Private A Private Showcase

[Darth Strosius]

The moment their lips broke a slight noise of complaint left him, a whine some might say, but it was strangled and muffled as quickly as it escaped. Alisteri silently chided himself for his own eagerness and resolved to simply revel in the physical contact that Lina so generously gave him as she caught her breath. An issue that he didn't seem to have, although his composure was far more shattered anyway. Especially when her eyes opened to regard him again.

His arms drifted around her back as her hands moved up to loop around his neck, returning the embrace in kind as he ever so slightly pressed her even closer to him. He hadn't quite gotten enough of having her right beside him yet and at this rate he wasn't sure if he ever would. The unmasked man tensed as her fingers touched one of the tendrils that comprised his "wings", his whole form freezing for a moment before his next breath gradually unwound the tension.

Her words lit a new flush within his pale features, his golden gaze flickering to the side sheepishly as the traitorous tendril that she'd touched began to curl around her wrist. It didn't have much of a real texture, being more metaphysical than physical, but it did have a certain weight and sensation to it. Akin to a steadily pulsing vibration almost, not at all dissimilar to a heartbeat. Although one that was far too slow to be Alisteri's at the moment. "They're..." He sighed. "They're not the worst of it Lina. The worst of me."

His arms tightened around her waist for a moment as though expecting her to reel back or move away. "You recall our little trip to the Netherworld as you called it? My hands were...are..." A breath escaped his choked words as his gloved hands began to shake for a moment before he steadied himself once more. "I failed many times before I perished. These things are just one outcome of many of those failures." Whether he was referring to the tendrils or his hands was unclear.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina let out a soft gasp as the tendril wrapped around her wrist the deep steady thrum that reverberated through it travelling up her arm. She bent her head, pressing her nose against the soft skin of his neck, tracing soft kisses up to his jawline as he spoke, running a reassuring thumb down the back of his neck when his grip tightened on her. "I remember." she whispered just below his ear, before drawing her head back to look at his face, studying the emotion that he was trying to keep contained, feeling the tremor of his hands at her sides before he steadied them.

Her heart ached with sorrow at the way he talked about himself, the self hate her bore almost unbearable. "Alisteri," she began softly, her eyes glistening with tears that would not fall. "Nu tuti nindz ati niyikûrz. I meant what I said, in the Nether and here today. You only see these things as foul because they remind you every day of what you believe you have failed to achieve." She shook her head. "That's not what I see. I see a man who has given himself wholly over to his passion, that strives every day for strength, no matter the cost. One who will claw his way to victory one way or another. You might not be potent in the force, but you embody the code like no other. Everything you see as a failure is just another link in the chain weakened."

Lina took a shaky breath, heat burning in her gaze. "Build a new body if you must, but do not hate this one so. This is the one I am falling in love with. This is the one that I would give my heart too." She drew him in pulling him closer again as her lips crashed against his, no longer soft and patient, but hard and full of need.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

In spite of himself, Alisteri did feel the tension in his shoulders ease with each touch that she so freely gave. He was starting to think that this would need to become a regular occurrence. Just so that he could build some sort of immunity to it of course. Consistent exposure to help with maintaining composure and all that. Although in truth he wasn't certain that he'd ever get used to holding back shivers whenever Lina's lips met his skin, but he was willing to try if nothing else.

Nor would he ever manage to fully stop the shiver that ran up his form when she said his name, nor the weakness in his knees whenever she spoke such sweet words in a Sith tongue. Or sweet words in general it seemed, given that he could hardly ignore the heat pricking at the edge of his eyes and slowly running down his cheeks before she pulled him back in for another kiss. Despite the fuzziness that was rather quickly starting to overtake whatever stable thoughts were running in his head he did have one moment of idle musing.

One moment of memories of waking up with differences embedded in his skin that he didn't intend. One moment of recalling how many mirrors he broke in frustration and shame every time he made the mistake of looking in them to see what he'd done. One moment of picturing how he might look restored, freed from this tainted shell and back in something familiar and comfortable. In someone that he recognized in his reflection for once. And when that moment passed, he didn't think on it again.

Instead, Alisteri reaffirmed his previously slackened grip on Lina's sides and allowed himself to melt back into her lips without any further hesitation. Almost as desperate as she seemingly was herself. His "wings" curled around and encompassed the pair of them, wrapping them both and pressing them even closer to one another. A movement which caught the unmasked man himself somewhat off-guard given the slight startle he made when a tendril slid behind her back but he was quick to sink back into the moment.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina felt something in him give, like the final thread of resistance to her affection finally gave way as his hands tightened on her sides to soft glow from his wings shifted beyond her eyelids and she felt the warmth of them at her back, the deep thrum of their vibrations pressing against her back.

Her arms tightened around him as she lost herself in the moment, in the feel of his body against hers, the warmth of his hands on her waist, the press of his lips. All of it serves to ignite a heat in her she had to fight to control. Her hands lifted to his face, thumbs brushing away the tears that had fallen as she broke the kiss, though she stayed close, her forehead pressed against his.

"I don't want to stop, but if we keep this up, I'm not going to be able to stop and we will traumatise your children before they've opened their eyes."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri sucked in a breath that he hadn't realized he needed when the kiss broke, his golden eyes just barely sliding open to regard Lina with a half-lidded glance of confusion. Before he could form any real question on why their moment had been cut short her words rather abruptly reminded him of where they happened to be at the moment. A reminder that made the unmasked man go very still as his eyes widened. "Oh. Right."

He suddenly found it very difficult to look at anything other than the floor as his pale features flared a crimson flush, silently apologizing to his offspring as he tried to find some coherence in his own mind. "I...I do have a room where we could-" Realizing how presumptuous that sounded he cleared his throat and tried again. "I-I mean that's not at all what I-well I didn't know that this-that we-, ugh." Alisteri took another breath to compose himself, idly tracing his fingers up her sides as though that would help him at all.

"...I have two bottles of Cedrellian wine freshly 'liberated' from one of our last excursions sitting in my room. Would you join me for a drink, Lina?"

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina chuckled, she couldn't help it. The way his cheeks flushed when he realised where they were still standing, his eyes finding the floor instead of meeting hers as he fumbled his way through a series of faltering sentences trying to find the right words. Her heart ached, that he cared so much about how he asked her, about how he appeared to her made him all the more special.

Her breath hitched a touch when his fingers began to trace up her sides and she strangled something that might have been a quiet sound of need, turning it into a clearing of her throat. She moved her hand to his chin, lifting it so she could see the pink dusted cheeks and golden eyes.

"It would be my pleasure and my honour, ki sosûtudas."

 

[Darth Strosius]

He clicked his tongue at her chuckle, a slight pout crossing his flushed features but one that was rather quickly replaced with a smile when he heard her breath hitch under his touch. She might have held an advantage in this arena but Alisteri wasn't one to be outdone so easily. For the most part at least. As Lina lifted his chin up he couldn't find the resolve to put on anything more than a sheepish, hopeful, smile amidst the heat that colored his pale visage.

And with one sentence any composure that he'd managed to recover was almost instantly melted away, a breath leaving his body in a shudder. "Oh you're the one that won't be able to stop? After saying that?" For a brief moment Alisteri considered what the full consequences would be of simply picking her up and running to his quarters, however he dismissed that thought as quickly as it formed. That would be entirely ungentlemanlike of him, and worst of all Lina might come to expect such treatment in the future.

Fast walking it was then. Even if it did mean he unfortunately had to pull away from her to start his stride, his hands lingering before slowly slipping to take her hand. "The honor is all mine Lina~"

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

A wicked smile split her lips as she undid his composure faster than he had been able to regain it. Lina filed the response away to use at a later date, maybe even again this evening. She let out a hum of disappointment when he's ethereal wings unfolded from around her and he drew back, cold pooling in his wake. A temporary loss of his closeness was necessary though.

She tangled her fingers with his, hand reaching to call the discarded layer of her robes and his mask to her. His long strides were long and fast making her laugh as she kept pace with him.

"Alisteri, my dear, anyone would think you were in a hurry to get somewhere." she teased, casting on last look at the clones floating comfortably, undisturbed by what they had witnesses unfolding before them.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

Alisteri barely even seemed to notice the discarded garments that he was leaving behind as he gently but insistently pulled Lina along, although he would undoubtedly thank her for bringing them along later. He wasn't in the habit of simply leaving such articles around after all. Certainly not where they could be discovered by whatever poor technician or crew waltzed into this passageway later once it was reopened for general usage at the very least.

"It is rude to keep a lady waiting is it not?" He glanced back at her and flashed a small fanged smirk. "Besides, think of the children and all that." His poor gestating offspring could be spared one sight he supposed, a good enough reason to change locale as any. At the end of the glass hall the doors slid open once the pair approached revealing a much more open corridor which would presumably lead further into some laboratory or other such chamber related to the cloning operations present aboard the vessel.

Instead of venturing too far though, Alisteri guided Lina to a small elevator and pulled her inside the moment that the door to it slid open to allow them access. It was somewhat confined, clearly only meant for a couple of personnel at once, but if he was being honest he rather liked the excuse to stay close to her anyway. The button panel was pressed quickly, eagerly, and would soon carry them up to the officer deck where his quarters aboard the ship lay. In the meantime however, he couldn't resist wrapping an arm around her waist again.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

His smirk and the way he practically tugged her along, his giddiness was infectious and impossible to resist. Lina let herself simply be in the moment, enjoying it for what it was. Something real and tangible that she could touch and hold. No masks, no careful words no looming battle or work. Just them. She turned to face him as he ushered them into a cramped elevator, sliding the outer layer of her robes over her shoulder but not bothering to do it up. Fingers from one hand laced in the from of his robes as his hands slid about her waist once more, her other still clutching his mask and helm.

She tugged him close, forehead pressing against his. "Was this your plan all along?" she teased. "Lure me in with talk of clones then whisk me off my feet to your quarters?"

Her nose brushed his as she placed a soft kiss of the corner of his mouth.

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

The question drew a hum from Alisteri, a thoughtful yet mischievous noise. As though he was choosing his words carefully, or more accurately as though he wasn't certain of the answer himself but didn't want to show it. "Of course not." He finally responded, pausing to grin at the kiss she offered. "I'd never have intended to invite a lady such as yourself under false pretenses of any kind. I simply...couldn't resist your charms it seems." His grin turned all the more playful as he teased in kind.

"Perhaps it's your plan that I've been playing into this whole time. Allowing you a glimpse at a personal project and you taking the chance to wedge yourself into my good graces all the further. You are quite devious Lina, I'll give you that." But of course it wasn't as though he had any complaints if that was indeed the case. Quite the opposite in fact.

Alisteri used their proximity to his advantage, pressing a kiss to her cheek and then an intentionally brief peck to her lips. Yet he didn't pull back at all in spite of breaking contact, his bright gaze fixed upon her face. "Remind me, we need to return to my clones at some point. Later of course, they're not a pressing matter. Not like...we are now."

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

Lina drew back, her face the picture of mock offence. "Me? Devious?" she flashed a wicked grin "Never."

Her arms wrapped about his waist holding him close, emerald eyes locked on his. This closeness...the mischief that danced across his features, the charm that was finding its way to the surface in him made her heart sing. He was vulnerable in a way she had had never seen. "I have been fighting your charm ever since the Netherworld spat me out on your ship, Alisteri." she said softly, her expression open and honest. "I was so afraid of what might happen, if I allowed myself to feel like that again..."

She trailed off searching his face, fingers clutching the fabric of his robes a little tighter. "I would give you everything, if you asked it of me."

Darth Strosius

 

[Darth Strosius]

He playfully rolled his eyes at her wicked grin, finding it somewhat infectious and spreading to his own features. "Right." His amused hum soon faded into silence as their gazes locked together again and any words that had been on the tip of his tongue were silenced when she spoke. Alisteri's breath caught slightly at the admission, surprise and then sympathy painting his expression as she trailed off. His golden eyes dimmed somewhat as his response came in a breathless sigh.

"Then give me this moment with you," One of his hands ran up her side until it reached her elbow, pressing her tightened fingers closer. ", and a few more hereafter." Alisteri couldn't resist closing the distance between them once more, the kiss quick but passionate enough that he had to breath after he broke it. "I'll have to think up some manner of showing you that your affection isn't misplaced, my lady."

He smiled sweetly and idly licked his lips as the elevator began to slow. "Any suggestions?" The door opened to reveal an empty hallway, one that he hardly cared to check as that would mean tearing his gaze away from the beautiful woman in his arms. Instead he simply lead the way forward to his quarters, grinning all the while.

Lina Ovmar

 

[Lina Ovmar]

The trail of his fingers up her sides sent a shiver of pleasure through her, the words and his kiss taking her breath from her in a quiet moan, her cheeks flushing. Lina was vulnerable in a way she had never been and there was no fear, no terror that he might take it for granted or driving urge to run in the other direction. For the first time she could remember, she was safe.

Her eyes closed, a soft chuckle rumbling in her throat at his question as the doors slid open a pang of longing and a stifled whimper as the need to leave the elevator would force them apart again as he led them froward towards his quarters.

"I can think of a few things." Her gaze wondered suggestively over him before coming back to settle on his face, that wicked grin returning and she bit her lower lip before continuing. "But I am curious to see what you can come up with one your own."

Darth Strosius