Sarissa (ladyofsummer) wrote in madisonvalley, @ 2017-12-10 10:53:00 |
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Entry tags: | !closed, !completed gdoc, ~2017 december, ~25 points, ~~kaleb krychek (kalebkrychek), ~~~sarissa (ladyofsummer) |
WHO: Sarissa and Kaleb Krychek
WHERE: The woods where Kaleb’s new place is
WHEN: Dec 10
WHAT: Kaleb’s house is coming along...and so are his flirtation skills
RATING: PG
STATUS: Closed; complete
Kaleb’s house was coming along. Sarissa knew this not because he’d been keeping her up to date, but because she could sense the progress through the earth he was building on. Kaleb probably wouldn’t be thrilled to know she could keep tabs on him - or at least his house - from afar, though. The thought made her smile. Kaleb kept such a tight control over everything he could, it was satisfying when she could find something that was out of his control. Today activity seemed to have taken a break, so she decided to stroll down and take a look at the house. *** Kaleb was using his powers to bring out the next load of needed materials. It was his way of contributing to the process. It also made sure that there didn’t need to be large roads cut through the trees. Kaleb liked the trees. He hadn’t preserved the forest through any concern for the environment. Having them was about keeping his life private as much as possible and hiding from the general public. Having finished with the last load, Kaleb pulled off his shirt and used it to wipe down his face. It had been taxing to a degree - especially when combined with running out to the site prior to starting moving the materials. Looking at the house, Kaleb sensed the approach of someone. It took only moments to associate the approach with Sarissa. “Good evening,” Kaleb said just as she entered the open space. “What brings you visiting this fine evening? Lonely? Needing a kiss?” He kept his gaze on the house, waiting to see what she would answer in response. *** Sarissa let him wait until she was closer before she replied. It wouldn’t do to let him think she was going to fall in line with his expectations. “Usually when someone visits, it’s to say hello, or to catch up,” she said. “Your mind went straight to an inappropriate place.” Although when she looked at him, she couldn’t help but think inappropriate thoughts herself. For someone whose mind was so mighty, his body was really quite impressive as well, all sleek, gleaming muscles that begged for someone to lick it up… *** With several large steps, Kaleb was in front of Sarissa and curled his hand around the elegant length of her neck. Using that grip, he pulled her towards him and let his mouth feast on hers. Within moments, he pulled himself away from her, stepping back. “Of course you came for a kiss,” Kaleb restated with confidence. “You needed one and I was the logical choice. It was best to get that need out of the way” He gave her a quick smile before returning to his normal solemn gaze. “Now that we have taken care of your immediate needs, how else can I assist you?” he inquired, eyes with a slight twinkle of lights across them. *** If he’d been any other man, Sarissa would’ve fried him where he stood - or at least given him a good hard slap. But this was Kaleb, and he’d somehow gotten even better at kissing than the last time they’d met. It was remarkable for someone who claimed not to have emotions, because there was definitely passion in that kiss. “Smugness is an emotion,” she informed him. “You better curb that, Mr. I Don’t Feel.” She moved past him to examine the house. “You’ve made progress.” *** “That is not smugness,” Kaleb retorted with a touch of amusement. “Merely belief that I have done exactly as expected. And that you enjoyed it as much as I did. I may not experience emotions as you do, but I am learning. Consider each interaction as growing those emotions.” He moved towards the house, considering it. “It is a good start. Come on in and I can show you what is remaining to be done.” Kaleb opened the door and escorted her in, t-shirt still draped over his shoulder. “Want a tour?” *** He was really growing up to be a real boy. Not only was he admitting to learning emotions when he’d started out so adamantly against them at all, but he’d shed the suit and tie he used to wear like armour. Soon he might even allow himself some facial hair. And Sarissa was enjoying watching every step of it. “All right,” she said, but stopped short when she got to the door. There were nails in plain sight. Iron nails. *** “From what I understand,” Kaleb commented, before noticing her face, “the next step is putting drywall over the walls. Everything else that is hidden behind the walls has been done. I’m just brought over the materials for them to start that tomorrow.” Then he noticed his face. He was immediately aware that something was wrong. Kaleb stilled. “What’s wrong?” *** Sarissa hesitated. To tell him the truth would be to admit weakness. But Sarissa didn’t want to risk being injured by cold iron either. That would reveal exactly how vulnerable she was to iron. “The nails,” she said, deciding to tell him. “They’re dangerous to me.” *** “We can talk outside then,” Kaleb answered without hesitation. He didn’t understand the concern, but that didn’t mean that it wasn’t real. His black eyes roved over her and considered the options. “And you can explain to me why they are dangerous.” Kaleb guided her onto to the steps to sit down, curious as to her reasons. He pulled his shirt back on as he awaited her response. *** Sarissa did a quick check to ensure there was no exposed iron on the steps before taking a seat. “There aren’t a lot of things that can hurt me,” she said after a moment’s thought. There wasn’t a great amount of harm in telling him that - the idea of cold iron being able to hurt fae was rife in lore. “But iron can. It’ll burn me like fire burns you.” *** Kaleb considered that information carefully. It was a powerful tool to have knowledge about how to hurt someone. He hadn’t spent time researching what Sarissa is. Kaleb knew that he could, but at the same time it was more enjoyable to pry knowledge from her and offered him far more satisfaction. With ease, he summoned a blanket from his apartment and lifted her and slid it underneath her to protect her from the nails of the porch. “As long as it is hidden, you must do fine as I have never seen you flinch in such a manner before. I assume that others like you have such an issue as well. Are there other things I should be concerned about?” *** “It was a bit of an overreaction,” Sarissa admitted. “I haven’t seen that much exposed iron in a while, that’s all.” She adjusted her seat so she was sitting comfortably on the blanket. There weren’t many exposed nails out here so she wasn’t as worried - but the blanket did make for a more comfortable seat. She glanced over at him. “Why should you be concerned?” *** “To make sure I don’t accidentally expose you to something that could harm you,” Kaleb commented in that coolly logical tone. It made sense in his mind - to be prepared to deal with the things that might hurt the one he was learning to care for. He could not profess that love emotion, but he knew that he considered Sarissa his and therefore to be protected - which meant he needed to know what to protect her from. “So what does bring you here this evening?” Kaleb inquired, bringing himself a bottle of water and opening it. “Random curiosity? The desire for more kisses?” Again that statement bring a bright flash of lights in his eye before he returned to looking as sedate as possible. *** Sarissa was silent for a moment. Ever since she and Maeve had become estranged, she’d been taking care of herself. Her mother kept an eye on her to a certain extent, but the Queen of Winter never stepped in directly to help her out. It’d been a while since she’d had someone to watch out for her. Fortunately she didn’t have to respond to the sentiment; Kaleb had moved on to what amounted to teasing, for him. She turned to face him more fully now. “Do I need a reason to come visit?” *** “I enjoy your presence regardless of the reason,” Kaleb commented, finishing off the bottle of water and sending the bottle away. “But I would like to know if you had a purpose.” Actions without purpose were one of things that Kaleb did not understand about humans in general. Everything the Psy did was coldly calculated and deeply rational. The randomness of humans and Changelings was sometimes quite unfathomable. And though Kaleb knew that Sarissa was not technically human, she bore more resemblance to them than the world he operated in. “And if there is no purpose, then perhaps we could spend time further exploring my ability to seduce you into sharing a deeper relationship with me.” Again those lights flashed in his eyes and Kaleb categorized his surface emotion as enjoying the by-play between them. *** The comment surprised a laugh out of her. It shouldn’t have been unexpected, given the heat of his kiss earlier on, but Sarissa hadn’t expected him to get to that so quickly. “I came to take a look at how the house is going,” she said. She looked back at him, a smile playing at her lips. “That’s probably a more productive goal than yours.” *** “I have yet to display how productive I can be in the matter of seduction,” Kaleb retorted, reaching out stroke his hand down a loose strand of hair before tucking it aside. He enjoyed her laughter - it pleased him to hear the sound and he wanted to continue to bring that out in her again. “But we can discuss the house,” Kaleb added. “Right now, they have the inside all done - wiring and plumbing. Next is sheetrock - whatever that is - and painting. Not much longer and I’ll be able to move in. I figure I won’t need much. Just a bed and a couch as there isn’t room for much more.” The cabin was one large space with just a smaller space off to the side for the bedroom and bathroom. Kaleb was planning on an austere space for the most part. There didn’t seem to be any need for anything more. *** “No decorations?” Sarissa asked, looking past him to examine the bare skeleton of the house. “No television, no dining table? That doesn’t sound very comfortable.” It was a small space, but there was plenty he could do with it to personalize it. But of course, this was Kaleb. She wasn’t sure if he actually knew what that actually meant. *** “I suppose a dining table may be useful but I don’t plan on making this an extravagant place,” Kaleb said with the briefest of smiles, before resorting to his usual taciturn expression. “Though if you were to consider living with me, I would consider changing my opinion on such fripperies.” Again he worked to lure her into the seduction of a relationship with him, hoping to charm her into being with him. “I am an austere person so it reasons that my place of living would follow such as an expression of myself.” Kaleb wondered if she would rise to his bait. *** “That hardly goes with your studies to explore emotion,” Sarissa pointed out with an impish smile of her own. “I think it’s a great way to express yourself. Just think: it’s impermanent, so you can arrange or remove as your evolution in human emotion develops. Also…” She shifted in her seat. Below her, the wood of the stairs had bent itself to better cushion her. “If you were to ask someone to live with you, you have to do that: ask. Although in this case, it would be a no, so you don’t have to bother.” It wasn’t that Sarissa was against roommates: she’d lived with one in some form or another for most of her life. Privacy of space wasn’t something she needed. But being around Kaleb periodically was already intense. Being around him all the time was just asking for trouble. *** Her smile warmed Kaleb in ways that began the defrosting of the places where he hid his emotions. “So you believe that I need things in order to explore my emotions? I had no idea that emotions were tied to the owning of ‘things’.” There was a bit of a sneer to his tone as he said the word. He didn’t believe what she was saying, but he was opening to listening to her opinion. “Asking. I keep getting that part of things wrong. So I should ask. Clearly I need instruction in how to ask. Perhaps you could demonstrate for me. How should I ask such a question,” Kaleb inquired, one eyebrow arching. He wanted to have her live with him, but he also wanted her in his bed. He certainly could have one, but he’d definitely prefer both. With a gentle touch, he wrapped a hand around her neck and tugged her toward him. Kaleb leaned down and kissed her. This time it was gentle and soft as he enticed her into joining him in the experience. *** Sarissa wasn’t made of stone. There was a hot guy kissing her - quite expertly at that - and she wasn’t going to deprive herself of the experience. She kissed him back, an expert herself, and only after a long while did she break away. “That wasn’t the way to ask, but I like the attempt.” She slanted a smile and pulled away from him, so he couldn’t distract her again. “Now, are you going to listen or not?” *** “That was a kiss, not an ask,” Kaleb commented, again that flash of lips curving upwards prefaced his amusement. “If I was going to ask, I believe I have some knowledge on the appropriate manner. At the very least, I would make a better attempt.” Kaleb appreciated her directness as much as he appreciated the warmth of her kiss. So he too went to a business mode. “I am ready to listen. I am interested to hear your recommendations for my space.” *** “Decor is supposed to help evoke a mood,” Sarissa told him, going into lecture mode. But even her lecture mode was light, casual. She’d learned a long time ago no one liked a know-it-all, and some people were more violent in expressing their displeasure than others. Not that she thought Kaleb would hurt her, but old habits died hard. “So if you aren’t able to come to an emotion yourself, the proper decor might help you with it.” *** “Then you shall have to be in charge of decor,” Kaleb pointed out having listened to her lecture, including asking questions to further his understanding of what she was discussing. In the end, he understood it intellectually, but emotionally - there wasn’t a connection. “I don’t think I have completely grasped the concept. I will allow you free rein - to a degree.” “But I am willing to allow you to do as you like so that I can grow,” Kaleb added, stroking a loose strand of her hair. “Though I do think neutral is a good suggestion.” He was teasing wondering what she would think of that. *** “You just said you’d allow me free rein,” Sarissa pointed out. She caught his hand and gave it a playful squeeze before releasing it. “No take backsies.” She gave him a moment to try to figure out what that meant. In the meantime, she got to her feet and handed him the blanket back. “Let me know when the walls are done. I’ll do my decorations then.” *** “Then I shall reserve my judgement until you have completed the project, though I expect not to be living in a place that resembles a rainbow,” Kaleb stated, squeezing her hand in return. Taking the blanket, Kaleb folded it and set it aside. “Leaving so soon? I am sure we have more time for other things.” Kaleb reached out and stroked down her neck gently, enjoying the smoothness and warmth of her skin. *** It was funny: for someone who had been so against any form of touch in the beginning, he seemed to be almost addicted to it now. Sarissa wasn’t so vain to think that it was because she was that irresistable, but she was enjoying his evolution nonetheless. He would never be warm and cuddly, but he was so much more human than he’d been. The key here was to make him want it, to make him want more. Which meant she had to leave him wanting more. “You might, but I don’t,” she said, dancing out of his reach. “Have a good evening, Kaleb. I’ll see you soon.” |