* ℑ AM YOUR 𝕱𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐇.

@bodkin 
            
            “ not really. came by looking for a spot to smoke and found you. “ 
            
            Billy responds with a small shrug and he glimpses around. he hadn’t even noted the strawberries. he picks one off and takes the cigarette out long enough to pop the strawberry in, and then continues.
            
            “ basket looks heavy there. need help carrying it? “ 
            
            he’s good at playing the gentleman. a girl all alone in the woods and with pretty looks like that? he’s charmed his way into plenty hearts with less than that.

[a jet black lock of hair fell forward so she tucked it behind her ear. the basket hung heavy on her right forearm. she whipped her head up when she heard the man’s voice.]
            
            no. not really.    [she shrugged and stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out if she had seen him around town before. nothing came to mind. he didn’t look familiar.]    i don’t remember ever meeting you. men don’t usually come out here picking strawberries though. is there something you need?
            
            * @_smxkx_n_sxx_

@bodkin *
            
               perhaps, i am a singer so you've probably heard my voice before .

[smoothing her hands over her blue sundress. a smile plastered itself on her face.]   thank you. 
            
            [sera murmured,]    have we met before? you sound so /familiar/ 
            
            * @bloodaddict 

[the words broke from him in russian, sharp and immediate, and for a moment it only made her still. sara did not understand it, not fully, but she had lived long enough beside men like him to know the shape of a warning when it cut through the air. her brows drew together, a quiet crease forming between them as she remained fixed in the dim spill of kitchen light.]         say it. say it again in english.     
            
             [she did not move from the counter. her fingers tightened there, knuckles whitening slightly against the wood as though it could hold her steady. the silence after his words felt heavier than the storm outside, pressing into the room, filling every gap between them.]        what are you telling me?
            
            * @aeringr 

⠀translation: ⠀’don’t look back, you hear?

[a long, near theatrical sigh slipped from her, though her shoulders gave her away, shifting as the small boat rocked beneath them.]   like this?    [she loosed one hand from the oar and lifted her arms in a careless sweep, the boat giving a small sway where she caught herself with a hushed breath and a faint, quick laugh. the river brushed soft against the wood, and she settled back into him, feeling the warmth of his chest firm at her back. the boat dipped again, her pull gone uneven now, more play than purpose. her fingers tightened round the worn handle, yet she leaned that small inch into him, drawn close without thought, her teasing quieted but not gone.]
            
            * @dygougr 

so busy that you forget i exist. when was the last time we had dinner together? two weeks past, rurik.   [her sapphire eyes struck against his in a hard glare, adamantly. the nearness of him whisked the fine hairs at the nape of her neck despite herself, but the feeling was swallowed by a slow, tightening coil of anger. betrayal lay sharp within it. she turned her face aside, jaw set, the skin there still warm from where he had been too close. her breath came sharper now, lifting her bosom as she fought to master it. when she looked back, her gaze held, unsoftened.]    i have spoken plainly before. it is no fault of my own when my husband fails to heed it. and i hate this.  [the words slipped out low and strained. she bowed faintly against the shelf behind her, shifting just enough to draw a sliver of space, her wrist turning to loosen his hold, though without true force. the anger beneath her ribs did not vanish, it settled into something quieter, heavier, held close rather than cast out. rising onto her toes, she leaned nearer, her breath passing his throat for no more than a moment before she checked herself, catching at the line she would not cross. her hand found his collar instead, fingers curling into the fabric, holding him there without drawing him closer.]     is that plain enough for you?   [she kept her gaze on his, unwavering now, refusing to surrender to it. the corner of her mouth threatened to turn, but she pressed her lips together and stilled it. when she drew back, the movement was measured, though the faint disarray of her lipstick remained, left as it was, with no care given to mend it.]
            
            * @dygougr 

⠀⠀⠀⠀[ with a measured motion, he freed the book from sara’s hand and returned it to the shelf, though his jaw tightened faintly at the bend left in it. his grip shifted, folding her left arm behind her, to keep her from pulling away. he walked her back until the shelf met her shoulders, holding her there. his hand moved to catch her other wrist, securing both in one grip, hauling her closer against him. ]   our home, sara.    [ rurik said, ]    not some hall i wander.
            
            ⠀⠀you.     [ he breathed, dragging his nose along her cheek, teeth grazing her jaw before stilling. ]    speak of her as if you stood there beside me. you didn’t..   (  .. ) you left.      [ he pulled back just enough to look at her, grip still firm, and gaze affixed. ]   we spoke of wolfram. his work. nothing more.    [ pausing afore with a slight tilt of his head. ]    if you think otherwise, then say it plain.
            
            ⠀⠀go back to her?    [ his words echoed hers. ]    is that what you want?

⠀⠀⠀    ⠀⠀[ LOW LUSH OF HER RAVENOUS LOCKS LEFT A SIMMER OF TWINKLE BEHIND,       ONE HE CAUGHT UPON. following at the heel of her bare feet behind. the spill of the moonlight cast a light, a scandalous of sorts; filling the empty space in the library with intricate tension.          rurik swallowed a deep breath, faintly amused by the jealousy laid bare through her abrupt departure from the guest room. halting by the shelf, he watched her for a moment. a brow arched, gaze clashing against her sapphire crystal eyes. he moved two steps closer, mismatched eyes drawn to her pursed lips, and how they seemed to disapprove so much. rurik reached out at the last second as sara raised her hand, though he knew fully well she’d never truly strike, never when her eyes burned with a feverish heart as much as his own did.          HE CLOSED HIS FINGERS AROUND THE SMALL OF HER WRIST, AND YANKED HER FORWARD. letting out a low, guttural breath, he welcomed the clash, the upheaval of a moment carved from forbidden jealousy. his free hand rose to her jaw, thumb dragging through the matte red of her lipstick. ]
            
            ⠀⠀⠀well kept?  [ his voice turned low, roughened with a quiet scoff beneath it. ]    you seemed to be watching me closely enough to decide that.    [ a beat passed, gaze fixed on hers. ]    i was busy. with a conference.

/   omgggggg yes, my fav ♡
            
            [she did not place her hands politely upon his shoulders. instead, her arms slid up and around his neck, fingers linking there with a quiet certainty. her spine straightened, and she drew nearer without hesitation, the space between them gone in a breath. the room moved with an old waltz, strings and piano curling through the air, slow enough to make time feel thick. couples turned across the floor in practiced steps, candlelight breaking over polished wood and silk hems. but her eyes did not stay soft. they lingered past him, sharp for a moment, catching on the room before settling back on his face.]     you’re back to being stingy and bossy again.    [she gave a small tilt of her head, breath brushing close to his jaw as they turned with the music.]     look at me, not them. those green eyes of yours keep cutting at everyone in the room. you’ll ruin the night like that.
            
            * @dygougr