(Untitled)

[lastof_five]

Kate's busy pouring mojitos when Magnus puts her back to her and asks for help with her sunscreen. It's good she is, the mojitos, otherwise she might be choking on her tongue. Yeah, she's gotten used to Magnus being warmer, happy, open, even flirting. But the voluntary touching is still weird. "Yeah, sure. Turn around

Comments

Both

[will_you_see]

Particularly given how high the sun was, it was exceedingly poor judgment that had Alcuin out for a run on the beach without his shirt. He'd lost track of time, having gotten a much later start than usual on his morning run since he'd spent the night in the compound.

His fair skin was already getting a slight pale pink cast. And he'd been running for some time so there was sweat beading down his neck and back, dampening the braid that hung halfway down his marque.

He was heading home now, cognizant of the fact that he was beginning to burn, and so he almost didn't slow in his run when he passed by the two women on the beach. But he couldn't help but do so simply to appreciate the beauty - something lovely about the pale skin next to darker. Though he rarely had sexual relationships with women simply because they did not seem to be drawn to him as men were, he was still attracted to them.

It was only when he did slow that he realized who the two women were. He stopped then, taking a moment to slow his breathing. "Ah. Hello." Since it was clear he'd noticed them, it seemed it would be very rude to simply continue.

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[lastof_five]

"Hello, Alcuin," Helen said warmly. His gentle nature was something that Helen had warmed to in their conversations and while she still didn't know what, exactly, he saw in Nikola she thought Nikola couldn't have made a better choice.

"Good run, then? Or just a necessary evil?"

Re: Both

[girlsolo]

As if this day isn't awkward enough. Kate sighs, shades her eyes and glances over at Alcuin. He's pale and looking pretty pink. Not that she's checking him out or anything. Even if he is completely gorgeous.

She's actually surprised Magnus isn't fussing at him already, but she reaches for the water and pours him some. "Hey." She holds out a cup. "You should drink this." See, doc? I can actually care about other people sometimes.

Re: Both

[will_you_see]

"I enjoy it," said Alcuin, offering Helen a little smile. "Though I typically try to go earlier so that the sun isn't quite as bright." He looked down at Kate as well, and after a second he took the cup. "My thanks."

He found himself wondering if Nikola would be envious of him for this view.

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[lastof_five]

"You'll want some aloe for that, Alcuin, and some of our sun cream in order to stave off any further burns."

Physician again, yes, even when it was her day off. It was a minor thing but Alcuin was fair and this kind of sun could be detrimental quickly.

"If you like, I could help with your back? Or Kate, if she likes?"

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[girlsolo]

"Pretty sure Tesla'd rather you do it," Kate says, but she's already getting up. "But Will would rather I do it." Obviously, she cares a lot more about what Will thinks.

Not that Will would be jealous of Magnus putting sunscreen on some other guy, even one as gorgeous as Alcuin. Still, it's kind of a loyalty thing. Then she starts thinking about it and screws up her face a little. Declan probably wouldn't like it much. Well, they're not exclusive yet and she's not interested in Alcuin like that.

"Well, unless Alcuin has a problem with it." He might. She was kind of a bitch to him.

Re: Both

[will_you_see]

Alcuin was about to acquiesce to Helen's suggestion when Kate spoke, and then he looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

"I believe she was offering to put cream on my back," he pointed out. "Not to rip of my clothes and lay hands on the rest of my body." He shook his head. "My apologies, I have been on this island for over five years and I still sometimes have difficulty wrapping my head around some of the conservative cultural norms regarding sex that so many people here have."

He held up his hands. "Though in answer, it matters little to me, though the assistance is appreciated in either case."

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[lastof_five]

"I realize I don't know anything about your culture," Helen said, finding his statement about conservative cultural norms interesting in its own right. Conservative, this island? Helen didn't think so but then again, she'd seen a lot of years and a lot of changes.

"I'll start on your back while we talk, yes?"

Re: Both

[girlsolo]

"I've got it, Magnus," Kate says, since she's already on her feet. If Magnus really wants to do it, she's not going to complain but it makes a good beginning of an apology and Magnus can stay where she is, relaxing. She moves slowly though, in case either Alcuin or Magnus would rather she didn't.

"I was mostly teasing. I doubt either of them would care very much." Tesla would probably just want to watch. Will wouldn't care. She still thinks Declan might, a little, and...she's actually sort of okay with that. Maybe it's because they're really physical. She'd be a little jealous if she saw him with his hands all over Alcuin.

Okay, maybe she just knows how good those hands are.

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[will_you_see]

Alcuin stood just where he was, not moving toward either of them. "I feel as if I should make some comment about how there is no need to fight over me, but I don't think that's really the case, hmm?"

His eyes drifted to Helen though, and he added, "Love as thou wilt. It is the philosophical backbone of Terre d'Ange."

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[lastof_five]

"Ah, I see. Does that have anything to do with your tattoo, then? That motto?" Helen had noticed it since he was standing shirtless today and thought it was rather beautiful and a fantastic design. She'd never seen anything like it before.

"And Kate can do the honors. I'm content just to have a bit of a chat."

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[girlsolo]

"I can imagine people fighting over you," Kate says quietly as she lifts his hair aside and over his shoulder. It's an apology of sorts. She's not really sorry for warning him off Tesla. Tesla's a megalomaniacal ass and she still thinks he'll end up hurting Alcuin. She is sorry she hurt Alcuin, though. "I wasn't calling you PYT for nothing." That's for his ears only though, and she settles into quiet while he answers Magnus and she pours the warm sunscreen onto her hands.

Re: Both

[will_you_see]

Alcuin had told Helen a small amount about his home - essentially an abbreviated tale of how Elua's story diverged from traditional Christian mythology. He had told her nothing about himself, other than that he had died. And he realized that neither of them would have seen his marque before.

He did not like to be coy about his past, if only because it might be interpreted as shame. And so even though he was concerned how they might read the information into his relationship with Nikola, he dropped the bombshell anyway.

"It does have something to do with my tattoo," he said, and lowered his head a little to give Kate better access to his back and neck. "I was a Servant of Naamah. A religious order of prostitution."

Re: Both

[lastof_five]

"Ah, I see," Helen said, looking at the lines of the tattoo and admiring the craftsmanship. "When did you get tattooed, then? When you were a child? I'm sorry, I keep asking all these questions because I'm curious."

Re: Both

[girlsolo]

Magnus is really good at not judging people, Kate realizes. It's not something Kate admires, usually, but it's nice sometimes. Like now. Or like the fact that she's made a street thief one of her best friends and never thought twice about it.

Kate's hands never falter on Alcuin's back either. Considering all the reasons she's had sex, including for money, she's got nothing to say about it. She runs her thumbs lightly along the tattoo though. "It's gorgeous work." Her own tattoos are much simpler and lower quality. It's fitting.

Re: Both

[will_you_see]

There was a flash of visible relief across Alcuin's face. It was clear that he had been judged for it before.

"Marques are completed piecemeal, as Servants of Naamah earn patron gifts enough to pay off the debt of the House or individual who fostered them and paid for their training. A completed marque means that you are beholden to no one, and that you are good at what you do." He paused, and then added, "I'm fortunate that mine was finished, before I came here. I was younger than most, it was completed in a little over two years, just after I turned nineteen, perhaps a month before I arrived here."