[ He does care about MK, it's just, like he keeps saying, complicated. Not having romantic feelings for Wukong anymore (right now) doesn't uncomplicate it all that much, sadly. This here is simpler, and easier, and MK would hate hearing that or believing that, even though it's no failing of his and just how the card happened to fall. ]
[ A huff of amusement, followed by a slight shiver at the attentions paid where fur meets skin. ] Next time I'll do it without any magic necessary. [ She probably knows better than to doubt him by now. ]
[She shivers at the thought. Fingers slowly carding through fur as she lazily nuzzles him.] Hm, that would be fun. [She definitely knows better than to doubt.]
[ A little sound at the way her finger feel through his fur, not loud enough to be a groan or long enough to be a purr, but somewhere in that register. He hasn't been groomed in so, so long, and he misses it, but he's never found anyone he trusts enough other than Wukong. ]
[ His eyes fall shut and Macaque begins fully purring, leaning emphatically into her hands. He doesn't even bother to reply in favor of soaking in the contact. ]
[ Despite not having been groomed in that long, his fur is soft and very well maintained. It's the bonding aspect he really missed, though he can't deny that physically it also feels damn good. He should let MK do it more often, just... complicated, again. ]
[MK is a ball of complications. Red Son doesn't mind. Its soothing to do, honestly. Especially with his fur so soft. She keeps her hand moving, down along his side, taking care of any tangles their activities incurred.]
[Its a few minutes before she speaks.] Want to turn around for me to do it more properly?
Winging it, mostly. I did a little with the Weremonkey. Haven't pinned down MK for it yet. I wasn't sure how comfortable he'd be with it.
[She moves her hands along his back, up the back of his neck, through his hair, and back down again, before slowly picking her way through his fur. More gentle brushing and picking away knots and any stray lint or some such from the day or clothes.]
I used to play with father's fur as a child. It may not be as instinctual, but things still feel nice.
I think he'd like it. He tries it with me at any opportunity. [ Which is a little awkward, but not the end of the world. ]
[ Macaque's purring swells and ebbs slightly as Red Son pets through his fur. ]
I don't usually let him, aside from briefly with weremonkey and once when I was drugged. It feels a little... [ he gives up before settling on a word. "Intimate" is the closest, but would that be odd to say while he's letting Red Son do it? He doesn't want her to stop and he's nervous that word would do it. ]
[She hums.] You're also always a monkey and he has his....issues. Though more positive monkey reinforcement would likely help. We've been trying it with other things.
I'll see if I can get him to sit still for it soon. [She keeps up the grooming though. A few light scratches mixed in when her fingers have to linger in a spot a while.]
He gets plenty of that positive reinforcement from Wukong. [ It's as gentle of a dismissal as Macaque can get, and puts a fine point on one of the problems: there's really no use for Macaque in MK's life that Wukong doesn't fill in a better way. ]
Mm, vulnerable works. I've always been very picky about it.
I meant positive reinforcement to associate with his own monkey over getting positive reinforcement from a monkey. But he gets a different perspective from you than Wukong that's important. There's a reason why Wukong and MK agreed to have me help MK learn how to control the monkey form. I understand what its like to have a power you can't control like a traditional ability and how it can be overwhelming, since Wukong never had that problem. There's a reason why MK is so attached to the idea of you being a mentor over just a friend.
[She hums, slowly working up his back.] Understandable. Its hard to let people close. To really relax and let go. Some things can feel even more intimate than sex, depending on the context of it all.
...Can we not talk about MK and what he wants from me? I'm actually relaxed for the first time in a thousand-odd years. [ And that topic is capital-S Stressful for reasons that he doesn't want to go into or think about right now. His Wukong feelings got easier (by diminishing), his MK feelings didn't make that jump. In fact they loom larger now without the bigger Wukong Problem to dwarf them. ]
You've got the idea, yes. I never associated sex with intimacy until Wukong and it still doesn't click those buttons most of the time, but grooming, that was always off limits for pretty much everyone. It's a... trust thing, I guess.
[She kisses the back of his neck.] Okay. [Fair enough, really. He knew the situation was Complicated. Even without the romantic feelings for Wukong aspect.]
Most likely. Sex is a something to be swept up in. Almost like a fight. When things get going, its easy to fall into the next step. Things like this, there isn't a momentum. Its a choice to remain and let yourself bask in the feeling.
Thank you. [ His tail does a slow sweep and then curls over her in an approximation of an embrace. ]
You've got the idea so well that I'm wondering if you have a counterpart. [ MK or the vampire probably hit whatever intimacy buttons she needs pushed, he's just curious. ]
For what it's worth, you're good at this. [ His purring is back full force. ] It's a choice to let you, but not a hard one.
Letting people do things with my hair, beyond just pulling it. And...well, I keep having thoughts where I want to ask Saya or MK to buy me a choker just... [She trails off a few moments.] I haven't gotten the nerve yet, but the thought keeps crossing my mind.
Just...letting people take care of me. Its difficult to just let myself stop for a while.
I'm glad to hear it. It is oddly soothing to do. [Gentle care, keeps his hands busy. Its nice.]
Ah. [ He lets that settle for a long moment. Anything with a collar is going to be extreme for Red Son, so it's understandable why she's hesitant. ]
Well... I know for sure MK would be great about it, and from the gossip around the vampire girl she doesn't sound much different. Assuming they know the reasons behind it, that is. [ Knowing the history so you don't treat it like any old kink is probably important there. ]
What about your hair? [ It's fine if she doesn't want to answer, it's just idle chitchat since he's too blissed out to filter. ]
Saya knows about it in detail. I'm not sure as to the breadth of MK's understanding, his Journey knowledge is rather lopsided and the full chapter about me is extremely difficult to find with the attempts to hide the Samadhi Fire. But the Scholar might have found a copy of it. But MK may have also not paid attention.
He did see a memory of when I still had the collar though, and he understands its like Wukong's crown. So he should know that its not a request I make as lightly as other things. Though he may not get the full implications.
[A collar in the bedroom would be an extreme thing. A choker is something he would wear day to day. More over, it would be something of their he wears on their neck. A kind of marking. The sort of thing that Guanyin had tried to do by trying to make him a disciple.]
Mother is the only one whose done my hair in centuries before here. I'm sure I probably had servants do it when I was young, but those memories have long since faded. [He didn't seem much point to write about those memories.] It was actually one of the few things I ever liked when we had to go to a party for whatever reason. Getting ready for it. Helping each other prepare.
I let MK do it his first day here. I was rather out of it at the time, I had just done the scan on him. And Saya's helped do up my hair a few times.
It was...nice. And felt...different then other things.
I wouldn't count on MK knowing more than you've told him. Even his knowledge of Wukong-related things is iffy. I mentioned jumping through the waterfall making him king of the monkeys and all I got from MK was a blank look.
[ With that boy, if you want him to connect the dots about something big it's best just to tell him outright. ]
I'd be a hypocrite to tell you to ask them about either one, since I'll probably never outright ask someone for grooming even if I wanted to, which I almost never do.
I can't even put proper words to why I'm letting this happen now. It just feels nice. And not complicated. [ Which is something he direly craves. ]
...that is literally the first chapter. [MK pls.] I know the Scholar can go on about the book. I wonder if MK really just needs it to be visual to recall. I know that animated series kind of glossed over all the parts before the Journey started.
But I plan to tell MK in more detail anyway. He's going to mark me in the near future.
Asking is always the difficult part. I know there is a saying about words are easy, but that's really far more subjective than anyone seems to want to admit.
[She hums, another long drag of her fingers along his back, before finding another place to focus on.] Because its uncomplicated and there's trust and understanding. Enough to say something if it feels bad, and not be afraid it'll ruin something.
You're not going to have any unmarked skin left before you know it. [ He sounds amused by all that. Marking and biting never struck him as particularly intimate either, Wukong shocked the hell out of him when he said that only Macaque had ever been allowed to. ]
Mmhmm. Trust and understanding. [ Which sounds a bit foreign still even if he's essentially agreeing that's what's going on here. ]
And not worrying about anything to ruin. Although for whatever it's worth, by this point I don't think you could run me off.
Its not as if I'm doing the spell for them to take all the time. [Even if she wants to do it...a few more times.] Besides, I was already pretty well scarred up for my bloodline anyway. Why not have a few more of something nice to counter the evidence of failures?
Oh, I'm sure I could do something if I tried hard enough. But...I don't want to. And I can believe I won't do it by mistake.
Maybe spook you. [There was a reason she had been careful about using the word 'friend.']
But not run you off.
And its a rather well documented fact that the moment I get attached, I will go to lengths of insanity to support someone.
[ A bit of soft laughter amidst the purring. ] I'd be able to tell if you were trying that hard. [ And he makes a point to not go away when someone's that focused on making him. ]
I included spooking in what I said. I've had my moments of being spooked and I'm over it, I doubt you could do it further. Be as attached as you like.
I've been told I can be an insufferable ass. And other such colorful things before I get threatened to be thrown out of a party. [Her mother usually interferes to avoid them actually getting thrown out.]
[She chuckles, lightly scratching along his shoulders.] I was attached already. It was more being reserved in expressing that attachment.
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[ A huff of amusement, followed by a slight shiver at the attentions paid where fur meets skin. ] Next time I'll do it without any magic necessary. [ She probably knows better than to doubt him by now. ]
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I aim to please.
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You are very good at that.
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[ Despite not having been groomed in that long, his fur is soft and very well maintained. It's the bonding aspect he really missed, though he can't deny that physically it also feels damn good. He should let MK do it more often, just... complicated, again. ]
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[Its a few minutes before she speaks.] Want to turn around for me to do it more properly?
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Are you winging it, or did MK give you some practice?
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[She moves her hands along his back, up the back of his neck, through his hair, and back down again, before slowly picking her way through his fur. More gentle brushing and picking away knots and any stray lint or some such from the day or clothes.]
I used to play with father's fur as a child. It may not be as instinctual, but things still feel nice.
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[ Macaque's purring swells and ebbs slightly as Red Son pets through his fur. ]
I don't usually let him, aside from briefly with weremonkey and once when I was drugged. It feels a little... [ he gives up before settling on a word. "Intimate" is the closest, but would that be odd to say while he's letting Red Son do it? He doesn't want her to stop and he's nervous that word would do it. ]
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I'll see if I can get him to sit still for it soon. [She keeps up the grooming though. A few light scratches mixed in when her fingers have to linger in a spot a while.]
...vulnerable?
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Mm, vulnerable works. I've always been very picky about it.
[ Sure is purring like crazy right now, though. ]
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[She hums, slowly working up his back.] Understandable. Its hard to let people close. To really relax and let go. Some things can feel even more intimate than sex, depending on the context of it all.
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You've got the idea, yes. I never associated sex with intimacy until Wukong and it still doesn't click those buttons most of the time, but grooming, that was always off limits for pretty much everyone. It's a... trust thing, I guess.
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Most likely. Sex is a something to be swept up in. Almost like a fight. When things get going, its easy to fall into the next step. Things like this, there isn't a momentum. Its a choice to remain and let yourself bask in the feeling.
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You've got the idea so well that I'm wondering if you have a counterpart. [ MK or the vampire probably hit whatever intimacy buttons she needs pushed, he's just curious. ]
For what it's worth, you're good at this. [ His purring is back full force. ] It's a choice to let you, but not a hard one.
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Just...letting people take care of me. Its difficult to just let myself stop for a while.
I'm glad to hear it. It is oddly soothing to do. [Gentle care, keeps his hands busy. Its nice.]
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Well... I know for sure MK would be great about it, and from the gossip around the vampire girl she doesn't sound much different. Assuming they know the reasons behind it, that is. [ Knowing the history so you don't treat it like any old kink is probably important there. ]
What about your hair? [ It's fine if she doesn't want to answer, it's just idle chitchat since he's too blissed out to filter. ]
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He did see a memory of when I still had the collar though, and he understands its like Wukong's crown. So he should know that its not a request I make as lightly as other things. Though he may not get the full implications.
[A collar in the bedroom would be an extreme thing. A choker is something he would wear day to day. More over, it would be something of their he wears on their neck. A kind of marking. The sort of thing that Guanyin had tried to do by trying to make him a disciple.]
Mother is the only one whose done my hair in centuries before here. I'm sure I probably had servants do it when I was young, but those memories have long since faded. [He didn't seem much point to write about those memories.] It was actually one of the few things I ever liked when we had to go to a party for whatever reason. Getting ready for it. Helping each other prepare.
I let MK do it his first day here. I was rather out of it at the time, I had just done the scan on him. And Saya's helped do up my hair a few times.
It was...nice. And felt...different then other things.
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[ With that boy, if you want him to connect the dots about something big it's best just to tell him outright. ]
I'd be a hypocrite to tell you to ask them about either one, since I'll probably never outright ask someone for grooming even if I wanted to, which I almost never do.
I can't even put proper words to why I'm letting this happen now. It just feels nice. And not complicated. [ Which is something he direly craves. ]
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But I plan to tell MK in more detail anyway. He's going to mark me in the near future.
Asking is always the difficult part. I know there is a saying about words are easy, but that's really far more subjective than anyone seems to want to admit.
[She hums, another long drag of her fingers along his back, before finding another place to focus on.] Because its uncomplicated and there's trust and understanding. Enough to say something if it feels bad, and not be afraid it'll ruin something.
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Mmhmm. Trust and understanding. [ Which sounds a bit foreign still even if he's essentially agreeing that's what's going on here. ]
And not worrying about anything to ruin. Although for whatever it's worth, by this point I don't think you could run me off.
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Oh, I'm sure I could do something if I tried hard enough. But...I don't want to. And I can believe I won't do it by mistake.
Maybe spook you. [There was a reason she had been careful about using the word 'friend.']
But not run you off.
And its a rather well documented fact that the moment I get attached, I will go to lengths of insanity to support someone.
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I included spooking in what I said. I've had my moments of being spooked and I'm over it, I doubt you could do it further. Be as attached as you like.
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[She chuckles, lightly scratching along his shoulders.] I was attached already. It was more being reserved in expressing that attachment.
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Fine, then. Express that attachment however you like. Try me. [ He sounds confident, at least. ]
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