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[cyclus]

Phainon

Praise the sun!

Phainon

Phainon

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[doloscolo]

Nah, too easy. Besides, the little prince already gave you heat for it.

[ Doubling down wouldn't be as much fun! ]

And teasing you about this is much more entertaining~ Who's got you blushing, hmm~ ?

[cyclus]

That would be unfair, I suppose.

[ He reaches out, ruffling her hair, as if that might distract her. ]

You can read it all, can't you?

[doloscolo]

[ Nice try! ]

I wanna hear it from you!

[ And like she told CK: she aint reading all that. ]

[cyclus]

Cipher...

[ But... Fine! He knows better than to try to argue with her, and steps around to flop onto his bed. ]

Ask away. I'll be honest.

[doloscolo]

[ Cipher barely manages to contain a squeal of delight. Victory! That would simply be too much, and she's aware of the thin line she's teetering on.

She follows Phainon's descent to his bed, pupils blowing out with an interest that she can't hide. ]

We can make a game of it, if you want! A question for a question or whatever. I'll be honest, too.

[ She's a thief, not a liar.

Mostly.

As for her question... ]

How many have gotten to see this cute side of you?

[cyclus]

[ It feels a little like the sleepovers he once had with Cyrene in his childhood, soft laughter echoing in the blanket fort they made together.

It's nostalgic. Pleasant.

It softens him. ]

I'm not sure what you mean by the 'cute' side of me, but if you mean blushing?

[ His nose wrinkles. ]

Cat King, and Hythlodaeus, at least.

[doloscolo]

Oh!

[ Two names she's familiar with, more so the former than the latter. She really has caught the canary. ]

Oh, the King is very good at that, isn't he? Making people blush. A very kind and generous King. [ The way she purrs over the words is telling. And maybe she's making an assumption but: ] Did he take good care of you~ ? Help you figure out how to untie some of those knots of yours~ ?

[cyclus]

He has been incredibly good to me. Any more than that is another question.

[ No cheating! ]

Who have you enjoyed spending your time with?

[doloscolo]

[ Following the rules of her own game? Rude. ]

Lenore, Cat King. I've had some fun teasing a cute, little peach. [ She means Ritsuka. ] And the little prince, and you of course.

[cyclus]

Surely Mydeimos and I don't count!

[ Missing the point, obviously. ]

But Lenore did mention you, so you clearly made an impression.

[doloscolo]

Maybe you don't count.

[ Hold on to your butts, people - but wait. Cipher leans into his space. ]

She mentioned me?? Did it sound like a good impression??

[cyclus]

[ He frowns, tilting his head, not dwelling on that particular answer just yet. ]

That's your question! She called you a 'lovely woman'. It sounded positive.

[ Leaning back, he puts an arm behind his head. ]

Has anyone spoken about me?

[doloscolo]

[ She huffs, but the answer is worth the question. A 'lovely woman,' wow... has she ever been called that before? She definitely doesn't have a puppy crush or anything of the sort. ]

Hythlodaeus has. Briefly. He seemed fond, too.

[ Hard to say given the circumstances of their conversation, but Phainon was mentioned! ]

Is there anyone you want to be speaking of you~ ?

[cyclus]

Oh! That’s good. He and I had a - pleasant time.

[ There goes that blush again, and he looks away so she doesn’t interrogate him over it.

At her question… ]

Only him, and the Cat King, I suppose. Or the Lady Zelda.

[doloscolo]

[ Given how that pretty boy flirted with her, Cipher doesn't really need to interrogate Phainon. She can guess how they had a pleasant time.

So, she lets him look away and instead moves to play with his hair. She scratches his scalp, behind his ears, gentle. ]

I see! Glad to see you have better taste in companions than some other things.

Your turn.

[cyclus]

What is that supposed to mean?

[ He does lean into the touch to his hair, letting himself settle, comfortable.

It’s nice. It feels nice. Comfortable. Easy. ]

That isn’t my question, though. Hmm… What have you enjoyed the most?

[doloscolo]

I've seen you in your purple and yellow ensembles is what that means.

[ When he settles, Cipher does too. She shifts to lay on her stomach, hip to hip with Phainon so she's close enough to still pet his hair. It is nice. Whatever this is. ]

... I don't know what I've enjoyed the most. Everything's been pretty great. [ A non-answer. But how does she tell him that the best part of this place is the freedom from expectations? How she's practically a nobody here. Not a Chrysos Heir, a demigod, the Wind of Dolos, not a thief nor a hero - just a contestant on some freaky reality show.

The expectations of her were nothing compared to what their world wanted from Phainon. ]

[cyclus]

There’s nothing wrong with my clothes!

[ At least not now that Aglaea had taken charge of most of them.

It is nice, to not have expectations. Phainon has had to explain to a handful of people what his golden blood means, but beyond that… There is nothing he must do other than be himself. He is fulfilling a role here, settling into a vessel of pleasure to earn his wish, but outside of that…

He isn’t the Deliverer to anyone but his dearest friends, and he doesn’t mind being that for them. He’s never minded. ]

Mm. I understand. It’s not been too bad, has it?

[ His eyes are softer as he looks at her. ]

Your turn.

[doloscolo]

[ He can be the Deliverer when he wants to be. That's in part why she's stopped calling him that, her nickname for him, in favor of 'Snowy' recently.

Cipher hums in agreement. ] Not bad at all. But, same question. Surely there's something you've enjoyed most?

[ A gentle question before she starts being nosy again. ]

[cyclus]

Ah, well. Hehe.

[ Phainon looks a little sheepish.

If he’s being honest, he knows what he’d say. He also knows what she’d say about it, and that makes him hesitant. They’re being real and true here, though, and he doesn’t want to ruin that, not when she’ll be able to pluck the lie out of him.

Instead, he leans back, cheeks a darker gold. ]

When I was leashed, Mydeimos and I bathed together. I enjoyed that.

[ He laughs, sheepish. ]

Who would you like to spend more time with…?

[doloscolo]

[ Okay, now Cipher shrieks in delight. There's that cute blush again and THANK THE TITANS. ]

For real?! Ugh, I'm kinda jealous! I need Miss Lenore to collar me... [ or collar her again, depending on how that thread plays out She leans into Phainon, making up for the space he put between them. Her chest presses against his arm. ]

That's my answer, by the way. [ She rushes that out. ] What did you enjoy about it??

[cyclus]

It seems like she would, if you asked her. She liked you.

[ Phainon lifts his arm, wrapping it around her and pulling her close.

The question makes him pause, hesitating briefly before he sighs, soft and quiet. ]

I suppose it was because it was easy. Mydeimos told me what to do, and I did it. There were no expectations? Have you felt like that before?

[doloscolo]

[ It's Cipher's turn to flush a brilliant gold. Between hearing that Lenore likes her, Phainon arm around her and the warmth of his body, and his following question, there's plenty for her to blush about. She's content.

She's sure in some cycles there were times she felt like that. When she gave everything up and let herself be led by some person who didn't matter in the long run.

She's felt like that in Decadia, too. It was so easy to fall into Cat King's touch. Let Lenore have her way with her. And -

Cipher nuzzles into Phainon’s neck, her long lashes fluttering against his warm skin there as she closes her eyes. ]

Sure I have. Mydeimos really does make it feel easy.

[cyclus]

[ Phainon draws her close, lets her cuddle into him, holding her gently. It’s as if she’s a prized gift, something to cherish and keep safe, and in his eyes? She is. He had fought millions of lifetimes to ensure her joy and happiness, to make her wishes come true.

It takes a moment for her words to process, his hand stroking along the curve of her spine, and as they do… He breathes out softly.

It’s obvious what she means. Phainon was under no illusion that Mydeimos had been making his own place here, enjoying himself - he’d seen it when they’d returned from the ball. He had crawled into his bed and worshipped him for the sake of being the last to do it, a desire he had refused to examine. There’s something about knowing that he and Cipher had been together too, that the same safety Mydeimos offered him was also given to another…

It stings, in a way he doesn’t allow himself to dwell on.

Instead, he hums softly, fingers resting against the small of her back, eyes a little distant. He thinks his tone is measured enough that she won’t be able to tell, but knowing her…

Phainon just smiles. ]

He is remarkably skilled at that, for all his brutish nature!

[doloscolo]

[ But knowing her...

Cipher is quiet for a long moment, her eyes still closed. She is not going to dwell. She is not going to make assumptions of Phainon again. However, she needs him to know something.

She hefts herself up on her forearms, caging Phainon between them (as much as she can given their size difference) so she can hover half over him. Her chest is now to his, and she leans in close so there's nowhere for him to run. She's nose to nose with him. ]

Mm. He didn't tell me what to do; it was easy because it was something we had to do. We hardly had a choice. [ She licks her lips. ] Not that I wouldn't want to have sex with him again [ Because, Titans, she does want to. ] but with the aphrodisiacs, and... he was going to make a fool of himself at the ball.