Cassius' Shop of Jeweled Wonders

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius finished putting the salad together then simply put it in the cooler for the moment since he wasn't all that hungry. He was in the doorway when Meryth looked up and had to give a small smile, "Go ahead and kiss him... He deserves one," he said softly before moving around to Kota's side to kneel beside him.

He went there partially to help remove the porcelain. But mostly to watch the kiss. He knew how wonderful Kota's lips were, after all.

He also knew how to use the tools Meryth was using to remove the porcelain and had the skill to use them, but wanted to wait until after that kiss to get started, knowing that the simple pleasure would counter the pain quite a bit.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius gave a small nod and got to work instantly, now wanting his love freed of the porcelain. His touch was sure but gentle as he quickly cleared Kota's feet then his lower legs, treating the whole as if he were working on the most delicate of his carvings. He worked carefully enough that he knew Kota wouldn't feel any pain, or as little as possible.

From there, he moved up Kota's thighs and took care of them. But he hesitated at his thighs and shifted to Kota's other side to start working on his belly, leaving the more delicate area for Meryth's expertise.

As he thought about it, though, he couldn't help but wish that Kota were asleep or knocked out somehow for the hip area to be done. If it were himself, he knew he'd wind up screaming anyway. But he distracted himself from the thought by working on a tough patch of porcelain over Kota's sternum, taking it slowly and carefully as he worked smaller pieces loose.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

I'm gonna try to speed this up a bit, K?

Together, they finally finished removing all the porcelain and cleaned Kota up then settled him on the freshly clean couch wrapped up in a plush comforter. Cassius spent a good moment tucking him in and gently stroking his hair before finally shifting to sit in the center of the floor, "I can sing up enough food for you both, if you'll give me a moment for it. After I've done that, I'll eat my salad and we can all head up to bed for some sleep," he suggested simply.

Kota knew that Cassius could do it, he'd seen it after all, so Meryth should have known he could do it and that he'd offer it.

So he settled himself on the carpet, having to adjust his hair out of the way in the process since he wound up sitting on it. But once he was settled, he centered his energy to call up the souls needed, knowing that there were plenty of them available. They probably weren't the most powerful available, but enough of them would make up for that. At least, he hoped so.

Then he started to sing, his hair rising around him as if he were floating in the water while his voice slowly rose to it's true beauty.

If he'd been worried about his magic before, he shouldn't have been. He did, indeed, call the souls in and they came in droves. But...

But he managed to call in what was possibly too many of them, proving that his magic was evolving as he'd guessed. Though mentioning it might prove to be a problem...  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius slowly brought his song to a close and opened his lavender eyes to look at all the souls he'd called in shock, "I... I didn't mean to..." he started to say but knew he couldn't say much or he'd give himself away. He cleared his throat after a moment and offered a small smile as the souls that landed on Kota carefully fed themselves to him.

"I'm just glad that it worked itself out. I'll eat my salad now then carry Kota upstairs," he finally said softly as he got to his feet and headed into the kitchen.

As he pulled the salad from the fridge, he had to pause and take in a deep breath with his eyes closed, wondering yet again what was happening with his magic. Even his cleaning spell had gone further than he'd intended. It was merely supposed to clean up the mess that was there at the time, not clean up the entire time they'd worked.

It was becoming obvious to him that his magic was evolving further than he'd expected. The only question he had now was how far it would go...

He shook himself back into focus and put a portion of salad into a bowl for himself and added a simple dressing to it before carrying it to the table with a small glass of wine to help him relax a bit, deciding not to think about his growing abilities until after he'd helped Sebastet with the rescue and the Hunters...  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Cassius gave a small shrug of one shoulder as he took a sip of his wine before setting the glass back down, "He's had full access to my mind from day one. I've never hidden anything from him and don't intend to do so now. Mainly, it means he knows about what you and I have done. How he reacts to that will determine alot for our future, though. I can only hope that he can fully accept me and my natural needs. If he can't..." he gave another shrug of one shoulder before focusing on his salad.

If Kota couldn't accept that Cassius could love more than one person equally and fully, then he would deal with it when it came.

"For now, though, since he's not in any danger, I'm going to have to work out when I'll have to join the group going after the Hunters. That's why I was gone so long. I found out their plans and and worked out a deal with my father. Thankfully this deal had nothing to do anything like the last time. I'll deal with my growing abilities once the problem is taken care of.

"That means taking care of him for now and preparing to take out the Hunters that are threatening this little haven Sebastet has created for all of us here. Everything else can wait, I think," he voiced his priorities for now, knowing that anything relationship-wise would have to wait until Kota could make the decision for himself.

He'd always given Kota the room needed to make up his own mind and saw no intention of changing that now. No matter how much he dreaded the possibility of the heartbreak he'd be dealing with if things went the way he thought they would.

Even if both of them were reading his mind right now, he didn't care. His decisions were his to make and he allowed others the same.

He finished off his salad and set the bowl and silverware in the sink then collected his glass to finish off the wine then put that in the sink as well. That done, he moved into the living room and placed a light kiss to Kota's forehead then one to Meryth's cheek, "But if you two aren't going to sleep, I am. It's been a busy day," he said simply and headed for the stairs, giving Kota's forehead another kiss along the way, and headed upstairs.

Once there, he shed his shorts and let his hair down then crawled between the sheets. But once there, he found himself laying there, missing having Kota curled up with him but also wishing that he had someone else curled up behind him. He shook off the thought and closed his eyes, trying to force himself to sleep.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

Okay, this is getting a little too creepy...

Cassius opened his eyes the moment Kota sat beside him and frowned as he looked up at him, clearly not too sure that this was a good thing. He wanted to ask what was going on but wasn't too sure he'd get an actual response.

He tilted his head slightly and raised his hand to gently caress Kota's cheek for a silent moment then gave a soft sigh, "As wonderful as this is, Kota... You're not ready yet... We both know that... And if you're reading minds like I thought, then you know that as well," he said softly, hoping Kota would understand.

"You know I love you. I always will. When I came back to find the house completely empty of you, I knew then that I would have to guard my heart from now on. You've lost trust in me twice now. I have to know that you won't do it again before I can give my heart back to you," he finally told him the truth hard despite his softened tone.

"We'll have to wait until this mess with the Hunters is over to make any decisions. I have to go to the castle the day after tomorrow. The plans were made before I came home. That gives me enough time to restore my energy levels for the fight. Figuring out my heart? Or yours? I think we both need time for that..." he added, this time unable to hide the inner hurt over Kota's rejection of him and his possible rejection now.  

[Red Gypsy]

Vihata

It's okay. It happens.

Cassius gave a soft sigh and relaxed into the bed as he gently wiped Kota's tears away, "I always have come home, Kota... And I always will... Even if I wind up dead, my soul will come back to you," he whispered softly then raised one eyebrow at him, "Now do the right thing and release Meryth. Let him help you with your growing powers and I'll let you both help me with mine when I come back, alright?" he added, knowing full well what Kota had done.

Truthfully, if Kota wasn't fully himself before he had to leave, he was fully prepared not to do so. Admittedly, the group Sebastet was sending after the others would need him, but if Kota needed him more he'd stay. A part of him was half afraid that Kota and Meryth wouldn't be here when he got back if he did leave.

He pushed those thoughts aside and leaned in to press a kiss to Kota's forehead then to his cheeks, eyelids, and finally his lips. It was a very tender kiss instead of passionate, but it was enough for now as his arms slid around the Alichino's waist to hold him close, burying his face into Kota's neck so he could inhale his scent.

He knew Meryth would likely come up to lay down with them as well once Kota let him go from the sleeping command but laying between them just felt... right... somehow...