come_sailaway | Love Does not Discriminate

Entry tags:

Love Does not Discriminate

Who: Valdis and Open with Some Closed
What: Valdis does stuff around the Serena Eterna, feel free to join her
When: February
Where: All Over
Warnings: In Starters

It takes and it takes and it takes | Erin | CW: Nightmares

She’d be lying if she said she hasn’t been avoiding Erin a little, despite their conversation at her hollow. But the woman is important to her, even if just as friends. Sometimes she thinks Erin is trying too hard to be something else, but Valdis isn’t anywhere near ready to move forward in that manner, and Erin has implied very strongly that she is willing and happy to wait. But Valdis can’t stop thinking about what Erin told her back when they first met, about her ability to enter dreams, and there’s something just outside of her reach within the nightmares that plague her every night. If Erin can help her go that extra step, then it’s worth a try, even if the intimacy of it may be uncomfortable for them both. She knocks gently on Erin’s door. It’s a little late for visits, but she can’t go another night in those hallways without knowing what lies at the end of them.

“Erin?”

And we keep loving anyway | Max Maximum | Stellar | CW: None

It’s their first actual date, and of course it’s also Valentine’s Day, which, for the first time in a long time she’s not going to spend alone. The short, tight, sequined black dress with a plunging neckline leaves just enough for the imagination that she knows he’ll be delighted to remove it later. It’s nothing he hasn’t seen before, but she loves how he marvels every single time, like he can’t believe he has her.

For once, she’s early instead of exactly on time, feeling like a schoolgirl on a date with her first crush. Childish perhaps, but the next step beyond just friends with benefits. She may never have his whole heart, but she is happy enough with just a piece of it. The memory of how he felt when he learned she returned his affections was pure magic. The one time that being able to feel what others feel is more of a blessing than a curse. Who else has the power to feel love so incredibly deeply from both sides, especially when one side is your own?

We laugh and we cry and we break | Reading Around The Ship | Open

The Library is the best refuge she has these days and she’s reading romance novels this month. The spicy kind that she’s actually hiding behind a larger book. When she’s not reading romance, she’s rereading the Sherlock Holmes mysteries, or Pride and Prejudice, or some other less spicy book. Occasionally she’s reading out by the pool, lounging in an almost sheer wrap in the sun, she is wearing a bikini underneath so not too much can be seen. You may also find her reading in the lounge or in Sanddollars.

And we make our mistakes | Just Around the Ship | Open

From trying different foods at the various restaurants around the Serena Eterna, to Sundries and the sports deck, Valdis is all over the ship. She meditates every morning on the top deck, practices sword maneuvers or works out in the gym later in the day. In one instance she is lugging a beautiful red ball grown across the ship, grumbling about how Friday needs to stop giving her dresses she’s never going to wear. In another she’s watching Aladdin on the TV at Sanddollars (she borrowed it from Klaus), and sketching cartoon versions of the passengers she’s met on the ship. When they aren’t cartoon versions, they are detailed sketches of flowers, places and people she doesn’t really want to talk about, but ask the right questions and she might be willing to tell people a bit more.

And if there's a reason I'm still alive | Palamedes | CW: Rolled a 5, so there is blood

Sleep doesn’t come easily these days, especially since opening the box with the three feathers from Friday. It’s restless, filled with images and twisted memories. Dreams. But she’s mostly able to cope without causing any issues for her roommate. Until the dreams burn into reality with a searing, stabbing pain in her side. The massive amounts of death energy seeping into the room are suddenly banished by a flash of light and soul energy. The pain increases, followed by something wet streaming down her stomach and back. Blood.

She tears off the sheets and races into the shower fully clothed, almost breaking the handle as she turns on the cold water to fight the burning pain. The pink water swirls down down around her feet. Palamedes is likely awake, that light is still so bright it might as well be daylight inside their room.

“Crap.” At least the bleeding has already stopped.

I'm willing to wait for it | Wildcard

Choose your own adventure! Valdis can often be found in the library, on the sports deck, or wandering around the ship, so anywhere you wish to encounter her works.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"My dear, Max," Valdis laughs, "I've been around awhile, what kind of woman would I be if I didn't know how to properly pair wine with a meal by now."

As if on cue, a nice medium bodied red appears at the table along with two wine glasses, and a bread knife and platter for the bread he brought.

"I don't know for sure, but I do know that just makes us even more compatible." Being able to share one's passions is a good mark for a relationship's longevity, isn't it? That's what the magazines say.

"Looks like the ghosts are in our corner tonight too." Is it strange to hope that whoever is doing the serving right now, they enjoy the work as much as he would? Is that just his own way of assuaging his guilt over their fates.

"What is the knife for?" This dumb-dumb really thinks she's going to take the bread home and have it alone.

"I suppose it does. I'm sure there's plenty more we have in common too."

She's smiling, but despite being desperately and foolishly in love with him, there's a sense of sadness over what they don't know about each other. She hopes they will have the time to continue learning.

Valdis briefly wonders the same about the ghosts. As tragic as it would be, if Malachi had been drawn here, would he be happy for her enough to help her even as a ghost? Would he approve of Max?

"I assume it's for the bread," she replies, reaching over the unwrap it. "It smells amazing."

"I look forward to discovering what else. In fact, we should try some icebreakers. See what that teaches us?" Only Max would suggest something like that after confessing his love for a person.

"Oh! Do you want to have some now? I was expecting you to take it home but if you want to share?"

She starts cutting the bread into even slices, "Of course I want to share, I can't eat it all myself anyway."

A short hum as she hands him a piece. Butter and jam appear on the table next to Max.

"What kind of ice breakers did you have in mind?" Valdis asks, "I have several hundred years worth of hobbies, so I'm sure we can find at least one more thing in common."

"I used to have to." Because vampires don't eat bread.

He happily smothers his piece in both butter and jam. The ghosts seem to know him well enough to know he prefers strawberry.

"I was just thinking how there are so many little things I still haven't asked you. Like, I was trying to make a card and didn't even know what color is your favorite so... maybe some rapid-fire get-to-know-you?"

Valdis puts a light coating of butter on her piece, along with a little bit of jam before taking a bite as she considers his question. The bread is some of the best she's ever tasted.

"Well, my favorite color is green, or maybe red, I can't choose. Sometimes it's purple, others blue. But if I had to pick one now, it would be a deep emerald green."

Because that was who she really was, when the monster slept and she could just be in peace.

"What is yours?"

"I think emerald suits you really well." It's a mysterious color, deep, warm, regal, but sometimes unattainable.

"Mine is royal blue. Especially when paired with gold accents." The color reminds him of a beautiful old French cafe he saw when his master took him to Paris. He's daydreamed about having a cafe just like it ever since.

"Okay, what about animals? Maybe that one's too obvious? Mine are dogs, actually. Go figure, right? Only, I like chocolate labs best--not so much whatever I change into now. Oh, and my favorite flower is roses, yellow or white ones, especially."

Royal Blue. She'll remember that. Maybe she'll have to find some gold jewelry too. Valdis notices he perks up a little more when talking about what he likes. The fact he likes dogs best does not escape her. In fact, it takes her back to what Yato was telling people when she gave him that impossible task.

"I like cats, I had one once. A long time ago. He was white and fluffy with green eyes like mine."

She smiles again when he talks about flowers. "My favorite flowers are the ones picked from the meadow and given out of love. But I also like red roses."

"Aww," he melts onto the table putting his chin in his hands as he looks at her adoringly. So, she is a cat person after all. "What was his name?"

He's a little jealous. The closest thing he ever had to a pet was a couple of stray cats that liked to hang out around his dad's garage sometimes. They were feral mousers, so they didn't like being touched much. But little Max enjoyed feeding them pieces of bologna from his sandwiches.

"The next time we go to a place with a meadow, I'll remember that. If I bring you some back, they won't ever wilt here."

"His name was Anani. It means cloud. I was, very young, so I suppose simple names were normal."

She smiles, he's so cute and perfect and she still doesn't believe that she found him. Still doesn't know if she deserves him.

"You are such a romantic. I would treasure them always."

He's too far away to kiss, but he'll get plenty of that later.

"Favorite food?"

"What's wrong with simple names? I think that's lovely. Perfect for a fluffy white cat."

Her praise feels like kisses from afar already. He can't be smiling any brighter.

"Ah, I knew you were going to ask me that one so I thought about my answer in advance. Have you ever had macarons before? Those are my favorite. What about you?"

She nods, "I've never been able to get them right when I've made them, but I do enjoy them."

She's immortal, not perfect. Valdis smirks when he asks her what her food is. She grabs the bread with the jam and butter and holds it up.

"This is my favorite." She takes a bite, giggles through it and swallows.

"That's partially why they are my favorite. They take such precision to make. I spent a long time perfecting my technique for them." The first time they came out perfect he might have cried a little.

"Oh, come on. You're just saying that." His bread can't possibly be her favorite thing. It's too simple.

"Sometimes the best things in life are the things that bring back beautiful memories and were gifted by the ones we love most."

Someday she will need to tell him about Malachi. If only to assure him that she doesn't care that he's not a fearsome warrior, or a king, or some rich man who only wants something pretty on his arm. She has no use or desire for such people. He is sweet, soft and perfect. If only he could see himself as she does.

His cheeks glow red as she says that, a blush in full bloom along with the most glorious of smiles. Ones we love most. That fits her, of course.

"You have such a beautiful way of looking at things. I cherish your perspective and... I'm so glad I can be here to make more memories just like this with you. All I want is to make you happy."

"You bring out the beauty in me, Max."

Back home, memories would be all she someday had of him, but here, they might have another choice. Or her heart might break again. But she smiles at him over the plate of spaghetti that has just been brought to their table.

"I do hope we can continue our conversation," perhaps go deeper into other things, "but I think you wanted to try to Lady and Tramp it?"

"I look forward to a lot more conversations, tonight, tomorrow, the day after..." For as long as they both may be here.

He meant to tell her that she's been beautiful right from the start but the prospect of living out his dumb Disney fantasy moment has him far too excited.

"Yes. Let's dig in!" Said with his fork and spoon already in his hand. Yes, he does do the thing where you spin the noodles on the spoon.

Definitely tonight, tomorrow and the day after, and for as long as they are together.

Valdis picks up her own fork and spoon. It's not exactly a meal you can eat with elegance or poise, but she's going to do her best. She gently stabs a meatball with her fork. If they don't end up finding the same noodle, she'll simply manufacture the scenario.

Valdis doesn't need to worry about staying elegant for him. He just likes a chance to share food with someone he loves at all. He's had table manners drilled into him, sure, but that just makes breaking the rules feel all that much naughtier. Look, he's even got his elbows up on the table as he scoops the first bite into his mouth.

"Mm. Okay, I'll give it to whatever or whoever it is making the food here. It's much better than the buffet. The red sauce isn't bland. That's what I always worry about. You know that whole thing about vampires being afraid of garlic? It's not true, but, they do have really sensitive noses so you should hear them bitch about it. Ha."

She slurps up a noodle after eating the meatball. It is good. The seasoning is perfect, the meat is tender and also seasoned well.

"I can't say I'd be good company at any of their dinners." She replies after finishing another bite, but then she puts her fork down. "I guess I don't really know much about that society, but I cannot really be good company around someone who would leave you feeling as you did when you first arrived."

Perhaps this isn't the time for this talk, but she'll make it up to him later.

Max knew a topic like this had to come up eventually, so he tries not to let himself tense up too much about it. He's quiet a moment, taking the excuse of needing to chew and swallow to give himself time to decide how to reply.

"How--" He chews his bottom lip now instead. "How did I feel to you when we first met?"

"Like someone who's been a prisoner for so long they've forgotten that's what they are, but on some level, still understand that what has happened to them is wrong."

Her tone is soft, her hand crossing the table to rest on his arm.

"Someone so desperate for love that they will accept anything that even remotely resembles it and will offer anything to have that feeling, but at the same time, believes they do not deserve the real thing."

Is it fair for her to speak his feelings back to him? Is it going to hurt him the way it hurt Bash? She's speaking these ones out of love, but they could still hurt him.

Edited 2023-03-08 21:37 (UTC)

He moves his opposite hand to cover hers where it lays on his arm, and his fingers curl just a little too hard into her. It does hurt to hear this because he knows it's the truth. All of it. Part of him is still terrified, even now, that he's not worthy of this love she's holding for him. Part of him worries he hasn't done enough to earn it. As if this was ever something that needed to be earned? That's the prisoner in him talking.

"I was..." he takes a steadying breath. "I was desperate. Sometimes I still feel desperate. But you never ask more from me than I want to give. You never let me make myself less for your sake. So I'm really trying to believe I'm... everything you see in me."

His eyes meet hers and there's determination written into the deep furrows of his brow. "I want to be someone who can be just as good at supporting you as you are at supporting me. I... I want you to feel like you can share it all with me. Hold nothing back. Just like this."

Valdis squeezes his arm gently, knowing how hard it is for him to work through who he was and who he is becoming. That determination in his eyes both makes her heart flutter with joy, and hurts.

"I love you, Max. And I trust you. But I don't want to taint your journey with my past."

She squeezes his arm again, gently, sadly, "You must think me a hypocrite, wanting to know everything about you but hiding all of me."

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