#( int/ elias öberg. )

[blcssom]

closed for @lambsgod

dumb bitch juice — rachel chinouriri | i'm not the type to judge / but you're cheap and you're basic / you bring nothing to this table / and i'll end up the one / who needs healing 'cause I'm dumb enough / to sit at your table / i've been here before but / i'll be giving it the same excuse / that “he looks so cute”

"oh, come on...... don't act like you aren't gonna help bail me out one last time." and , in case they need extra motivation, his lips curl into a sheepish, innocent, grin. "for old time's sake?"

[blcssom]

"i'm not making fun! your intuition has been as much a figure in my life as you have." okay, perhaps he'd drifted into the realm of sarcasm, but never with malice. not for nemo. elias may have been a skeptic, but one thing he was certain of was that she, for better or worse, tended to be correct. whether that was his intuition or lucky guesses or simply just by being observant elias couldn't say, but he'd long since stopped questioning it. their claim that their mind was too full for any thoughts of him prompted one brow to arch in a sort of challenge, letting his palm rest against his forehead as though he could somehow read their thoughts. ".....mm, no i'm definitely getting a lot of me up here. and a lot of me naked?? nem, please. let me have my dignity at least." admittedly, he felt himself at a disadvantage. she was always so aware. of the world around them, of what people needed, of what his intentions were.... with only his charm in his arsenal, eli was constantly waging an uphill battle trying to coax them into a sense of security that he was never really sure he achieved. but she hadn't left yet, and that had to have meant something, he told himself. "well i'm not only looking for money—" though his brain had already started rifling through the index of marks he kept on hand for emergencies. but he was happy to put the task to the side for an evening, instead letting his arm snake around her waist to draw their frame in against his. "it is nice, isn't it? you're more than welcome to come try it out any time you like." his free hand rose to brush a few stray curls from their face as his gaze softened the way it always did when they were in orbit of one another. "you see that? it's called generosity among friends. i can only pray one day the gods of karma reward me by having someone reciprocate."

"don't make fun..." they could never tell with him, whether he actually took them seriously, or if he thought it was all a bunch of bologna and merely played along to humor them. with almost everyone else, she could assess their intentions with little effort— not like a mind reader, and not always due to intuition, like elias had joked, but by reading their body language, assessing their tone, piecing together whatever little clues she could gather just by being observant until she'd created a clear picture. of course, nemo happened to be blessed with abilities that came from beyond their mortal realm, but they weren't always as cut and dry as people assumed of a psychic medium. they couldn't control what information they received from spirits, and they definitely couldn't just conjure them up out of thin air to answer their questions at will like some cosmic magic 8 ball. "please... i have much too much going on up here to give you much thought at all." but, spiritual enlightenment be damned, nemo was only human, unfortunately, and as such he couldn't help but be swayed by such primal conventions as lust and desire. it was something he was still trying to tame, and elias certainly didn't make it easy the way he'd lure him back in right as he was certain he'd gotten a grip on his self control. "if you're looking for money, you've come to the wrong place," she spoke very matter-of-factly, putting on as stern of a tone as she could muster, though she still allowed herself to be drawn in yet again. "mmm... not sure i was hoping for much. your mattress is nice, though. beats sleeping in the back of a van..."

[blcssom]

"probably somethin' to do with that wicked intuition you've got...." he may have been a skeptic, but elias knew better than to question forces outside his understanding when they proved themselves. and anemone had proven to be vibrating on an entirely different frequency. though elias wasn't sure he saw just how often that frequency synched with his own, a weakness he was more than happy to exploit when the opportunity presented itself. "oooor maybe you think about me and how i'd react to things more often than you wanna admit." the tip of his nose grazed against hers as his head dipped forward, cheshire grin widening as they allowed themselves to get drawn back into his orbit. aside from needing quick cash (though that was a pressing concern), he'd missed them. so much that the quick push followed by her own lithe fingers snatching the wallet back impressed rather than irritated him. his expression couldn't help but betray the shock, though, and he broke into a gentle laugh once he realized it was still frozen on his face. "that is not very zen of you, nemo..." but incredibly endearing. he couldn't help but reach out for the loose fabric their top, trying to tow him closer. "well? was it everything you hoped for?"

"tell me why i'm not surprised..." deep down, nemo was certain he meant well, but elias just wasn't the sort of person who was conducive to their spiritual growth, and that was really their main goal in life. to remain stagnant and unchanging was akin to a death sentence, and continuing to rehash the same tired old tropes certainly didn't align with their vision. even still, nemo knew it was a mistake to ignore a gut feeling, and if she still felt drawn to elias even after all this time, there must've been some unresolved business to attend to. while she allowed herself to be maneuvered to his liking, brown eyes locked on green, she didn't let herself get swept up in his charm, remaining alert enough to feel his hand going for her wallet, though she didn't stop him just yet. "or maybe..." he murmured, the ghost of a smirk tugging at plump lips. "i just wanted to see the look on your face when i finally cut you off for good." with that, they pushed him lightly on the chest to get him to separate, snatching their wallet back in the process and waving it in his face. "it's just not the same over the phone, is it? not nearly as satisfying."

[blcssom]

"well if those are my only options then.... i choose later." it was unfortunate that the trait he admired most about them was also the easiest to exploit, he thought. as detached and free as she imagined herself to be, eli could clearly see the invisible string tethering her to him and, even with a catalogue of other playthings at his disposal, nemo never ceased to be the first he reached out for. long fingers reached out for the delicate curve of their jaw, tilting small, birdlike features back until she was forced to meet his gaze directly. "and yet the you from yesterday came crawling to my bed the same way the you from today is doing.... is it wrong of me to call out a pattern?" one arm slid down a sleight frame, drawing nemo in against his frame while simultaneously wriggling the wallet out from their back pocket. "maybe i offer something you just can't find anywhere else."

"sooner or later you'll need to learn how to fend for yourself..." and yet, nemo always found themself dropping everything at a moment's notice just to come to his rescue whenever he happened to call, no matter how many times they insisted that their period of spiritual connection ended. it wasn't like her to dwell on anything that had past its prime and no longer suited the being she was presently, but the hold elias had on her was something unexplainable, even for someone as cosmically attuned as her. "i'm not the same person i was yesterday. who's to say i'll fall back on old habits i kicked years ago?"