nextgen_holiday (nextgen_holiday) wrote in marvel_nextgen,
@ 2011-02-14 19:09:00

Entry tags:

alex bowmaster, casey flynn, gregory price, holiday, inactive - cassidy summers, inactive - chris frost, inactive - chris pym, inactive - daniel grimm, inactive - ellie rasputin, inactive - grace danvers, inactive - izzy starsmore, inactive - james romanov rogers, inactive - justin rhodes, inactive - match, inactive - rose logan, inactive - torn ear, inactive - valeria richards, jack murdock, jenny woolverton, kalypso, mason jeffries, misha loganovich, nimue smallwood, perenawska, quinn braddock, rachel summers, svalin, sydney ashcroft, zoey ashcroft

Valentine Vignettes

I arise from dreams of thee
In the first sweet sleep of night,
When the winds are breathing low,
And the stars are shining bright.
I arise from dreams of thee,
And a spirit in my feet
Hath led me -- who knows how?
To thy chamber window, Sweet!

The wandering airs they faint
On the dark, the silent stream--
And the Champak's odours
Like sweet thoughts in a dream;
The nightingale's complaint,
It dies upon her heart,
As I must on thine,
O belovèd as thou art!

O lift me from the grass!
I die! I faint! I fail!
Let thy love in kisses rain
On my lips and eyelids pale.
My cheek is cold and white, alas!
My heart beats loud and fast:
O press it to thine own again,
Where it will break at last!

Percy Bysshe Shelley

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	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 01:28 am UTC (link)
	Rachel knows who's at the door before she even opens it. After the morning with David, she would have expected it, even if she wasn't telepathic. It was hard not to recognize Torn Ear's mind. She opened the door. "Hey, Torn Ear." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

guard_kitty
2011-02-16 01:40 am UTC (link)

"This is for you being my Valentine." He grins and holds out the gift-wrapped lump. It's rather pretty wrapping paper and ribbon, but somewhat clumsily done. Inside is an atomizer with homemade perfume made from sweetgrass and something close to rose petals from back home.

"Here, just go with this, if you really want to make her something yourself. She'll smell really nice."
"She already smells nice!"
"Just go with it, trust me."

He raises his eyebrows, waiting for her appraisal.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 02:27 am UTC (link)
	She doesn't mean to pry, but Torn Ear's thoughts are far too easy to read. His uncertainty is charming, in its way. Rachel smiles. "Thank-you, Torn Ear," she says. "These are wonderful." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-16 02:41 am UTC (link)
	Torn Ear grins. "I'm glad you like it. I was told this is a good traditional present for the holiday." He holds out his hand. "We will go to lunch now?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 02:50 am UTC (link)
	"You were told right," she assures him. She puts her hand in his. "Sounds good." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-16 03:05 am UTC (link)
	They head into town, arriving at a little corner cafe and deli. Soup and sandwiches place, but it's cozy. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 03:25 am UTC (link)
	"You're adapting really well to city life," Rachel observes. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-16 04:21 am UTC (link)
	"Thank you. I'd be very embarrassed if I couldn't learn. It's why I was sent here after all." Torn Ear smiles appreciatively. He orders himself chicken soup and a toasted sandwich. "So... you are happy?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 07:23 pm UTC (link)
	Rachel got herself a tomato soup and a ham and Swiss. "I am," she says. "Happier than I thought, given that I didn't get split in two like Starbridge or Chris." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-16 07:31 pm UTC (link)
	"I am glad for that. I like you just how you are." He grins at her. He means it to, pretty much since he first met her. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 07:47 pm UTC (link)
	Rachel definitely needed to figure out just what it was about her that got all these guys to go crazy for her. "Thanks," she said, blushing. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-16 07:49 pm UTC (link)
	"You should be proud of yourself!" He proclaims insistently. "You have the power to do almost anything, and you only think of taking care of the people around you. If more humans were like you, there wouldn't have been that... misunderstanding." He fidgets, thinking of the incident with ~~the chosen one~~ Chris. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-16 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	She gave him a curious look. "I'm really not that special. Just got a dad with a hardline on responsibility." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-16 08:03 pm UTC (link)
	"You are special, though. If you weren't, I w-- uh... I mean, of course you're special." He'd blush, if the image inducer could show it. "Do I... make you uncomfortable ever?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-17 12:23 am UTC (link)
	Rachel hesitated, but she was also a fundamentally honest person. So she pressed on. "Um... sometimes," she admitted. "You kind of... ah, follow me around like a puppy sometimes." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

guard_kitty
2011-02-17 12:37 am UTC (link)

He nods. "Yes... I should explain that. Is complicated."

Torn Ear clears his throat as he gathers his thoughts, choosing his words carefully to make sure they do not get lost in translation.

"You have... probably thought it was weird, that I am attracted to you, even though you are so different. My people choose bonds by smell. Is.." He pauses, then puts a hand to his chest. "It is something we feel deep inside, and do not ever un-feel.

Ones in my family always feel bonded to those who are powerful, but do not feel their power makes them great. That is why I feel for you like I do."

He gathers his thoughts again. "I know situation with Starbridge and David is unusual for you. It does not bother me, because my people have such things normally. To be with more than one, boy or girl, is not unusual. Humans seem to be different.

I want you to be happy, with whoever and how many makes you happy. You don't have to like me, but... I can't not like you."

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-17 12:50 am UTC (link)
	It takes Rachel a moment to process all of that, carefully going over exactly what Torn-Ear has said. "Wait," she said, "are you saying you... imprinted on me?" (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-17 12:54 am UTC (link)
	"Imprinted?" He tries out the word, then shakes his head. "More like... umm..." He really hadn't wanted to use this phrasing. "Please do not take choice of words too strongly, but is more like 'bonded' or 'mate for life'." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-17 01:07 am UTC (link)
	Rachel felt her mouth drop open. Leaving her body to handle her surprise, she tried to read Torn Ear's surface thoughts. No deep probing violations or anything, but just enough to make a little more sense of what he was saying. And she wasn't sure she could. The reference point was just too non-human to fully parse. "I see..." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

guard_kitty
2011-02-17 01:17 am UTC (link)

His surface thoughts are a swirling mix of concern and genuine affection. He's entirely focused on her, with a little bit of concern for David and Starbridge on the periphery.

Regarding what he talked about, it's a deep-rooted instinct. Something that took hold when he first met her, and took him a while to understand it was that thing he was smelling on her. Someone powerful, but someone to protect. Someone to cherish, even while being rightly afraid of them just a little. Rachel's smell for him is like the smell a human would associate with 'home'.

At the core of the sensation, is a need to look out for her that may as well be burned into him. He doesn't need her to feel romantically for him, but it's just his nature to want to protect her now. As surely as it's his nature to breathe the air.

"I... I thought it was right to tell you."

The server returns, putting down their orders and scurrying away as they sense the awkward moment.

(Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-17 01:28 am UTC (link)
	She chewed that thought over. "Thank-you," Rachel said, once she trusted herself to speak again. "I... don't claim to understand all of this, Torn Ear," she went on. "But... I think I get enough." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-17 01:31 am UTC (link)
	"I like you, Rachel Summers. Even besides... smell-feeling, I like you from knowing you. Just do whatever is feeling right for you, and I will be happy for you." He smiles openly. A pause later, he looks at the food. "You still want to have lunch? I have movie tickets for after." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-17 01:37 am UTC (link)
	She thought about it for a moment, and then managed a smile. Some of it was... weird beyond belief. But somehow, saying no would be like kicking a puppy. "Yeah, we can still do that." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	guard_kitty 2011-02-17 01:43 am UTC (link)
	He grins and goes on with lunch. "Okay." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	marvel_girl 2011-02-17 02:12 am UTC (link)
	Rachel dipped her sandwich in her soup and took a bite. "This was all very sweet of you, Torn Ear," she said. "Thank-you." (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)