#but please give him plenty of hugs and snugs and MEAT!!!

[gumpistol]

    hey! hey you! guess what?? you know what day it is on sunday?? that's right! IT'S LUFFY DAY!!!! LUFFY BIRTHDAY ON SUNDAY! AAAAHHHHHHHH THE DAY OF THE YEAR I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!! time for Luffy celebration!!

[elaianna]

Anchored

"You're putting off your questions,” Elaianna said, knowing when he was clutching onto a distraction.

Thomas smiled at Dagan, pausing as Elaianna spoke. "Mhh -- yer' annoyingly keen, y'know that? ... Sure, I'm puttin' it off. Yer' livin' now an' thas' tha' greater of ma' worries. But I'm inclined ta' ask what in the fuck gave reason fer' ya' ta' be torn from tha' dead ta' begin with." Tom itched his abdomen, affixing her with a stare.

Elaianna blinked slowly, brows knit together. She looked as if he had slapped her. "You.. you think i should have stayed dead." Her voice, though quiet as it had been, had grown even softer. Try as she may to keep the hurt from showing, the emotion laced her words.

Thomas loosed a short exhale. His shoulders deflated, body losing some of it's rigidity, even in his armor. "Fuck n' damnation -- ya' really imagine thas' what I was thinkin'? 'Course I don't think ya' ought ta ... stay de -- stay -- " Tom shook his head, fussing with his gloves. "'Course that ain't what I meant. I think ya' ought ta' never have been ... gone ... in tha' first place."

Dägän didn't even know how to respond but let the man either dig his own hole to Pandaria or try to clear his name as quickly as he could. She didn't know how or what to think at the moment being.

Elaianna's facial expression softened. "I didn't ask to be... gone.. as you put it."

Thomas huffed, "I'm sure ya' didn' ask. But we both know tha' difference between stayin' out a' trouble an' making tha' decision ta' put yer'self in tha' crosshairs."

She sighed softly, closing her eyes. "You want me to stay at home, have afternoon tea and eat cakes... Pretend there aren't things that need fixing in the world?"

He frowned, jaw clenching, "Y'know that ain't true neither. I want -- " Tom halted, pacing back and forth. He dips his head to Dagan before turning back toward Elaianna, "Fuck's sake Anna, we gotta have this talk now? Y'need ... rest."

Elaianna looked up to Dägän. "...Can we have a few minutes, please?"

Dägän nodded in return. "Sure, i'll be outside if you need anything."

Thomas crossed his arms over his chest.

Elaianna pushed herself to sit up, keeping the blankets tugged snug around her waist. "Calm down and use your words, Thomas. Please."

He looked to the floor, the windows, the ceiling, anywhere but her. His jaw clenches again. The color in his face flushed and the veins in his neck pushed against his skin. Despite this, he didn't speak, just shook his head.

Elaianna spoke weakly, putting inflection upon his name when she spoke it. "Thomas. Please." She tried to motion for him to at least come closer but without him looking at her, it was moot.

Thomas pushed out a long, harsh exhale. His hands came to rest against the table nearby. Words did not come out easily, and he looked strained and uncomfortable. "Please what? Damn't Light alive -- I know ya' gotta do what ya' have to. But piss, ya' got folk what count on you. Folk what ... care about you. An' a daughter who needs a mother. More'n fuckin' anythin' y'know that ta' be true, don't you?" Tom's jaw jutted out and his head tilted, looking at the ceiling. There is a bubbling of emotion in his voice, "Fuck."

She canted her head, looking at him with sad eyes. "Please -that-. Say what's on the tip of your tongue, what you're holding back." She twisted a bit, trying not to wince at the phantom pain in her stomach where the second wound had been. It was healed by Cayce as well, but Light only went so far. "..Aye. I know that to be true." Her voice was low, shame tainting her words.

He gritted his teeth hard in his maw. There was a creaking of wood as his hands grip the table. After a moment, he took two hard steps toward her, leaning forward until his face was only a few inches from hers. The blood is still thick in his face, and the vein his forehead is swollen. "Light damn't woman -- I care about you. I need you in a way I ain't felt need in a long time. I can't have you goin' an' dyin'. Nerina can't have that. There're plenty a' bags a' meat that can die in your stead, folk like me that don't swell with such purpose that you do. Y'understand?" Tom moved to speak again, but stopped. The rush of his blood slowing and leaving him standing there, looking pained.

Elaianna set her jaw as he came to her with hard steps. As she listened, her jaw slackened. She reached up with a clammy hand, giving his cheek a gentle pat as if that could wipe away the pained look on his face. "I have a hard time sending folk like you to do things that I wouldn't do," she said slowly. She measured and weighed her words, but even the careful nature she chose them with didn't keep the emotion from oozing from them. "I couldn't have people like you... especially you... die in my stead, because I need you. I can't lose you too... I've told you that, haven't I?”

Thomas softened at her touch. The swelling blood and hard line of his jaw relaxed with the simple pat of his stubbled cheek. Words came slowly, his voice much smaller than it was before. Pin pricks of water ate at the sides of his eyes for a moment, until he blinked. "I'm buil't for it, gal. I'm ... " A shaky exhale escapes him, "I feel like ... I know ya'. Perhaps better'n ... some. I know yer' ache, I feel it too. It doesn' get any less in time. Loss is tha' surest demon ta' pain yer' heart. But ... " Tom inhaled, then exhaled, repeating this a few times. He shook his head. "But tha' don't meant you can throw yer'self into tha' fray so mean an' willingly. Despite tha' fact ya' can handle a horde a' demons or void touched beasts or a plain sailor with a rifle better'n even I can -- y'just ... can't." 

The warpstalker in the corner of the room, Warpson, let out a sharp snore as he slumbers in the corner as the two were busy pouring their hearts out in strained words. The snore behind him caused Tom to pause. One gloved hand scrubbed over his face before he looked at Elaianna from beneath his hood, eyes stained red at the edges.

The lady's dove grey eyes searched the red-stained eyes, only tearing away to look at Warpson when she heard the snore, before looking back. "Built for it or not... I'm not built for losing you." Her lips, twitched, as if she were to say more but hesitated. There was a pause as she chose to swallow those words. Instead, when she spoke again, her voice was defeated. "You do know me.. You know me better than most... Least, what goes on up here." She pressed a fingertip to her temple briefly. "...Which surely to goodness means.. you know I'm not -looking- for death. Contrary to tonight's evidence."

Thomas had difficulty holding gaze with her as she looked at him. His jaw came tight, and he swallowed. There is glimmer in the back of his eyes, something far away but clearly paining him. "I know ... I know y'aint lookin'. Yer' stalwart, n' strong, n' damn't smart. I know it ain' right ta' hound you this way I jus' ..." Tom halted, choking on his words. His throat swelled and he swallowed, shaking his head. "Don' fuckin' go anywhere, alrigh'?"

She reached up with her left arm, snaking it around the back of Tom's shoulder and neck to pull him down over the back of the second bench Korduun had pulled up to make a place for Anna to rest. It was just enough so that her other arm could reach and she could give him a hug. "I'm too stubborn for that. I'm not going anywhere. I'm anchored," she promised.

The Captain seemed startled at her touch, at first. The motion left him slack at the jaw, lips coming together and apart to try to find words. In their absence, he simply leaned forward into her embrace. His arms, rustling as his armor moves, came around her frame. He was gentle, not wanting to harm her in such an infirm state but -- there was an edge of desperation in his clutching at her. A low exhale escaped him, dusting over her shoulder. "... Anchored." His voice came at a whisper.

Elaianna gave his back a gentle pat. "That's right," she murmured.

[ There was SO much that happened in RP, and I plan on doing more posts about it, but while I still had the logs up on WoW, I wanted to get this down/edit some of the pretenses. Thank you to everyone for an amazing guild event. I’d love to tell more but not all the stories that happened last night were Anna’s to share.]

@thomasstalsworth @kharne (mention)