Worlds Apart (Els)

[Requiem]

::Yes, we are doing a thread that Demi very much protests. (He apparently thinks that he can still keep his relationship with Ely a secret.) Buuuut, for all those curious. xP Pivotal moment. ::

two weeks after the night of the gather

His fingers slid over the string, testing the strength with his more tactile left hand. No discernible defects. He carefully wound the string around the tuning peg, threading it through the bridge to anchor it at the ring on the far right of the man-sized instrument. Eliah had been driven off during this process - with just enough courtesy that his thankfulness for helping him with this project was clear, because normally anyone messing with his instruments and doing things wrong would have their head chewed clear off - and now he only had a couple more to go. Right hand plucked lightly at the string, left making minute adjustments to the tuning pin until he was satisfied. He paused in his work, eyes flicking toward the seemingly asleep Dmisk. She was headed this way.

A slight twitch of his lips, more a nervous tick than a true expression, was his only visible reaction to the blue's heads up. He went right back to finishing up the stringing of the instrument he called an 'abacus.' The calculator of the musical world, with the whole formula laid out before you like a sheet of music. Ever so much better than all the languages you had to teach yourself to play the other instruments...he apparently wasn't the best of musical linguists. He spoke the language of music, not of a gitar.

Bending his head toward the instrument, his hands swiftly picked out the chording patterns, making sure the tonalities were correct. One final adjustment. His eyes flicked toward the direction he knew she was coming from. Dmitri couldn't hide from her. Wouldn't. Any sign of weakness would get him eaten alive...and the weeks were testing him, he wouldn't lie. Not to himself. Consistent exposure to Elysia was doing nothing to kill his curiosity - merely increasing it. For spans at a time he would forget that she was hunting him. Not long enough for her to notice. At least, he didn't think so, given she'd likely have capitalized on any such opening. Her presence in his thoughts, the skip of anxiety that was neither a desire to flee, nor willing her here quicker, but some strange mixture of the two - didn't bode well.

He'd hoped that his never showing up for their 'lessons', (while still clearly not hiding) would cause her to get fed up and bored.

Fingers shimmered down the strings, before a small quirk turned up one corner of his lips. Well, it seemed tonight would mark the start of yet another battle of wills. It was with a certain playfulness that he began to draw an ominous march from the strings. Evil coming his waaaayyyyy.

[Rei]

((Woot flashback xD))

Elysia had long ago stopped expecting the harper to show up on time, or at all, to his lessons. Instead she merely went to find him. One would think that this might have annoyed the greenrider. If they thought so however they where sooo far from the truth. If anything it made the woman all the more excited. It was a game. Cat and mouse. Predator and prey. Stalking Dmitri was very fun. The challenge he represented gave the game a thrill she had yet to find with another over her turns of life. Odd that such a young one would provide it for her. Odd but not unwelcome. Elysia didn’t care about his age. That wasn’t why she pursued. There was something behind the games. Something she was curious about, perhaps a tiny bit frightened of. The greenrider actually found herself thinking about the harper from time to time. Something that bothered her until she realized that he would be thinking of her as well. Amusing it all was really. Highly so.

Dressed in her tight leather fighting gear she still allowed enough lace from her breast band to peek out to keep his eyes drawn to certain things. As she approached her destination her stance changed. The easy glide that ate up the ground transforming into something sultry and commanding. Knew how to work her body just right did the greenrider. It was all in response to the music he was playing. It intrigued her, the sounds he was producing. If he wanted to play something ominous, she could make ominous exciting. Shame really that Demi didn’t pay the proper attention. But that was all in the game wasn’t it. He couldn’t show weakness or she would capitalize on it. Oh she let him have his little moments sometimes but he was good at not showing things. Very good. Worthy prey.

Elysia stalked around the harper for a minute, eyes flicking from the instrument to his face. Her face remained impassive. Her stalk was feral in nature, dangerous. If he wanted dangerous she could give him dangerous, in spades. Leaning forward, just the right amount, her lips hovered close to his ear, her warm breaths caressing him before she spoke. “Demi darling you failed to meet at the arranged destination…. Again… Bad boy….Think I will have to make you regret that. One would think you like my punishments.” How the rider would make him regret his tardiness and failure to cooperate was up for interpretation. Her voice was hinting at something sexual in nature, even if her mind was on a track closer to throwing him around and seeing that adorable glare.

Decisions, decisions. Behind him she moved, draping her arms over his shoulders, her breasts pressing into his back, legs spread to lock herself in position as her chin rested on his head. Intimate and loving was the position purposely. It was meant to contrast sharply with her tone. Confusing him was Elysia’s goal. At least currently. Men where so much easier to control when they got all flustered. Or rather most men. Demi wasn’t most men. A genuine smile flitted across her features. Only allowed because the harper couldn’t see it from his sitting position.

Unbidden the northern woman’s eyes again feel on the strange looking instrument he was playing on. She wanted to ask what it was but she didn’t wan to give him the satisfaction of knowing she was interested. War of wills this was. Couldn’t give him leverage just yet. Tch shame.

[Requiem]

His eyes actually managed to pick her out...right before her stride changed. He would have attributed that to Dmisk, but the blue was still pretending at sleep. Apparently human eyes adapted, too - or by borrowing Dmisk's so often he'd learned how to use his eyes differently. It was an interesting thing to fathom, though of course he'd never know for certain so a rather pointless thing to dwell on. What it did do, however, was show him the change from glide to...strut? March? He was tempted to offer her a pair of steel-toed boots with a spike for the heel. And a wh- Wait. She already had that.

The 'evil march' grew more pronounced, the boy matching the beat to her step, then subtly shifting it faster, slower, a slow smirk playing over his lips as she subconsciously adjusted her stride to his tempo. Yeah who was playing who? (It was a suitable distraction from her too-tight leathers and the tiniest peek of lace. That and whatever she was putting into that walk of hers.) The sounds faded into a softer ticking, with little shimmers here and there, a sense of slinking. Stalking prey. He flicked a glance over his shoulder at her, eyebrow quirking. Met her eyes then let his gaze fall back to his hands as they flowed smoothly into a more soothing, rolling sound that fit into the night noises. Until a finger slipped slightly on a string, bringing with it the resulting whine, a hiccup in the natural flow of the strains. Unexpected breath on ears did that on occasion.

His eyes found her cleavage - no doubt her intention - then slid up to her face, a wry twist to his lips. Hands continued the soft playing. He was enjoying how easily the instrument sung for him, truly, and for once it wasn't really a matter of...stubbornly showing she wasn't effecting him or something. "Actually, I think you enjoy punishing me too much for me to ever do things to your satisfaction, so I figured I'd give you an excuse easier to latch onto," he returned blithely. "Wouldn't want to mar that pretty forehead with wrinkles, making you concentrate too hard on finding excuses."

Draping herself over him wasn't exactly fairplay, but then, he didn't expect that from her anymore. He submitted to the position, primarily because moving would make it obvious it bothered him - that and with his luck he'd botch it anyway. Fingers swirled into a more lively flurry of beats, the boy playing with little regard for the woman behind him, though his breaths did subconsciously synch up with hers, effecting the tempo. After a couple minutes of play, he brushed his hand over the strings to silence them, abruptly turning and standing, forcing her a step back. He plucked her arms off his shoulders. "If that's your idea of punishment for my transgression, Elysia...I have to say it's not very effective."

[Rei]

Elysia smiled wickedly at the slight hiccup disrupting the flow of the music. That was her doing she knew and she was pleased with that. Her disruption in his playing. Hmm liked that she did. The greenrider’s smile changed into something close to amusement as she watched him move his gaze from her breasts to her face. Score one for her and note to self. He obviously still liked her breasts. Not that she could blame him, she had a very, very nice set. That wasn’t just being biased either. She had been complimented on them often enough for her to know it was the truth.

Dark eyes slid to the harpers hands as he played, a flash of undisguised interest present in them until he spoke and her eyes slid back to his face. A sly smile reclaimed her features and she clucked her tongue the sound managing to sound scolding and perhaps a bit playful at the same time. Honestly? The brat wasn’t even trying. He seemed to be under the false impression that if he kept screwing up she would get bored and frustrated and wander away on her own. Poor thing. Little did he know. Elysia didn’t give up. She promised she would teach him, and teach him she would. When she was involved in something she gave it her all and no less. There was no escape for the handler.

His little bit about punishment though. That was true enough. The greenrider liked making him growl, liked seeing the veiled frustration and the barely suppressed feelings of anger swirling through his eyes. It gave Elysia a thrill, pleasure to know she was making him feel those things. It was also a major turn on. Dmitri was attractive when he got angry. Less so when he pulled the cold emotionless façade. It was a subtle balance she was trying to achieve. Frustrate him enough to get him to the anger point but not to the point where he shut down completely. Some nights it went better than others. However he was wrong about the other point. It was possible to please her. Just not easy. The benden rider was a perfectionist and as such she demanded no less from Dmitri. A soft humorless laugh escaped her lips. “Darling I don’t concentrate on excuses. Merely punish for them. There is no excuse good enough for you to purposely avoid these lessons that, if I remember correctly, you asked for in the first place. I am replaying a debt. If you don’t start trying harder I’m afraid you’ll be seeing me and getting ‘punished’ more often then you wish.”

Her hands slipped down to caress his chest lightly after her words, her lips brushing lightly against his ear in a touch that was just barely there. In fact he could probably think he imagined it if there had been any less pressure. “So don’t worry. No wrinkles on this pretty forehead.” Elysia fell silent as Dmitri started playing gain. For a moment she even forgot her little games, forgot to keep the mask in place as she watched his hands rapidly flit across the strings producing a lively tune. It was almost hypnotizing in a way. Normally Elysia didn’t pay much attention to music, especially not those songs that played at most gatherings. This however was something different. Just as she was getting more into it however Dmitri stopped playing, abruptly turning and forcing her a step back. As he moved her arms the greenrider blanked her face, inwardly a bit disappointed that he had stopped. She would have liked to hear more. The baiting words helped get her head back in place though. Acting like a mental slap.

The cool confident expression back, a coy smile was given to the harper and she intentionally took another step back, her hand slowly and lovingly caressing the whip at her side. Well aware of the harper’s nervousness about her weapon of choice. “Is that so?” Elysia stalked forward, a predatory gleam present in her eyes as she brushed past the harper, allowing her hip to roughly brush his on passing and at the same moment giving a sharp smack to his rear. Immediately afterwards her hand massaged the sting out, her lips again finding his ear for a whisper. “Guess I’ll have to come up something more effective won’t I. Good thing I am terribly creative.” The final words where given in a sultry purr as she awaited some type of reaction. Game on.

[Requiem]

You'd think that he'd be used to it by now, the touches, the suggestive lilt to her words, the way she would get so close that her lips brushed his ear. Even though there were no more little falterings in the music (and he'd never really had much trouble keeping from making any obvious movements or noises when she did these things) he was almost becoming more aware of them as time went on. The sensation of her being so close would linger like a phantom, and even revisit sometimes when he was alone - or at least she was nowhere near. Like he'd grown so accustomed to having her in his personal space that it almost felt wrong when she wasn't. And yes, that was a disturbing thought. Was this how people were brainwashed?

Of course, he wasn't exactly defenseless, either. If she thought she was hiding her interest in his music...just the fact that she remained as she was, silent for so long as he played, told him all he needed to know about that. While Dmitri could have commented on the fact that they both knew he'd been joking around at the time, a little quip like his many other quips, and that actually learning from her had never been his intention...it would have drawn her attention away from the music she seemed so entranced by. Something that pleased him, and not just because of their drawn-out game of cat and mouse. (The line between cat and mouse tended to blur a lot. Dmitri had his own agenda, that he did.) Dmitri was a mediocre musician, especially considering his rank. Until he'd set fingers to this instrument. It sang for him like no other instrument had. Though it still didn't - quite - match the music constantly flowing through his mind, it was pretty damn close. And yes, just like any other artist, he loved it when others appreciated his art.

The look of disappointment on her face that she couldn't quite erase in time was met with a definite smirk. He might have been concerned if he knew that the delight was very evident in the grey eyes he'd inherited from his father, but Dmitri didn't know. His eyes followed the movement of her hand along the whip, expression turning a touch more wry as his eyes lifted again and narrowed on hers. Would have to do better than that to throw him off tonight, Ely. Still, he couldn't quite keep himself from jumping slightly at the unexpected swat, eyes flashing in her direction, his hand coming out to catch the wrist of the hand he had access to. Unfortunately, it wasn't the one currently massaging his ass. Lids slid down slightly at her words.

The harper turned to face her directly. He stepped back, away from the instrument. (Didn't want it knocked over.) Naturally, as he hadn't released her wrist, Ely was tugged after him, Dmitri drawing her closer. She always had the most interesting reactions when she wasn't undeniably in charge of a situation, and he liked challenging her dominance for that reason. "Are you? I'm pretty sure I've seen most of your creativity over the past couple of weeks," he commented softly, the corners of his lips quirking. "In fact, I might just be starting to become immune. The problem with being too aggressive." A brow rose slightly. "Ever heard of playing hard to get? I hear it works wonders."

He released his hold on her and stepped back again, sliding his scarred right hand into his pocket. "So are we going to do this or not, seeing as how you came all this way?"

[Rei]

Elysia didn’t move as Dmitri seized her wrist, but her stance did change into one that was more guarded. Interesting how he seemed to not only tolerate her touch, but liked it. At least if the half lidding of his eyes was any indication. Not completely immune was he, to her seduction. Even if he liked to say that he was. As the harper moved she allowed herself to be hugged along as well. Could have resisted, but saw no point. Nothing to be gained in resisting. Slowly the greenrider up tilted her head towards his, one wrist still in his control the other not. As he drew her closer she leaned her body into his, the hand at his rear subtly pressing his hips into her own.

Strict attention was paid to Dmitri’s words however and Elysia’s eyes flashed dangerously in response to them. Thought he knew it all didn’t he? The expression softened a bit as the handler stepped back and she shorted before tossing her head, just a tad upset that she had to bind her hair for the sparing. She rather liked wearing it loose. The words the rider offered in return where cold but at the same time held a small bit of softness to them. She wasn’t truly angry, maybe just a tad irritated. “You have seen next to nothing darling. Believe me, I can come up with much more to torture you with, if you desire it.” She took a step towards him, purposely challenging. “I don’t play hard to get. I’m impossible to get. So there is your difference.”

Those words seemed to be a sort of punctuation for after they where spoken Elysia turned from him, mentally checking her collection of weapons. Until he spoke again. An over the shoulder glance was given the harper. “Of course we are. I don’t waste my time with words. When I offer something I complete it and I am going to continue hassling you until you draw my blood.” A light shrug before she pivoted and dropped into a guarded stance, uncoiling the whip which twitched like something alive and then settled before her feet.

The greenrider’s eyes remained trained on the harper however, a stoic look blanking her face. Oh the fleeting through had crossed her mind to just tackle Dmitri after his words. Pin him down and mess with him. But well that was a bit unnecessary, at the moment. Elysia liked building the handler’s frustration to the point where he was just about to explode and then tempering it into something else. It was effective and she had fun doing it. Even if he wasn’t quite expressive enough with his face the look in his eyes always told her what she needed to know.

Despite the fact that this was supposed to be a learning exercise, and he was showing next to no progress, she was having fun with these little nightly battles. Even if the harper seemed to be purposely throwing them in an attempt to get her of his back. Little did he know. An amused smile played at the corner of Elysia’s lips as she again regarded Dmitri. “Why don’t we make this a bit more interesting Hmm? Spanking you and leaving you to wallow in your inadequacy gets little boring on occasion.” Idly she examined her fingernails before flicking another glance to his face. “If I win this little bout I want to hear another song.” Her eyes slid to the curious looking instrument to their left. “If you win…..? How about you fill in the blank darling.” Elysia’s attention again slid to Dmitri and she regarded him from under her lashes. See she wasn’t completely without a sense of fair play. The greenrider could just be nasty, throw him around, and leave, but that would be no fun for either of them. Which would be a pity because she so enjoyed their little games.

“Time is wasting my darling. Pick your poison.”

[Requiem]

The one good thing about having about half a foot on most people (more on women) was he definitely had the advantage standing. Like not having to worry about women grinding against him, for one, though he did find it amusing that the greenrider felt the need to make the attempt. Her threats were met with little more than a smirk. Was he scared of her? No. Should he be? Maybe. She'd put up with him thus far without either castrating him or gutting him, so the intimidation factor was kind of...nil. Threats were just blowing smoke, after all, if they weren't followed through on. (Which was why he didn't make them often himself.) Anything less than maiming or something more fatal...wasn't really threatening to him anyway. What was she going to pet him to death? Whisper against his ear some more? Swat him again? How...terrifying.

The smirk softened slightly, but it was no less cocky for all that. He pointedly looked down at the smaller woman, then poked her nose. "No one's impossible to get, Ely. One day you might even succeed on getting into my pants," he added playfully, crossing his arms. "But I highly doubt it. You're going about it all wrong, you know."

Unfortunately, they were moving out of his arena again, back into the world of the whip and eating dirt. He was fairly certain that his diet these days consisted of at least forty percent dirt. Some said it had good vitamins and minerals hidden in it...or at least protein from the creepy crawlies. He certainly hoped so, because otherwise there was no purpose to ingesting so much of it. Well, beyond satisfying Elysia's desire to see him on his arse again and again and again until he was too frustrated to beat her at their battle of wits. (Yes, he was convinced this was why she did it, not some misguided sense of niceness. Anyone else would have given up on him by now.)

Her proposal was...interesting. Dmitri's eyes narrowed slightly. Could he beat Elysia? No. Not a chance. Not unless some random fluke happened. Did it really matter what his 'poison' was, then? Testing the waters, was she? He eyed her thoughtfully. "Does it matter? You'll be listening to me play, regardless. Curious. You seem to like the music quite a bit...for that to be your prize in this bet." His eyes slitted further, a soft hum low in his throat. "The old I win you leave me be bet is rather boring - and perhaps cursed. If I must bet...I win, you can't touch me for the rest of tonight or tomorrow night. Deal?"

Unlikely that he'd win, but hey. There was a small chance that he might surprise her. (Whether or not he'd turn it up a notch, though, was as yet undecided. Dmitri liked keeping his cards close to his chest.) She might stumble over something or something. There was always that possibility, so he'd at least like something he'd enjoy if the unforeseeable happened.

[Rei]

Elysia snorted at his comment the whip twitching at her feet and brushing across the dry grass. Succeed in getting in his pants? If she wanted that she would have done so already. That was the problem. She wasn’t sure what she wanted from Dmitri. He was a difficult case for her to work through. There where feelings that involved him currently that she didn’t quite understand and hadn’t really had the time to work through. It was annoying and at the same time, ice. Ick. It had started as a game but now the benden rider found she didn’t want the game to end. Usually it was a small matter to move in, make the kill, and be done with it. But if she did that she would lose the interaction with the harper and Elysia liked the reactions she got. It was almost more of a game that the greenrider didn’t want to end. How did you even go about fixing that? She realized that a solution wasn’t coming easy and that more than anything else irritated her to no end. So the woman let that irritation flow outwards into movement. It would give her a bit of an edge to complete the little match. Not that she needed it of course.

“Hmm getting it all wrong am I? Who said I wanted to get into your pants? Probably isn’t worth it anyway if your effort during fighting is any clue.” Because yes that comment deserved an insult, even if it was only to catch a possible flash of irritation behind his eyes. Fluster him a bit maybe. Cause him to make a small mistake. Not that she needed a /mistake/ to beat him. Elysia shifted her stance again intentionally making herself a tad unguarded on her left side. There see she was even giving him a tad of a handicap not that he would see it. Especially since he didn’t seem to pay any attention to anything she had even tried to teach him. No matter Dmitri would eventually learn. He would have to. If not with her than when the harper was fighting for his life. Not that the greenrider wanted to think of that. A flash of protective desire flowed through her at the thought and she frowned in response, just as he started speaking. Probably sending a mixed signal but no matter. Blinking the woman refocused on his face, idly tracing the scaring.

Hmm he thought the old ‘leave me alone’ bet was boring? A smirk traveled across her features and she felt the need to comment on that, but bit down on it. Wouldn’t get her anywhere to tease him now. A mild shrug was offered the harper. “I’m not going to lie. I liked the music. It was interesting.” Elysia trailed off letting him take that comment how he would. Not able to touch him for two nights hmm? To bad he would lose. She would have been interested to see how that would have worked out. Especially if she upped the tease factor. Although Dmitri had remarkably good tolerance for such things. Almost a pity that she actually had to work harder. But not really. Nothing was really enjoyable unless it took effort after all. Dark eyes snagged on the harper and the greenrider shifted again, debating whether or not to let him make the first move. Eh might as well get it over with quickly. “Deal.” She said with a bright smile and lunged forward, closing the distance between them as quickly as possible.

With a flick of the wrist her whip shot out, seeking to wrap Dmitri’s wrist and prevent the draw of his blade even as Elysia moved to hook his ankle with her calf and pull his leg out from underneath him. Hopefully putting him on the ground where she could then put boot against his chest and flat of blade to his neck. Easy in explanation preventable in practice. Providing the harper was paying attention. Even if he did retaliate the rider was more than ready and capable of adjusting. Not that she thought she would have to. Sigh.

[Requiem]

Now that was just uncalled for. Not that she wasn't probably right about that. Yoalla. Nautic. Nice long list of people he'd slept with, there, and all under the influence of one of his two leeches. (It made it ever so much easier to resist the greenrider's constant teasing when he was pretty sure she'd be rather unimpressed by the results of her conquest, now didn't it?) He glanced down at the nails of his right hand, making a show of studying them. Fingerless gloves, as he'd taken to wearing once they'd started these nightly lessons of what dirt tastes like. "My bad. I forgot: you're a tease, picking out the men you're least likely to find attractive, seducing them, and laughing in their faces when they succumb. Is that why you pick the weak ones?" There was definitely a note of aggression behind the words, even though he hadn't intended it. So what if she'd gotten to him a little? Tch.

Not noticeably looking up from his hand, he watched the shifting stance from the corner of his eye, the sweep of the whip. Elysia probably didn't realize how much he was actually learning just by watching her. Even if he couldn't replicate most of it - or counter most of it effectively - and truly Dmitri was very much not the type to try something when he already knew the chance of success was virtually non-existant...nevertheless, he was learning to read these things at his usual astonishing rate. Points of weakness, what she'd be doing based on her preparations. Now if only someone who could take advantage of that information could be in his place, he'd be set.

It was probably crazy. That or his ego was still smarting from her earlier quip, and he was tired of taking fall after fall after fall and her looking down on him like some insignificant insect. So what if he didn't bother when he was going to lose anyway? It had served him well enough, for the most part. The majority of people pass up someone unthreatening when they've got more problems to deal with, after all. Whatever the reason, however, he didn't simply stand there during her rush. There was actually little noticeable difference, certainly not much of anything most people would notice mid-charge. In fact, all he did was...take a small step toward her.

Which left the whip to curl around the forearm of his left arm rather than the wrist, the teenager quickly wrapping it another turn, grasping the leather and giving it a yank toward him while she was still moving forward. He fumbled for the knife with his right hand, settling for drawing the one strapped to her thigh instead...when her leg caught his ankle. Dmitri dropped the blade in favor for gripping at her shoulders, left arm still wrapped up in the whip, taking the woman down with him in a puff of - yes - dirt. He grunted, torquing his hips in an attempt to roll on top of her while working to entangle her arm in the slack of the whip before she remembered herself and released the handle.

[Rei]

Dmitri’s words where heard and thought on even as Elysia sprung into movement. He didn’t understand. Probably never would understand her games. It wasn’t simply finding someone weak, or unattractive and laughing at them. It went deeper than that. Deeper than she herself was willing to go and so it had always just been. It wasn’t something she would explain. Or could question. Not now, possibly not ever, and surely not to someone who didn’t understand. Not to someone who would likely judge her for her role in her little quests of dominance. It didn’t matter however, her brain quickly dropped that line of thinking in favor of the cause and effect state it adopted in battle. Reactions, movement, possible outcomes flicking through her mind in rapid response. The step forward thus was noted. But it hadn’t been expected surely. Because of this her reaction time was slightly slowed and there was no way to stop the fall.

Instead the greenrider shifted so that when they impacted onto the ground most of her weight fell on the harper, saving her from most of the jarring effects of the collision with the ground. Immediately on feeling the reverse pull on the whip Elysia released control of her weapon as had been ingrained in her. When total control was not yours best to relinquish it before it could be turned against you as Dmitri was trying to do. Smart brat. See he /was/ learning. The drawing of her blade was noted with a brief snarl of irritation. He thought to use her own blade against he eh? The harper’s dropping of it in favor of gripping her shoulders surprised her enough. He should have kept it and attempted a stab or slash at her midsection or leg. One mistake. Instead of fighting against the handler’s power and momentum the benden rider went with it, adding her own at the right moment to reverse control. Thus she ended up on top instead of Dmitri, after a brief struggle.

Bringing up one knee to push it down into his stomach, thus creating a little distance, her right hand drew the blade at his hip and her left pressed a pressure point to distract so she could bring the blade across and press the flat of it to his neck. “Dead. But that was much, much, better.” Elysia actually smiled before releasing Dmitri and the blade and shifting to straddle him. Idly her hands played down his chest noting the rise and fall as the harper tried to regain breath. “Tell you what. Since you did better I can compromise with you. I won’t touch you tomorrow at all. See you get part of what you wanted…” Trailing off she purposely rocked her hips against his own. “and I get to hear you play.” With a coy smile the greenrider flicked a strand of his hair off his forehead and rolled off him to rise to her feet. Tsking lightly she grabbed the handle of her whip and with a few twitches loosened it enough so it slid easily from the harpers arm. Next she collected her blade, sheathing it with a shift movement and turning from the scene. A backwards look was given to Dmitri. “Coming Demi?”

Without giving another word the greenrider swayed towards the curious looking instrument, caressing it briefly with her eyes before kneeling beside it to get a closer look. Humming softly Elysia straightened and moved to stand beside it, her dark eyes flicking over to the harper as he approached. “What is it called?” The tone was soft and questioning. The rider, for once, not doing much of anything to hide her curiosity. She wanted to /touch/ it, but refrained from doing so just in case it set Dmitri off. Instead Elysia shifted so she could place one hand on her hip, the other resting lightly on her thigh. Briefly she wondered what he would play, all the while keeping her expression carefully stoic. Couldn’t let her interest show too much. He would use it against her and Faranth knew the handler didn’t need any more ammunition. She had dropped her guard around him far too many times already.

[Requiem]

Dmitri so rarely complained or made excuses for himself...not about anything real. It didn't get you anywhere. The truth, however, remained that just gripping a blade properly in his right hand was a chore, one he couldn't seem to manage in the middle of a struggle. He hadn't been able to pull his own free at all, had fumbled with Elysia's and settled on removing it from play entirely rather than attempting something clumsy that she could turn against him. Capturing and controlling his left arm crippled him significantly, even though he wasn't naturally left-handed so even that tended to be fairly clumsy. The success of the counter was riding heavily on her still having possession of her whip - disappointing as it might have been to discover she'd already released it, it wasn't surprising. Dmitri didn't really expect to get the better of Elysia any time soon.

Didn't keep him from trying, though, for working for a dominant position even as he gasped for the breath that had been knocked out of him when his back impacted the ground. Too late, he found Elysia had done something to throw him out of control in the attempt to roll her, Dmitri attempting to replicate it. He was, in fact, putting on weight, and stronger than he looked - certainly stronger than the average woman - but he still didn't have a lot of mass on Elysia. Certainly not enough to keep up the momentum when he really had no clue what he was doing, and all too soon he felt the knee driving into his gut and forcing out what little air he'd managed to regain. Pain exploded behind his ear, Dmitri jerking, left hand changing course from the thrust at her hip to try to dislodge her and instead coiling around her forearm reflexively. Until the blade rested against his neck and he froze, the words hazy to his ears. A flash of irritation. Dead. "I'm apparently immortal," he grumbled testily. "Or have a thousand lives." Given how often Elysia 'killed' him. The words came breathy, but he was finally getting some air to his lungs, eyes refocusing on her face as he sprawled passively beneath her.

Wait. A. Second. Had she just complimented him? The aggravation - which admittedly had a lot to do with the fact that he couldn't seem to get his body to work for him, not that it likely would have helped, though maybe he wouldn't put up quite so pathetic a showing - faded in favor of mild confusion. Remaining on his back as she got up, he groped for the knife, curling fingers around the hilt and struggling to sheathe it - until the whip fell away from his arm and he transferred the blade to his left hand. He pushed himself up off the ground, rising to his feet far less gracefully than the older woman. Brushing the dirt from his clothes, he glanced up, grunting a response and moving to join her. A flicker of mild amusement. It almost looked like she was stalking the instrument now. He shook his head slightly. Could nothing she did come across as something other than predatory?

"Uh. I've just been calling it my abacus. It's not exactly a mainstream instrument." Correction: Dmitri had conceived it and had it made entirely on his lonesome. He dug around in his pocket, extracting the small picks and sliding them over his fingers. A sidelong glance at her expression drew a small smile from him. "You do realize every time you get that look it's obvious you're trying to hide something, right? It's like a big neon sign saying Elysia's feeling something she doesn't want you to see, Dmitri, feel free to poke at her to discover what it is." Which, strangely, he didn't do, instead moving to sit on the stool he'd brought up for this purpose. For a long moment it was silent, then a sudden chord, and silence again. He played one string, bending the note up and slowly walking down the notes played in the previous chord almost contemplatively. Finding where his fingers wanted to go, perhaps.

He moved past the chord, continuing to bend the notes, the space between each stroke shortening until it ended an octave above the base note of the chord with an angry-sounding flourish. A pause, a few gentler notes. Clearly still picking out something in his head. "You know, it's easier if the audience makes a request," he commented dryly. Decision made, apparently, as his finger slid down the string, producing a whining sound meant to grate on the ears before his fingers suddenly erupted in a flurry of motion that sounded for all the world like a chase, sharper, accented notes establishing a definitive rhythm.

[Rei]

The benden rider watched as the harper removed himself from the ground. Dmitri’s slight confusion was noted with a slight smile. Yes the compliment had been intended to temper his mood and it had worked well enough. At least he no longer seemed to be quite as irritated which was Elysia’s current goal. Quietly she coiled her whip, eyes falling to the weapon as she did so. No return comment was given to his irritated remark about being immortal or having a thousand lives. No one was gifted with such. All the greenrider could hope was that the harper would continue to improve little by little during her lessons. At least to the point where he could keep himself alive until Dmisk or someone else could help him. Eventually he would be able to defend himself but turns of practice and experience could not be taught overnight. No matter he /had/ improved since they started even if he didn’t quite see it. Which made Elysia feel a little better. Despite his brattish attitude and the way he could infuriate her the greenrider didn’t want to see the handler get hurt. Unless she was doing the hurting. When Dmitri had stopped being just a toy to her she wasn’t sure, but it had been a surprise to her to find that she genuinely cared about his well being. Tch. Getting soft. Anyway if he wasn't a toy then what did that make him? A friend?

Elysia’s eyes fell to Dmitri as the harper approached, the barest trace of a smile uplifting the corner of her lips slightly before the expression closed again. An abacus? Wasn’t that something people used to calculate numbers and such on? No matter what he called it, it produced interesting sounds. Curiously she watched as he fished the picks out of his pocket and slid them onto his fingers. The greenrider’s expression hardened however as he started speaking. Hmm… Doing a worse job of hiding things than she thought. Either that or he was way to observant for his own good. She was betting on the latter. Elysia had had turns of practice at hiding things. Although around him she felt less of a desire to hide everything. Which bothered her a little. It was almost as if she wanted the handler to know some things. Giving just enough to keep his interest without revealing it all. Before she could get herself in trouble trying to rationalize it the first chord was stuck and she promptly dropped the train of thought in favor of listening. This was her reward for winning after all. Would be a shame not to let herself enjoy it.

Dark eyes flicked to Dmitri as he spoke. A slight smile gracing Elysia’s features for a moment. “I wouldn’t know what to request. So I will just trust you to amuse me. You have done a wonderful job of that so far.” Was her light teasing reply as she shifted closer to stand behind the harper, her eyes watching his movements as she listened to the sounds they produced. The music his hands produced reminded her vaguely of being astride Onyth. Whipping around and chasing after one of their targets. The flurry of sounds becoming an image of the predator and her prey. Chasing, feinting, and hounding. All the while looking for that one opening that one mistake that would end the fight and spell death for the pursued. Quietly Elysia stepped closer eyes flicking to Dmitri briefly before she settled herself carefully on the ground beside his stool. Her hand found his thigh and rested there as the rider closed her eyes to better play out the imagery in her head. A soft smile graced her features as she listened. For once content to let herself enjoy something thoroughly, even if it was in the harper's presence. A moment of weakness? Perhaps. But she preferred to think of it as a tentative moment of truce. For once the predator content to sit alongside her prey and just exist.

[Requiem]

No doubt. She certainly seemed ever so amused by his fumbling, now didn't she? The thought brough on no pause or falter in his playing. Nor did the oddity of her sitting beside him on the ground or the hand that found his thigh, though he did glance down at her out of curiosity. The expression did little to quell the curiosity, but his eyes returned to his hands, picking out the pauses in the chase, building up the tension, until...finally...the predator caught what he was after. Just the slightest of pauses, before he shifted into a flowing run of notes, letting the top one hang in the air for a moment. "Careful," he murmured. "You almost look like a human woman like that." As opposed to a predator or a stone wall. The phrase played again, and again the top note hung. "Not that it doesn't suit you." And again, though this time at the top note the music flowed simply into a round, note strains washing one over the other in waves and ending in a light trill while his other hand picked out a new phrase.

The gentle strains would trill and flow, gradually changing as they rolled over each other. Tranquil pauses sounded, just long enough to make a person wonder before a new set of notes brushed the questioning aside. As the rhythm began to change, shifting from a swift pattern of notes to slower seemingly randomly and back again, he sent the notes tumbling downward to rest back in tranquility. Only then, still playing, did he speak to Elysia, picking out a set of quiet chords and shifting into a light, quiet melody. "I can see every note in my head laid out before me, just like the beads and bars of an abacus. It doesn't require translating to a set of pipes and holes, or to a gitar with just a few strings. Playing isn't my strongsuit, and it always pales to the music in my head."

His hands moved over the strings, continuing the peaceful shifting, moving through the chords and notes without hesitation or hurry. "This instrument was my way of trying to get the music out without...completely killing it. And for the most part it's working." Contentedness, in his voice. It was the way Dmitri was, really. He could have focused on the limited use of his right hand, how it crippled him. How he'd need to learn how to use his left to write music legibly again, how the one instrument he had limited success with - the pipes - he couldn't play anymore. Not at a level even remotely approaching that of a trained harper. Instead he'd constructed a new instrument, one that took into account his handicaps - not just physically but mentally. The conception and building of it had gotten him through much inner frustration.

Here, he wasn't limited by much.

[Rei]

Eyes closed Elysia followed the battle closely in her head, until the inevitable end. A small smile flitted across her face and her eyes opened as the last notes of the chase died away. It wasn’t like the music that came from a pipe or a guitar. It was better in her opinion. Solely because she could actually see what it meant. All without words. Dark eyes flicked to Dmitri’s hands as he started the next volley of notes. The harper speaking however drew her attention momentarily to his face. Looked like a human woman did she? What in Faranth’s name was that supposed to mean. Did she walk around looking like something else? A mental chuckle filled her head. Perhaps he thinks you some beast. Onyth teased lightly. He wouldn’t be the first to label you a monster my Elysia. The greenrider almost smiled at the comment from her dragon and gave her a loving mental stroke before turning her attention back to Dmitri with a final. He did say it suited me remember. Does that mean /almost/ looking like a human woman is better than looking like one? The dragon gave another chuckle before she withdrew, but as always she never completely withdrew and Elysia could tell her green was enjoying the music as well.

A light squeeze to his thigh and a small amused snort was given to Dmitri as his words died away but no more. She didn’t want to ruin the music by speaking. Even his words had seemed to flow with the music coming from his instrument and Elysia was a bit entranced by the whole thing. Her eyes followed the harper’s hands as he played the tranquil flowing notes and it was very hard not to relax under them. Slowly as the minutes ticked away the greenrider found herself relaxing more and more, her eyes slipping closed to better enjoy each note as it floated past. Dmitri again broke the spell with his speaking and again her eyes went to his face to pay better attention to his words. Blinking a small smile spread across the riders face and she nodded along with his words. It was almost like he felt the need to explain why he called it an abacus. It was almost amusing that he sought to explain it to her. Nonetheless Elysia listened her eyes examining his face briefly before going back to the motions of his hands.

The greenrider watched the peaceful shifting of the notes and the gentle movements of his hands and really it was terribly hard not to feel peaceful in response. She was relaxed, more so then she could remember being in a long time. Idly she found herself nodding along to his words and being struck by just how content Dmitri sounded in this moment. It was almost nice to see him and feel like she was seeing him truly. Without any bratty shield in the way or any irritation blocking what he really thought. The harper seemed truly happy with his accomplishment and this ‘abacus’ and really Elysia couldn’t blame him. He had found a way around his short comings. A smile lit her face and she gave his thigh another absent squeeze. “You play beautifully. I like it. Very much.” There a true compliment. It wasn’t hard for her to give either she found with a bit of surprise. Again she closed her eyes allowing the music to wash over her without visual distraction.

[Requiem]

The music faltered for a moment, fading off in a discordant half-chord, his hands falling to his lap. Dmitri idly began removing the picks, almost as a nervous gesture, even, as opposed to something more deliberate. Even though he'd been speaking to her, somehow it hadn't really been to her, and he felt almost - exposed, to hear her voice. "Thanks." More of a murmur than an actual word. The hand on his thigh seemed to be burning there, the harper almost frozen. He wasn't shy, obviously, having performed on countless occasions, but never quite like this. Not with the music flowing so easily. The usual distraction, frustration and yes, disgust, that went with his playing was absent and it had suddenly taken on an intimacy that he wasn't comfortable with. Not sharing with Elysia.

No matter how intriguing the woman was to him - how exhilarating their game - he never quite forgot that she was trying to entangle him. Dmitri refused, absolutely refused, to allow himself to fall into whatever she had planned. He wasn't being used and discarded, like all the others she went through. The harper wasn't so prudish or straightlaced that he had queer romantic notions about love or being faithful. But Elysia wasn't doing flings. He'd seen who else she targeted, seen how she acted, and he wasn't sure if she liked breaking people or simply seeing how far she could push them once she worked her seduction...how far they'd go. Regardless, she got what she wanted, got bored, moved on. And Dmitri wasn't putting himself through that. He'd let down his guard. He wouldn't again.

"I think that satisfies our bet." Softly. The bluehandler glanced down at her, a brow lifting, the familiar half-smirk tugging at his lips. But there was still a touch of confusion and fluster behind his eyes and coloring his face. He trusted the night to mask most of it for him, though. "Was that all for tonight, then? It's rare for you to be content with knocking me down only once." His tone was decidedly flat. Dmitri would have gotten up, then, but her hand was still on his thigh, and almost as if it bore an unseen, unmoveable weight, he found it held him there. His picks were slipped back into his pocket.