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Who: Mystique & [open]
Where: The training center!
When: Afternoon of March 14
Rating: PG-13 to start?
Summary: Aggression is best taken out on inanimate objects, if one wants to avoid undesirable consequences.
The Story: [Perhaps it was the annoying overgrowth of plants that occurred after the sky threw false memories down at the ground, or the fact that people seemed to be reuniting in droves in this place, but today Mystique was feeling particularly irritable. She still had nobody from home here, and while she would tell most people to their faces that this was a good thing ... it didn't mean she didn't still miss her brother. Idiotic and idealistic as he was, there had been an alarming number of instances here where she'd thought it would be a lot easier to have him around than to face things alone.

It was this particularly rotten mood that had sent her to the training facility today -- she shows no sign of stopping the punches that she's throwing at the punching bag suspended from the roof despite a chorus of somewhat worrisome creaks coming from the chain holding it up.

At this rate she's going to bloody her knuckles -- or she would, if she hadn't already thought to thicken her skin there just a little.

Approach with caution, friends.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Any anxiety she might have been having quickly dissolves into relief the longer that Alistair goes on. She isn't surprised, exactly, that he isn't experienced (how old is he, anyway?), even is she's surprised no women have tried anything on him. Maybe that was a product of the time he came from. Whatever the reason, it's given her the upper hand in this situation and she isn't about to waste the advantage.

Once he starts stammering, she's just about to lean on again and put him out of his misery when he moves so eagerly back in.

Points for effort, definitely; Mystique narrowly manages to keep their teeth from colliding by virtue of her reflexes and opts to place a hand at the back of his neck to help guide him into a better angle that would be less likely to lead to emergency dental surgery.

She pauses for a breath she doesn't really need, voice low.]

I still think we should get out of here.

Edited 2016-04-27 00:49 (UTC)

[Well. OK then. Good.

Actions convey what words can't and, courtesy of Mystique's guiding hand saving both their teeth, this kiss is a lot better than the first now that he's not worried about being laughed at. Alistair can feel the heat still lingering in his face as she pulls back, stomach fluttering at the sound of her voice.]

I think- Yes. We should. We need to talk.

[The conversation is not one he wishes to have in public where anyone can hear. And if there's going to be more kissing that's not the sort of thing that should be done in public either. Yes, he knows that people aren't always proper and well-behaved in bars in general but she deserves better than that and it's just not something he's comfortable with personally.

Nodding at the bar he smiles shyly, tone deliberately light as he adds-] I won't blame you if you still need a drink to take.

Being as he's going to fumble through the coming conversation too and she might well need it by the end.]

[The reaction to this kiss, at least, is a lot better than the last one. She can't say she's surprised that he wants to talk before anything else happens, all things considered -- she'd hoped for it absently, in the back of her mind. She felt things too deeply when it came to finding an attachment in others, too often alone and often-abandoned. He hadn't seemed like the one-night-stand type (although she might've taken it).]

I think we'll be doing more than talking if I have my way, but I guess we've got to start somewhere.

[It's much easier to fall into the teasing smiles and words right now.]

Let's call the drink a want and not a need. I'll even get you one.

[True to her word, she'll snag a pitcher and some glasses from the bartender and head back in his direction.]

I get the feeling you might be more comfortable in your room, not mine?

[Hers kind of looks like a fancy mansion room from the 1970s, anyway.]

[Alistair swallows nervously and manages to squeak-]

Not much more.

[He has to make that clear before anything else. If Mystique is expecting something more.... physical, that's. Well, he doesn't want to give her the wrong impression or lead her on. Just in case it is more than teasing on her part.

He nods gratefully at the offer, feeling like he might just need that drink before long. While Mystique goes over to the bar he takes a moment to collect himself and is waiting by the booth when she returns, still smiling nervously.]

Yours might be better? Mine's... not very fancy.

[Or really set up for guests. He's too used to living in dormitories or barracks to have thought about trying to make the space anything more than functional. That's something to think about later. But maybe she'd said that for more personal reasons.]

Unless you'd rather not. We can go to mine if you want, that's fine. Just don't get disappointed that it's not much to look at.

[Admittedly, she's used to playing the oversexed seductress -- and yes, maybe that has bled over into her romantic life more than it really needed to. The fact that she doesn't think she'd mind slowing things down, though, the fact that Alistair is actually planning on communicating things to her clearly, is -- refreshing, given her last few choices in partners.

She can't help the slight laugh.]

If that's the case, mine might be too fancy. The more homesick I get, the more my room looks like it was decorated by a Liberace fan.

[She supposes hers might be more comfortable, if what he says about his place being more utilitarian is true. There's one thing she wants to make clear, though.]

I don't think I'm going to be looking at the room much, anyway, when there are much better things to look at.

[She nods her head toward the door.]

But c'mon. I'll take you to my room -- it's a couple of floors down.

[And maybe he can collect himself a little more while she tries not to get too nervous about what it is that he wants to talk about. She's fairly sure it isn't going to be a serious discussion about how they can be intimate, but only in private where nobody could possibly see him with her -- but she can't help that it's one of the first things that pops into her head.

...she might have a complex, all right, and while being with Erik certainly helped to minimize it, it's still not completely gone.]

[No complaint about his need to take things slow - that's good, isn't it? He thinks it is. Mystique has never had any trouble speaking her mind before, if she found his reluctance off-putting she'd say as much surely. He's still going to be antsy until they've spoken properly - and not just about that - but he thinks there's a chance he won't make a mess of things.

Hopefully. Although the nervous gulp he can't hold back at her claim that there she'll have better things to look at than the room makes him wonder. Still, Alistair manages a smile and gestures her ahead of him.]

Lead the way, my lady.

[It's further to her room than his which is good. He'll need the chance to collect his thoughts, that's for sure. Not that he doesn't know what he has to say but making sure it comes out right is another matter entirely.

As they make their way down Alistair asks-] You live somewhere fancy back home?

[He can't remember if she ever said where she lives normally. He's not sure what a Liberace is either but he's picturing some fancy estate like the Arl's which at least won't be unfamiliar for him and definitely makes him think he might need to do... something about his own space. If Mystique might be coming there at some point in the future. Or anyone else who wasn't raised in a barn - or stable, but close enough.]

[She finds his reluctance intriguing, at least -- she wants to know more about it, and to quell the negative voices in her head that always seemed to pop up in these sorts of situations.

Once he suggests she move forward (she'll never get used to being called a lady), she begins leading him to her room. She doesn't think she's ever actually had anyone in it, here, and even at the mansion she'd grown up in that was more or less true, save for the few she'd snuck in before her brother caught them.]

-- no, not any more. But I grew up in my brother's mansion, and he always kept most of it looking the same way his mother kept it.

[She hadn't wanted to argue with him even if she thought the place looked positively antique. Charles' mother wasn't something they talked about much, but she knew he was fond of him.]

Back home now a days, I more or less just sleep in hotels. I move around a lot.

[The walk to the room is short, and as promised, the room looks rather -- elaborate.]

Edited 2016-05-01 18:13 (UTC)

[Her brother again - her adopted brother who's parents she didn't feel were her own even while he was family. Perhaps they'd simply died before Mystique met him - she suggested as much when she said it was kept much the same as the mother had had it. It doesn't matter. It's none of his business and he doesn't want to upset her again by reminding her of less pleasant memories.

Instead he chuckles, nodding in understanding.]

Me too. I've spent a lot of the past year camping out. It's been nice having a real bed for once.

[They arrive at Mystique's room and Alistair follows her inside, stopping almost immediately once he's past the door to stare about in surprise. It's not so far off the Arl's estate in Denerim or other noble's homes he's seen in some ways but more Orlesian in style than Ferelden. It also makes him very grateful they didn't wind up in his room with its bare stone and rough wooden furniture, no matter how out of place he might feel here.]

Wow. You weren't joking about this place.

[And to think she grew up in a house like this. If he ever needs advice on being regal he knows who to ask.]

[Maybe it's part of the reason she's always felt such solidarity with other mutants -- neither her parents, nor Charles' had ever been around to make her feel accepted by someone who didn't share her plight at home.]

Maybe, but having a weird closet help you decorate your room still seems kind of weird to me.

[She doesn't mind the staring, although it makes her more than a little self-conscious. She shrugs her shoulders easily, trying to pass things off again.]

I just asked it to make it look like home. I guess I still think of the mansion as that, even if it's been years since I've visited.

[After all, she'd never really settled down again. Any fixed point for over a decade had to count as home, didn't it?]

I'm glad it didn't put the rest of the house in this place somehow, or it'd take forever to get around.

[She doesn't think she needs to ramble about her living quarters, though, when they have other things to talk about. She slides down onto the end of thbed, leaning back against her palms.]

So, what do we need to talk about so badly?

[Because the kissing part had been pleasant, and she was eager to return to that.]

[Right. They came here to talk and not about her choice of decor. He takes a deep breath and-]

I have to go back to Ferelden.

[Alistair winces as soon as the words leave his mouth. There clearly isn't enough time in the world to make him tactful when it comes to this sort of thing. All he can do is push on, rushing to explain.]

It doesn't matter that time might not be passing there while I'm gone. If we can find a way to get ourselves home I have to go as soon as I can. I have a duty to uphold. To the Wardens and to my country. I like you but I can't forsake my duty. For anyone. And I can't... can't take this sort of thing- [He gestures between them.] Lightly. That's not who I am.

[With a sigh Alistair slouches back against a wall, studying his boots morosely. When he speaks again his voice is quiet.]

I don't know what to do. [He peers up at Mystique worriedly, uncertain how she's taking it all.] I don't want to hurt you. But I want... I want something that's going to last and-

[He shrugs helplessly. Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should have just told her he wasn't interested and left it at that. But he couldn't bear the idea of letting Mystique think she was unwanted or ruining their friendship. Which he could well have done anyway. Brilliant move Alistair, just brilliant.]

[Any sort of concern she might've had for where this conversation was going to go dissolves as soon as Alistair starts to explain himself. What he's concerned about is something that she hadn't even considered -- that she might want him to stay in this awful place even if he had the potential to return home.

She watches him slouch, thinking about how she ought to word her own statement.]

Well...

[She cants her head, lips twitching to one side.]

I would never try and keep you from returning home. Just because I don't really have one myself any more doesn't mean that I don't have causes that I care about too, but this place...

[She motions for him to come closer and sit next to her, if he can.]

...it isolates itself. I've heard that when you return home, you won't remember this place or anyone in it. I don't know about you, but I'd like to make the best of the time I have here while I still remember it.

I can't promise you anything that could last through something I can't control, but I wasn't just going to make this -- a fling.

[Right, okay, that all sounded reasonable enough...right?]

I- [He frowns, scrubs at his face. Shoves off the wall but rather than come over he paces half-way across the room and back. Turning to face Mystique he tries again.]

I don't know. I mean, I know I don't want a, a fling. And I'm glad you don't too. But...

[Alistair swallows and draws himself up straight, squaring his shoulders, determined if not self-assured.]

I haven't.... I've never- I grew up in a monastery. The only women were the sisters who, well. [Were sworn to the Maker. Were almost all old enough to be his mother.] There were some girls among the trainees but I- [Was the bastard son of someone high born. Didn't fit with either the nobles or the commoners and who made no secret of his dislike of the life most of them had chosen.] There's never been... anyone. Like that. In my life.

[He's blushing again. At least there's something normal about the conversation then.]

And I like you and you deserve to be happy and to have someone special and if this place were my home I'd want to, to see if that person was me without a second thought. But it's not home for either of us and I don't want to hurt you. But I can't promise I won't - we can't control if one of us just disappears or forgets. [Although, that will hurt just as much if they're friends or something more.] And I don't know what sort of future you'd want. For us.

[And maybe, selfishly, he's not sure about his first relationship being something that can never last. Something he'll just forget one day. It's naive, he knows that. To expect to spend forever with the first person he becomes involved with. Naive or not though, he can't pretend he doesn't want something that's forever.]

[Ah, awkward first love. Fortunately for Alistair, she's managed to navigate this incredibly horrible obstacle in her life already -- more or less.

She doesn't know if she considers Hank the first person she loved, because that was a pathetic little crush brought on by him being one of the first people other than Charles to ever show her positive attention -- and he'd also told her she'd never be beautiful, looking the way that she was.

He'd saved her life since then from one of the only other men she'd ever been romantically involved with trying to kill her, so she also understood that romance could be -- complicated. She purses her lips, thoughtful, and turns so their knees are touching and she can look him in the eye a little better.]

There's a lot of things that we can't control. Here and at home -- in my world, at least. The only things we can control are how we feel, and how we let that make us act.

I can't tell you how to feel, Alistair, but...

[She reaches her hand out to rest against his leg. Hopefully he doesn't pull away.]

I can tell you that for me, missing out on something because I was afraid of what would happen is a lot scarier than the idea of being hurt by this place.

[She knows it's her silly, somewhat impulsive nature that keeps her feeling like that. She also knows what it's like to want something to last forever while knowing in the back of her mind it's nearly impossible for it to do so, but she can't make his decision for him.]

[She's right. Letting fear or the knowledge that something can't last hold him back is foolish. He's a Grey Warden. And he might well be a king soon too. Not only does he not have a long life in front of him but if he takes the throne then his life will no longer be his own. It will belong to the people of Ferelden. If he can find some happiness before then, even if it's fleeting, then shouldn't he take it? It would be a terrible thing to look back when his Calling eventually comes and realise all he has is regrets.

Exhaling slowly he finally relaxes and reaches down to catch Mystique's hand in his own, squeezing it gently.]

You're right. I don't want to regret not taking a chance on something because I was too scared of what might happen.

[Smiling tentatively Alistair sits beside her, still holding her hand. He's still not entirely sure it's a good idea - one of them could disappear tomorrow and that would be that. And yet he's been here months now and has no better idea what it will take to get home again than the day he arrived. And there are people who have been here for years and not found a way out. Much as that prospect scares him and as little as he wants to believe that will be the case for him, the fact remains that escaping could take a while. They should find what happiness they can in the meantime.

Which means he's going to need to work out how to properly woo her. Somehow. There must be someone he can ask for advice on that. Until then he'll have to fumble through as best he can.]

So. Um. How... How do you want to, ah- I mean, was there anything you wanted to talk about?

[Not that he's got all of that off his chest.]

[She's pleased that she can let out the breath she'd been holding when he'd first started mentioning that he wasn't sure what he wanted to happen here once he grabs her hand, and she gives a quick squeeze in return before she thinks on his words.

Is there anything she really wants to talk about? Her past relationships have certainly never involved this amount of speaking before anything physical happened, unless you counted the debacle with showing up naked in Erik's bed and him telling her that he didn't think it was the right time for them. Sure, he'd joked about it at a later time, but -- well, it was still something silly she'd done when she was young.]

I've never been much good at talking.

[Sure, that sounds good enough. The hand that's in his slides to rest on his leg, inching up just a little as she tries to catch his eye.]

But ... you're probably going to have to tell me if you want me to stop.

[Because otherwise she won't, and she wants to make it clear that he can still put on the brakes, lest she feel like a douchebag frat boy.]

That's OK, I talk enough for two.

[Or more. And so long as Mystique knows she can say anything that's on her mind then he's not going to make her talk. Much. A little talking is expected so they can get to know one another better but he's happy to go first there too.

Though he's hoping he won't need to talk too much about the way he freezes, face turning red at Mystique's hand on his leg. He catches her a second later, holding it in place just above his knee.]

I'm really not ready for... For more than we've already done.

[So maybe he hadn't gotten everything off his chest before. That part had sort of slipped his mind in the midst of his worries about the future. But here it is now. He's pretty sure Mystique won't mind, she just said he could say if he needed to stop but he still looks worried as he meets her eyes.]

Edited 2016-05-08 11:24 (UTC)

[It would be incredibly hypocritical to have told him that he was free to talk to her about any of his concerns and then go around and criticize him for wanting to stop. In truth, she'd never really had the time to take her time with a relationship, and perhaps the change would be what she needed.

She more than allows him to stop her hand, instead bringing it to rest against his knee. She lets her lips twitch into a grin, hopeful that it will ease the concern she can see on his face.]

Okay. I think you've more than earned that drink, though.

[She motions to the side table where they set their things, picking up his glass and her own while she tries to think of something to say.]

Do they do the arranged marriages thing where you're from, mostly, or do people actually get to date?

[The smile does just that and Alistair grins shyly in return. Now he thinks he's gotten everything off his chest. Or all the important parts. Anything else can wait till another day.

Nodding in agreement - because a drink does seem like a really good idea now - he takes his glass once it's filled and considers the question.]

It depends on who you are. A lot of the noble families do but not everyone - Arl Eamon who raised me, he married for love. But I think it's easier for commoners to choose who to pursue.... Although I heard that the elves all have arranged marriages.

[Though he could be wrong about that. It's not as though he's spent a lot of time in alienages and the Dalish didn't seem to have such restrictions if Cammen was anything to go by.]

I guess it's not like that where you're from?

[She takes a sip of her drink while he's talking more to have something to do with her hands that isn't unduly accosting him. She supposes that it makes sense that the nobles in his world married like the ones in the feudal system did, for what she assumes are similar reasons.]

Almost not at all. It used to be, a long time ago, that people married for political influence or to secure peace between fighting nations, but nowadays people date whoever they want. When the 60s and 70s came around, people were all about not dating at all, and just sleeping with a bunch of people.

[Which -- totally sounded like she was lumped in with those people. She clears her throat.]

Some people, I mean. I was never popular with the guys, at least the way I look here.

[She half-smiles.]

I spent a long time thinking nobody would ever want to see me looking like this, anyway, so maybe guys flirted with me while I was pretending to be blonde and I just blew them off a lot.

I know a couple of people like that.

[He's amused more than anything, thinking about how well Zevran and Isabela might fit in with Mystique's people. Just because that's not for him, he's not going to tell anyone else how to live. Even if Mystique herself had fallen into that category it wouldn't matter since she's willing to take things at his pace now.

His smile does slip a little at her admission, gaze softening with sympathy.]

I- [The problem is, he can understand how her appearance would be a problem if most of the people in her home don't look like her. Most people in Ferelden would be terrified at the sight of her and as much as he likes her, Alistair couldn't blame them. If he hadn't met her after being kidnapped by Wonderland and meeting people from the future and alternate versions of people he already knew he might have attacked her on sight too.]

I'm sorry. It must have been hard for you. They were- You are beautiful and- Well, I should be grateful for their mistakes. If not you might have someone waiting for you back home.

[His cheeks are pink again, or still, but he smiles hopefully.]

I think most of us do. It's a lot easier to just sleep around than actually find someone you have to talk about feelings with, right?

[She shrugs her shoulders as his gaze softens, though her own face warms up a little as he continues to speak. She leans in to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth -- nothing serious, just a quick peck.]

Well, they say things that are hard like that build character and make you a stronger person. It definitely gave me one less thing I had to focus on at home.

[It had really freed up a lot of time for vengeance and espionage.]

And besides, I could say the same about you. I mean -- you're hot and you put your foot in your mouth a lot. Plenty of girls are into that.

Guys too, for that matter.

I think it's worth talking about it.

[Because if they hadn't he wouldn't be sitting there, blinking in surprise before smiling again, pleased and still a little flustered by the kiss. But. It's definitely in the 'things he could get used to' category.]

I heard that one a lot growing up too.

[And it is true. But that doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to have lives where they can build character in ways that don't involve the kinds of difficulties she's alluded to.]

You really think I'm- [Handsome, or that's what he thought she meant. Drawing attention to his habit of putting his foot in it was less flattering. But that was also a good thing apparently?] Women actually like that?

[He's not sure about the comment that men might too. That's a little.... beyond anything he'd considered. But a compliment is a compliment.]

Worth talking about, sure, but that doesn't mean a lot of people do it. People like what's both familiar and easy, most of the time.

[The comment about men is more of a casual allusion to the fact that she responds less to the gender of the people she's interested in and more how they treat her and her mutation. As for the rest...well, it's easier to be confident when she's complimenting someone. She smiles, head canted to the side.]

One, I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't think you were attractive. And two -- yeah, I think a lot of us do. It's flattering when people get nervous around you.

[Whether the person is nervous because they're attracted to you in turn, or because they're silently peeing themselves in terror -- she'd come to appreciate both, in turn.]

[Familiar and easy. He can see that. It's certainly less intimidating than the idea of being hurt if things don't work out. Or if you have to go your separate ways. But now he's getting ahead of himself.]

When you put it like that. [Maybe his fumbling isn't such a bad thing after all. Though he'd still like it if he could manage to be a little less awkward. He's pretty sure it's only a good thing up to a point.]

So... what do people do for dates where you're from?

[Since it's got to be different to wooing someone back in Ferelden. Which. There must be someone he can ask for advice who won't embarrass him too much over it. Anders? Not Robyn, that would be... strange. And cruel, rubbing in her face who he's not. He could try the network and find out what it's like for people from other places that could be more like Mystique's home. But Mystique will see that so... Anders seems like his best shot. That should be an interesting conversation.]

[She's at least content in him accepting that yes, it can sometimes be a good thing to be nervous around people -- it was a pretty clear indicator in a world of unclear indicators (made worse, she's sure, by this whole 'network' thing.]

Dates?

[Right, that's probably a thing that they could do. She'd never really gone on dates with Erik so much as they'd gone on covert missions together and he'd done the really risky murdering thing for her like a gentleman -- she supposed they'd done dinner a few times without the rest of their cohort, though.]

Well, I guess it depends on what you like to do. Adventurous types go on hikes and travel together, but going out to dinner or to a movie is just as good as far as I'm concerned.

[When your 'work' was being an activist, you wanted to occasionally take it easy on your down-time.]