[backdated to December 13th, late evening]

[poison_lipstick]

I never thought of you as a whore, Helen. You came to me. And if that's what you wish, I won't. You won't see me.Cuthbert's words rang in Saffron's head as she headed down the path away from his place, tears still streaming down her cheeks and growing cold in the night air. At first, she went in the direction of her own hut-turned-yurt, but the

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[captainjack]

Jack looked at the door as if it had started speaking, such a rare thing it was for anyone to knock. And at this hour, in this weather...Huh.

He opened the door, shirtless with only jeans covered with a fine dust. The first thing he took not of was who it was, and when he saw her face--her eyes--Jack stepped back to let her in. Dulcita circled his ankles and rubbed against Helen's as soon as she was inside, purring loudly.

"You want some tea or something?" he asked, concern in his voice if not his words. If he needed to go threaten or maim someone, he was sure she'd let him know.

[poison_lipstick]

"No thanks, honey," Saffron replied softly, bending down to pet Dulcita briefly before she shed her jacket and gloves. It made the memory surface of the last time she'd taken it off, not more than a couple hours before, but she looked over at Jack and knew she had gone to the right place. It was easy to forget when you were focused on a body like that.

Saffron went right over to him, a certain vulnerability in her eyes that probably would have gone unnoticed if it had been someone else she was looking at, and rested a hand lightly on his abdomen. She wasn't in a state to beat around the bush, and she didn't think he would mind. "No, there's something else I came for, something else I want. Need."

[captainjack]

His arm went around her waist, the slide a reflex, pure habit now. Tea and pleasantries were right out, and he could tell between her eyes and her touch why she'd come. Well, not precisely why...but close enough to hear the tune for this particular dance.

Jack reached up and cupped her cheek, his thumb stroking lightly across her lips. If she had been any other woman in the universe, it might have been simple affection, but they both knew better and he wasn't going to be caught off guard. No way in hell she was fragile as spun glass as they'd joked.

But her lips were dry and the shimmer in her gaze was real and the part of himself that was drawn to her particular gravity had him pulling her closer and holding her like she might just be fragile. It was allowed. It was okay, in here, for this very moment.

"I think I can guess," he said softly, craning his neck to kiss her once, softly and undemanding.

[poison_lipstick]

She wasn't surprised as he checked her lips, and might have even smiled in amusement if the circumstances had been different, if the sting wasn't still so present and insistent.

Saffron loved that he was taking such care with her; even after everything, she fully appreciated a tender touch sometimes. Right then, though, it wasn't what she was looking for, nor what she needed. Breaking the kiss on a sigh, she lingered a breath away, her hands sliding up his chest. And for whatever reason, when she spoke, it came out in Chinese.

"Take me, Jack," she whispered. "Take me until I can't see straight or think clearly. Make your mark on me."