[ He's not really relieved by it either, but you know, compared to some of the other forced situations he's been involved in so far? This one's not so bad. At least not yet. He can't deny that some trap could be waiting for them further ahead, but... ]
I don't know. We might as well see it through now, don't you think? Chances are they've already barred off the entrance to us at this point.
[ Whether literally or just because some invisible barrier will stop them from stepping through, the same kind of sorcery that keeps ensuring their alone time with each other.
Miller sheathes his knife, giving her arm a gentle pull as he steps back to look out the mouth of the little cranny they'd discovered. ]
Though I do wonder what else they're hiding in here.
[ she lets the gentle pull guide her wherever miller likes for her to be, and she slants her head to one side before a mocking grin dances along her face. ]
Am I hearin' a sense of adventure in your tone? I do like a man who ain't afraid of danger.
[ rogue hums a giggle and places a hand to his cheek, then once doing so, she stands on her toes to plant a gentle kiss to the back of her hand — the only way the mutant can show affection without any harm's way. it's... disheartening, sure, but hopefully, it's something the man can be content with until... well, he finds a partner who can provide him better love than she possibly can. ]
Well, I'd say we're burnin' daylight if we keep lollygagging like we are, but the sun's been gone to bed. I'm ready to look around if you are, Sugah.
[ The suggestion does seem to be humorous to her, and frankly, he can't argue that it's not given that this "adventure" they're on is probably going to lead to nothing more than a continued waste of time. It would be especially pointless to waste even more trying to backtrack though, and frankly, forced handholding is pretty low on the totem pole of Aldrip brand nonsense.
He pulls her in front of him as they move out of the side passage, but the smile can be heard in his voice even as he pretends to give her a hard time. ]
Seriously? You are too easy to impress. Who's to say I won't use you as my human shield?
[ He can't really keep the act up for long anyway when she punctuates her teasing in a tender way like that. It's a shame that he has to just stand there and let it happen, his hand only loosely capturing her wrist, following it down to her side as she lets go of his face. ]
[rogue pretends to behave offended by his remark by forming a false gasp and placing her free hand over her heart. but the smile quickly returns, if not doing a friendly bump with her shoulder against his — if her grin seems misleading to him somehow.
feeling his touch to her side is comforting, even though her bodysuit is setting a barrier between the two of them. and as they hike again, her lips twitch into a smirk before reverting her eyes forward.]
Don't tell me you don't miss kissin' me. Not any amount? Guess I might be the only one outta us two.
[ His hand squeezes hers a little tighter, reflexively, betraying an otherwise nonanimated response with that hint of surprise. ]
I was trying not to think about it.
[ Though let's be honest, she is making it incredibly hard not to even without directly pointing it out. The forced expedition in this tunnel is making it incredibly hard not to think about. Best not to dwell on something that he can't do. It's the same as the lofty desire to make coming and leaving this place a choice. One has to live without holding that thought too closely or they'll go insane.
Miller keeps walking, looking into the darkness in case they might spot something else. ]
[his words and the squeeze are glaring opposites from rogue's prospective, and the cheery and slight kittenish mood thaws then shapes into something bitter. while he keeps his eyes forward, her emeralds are on him — narrowing for a moment and laxes her grip as much as she possibly when with it being jointed with his. rogue side-steps away from him as they stroll, giving the duo distance with her looking forward again.]
You're right. We oughta focus on gettin' out and then we carry on back to whatever we were doin' before this.
[her tone is sharp, hurt, but tough. like she is in the process of building a brick wall between them as they speak.]
If ya like, I could just pick ya up and make this over in a jiffy. — Wouldn't want to torture your mind.
[ Even for a man as inattentive to emotional matters as he is, he can see that he's offended her. It wasn't intentional, of course. Only the truth. Though the reason he had rejected the thought of even a small commitment to each other is exactly the same. It isn't just about her limitations with touch — it's also his own limitations. There is surely a point at which it stops being decent for him to keep stringing her along. Going into detail about how much he'd like to kiss her, too, seems like it's on the edge of that point.
Unfortunately, verbalizing this in a gentle way does not come to him naturally.
Miller stiffens as he meets her gaze, the forced handhold becoming a touch uncomfortable. He can't help the noticeably defensive inflection. ]
No need to be so dramatic. You didn't seem like you were in any hurry a moment ago. We'll get there soon, I'm sure, but I can pick up the pace if you're getting sick of me.
[dramatic. it's like a guitar cord snapped unexpectedly during a concert in front of thousands. dramatic. like her mind had been so wrapped up on other chores, and she completely forgotten the kettle, and it's wailing for someone to take them off the stove before it combusts. dramatic. like two cars colliding into one big cluster when the drivers sworn they both had the right away.
rogue halts immediately and lets miller walk on until he feels a tug of his counterpart stopping dead set on her tracks. her eyes says it all, the burning anger bubbling ferociously within her — especially when she decides to take flight without warning.]
You lookin' kinda weary there, Sugah. Lemme give ya a hand.
[and showing no regret, she hoists the man from the ground — soaring forward (not too fast) and not giving him any bit of a chance to prepare himself for this sort of experience.]
[ How wrong he was to think they could argue this out the old fashioned way. While he fully expects an annoyed response, an impending spirited back and forth, he is oblivious enough to take a half step forward unknowing until the weight of her stopping pulls at his arm. ]
Rogue—
[ The suggestion to wait just a moment? So useless he didn't have time to say it. All the inflexibility in the world couldn't couldn't change her mind, and in this instance, he is powerless to fight it. Fully understanding the extent of her strength and being at the mercy of it are two entirely separate things. So for once, he's stunned to silence, until a few moments into the flight, he makes a halfhearted effort to weigh her down with a tug. ]
[it's not fully in her bones to keep this façade going, maybe if he was a robber or someone actively doing crime, but not the innocent. so she comes into a halt in mid-air, then gently places the man (and herself) back on solid ground.
rogue won't tug him along after the landing, she is going to be kind enough to let him catch his breath and allow his mind to catch up with just transpire. although, doing that didn't make her feel any less bad because at the end of the day, miller said what he said, and... he would prefer to not think about their time during the christmas season. does he feel kissing her or doing... whatever they're doing a mistake now? a regret?]
[ He's not so innocent. Even when he thought he prepared her for how unsuitable he was to be the subject of her flirting, his actions really could have made that clearer. He still participated in it, so acting like it was a mistake now... well, if he's given that impression, his best intentions don't mean very much.
The trouble is that he isn't actually reflecting on this in the moment. He's just saying whatever he can to get her to bring him back to solid ground. Once it works, he kneels on the cave floor like the wind has been knocked out of him before slowly pressing his free palm to the wall, gently pulling at their conjoined hands as the counterweight of standing back up again. ]
Look...
[ He pauses for too long, like he still really has no idea what to say before he says it. ]
I just don't want to hurt you. What do you think is going to happen if we keep going on like this?
[and by this, she means him being so different from remy, so different from erik. she is so used to her boys wanting to be with her, and doing their damnest every time they interacted to convince her that being in a relationship was possible, and they would be satisfied with her despite her limitations.
she is used to them being on one bended knee and pouring their heart out to her like in those million romance novels she would read late at night. rogue isn't familiar with a man who is... reserved like him, who is distant like him, who (on the surface) didn't seem to enjoy her flirtatious charm so much. should she just... start treating him like an acquaintance again? is that what he wants and prefers? it's not as if many "benefits" are happening between them anyway. things hadn't been horrible enough where she needed to rest her head on his shoulder or vice versa. so once rogue gets a sense he is ready to move on, she leads them forward — not fast, but not too slow either.]
[ Perhaps it is a defeatist way to think of things but he finds there is nothing he can do or say right now to comfort her. At least, not if he doesn't wish to dig himself further into a hole. Sure, he could try to reassure her that imagining being together — holding each other, gloves off, and forgetting all of this — is what he really wants. But even if it is, to an extent, true, the struggle to keep the emotional disconnect in place is completely obvious even now. The ending to letting that play out can't be good.
Wishing to avoid further argument, he falls silent. The stern expression on his face becomes despondent, focusing only on the path ahead. He follows her lead to keep moving, not rushing but keeping at a decent pace. Part of him feels relieved as they start to see light creeping in from the other side. ]
Looks like we've about made it.
[ Kind of suspicious, isn't it? He thought there was supposed to be some kind of treasure awaiting them. ]
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expiationlogs2025-02-10 12:12 pm
no subject
I don't know. We might as well see it through now, don't you think? Chances are they've already barred off the entrance to us at this point.
[ Whether literally or just because some invisible barrier will stop them from stepping through, the same kind of sorcery that keeps ensuring their alone time with each other.
Miller sheathes his knife, giving her arm a gentle pull as he steps back to look out the mouth of the little cranny they'd discovered. ]
Though I do wonder what else they're hiding in here.
no subject
Am I hearin' a sense of adventure in your tone? I do like a man who ain't afraid of danger.
[ rogue hums a giggle and places a hand to his cheek, then once doing so, she stands on her toes to plant a gentle kiss to the back of her hand — the only way the mutant can show affection without any harm's way. it's... disheartening, sure, but hopefully, it's something the man can be content with until... well, he finds a partner who can provide him better love than she possibly can. ]
Well, I'd say we're burnin' daylight if we keep lollygagging like we are, but the sun's been gone to bed. I'm ready to look around if you are, Sugah.
no subject
He pulls her in front of him as they move out of the side passage, but the smile can be heard in his voice even as he pretends to give her a hard time. ]
Seriously? You are too easy to impress. Who's to say I won't use you as my human shield?
[ He can't really keep the act up for long anyway when she punctuates her teasing in a tender way like that. It's a shame that he has to just stand there and let it happen, his hand only loosely capturing her wrist, following it down to her side as she lets go of his face. ]
Alright, yes, that's enough... Let's go.
no subject
feeling his touch to her side is comforting, even though her bodysuit is setting a barrier between the two of them. and as they hike again, her lips twitch into a smirk before reverting her eyes forward.]
Don't tell me you don't miss kissin' me. Not any amount? Guess I might be the only one outta us two.
no subject
I was trying not to think about it.
[ Though let's be honest, she is making it incredibly hard not to even without directly pointing it out. The forced expedition in this tunnel is making it incredibly hard not to think about. Best not to dwell on something that he can't do. It's the same as the lofty desire to make coming and leaving this place a choice. One has to live without holding that thought too closely or they'll go insane.
Miller keeps walking, looking into the darkness in case they might spot something else. ]
no subject
You're right. We oughta focus on gettin' out and then we carry on back to whatever we were doin' before this.
[her tone is sharp, hurt, but tough. like she is in the process of building a brick wall between them as they speak.]
If ya like, I could just pick ya up and make this over in a jiffy. — Wouldn't want to torture your mind.
no subject
Unfortunately, verbalizing this in a gentle way does not come to him naturally.
Miller stiffens as he meets her gaze, the forced handhold becoming a touch uncomfortable. He can't help the noticeably defensive inflection. ]
No need to be so dramatic. You didn't seem like you were in any hurry a moment ago. We'll get there soon, I'm sure, but I can pick up the pace if you're getting sick of me.
no subject
rogue halts immediately and lets miller walk on until he feels a tug of his counterpart stopping dead set on her tracks. her eyes says it all, the burning anger bubbling ferociously within her — especially when she decides to take flight without warning.]
You lookin' kinda weary there, Sugah. Lemme give ya a hand.
[and showing no regret, she hoists the man from the ground — soaring forward (not too fast) and not giving him any bit of a chance to prepare himself for this sort of experience.]
no subject
Rogue—
[ The suggestion to wait just a moment? So useless he didn't have time to say it. All the inflexibility in the world couldn't couldn't change her mind, and in this instance, he is powerless to fight it. Fully understanding the extent of her strength and being at the mercy of it are two entirely separate things. So for once, he's stunned to silence, until a few moments into the flight, he makes a halfhearted effort to weigh her down with a tug. ]
Okay, okay, I'm sorry, just put me down!
no subject
rogue won't tug him along after the landing, she is going to be kind enough to let him catch his breath and allow his mind to catch up with just transpire. although, doing that didn't make her feel any less bad because at the end of the day, miller said what he said, and... he would prefer to not think about their time during the christmas season. does he feel kissing her or doing... whatever they're doing a mistake now? a regret?]
Lemme know when you're ready to walk again.
no subject
The trouble is that he isn't actually reflecting on this in the moment. He's just saying whatever he can to get her to bring him back to solid ground. Once it works, he kneels on the cave floor like the wind has been knocked out of him before slowly pressing his free palm to the wall, gently pulling at their conjoined hands as the counterweight of standing back up again. ]
Look...
[ He pauses for too long, like he still really has no idea what to say before he says it. ]
I just don't want to hurt you. What do you think is going to happen if we keep going on like this?
no subject
[and by this, she means him being so different from remy, so different from erik. she is so used to her boys wanting to be with her, and doing their damnest every time they interacted to convince her that being in a relationship was possible, and they would be satisfied with her despite her limitations.
she is used to them being on one bended knee and pouring their heart out to her like in those million romance novels she would read late at night. rogue isn't familiar with a man who is... reserved like him, who is distant like him, who (on the surface) didn't seem to enjoy her flirtatious charm so much. should she just... start treating him like an acquaintance again? is that what he wants and prefers? it's not as if many "benefits" are happening between them anyway. things hadn't been horrible enough where she needed to rest her head on his shoulder or vice versa. so once rogue gets a sense he is ready to move on, she leads them forward — not fast, but not too slow either.]
no subject
Wishing to avoid further argument, he falls silent. The stern expression on his face becomes despondent, focusing only on the path ahead. He follows her lead to keep moving, not rushing but keeping at a decent pace. Part of him feels relieved as they start to see light creeping in from the other side. ]
Looks like we've about made it.
[ Kind of suspicious, isn't it? He thought there was supposed to be some kind of treasure awaiting them. ]