Neon Hearts in Derelict Futures [Briar & AlrunaRose]

[Blood Briar]

Therrye had no desire to be impatient with her. She'd already given what seemed like so much outside of what she felt comfortable with to be in this moment with her. Chastising her felt wrong. Still, the outcomes and weights that she balanced weren't what drove the bruiser's decision.

That she said it was more than Aolieon ever had was rather heartbreaking, though, and helped her calm all of the thoughts and feelings replying from within her. Her outside arm shifted to gently touch her arm and lightly stroke it with her thumb. She lifted her other arm to brush tears from her cheek. It took no time at all for her to pull her closer to embrace her. "I won't pretend I know the truths you speak of. But I've already made my choice to put my life on the line." There was plenty of her own struggle with that which she didn't put into words. At least, not yet. "Too many suffer while I remain free, and none of them are being given the chance to live like I have. Even if I wasn't doing this out of hatred, it's worth the risk."

A small smile appeared on her lips. "If the truth brings more of the same, that's just my luck, isn't it?" She chuffed, then looked more solemn. "I doubt that'd change how I feel toward you. If you don't know what you want, well, you don't need to decide now." She half frowned, half smiled, a great weight filling up her chest. "I'm going to keep moving forward. I have to. For however long you want to walk with me," she gave a shaky bit of exhale, knowing that this might very deeply cost her, "you are welcome to."

 

[AlrunaRose]

After everything that she said, Aolieon couldnt help but scowl. You gonk-brain, she couldnt help but think. She found herself shaking her head with a sorrowful frown... but it subsided after a little bit. Aolieon was no stranger to the abolitionist narrative, one of the philosophies that was the cornerstone of Fallen doctrine -- much of their original mission as an organized militia saw them making their names and seizing assets from gangers, smugglers and even Syndicate personnel who invested into the human or alien trafficking businesses. The predatory law of the jungle saw them become skilled enough to be considered an occupying force in Night City -- however, their vigilantism set them apart from typical Edgerunners which for a decent amount of time saw factors such as the NCPD and Trauma Team look the other way for a time... It's part of what made them soldiers, not mercenaries and to hear it coming from Therrye -- it made her sound like more of the same, but it was altogether understandable; because of Aolieon's involvement and her escapades working for the Fallen in the past (to often a fanatical extent at times) gave her little room to dispute, let alone condemn, the bruiser's reasoning and rhetoric.

Aolieon sighed and bitterly held her tongue, settling into Therrye's embrace after she brushed her tears away, resigning herself to not argue with her in this moment. Knowing what happened and why might not change how Therrye felt about Aolieon... but that was far from the point. The point could be argued for much later... As things stood in the present, Aolieon was quietly melting into the bruiser's grasp, and while her conflicting thoughts of knowing what she knew now made her particularly restless when it came to Therrye -- that knowledge didn't invalidate her reasoning, per se. So, Aolieon let it be, for now.
She curled up in Therrye's embrace, muttering under her breath, "You don't get it..." but otherwise letting this moment be. She breathed free and simply curled up in her arms, wriggling in her grasp, trying to get closer to that warmth that kept calling her. She didn't want to think about how easy that choice was to make for everyone; she didn't want to think about the cost it made everyone pay, and how in her mind -- there were undoubtedly so many who might not pay it gladly, if given the chance to do it all over again. She just wanted to bury her face in this rimbo's chest and forget it all -- that was the crux of all this thinking, was that Aolieon had put so much work into not thinking about this sort of thing. She was the architect of such a hedonistic haze, under which many things lay buried, but this... this and all things associated with it constituted the lion's share of a myriad of mysteries which the dancer, without malice or meaning, simply wished to stay dead... So, she just let the bruiser have this one -- thinking back to the designs upon treating Therrye as a worthwhile Warrior and still held steadfast in a cloaked desire which eclipsed all others; she finally replied in the most neutral manner, which might allow her to keep her own designs while not ruining this precious moment, where the bruiser was so close and trying so hard to be understanding...

"...We'll see."

 

[Blood Briar]

It was, well, something. Compared to what she felt like she had with her a day ago, far more possibility lingered there for Therrye to actually act on her feelings... at least for a little while. Bubbles of giddy eagerness floated with ones of fervent desire in such a space, ready to pop on her skin and drive her forward. The samurai, however, had said certain things of her history and shed tears over some of what had been expressed. Reassuring that she'd do whatever, care however, didn't seem like it'd rouse anything but ire.

Considering what she thought she might know of her, she cast out for options that might bring more truth. On these topics, she more or less stated that the bruiser needed to figure it out without her help. That she could do, but what about the rest? The Liandri seemed to wear so much loss and deprivation, and rather than address that by trying to live, she'd sunk deeper into any distraction from living. Except that didn't quite explain her freeing the fighters. Meanwhile, she did nothing to stop the dancer from wriggling against her; circular and twisting motions would tug at the simple knot and folds of the bathrobe alike, and if she was persistent, they'd hardly hold in place between them.

Accepting the answers given to her, she nevertheless pressed on after some moments to simply hold Aolieon and let her words sit. "Whatever you've given to become the weapon you are today, whatever your past has cost you... I don't judge you for choosing to live as you have. You do know that you can change that choice though, right?" That half-smile, half-frown returned. "I almost lost myself twice after deciding I wanted to live beyond hatred. No one saved me from it, but people were around to offer shoulders so I could limp forward until I could choose life again." She didn't like feeling like she was proselytizing, but the context and message felt important. "It doesn't have to be with me. Just, leaning on others is our best chance to make it out when we're alone in the dark." Therrye gently pressed her cheek into the woman's, wanting this to feel closer to an embrace than a lesson. "And if you're truly thinking you have no one to lean on, I call bullshit." Though the words may have stung, they were said with a tone of gentle teasing. She might aim to expose the rotten spots in her perspective, but she wasn't going to drag her into living a different life. The bruiser respected her autonomy too much for that.

At that, she finally looked away and let her gaze unfocus. There was plenty she wanted to ask and even more she wanted to know, yet the dancer had put up walls. Trying to forcibly tear such down wasn't her style.

 

[AlrunaRose]

Aolieon found enough conscientious consideration to allow Therrye to speak; even though each word past her own resolution of kindly kamikaze grated on Aolieon's grim rationale like nails on a chalkboard, Aolieon begrudgingly accepted the caress of Therrye's cheek against her own. There was something about this gentle warmth that had kept Aolieon pliable enough to let Therrye have this moment... and then came what sounded like the idle musing, or dare she say, questioning of Aolieon's life choices.
Aolieon sighed exasperatedly, assertively pulling away from Therrye's cheek; like a restless phantom, the snark returned in Aolieon. "You were an independently licensed therapist before you took up running the Edge, weren't you?" she finally replied sarcastically, her intonation rising in an almost sardonic manner before ending her question with a droll tone. She turned her head to look up at the bruiser, staring at her lips for a moment with lazy eyelids as she licked her own before she stole a peck on her cheek -- she wanted those lips on hers, but she had been decently off-put by the bruiser's brief tirade that she found herself able to stuff it down momentarily. "... I get what you're trying to do, bruiser. It's not entirely lost on me, but... Don't. Just don't." A beat. "There's no one alive who retains the right to judge me for how I live."

She clicked her tongue and puckered her lips. "The way I see it; if God wanted me to live well or get therapy -- then this city would have burned when it should have." Aolieon's expression got dark; her eyes sharpened in icy rejection, and her tone had become particularly bitter, and she pulled out of the cuddle long enough to stand up, walk over to where her stuff was and bend over facing away from Therrye, rifling through her pouches to acquire her Airbudder. "Televangelists proselytize better -- don't quit your day job," and with that, Aolieon would take two huffs off of the inhaler, holding her breath as she slowly rose up; dropping the inhaler and exhaling with a ragged breath as vapor left her lips in a swirling cloud, dulling the emotions and sweeping all the other grimdark thoughts of her mind underneath the rug. She'd turn around, looking at the bruiser and managing an airy smile. "... you're sweet, though; I'll give you that." She took two steps and half flumped on the bed beside her, snuggling into the covers as thoughts returned of what she had right in front of her and the many desires that remained entangled within her -- most importantly, the desire to stay here for awhile... see where things go, and if she could possibly get another piece of that Femme who ravished her. She sighed plainly, worming her way back over to where Therrye might still have laid, and keeping herself open to the idea of that same warm embrace that she had abandoned for only a brief moment. "I would have offered you some, but... you don't seem the type." she gestured back to where her stuff was, and she smiled sultrily as she lazily pawed at the air where the bruiser was. "C'mere; it's cold without you..." she playfully pleaded, trying to work her way towards something else that in Aolieon's mind, would have made all the negativity of the last few moments worth it.