"It's time to get up!" She repeated, sliding off the bed. Her slight curved figure was shown off with her randomly thrown together pajamas, but she wasn't really worried about his opinion. Also ignoring the fact her had just switched languages completely seemed to slip by her. Mostly assuming it was morning grogginess, she sat on the edge closest to the side table. "I brought coffee." She told him grabbing her own mug.
Sipping from it slowly, she took a moment to stare him up and down. Hoping he was too tired to care. She picked up his every scar, and bruise, though they all seemed to be healing. Barely at that though, and if they weren't cleaned properly, they were going to get infected. "What on earth did you do to yourself yesterday?" She asked softly, reaching over and tracing one of his scars delicately.
He didn't even notice anything besides her voice, as he still had the pillow over his head and refused to remove it. He was in denial about the morning, as always, because he didn't want to get up and do things. That also meant that he barely moved when he felt her fingertips skimming along his skin, tracing over what he presumed was the injuries he got last night. He only movement he made was a slight flinch, but that was it.
Perhaps it was the grogginess, or maybe it was because she seemed genuinely concerned and he needed to talk to someone about this monster in his head, but he told her. "My magic backfired," he murmured, voice husky and accent thick as his tongue struggled to form the English words. "I–I wasn't born with it. It was forced on me. I could've died. I should've died. But I didn't. So I'm stuck with something I never wanted, something I need to control before it either kills me or someone else." His words tapered off into a whisper, muffled by the pillow over his head.
She was hooked on every word after he had said magic. That word was foreign between the two, they never spoke of that mystic force. "You mean to tell me, you have magic now? And you just dropped the bomb just like that?" She asked, completely aghast at his story. "This isn't OK, you have to let me at least clean you up." Joanna's voice trailed, as she focused on his torso.
Feeling overly sensitive at the moment, she got up and quickly ran into the bathroom. Pulling out a severe medical kit, she checked to make sure it had all what she assumed she needed and nodded when it did. It wasn't completely perfect, but nothing was. She scurried back into his room, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "You need to either fix yourself up, or let me do it." She told him, putting her cool hand back onto his back.
(Gtg to bed, night!)
(night!)
Kasiya sighed and cursed himself out after realizing what he did, his mind finally catching up with his mouth. This always happenes. He speaks before thinking and has to deal with the consequences. But what's done was done, and there was no turning back. Joanna knew about his magic now, knew that he had hurt himself using it, and now he had to brush it off like he always did. But the thing was, he was so tired of running away. That wasn't what he did. He ran into the fire, ran into the fight, ran into the danger. He didn't cower and flee like some pathetic doe-eyed deer.
When he heard her come back, then felt that cool hand on his back, he sighed heavily and removed the pillow from over his head, dropping it to the floor. "I'm too tired for this," he grumbled, situating himself so he could push his upper half up with his arms and sit next to Joanna, his head bowed and eyes averted sleepily. "Just get it over with. I know you're not going to let me leave without it, so there's no point in arguing," he grumbled.
((Morning~))
Her face cringed some at his words, knowing he was right. She didn't like feeling like the hangover mother, but when you were in pain she felt she needed to be. "I'm sorry if it burns." Jo mumbled, opening a bottle of neosporin and squeezing the cream onto her finger. Gently, but purposely she ran her fingers over the scars to keep them from getting infected.
Honestly, Joanna didn't like thinking of him having to suffer. Unless it was under her teasing, or her picking on him, then it was OK. Otherwise, it was painful for her to just see the after effects. Imagine what it would do to her seeing him injure himself in person. The thought and image flashed across her mind, and she shook her head to clear them. "S-so, what kind of magic do you have?" Her voice was broken, and dry, as if she may have been crying.
((morning! or afternoon, as it's closer to that than morning))
He hissed softly when he felt her putting the cream over his injuries, shoulders tensing some, before he forced himself to relax and sit still. He remained silent, not in the mood for idle chit chat or teasing her. He just wanted to officially check out of his hotel, get his stuff, and take a nap for the rest of the day. He doubted Joanna would let him to the last thing, but it was worth a shot. He didn't have anything else to do.
His jaw clenched some when she asked her question, very much considering ignoring her and leaving it as what he stupidly said. But, again, he felt compelled to tell her, to let her know what she was getting into with him. "Lightning," he finally mumbled, shifting slightly awkwardly and running his uninjured hand through his hair. "I need to cut this…" he then murmured under his breath with a huff.
(Eheheheheheh, evening I guess,because like stuff in life happens and phones and that jazz are banned.)
The answer was short and sweet (not much unlike Joanna, just cut out the sweet) and she wasn't going to ask more. Hearing his second comment she nodded some, in slight agreement. "I know a guy." She mentioned casually, before pulling out medical tape and bandages. "If you want, you just have to know how you want it cut."
Joanna did actually know a guy. A pretty good one at that, for hair cuts at least. His name was Danti, and Joanna totally had a crush on him. She would never admit it to anyone though, especially not to Kasiya here. He would tease her none stop, always on her neck about it. Eventually it would get old, and she wouldn't have a crush on him anymore, but she was more concerned about the fact that he could have blackmail.
((mine aren't exactly banned in the morning, I just have a 2-hour-long class in the morning so I can't respond, then some classes that are iffy with phones/free-time))
Kasiya hadn't expected her to answer his thrown-out statement. He twisted around some to look at her with an arched brow, then took that moment to study her some. He was good at telling certain things about people. It was what he did a lot growing up. Because of this learned skill, he could tell she hadn't slept much, or at least hadn't slept well, from the look in her eyes. He could also tell that she was worried about him, for some reason, as she tended to his wounds.
"Why?" he finally got out, eyes still on hers, "Why are you helping me?" He gestured around vaguely. "You could easily leave me to my own devices and avoid me as much as you can." Really, he was just confused that someone, in general, was going out of their way to help him. It was such an odd thing to him, as he wasn't used to it. He's been fending for himself for so long he didn't know people were even capable of helping him out.
((Eheh, yeah electronics in general aren't allowed for me. Everything is pen, paper, and text books.))
She didn't know why actually. So she sat there, attempting to find an answer to his simple question. "I- I mean… yeah, we aren't really friends, but you know…" She rambled some, unable to come up with a reply. Joanna shook her head and went quiet for a minute to actually come up with a feasible answer. It shouldn't be so hard, just a couple words to fill the void. But her words were leaving her to fend for herself.
Sucking in a deep breath, she pulled away from his half bandaged self to just speak. "Maybe because I care for you, even if we don't get along. I've known you for years, and after awhile you kinda grew on me. Enough for me to care at least. I don't like you much, but I don't despise you. You mean more than you think, giving me the truth and part attention I crave. Simple as that I guess." She shrugged, going back to her bandaging of his back. "If that doesn't answer your question, I don't know what will."
He hummed in thought, taking in her words and turning them over and over again. I care for you. Four words he has never heard directed towards him. His black eyes slid off to the side as he mulled over that, trying to figure out if she meant it or not. Of course she did, because he didn't detect any sort of lie or mockery in her tone. She hadn't struggled for words like a liar struggled for words, she struggled to come up with a suitable answer to his question while sorting through her thoughts. 'Now what am I supposed to do with that?'
With his thoughts spinning around like a tumbleweed, he attempted to figure out how his own feelings towards her fit while he mindlessly offered his arm to her to bandage as well. She was right, they've known each other for years and it was hard to not have some sort of fondness for someone you've known for so long—as long as you didn't completely loath them. It took him a bit to begrudgingly accept it, but he also cared about Joanna on some level. It unsettled him, mostly because he never allowed himself to get attached to anyone after his only friend had bailed on him long ago. Yet here they were. "I suppose," he grumbled, then sighed, shifting again and rolling his eyes dramatically, " I suppose I also care about you somewhat… though I don't like you, so don't go around thinking I do." He shot her a glare, though there was a playful gleam in his eyes that softened the words and look.
Careful to be gentle, she bandaged his arm as well. Once settled in place, she heard his words and half frowned. They sounded a little cold, and forced. Though she looked to his face, and relaxed at his lighthearted glare. "I wouldn't dream of it princess." She teased back, leaning forward just slightly. "Breakfast is probably burning, and your coffee is on the bedside table." Her voice seemed a little more formal as she stood and went to grab her mug.
Guzzling down the last sip, Jo strutted out of the room. Maybe purposely swaying her hips some to attempt to gain attention. Quickly as she dared she slipped into the kitchen and set her mug on the counter. She tipped the coffee pot over her glass to fill it up once more, and set it aside before busying herself with the other things trying to get her attention. The waffles were sitting there, ready to be eaten, and two plates ready to hold the food.
He muttered a noncommittal response as she left, waving at her before eyeballing the coffee on the table. When he was sure she left, he took a moment to just flop back onto the bed and stare up at the ceiling. Breakfast. He had been planning on just leaving when he bothered to get up, but it'd seem she had other plans in place. Then there was the other issue of them supposed to be acting like a couple. He scrunched his nose in thought as his eyes scanned the ceiling, thinking that one through.
"Better yet, I just don't think. I'm better at that than thinking." He sat up and grabbed his coffee, taking a drink from it before he got out of bed. He pulled on his shirt, moving carefully due to the bandages, and tied his hair back up. Once dressed, he took his coffee and came out into the kitchen, spotting Joanna. He came up behind her—something he seemed to do often—and dipped his head down so he was speaking right next to her ear. "Mornin' shortcake," he murmured with a soft smile, "And thank you, for the help."
It was a balancing act for sure. Jo was carrying plates, her coffee, silverware, and syrup over to the table. Once in place, she quickly turned back, catching sight of the guest room door on her way into the kitchen. So he didn't just go back to sleep. A light smile rested on her lips, as she poured the leftover coffee into a to-go mug for later.
Then she felt his hot breath on her neck and shuddered some. The sound of his cool tone was enough to chill her spine. "Morning to you to." Her own voice was stiff, and a little squeaky as she pushed the thoughts of him from her mind. "I never asked you, but I hope you slept well." She murmed, ignoring his appreciation to her fixing him up.
"I did." Barely a thought crossed his mind as he dipped his head down some more and planted a quick kiss to the crook of her neck then backed away to check out the kitchen like a curious cat. 'See? Better when I don't think.' When he wasn't thinking, he didn't hesitate. He just moved, acted accordingly without care. He could flirt with Joanna to make her fall for him without worrying about how he felt about the whole thing or if he even felt like it. Not thinking was the best thing he could do.
He knocked his knuckles against the table as he sipped his coffee, absentmindedly looking around the room and curiously examining what Joanna had set up for breakfast. "I'm headed to my hotel to grab my things and check out," he told her, deciding to let her know before she found him gone without an explanation. "After eating, of course."
Her face flared a bright red, and she would probably ring his neck if he wasn't so much taller than her. She wasn't going to tell him, or give him the satisfaction of knowing, but that was one of her many little turn-ons. Her nails were digging into her hand, as her heart beat a little faster. To cool herself down, she splashed her face with icy cold water, attempting to subside the flittery feeling. Her face relaxed to it's normal color and she patted it dry with a fresh towel.
"Oh, alright, are you walking or do you want me to drive you?" She called out, setting the towel aside and coming towards the table. She slid into her seat and leaned on her palms starring up at him. "What do you want?" Joanna hummed, picking up her fork and twirling it around aiming it towards him.
He didn't notice her struggle to calm herself down, too busy with looking around and sinking into his thoughts once more. He was debating on if he wanted to go to other places as well after dropping his stuff off here, perhaps to look for a place to work for the time being until he had enough to move out of Joanna's place. When she talked, he looked over at her and shrugged, sinking into a seat.
"Depends on how long you want to be stuck with me," he said simply, "I might look for a job afterwards to keep myself busy. Might not. I'm fine with walking." He shrugged again, then tipped his head to the side as he thought about her second question. "What's available?"
Joanna furrowed her brow, trying to figure out what he meant. "Well, I was offering you a ride, so do you want me to drive you or are you walking? I really don't care either way, but if you're job hunting you can use my laptop or something to look up jobs online." She noted, eating her breakfast slowly. She wasn't really hungry, but mostly just forcing herself to eat something for the day.
She yawned a bit, trying not to look excessively tired because of not really sleeping the night before. She had gotten 2- maybe 3 hours of sleep last night at most. But Kasiya didn't know that, she assumed at least, because he hadn't made fun of her about any of it. Though, what was there to make fun of her sleeping disorder? That was just cruel, honestly. He wouldn't do something like that.
Kas rolled his eyes. "I was asking what food is available," he clarified, then propped his head up on a fist and stared at a random spot on the wall for a few seconds. "I'll probably just walk. I don't really know what I'll be doing, and I don't want to make you suffer with my presence more than you have to." He flicked his gaze over to Joanna with a slight uptilt of his lip, then back to the spot on the wall. "It's not that far."
It certainly wasn't a short walking distance away from where Joanna lived, but he wasn't going to tell her that. It'd be nothing to him, anyway, as he's been walking for a while. But that wasn't what he was thinking about. He was afraid of who he might run into while he was out. His brother had a nasty habit of showing up out of nowhere for no good, and Kasiya didn't want to put Joanna into more danger than she possibly already was in by practically handing her to Redore. It wasn't safe for her just yet.
"Oh, well if you're so sure." Jo shrugged, taking another bite of her half cold waffle. "I have bread for toast, and eggs. I think I might have bagels too.And clearly waffles." She mumbled, sipping her coffee to wash it down. "I can make you whatever I have, I need to go to the store today. You picked a bad to spend the night." She snickered pushing her mug aside.
She glanced up to him, and her smile fell some. Jo starred him up and down in his strange stare off state. He seemed so distracted, but she wasn't going to say anything more. So she finished off her breakfast, and carried her plate back to the sink. Once put away, she walked back to the table, coming up behind him. She stepped up onto a chair and leaned over resting her chin on his shoulder. "Whatcha thinking handsome?" She purred, her voice low.
He'd probably just grab a bagel before heading out, then. Kasiya was so consumed with thoughts about his brother that he barely even noticed Joanna moving until he could feel her breath on his neck and her voice next to his ear. He blinked, then looked over at her. "Stuff," he said simply, lowering his voice some automatically from her closeness.
Kas momentarily let himself forget about everything about his brother and just focused on the woman he had made a bet with. Sure, she was pretty and almost cute with her short stature, oval face, and wide eyes. But he wasn't attracted to her, at least not in the sense that most people would expect him to be. He never was. Someone could flirt all they wanted; he'd never give them the reaction they craved. But he would always give Joanna the attention she wanted, if only because he felt obligated to from how long they've known each other and because he just couldn't help himself. His attention came with the price of teasing, so it was a win-win type thing.
"What kind of stuff?" She questioned, before getting an idea. "You can always share your secrets with me." She teased in a seductive tone. A light smirk was on her lips, knowing he wouldn't tell her anyways. But why not give it a chance, he slipped up earlier, he might again. She hopped down from the chair, using his arm for support. Once down, she gently patted his arm and turned not waiting to hear his answer.
Joanna was only up for the teasing, as long as it kept her from falling for him. If she kept picking at his flaws, maybe it would keep her from falling in the trap. It was the little things that counted. So she decided to flirt, or whatever you would call that, with him so she would only see him as a thing to be all talk and no game with. Things would get real weird if she did fall for him.
Kas continued to watch her as she got down, eyes narrowed contemplatively. She was constantly confusing him with her actions, not wanting to do anything with him one moment, then acting seductive the next. Friendly, but not liking their agreement, then back to seductive. Back and forth. Perhaps it was time to hold up his end of the bargain and turn the tables.
He slipped over to her without further thought, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against his chest. His other hand came up to her face, fingers gently brushing over her chin, while his head dipped down to press a kiss to Joanna's neck. He didn't pull away, so he was speaking against her skin as he whispered, "I spilled some of my secrets this morning, love. It's only fair you return the favor." His lips curved up into a small smirk. "I'm not leaving until you do."
Joanna's breathing was quick, and short. She hated this so much, because she couldn't stop her face from flushing a bright crimson. "S-stop, please." She begged him, gripping onto his shoulders. Her knuckles were rather pale, as her grip locked onto his shirt. Digging her finger nails into her skin, even through the fabric of his shirt, her jaw was clenched tightly. As she knew he wouldn't go until he was informed something.
She raced her mind for something, anything really, but when you don't have many secrets things get difficult. The only thing she was able to come up with, is the blaring obvious fact this whole charade was a whole turn on. But that never lead to good, everything always went down hill when she adimitted things like that. With a sigh, and her only option, she was quick about it. "When people kiss on my neck, it really, really, turns me on. I hate that fact so much." She mumbled trying to calm herself down some.
Kasiya blinked and pulled back some, confusion crossing through his black eyes like a small wave. That hadn't been what he was expecting, and he also didn't think she'd openly admit that. Without further hesitation, he let go of her and pulled away completely, instead walking towards the fridge to get a bagel to eat before he would leave. He battled with himself for a few silent seconds, then quietly murmured a, "Sorry," his back to Joanna as he searched for his desired food.
He wasn't going to do that again, that he was certain of. But that also proved to be an issue for the bet. Couples usually, well, did that to show affection. 'Burn that bridge when I get to it,' he told himself, mentally shaking his head as he pulled out the bagels and set the bag on the table so he could exchange it for his coffee, slowly finishing it off.
Once he had pulled she let out a heavy breath of relief. She leaned back against the table, gripping to that tightly. She felt her heart was pounding, and her head was spinning. She couldn't think clearly in the slightest. She wasn't sure what she had even said to get him to stop, only knowing it had worked. Then she heard a muttered apology, and her eyes snapped up. The situation began to click back into place, and she put a two delicate fingers on her neck where he had kissed her. She sighed shakily, nodding her head.
"You're fine, I j-just have a really hard time with i-it." She mumbled back, rubbing her face. "I sh-should be the one apologizing, I'm making things more d-difficult." Her voice wasn't the clearest, as she stumbled on her words. Every word was soft, and barely audible as she pushed off the table and walked over to him. She slid her arms around her waist, and rested her head on his back. "So sorry…"
