ruinsprofessor

[The tensing-- she expected that. The subsequent drop in tension, and the reciprocal touch, halfway to a return embrace? That's a little surprising. Raine doesn't loosen her grip, rather sets her chin on his shoulder and generally gives off the impression that Bakura gets to put up with this for the foreseeable future.]

[She'll let him go if he needs to free himself, of course, she's never gotten the idea he's all that comfortable with things like this, but-- just for now.]

What were you thinking?

[It's quiet, as it's very nearly in his ear, and it's as much genuine desire for explanation as it is anger with him and Valdis.]

[ It helps a good deal that they're both somewhere private that he's familiar with, and that he knows she'll back off if he wants her to. If anything, it made all the difference. His hand stays where it is, so long as she chooses not to shrug it off. ]

We had a difference of opinion as to where my jurisdiction began and ended. She showed up here a week past dropping that vision in everyone's heads, to apologize for it with a side serving of "advice" I had no interest in hearing. She said it was time to end our arrangement, and after some thought on it, I decided she didn't get to make that decision without proof. That's what happened the following day.

[ He shakes his head, careful not to dislodge her position. ]

It doesn't matter. I gave her my word on something and then broke it... she has no reason to listen to me now, even if she wasn't right about my being better at breaking than fixing. It's not like I didn't know.

[A 'difference of opinion,' coming from Bakura, covers a fair amount of ground. That may be an understatement. The worst part is Raine can just about follow his logic, in his particular sort of way. She sighs, resigned, a little frustrated.]

In the middle of the street?

[Really? That can't have been strictly necessary, and opened up a lot of potential collateral damage. That particular choice is a solid part of her anger, too.]

[It's difficult picking out what part of the rest to focus on first. Raine... doesn't think she can help with his relationship with Valdis, such as it is; that dynamic frankly eludes her most of the time. If either of them even wants to fix it. Words about destruction always being easier than creation-- no, that, too, Bakura knows, can hardly not know. In the end, she settles on something he had to remind her of some months ago.]

Bakura. You aren't... you're not replaceable.

[If not for Solomon, she would have thought him dead. If he'd been wrong, he might well have been genuinely dead. She disapproves of both possibilities.]

Remember that, the next time you decide to do something so indescribably foolish.

[ gruffly: ] I was keeping an eye on the bystanders.

[ He had been, more or less. It was a Duel after all, and those weren't supposed to involve the spectators. Shadow games had surprisingly strict rules, when one got right down to it. Bakura decides pointing this out to Raine is probably ill-advised, however. But he hadn't expected to hear his own words in a situation like this, certainly not in a context where he was at fault for the what had happened, and it stills him for a moment.

Then the touch returns against her back, just firmer than before. She'd asked him, not altogether that long ago, if he couldn't imagine grief for a world he was no longer in. He hadn't answered it at the time, but Bakura revisited the idea now; it still didn't sit well, but he began to get it. ]

Tennut a'ai-er, nebet taui, nehem uai khasefiw en-i.

[ He doesn't offer to translate it, but it's as close to fond as anyone has probably heard from him since he eventually warmed to Emily-Helen. ]

I'll remember.

If I asked for a translation...?

[The question dies half-formed and quiet. Curiosity is in her nature, but she's only uncommonly heard something that soft from him. Raine isn't going to push that, either.]

[Another quiet sigh, then. Much of the initial rush has gone from her, leaving mostly relief. She still questions Bakura's judgment on the matter, is still not best pleased with either of them, but--]

[There were only so many things she could think when she'd heard that Bakura started a fight with Valdis, without the context Bakura has provided. He knows what Valdis can do.]

I'm still angry with you.

[Which makes quite a fine juxtaposition for the way her fingers are curled into his shirt.]

[ He smiles, wry, even though she's not looking at him directly to see the expression. ]

Just take the adulation in the spirit it's given, seba-rekhet.

[ He has no ability for mind-reading, but Raine's words and her anger mark a fairly clear trail as to her thoughts-- and for that much, he does feel regret. He realizes the last week has been something of a perfect storm leading to an outcome she likely feared, but had presumed. Her quiet words seem only to confirm it. ]

I know.

[ He deserved that. The pressure against her back lifts, hesitates, and resettles against her hair near the base of her neck. ]

I am sorry, for making you assume the worst. I know I just told you that my word doesn't mean much, but I don't intend-- I'm not looking for a way out, okay?

[Adulation? ...She's still curious, but supposes she can accept that for now.]

All right.

[She didn't expect-- any of what's followed, really. Hadn't gotten much farther in her head beyond you idiot. That little touch is a peculiar intimacy, from Bakura, something Raine doesn't know quite what to make of. The closeness and care that it implies, the fact that she trusts him so much it doesn't startle or unsettle her...]

[Raine is reminded that she's steadily ignoring the possibility Bakura may have feelings for her. Hm.]

[That consideration, fortunately, is quickly overwritten by the reassurance that his next words bring, a near-tangible weight off her shoulders. He's followed the reasoning that made her worry most near exactly, and even if he's so disparaging of what his word means, she's still inclined to believe him. She relaxes a little more than she had, lets her breath out in a rush.]

Good. I'm glad.

...Thank you.

[ Bakura lingers a moment longer, as if giving her an extra few heartbeats to find her equilibrium with her relief (which he doesn't understand why it's so strong, but it puts a peculiar feeling in the back of his throat) and then he drops his hand, stepping back. The quiet of the empty dojo seems paradoxically loud, and he seems momentarily unsettled by it, like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't. ]

Do you want some coffee, or does the Guild need your attentions?

Edited 2015-07-30 08:00 (UTC)

[She lets him go with no fuss when he moves, judging that everything she wanted to communicate has been gotten across. She watches him, though, not quite sure what it is she's seeing.]

I have the time for some coffee. Though I should return before too long.

[She set out at the time she'd usually break for lunch, anyway, and warned the others she may be a little late returning. They know where to find her, and it was important. Not quite a family emergency, but even so.]

[ He nods, and leads back to the office, through which the door to the living spaces at the dojo was found. The kitchen is uncluttered, save for the few dishes in the sink, which means he did at least eat breakfast. Taking out the tin of coffee and the kettle for heating, he fills the kitchen with domestic sounds, instead of words... unsure what else to say, and not normally being stellar at small talk in general. ]

[Raine follows him quietly. Notes he's eaten, at least, absently marking the dishes off to mean she doesn't have to harangue him to take care of himself. In that respect, at least. She leans against the counter, watching him set coffee in motion.]

I don't think you missed much. Save Zatanna's efforts regarding Tu Vishan... hm. How long have you been back?

[Raine had assumed he didn't delay all that much before contacting her, but she might be wrong.]

[ Bakura might have laughed at the phrasing, even though it's appreciated, but it did sound like he'd just gone for vacation and returned. ]

Last night. Managed to interrupt the sefatjiw at bedtime, no less.

Then I needed some sleep.

[ And to make sure that there weren't any lingering aftereffects of having ones soul disconnected from its body for a week, even if the latter had been more or less in hibernation inside the Shadow Realm. Something to make note of, if it ever happened again.

Also, he'd needed to get the information on Raine's temperament from Solomon. Which had been inaccurate. His cheek still stung.

All in all, about 12 hours. Which, given the circumstances, he felt was reasonable. ]

I heard there were more visions. Can't say I'm displeased to have missed those.

[ Even if they hadn't been horrible, the one involving the hatchlings had been enough for this month. The kettle boiled, it and the coffee grounds went into the press, and the scent of the roasted beans began to fill the kitchen. ]

Without further incident, I see.

[The necessity of recuperating is one that crossed Raine's mind, certainly. And Bakura sought her out to tell her he was back, which was considerate. It's an entirely reasonable time frame.]

[The thought that he might have stopped to check on her temperament has not even been considered.]

It seems there were, yes. [She's a little sorry she missed it, but given what Solomon reported his vision entailed... perhaps not.] By most reports, better than they might have been. Cryptic as they were, they may even prove helpful, given some time.

[That's a good smell for a kitchen to have. As accustomed as she is to tea, this is a pleasant change of pace, as well.]

[ Bakura offered a noncommittal noise in response to the "without further incident" comment, neither confirming nor denying. In comparison to what had precipitated it, there hadn't been any issues. The hellhound had still managed to rankle his mood in the span of the mere few minutes he'd been there.

Instead, he pours two cups and adds the fixings she prefers to hers; doesn't ask, just does it and gets it right, before setting it down in front of her on the table. ]

Well, she seems to know what she's doing, more or less. [ referring to Zatanna ] For a magician.

[She'll take that as agreement; if it isn't, she doesn't actually want to know right now. Raine nods thanks to him when he sets the cup down, curls her hands around it. It certainly looked like he prepared it exactly according to her preferences. She tests it, finds that hypothesis accurate, and despite the lingering mass of less happy sentiments, smiles over the coffee at him. He pays attention.]

She does. We spoke about it, at some length.

[Something about his term choice makes her wonder.] You distinguish her from other mages.

[ He makes his own cup, glad for something to occupy his hands, and leans back against the counter across from her. ]

Her magic is... more similar, to that of the magicians in Egypt.

[ The ones he'd referred to in the past more than once, in terms less than than glowing. Actually, closer to loathing. He decided it wasn't the time or place to inform Raine that he and Zatanna had once had a magical street brawl that had left them both in straits. Really, he was surprised she'd resumed talking to him, even a few years after the fact. ]

Her magic doesn't have the same... costs, that some does. That makes it more dangerous.

[This is good. This is a basis for recovering equilibrium, a hot drink and their equivalent of small talk. The remaining anger will fade, and things will be, if not as they were, then perhaps more sturdy. Raine drinks her coffee carefully, and lets herself relax.]

I believe I see. A lack of checks, in essence? Nothing except the user's morality to keep them from doing things that shouldn't be done?

[Maybe don't tell her about the magical street brawl right now, no. If ever.]

[ Raine couldn't have known how much better that her following his half-spoken train of thought made him feel. He didn't have to explain the context for her to draw the right conclusion. It was something that so rarely happened that it left him momentarily quieted, just appreciating it. ]

Aa. Exactly that.

[She's not sure what to make of that pause; it simply seemed the logical conclusion. Especially given the bits and pieces she's picked up of so many different magical styles while she's been here.]

And you'd prefer no one be that unchecked, I assume.

Still, there are worse people than Zatanna for that sort of power.

[Which is... faint praise, but Zatanna does seem to have a solid head on her shoulders for the most part, from Raine's limited experience.]

Everyone should prefer that no one be unchecked, seba-rekhet. Especially in a place like this, where there ends up being a gathering of people who outstrip the checks and balances this world is able to provide.

[ So many of them here could do so much damage -- and Raine seems to be right in the thick of all of them. The thought's never far from his mind, even without his latest tangle with Valdis. He follows it with a shrug, but he agrees with her observation. ]

There are. She's young enough it could still go either way, though.

Yes. You have a point.

[Raine looks a little bit grim at the reminder. Valdis does come to mind, though her power's a self-destructive one. The rest of Raine's close friends could equally well qualify by Bakura's standards; while their powers all come with prices, a price isn't quite the same thing.]

['Young' doesn't quite earn an askance look-- Raine's among enough centuries-old friends that, relatively, Zatanna does seem young. But by the same token, her students are younger still, and their power in some respects beyond the bounds of what was once considered possible.]

That's fair. Still, she's been here for some time, hasn't she?

[She's had the chance to experiment and hasn't gone completely mad with power, in other words.]

[ Bakura thought for a moment, running through the list of Foreigners in his head. ]

She might be the oldest Foreigner here, actually. I can't think of anyone else who's been here longer, at least. That Welcome Center kid, maybe.

Welcome Center kid...? Ah. Jack?

[Raine takes the same time to think about it, finds she has to agree with Bakura. At least to the best of her knowledge.]

So many of the longer-term Foreigners have gone, since I've been here.

[Some of them she misses. Obligatorily, her thoughts turn to Genis again, and she sips her coffee instead of continuing on.]

That's the one.

[ He nods in agreement to what she said, but it didn't take a clairvoyant to realize where her thoughts went along with it. He hadn't wanted to unduly remind her of her absent brother. ]

I'll have to get the Ring back from the sefatjiw before too long.

[Though she's not at all going to mention it, Raine finds herself profoundly grateful for the conversational redirect. Eventually, it will stop being such a loss to consider. But not yet.]

And how do you intend to do that?

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