lune "an advantage!" clairobscur (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
attheendofthegame) wrote2025-08-29 12:37 am
attheendofthegame) wrote2025-08-29 12:37 am[ open post ]
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overflow etc etc
overflow etc etc
overflow etc etc
attheendofthegame) wrote2025-08-29 12:37 am
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They do, but they don't all have to be properly documented by you. [ Sciel presses another kiss to the top of Lune's head, humming in a weak, fond chide. ] There're a lot of people who want to help, remember? You can add context, since you were there and they weren't, but it doesn't all have to fall on your shoulders, mon amour.
[ The burden of responsibility has always rested heavily on Lune's shoulders, but she needn't let it get comfortable there any longer. Not when they'd fought so hard to carve out this new world for themselves and everyone, and they deserved to be able to live in it. Really live, not merely observe the fruits of their labour.
Sciel listens without interruption as Lune admits to the plan she's clearly been forming for a while, picking up on the subtle uncertainty in the mage's voice. There'd never been any reason to worry about Sciel's reaction, though, as she wraps her arms around Lune's shoulders and leans in, nuzzling into her cheek. ]
Then we'll go. [ She says, matter-of-fact. ] I'd love to see it, too. And there's no way I'm letting you go without me. [ Actually, this...works well into Sciel's own plans, though, unlike Lune, she doesn't yet disclose them. ] But can we talk more about it over breakfast? I'm fairly certain I just heard your stomach rumbling, and it's so late it's nearly time for lunch.
[ Not really. But she doubts Lune's eaten anything yet, so... ]
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...of something she can't quite put her finger on...
No, of course she shouldn't have worried. Sciel's got the biggest, kindest heart of anyone Lune knows. It's why she's so hopelessly in love with her. Sciel doesn't rush to judgement; even if she doesn't agree, she always at least tries to understand. And together, they can figure anything out. They took down the Paintress together, after all.
The admonition to let other people help her document the journals is ignored, because of course it is, because there are no circumstances under which Lune would delegate her life's work. It's her responsibility, no one else's. And besides, how could she let go of the veritable treasure trove of information at her fingertips, hand it off to somebody else, when she wants to hear it all, learn it all, herself? But she smiles, and rests her head against Sciel's for a moment before turning to give her a slow, soft kiss. A thank you for understanding kiss. An I wouldn't want to go anywhere without you kiss.]
Is it really?
[A glance at the clock tells her it's not quite that dire, but it has been hours. And no, she hasn't eaten anything. And now that her attention's been drawn to it, she could really do with something more substantial than coffee.
Or the smell of coffee, rather, since that's all she's had today.]
Why don't you finish dressing, and we can go to the café for breakfast?
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It'd been tough. It'd been...so fucking hard, getting to where they are now. But it's all over, and everything's okay. It's never not going to be okay ever again. ]
Nah, not really. [ There's another kiss pressed to the crown of Lune's head before Sciel starts to retreat, moving to the threshold and stretching so she rises to the tips of her toes. ] But if it'll help move you along, then...yes, it's very late. Terribly, absurdly late.
[ The suggestion earns Lune a half-turn of the head, an impish smile and a cocked brow. ]
"Finish dressing?" Mm, must I? [ To go out? Yes. But Sciel hems and haws the whole way back into their bedroom, playing up a show for the girlfriend who'd so cruelly asked her to put more clothes on. ] Fine, fine... For you, I will. I am craving pain au chocolat.
[ A healthy, balanced breakfast awaits...
It isn't terribly long before Sciel emerges, fully dressed and put together, smoothing down some minor wrinkles on her trousers. ]
Ready? [ She asks, offering her arm. ]
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It still feels a little odd, a bit foreign and uncomfortable, allowing time for a relationship. But it's also the happiest she's ever been, and with the Paintress gone, she has a good half a century, more time than she ever deemed possible before, to finish the work. Her parents don't even scold her anymore. If anything, they seem... happy. Happy she's found someone, happy she's...
It's strange...
She smiles as Sciel retreats with such a display of being so terribly put upon by the need for clothes, and spends the few minutes before Sciel returns coming to a good stopping point in the journal she's currently reading through. When she emerges from the bedroom, Lune is, indeed, ready to take her arm and accompany her outside to the café on the corner.
The weather is perfect, the sun warm and the breeze gentle, and when they arrive and find an outdoor table it's not long before Sciel's pain au chocolat and Lune's oeufs cocotte are placed in front of them. Delicious, of course.]
You know, I never imagined things could be like this. I always wanted to believe we'd succeed, of course. [She'd worked so hard for so long, she could never bring herself to believe any different. All of the work, everything she'd given up for it, it all had to mean something, it all had to lead somewhere. And now it has.] But I spent so long with my head buried in my books that I never thought about what it would be like after we did.
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There is only pleasant sun and cozy rain, gorgeous days and relaxing nights. Friends who are doing well, and family who are doing well, and lovers who are doing well.
And pain au chocolat, of course. ]
I don't think any of us completely thought it'd work out. [ Sciel says after a pause, considering the bite of flaky pastry between her fingers. ] Even the most optimistic [ like Sciel herself ] knew the odds. So...it makes sense it'd have been hard to let ourselves think about the what-comes-after.
[ Sciel hadn't, really. Her method of staying sane had been to take their journey on a day-to-day basis, keeping herself and the others alive and finding little sparks of joy where they arose. There was no shining future in her mind's eye as they progressed, no domestic bliss she'd let herself imagine with anyone, let alone with Lune.
It'd been...a pleasant surprise, when it came to light, that there was still interest. Even now...looking across the table at the beautiful, brilliant, incredible woman she's lucky enough to be with, she can still find it difficult to believe.
That hasn't stopped her from buying a ring, though. Their hard-earned future is stretched out before them all and she has no intention of squandering it. ]
We earned this. [ Sciel insists, reaching out to take Lune's hand and give it an affirming squeeze. ] We won it for ourselves, for everyone back here in Lumiére, for...the future. For Sophie and Gustave's baby. And for everyone who gave their lives to make it possible for us to have done what we did.
[ There had been so much loss, before. Decades of tragedy. It's no wonder it's hard to believe they could reach a point where there was more happiness than grief. ]
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There's something in the back of Lune's head that won't let her take that sort of credit. Every day of her last twenty-eight years has been dedicated to creating this possibility: sitting quietly with a loved one, enjoying the day, being able to look down to the harbor and over the sea without having to see the promise of death looming on the horizon. And now it's here, but it still doesn't feel as though she's done enough, as though she's truly finished the work, as though she's earned this happy ending. Especially when Sciel is right: there are countless Expeditioners who gave their lives for this, people whose names will never be remembered, except in the archives Lune has studied so meticulously, people who died violently and alone so that Lune could sit and eat oeufs cocotte with her girlfriend.
She runs her thumb across the back of Sciel's knuckles. Whether she's earned it or not, her happy ending is here, sitting across from her, smiling, with a smudge of chocolate on her lower lip. And her heart feels as though it could burst with how much she loves her, with how lucky she is that, after twelve years of mistakes and missed opportunities, Sciel still wants her.]
Still, we could live to be... Seventy. Eighty. [An impossibly high number. The oldest people Lune's ever met were in their sixties, and that was when she was a very young child. She only knows that people can live into their eighties and beyond from old records and stories.] Even older. Can you imagine?
[She reaches out and runs a finger along Sciel's lower lip, gentle but fastidious, wiping away the chocolate. And then her hand lingers, hovering just above Sciel's lips for a moment before she draws it back.]
My whole life, there was one goal: defeat the Paintress. Everything revolved around that. If it didn't help further the mission, I... [Ignored it. Avoided it. Sciel knows; she was one of the things that didn't further the mission.] But now... there is no goal, other than the ones I set myself.
[She can't help but feel a little adrift. Even with her plans to return to the Continent, there is no specified end, no moment when she'll know the work is done. No mission parameters.]
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'Course I can. I love imagining it. [ Here she leans forward, lacing her fingers together and setting her chin atop them. ] When I do, you're just as gorgeous. A little more distinguished, maybe. Still working too much.
[ That'll never change, because as this morning has already demonstrated, there will always be more that could be done. And Sciel will never begrudge Lune doing what makes her happy when there's still so much to learn in their world, and -- more crucially -- finally opportunity to seek it out.
Her demeanor softens with the prospect of the future and the empty space that exists now where a path once stretched out before them. Sciel leans back again, turning her smile outward toward the harbour. ]
...Exactly. That's your new mission, Lune. Figuring out what you want for yourself and for your future. [ This is a nice segue, so with her usual, breezy air, Sciel transitions a bit: ] ...For example, I'd like my future to involve a nice dinner with you. Are you free tonight?
[ Sciel already knows that she is, had seen to it that she would be, but! ]
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They have so much time now, after all. They'll get to grow old together. Watch Sophie and Gustave's children grow up. Watch Maelle grow up. Sciel might be able to imagine it clearly – and she smiles fondly at Sciel's description of it – but to Lune it still all seems... fantastical.
As for what she wants...]
There is one thing I know I want for my future.
[She leans across the table and plants a soft kiss on Sciel's lips. The unspoken end of that sentence: you.]
And yes, of course I'll have dinner with you tonight.
[That's the promise she's made to herself, after all: knock off work at sunset every day, and devote the rest of her time to Sciel. If she doesn't, she might just lose their relationship, and she's already lost too much time with the woman she loves.]
I've been told there's something called a work-life balance. [A gentle tease, echoing words that she originally heard from Sciel.] And, allegedly, it's supposed to be good for you.
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Even so, it is nice to get more of her girlfriend lately. More often than not, the eternal scholar has managed to set things aside when the sun goes down, emerging from her study only to be rewarded with a glass of wine, amusing story, or a passionate kiss. Often: all of the above. This pleases Sciel, of course, not only because it gives her more time with the woman she loves, but because it also seems to be doing some good for Lune. Letting her more easily fill the room in her life that she'd worked so hard to earn, to carve out. To be able to look up from her many tomes to see the impact that her efforts have had on the people around them.
The soft kiss is met with a deep, adoring smile as Sciel rises out of these musings, steeped as they are in her overwhelming fondness for the other woman. ]
Phew, wasn't sure that would work out. Glad you're taking a chance on me. [ There's a lilting laugh as she leans forward again to steal a kiss of her own, thumbing, feather-light, over Lune's cheek. ] I promise, ma belle, that you won't be disappointed.
[ Sciel, for her part, is...only slightly nervous. Just a little!
The echo of her own past words earns another laugh as Sciel leans back, crossing her arms and nodding approvingly. ]
Believe it: it exists. [ It'd actually been difficult for Sciel herself, first being a farmer and then a teacher, but she at least subscribed to the concept. ] I think I've seen the results firsthand. Your mind's not off someplace else...at least fifty percent of the time? Up from something like...twenty.
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[She's joking, a little bit of gentle self-mockery at her tendency to overthink. Lune knows she gets in her head about things, thinks instead of allowing herself to feel, builds walls of rationality and research and books around herself when what she should be doing is pulling those walls down and existing in the world, this wonderful new world they've helped to create.
Sciel helps with nudging her towards that. Little by little, the more time she spends with Sciel, the easier it becomes to simply be – enjoying Sciel's company, smiling fondly at her jokes or the fifth failed dinner attempt in a week (not that Lune's an any better cook), playing music while Sciel hums along and even sometimes dances, knowing that Sciel has had so much darkness in her past and trying, in however small a way, to give back the light and joy that Sciel's given to her – without her mind getting in the way.
At least fifty percent of the time.]
Have you got anything in particular in mind for dinner? [she asks, as she finishes up her eggs.
A pair of laughing children run by, maybe nine or ten years old, one shouting at the other to keep up as they barrel along. Not too long ago, those children would have had a life expectancy of barely more than a decade. Now they have all the time in the world, plenty of time to just be children.
Lune's eyes follow them as they pass, and suddenly all those unnameable doubts and strange uncertainties curl through her mind like sharp black fingers clawing at her. But when she tries to grasp onto them, to put words to what they are, they vanish, leaving a sour taste in her mouth and her head fuzzy and ringing.
She blinks, realising she hasn't heard Sciel's answer to her question.]
Sorry. I must not have gotten enough sleep last night.
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No pressure, then. [ Sciel murmurs, voice light and teasing in return. There's a deep breath -- one tinged with the salt of the water not far off and the aromatic steam wafting up from their drinks -- and then a satisfied exhale as she leans back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other.
Of course there's some pressure, since she wants things to continue as they have been...or progress, in this case. But it's still Sciel, and she, for the most part, is still able to move through life with a sort of ease unique to her. Especially since they'd succeeded in their mission and come back home, where every challenge now feels like it pales in comparison to their previously-thought-impossible task. ]
What's on your to-do list for the day? Besides dinner later. [ There's always a list, with her girlfriend, and so she asks after it with pleasant focus, as if it's the most important thing in the world to her right now (and not because she'd happily listen to Lune talk about anything).
At the question, she hums and tilts her head the other way, stalling a little. She does have a plan, but it'd be suspicious if she admitted as much, since she's usually the fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants type. ]
Well, since we're out now, I'd been thinking...more of a picnic. I've got some things I want to get together, and maybe I'll even scrounge up a blanket. [ The food she'll grab later in the day, once she's parted ways from her partner, at least for a while, along with some wine, maybe some flowers. The blanket and everything else is already tucked away in their flat where she hopes very much it won't be found.
Lune seems...especially unfocused, and so Sciel frowns a touch as she notices. Once that ends, though, and her attention returns, so does the little smile. ]
S'okay. I was just saying that I'd been thinking we have something like a picnic. Unless you meant what kind of food? If so: anything you want, or don't want, in particular?
[ A low-key dinner is all the better for tonight, if Lune's already a little tired. She leans in again, reaching out to take her girlfriend's hand in her own and give it a little squeeze, thumbing over her knuckles. ]
Maybe...you can get some rest between now and then, hm?
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She must be tired. That's all.]
Nothing to worry about. I'm more used to having sleepless nights than not.
[It's easy to brush off sleep deprivation when it's all she's ever really known. Even now, her mind has a regrettable tendency to latch onto some problem or question late at night, turning it over and over and refusing to let her sleep until it's the small hours of the morning and she needs to get up in just a few hours.]
I've been going through the 42s' journals. They were in contact with the grandis for most of the year before their deaths, and they learned a lot about the Continent, the terrain, the flora and fauna, grandis culture. The 53s also had information about Continental flora in their journals – they were testing the use of plants in medicine and poisons. If we make a return trip to the Continent, the information those Expeditions gathered will be invaluable, especially if we want to establish more permanent lines of communication with the grandis and create sustainable settlements on the Continent. It's a lot more than a day's work, of course– [Of course.] —but I was planning on working through more of those two journals today. I'm trying to collate all the information I can and organise it by subject matter so it can be easily referenced.
[She could go on. She might, if she had all day to sit around and tell Sciel about her work instead of doing the work.
Maybe...
Well, she's not sure how interesting Sciel would find it, but she likes talking to Sciel about anything at all, really. And Sciel has a very different way of looking at the world that sometimes gives Lune a new perspective on whatever she's working on. Maybe she could take a day off and spend it just... talking. About her work, about Sciel's work. Sciel's work must be so different now that her students can expect to live past their teens. She'd love to hear about it.
Yes, that might be nice. And Lune's got so many days in her future now, she wouldn't have to feel nearly as guilty as she once would about taking a day for herself.]
I could go over it with you some time. There are a lot of really interesting findings in there.
[And, oh, Sciel's asked a question about dinner, hasn't she?]
A picnic. What's the occasion?
[That's purely a joke. She's found nothing out of the ordinary in the flat and has no clue what Sciel is planning.]
It sounds lovely, [she adds hurriedly.] And I wouldn't ask you to cook. [No offense.] Salad would be good for a picnic, wouldn't it? I think the place around the corner does a salade landaise and a salade périgourdine? You could pick up one of those. And, [she adds with a smile,] a bottle of wine.
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Sciel listens to her girlfriend talk about he 42s, their journals, and how it all factors into her day with a small, but earnest smile. She would listen to Lune talk about most anything, as they've established, but it's more than simply humouring the person she loves. The way Lune talks about it makes Sciel care about it all the more, as the mage is able to present the details and questions and everything in a way that makes it feel...accessible, and important. Sciel doesn't get the sense it's something Lune is doing on purpose, as if to bring it down to a more approachable level, but the effect is there all the same. Her...enthusiasm, maybe, or something like it effuses into the words and draws Sciel in every time.
By the end, she's leaning forward, chin on her palm and braced against a propped-up elbow, eyes twinkling fondly. ]
I'd really like that, cheri. [ She stresses. ] I want to hear more about what you've found, and how it's going to shape our upcoming 'expedition.' [ There's a pause, and then a flash of her teeth in an impish grin. ] ...Plus, I'm all for visiting the Grandis again to see if they've got any more clothes for us. That first set was incredible.
[ She's no fashionista, but, come on. Who wouldn't have liked the uniforms they'd been given, dyed to shine as brilliantly as the surrounding snow?
That's more a joke than anything, though, but she's still looking a little mischievous as they move back to the subject of their evening. ]
I'd offer to make dinner, you know I would, but...well. I'd actually like it to be nice. [ No offense taken! Cooking is decidedly Not her thing.
Lune helpfully suggests something she would be interested in, though, and Sciel commits it to memory, nodding as she taps a finger on the table. ]
Sounds perfect. [ A bottle of wine goes without saying. ] And the occasion is that it's a day where I'd like to have a delicious, private meal with my favourite person. So...just another day, really.
[ Far from it. Though...to be fair, she'd say the same thing even if she didn't have an ulterior motive. They've got all this time and they'd managed the impossible, so each new day is a reason for celebration, big or small.
Sciel cants her head a touch, peering across the remnants of their morning. ]
No rush, but...when you're ready, let's take the scenic route back.
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I don't know about the scenic route. I really do need to get back. Tonight, though, I promise I'm all yours.
[For the few moments it takes her to finish up her coffee, though, she allows herself the indulgence of letting her eyes wander over Sciel's face, studying the little twitches of her lips as she speaks, the way the corners of her eyes crinkle, how her smile distorts the topography of her skin and tugs at the scar tissue on her cheek and nose, the shifting colours of her eyes as the light hits them differently whenever she moves her head. Lune could study Sciel for years, she's sure, and still find more details worth remarking upon. And the more she thinks of Sciel, the further away that strange, momentary headache feels, until she's forgotten all about it.
She sets her coffee cup down and deposits a few francs on the table, enough to pay for the meal and tip the serveur.]
So. Is this picnic going to be in the flat? Do I need to move any of our furniture around? Or have you got a spot outside in mind?
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"Need" to get back? Or...? [ It's a key distinction, with Lune. Because not everything needs to be done as soon as possible (one of their many, recurring subjects of conversation when it comes to the mage's work). ] Not to be greedy, but...I will, a little bit. Could I convince you to spend the day with me? And tomorrow you can get back on track, I promise.
[ Probably. Sciel is weak when it comes to her beautiful girlfriend, and she's often unable (and/or unwilling) to just let Lune work. Not if there's a kiss to be stolen, or a story to be shared, or...anything else, honestly. It doesn't take much. ]
Ah. [ Back to the picnic. ] I've got a spot in mind. Nothing you need to worry about, though I'd like to keep it a secret until it's time. [ Then, quickly: ] Don't set your expectations too high. Set them...medium-high.
[ Her plans involve the roof of their building, after all, which is not the most glamorous place in the city. It will have a lovely view, though. Especially if it ends up being a clear night. ]