that visit

Who: Anna and Eben
Where: Anna's house
When: Late afternoon

With the freedom from the shadows, Anna had been trying to catch up on her weaving and her sleep to help with her sickness. Because of Eben's collected thought and good will, she went to the hospital and got what was needed for her horrible infection. And without the fear of light or dark, she could string and weave comfortably and catch up on her sleep. Of course, with her fading between the dream world and the real world, she was completely oblivious to her surroundings the day before.

But her mind had returned back once more, tired and rather mellowed out from the antibiotics. Her body wasn't at all used to taking medication, so it made her a bit sick, a bit drowsy, and yet feel better all at once.

Today's plan was to relax herself and try to bring out her artistic muses once more. Maybe take some of it out to market the next day to try and see if she could draw in some extra money, even if grandmother's money she saved up for her would keep her comfortable for years to come. So she sat relaxed on the floor with her very small scoop and followed the pre-made pattern to create what she was told was a Tibetan Sand Mandala. New art types were fascinating to her, and to create things like this helped to inspire her dream weaving. She'd feel bad in the end to wipe it all away...

Eben walked up to Anastasia's house, and knocked on the door. He wasn't sure if she was around, or awake, and he was still a bit floaty from his own pain meds, but he was feeling pretty alright. And, today he wanted to see Anastasia. He stepped back, not wanting to crowd the door or anything if she opened it, and sort of randomly looked around, seeing a robin fly up and land on the mailbox. And then another joined it. And another. Random. ...but then that stuff happened around him.

Even with the sound of her tapping metal upon metal to set the sand grains in place, she did hear the knock to the door. Her head turned to the side in a curious glance and thought of who would be visiting. She carefully set down her equipment, rose slowly, and moved to the door to open it. A smile dawned on her face. "Hey Eben," she chimed, her tone much happier, relaxed, and healthy than it had been a couple days ago. "Why don't you come-" Colors always had attracted her attention, and the bright stomach of the first robin amid the mix of green caught her gaze. She watched the three settle there, and lost her placement.

Wait. Was she awake? She shook her head to snap herself back to reality and smiled once more. "Come in come in... I have to show you my new art I'm working on," she offered as she opened the door full for him to enter. "Today I need you to take off your shoes though, ok?"

He followed her gaze, and grinned. "Nice, aren't they?" he asked rhetorically, then he turned to walk in. "What're you working on? I'm always up for seeing art. I have a few prints to show you too. I keep getting distracted from showing you, so you have to promise that it won't happen this time, and you'll get to see." he said. He also paused and dutifully removed his sandals, leaving him barefoot. "Lead me wherever you will, Anastasia." he invited, playful little lilt to his tone.

"Yes they are..." she answered, her voice a bit confused by the scene she had just witnessed, because it was just odd, but he seemed so used to it. But she shook her head from the wandering thoughts and returned to focus on what was at home. She stepped in and lead him inside, while making sure she took rather light steps on the floor. She had been doing it all morning so she hadn't even noticed. "Well then, first I show you this, and then we can go into the kitchen for something to drink and look at your prints, how about that?" her tone had seemed much more mellowed out, almost tired because of the drugs.

When they reached the larger living space where she did almost all of her indoor art, part of the floor was just decorated in a mat maybe two feet by two feet, and littered with cups of different colored sand. It seemed she was almost half way done the design of the mandala on the floor and she smiled as she glanced back to him. "It's called a Tibetan sand mandala.... grandmother always loved to do rather neat art and I remember her working on something like this, and decided to try it out myself. It's time consuming but beautiful."

Eben stopped and smiled. "Wow...this is...I really like that." he said genuinely. He looked at her, then tugged her over to him, and pressed a kiss to her neck, just on the back of it near her spine. "Beautiful." he decided. Like her. He enjoyed the chaotic sort of nature to it. Artwork through grains of sand, that could fall any which way to catch the light differently. Yes, he quite enjoyed the display she presented.

A small little giggle slipped from her lips as she felt the kiss on her neck, while a natural, happy smile crossed over her face. She took hold of his hand and soon lead him towards the kitchen. For some reason, she thought hot coco was in order... "Thank you. You will have to visit me when I finish it. It's tradition for the Tibetan's to-.... well, destroy the art, scoop it into a jar, and release it to the sea," she explained as she lead him to sit at the table for now, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and moved to a nearby closet to pull out the coco packets. "It's supposed to-... teach impertinence, that nothing lasts forever? And it also helps to bring good karma and good health to the creator or creators..." She pulled a couple mugs down and got some milk out to prepare. "But now, lets not forget your prints! I want to see!" she said very excitedly.

"Sounds...beautiful." Eben said. And he could think of a good way of destroying it once it was finished, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Instead, he sat down at the kitchen table, and tugged out his portfolio, to start putting the prints on the table for her. "And...here you are. Recorded beauty."

"Is that the word of the day? Beauty?" she asked with a small little laugh as she reached over to kiss his cheek. She sat down at the table while she waited for it to warm up and looked over the prints of her. Her smile seemed to only grow as she looked through them with such delight. "These are really flattering... you really know how to catch someone's good side..." she whispered soft before glancing up to him. "Did I ever tell you I think you are extremely talented???"

"Yes." Eben said. Then he grinned. "But then I'm around you, why wouldn't it be?" he asked. Then he sat down next to her, drawing the chair over to do so. He laughed when she said the last bit. "Thank you, no, you hadn't. But I appreciate the sentiment. My new friend Drea helped me pick these ones out. I have more back at school. But I take it you like them?"

Another giggle escaped her lips, and she reached over from her chair to wrap her arms around the male in a tight hug. She hummed almost appreciatively and comfortably as she clung close to the Eben for a moment. Her eyes gazed over the pictures over and over again, while a sparkle of soft amazement shone in her eyes. She was... stunned by what he had done. "I do like them... a lot..." she chimed, "You really... make me feel beautiful..." Not a compliment she was used to, so the smile that followed was natural and free. "Thank you for doing this."

"Thank you for humoring me." he said. "These are yours to keep if you like them. I have more prints back at school." he added. He also nuzzled just under her jaw by her ear for a moment, drawing in her scent. "So...now you've seen them, are you going to tell me more about your work in the other room?" he asked. Which he was terribly interested in.

"I would love to keep them if I can..." she replied with a soft little smile. A calm little sensation came over her as she felt him nuzzling beneath her jaw. "And I do not humor you, I am honest..." she smiled, "so don't think that..." At the mention of of her work in the other room her expression seemed to light up. She was really into that at the moment. "Well first, hot cocoa," Anna expressed as she separated them to move to the slow heated milk. She mixed the powder into the milk and warmed it up a little bit more before she put it into two mugs for the two of them. "Heeeere we are..." she chimed as she gave the male his own mug and sat down again. "It's really interesting... I don't know anything about-... well Buddhism. But to work with something so small just intrigued me. And it reminds me of making dreams..."

"It's interesting." Eben said, taking his cocoa, and sipping some. "This is very good." he told her, since he appreciated it. "Have you studied any religions?" he asked curiously. "I guess I've done a bit of homework, but then, I grew up kind of hopping from religion to religion, cult to cult, so I've seen...well. A pretty big cross section of belief structures." To put it mildly.

"I've never seen much. I've heard.. small little knowledge of things, but nothing in depth," she answered honestly as she took a sip of her own. Mmm... hot cocoa. "But art was a thing... my grandmother loved from religions. Christian Paintings, Islamic scripture, and I had seen her do a few mandalas when women in the area were pregnant and having trouble. Some people said they were-... doorways to Hell? But they are just too pretty to be that..."

Eben propped his chin on his hand and watched her thoughtfully as she spoke. "Do you view the world like that?" he asked curiously. "That anything beautiful can't have roots in anything dark or evil?" he asked. "Actually, do you really believe in evil? Or hell?"

"I don't think that... art in which is performed to be something hopeful and something made from the good of a heart cannot be good. This sand art isn't made to be... a portal, its made to be a hope and a good luck charm to people who are unwell. Like making-... who was it, some Asians. They make 1000 paper cranes?" she thought to herself, but wasn't sure which Asian culture she was talking about. The name escaped her. "I believe in Evil though...." she nodded though, "I certainly... believed in that..."

"The Japanese, I believe." Eben said absently as he continued to listen to her, watching her eyes as she spoke. "Believed as in past tense?" he asked. "And...I have to ask. Are you projecting the reason and emotions you put into your own art onto the world at large? Do you believe that artists only ever make what they do out of the good of a heart? Or that it's supposed to all be hopeful?" His questions weren't pointed, he was honestly asking, fascinated again by her world view. He wondered if she even realized how she spoke or what she put into things, and how stifling the view was. Probably not. But it was still something he just couldn't not try and explore, wanting to know how her mind worked.

Her eyes turned back with something like... surprise or maybe a bit of shock to his questions. Like someone posing something extremely unexpected and catching them by a big surprise. This time they wandered away, and her eyes focused on her cocoa and-... well first wished she had marshmallows, then drew her thought back. "I've always really... hoped for good things in the world. Maybe-... I don't think that all artists put a better mind to it. Sometimes things are made out of bad thoughts, bad feelings... and it makes them-... evil." Nightmares, is what she thought, horrid nightmares that haunt the soul. She grasped her cup a little tighter and watched the liquid swirl as she tried to think much more open minded. It was when he asked such things that the large hit of 'shelter' struck her. "I guess I'm not sure how to answer your question... I do want to wish there was more good in the world, and I was always taught of all of these things that were supposed to scare me... I had one light that tried to show me good instead of fears and laws and she did it through her art... and I followed in her footsteps." She gave a soft little nod and turned to face him with that smile on his face. It wasn't as vibrant as before, and had something that touched sadness, but she tried to hide it not just from him, but herself. "It's something... a little frightening, for I am not sure if I should be afraid of the fears I was once taught or the fears I learned on my own..."

Eben watched the tension in her frame spreading out, locking through her and he wondered what was going through her mind that she wasn't saying. "Do you think intent in the creation makes something what it is? Isn't it up to the people viewing something to take away from it what they will?" he asked. "Such as...if I'm in a bad mood, and create something dark, moody, does that mean that it's dark and moody, even if someone else sees it and sees something entirely different from the lines and colors?" he asked. "Or do you view art as purely the creation of the artist, and that's where it's soul lies, and whatever was put in will inevitably be taken back out?" He paused. "What of art that has no clear intention? I captured your image because I find you beautiful. I wanted those heartbeats of yours to keep, to display for others to see. But I can't say that I had any true intention with it. Just...something simple. It wasn't meant to be good or evil. It meant something to me, and other people might see them and it would mean something to them, and others could see and it wouldn't mean anything. Everything is subjective, Anastasia."

Her head started to ache, and she drew a hand to the temple to massage it softly. It was a pain she recognized too, which scared her a bit. When she tried to think that far back, to those nights in which lead up to her completely disappearing from her little town, this pain started. It would move from her head, down her throat, and end up in her lungs in which would start the cough, and sometimes lead to blood. She tried to calm herself from those thoughts and focus on his questions. Because she didn't want to avoid them, she just... didn't know how to answer them. "I think..." she tried to think, and a soft little cough erupted from the bottom of her throat. She swallowed hard and drew her hand down back to her cup. "Because of the first art I've ever learned... dream weaving. You can't just have something out of nothing, the dream becomes confusing and mindlessness makes it boring, awkward, or just plain weird... so we try to put emotions in it and represent it from our hearts. Usually hearts set in some sort of emotional pain would create bad dreams, nightmares.... and so... my view of art is the same way," she tried to explain as she turned her eyes towards him. "I still think even if the artist didn't mean to convey something in their art... they still do, in some way. Maybe not with a good or a bad intention, but it represents something. Your pictures weren't mindless, you wanted to capture the beauty in me that I never had ever seen..." she smiled a bit, and the ache in her head disappeared. "I think this question is hard to answer with a simple-.. statement, or answer."

He watched her, saw she was going through something, and he reached out to draw his fingertips over the back of her hand, a subtle little gesture designed to remind her she wasn't alone. "You just talk about things as if they're one way, just the way you view them. Which, honestly, if that's the way you think it is, then that's the way it is of you. There's just...an entire world full of shades of grey, and I wonder if you see that, or if you only have your own view. Neither is wrong, I just like knowing how people's minds work. I want to know how yours does."

Her hand gave a little twitch at first contact, and she turned her eyes towards it with a small little smile. She turned it and looped every finger around his hand to hold it soft, and keep that reminder in her head that way. "I don't think I see that grey..." she murmured, as her heart felt a little... sheltered, that the fact that he was right, and she's never really thought outside of her own little box. The pathetic feeling struck her again, but she beat it down this time. "You are one odd, talented, curious boy," she teased with a soft little laugh.

He noticed the twitch, and had been going to withdraw his hand but then she held it. So he gave it a squeeze back. "Not sure if that's a good thing or not. I'm not meaning to...upset you, or whatever it is I'm doing." he said genuinely. It wasn't his intention. He wondered how she'd managed to get through life without thinking outside of her box, how no one else had asked her these types of things, but then again, his own life had been vastly different. Where this kind of thing was talked about a lot, where things were really open minded, where nothing was ever finished being explored.

The squeeze made her happy. It felt... nice. "You didn't upset me I just-..." how was the best way to explain it. She licked her lips for a moment and leaned forward to rest her forehead on his. It had become a rather nice way to comfort herself with him, direct contact. "Buried some memories... and they decided to wake up... its ok..." Her eyes opened again, and the different colors looked directly into his own. "I'm ok... change in thought is supposed to be painful... But I'll be ok. I have you here..." she whispered with another smile. The sensation of a comfortable place came over her again.

"It doesn't have to be." Eben said, watching her eyes. Something strange from so close up, but he did it anyhow. His voice was just a touch softer as well, considering their proximity. "Taking in new information, adding into what you already know...it doesn't have to be painful. It should be..." he paused, trying to figure the best word. Then he landed on it. "Liberating."

It was nice to be up close. And no matter how soft he whispered, in the silence of her home by the water side, it was like he was speaking in his normal tone. Yet it was so soft it was soothing. Her eyes shut softly and she gave a small little nuzzle of her head against his and smiled. "Liberating..." she replied in a whisper, "free..." Her eyes opened again, and she leaned forward to kiss the male's nose softly, but lingered, as if.. tempted to lower herself just a bit more.

He nodded the faintest bit, and since she stayed where she was, he took the initiative to kiss her. It was a soft sort of kiss, nothing invasive, or over the top. Just...soft. There, intimate even without deepening it.

The warmth, the gentle touch, even the brush of lips was just so.. soothing to her. She closed her eyes, and let the small brushes of plush forms continue. Her lips moved against the other, her breath soft, as if not wanting it to ruin the delicate moment between them. No pushing further from that soft sensation, except her own shift up her chair to just bring her body closer to him.

Eben wished his other arm wasn't injured. He wanted to reach up to touch her face. Draw her closer, even if there was still a table in the way and all. What he did do was deepen the kiss just a little. A light taste of her, nothing too heavy or fast, but more involved. He wasn't sure exactly where he planned on going with this, if anywhere, but then again, he didn't usually overthink these things. Overthinking them was against the soul of the act entirely, in his opinion.

The table became... more than she had thought in the beginning. Even though he deepened it... and it was too good to really break, she somehow did. The small little pop of their lips made her smile, and she moved to get closer to Eben as she pulled her chair around so that she could sit right in front of him instead. "There..." she murmured, before leaning in, settling a hand to his cheek, and kissed at his lips with delight and pleasure.

Eben kissed her back, a soft sigh of a sound low in his throat as he did so. He picked up where he'd left off, with that deeper sort of kiss, and it didn't take him long to deepen it further. He settled his good hand on her thigh, about halfway between her knee and her hip. Keeping it there might be a challenge, but he was good for now. Of course, he was already thinking about pulling her over to his lap, but didn't just yet.

She noticed where his hand had ended up, and gave a small little gasp against his lips. But she didn't move it away, instead leaned in closer to continue to kiss and enjoy his lips. Sometimes her tongue peaked out to taste his own lips, opening her mouth a bit more to deeper pressure. her body shifted forward on her chair, coming closer, as if it knew where it wanted to go, even if she didn't realize it. But not yet. Slow and steady.

When she shifted forward, he took that as encouragement. Or at the very least, as something she wasn't going to protest, and he slid his hand up her thigh to her hip, and put light pressure behind it, urging her forward still. Yeah, having another arm available would be a good thing, but oh well. He didn't have it. So, he'd make do. And, he hoped she got what he wanted there.

She took that signal, and followed his encouragement to mount onto his lap. Sneaking on in a simple way on such a small chair was hard though, and she ended up just mounting him spread legged around the chair. It was... rather sensual in these tight jeans, and didn't mind it whatsoever. Her other hand came up to cup the other side of his face, and pressed a little bit more pressure. Even though she had never been this close to anyone else but him, she just followed her body's want naturally. Like... weaving. It came to her.

He made another soft sound, appreciating her position very much, of course. He couldn't quite help the fact that he kissed her harder, pushed things a little. He wasn't quite thinking about anything but what they were doing and how it happened to feel. That was what was perfect for him. He wanted that drift into another person, the world starting to fade out around him. Where the entirety of his experience was connected in with her.

His sound was followed by another one from her mouth, from a mind that had been softened very well by his words from before. She was just so peaceful, so unthinking, in a trance by this younger male who had somehow grown very much on her. The deeper he went, the more she reacted, following his steps like it was a dance. Her body shifted on his own, pressing their forms completely flush with the other, and another little moan escaped. The breath through her nose deepened, and every so often her body would shiver with a bit of delight.

He didn't do it right away, but eventually, when breathing was starting to become an issue and he had to tear his mouth away for a few moments, he held her hip with his good hand, and pushed up against her. He trailed kisses down beneath her jaw, and down her neck to her collarbone, vaguely wondering just how far this was going to go. Or more importantly, how far it could go. He wasn't necessarily that much thinking about whether or not it should.

The breaking forced her to remember to breathe. She gave a hard gasp outward and opened her eyes once more to look at him. Her body got distracted at the pressure, and she couldn't help but let out an even harder moan than she had before. Her head leaned back, eyes slipped shut, and a hand held to his shoulder and the back of his neck as he moved down. The breath quickened further, but she didn't resist. Her body didn't want to resist, and her mind... even that was enjoying the closeness.

When she put pressure on his shoulder, he gasped, though this time it was in pain, and there was a hurt sound that issued from his throat. "Anastasia...not there." he said, out of breath, but yeah, if she was going to do that, then this wasn't going to be going that far. Painkillers or no, it still hurt.

That noise of pain quickly caught her attention, and her eyes snapped to him when she noticed her hand. It quickly drew away from him and she gave a soft pout. "Oh I'm sorry I'm sorry..." she murmured and leaned to kiss his shoulder gently as she switched her hand to the other. "Sorry..." her kisses got a little sidetracked, and she followed what he had been doing before, and tasted at his neck and his skin. It was... a nice little taste too. She enjoyed it quite a bit, and just continued to kiss and maybe even lick a bit at his pulse.

That quite definitely helped him forget about the sharp pain she'd caused. Really, she could keep that up. He tilted his head to the side, giving her easier access, and drew in an uneven breath. He didn't quite say it was okay so much as he just continued what he'd been doing. Which included sliding his hand beneath the hem of her shirt, ghosting up her ribs.

She could feel him relaxing from his pain every time she kissed, and could even feel the pulse against her tongue. She smiled and continued to kiss, even taking a few times to suck a bit, while not giving any thought that she was leaving little marks on his skin. Her lungs let out a rather large, surprised breath though when she felt his warm hands on her stomach and slowly moving upward. But she swallowed, smiled, and continued without stopping either of them. Somehow, Eben had eaten away at all of her nervousness and left her with this very calm, sensitive, and aroused feeling.

Marks Eben didn't really mind. Not at all. He moaned a little, and then started to tug her shirt off. He didn't stop to wonder if she'd let him or not, that kind of seeming a moot point, really. she'd do what she was going to do, and he never let a little thing like nerves get in his way. So, he didn't think about it, he just started to slide it up, and hopefully off. That he could do with one hand just fine.

The tug caught her attention though, and her lips broke off to see what he was doing. A smile crossed her features and she moved her hands down just to help him. To think about what was going to happen next didn't keep her from stopping. She... wanted to go that far, maybe. She hadn't thought of it, but Anna decided she trusted him enough to allow her form to be completely seen, touched, and pleased by him. A small little flush filled her cheeks, making her cheeks rather red as she glanced to him. It was such a plain white bra... "Better...?" she asked.

He nodded, looking up at her, then taking a moment to appreciate her form. He slid his hands around her body again, up her ribs, to cup a breast. That, while his eyes were on her and not moving. He wanted to see how she reacted, what happened when he did little things. He wondered if she'd ever been in this position before. He knew she probably hadn't gone far, considering what she'd told him, but still.

Her smile turned a bit nervous, but she beat it down very well so that she could just relax. But the red didn't disappear from her cheeks as she watched him as well. Every touch received a shiver, a little gasp, a little moan, but she kept smiling. Her breath deepened even more when his hand reached her breast, and could feel the spark in the tip of her nipple just under his palm, which rushed through her blood and reached the center point that was spread on his lap. No, she had never reached this point before, but she was willing to go farther. Anna never stopped him.

He kept watching her, then tipped his head up, so he could capture her lips again, letting his hand explore, around, over her bare skin, appreciating it. He wasn't rushing it either because he wasn't exactly sure just where this was going, so he didn't really want to hurry anything. He figured she'd give him cues, if she wanted more, she already had anyhow.

Anna had no idea where she wanted this to go either. The future wasn't even on her mind at that moment, only what was going on specifically with him. His lips, his fingers, his hands, his entire body- everything seemed just so very warm to her and set her body ablaze. She moaned and she whimpered against his pressing lips, and her body twisted into his hands, pressing for more and shuddered with sparks that ran up and down her spine. Her lips broke from the kiss again in an attempt for her to catch her breath. Her entire body just... felt on fire, and she smiled to him in a sort of nervous happiness before she pressed forward again to kiss.

Eben kissed her in return, having taken just a second to catch his own breath, before he was back in on that as well. He let his hand drift down to her hip, and held her in place as he ground up against her, nothing too overt, but he couldn't not do that. He just hoped that she didn't mind, but really, with the way things were going he didn't figure that was too much of an issue.

It had taken her a small while to realize that he was grinding into her until she felt her hip held down. Through the jeans it was not easy, but somehow it became much more blunt with that small little motion, and the pressure sent off little sparks from the center of her heat in her stomach. The burning of arousal grew higher and higher, which made her breath deep and her body shivered just a little bit more. Her tongue peaked once more against his lips to find small bits of taste and maybe a little mental refuge from the large amount of burning between her legs. She didn't realize that her own hips had a small little bounce and counter grind against his own, or that she clung to his good shoulder and back of his neck with nails adding into the equation, but her mind was honestly far to gone to really notice it. She felt like glamour being melted and formed into beautiful string.

Alright well there wasn't much clearer, encouragement-wise than all of that. So, he started to fumble with the fastenings of her jeans, not even entirely sure he could manage this at current. Maybe in a different chair, or something. That could work. Or he supposed, a couch, or bed, or something. With his arm, they'd just have to be careful. He figured they could manage that just fine. Or, he was inclined to try, at any rate.

Even in her own dazed state, she somehow noticed that this tight space on a small chair was becoming difficult. Her lips slipped from his once more as she felt his hand try to undo her jeans. She gave a sheepish little smile as her cheeks flushed with pink once more. "Should... we move?" she asked as she caught all the signs that her spread over him was getting a bit more troublesome. It was hard to keep from kissing his lips every so often. She really didn't want to stop just yet. But this was getting awkward on such a small little thing. Even the floor looked like a better place to do this.

He smiled up at her. "Do you want to move?" he asked. There was more to the question than the obvious. There was the second meaning beneath it, the question of if she wanted to do this, without him coming out and asking it directly.

Anna caught the subliminal meaning though, and her cheeks filled with a bit more red. She was nervous, of course. But she trusted Eben, and he really knew how to open her up to the world. There was even a soft thought of.... maybe she loved him? But she knew better than to bluntly place that emotion on anyone. It was complicated. However, she did trust him enough. Her hips slid off of his lap, and her jeans slipped a bit from her hips from the button being undone. "My bed is really comfy..." she answered in reply before she took his hand, and lead him upstairs.

Eben let himself be led, of course, watching the way the shadows and light played in her hair as she moved. She was beautiful, he knew she was, and he appreciated that. Greatly. It didn't take long to get where they were going, and he paused, carefully taking his sling off. "Careful of my shoulder." he told her, reaching out to slide his hand over her hip, beneath the waistband of her jeans, beneath the strap of her panties and he slid his hand down, taking the clothing with it.

It was hard to keep from smiling, and Anna just seemed so attached at that moment to his hand. To her, it felt like she never wanted to let go, or fear that this moment would slip from her fingers. But it didn't, and instead the warmth and the feeling of comfort grew as she drew him into her sacred place. "I'll remember..." she chimed in reply as she did nail a large reminder in the back of her brain to not forget that, or risk hurting him again. Her body remained still for a moment as she felt the clothing pool at her feet, and she decided to help him this time by removing her bra for him, and had it join the rest of it down on the floor. Her entire face grew bright red, which was probably a rather blunt sign that he was the first to see her in her entire naked form. But she didn't want to be alone in this, she wanted to see him. Her fingers carefully threaded at the bottom of his shirt, and pulled up so that she drew it over his head and one arm, before just guiding it down the other arm so that they didn't risk injury again. Her fingers were shaky for a bit, as if nervous, but slowly calming down and finding herself in that comfortable euphoria once more.

He let her do that, not minding the process, and she was careful, so he was alright. The shirt pulled on some of the stitches on his arm and shoulder, but it was alright. The dark bruising was visible there, but theoretically it would all be good. He was busy looking at her though. Not her eyes, her form. She was just so beautiful. Flesh unmarred, really, save for her arm, but that didn't detract, as far as Eben was concerned. He reached out and lightly ghosted his fingers down her abdomen, towards her thigh, but he didn't rush it and didn't try to touch her anyplace else. He just wanted to feel her skin.