finefuckery | Serpentine Horizon continuations

Mm, right. That’s right. [ rubs his face ]

Christ alive I could go for some fucking gold in my hands right now.

I couldn't agree more. Something decent to drink or smoke wouldn't hurt either. I'm drying every plant in the forest one by one until one of them does something pleasant.

Drink can happen, just takes time.

Guessing that means no luck on the smoke though.

Edited 2022-05-23 22:19 (UTC)

Yes, yes, I'm not feeling patient about it. No luck yet. I believe in us.

Mm.

Have we tried making a deal with the snake?

Oh no, our dear devourer hasn't made any appearance. All cultists and more cultists, that disappear at whim. The threat of the ribbon and soul is very real, though. And they are invested in keeping us alive when we kill each other.

[while they talk, Balthier slinks up on his haunches, looking Ed all over. He gently massages his skin and muscles while he's at it, to coax him to splay out.]

Nothing? Not a word?

[ well if Balthier wants him to splay, there is often a very exciting reason. Ed obliges. ]

[Ed IS the exciting reason. Balthier takes in the tattoos, the scars, the calluses, the ~hair~. He works down Ed's legs, massaging his knee.]

Not even one. A grand door that doesn't open.

[ in that case, he will put his arms behind his head to lay on. Lust away, Balthier. He sighs happily when he touches the braced knee. The vast barometric change from the caves to the jungle has not been kind to it. ]

That’s a little tempting, isn’t it? Love a good locked door.

Extremely.

[Hm! He puts his hand on the brace.]

May I?

Latches on the inside, little one first then the big one slides out.

[click click, and he places it deftly to the side. And pulls his pants off the rest of the way.

And he stares at Edward's inner calves, and gently pushes Ed's knees wider apart to look. There are the angular schematics for the Strahl's ring engine, splaying like mechanical wings up from Edward's ankles.]

[ he shift around to let the pants come off, then lifts his head to look at what gave him pause ]

Ah, like that one, hmm? Came from a pretty clever artist.