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[theprinceofsilence]

It started with a touch. A touch here, a brush there, a softly chuckled breath against a bare neck exposed by a thin-strapped shirt for the end of summer. The occasional exchanged look or smile barely went amiss and more and more the question was asked of each of them whether they were flushed. The answer was consistently a no on each of their parts, but there was no denying the little spark that passed between them whenever something happened that triggered some inside joke between them without a single parting of lips.

Having a Lalonde in the household proved to be an interesting endeavor for everyone involved; Cronus had long since decided to start staying far away from her and her questions and she still held her rivalry with Eridan, the two of them spurring one-another to do their utmost to outdo eachother, even before the school year was due to begin. When it did start, the competition only grew more fierce and kept them both away from home more and more. This left Kurloz alone more often than not, but he seemed to be completely fine, returning to Rose's side when she returned, and very casually doting where he felt he could. The mental conversations were a plus, and he seemed to learn a little more every time they sat down together. The fact that she could multitask quite easily meant that she could still complete her assignments on top of it, or even read while he sat with his head back on the couch, his eyes half open with her settled between his legs as if he had his own personal gravity that pulled her in comfortably.

The progression of autumn started to slow him down a little bit as the temperature dropped and he was spending more and more time inside, doing as Dualscar asked around the mansion or staying out of the way entirely, keeping himself occupied with gods-knew-what until his brother and his matesprit returned home, occasionally with Dave and Karkat in tow and, every once in awhile, Sollux and Mituna. Ever since Dave had established his kismesis with Sollux, the Captors had been making more frequent appearances, giving him the chance to sit down and fuss over his moirail.

More often than not, though, he was free to wander about a very quiet house and simply wait until he could hover around Rose again like an overly tall, slender and altogether rather menacing shadow with the demeanor of a curious feline. Not so much when she read outside in the cool though. He instead occupied himself with his younger brother for the time being, watching him working on his homework (with Eridan's help staying on-task) as he leaned up against Gamzee's back, his head settled between the other's horns while he watched him work.

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[greatsoliloquist]

Rose put on her clothes, primly smoothing out her shirt and primping her hair back into its usual place, as she looked over at the near-forgotten needle and thread before taking it up, along with the pair of scissors. She made quick, but careful and proper work of restitching Kurloz's lips, silently telling him that it he'd been the only one who would be able to make something so necessary look so alluring.

After dinner, Rose had decided to settle into her bedroom, curled up against several pillows at the head of her bed with her knitting and music playing softly through speakers attached to her laptop. She hummed along to the soprano melody of the lyrics. She'd felt a little smug through dinner, though she knew that it was no secret that she and Kurloz were something beyond platonic, she felt as if she'd gotten away with some sort of a crime, although she knew that nobody would be kicked out or even reprimanded for being affectionate, or even sexual, in Dualscar's home.

As if Dualscar had much room to really talk. The man held himself in a gracious way befitting of royalty, publicly, but he was a giant lech. And not even that graceful about it, either. Watching him still try to flirt with Mindfang gave Rose the worst case of secondhand embarrassment. But Rose still felt like, even though Dualscar was lax about what went on in his house, between all the teenagers, she and Kurloz had done, and were going to do, had broken all of the rules. It gave her a bit of a thrill.

She looked to her door before it opened, smiling faintly. Someone was just outside the door, and she had a good idea of who was there.

[theprinceofsilence]

The lack of announcement that he was there tended to b the indicator that it was him who was there, as he came and went more or less as he pleased without much indication of his intentions. In the Ampora home they never really seemed malevolent and most of the occupants of the household barely reacted to his sudden appearances anymore. When Kurloz stepped inside and eased the door shut behind him it was just as soundless as ever, the tiny smile playing across his lips widened some as he locked eyes with Rose, making his way across the softly lit, rather lavish room and eased his shoes off before taking a cross-legged seat at the foot of her bed. There was no other move made as he watched her knit as he so often did, his hands tucked into the pockets of the zipped sweater he was now wearing over his shirt. There barely seemed to be a need for words between them for the moment, the palpable atmosphere sufficing. Now all he wondered was what she intended to do with him, preferring not to fish in her subconscious for it and let it be a surprise.

[greatsoliloquist]

Rose set her knitting aside after finishing the one row she'd been working on, looking up at Kurloz through her lashes as she put the project in its basket with the balls and skeins of yarn. She slipped her legs over the edge of the bed and silently stood, padding over to Kurloz to brush her fingers along his shoulders and down one arm.

I think you have me at a disadvantage, Rose thought as she stood in back of him as he still sat on the edge of the bed, bringing her hand up over his shoulder again, and down to the zipper pull of his overshirt, simply toying with it for the moment. You are far more adept with guarding those little thoughts than I am. Not by much, but still. As she slowly unzipped his jacket, she watched the progress of the zipper from over his shoulder, her lips coming close to his ear and pressing against the skin just behind the curve of his jaw. Her intent - at least the clear part of it that she was allowing him to see - was to undress him entirely and then have him lay down. The rest would be revealed in due time.

[theprinceofsilence]

His lips pulled into a soft smile as he shrugged out of the sweater, shedding his shirt in kind then leaning back against her once more. He looked back at her and reached a hand up to drag it through her hair, scratching gently at her scalp. His pants, he'd decided, could be her job. Not really a disadvantage considering the situation.

[greatsoliloquist]

It's only a disadvantage, because I cannot read you with quite the proficiency that you can read me. She ran her hands back over Kurloz's shoulders, down his chest before slipping away. Recline. Her mental tone was more or less a statement, shot with just the hints of crimson demand. As she waited for him to get comfortable on the bed, Rose walked away to the wardrobe, fishing out a small bottle of softly fragrant, jasmine massage oil. She tucked it into her palm and walked back to the bed with a look over to Kurloz. She'd noticed that he was rarely tense, so pinpointing his points of tension was a bit of a challenge that she'd been working on for a couple weeks.

[theprinceofsilence]

Kurloz looked back over his shoulder as she walked away, then levered himself forward on his hands and knees then stretched out languidly, his arms coming up and tucking beneath the pillows clustered at the head of the bed. He crossed his ankles as he lounged there, listening to her moving through the room then closing his eyes and laying his cheek against his arm. I've also been doin' this a lot motherfuckin' longer than you have. It'll come easier, just give it time.

[greatsoliloquist]

As she slipped up onto the bed, she straddled his hips, having a seat on his ass before she set the bottle down beside her on the mattress. There are some things that I'm becoming impatient in learning. Simple mind reading only works when people are connected to the dark and ancient, she thought with a pout as she unburied one of Kurloz's hands, sprawling out on his back as she started to massage his hand. She started at the meat of his thumb and worked her way in a radial spread outward. I have limitless potential, she mentally sighed, but I've had no starting point from which to decide my path. Though that's recently changed, hasn't it. You're teaching me. Passively, of course, but I feel your gentle nudging in certain directions.

[theprinceofsilence]

Letting his hand lie limp in her grasp, Kurloz watched as her pale fingers kneaded gently into the heel of his hand and progressed further, along his arm in slow, careful sweeps. He shifted when he knew she needed him to, offering the other hand. Beneath her, he'd begun to purr quietly, a nearly inaudible sound that shifted and ebbed slowly as he breathed. There's no place in human society that you can fit into and still develop the ability, he added, his eye rolling to glance back at her before resting again. He let the images filter from his mind into hers about what he knew would happen if she built upon her current knowledge, understanding and usage of her powers. He wasn't objecting to it by any means, it was simply more of a warning of the near absolute possibility. Could teach you more but that'd take a while...

[greatsoliloquist]

With firm, but gentle movements of her hands, Rose finally worked her way up Kurloz's arms, then sat back and uncorked the little glass bottle she'd brought over, slicking her hands with the oil. I'm only planning on returning to graduate, as I've got to do that to qualify for scholarships here in Alternia. She started to work her hands firmly against the muscles in his shoulders and up his neck, smiling as one of her favorite songs started to play. And when I come back, I intend to learn everything I can. There's a reason I came to this country, and that is because humans have such a limited tolerance for all that they cannot comprehend, while trolls, well. You yourself know that at least certain castes and beliefs don't frown upon being connected to forces beyond reckoning.

She trailed her nails teasingly over Kurloz's neck and then down his spine before continuing, both mentally and physically. And I would gladly stay to have you teach me what you wish to. I would stay even if you didn't extend that offer. It may sound optimistic, and perhaps a bit foolhardy for someone so young, but I doubt that there would be a day in my future where I would not wish to have your company.

[theprinceofsilence]

Got some pretty motherfuckin' heavy implications up in all that. Kurloz' eye opened again as he looked back at her, lifting himself up slightly on his elbows with his head still tilted forward to stretch out his neck. The images still filtering through his head lightened up with the passage of her nails and softened slightly, the purr growing louder over time. If you did come back to stay you gotta know I'm not gonna be here under the Orphaner's roof. Dad's gonna need someone to take over sooner rather than later and that's already been decided as my job. Gamzee's still gonna be workin' here so you know you'll be welcome n' shit, just gotta be aware that shit's gonna change here between times.

When the time comes though, you got a place with the Highblood's court, if you want it.

[greatsoliloquist]

Rose hummed her acknowledgment as she rubbed her hands down his back and then up over his neck once more. I wouldn't live in that slum if you paid me in chocolate, gold plated everything, and cats. I believe I'll find my own accommodations once I'm here on a more permanent basis. Let's face the facts, Kurloz, at this juncture, and in the more immediate future, I wouldn't be a welcome sight in your neighborhood, even if you are to take your father's place. She leaned forward, pressing against him, and left a kiss to Kurloz's cheek as she slid her slick hands down to his sides. But you will make a fine Grand Highblood one day. You worry about not being able to fill his giant shoes, but I promise you, you'll do the Court and the world a favor by not doing as he did. You have a much more rational perspective.

She pressed another kiss to his ear and whispered, "You're capable, Kurloz."

[theprinceofsilence]

Shoulda known better than to ask a classy motherfuckin' b- He caught himself before completing the thought, having realized how much she disapproved of being called in the same crude manner as pretty much everyone else in his life. He focused instead on the latter half of the statement and simply shrugged a shoulder, putting his cheek back down on his arm. Maybe. At least I can have people besides my bro do runs when it comes to that, let him focus on his fuckin' school shit and his matesprit. Shit he actually cares about.

[greatsoliloquist]

Gamzee deserves to live a life of his own making. Everybody does. And even though you've been saddled with the responsibility of your father's position, you can find ways to have that work for you. She slid her hands down his sides, over the sharp curve of his skinny hips, still firm, in a massaging fashion, while she switched tracks mentally. But that will wait at least one night longer. For now, be calm and focus on the harmony and rhythm.

She slipped away from his back to continue his back rub. She became singularly focused on the feeling of his scarred, dark skin under her hands, the tightness of certain bundles of muscles, and the scent of the oil, staying slightly warm from both the slightest amount of cassia mixed in with the jasmine, and her own body heat.

[theprinceofsilence]

Much more of this and Kurloz knew that he would doze off, his eyes already closed as he did as Rose advised and focused on the music and the way her fingers traced over his body and pressed into his muscles until he was completely limp beneath her. He gave her brief warning before he pushed himself up on his elbows and turned over, holding her there astride him. He looked up at her with a soft smirk as his hands came to rest on her knees, his abdomen flexed to hold him up off the bed to keep from smearing the oil into the blankets. He rolled his hips up subtly to turn her attention downward, letting her know that she could take them if she so wished.

[greatsoliloquist]

His taut stomach muscles were traced over as she leaned in to leave a brief kiss against the stitches. Rose whispered to him "Go ahead and lay down, the oil doesn't stain, and most of it soaked into your skin already." Though when she drew back, her lower lip was caught between her teeth and she worked her hands down Kurloz's body, into the skinny pants that he always seemed to wear, peeling them downwards. I suppose it's no surprise that I'm just the faintest bit nervous, her thoughts relayed, though she seemed calm as could be. She'd never bothered to look past the clinical for troll morphology. But that moment wasn't about he had between his legs so much as it was about the legs themselves. She hadn't stopped pushing the fabric away until his pants were fully removed, and once they were gone, Rose settled in to rub his calves then thighs, looking up into his eyes, through the bangs of her hair.

[theprinceofsilence]

Kurloz' arm was tucked under his head as he watched her right back through half-lidded eyes, smiling faintly as he lifted his leg to let her do as she wished with it. The boxer briefs he wore were bunched up around the creases of his hips, leaving his legs entirely exposed before her. Nervous or not, you're doin' a real fuckin' good job of makin' all this completely motherfuckin' worth it. The higher up her hands ran on him the more his contended little smile grew until he was nearly grinning down at her even through his stitches.

[greatsoliloquist]

With a smile against Kurloz's knee, she pressed a kiss against his thigh and went back to rubbing his legs down. And what is that supposed to mean, Kurloz? she teased, her fingers brushing up the line of his thighs. I could have sworn everything was worth it on its own merits. She was clearly in no way offended, her mind was reading the same velvety red that it had earlier in the day, as she ran her hand down his long, thin leg, and then trailed over the top of his foot. Her more verbal thoughts had laced with the visual imagery, a dozen sensual ideas a second, ranging from the chaste to the extremely erotic. But mostly, her mind was pointedly not fixating on her curiosity of what she could do to get him worked up just as much as he had managed to work her up earlier.

[theprinceofsilence]

Comin' here, livin' under a roof that we both know ain't mine any more than it is yours, he explained, the words accompanied by the feeling and images surrounding the desire to go home. He was there for Gamzee and no other reason, or at least so he'd thought before Rose had happened into his life. He couldn't honestly say he was flushed, but he did still enjoy every aspect of Rose that presented itself the closer they became. He dropped the somber thoughts in favor of contributing to her own, letting the dark tendrils of his thoughts curl back into hers and lending them a more intimate tone. He wasn't highly reactive, but that did not by any means prove that he wasn't enjoying himself, the gentle pulse of his thoughts in time with the music still playing at their side the bet indication of that.

[greatsoliloquist]

You're under no call to stay, save to keep Gamzee company, but he seems just as at ease here as anywhere else, she pointed out, working the tension from his foot just as easily as she had his hands, and being so attached to home isn't such a bad thing. It is, after all, your safe haven, as unsafe as it has been recently. It's your shell, your place to return when you feel drained of all energy. It's where your family is, save for your brother and father, she smiled at the mental tendrils curling into her mind and she looked into his eyes from her place between his legs. But had you stayed there, I wouldn't have known you. I wouldn't have had this chance to be here with you. And something is nudging me forward with it. Did I ever tell you that I had a dream before I came here that basically showed me I would meet my destiny if I were to come here? Your offer of helping to hone my powers confirms that. And I'm sure it sounds rather juvenile, but I truly haven't felt this kind of draw to anyone before. So I wish to see where it leads me. Not only that, but... I know it isn't merely a one-sided draw of power. I came here for a purpose. To help somebody.

She knew it had to have been him. Someone so ripped apart inside over his own power, his own ability, and what it could do to those around him.