the magician and the sorcerer — psl

[ourladytrees]

julia x stephen


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[portalling]

You did what with a what now? [ He tilts his head, stares at her in some mingled combination of being mildly horrified but also surprised and impressed. He might have had his dealings with hedges, but for obvious reasons, he'd never actually known what their initiations were like. ]

I'll say it again about you as a nurse. The 'strong stomach' part seems to apply.

[ourladytrees]

I'll take it under advisement.

[ She echoes his earlier words with a smile, more than a little pleased with the look on his face. Not the mildly horrified part, though it's certainly warranted, but the rest... It feels good to impress him, and she's betting he doesn't get nearly enough good surprises in his life these days.

With another sip of her drink, she reaches the bottom of the glass and feels a little sadder for it. She leans forward to set her glass on the table and then gestures to the mess from wrapping his wounds. ]

I should probably clean this up and let you get some rest. Being filleted by a monster seems like it'd be kind of exhausting.

[portalling]

[ At the mention of rest, his gaze drifts to the bedroom doorway at the end of the parlour.

And it's like a spark of sense-memory, and for the first time in a long time — since before the accident, even — Stephen suddenly remembers that delicate balance and how he'd once walked that tightrope with aplomb. Driving a woman back to his place in the Lamborghini, or taking a cab home if he'd already been drinking. Having a nightcap in his penthouse apartment and showing off that glittering floor-to-ceiling view of Manhattan. The conversation winding down and the inevitable push-and-pull of subtle intimations and trying to suss each other out, the unspoken would you like to.

But this isn't that, Stephen, he reminds himself, and so he simply drains the rest of his drink in one fell swoop and sets it aside, too. Rises back to his feet with another sigh and an agreeing nod. ]

Kind of. I'll get some rest, and give you a call later on when we're ready to take out the trash— wake me up if the spider-demon starts rampaging out of the laundry room, but I do think it'll be alright. Those wards are built to hold worse.

[ There's a grateful twinkle in his eye, a fondness in his voice: ]

And I think I said it before, but thank you again. For coming.

[ourladytrees]

You're welcome.

[ There's a world of sincerity in those words and a good deal of fondness to match his own and she finds herself not wanting to leave. They don't even have to keep talking, he could go to bed and she could just stay up and read one of the million books in his rooms, listening to make sure he's alright while he sleeps. But she doesn't quite feel like she can offer that yet, no matter how much she wants to, and anything else is... Off the table.

Grabbing the bowl of dirty water and a handful of supplies, she flashes him another smile while offering a playful warning as she moves toward the door. ]

And don't worry, if there's rampaging, you will definitely hear about it. [ Then, with seriousness and yet more affection: ] Goodnight, Stephen.