[Voice]

[originaldragoon]

[It's the Full Moon, so naturally Rose does an audio post so as not to freak everyone out with her half dragon appearance over the network.]

Dear Soa... [You can almost hear the chattering from the cold in her voice.]

Normally I am used to temperatures much colder than this, but apparently my monster form does not like the cold. No amount of bundling up seems to be helping. Drinking something hot helps a little but it does not last long, and I doubt my roommate will like it if I turn the heat up any more.

[She shifts and you can hear the sound of fabric moving, no doubt from all the blankets she has wrapped around her.]

At this point, I am open to suggestions on how to keep warm when you are literally cold blooded.

[OOC: Suggestive warning with the first thread in the comments thanks to Ace.]

Comments

[originaldragoon]

Really. I still have not decided on being in that kind of a relationship or not...

[but the warmth he was giving her felt really nice.]

[ace_of_hearts]

Mmmn, not that part. [Nuzzles her neck and drops his voice, since he's near her ear.] I said before, I would take it as slow as I could for you.

Like I said, thousands of years, I don't expect you to change in a second. But I meant the other thing I said too, yeah? [Nuzzzzles, waaaaarms.] You deserve someone looking after you. It's not that which is giving you pause, right?

[originaldragoon]

[Oh no. Her neck was always her weak spot for her. A shiver goes down her spine that has nothing to do with the cold.]

[She shook her head some.]

It is more than that.

[ace_of_hearts]

I'm listening. [No kisses, but he warms her up a little more with magic and gently rubs the back of her neck with one hand.]

[originaldragoon]

[She's quiet again for a few seconds, trying to decide what to say. Him rubbing the back of her neck is a bit distracting.]

I had not been with anyone since Zieg. The pain that I felt when I lost him was greater than any battle wound I had ever received. The last thing I want is to go through that pain again.

[ace_of_hearts]

Hm.

[Ace has to think about that. He knows... and doesn't. He's never really lost anyone, hasn't gone through thousands of years of loneliness, and can hardly argue he'll never die, when he's already dead.]

[Pain vs. joy.] I can't promise I won't die again, but isn't being lonely like this prolonging the pain?

Luffy always told me nothing was worse than being alone. That's the worst part of dying to save him, but at least I know he's got a good crew looking after him. You and me don't have our crews here. But you can have me. Whatever that's worth.

[Snuggles and massages her neck all the same!]

[originaldragoon]

[She sighs some.]

I stayed alone because if I was with someone, I would be forced to see them grow old and fade away while I stay the same.

On top of that, Zieg did not really die that day. He was cursed, so I was able to hold onto that hope that I would see him again someday.

[ace_of_hearts]

Cursed how?

You aren't going to see me grow old, that much I can promise. Either we grow old together, whatever that means since we're both dead in our own worlds, or something happens to one of us first, because I can't promise it won't.

[originaldragoon]

He was turned to stone in battle. I saw it happen.

[How much more should she really tell him. At this point she didn't have much to lose. He made it clear that he wasn't going to leave her, at least for now.]

About twenty five to thirty years ago, the curse broke and I did not know until a month before my own death. Turned out one of my companions at the time was his son. He had moved on, though I could not blame him. He was cursed for thousands of years. Naturally he thought I had passed a long time ago.

Before his curse though, he had also promised that we would grow old together. [So such promises do not hold that much weight for her anymore.]

1/3

[ace_of_hearts]

[Ace is pissed off, and for a moment he flashes, worried about his fire going out of control, but luckily it's actually far less a part of him here, even if it is full moon and much harder to manage, nothing's on fire, so that's good.]

2/3

[ace_of_hearts]

[Okay, okay, temper.]

You waited 11,000 years for him.

[She didn't blame him, but...]

[No, definitely, Ace did.]

Why would he think you were gone? If he was cursed, why wouldn't you be? [Clenches fists, but steadies their shaking on her hips.]

3/3

[ace_of_hearts]

[Puts his hat on her head.] I changed my mind.

[Rests his forehead on her shoulder, in the crook of her neck, because it's the only way he can stop himself.] I'm not leaving you. Not ever. I won't pressure you, ever, I don't want you to ever get hurt by me, but I'm pretty... livid. And I don't know that I can take it that slowly after all.

[A small laugh.] I told you I was wanted before I was even born, for my blood. But I hate R-R... [Nope! Still can't say his name!] That bastard too, because even though he turned himself in so that no one would suspect my mother, or me, and even though he was already dying... What kind of a man abandons someone he loves, and says that's the best he can do for them?

[Such trembling arms, he's angry, and there's a little bit of -- okay A LOT OF!!! -- self-loathing in there. For leaving Luffy and his crew and so on. He did his best though, and unlike Roger--]

So even if you tell me you'll always love Zeig, or you don't want anyone looking after you, I can't leave it like that. I'm going to want to be here no matter what you decide. That he just--

[Growls to himself, still can't look her in the eyes yet.] You can't get rid of me. If I have to fight death to come back again I will.

And I can't forgive someone who'd do anything so half-assed. So I won't be like him. I won't settle for anything less than the absolute best. That's you.

[originaldragoon]

[Rose tried to set up and look at him, the hat a bit awkward on her horns. Perhaps it was a bad idea to tell him everything. She could feel his arms trembling in rage.]

Ace, there is no reason for you to be angry at Zieg. Curses are directed at one individual and the one who cursed Zieg did so as in his dying breath, so I was spared. When the curse took hold of Zieg he told me to go and save myself. At first I did not want to, but my dragon grabbed me and took me out of there.

[The memory was still raw at how she tried to keep hold of Zieg's hand even after it turned to stone.]

[She gave a bit of a sigh.]

People do extreme things to protect those they love. Though it hurt, I cannot blame him for what had happened.

[ace_of_hearts]

[The amount he wants to kiss her and can't, is seriously unreal.]

[But Zeig moved on. Rose didn't. Zeig did. That's the part Ace finds unforgivable and wants to kiss her, no matter how much he gets slapped.]

[Even now, she still loves him, so Ace hates him.]

How did you end up living so long? What broke his curse?

[He's not supposed to kiss her, but her neck and shoulder is different, right? So he'll just gently kiss those, moving her hair aside to kiss more oops.]

[And one hand goes back to massaging the back of her neck.]

[originaldragoon]

[Nope! No no no! No kissing there!]

[Rose quickly pulled away from Ace once he started kissing her neck. He probably had no clue what affect it had on her. Thankfully, with the way she was now, she couldn't blush. And even if she could, the black scales and skin would hide it.]

I said no more surprise kisses.

[Her hand covers the spot he was kissing before she continues.]

I told you, time was stopped for me so that I could fulfill my duty as the Black Monster. Us Dragoons were unknowingly responsible for releasing the soul of the God of Destruction to win the war. [There was no way now that she was going to Ace that Zieg was the one who released that soul.] Out of all seven Dragoons, I was the only one who saw the end of the war. When I found out what we had done, I willing took on the burden to fix our mistake.

[ace_of_hearts]

[He definitely was oblivious!!]

[Just sighs, holds both hands up in surrender, and leans back and sideways to let her come to him on her own terms.]

Meaning the other dragoons were part of it, just not with you. I still don't accept it. You took on the burden for all of them while he returned like it was normal. Definitely can't accept it.

Maybe if I was more like Blackbeard, I could be fatalistic, and call it destiny, but I'm the kind of guy who wants to punch fate in the face, never accept it.

How'd you die?

No surprise kisses. [Tugs her carefully via blanket to cuddle against his chest, and she should be grateful for his hat because it protects him from nuzzling her hair and neck from this angle.]

And you didn't say how his curse got broken.

[originaldragoon]

[And now she was pretty much laying against his chest. At least now he can't start kissing her again, especially with the hat shielding her.]

Time broke his curse. Some magic grows weak over a certain amount of time

[She shook her head some.]

They did not know, Ace. How could they? I did not find out about it until after the war. After the others died in battle and Zieg turned to stone. My fellow Dragoons and I wanted to save the world, not destroy it. I could not let the destruction of the world we fought to set free be their legacy.

[Another pause. She never talked about her own death since arriving to the Kingdom. She wasn't sure if she was ready. For now she will just give the short answer.]

I sacrificed myself to destroy the body of the God of Destruction. The soul cannot return to the body if the body no longer exists after all.

[She is going to leave out that Zieg sacrificed himself along side her for now. She's not sure how Ace would react to that.]

[ace_of_hearts]

[He would have accepted that better, actually.]

You've spent an eternity looking after everyone else and the only man you would have let by your side didn't know you were still alive.

Nope can't accept that.

[Holds her protectively.] You've dedicated yourself to the world. I'm not going to do that, but I'll dedicate myself to you, if you'll have me. And if you won't, then I'll just have to be persistent and change your mind.

[originaldragoon]

[Did Ace realize that what he was saying almost sounds like a wedding vow? When was the last time someone held her like this? She can't remember. She should pull away, but she can't bring herself to. For now she will tell herself that she just wants to stay warm, and stays nestled against his chest, while she ignores the burning sensation in her eyes.]

Soa, you are stubborn...

[ace_of_hearts]

[No, he's oblivious!!!]

Yeah. [Snuggles!!] Unless my kid brother comes here, you'll probably never find someone half as stubborn as me.

[originaldragoon]

I do not think the Kingdom can handle two such stubborn people.

[It may erupt into total chaos.]

[ace_of_hearts]

It'd be fun!

[originaldragoon]

[She can't help but smile a little at that, even though he can't see it.]

You would think that.

[At least now they have stopped talking about her past.]

[ace_of_hearts]

You would too! You'd love him. Like a little brother you never wanted. He grows on you, like a fungus.

[Yeaaaaaaaaaah Ace can talk about Luffy indefinitely.]

[originaldragoon]

A fungus is usually not how one describes their younger sibling.