1x1 with hollyglow and Consulting_Angel

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He held Jem close to his chest, but not in a restrictive way, and he laughed quietly. Then, he leaned forward so that his mouth was near Jem's ear - being able to just barely see it in very faint light - and he whispered, "I'd like to see you try," and he drew back again. Ashton then stifled a yawn, tilting his head away slightly as he did so.

Loralei Waverly
Smiling brightly still, Loralei ran a hand back through her hair, and then nodded. "No, it shouldn't be. If... if they saw us, then maybe they'd be more interested as well!" She looked forward to seeing the plan unfold, and fix relations between the two species. Maybe it would help each of them work together, and then each flourish more. And, she was sure, that not only would it be something that would make her happy, but it would also be something that Elsa was good at. "Should... should the idea be brought up to Erek?" she then asked, a little hesitantly.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

My face fell a bit when Loralei mentioned Erek. In the past, I probably would already have been telling him all about my plan. He was my brother; I didn't hide things from him. But now...now I didn't know what to do. "I don't know," I replied, slowly and carefully. "That's...I think that if he weren't holding Ashton prisoner, then everything would be okay. But it's like...like we don't speak the same language anymore. I can't be certain about anything with him anymore."

Jem Laceburn

"Is that so?" I murmured in reply. "Well, I can certainly try, can't I?" I caught his mouth with mine in a kiss as he yawned, mainly just to prove my point, one arm looped around his shoulders, the other between us, my fingers wrapping loosely around the collar of his shirt to pull him closer.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He wanted to give a sassy reply, or just something to provoke the challenge, but instead he let out a tiny gasp when Jem kissed him again. He didn't mind, nor really care, thoigh, of course. It was like they were physically inseparable now, and he was surprised that there even was room for them to get closer. Ashton kissed back, his arms around Jem's waist.

Loralei Waverly
"Oh..." Loralei said, softly, "I almost forgot about that... I'm sorry." She glanced down towards the floor, thinking over it. Perhaps, she thought, they'd just have to make sure that they were successful before telling anyone that would have the influence or power to potentially put a stop to them. She looked back up towards Elsa, "Does that mean we should wait until after Ashton has been released? Unless we're allowed to go into the city together ourselves..." she asked. She didn't want them to rush, of course, but it was just so exciting and interesting.

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I hesitated, drumming my fingers lightly on the bed. "Well. I don't know. The idea would probably have more ground coming from me as a princess, but who knows how long it will be before I'm really a princess again, and then there will be a whole political mess. Additionally, it could get complicated if we were to spread the idea too recklessly. I don't think we want everyone to know about this right away, after all. It will need to be a process."

Jem Laceburn

I pulled my head back to study Ashton intently. "I'm afraid that all I can really think of to do right now is kiss you. Which, although most enjoyable, is not particularly conducive to things like rational thinking and functioning as a person. So you'd better appreciate this, because every time I kiss you, I think my ability to think properly disappears more."

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
With a quiet laugh, Ashton had to smile at that, and then he said, "Well, you better save that rational thinking for until after we escape. I doubt we'll get far if we start making out every ten minutes." He nudged Jem lightly with his hip. "And I do appreciate it, don't you worry about that. But perhaps we should leave this cosy space, unless you're up for me sleeping on you right here, and you have to either deal with it or carry me to the bed."

Loralei Waverly
She thought about in, and nodded slightly in agreement. They couldn't just rush in and push the idea onto as many people as possible in as short as time as they could. "And I'd probably have to go and speak to the other merfolk as well. So that there's actually other merfolk for humans to speak to." Loralei said. They would have to take their time, she knew, especially if they ended up not finding anyone (to start with, anyway) that wasn't taken to the idea. "I think we can take as long as we need to plan. There's no rush."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

"Yes," I agreed. "We wouldn't want to mess everything up because we were in too much of a hurry." I paused for a moment, then focused intently back on Loralei. "We also need to be certain...Loralei, we need to make absolutely certain that you---and everyone else---are safe. I don't want anyone to get overexcited and start a fight, and honestly...well, I don't know about merfolk, but humans are excellent at turning good things awful, especially when they're being asked to change something."

Jem Laceburn

I nudged Ashton back with my own hip, mainly to prolong the contact, and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know, none of that sounds half bad to me. Though I suppose I'll be able to enjoy myself with you more when we're not plotting an escape or trying to be quiet. So I really ought to try to focus, shouldn't I?" Well, I had my doubts about whether it would be any better with Ashton's father. I knew in some places, it was even illegal for two men to be together. While I didn't think that was the case in Ashton's kingdom, I knew that as a rule, flings---though I hoped that wasn't what I was---were discouraged for princes. Well, obvious ones, at least, though I suspected most royalty had some sort of affair at some time or another.

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
Ashton laughed, and then he leaned over so that he could rest his head on Jem's shoulder. "I hope it sounds 'none bad'. And yes, you should focus... at least starting tomorrow anyway." He said, and he attempted to stifle a yawn again by using Jem's shoulder to hide it. "When we get back..." he started, a little sleepily, "I'm going to tell everyone that I'm going to marry you. And if no one likes it, then they can write a letter - the longer the better - and it'll make for some good fire fuel." He thought for a moment, almost as if he was fantasizing about it, "And any of the disapproving noble families will be removed from the invite list to all of the future parties that get held."

Loralei Waverly
"I know that plenty of merfolk can hold their own... though I'm uncertain on how they'd be if they changed their tails into legs, and were faced with it." Loralei commented, thinking over it, though her chest was warm with the thought that Elsa cared so much for her - and the other merfolks' - safety. "I'm not entirely sure as to how they'd react. They'd try hard to make it work, I'm sure of that much, but I don't know what they'd do if faced with uncooperative humans."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

"Yes," I agreed. "It's strange, isn't it, the way people can take a situation that's completely peaceful and twist it into a nightmare?" My tone was thoughtful, musing; I could have been talking about the weather. "I wonder why. I mean, I'm stubborn, I'll admit that much, but not so much so that I can't admit when I've made a mistake---well, most of the time, anyway."

Jem Laceburn

I smiled, leaning back against the wall and rubbing my hands up and down Ashton's back. "Is that so? I can see it now. At our wedding, we could have a ceremonial burning of all the hate letters." I started a bit, realizing that it was true. I really could imagine a wedding---a whole future, all with Ashton in it. Before, when I imagined my future, I'd been content with the hazy notions I had, that I would spend the rest of my life on the sea. I still longed for that life, in truth, but this vision was much more concrete and real, and I felt that everything would work out. I paused, noticing a small flaw in our plan. "Erm, Ashton," I murmured softly, "aren't you going to need an heir?"

[Consulting_Angel]

Ashton Rouleau
He relaxed into the touch of Jem rubbing his back, and smiled. "Me too. We could throw them in together." Ashton said, and realised that he really could imagine it. A whole ceremony... maybe a celebration party as well - at the insistence of his father - and he and Jem would probably have to sneak out to steal a few minutes alone. He blushed at that thought, wondering if he was being unrealistic. It was still nice to think about, though. Something that he could hold onto and look forward to striving for. Then, Jem pointed out a flaw, and Ashton paused. "Well... yeah. But I don't know if I'm ready to give one." He replied, but he knew that it would be inevitable at some point. He stayed quiet for a while, thinking, then, he said, "...I know that one of the noble families couldn't have a child together, so they generously paid another woman to have the child, but still had the noble bloodline. We could do that."

Loralei Waverly
Loralei hummed in agreement, and she thought over it. "Perhaps it's because it's new territory. Something new that they're unsure how to react to it." she suggested as an explanation. To her, it was quite reasonable. She let out a quiet laugh, "I know that while I'm fairly open to new experiences, I must admit that I wasn't sure how to react to... well, anything that's happened so far. But I think I'm more comfortable about it now. Being here."

[hollyglow]

Elsa Alina Asbjornson

I nodded, but didn't look satisfied. "Yes, but it seems like things are more likely to go badly if everyone makes everything into such a bit deal. Of course you didn't know how to react. I wouldn't expect you to. But you didn't react violently, and I didn't either, and look where we are now." I paused to smile at Loralei. "I just wish people didn't do foolish things, is all."

Jem Laceburn

I hated to feel like I was coming up with problems, but I knew this would be a legitimate concern for us later, and I preferred to address it now rather than wait and let it cause strife later. "I...is that legal? I know in some countries, at least, it's required that the heir be the child of the king and his partner. I've even heard of the younger child being preferred over the older one, if there are questions about the child's bloodline. And I wouldn't want there to be any question of the child's right to the throne."