[PRP] Just One Thing (Kursha + Elidae)

[blackbird cake]

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

“It's nice to see the place cleaned up,” Kursha remarked off-hand as he reclined on the sofa in Elidae's rumpus block. Last time he had visited the yellowblood, her hive had resembled a war zone, oil spattered over the walls, chunks of alabaster missing, the furniture shredded to bits. Not that he was surprised. As soon as they had first cropped up he had a feeling that those robotic hatchlings would be nothing but trouble. Not much later, they had gone to raise hell and prove him right. But had anyone listened to his warnings?

Of course not. No one ever listened.

Still, Kursha harboured no ill will towards Elidae. After all, his hive was fine. If anything, he felt a kind of melancholic pity for the yellowblood.

The greenblood crossed his legs over the arm of the sofa, and surveyed the room. There was no trace of the incident—not so much as a smudge of oil or hint of gasoline. Whatever cleaning magic Elidae had worked or hired out, had done its job well. It was like the whole thing had never happened.

Kursha dropped his gaze from the ceiling back to the yellowblood. He flashed her a grin. “I wasn't sure what to think of your remodelling choices last time.”  

[blackbird cake]

Elidae glanced up at Kursha, fighting back a smile. Of course, the greenblood had to take his shots about the robogrub fiasco that she and other trolls willingly signed up for. The experience was certainly… something. Kursha told her countless times that it would be a mistake, but it interested her too much to say no. Of course, he was right. She wouldn’t let him know that, though. And she assumed he probably already knew. He had come to help her clean the place up, just like he offered, and saw just what kind of chaos the experiment turned out. Now with new furniture and a new appreciation for her lusus, Elidae felt a little humbled.

“What?! I’m a little disappointed you didn’t like it! I thought for sure you would.” She quipped back, setting down in the arm chair beside the sofa with a hefty looking book.

“I’m still kinda… getting used to it.” Scrunching up her face, Elidae wiggled in the chair. The cushion still felt a little firm, and the new appearance was foreign. “Gotta break it in! And you’re doing a great job.” The yellowblood giggled, sticking her tongue out momentarily at the greenblood before proceeding to open the book to where she last left off.

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha rolled his eyes at the retort, pretending to scoff. It took a good amount of effort not to break his façade of disdain with a grin.

As Elidae sat down in the chair by his feet, Kursha peered over his toes at her. She had book that resembled a cinderblock in her lap. The mere sight of it made him feel ill. She could not possibly be reading that for fun. Maybe it was some form of studying. He refused to believe anything else.

“You're welcome. That's what I'm here for,” Kursha responded, stretching his arms over his head. At the peak of his stretch he laced his fingers together and brought his hands under the back of his head to cushion it. Eyes closing, he tilted his head back, quiet and meditative... or at least giving the impression of such. After a minute he cracked open one eye to sneak a peek at Elidae. She appeared well and truly enthralled.

Swallowing a noise of disgust, Kursha sat up. He brought his feet underneath him, and flipped onto his belly so that his head was on the opposite side of the couch. With both elbows propped up on the armrest, he began to lean across the gap. Slowly he crept into Elidae's line of sight, obscuring her reading.

“So... Any good?”  

[blackbird cake]

Immersed in the contents of her book, Elidae smiled to herself, enjoying the quiet with her company. Kursha’s presence no longer made her feel high strung and anxious, and she didn’t feel the need to make sure he was entertained; he knew where the remote and the cups were. If he needed anything else, he could simply ask. Though she did plan on setting the book down to perhaps ask if he wanted to do something together, she wanted to let him enjoy the quiet for a bit without disturbing him. However, it was her soon to be disturbed.

Elidae looked up to Kursha once more, meeting his close gaze and squeaked in surprise. “Byyyy… good, you mean informative? Then, yeah! Totally!” Elidae held a lighthearted laugh, and then held up the book for him to see the title and cover. It seemed to be an extensive publication about basic medical terminology and how-tos. Large, black eyes peered from over the brim.

“When I’m not working, I’ve been trying to read more abooouuuut... medical stuff! Just the general basics. You know. First aid.” She spoke offhandedly, and then gave him a sheepish glance. Suddenly, she brought the book back down into her lap and her lips widened into a broad grin. There was a twinkle in her eye. “Just in case!”

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

A broad grin spread across Kursha's face at the yellowblood's startled reaction. Indulgent as always, he longed to prod her a little more, to elicit another squeak or maybe even a flush, but Elidae had already recovered. As she tilted the book for him to see, he listened to her explanation with a twist in his stomach. Their first meeting cut like a razor through his mind.

Playing indifferent, Kursha sank back down onto the couch. “Oh. Huh.” He crossed his arms so that they concealed the lower half of his face. They did not hide his eyes though, and his brow furrowed with contemplation. “That's pretty interesting.” Interesting was an understatement. For a moment the greenblood seemed at loss for words. Not a second later though, he brightened again.

“Let me know if you need anyone to practise on,” he said beaming. “I'm sure I could wrangle up a few test subjects.”  

[blackbird cake]

Watching him slither away curiously, Elidae kept her smile, but questioned the crossed position. Gently closing the book, she watched the shift in expression. Her smile wavered. Had she said something wrong…? Seeing him brighten, however, had her bounce back herself.

Setting the book down on the coffee table, Elidae popped up from the armchair and maneuvered herself around his legs to plop down beside him on the sofa. “Thank you, but I’d rather you not!” The girl giggled, pulling her legs up and turning slightly to face him, resting her chin on her knees. With the corners of her eyes creasing as the beginnings of a grin emerged, she stared at him for a moment, thinking.

“When will you let me practice on your hair though?” She asked, half sincere and half teasing.

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

As Elidae got up and sat down on the couch beside him, Kursha oriented his body to face her. He flipped onto his back, pulling in his feet to give her space. "Whenever you want," he replied in a voice that was annoyingly dismissive. Standard Kursha response. Suddenly he waggled his eyebrows up and down. “When are you gonna let me teach you how to shoot?” he joked.  

[blackbird cake]

As Elidae obscured the lower half of her face from view behind her knees, her eyes grew large in surprise, and then she slightly gasped. She then uncurled from her position and leaned forward, donning a bright grin.

“Will you? We can do it now. Now is a good time. How about now?” Elidae rambled off. She hadn’t any idea where there was a shooting range around New Hemisect, but the idea of being taught how to shoot a gun excited her. Kursha might have been joking, but Elidae seemed eager as ever to experience it.

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Kursha's went wide and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. He had not expected her to take him up on that suggestion, and especially not so eagerly. The fact that she might have an interest in firearms never even occurred to him. He blinked, still stunned from his discovery. Just when he thought he had Elidae pegged, she turned around and surprised him.

“Er...” It slipped out before he could stop himself. Still the sound jolted him back to his senses. “You sure? I mean, I don't really wanna start plugging holes in your walls. We'd need a firing range or something. And shooting in the city might piss people off. Y'know, 'Whoops! There goes a frond nub...' Guns are dangerous.” Kursha finished lamely.  

[blackbird cake]

To Elidae's own surprise, Kursha's reaction couldn't have been described as anything but priceless. It was one of those rare moments where she caught him off guard, and she felt quite proud of herself when it occurred. Due to his usual casual and callous demeanor, the greenblood's look of surprise always came across as cute to the yellowblood. Come on, Kursha. Elidae was eager to do anything.

"Yeah, I'm sure! I think its a good skill to have!" The yellowblood said between giggles, but as soon as they died down, she waved her hand dismissively, "Some other time, though! I'll look up some shooting ranges around this side of the city sometime. Or I can stop by your place! Less trolls!" Grinning, Elidae simply shrugged her shoulders. "But I think it could be fun! You gotta let me experiment on your hair first though.

"But anyway...!" Elidae reset the conversation casually, beginning with a yawn and stretching her arms above her head. "Sooo- I heard some wild things happened at Bloodfest!" She paused mid-stretch, then looked at him with an inquisitive smile. "You wouldn't know anything about that, would you? I mean- I'm just curious! I did mention it in a letter I sent you. You never answered." As her arms lowered, her brows raised, and she rested her arm on the back of the sofa. There was a light tapping sound coming from her nails against the fabric. While her face matched the curious and genuine tone of her voice, Elidae's bilesack churned by the topic change and her anxiety flared. Ever since her talk with Nucleo, things had been gnawing at the back of her thinkpan. Now that she had him in her sights, it was time to focus on more serious matters. For the first time.

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

Damn. The letter.

Kursha seethed at the mention of it. He might have guessed that the question would come up again sooner or later, but had hoped to write it off as an innocent inquisition. Had that been the end of it, he would have had nothing to worry about. Repetition implied something more. Despite his unease, he maintained practised nonchalance.

“Oh yeah?” he asked, casually scrutinising Elidae's face. If the yellowblood suspected anything she did not show it. He shrugged. “Sorry, I must have missed it.”

Curling his fingers, Kursha shifted his gaze and pretended to examine his nails. As he did, he debated his next move. Changing the subject would be ideal, but it would put him under suspicion. Besides, the subject Elidae was so interested in discussing might not have anything to do with him.

“What kinds of wild things? I already heard about you winning the contest for cheese vermin.” Kursha cast a sharp grin up at her.  

[blackbird cake]

It was as if a different switch turned on. "Oh yeah?! You heard about that?" Elidae gushed, putting her hands to her flushing cheeks and smiling wide. "Ooohhhh! They were so cute, Kursha! And they did so well! I wish you could have been there to see them on the ice, all bumbling and adorable!" The trophy she won currently resided up in her respiteblock, perfectly polished. She had never really won anything in her life, so a gold trophy from Bloodfest meant the world to her. But that was off topic.

"But um- that- that wasn't it, actually! I just... well, I had a friend come to me and talk to me about some things...!" Elidae put a knuckle to her bottom lip, eyes trailing off in thought. "I can't really quite remember..." Of course she remembered. How could she not. The yellowblood felt a little guilty for trying to push it out of him, get him to tell her on his own... but Elidae wanted there to be a sense of trust. Maybe she needed to jog his memory a little further. "I don't know. There was some mention of... Odette Cygnet?"

 

[Green Minuet]

[+] Kursha Vidari

For a moment, it looked like the impending crisis had been averted. Elidae cheerfully reminisced about the contest and Kursha was all too happy to listen. He returned his hand over the back of the couch, watching the yellowblood. Gerbils made for easy, inconsequential conversation. He could do inconsequential. Even as he began to relax though, Elidae shifted the subject.

Odette. A feeling like a fist clenched around his pump biscuit. His eyes narrowed a fraction, and it took all his effort to keep from snarling. While he did not move a muscle, he felt as tense as coiled spring. How much had Elidae heard?

“A rebel,” Kursha said, sitting up a little straighter. He waved a hand. “Former, or at least that's how she's spinning it.” A bite entered his voice, and his expression darkened.

“It's actually pretty ******** annoying. You'd think they'd have learnt their lesson by now, learnt to lay low and keep the ******** out of sight, but instead you get idiotic, self-righteous slime like Odette, parading around like nothing happened. They have no idea how lucky they are.”  

[blackbird cake]

Elidae tuned in, watching Kursha carefully as he responded to her bait. However, she hadn't prepared herself properly for such an agitated reaction. "Oh!" She squeaked, bringing a hand to her mouth. "Oh, I see..." Unable to respond, Elidae kept silent as her thinkpan whirled on what to say next. She understood from the booth focused on Odette's life had mentioned her rebel presence, but the game had said she was forced into it. Did Kursha know something others did not?