm sorry Folken, please don't be angry. It's just... probably the right thing." she said, now unsure of what she was saying.
He wasn't angry with her. Somewhat disappointed, yes, but his sexuality was not something wrapped as closely with his pride as it could be for others. And she sounded so small and uncertain, faltering. He could seduce her if he tried, if he pressed, he was sure of it, but a wavering partner wouldn't be half as fun. With a sigh into her hair he turned his head, catching the hand on his cheek and planting a warm kiss on her palm. One last show of what she was turning down.
"As I said, you are a strong woman." he said, his lips shaping into a rueful smile. "That altruism is one of your more charming points, so I will not force you to go against that impulse." Despite the temptation to kiss her, still. His eyes turned thoughtful as he considered Samus briefly, and what an enthusiastically athletic welcome she'd give if he turned up in her room right now. But Willow was still there, looking nervous yet not making a move to disengage from him.
"Do you wish to be held for longer?" He offered. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Please." she whispered shifting herself onto his lap, ignoring the obvious. "I'm sorry." she said holding herself into his chest and letting a couple of tears leak down. "I've not been held like this since... Tara." She said sobbing quietly into his chest. She wanted "the comfort of knowing someone was there" she told herself. Not sex she added to herself, though she wanted to kiss him, she refrained.
After a while, she looked up at him, her face damp. She took one of the feathers out of her hair and muttered a few words in Latin, to which the feather started to glow. She plucked one hair out of her head and laid it on the feather, and the feather turned the same fiery colour that cascaded from her scalp. "If you ever... want to be together. Properly, ju-just return this feather to me." she said, slipping it inside his hand and getting off of his lap. Before he folded his wings, she took a loose feather out, and held it in her hand, smiling at him.
Folken examined the feather for a moment, twirling it in his fingers before standing gracefully, stopping to adjust the hang of his robes somewhat in order to seem decent for his walk back.
"I doubt you would believe me if I passed this to you before the week's end, so I shall keep it close for now." Folken said to her, carefully tucking the feather inside his robes. He stepped up to her, his voice lowering.
"And if you ever change your mind, you know where my room is. I would be delighted by your company if you ever decided to appear." He bent down and kissed her upon the lips, warm and soft, his eyes slitted open to check he wasn't scaring the girl.
She returned his kiss, smiling at him. "I might come for a cuddle every now and again." she said after pulling away. Hmmmm... I wonder why he's so attractive. Maybe I did get affected by this weeks test after all... she said to herself, as Folken started to leave.
Folken gave one last bow of his head before walking through the door, with a wickedly pleased smile dancing on his lips from the kiss.
"As I said, you are welcome any time." He murmured, letting himself out. He left her behind with one last glance before setting off down the corridor, whistling a far more jaunty tune than the usual, sorrowful melody he favoured. She was tempted, he knew. perhaps enough that her desire would get the better of her morals, if he played his cards right. For now, though, an afternoon with Samus was called for in order to releve certain tensions. After all, if one could experience pleasure, why not seek it out as assiduously as they could?
Where:Willow's suite
When:Wednesday afternoon, during OOC week
Summary:Folken goes to work his charms on Willow. Will she be able to resist?
Rating:PG
Warnings:
Status:Complete
Willow opened the door of her bedroom and sat on the sofa outside. She wondered what Folken was going to say about what she was wearing. She'd craftily made herself look good without really giving him anything to gawp at. Pulling her legs up to sit crosslegged completely forgetting that she was wearing her bunny-bedroom slippers. She took a small bite out of the sandwich that'd been preserved from last week, and she sipped some water, staring into space thinking about how her plan could fail if she slipped up, and knowing herself, she probably would slip up at one point.
She heard a knock at the door, to which she jumped up slightly. Swallowing, she shouted "C- Who is it?" not wanting to shout come in, as you know, it could randomly be a vampire that this damn crazy doctor had captured. She smiled, as her Sunnydale instincts hadn't changed at all.
A rich, deep voice filtered through the door to the suite, muffled slightly by the metal between them.
"My lady, it is Folken here, as we agreed. Would you be so kind as to allow me to spend some time in your company?" A hollow rattle echoed though the door from his metal fingertips as he waited patiently for an answer.
Willow took another bite at her sandwich and flicked her hand at the door, it unlocked and opened and she smiled as Folken took a step in. "Hello!" she said after swallowing and invited him to sit with a casual wave of her hand. She shuffled right up to the armrest, removed her bottle of water from the rest and took a sip, waiting for her guest to take a seat. Silently preparing what she was going to say again, having decided her previous points didn't sound good enough.
Folken smiled benignly at the woman as he entered, giving her a courteous bow of the head.
"My greetings, Willow. You look charming this evening." His eyes lingered on her feet as his mouth quirked at the animal slippers. She may have been dressed in men's clothing, tough, blue trousers, a shapeless under-shirt, a jacket that did hid more than flaunted, but still, they hung on her frame pleasingly, hinting at the delights lurking under the androgenous attire.
He sat easily on the sofa, his robe spreading elegantly over his crossed ankles as he leaned his broad shoulders back, his metal arm casually draped on the sofa back between them. Inside, he was somewhat displeased with the arrangements, as he would have preferred to present his unmaimed side to the young woman, rather than the fearsome metal contraption bolted onto him, but he was sure he could work with the situation.
"Pray tell me, Willow, what is it that you wished to discuss with me?" He asked, his voice purring. "I have been burning with curiosity about what you deemed so sensitive you could not say over the journalling systems."
"Well..." Started Willow gulping. "No NO! bad Willow! Don't make yourself seem nervous!!" she shouted at herself internally. "Look, this week the consortium has turned us into our opposite selves. And Well... You've probably really hurt peoples feelings this week. And I know Samus is being all 'haha I'm a slut and you're royalty, go and tell her you're the boss!' about Tsunade, but you can't do that! Cause you like her right? and you're gonna ruin things this week if you don't keep it in your pants!" She said, gasping for breath. "Well done Willow." She said internally. "The most gracious way you could put it right there." She sighed. "Sorry. This week has me all... flustered." She finished lamely.
Folken tilted an eyebrow at the woman beside him. She was visibly unnerved by her own outburst.
"Why are you so nervous, Willow?" He asked, his voice calm. "Is it that you fear for me, or Tsunade, that our happiness will be ruined?" He hint of a wicked smile graced his lips. "Or is it your own phrasing that embarrasses you so?" His left hand, warm and human, reached over to stroke a strand of her hair away from her face.
"Such a large heart." He murmured, gazing on her. "To think, even in the midst of all the grief and confusion that comes with our capture of other people's welfare." His fingers grazed the line of her cheek. "That is a rare trait, that selflessness, and it speaks highly of the goodness of your soul."
Flinching at his touch, she took a deep breath. "I'm nervous for many reasons. But I'm not going to auto rant them. My own phrasing did embarrass me, and Please don't touch me. It's rather..." she flustered searching for the word. "Off-putting." She chose. "I care a lot about other people because we can't be enemies in here. We're trapped here by people we don't know and obviously know how powerful we are because of these." she said plucking at the collar. "And no one seems to want to step up and help other people unless it's in their own interest." she stated sadly.
She sighed looking over at Folken. "And you really aren't helping." she thought unhappily. She realised the door was still open. She concentrated on it and it shut, but didn't lock. Not until she heard the door shut, did she think "I'm sending all the wrong signals here..."
Folken's eyes immediately darted to the door, looking for the intruder, his brows drawing together in a frown as he realised no one was there. His hand pulled away from Willow's face as he stared hard.
"Was that magic?" He asked, his eyes not leaving the door. He couldn't see anyone, nor hear them, and there was no breeze. His eyes darted back to Willow's face, looking curious.
"My dear, if you had wanted the door closed, you should have just asked as I walked in. I would not have thought the request inappropriate." His thin lips curled, the tattooed tear on his cheek shifting. "In fact, the arrangement pleases me." His fingers reached out once more to stroke along her covered collarbone, following the line with his finger, ending at the hollow of her throat. his addled mind was whispering to him how nice it would be to follow that line with his tongue, to watch her arch back her head and expose that lovely, white neck to his lips.
"Yes it was Magic." She said moving away from his touch. "Stop it please!" she cried unfolding her legs and shuffling away from him, practically on top of the arm rest now. "Look, I'm not here to be all, hanky panky. I'm trying to stop you from you know! Being all depressed and grovelly next week." she said looking at him painedly. Why can't men understand that Lesbians tend not to want to be screwed by them?!? she barked inwardly. "Folken, you're royalty, you should think about what people'd think if you went home!" she said with a note of panic, seeing this going incredibly wrong just as she expected it too.
Ahh, it seemed that he had pressed his suit just a little too insistantly. He withdrew his hand, folding it neatly on his lap with his metal prosthesis, smiling faintly down on them. Her admonishment would have worked far better on the boy he had once been than the man he was now.
"My dear, you speak from the heart, but you are ignorant of my true circumstances. Back home, I am fated to die within a few Moons. In that time, I must betray the Empire I was allied with in order to bring their plans to light, coordinate a defence of the allied nations, protect my brother and right the wrongs I have committed. My reputation, already dark from the war I have run, will only be blackened further with what I must do. An outburst of dalliances with women will not harm my cause." His eyes lifted, peered sideways, the black lashes emphasising the reddish hue.
"This week has made me realise: I want to live before I die. I have spent my life working for higher causes. Is it so terrible of me to seek out a more selfish, a more personal way of moving through this world, even for a little while?"
"Well no. But banging every woman that'd open her legs? Isn't that a little bit of a... you know. Pathetic way to live? For anyone." She said trying not to add annoyance to her tone and succeeding. She shuffled up onto the arm rest. She remembered the destiny engine things they'd talked about earlier after thinking for a little bit she plucked up the courage to ask. "What can you do with those engine things you made?" she said looking at him, waiting for an answer. She shuffled a bit and took her jacket off. Her plain white t-shirt was V cut and sat a comfortable point on her chest. She'd hoped distracting him with his inventions might make him less inclined to pursue her.
"Pathetic? On the contrary, it is a pleasant way to spend one's time. There is a satisfaction that comes from revelling in the pleasures of the flesh that cannot be attained by mere thought. To isolate yourself from your own senses, as I have been doing for so long, is to forget what it is to be alive." He stretched his arms up in a stretch, his torso rippling under the tight robe, and with a roll of his shoulders his wings emerged, bright white and stretching behind him. feathers flew through the room.
"Fate is a force that affects all sentient beings." Folken began, indulging Willow's curiosity. "Normally, we cannot see it, nor are we consciously aware of it, but still we are caught in it's wheel. People are born and they love and they fight and they die, and the struggle is repeated aeon after aeon." He sighed, pulling his wings around hi,, curling them to each side, the long pinions absent mindedly brushing Willow as he tucked them by himself.
"The fate of the people of Gaia is such a sad one." He near-whispered. "Our destiny is war, continual war, between nations and species and ideals. We are caught in such a violent fate, from which there seems to be no escape." His voice became louder, more confident. "But there is a way. We will succeed. My ancestors discovered a way to control fate and we in Zaibach rediscovered the method, filtering out the very particles that make up the gravity of fate. With these, we can power Destiny Prognostication Engines, to look at the likely futures from various actions. We are able to create harmonic resonances between two separate people, and use this harmonies to affect the gravity of the pulls that tie people. We can change someone's luck, which is merely the chance that one will stumble upon a positive fate. Theoretically, we would be able to alter a person at their fundamental levels, reaching back and altering their fate from the moment they were born."
Willow stared at his wings throughout the entire speech. She longed to touch one and made a move to several times before speaking at the end of Folkens speech. "But that's terrible, It's eliminating free will and... power like that shouldn't even exist let alone be used!" she said, being distracted by his wings again. "Does it hurt to have them all folded all the time?" she asked curiously, looking at the white feathers wondering if they could be used as a spell ingredient, among other things. She really wanted to make a quill, she thought as a random childish impulse.
"Why should it not? Because we are flawed beings who inevitably abuse any superior positions we have?" Folken asked, looking over at her. He could see the child-like curiosity in her eyes. He lifted the wing next to her carefully, so as not to knock her off of her perch with the large wingspan. "Do not be afraid of them." He murmured, before continuing.
"But that is the beauty of the Destiny Alteration. Once the destiny engines are activated, it would be impossible for them to abused, for the dark, petty desire in us that makes us abuse those powers would be wiped out. We would be free of the pain of war. Is that not worth suffering, in order to ensure the ones who come after us will no nothing of it at all?" His eyes were bright as he talked. Folken, for all his acts of diplomatic reasoning, was an idealist to the core, one fundamentally dedicated to his visions. Even the mask of the personality reversal could not make him let go of his dreams.
But, it seemed, it was his inhuman appendages rather than his words that were entrancing Willow. He brushed the pinions over her, deliberately messing her hair, leaving a few, long feathers upon her person before bringing them back to their former position. She looked so interesting when ruffled.
"It does not hurt to fold them within myself, as the bones are very flexible and the feathers cannot be crushed, no matter what you do to them. Pick up one." He encouraged her. "Take it in your hand, try to ball it up. You will see it never loses it's shape." he rolled his shoulders slightly, pulling a few more feathers out from behind him. "The only discomfort comes from when the feathers moult within me. It is incredibly itchy. I shall have to spend a while pulling out any loose feathers before putting them back in. If you see one that looks loose, feel free to pull it. You shall be doing me a favour."
Willow played with one of the feathers he put in her hair. "That's amazing. But will it..." Willow made it float, and tried to bend it with magic, she managed to kink it after a great deal of concentration. "Wow. You're incredibly magic resistant with these things." she took the other feathers out, took her hair, twisted it and stuck it up by pinning the feathers through her hair. "So um... back to the destiny engines... getting rid of the darkness creates a problem. See, if you take the darkness away, then you have only light. And without the shadow created by the darkness, all will burn." she said looking up at him. "There's a reason evil exists. Sad as it is to say. But we can't ever truly banish it, because without evil there is no good because you can't set the balance..." she said looking sadly at him. "I don't want to interfere with your affairs but please think about what I've said." she said smiling at him.
She sat back down on the sofa, and put her feet up on the table. She looked up at the metal arm wondering what had happened. "So, since we're talking already, what happened to your arm? Or uhhh.. is it a no-touchy subject?" she said taking out one of the feathers and tickling her palm with it, then making it float around the room absently.
Folken lifted his left hand to rub at the join between metal and flesh at his right shoulder, feeling the scarring and twisted muscle under the weight of the steel.
"Well, it is not a time I enjoy dwelling on, as it was part of a bleak period of my life." More than he usually would have revealed, but now he saw less point in hiding all his emotions behind masks. There was a liberation in sharing.
"In short, my father, King Gaou, died when I was fourteen. As his eldest son, when I reached the age of majority several Moons later, I went into the forests surrounding my homelands to complete the Rite of Succession. In Fanelia, that involves finding a full grown land dragon and slaying it to obtain the crystal at the centre of it's heart." He lifted his wing, brushing it over her once again to expose his steel and brass shoulder. "As you see, I did not succeed. Only my mother's blood stopped me from bleeding out entirely, and even then, without the assistance of Zaibach, I would have died."
Willow let out a sharp noise of shock. She looked at Folken and pet his arm. "The worst I've had happen to me because of magic is uhhh... being sliced and throwing up a snake." she said looking sorrowfully at Folken. She made the feather come back to her, and she started to fiddle with it again. "Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up such an unpleasant subject." she said, grabbing the bottle of water and taking a long drink from it. "It must be cool to have wings. I mean, I can float, but flying and gliding must be fun." she said dreamily.
After a little daydream, she looked up at Folken with an honest smile. "So, you're world doesn't have magic then?" she said curiously, floating the feather again for effect.
"Not like that." Folken said, nodding his head to the feather suspended in mid-air. "Though there are things in my world that seem to be regarded as magical by the other races I have encountered here. Levi-stones, for instance, rocks that float in the sky. They are a common occurrence on Gaia, and very useful for building leviships, but I have yet to meet another who has such stones in their world." He cocked an eyebrow, as if hoping Willow would recognise the rocks. The look on her face was enough to make him sigh slightly. He lifted his hand to pat the one resting on his false arm, cupping the small fingers in hsi own broad ones.
"If you ever wish to fly in the recreational area, ask and I will lift you. I have done it for others who are curious and it is no trouble." He smiled. "Especially for such a lovely lady as yourself."
She blushed, not being able to help herself, she didn't pull her hand away. Looking at Folken, she sighed internally. He was nice, she knew. But he'd want to be with Tsunade next week, and she didn't want to go through the emotional trouble of being a notch in the bedpost. Her look changed, she looked sad and took the feather in her hand. "Thanks. But I'm not all that lovely this week." she sighed out-loud and fiddled with the feather again.
"I've had a problem with my alter ego. She's a magic junkie killer whose come to play because of the consortium. She's much more dangerous now because I've got the goddess status, meaning she has much much more power than she did before, and the knowledge to use it." she said, turning the feather over and sliding it across the back of her hand, watching the goosebumps appear over her wrist. "I wish she didn't exist. But that's what I get for losing control." she said, looking at the feather, her mind unhelpfully flashing back, the same pure white top she was wearing when it happened.
Folken squeezed her hand gently, speaking in a soft voice, his wing coming behind her to wrap her in a light embrace.
"It must be difficult, to always be wary for your own mind." He said, ever so empathetic, so understanding. "But to burden yourself with guilt for the manifestation of this alternate personality. You bear enough pain already. Indeed, your strength impresses me. I have known people to break under far less strain than you cope with." His head tilted down, nearer to her own.
Willow gave up. She lent against Folken, the soft wing coaxing her to snuggle closer, she shuffled right up to him and allowed herself to be pulled against him. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes. Though, thinking about what she just had brought a huge pang of guilt. She looked up at him then turned away, closing her eyes tight trying to banish the image of her greatest love. She shook her head slightly. Tara wouldn't want her to live her life in farce just because she wasn't there. She turned back to Folken and put her arms round herself, leaning against him. "What strain are you referring too?" she said tucked up against him by his wing.
"The strain of fighting an enemy all around you, these vampires I saw you mention last week. The strain of wielding a power that will harm you as much as help you. The strain of seeing your loved one die and being unable to stop it." Folken listed what he knew, quietly, the susurrus of his feathers a counterpoint to his deep rumbling. He pressed his nose into Willow's hair, slowly breathing in her scent. She was warm against his side, their heat trapped by his wings. With a slight shift of his body, he moved to let her lean more directly on his chest, his flesh hand still holding hers.
"You may feel that you have barely survived these trials, that they have weakened you. But to have gotten through all of that is a sign of strength. I have known many who have crumpled under such weights, let the burdens of life crush their gentleness or their will to carry on. Yet you keep on fighting, for others as well as yourself. You are an incredible woman." his fingers were caressing her hand as he spoke, his warm breath tickling on her scalp.
Willow smiled underneath his charms. She was so warm and cosy, that when she leaned on his chest, she longed to hoist herself up onto his lap and just be cuddled like she hadn't been for a long time. "You certainly know how to lower peoples defences." she said softly, smiling even more happily. "A-and..." she paused, looking up at him. "T-that's why I can't help you with what you w-want. Before you came over, I've r-read some of the posts you've shared with Tsunade. And You really l-love her." she stopped, taking her hand and stroking his face. "If I was convinced you weren't doing the right thing, I'd l-let this carry on." She said, sighing, saddening. "I'm sorry Folken, please don't be angry. It's just... probably the right thing." she said, now unsure of what she was saying.
He wasn't angry with her. Somewhat disappointed, yes, but his sexuality was not something wrapped as closely with his pride as it could be for others. And she sounded so small and uncertain, faltering. He could seduce her if he tried, if he pressed, he was sure of it, but a wavering partner wouldn't be half as fun. With a sigh into her hair he turned his head, catching the hand on his cheek and planting a warm kiss on her palm. One last show of what she was turning down.
"As I said, you are a strong woman." he said, his lips shaping into a rueful smile. "That altruism is one of your more charming points, so I will not force you to go against that impulse." Despite the temptation to kiss her, still. His eyes turned thoughtful as he considered Samus briefly, and what an enthusiastically athletic welcome she'd give if he turned up in her room right now. But Willow was still there, looking nervous yet not making a move to disengage from him.
"Do you wish to be held for longer?" He offered. "Nothing more, nothing less."
"Please." she whispered shifting herself onto his lap, ignoring the obvious. "I'm sorry." she said holding herself into his chest and letting a couple of tears leak down. "I've not been held like this since... Tara." She said sobbing quietly into his chest. She wanted "the comfort of knowing someone was there" she told herself. Not sex she added to herself, though she wanted to kiss him, she refrained.
After a while, she looked up at him, her face damp. She took one of the feathers out of her hair and muttered a few words in Latin, to which the feather started to glow. She plucked one hair out of her head and laid it on the feather, and the feather turned the same fiery colour that cascaded from her scalp. "If you ever... want to be together. Properly, ju-just return this feather to me." she said, slipping it inside his hand and getting off of his lap. Before he folded his wings, she took a loose feather out, and held it in her hand, smiling at him.
Folken examined the feather for a moment, twirling it in his fingers before standing gracefully, stopping to adjust the hang of his robes somewhat in order to seem decent for his walk back.
"I doubt you would believe me if I passed this to you before the week's end, so I shall keep it close for now." Folken said to her, carefully tucking the feather inside his robes. He stepped up to her, his voice lowering.
"And if you ever change your mind, you know where my room is. I would be delighted by your company if you ever decided to appear." He bent down and kissed her upon the lips, warm and soft, his eyes slitted open to check he wasn't scaring the girl.
She returned his kiss, smiling at him. "I might come for a cuddle every now and again." she said after pulling away. Hmmmm... I wonder why he's so attractive. Maybe I did get affected by this weeks test after all... she said to herself, as Folken started to leave.
Folken gave one last bow of his head before walking through the door, with a wickedly pleased smile dancing on his lips from the kiss.
"As I said, you are welcome any time." He murmured, letting himself out. He left her behind with one last glance before setting off down the corridor, whistling a far more jaunty tune than the usual, sorrowful melody he favoured. She was tempted, he knew. perhaps enough that her desire would get the better of her morals, if he played his cards right. For now, though, an afternoon with Samus was called for in order to releve certain tensions. After all, if one could experience pleasure, why not seek it out as assiduously as they could?