3/16/2003
03:55
AM
Logfile
from Ichijin.
Royal
Elizabeth-Penthouse 1
Mahogany
is prevalent, drawing along the dramatic lines of this rather swanky penthouse.
Opening into the outer hallway is a pair of double doors, raised upon a couple
of steps before the sunken front area. With expansive wood floors and vaulting
ceiling, the space afforded is extraordinarily luxurious. Even more impressive is the view granted by
the panel windows that look out onto a wide balcony dressed with topiary and
the spread of Manhattan.
Within,
there is a grouping of leather couches rather close to a fireplace and just off
to the side of an open bar area. Further along and closer to the windows is a
long dining table rimmed with high-backed chairs as off to the left leads to
the kitchen. On to the right is a set of stairs that lead up towards a loft
that overlooks the entire area. Over all, there is an almost impersonal aura to
the place, with no personality other than what the interior decorator left it
with.
Obvious
exits:
Exit Loft
Bedroom
Sebastian
is here, and not doing a bit of work. No lap tops, no organized chaos of papers
and reports, not even a minion in evidence for him to order about. The man is
actually outside on the terrace, forearms braced against the railing as he
leans forward, simply watching the city before him.
Reese
is a study in entropy. Her entrance is announced by the front door opening, and
immediately arms fling wide, various bags and papers flying in sundry
directions. Hair, body, mind all loose, she dashes into the kitchen and rescues
a slice of cheesecake, still intact. "Oh, thank god..." she purrs,
scooping the cake up into her hands and biting down. "Seb?" Food
before men. Ain't it always the way?
My, she
sure does make quite a bit of an entrance now, does she? Sebastian chuckles
wryly at all of the noises, turning around to lean against the railing and
watch Reese through the windows. Cheesecake... What is it with women and
cheesecake? "Out here," he calls softly, and then takes a drink from
the glass he holds.
Reese
munches indelicately on her confection, a hand held underneath her snack to
catch falling crumbs. Stepping alongside Sebastian, she folds her body over the
balcony's railing, gazing down below and letting sprinkles of cheesecake race
downwards. "What's up?" she asks, tilting her head at the man and
pairing it with a grin. "Got a little ahead in corporate raiding, so
decided to take a break?"
Sebastian
blinks over at Reese as she eats away, earning another grin from him. "Not
all that much, actually. Just... enjoying the evening." Cheesecake is eyed
before he is looking back to her, "Just finished a deal earlier today and
actually considered taking a couple of days off and away from the office. And
how has your day been?"
Reese
lets her body balance on the brink, gazing at Sebastian and raising a brow.
"Ooh, something I could take advantage of. Maybe I should opt to skip my
classes for a couple days, too." She winks, then turns back towards the
city, watching the people like a child watches insects: the girl is all
fascination, power. "My day has been better than usual, I guess. Though,
outside of here, it's all same old same old."
Sebastian
is smiling once more. He moves over to stand behind Reese, looking to curl and
arm about her front. "We both take some time off... I could portal us far
away from here and we could enjoy ourselves?" He chuckles softly once
more, "That is good to hear though. All has been well with you?"
Reese
hmms at the contact, a feline delight taken at the warmth of mere presence.
"Ohh," she purrs, twisting her head to look up. "That sounds
fantastic. We'll go off somewhere with no metaphysical or mental strains, no
one to rescue or nurse back to health, no unexpected guests." She wraps
her hand around the arm at her waist, decadently rolling shoulders upwards.
"Well enough. And you?"
Sebastian
is smiling at her response, "That sounds delightful... if only we
could." Yes, that last little bit is rather wry. He drops his head forward
to give her a kiss to her neck, "Well enough, I suppose. I think Kieran
and I met a new seishi just last evening. Possibly one of the Suzaku. Possibly.
Helped to partially destroy a dojo the other day. All is well."
"It's
nice to dream," Reese replies glumly, twisting her body around to face
Sebastian and wrapping her arms around his neck. "A new one?" she
asks, curiously eyeing the man. Though her face betrays interest, the rest of
her does not, still hung up on the thought of escaping city and senshi life.
Fingers toy through the man's hair, muscles loosen mildly: all the while, she
continues. "Destroy a dojo. Wonderful."
Sebastian
keeps his hold on Reese, smiling down to her, "We think so, at least that
was how it sounded when he said things now and again." Well, seeing as she
is playing with his hair, he will fiddle with her's as well, drawing fingers
through it, "Well, one tries to give our God a suitable sacrifice now and
again." Yeah, he ends that with a wink.
The
mention of their mutual god stops Reese's actions for a moment, her brow
furrowing lightly. "About Homasubi," Reese begins, the barest brush
of a frown crossing her face before it speeds away. "What do you think he
wants, really? I've tried beating up seishi, you've got your propensity to
destroying buildings... But it doesn't seem to have helped the Yin much. Why
are we here, Seb?"
Sebastian
is frowning as well, more at her question than anything. "Reese, I try to
make a point to not question our God. His wants and desires? These I do not
know, other than what is obvious. Destruction. When he wishes us to know his
will, I will follow it, but until then I will do what I can to bring about his
release, and stop the Yang from summoning their gods to oppose ours."
Okay, enough with the religious rhetoric. "Why are we here? Because it is
time? Because something will happen? Because we are necessary? I don't know...
what are your thoughts on this?"
"I
don't know," Reese murmurs, sighing. "Maybe I'm just a little jealous
of Kier, or Malachai. They both seem like they've got some real direction in
their lives. Kier's goddess talks to him, gives him orders. Malachai just oozes
confidence, and seems to know really where he's going. I just get in trouble
with people, because I'm not sure what Homasubi's standing is on all
this."
Sebastian
tightens his arms about her, dropping his head once more so that his cheek
rests against her hair, "Nearly every day I try to go down to the temple
and kneel before Homasubi's statue. I do not assume he will speak to me. But I
have always tried to do what I thought was right. What I felt was right. He
made me for the purpose of seeking his unleashing upon this world, and I have
always worked to that end, different now, but still working for that end."
Reese
nods her head gently, holding her body very still for a moment and
concentrating hard on breathing, movement, every part of a human being that
moves. "All right." She pauses for a moment, then closes her eyes and
purses lips. "What do you think he'll do once he gets here? Homasubi, I
mean. He's the god of destruction, right? What's the chance that he'll just
bulldoze everything, wish or no wish?"
"There
is much to be achieved in destruction, Reese. By rending things, obliterating
them, tearing it all apart..." There is almost a hint a pleasure in his
voice as Sebastian speaks such, caressing those 'destructive' words as only a
lover of such would. "By ridding one's life of the trappings of what was
created, you can build anew... or you can leave an absence of all else. Clean
and pure. Is that what Homasubi wishes? I do not know."
Reese
watches Sebastian with the intensity of a feverish disciple, pushing his
forelock away absently, while focusing on his words, his mouth. "You see
the problem with that, though... is that we are a part of what was created. It
troubles me," she murmurs, sighing wholeheartedly. "And..." The
woman stops, looks away, and considers her own question, finally letting it out
with a quirk of the head. "What do /you/ want?"
Sebastian
blinks down at her, frowning just the slightest, almost as if in confusion.
"You've asked me this before. And at the time, I responded by saying that
it wasn't what I wanted, but what Homasubi wanted. But... things are
different." And then he is trailing off once more, clearly in thought, his
voice now far away, "I do not know what I want. There must be
something..." His gaze drops as if to search her, "I want to do what
is right for our god, but I want..."
Again, frowning, still lost in thoughts he can't seem to grasp.
"I
remember," Reese replies, her whisper hushed and comforting. Smooth hands
drift slowly and calmly to the man's face, cupping his jaw and holding his eyes
to hers. "I don't want to press you." Concern battles with curiosity,
but something inherently protective and matronly destroys both as they war in
her mind and expression both. "I was just curious. But Kieran has shown
you that there is something beyond Homasubi, and your wants are not there to be
locked away and kept hidden. I act upon mine, whether they are before me and
stated, or subconscious. It's not something that I can avoid."
Sebastian
is rescued by Reese once more, but there is still a lingering touch of
confusion gracing his brow. He blinks down at her, sighing softly, "It is
not just Kieran. He managed to crack me, but you... Reese, you've done just as
much if not more, even before that moment." His arms tighten around her
once more, as if trying to draw her even closer to him. "But yes, I know
that you can be rather... spontaneous in your actions, and I cannot tell you
how many times I've agonized over your tendance to leap first and not consider
the situation."
Reese
quirks her brow upwards with a touch of embarrassment, an apology on her lips
before she can even think to hold it back. "I'm sorry," she murmurs
once, then again. The first she is unsure of, blurted quickly, only to ease the
smile from Sebastian's face. The second bears more feeling. "I don't mean
to make you worry. It's just that..." She stops, then restates herself.
"There's something about me that I don't think Kieran understands or
approves of. I think only Rathan knows fully that I /am/ fighting a war. I'm
crusading so that people can be happy again. I want them to know joy," she
admits, "and I'm going to tear apart all that blocks their path. These
machinations and, and these senseless battles - they bore me, they're useless
to me. This lack of anything productive to do, it disgusts me. I can't bear to
see the people hurt."
Sebastian
reaches a hand over to place two fingers against her lips, "Hush. Do not
apologize over that, Reese. Never apologize for how you make me feel, be it
worry or endearment." He sighs softly, "Joy, is it?" He grows
quiet once more, considering her words even if his face looks rather blank. It
takes a moment before he can reply once more. "I don't want you to feel as
though you are doing nothing. I want to help you so that you are doing what you
think you must, because I wish you see you feeling productive. What can I do to
help you?"
Reese
tilts her head and smiles at the gesture, her expression clearly delighted, her
smile twitching her mouth beneath Sebastian's touch. Her hand moves gently to
draw his away, though, as she nods sincerely in reply. "I might be a bit
more selfish than Rathan, however - last I checked, he didn't care much for
what happened to himself." That same hand detaches and waves airily aside
the issue. "No, I know that they're necessary, and I told Lexie when I
first met her that I would have my own use when the time came. I think every
warrior has his measure of impatience, though, and I've got mine. I kind of
understand the real Crusaders, now - knowing that my god exists is always a
plus, though."
Sebastian
looks down at her, the faint grin perched upon his lips. "You have
focus... are you sure that you are not the... rock in this relationship,
Reese," he speaks softly, an almost teasing quality to his voice. The man
drops his head, leaning over to give her a soft kiss. "Crusaders... I like
that comparison."
Reese
wrinkles her nose at the thought, but gives it its due consideration. "If
I am, then I'm an easily bruised and diverted rock, sitting in hurricaine
conditions just off the Cape of Good Hope. Then again," she adds, her
demeanor still frank in spite of the quip, "I haven't the baggage that
most other people bear. If I follow my wants, at least those had the kindness
to be blunt about themselves." Sebastian is tendered a meaningful look,
then his hair gets a fluff, her tone transforming immediately. "I would
find it pretty apt too, save for the fact that they were doomed to
failure."
Sebastian
leans his back up against the railing, bracing himself as he pulls Reese with
him, "Well, my rock... at least I know that you are a steadfast one that
will weather the toughest of storms. Tempered well." Fingers lightly trace
the angles of her face, moving from her brows to her nose, on to her cheeks.
"Speaking of those wants of yours, anything besides bringing joy onto this
world that I should know about as well?"
Reese
says nothing, biting her own tongue at the one secret she has never revealed,
unwilling to admit the extent of her own self-sacrifice. "That's me,"
she murmurs weakly, laying her head against Sebastian's chest and feeling his
breath, savoring the minor details of life, and a body's functioning. The
question is considered for a moment, and her final answer is firm. "To
protect my family to my greatest extent, from anything that may come."
Yes, this means that if Homasubi wants to bulldoze his servants, he'll have to
face Akurei first. But he's a giant roast pork: it shouldn't be too difficult.
Sebastian
smooths his hand over the back of her head as Reese lays against his chest.
"Your family," he echoes softly, barely whispering the words.
"As a member of your family, I thank you for those words, and know that
the same sentiment is echoed by myself. I will do anything for you, and for
Rathan. And by extension to Aubrey and Kieran as well. But, above all, know that
you are most important to me, you wanting me to protect you or not."
Reese
hmms contentedly into Sebastian's shirt, throat vibrating softly. Able to
abandon thoughts of death and destruction for a warm moment in space and time,
the woman slides her hands over the fabric at the man's back, closing her eyes
and letting tactile sensations dominate. "No need to thank," she
insists, though the reciprocity makes her heart thud violently, a blush warming
on her face. "Oh, Sebastian..." she breathes, smiling.
Sebastian
is smiling faintly once more, gathering her tightly to him. "No, I believe
that I do need to thank you, Reese. I didn't do it nearly enough early on, and
I'm sure some thanks are owed to you. Of this I am sure. You are appreciated
more than I think you understand." He is looking down at her once more,
reaching a hand down to try to tilt her face to look up at him.
"Nonsense,"
Reese reemphasizes, though it's quite obvious that she's tickled pink by the
sentiment. "I don't need thanks. I can feel it, and spoken or not, that
comforts me enough. Honestly," she adds, flicking her eyes to his, "I
ask for nothing else. And this is a privilege that I never really
expected." She grins, pressing her lips lightly to Sebastian's cheek.
Sebastian
is chuckling softly, and he is simply not going to take just a smooch to his
cheek. No, instead he turns his head so that her lips will be meeting his for
one rather generous kiss. He murmurs against her lips, "Please try to
expect more from me. If nothing, it'll at least keep me on my toes, my
dear." A brief frown, "Speaking of... I have something for you."
Reese
cringes a bit and offers an ironic twist of the lip en route to a grin. "I
think that being able to call you when I'm in trouble is expetation enough. Considering
how often people randomly attack me," riiiight, "that's more than
enough." Call it getting spoiled, but Reese was getting a little used to
the warm, smiling Sebastian: this new segue into frowning is worrisome to the
woman, and she straightens, thrown by the sudden change. "Hmm? For
me?"
Sebastian
is the Cuddle Oni, remember? Or something along those lines. He gives her
another kiss, this time to her forehead before gently removing himself from
her, but still keeping a hold of a hand. He begins to lead her back into the
penthouse, drawing her over towards the couch. "Sit, please. Yes, a
present."
Reese
was mildly disturbed by Sebastian's change, but if he's going to play the part
of the teddy bear, the poor girl's going to faint dead away. She allows herself
to be led slowly, though the mention of the word present earns a blink:
curiouser and curiouser. Finally, the woman slips gently from her feet to the
couch, grinning cheekily. "Shall I close my eyes or anything?"
"Not
unless you want to," Sebastian replies, his voice far away for the moment.
"It is already wrapped." But he does eventually return, "Alas, I
would have much rather have brought you home a seishi to play with, wrapped all
neat and tidy with a bow, but seeing as I have none, you will have to do with
this." He moves to take a seat upon the sofa, beside her, a package in his
hands, about a foot wide and one and a half long, two inches thick or
thereabouts. "I wrapped it myself. Well, with a little help from Kieran."
Never wrapped a present before in his life. Scary. He offers it to her.
Reese
is duly surprised, a perceptive mind already cranking into a higher gear as she
guesses valiantly as to the package's contents. "Tsk," she says
softly, "I could get a seishi to fit into a box this size." Yes,
we've already established that she's a very frightening kinda girl. Giggling,
the woman slides the bow off, saving it to a side, then picks meticulously at
the tape, working away at it with a nail. After a moment's frustration, she
decides to cheat a little, pulling out a hair then pushing a touch of magic
into it, making it straighten and sharpen, flicking it through the tape like an
exacto knife and peeling the paper back. "First time? I never would've
guessed."
And
what Reese is to see is a book. Rather simple looking, but very, very old.
Leather binding definitely shows wear and the gold lettering upon the cover is
faint. "I found it at an estate auction. I imagined you would appreciate
it. I believe it is from the fourteenth century, an anatomy book of that
time." Sebastian's gaze flickers from the book and back over to her,
almost expectant.
Reese
holds the book in her lap gingerly, flipping through the pages as the man
speaks. Eyes are opened wide in fascination and she brushes away obstructing
hair, tracing fingers over intricate illustrations and small script, mouthing
the words as she reads. Body freezes for a moment, eyes clouding over, and she
closes the book delicately. Fingers run lovingly over the cover; lashes blink
rapidfire over eyes, then she shuts them, setting the book carefully onto the
coffee table. Shock? Horror? Disappointment? It all comes down to one tense
moment, a hesitating silence that Reese stretches to its fullest extent.
Then... *glomp!* "Eee! It's so /cool/!!" Corpse fangirl. What a
freak, Reese is.
Sebastian
was getting awfully worried there. Maybe he should have got her the Operation
game instead. He could still call up a minion to run out and get that yet. He
looks about ready to reach for the phone, when he is glomped. Oh my.
Oooooooohhhhhh my. He falls back on the sofa with the force, and then simply
cannot help chuckling at the reaction. "It clearly meets with your
approval."
Reese
climbs above Sebastian, looking down at him then - for all intents and purposes
- doing push-ups. One for a brief kiss, and up again as she giggles, two, a
hug, another laugh, and again, and again. "That's my Seb," she
murmurs, grinning, "always able to understate things with style." She
turns her head and looks at the book, her mind torn, but opts instead for the
man beneath her, all starry-eyes and glee. "Thank you so much!" Her
kiss after that is long and impassioned, emotion from before mingling with
ecstacy and finding a medium for ample expression.
Sebastian
is pleased beyond anything that she is so happy with the gift. Hrm. He
definitely must do this giving thing more often, especially considering the
rewards. Absolutely fascinated at her reaction, it shows in his eyes as he
watches her, a spark most definitely there. He is chuckling once more, holding
her tight against him and responding quite readily with the kiss. Nope, he
doesn't say anything, but he'll definitely show her later.
Look at
all those repressed Christmases bubbling out and bursting forth, withheld
gift-receiving enthusiasm transforming into some kind of energy. In excess. And
then some. (Now look at the player's brain implode. Yay!)