Waking up to the Sunrise (Marcus)

[Lilium]

45th Day of Summer, late evening..closer to midnight The festival had slowly ended, dissipating one by one as the people and the stalls began to pack up and return back to their homes. As the night drew later and later, Lilium eventually found herself standing on the dark beach staring across a dark ocean, fires now burnt out. Clouds had gathered overhead to hide the stars and moon, ominous in their low thundering as the wind picked up. A storm was coming. Her head swam as she repeated the nights events in her mind. Particularly one moment that stood out for her. Marcus. How easily he turned her world so topsy turvy. One moment, she was so sure of what she wanted, of what she should be doing..the next she was left in a fluster of confusion and hurt. It had been a long, long time since the ethaefal had been socially involved with anyone. For the longest time, she had kept her distance from people, alone in a room full of people. A city full of people in fact. Things in her day were so different to the current times. Men courted women and went visiting. It was improper for a lady to visit upon a man, none the less in his own abode. When the days and weeks passed from their night-time adventure, the ancient konti didn't know what to do. Her past dictated that she should wait for Marcus to seek her out, but he hadn't. During the day, she had struggled to contain her violent memories - sometimes finding herself hiding away from the people around her, afraid of what she might do in her fragile state. It was not a time she would deem appropriate to seek out the object of her emotional state. But then in the evening, when food and time had cleared her mind, the woman allowed her upbringing to take over. A lady does not visit a gentleman, in his own abode, in the evening. Looking down at the folded paper in her hand, she opened it again and read the numerals scrolled on it. A clenching feeling tore through her chest, and unexpectedly tears sprang to her eyes. Gods, she needed to throw off the shackles of her past. Marcus was in the present, she lived in the now. And when she was with him, she was happy and the darkness.....so help her the darkness stayed buried. What the petching hell was she doing? Her feet found her running, across the sand and out of the bay. Running as though her life depended on it. The buildings of the city passed by her, a blur through the tears in her crystalline eyes as she sprinted, white dress bunched in her hands to avoid tripping over. The university appeared eventually, and the platinum haired ethaefal ignored the surprised looks that the one or two people left in the campus gave her as she shimmered in the moonlight, streaking across the yard that led towards the dorms. Reaching the doorway marked with the numbers in her hand, Lilium stopped, gasping to drag air into her burning lungs. Dropping her skirts, the godling dashed the tears from her cheeks with open palms, swallowing in great deep breaths and looking at the markings again. Reaching up, she hesitated for just a moment, before she rapped on the door three times. And waited.

[Marcus Dymez]

Boy, this soup is sweet. That was the thought running through Marcus' mind as the knocking came on the heavy wooden door to his dorm. He glanced out of the solitary window, examining the brewing storm-clouds in the sky. He slowly sipped at the last of his bowl of soup, when the third knock came and none followed. His words from the festival came back to haunt his thoughts, and for a moment a wicked smirk came across his face. But such thoughts were short-lived; he doubted Lilium would make her way here this night, after the 'lovely' display he put on at the festival. Still, Marcus held out hope, as he oft did, and went to the door with his characteristic smirk emblazoned on his face. He didn't even hesitate, or ask for a name. Open came the door, and when Marcus found Lilium standing there, her cheeks still damp with tears, and her breath still catching, there was only one thing to do. Marcus took her inside by the hand, swiftly closing the door behind her; guests of the other gender weren't exactly encouraged here on campus. The pair stood about a foot apart from each-other, Lilium bringing the silence outside into the dorm as Marcus still absorbed the situation, wordlessly. It was definitely unexpected, but far from unwanted. A set of candles warmly illuminated the room, flickering flames the only proof that time had not stopped. But enough was enough, and Marcus finally regained his composure moments after her arrival. His voice was tender and precise, his playful nature seeping into the scholar's tone as he said, "I've missed you, dear shadow." Marcus subconsciously hoped she took a glance at the paper-laden desk near the corner, but honestly couldn't care less. In one swift motion, he held her once more in his arms, her warm form pressed tightly against his own as they stood in an embrace. Nothing else was needed, or wanted. At that moment, Marcus felt at peace, and he hoped Lilium felt the same. After all, there was work to be done. The darkness would not banish itself, after all.

[Lilium]

As the door opened, Lilium looked up at the face of the scholar, green emerald gaze meeting her own icy blue one, candlelight pouring across her distressed features and breaking up the darkness of the night. Her breathing was still heavy from the sprint across the city and her brow drawn. Wordlessly, Marcus drew her inside and quickly closed the door, all the while their eyes never left each other. Now she was here, the breathless konti wasn't sure what to say. Whether he wanted her to even be here. Finally, the silence between them was broken by the sorcerer, with soft words and a kind tone. In a quick movement the emerald eyed man wrapped her in a warm embrace, and Lilium threw her arms around his neck. Pressing her cheek against his shoulder, she took a shuddering breath. "I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry." She said, voice thick with emotion. Pulling back, she took his face in her hands and kissed him, shaking her head and seemingly unaware of both the fresh tears on her cheeks and the paperwork piled on his table. "I'm not good at this relationship stuff and its been a century or more since I actually loved someone and socially interacted with someone on this sort of a level and I just don't know how it all works anymore and I thought perhaps you hadn't tried to find me because I'd done something wrong or perhaps you and I had different of ideas of what this actually is and I was hurt and upset and then I was angry but I didn't think it was appropriate for a woman to visit a gentleman in his quarters at night but then I didn't petching care and I'm sorry I was angry..." The ethaefal spoke in a rush between tears and snuffles and kisses, her blue eyes wide and sincere, words a mess falling from her mind to her mouth without a barrier between. "Please don't send me away, I've been so lost these past weeks. The days are terrifying and the nights leave me feeling so horribly alone. I just...you...I need a little time to get used to this whole...social...thing." Pulling back, Lilium looked into his emerald gaze with a distraught sob as outside the sky rumbled loudly with the crash of thunder and a sharp crack of lightening. Loudly, the rain fell from the sky in a sudden torrential downpour. "When I saw you walking away on the beach, I felt as though my heart was being crushed in my chest. I didn't know what to do, or to say. Its all so...strange and confusing." The last of her words died in a whisper as she stared at him, blue eyes glistening in the firelight as tears continued to fall.

[Marcus Dymez]

This was quickly becoming the most interesting dinner Marcus had entertained in a long while. Silently biding his words between tearful sobs and passionate pecks, Marcus stood and let Lilium express everything that had been building up inside her. As she went on, Marcus found it difficult to keep himself from succumbing to his own pain, her words like daggers in his own heart. He could've stopped this, he should've stopped this, but there was no point in fretting over such matters now. The past was already done with, and only those with the power to change it should be so concerned. As far as he knew, Marcus held no such power. Still, the young scholar was not simply going to stand there and do nothing. Lilium had gone through all I'd this because she did not know how Marcus felt, but no longer would that be up for discussion. With every frantic kiss, Marcus pressed a slice of his passion into her lips. With every tear, Marcus took a hand to gently brush her cheek as she spoke. With each tender pause, Marcus gazed into Lilium's eyes, and didnt look away, for he saw an angel in need of a helping hand, and he would be more than happy to offer his entire soul if need be. Once she had finished, Marcus once again spoke, cradling Lilium's head in the crook of his shoulder. His voice was a tender contrast to the roaring storm outside, which added quite significantly to the drama of the situation. As he began to speak, a shriek of thunder echoed through the courtyard. "Oh Lilium, you truly are so innocent in this matter... I would never even think of sending you away. You're welcome by my side and in my arms at any and all times. Never again do I want hear you apologize for such things." Marcus leads her almost whimsically to his bed, sitting her down on the edge as he kneels before her. His usual smirk finds its way across his face as he speaks again, soft fingers dashing tears as they fall. "I honestly don't care whether you understand any of this socialite stuff, or even if you stopped talking to the entire world. I don't give a damn what they all think about us Lilium, and neither should you. If see a woman running towards a mans room, let them make their assumptions. We'll keep the truth to ourselves..." "Now then, my lovely shadow, cease your tears, and show me the smile of an angel."

[Lilium]

Curled in his arms, head tucked in the hollow of his shoulder, the celestial konti allowed herself to cry softly. The tears, unbroken now by words or kisses, were a heartfelt release of pent up feelings and thoughts she hadn't been able to process. She had loved the man long buried under the willow-tree with every fibre of her almost immortal being, and when he had finally passed away Lilium had grieved for decades. To feel these emotions again, it was both enriching and terrifying at the same time. Gods knew if it weren't so hard, the ethaefal would walk away from the situation - save Marcus the trouble of her shattered personality and past. But she couldn't...the sorcerer soothed the darkness and gave her relief from her haunted past. Allowing herself to be led to his bed, Lilium sat down and listened to his words as her breath hitched in her throat, looking down at her hands as he knelt before her. She was ashamed to meet his eyes now that she had laid everything out before him, afraid of what she might find. But instead of wry laughter or disapproval Marcus lifted his hands to wipe the tears from her cheeks as he spoke, causing the ethaefal to look up at him slowly, searching his face carefully. As he smirked at her, the scaled and shimmering creature couldn't help but smile back, his last words bringing a small half laugh-half sob to her lips. "Marcus, you are far to good to be tied to something like me." Taking a deep breath, the blonde smiled and shook her head, but in her chest her heart swelled tenfold. Outside, the storm raged on, wind blowing hard in the trees and rain pelting down on the rooftops. "Thank you, truly Marcus. For being so patient with me tonight when I've acted like such an adolescent. One might wonder which one of us is supposed to be the wise and ageless one." Scoffing, the ethaefal reached up to placed the back of her hand over her mouth as she was overcome by a yawn. It was far to late, and the night had been draining. After weeks of feeling unsure, upset and angry - the sunborn celestial felt the weight of the world lifted from her shoulders. She would need to wait for the raise to ease off if she was to go anywhere. Lilium looked across the room, finally noticing the desk strewn with papers and books that the brown haired sorcerer must have been sitting at. He really had been busier than she realized. "I didn't mean to interrupt your studies." She said with a smile, eyes still red but her tears now dried. Leaning forward, the emotionally drained konti pressed her lips to his with a lingering, satisfying kiss before sitting back. "What are you studying?"

[Marcus Dymez]

If only that was the truth. Marcus let out a slight chuckle as she spoke of being better, finding the topic amusing to say the least. It was a phrase he had always found peculiar, and slightly contradictory. How could one have the good without the bad, after all? Without one to contrast the other, the first loses its significance. Explaining in turn, Marcus' voice rose with him as the man got to his feet, a gentle hand running through Lilium's hair for the briefest of moments. "Nonsense. The greater the sorrow, the greater the happiness needed to mend it, and you my dear have far more sorrow than a lady should ever have to bear." Marcus smiled sincerely at his own words as he gazed down at her, before slowly making his way over to his desk. Lilium's yawn was almost as vocal as her stomach was. A laugh slipped past Marcus' lips as he turned slightly to give Lilium a sidelong glance. "You picked a lovely hour to come knocking, after all. Lay down Lilium, you know my bed is always open to you." Marcus smirked as his words came to an end, the devilish kind of smirk he always attached to his subtly-placed innuendo. "And besides, my studies can wait this time. I have my priorities set now..." As he made it to his desk, beginning to sift through a mass of notes and thin tomes, he heard her question and surprisingly found himself struggling for an answer. Marcus had never before have to explain his lessons, and even in the University's records it was stated as Magical Studies. Marcus shrugged, mostly to himself, as he turned to face the bed with an angel atop it. "Everything and Nothing, it seems. Magic; the history of it, and it's applications. All sorts of mysterious things that normal people may chalk up to superstition. Lots of tests, these studies, and that means lots of notes." Marcus let out a tender laugh as he speaks that last phrase, repeating it word for word as he had been told it, months ago in one of his earlier lectures. It was a curious subject, to be sure. Marcus waved his hand in the air, seemingly at a phantom, as he continued straightening up his desk, a sense of professional decency rising over him. "But that's a dull subject to go over... Tell me, did you enjoy the festival? I didn't expect to see you there, especially with another man. I was almost heart-broken..." Marcus turns briefly, just far enough to see his jesting smirk, lest she hear only his words and presume off of them. He had been heart-broken once before, and since, he found a numbness to such things; quite convenient, if you asked Marcus. His voice gently found it's way into the air once more as he continued his words, almost rambling as he finished a second stack of random papers and books, not even bothering to sort anymore. "But, you looked so lovely out there, that I couldn't help but pay a visit. It's not a surprise you found a suitor out, given your sweet beauty." Marcus felt the mood growing unbearably sappy for the night however, and decided to add a precision crafted phrase to help 'lighten' the mood. He found it quite amusing, sweet and innocent on the surface, but with a memory they both knew hidden beneath. "And what a deliciously sweet beauty you are."

[Lilium]

Raising her eyebrow at his ever veiled inappropriate comment, the ageless woman could only shake her head. How he managed to make something so simple sound so lucid was a talent in itself. Memories of their last encounter warmed the konti's cheeks and she chose to ignore his mischievous smirk. Lilium turned to lay her head on the soft pillow of Marcus' bed, once again finding herself in the linens of a man for the second time in a season...after a hundred years of propriety. The thought made her smile, even as she turned on her side to watch the scholar as he returned to his desk. Another yawn escaped the woman's lips and she blinked sleepily. "Everything and Nothing? Is that not the manner of the world itself. We are everything, and yet...we are nothing. Nothing..." He words were jumbled and soft, and her blue eyes closed as she talked. Not asleep, yet not far from it. At the mention of Vhast and the festival, Lilium's eyes snapped open and she looked at Marcus with silent patience. But she caught his smirk, and relaxed. Indeed, it might have been different had she found him with another woman...but they were only strangers joining for a meal and a chat in the warmth of the festivities. Chuckling, she closed her eyes again, unable to keep them open. Outside, the rain sang and the thunder continued. "A suitor? Hardly the case my love...a boy...so young...so sad.." Her voice grew distant as her mind drifted in the tendrils of sleep, comfortable and safe in his warm bed. Humming contentedly, her cheeks flushed as he spoke again, eyes opening again. "If I were half the lady I was two hundred years ago, you would never say something like that. Then again, I wouldn't be in your bed either." As if to emphasize the point, Lilium stretched languidly and tucked her hand under her head, half lidded icy eyes watching Marcus as he shuffled and organized his desk. She liked watching him, knowing what hid beneath his clothing. His work on the docks as a youth had formed the man's shape, but his work in the school formed his mind and his magic. And she could appreciate all three. "I wished for mortality tonight." The ethaefal said in a quiet voice, her sleepy gaze still on the man before her.

[Marcus Dymez]

Marcus spoke, sweeping pieces of parchment aside as his voice comes up bearing his usual playful nature. "If you were any amount of the lady you were two hundred years ago, I would not be in this world to begin with, although that bed might." Marcus chuckled, more to himself than Lilium, as he continued on with his cleaning. He was more than happy to have this fallen angel splayed out on his bed like a cat. He felt her gaze on him as he worked, and it made the job much more bearable. He enjoyed having her here, and already his mind was thinking up ways for her to stay. Marcus knew it wouldn't work out permanently, but there was always hope. Silence permeated the room, mind a sheet of parchment slipped to the ground at Lilium's whisper. Marcus gently turned in his spot, dropping the few papers in his hand haphazardly onto the newly-cleaned desk. The words echoed in his mind a few times, but the playful-nature of his expression had changed to one of perplexing sadness. Marcus made his way slowly to the bed, gently sitting on the edge of it as he gazed into Lilium's exhausted eyes. His voice was stoic, almost somber as it gently rose and fell through the air. "Is it mortality you want, or humanity..?" Marcus gently laid a hand on her side as Lilium laid on his bed. It was a powerful "Whatever it is, I want you to know that without your fall from grace, I would've never met such a beautiful angel. You don't have to like your past, but you shouldn't try to change it." Marcus lets his hand softly run up and down her arm as he continues, giving the Ethaefal whatever comfort he could offer. "We all deal with the cards we're dealt with. Some learn how to play the game, and some ignore it and count on luck. But the one's who try to cheat, those are the one's who fail before all others." Marcus laid back onto his bed, turning his head to the side to face her. He was still taken back by the pallor of her skin, a porcelain white that was beyond beautiful; more so when it was only inches away. But there was no lustful passion this time around, only projected sorrow. Marcus could not imagine the pain she endured on a regular basis, but at the very least, he could dampen it. He had made a promise to lighten the darkness around her mind, and Marcus was a man of his word. "At the very least, at least one of our wishes was granted."

[Lilium]

Swallowing hard, Lilium averted her eyes as the sorcerer came to sit on the bed and rest a hand on her side, unable to face the question as it was. Humanity, mortality...both. Were it that she could easily have either. She wished for the chance to grow old with her children and grandchildren playing around her feet, her skin aging and her hair whitening even more. She desired for the chance to join her husband one day in the natural death that met all beings. The Gods knew she had lived the opportunity time and time and time again. But tied to that happy ending was her humanity. How in all the pantheon could a fallen creature like herself bring life into the world, when she knew of the demonic destruction that waited in the daylight. Would it affect her offspring? The ethaefal hadn't ever met the child of her kin, she had no understanding of what happened biologically. Or...whether Syna was so petching abhorrent that she not only abandoned Lilium, but also took her ability to produce children - if there was ever such an ability. The thought brought a lump to her throat, and the pale skinned woman pressed her lips together silently. She couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. As Marcus lay on the bed beside her, the blonde godling finally lifted her blue gaze to his own emerald one, seeing the sadness reflected there. As he spoke, Lilium smiled gently and placed a hand on his cheek as she shook her head slowly. "You wish for far to great a burden I fear, even if I want your sunlight to light the darkness. I am no good for you...do you not see that? No but of course you don't. You are too kind to see me for what I truly am. I am no angel, love. I am the darkness." Blinking heavily, the ethaefal closed her eyes and sighed a soft yawn as her words stumbled through the deeper parts of her mind. "Yet, even the darkness can be conquered. I feel it, the horrors and the nightmares that haunt me so fade into nothingness when I hear your voice. The violent raging anger subsides when I see your face. You are my refuge in the vast storm, a bright sunrise in a dark valley." Fading, the konti celestial reached out with her free hand to curl her pale slender fingers around his own, a small smile still lingering on her face. Outside, lightening crackled angrily, sounding as though a million miles away. Laying quietly, Lilium's breathing became more even and shallow as she found herself overcome by sleep. Sighing softly, the ethaefal nuzzled closer to the scholar, far away in exhausted slumber and warmed by his presence. Her hand remained curled loosely around his own as she slept and with another sigh, she muttered softly in her sleep. "I love you." It was a half mutter, half sigh...soft as a whisper and falling from slightly parted lips. Whether she had said it to Marcus or whether she had perhaps spoke out loud something that should have been kept in her thoughts...it was uncertain. Gently, her chest rose and fell as the ageless woman drifted further and further into sleep.