paradisalogs | Unholy temptations

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Unholy temptations

Who: Abel and Lilith Nightroad
What: Valentine's Day shut-in
When: 11-13th (spanning all three days)
Where: Their room
Rating: They're married and it's a romance setting, so... possibly Mature for sexy times, possibly Mature for the scarring sight of Abel in just boxers.

Lilith woke, as always, before her husband. Taking her time in waking, just savouring the moments of comfortable drowsiness with the warmth of Abel's body beside her. It might seem a simple pleasure and something that would go unnoticed after so long, but even if she woke up next to him for another thousand mornings or more, she would never stop appreciating the blessing it was. They could easily be torn apart again on the whims of the castle, each moment had to be enjoyed and treasured.

Sitting up finally, cool air pebbling dark skin where she had slept naked, she hesitated in the act of getting up... mainly because the room was no longer how it had been when they went to sleep. Abel was now asleep (face-down and starfish sprawled) on a bed shaped like a giant heart, red sheets arranged messily over him. The electric lights were gone, replaced by a multitude of candles in soft jasmine scents.

Not wanting to wake Abel right away in case he worried over what the castle might be doing, she instead padded over to where her journal was sat next to a bottle of vintage champagne and opened it up. It didn't take long to hear and see the distress and confusion of other residents, nor long after that to figure out what was happening. Small smile at her lips, she put on her dressing gown and tested the door just to make sure, before slipping back over to the bed and shaking her husband by the shoulder.

"Abel..."

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Lilith was too good to him, knew him too well -- any seemingly harmless turn the castle made might take a downward turn into malice without much preamble or warning, and so Abel had grown to be skeptical of much of everything. That wasn't to say that he didn't appreciate it, when it turned out to be quiet and peaceful... and the trend of the last year had been much quieter than the one before it, with a few glaring exceptions... Maybe Paradisa had learned to be kinder? ...A man could hope.

He cracks his eyes open with a groggy and incomprehensible grumble, swiping a hand at his face clumsily upon being roused by the soft hand at his shoulder and the affectionate voice. Spotting Lilith off the bed and in front of him in her bathrobe had his eyes opening a little further, blinking to dispel the sleep--

"--Lilith?"

Lilith's smile was warm and calm, hopefully this would help Abel not panic when he woke up enough to see the decorations the castle had seen fit to place all around their room.

Mattress sinking slightly as she sat down, she gestured around at the softly flickering glow of the candles and various other romantic paraphernalia.

"It seems the castle has decided to pair off its residents." She had heard enough through the journals to know that. "People are unable to leave their rooms for the moment, though there doesn't seem to be any threat." In fact, if he looked around, it would be fairly obvious what the castle's intentions were.

It takes a few... long beats as he looks around the room and listens to her talk, sitting up properly and rubbing an eye in sleepy disorientation, to piece it all together. Candles... a heart-shaped bed; the scent of jasmine, red velvet sheets and deep red curtains and...

He gives her a rather dumb look. Yes, the fool will still worry, though it's decidedly muted compared to the norm... his suspicion is well-founded, he feels -- even if things look harmless now...

...At least he's with her.

"...paired off?" Well. That's...

Certainly a thing.

"People have been waking in each others rooms this morning, and nobody seems capable of leaving."

She gestures to the door, although it should be obvious she had thought to check if this was the case for them as well.

"I don't believe we're in any danger."

And he, naturally, takes this invitation to fumble his way off the bed for the door -- tugging the uncooperative handle when he finds it locked to no avail. He knew this must meant that efforts to tamper with or break it would be rendered void; Paradisa didn't do these sorts of things half-assed.

"Ah..." So, they were stuck. He has to guiltily admit he probably should feel more distressed by that then he does, but he is locked in with the single most important person in his world. If anything were to happen...

"I guess you beat me to the journals... Have you heard from Nanako or Caterina?"

"I've not heard from Caterina, though it seems the children are locked all together in the ballroom with some adults."

She would have liked to hear from them both personally - especially Nanako, as Caterina was quite capable of taking care of herself - but this didn't have a malevolent feel to it as some of the castle's 'fun' did.

"I'm grateful the castle chose not to separate us."

With the obvious theme of why they were locked in (honestly, the heart shaped bed is hardly subtle, castle) it would have been awkward had they not been with one another.

He prayed the pairings were all harmless or like theirs -- with someone close to them, someone they perhaps... loved. He is relaxing a bit with this knowledge; then Nanako was safe, and Caterina...

...Well. She was a crafty woman. And if she needed help, he had faith she would reach him. She had her ways, if nothing else.

A little smile finds his lips as he turns away from the door -- eyes sweeping over the rather... festive... decor, before ending on his wife, and he holds out his hand.

"...me, too." Without a single doubt. Especially if his suspicions were true, and there was some sort of... underlying purpose to their pairing here. He recalls previous Valentines, you see...

She doesn't recall any previous Valentines here in the castle, though she can imagine that they must have been celebrated in much the same as the Christmas kisses often were. Abel's smile and relaxing body posture are both comforting, as he has more experience around this holiday than she.

Standing to take his offered hand, fingers twining with his, a slightly mischievous glint entered golden eyes.

"Whatever shall I do? Trapped here with this handsome man."

It's much better she's innocent to the sort of... mischief... the castle enjoys pulling this time of year; it is often much more embarrassing and far more awkward than the occasional unexpected kiss. Lord, is it ever.

He tugs her closer to him; he had some faith that at least for now, things would remain calm. They might get rocky later -- particularly if this lasted long enough for them to need to partake in eating or drinking something that may or may not be drugged or otherwise tampered with, but... for now...

Abel winds an arm around her, trying not to chuckle despite the amused gleam in his eyes to see the look in hers. "Look at us, Lilith. The last man and woman in all of Paradisa!" WOE. Yes, clearly the halls are magically hallowed, despite the chorus of voices in the journal. Just... ignore that part. "I have no idea what we'll do with ourselves now."

She couldn't help but laugh, he had gone a little overboard with 'the last man and woman' adorable as it was. Her silly boy, she wouldn't change him for all the world, no matter how little he thought of himself.

Leaning into his side, she would her own arm around his waist and pressed a kiss to his chest, breathing in the relaxing scent of jasmine. If this had been Abel's doing she would have been touched, and even the undertone of wariness wasn't enough to completely blunt the pleasant atmosphere (tacky bed-shape notwithstanding).

"Hm. We could always play charades."

Charades, she says.

Abel chuckles as his other arm winds around her as well, so that she's tucked nice and close into his chest; as ever, there is nothing quite as satisfying as the feel of her in his arms. Cautious though he might be, somewhere -- this was sure to relax him and put him at ease despite it.

"Charades by candlelight... ahh, how very romantic! Do you think that's what the castle was shooting for?"

"I think it must be even greater than the castle's plans."

She leans into him for a long moment, pressing another kiss to his chest, humming quietly in contentment.

"I will even let you go first."

"But what if I don't want to play charades?" He says with an edge of mock pout in his voice. My, he's barely been awake ten minutes and she's already doing funny things to his head...

Take that as you will.

"What possible activity could you prefer over charades?"

She gives a small gasp, shocked at her husband casually discarding such a wholesome way to pass the time.

"Well, let's see here..."

He might not be so bold as to, ah, jump right into things -- after all, he isn't entirely convinced that this isn't some sort of not-entirely-innocent escapade the castle's whipped up just in time for the oncoming holiday. But he is at least reasonably assured that nothing absolutely horrendous is about to happen.

So, he's got it quite in mind he'd very much like to find out how nice it must be to hold his rather warm and beautiful wife in their new silky sheets; so, he's inching her backwards toward it.

"I imagine I could come up with something..."

Lilith is far from naive, and she can hardly fail to notice herself being inched back towards the gaudy bed. Not to mention that she knew Abel well enough to recognise that look in his eyes by now, a subtle mixture of awkwardness, shyness, devotion and desire.

"I look forward to hearing your suggestions, I'm sure they will be very... scintillating."

He's innocent -- mostly... For now, all he's got on his mind is snuggling her up nice and close. Whether or not he expects things will go anywhere from there is... well, another story.

But mostly innocent. Really. Totally.

He swears.

When the back of her knees hit the edge of the mattress, he doesn't waste much in the way of time by sweeping her right off her feet; she's light as a feather and he's always looking for excuses to hold her. Why not abuse what he's been given, here and now?

"I was thinking we might play this one by ear," he says, laying her gently on the red sheets and leaning over to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth softly.

Lilith knows, deep in her heart, just how lucky she is. She had not only found someone she loved, but someone she loved wholly and completely, never bored in his company and enjoying everything they did together. From the silliest teasing snowball fight, to the serious discussions of pain and redemption, to the marital bed... she was filled with a warm contentment to share them all with this man.

Laying back on the sheets where he placed her, long hair splaying out to almost camouflage itself against the red silk, she wound her arms around his neck loosely.

"I can hardly contain my anticipation."

"I can't blame you! Being left at the whims of a dashing and handsome man come to woo you, the last woman in all the fair lands... it's quite the privilege, isn't it?"

He nuzzles her cheek affectionately, placing another kiss against her skin, before coming to sit beside her -- still leaned and holding her. He has no intention of letting go.

"The last man should not rely solely on his looks to woo the woman, however handsome he may be."

She slides her fingers through his hair, beloved soft silver, smile at her lips. He has already wooed her long ago, but she would happily go along with his tease.

He pulls back just enough to look down at her with a look of feigned perplexity. What's this, now? Something outside of his looks to woo the fair maiden~?!

"Hey... hey, when I applied for this job, they told me all I would need walking in was my pretty face. You're not telling me I'm lacking qualifications, are you?"

"Abel..."

She wriggled out from underneath him, raising her hands to under her chin in mock distress.

"You believe wooing me is a job, not a pleasure?"

He scratches his cheek in a good show of befuddlement.

"...Abel? Now, who on earth is that surely charismatic and utterly amazing gentleman? I'm afraid you've mistaken me for someone else, my dear! Why, I've never met you before in my life...!"

Well, it wasn't charades, but... it was a game. Right?

"Is that so?"

She tapped her lips, leaning back against the wall and regarding this mysterious 'stranger' who was now sharing her room with her.

"I had mistaken you for someone else, my handsome gentleman. Would you be so good as to give me your name?"

He gives a flourishing bow, if somewhat shallow in his seated position, before taking her hand and kissing the back of her knuckles chivalrously.

"For a lady lovely as you, it'd be my pleasure. They call me the Brave and Manly Knight of Cair Paradisa... Sir Ableton Nightrider."

Nightrider was awesome, alright? He can totally steal it as a surname. It adds to his cool points, doesn't it?

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Unholy temptations

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