In Dire Straits - let me wrap down to my skeleton

[Image: sarititle_by_lunecy-dboifh4.png]

Silver dreams on the soft lacing of veins within velvet rose petals danced around in her head as dust swirled around her in a slow daze against the one lonely sun beam. The scent of the roses around her cast her into a dream world where only imagination could take her, far from this place she called home and the rotting scents of mildew and rancid flesh could no longer exist. Sarissa didn't mind all of the horrific scents of Alteron though, it tied into her personality well even if she wanted to smell just like the ruby red flowers that usually blossomed above her. For now they were dormant until the coming of spring.

Umbra had taught her how to infuse different scents in her coat a season ago, and now wore the scent like a badge plastered against her chest for the world to see. A signature of hers, one people would remember her by. They would know she was near by there mere scent that wafted their way.

As Sarissa lazed in the lonely sunlight, a sound caught her attention. She was no longer alone, and although she was a very social creature, the girl was a bit annoyed that her alone time was broken. Red eyes flicked to the source, her body staying where it was as she didn't feel like moving. The annoyance dissolved in her mouth as she curled a smile on her features, realizing it was someone recognizable against the dark despite the sunlight in her eyes.

She didn't feel so lonely anymore.

"Come, lay by me." she said, beckoning the male to her. Her dearest father and beloved Miasma was away, her loneliness eating away at her heart. It reminded her of her mother, that biting feeling. Sarissa absolutely hated it.

Keep me company if only for a while.

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦

[Image: bb9ff1b8_4db6_43ea_bea0_4152a320b40a_by_...cnwltw.png]

Cancer

Speech:#ffcc33

There was nothing pleasant about Alteron. It was damp, wet, and smelled consistently of wet animal. It was nauseating; a constant reminder that hell could be anywhere- even in the depths of the thick rainforests.

But there was another smell; a sweet flora- a siren's song in the middle of a dark sea and it caught hold of Cancer by the nape and pulled him ever forward through the dense wood to its source. He followed the scent blindly through the thick brush- it was a smell he had smelled once before; it was familiar and it brought the large male to a halt as he did his best to follow it. A shiver ran up his spine as thoughts clouded themselves over with desires he didn't know yet that he had; the sickening scent of rose water hanging heavier in the air the longer he walked.

"Come, lay by me."

She called to him as he floated in a daze; a daze snapped by the first words of the siren. She had lured him in and he was too far gone to deny a Queen her request. The male slowly made his way towards her, a look of utter bewilderment slapped gently across his face as he breathed the air around her in. What enigma could she have possibly been? He was curious enough though. Cancer settled down next to her, his nose taking in every last sip of air that it could. He would drown in a sea of rose water, and it would be her fault.

"You called?" came the low, gentle rumble of his voice as he closed his eyes for a just a moment; it was as if he were searching for a higher power that granted him this moment, but it passed and he opened his eyes once more to look at Sarissa. She was no more an acquaintance of his and yet here he was surrendering to her entangled webs and allowing his guard to fall if only for a moment. Serenity in a thicket of rose thorns would never end well, but Cancer would take the moments between thorns if and whenever possible.

Who could have ever imagined this broken King ruined by the smell of roses?

I have never known peace

Like the damp grass that yields to me

I have never known hunger

Like these insects that feast on me

He came to her without hesitation. The roses luring him, the sweet nectar enticing even when the danger loomed oh so close and evident. Thorns could easily snag clumps of hair and flesh, sinking in deep to act like hooks and embed themselves to anchor. And who would notice the thorns when large red blossoms bloomed? Eyes just as crimson watched him approach her and did as he was told. A smile curled into her features and she shifted slightly to turn her head easier.

No need to hide, big boy.

Her loneliness embedded deep, she had never felt so empty. Not since the day she discovered her twin missing. Her other half. Sarissa wasn't complete, in fact, she was far from it. Her bleeding heart haphazardly patched by her father and Miasma. They were the only ones she had left. Poor, sweet Sarissa. "I did." she said softly. "I've been quite lonely as of late." Exposure of her vulnerability.

You could hurt me and no one would know.

Sarissa stretched her legs before her, feeling the muscles pull taut until it stung as she rocked her head back. "Why've you come here?" she asks between the silence. A vague question that could've meant anything, really.

Why are you here with me?

Why are you in Alteron?

Why to my Garden of Eden?

It was open to Cancer to answer, they were all curiosities to her in any form. After all, it wasn't usual that someone caught her eye, caught her attention — good or otherwise.

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦

Cancer

Speech:#ffcc33

"I did. I've been quite lonely as of late."

Lonely was a feeling Cancer had never known, nor cared to know. It was not something he dared to tamper with, and yet, as he lay next to her he couldn't help but feel the earth strapping him in and pulling him down, down; so far down that he would soon find himself begging for her as the world swallowed him whole. Who was he, to sit here and pretend like he knew exactly what she was talking about? Who was he, to be graced with her presence and her trust? He was no one, but he was also everyone.

"Why've you come here?"

Why was he here? Caught in the web of a black widow, Cancer found himself without an answer. He sat there a moment, allowing silence to slowly fill the void from her fleeting voice as he thought about her question. It was a rarity that he would find himself without a quick response to anything. But, the male gave an inhale and turned to look at her, a small toothy grin poking from his lips.

"Misery loves company?"

Though poised as a question, Cancer couldn't help but flash a tiny smile Sarissa's way. If she was who he assumed her to be, then there was not much else to say on that.

I have never known peace

Like the damp grass that yields to me

I have never known hunger

Like these insects that feast on me

A question was countered with another question, though it was more of uncertainty rather than pushing away from such a vague inquiry. Sarissa was never one to take criticism lightly, she was once nobility, after all. Her intelligence wasn't balanced on the backbone of status however. She knew all too well what her stance was. Manipulation was her game, a mind was easy to pick if pulled the right way. A mind was like a book, just scribble in the margins and rewrite certain parts. Eventually, they'll see the truth. Her truth.

But he was right, misery did indeed love company. Sarissa was misery while Cancer was the company. The girl smiled at this, one soft upon her features before she leaned toward him. If allowed, she would set her weight unto him, rose-infused fur laced with maroon and cream. "You're correct, my dear. Misery certainly loves company."

Was she really this miserable?

They couldn't just sit in silence and awkwardness, despite Sarissa never feeling shy. "You're not of Alteron blood, yes? What were you before?" All questions that genuinely interested her. A pristine white paw lifted to set on his giant one before them. "Where did you come from?"

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦

Cancer

Speech:#ffcc33

"You're correct, my dear. Misery certainly loves company. [...]You're not of Alteron blood, yes? What were you before? Where did you come from?"

The scent of roses only grew stronger as she leaned in to him; his body feeling weak as the vines began to entangle him. Cancer turned to look at her, offering a smirk, his tail thumping against the ground.

"I am from beyond the Fringe," he growled lowly, smirking even as he said it. It didn't say much, especially if Sarissa didn't know what that Fringe was. The boy raised his head proudly as he looked down at her, the smirk slowly growing in to a smile, "it's a place full of monsters."

Whether the statement was meant as confessional or not, the brute couldn't help but feel a sense of pride when thinking about it. The Fringe was a dangerous place, well, in some areas it was dangerous. If Sarissa didn't know about the area, then clearly it was something he could really talk up- play to the hero syndrome and make himself sound greater than he was. It wouldn't matter if he believed it or not (which he definitely did) because as long as she believed it then that was what mattered.

"If I'm honest," he said, lowering his head and inhaling deeply- the scent of roses stinging his nostrils as he breathed her in, "it was boring. I came to find something...more." His eyes half closed as he leaned in, voice lowering as he spoke again.

"I think I've found something quite interesting here in Alteron. An untouched garden of interesting."

I have never known peace

Like the damp grass that yields to me

I have never known hunger

Like these insects that feast on me

As she had expected, he was from the far beyond. A land far and mystical, one Sarissa had never laid eyes on. Tales of the Fringe were rare, but they existed here in the forest of Alteron. Inaria had been a tale told, in fact that's where her lover and father had gone off to. Left her oh so alone, but finding Cancer had satisfied that loneliness. The girl looked up into those green eyes, finding something charming about that smile. She reflected him, though softer.

A place full of monsters.

Oh, darling. This place was full of monsters as well. Sarissa being one of them as her blood burned with a royal mixture. She had witnessed Gods burn, she had relished in the bloodshed Azuhel had created. In fact, this made her giggle softly. A light laugh, one a feather could float upon. "Monsters dwell everywhere, dear. You'd be surprised..."

After all, weren't you allured by a siren's call, big boy?

Eyes closed as he came closer, his scent more apparent and her heart skipped. The rumble of his voice let her sigh, gooseflesh rippling across her coat. "Oh?" she inquired, imaginging a life without purpose in the vast empty space between packs. She had never tasted freedom, but Sarissa did not seek it. She had been content here, the daughter of nobility. Her life was easy, she could get what she wanted.

And she would have Cancer.

"Is that so?" Sarissa did not pull back from him, instead she rubbed her neck against his, the rose perfume transferring. His ego told her things he did not speak of, it was much like her own. Royals knew of royals just by scent and speech alone. "I'd say you were a King, and yet you are here as a lowly Civilian with a woman who faced a God in the midst of war." She was still curious, why Alteron? He could've walked his own path by the sounds of it, by the look of him. Could she have been Queen then, if Sarissa had walked her own path? After all, she was born into a family of those who ruled this place once.

Would she have fallen like them? Or conquered all? She did not know, nor would she ever know. Destiny had yet to reveal itself to her, but in due time she would figure out her path.

"Have you ever been hurt before, Cancer?" she asked. Feeling like you've been gutted and torn, that an emptiness sits inside with no way to fill it? Oh the poor girl felt like weeping, letting the hurt ooze from her. As she lay her head on him, a single glistening tear fell to the ground.

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦

Cancer

Speech:#ffcc33

"Monsters dwell everywhere, dear. You'd be surprised..."

Cancer shuddered at the thought, brow rising as she spoke to him, as she leaned in further and encompassed him entirely. He felt his chest expanding in a way it had never done before.

"I'd say you were a King, and yet you are here as a lowly Civilian with a woman who faced a God in the midst of war."

Green eyes opened and looked at her, a toothy smile slowly protruding from his lips. What an ego boost! She wasn't wrong though, in some sense. He was not the leader of a pack, and he wasn't born of royal blood. But he was the best amongst his peers- he was the smartest, fastest, strongest...He had easily destroyed all those that stood in his way of success. It was strange to think about though, because Cancer had never been mistreated as a child. In fact, the boy had experienced the exact opposite. He came from a loving family, but love didn't seem to be enough for Cancer. He needed more; desired more than just simple milestones that the rest of the common world experienced.

Cancer shifted a bit as he chuckled and set his nose under Sarissa's chin.

"Am I a lowly Civilian in your eyes?" he growled in a low whisper, smirking as he gave in to temptation. Cancer had only so much control and Sarissa was breaking down each barrier slowly with her words. She knew just how to wrap her vines and find the skeletons; she knew exactly how to get to what mattered most to Cancer; himself.

"Have you ever been hurt before, Cancer?"

The tone shifted and the red fringe found himself pulling out from her chin, green eyes staring at her for a moment as he allowed a silence to fall between them. Had he been hurt? Of course he had; he had scars from battles and fights that had long since been overgrown by new fur. Yet the boy couldn't help but wonder if she meant other forms of hurting...

"I'm sure everyone has their own scars." he finally said, unsure actually of how to answer her. It was rare for the fringe to be unable to rebuttal an answer.

"Have you?"

I have never known peace

Like the damp grass that yields to me

I have never known hunger

Like these insects that feast on me

Words were woven in cryptic messages, so vague that the large man laying next to her seemed confused or unsure. Manipulation was an art form Sarissa was good at, and normally she would try to pull tightly around him, but this time she was genuine in her pain. Her head moved from his, shying away as if ashamed of her tears. She was a woman of dignity after all, always trying to seem perfect and untouchable.

And even though he misunderstood her question, he was right. Everyone had their own scars, whether they were visible or not. Maera had struck her a mortal wound. As a twin, she could not be whole. She was half a woman, half a mind and half a soul. The roses she loved so much had masked the decay of her heart, blood rushing and surrounding her. Drowning her. Anger and sadness consumed her being, there were times she could not breathe. Miasma had stabled her. Orcrist had given comfort as he suffered the lost of his wife and children. Sarissa was all he had left, and those two were all she had left.

"I have." she stated, red eyes glancing to the forest floor. The lacing sun high lighted her white fur, letting it glisten like snow. Irises like blood staining the pristine, yet they seemed so soft like rose petals. Head would turn to look up at him now, brow furrowing. "I've lost so much. I feel empty. I.. just want to feel whole again."

I need more attentive bodies.

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦

Cancer

Speech:#ffcc33

"I have. I've lost so much. I feel empty. I.. just want to feel whole again."

She peeled off of him and he felt something he hadn't felt in some time; emptiness. It startled Cancer as he abruptly shifted to get a better look at Sarissa. She'd been crying...how had he not noticed something so trivial as her tears? There was something that hit his chest and the fringe couldn't help but recoil at his own self as he attempted to understand the ache that hurt in his chest. Whatever this feeling was, he didn't like it. And honestly, what was he supposed to say to this confession that she had so openly laid out in front of him. How could she have trusted him so soon? Was she not paying attention?

Or maybe...Maybe it was Cancer who hadn't been paying attention. Before he could even process what he was doing, the male was leaning back in to her, to smell the roses that had suffocated him so much, to be near the warmth of that angel that chose him to lay by her side. It was...not something he had expected and somehow now that he had a taste of it, he didn't want to let her go. He wanted to suffocate her in the exact same way that she had unknowingly done to him.

"I wouldn't worry," he cooed as he brought his body back closer to hers. He wouldn't allow her to feel empty. He would smother her. He would bring her in to him and he would smother her until the smell of roses was replaced with him. If he could have his way, Cancer would make sure that his scent lingered on the tip of her nose from morning til night. He inhaled, breathing her in once more as he gave a soft smile. Was this...was this affection? Love? No, no it couldn't be. And yet, he couldn't drink enough of her in, even in this moment of self confession. 'I won't leave you.'

A promise. A promise that even Cancer was sure he couldn't keep, and yet the thought of seeing her sad made him even slightly sick to his stomach. If this was love, the fringe wasn't sure if it was something he wanted or something he needed. He paused for a moment before pulling back with a deep breath of roses swirling in his lungs.

"I will stay, if you'll have me."

I have never known peace

Like the damp grass that yields to me

I have never known hunger

Like these insects that feast on me

The sword felt him closer again, leaning into her and drowning in that perfume. He seemed to drink from her darkened well, a mistake on anyone's part. She was no angel, her wings were black and singed and blood stained her. That beautiful color of red she loved so much. The red that painted the faces of a Kingdom far away. His deep voice rumbled through her body again, almost making her shake with anticipation. It was a feeling she had never felt before, not with Mia. Although Cancer made Sarissa tremble in desire, her heart was still just a thumping mess of pain, one she would never share to anyone. It was black and closed up by lock and chain. Fingers of those who loved her slipped in the blood oozing from the wounds, unable to grasp her.

Cancer pulled and she did not retreat. She surrendered to his embrace, head sliding onto his chest. To anyone, it would look as if young love blossomed. Ah, but it was far more sinister than that, wasn't it? The siren had sung her song, woven her charm until he was under her spell. The roses fed him until he was drunk, a signature that would always pull him toward her.

A queen always needed a king, didn't she?

Even if he was a fool.

He wanted to stay, the trap set and locked. Sarissa, under his chin and against his chest smiled, eyes sharp. The art of her manipulation like a knife, cutting deep and fast. Miasma had been so easy. She drank from that dark well hastily and never left, always wanting more. Would Cancer be the same? Oh but she had to be careful, she didn't want them to know. One was out of twisted love, the other a pleasure game.

Sarissa pulled her head up then, rubbing against him as she went along until her head was tilted enough for her to place a kiss on his chin. Her features had softened then, letting him stay ignorant to her true intentions. Her paw would rub up his arm until it was placed right on top of his. "Stay." she murmured, "A queen needs a king."

✦ ✦ Speech Text ✦ ✦