pullmeoutalive | Of Princesses, Dragons, and Conquest

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Of Princesses, Dragons, and Conquest

[ she's no stranger to the idea. In times of war and strife, the heads of factions would most certainly not remain idle. Takane had known, and yet, she would have expected someone responsible for Oshu's well-being not to go about making idiotically reckless moves. And perhaps any other girl would be able to set it aside, realizing that for all of his bravado and skill and experience, Masamune was only nineteen.

But for someone who behaved far more responsibly than people twice her age, that wasn't an acceptable excuse. Any opposition wouldn't have seen it as one.

And truthfully, Takane's not fond of how it felt, knowing he'd risked himself to the point of being bed-bound for days, that he should have known better, that her chest squeezed - aching and sharp - whenever she went in to change bandages and exchange cool cloths, that she'd felt so helpless. Kojuro has probably already lectured him, but she's not the type to remain silent when she has things of her own to say.

Masamune should be mobile today. She's carrying a bucket of water to one of the vegetable gardens before she abruptly changes her course to seek him out.

At which point she will oh so subtly block his path. ]

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[ Takane could care less who looks (though her raised eyebrow might go unseen once they start making questioning noises at their leader), and sighs beneath her breath, half-resigned and half-stubborn. ]

I shall only grasp until I can confidently secure myself. You need not be concerned, Date Masamune.

[ I WILL MOVE IN THIS DAMMIT. ]

[ it's different, she reflects, vaguely amused for the simplicity of the thought. But holding his hand is different, his palms larger, his fingers rougher, the gesture itself making her much more aware of him.

... Which is strange, but her voice is smooth enough, and her thoughts seem to have assembled themselves properly. ]

Your original sentiment... is not unreturned.

[ he kind of pulls her closer--maybe this is by accident, but the fact that the distance crossed does not create contact seems to imply that it was, indeed, on purpose. and he'd fully admit it.

no smirk, no cockiness, but there's a sort of atmosphere there that implies the same kind of comfort. ]

Guess I'm screwed. [ but he can, of course, still add in that one joke. ]

[ ah right, this was shijou. masamune's not paying much mind to the soldiers, only giving them an occasional look that seems to imply that they should probably move on. ]

Once that happens, should we get to putting you in dragon scales more often?

Your scales suit you better, do they not?

[ you just like her wearing your clothes. ]

[ he pulls-- and normally, she pushes back, but this time, Takane allows for the subtle tug to draw her closer, making it all too clear by the lift of her chin and the directness of her gaze that she is knowingly allowing this.

Her eyes take on a trace of confusion however, and she tilts her head. ]

Is it such a condemnation?

Hah, of course. No one wears 'em quite the same way.

[ well, d'uh. but he's not saying that. ]

Yours isn't bad.

[ . . . shijou.

he pauses for a second, taking in the fact that she was allowing his advances; she had flowed alongside him for a while now, but this was a very different kind of current.

not one he would expect her to allow, but she was and that's what it was.

still, even that moment of trust doesn't save a bit of a chuckle for a response from takane's confusion. ]

Huh... What do you think? [ it's obvious it's not, which is why he relays the question to her anyway. ]

To ease into your garments would require certain changes of my own, while mine do remain more fitting, I believe.

[ she's not as big as you are, Masamune. ]

[ she had perhaps given more thought to the statement than she ought to, as it's her turn to pause when he voices the question. This one she understands, that chuckle, and truthfully, she's relieved that she can still read his subtleties and nuances in the midst of something that's at once unfamiliar and yet so natural.

They've always responded to each other, generally in gestures, after all. Two tones, his and hers, where neither was drowned out in favor of the other. A natural rhythm that didn't quite conflict so much as it drew those possible conflicts into a lively harmony instead.

Takane's mind rings of music until she answers him, easing forward and still not quite touching. ]

Were you to dislike something, you tend to harbor no qualms about making those around you aware of it.

. . . Huh.

[ like this is actually a point he needs to mull over. it's very obviously, but...

YOUR SOUL IS LARGE, TAKANE SHIJOU. ]

Guess there's no changing that part, is there.

[ she actually chuckles, bringing that hand-covering sleeve to her mouth. ]

Change may be inevitable, but my changes will most likely not consist of the physical.

[ there's more movement. masamune stays steady--there's a way to this, after all, and he lets takane set the pace for what she wants to do. she had let him have the first move, so, in respect of their equilibrium, it was only right he let her have her own.

the answer is correct, as it was prone to be; he would expect nothing else. how long had they done this, really? though from the start he had to admit there was just a click and it worked, somehow. like sanada yukimura, but different. like kojuro, but different.

this time he just laughs. ]

That's it.

[ there's both appreciation and trepidation there, when he stays still. She does understand the implication there, that he's pulled her, and she's moved on her own accord, not simply through his own will. He's waiting, and she knows it's not his specialty, which makes Takane think that, truly, this is the situation that requires the most care of all.

She steps again, and now she stops. Close enough to touch with the slightest movement, however accidental, but she lifts an eyebrow. His turn.

... Takane laughs, though. She can't help it. ]

Your choice of earlier wording is rather unique then, Date Masamune.

[ takane's fine how she is but...

he's not going to say that... ]

Heh. If it comes to that point, we'll try it then.

[ his move. it's like an organized battle, really, except there's a different rush here than on a battlefield. this time he does move her forward just the slightest; this is intentional, but with how subtle it was it might seem like a mere mistake.

she's close, but he's not quite holding her.

completely screwed. ]

Look who you're talking to. [ unique. he does that a fair bit. ] Let's hear what you would've said, Shijou Takane.

One dilemma remedied. [ still with a touch of gentle humor. ] You truly are prepared for the unexpected.

In substitution of your condemnation?

[ she's quiet for a moment, taking his words and running them through her mind, translating it through her own comprehension and rewording it.

But what she says isn't what she concludes. ]

I can no more speak for you than the moon could fail to rise. If I were to speak of the topic, however...

[ another pause, and there's quite the natural pull to him now, one she concedes to with lifted chin. She rests her free hand on the crook of his arm, just above his elbow.

Contact. ]

I do not consider myself ensnared.

[ it's perhaps an odd statement, but her meaning is clear enough to her. It's not being trapped, doomed, screwed, caged, if it's something she wants. ]

Heh.

[ he gets it, like he always does. her touch is very rare, but it's not strange; masamune's not surprised by that, of course--there would be something wrong if he was. maybe there's a relief, even if he'd known--

( it's a hold now, an arm around her waist--something new. ) ]

Don't think we'd be able to tie you down, either way.

[ --takane wouldn't be here if she didn't want to be. ]

[ it's the foreign/familiarity that ultimately puzzles her, makes her want to temporarily withdraw into the back of her mind to understand why, why she's comfortable with his arm there, when they rarely touch.

But it's not so much the touch as it is Masamune, and what's associated with him grants her the same level of comfort. Her fingers flex on his arm, gently sliding towards a shoulder. ]

Would you desire such a thing?

No surprise.

[ he tosses her a look, a lazy grin. ]

I'd have a hard time keeping up with you if I wasn't.

[ and then they dance!!

but no, not quite. masamune doesn't make much moves now ( there's only so much closer he can bring her, after all ), all is still but the arm that holds her, which just slightly shifts.

her touch is very distracting. ]

Nah. [ it's a quiet denial, an honest one-- ] That ain't how we are.

You seem to have maintained your pace rather ni--

[ wow Takane tripping is not what ladies do. ]

[ her own movement slows once her hand reaches his shoulder, curves subtly towards his neck.

And she smiles, pensive but trusting. ]

How are we, Date Masamune?

[ woah there-- good thing masamune's got some war lord reflexes, because he's reacting almost immediately and reaching to catch takane mid-fall.

there's a sentence in his mouth… something like "that just makes one of us", but that was kind of his fault in the first place. ]

Kept it there, too.

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Of Princesses, Dragons, and Conquest

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