chef_chocobro | A Private Villa in Argentina; Thursday Evening [02/08].

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A Private Villa in Argentina; Thursday Evening [02/08].

Although he felt he'd made a pretty good show of not being too distracted by his and Liliana's impending trip, Ignis had been rather...dare he say it?....impatient to get through the day and get through their classes, and finally find their way to this little excursion down in Argentina. And who could hardly blame him, when as soon as they'd settled things upon arrival and found their way to dinner and a meal with beef so tender it practically melted on their tongues. And while there wasn't much on the agenda besides that and arrive, it was made clear that they would need to ensure that the whirlpool tub was up to their incredibly high standards.

Thankfully, it passed the tests exceptionally well, so that when Ignis eventually extracted himself from it, he could just go and find himself comfortable reclined and relaxed in the bed.

Well, relaxed for him, anyway, which meant that his mind, as much as he tried to quiet it in the spirit of the trip, was still already buzzing with the itinerary they were likely to pursue in the morning, especially since, well, he'd been looking forward to that coffee bar ever since Liliana mentioned it. Funny, that. For all he'd be up thinking about it, he was going to be in that much more need of it, though he figured, once Liliana finished up in the tub and joined him, she'd surely help him find a different reason for needing that coffee in the morning.

[[ for whatever may just so happened to be in this villa in Argentina with him, please. Who I also stole a little bit of phrasing from for the post, so credit where credit's due, and yes, I know it says Thursdays, whatever, time is meaningless, shut up, and NFB for distance and time travel, obvi. And now with totally unexpected, to be sure, NSFW-y warnings! ]]

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It was his birthday present, so Liliana wasn't even going to complain about his insistence on waking up early and filling the days with activities, rather than taking the opportunity to lounge in the sunshine doing as little as possible. Well, not out loud anyway. But her suitcase was filled with a significant quantity of Earth bathing attire and she had no compunctions using all of them against him in an effort to get him to spend at least a little time sunbathing with her.

...Or a lot of time not actually leaving the room with her. That was fine, too.

But those were plans to put into effect tomorrow, after the arrival of the coffee bar convinced him that it was time to be rising and shining. For now, she was wearing a thin silk dressing gown that clung to her still-damp skin, currently warmed by her immersion in hot water and soon to be warmed by other means. But only soon, though, not quite yet.

"My darling," she said, placing something in his hand, "I found this in our luggage." 'This' turned out to be an envelope, too heavy to be a letter. By the heft, the quality and texture of the paper of the envelope, and the way the contents shifted inside, it seemed like...a card of some sort? "It's addressed to you," she continued. "Would you like me to read it to you?"

Who was to say that an appropriate amount of time for sunbathing, lounging, and not leaving the room wasn't already included in the itinerary, though? Just because it was scheduled didn't make it any less indulgent.

Fun was literally on the schedule!

And when anything other than Liliana herself or perhaps a glass of something extra to wind down with was placed in his hand, Ignis was immediately curious, a small frown of thought on his face when he couldn't immediately draw more conclusions than what was given to him. Forget even just the imperceptible nature of a sealed envelop beyond discerning things from the weight of its contents and the quality of the stationary, let's also examine why such an envelop addressed to him specifically would just be 'found' in their luggage in such a fashion. But, since sometimes the best way to solve a mystery was the most direct, he was then handing it back to Liliana.

"Please do."

You know, if it weren't for the detail about him being the addressee, he might half suspect that Liliana was finally agreeing to read the correspondence from her accountant as a gift to him or even potentially a seduction, which...

...had the potential to be successful, actually, shush.

This is what you got for getting involved with blue mana nerds, Liliana.

"Of course, my darling." The sound of her opening the envelope, accompanied by her muttering something about the villa not providing letter openers, and then, "Ah, it's a birthday card," she told him. "Dark blue, with colorful foil fireworks on the front." She held the card over to him again to brush his fingers over the cover if he wished.

"Hmm, let me see...Ah, so, according to the envelope, it was sent from an L. Vess, Vess Manor, Caligo Forest, Benalia, Aerona, and made out to Ignis Scientia, The Citadel, Insomnia, Lucis." It was a good thing all this reading meant she didn't have to look at him, because she was feeling remarkably silly right now about this fit of whimsy. "Inside it says, Dear Ignis, Happy Birthday!" Her voice went higher, affecting a little girl's tones. "I guess you were right, sending this card was much easier than trying to visit. I hope you are having a good birthday, and you get something nice. I did get a proper horse for my birthday and she is very pretty. I named her Starlily. Maybe you will get a chocobo for your birthday. You still have to tell me what mesmenirs and spriracorns are so you should send me a card back on my birthday. That means you have to save this address! Anyway, it was very nice to meet you in the real way not in the very polite way I'm supposed to say it, and I'm very glad I didn't have to marry Prince Noctis. Your friend, Lili."

She closed the card and said in a more normal - if slightly embarrassed - tone, "Well. I suppose that's why it's a day late. Benalia is quite the distance to travel by mail, not to mention very much lacking in greeting cards. Yes."

And now she was just going to have to remind herself that she was Liliana Vess and that she couldn't possibly be feeling embarrassed, because that would require a sense of shame and she had none.

As if Ignis would pass up on the opportunity to appreciate a texture when offered, and if he thought his smile was softly appreciative from just that little detail, just wait until Liliana actually began revealing to him the further contents of this expected delivery. There was a soft breath of amusement when the detail about the horse confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt who this sender was, and as Liliana read, he leaned his shoulder into hers to listen with amusement and the almost perfectly formed image of that self-possessed little girl, face very drawn and serious as she bent over her desk in composing the letter and then it shifted into the self-possessed woman actually writing it, a small wrinkle of concentration and consternation between her brows as she realized she didn't even need to write it down, it wasn't as if he'd know the difference, and yet there she was, ensuring it was all nice and neat and everything.

Obviously, he had no way of knowing if that was how it happened or not, but he did feel that, if she were going to go this far with it already, he couldn't imagine her just leaving that extra step untraveled. And when she finished, he leaned in a little more to turn his head and brush a kiss against her cheek.

"She is a remarkably resourceful girl, isn't she?" he said. "I'll have to be sure to send her a proper thank you, especially to congratulate her on her well-earned pony. And to regretfully inform her that I have yet to receive a chocobo, but I'm sure she'd be charmed to hear about the fantastic cake that we had."

Of course she had. He might make fun of her tendency towards indolence all he liked, but when it came to what was important, Liliana was quite diligent. The trouble was, of course, the kinds of things she considered important.

Opening mail from her accountant, for example. Not important.

And that consternation deepened further as he mentioned the cake, but the above really clarified why, didn't it? She put effort into what she found important, and the cake and the card were indications of effort, and therefore it made certain things obvious beyond a shadow of a doubt... Parties and extravagant vacations were easily brushed over as things she would also enjoy, and even having him move in with her - hard to admit as it was with words - could be passed off as convenience, but these things? They carried no intrinsic benefit to her, and yet...

Where was that vaunted self-possession, exactly? Had she forgotten to pack it?

"Hmm?" Blind Eternities, now she was nattering in her own head. Possibly even wool-gathering. "I'll have you know, Starlily was a proper horse, not a pony. She'd outgrown her pony at least two years prior to hear her tell of it." She slid the card back into the envelope, and turned to face him. "What would you like me to do with this, darling?"

Oh, don't let anyone, not even Liliana herself, try to convince either of them, that there was no intrinsic benefit in miring the admittedly tragically devoted even deeper in said devotion. Clearly, that's why she went through all the trouble. Ignore the fact that doing so was wholly unnecessary to achieve the same result; it was just good practice to be thorough.

"An unfortunate slip of the tongue," Ignis offered. "My sincerest apologies to Starlily and her esteemed owner, especially when I should really have expected no less."

With that, and a small, reflective pause, he reached out to gently take the envelop from Liliana. "I'll tuck it somewhere for safekeeping until we get home and I can find a good space to commemorate it justly. Perhaps somewhere in the study. Or, well, I believe the front of the fridge is often quite customary for such things, as well."

Liliana was under no illusions that one day she was going to speedrun through all of that accumulated devotion, okay? It just made sense to pad it out as much as possible now while she had the opportunity.

"Oh, I'm sure the study would be fine for such a thing," Liliana said quickly, as the card might possibly be seen by other people on the refrigerator. People had this confusing tendency to want to help in the kitchen (which was useful, yes, but still confusing) and Abyss only knew when somebody would pop up to fetch things or chop things or do dishes or whatnot. "Keep it with the other paperwork." You know, hidden, because why would anybody be bothered to go through paperwork?

"Mmmm," Ignis hummed, with a thoughtful nod and another light kiss against Liliana's cheek and not a single trace of a faintly amused smile at the alacrity in which the fridge suggestion had been dismissed, perish the thought. "Yes, that does seem the logical place for it, doesn't it? Ah, well."

He pulled away from Liliana, just enough to turn and make a small feel for some sort of bedside table on which to set the card for now, and when he returned, he seemed to draw himself in even closer as if making up for the temporary gap in space between them.

"Something we need not concern ourselves with presently," he said, nuzzling in faintly, against her hair, against her neck, "but thank you. For finding it and subsequently bringing it to my attention, darling."

Oh yes, nuzzling was much better. Liliana made a soft, pleased noise, tipping her head back to give him more access to her neck. "Well, you did make such a fuss about unopened mail," she murmured with a husky chuckle. "It seemed the least I could do..."

Her hands drifted up to his shoulders, lightly running her nails over his skin.

And with encouragement like that, how could Ignis respond with anything but a few slow kisses along that offered neck, three in total, taking their time in moving from the first practically against her collarbone, the second about halfway up, the third against her jawline. And, well, since he was there, a nibble on her earlobe for good measure.

"And is that mail," he asked, far less interested in what the answer was than he was in how the question was answered, "still unopened?"

"Mmmm..." Liliana purred, leaning backwards and pulling him with her. Between the answer he was waiting for and the kiss she was delivering to him, only one of them was worth not waiting for and it certainly wasn't the answer.

She kissed him long and leisurely, because they were on vacation, dammit, and she wasn't going to be rushed for anything. "Yes, in fact," she replied. Evenually. "I opened it just for you, in fact. He wants to meet about...something. The terms of my various land rentals, I think?"

Look, you could make her read it but you couldn't make her pay attention.

"Then my spirit came to report about Volpaig and you'll understand that took precedence."

More kisses now? Surely Ignis wouldn't be distracted by any of that.

Ignis was, in fact, so thoroughly distracted by kisses that he almost had to wonder why he'd even bothered asking about unopened letter in the first place. After all, they were on vacation, and, look at him, not wanting to waste all the time and effort that Liliana had put into it by putting aside things like unopened letters and other concerns to just enjoy it.

Practically every inch of it.

"I will admit," he murmured, buried in her neck again as he brushed back her dressing gown to clear the way for her shoulder next, "I can hardly fault your sense of priority there..."

Liliana was certainly looking forward to enjoying every inch of it.

"I suppose, if it means all that much to you, my darling," she said, continuing to tug her dressing gown down so he could just focus on using his mouth to send the most delicious shivers down her spine, "you're welcome to accompany me to visit him the next time I visit Innistrad."

Whether or not he heard that invitation was up for debate as that was when the rest of her dressing gown pooled to her waist.

Oh, Ignis had absolutely heard it, though he had to admit that its relevancy and ability to capture his attention as a matter of concern was diminishing dramatically. His lips truly did have much more important things to attend to, up to and including encouraging his tongue and his teeth to join in as well. A moaning dig of his teeth into her skin, a flick of his tongue and a lingering kiss to soothe it immediately after. "Perhaps something to be arranged," he drawled, low and rumbling, back up against her neck as he detoured to kiss her almost long enough to derail that train of thought, "later. Much..."

A kiss, at the hollow of her throat...

"Much..."

Another, against her breastbone.

"Later."

And then over to one of her breasts, where his hand had, helpfully, efficiently already been employed with due diligence and the utmost of attention.

Liliana's hands rudely remained busy not on him, but only long enough to release the knot on her dressing gown so it could fall off completely.

Yes, that was much better.

She arched under his mouth, wanting more, but drew him away and up to kiss him once again, wrapping a leg around his waist to make up for the momentary detour. But she needed his face directly in front of her, cupping it with her hands that were so warm right now, to gaze at him, knowing he could feel it, even if he couldn't return it, and whisper the words that had earned such a reaction the last time. "Mine."

And, for a moment, those sightless eyes did seem to gaze back, not in any impossible way that could finally, somehow, pierce through the cloak of darkness so persistently wrapped around him, but in his own intense way of perceiving. And even though her hands were so warm against his cheeks, he felt a shiver race through him.

"Yours," he agreed, but it was far less an actual word and much more of a raw, guttural growl diving off the edge of a sigh as he all but melted into Liliana and her lips.

"Utterly," he expanded, once he dropped his lips back down to her neck again, his hand curving along her leg to pull it in closer, "vehemently," another kiss, against her jaw, his other hand sliding its way toward her back, "yours," before those wandering lips found their way back home to hers again, body pressed in against hers as if to eradicate any space between.

There is no such thing as too close tonight.

Words whispered between them once before, but the sentiment had never really gone away. She moaned under his kisses, his pressing, his words, almost grateful that his mouth had claimed hers again because she honestly didn't know what she might have ended up saying in reply.

Words she couldn't take back, probably. Words, she was was increasingly certain, that she wouldn't want to take back once she said them.

But for now she remained safe, her mouth captured by his, enough sensations to dive into and get lost within. They sank backwards onto the bed, removing whatever slight distance had remained between Liliana's back and the softness of the sheets. As soon as she was fully prone, her leg slid along his to join the first in twining about his hips, and one of her hands skimmed over the scars on his cheekbones before losing itself in the hair at the nape of his neck. The other trailed its way down his side, gliding sharp nails over the lines and planes of his physique before coming up to rest atop the small of his back, not far above where her legs were crossed.

She arched and rocked beneath him, breaking their kiss for a gasp, followed by a shuddering breath, carrying the barest wisp of the word "Yes."

A simple cry of pleasure would have been louder, more urgent. This was pure agreement.

Utterly. Vehemently.

Yours.

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A Private Villa in Argentina; Thursday Evening [02/08].

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