#cassian3

[gwyndolence]

Gwyn hadn't expected that move, lips parting in surprise as Cassian's fingers twisted and the chain of his necklace drew snug against his throat. The sith's head tipped back without a whisper of complaint, his eyes shining as Cassian bent to kiss him properly. He was grinning like a fool by the time the dragon relinquished his lips, warmed from toe to tip by the daring of that little maneuver, Gwyn's gaze lingering adoringly on Cassian's face.

"Oh, you've meet him?" Gwyn couldn't help a soft giggle, not having gotten too acquainted with Krovs' newest spirit yet but knowing the gossip that had already started to spread about the strange slave. "Did he frighten you, my darling?" He tucked his chin down, flashing a teasing look at Cassian up through his lashes. "Do you need me to handle it for you?"

Havoc was a strong word for what Gwyn had been doing, but petty mischief didn't roll off the tongue quite so pleasingly. "Oh, plenty. All the better now that you're here." He tugged his mask up to sit on his forehead, careful not to smear the red makeup around his eyes. "This has been all-together far too civil of an occasion for a masked ball. What have you made of it? Any scandalous encounters with sworn enemies yet?"

He smiled, unrestrained, as Gwyn's invisibility filtered away. His expression was bright, happy, to drink in the sight of the sith. Despite the amount of time they actually saw one another, he always seemed to look at Gwyn with the same amount of affection and happiness as if they hadn't seen each other in ages. It could have been just days or hours and he'd still give the same delighted energy.

Cassian accepted the kiss to his cheek but it wasn't enough. He shifted his grip on Gwyn's necklace, bringing it around the back of his neck and twisting it in his fingers until it was tight around Gwyn's throat. He pressed the thumb of his other hand under the soft palate of Gwyn's jaw to make him raise his face so Cassian could kiss him on the lips properly. He slacked the tension on the necklace but didn't let go as he was hugged.

"I am. Especially after running into that one ghost around here," he said, taking his eyes off Gwyn for just a moment to glance around the ballroom for the creepy man stalking the place with the skeleton hands for a mask. They'd run into each other at the bar and Cassian made a mental note to stay as far away from the spirit as possible after a leering comment about how long his bones must be. He shook his head a little as if to clear the encounter from his mind.

"Have you been having fun wreaking invisible havoc?"

[gwyndolence]

Gwyn's eyes were darting up from Cassian's text when he caught the dragon slowly spinning towards him, that endearing look of intense concentration on the other's face. Had he figured it out yet? The way Cassian's gaze was roaming, unfixed but certain, Gwyn suspected his brainly little darling just might have. He went as still as possible, no breath or even blinking. He didn't move to even slide his phone away. Cassian was so close the sith could've reached out and bopped him right on the nose but just when Gwyn got it in his head to do so, a slow grin cracking across his frozen expression, Cassian's hand darted out and touched his chest and the sith found himself gasping instead before he was properly hooked.

He only resisted for a second and mostly from surprise before he gave into Cassian's little tug and let himself be reeled in, melting back into visibility with a whispered - 'Boo!" just before he ran into the dragon's chest. "Hello, clever boy!" Gwyn beamed up at the other, winding his arms around Cassian's middle without an ounce of self-consciousness. He'd always been touchy at the best of times and whenever he was around Cass that felt dialed up to eleven, like there were magnets between them too strong for Gwyn to possibly resist getting as close as he could. He rocked up on his toes to glance a kiss up against Cassian's cheek before pulling back with a look of delighted bemusement aimed the dragon's way through the holes of his mask, "Are you really afraid of ghosts?"

I'm sure you can't. The only logical solution was that Gwyn was invisible. He'd seen the power displayed before simply from the sith sneaking into his office at work. Cassian had come back from lunch only to have his soul scared out of him by Gwyn suddenly appearing as if out of thin air, sprawled out over his desk like a cat. Fun, but inconvenient for a dragon who consistently forgot to utilize his senses until he remembered he had them.

'I'm always up for a challenge if you're gonna be giving out prizes' he shot back.

He took a few more steps and used his hearing to try and pick out a distinctive giggle. He used his nose to try to sniff out Gwyn's scent. The former yielded nothing but the latter? He caught onto the thread of it and turned to face where Gwyn was hiding. His dark eyes flickered over the empty space where Gwyn was, right at about the sith's height.

Cassian knew he was going to look like an idiot but he took another step forward and reached out with his free hand. His fingertips just brushed the bottom of Gwyn's necklace and he acted quickly, hooking underneath it and tugging gently. He tried to draw Gwyn close without breaking the chain.

"Either I caught a sith or a ghost and I really hope it's a sith because I'm scared of ghosts."

[gwyndolence]

Gwyn idled by and enjoyed watching the rapidly evolving emotions playing across Cassian's face, grinning up against the rim of his glass. He could've entertained himself for hours just watching the dragon think. A little laugh almost escaped at the slow spin, Gwyn putting a hand over his mouth to contain it in case it gave his position away to the other's keen senses. Then Cassian was off, and not totally in the wrong direction either, though his self-doubt clearly won over to arrest the doctor's steps again. Gwyn kept half an eye on his phone and half on Cassian's tall shape as he abandoned his drink to sidle through the crowd, tiptoeing around Cassian's position while his thumbs rapidly tapped away, tongue anchored between his teeth to stifle any future giggles.

'im sure u cant hehe'

Once he'd wound around to Cassian's back again, Gwyn dared to creep a few feet closer, light on his feet. His eyes danced with amusement, delighted at getting to play a little game with his sweet doctor.

'not up for a challenge? theres a really good prize if you win ;)'

Cassian was already making up his mind to leave Gwyn be and return to Ravi with his tail between his legs when he felt his phone buzz right under his hand. He pulled it from his pocket and felt the corner of his mouth lift into a grin. His thumb swiped at the screen to open Gwyn's message and the grin immediately fell away, replaced by surprise. The dragon lifted his head and looked around to try and figure out the angle of the photo, tried to piece together where Gwyn might have such a vantage point.

'i can't see you' Cassian replied, turning on the spot slowly. His eyes were not being useful and so he tried to follow his nose instead, but it was difficult among all the party goers. Some were perfumed, others had stronger natural scents. It all mixed to create something just a tad overwhelming and thought he knew Gwyn's scent intimately, it was hard to single out. He took a couple of steps, then stopped again.

'playing hard to get tonight, sweetheart?' he texted a second time.

[gwyndolence]

Gwyn was exceedingly well practiced with his invisibility at this point in his undead life, probably more so than any of his other hybrid abilities, and that meant he knew very well all the little things it wouldn't let him get away with. Clothing was usually a safe bet, melting right away with him when he wore it. Objects were touch and go - literally, meaning he usually had to touch them and go invisible before they would disappear with him. Not usually a problem, especially in a crowded venue like this one when most people were too invested in their own little personal romances and drama to notice the sith flitting in and out of view.

This time, he was making for one of the fancy mixed drinks the bartenders were concocting specially for the holiday, popping up over the bar in a flash to pluck up the slender glass before disappearing again with a few scattered bills for tipping left behind. He didn't go far before taking an experimental sip. The cocktail was fruity and sweet on Gwyn's tongue, unsurprising when it was that luminous shade of pink. He was hovering over it, thoughtfully licking his lips, when he caught a glimpse of one of his current flames hovering anxiously where the sith had just been standing.

A grin pulled across Gwyn's face, twirling on the spot to take in Cassian's rather dramatic mask and the studs on his jacket, not unlike a pattern of scales. The dragon was obviously searching for someone. Searching for him? He watched him scanning the crowd a few moments more, then wandering away with a rather disappointed hunch to his spine, Gwyn creeping a little ways behind still sipping at his drink. Poor darling, he longed to walk right up and kiss him right on the back of his neck, on that little strip of tantalizing skin between his suit collar and his hair.

Gwyn tipped his head as he watched Cassian's hand slide into his pocket, having to hold back a laugh as he realized what he was doing. He leaned up against the close end of the bar, slipping his own phone out of his pocket and taking a quick blurry picture of the anxious dragon, sending it to Cassian immediately and following up with a short text: 'i see u ;P'

[closed starter for @gwyndolence ]

He had started the evening with the best intentions. Cassian had arrived to the party with Ravi but not as dates for each other, oh no. They were both going stag and had decided to show up together, maybe mingle at each other's sides. Cassian considered them friends and didn't mind lending his own awkward air to Ravi's so they could be a tall cloud of uncertainty together but his plans evaporated the moment he caught a flash of curly hair and a specific shade of red suit over at the bar. Gwyn.

Cassian's breath caught in his throat as he clapped Ravi on the shoulder and immediately left his side to follow the trail of his friend. He watched Gwyn melt into invisibility and hurried over to the bar to try and catch him but the moment he got to where he'd been, he couldn't smell him as strongly anymore. He tried not to wilt as he turned and tried to scan over the crowds of people, hoping he could catch a glimpse of him again.

He tried not to be disappointed. It wasn't like there was a lack of the sith's presence in his life. Gwyn came to visit him at work often enough, had been over to his house since they'd seen each other at Christmas. For something casual, he was practically spoiled. Cassian was greedy, though. He was addicted to the way Gwyn's lips curved so mischievously when he smiled. He wanted more of the sparkle in those pale eyes, the clear ringing lilt of his laugh. Fuck, he wanted to kiss him.

Cassian wandered away from the bar and slid his hand into his pocket, thumbing over the edge of his cellphone. Should he text? If Gwyn didn't have his on him though, which was likely, it wouldn't matter. Maybe Gwyn was busy tonight like he had been on New Years. He worried at his lower lip and tried to scan the crowd for him again.