"Are you giving me advice about sleeping when you look to have missed a few days yourself? You give me doubts about your credibility," she remarked dryly, sealing the vial of oil as she straightened. Ellie looked back at him over her shoulder where he made himself perfectly at home, and allowed herself a faint but genuine smile. Perhaps she could use a small break from map-making, before she wound up giving herself a headache.
She shot a brief glance at the door to ensure that he'd locked it, before slipping off the brunette wig and placing it on the coat rack. It didn't make for comfortable sleeping, and wearing it too long made her scalp itch. But as no one else would be opening that door until one of them was ready to leave, there was no need to keep up the disguise as The Brigand Leader.
She sat on the oak chest beside him, stretching out her legs and crossing her ankles. "What brings you here this evening, hm? Is sleep eluding you, or do you simply grow lonely?"
"With a face this beautiful, who needs sleep?" He winked as he replied. Everyone needed sleep, and this was a fact that did not allude Zelos Wilder. Still, that did not help his problem of not actually getting any.
He certainly understood the significance of her being willing to remove the wig, even if being trusted was never a feeling that he'd get used to. If anything, his attitude showed it.
"Hey, can't a man visit his favorite hunny without needing a reason?"
Ellie's expression went slack and she feigned a shudder to show her disgust for that word. Even the way it was spelled, once she saw him write it out! She haaaaaaaaaaaated it.
"Please tell me you are joking," she glowered at him. Of course he was, she knew, but she enjoyed the banter just the same.
More importantly, he was dodging the question. Was he truly not sleeping well? She studied his face carefully to see if she could peer beneath the mask he wore so habitually. He was indeed a handsome man, she wouldn't dream of denying that. But there was a great deal he hid beneath the surface, things even she didn't know about just yet.
Ellie nodded at the pile of furs. "If you are tired, you may rest here. I will watch over you, so that you are undisturbed."
Zelos shrugged his shoulders in response. Was he joking? Entirely, and it was a joke that even she was in on.
Still, it's her turn to make him uncomfortable, and she was doing that in spades. There were few things that Zelos Wilder truly disliked, but other people worrying about him was at the top of the list. There was only one thing he could do at this point, and that was to try and shift the topic of conversation as quickly as he could.
"Whoa! I hadn't pegged you as the fast-moving type."
It would have been much more convincing as a troll attempt if Zelos had managed to wink instead of yawn.
"It comes with the line of work," she shot back...even if she was more of the not-moving-at-all type. Romance and affection weren't the sorts of things she could afford to have, when it would serve as a prime opportunity to slit her throat in her sleep, or to have a knife thrust into her back. A brigand leader who didn't have a healthy sense of paranoia wouldn't live long.
But here, where death meant little, it was something that could work in her favor. Allowing an assassination attempt to work, while asking Zelos to keep tabs on those who were loyal and those who were not, had been an incredibly favorable tactical move. It gave her a better sense of who she could trust on missions to make alliance and recruit more followers, and her return from the 'dead' scared most of the rest into strict obedience.
What she didn't expect was that it would cause a sense of warmth to grow for Zelos. He had no designs to take over the brigands himself. In fact, she was sure that was the last thing he wanted. Ellie had no illusions that he was here solely because of her. More, she figured it was because this was a place where he didn't have to wear as many facades.
She studied his face curiously, and when he yawned, it drew a little quirk of a smile from her. He trusted her too, didn't he?
"You are a curious person," she remarked. "I wonder if you say these things to test whether or not you might be rejected." A hint of mischief glittered in her dark blue eyes as she shifted her weight to lean closer to him. "What will you do if it creates an opposite effect, hm?"
There was a moment, very subtlety, where Zelos flinched. There were many things he didn't feel comfortable revealing about himself, and even more he didn't feel comfortable having people know. Her last comment had hit dead on every one of them.
Still, he knew who he was, and he knew what he was, so he would compose and control himself. 'Control' being a relative term, since it was when he was the most collected that he acted the most asinine. He responded with the most relaxed and laissez-faire expression that he could, even if he was now starting to feel on edge.
"Hey, babe, I have no idea what you're talking about. I say these things because they work, I mean, who could resist this?"
Whatever effect he meant to have with the last word, it's dampened by another yawn. Damn he was starting to actually feel tired.
"Perhaps I have no wish to reject you," she drawled, allowing her gaze to travel slowly down, then up again, as if she were sizing up her chances. She scooted herself closer, her hip nudged against his hip, and she leaned her shoulder into his with a sly smile. "I think you wouldn't know what to do with me if I were to embrace you, instead of push you away."
Her face was closer to his, and moving closer still, until he could just barely feel the whisper of her breath against his skin.
Then her finger pressed into his forehead, gently, and pushed back. "You are dead on your feet. Go. Sleep. Otherwise I will seduce you and push you further out of your comfort zone." Ellie smirked and rose to her feet, arching her back to work out the kinks. This was a nice distraction, but there was still a map that needed to be made. Perhaps hearing him sleep deeply and evenly would keep her relaxed as well. A man like him, who would show weariness and weakness in front of her, was all the evidence she needed to know that he trusted her. He didn't need to pour his feelings on the floor or expose his heart. The little signs were enough.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
She shot a brief glance at the door to ensure that he'd locked it, before slipping off the brunette wig and placing it on the coat rack. It didn't make for comfortable sleeping, and wearing it too long made her scalp itch. But as no one else would be opening that door until one of them was ready to leave, there was no need to keep up the disguise as The Brigand Leader.
She sat on the oak chest beside him, stretching out her legs and crossing her ankles. "What brings you here this evening, hm? Is sleep eluding you, or do you simply grow lonely?"
no subject
He certainly understood the significance of her being willing to remove the wig, even if being trusted was never a feeling that he'd get used to. If anything, his attitude showed it.
"Hey, can't a man visit his favorite hunny without needing a reason?"
no subject
"Please tell me you are joking," she glowered at him. Of course he was, she knew, but she enjoyed the banter just the same.
More importantly, he was dodging the question. Was he truly not sleeping well? She studied his face carefully to see if she could peer beneath the mask he wore so habitually. He was indeed a handsome man, she wouldn't dream of denying that. But there was a great deal he hid beneath the surface, things even she didn't know about just yet.
Ellie nodded at the pile of furs. "If you are tired, you may rest here. I will watch over you, so that you are undisturbed."
no subject
Still, it's her turn to make him uncomfortable, and she was doing that in spades. There were few things that Zelos Wilder truly disliked, but other people worrying about him was at the top of the list. There was only one thing he could do at this point, and that was to try and shift the topic of conversation as quickly as he could.
"Whoa! I hadn't pegged you as the fast-moving type."
It would have been much more convincing as a troll attempt if Zelos had managed to wink instead of yawn.
no subject
But here, where death meant little, it was something that could work in her favor. Allowing an assassination attempt to work, while asking Zelos to keep tabs on those who were loyal and those who were not, had been an incredibly favorable tactical move. It gave her a better sense of who she could trust on missions to make alliance and recruit more followers, and her return from the 'dead' scared most of the rest into strict obedience.
What she didn't expect was that it would cause a sense of warmth to grow for Zelos. He had no designs to take over the brigands himself. In fact, she was sure that was the last thing he wanted. Ellie had no illusions that he was here solely because of her. More, she figured it was because this was a place where he didn't have to wear as many facades.
She studied his face curiously, and when he yawned, it drew a little quirk of a smile from her. He trusted her too, didn't he?
"You are a curious person," she remarked. "I wonder if you say these things to test whether or not you might be rejected." A hint of mischief glittered in her dark blue eyes as she shifted her weight to lean closer to him. "What will you do if it creates an opposite effect, hm?"
/SLAMS BACK INTO THIS
Still, he knew who he was, and he knew what he was, so he would compose and control himself. 'Control' being a relative term, since it was when he was the most collected that he acted the most asinine. He responded with the most relaxed and laissez-faire expression that he could, even if he was now starting to feel on edge.
"Hey, babe, I have no idea what you're talking about. I say these things because they work, I mean, who could resist this?"
Whatever effect he meant to have with the last word, it's dampened by another yawn. Damn he was starting to actually feel tired.
YAY! What a fun thing to wake up to!
Her face was closer to his, and moving closer still, until he could just barely feel the whisper of her breath against his skin.
Then her finger pressed into his forehead, gently, and pushed back. "You are dead on your feet. Go. Sleep. Otherwise I will seduce you and push you further out of your comfort zone." Ellie smirked and rose to her feet, arching her back to work out the kinks. This was a nice distraction, but there was still a map that needed to be made. Perhaps hearing him sleep deeply and evenly would keep her relaxed as well. A man like him, who would show weariness and weakness in front of her, was all the evidence she needed to know that he trusted her. He didn't need to pour his feelings on the floor or expose his heart. The little signs were enough.