PopeAlessandros

When the Roar Falls ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

Viltez listens with rapt attention as his guest describes the spirit that's worshiped at his shrine. He knows the spirit seems to have lost his following a bit, enough that Aryx felt it was okay to just leave the shrine and travel for a while, but he's still in awe of hearing about a real, actual being of worship from a man he's grown to trust. There's always a lingering doubt when he hears from travelers about the gods and spirits worshiped in other places, but with Aryx, he trusts the man enough to feel that he must be speaking of a being that is very, very real.

Aryx talks about how the being is connected to the would around him, and the beast man feels in awe of someone being able to connect with the very elements around them. 'Well, he's a being of worship, not a person, so they can do anything, but it still sounds like it must feel amazing. . .' His back straightens a bit, his interest piqued when Aryx mentions that he was named after the being, and his tail comes up to curls over his shoulder, almost as if it wants to listen as well.

As the name rolls off his guest's tongue, Viltez can sense something strange, and powerful, behind his words. The look in the man's eye, his tone filled with self pride, and the name itself combine to send a shiver down the beastman's spine. “Authuryx. . .” he echoes, feeling the name on his own tongue as he thinks of a being that has dominion over lake, woods, and whose spirit can dance in the clouds before a storm. He lets the name linger a bit before smiling wide at his guest. “It sounds like a great being to be named for. I bet it feels great to share a namesake with such an incredible being.” Grinning brightly at his guest, Viltez completely doesn't catch on to the fact that Aryx is talking about himself. Looking down at his plate, he pokes his food a bit. He doesn't know what meaning his name has, if any at all, since he never got the chance to ask. A flicker of longing to know passes through him, but then like every other thing in his life that has to do with a selfish desire, the desire passes and his focus returns to his companion with a bright smile.

Who Will Break? ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

Kiel lets out a little chuckle, shaking his head. “No, the centers are community run. The church helps out on occasion but. . .” Kiel still, his eyes snapping to Sarah. The girl has gone rigid, her eyes wide with terror. While instinct tells him to comfort her, the priest instead stands and tilts his head, holding up a hand to shush Zach. After a moment, he hears what Sarah did and with a determined look he pulls a key from his pocket. Kneeling down in front of Sarah he speaks softly. “You know what to do little one.” he murmurs, pressing the key into her hand. The touch of the sharp metal seems to shock her out of her fear and with a cry she rushes to the spare room. Another sound from outside, definitely an angry voice this time, spins Kiel on the spot, a determined look on his face.

Some time ago, when she first came, she knew her father was a strong man and might be able to get the key to the room from Kiel, so to comfort her when her father comes looking for her, he took to giving her the key so it will be her choice to unlock the door and let people in. Kiel doesn't have time to instruct Zach and leaves it to him to act responsibly as he hurries out to confront the angry man who can now be clearly heard outside on the church grounds. The man is just coming into sight of the small cottage as Kiel Exits and with swift, firm steps the priest moves to meet him before he reaches the building proper.

Upon spotting him, the man goes off like a bomb, his dark face getting right into Kiel's to begin screaming. “Fucking you! It's god damn fucking you again, isn't it!?” he hisses, the smell of drink and meth hanging off the man clearly marking him as not in his right mind now, if ever. Kiel doesn't move despite the man having a hundred pounds on him. He doesn't get the chance to speak, as the man continues to yell in his face. “You're fucking keeping her locked up in there like some little slave girl aren't you?! You fucking pervert! Takin' my little girl, telling her it's okay to run away from her family, that it's okay, that you're there for her. You fucking pedophile!”

Kiel can see his fellow priests out of the corner of his eye, and he knows they will call the police. He can't give them any attention however as he stands his ground, not giving the man a clear line to the cottage. “Sir.” he begins as politely as he can manage. “Sir, I am not keeping your daughter against her will, and I've not laid hands on her in that manner. I've only offered her a safe place to stay under the lord's care while your family settles down from whatever scare-” Kiel stumbles back as the man shoves him hard in the chest.

“I've read about you fuckers, don't give me those fucking lies! You fuck little kids because that's all you can get, you fucking perverts! Pedophiles all of you!” He screams this at the top of his lungs, taking the couple feet he got from shoving Kiel who is once more standing steady and not looking to move out of his way.

'He's clearly in the middle of some nasty trip here. . . I hope the police come soon. When a person is this deep in, there's no reasoning with them. I know she can hear every word of this, and poor Zach. . .' Kiel shakes his head, not backing down as the man shoves his face into his once more and continues to scream that Kiel is “raping his baby”. Kiel is unhurt by this accusation normally, but faint flickers back to his foul dream leaves him a touch vulnerable and despite his prayers before, he can feel the man's words cut him ever so slightly.

When the Roar Falls ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

Compliments do indeed cause more of a flush to blossom on the man's cheeks, and the blush lingers as the meal begins. He's surprised to hear that Aryx was some kind of shrine guardian and smiles wide at learning something new and very interesting about the man. “That sounds like it was a big job. It's sad to hear that people stopped coming. I've never been to a shrine before, but I know from travelers that there's a long history of people relying on them for temporary shelters, for guidance, and for peace of mind. Worship is important to a lot of people.”

His tail drifts back and forth as he speaks, enjoying the calm, relaxing talk and peaceful atmosphere. His flush fades a bit as he thinks about what it must have been like growing up with such a grand purpose. He's just a random half-breed, born to a nobody mother and father, and abandoned in a random village. He eats slowly, enjoying the food a bit before a question occurs to him. “Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't even think to ask, but what being was worshiped at your shrine?” He knows the standard beings of worship are gods, but sometimes beings of immense power or historical significance have taken that place of honor.

Who Will Break? ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

It's clear that neither child is in the mood for bible studies as Sarah gives Kiel a big, pouty grin and scoots closer to Zach. “Alright, alright.” he murmurs with a little pout of his own, ruffling her hair gently before taking a seat on the grass by the bench. The older priests would not be able to accomplish this so easily, and would likely disapprove of him plopping down on the ground like this, but as he is trying to connect with children and youths, he's more than used to sitting in such an undignified manner.

Sarah is happy to see she doesn't have to leave the garden and slips down off the bench to sit with the father. He smiles at her and watches with a smile as she goes back to drawing what she's been working on Kiel can feel the peace of the moment wash over him and he enjoys the feeling of God's creations all around him. The peaceful breeze, the soft sounds of birds, the light scratch of pencil on paper. It's all very relaxing. Time passes like this until Kiel catching the telltale sound of the church's side door opening. “It seems the food is ready. We should head inside now.” he murmurs, helping Sarah up gently before holding out a hand to Zach.

After his prayers, he feels ready to be himself around the young man once more and feels nothing inappropriate when he helps the youth to his feet. Sarah half hides behind him as they make their way inside, the sister delivering the meal smiling and waving as she passes. 'I am so sorry Sarah that you have suffered so much as to be afraid of such a kind person' Letting out a sight, he opens the door for them and waits for both to enter before slipping in behind them.

The smell of food is already permeating the small house and Kiel takes a moment to breath in the scent. He grins at how tasty it smells and instructs them both to wash their hands while he prepares the table. Once they are ready, he washes his own and takes a seat. Prayers are brief and Kiel lets them dig in without much of a wait. He can tell that Zach is still less than enthusiastic about “The whole God thing” so he keeps to more earthly talks. Sarah chatters on happily about her budding interest in art, and Kiel turns the talk on to Zach, eventually asking if he has any interest in looking for local art classes. “Perhaps we could look into the classes offered at the free centers. I have heard of art teachers coming down in their off time to teach stuff like music and art. Sometimes even math and reading!” He looks at the older youth merrily, hoping he's found something of interest to offer the young man.

Never Ending Battle ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

The sound of Hiro's voice causes the nervous man to jump slightly. His eyes dash to the man's face, worried that the prince would be upset with him looking over his body. The other man's eyes are covered however and he's able to relax slightly. Coughing, he sits up a bit and rests his back against the side of the large tub, His hair is still trailing in the water a bit though he's now only submerged from his collar down. He takes a moment to consider the assessment of how pleasant the hot bath is after the cold weather, then with a soft smile nods, looking towards his betrothed. “Yes, it is nice. . .” His voice luckily doesn't break despite the nerves, and he even manages to not duck back into the water as Hiro shifts.

He does however, against his will, take on a more bashful expression as the towel falls from Hiro's eyes, splashing softly in the water. He wills himself desperately to not look away, but he can't help but avert his gaze slightly when Hiro pauses mid sentence and stares. His hands fidget beneath the water. 'Is it really so shocking to see me like this? Is it bad I let my hair down? Maybe I should have waited, or maybe I was suppose to be wearing something like a towel. I've seen people in the public baths wear towels. I never used one, but I had work in a few of them. . .' He swallows, looking back up as the prince goes on to finish what he was saying, and sees that at least he doesn't look upset.

Instead, his interest seems to be caught by his partner. Hoko lets out a little noise at Hiro's touch, but doesn't seem bothered by being used a bit like a bath toy. The little nudge is enough to cause Hoko to drift towards his human partner and Akito lets his smile return as he reaches out to rub his belly. “Yes. He's surprisingly buoyant.” He gives Hoko's midsection a few little pushes to show how he just pops back up without having to exert any effort. Hoko lets out a few little squeaky whistles at the treatment, but looks more playful than anything else. The little critter ducks under the water and begins swimming around in the hot water.

Following his progress Akito flushes as his eyes land back on his intended and he has to force himself not to look away again as he trails up to look at Hiro's face. “I, um. . .”He tries to think of something to say. “On the march, almost all the baths we had were either with cloths only, or in rivers, so hot baths were always a rare luxury. . . .” Biting his lip he laughs softly, clearly still nervous despite his efforts. He looks back down at his hands, seemingly trying to strangle one another beneath the surface. “Forgive me. . .” he murmurs softly. “I must seems such a pathetic mess at the moment. . .” He closes his eyes, insides on fire as he tries to reconcile with feeling so alone and vulnerable around the man he's suppose to spend the rest of his life with.

The Power of The Fallen ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

Aoba offers his assistance, but Kuro knows what he's going to do and insists the little angel stay put and let him work. 'I don't need to be getting all distracted with you wandering around so close to me, Little Mouse' He smiles to himself, the image of a house wife passing through his mind, replacing the woman in the frilly apron with himself in a Cerberus skin one. 'Yes, son of Satan, dutiful house spouse' He chuckles slightly, turning an ear to Aoba while he gets to work. He's ready to answer right away, forming his thoughts around his various powers, but the overly talkative angel keeps going, causing Kuro to wonder what's wrong.

'Usually he so calm and quiet. I wonder if he's stuck on what happened earlier. . .' He rolls his eyes to himself. 'Of course he is. He doesn't shake stuff like that of the same way I do' Humming to himself, he continues frying up the meat for the burgers he's planning on to go with the dinner salad. “That's okay Little Mouse.” he murmurs in response to the apology. “I have a lot of 'powers' so I'm not sure I can think of them all, but I can give an outline.” He takes another moment to organize his thoughts. “I can hide my wings, fly of course, generate hellfire, a rare skill I may add.” He grins wide. “Most demon fire is different, and I'm the only one of my siblings that has it.” He puffs up proudly before going on. “I can draw my weapon from the space I keep it in hell from anywhere I may be, I can use my pendant to travel between the realms of hell and earth, and from place to place when on earth. . .”

Chopping the fresh vegetables now, he wrinkles his nose a bit at them before going on. “I can contact my Papa at any time, I can sense demons, angels, and humans nearby. I can smell the flavor of souls, and tell which are most ripe.” He looks at Aoba out of the corner of his eye at this, wondering how the angel will react. “I can use demonic energy to create clothing on myself, and transmute certain things into other things, like the demon parts into charms. Among other things.” He rolls his shoulders, sitting against the tree for so long leaving him a little stiff as he works them in the repetitive chopping motion.

“And let's see. . .I can contact any of my siblings of course, and I can pass unseen by humans when I want to, and even call of some demon forces if I really, really want to.” He shakes his head, sticking out his tongue at the idea. “I can poison pure things and use charm to sway thoughts where I want them to go. . .” He peeks over his shoulder again. “I've not been doing that to you, if you're wondering.” He says this in a matter-of-fact tone, rather than sounding like he's accusing Aoba of thinking such things. “I'm not sure it counts as a power, but I can sense and manipulate human feelings fairly well. I think that's a learned trait though, and not exactly a power. . .” As he finishes up the meal he pauses, concentrating on what he's doing.

“Can you grab the drinks?” he asks, turning with full plates and heading towards the coffee table. “I also have limited access to the Ocularus, but that's more a right than a power. The power comes from being able to use it without my brain exploding.” He sticks his tongue out again, playfully this time. His plate holds two burgers and a small salad while Aoba's salad is much larger and he has only a single burger. He knows he can get some sustenance from vegetation, so he tries his best to learn to like them. Once Aoba is seated Kuro reaches out and gives his hair a little tug. “And as for going to town, I am sure we can find plenty of time. We should go early though, to try and avoid Dani. I'm sure he'll try and come back soon. . .” He growls a little at this idea, but then smiles to show he's not completely serious. “Any questions? I think I've covered all the ones I can think of. . .”

When the Roar Falls ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

Pleased to hear that the clothing isn't uncomfortable for his guest Viltez smiles a little wider and hums softly. His tail clearly wants to get back to being around the slender man, but Viltez knows he needs to pay attention so as to not burn the soup so he does his best to keep the appendage in check. It's a little harder when Aryx comes closer to grab the dishes they will be using for the meal, but he manages to keep it from completely wrapping around the other man with a decent amount of effort. It does however slip out to brush against Aryx when it can reach and Viltez hopes he's not being a bother.

From what he can tell, Aryx doesn't seem to mind and indeed, seems to be in a relatively good mood. “No more than usual.” he responds with a smile, nodding as he stirs the soup. The little bits of contact fill his mind with distractions but he manages to talk about his day without stuttering or pausing. He talks about the hard labor, the simple tasks, the mad dash to get the last minute ingredients for the meal near sundown. “The soup took some preparation, so other than the bath I've been working mostly on making sure it turns out okay.” He flushes a little. “I've never had opportunity to cook for anyone but myself before you came, so I'm doing my best. Not sure how well I'm doing, but. . .” He flushes a bit more, giving Aryx a sideways smile before removing the soup from directly over the heat.

Dividing it into two bowls he brings them to the small table along with the sides he prepared, setting the meal out on the dishes Aryx had prepared for them. He smiles, settling down opposite his guest, the fireplace at his back as he settles on the floor so Aryx can use the bench. His tail stretches out almost like a happy dog in front of the fire as it would be awkward to reach around to the guest while they eat. Trying to find a subject to talk about, Viltez decides to turn the question around a bit. “What job did you have where you come from?” he asks innocently.

When Realms Collide {AkiBlue & PopeAlessandros}

Things are happening around him, but all Seishu can focus on is the pain. Something, he doesn't know what, can't know what, but something horrible has happened, and there's nothing he can do about it. 'Kaila. . . .Kaila, it's you, I know it's you, what. . .What is happening, why. . .Why. . . .' He cries, not caring who sees him. His eyes are pressed closed as he sobs, indulging for the first time in just letting himself be upset. Someone he loves is in pain, possibly dying for all he can tell, and all he can do is suffer at a distance, unable to help. He can feel a hand in his own and his first instinct is to push the owner away. The outpouring of energy, the warm, soothing energy however, keeps him from being able to repel whoever it is.

A warm hand cups his cheek and he can feel someone wiping his tears away. The press of lips on his forehead draws a shuddering breath from him and he's finally able to begin the thinking thing again. His eyes creep open, his vision blurry as he tries to take in everything going on around him. He sees those lovely red eyes looking down at him, filled with tears of their own as Inui burrows himself against the hand clasped between his own. He sees that his other hand is occupied as well and he lets out a faint sigh, a small part of his mind annoyed, but mostly just tired. Inui presses closer and he lets out a faint sound to try and calm the boy.

His ears finally tune in to what Enasi is talking about and he can feel his insides flip-flop. Going back to the human realm isn't ideal, but he knows that he will be able to recover faster there. He shudder, feeling outright sick as he thinks about going back to the realm he was kidnapped to so soon, but keeps his thoughts to himself. He watches Crios rush up to the bed and gives the foxy doctor a strained smile, looking away quickly as he realizes he's feeling too weak to even pretend to be okay.

Crios goes to work, trying to figure out if there's anything that he can do to help, probing here and there to try and find any tears in his injuries or fresh ones. In his pain, Seishu had indeed managed to open a few wounds and he goes to work patching them up immediately. The doctor's presence, while tempered by the injections of Rue's blood, is still like flames across his wounds, but the burn is definitely less than it was before. Looking up at his counterpart Seishu murmurs softly, “Something's happened. Something bad. I. . .I don't know what. While we're on earth, please, send someone out to find out what happened. . .I don't know how, just. . .Kaila. Something happened. . .I can still feel it now. Something, some pain, it's eating at him, draining him. . .”

~*~*~*~*~

He can feel it, as if it had happened to him. The burn of the blade. The ache of the wound. Not just in the flesh, but in the soul. True, it's never been proven whether or not their kind has souls, but Kaila has no doubt in this moment that his has been rent. Those under him are right to be cautious about letting him go, every fiber of him demanding he rescue his beloved brother, but at the same time he feels no strength to do so. He knows what has happened, he knows why, and he knows that it is better this way, but nothing short of Master Seishu would be able to convince him in this moment that leaving Jentou behind was the right choice.

Inside, the fire burns. The pain, the hatred, the sorrow. It burns brighter in the minion than it ever had before, and for the first time he begins to truly feel what it's like to lose oneself to the black pit of negativity they have forever been warned against. It clamps down around his mind and heart, dragging him down, pulling him away from reality. He doesn't even notice as they begin flying, nor when they land, his eyes seeing nothing but the darkness surrounding his being.

His ears however have not been completely dulled. He hears the voices of his underlings, the voices of the two younger men who may understand his pain more than anyone else.

'Have faith. . . . .'

The thought rings through his mind, cutting through the fog of pain and giving him a place to take a stand against the madness. For it is truly a madness trying to drag him down and keep him from helping his people. The draw on the being of every minion and nightmare when dark thoughts and feeling start to overtake is pure insanity. His eyes clear a little as he looks to the twin faces in front of him. Their worried expressions. Their tough demeanor. He can feel them here, with him, and he takes strength from that.

The pain does not fade, the sorrow does not vanish, but as he begins taking slow, steady breaths, he can feel his limbs once more, and that's a start.

~*~*~*~*~

The soft smile he's adopted since Master Seishu reset his mind is gone now. The slightly playful and pouty minion who's made a nuisance around the faithful's camp with high jinks and rowdy fun is nowhere do be seen. In place of that softness, that sweetness, is the part of Jentou that truly made him someone to fear. Hard cool eyes survey the furious face in front of him, the pain of the pricks on his chin and cheeks not even worth note. He doesn't struggle. It's not worth the effort, and when addressed, he doesn't reply. Gin isn't worth it. He does, however, let his lips slide into a smirk. The expression infuriates Gin who screams at him again before breaking his nose with a hard blow to the face and ordering the still conscious minions to leave the others and just take Jentou.

“Let the wild take them.” he hisses, turning on his heel and leading the way. The minions look to one another for an instant before complying. The white clad figure goes limp, letting them drag him along while he closes his eyes and focuses on making sure he doesn't bleed out.

Never Ending Battle ~ PopeAlessandros x AkiBlue

The pair walk along for a time, just listening to the rain and their own foot steps. Akito is relatively calm, but as the rain shows no sign of retreating he can feel slight nerves beginning to dig at the back of his mind. He thinks of how the last empress died of illness, and how he knows sicknesses can sometimes carry on to the children in a family. He worries for Hiro's health and despite still being calm and relaxed for the most part, he encourages the prince to mount up as soon as they reach the road. He knows they can not go too quickly in the rain, but at least with Hiro sitting in front of him he can provide a bit of warmth despite the chill of the rain.

He doesn't spend any breath in talking on the trip back, the whole of his attention on keeping the horse at the fastest pace it can go in the rain while also keeping an eye on the road to keep all three of them safe. When they arrive he helps his betrothed down and stands a bit stiffly, as if waiting to get yelled at. None of the guards say anything however, though he does notice some clearly less than pleased looks from them. He's not sure if it's from them having to come out in the rain or if it disapproval of letting Hiro get into such a wet and cold state.

Either way no one says anything and they walk inside and Akito lets out a slight sigh, thinking them in the clear. His heart jumps to his throat however as he spots the emperor's long, sharp stride as he sweeps over to his son. He stands stiffly once more, just barely refraining from standing at full attention, and watches the familial exchange out of the corner of his eye. He notices the glances, but he's too worried to speak up and simply nods that he's fine. His insides burn that his neglect to keep an eye on the weather worried his soon-to-be father-in-law, thinking that his beloved son may have been hurt, and he closes his eyes with the effort to not hang his head in shame.

They are once more released without direct chiding, but Akito most definitely has a distinctive sag to his stance as he trails along behind his intended. He doesn't even really realize what they are up to until he sees a couple bits of cloth being loosed from the other man's figure and he feels his heart jump into his throat for an entirely new reason. He's seen his fair share of unclothed men in his day, most of them he's fought wide-by-side with them in battle and seen them at both their best and their worse. But for him, there was never a response quite like this as he tries to listen to Hiro's words while fighting back his urge to flee the room at top speed.

“We have met.” he murmurs, keeping his voice steady in an effort to not look like a trapped rabbit in a wolf's jaws. His hands stay at his sides even as Hoko slips to the ground and creeps over to him, curious as to what's going on. He looks down as soon as Hiro is no longer looking his way and keeps his gaze firmly off the delicate body moving away from him as Hiro makes his way to the bath in nothing but his skin.

He has no idea what to do with himself, standing rigid with his eyes locked on the ground. He knows what is being asked of him, or more like, offered to him, but he's not sure what to do. There is no instructions to be had here, he needs to make his decision. His insides twist and heave and he's not sure how long he can even keep his feet as he stands undecided. But then, the servant, Kaede, speaks up, pulling him from his raging thoughts.

Her words make his face burn hot and he looks once more to the floor. 'I'm nothing special. He just isn't fighting it because I am who he's stuck with, and I'm not a copy of his father. . .' Swallowing, he blurts out randomly, “I should have kept better track of the weather. . .”

Her soft laugh makes him look up, meeting her twinkling eyes. “Even if you had, if Hironori wanted to stay out and enjoy himself outside of the palace, nothing you had to say would have gotten you two back any sooner.” She shakes her head, chuckling again. “He has a strong will, and don't you go feeling bad that you're not quite caught up to it yet.” She smiles up at him warmly, still waiting to collect his clothes.

Akito takes her words to heart as best he can but it takes him a long moment to realize why she's still in the room. Flushing again he looks out towards the bath and mumbles something unintelligible. She prompts him to repeat with a tilt of his head and he mumbles out, “I don't know if I can. . .I've never been undressed around anyone but my unit. . .” He glances her way and sees a sympathetic smile. The smile however is almost worse than if she'd laughed at him and he moves over to a bench to flop down pathetically. Burying his face in his hands he lets out a long, slow breath.

Walking closer she speaks up softly. “A bit of advice, if I may, young lord?” The emphasis on the words makes him flinch, looking up at her with a wide eyed gaze, silently asking if he really has to give her permission. She doesn't press the issue however and gives her advice without permission. “He will be your partner for life, very soon. I can think of no more peaceful and neutral way to get used to that face than an innocent little bath.” With that said, she goes back to tidying up the room.

Akito suppresses a whine and instead takes a moment to fortify before standing and beginning to remove his clothing. He keeps his eyes down and works slowly, but eventually he's in the buff, his flush spreading over much of his upper half and with a little bow wanders out towards the bath. Swallowing, he keeps his eyes carefully averted as he moves a good six feet away from where Hiro is before slipping into the water and sinking down up to his nose. Hoko decides he needs a bath as well and slips into the hot water, paddling along the surface and diving under to get himself completely wet before rolling over to float on his back.

'She's right. I mean, the wedding isn't too far away, and everyone's going to expect. I mean, it's how the whole thing works. The public ceremony, the party, the blessings, and then, con. . .consu. . .' He somehow manages to flush even deeper red and he hopes that it just looks like his skin is red from the heat. He's tempted to try and hide under the water, but instead he forces himself to look over at his betrothed. He knows if he doesn't make himself, all he will look at is the man's face, so he tries to focus on other parts of his body that are relatively safe.

His neck, arms, shoulders. . .So smooth, and pale, and the tendrils as his hair as they cling to his skin. Using the excuse of having forgotten to let down his own he looks away quickly and pulls the tape from his hair. Far longer than Hiro's, it floats about the surface of the water like a stringy version of Hoko as he goes back to barely having his eyes above the surface with the whole mess floating around him.

When the Roar Falls ~ PopeAlessandros x Raafling

The second he pulls back slightly it's clear that Aryx isn't a fan of this idea. Viltez shudders as he feels his guest's face against his neck, the tickle of him inhaling making him feel a little weak. Letting out a small noise his eyes slide closed and he lets the feeling wash over him. The moment is brief, just a passing instant of heart pounding closeness, then Aryx is pulling back and the beastman is forced to come to his senses. “Yes, it is good that you are back.” he murmurs, flushing deeply at his momentary lapse and with a force of will he makes his tail retract itself. Holding up the clothes he murmurs something about taking care of them before shuffling awkwardly out of the room, flashing the dragon a warm smile so he knows he's not mad or anything before closing the door and scurrying over to where he puts the dirty clothes.

'I will have to wash these first thing tomorrow' he muses, the light feeling in his head making him wander a little before he winds back up in the kitchen, the clothing tucked away in with the rest of the filthy things that need washing. His breath still isn't quite settled as he sets back to the task of finishing dinner and he doesn't quite get his bearings until a bit of hot food jumps out and “bites” him on the arm. Cursing softly as he comes fully back into focus, he licks the burned spot and whines at it, his focus fully back on the task at hand.

'I really need to get control of this' he thinks with a scowl. 'I mean, it was just a little contact. . .What am I, an animal? I'm not some dog in heat, I can't be letting every little thing affect me like that. . .Even if it feels so good, and he doesn't seem to mind. . .Well, almost, he did pull back, but he was the one that moved in after I pulled back, and. . .Why is this so complicated!?' Letting out a huff, he finishes with the more active part of the cooking and settles against the counter to wait, keeping an eye on the sweet soup. When he hears Aryx leaving the bathroom he can feel his heart jump but he keeps himself still, calling out instead of rushing over to greet him. “I hope the clothes fit you well enough. I will take care of the wash in the morning so you don't have to put up with them for long, I promise.” He smiles warmly as the dragon comes into view, his tail coiling happily this way and that at the sight of him.