InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "*sigh* Still not king."

Dia Thakur (protectress) wrote in cirque_rp,
@ 2017-11-18 16:40:00

Who: Nalini & Ashok
What: Focus, focus, focus.
When: October 30th, late afternoon
Where: Nali & Ash's trailer
Rating: TBD

As promised, Nali was waiting in the trailer that had been assigned to them, perched Indian-style on their sofa. It was strange to think of the place as theirs, of them sharing the items inside, but so far they had done okay. Not perfectly; things between them were still a little stilted, awkward. But they were at least learning to live with one another.

Also as promised, they had been working on Ashok's training since a day or two after their arrival at the Cirque. It was slow, steady work – exercises based on control and remaining calm, on moving between forms, on emotional regulation. Nali had learned her own control over years of practice – she had not always been so serene. Ashok seemed to be having trouble with it; she swore that he was annoyed with her more than anything.

When he entered the trailer, one of Nali's dark brows shot up. He looked aggravated, tense. Unsettled. And his tunic was fitting a little more tightly than usual over his chest; he seemed more... defined. She didn't look too long, only a glance. "Get comfortable – I'll get you something to drink. We start with relaxing."

(Post a new comment)

beforetheeast
2017-11-19 12:52 am UTC (link)

While he had started to become more comfortable around his new bride, Ashok had not yet found himself able to get over the awkwardness of their opposing personalities. He did not want to be a curse on her life, yet he could not change who he was. Ashok pinched the bridge of his nose. He had a hatred for meditation really. It was not Nali's fault that she was left to teach him. In the end he blamed his great-grandfather for leaving him with the supposed 'blessing' of being a Guardian and the Gods agreeing to it. What kind of strange sense of humour did they have?

The carnelian stone sang in its low tone inside his ears as it had taken control of his chest, changing flesh to the guardian. The disembodied cries had set off his Guardian so much that he could not fight it off much more than what he had. While he logically knew that the time of year in these parts meant such noises might happen and they were not in danger- besides the missing and dead humans- his Guardian reacted based on the emotional response it created.

With a huff, he sat down on some of the pillows on the floor. "It's a bit hard to relax with these chudee noises."

(Reply to this) (Thread)

protectress
2017-11-19 01:03 am UTC (link)

"If it were easy, we would not be here," Nali offered blithely, unfolding and padding on bare feet into their little kitchen. It was small, but she liked it; there was no useless clutter. Everything had a place and a purpose. Within a few moments, the smell of spices filled the trailer. Nali returned shortly afterward with a mug of a hot, spiced drink that she offered to her husband – a family recipe, strong and settling.

A moment later, she settled on the floor just across from him, folding herself back up comfortably. It was true, they were still getting used to one another; they were very different. And they were both awkwardly new to marriage itself. But she was sure that they could get through it. Other people had; there were many happy couples whose marriages had been arranged, even just in their own families.

"Drink. Narrow your focus to the taste of the tea and the sound of my voice. You must practice, Ashok."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

beforetheeast
2017-11-20 01:15 am UTC (link)

As grumpy as ever, Ashok looked up at the offered drink. His lips pressed into a line, but he took it with a nod of thanks. To most people he was okay with being rude, Nalini made it hard to be with how calmly she dealt with him. He spoke to himself at length about how annoying it was and he wanted to for once to see her angry. They had not even lay together in a married way because his internal dialogues and awkward ideals of life made it all be pushed aside for the calm of sleep.

With a huff, he sipped the tea and closed his eyes. "I hate practicing. This was meant for my sister, not me."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

protectress
2017-11-20 01:44 am UTC (link)

"And yet, here we are. You and I, and not your sister. And from the way things have gone over the last two weeks, here is where we're clearly needed." Nali's voice was calm and measured. It had to be. Ashok needed to learn about his abilities, and he had to learn to control himself... which mean that she had to control herself just the same.

Despite his grumbling, Ashok did as she asked, and Nali's lips twitched at the corner. "So we practice. Tell me what you can hear, Ashok?"

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

beforetheeast
2017-11-21 06:45 pm UTC (link)

Though he might have normally glared at the first portion of her reply, Nali's ability to keep a calm tone in her voice did not lend itself to such a reaction. His mind interpreted it as sarcasm, but he could not justify the glare due to tone. Instead, he gave a huff in retort.

"You... obviously." He said in a short tone. Ashok took a deeper breath and tried to focus. Every time his mind attempted though, he found the guardian tugging at his form. "And the-" He growled. He was trying! "the low hum of the stone. It grows louder every time those cries happen."

Ashok's fingers flexed. His solid form under his shirt peeked ever higher and the vibrant orange and amber stone crawled up his neck with its shift. The black onyx of his stripes had begun to appear the further he tried to relax. Raising the cup to his lips again, Ashok shook his head. "This isn't helping... if I meditate it will just take over."

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

protectress
2017-11-25 09:50 pm UTC (link)

Watching the stone encroach further, the vibrant covers sliding to overtake the skin of his neck and shoulders, Nali frowned. He was right, the meditation wasn't working – she suspected that had a lot to do with the fact that he couldn't block out the shrieks outside their trailer. Grounding herself in the other things around her had always worked for her, but...

"Then we can try something else..." There was a beat of hesitation, a slight pause while she considered her options. And then a slight flush of pink that ran across the tops of her cheeks when she spoke again. "Come on. I'll run a bath." Unfolding from the lotus position was easy, and she did so without waiting for a real answer, turning to move toward their bathroom.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

beforetheeast
2017-11-27 05:38 pm UTC (link)

Ashok opened one eye first at the comment and then the other. The small fidgets of the guardian trying to beat him into submission stopped as he watched her. "A bath?"

Pushing himself up off the ground, the idea distracting him enough to keep his movements more fluid than pained. "If tea and meditation don't work how is a bath suppose to?"

Where there was typically a tone of doubt and scepticism, a hint of uncertainty came up. Ashok knew that if his family heard how they had been living they would have been disappointed in many ways, but for Ashok an arranged marriage would not be some excuse to suddenly be flirty and happy with each other. This is what went through his head immediately upon the suggestion of a bath, not knowing what the plan would be after it was drawn.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

protectress
2017-11-30 12:43 am UTC (link)

"A bath," Nalini confirmed, a bit of good-natured sarcasm creeping into her tone. "You know, one of those wet things that people enjoy sometimes? Warm water, sometimes bubbles, sometimes salts?" She had to say that the Cirque had done very well by them, as far as the most lovely bathtub she had ever seen went. It was deep and comfortable and just perfect to sink into up to the neck.

Granted, she hadn't really invited Ashok to be a part of any of her prior baths. And she wasn't sure if she was doing so now. The thought had occurred to her, but it was entirely possible that she wouldn't go through with it – a lot of that depended on his reaction. And the notes of hesitation that she heard on his part weren't really encouraging. Maybe she wasn't his type?

It didn't matter. The bath was an offer of relaxation, not an awkward attempt at seduction. "If tea and meditation don't work, and the Guardian is going to overtake you one way or another, you might at least enjoy a soak? It always made the process less distressing for me." She didn't mention that just the mention of the bath had been enough to distract him from his worries – if he was busy thinking about the offer, he wasn't thinking about the Guardian.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

beforetheeast
2017-11-30 03:24 am UTC (link)

"Har har," he retorted to her sarcastic reply. Ashok had never been much for extended baths. His own form of relaxing and calming himself involved being amongst trees in mountains, sit out on large boulders and watching the world. The Fae never spoke of these moments as they had always been private matters and the only time he could be alone instead of amongst his large family.

"Less distressing? As if stones are better submerged in water?" Ashok stepped into the bathroom behind his wife and looked around. The change of scenario had provided more of a distraction than the bath might have meant to.

Waiting until she set up the tub, he slipped out of his shirt and placed it on the sink. While the Guardian had taken over, its orange stone with sleek black stripes gleaming in the light of the room, it had not changed his form into the tiger. Carnelian and onyx stone formed defined muscles over his entire torso. The spot that never went away merely part of the entirety trying to overtake his body.

Chewing on the side of his bottom lip, he faced Nali. "Are you joining the bath?" He asked, quietly. The typically sarcastic tone no longer present.

(Reply to this) (Parent)