Positive Verification

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary made a face at his remark about drugging him but wound up smiling again in spite of herself. "No more sleeping droughts--unless you actually want it," she promised. Baird had mentioned something about him having trouble sleeping, after all. But he'd also said something about him doing better if he was with someone, right? So maybe this could actually be good for both of them.

She was a little disappointed when he pulled away, but she knew they couldn't exactly make it back inside without detangling themselves, anyway. She was glad when he stayed a little closer, and she drifted nearer as they walked, brushing against him once or twice without thinking. When he said it was becoming a habit, she glanced over her shoulder, another smile tugging just slightly at her lips.

"Just remember, you encouraged it this time," she retorted as she unlocked her door, trying to keep her voice as serious as his and failing. She entered without thinking, moved aside so she could let him in, then closed the door behind them. She hesitated a little, then decided to take off her robe, if he was staying, there was no reason to delay it. She hung it where it belonged, then hesitated again.

Goodness what had she gotten herself into? She was the one who'd asked him to stay, but now she had no idea what to do with herself. She'd been fairly intimate with her ex-fiance, but Magnus being Magnus, he always took the lead and told her exactly what he wanted. Now that it was her making decisions for herself, and she wasn't directly angling for anything other than an opportunity to actually rest, she didn't know what direction to take. She decided to buy herself some time by going to the vanity to brush out her hair, so she could see what Sebastian would do. 

[Sebastian Arcturis]

"I do not," he said quickly. He didn't like taking things to help him sleep. Did he need it? Yes, but he much preferred to get broken sleep and be able to wake up when he needed to than to not. Sebastian was aware by now that sleeping with company eased his nightmares into more tolerable bad dreams.

He noticed the shared closeness and wondered if he should be doing something more after they kissed but Rosemary didn't say anything more and he followed her to her room. The hesitation was palpable but Sebastian didn't mind that or the silence. There didn't need to be any obligation. The last time they had slept together had been all too...busy anyway. It wasn't that strange to him, to go from an intimate embrace to her behaving almost as if she didn't know he was here. She had said she just wanted to sleep, after all. It was just a kiss, he supposed.

The captain sat on the bed and started removing his boots and his armor and leather. He'd been wearing the same clothes for almost two days at this point and he didn't care about decency, he wanted to be rid of them for a few hours at least. He stripped down to his pants, pulling his tunic over his head with a groan. His body was a lattice of small scars but nothing very remarkable. Even after his nearly debilitating injury years ago, there was hardly a mark left even after he'd been stabbed through the lung. He felt it sometimes, but didn't like to think about it. His nightmares were impossible to escape.

He folded his clothes and set his boots next to the pile before leaning back onto his side of the bed to watch her finish her hair. His side? The side he had slept on last night. Sebastian just wanted to relax and hopefully the lady in waiting would too. It had been a long day for both of them.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

She watched in the mirror as Sebastian got ready for bed, automatically returning himself to 'his' side of the bed. Okay, that was good. She'd felt bad, yesterday, when he'd had to sleep fully dressed. It couldn't have been comfortable. She didn't even realize she'd stopped brushing, frozen half-way through a stroke as she watched him take off his shirt. First of all, Sebastian was quite handsome, which she'd noticed before but done her best to forget. That wasn't going as well now that he'd kissed her, and she could remember what that was like. Secondly, she hadn't really thought about someone who was a guard having scars from what he'd been through, but Sebastian did. It made her oddly sad, realizing that he'd been hurt so many times in the past. None of them were massive, but they were still there. She swallowed hard and looked down at the tabletop as she finished brushing the tangles from her hair, so that she couldn't get distracted. She set the brush back down on the vanity when she finished.

Glancing back up at the mirror, she saw that he'd settled in, and caught a glimpse of the still-healing snake bite. There! That was something she could do to be useful. She reached into her case for another tin of yarrow salve, taking it with her as she returned to her side. She climbed up to the bed and moved to sit close to him, with her legs folded to the side so she could get to his arm. She held up the tin by way of explanation and set her hand lightly on his arm.

"May I?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

It hadn't been comfortable. But he'd slept on the road in full gear enough times he wasn't about to complain. As with most soldiers, the captain was fit and athletic. His scars suggested that he had been in a lot more serious fights than just those defending the King. Most of them were bad memories. Not for the injuries but for the comrades he lost.

He wasn't trying to show off but he didn't mind being looked at. Sebastian certainly looked at her. "I can put a my shirt back on," he suggested, noticing how she looked away and assuming it was discomfort over how comfortable he was behaving.

He was still actively ignoring the snake bite. Ues it bothered him, but if he didn't touch it, it wasn't an issue. Sebastian was a bit startled as Rosemary joined him in bed and moved closed to him. He mirrored the movement subconsciously, leaning toward her as she reached for his arm.

Oh, the salve. He chuckled, glancing from the tin to his arm and then her eyes. "That is not your fault, you know," he said, not rrally answering her. Clearly he wasn't opposed to her closeness or her touch, however. He should have killed the snake. Anyone else would have.

"I appreciate the help," Sebastian added, shifting his left arm (the one with the bite) toward her and brushing his other hand against her legs and up her waist. His dark eyes didn't leave hers.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

"I can put a my shirt back on," he suggested. Rosemary just shook her head. She didn't mind, exactly...she was just distracted. A slight blush rose to her cheeks, but she'd kept her head down until she was sitting next to him.

"That is not your fault, you know," he told her, and immediately she hurried to answer, "I know--" and she did know, technically, that it wasn't her fault. But it had been meant for her, and she couldn't quite shake the feeling of responsibility. She was planning to argue more, but her voice, her train of thought, and her heart skipped to a halt as he trailed his other hand up her leg to her waist. She looked up to his face, automatically, but was even more flustered when she saw that he was already watching for her reaction. Green eyes widened, and heat flooded her face, turning her cheeks a rosy red. Her mind was drawing a blank, save for the sparks that followed his fingertips up to her waist. She didn't necessarily want him to stop, but that didn't mean she knew how to respond.

"Um," she began, trying to recover her train of thought. What had she been doing again? "I...um..." She flicked her gaze down to the salve in her hand. Right. That. She bit her lip as she took his left hand and rested it on her thigh so she had easy access to the wound on his forearm. She swiped her fingers through the salve, then closed the tin and set it aside to smooth the buttery substance across his skin.

"I know it's not my fault exactly, but I still want to help," she explained quietly, keeping her eyes on his arm so she wouldn't lose track of her thoughts again. "You've done so much for me already...I want to do the same."

The wound wasn't as swollen as she'd expected, thankfully, but the area was still irritated. She took his arm in both hands, starting closer to his wrist, and massaged her thumbs in little circles to work her way across the affected area. The spicy scent of the yarrow filled the air as she worked, helping her relax a little bit.

"If this gets too uncomfortable, let me know," she added, glancing back up at his face.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian was certain his assurance would fall on deaf ears and while the words that eventually left the woman's mouth were to the affirmative, her mannerisms suggested she still felt a lingering responsibility. While he might lay responsibility on her for his distrust of her as a healer, he blamed himself for the snake.

She seemed more surprised at his touch than anything and without a direct word or gesture that it was unwelcome, he continued, though this time his gaze followed his hand as he caressed her thigh and side. Was she embarrassed? Should a commoner, a bastard like him even dare to cross that boundary of rank to so much as touch a noble woman? Considering he had already kissed her, it was clear Sebastian's thoughts on the matter.

He nodded, watching her massage the salve into his arm. She said she wanted to do more for him but he wasn't sure what she meant. To fix his arm, he supposed. Sje wasn't wrong that he should be more attentive but it was easy to get caught up in his work or handling other people's problems. Perhaps not as personally as he wanted to handle Rosemary's. It was a vicious cycle he supposed, considering she clearly was using him as a distraction for her problems. Her gentle massage burned a little but he didn't outwardly react.

"I doubt you can make me uncomfortable," he said quietly. It wasn't a challenge but a reassurance. Considering she seemed a little off balance it was almost...adorable. Yes, he would use that word. A smile quirked the corners of his lips despite the pain as she looked up at him.

As she finished working her way over his arm he slid a hand up to her shoulder, pulling her gently around so her could return the favor with a shoulder massage if she let him. She wasn't so tense but flustered wasn't relaxed either. "Tell me; this place you wish to runaway to. What would you plant in the garden first?" Romantic small talk wasn't in the captain's wheelhouse. Neither was personal small talk but Rosemary seemed more confident when she had a conversation topic. It was why he had told her to keep talking if he fainted.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Hm, he was probably right; she doubted that a lingering ache from the inflammation was anything compared to the original bite, and certainly not to anything else he'd dealt with. She returned his smile with a gentle one of her own and found that she was becoming more and more comfortable as time went on. She just hadn't been sure what to expect once they were back here, and she had never been very fond of surprises. Of course, the number of unpleasant surprises she'd had recently didn't exactly help--she was just naturally on edge.

Her brows furrowed in question as he had her turn around, but she let him guide her without argument, only curiosity. She trusted him. Of course, distracting her with a question didn't hurt, either; if her thoughts were occupied with a topic, she couldn't overthink everything else. He'd hit on a very effective tactic to sidestep her anxious nature. She still tensed up a little as he first touched her shoulders, but she soon relaxed, actually leaning back into him a little. She took a deep breath and released it slowly, letting her eyes close as she imagined the place she would have. A little cottage, with gardens, one space for food, one space for flowers of all kinds, and one for all the things that people considered 'weeds' that were actually so useful as medicines. It would be sunny and full of life, with fat little bees buzzing among the flowers and birds singing in the fruit trees. 

"I think...I'd probably start with vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumbers, sugar snap peas, and green beans...all kinds of lovely fresh things. That way I'd have a food source right away. I could do berries and things, too, for the summers. But I always love having bright flowers around. Sunflowers, tiger lilies, marigolds, yellow roses... They're like little bits of sunshine. I'd wait until I planted the practical things, I think, but then the whole place would be surrounded with sunshine."

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Luckily, the captain was quite good with his hands. He'd not given very many massages to very many other people in his life, but as someone who was often sore, he did for himself. Baird was probably the only man he was comfortable trading such favors with, largely because unless someone pulled a muscle, the gesture had a lot of other romantic connotations. Sebastian didn't really think so, but he understood his view of intimacy was skewed so he wasn't a proper judge. He was, however, quite content to let Rosemary speak while he worked on her shoulders and neck.

Sebastian should have known she was a yellow and orange sort of girl. Sunshine and flowers and honey and bees...all sorts of spring and summer things. It was a color of enthusiasm and positivity that it fit her well. "Is that your favorite color? Sunshine?" He asked, trying to be clever and because he wanted to know. He enjoyed her company and wanted to show her that he was paying attention to her in more ways than one.

His hands drifted occasionally down her arms and back, up her neck, all with the same sure touch, not wanting to surprise her or overstepped. At least until he leaned in to kiss her neck softly, his snaking around her to pull her against his chest, a warm calming blanket, if she wanted it.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary laughed softly at his question. But, really, he wasn't wrong--her favorite colors were definitely oranges and yellows, sunny, happy colors. "That sounds about right, yes. I like flowers of almost every color, really, but those are my favorites. And green, of course, for all the other green, growing things. I feel happiest when I'm out in a garden in the spring or summer. When the sun is warm on your hair and shoulders, and things are peaceful."

Instinctively, she leaned her head to the side when he kissed her neck, getting out of his way. She was actually more than happy to be pulled back against him, and she wrapped her arms over his as she settled in, leaning her head back against his shoulder. He was warm, almost like the sunshine she'd been talking about. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if she ought to be nervous, but she just felt at peace. More than she had been in a long time.

"What about--" A yawn caught her off guard, and she covered her mouth with one hand. "Excuse me," she said automatically before attempting her question again. "What's your favorite color?" She considered for a moment, then added, "And do you have a favorite flower?"

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Although Rosemary couldn't see it, Sebastian smiled. Maybe it was easier knowing she couldn't see. Rainbows and sunshine. Not exactly the sort of thing he himself enjoyed, but it certainly did seem his type. Bright colors and warmth and plants as far as the eye can see. Now why couldn't he dream about that instead? Boring, maybe, but peaceful indeed.

The instinctive reaction her body had to his touch urged him on. He mapped her body with his fingers and lips and tongue, finding it more and more difficult to limit himself. The yawn was a helpful reminder of his real goal and it was, in fact, to 'just sleep' with the woman. With a lot of forward affection that stayed on the outside of her night gown except for what was exposed already.

Sebastian's breathing was a deep, steady swell. He shifted slightly, but only just, not wanting to disturb the woman using his shoulder as a pillow. He brought one hand up to her wild dark hair, at first to remove it from his own face and then to stroke it gently. "It changes," he said softly, the sound coming form his chest more than his lips. "Right now...orange. Like autumn leaves. Fire..." Passion. But usually it was a soft evergreen, that slightly more rich blue-green than forest green color. Wintergreen maybe. His color preference depended on his mood just like anything else. Rainbow indeed. Huh.

"Not sure I have a favorite flower..." he murmured thoughtfully. He hadn't ever considered it. "There's one that means sword or something." That would work. It also proved he paid some attention when he read Leti's book on plants ages ago.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary wasn't sure what to do. On the one hand, Sebastian's hands seemed to be trailing slow heat in their wake, and she couldn't help the way her body was responding to that--it felt lovely and she had half a mind to find out what they'd feel like against bare skin. She had to wiggle her toes to keep herself from squirming or pressing herself back into his hands.

On the other hand, she liked Sebastian. She liked his protective nature and his sly, quiet humor, and his stubbornness. When she managed to make him smile it felt like the sun breaking clouds. She'd only really known him for a few days. If she--if they took things farther, what would happen to the slow relationship budding between them? Would it be better, or worse? In her very limited experience, sex was something that people did when they were in a committed relationship or, if they didn't want things to be serious, they did it once and then never spoke again: the way her brother handled things. She didn't want Sebastian to vanish.

The way his voice vibrated though her when he answered her question nearly snapped her anxious hesitation, and she swallowed hard. She was going to have to make up her mind, and fast.

"Gladiolus," Rosemary supplied automatically, although her voice came out breathless. She winced and blushed at the sound.

"A gladiolus is named for the sword shaped leaves, she continued a bit more normally. "I have some in my greenhouse. Red, yellow, and orange." They weren't in bloom right now, but she was already planning to change that the next time she was home. That was what made the decision for her.

She shifted in his arms, turning so that she could see his face. The way she was seated, it also brought her face close to his neck, and she impulsively pressed a kiss where it curved into his shoulder. "We should sleep," she told him, not quite as firmly as she might have hoped. She was reminding herself as well as him. "Actually sleep, not...not anything else."

If he asked, she'd likely tell him why she was worried, but it sounded desperate to her. She didn't want to half-beg him not to disappear.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Sebastian didn't have any of the answers to her hypothetical questions, though he did share some of the questions. What was the nature of their relationship? What did he want? What did she want? In the short term, however, the only one that immediately mattered to him, he wanted was the entirely too kind woman in his arms. That Rosemary was there and that she was happy.

She didn't move to touch him but she did seem relaxed. It was enough to make him wonder if she was waiting for him to take the lead or if she really was enjoying the moment for what it was. Her quiet confidence assured him that like when she had taken it upon herself to drug him in the name of caring for him, that if she wanted to do more for him, she would.

"Gladiolus," he repeated in confirmation, his flat confident tone a dramatic opposite to her breathy one. Sebastian had never said he didn't know the name of the flower, but he had wanted to test her as much in her knowledge as on how tired she was. He kissed her neck after she said it again. He decided he liked her voice.

He kept his arms around Rosemary loosely, enjoying the feel of her moving against him, his eyes coming to rest on hers. The kiss surprised him enough that he let out a soft hum of pleasure. He actions and tone didn't seem to match her words again, at least to him, but the fact that it confused him was enough of a reminder. The man returned the kiss to her throat and added a few more brushes of his lips, almost hesitant but clearly measured. He heard her. The captain shifted slightly onto his side to get more comfortable. Now wasn't the time to ask questions about whether the attraction was mutual or whether she had decided against sexual intimacy for some other reason. Perhaps in the morning. Perhaps never if that was what she wanted.

"Goodnight, Rosemary," he said softly, settling his arms around her and quieting his hands, her warmth pressed comfortably against his.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

His kisses against her throat were going to be the death of her, she decided. Just one was enough to stop her heart for a moment, and if he kept it up she'd just die. At least she'd die happy.

She almost changed her mind. But she knew they both could use the rest, and she really, truly, was terrified that he would simply disappear. She knew it was a foolish thought, but then, most of her emotions were probably foolish. So, when he shifted to make himself more comfortable, she adjusted too, curling into him with a soft sigh. She pulled one of his hands to her lips for a moment, kissing the back of it gently, then returned it to where it had been.

"Goodnight, Bastian," she murmured.

One deep breath, then another, and she found that her eyelids were heavier than she'd thought. It was nice to feel safe, wrapped up like this, she thought. Maybe this was something she could do more often. She'd just have to convince Bastian to stay... Half-asleep, she didn't realize she'd grabbed onto his arm like a child with a teddy-bear. But she felt better, anyway, and drifted into a peaceful sleep.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

In his own slightly less limited experience, it was his own opinion that sex was a means of expressing affection. Deep, serious affection that didn't have anything to do with an abundance or a lack of commitment. He would have very much liked to show Rosemary more of that affection. Instead, as he listened to her breathing slowly relax and deepen with sleep, he contented himself with the same.

On one arm lay a lovely noblewoman, her warmth comforting and while his limb would almost certainly go numb, at least he could guess what sort of direction his nightmares might take. The other arm, she kissed and clung to so that he didn't dare move it either. This was how he was sleeping tonight. If she was comfortable, so was he.

Her shortening of his name to something more familiar didn't bother him how he thought it might. He preferred that name, after all. He smiled as even overcome with sleep the woman asserted her power over him.

Sebastian was only a few moments behind her. Falling asleep was easy. Staying that way...he twitched every now and then, sure enough haunted by that night near Greyshollow five years ago. The mystic whose arm he had severed, the roots that stabbed through his own back and chest, the at once strangely peaceful and traumatic weeks of recovery in the mountain cave...

He woke suddenly, as he always did, when his brain had him relive suffocating to death. Obviously that hadn't happened in reality but it was not uncommon that he died in his nightmares. The captain blinked awake. He lay on his back in the bed in the dark, Rosemary still on his arm, his arm entirely senseless. For a long moment, he caught his breath quietly and watched the figure of the woman sleep. From the darkness, he guessed it was before dawn (2 or 3 in the morning?).

Unfortunately, he needed his arm back if he was to return to sleep. The man moved slowly, doing his best not to disturb his sleeping companion as he leaned over her to kiss her lips. Perhaps that was disturbing her after all. He threaded the fingers of his free hand through her hair and cupped the side of her face. His kiss lasted just until Rosemary showed signs of stirring and then his lips and touch migrated across her cheek, over her jaw and to her throat, soft and wet and full of need. He slowly pulled his arm out from under her as he kissed her.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary had been dreaming of a cottage; out in the dark wood, a perfectly circular clearing filled with sunshine and flowers. She looked and looked, but she couldn't find a single gladiolus among them. Sebastian had said they were his favorite, how could she not have planted a single one? Every flower she touched was turning into dead, white roses. She was becoming more and more distressed before Sebastian kissed her--both in and out of the dream.

She woke with a sound akin to a cat startled from a nap. "Hmmm...?" Bastian's kisses down her jaw and throat soon caught her attention, and she instincively turned more towards him and curled her body against his, trailing one hand up his side to his shoulder. Almost blind in the dark room, she was able to recognize the kisses, obviously, but as he pulled his arm out from under her, she incorrectly worried that he was leaving and moved to catch his other hand.

"Bastian? You're not leaving, are you?" She asked, voice sleepy and distressed.