Lover and a Fighter [Temara]

RE: Lover and a Fighter


The Hawk had only ever once seemed small or under stocked to Rayner, a single day of relative culture shock at visiting Celeste's mansion, handed down through the family. For the time being it was legally his, technically speaking, being as he had been left essentially everything in the will, as the only one she recognized as living direct family. A lot had changed since then. Almost every ounce of it for the good. It was sometimes so hard to change things for the better. Sometimes, you just had to roll up your sleeves and get your hands bloody to make things right again.

But as long as he got to stop at the sink and wash them a bit first, he could do much more enjoyable things, like today.

"Well. Might as well open the door and see just what they've got at the top of this thing."

Honestly speaking, the team suite of the Spire of Heaven had made Rayner lift a brow. It was bizarre that structures so strange on the outside were made to feel comfortable rather than alien inside, but here they were. And now he was here, one floor from what was effectively the top. He'd been in this glorified "humane" coliseum three years over now, making today the fourth. Fourth. Third. And Second.

Second place, the highest he'd ever gone. In this crazy hellhole, it was still high up- there were always at least sixteen teams competing. And he didn't kid himself about being some overpowering or masterful warrior. He was lucky to survive half of these fights.

But here, second place meant that he had a room on up far too long of an elevator ride, with more extravagance than any man had any right to. In some ways it was extremely disconcerting, and in others... well, he couldn't say that fame had no privileged.

"If there's a butler or something waiting for us on the other side of this door," Rayner established as he got out the key card, "I'm'a be creeped the fuck out."

He didn't think there would be any butlers or serving people though, in all honesty. He hoped not. God, that would be creepy. Rayner swiped the card, and stepped aside as he turned the door, giving Cel the first look and chance to enter this place Noah had decided to offer him personally. A part of his mind didn't want to go in- to not tempt fate and see a room personalized for him by someone who seemed to know him far too well, which at this point he suspected was almost more likely than it simply being a luxury suite.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

Celeste had been pretty silent as they rode up the elevator, amused that he was sharing another part of him with her, even if he himself didn't fully realize it. He was coming to terms with his fame, even if it was just in his own twisted sense of humor way. "I'd only be disturbed if they watched while we did anything." she teased, reminding him that she's grown up somewhat with the butler waiting on her whims.

Stepping into the room, only one thing caught her eye and before she'd even fully stepped into it, stepped back out and without turning to face him, just shook her head.

"That's creepier..."

After a moment, she started low and slow, the husky little chortle bubbling into a girlish giggle while one hand lifted to point out exactly what she'd seen, the other set on trying to smother those same giggles.

A portrait painting of 'Fracture', each of the members at their Bishie best, hair gelled into gleaming perfection that Celeste would have killed to see actually managed with Rayner's hair and looking like Olympian gods. There was even a halo of 'godliness' around each 'hero'. Rayner in all his scarred glory and whipcord thin body, Vahn with his brooding silence, Athan looking distant and deadly and Rage leading the pack with determination. But the clothes...oh god the clothes...

RE: Lover and a Fighter

Rayner lifted an eyebrow, and started to lean to glance off-handedly into the room, just as Cel began to bubble over with laughter. That gave him pause long enough to stop and stare at her. Of course, he could do questioning, but he was mostly just afraid of what exactly was in there now. She pointed and he watched a moment longer, as if suspicious of who-knew-what, before the swordsman finally sighed and stepped forward to look into the room at just wha-

"...."

Rayner paused.

And then stepped back out of the doorway into the hall, looking so nonchalantly away you could have sworn he was shoplifting something. For a moment he stared away, reaching up to scratch behind one of his ears with a finger, and might as well have yawned. And without a single shift of his face he suddenly stopped pretending it was there and started back into the room in long, pointed strikes. Elsewhere in the room other, much less grand for the most part, decorations decorated the walls. Symbols and names, photographs turned black and white, of Fracture mostly, but also Mythos and Swords. If he'd stopped he might have noticed that aside from the grandeur, and a few pictures of himself in which he looked more impressive, the room was mostly homey. Massive and comfortable, full of modern amenities, but it was done in easy, darker colors. Much of the interior appeared to be wood, with bits of leather. He'd never owned anything like it, but it would have been a creepy semblance to what a dream apartment might have been for him once upon a time. It even had scattered pieces that resembled historical antiques.

Rayner, however, went for the subtle fireplace with a bit too grand of a mantle, ignoring the awards set across it, and grabbed the painting, trying to simply take it down himself and stuff it under an armpit, before heading as if to go right back out the door again.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

"Rayner Veli, don't you dare!" She scolded as he headed into the room; it wasn't that hard to tell what he was going to do. As amusing as it was, it was a bit over the top. Moving up behind him. "You'll hurt yourself. Let me help you and I'll get room service to take it away." Not completely the truth, but eh...And so a moment later it was removed and Celeste was guarding it from any mischief he might have in mind. "I tell you know, you're going to make things worse by getting rid of it. Someone will put it back together and see it on the black market. Heaven or Hell is a big deal and whether you like it or not, people are going to want a piece of you. Someone will find this and it'll make a great deal of money for someone..."

Once the bellhop came, she of course gave it to him with orders to keep it somewhere safe for her, and she'd paid him enough to keep him quiet for quite some time. Turning back to Rayner, she smiled and went over to wherever he was. "Just because you don't ask for things, doesn't mean you don't deserve them. You compete in this year after year and do well at it. Of course people are going to remember you, love." and with that, leaned over to give him a small kiss. "So what do you want to do while we're up here, huh?" Teasing him lightly as she slid a finger along his chest.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

Despite insistence that he'd somehow hurt himself, he was trying to take the thing off the wall by the time she was there to physically resist, and finally let it go, looking not so much frustrated or even agitated as just exasperated beyond belief. He kept staring at the picture like it was a bad joke that would just go away if he didn't blink for long enough.

"We're in the middle of the ocean. Didn't figure it was water proof."

But then, calling someone to take it was probably a better plan than marching across all of kingdom come with it under his shoulder trying to find how one got to the edge of this massive structure. Shame it was too big to fit in the fireplace. But none the less, he didn't resist her calling the bellhop, and only seemed to catch a snag of suspicion for a moment before he shrugged it off and turned to inspect the room rather than watching him go. Everything just seemed odd, but inevitably, he found himself at the window, looking out across everything with a pensive look. If nothing else, the Ark was full of motivation to stop and ponder. One could practically taste the secrets on the air, at least a half dark by his betting. But he wasn't one to sniff it all out. Given that Noah had been a real danger to no one so far... probably better just to let sleeping dogs lie.

"...I'd really rather be remembered for other things."

He finally replied as she tried to cheer him- or perhaps just console him a bit to it all. He was used to these things by now, just not this extent. He tried not to look the worst of the media-beast in the face.

Celeste was always good with the distractions though. Sometimes he did so love her for that.

Who was he kidding- most of the time.

"I've a few ideas- and you're always good at giving me more," he smiled and put a finger under her chin, raising it to kiss her. Of course, now he was remembering why he was here, but in the wake of that with daylight and everything... he'd need to cultivate a better mood. Do something.

"We've been busy as hell. I thought an evening to ourselves might do us some good.

"...unfortunately that's most of the extent of my planning thus far."

He didn't even bother to sound too ashamed. She wouldn't be entirely surprised. He could plot when it came to him, but the long term head thought and plotting was not his schtick, especially not compared to his wife. He wasn't bad with on the spot, at least. So he let Cel take that as she would, and put a hand on her hip to pull her up a bit snugger, relaxing into her and laying his forehead down against hers.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

"Oh? A few ideas, huh?" She smiled, chuckling as he pulled her up for a kiss. At his comment about being busy, her response was a simple nod. It had been a bit hectic. "It would be nice...trying not to make too much noise with Raien around was a little frustrating." she teased, her palm flattening as it spread along his chest, molding the material to the shape of his flesh; she did so love what he could do to her body. But she resisted the small moue of disappointment as he announced that his plans went no further than a vague sense of alone time. She loved his impulsive nature, she really did, but sometimes...there was just the very feminine desire to be swept away with some grand romantic gesture that had obviously had time and energy put into it.

Tugged closer, she looked up at him and smiled before tucking her head underneath his chin and stood there, listening to his heart beat as her own hand slid along his shirt, over bulges and valleys as if she were trying to memorize the exact feel of his body and in some ways, perhaps she was. She didn't know if she could convince the council that she could handle things and heaven only knew what they'd do then. Sliding her hand along his arm, her fingers encircled his wrist before widening and moving around to slide her fingers to intertwine with his. Letting the hands drop to their sides, she found she didn't really have any words. This; this moment was something she'd treasure, just as she'd been treasuring every moment up until now and every moment heaven let her have after.

"I have you. It's enough." she finally said, then nothing else as they stood there and watched the sun set.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

"Well... I understate," he grinned and let her lay a hand over him, enjoying the little urges and pulls in his body that welled up just as the simple gesture. And to the comment about Raien, he chuckled, and for a moment his mind went where it was apt to, but left just as quickly. Sure, he could think of Raien sexually, there was nothing unattractive about their friend. But it wasn't like Tellus where you couldn't help but do so. Besides, Rayner was in no way sex starved or lacking for a gorgeous woman at the moment.

That, and he agreed with her. It wasn't really polite to keep someone up with rocking the boat, but while most years he wouldn't have been bothered making some exceptions for himself, Raien's situation was delicate and it would simply have felt mean. Besides, he had no clue how thick the walls were in the Hawk. As far as he was aware, non of his teammates in the previous years had been frequent to floor shaking, wall pounding, screamingly ravenous sex in their rooms, and well- to be perfectly honest Cel and he hit up all of those adjectives at times. Not infrequently all at once.

She seemed very happy, for being all lost in her head, and he could only suspect she was having some nice, romantic thoughts. Rayner let his finger slide into hers, and squeezed gently, looking down at her before seeing where she was looking. It was nice, but her words left him on the fence for what to make of them.

"Maybe," Rayner gently moved her off of him, and turned her about, crossing their linked arms to wrap across her stomach as he put the other hand on her hip and pressed gently up behind her, letting Cel very directly face the sunset- look over the water and city in the distance it lit up, the orange colors consuming the Ark. "But I'd give you the world if I could."

His head lowered, and put his lips to her neck, taking a slow and gentle kiss where it curved up.

"Anything you desired."

Had he the power, at the moment, he very well felt he might have taken it. He was no conqueror, and he'd doubted she'd ever much fancied herself to be a queen or the like. But sometimes there was this raw, burning sense of power and a need to use it she gave him. The rest of the world he simply felt he survived, but while she could sometimes make him calmer or feel so vulnerable, sometimes it was the exact opposite. He was more certain than ever, at times, that he could do it. If nothing else, he'd never let them take what she needed from her. But despite her concerns, he felt more certain by the day that he wouldn't need to stop them. She might have thought herself dangerously on the edge, but her control astounded him. He knew she was never one to do, or feel, things half-way if it could be helped. Even so, she kept her poise. That kind of power- or the uncertainty and bursts of instinctual urges he felt from what he'd called his "Chaos"- could change people, but she didn't let it.

"For now. I'll let nothing stop me until I can give you all of that-"

And a nod to it all. Heaven or Hell. She'd always loved it, and if he could help it she'd love living it as well. Hell, maybe he'd learn to have more than a bitter, guilty pleasure in it. For once he felt certain not just that he SHOULD win, but that he could. Together they'd take it by the horns. Not only to prove her worth so she wouldn't have to experience the stress a conflict between him and the captors she seemed to have taken a small fondness to would create. But for her passion for it all.

To be a Queen for a day, in a way.

For a moment, he really struggled for a better way. But while he'd taken cues from his "plan" there really was no way to make it go better than this. He hadn't known what to expect up here. Dinner was ordered. He'd looked into a few special bonuses and things to set up, but the best he could manage had been to come up to the room nicely dressed- sure, he hadn't busted out the tux entirely, but he'd gone for the basic shirt-slacks-vest part of it at least, to look nice for their day. If only he'd had the time, he'd have scouted out the room and done better- thought of some way to do better with this- but he'd been impatient. And he simply didn't see any way to do better than he'd done just now.

"...for now, I can give you this," he removed the hand from her hip to pull a tiny box from a pocket, holding it up in front of her and looking for a hand to place it on top of.

Sometimes it was now or never.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

It was sweet, listening to him talk about wanting to give her the world. Her grandparents had offered her the world on a platter, but with Rayner she knew they'd do it side by side and that meant more to her than anything. Not that she'd be given it, but that it was something she'd have a hand in building herself. Curled up against his back, Celeste almost felt like it was possible. Like anything they wanted was; not just their duty, but whatever they wanted was possible. Still smiling, she continued to listen to him talk; refraining of course from commenting about how he was actually using words to convey himself, because then he'd just get all self conscious.

"We'll give it to each other, cowboy." She chuckled, content in the warm feeling he gave her just being near her, and almost missed the box lifting from his pocket. She did, however, notice it and glanced down. "Rayner?", she puzzled and then lifted her hand to take it, flicking open the box with one hand. "Oh, Rayner...." almost instantly, small tears began to trail down her face, her insecurities melting as she thought about everything the rings meant. It was a shame, but the normally calm and composed woman was a bundle of insecurities. Even with everything, she kept thinking that one day he'd want to get rid of her, or leave or whatever...

...how could she have ever thought that of Rayner?

She didn't move, but stood there, looking into the box and smiling even as tears streamed down her face, her bright green eyes practically glowing.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

"A bit overdue," he said, and kissed her neck.

He hadn't anticipated just quite how extreme Celeste's reaction would be, though, and for a moment he floundered wordlessly, smiling in a self conscious way with his partial view of her face from behind, holding out the rings. Wavering back and forth, he kissed her neck, and then finally worked out the clarity of purpose to put on a game face, turning her shoulders enough to partially face him as he removed one ring, and lifted her hand, very gently and pointedly trying to help point the one finger outward, and then slide the ring down it toward the knuckle, until their old, long since due symbol was affixed firmly in place.

Then, of course, he had to give Cel a chance to return the favor, beaming as she put it on him.

"I had... I'd meant to do this at the end of the ball. You've always been such a big fan of HoH, and with the finery, and I had this whole plan for a song and- ah- well, things happened there and... well.. you know the rest and then..."

This was the part where he should really shut up.

"I love you, Celeste."

He'd take her hand to turn her gently around to face him, smiling a typical wide, goofy grin, and laying a little kiss on her lips.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

Her smile just got bigger and bigger as he continued to babble on and on far too amused for either of their own good. The tears did fall though as she put the ring onto his finger. It had taken so much to get to this point that at times Celeste wondered if they'd ever make it. "I love you too, Rayner." she whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her hands slid across his chest, her palm against the fabric, caressing it softly.

"You know we never did get a honeymoon..." She grinned and looked over at the bed with an exaggerated waggle of her eyebrows. Sure, it was a little silly, but he couldn't always be the one bringing humor into the relationship.

RE: Lover and a Fighter

He managed to stop babbling, and smiled. Hell, as the ring went on, he practically beamed back at her, sighing a happy sigh and melting into her lips as the hand continued about his chest. This was perfect. This moment, everything it had come to. They'd been through too much, but even as haphazardly thrown together and uncertain as this felt, it sealed everything perfectly. In addition to considering how their marriage and proposal had each gone, this somehow seemed the perfect third moment to summarize their lives, and put it all together. They were together. One piece. And he was happy with this moment.

He'd have been happy to never leave this window agai-

Rayner blinked and smiled as Celeste trailed off and waggled her eyebrows. He went ahead and laughed, and redacted his last thought. "Hey, now you're just doin' my job," and before she could steal anything else from him, he went ahead and swept her off her feet, kissing her and hoisting Celeste up in front of him in classic "across the threshold" fashion as he strolled across the fancied up living space and shoved the door open with the side of his foot, walking through to the other side and stopping to-

Wow.

That was a very large bed. The speakers and subwoofers tastefully arrayed across the sides of the room helped too, besides the mini-bar and... that was a lot of luxuries, and somehow still kept the damn room looking tasteful and uncluttered.

Aside, of course, all of the toys and play things for them that he'd had ordered on up. Those were sitting in floor in place that would normally have been empty floor to preserve the apparent fung-shuei of the room.

They'd had quite a bit of luck finding everything he'd asked for, too.