2025-05-05 - Kiss Kiss

It’s after dark, and the park is closed to guests even if there’s plenty for staff to do. The entertainment staff are pretty much off but the small army that upkeeps things and cleans is quite busy.

Ash is in uniform but off, and has been really just loafing around doing things outside the building Iseul works in.

No reason really. She’s probably in there and busy. Maybe he’s just being ridiculous but he seems to think going in is trying too hard while lingering outside like a hopeful mosquito waiting for a victim is different.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: Hey <3

He's only left waiting for a few minutes, but in some instances, that can feel eternal. Luckily, perhaps, when the wait finally ends? It's with the sight of her, rather than a simple texted response. The door to 'Neverland' opens long enough to allow her to slip out, then closes behind her. She doesn't look up, instead appearing focused on the phone in her hand, leaning against the door's exterior and raising it before herself. The way she bites her lip as she taps out a message does little to dim the dazzling brightness of her smile, much less hide it.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: 안녕, 여보. 💕

In his black security uniform he steps back into a shadow, trusting to motionlessness, color, and distraction to keep him unnoticed for now. The phone in his hands lights up but he tries to turn so it isn’t so visible from her direction.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: Been thinking about you all day

Iseul, on the other hand, is bathed in golden light from the lamp affixed to the wall above the door, and doesn't seem bothered by the idea that she could be spotted by random passers-by. She's barely even trying to quell that giddy little smile anymore, and it'd be pointless to even try hiding her blush. The only plus in that regard, perhaps, is the downward cant to her head, which shields her features from the direct light to a tiny degree.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: Oh? Good thoughts, I hope.

There’s something a little fun about watching her like this, though Ash isn’t staring. Too much of his attention is on his phone even if he does take many opportunities to look at Iseul.

She’s just so beautiful.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: Very nice ones. About our date. Future dates. You in general.

Yes, that really was a giggle that just spilled from Iseul's lips. He certainly does have an effect on her. Downside of the fact that he's watching her without her knowledge right now? If asked about it directly, she stands no chance whatsoever of delivering an even nominally convincing lie.

You know how a girl's foot will often pop up behind her when she's being thoroughly kissed, countless sappy movies or television series? Hers actually does it. Right now. Sans kiss, but even so, it rises behind her and props lightly against the door she's leaning on as she taps out her reply.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: And when is this date going to be happening? A girl needs time to prepare, you know.. 😉

Ugh she’s just so pretty it physically hurts. Ash has to will himself not stare at her, it’s that bad.

He grins widely but remains silent as he taps out a reply.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: Well there’s a sleepover thing happening tomorrow. Want to go with me as my date? You can protect me from losing my honor.

Iseul would probably be doing quite a bit of staring herself, if he weren't hiding himself away in the shadows like a skulking skulker who skulks. Goodness knows that any time he's been in front of her in prior meetings, she got caught losing herself in the sight of him many, many times.

There's a blink that follows the soft chime of a newly-received message, and the young woman's brows dart upward in surprise. An overnight date? Still, only a few seconds pass before she's tap-tapping at her screen again.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: Dare I ask how you think you might lose your honor, without me there to protect you? Is this sleepover happening at a strip club?

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: I don’t know! It was supposed to be funny. 🙁

Okay so the joke landed flat. It’s nit like Ash stresses it though. He just grins widely but remains and looks for her after every time he’s hit send.

Iseul does look fairly amused as she texts him back again, mind you. It's just that that's the dominant expression on those delicate features right now, as opposed to the adorably crush-stricken girl she resembled before.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: Of course I'll come with you. But no strip clubs. I'd get thrown out for punching someone in the boob.

Ash thinks over this response for a second before tapping a reply. He reflexively smiled at her boob threats but goes sincere for this round.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: Ive really never been to a strip club. Wouldn’t know what to do really.

Finally pushing forward off of the door, Iseul seems ready to start heading wherever she's heading -- presumably, home. Wherever that is. She's still got her phone raised, but that's countered by enough situational awareness that she's not particularly worried about colliding with anyone or anything.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: From what I know, you'd stare at exposed body parts and fuel your private fantasies.

Ash watches her start walking but gives her some distance ahead of him before he starts to follow. It seems like he will just tail her surreptitiously while texting.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: But my private fantasies aren’t about a stripper. I guess I have no use for one.

The downside of following her? He's no longer afforded a good angle from which to see her expressions when his texts come in. Iseul is walking fairly slowly, though, both out of the self-preservational instinct to lessen her risk of walking into a pole or something, and a simple desire to focus on and bask in the conversation with him.

He could absolutely do that to her, though. Make her accidentally walk into a pole. It had to be said.

It's still early enough in the spring and they're far enough north that there's a mild chill in the evening air, so once her next response is fired off, she pauses long enough to retrieve the mixed floofy fleece and denim jacket she'd had tied around her waist, slipping into it and drawing the hood up before continuing onward again. Which only makes it harder to see her features. Damn her.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: That was probably the best answer you could've given. Well done! 😉

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: Oh boy do I win a prize? 😃

Following along still, he spends a good amount of attention watching her. In actual fact he wants to make sure she doesn't run into things, so that's partly why! When she dons the jacket he stops and watches though, just hanging back quietly and...being a bit of a voyeur maybe. Though there's nothing naughty to spy on, and he'd rather think of it as protective watching over.

Something like a guardian dark angel, all sexy and enrobed in darkness and mrawr? That tracks. From beneath the jacket's hood, another soft laugh drifts forth, and she pauses a moment to give her response some consideration before tapping it out and hitting send.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: You can tell a lot about a person by what they'd wish for if they were given a choice. So tell me, what sort of prize would you want?

Well he is wearing a uniform even, and it's actually his job! Never mind that he really is kind of a dark guardian in the literal sense of the word.

Someone ought to mention that to him.

He glances down at his phone and chews his lip. Okay this is a rough one. Obvious answers occur but if he's honest he takes a moment to curate it for her. After all he's trying his best to impress this girl.

[TXT to Iseul] Ash: A kiss from this girl I really like would be plenty.

Well, now. A message like that one definitely warrants a delay in her trek home, especially since the likelihood of her walking into a pole 'cause she's too busy beaming like a fool and staring at her phone just doubled. Quadrupled. Lifting her head, she scans the edge of the path for a beat or two, then turns and moves off the pavement entirely as she chooses a sugar maple whose leaves have just begun to pop open, to lean against. The way she bites her lip against the smile that's taken shape is visible in profile as she resumes texting.

[TXT to Ash] Iseul: How about this:

As your reward for the most stellar response to a stripper-related question in the history of ever, kissing this girl you really like has become not a prize, but a privilege. And you can claim it whenever you like. 😉

The setup is pretty close to perfect. She’s alone, it’s night time, it’s reasonably safe, and she’s under a nice tree. Ash knows better than to just sneak up on her or anything. In fact it seems like the best idea to avoid startling her at all, so he slips his phone into his shirt pocket and gets the flashlight off of his belt, then turns it on to shine it on the ground in front of him as he begins to make plenty of noise and be as unstealthy as possible on the approach.

“Oh hi.” he says, once it’s clear that he couldn’t possibly have missed her. There’s a grin but it’s probably a little hard to see contrasted to the light he’s holding.

There's a tiny dose of startlement, sure, but it's likely got more to do with the fact that Iseul hadn't expected to see him so soon, than the possibility that she was actually spooked by someone's approach. He did a great job at negating the risk of the latter. Even so, once she sees past the beam from his flashlight and recognizes him, she blinks, and her eyes widen by a slight margin. "Oh," she exclaims quietly, unintentionally echoing his own words. "Hi, you."

“So…I might have been following you. Because you were walking alone in the dark. Well…alone except for me.” It might be a green flag that Ash tells on himself, but it does brush away any mystery he might’ve held in the moment. He switches the light off and slips it back into the holster on his belt now that it’s done its job, and continues closing the distance with Iseul. “It’s probably safe and all that but you know. Security is my job.”

"Ahh." Iseul nods, pushing off the tree so she's at least standing fully upright, posture perfect and all. "I didn't realize you were still on duty. So, more a dark guardian angel than a stalker," she teases. Yep, she put the thought to actual words. Aww.

A mildly rueful expression flickers into place after a few moments, however. Slipping her phone into her pocket, she draws her teeth over her bottom lip and says quietly, "I guess I shouldn't have been distracting you with all those texts, then."

“Uh no…I’m not on duty. I was totally stalking. But not like pervert stalking. Definitely more dark guardian angel stalking.” Might as well play the ball where it lays, right? He keeps closing the distance with her until he’s right there, hand reaching for hers.

This is familiar territory. They’ve had handholding before.

Ash lowers his voice though and reminds Iseul, “Also I texted you first.”

Maybe it's the warmth and strength of his fingers closing around hers, or maybe it's the soft, teasing quality to his tone, but Iseul is relaxing again almost immediately, and a touch of color rises to the crests of her cheeks. "Ohh.. you're right. You did," she acknowledges, her eyes glimmering as she lifts them from their joined hands to his face. "Your fault, then. All your fault. Tsk." She presses her lips together for a heartbeat, but there's no hiding the playful grin that's taking shape.

Make no mistake, Ash has his attention very much on her face. And her lips. And her eyes. His fingers close around her hands and holds tight, and if she did for some reason pull away she might have to struggle to get loose from that grip. “I love the way you smile.” he says, the words almost a whisper. Then a little louder, “So remember the weird magic balls? Mine turned into a ring. Like a little ring with two fishes.”

There's no indication whatsoever that she intends to pull away; Iseul's fingers remain languidly, even cozily ensconced within his own. Likewise, her gaze seems nestled firmly in his, almost to the point where she could be accused of staring again. She even misses the fact that he's spoken for a few moments, until...

Blink. "Oh! Yours too?" Delight settles upon her features. "I suppose that makes sense, as it'd be silly for mine to be unique among all of them. Isn't it fascinating, though? I'm keeping it," she points out, her smile brightening. "Almost like a souvenir of our first weirdly magical adventure together."

Ash grins in turn and answers, “I had the same thought. I keep thinking of it because I got it with you.” As if reminded of it he rubs his thumb against the ring on his right hand, the motion perceptible to her as well. “So. Kissing the girl is my privilege, you said. Whenever I want?”

Really, she should have expected that to come up, given the givens. But he sidetracked her with talk of stalking and magical bouncy balls and fish rings, and... and... ahem.

Iseul blinks again, and the blush that had already graced her cheeks with gentle heat now feels like an outright blaze rushing over her skin, as her heart does a clumsy little somersault in her chest. "I did say that, didn't I..." Her throat ripples with a nervous swallow that she prays he doesn't notice.

“Yes I think you did. I’m pretty sure because I was paying a lot of attention to that part.” He would be, wouldn’t he? Ash may be acting bold but his real saving grace is that Iseul is giving off so many nervous cues it lets him know he’s not the only one feeling it. He pauses for a moment, out of clever things to say and completely put of excuses to delay.

So he just goes for it. His hands on hers, he pulls her close and leans in to kiss her lips with his. At first it’s rather chaste and even a little anxious. Once the seal is broken though and the reality of his mouth on hers sets in though, he dares to part lips and tease the tip of his tongue through toward hers.

Oh, there are definite nerves on both sides. It's funny though, how within a skittering heartbeat of his lips coming into contact with her own, a shiver pours down the curve of her spine in tingling rivulets... and then it's as if every anxious little ounce of tension just melts away. The softest sound of euphoric surrender escapes her throat, lending its particular spice to the kiss as she leans into his chest, tilting her head just so, and giving him free rein to explore the gentle contours and recesses of her mouth.

Somehow and for some reason he let go of her hands, though the few neurons that inform him he’s slipping hands around her to pull her close and hold her there help to explain. Chastity and niceness lose ground to desire as he just…

Two thousand years later he pulls back from her lips and remains silent from a few seconds before whispering, “…wow?”

Her response isn't so much a response, as a series of breathless and thoroughly unintelligible noises. Good ones, though. Those noises most definitely sound like they're of the giddy, awestruck, hopelessly infatuated variety. Things like, "Mmhh," and "hoooo." Cute, but also dorky as hell, and the mild embarrassment that's laid siege to her expression wars passionately for dominance with that glowy sense of wonder that had presided solo, before.

Also, if he plans on letting her go, he'd best be prepared to catch her. 'Cause the grasp her slender hands claimed on the fabric of his shirt is unlikely to keep her upright.

Nope, not letting go here. Ash holds her close out of inertia as much as want so that it actually occurs to him how natural and right it feels.

“I uhm…I’m going to start calling you my girlfriend, okay?” It’s good to make that a formal declaration right? There can be no question that he’s interested! To his credit the words were understandable even if they were uttered quietly.

Some might react to such a declaration with shock, or at least surprise. The whole, 'So soon?!' mentality, you know. But Ash is certainly onto something with the sense of rightness to all this, the way everything feels natural and easy. Like it was already all laid out for them by the universe, and they're simply flowing along, perfectly on course.

So. There's no shock, no wide-eyed denials coming from Iseul. Just that sweet little blush of hers, and one of her all-but-patented shy but delighted smiles. "I think you'd better, 'cause otherwise I'd look sort of delulu, walking around one-sidedly calling you my boyfriend."