in my heart i can fly.

[oleanderknife]

Hasibe chooses not to accompany Henry to his workplace, though she probably will at some time or another--she is genuinely curious about it, but Huan requires soothing, so she takes the time to settle him in once she's alone at the house.

Comments

[oleanderknife]

That question takes her aback, for a moment, but not in as harsh a way as when he confronted her on the drinking--she hesitates, but it's not because she doesn't want to tell him so much as she is not absolutely certain. There was a point when potentially she could have found out, but it wasn't the concern, at the time, and furthermore she wasn't anticipating being around to see what he became afterward. Still, she might have guessed; Hyde was completely inhuman, and Henry is, like most things in human costume around this world they inhabit, somewhere in between.

"Well...you know that I am not normal. And unlike most people who are also not normal, I was always like this, I was born aware of the difference. I don't know what I am, it's never really been documented or pinpointed, but I do know there are a lot of people out there who aren't straight-up human; they live lives like anyone else, but they are something supernatural. There's a market, though, like I think I've said, where you can get added to, or augmented, or taken away from, like an black organ market but with pieces of people who aren't human."

She meets Henry's eyes, steady; there is a flare of anger underneath, hidden and muted, but it isn't directed at him.

"I think that whatever chemicals Pentex gave you had some kind of supernatural genetic material, or the spiritual version thereof. So, no, I don't know what sort, exactly, but--uh--if I had to guess, I'd say something animalistic." There's a pause. "...not that I mind that, but that's not the point. The point is, I think they were trying to use you to refine that market, because as it is it's messy and invasive, and to a degree you succeeded, but you are changed in the process. So I don't know what you are, but I do know who you are, if that helps, and...I have been through this, so I will help you adjust to these new abilities however I can."

[beingtwofold]

Henry knew some of this already, which is probably useful at this juncture, because he can only handle so much of what feels like the innate necessity of destruction, sometimes; they clearly have to talk about how much he's dealing with internally, but some of that is just being civilized, some of that everyone endures on a daily basis.

"Animalistic," he echoes, not exactly--pleased, but it feels like the answer to a riddle he heard so long ago he forgot, and so the awareness is age-old and new at the same time. "Yes. It's--something like that."

Having a place to start does help, and part of him would like to seek out this underground she's talking about in the pursuit of more information, but he has to prioritize certain things here, and he can ascertain that is not something she would want ever, even if it didn't also strike him as a hideously unsafe prospect. (Never mind that the fact that he himself is somewhat significantly more unsafe now is part of the issue.)

Since that's out as an option, there are only certain other ways to deal with this. "Give me time." The tone in his voice could be pleading, but it's ...not. "To figure out--if you know who I am, then--good, I'll believe anything you say, but I still feel most of the time like there are two of me."

[oleanderknife]

Hasibe's reaction to the idea of Henry even approaching that world would probably be stronger than he's seen her react to much, actually, so if he does bring that up they might be in for yet another discussion. In the meantime, she keeps her hands on him as though it tethers her to reality, her to him and him to her. Although they are settling in admirably to their new life together, she does get a little clingy, sometimes, because she doesn't forget how close she came to losing him. (And how close he came to losing her afterward, but--her perspective on that is different.)

"I thought you might," she admits, "but--you are developing more of yourself after a long time of keeping yourself stuck, so it's going to be harder, and those psychic sutures, of a sort, that I put in, those aren't totally gone yet. Everything has happened so quickly, but it'll take us twice that time, or more, to put things the way we need them."

Hasi smiles slightly, reassuring but a little sad at the same time, and leans forward to rest her forehead against his.

"But we have all the time in the world."

[beingtwofold]

One of the most difficult things he's doing right now is staying out of danger when every new sense he has craves it; he wants trouble, adrenaline, something to put motion and swinging grace to the developing forms in his mind, and they will probably get to that in this conversation, actually, but--it is ultimately more important that they stay safe for each other, at least right now, so he has inclinations, but he doesn't necessarily have to follow them.

By the same token they can be totally clingy for....virtually ever, the possibility of that kind of loss will do that. "Are you actually as certain as you sound, or are you saying this for me? Not that they necessarily have to be mutually exclusive, but I feel sometimes--you know, I'm older than you," and he's mildly facetious about this, grin slanting briefly, "but you're the one with all the answers."

[oleanderknife]

Their almost decade-long age difference so rarely even occurs to Hasi--by the time you're in your mid-twenties that's not really a big deal at all, and while she knows he's older than her (he's got grey in his hair, after all, which she totally loves, mind you, it suits him a lot), she so rarely feels just twenty-four that her own youth often goes unrealized. She laughs, a little, and nudges him gently. "I'm certain, but I also want to say this for you because I think that if I say it enough, we'll both be certain. Or at least I hope so."

She shrugs one shoulder.

"But I don't have all the answers--or I would have realized how much I was drinking, or a lot of other things. Plus, and I'll let you in on a little secret, don't tell anybody or I'll do something drastic--" Hasi leans in to speak into his ear, voice low, breath soft. "Most of the time I just go by instinct. I guess this means mine are pretty good, huh?"

[beingtwofold]

Henry pinches her on the hip, affectionate but serious about it, brows up. "Except when they come to you, sometimes. It would be enormously hypocritical of me to tell you not to feel guilty about anything when I know that's--impossible to help," the discussion of which regarding his own issues is still yet to come, appropriately, "but despite how I am frequently astonished by how much you see, you can't always expect yourself to see everything or anticipate any possibility. I noticed--because I like nothing better than just looking at you...well, maybe a few things, " ......haha, "but that's the point of this, isn't it? We can see things about each other that we can't always see ourselves, because first person perspective is necessarily limited."

Enjoy that bizarre literary reference, he's weird. "And I've overused that verb to the point of absurdity now."

[oleanderknife]

"We do manage to match up pretty well in that regard," she says, thoughtfully, "I've noticed that, too--and we keep taking care of each other, because bi tanem, left to your own devices I do not know what you would get up to, you are so male about everything."

Although she pretty clearly...you know, likes his maleness (...ahem), what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn't troll him about it on occasion, and with playful gusto. Hasibe smiles at Henry, fondly. "It's a good observation, and something we'll have to keep in mind, the ways we--is 'complete each other' really cliche? Because I thought it, but even if it is cliche, I don't care, it's just true.

"Also, I sure hope there are a few things, Henry."

[beingtwofold]

"Any number of them," he is cheerfully unrepentant, and immune to trolling (lies), "but there are these moments that catch me, sometimes--I think most of it is related to housework, so you should assume that's because I enjoy living with you and not because if you're doing housework that means I don't have to do it."

...speaking of trolling. "If that answers your question about what I'd get up to in your absence, but do not make me find out." Which throws the conversation at least a little into deep serious waters again, but in this state of comfortable nonchalance, they can veer easily from one to the other without so much as a breath, frequently.

Sometimes this is because they're using all available breath to make out, but the point stands.

[oleanderknife]

"Never," she says, answering that note of seriousness with fervor in kind, and then transitioning neatly back to teasing as she twists playfully (and provocatively) in his lap: "Just for that, though, I'm going to start doing all the housework in a little flippy skirt and nothing else and tell you you can't even touch me the whole time."

Notably the constraints of their relationship mean that although she might say 'you better stay over there' that doesn't necessarily mean he has to or she even expects him to; their words for that are different, and that's acceptable, too, when everything is the slightest bit twisted with them, but unashamedly so. They make it work for them, and moments like now are examples of why.

Furthermore it has occurred to her their roles in the household are pretty gendered, but they are aware of that and okay with it, and because it is their choice and personal preference, that makes her comfortable.

[beingtwofold]

Henry apparently intends to maintain an elaborate pretense of this meaning exactly how it sounds, however, at least for the moment. He has been taking 'puppy eyes' lessons from ....the actual puppy in the house, however, and it can pretty much be surmised Huan is awesome at those, so it's kind of a miracle he's not romping joyously through the entire house right now despite Henry's intention to put him to bed so he and Hasi can have Serious Adult Conversation.

Which has thoroughly devolved by this point anyway, as is demonstrated in perfect clarity by ....puppy eyes. Given a whole lot of what comprises Henry at this point that's probably a little like having a wolf snuggle up, but Hasi does just fine with that anyway, so: "Are you just going to tell me that, or are you going to actually mean it?"

Semantics. "And assuming I demonstrate that kind of inhuman patience," he continues, helpfully shifting so as to accommodate this being twisted at, eyes going a shade darker, "what are you going to do when the house is spotless?"

Because ...it will be, Hasi is a perfectionist. Which is presumably why they require squadrons of teenagers for yardwork; Henry could--and kind of likes--doing it, but it would take days.

[oleanderknife]

Hasibe actually enjoys his wolfish ways, judging by her playful, gamine little giggle at that first question, tossing her hair over her shoulder, concurrently to which the strap of her camisole slides down: "I think more of the former, but I don't know, Henry. I might be exhausted and just take a nap--"

Unlikely, also: stop that, Hasibe, you liar. "--or, more probably, I'll go and turn myself over to you and let you decide what I'm going to do next. Or have done to me. Do you have any recommendations?"

She tilts her head to the side and leans in to graze the side of his throat with her lips, gentle soft and sweet for the span of about five seconds, and then abruptly there is the sharp sting of Hasi's teeth. When she straightens, her expression is elegantly smug, brows arched in an expectant challenge.

"If you can think of anything."

Because that wasn't clearly geared toward disrupting thought, or anything.

[beingtwofold]

Given the countless number of times Henry has been bitten by this woman one presumes he ought to be able to handle it with some aplomb at this point, but apparently the more some things change, the more they stay the same. And maybe he's just playing to that smugness because it amuses both of them, but ...mostly not, mostly the glazed look she gets when he opens his eyes is genuine.

Still, for this kind of behavior he is obligated to troll her in some way, and as such once he returns to coherency he develops an expression of absurd guilelessness, which is great, because innocence wears hilariously on a wolf. "I have absolutely no ideas. In fact," gearing up for some ridiculousness now, "my brain is utterly devoid of rational thought, and soon I won't be able to remember my own name, and you'll have to pick out my clothes and come with me to work and type things for me and basically see to my every need, but I bet you won't complain about at least one of those."

Hint: it's 'picking out his clothes.'

[oleanderknife]

She gives him a look for his trouble there, though her shoulders shake with laughter suppressed; Hasibe tips her chin back as though she has been astonished by this terrible, tragic news. She nods along, sympathetic, and says, decisively, "You poor thing. In that case, it really wouldn't be fair for me to go to bed with you or even sit on your lap like this; inappropriate when you wouldn't even remember your own name!"

So she starts to slide backward in his lap, as though making an effort (a very slow effort, evidently) to abandon it.

Let's see how far she gets.

[beingtwofold]

It takes significant effort to hold onto her when they're both laughing now, his as much induced by hers as by his own questionable cleverness, but he manages, a feat which would have been highly improbable before he found himself possessed of physical strength that sometimes baffles and even frightens him, but--now he's not thinking about that. So if she sometimes wishes he'd let himself go a little more, well: mission accomplished there.

"No, you have to help me. Clearly you're the only one who can supply me with these vital details."

....go on, Hasi, carte blanche to make up any insane thing you want will probably never be given again.

[oleanderknife]

"Oh, reeeally." Fact: Hasibe loves any excuse to make up a story, although in this case it's less making one up and more a matter of reciting one she has heard already and warping it to be less hideously depressing, but she rocks forward on his hips, wrapping both arms around Henry. As though securing herself to him, in case he decides she is simply too ridiculous to permit, which is approximately the least likely thing in the universe, but she just likes attaching herself to him, nails sliding light over the side of his neck.

"In a fit of--let's say rebellion, I don't know, we can run away and, um, join the circus." Yes. "I'll spin fire and walk the tight rope, and you can catch me if I fall, and be the master--ringmaster, excuse me!"

That was intentional. She grins down at him, a little wild thing in his arms; for all her domesticity, there are moments like these when it's hard to tell she's joking, when the flame of her burns blue-white and blisteringly beautiful. Only the patent absurdity of her idea really gives it away, but she does, after all, spin fire professionally sometimes. "Or both. We can put you in a top hat when you direct the show, you can tell me when to twist and where to turn, and we'll travel all the way to the circuses in India with fake names--maybe mine will be Sanchari, you can be a mysteriously light-skinned rajah who's left that cloistered, bureaucratic life to stay at the much more exciting carnival with his June Milleresque girlfriend, played by yours truly--and every night we'll reenact at least five pages of the Kama Sutra. No audience participation, but we can't help it if they hear us, or watch through the sides of tents with sheer doors, only able to make out shapes and sounds."

She dips down to meet his eyes, abruptly, giggling, and steals a quick kiss.

"Huan can come and be a lion-tamer. What do you say?"

[beingtwofold]

Henry is utterly straightfaced, completely deadpan serious; he could be considering his tax returns or when to schedule a root canal. This is a finely honed art he will have you know, and it is an intrinsic part of why they work so well together--he is deeply, deeply grounded (even now) and she is capable of these brilliant flights of fancy, and balance in anything increases its chances of stability.

"I think," he returns, eventually, only a falling flash of light in his eyes betraying how he is obviously kidding, for ...all that his words make it crystal clear, "it might be more trouble than it's worth to get Huan a work visa."

Dammit, Henry, get your real world out of Hasi's charming fantasy. "But I'll get you a tent and an audience if you really want them."

That's better.