Barham,
Pathei Mathos,
Imperial Fox,
RPM,
vue2026,
Hope Lover,
Mountain Moose,
Mao Mao,
Plank Sinatra,
Cherrytree
  ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅  ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅   | ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ Location 🦇 Praetor Cassian's Living Quarters → New Rome Colosseum To say the day had started out "good" would be the understatement of the century. Nothing says 'good luck' like a little chaos in the sheets, eh? It took every ounce of strength for the New Rome's Praetor to pull himself from the sheets of his bed - away from the warmth beneath the comforter... beside her. The crooked grin plastered on his face wasn't going to go away anytime soon as he started grabbing a fresh pair of clothing for himself, struggling to keep his eyes off of the scene that surely unfolded behind his back. "I go against Madalyne Crane today. Should make for an interesting fight. She's.. coming into her own, to say the least." It wasn't at all a comment meant to throw any bit of shade. The girl really had come a long way in her sparring. The two of them had practically grown up in the Legion together and had spent countless hours together sharpening her skills as a soldier. It was the least he could do for a friend. With his hands still dug deep into his dresser drawer, he half turned his head though still not bringing his eyes to meet with her figure full-on, raising a playful brow. "Gonna be able to contain yourself today? Gotta act semi-professional if you wanna come and sit with me as my guest," he put a bit of teasing emphasis on the final word, unable to help the smirk that curled at the corner of his lips. With hair in a mess and a flame in her chest, Marlowe took a few moments to look at the ceiling above her. It had been quite some time since the two had taken their friendship to the next level, though not quite going as far as to put a label on it. And she knew without a shadow of a doubt that it wasn't for his lack of wanting. It was she who was keeping the man at a distance. As much as she could possibly allow herself, anyway. His voice broke through the rare bit of silence in her mind. Letting out a slow breath, she let her eyes slide to a close for just a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was to rejoin the world outside of of these walls. Not only would she have to share him, but she had to be amidst them all. Something she always dreaded. Not to mention the noise that would fill her head once she walked out of his door. Marlowe had found herself addicted to the way this man could quiet the chaos in her soul. Clearing her throat, she slowly pushed herself to a sitting position with one hand, bringing her feet to the side of the bed. She allowed herself a second to adjust to the new position before rising to her feet, letting the sheet slip completely away from her. One thing she was not was insecure about her body. Especially not when it came to this particular Praetor. "Mads is nothing compared to you." She glanced over her shoulder at the man, catching the playful look on his face. Her hair fell halfway into her face as she returned the look. A quick smirk pulled at her mouth at his remark as she pulled her fishnet stockings back onto her legs. "No promises, as always. But I will try my best." Cassian's smirk pulled further at her replies, shaking his head at both, though for completely different reasons. While he didn't like to personally compare others to himself by saying things like someone was 'nothing compared to him', he wasn't about to fight her on the matter either. He knew he wouldn't win even if he tried. His gaze dropped down to the pair of boxers in hand a moment, rolling his thumb over the fabric a beat or two while his mind raced with different things before he raised his head again, his eyes finding hers with the same playful fire they always held for her. "As always," he mocked, scrunching his nose at her before turning in place to finally fully face her, chuckling softly before speaking up again. "When I die in the ring today, promise you'll remember me." A small snicker left her mouth as she settled her black cutoff shorts on her hips, quickly securing the button and zipper in their respective places. Their banter always managed to rile her up, but she knew at this particular moment that he had other affairs to attend to. Their current time together was fleeting. Looking around for her bra, she caught sight of it at the end of the bed just as he turned to face her. Marlowe blinked and glanced up at him as she took in the full sight of Cassian Morgan. The breath hitched in her throat, her teeth quickly sucking her bottom lip into her mouth. She cleared her throat as she looked through her lashes at the man, the playful look on her face immediately turning sultry. "Oh, trust me- I'll definitely remember pieces of you." Whatever bit of composure he assumed he had before was now out the door. Both color and heat rushed into his face, shaking his head in an attempt to shake off the shit-eating grin from his face as a chuckle escaped him, eyes dropped down to his task of pulling his boxers on. "Kinda shocked you didn't offer yourself up as a tribute, not gonna lie." Next task? Assembling his armor. Nothing says throwing a fit like Praetor battle attire. Imperial Gold breastplate. Tunic. Pteruges. Greaves and bracers. Praetor's purple cloak. Traditional. Nothing too fancy. Cassian tugged on his tunic before starting on the rest, his eyes fixated on the woman before him as she too finished getting re-ready for the day. "Guess I really do do a thorough job, mm? No residual steam to let off in the arena for you," he chuckled softly. Oh, how completely meal-worthy the man looked when she could make him blush. And yet, his next comment had her rolling her eyes. She barely wanted to be around the others- there was no way she was going to offer herself up to parade in front of them for their enjoyment. Marlowe let out a breath and quickly slipped her bra into place before pulling her black crop top over her head. It settled just below her breasts. Placing her manicured hands onto her hips, she watched as her- correction, not her man, dressed himself for his upcoming battle. His offering to the slaughter. "Please. We both know even you couldn't take me in the arena." It was true her knife skills were more than impressive, yet she couldn't even begin to imagine laying a finger on the man in front of her in harm. A definite first for her. A soft spot she never expected. Clearing her throat from the thought, she tucked her hair behind an ear before sliding her feet into her very-worn and very-loved pair of black Converse. "Hurry up, we don't need the Praetor to be late. Everyone already doesn't trust me as it is. Don't want them knowing the evil things I'm doing to the chosen one." Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. "Everyone knows how anal I am about punctuality. If we're late? Everyone's gonna know exactly why when they see you next to me. You with me in your evil clutches." He made claw gestures with his hands, reaching them out like a decrepit ol' witch though he couldn't help but laugh at the display himself, returning to fastening his cloak at each shoulder. Cassian was all business when it came to his position. Hell, the young man had always been business. He found a sense of pleasure being sat right in the middle of the chaos that was leadership. It was second nature. He'd never really sought out leadership roles, but they always seemed to find him. He never said no. The sense of purpose. Of belonging.. it meant something more to him than he had the words for. Making a final grab of his gladius and helm from his table, he turned and headed for the door, opening it wide to allow Marlowe to exit before him. The door to his quarters shut behind them, the two standing tall and on display for the whole of New Rome to take in, her arm securely hooked around his as they made their way to the Colosseum. ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ On the outside? She was calm, collected, centered. A picture of absolute uncaring. But if someone were able to see within her? Marlowe had been an absolute mess. She knew better than to doubt his skills, but every time a blade came near him, she wanted to appear between it and his flesh. It rattled her to her very core. And when he did get cut? Her insides burned. Her lip had curled and teeth bared, her very being darkening with rage. Marlowe's black stiletto nails had curled around the arms of the chair she sat in, lest she disappear into the shadows and gut the girl like a fish. She had sensed the moment he turned serious in the arena, and then it took no time at all before his victory was called. A smirk replaced the snarl on her face as she noticed him looking in her direction for her approval, which she promptly gave. Then came his fight with Alex and Rikki. As she kept her eyes on the three in the arena, she knew this was the one to watch. The breath held in her lungs as she kept steady eyes on the Praetor. Once Rikki fell by Alex's hand, her attention focused solely on the man whose bed she had been sharing. Though, she shouldn't have worried. The fight was over and victory called before she could even begin to plan Alex's demise. She settled back in her seat and willed the rest of her nerves to calm as she waited for Cassian to rejoin her. It didn't take him long. Glancing to her side as he took the empty seat, her brow rose. "How could I not? Nobody had dared to enter the-" The words left her mind as she finally took in the sight of blood on his cheek. Her eyes immediately darkened and her body tensed before she could even think to keep the emotions hidden from him. Her own blood boiled. The reaction both surprised and terrified her, but she pushed it aside. Marlowe turned from him to look back at the arena, her eyes searching for the one who had injured him, her nails digging into the chair's upholstery. His eyes had caught a few of New Rome's citizens trying to get his attention, waving them off with a smile before his eyes turned to search hers, though he found her thick waves of black hair instead. He could feel the energy shift around her, almost as the air itself had thickened around them. His smile never faltered, though it dimmed from the overly bright Praetor-persona smile to a much softer one. One that was filled with years of unspoken words as he gently slid his hand over hers, weaving his fingers between her own as if attempting to anchor her to the reality they were in. "Hey," he started softly. A tone he only ever reserved for her. "I'm okay, M." He sat there a beat longer, his thumb brushing over the top of hers in an attempt to both comfort her and bring her back to him. If anything, humor was always a great go-to to try and bring her back from the edge if his touch couldn't. "Hey, I survived though," he began, attempting to peak around her to catch her eyes. "You don't have to just remember bits of me.. you still get all of me." The moment his skin joined with hers, the darkness inside her started to crumble. It was still a complete mystery to her to how he was able to calm the chaos within without barely even trying. Her grip on the chair's arms lessened as her fingers wrapped around his, her line of sight moving from the arena to their connected hands. And if his touch hadn't reached her, the way his voice dropped towards her absolutely did. Taking the moment to regain control over herself, she cleared her throat and focused directly on his voice instead. Marlowe glanced up in time to see him looking at her. She tilted her head at his statement as a small grin managed to tug at the corner of her lips. "You're an idiot," she muttered with a roll of her eyes. Though, for a split second, she wondered if she truly did have all of him. Could she allow that for herself? He was the golden boy, she was the outsider. On paper, they could never work. It was better to keep him at arms length. She couldn't handle another loss. 'There it is. There's that smile,' he thought to himself. His own growing a bit at her reply. "Maybe. But you voted for this idiot, so.. that's gotta count for something!" The way her smile didn't quite reach her eyes, he knew she was still battling something that she wouldn't outright speak on.. maybe not now, or ever... though he had an idea. He wouldn't push her, but rather sit and hold space the way he always had for her. Holding space for her to feel whatever it was she was feeling, knowing that she could crumble safely with him. Though Cassian had mastered the whole persona masking for the masses when he became Praetor, he still was always given away by his eyes. With her? Sometimes it was hard to tell, as she had mastered the art of building walls in a way Cassian would never truly understand. Once she was hidden behind them, hardly anything could draw her back out. Part of him wished he could do that. Sit behind a wall he built himself and just switched the auto-pilot on... but he couldn't. He envied the way that she could. Still, he was perfectly okay with sitting on the opposite side of it while he waited for her. He was a patient man. He could wait her out, if needed. "I'm starting to rethink my decisions," she joked. She allowed herself just another moment to search his face, his eyes. The eyes she swore could look deep into her soul. Could he tell how she really felt about him? She couldn't have that. He couldn't ever know. She wouldn't put that pressure nor responsibility on him. Her chaos and darkness wasn't for him to bear. Clearing her throat, she looked back to the arena and took a breath. "So, a final fight, yeah? Then the whole bonfire, holding hands, celebratory thing?" Marlowe didn't know if she could handle seeing him in another battle today. That was, she didn't know if her chaos could handle it. She was overly protective of this man and a part of her hated that vulnerability. Shaking her head, she returned her attention to the man who was holding her heart in his hands. "Pshh.. rude." He let his gaze fall to their joined hands a few lingering moments before he pushed them out towards the arena and all the people in attendance, straightening up his posture a bit more. Cas cleared his own throat before he spoke up again. "The veterans still have their final fight, yeah. I'm done for the day. No more showing off for me, unfortunately," he smirked. "But yes.. all the joyful, joyful hand-holding, a little kumbaya... then you can baby my wounds back at my quarters." She didn't realize the breath she had been holding when it was suddenly released when he stated he was done. With a quick nod, she settled further back in her chair, her hand still firmly wrapped up in his. Here in the shadows, she wasn't about to let him go anytime soon. "Good. I'm already done sharing you for the day." Did she say that out loud? She most certainly had. Clearing her throat, she shrugged and quickly diverted her attention back to the arena. She wouldn't speak further of her feelings for the man. That was for another day. ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ ▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅▅ |
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