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duplicitymemes2020-01-12 10:22 pm
duplicitymods) wrote in duplicitymemes2020-01-12 10:22 pm
Entry tags:
TDM #10
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It's discouraging to think how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit. Yet, solace is found in the lies we tell each other, comforted by the peace of knowing that we're not alone in our depravity, and once on this path, sin itself becomes the lesser of two evils masked in a cloud of normalcy. This is how Duplicity has functioned since the beginning. The divide of power and social standing is overt in that Dominants influence the decisions made both publicly and privately while Submissives cater to the rules presented to them. It is the way of Duplicity to assign random designations at birth with no leeway in altering what has been given. Climate in the Up is far stricter than that of the Down; violating outlined personas for a Dominant or Submissive while in full view of others is punished by degree of infraction. In the Down, many tend to turn a blind eye to these sorts of offenses. To counteract the discovery of the Deceit Gene – a natural "negative" response to all stimuli – the L.I.E.S. program was founded. The program had been designed to introduce new subjects to the current environment and test for the Deceit Gene through immersion in Duplicity's standing society. Sexual impulses and encounters increase the chances of detecting the gene within these individuals. Participants are typically released from L.I.E.S. after a year; however, results have remained unsatisfactory and testing still continues. ... and you’re here! Finally! Welcome to Duplicity. After choosing a door and stepping through to the other side, the first thing that greets you are the enthusiastic faces of people in medical scrubs and pristine lab coats. Their enthusiasm translates to eagerness as they strip you of your clothes to perform a thorough examination—you will be healed, bathed, and given a paper gown to wear until your items can be processed and delivered to your residence later in the evening. You are also given a device that accesses the network as well as the time and location of orientation. If you enter Duplicity into the Up, congratulations! You’re a Dominant, which means you are immediately picked up by a limo after processing and taken to your highrise. Here, it is two Dominants per floor with separate apartments. If you enter Duplicity into the Down, congratulations! You’re a Submissive, which means you are directed towards public transportation with the address of the motel you’ll be living in. Here, it is two Submissives per room with a shared common space for all rooms. Enjoy your free time until orientation! Participation is mandatory by all new and old arrivals. The weather is a brisk negative seven during the warmest parts of the day. |
 It's time for the monthly Duplicity train tour. Seats are in pairs and randomly assigned to Dominants and Submissives alike. Traveling from Fiddler's Square, the train journeys through various parts of the Up, showcasing society and examples of lifestyle. Along the way, frequent stops are made; a variety of passengers can be seen exiting and entering the doors. A Dominant with a kneeling Submissive takes a seat near the front of the train at one stop. A small group of Submissives board and sit closer to the LIERS at another, all seemingly content in their roles. As the tour continues through the Up, the train passes close to the Market and White Wall Bridge and zips by North Park before heading into the Down and bypassing Red Wall Bridge and South Park. The train makes a "final" stop at Riddler's Square, where inhabitants of the Down are instructed to return to their temporary housing. Those who live in the Up are permitted to stay on the train and revisit the same locations while returning. |
 Along with the usual Dom and Sub seminars and demonstrations, the powers that be have decided to try something a little more friendly. After attending the mandatory classes, all characters are invited to a (mandatory) social mixer! There are beverages and light snacks, and mingling is highly encouraged. Also, all participants have had their clothes removed and replaced with long shirts ( they are allowed to keep their undergarments, but nothing else is allowed ). Said shirts have the phrase “Ask me about _____!” plastered loudly and proudly on the front. It could be a character’s deepest, darkest secret, their most negative trait, or something embarrassing they had happen to them. Each participant is given a clipboard, pen and a piece of paper and are tasked with “asking” three others about what’s written on their chests. Once they’ve completed the task and handed in the assignment they’ll receive their clothes back. Of course, the long shirts can be removed, but that means you’ll be stuck in the nude or in your undergarments until you cooperate. |
 Not into your long shirts? Want to complain or refuse to participate? There’s another option! Unruly Dominants and Submissives will find themselves locked in a private room with a bed, stuffed together into a get-along-shirt. There’s no escaping the garment either, until certain conditions have been met. Written on a flip chart in the corner of the room are the tasks that need to be accomplished to “get along.” Are the two supposed to share a kiss? Sing a romantic duet together? Say the alphabet backwards in sync? The whole point of the exercise is to find that synergy a Dom and Sub pair are supposed to have. Maybe this isn’t the best way to find it, though… When the conditions are met the shirt is removable or rippable. Otherwise no matter how hard the characters struggle they’ll find themselves unable to get the pesky thing off. |
 Many local businesses have adapted to the timing of newcomers, and take advantage of the incoming crowds to do a little marketing. Stationed throughout Duplicity in LIEr-adjacent places such as the train station, the Up Apartments, the Down Motel, and the orientation center are representatives for local businesses and companies handing out free samples and hoping to attract business later. This month, there’s a particular presence by Harbroken Industries, a cosmetic and beauty company. They’re pushing free samples of their new pheromone perfume sprays, delicately scented and guaranteed to work. Sample bottles are freely available, but some overeager volunteers are taking the department store approach and spritzing unwitting passersby. The citrus scent is energizing and bright, inducing a talkative state where users cannot get enough conversation, and lose any internal filter for their words. The strawberry-vanilla scent is sweet and comforting, like a warm hug, which users will get a lot of with their new obsession with physical affection. Cedar-sandalwood makes those who use it tough as nails, angry and ready to pick a fight over the smallest slights. The cinnamon-pear scent makes its users feel adventurous and curious, and maybe a little TOO bold about trying new things. And predictably, the patchouli spray inspires “free love,” with an aphrodisiac effect that gets worse over time, unless taken care of quickly. The scents will wane and the effects will fade after six hours, or after the urges they cause are fulfilled. These volunteers are so eager to make a sale that it’s entirely possible to be hit with more than one spray at a time, so maybe take the long way around these areas if you’re looking to avoid them. |
Please read carefully. On each Test Drive Meme, there will be a section noting character roles; these will vary each TDM. On an IC level, characters will still have gone through the doors but assignments OOCly are still randomized. When applying, there is a section of the application that denotes whether the character chooses "left" or "right". When participating on the TDM, there will be a third option. Players may link either a top level or a thread (five or more comments from their character) from the TDM and title the link as "Door Pass". This means that the player is choosing to take the designation that they were randomly assigned on the TDM, rather than taking the designation of a door. If the player decides to select a door rather than use the pass, then they are trying their luck; they may get the same designation they had on the TDM or the opposite. Once the application is submitted, players can't change their choice. To assign roles to characters for this TDM, use the following guide: Count the letters in your character's full name ( first, last, middle or whatever combo that they have ). If it totals twelve letters and below they are a Dominant. If it's thirteen and higher they are Submissive. Please remember to mark any necessary content, and have fun!! |
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Maybe she can smell him too, as her face burrows past the perfume she's brought with her into his shirt. His own scent is the same, tinged with a faint whisper of aftershave and notes of grease and oil from the garage, where he's been spending most of his time.
But the rush of warmth and trust and familiarity is obviously too much to leave it at just this, something which Poe is immediately aware of when he feels her pushing herself up, though despite knowing instantly what she's about to do he's still unprepared for her lips on his. They're so soft, so intent, he couldn't have resisted getting just as caught up in the moment as she has even if he'd had any chance to prepare for it. There's no pause for thought, his arms are already tightening around her waist to help bring her up to his mouth, and he's pouring all of those emotions at seeing her into this kiss.
He's been in awe of her since the day they met, and their friendship has only grown in leaps and bounds since then, tighter and stronger even though they tend to clash with similarly impulsive and passionate tendencies, it probably shouldn't surprise him that they would line up like this just as well as they do in a battle.
They'll have to break for a breath eventually, but he won't stop until they have to. He's instinctively certain that she won't either. As far as how awkward it might make things after, that's a bridge they'll cross when they get to it. It won't distract him now. ]
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even still, when they break for a breath, the echo of a soft gasp spills between them; despite the other people in the crowded street, rey has forgotten there is anyone but them both, so consumed by the wave of emotion rolling between them that even a few rude passersby pushing her a little more firmly into him with their shoulders doesn't phase her. if anything, it just makes her clutch to him a little tighter, arms looping around his neck as she takes a ragged inhale. ]
Hi. [ it's a greeting, but not enough of one. there's no way to encapsulate just how much she feels in seeing him again, no way to share the levels of relief and guilt that war in her for being glad to have him close, not in just one syllable breathlessly expelled.
at least, that's the justification rey gives herself for giving in to that urge again, for letting her face tip to catch his mouth again, this time a little more fervently, letting instinct take hold where experience cannot.
i missed you comes through, clear as day, but for once, rey's not sure if it's coming from her or not. what's more clear is what comes through from both: i didn't want to do this without you. ]
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That said, his eyes are wide when they do finally come up for air. Sure, there are seemingly countless different things to navigate in this city that encourage them to get intimate with each other, and that intimacy comes so much easier with someone he cares so deeply for and trusts unquestioningly, but he has to back up several steps - mentally, at least, since physically he's not going anywhere - to take in the fact that she kissed him.
Not that he's got complaints. He just kind of thought that if she was going to be kissing anyone, it would be Finn. ]
Rey, I-
[ He's cut off decisively this time, since she's picking right back up where they left off, and he's swept up in it again, this time with a soft groan that's muffled against her mouth, as that intensity winds through him, making him feel distinctly warm and increasingly tempted to let go of any sense of restraint he has left, just to see where this takes them. But that smell is a persistent reminder that maybe he shouldn't.
It's hard, but he eventually forces his hands to settle on her hips, tipping his head down so that he can look at her again. ]
Come on, we shouldn't stand here in the middle of the street. My place isn't far.
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she is surprised by the way it feels, that metaphorical bucket of cool water poured over her adrenaline rush, and it's all too evident in the wide-eyed gaze she levels him with as her feet come back solidly to the ground. her thoughts have not yet caught up with her, the weighty ramifications of that impromptu kiss not yet considered, but disappointment is obvious all the same, even if half of it is a manipulation of the sprays themselves.
one leaves her wanting to touch and be touched, the other to push past what she knows and to experiment — it is only her own inexperience that prevents her from being able to put words to what that combination drives her to do. ]
You're in the Up, [ she finally settles on, the words coming out rather dumbly. of course he is. there's no dark line drawn from throat to chin, no collar around his neck. does it matter much? not really — but she is, at least, tangentially aware that his place is likely nicer than her own. and maybe she's curious. ]
Alright.
[ she's pliant enough to oblige this one request, though it's mostly out of acknowledgement to how practical it is. she is not, however, quite as aware ... which is how she winds up walking directly into the back of another volunteer, this one thrusting a bottle of something dark green and musky into her hands. at least he doesn't spray her with it? ]
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But he knows where that would go. One thing leads to another, and this isn't the time or place for it. So instead he draws his hands away from her hips, his fingers brushing down along her forearms until he finds her hands, catching them in his own and giving them a gentle but significant squeeze, lingering, before he finally lets go of those too. ]
The Up, yeah. I've got an apartment.
[ Much nicer than the bunks in the Down, he's learned. It's a lot more than he's used to having, especially lately, but he's not going to complain about the space. Not when he's wanted nothing more than to share it with Finn, and now with Rey too. He can be certain of that much even while he's still reeling from the sudden shock of seeing her here, let alone what just happened. ]
Are you... feeling okay?
[ He's got to ask while they walk. He's staying close by her side, even in the crowd, even closer than BB-8 on their heels. He can't help but think of the little vials of sand that were pushed his way almost immediately after Orientation, so he's especially suspicious of this scent that she's picked up somewhere. As well as the bottle that's been pressed into her hands before they're well away from the volunteers hawking the stuff. ]
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and it suits her, in the moment, to fall into place beside him, bb-8 trawling along behind as they navigate through crowds and corridors. it reminds her of kijimi, only it's brighter here, if not the same chill in the air; she half expects to see him duck around corners, blaster at the ready, but he only strides ahead, confident and comfortable amidst all the people that pass.
his question catches her off-guard, though, enough that she stumbles over a small crack in the sidewalk as her gaze swings up to his, her hands fumbling so that she nearly drops the small bottle clutched between. she manages to save it, though, tucking it away beneath the cloth bounding under her shirt; fussing with her handiwork, she offers a casual response. ]
A little off-balance. Like I've been lightspeed skipping. [ there's a pointed pause, a half-chuckle that fades as she stops in her tracks to watch a dominate and submissive pair walk past, the latter bound in neon yellow handcuffs. it's a sight that no one else seems to pay much mind to, but it's new to rey; she stops long enough for bb-8 to beep consolingly, and for another man (one she notes is without the neck tattoo she's come to keep eye out for) to huff disapprovingly in her direction.
would you keep your girl moving already, he snaps, and rey scrambles forward to catch up, bb-8 rolling dutifully at her heels. ]
Is it always like this?
[ without thinking about it, as her stride catches with his, rey takes the lead that finn often does; her hand reaches forward to catch in his, fingers threading together with a tight, nervous squeeze. ]
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Rey might even notice that there's a faint mark across his cheekbone, a bruise that's almost entirely healed now. ]
I'm still feeling that myself.
[ His eyes narrow at the unsolicited advice, and he's clearly tempted to snap back a reply, but a more rational response wins out as Rey slides in closer, and her fingers slip through his. He grips her hand firmly, offering her a twitch of a smile as he leads her on past. People do tend to travel in close pairs in this city, Dominant and Submissive, though there are quite a few lone Dominants here in the Up too. Lone Submissives, on the other hand, are especially rare, with or without collars to properly identify them. ]
More or less. [ He's heard that things have changed since the city's leadership underwent a shakeup of some kind prior to his arrival, but he can't say that he's been all that interested in their politics. ] It's a little different in the Down, but this place runs on that.
[ He jerks his chin briefly toward another pair as they walk past, where the Dominant carries a fine chain attached to his Submissive's collar. It's all for show, and what they don't tend to see is strife between the pairs, but the inequality is clear. To say that it obviously rubs Poe the wrong way would be an understatement. ]
The thing that gets me about all of this is that we're still trapped here. All of us. This is a game that no one's winning.
[ Another thought is there, on the tip of his tongue, but he holds it. There are certain things better left to more private locations. ]
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she does her best not to stare, to keep her gaze on the path ahead, but poe's call to attention is just this side of unsubtle enough that her attention diverts. not for long, but long enough that she coughs, cheeks pink; her hand squeezes a bit more fervently in his as her gaze swings the other direction in an attempt to not attract too much attention. ]
Is it much farther?
[ it isn't meant to be a petulant question, nor is she unwilling to walk, but it does not take a particularly savvy person to recognize the tension in his limbs or the firm set of his jaw, the way he seems to start a thought only to cut it off. it's the sort of mannerisms she's seen in debriefings, when he'd like to say something but knows it'll be better not said out in public, choosing instead to save it for a quiet hallway or the privacy of his office. it doesn't happen often, but she's always noted when it does.
as an excuse, in case he needs one, she offers: ] I need to take this thing off.
[ her collar, the metal beginning to chafe along her neck; she fusses a fingertip from her free hand between skin and circle, but there isn't much room while it's still attached to move it. ]
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Of course he did exactly that, but that's not the point.
It doesn't occur to him that she might be worried about him. All he's thinking is that she must be looking forward to some privacy, where they can talk without dozens of eyes lingering on them. This is a lot to take in, she must have a lot of questions yet to be answered, and they could both do without the annoyance of too many strangers eavesdropping on their conversation.
To say nothing of that kiss. ]
Almost there.
[ He'll lead her right into the building, the unassuming-looking bracelet on his hand is all the identification he apparently needs to walk on through the lobby. It's a very regular and expected occurrence for Dominants to escort Submissives to their apartments, and if this is noted at all it would likely be a point in his favor, since he's being subtly encouraged to court potential contracts.
Stepping into the elevator is a mild relief. ]
You can go ahead and take it off. [ A pause, and he clears his throat slightly. ] The collar, I mean.
[ Obviously. ]
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the volunteers who had helped her dress after exiting the doors had commented on its particularly devoted design. a challenge, she'd been told, to ensure she obliged the nature of her designation, and not simply adhered to the letter of the law. apparently that was an issue lately — troublemakers.
but as she wants it off, she is not shy about asking (demanding) his assistance, crossing the small elevator to stand in front of him and turning so that the nape of her neck is exposed, her head held up so as not to lock the collar into place, her loose hair swept up to the crown of her head with one palm pressing it in. ]
There's a latch, [ she murmurs, but does not elaborate with pointing. she trusts him to see it. ] Will you?
[ much like unzipping a dress, really. she might appreciate the romanticism of the posturing, if she'd had any experience to compare it to. instead, it's only practical, a necessary step in getting out of an already miserable accessory. the less often she can be roped into wearing it, the better. ]
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[ Poe's seen many variations on these collars and the corresponding bracelets, and it's no surprise that the collar would be a lot more obnoxious and difficult to remove. Especially for her. He probably wouldn't have been any better off if he'd been branded as a Submissive, if anything he might have been even worse. It was different before he got to the city proper and met up with Finn, which thankfully happened almost immediately. As things stand he's already on somewhat thin ice as far as the program goes, but he's managed to skip out on getting into major trouble. For now.
It would be a very different story too if he was here alone. Needing to be here to protect his friends is a big motivator in helping him keep his temper in check.
The comparison between this and tugging down a zipper isn't lost on him, unlike Rey he's had some experience with formal wear, but despite the collar being an ugly weight on her neck, he's finding himself a little distracted by the nape of her neck, now that she's swept her hair up and away from it. Luckily for him she's turned around so she won't see him briefly catch his lower lip in his teeth, running his tongue over it before shaking himself out of it and reaching to help her unfasten the damn thing. It's intricate enough that he has to focus, but he's good with his hands, so it won't take him too long. ]
We've got to get you something less obnoxious. [ He says it distractedly, as he's working the locking mechanism loose, without thinking too much about exactly what that suggestion entails. It wouldn't exactly be accepted for a Dominant to buy a collar for any submissive other than their own, not that Poe's even brought up the first thing about any kind of contract for himself yet, even though he's been here for a little over a month now. ] Just for when you're in this part of the city.
[ They care a lot less about these things in the Down, where they'll all be far more likely to spend most of their time here, that's already certain. ]
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[ there's no disguising the mild bitterness in her tone at the words. orientation had been good for a few things — explaining the navigational restrictions on submissives, how few rights and privileges they still retained after their throats were painted, how much they depended on the right contract for life's most basic necessities. clothing, food, a place of her own to live in, it all required a dominant with the willingness to allow such things.
it's a topic that she could quite honestly dwell on all day, but she's torn from her thoughts and her disagreeable opinion on the situation by the gentle ding of the elevator, a signal of their floor; despite social expectation or perhaps in purposeful defiance of it, rey doesn't wait for him to lead her out. she leaves him in the elevator, her collar rather poignantly left clutched in his hands, and strides out until she's faced with a choice. ]
Left or right?
[ it's much more spacious here. only two numbers — is that two people, she wonders, or two larger rooms, like her own situation in the down? ]
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It's BB-8 who pulls him out of it first, beeping a question at him, head swiveling up to his face, which prompts him to shake his head and step on out, giving the collar Rey's left him with a brief, disdainful look before forcing a smile at the droid. ]
I'm fine, buddy.
[ Which is mostly true, as true as it can be given the circumstances, this is just a lot to take in for one day. None of this seems to be slowing Rey down, a fact which has that smile taking on a fond edge to it. Of course it wouldn't, it didn't with him either, did it? Not until it all inevitably had a chance to sink in sometime well past his actual arrival, after a very long night spent with Finn, that he's looking at a long uphill battle to get out of this place. ]
Left. And unless you palmed my key while you had me distracted, you're gonna have to wait for me.
[ It doesn't take him long to catch up, and he's already digging a key card out of his pocket to open the door as he heads over to join her. ]
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whether rey could break those locks wasn't of much importance here. she wasn't on the run from poe. if she was, she wouldn't have — well, she wouldn't have kissed him, for one thing. wouldn't have walked with him, or clutched his hand, or gotten in an elevator of her own voluntary agreement, either. she'd have simply run away.
she wasn't running now, though. not even when the door to poe's apartment is opened for her, exposing a room — rooms — far nicer than anything she's ever stepped foot in before in her entire life. it's... palatial, in contrast to rey's old at-at, certainly cleaner and brighter than anything on the resistance base. it's nice enough that rey hesitates at the threshold, as if afraid to dirty it with her boots and stars only knows what she'd track in. ]
This is all yours?
[ she's not even sure what someone would do with all this space. ]
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He settles a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before sliding his fingers down to her elbow instead, insistently tugging her along with him into the spacious main room as the door clicks shut behind them. The place might be close to pristine, but as far as he's concerned the more scuffing up it gets, the better. ]
For now. I know, it's pretty ridiculous.
[ It's distinctly lacking in the kind of personal touch that would come along with someone who's really making an effort to turn it into a home. Poe doesn't have much in the way of personal belongings, the only immediate sign that anyone lives here at all is the fact that there are clothes tossed over the back of the couch that stretches out across the room and a few computer parts that have been clearly unceremoniously ripped from displays somewhere. And if she looks across the open space to the kitchen she'll see that a couple of coffee mugs have been left out on the counter.
Poe doesn't like it here. And he doesn't plan on staying any longer than he has to. ]
So exactly what did you run into before me? I didn't take you for someone who wanted to smell like sweetcake.
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[ she stammers a little, still trying to get her bearings, still trying to wrap her mind around how warm her skin feels on her arm from where he'd touched her and then let go. but he doesn't hold onto her, so rey takes it as freedom to wander, to let her hands trail over the backs of chairs and sofas, to let her feet carry her from one side to the other until she's surrounded by cabinets and gleaming appliances. it's here where she unlatches her belt after a moment, settling it and the saber hooked on the side onto the kitchen counter, gaze focusing on the stark white of the quartz as if trying to make sense of things before it snaps back up to him. ]
I don't know. [ free hands fish into her bindings, pulling out that glass bottle from earlier. she's tempted to open it, to breathe in what's inside, but she keeps it stoppered for now. ] There were these people, market sellers I think. I'd been trying to avoid them, but they caught me coming out of a building.
[ she makes a face. ]
I smell horrible, don't I?
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He's determined not to. He's definitely not going to share any doubts with his friends. Finn, especially, seems to need that hope now more than ever after being trapped here for over a year, a fact which still hasn't completely sunk in for Poe. Losing so much time with someone he just saw prior to his own arrival is an intensely disorienting feeling.
It's somewhat easier with Rey in that regard. There's only a few weeks missing between them, though granted a lot has happened for him in that short amount of time. They'll get around to talking about that, for now he's just grateful to see her, and still feeling a lot of mixed emotions about the way she fell into his arms.
Maybe it's because she carried that waft of perfume with her, straight into him, that makes him feel more comfortable with touching her - with the fact that he kissed her, and as many unexpected feelings as he has over it, he wants to do it Then again, maybe he wanted to anyway and it's just tampered with the inhibitions that would have had him keeping his hands to himself otherwise. Or maybe both. Probably both. ]
Something similar happened to me. They gave me something like that but it had sand in it. It... made things interesting for a while.
[ He's followed her to the kitchen, not all that surprised that she's drawn to the gleaming metal appliances and smooth surfaces, compared to the softer room across. And, since she mentions it, he's leaning in over her shoulder to take in a breath of that scent, possibly a lot closer than he really needs to be. ]
It's not horrible. It's just a little strong.
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there's an instinct to turn, so she does. she follows that instinct all the way around until her hands find purchase against his arms, sliding up until she can loop her own arms around his neck in a tight hug. it's half rey herself, half gratitude at finding him here (at not being alone) and half the warm, comforting sensation that comes from the embrace, that unexpected encouragement to seek out this kind of touch and linger in it. sweetness and reassurance build as she clings to him, a feedback loop of scent and proximity, until the other instinct in her head finally nudges her forward.
bright pear, the spice of cinnamon and cloves, finally separated out from the scent of poe himself, intoxicating and impulsive — it lingers underneath the sweetness, encourages her to shift from one embrace to the next, her face tipping back up to his with a casualness that would have otherwise taken weeks if not months to fully master. ]
I don't mind interesting.
[ in her right mind, rey might second-guess herself, or question the seemingly impossible-to-resist urges that pull her closer to him. but they feel so natural, playing on emotions and desires that may have already been under the surface, she doesn't even think to question them. she simply submits to the tidal wave of urgency, and follows it out.
but even still, she should hesitate here. she should ask, or even simply wait to see, but rey has always been reckless and the perfume only makes her worse; instead of common sense, she only moves by instinct now, pushing herself up on tiptoes to match his height as she leans into him that much more, mouth catching his own without care for should.
he hasn't pushed her away, either, so she's not stopping until he does. ]
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He's got her back up against the counter now, a solid surface that braces her where she is while he slides closer, one hand slipping to her jaw, his other settling on the edge next to her as he leans in, so close now that their bodies are flush against each other. It's a solid warmth that he's moved into, but the stutter of breath that almost breaks the kiss would suggest that he wasn't expecting it. The more she wordlessly urges him toward, the more he feels any semblance of self-control slipping away from him, knowing fully well that it shouldn't.
So no, he's not pushing her away. He's holding on, even when giving her space would be much more reasonable. ]
You sure about that?
[ This time when he breaks from the kiss for a proper breath, long enough to ask that question, he's not using it as an opportunity to pull away. Whether this is a good idea or not, they've established that kissing is something they're both unashamedly eager for, and given that this is the second time he really doesn't have the inclination to stop doing that now. He's bolder with it this time, not just holding his own but catching her lips with his own and teasing his teeth and tongue against them.
Those scents are still strong enough to keep him from losing himself in this. Which is a good thing, since Rey's really not helping right now. ]
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until she's seated, in one swift motion, her legs dangling over the edge and split, her hands lifting to curl into the fabric of his shirt and tug until he's brought back. closer this time, close enough that she can swan hot air and the words that come with them over his open mouth, a response that's far more confident than she really has any right to be draping between them. ]
I said what I said, Poe.
[ which is half a challenge, half defensive, but entirely the brand of reckless obstinance that has defined so many of their interactions in the time they've known each other.
and really, rey thinks — what's the harm? she's gone through orientation, she's heard the spiels. they have quotas and expectations to meet. and even if she thinks they're stupid, even if she's less willing to let some mysterious council demand she do things with her body with people she's never met, poe isn't a stranger. he's — he's more than a friend, isn't he. he's infuriating and difficult and always frustrating, but he's always met her point for point, space for space, and this is no different. not really.
the only difference she can find is that they're building each other up rather than driving each other up a wall. and that, she guesses, has to be worth something. ]
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And she's only encouraging it. She would have to be inexperienced, wouldn't she? He can't imagine that she's had much human interaction until she came to them, away from Jakku, and she hasn't been in the city long enough to have done much, if anything, not that any of it's stopping her from being bold and unflinching now in pushing this past a mutual inclination toward affection, right over the tentative steps that would usually start with two people getting intimate with each other for the first time. But then, nothing's been conventional about her life, or for the circumstances in which they've gotten to know each other.
He exhales a heated breath that could have been frustration, and in a way it is, but she's entirely right in assuming that he'll match her move for move on this, as impulsive and reckless as it may be. The truth is that he trusts her, both to know what she wants and tell him exactly what that is, and no amount of perfume or charms or whatever over aphrodisiacs they might throw at him, that might sway them one way or another, this is real. And it's not just about trust, about this being a convenient outlet for the two of them because they're friends and allies in a strange place, though maybe that would have been enough.
He pulls his hands back, briefly, to roll his shoulders, letting his jacket slide off of them before he's wrapping both arms around her, one hand slipping up as far as the back of her neck, his fingertips curling against her skin. It should be too much, all of this should be, but is it, if this is what they both want? ]
So you 'don't mind' this?
[ Her answer will have to wait until after he's kissed her again. This one has even less restraint than the last. In fact it might be hard to sense any restraint at all, just an open warmth and a hint at the heat underneath it. He doesn't have to worry about bearing her down on the counter with the enthusiasm as long as she's braced firmly in his arms, which might be a good thing since the escalation of those kisses might be enough to make that support necessary. ]
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he wants, and she meets him, the hands that had curled against his waist climbing up to fist into his shirt over his chest, back arching just enough to press that much more into the minute spaces between them. there isn't much. just the fabric, really, gaps of air that their bodies can't quite fill all at once. if it was possible to get closer while still mostly clothed, they'd have managed it by now.
at the very least, by the time poe's mouth pulls from hers with a ragged gasp for air, they'd have closed the gap in the squeeze of her knees around his waist or the press of his hand against her back, all desire with no reason to curb enthusiasm.
hence rey's equally breathless response, muttered in between swipes of her tongue over her bottom lip in quiet marvel, ] You ask too many questions.
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He exhales a low chuckle at her. He can't help it, it's far from the first time that he's heard along those lines, though it's usually less about him asking questions and more about the fact that he's just not quiet at all. Not even when he's supposed to be, or else risking an awkward discovery at the wrong moment, or potentially fueling unwanted rumors. Personally he's never cared much about what people think he gets up to in his own bunk.
The rumors tend to be more salacious than the reality, especially lately. Or they were until he got here. ]
Maybe you should do a better job of shutting me up then.
[ It's said with an irrepressible grin, it's just a normal response to being scolded, whether she's teasing or not. In this case he doesn't hear an actual complaint, but it would be hard to tell since she's so breathless, and he's not going to help with that since he's tilting his head to drop equally heated kisses to her throat as he rolls his hips just enough to cause some friction between them. It's too tempting not to. ]
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If your mouth's busy, you can't say anything stupid with it.
[ now they're just play-fighting, teasing back and forth in familiar volleys, as easy to slip into as a warm bath. even amidst the unfamiliar — the way her body seems to know without her brain catching up that arching into that roll of his hips means more friction in the next pass, the way she hisses as his teeth catch against skin — there is something she knows, the give-and-take of their relationship to each other a steady constant she can rely on.
it gives her solid ground to balance on even as the world around her remains topsy-turvy, a confusing mess of social roles and expectations unlike anything she's ever known. she may have spent the afternoon broiling in frustrations, annoyed that after having escaped jakku without ever having to trade her body for survival she'd have to do it here, but she doesn't think about that now.
this isn't about quotas or contracts or the synergy between a submissive and a dominant. this is something else. she doesn't know what, but rey doesn't know that she cares, either. ]
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[ Except he's keeping his mouth voluntarily preoccupied at the moment, working across the soft skin of her throat, further down as she willingly tips her head back for him, which would have ruined any attempt at refraining from getting too caught up in them. That solid black line, one that Finn shares, is an ever=present reminder, and it's one that he's defiantly ignoring, and maybe more than slightly tempted to leave his own marks across it with his teeth, even if it's a symbolic gesture, at best. It doesn't take much to give in to that temptation either, not when she's groaning and arching herself into him like this, eager for more.
This works. Somehow. If- or when, most likely, he has the chance to stop and think about this, it shouldn't surprise him too much. He felt a connection with her right from the very beginning, before he even saw her, swooping in at the last moment with the Falcon to protect their last ditch assault, and that first moment he did see her, standing there lifting tons of rock as casually brushing away pebbles in their way. He'd never seen anything like it before.
Meeting someone like her, so close on the heels of meeting Finn, where he had that same feeling, it couldn't just be a coincidence. Just like he doesn't believe it's a coincidence that they're together here, now, either.
She's already taken off her belt, which makes it that much easier to push the now loosely wrapped fabric away from her shoulders, exposing more bare skin for his lips to roam across as his fingers slide lower, seeking out the edge of the fabric that's still covering her chest. There are still a lot of layers of fabric between them, and he's not being particularly shy about wanting to get rid of those. ]
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