o1 ⚔ i got no secrets i got no friends

[bangitybang]

Characters: Janus Lefevre & you
Summary: Closed and open threads for Janus, which I'm starting now ALTHOUGH I PRObably can't tag back til next week. An erstwhile murderer goes about their business in a post-apocalyptic world, such as picking people up at the bar and eating cookies. It's fine.
Date(s): August & September 2017
Warnings/Notes: Possibly some sexual stuff, non-graphic references to violence



open { bar;

[in the past few years, janus has learned a thing or two about being a person, doing regular person things, like for example the time-honored tradition of kind of sort of maybe picking someone up at a bar. making friends. contributing through some mystical means to the defense of a refugee city outflung in the reaches beyond the multiversal apocalypse. you know, the usual.

janus is at the citadel tonight. though defense systems and mysterious laboratories may take up much of the building, the lounge still has its cheesy music and dance floor and opulent indoor forest. it's a little weird, but then again, so is janus— a shadw under 6', muscular, dressed all in black, without enough facial expressions, quiet as a shadow until they abruptly appear at one's elbow.]

Allow me to buy you a drink. [a beat. they remember that things in xistentia are in general free-- the booze at this bar, especially.] Or make you one. I'm very exact with measurements. Goldilocks' ideal partner, once she's legal.

[look. a few years ago, they were a lot less smooth than this.]

open { misc! weird stalking;

[it's not that janus is following anyone specifically, they just have a habit of watching people wherever they're at. it's surveillance. it's tactical.

so maybe that ends up being you, going for a cup of coffee in the morning or helping to move produce to a grocery store one afternoon, building a shed for the new crop or teaching or preparing defenses. whatever you're doing, it's the weight of an indiscreet stare that pulls your attention. the young man looks both a million miles away and weirdly intense, like a hawk focusing a teeny tiny field mouse from a mile away.

but if you but look at them, janus stiffens and then looks apologetic, looking away and then back again, unsure if the formality of an apology would make the offense worse or better. murder is a lot easier than this, u no u no]

closed to team oreo (rafa, arthur, era) { teeeeam oreoooo;

Hello, this is Janus

[you remember. the stilted young man from the internet, who boasted a truly incredible ability.]

I have come into possession of Oreo cookies or a reasonable facsimile thereof
Please let me know when you are available and where to meet you, as I would like to share this bounty
:D

[:D]

Comments

[hasitsthorns]

[ Always. Maybe too much. Especially considering it sometimes borders into deciding for other people what's comfortable or not and taking rash, impulsive actions like running away for """their""" betterment. ]

You are very smooth, [ she admits, clinking her glass to theirs gingerly before taking a sip. ] Almost as smooth as this drink, actually. Thank you for it. I don't think playing with F.A.T.E.S. and the drinks it likes to make was good for my health in the long run.

[bangitybang]

[janus' eyes flash a bit triumphantly, although they do a good job not like, obviously gloating or anything as silly as that. but they're collecting a's on their grade card basically all the time.] You're welcome. I'm glad you're enjoying it. [another gulp of cocktail, another subtle gleam of pride.]

You don't really think F.A.T.E.S. is trying to kill you, do you? [they cock their head. their tone is light; it's only halfway a serious question.] I think it's technically supposed to be giving us a place to live and thrive. That's what it says on the label.

[hasitsthorns]

[ Janus gets an A so far in Rose's book. They're exactly the type she likes; that is, they're paying attention to her and calling her pretty. That's about all the requirements that need to be ticked off for Rose to reciprocate interest. It helps that Janus is easy on the eyes too, of course. ]

I'd hope not, but... [ It wouldn't be the first time someone told her they were only trying to help and then ended up doing the exact antithesis of what most people define as helping. But that's a little heavy maybe for light conversation over drinks. ] Maybe I just have trust issues.

[bangitybang]

Mmm. I had trust issues when I was younger, [says janus, who definitely still has trust issues now, but they're subtler now. nice and covered up in various machinations and cleverness, social skills that they honed through careful practice, a rigorous focus on self-improvement.] I know a good way to practice getting over them, but you have to finish your drink first. [they tap their finger on the rim of her glass instructively.]

And you have to be a little brave. But only a little. Come on. Be intrigued. This will go well.

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose's issues, it's possible, lie more in commitment than trust. Committing to things feels like an obligation, obligation feels like entrapment. It's not the most rational pathway in her brain but it's still there. Above all else, Rose wants freedom.

Also orgasms. Those are pretty high up there now too since they're awesome.

Either way, after a skeptical narrowing of her eyes, Rose does as she's asked and finishes her drink by slamming it back like a champ. It doesn't seem to have much effect, thankfully. She's got quite the high tolerance compared to the average person. When she's not purposefully binge-drinking her sadness away, at least. ]

I mean, I'm technically trusting you right now by letting you lead me to this 'practice' so... we're off to a good start, I guess.

powerposing you a little bit, lmk if not ok

[bangitybang]

Yes, we're off to a terrific start, [agrees janus, smiling at her, lopsidedly, HAVING NO IDEA HOW MUCH IN COMMON THEY HAVE, and how different their problems are underneath it all, but probably game to play because of that. keeping it casual. they do not in fact, follow suit. their alcohol tolerance is actually nothing supernatural at all.

then they stand up grandly. gesture out with two black-sleeved arms, urging her to rise. once she does, they step up behind her, their long frame moving up close enough that she can feel the warmth and nearness, the line of their body. but they don't touch her much, not right away-- something about respect, feeling out boundaries, making sure they're on the same page, even as they instruct her gently,] Close your eyes.

[trust falls. it's kind of like having game.]

powerprose me always pls

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose thinks so. The terrific start, that is. This isn't the typical way she gets people close to her after a drink or two but she can't complain at all. Janus is more than welcome to touch her more. Maybe later, she thinks, but for now she raises her brows in interest as to what they're planning. ]

Okay, [ she says, simply. Despite the underlying current of emotions being anything but simple. It is... a larger amount of trust than she puts in most people, honestly, already to close her eyes and allow herself to be so vulnerable in such a way.

Her life is in your hands, Janus! SHE'S TRUSTING THEM!!! Despite the fact that she is .1947297492 seconds from calling the whole thing off. ]

powerposing more, moving this along, poke me if not ok!

[bangitybang]

You must keep your back straight, [janus tells her, their voice as soothing as they can make it-- calm, mild as the misting rain under which orchids flourish and springtime advertises its gauzy sense of romance. it's actually really similar to their murder voice, sort of toneless and quiet, but fortunately rosie has none of that for frame of reference!] And then let yourself fall. Trust that I will catch you.

[in reality, it's both less and more than that. you don't have to trust in someone else to protect you, if you can trust in yourself to survive the fall itself. however, there's something to be said even for the simple pretend. it could mean anything. it could mean nothing. but she falls, a slender body through space, music thumping again her skin and the chilled air of the lounge whisking her hair. and when she lands, it's squarely in the hunter's arms.

and then they're smiling down at her, their face close enough that she can make out the freckles on their nose, smell they'd had something mint to crisp their breath before they'd drunk the long island ice tea. and she can tell that-- mainly because then they're moving, with careful optimism, to kiss her.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ While she might not have a frame of reference for Janus personally, it does call to mind both pleasant and unpleasant associations. She thinks of Ren reassuring her in hushed tones after a fight when all her thoughts were rattling around wildly in her head; simultaneously, she hears the whispers of It'll all be over soon, you'll be alright from men in white coats who she never truly believed her her best interests at heart. The only thing they'd been interested in was the coin lining their pockets.

But she knows how to fake it until she makes it with the best of them and thus she allows herself to fall. Rose closes her eyes, sucks in a breath, and manages to refrain from squeaking as she drops back. It says a lot, maybe, that she's pleasantly surprised by the soft yet strong feeling of their arms holding her up instead of having met the hard floor below.

She's also (not as) pleasantly surprised that when she opens her eyes, she can count their freckles and smell minty freshness on their breath and then meets their lips with hers easily. ]

[bangitybang]

[this part

this part is nice. janus wraps their hands around her waist, pull her up. they can bench nearly a ton, so she's light in their grip, like— like they sometimes suppose dancers must feel their partners are, with the familiarity of anatomy, the certainty of how one is supposed to move together. they hitch her up against their body, ducking their head to make up for the disparity of their heights. kiss her again, tongue delving into her mouth, their coarse, callus-worn fingers nonetheless smooth on her back.

she tastes like liquor and— you might as well call the other flavor freedom, probably. that's what they'd call it if they were talking to her. but they aren't. instead, they're leaning her up on the bar, smiling against her mouth, a little proud of themself, a little charmed by the wolf woman and her blonde hair.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose had convinced herself at one time that this part wasn't nice. She had told herself it wasn't anything she was missing. Yet, in this moment, she wonders how she could have ever truly believed that. When she feels Janus' hands at her waist, the effortless way they lift her up, and the warmth of their body against her- Well, she wonders why she'd allowed herself to subscribe to that lie for so long.

Rose parts her lips to allow their tongue to dart into her mouth. She's smiling, too, just as equally charmed. Her hands find their way to anything she can grab onto. The only time she breaks away is because the pesky need to breathe. For as non-mortal as she is, she still has some similar functionalities. Normally, breathing is such a non-thought but right now it's so obvious. So hindering.

She just wants to kiss the cute hunter more. She wants more. Rose always wants more. Indulgence might be one of her vices but she's not about to stop when it means she gets to make-out with super hot people like Janus. ]

ffw a bit lmk if not ok

[bangitybang]

[it's no great vice. janus is very discerning about vices— things that will poison your body, damage the mechanics of your mind, pollute the substance of your soul and the runoff to your dreams. consensual banging is like most things in life— crucial for the survival of life in the multiverse, safe short of excess, and if you aren't trying anything like erotic asphyxiation using the coils of a live cobra or anything.

they wind up in a bedroom. there are a lot of them at the citadel, empty, full of mystery and remote hygiene concerns that janus tells themself probably get magicked away like all the other logistics of this world. it's fine. it's actually better than fine. the mattress is firm and bouncy when they swing her onto it, watching her blonde hair jump off her shoulders. it's not real trust, not really, but that's what's fun too. real trust would be scarier.]

Do you speak any languages other than English? [they inquire cheerfully, kissing her neck, then her mouth, planning long hands down her hip.] What was your first one.

[hasitsthorns]

[ Don't worry, that's not a kink Rose plans on whipping out during a first time. That's not to say it isn't something that might sound exciting down the line, however, if there is a down the line. She's actually almost comically bad at the 'hit and quit it' mentality but has definitely taken most encounters here a lot less seriously than Eudio. Since being so intense actually might have scared away a perfectly good opportunity, especially.

So, she's casual now. Or trying to be. It's easy to tell herself that, anyway, as she bounces onto the bed with a bit of laughter. It's easy not to think too much into things when she's being kissed and asked interesting questions. Rose herself grabs at the fabric of their shirt, wondering why they're still wearing it. Why there's still far too much clothing between them both, honestly. ]

The language of wolves, [ which probably sounds very profound and deep. In reality, it's just the truth. Her mother tongue wasn't anything spoken by people but animals. It isn't anything she thinks she can truly convey, however, to someone that's not so- ] But after that, Japanese.

[bangitybang]

[janus likes them some making out, but the skitter of slender hands up their sides tells him that the woman would like to move things along. they lift themself off her a moment, effectively doing a push-up that emphasizes the cut musculature of their shoulders and upper-arms. and showing off a little, maybe. showing off a little never killed anybody. (showing off has definitely killed lots of people, just not like this.)

reaching back with one hand, they manage to support their whole weight above her on just one arm, which is definitely showing off slightly more. they smile at her, lopsidedly, friendly, a little lustful, a little more than a little lustful, and then they reach back over their own shoulder, hooking long fingers in the fabric of their shirt. and pull. the shirt skims up over their stomach, chest, hikes over the breadth of their shoulders. and they drop it just past her shoulder.

freckles dust their delts, the rift between their pectorals is deep and taut. there are only the faintest scars. hunters don't keep the wounds they're given.]

Do you ever lose English?

[they lay back down, halfway on her, halfway braced on the mattress beside her, running a thumb up her belly, skimming up the hem of her shirt until her breasts are exposed in her underthings. another tug, urging her to raise up her arms.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ There's a sight Rose doesn't think she'll ever tire of. It's like unwrapping a present every time, new and exciting; there's something so splendid about the first clothes being peeled away and only skin left underneath. Janus' is beautiful, too. There's so much personality there in their freckles, some story too in the scars even for as faint as they may be. She wants to kiss every inch of it that she possibly can and maybe she'll be able to if given the opportunity.

Their showing off is doing quite a lot for Rose, she'll have them know. ]

Sometimes, [ she says, shifting to follow their lead and raise her arms. It's just as swift a moment before her shirt's gone and- Somewhere. She doesn't care. She'd rather smile at the cute person atop her and answer their question. ]

I forget some words, or- English generalizes a lot. Most people just say 'seaweed' but there's so many different types. Nori, wakame, hijiki. I don't know how you can just call them all the same.

[bangitybang]

[they kiss her at some point after the three types-- formats?— iterations of seaweed in japanese. her mouth is precious and bright, her eyes warm with friendly interest. they like this too, when things are amicable and pleasurable. to be in the bed of a beautiful woman who doesn't ask for anything but

more words for seaweed, apparently.]

Does it happen more often if you're distracted? [long, rough fingers under her back unhook her bra. the elastic straps relax abruptly, losing their taut stretch, going wiggly and soft atop her shoulders. they tug it up off her arms, and then start on her clavicles, a small bite placed at the center peak, where one wing meets the other below the hollow of her throat. a smile tucked against her after that.] Fall yourself lapsing into the Japanese?

[hasitsthorns]

[ Only the sexiest of requests from Rose. It seems to serve her well, at least. The tightness of her bra suddenly isn't and she's wiggling her shoulders a little at the newfound freedom. She so loves her freedom, especially when it leads her to getting progressively more naked in bed with a handsome new acquaintance. That's the best kind of freedom, in her opinion. She might be biased though. Just a little.

She can't help the giggle that escapes her lips at the feeling of their lips brushing against her skin, the fleeting graze of their teeth there too. Janus is learning something that very few people know: Rose is extremely ticklish. ]

When I'm emotional, [ she answers, her own hands resuming their roaming. Now that their shirt is off the next order of business would be those pesky pants. ] Which is kind of funny, when I think about it. That when I get upset, I use one of the most polite languages there is.

[bangitybang]

Best not to get upset at times like these, [janus agrees, light but not mocking. they pull the trousers off her hips, a quick hitch, a little rough, that exposes a smooth, inch-wide slice of bare skin on her sides. after that, they're a little gentler, easing the fabric off her thighs. her scars don't make them stop or fumble, and then they're equally sure-handed about working their own jeans off their narrow hips. their dick pops out to say hello, tenting under their black briefs.] Good emotions?

You don't tend to lose English then? [but instead of trying to put it to her immediately, there's a long coarse finger in their own mouth, licked for moisture. and then they reach down between her thighs, plying up the flesh of sleek muscle, to her groin. looking to find her clit and coax it out gently to play.

their hair falls in their eyes. they smile at her.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Though it's something Rose tells herself not to pay mind to, she does. Janus passes the test - the abitray, senseless test - of not asking about her scars right away. Vanyel and Farraige both had too and they'd seen the ones lining the entirity of her back before anything else. ]

Not- [ she's interrupted by that finger of theirs finally hitting its mark. It's a surprising surge of pleasure through her as it does and she sighs contently in response to it before she smiles back. Then, she finds her words again. ] -often.

[ Which probably seems a little funny, all things considered. She doesn't often lose English. At least not as often as when attrctive people aren't fingering her clit. ]

[bangitybang]

[she makes them smile. and then that smile is pressed against her mouth, a kiss that isn't made of pucker but of two curves meeting tangentially, by coincidence. it's either the puff of an exhale or of laughter that blows warm over her cheek, but in either case, it's not at her expense.]

Hashtag goals? [they ask. she does seem like one of their contemporaries. she'll either get it, or he'll get a puzzled look in between the flutter of her eyelashes. charming, either way.

for now, they tend the wet warmth of her flesh, stroking, teasing, rocking another finger down, seeking ingress below, choosing a rhythm that works on a crescendo. the moisture of her gathers slick on their otherwise coarse and callused fingers. she makes them feel almost new. and it's a little dirty, maybe, they find their mouth clenching wet in the moment, contrary urges to the ache that's firing up in their gut, squeezing their cock against the half-peeled remnants of their trousers.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Even if it was, Rose wouldn't mind. Laughter is such a splendor. She loves to make people laugh, whether with or at her. It's so much better than the sharp intake of breath or wide eyes of terror that she'd grown accustomed to before Eudio. It's a wonderful thing to know she can make people laugh, instead of striking fear into their hearts. It makes her feel like she's worth something, that she's more than they told her she was. A wolf, yes, but not a monster.

There's a puff of laughter though at that. She does get it and, honestly? She relates. Hashtag goals, indeed. She'd say as such herself but she's admittedly a little swept up by that stroke of their fingers. ] Oh, [ is actually all she utters, hips hitching up just slightly to reach a better angle, fingers curling around their shoulders in encouragement. Janus is doing just the right things right now and she doesn't want them to stop. ]

[bangitybang]

[janus has come to love many things about the bodies of women, as they understand them. they've met women who use them as weapons as often as not— deadly and agile, swift to strike, their balance centered lower, a greater agility endemic to the rotation of their hips. gender differences had been used to teach them to come to peace with their own powers, less than those of other hunters— a blade needs only a pound of force to cut through human flesh. it was only generalizations, of course, but still the first step to defying conventional bullshit understandings of weakness.

and later, they came to understand something of beauty. they love the soft, slick sucking of her body on their fingers, dewy and gathering, the squeezing contraction of her thighs on them. they stare as her nipples peak pink, sweat making her shiny old scars even shinier. they kiss her because— because they have to, pumping their hand. and kissing, too, the muffled notes of her mouth, make them think they might burst if they don't get in her soon.]

Can I--

[it's coarse and vulgar, the bulge of their cock on her leg. with their other hand, they hike her knee high over a shoulder.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Rose has used her body as a weapon. Even now, she arguably still does. It's not literal. Instead of a sharp jab or swing of her leg, it's the softness of her skin and warmth of being close. Bright eyes and brighter smiles, quiet giggles of enjoyment in-between breathless kisses. She's been deadly in the literal sense and now is becoming so in metaphorical ways. An interesting duality, indeed.

This is a much preferable battle though. One where usually everyone wins and are left content with the results. Rose knows she will be anyway, catching Janus' lips in increasingly needy kisses as those fingers of theirs continue to work on her. She can feel them building up in tension though, the rough edge of their voice and heat of their cock against her leg as they ask for permission. ]

Please, [ she encourages, giving a little happy peep as her leg is hoisted up and her knee hooks over their shoulder. ]

[bangitybang]

[perfect. they're so eager it would be embarrassing, maybe with someone else who preferred reserve and machismo and an elegant swoop of an eyebrow timed to a smooth, throaty moan, not to loud, not too low. but rosie seems to be pretty inclusive in her interpretation of what a man-- or a queer should be, and so, they let it quicken them, the desire to put their cock against her. to roll their hips, slicking the blunt head of it in, to feel the way her body furrows and clenches wet around her, suckling, almost pulling—

and they make a stupid face, probably. a pop-eyed wow then a scrunch of pleasure, tugging back a moment, thrusting again, knowing that a bob of friction will open her wider to the intrusion finding its way in.

they wind up smiling damply across her mouth, a saliva-shiny grin. a roll of their freckled shoulder, and they hike her knee higher, skimming her calf over the angle of their back.]

[hasitsthorns]

[ Janus doesn't know them or maybe they do, maybe they will- Either way, the disparity between her two boyfriends alone is probably enough to indicate that Rose's idea of what men (or genderqueer people who are masculine leaning) should be ranges a very broad spectrum.

Besides, each person is so unique. Especially in these intimate situations. That's part of why Rose enjoys it so much, just the experience that is never like any other.

She'll tell Wyatt too eventually that this feeling is like not wanting to finish eating your favorite meal. Delicious. Delectable. A lot of adjectives that start with 'd,' which is apt considering it's Janus' d that's entering her now. She can't help the contented sigh that escapes her lips as they work their way into her, a flutter of eyelashes, an even steeper arch of her back and hips just slightly so. A smile in return and a low, soft moan all just for them. ] Gods, [ she breathes out, which might be funny depending on what Janus knows about the nurse of an academy in another world who shares her name, face, and backstory. ]