1x1 with hollyglow and Consulting_Angel

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He considered the question, still smiling, tilting his head back into Jem's hand, liking how he ran a hand through his hair. "Mmm... perhaps there is." Ashton answered, pausing for a few moments, not wanting to give away the full answer right away, to see what Jem would come up with and do. He didn't particularly feel like sleeping right now anymore.

Loralei Waverly
"Are they not?" Loralei asked, curiously. Then again, she thought, she didn't know of any merfolk stories like the one that Elsa had told her. Then, she shrugged slightly. "Perhaps so. I assume that would be the case, if they'd been raised alongside each other." She mused. "I think that it's an interesting comparison between two classes of society, though I've often wondered if things would be different, if they had been switched."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I shook my head. "No, although I'm not certain how to put the difference into words, precisely." With a thoughtful shrug, I continued, "Yes. Which I suppose is the definition of a self-fulfilling prophechy, isn't it? Your own choices make everything come true." I yawned and flopped backwards. "And now, I am ready to go to sleep."

Jem Laceburn

"Is there?" I asked softly, leaning in and kissing Ashton's jaw. I couldn't seem to help the way my heart pounded, just from being near him, and it made me want more. "I'm afraid I'm quite oblivious," I added, teasing him a bit.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
His heartrate increased, and he hummed in confirmation. "Yeah, there is." Ashton responded, quietly. "Oh... keep going. Please." He added, when Jem kissed his jaw, a shiver running down his spine. "And... I'll give you another hint, if you want... I like it when you run a hand through my hair." He leaned forward, to briefly kiss Jem's forehead.

Loralei Waverly
"Ahh, I think I understand what you mean." Loralei said, figuring it out in her mind, knowing what Elsa meant, even without having an explanation. She smiled, and nodded slightly. "I suppose it is. And sometimes the choices that are made to try and prevent it only make it happen anyway." Then, Loralei lay down as well. "Me too..." she yawned, trying to stifle it, and turned onto her side to face Elsa. "I imagine that it's quite late... isn't it?"

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I smiled. It really was unbelievably nice to have someone who seemed to understand easily what I meant, even when I wasn't quite certain what exactly I meant myself. I placed a hand on Loralei's cheek and leaned down against the pillow. "Yes," I agreed, "yes, it is. Are you ready to go to sleep?"

Jem Laceburn

I smiled against Ashton's jaw and kept kissing him, tangling one hand in his hair and the other in his shirt. "Well, in that case, highness..." I murmured. "Your wish is my humble command." I inhaled shakily. This was a completely new experience for me, and I liked it.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Practically melting, Ashton laughed quietly, and he shuffled closer towards Jem - if that was even possible at this point. Maybe it wasn't. One hand gripped Jem's waist, and the other moved to the small of his back. He almost wished that they wouldn't have to end up stopping. After a few minutes, he said, with another laugh, "Okay, okay. You win."

Loralei Waverly
She smiled softly, and watched Elsa. She loved it when she smiled, and was sleepy. "Just about. It's been a... very interesting day." Loralei replied. As she thought about it, it seemed almost impossible that everything they'd done today had all happened in that day. But it had. "But first, just before we do," she said, then she leaned forward, and gently pressed a kiss against Elsa's forehead.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I smiled when Loralei kissed my forehead and looped an arm around her, pulling her down onto the bed. "Well, there is one upside to all of this. I suppose I don't need to feel guilty about being engaged anymore, do I?" I pulled the sheets back from the bed and moved under them, leaning on Loralei lightly.

Jem Laceburn

I was a bit disappointed when Ashton gave in, but I kissed him one last time and smiled smugly at him. "I told you I would prove it," I told him, running my hand down his back and moving away slightly. "Now...we probably should actually get some sleep. As long as you admit that I'm superior to sleep."

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He pouted at Jem's smug smile. He would have loved to continue, but if they were going to wake up early - and try to minimise his grumpiness in the morning - then Ashton reasoned that they would have to get some sleep sooner rather than later. "Alright. Yes, you are superior to sleep. For now." He admitted, deciding to leave out that he'd already agreed to the statement - to himself - a while ago already.

Loralei Waverly
She laughed lightly, as she was pulled down with Elsa, and she also moved under the sheets as well. "No, I guess you don't have to." Loralei confirmed, and she gazed up towards the ceiling. "...I wouldn't mind living in a place like this." She commented, then she turned to face Elsa, and she put her arms around her, drawing her close.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I smiled, snuggling into Loralei's arms. I'd always liked cozy spaces like this, that just felt natural and secure, and I thought that with Loralei, nothing could be more perfect. "Well," I murmured, "I must admit...it's certainly not bad. Erek...he was right, this is really my dream home. But there's so much more. For every bed, there's a job to be done. For every room, more money to be paid. And even the royalty isn't above that. It's just...different. And I have it much better than most people, I know, but...sometimes I wish the world was just different."

Jem Laceburn

Sensing Ashton's pout---I could practically feel it---I grinned to myself and kissed him one last time. "Alright. I shall fall asleep knowing that I won," I agreed, pulling the quilt up to my shoulders. It was the most comfortable bed I'd been in for quite a while, I could admit. Although if everything went well, soon I'd be living comfortably with Ashton. Something about it all felt wrong, but I was sure it was just because I wasn't used to good things like this. I was used to difficulty and often unhappiness, and so of course I was nervous about anything that came easily. And perhaps part of me was reluctant to leave my life of freedom behind. But for Ashton I didn't mind, not much. I closed my eyes, already close to sleeping.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
"I'm sure you will." Ashton murmured, having already closed his eyes, and was now pretty much half-asleep. Something in the back of his mind struck this all as being fairly odd, and as if something was off, but he ignored it. He was going to take every opportunity that he had to make sure that he and Jem would escape - and if it came easy? Well, all the better. He was so looking forward to properly living with Jem. He soon fell asleep, rather quickly.

Loralei Waverly
Loralei listened to Elsa when she spoke, holding her close, and then she said, "You might have it better than most, but that doesn't mean your concerns aren't valid." She was silent for a few more moments, and then she asked, gently, "Can you tell me what you'd change? Even if you can't fully describe it indepth, I'm sure I'll understand what you mean." She wanted to let Elsa have the chance to speak her mind, if she was able to put it into words.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

Another thing I loved about Loralei---she always seemed to just understand. She asked for my thoughts and my feelings, even when I didn't understand them, and by talking to her, I was able to gain a better understanding of my own self. And it never seemed forced; she always seemed genuinely curious. "Everything. I don't know," I started, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "It's like...like I'm watching a play sometimes, and I understand some things, but sometimes I just wonder why don't they understand how foolish they're being? Why don't they care? And why do their experiences, thoughts, and feelings seem like they exist in a different plane than mine?" I sighed, leaning into Loralei. "I want people to understand."

Jem Laceburn

I laughed silently, the only sound a slight puff of air, and squeezed my eyes shut. I was awake a bit longer than Ashton, and so I felt the exact moment he fell asleep, his chest settling into a slightly different rhythm against mine. That was when I was really able to start drifting off: Ashton asleep next to me, safe, breathing. Maybe there was more I was supposed to want, but for me, that was enough: his presence and his love. So only minutes later, I drifted off next to him.