Absit Omen RPG
Role-Play Boards => More London Locations => London => The Closet => Topic started by: Waverly Roh-Ballentyne on March 25, 2025, 07:22:12 PM
-
30 June 2018
Saturday night, The Closet in London
To describe Waverly Roh-Ballentyne as having 'gone out with friends' was to Waverly as if to say she was married or something equally as tied down. But yes, Waverly had come out to The Closet with favorable people who were not too clingy. They could walk in arm in arm, dance close, and then fade away to separate world sand no one would call the law or have their feelings hurt. Anyway, the summer was fully on, the night was warm and wet and sweet, and Waverly was as pleased as a cat.
To be here in the thickness of people was to have forgotten that earlier this year in the cold winter a vampire had killed several people.[1] Wavery's actual friends had been there, but Waverly had not. And if anyone else here had been there that night, no one was crying about it anymore.
"Waverlyyyy...!" Two young men, intertwined beset Waverly whose shoulders lifted almost to her ears in an attempt to escape. They were too messy too early, and they looked the same. They had the same floppy brown haircut, the same damp sleeveless top, and they had matching neon green cups.
Waverly was of lengthy arms and legs but the boys, infatuated with each other, were oblivious to her disinterest in settling whatever disagreement they had about whichever bass player from whichever band. They were imploring upon her professional opinion as a smokey-voiced Wireless personality, invading her carefully curated place on an otherwise empty couch.
"I don't care...!" she whined. "Go away...!"
She was going to catch no gazes with these two blocking the view.
-
While thoroughly enjoyable, the trip across Europe with some of the students, other staff, had left a certain buzz in Aurora's ear. A nagging feeling, something she couldn't quite place. Back on the grounds at Hogwarts, unpacking her things in her new quarters, her mind had gotten to the task of solving that feeling. And though it had taken some time, several days of peace walking to and from her future classroom, finding her memory of the halls of Hogwarts much like riding a broom, she'd developed a hunch. Under the guise of retrieving a few more of her possessions in London, she'd dressed appropriately and made her way back via floo powder.
Simply seeing that neon sign again brought back memories, times over the years where she'd sought refuge in places like The Closet. And it also seemed to confirm her hunch, at least partially. Her personal theory? Europe had just felt... different. She'd seen plenty of sights, taken in art, music, fashion, and more than a few... other attractive sights, but ultimately all of her attention had to be directed at her charges, her colleagues. Her 20's had been care free, sure of her path and her discipline, and she'd learned to party as hard as she worked to keep the edge off, but that trip reminded her; She couldn't be that same person much longer. Age and responsibility were catching up with her, and she needed... reminding. At least once more before she fully isolated herself in the countryside, with her work.
Not wanting to try too hard, she'd opted to leave her hair loose, dressed in dark, stylish jeans with a white tank top almost completely hidden behind a midnight blue suit vest (sans suit). The mix of emotions when she first stepped into the club proper had been... something; Excitement for the unknowns of the night, anxieties over those very things that had brought her back, only a tinge of distaste for the painful limp in her leg, the cane that meant she at least wouldn't be doing any fancy or faster paced dancing. She'd decided to hit the bar first, loosen the tension and... watch.
Some came, some went. A couple here, pack of friends there, occasional, disappointed looking loner too. Drinks helped, but ultimately it was her instincts as an Auror that ended up driving her to a destination. Pretty, entering with the pretense of being with a group, but strategically dissociating herself from her so-called friends to preen on a couch. As if that gravity weren't enough, enticing Aurora's thoughts with possibilities, the opportunity to placate these seeming twins was too much for her to resist.
"Gentlemen, I believe the lady asked for some space, yeah? Why don't you go freshen up, get back on the dance floor while the music is still good?" As she spoke, Aurora seemed to almost strategically keep her cane flush against her leg, as invisible as she could manage, while an arm circled the man on the left's shoulders and she squeezed, helping emphasize her gentle push between them, intentionally threatening to break their hold on one another. Just more incentive to back off if they wanted that closeness with one another again.
That was when she finally got her first, real glance at the woman on the couch up close, Aurora's smirk somehow still warm and inviting when it appeared, despite being framed by two, big, sweaty arms. It was a non-verbal greeting for the time being, but genuine all the same.
-
The two young wizards were lightly quelled at the new arrival, happy and entranced at her voice and her cozy manner. Waverly looked on impassively, deliberately unimpressed at first. But her rescuer was very pretty and had displayed a kind of chivalry she didn't often appreciate from boys. So Wav decided to really pay attention, her arms crossed, her expression loose.
She called them gentlemen, which they thought was a gas. She'd redirected them so smoothly and it didn't seem possessive at all.
Then the boys saw the lookin' and one of them laughed, "not me standing here, Wav's pulling tonight!" The other laughed giddily but like he'd walked in on something.
"Oh, go on!" Waverly hissed at them. And go they did, unpeeling themselves from each outer, worming their way free of the blond woman, and finding themselves together again, leaving. Once they had:
"Hello. I'm Waverly."
Which was more words than she'd otherwise given someone new in a long time. How interesting.
-
Pulling... Eyes regarded the woman seated on the couch, little puzzle pieces filling in in her mind as her warm smile only broadened. The boys, despite their boisterous demeanors, had at least some small, infectious energy about them. But that small buzz passed as they did, like disconnecting her from a pair of live wires.
"They're... something, hm? You're a regular then? Or just popular in general?" Waverly's demeanor suggested she was welcome, but the window was likely tight, patience only stretching so far. The demanding sort, maybe even, as Aurora had asked, a regular and a popular one at that.
She remembered nights like that for herself, where the bartender knew what she wanted before she spoke, familiar faces in every corner, some amiable, some downright venomous. A reputation that had lead to... boredom? Whatever it was, it was fascinating in a way she couldn't explain to be on the other end of it for once. Maybe she really had lost her touch. 'Only one way to find out, Ro...'
Posture straightening, bare arms smoothed over the sleeveless vest once before she gestured to the couch itself. "Waverly... I like it, rolls off the tongue. Aurora. May I...?" Words to follow her gesturing hand before she took a single step forward, fully signaling her intent to sit beside the other woman.
-
Oh, Waverly did not like to be predictable or analyzed or considered at all, but she also knew these things were normal and Aurora was faultless for trying. Actually, it was clever. When Aurora asked to sit, Waverly unfolded her arms and rested her wrists on her propped up knee. It was a prim little gesture, done facetiously.
"Oh, do."
Now, Waverly realized she knew this witch, but had not yet figured out where from. It wasn't from here, she deduced. Somewhere else. She seemed older, but not old, but that wasn't to do with the cane. It did not deter Waverly's growing evaluation that Aurora might be delicious. She'd mentioned tongues and Waverly suspected it was on purpose.
"I come and go," Waverly said, acknowledging the questions. Waverly produced a little wallet from her person and took from it a gillyweed cigarette. She preferred the sensation to alcohol. (Not that she was sober, mind.) She pinched the end like she was snapping her fingers and it ignited. They might get chased outside if anyone noticed.
-
One of few words. Another note, another avenue of questioning to put puzzle pieces together. Was Waverly really not one to talk much? Or was it that she just didn't waste the energy of speaking until someone caught her interest? 'There you go again, Ro, profiling her like a witness or suspect.'
Moving quietly with the permission, she tried to make it as smooth as she could with her leg, sheer willpower overcoming pain and rigidity to make those couple of steps look almost fully natural. She settled into the spot with relative ease though, jaw tightening with the effort of bending her right leg into something more comfortable for sitting. And then there was an angle to it so that she was leaning partially against the back, partially against the arm behind her, turned gently toward Waverly but not fully, and not crowding the woman either, just to Waverly's left.
Once she was comfortable, her eyes returned to the woman before her, as if giving their first, real assessment. The cigarette in particular seemed to draw her attention, little spark of ignition reflecting in Aurora's blue-grey eyes. "Kelp? Woman like you, can only assume it's the best quality." She'd nod, nothing in her demeanor or features suggesting disapproval. Heck, if anything, it made her... reminisce.
Much like any other drug of the sort, or even more legal things, it was generally frowned upon for an Auror to indulge. Even once it was legalized for recreational use, gillyweed was just something she'd never tried, even when was particularly rebellious or acting out at work. But now? Ex-Auror? All it took was one, uncomfortable jolt of seering shame in her injured leg and suddenly the prospect of experimenting with means to alleviate that was powerfully appealing. And Waverly seemed to appreciate honesty so far, so why not?
"Don't suppose the timing could be considered funny if I told you now that I just stopped working at the DMLE? On account of..." She trailed off, but her right hand, the arm propped on the back of the couch, gestured vaguely to her leg. "If you're in a sharing mood though, I'd owe you one." There was that look again, eyes studying Waverly's features. Less scrutiny than before though, more just... appreciative.
"Can I ask what made you come tonight?" Even while awaiting all the rest of that, Aurora kept the conversation going. Word choice aside, she'd come for her own indulgences, right? Finding someone less sober, or at least less put together while intoxicated, someone pretty and anonymous to steal away with for the evening would have been easy though, too easy. Waverly though? She was a challenge. Aurora liked that prospect much better, no matter the outcome.
-
The two witches had an understanding. Aurora was showing her interest, and Waverly was accepting it. Wave tried to cover her smile by taking a puff from the gillyweed. She passed it over to Aurora, and made it so their fingers would touch. Waverly knew it was not truly a vulnerable thing to let someone see you smile but oh, how Waverly struggled with letting anyone know she wanted something.
"Level Two, is it. Hmm" she said, realizing now exactly where she'd once a long time ago met this witch, and from where she'd heard her name several times. She worked with her mothers. She had been one of mother Zora's Aurors. Suddenly, this moment was extra interesting. Waverly switched her legs so we was more fully facing Aurora.
She didn't say anymore about that. She didn't want Aurora to know who she was.
"I'm here to have a bit of fun. Everyone's so boring. But look at you."
Waverly reached touch the shoulder of Aurora's vest, as if to pick off a bit of the glitter that always found you at The Closet.
-
Her eyes watched this curious witch and her every little reaction. Something behind the cigarette? Or was that smile just an illusion from Aurora's own confidence? But there was the pass, the brushing of fingers that, for two witches who were likely very well-coordinated, not an accident at all. So maybe not her imagination, just something more... coy. Her only response was a smile of her own, soft nod, let Waverly maintain deniability if she wanted.
Not quite knowing what to do with the lit little bundle in her fingers, Aurora settled it between her lips and drew in a slow breath. Then there was a gentle cough, the settling of her wrist against her lips to hide a more serious reaction, followed by another cough mixed in with laughter as smoke curled from her lips. The feeling was almost immediate, like someone pulling a nice, warm blanket up over her brain, tucking it in for the evening. She felt herself sigh, her form relax, but did not forget to gingerly return what was not hers to begin with, passing the cigarette back in proper fashion.
"Thanks... uh, yeah. Do I... give that vibe? Look like a badge?" And then her smile widened, partially for the company, but specifically for that feeling making its way down her spine like a ghostly masseuse. Her muscles (when had she gotten so tense?), her nerves. It was like dipping in a hot bath inch by inch. And when her injured leg suddenly... wasn't stuck in a meat grinder? It took all she had not to moan aloud.
And then there was Waverly, facing her, a bit closer, compliments flowing, hand on Aurora's vest. Any regrets the auror had about coming here tonight, about approaching this woman? Evaporated. "Not boring? Best compliment I've gotten in a long time." The line was almost sardonic, but too warm, especially with the way she felt herself gazing at Waverly, to be anything but playful.
Relaxed as she was becoming in her little corner of the couch, her eyes shifted to the hand near her shoulder, and her own moved from the back of the couch. Contact was gentle, considerate, Aurora's thumb drifting across the other woman's knuckles.
"Know that feeling, actually. So... happy to rescue you from boredom, Waverly."
-
A narrative was forming in Waverly's mind in defiance of her usual avoidance of expectations (lest one be disappointed). But the thrill was working its way up (and down). She saw a weathered and wiser witch in some kind of miniature pre-middle-life crisis, out for the first time, new to vices. Whether this was true or not, Waverly was all about it. The cane, the little cough, the battle-confident rescue from the silly boys, the recent leaving from the MLE - it all pointed to a story that was a little bit forbidden. Waverly wasn't any of those things. She was the boss's daughter and that was kind of delicious.
"Those two are obsessed with each other, they're dressing alike. If they didn't have their hands down each other's pants, you'd think they were brothers," Waverly said with a smirk.
"Oi - can't do that in here." A passing staff member had caught them, and so early, too.
Like she was in school, Waverly delayed any signal that she'd comply until the last second. She picked up her purse.
"There's the roof," she suggested. It was summer, it'd be warm. No one would try to rescue them up there. Waverly could kiss her up there. Not that this was her plan when she'd defied the 'no smoking' sign, not at all.
-
"Wouldn't discount them entirely, might use the title anyhow, yeah? Or is the 'bro' trend something I missed passing? Beginning to show my age, I think." Eyes refused to leave Waverly now, even when the environment conspired to interrupt the pair yet again.
Chalking it up to the gillyweed, Aurora did not, as she might have stone sober, bite the staff member's head off with a snide remark or an upturned nose. Dirty looks were about the extent of it, especially when the annoyance seemed to cascade into pain in her injured limb, like some sort of edgy indicator of her mood.
And then Waverly picked up her purse, and so Aurora's mind was made up for her. Wherever this one went, she was determined to follow if the younger witch would have her. The suggestion made Aurora smile again, pleased.
"Roof sounds lovely. Always enjoyed the view up there more any how. Especially when the best view down here came with me."
There was effort involved then, the calm of the kelp and comfort in her leg anchors against the cause, but the effort with which she stood, grunted away her pain, and even offered her left hand to Waverly to help the woman up, spoke volumes to Aurora's internal drive and motivation. When she wanted something, she pursued it, risks be damned. If digits offered were taken, she'd give Waverly's hand a gentle squeeze, settle her cane down against the ground, and let the other witch take the lead. She did not relish the idea of taking the stairs, but there was no outward sign of her reservations. Complaints not even worth mentioning, she thought. Instead, she was still all attentive eyes and warm smiles.
-
The thought passed through Waverly's mind without a trace of cynicism: 'She wants me. I don't even have to try.' There wasn't anything wrong with acknowledging that she was cat-content to be pursued. They were both getting what they wanted. But there was something wrong about the hesitation Waverly felt when Aurora stood up with uncomfortable effort. 'What am I getting into here?', Waverly had thought, as if hooking up was tantamount to being wedded to an ailing wife in her dotage. No, Waverly didn't want to feel that at all.
So Waverly made herself steady for Aurora, and when Aurora was up, Waverly wound an arm lovingly around her waist. She'd felt welcomed and emboldened to do so by the little squeeze of her hand. On the surface, the half-embrace was practical and familiar. But it was maybe only an excuse for contact. Aurora's body felt firm and strong under her top and vest. They were close to the same height, though they wouldn't know for sure until they were both out of their shoes, later.
Waverly laughed out loud at that internal presumption. The gillyweed must have crept in.
"No, I just - you're funny," she said. "Not who I was expecting."
She was revealing her hand maybe, but if someone said that to her, she'd ride that high for a week. They could make their way through the archway to the stairs whenever Aurora had her things.
-
Aurora's bravery, bold move, pushing through pain was instantly rewarded. Waverly took her hand, and then so much more. There she was, against the auror's side, an arm curled around, leaving a warm bit of pressure at her midsection that made the blonde smile more genuinely, almost... embarrassed. Her brain wanted to overanalyze, but she knew better and just ignored that, let it be exactly what it seemed like it was and not more. For now.
And now here they were, standing side-by-side. And Waverly was taller, if only by a few inches. Heels, perhaps? Aurora's shoes were meant for comfort, flat for support with her cane, so she wasn't exactly sneaking in any extra height tonight. Still, the slightest tilt found itself in her head when she looked at the woman at her side, smile splitting her features ear-to-ear. And that laugh... 'Merlin, help me.'
"Expecting someone, were you? Glad to disappoint them then." The gillyweed, maybe? Or just the proximity, the giddy warmth that was almost infectious from the witch that was holding on to her; Lots of factors could have been blamed for her actions in those moments, would be in hindsight, she bet. Leaning in, some of Waverly's soft curls tickling her face, Aurora's nose brushed the woman's temple and her lips pressed softly, sweetly to her cheek.
And then, she was off, squeezing Waverly's hand in her own again, while her other was forced to grip the relatively cold and harsh reality that was her cane. But if it was a struggle, she did her best not to show it, quietly guiding the witch up the staircase and then out to the comparatively cooler night air of the roof. Once clear of the door, she'd pause, take in a nice, long breath to enjoy the calm breeze (and to let the ache in her leg die down again).
"Much better. Nothing like the mysterious smell of London streets to set the mood, yeah?"
-
When Aurora kissed her, just that simple gesture made Waverly feel the up-and-down the spine tingling. She licked her lips and kept her cool, even though she wanted to reciprocate immediately. And when they made it to the roof, Waverly continued the monastic self-denial. What she wanted were hands all over her and her neck wet with kisses, but it would be all the better if she held out. Slower was better.
"I might have something for that," she replied. There was a sleek sort of padded bench with a back that snaked across the space, creating several nooks in it's coiled curves. Waverly took them over and as soon as they were settled, she held her wrist up close to her face to take a little sniff of the perfume she'd put on before she'd gone out. It was citrus and spice with some sandlewood and just a little bit of coffee maybe.
"It's new. But I'm not sure about it."
Lies.
She turned her hand out just enough for it to be an invitation for Aurora to see for herself, if she wanted.
-
Settling into the cozy little nook, Aurora found herself laughing inside at the irony of a snake-like fixture, given her recent career choice. This translated physically to a smile and a soft huff of laughter, but was easily blamed on the kelp and Waverly's presence, infatuation written all over the former auror's features. "Yeah? I am an excellent judge, allow me... or at least, excellent at being judgmental."
Her little quip was the only delay before she leaned in, took a whiff, her nose brushing soft skin. The warm scent immediately got her eyes to close, flutter lightly even. She very much looked forward to more of that all over pillows and blankets, whether Waverly was there or just as a reminder when she was gone. But she was letting her mind get ahead of her, all of her senses tingling. Looking at their furnishings, she could swear she saw it move, a pattern of scales shifting with the lazy serpent that comprised it.
"You know, that's delightful, but maybe another test? For accuracy, of course..." She trailed off, words quiet, before she found herself leaning in, as if going for a proper kiss. All a bluff, a tease given away by a devious little smirk as her head tilted, dipped at the last second, her nose brushing Waverly's jawline before settling in toward the woman's neck, inhaling just as she had with the woman's wrist. For science.
Never mind her scooting closer, or her hand that had been in the other woman's for their little trip up the stairs still right there, their fingers still loosely intertwined.
Little act done, a soft hum of warm, vibrating air flowing along Waverly's neck, Aurora sat back up, just far enough to make eye contact and offer that smile again, unchanged, pleased beyond reason. "Certified delightful. No doubt in my mind."
-
'Tease...!' Waverly thought with dizzy annoyance as Aurora came close and then withdrew, maddeningly. The coy move was so sly, it impressed upon Waverly a level of experience. She had game. Understood. At all of this, Wav's body had begun to warm, but the look she returned to Aurora was stony.
"You're going to make me ask for it." She kept the close distance between them. The hand that was in Aurora's fingers moved to Aurora's jeans and her firm thigh underneath. Waverly pressed firmly as she slid her hand up the side-seam. Waverly looked down at it for a moment, before looking back up to Aurora.
"Fine. Kiss me."
The world around them was forgotten, discarded as irrelevant. She had no further escape junctures in place for a possible bail. Waverly knew how she wanted her night to go.
-
That look, that really was the threshold for Aurora. Her smile did nothing to hide how utterly pleased with herself she was, self-satisfied at getting this beautiful woman, stubborn and stoic as she had been so far, to speak words of defeat aloud.
Her hand felt those fingers slip free, and, for a moment, she tensed, anticipating the squeeze. But thankfully, Waverly was at least paying enough attention to play with her uninjured leg. Even with the bit of Kelp, the calm atmosphere, she wasn't entirely sure she wouldn't jump like a scared cat if that leg got that sort of attention. Just in case, she reminded herself to be prepared and careful going forward. And going forward was absolutely where this was going, by Waverly's own admission.
But rather than gloat or smile again, revel in her own ego being stroked, Aurora nodded. A free hand rose, fingertips brushing along the younger witch's jaw and cheek again, adding that bit of extra buzz to the electricity already sparking between them, and then she closed that small gap.
Lips met lips, warm and tender, giving what was teased previously, at least in part. First small motion was obeying a command, fulfilling a wish, and a test. She'd hover there, lips against lips, hum lightly in consideration as her eyes fell closed. Then her head would tilt, just so, and she'd draw on Waverly's lips again, a little deeper, warmer, more of what was teased.
Where it went from there was up to the other witch's response, yet another filter to see if the former auror was worthy? Her confidence wouldn't let her consider any outcome but positive though, so she was hardly hesitating.
Free, left hand settling like a leaf on water against Waverly's side, Aurora was buckled in and ready for the ride, the whole reason she'd found herself out tonight, combating restlessness and doubt, worrying about getting too old, undesirable. Silly feelings. Waverly could help. Was helping. So Aurora was all in as this roller coaster crested the first hill and started downward.
-
It was terrible to want things, even worse to ask for them, and torture to receive them. Waverly kept still when Aurora obliged once and twice. Waverly frowned into the kiss, unhappy that she'd let Aurora get to her so quickly, disappointed that she'd been so easy. You got what you wanted, she told herself, don't be so mad about it.
Waverly felt Aurora's pause and knew it was its own kind of question. Aurora's hand on her was so light. Waverly composed herself, and pulled back so she could look at Aurora full-on. She kept that one hand firmly on Aurora's upper thigh, and with her other she touched first Aurora's hair at her temple. It was an admiring inventory, Waverly looking at each part of Aurora's face, the lines and contours. Where there was make-up, where there wasn't. She followed the curve of her her ear, her thumb gently pressed the corner of Aurora's mouth.
It only took a few moments, but her hand moved further into the high crease of Aurora's jeans every second.
"Again," she whispered, her mouth suddenly dry.
-
When the answer to her non-verbal question came, Aurora had to admit, at least internally, that she was surprised herself. She'd expected capitulation, of course, but it was about this point that it was in the form of an almost too aggressive return kiss; wet, hot, a single-minded approach. And she'd have been fine with that approach tonight.
But there was pausing, appreciative eyes that met hers when she opened them to gaze back at Waverly. The witch's hand felt... more than warm, and Aurora absolutely fell into it, head tilting, lips softly parting at the thumb that caressed them. These were not the actions of a woman confident she had Aurora for the evening and so all effort was abandoned in favor of the hook-up.
No... Waverly was admiring her, a different sort, and, for just a fleeting moment, Aurora felt something... more. The other woman's little whispered word flipped the tables on her as effortlessly as a leaf in the wind, and Aurora felt herself want to be the one doing the desperate thing, the sloppy thing. She was saved by her own self-discipline though (with just a hint of pause given, self-doubt still hiding somewhere in there).
And so, when she complied, she closed the gap again, but cool and collected, their lips shifting together again. There was more there this time, warmth, passion, but it was not the deep dive of desperation or being over eager and chasing the obvious end. It was... obedience.
A heavy breath fell from her nose, warm air brushing Waverly's face as Aurora broke the kiss in a soft gasp, settled their foreheads together. Her free hand found Waverly's on her leg, but not to stop it, simply to squeeze. It seemed to take her a few seconds to compose, but when she did, her words were soft, inviting.
"How far to your flat?"
-
A thrilling hum rose up inside Waverly anew. She'd come to Closet with people, but there was no expectation they'd leave together. Her roommate Gabi was travelling again. The trendy loft space in the converted factory with the big arched window - they'd have it to themselves.
"Not far. I'll Apparate us," Waverly said. Her place wasn't big or fancy, but it was hers, and way better than living with her law-enforcing mothers on their hobby farm in Wales.
Waverly had to stand so they could go, but the pull to stay down on the couch with Aurora was hard to defy. But the anticipation of seeing and touching more of Aurora and her firm frame was motivating enough. She helped Aurora up, pressed against her, and took them both away with a crack.
---
#4C Burgoyne Burbidges Lofts
Waverly and her fair-haired, tantalizingly experienced, mother-scandalizing hook-up appeared safely in the living room. An assortment of rugs covered the patched old wooden floors, and night light from the big arched window made everything blue. The first thing Waverly did when they landed in, was to kiss Aurora again, if she'd have her, and seek the bottom of the other witch's shirt.
-
Thankful for the support with as much subterfuge as she could manage, Aurora felt herself hold her breath for the apparating. Gone one second, solid again the next. The light was blue, warm, no longer outdoors. Her leg swelled with pain briefly, until she could adjust on to the other for uneven support. Their surroundings, though, faded as quick as the rest with Waverly's advance.
All else melted away with those warm lips that Aurora drew on, encouraged now that they were utterly alone and the intent was made clear, green lit by both parties. She shivered as Waverly's hands found her shirt, tickled her sides, and only gave permission in the form of undoing the buttons on her sleeveless vest, the meager shirt beneath more for decency than anything else.
Lips peeled apart then, leaving teeth to graze the other witch's lower lip while Aurora took a breath, got her bearings. Mostly, looked for a place to sit or lay. But it was taking too long, and neither one seemed particularly patient right then. So, dropping her cane as stealthily as she was able, the blonde threw caution to the wind and lowered her hands, brushing Waverly's sides and hips, before she gripped at the woman's thighs and gave her a tug, lifted.
The pain she could handle, the momentary unsteadiness too. All worth it to pull this woman into her arms and hold her close, foreheads resting against one another, noses brushing and words coming through hot, semi-erratic breaths. "Bed?"
-
"Oh!" Waverly hadn't said that like that in maybe ever. She was a tall witch and she couldn't think of the last time anyone had picked her up, let alone a woman. She became cooperative in Aurora's effort, using her legs to hold on. Here at home with the two of them alone, and Aurora a near stranger, maybe Waverly could at last lose her cool.
"Bed," she agreed with a shaking breath. Waverly sensed an unsteadiness beneath her, and she wondered about the cane. Aurora didn't say anything, however, so Waverly would put it from her mind. Aurora could handle herself. And Aurora could apparently handle her as well.
Waverly's bedroom door was just there, right off the living room. The space was small, cluttered with clothes, but otherwise tidy and fragrant with traces of perfume or incense or gillyweed. A red paisley scarf hung over her mirror.[1] The light from outside was enough to get to work.
They arrived at the bed, and Waverly didn't wait for Aurora to set her down. She lifted her chest and let her hands fall down around Aurora's back, inviting her to whatever she might like.
"I'm not much of a talker," Waverly muttered as if this were news.
Later
It was almost getting light outside by the time the witches were spent and Waverly fell asleep. Her sweaty skin had cooled in the open air, so she'd pulled up the sheet. Her hair was down, a soft fluffy pillow that would need fixing in the morning. In her doze, her hand had searched the covers for the strong, capable, clever witch Aurora.
-
Her anxieties going into the evening fully alleviated, Aurora had found relaxing and dozing off for a time easy. And she must have really been exhausted, because one moment there was still calming breathing, sweat, tingling, and settling in to a pillow and the next...
She started, a wandering hand that was not her own finding her bare arm and giving her the momentary impression that a bug was crawling on her skin. But quickly as she'd stirred, she was relaxing again, details flooding in. Her nose had been buried against Waverly's shoulder, close to the nape of her neck, and when she lazily lifted her head to respond to the move, she left the space of skin with a gentle kiss first.
Lazy eyes sought the other woman's, strangely wanting for such attentions. Not really the norm for her after the fact, usually a fling and done sort. But there it was, and so she'd analyze it, quietly, until that curiosity was sated. On her side, beneath the sheet up to just under her arms along her ribs, her one, free hand found her lover's wandering one and laced their fingers lightly. "Hey... think we... napped?"
Her eyes squinted softly in the dim light filtering in, but it couldn't have been too long after they'd calmed down. Still very early, at any rate. But all thoughts of much but curling up and going back to sleep were muddled and distant, even more so for how she found herself mesmerized by how the warm colors peeking in framed Waverly's beautiful features. Did she stay? Go? Was she even welcome if she decided the former? Fleeting thoughts, inconsequential quite then.
There was just a half-asleep, radiant smile in place of that particular conversation.
-
Waverly provided no help for Aurora's dilemma. She was proud and satisfied, totally comfortable and cooly uncaring. She had every reason to believe she hadn't left Aurora wanting and so there was no reason to force herself awake to be sure of it. Under the sheets, Waverly stretched her naked length luxuriously, and had no other cares in the world at all.
Maybe, maybe, some part of her giddy self-conscious imagined a 'morning after' and what Aurora's pink skin would look like in the the sun, but Waverly wasn't making wishes or catching girlfriends or doing anything more than a coffee to go.
So when Aurora spoke, Waverly made no indication she heard. She folded and unfolded her hand in Aurora's and then stretched again and returned to sleep.
-
Still asleep? Not likely pretending, she was probably genuinely worn out, Aurora had seen to that personally. Frankly, she'd be insulted if she hadn't satisfied. But all the same, the return of silence felt... anti-climactic.
Her hand was squeezed, or at least the small hold was acknowledged, but there wasn't much else. And she wanted to just dismiss it as she always had, think nothing of it and go back to sleep herself. But that just wasn't how she was wired.
Even settling in, temple against Waverly's shoulder, she found herself watching their loosely intertwined fingers. Somewhere in the club scene, this woman's enchanting eyes, the kelp... she'd lost sight of what had driven her in the first place. A restless evening approaching in her quarters at Hogwarts, the anxieties of a life change, of her age, settling into a "quiet" life like some crippled veteran. She'd gotten up, forced herself into something passably attractive, and gone all the way back to London just to squash those insecurities.
And... here they were, lingering again, a cool breeze manifested on her bare shoulders. She tried to push it off, get some rest, but even with the night they'd had, the warmth right there on offer, she felt isolated and anxious all over again. And so, sun now thoroughly up after 3 or 4 scant hours, Aurora Hawkins gave up on the prospect of peace. No patience for it.
She'd extricated herself as quietly as she could from the warm body next to her and the bed itself, making sure the sheet was pulled back up for Waverly's comfort. Dressing in the bathroom was easy enough after quickly washing up in the sink (she could have a proper bath once she got back to the school). And, normally, she'd have simply left at that point. She was, after all, still in the predicament she'd come into the evening with, right?
But another glance at Waverly told her otherwise, in at least some sense. There was comfort there, warmth, affirmation. Just not enough for her overpowering neuroses. And so a compromise then. A hand-written note didn't feel like a lot, but there it was, in flowing cursive and pinned on the kitchen counter with an orange from the basket of fruit nearby.
'Thank you for the enchanting evening. It's not one I'll soon forget. I know you're not much for words, but you can reach me via owl at Hogwarts, if you're so inclined. Sleep well, Waverly - A.'
Why had she included that last part? Even she wasn't sure, entirely. The way things usually went, how she felt they'd gone... there was no good reason to suspect either wanted another encounter any time soon. But it also just felt... right. The adult thing to do. Just incase. Right?
Leaving no room for second guesses or doubt, she'd slipped out then, leaving the flat and making her way back to the Ministry for a cheap cup of coffee and a dry pastry, before catching a floo back to Hogwarts proper.