leetle | IC INBOX

That's pushing your luck, Lavorre.

[ As the threatened robot beeps and bloops in a way that honestly seems sort of ominous, Caleb snorts under his breath. ]

Maybe you could climb down. Me, not so much.

[ Nevertheless, they're ushered into the next gondola that swings down level with the loading station, and they hop on quickly before it starts lifting off again, the door closing and lock sliding into place behind them. It's roomier inside than Caleb had expected, with two benches along either side and enough room for legs in between. They could even stand up if they really wanted to. ]

[Jester smiles to herself at the way Caleb says her name like that. All serious and stuff, but he's all bark. In return, she sticks her tongue out at him.]

Just watch, there'll be teacups in there the next time you make it.

[She hops into the gondola without further complaint and immediately sits up on her knees so she can peer over the side of it as they're carried steadily upward.]

I guess if you can't fly this must be pretty amazing, [she muses, bent almost halfway over the side of the gondola, causing it to tilt heavily to one side.]

[ Cute. And honestly, she's right. He's a softie at heart, so much that he wouldn't be able to resist the chance to see her delighted grin when he pulls out a whole imitation teacup ride the next time he throws up the tower.

Whenever that will be. He hasn't had access to that particular spell since he got here.

As the gondola shifts with Jester's curious gawking, Caleb leans back harder into his seat in an attempt to even it out a little. Rather than urging her to sit down, though, he just pulls a feather from his component pouch, holding it ready in his hand. Just in case. ]

It does seem a little mundane after our flight earlier, doesn't it?

[ They complete a full rotation without incident. The view from the top is still nice, even if it isn't eagle-height. On the second time around, though, they wind to a stop right at that highest point. ]

Ah. It seems the robot didn't take your advice after all, Jester.

Just a little. But it's not bad, either.

[Jester hums happily to herself as the wheel takes a full trip around, but when she feels the mechanisms grind to a halt the second time they reach the top, she gasps and leans down a little further to try and see the operator down below.]

That piece of shit! [She unleashes a string of Infernal down at the bot, but sadly he's a little out of range for her vicious mockery. Unsatisfied, Jester turns around finally and slumps down in her seat.]

Well...while we're here... [She eyes Caleb across the gondola.] Do you have any secrets?

[ Caleb isn't particularly worried about their predicament--they have ways of getting down, after all--but Jester's irritation is honestly pretty fucking adorable, and more than a little amusing to witness.

Until she decides to use the situation to her advantage, of course, and turns on him. ]

Do I--

[ The noise he makes is halfway between a cough and a scoff, and his cheeks redden a little almost immediately. ]

Everyone has at least a few, though I've shared my big ones with you and the rest of the Nein already. What do you want to know?

[Jester looks like the cat who got the cream as she watches Caleb fluster, a self-satisfied little smile creeping across her face. Thinking, she taps her chin for a moment.]

Okay, here's an easy one. Out of the whole Mighty Nein, who do you think...has the best butt?

Jester, [ he sighs, playfully exasperated, ] you know that you have the best butt. That is an objective fact, not a secret.

[ If he's blunt and impersonal and silly about it, she can't tease him! Right? ]

Oh. [Jester thinks about it for a second, realizes he's right, and then laughs hard enough that it bounces their gondola a little bit.]

I guess that's true. I think Veth is definitely a close second, though!

It's the tail. Gives you an unfair advantage.

[ WHEW. That was a close one. It's really nice to make her laugh though, even as he mostly feels relieved for having successfully dodged the implications of that answer. ]

My turn. [ When the questions aren't, you know, endangering a long-held personal secret, Caleb has no qualms about playing these games. ] Regardless of who you personally would kiss, who do you think is probably the best at it?

Probably! [Said tail whips around a little by their ankles, clearly pleased with itself.

His question has her hmmming and leaning her elbows over her knees thoughtfully. But it doesn't take her too long.]

Beau, I bet. She's had the most practice, so I bet she's really good at it.

[She glances at Caleb as she says this, zeroing in on his lips, her brow furrowing a little. Like she's trying to decide what kissing him would be like. Her brain is so weird!]

[ Entirely oblivious to Jester's curious thoughts, Caleb's nose wrinkles as he's unwittingly forced to consider Beau's kissing ability. Even when she'd lived here on the island, they'd generally avoided sharing too much information. That mutual sibling I really don't want to know, as long as you're happy. ]

Objectively, you are probably correct.

[ And that's all he'll say on that. ]

That's probably not an exciting thought for you, [Jester concedes, shaking herself from her musings. She peers over the edge again, concludes that this damn wheel isn't moving anytime soon, and props her feet up next to Caleb, legs stretching across the space between them.]

Who's the best kisser in your experience? [The question is casual, a little sly, her gaze averted but a small smirk on her lips. Look, she has burning curiosities, okay?]

[ He follows Jester's movements, is even considering stretching out in a similar way as they wait, until she asks her next question, all pseduo-casual. He leans back instead, fingers twisting together just to have something to do with his hands. She may not be looking at him, but he knows she's paying attention. ]

Ah...it is probably cliché, but if I have to choose just one, it would be Essek. He is the best for me, at least.

[ That slight flush is rapidly returning to his face. ]

But of course, there are others I have also...who I have really...well, you won't lack for options, if you decide to explore that with some of our friends.

[ Yeah, his face is burning, and he definitely can't look directly at Jester. His eyes are focused somewhere above her head on the sky beyond. ]

[Jester is looking very pointedly at the horizon as Caleb answers, her own cheeks flushing a little bit as that smirk grows into a grin, and eventually she can't help but dissolve into giggles, covering her face with her hands.]

You know, I used to have stupid little daydreams about that kind of thing, when we were traveling for hours and hours and stuff. Like I would think, wouldn't it be crazy if tonight Caleb makes the dome and we all get in and all of a sudden everyone is just making out because of all the unbearable sexual tension?

[She was basically one step away from writing erotic friend fiction, make no mistake.]

[ Caleb's eyes dart back down to Jester in time to see her cover her face, and despite his own embarrassment, he can't help grinning. ]

That would be pretty crazy.

[ And honestly, he can't guarantee that wouldn't happen if they all went off together and he put up the dome here. ]

Did you ever reach a conclusion in these daydreams? Would we all make out and then fall asleep as usual?

[Around the edges of her fingers, a violet blush is beginning to edge outwards, and Jester drops her hands to her lap, chortling in the way she often does when she's embarrassed but enjoying it perhaps a little.]

Well, no, you know, the making out would turn into a fuck pile eventually.

[She sneaks a look at Caleb, just to see his face, and catches sight of his grin which sends her laughing all over again.]

[ Gods, this is silly. Fun, though. And making Jester blush is always sort of an accomplishment, especially when she was the one who started the conversation in the first place. That laugh only encourages him. ]

Ah, of course. [ Caleb nods sagely, and finally stretches out to mirror her, propping his feet up on the bench opposite him. ] It would have to be a pile. The dome is not very big.

[ It's pretty obvious from the quirk of his mouth and the playful spark in his eye that he's teasing her. ]

Well, and it would be weird if everyone was having sex all packed in like sardines.

[She stares up at the sky through the gaps in their little carriage, a smile still playing across her lips.]

Would you ever—

[CHUNK. The wheel starts back up, rather jerkily, and Jester scrambles back up to her knees to look over the side.]

Finally!! Took you long enough! [The last directed at the robot operator, of course.]

[ Impossible not to linger curiously for a moment on that half-formed question, but Caleb knows himself, and if he thinks too hard about what her next words might have been, he'll focus on little else all day. It's better to focus on the moment, on having fun.

On Jester shouting down at the robot bringing them slowly back down to the ground. ]

I can only imagine that it's part of the experience. They like to encourage alone time.

[ Their little gondola descends as the wheel turns and Caleb moves to sit up again, getting ready to hop out when they reach the platform. ]

[Luckily for Caleb, whatever question Jester was about to ask is gone from her mind, replaced solely with a vaguely feral intent as they approach the bottom of the wheel. She doesn't even wait for it to stop, or for the door to open, just vaults over the side of the gondola and descending on the poor robot, who is immediately being roundly (but good-naturedly) abused.

Once Caleb rejoins her, though, she turns away with a huff, though not before flipping the robot the bird.]

Well, that was fun, [Jester huffs, looping her arm through Caleb's and jostling him a little.] Don't worry, Cay-leb, I won't force you to do whatever the Tunnel of Love is with me.

[wink!]

[ Caleb snorts, leaning back into her a little as they walk, just his shoulder pressed to hers, arm in arm. The sort of casual intimacy that's just nice. ]

That might be the most obvious euphemism they've used yet. Which is saying something.

[ They're strolling that way, and it looks as about as ridiculous as he expected. ]

I'll go if you want, though.

[Jester just laughs as it dawns on her, and, well, who is she to pass up the possibility of riding through a giant vagina in a tiny boat?]

Yeah, okay, why not?

[All in all, it's a pretty damn good day. Maybe her best one yet here on the island, and all thanks to her favorite wizard.]

IC INBOX | @erku

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