There's some colour in Kalaya's cheeks too, but not too much. She watches as Ven starts pacing, smiling to herself as she remembers how the other woman always thought best when in motion. 

Then she pulls her top o---[i]asdfghjklbbb[/i]

Where to look where to look. [i]Oh Gods above and Flowers below - WHERE TO LOOK?[/i] Does she stare at the sun, at the ground? At Ven's face? Her ches- no, wait, that one is [i]definitely [/i]off limits. Wait, what's Ven saying? [i]Look [/i]at her? So it [i]isn't [/i]off the list right now?. And why is it so hot in here (I mean, it [i]is [/i]Hell - but …)

Kalaya tries to listen to what Ven is saying. She really does. But all her ears can make out is an overboiled kettle of white noise. Her face feels hotter than that green sun itself. Her thoughts a dozen dozen doves, all startled to flight. Feathers and squawking everywhere (and probably some bird droppings in some inconvenient places).

[i]She's been working out.

No! Bad brain, stop that![/i]

Kalaya's eyes snap back up to Ven's face as the other woman steps closer. The young knight can feel every muscle in her body going stiff as she grabs her arm. She's still going on about some great plan to conquer stuff and wow her brass hand feels strong. How does it even move like that? Can she feel through it?

Ven's eyes snap down.

Kalaya's eyes flick down too.

And then something happens. A single word cuts through the static. It resonates within some deep-core part of Kalaya like a gong being struck. And the sound reverberates from the soles of her feet to the tips of her ears. It shakes the mountains and the forests, startling animals to flight. The motion dislodges a single raindrop, which falls from its leaf into the raging ocean. And all. Becomes …

Suddenly.

Still.

Kalaya's eyes flick back up, meeting Ven's. The silence between them stretches to infinity. And into that vast expanse she casts out - a tiny longtail boat against all the mysteries of the stars. Leaning closer, shrinking infinity into the barest fraction of a hair's breadth.

"You … you think I'm beautiful?" she whispers.

And then the distance between them is gone. 

Ven gasps at first, tensing up like a feral cat. It's enough to make Kalaya almost worry she's made the wrong call, but before she can break away that brass hand moves around behind her. Her own moves into Vee's hair, tangling amongst the straight black strands. And the two of them just … fit. 

Now most of Kalaya's mind is currently lost to the world; Submerged in the [i]wow [/i]and the [i]oof [/i]and the [i]whuhhuhwoahs [/i]of what is currently going on. But a small part marvels at the way Vee's arms sit just right against her, at the way their bodies press flush, legs intertwined, like two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle left unsolved for too long. 

Or maybe the better analogy is Yin and Yang. Destruction and protection. The Knight and the Warlock. Heaven and Hell. The two of them, this, should never work. But something about it feels right. Feels natural.

Eventually, reluctantly, they part lips.

The two are breathing heavily, resting foreheads against one another as they stare into the other's eyes. The silence lasts for a few seconds before it's broken by Kalaya's laughter.

"Yep! Still happy!" she giggles, cupping a hand around Vee's cheek. "And [i]I[/i] don't want you to give up either. I'm not going to, that's for sure. I'll defend the Kingdoms with everything I have. So go ahead and bring that army, I'll be waiting for you at the gates."

She grabs Vee's hand, her brass hand, a fire building in her eyes to match the woman's earlier bravado.

"But I'll tell you this; The Broken King can't promise what isn't his. And it will [i]never [/i]be his." she continues. "But it can be [i]yours[/i]. Don't give up on [i]that[/i]. There's still a place in the Kingdoms for you, one you don't need armies or fire or brass to get."

"I'll … if you ever decide you want it, I'll keep it waiting for you. It's the same place you've always had … Right here, with me."