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divineluce · 4 years ago

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Tears in a Vial || Luce & Nadia?

Timing: July 3rd, 2020

Location: Nadia’s Apartment

Tagging: @humanmoodring & @divineluce

Description: Luce and Nadia have a not at all concerning chat about bruised ribs, phoenix tears, and equivalent exchange.

Leaning heavily against the wall, Luce groaned. Fuck. Her doctor had said that it would be a while before she was feeling herself again and that she should avoid doing strenuous activities. Which, apparently, included going up stairs. “Fuck me.” She muttered, as she made her way up the last flight of stairs. Between the pain in her side, the sickeningly rapid pounding of her heart, and just general weakness… She needed those phoenix tears. Now more than ever. Nell was in danger, she was kidnapped and held at some fucked up monster fight club. And Remmy… Remmy was there with her. The way they’d thrashed on the floor of Bea’s kitchen, it’d scared her, shocked her. Concerned her. What that meant… She wasn’t going to think about that right now. Luce wiped at the slight sheen of moisture on her forehead as she made her way to Nadia’s apartment. She did her best to look a bit more presentable, fixing her hair outside the door, before knocking on it. When the door swung open, she offered a slightly crooked grin to disguise the pain that had continued to run up her side. “Hey, Nadia.” She said. “Thanks for letting me come by.”

Whoever Luce was, Nadia knew enough about her that she knew how to get to the apartment. Oh, and she and Nadia occasionally screwed. That in and of itself was interesting because Nadia Diaz didn’t do casual fuck buddies or whatever. She just didn’t. She was incapable because she almost always became sickeningly attached, even without sex being involved. But, hey, if the little empath had been growing in her absence, good. It meant her behavior wouldn’t be so off, anymore. Because now she had a much larger audience to play act to, and she had to be careful. Afterall, this hadn’t been as easy of a takeover as the first time. Opening the door, Nadia went for a soft smile as she looked at the woman in front of her before letting it slide off her face. This Luce felt miserable. “You climbed up to the third floor of an apartment with broken ribs,” she said without thinking. It was kind of impressive, really. She blinked and moved out of the way to let Luce in. Should she help her? Would Nadia help her? She had no idea. “Uh, yeah. It’s no problem.”

Noticing the way Nadia’s expression shifted, Luce shifted uncomfortably. Was there something wrong? The last time she’d been over, when she’d dodged the questions surrounding why she had wanted to hook up with Nadia, the woman had worn a similar expression when she opened the door. An initial smile that faded away to something different. “Yeah. No elevator, so stairs it was.” She said with an off-hand wave of her hand. It only hurt when she breathed. And really who needed breathing? Slipping inside, Luce nodded again. “I appreciate it, though. Broken ribs, they’re not exactly ideal.” She said not really knowing how else to bring things up. All the other times she’d been here before, they’d both known what was on the table. Meaningless sex, no strings attached. But her reason for being here right now was far more transactional than anything they’d done before. Nadia had phoenix tears and she… needed them.

“The stairs are the most tragic part of living here,” Nadia mused as she headed towards the kitchen. That, and the neighbors. The banshee was a fucking pain in the ass, and the old woman… something about her set improperly. It probably just had something to do with the fact that Nadia didn’t care for old people. Whatever. Luce’s pain, along with an undercurrent of awkwardness and concern, were distracting, prickling at the corners of her mind in a way she hated. She was at the cabinet with the tears before she knew it, holding a bottle of them in her hands. It was funny; she hadn’t even know where the tears were stored. Now, she looked into the cabinet, counting the vials and smiling. Fucking fantastic. She could stretch them out, make them last, maybe sell a few as needed. Vial in hand not included, of course. She walked over to Luce with a smile, planning on teasing her, taunting a bit, but her hand shot out without her control, vial in hand. Her jaw felt clenched. Nadia closed her eyes, attempting to rein in control.

“But hey, the view’s at least worth it. And I mean,” Luce let a slightly mischievous, flirty grin slide across her face. “Going up and down that many stairs every day pays off in other ways.” She said, flicking her eyes deliberately up and down the other woman. She didn’t want Nadia to see how much pain she was in-- that wasn’t their deal. They were just people who fucked, that was it. Same as Remmy. A lump formed in the back of her throat at the thought of them, remembering the way they had writhed in pain on the ground. They’d just been so shaken, so incredibly in pain. She’d never seen them like that before. And that necklace… Whatever the fuck it was, it wasn’t good. She knew that much. Which is why she was here. To get the phoenix tears, get better, and then… figure out what the fuck was going on with them. Because they deserved better than that. Not because she cared, but because they had suffered for too long to have to go through whatever fresh hell they’d found themselves in. As Nadia thrust the small vial out to her, Luce jumped slightly, startled out of her train of thought. “Oh thank-- hey,” She frowned, looking at the way the woman’s eyes closed, “Are you feeling okay?”

“It’s a great view,” Nadia’d commented with a wink. She knew the other woman was flirting, checking her out. Which, couldn’t blame her on that one. It was a great body; the stairs were definitely a decent workout, sort of. She’d lost muscle mass in her time away, but nothing major. She probably couldn’t climb in and out of buildings as easily. That was hardly important now, though, as she fought for control. This girl doesn’t fucking care, she screamed at someone who probably couldn’t even hear her. She didn’t know where the host went when the body was possessed, if they could hear the possessor. Still, she kept thinking savage thoughts, harsh reminders spurred on by Luce’s own emotions. Until the faint pinprick of concern worked its way through, and Nadia had to stop paying attention. “Fine,” she said, her voice a bit rough as she forced herself to speak. This was so fucking dumb. Nadia needed to knock it off. There was nothing about Luce or any of their online interactions, from what she could tell, that showed anything more than physical attraction. After all, they barely knew anything about each other below the surface. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. “Totally fine, just a long ass week.” She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry about it.” She added a smile. “I don’t suppose you want these, do you?” she asked, shaking the bottle.

The wink caught Luce off guard, but she rolled with it. And her words too-- Nadia had never really reciprocated her flirtations like that before. It was always a more stuttering response, some kind of bashful look before she eventually took the compliment. But, maybe she was just feeling herself today, who knows. Brushing it off, she watched the way the other woman paused, the way her eyes flicked open. “Sounds about right. Seems like there’s been a lot of those going on for a lot of people.” She nodded. “But, hey, here’s hoping that next week treats you better.” As Nadia shook the vial in front of her, the clear bottle dangling from her fingers, Luce felt her jaw clench slightly. She did. She needed them. Whatever was going on with Remmy, with their strange situation… She needed to be back at top condition again. “Yeah-- Like I said, I can pay, money’s really not a problem. There are just things I need to take care of and I can’t really do that like this.”

Nadia grinned. Honestly, the week was already getting better. She was living, after all, and that put her leagues ahead of where she was. Back in a body she was comfortable in, too, where it felt like she’d carved a space for herself to stay. She’d been untethered for months, but now things were better, stable. She wasn’t going anywhere. She moved over to the dining room table, set the vial down and took a seat. “I don’t want money,” she lied. She did want money, almost all the time and in copious amounts so that she could use it to buy a copious amount of things. However, she wanted more than just money off of Luce. At least, that’s what she was telling herself. She didn’t want to acknowledge the part of her that was screaming at her to help this girl. It was much harder to ignore than the one that screamed not to hurt people that annoyed her. After all, Luce had yet to be particularly annoying. That made her favorable company already, along with her constant reassurances to herself that this was just a casual thing, her desires to pay or provide a debt. These were Nadia’s favorite types of people, the ones that saw the world as she did. Everything had a price, and everyone paid. Better to be owed than owe. “I do want to know how you broke your ribs, though. I’m concerned about your extracurriculars if you’re going about getting yourself broken all the time,” she said, both teasing and inquiring (and, if there was a bit of concern actually coloring her voice, then she was just a really good actress, nothing more).

Taking in Nadia’s question, Luce’s shoulders tensed as she tried to figure out where to even start. She couldn’t. She couldn’t, there was too much. Too much that the other woman didn’t need to know, that she didn’t need to be burdened by. They were just fucking. That was it. Regardless of the conversations they’d had, both in and out of bed, they were just fucking. No need to tell her more than she needed. So, Luce went for the partial truth. “I fucked around with a bit too much magic and that sort of thing has consequences. Mine came by way of broken ribs. Call it karma, call it equivalent exchange. It all comes with a price.” She said with a sigh. The slight change in her exhale made her ribs twinge in pain and she resisted the urge to wince. Fuck. “I just got a bit in over my head. But, I’m not gonna be messing with it anymore.” Nope. Never again. Not ever.

Maybe the reason that Nadia’s host kept Luce around was because she was a human storm of emotion. Since the moment she stepped in, always feeling far too much despite her cool exterior. It might’ve been too much, really, except she hadn’t felt anything so real in so long that it was almost heady. She grinned, keeping it soft. “Alright, yeah, I get that. Not the fucking around with magic. But equivalent exchange. I get that.” This girl was a lot like her. That was a comforting thought. Obviously, Nadia didn’t know her well. Or maybe it was the other way around. The OG Nadia Diaz would do anything for the people that she cared about, no questions asked. Unfortunately, there were too many people around here that she had cared about. Somehow, Luce had made it onto the list. It was baffling. “Glad you’re not gonna mess with shit like that anymore, though. Seems a bit hard for your health, yeah?” She couldn’t pick out a lie in Luce’s words. She hadn’t even realized that part of her was looking for one.

“Yeah?” Luce said, a bit surprised. Concepts like the exchange of one thing for another, of the universe always finding a way to bring balance and return to some kind of middle ground, not many people got them. Some might think it cruel, or unfair. But, that was magic. It was neutral, it didn’t pick sides. It was power, it was a weapon, it was healing, it was… everything. And, though she used it, she didn’t possess magic any more than anyone possessed fire itself. It was a part of her, worked with her. It asked for energy and gave her power in return. Shaking her head, Luce focused on Nadia once more. “Yeah, definitely not going to be doing anything big soon. Well. Not without…” Her gaze flicked back to the vial of phoenix tears in Nadia’s hand. She hated that she was being so… transactional. But that’s what this was. That’s all they were. She just had to get over it.

Maybe that wasn’t the proper response, Nadia thought, but it was a bit too late now. It didn’t seem to be a bad one, at least, causing more surprise than anything negative. She could work with that. It was hard, these days, navigating these new people, and there were so many of them. However, if she could fool her host’s friends (well, friend, really) and the family who had known the girl her entire life, she could fool people that were essentially strangers. “Everything comes with a price, I’ve been told,” she mused. Something about Luce, her emotions, her words, caused something sharp to shoot through Nadia’s chest, a feeling that was neither hers nor Luce’s. Good. Maybe it’d keep Nadia away. “Except for this, that is.” She handed Luce the vial of tears. “These should help with your ribs. But,” she paused, the words thick in her throat, “but be careful. I mean, I’m sure you will.” She wasn’t sure at all, but she needed to distance herself from the words and why she said them. As if she knew why she said them. “But, yeah. I’d rather not have to give you more. Those might be a bit more costly,” she teased and winked. It was easier to flirt than to try and understand what she was feeling. She loved feeling stuff, unless it made her ask questions. She didn’t have time for that shit.

“You’re not wrong about that.” Luce nodded, though the words only confused her more. If that was the case, then why was she-- but then, Nadia pressed the small vial of phoenix tears into the palm of her hand. Closing her fingers around them, she offered a slight wince as her cold fingers brushed against the other woman’s palm. For once, Nadia was the one warm to the touch. “Sorry, cold hands.” She apologized, though she didn’t totally understand why. Maybe it was because she knew how much the other woman liked her warmth and heat. As Nadia winked again, Luce blinked in response. She was definitely flirting. Which was… so unlike her. What had gotten into Nadia? Just an off day or something? Pushing the questions from her mind, she offered an easy grin. “We could work out a pay by installment situation.” She said, running a finger up Nadia’s arm lightly. “If it ever came to it.” Luce backed away, her ribs twinging as she did. “In the meantime… Thanks. Really. This, this helps a lot.”

That was a nice sensation, touching another person, especially one with a normal body temperature. Luce could say she had cold hands all she wanted, but nothing compared to a motherfucking banshee thinking it was cool to cuddle when she felt like a damn dead body. “Don’t worry about it,” Nadia said, not really understanding the significance. Luce was human. She had a human body temp. It was nothing to apologize for. Maybe Nadia was the one that should apologize. She kept doing the wrong things, shocking Luce, shocking the people that she talked to online. She should leave White Crest, but something was keeping her here. She told herself it was the money she had stashed and the money she could make off the fuckers that lived here. That was it. Her soft grin widened, sharpening despite the fact that she knew she needed to rein it in. After all, if Luce was flirting back, what was the harm? “I think a payment plan would work nicely. If it ever came down to it, of course.” She gave a bit of a bow. “No thanks necessary. I’m glad to be of service.” And, despite her words, she knew there was now a favor owed, even if it was on a cosmic sort of level. She did a good thing, therefore she deserved a good thing, be it from Luce or the universe. She expected payment, and she’d get it. One way or the other.

Luce resisted the urge to frown at the other woman’s response. None of this… felt like it should. The times they’d talked before, all the other times she’d been in this apartment, none of them had felt like this. There was just something strange, something off about how she was acting. In one moment, she was the normal Nadia Luce had come to know. In another, she was flirting, winking, making sly jokes. Strange didn’t even begin to cover it. “Yeah. I should go, but feel free to text if you need anything.” She said with a nod before making her way out the apartment. When she stepped out into the hallway, Luce let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. The motion sent a spasm of pain through her ribs and she let out a gasp of pain. It grounded her back to the reality of her situation, of what she had to do. Whatever was going on with Nadia, she was going to have to wait. She had to focus on one thing at a time. But, once Nell was back home, once Remmy was safe, she’d get to the bottom of this. She had to. Why? Well… because it was the right thing to do. That was it, Luce told herself as she began to take the stairs back down, her ribs filled with a stabbing pain with every step. It was just the right thing to do. Nothing else.

#p: tiav #p: nadia diaz #chatzy #wickedswriting

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